Page 12

CHAPTER 12

Soren

Frankie felt like a completely different person when she came out of the locker room, but I couldn’t put my finger on why exactly. She wasn’t doing anything different, but I could sense an invisible wall between us that hadn’t been there before.

I knew she didn’t like me or want me around, but the way she’d ignored me before had felt almost petty and childish. It wasn’t something she’d been wholeheartedly committed to.

Now, she wasn’t just ignoring me. I may as well not exist.

She brushed past me in the gym, heading for the first floor instead of the thirteenth where her office was.

I’d waited almost an hour for her to come out of the locker room and she’d just breezed by me like it was nothing.

What the fuck was going on?

I followed her into the lobby and watched as she walked through the front doors toward the bright red Chevy Impala that was parked out front.

The urge to demand where she was going rose up but I choked it down, reminding myself I had no right to ask.

So I watched Frankie hop in her car and drive off without a single look back.

A flurry of emotions filled me and I shoved them all down to focus on what actually mattered.

This behavior was out of character for her.

Francesca was very good at taking care of others. Seemed to thrive off of it actually. I didn’t think that could be categorized as a weakness exactly, but the way she kept putting herself out there could get her into trouble one day.

I shouldn’t care about that, but I did.

Regardless, she was a good alpha with insane control.

So, leaving behind a brand-new rookie who was under her care before the work day was officially over, without a single explanation as to why, was very odd behavior for her.

I ignored how worried I was and tried to reason my way through this as I headed for my car to catch up with her.

Ten years ago, Francesca had left her pack and essentially disappeared.

Everyone thought she’d been disowned because she didn’t inherit the red eyes of her father’s legacy, or maybe she’d been sent overseas to stay out of the public eye, but the reality was she’d played everyone for a fool.

Francesca Lopez became Frankie James and she’d lived a normal life as a private detective in Acheron city with her omega partner, Lucy Parker.

No one had known who they really were until the last quarterly legacy event and now they were all anyone was talking about.

Lucy Parker recently had her bonding ceremony with Liam Valor and Cassius Valentine. Francesca had attended her adopted sister’s ceremony with her fiancée at her side and now the two of them were the talk of the city.

Not only had the prodigal daughter returned to be declared the Lopez heir after her cousin was exposed for committing a disgusting crime, but then she’d gotten engaged to the perfect legacy omega.

Now she was living her life as a private detective like nothing had changed – as if she had no idea that someone in her pack wanted to take her and her father down by any means necessary.

None of it made any sense.

The tracker I’d planted on her jacket when I’d brought her coffee told me exactly where she was so it didn’t take long to catch up with her.

Stopping at the corner, I watched her pull into a hot new café that was all the rage right now.

Frankie got out of her car, tossing her bright red ponytail over her shoulder before shoving her hands in the pockets of her motorcycle jacket. She didn’t check her surroundings at all before heading into the building, looking as cool as a cucumber.

It was obvious that I’d never once crossed her mind.

Turning into the parking lot next to the café, I tried not to be annoyed about this.

Frankie was a pro at making me feel like a fucking ghost and for whatever reason, I wanted her to like me and not just because it would make my job easier.

But I couldn’t pinpoint why exactly I wanted her to like me and it was slowly starting to drive me crazy.

Especially after that trainwreck of a sparring session.

I’d done my best to scrub her scent from my body but it was still in my nose and messing with my head.

Now all I could think about was getting close enough to smell it again which was insane .

Not only was she a legacy alpha, but she was already engaged.

Frankie was a job .

I shouldn’t feel this way about her, but I did.

Grabbing the black baseball cap from the center console, I pulled it on and tucked the book I was reading under my arm. Then I strode towards the café and locked the car behind me.

This was a risk, but I didn’t have anything to lose really.

If she spotted me and demanded to know why I was following her, I could use the excuse that I thought I was supposed to since she never said not to. If she didn’t…then maybe I could learn something.

Getting this job done as quickly as possible was my highest priority because I didn’t know how long I could ignore the way she made me feel and if I fucked this up because of some fleeting emotions I was going to be pissed.

Especially when I didn’t understand why I felt this way to begin with.

I headed toward the counter as I scanned the café, looking for the bright red hair that always stood out in a crowd.

There, in the corner, but she wasn’t alone.

A woman with grey eyes so light they were almost the same silvery white as her hair sat in the corner on one of the plush armchairs. Somehow, she made it look like a throne with the way her arms were draped over the sides.

