Chosen (Omega Levi x Monarch Reader)

Chapter 5: You

You sat in your private study, moonlight streaming in through the tall windows while you read page after page of the omegas' answers, trying to decide which ones you wanted to stay. Of course, you knew this method could be faulty – they could've simply written what they thought you wanted to hear. However, you needed to thin the participant pool to a more manageable level, and for that, no method was perfect.

At the very least, you figured this would be a good way to learn some key facts about the participants without interrogating them one by one.

You reached the end of the page in your hand and paused, wondering whether you should keep this participant or dismiss them. Ever since the Choosing began, you'd been terrified of sending the wrong person home, of missing out on the person who would've been your perfect match, if only you'd gotten to know them a little better. The stress would've eaten you alive, so you kept telling yourself to trust your judgement. You'd never know what might've been. You simply had to do the best you could with the information at hand.

You set the paper aside and wrote the omega's name on the list of those to be dismissed before picking up the next sheet.

Levi Ackerman

You couldn't help noticing how precise and clear his letters were – so much so that his stood out among the huge stack of responses. Curiously, it almost looked as if he'd printed the words with a press instead of hand-writing them. One could learn a lot about a person from their penmanship, and this led you to believe Levi was rather meticulous.

As you read through his answers, you realized Levi stood out from the rest in more ways than his handwriting. He hardly listed any traditional omega hobbies or goals. You also gathered that his family was a huge part of his life, and extremely important to him.

4) What is your favorite food?

The soup my mother makes.

You thought that one was adorably sweet.

The qualities he valued in a partner also diverged from the average responses. Most participants claimed they wanted a protector, a guide, and a firm but fair hand. Meanwhile, Levi's response painted a picture of a relationship that was more...equal.

You agreed with everything he wrote, but you couldn't help wondering why he wrote it. In your view, respect, reasonability, and having each other's best interests at heart were the bare minimum required to make a relationship work. Had Levi experienced the lack of these traits with another alpha?

If so, you felt sorry for him. No one deserved to be mistreated by the people who were supposed to love them. Perhaps that was why he'd been so reserved during your initial meeting. Perhaps he was afraid of being hurt again.

*) You may ask one question of the queen. Her Majesty will select some questions to answer, and those answers will be made available to all remaining participants. Names of questioners will be anonymous.

Why did you raise the age limit for the Choosing?

You figured he was asking because he wouldn't be here if you hadn't raised the age limit. It was a valid question, and truthfully, one you and your advisors had wrestled with. Your advisors had been against it – given that omega pregnancies became risky after age thirty-five. However, you were twenty-five yourself, and you say no reason not to consider omegas who were merely a handful of years older. Moreover, even if the omega you chose was thirty, five years was still a lot of time to birth an heir.

If you recalled correctly, Levi was twenty-eight. That meant he had seven years left before pregnancy would carry an age-related risk. Plenty of time.

You shook your head, abruptly ending that train of thought. While it was a necessary consideration given your responsibility to continue the royal line, you felt odd any time you thought of the participants as potential bearers of your children – mostly because you'd only just met them. Additionally, you didn't want any of the omegas to feel like that was all they were to you. You wanted them to feel seen for who they were.