Levi sat beside Alpha. He looked him up and down. “What have I missed?”

“Not so much. Oh! I have a new girlfriend. Rachel, where are you?” Alpha said, looking around.

“Right here.” Rachel walked over, still in her bathrobe. She gave him a tired smile. “Hey, sweetie.”

“There she is!” He leaned in toward Levi. “That’s Rainer Drift, you know. World-famous singer.”

“Yeah, I know. I, er…have a good friend who’s a big fan,” Levi said.

Alpha laughed. “You can just admit you’re a fan.”

Levi chuckled. “Sure, sure.”

“So, what’s up with you? You look the same as ever. Wish I had that kind of skin.”

“Yeah, I…” Levi took a deep breath. He looked Alpha in the eyes. “You have a daughter.”

“I…what?” Alpha stared at him, shocked.

Levi looked at his feet. He nodded. “Her name’s Kella. She’s a sweetheart. I’ve been watching over her…helping to raise her. She’s…doing better, now. Getting stronger every day.”

“How…how old…?” Alpha asked.

“Fifteen. Fifteen years old.”

Sitting up on the couch, Alpha stared at him. “Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you reach out?”

Levi laughed. He gestured vaguely at the floor. “If you were in your right mind—”

“I AM.”

He shrugged. “You’d understand. We aren’t…we’ve had a rough go of it, Alpha. You know, I almost killed her. When I saw her.”

“What?” Alpha stared at him, confused, betrayed, Levi wasn’t even sure what.

He barked out a laugh. “If you remembered, you’d understand. I hate you, Alpha. I hate you so much that I want to…wanted to destroy everything you hold dear.

“But then I saw her, that little girl. I saw her innocence. It wasn’t her fault you were her father. You didn’t even know. You’d never met her, she’d never met you. And so I thought, I’ll raise this kid. She’ll be my secret. If I ever land in Alpha’s hands, she’ll be that one second of shock, of hesitation, that edge that might let me survive the encounter.”

Alpha’s brows furrowed. He looked Levi up and down, his eyes searching for a hint. “Why, Beta? Why would you think that? I…”

“But here we are! Here we are.” Levi laughed again. He put his face in his hands and half-laughed, half-sobbed. Abruptly, he looked up, throwing his hands out to Alpha. “What do I do? This is…you’re not him. You’re not the guy I hate, the guy I’d do anything to kill. You’re just…you’re just…”

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“You hate me? Why?” Alpha asked.

Levi threw his hands in the air and tossed his head back. “I don’t know! I don’t know. I carried that burden all this time. I carried so much fear. So much terror. That any moment, you might…and you don’t even remember. You barely know who I am.”

“Levi, are you having another mental break? I know you. I’ve known you for a long time,” Alpha said gently. He glanced at Rachel, then back at Levi. “Do we need to call the nurses? Do you need some suppressants?”

“God, probably. I can’t imagine I’m coming out of this one okay in the head.” Levi sucked down a big gulp of oxygen and sat up, brushing imaginary crumbs off his chest. “Okay. Alright. Focus. Focus on the moment. I’m okay. We’re all okay. This isn’t something I’ve been working toward for literal decades, only to have it all fall apart at the last second… fucking… god. Deep breaths. We can figure this out.”

Alpha watched him closely. “Are you sure you don’t want me to call the nurses?”

Levi waved him down. “No, no. I’ll be fine.”

“What nurses?” Rachel whispered.

Reminded of her, Levi looked over the back of the couch. “Is this why he hasn’t made any public appearances lately? Is this why he only comes out to fight if no one else can make a showing?”

Rachel glanced at him, then nodded. She looked at the floor. “He…doesn’t remember he’s Mayor. Or anything about the city. If he needs to fight, then…I remind him. Sometimes, he’ll see trouble and fly out on his own, but…” She shrugged.

Levi pressed his lips together. He nodded, understanding.

A tug at his sleeve. Levi turned.

“Beta…Levi. Can I meet my daughter? I—I was told I would never have children, thanks to the Gate particles. But I—I did? I have a daughter?” Hope shone in Alpha’s eyes.

“You do. You do. You raped her mother, Alpha. Her mother made me promise I’d never tell you, let alone let you meet her. God, I’m betraying that poor, sweet woman just sitting here, talking to you.” He rubbed his face again, completely lost. “That…I guess it explains that, though. I didn’t think you’d ever…I thought, absolute power, maybe, but if your mind was going, then…”

“He—what?” Rachel asked, stepping forward.

“My mind is fine,” Alpha insisted, anger flashing across his face.

“Right. Yeah.” Levi stood, abruptly. He looked down at Alpha.

Alpha gazed up at him, his eyes big and empty. A glimmer of the young man Levi had met decades ago shone on his face. That idealistic wonder. The humble amazement in his own power. He closed his eyes. That’s not the Alpha I hate. That’s my friend.

And I’m going to kill him.

He opened his eyes, and his face turned to stone. “Alpha. I’m immortal.”

“What?” Alpha half-rose, confused.

“Yep, you heard that right. I’m immortal. I can’t die. I didn’t unlock any skills, but my System was just busted enough that I’m stuck in this weird, undying state. Neat, huh?” Levi said, grinning.

Alpha climbed to his feet. He approached Levi, lifting a hand. “Immortal? You’re immortal?”

“Yep. All your worries, gone. All you need to do is suck it out of me.” He patted his chest. “Come on, big boy. I know you wanna.”

Hesitation flashed across Alpha’s face. “I…Levi, I don’t want to. You’ll…”

“I’ll die, right? That’s alright. C’mon. Go for it.”

The tower shook. Rachel screeched, falling against the wall. Alpha’s brows furrowed, and he looked out at the city.

Levi followed his gaze. Fire burst up across the city. In the distance, a building crashed into the river. One or two supers flew around, fighting the chaos.

Alpha stepped toward the window. “I should—”

“Hey. Right here. You want immortality, or not? C’mon. Take it from me.”

Again, that hesitation. Despite the hesitation on his face, Alpha stalked forward. He lifted his hand and pressed his fingertips against Levi’s chest.

A cold sensation wracked Levi. He shuddered, but at the same time, he grinned. A knife flashed in his hand, and he drove it deep into Alpha’s chest.