You’d think with an all-white skirt suit that her features would be washed out, but her eyebrows were a dark brown and so were her eyelashes. The thin, dark ring of grey around the silver in her eyes also emphasized the contrast.

I could see why Frankie was falling all over herself to greet the legacy omega the whole world called perfection.

But this wasn’t River’s first engagement and I had to wonder if it would be her last.

Not that I had any reason to care if it was or not.

Frankie took River’s outstretched hand and kissed her knuckles before pulling the omega to her feet for a quick hug.

I focused on the person in front of me as I listened to her talk with her omega, irritated for no good reason.

Frankie sounded genuinely worried when she asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” River said in a soft, sultry voice. “I simply haven’t seen you in over a week.”

“I’m sorry. I was finishing up a case.” Frankie held River’s hand as the omega sat, maintaining perfect etiquette despite the worried expression on her face. “I should have called when I finished, but something came up.”

I placed my order and headed over to an empty chair behind a bookcase. I could still see them through the shelves and I was close enough to listen in on their conversation, but I wasn’t between her and the door.

My instincts could go fuck themselves. She didn’t need me to protect her and I had no right to anyway.

Opening my book, I pretended to read as I listened to these two fawning over each other.

“How’s Lucy doing?” River asked. “Is she enjoying her honeymoon?”

“She is.” Frankie paused and I forced myself to keep my eyes on my book. “They’re almost done with the renovations on the townhome, but I’m sure you already know that.”

“I don’t oversee the project that closely, but I do read the reports,” River admitted, her eyes sharp as she stared at Frankie. “Is there anything else I can do for them?”

“No, everything’s taken care of.” Frankie thanked River when the omega handed her an espresso. “Is there anything else you need from me?”

I couldn’t say why, but there was definitely something off about this conversation. It felt too…detached, especially considering their body language.

River’s knees were pointing toward Frankie and she looked at her alpha like she was the only person in the room, but it wasn’t a look I’d call adoring. It was more…calculating.

And either Frankie wasn’t aware of it, or she didn’t care. She just sipped her espresso and then complimented the omega like she’d been the one to make it, not the barista.

Was River aware that Frankie didn’t like straight espresso, unlike her father? Did she know her alpha had a sweet tooth in addition to her crippling caffeine addiction? Even I knew that and I’ve only been studying her for a few days.

It annoyed me that Frankie drank that espresso like it was nothing. She showed no signs of disliking the bitter taste and sipped it gracefully before carefully placing the empty cup back on the saucer.

Neither of them spoke for a long time. It seemed kind of awkward but they didn’t seem to notice or care.

It almost felt like they were speaking telepathically.

Logically, I knew that was impossible and it was crazy to even think that, but there was no other explanation for this weird aura between the two of them.

“I don’t need anything,” River finally said, breaking that awkward silence.

Then Frankie’s genuine smile turned into the one she’d given Taylor and I forced myself to turn the page. The muscles between my shoulders felt tight and my instincts were screaming at me.

Something weird was definitely going on.

“Is there anything you want?” Frankie asked as she tilted her head slightly.

Why was she suddenly acting like she was being threatened?

River Steele lived up to her reputation though.

She didn’t smile or try to ease her expression into something that might soothe the volatile alpha in front of her. She just stared at Frankie like she was a stranger despite the way she reached for her hand.

Frankie took it and rubbed her thumb over River’s knuckles. I couldn’t say why, but she looked sad as she stared down at the fragile hand in hers.

“It’s my father’s birthday soon,” River told her. “It would be nice if you could escort me.”

The sharp edge to Frankie’s smile softened at that. “I would love to.”

I watched her bring that delicate hand up again and brush her lips against River’s knuckles, her eyes closing as she did so.

My stomach twisted and I dropped my gaze back down to my book, blindly turning another page.

Frankie was a very caring and attentive person. It seemed like she’d do anything for her fiancée if she’d just ask, but River wasn’t asking her for anything and even I could see how much that was destroying the delicate alpha in front of me.

I didn’t think this qualified as a weakness exactly, but it was something that made Francesca Lopez vulnerable and she didn’t seem to care if the whole world saw it.

How could River see that vulnerability and still look so unimpressed?

Why wasn’t Frankie angry about this? Why the fuck was she letting this omega walk all over her?

I turned the page again, reminding myself that it was none of my business. I was just the new recruit she was supposed to train and her personal life had nothing to do with me outside of work.

