FRAGILE

Chapter 29: The Way Thomas Liked

Levi sat quietly against Maximus's chest, his breath shaky as he tried to process the gentle words of his mate. Maximus's voice was soothing, filled with a tenderness Levi barely understood. He couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that Maximus didn't want him the way Thomas had. It didn't make sense. That wasn't what he'd been taught.

His mind was tangled in a maze of rules and punishments, each one tightly wrapped around the other, suffocating any thoughts of freedom. He couldn't let go of the idea that he had to be useful—had to serve—or he would be punished again. His body was worn down, but his will to please was still stronger than his need for rest.

"Levi, stop," Maximus whispered into his hair, his arms gently holding him close. "You don't have to offer yourself. I just want you to be okay."

Levi's breath hitched at the words. Be okay? Was that something he could even achieve? His mind flashed back to the way Thomas had controlled him—how, no matter how hard he tried, he had never truly been enough. Thomas had taken pleasure in his pain, had found satisfaction in breaking him down, and Levi had learned that the only way to please a master was through submission, through offering himself completely.

Maximus's kindness was confusing. It unsettled Levi in ways he couldn't quite explain. Thomas had never been kind. Thomas had been strict, unwavering in his expectations, and Levi had known exactly what was required of him. He had learned how to endure, how to please, how to give up everything—including his body—if it meant avoiding more punishment.

But Maximus wasn't like that. Maximus was... different. He spoke softly, touched gently, and Levi didn't know how to handle it. He didn't know how to be what Maximus wanted.

"I can make you happy," Levi whispered, his voice so quiet that it barely broke the silence. He pressed closer to Maximus, his fingers trembling as they moved up his mate's chest. "Let me... I can make you feel good."

Maximus pulled back slightly, his brow furrowing as he looked down at Levi with a mixture of confusion and concern. "No, Levi," he said firmly, though his voice remained gentle. "That's not what I want from you."

But Levi didn't understand. How could he? Maximus had to want something—he was an Alpha, after all. And Levi... Levi was an Omega, trained to serve, to please. That was his only purpose. It was all he had left.

"I can be good," Levi insisted, his voice trembling as he struggled to hold back the panic rising in his chest. "Please, just... let me show you. I can make you relax."

Maximus shook his head, his hands gripping Levi's shoulders as he gently but firmly tried to push him back. "Levi, no. You don't need to do that. I just want you to rest. You've been through enough."

But the words didn't register. Levi's mind was racing, his thoughts a chaotic storm of fear and confusion. He remembered the way Thomas had smiled when he obeyed, the satisfaction that had come when he'd given his body to his master. Thomas had been happy when Levi submitted, had been pleased when Levi endured the pain. Wasn't that what a master wanted?

"I can be good," Levi repeated, his voice more desperate now. He lowered himself to his knees, his trembling hands tugging at his own clothes, stripping away the fabric in an attempt to make himself more appealing. "Please, Master, let me—"

"No!" Maximus's voice was louder this time, harsher, and it stopped Levi in his tracks. Maximus's eyes were wide, his chest heaving as he tried to control the frustration and anger building inside him. "I don't want that from you, Levi. I want you to stop. Please, just stop."

Levi's hands froze, his heart hammering in his chest as he stared up at Maximus, wide-eyed and terrified. He had done something wrong. He wasn't being good. Why couldn't he be good? He had to fix this—he had to make it right.

"I'm sorry," Levi whispered, his voice barely audible as tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Master. I can be better. I'll make it better. I promise. Just... just let me make you happy. Please."

Maximus groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration as he sat back, his eyes squeezing shut as if he couldn't bear to see Levi in this state. He didn't know how to reach him, how to make him understand that he didn't need to offer himself like this. Levi's conditioning was so deep, so ingrained, that it seemed impossible to break through.

"I can't make you happy," Levi mumbled, his voice hollow. He looked down at his trembling hands, his mind spiraling as the weight of his failure settled over him like a crushing burden. He couldn't do anything right. He couldn't even follow his new master's rules, because they didn't make sense. Thomas's rules had been clear. They had been painful, but at least Levi had known how to obey them.

But Maximus's rules? Maximus's expectations? They were impossible.

"Please, just use me," Levi whispered, his body trembling as he offered himself again, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm supposed to be used. I'm supposed to serve. I'm supposed to—"

Maximus's eyes snapped open, and the look of anguish on his face was more than Levi could bear. "Levi, stop this," Maximus growled, his voice thick with emotion. "I don't want to use you. You are more than that. You are more than what Thomas made you."

But Levi couldn't hear him. The noise in his mind was too loud, the weight of Thomas's conditioning too heavy. His hands shook as he reached for Maximus again, trying desperately to make himself useful, to offer his body in the only way he knew how.

"Please, Master," Levi begged, his voice cracking as he lowered himself fully to the floor, his head bowed in submission. "I'll do anything. Just... make me good."