The waiter set my caramel macchiato on the table in front of me and I went to thank him, but this guy wasn’t wearing an apron or anything that would indicate he worked here as a barista.

He had pink hair and bright red eyes that damn near sparkled at me.

I had no idea what to say when the guy took the liberty to sit down in the chair across from me, sipping his own latte with a little smirk on his face.

What the fuck was a legacy alpha doing bringing me my coffee and getting in my space?

“I saw you order,” he explained. “I thought I could do you a favor when I saw how engrossed you were in your book.”

“Thank you.” I didn’t reach for the cup though, suspicious of his intentions.

My hackles rose when he didn’t get up and leave. This guy actually had the audacity to put his elbows on the table and lean forward into my space.

“You have pretty eyes,” he told me.

My eyebrows rose at that. “I’m flattered.”

“You’re the strong, silent type. Aren’t you?” He set his cup down and slowly spun it around and around. “Lucky for you she has a thing for that.”

My heart nearly stopped and I slowly placed my book face down on the table so I could have my hands free.

I studied the man before me, keeping my eyes on his face as I took in his size and the strength he tried to hide under that white hoodie. I had no idea who he was or how he’d figured out I was here to do more than read, but this guy was definitely a professional.

No doubt about it, even if his style and personality seemed a bit out of the ordinary for his line of work.

“I assumed strong and silent was your type,” I stated as I placed my hand on top of my book. “Why else would you go out of your way to bring me my coffee?”

“Because you have pretty eyes.” His grin was borderline psychotic, but his energy was playful.

Dangerously so.

This legacy alpha before me didn’t give a fuck about the people around us. He could easily flip and commit the kind of violence I’ve only ever seen on the battlefield.

I knew without a doubt the innocent people around us would end up as collateral and he wouldn’t even bat an eye. I had to respect that kind of crazy even if I didn’t understand it.

“As I said before, I’m flattered, but I’m not interested.” I placed my free hand over the top of my cup, ready to use it as a weapon if need be.

“Is it because I’m an alpha?” The guy with spiky, baby pink hair drained his latte, but he didn’t make a move to leave.

My instincts were telling me there was no good answer to that question, so I kept silent and waited him out.

“I only ask because she’s an alpha.” He tilted his head toward Frankie and River, but I refused to look away from him.

Definitely a professional, but I couldn’t figure out if he was some kind of soldier, spy, or an assassin.

Frankie was recently named the heir to a formidable legacy pack and River was a very sought after omega. He could be here for either of them, but I got the sense he wasn’t here to do more than just observe.

Bringing himself to my attention was intentional. He was marking his territory, but in a way that was so fucking bizarre I had no idea what to do with it.

Getting hit on by a rival was definitely a new one.

“I really don’t think my sexual preferences are any of your business,” I murmured, keeping my voice low but clear. I wanted him to know I wasn’t intimidated by him, but I wasn’t looking to prove anything either.

If he decided to do something that would bring Frankie’s attention to me, I could easily use the excuse I’d prepared, but I didn’t think he would.

This guy didn’t think she’d discover us and he was acting like she’d never know he was here which was…odd. I could tell her about the weirdo stalking her, but then I’d have to explain why I was here.

I’d rather avoid that if I could and this asshole seemed to know that.

“If it’s not because I’m an alpha, is it because I’m a guy?” Pink Hair leaned back, keeping the tips of his fingers on the rim of his empty mug. “I’m just asking because I’m kind of disappointed you won’t even consider this.”

What a nutcase.

His smirk widened into a grin, telling me he could pick up on my tells just as easily as I could his.

“You seem like the jealous stalker type,” I said quietly. “I find that exhausting.”

The legacy alpha in front of me laughed like I’d told the funniest joke in the world and my muscles tensed in preparation for whatever might come next. His hysterical laughter stopped just as quickly as it started and when those red eyes pinned me into place, he was dead serious.

“If you want someone to think you’re reading, you need to move your eyes, not just flip the pages,” he told me. “Otherwise someone might find out you’re also the jealous stalker type.”

My entire body reacted to that statement like the threat it was, but I didn’t move a single muscle. I didn’t even blink as I stared him down. “I appreciate the advice, but I think you’re mistaken. I just came here to read.”

“Sure, and I’m just here to drink coffee.” His grin was back but it didn’t make me feel any better.

This guy was too unpredictable.

I kept my eyes locked on him as he got up and walked out of the café like he didn’t have a care in the world.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only player in this game.