Page 5

CHAPTER 5

Frankie

How the fuck did he know exactly what to say?

There was no way he could know about that weakness, right? Hart was just playing the amenable rookie. He had to be. I couldn’t think of any other reason why a legacy alpha would be so docile in front of an alpha they didn’t know.

Sure, he only had one red eye, but it was more than what I had.

I tried to hold his gaze, but Soren kept his eyes down. They were fixed on my lips, or maybe my chin. He was deferring to me already despite the both of us wearing scent blockers.

He had no idea what my pheromones were like and yet he didn’t try to challenge me in any way.

Was it because I was older, or was it the difference in our rank?

My aunt gave me a look, silently scolding me for being so rude but I couldn’t help it. This alpha set my teeth on edge and now I finally knew why.

He wasn’t just quiet and unassuming for his size, he was borderline submissive.

I mean sure, he could be on his best behavior for his new job and doing everything he could not to ruffle any feathers, but that wasn’t exactly easy for an alpha, let alone a legacy alpha.

At the very least, he should be holding my gaze to see who’d give in first, but no. He wouldn’t even look me in the eye.

Maybe he was insecure about only having one red eye? I couldn’t tell and there was no way to ask him about it without causing other problems.

I couldn’t even scent his pheromones thanks to the scent blockers, which was honestly for the best, but thanks to that I couldn’t read him at all .

Now this?

An obedient, rookie alpha was the very last thing I’d expected.

I really, really hoped he never figured out what made me tick because then I’d get used to him and feel like he needed me when that was the last thing I wanted.

An alpha who needed me…fuck, I couldn’t let that happen.

If he figured out just how badly I needed to be needed – how much I needed to take care of others to make up for all my other failings.…

That part of me was why my relationship with Lucy had worked for so long when it was suboptimal at best.

Somehow this alpha was already playing with my heart like he’d known exactly what to say to ease my irritation and we just met. What would happen if we got any closer?

“Frankie?”

My aunt snapped me out of my momentary panic and I slipped my hands into the pockets of my motorcycle jacket to hide my reaction.

“I’ll do my best,” I managed. “But as she mentioned, I’ve never partnered with a rookie before.”

“I’m still grateful to have you as my senior,” he insisted.

His voice was relatively deep, but the way he spoke was so quiet and…gentle. It felt like he was whispering, but I could still hear every word with how clearly he enunciated.

I got the sense that he was the slow and methodical type. He would be logical and dependable without setting off my anxiety and insecurity.

My aunt was right. He was the perfect match for me.

I hated how hard she’d clocked me but I shouldn’t be surprised when we’ve worked together more closely than anyone else in my pack other than Lucy.

Auntie Lauren was a shrewd, calculating beta who had the patience of some ancient mythological entity and she had this really unsettling insight into people. I took after her in that regard so I really shouldn’t be mad, but I was.

No one knew how fucking stupid I was more than me.

She cleared her throat, no doubt sensing my mood. “Why don’t you give him a tour of the building?”

Yeah, me and every other detective in the agency.

“We can do a tour later.” I jerked my chin toward the door. “Why don’t we head to the gun range first?”

The commander sighed, but she didn’t argue with me. “I’ll push the paperwork through and get him an assigned weapon.”

I nodded and turned on my heel, heading for the double doors without looking back.

Soren would follow me without complaint if he had any sense and it annoyed me that I was one hundred percent positive he would. I wanted him to give me a reason not to like him, because otherwise, I might just end up liking him too much.

I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to like the person the commander had chosen as Lucy’s replacement even if my aunt was playing the same game I was – pretending everything would go back to normal whenever she decided to come back.

No one could replace Lucy. No one .

I’d done everything for her – became a detective when she showed interest in cybercrimes and left my pack behind when she insisted on doing things without the Lopez name just so she wouldn’t be alone and unprotected. I’d kept her as safe and as healthy as I could despite her unique composition.

Lucy was now healthier and happier than ever, and safer than anyone else in the city.

I’d done my job and I had to admit, I’d done it flawlessly. I was the one who’d made sure she could become whoever and whatever she wanted until she found someone worthy of her time and attention.

In return, she’d given me the comfort and security I needed so desperately.

She was the best partner I ever could have asked for and she’d helped me turn this agency into what it was today. We wouldn’t have the clients and notoriety we had without her genius by my side.

But she didn’t need me anymore.

I’d done my job and now I had to figure out who I was without her, but I’d be damned if I let some random rookie take her place.

An alpha of all people.

I pursed my lips and practically stomped through the building toward the gun range in the basement, not bothering to hide how annoyed I was. If Soren Hart couldn’t handle my attitude, then maybe I’d get lucky and he’d resign.

Slapping my hand against the palm reader, I took a deep breath to try to calm down and then slowly let it out.

That wasn’t fair.

I didn’t want him to resign. I just didn’t want him to think I needed anyone other than Lucy.

When his training period was over, he would be assigned his own partner. It was my job as his senior to make sure he would be a good addition to his team because if he got someone killed, that’d be on me.

“Once I finish my assessment of your skills, I’m going to send you over to the IT department,” I informed him. “They’ll scan your hand and assign you an ID number. You’re going to use that number for everything here – checking out weapons, using the facilities, and even accessing the database.”

The door to the gun range slid open after the scanner gave a happy little beep, granting me access.

I walked up to the receptionist who sat behind a reinforced steel cage with a wall of bullet proof glass that ensured even the strongest alpha couldn’t get through to our armory. She wore one of our latest gas masks that filtered out all pheromones as well as smoke and chemicals. No one was going to be able to bully this omega into handing over the keys to the armory.

Alicia pushed the tablet through the metal drawer and activated the mechanism. I opened the drawer on my side and grabbed it, taking the stylus on the counter so I could enter in my information.

“We’re required to spend at least seven hours a week in the gun range,” I explained as I put in my ID information, noting that I was bringing in a guest. “Ten hours minimum in the gym, and there are puzzle games we have to do every week to keep our minds sharp.”

I tossed the tablet back in the drawer and waited for Alicia to get the two Sygs I’d asked for.

“We can choose between a few options for our assigned weapons,” I explained. “The same pistol the police uses, or the one the military prefers.”

Alicia disappeared behind the metal racks and I crossed my arms over my chest, studying Soren out of the corner of my eye.

He stood slightly behind me with his feet planted shoulder-width apart and his hands clasped behind his back. It was impossible not to see how heavily the military had influenced him.

Everything about his build and posture screamed special forces.

Soren Hart reminded me too much of the agents my father trained and employed, but I couldn’t say I hated it when it was so intimately familiar. He even stared at nothing the same way they did.

Only a legacy alpha could train other, powerful alphas to ignore their instincts and be this obedient.

The military exclusively hired legacy alphas as their officers for that very reason. A normal alpha was sufficient if the team was made up of betas, but they upheld strict hierarchy in the military to prevent too many incidents.

We went by rank at Genesis, not designation. It has caused issues in the past, but we worked in teams of two or four, never more than that, and each team was carefully put together by me or my aunt so they would complement each other and synergize well.

Two alphas didn’t work together well unless one of them was clearly stronger than the other, and the one with less power could handle that. It wasn’t very common, but it did happen.

I’d thought my aunt was crazy to think I’d synergize well with another alpha, but looking at him now, I could see why.

Something about me always made other alphas bristle. They tried to subtly challenge me or hold my gaze without even realizing what they were doing.

I had no idea what it was exactly because there was visually nothing about me that would put another alpha on the defensive.

Up until very recently, I’ve been going by Frankie James and I didn’t have the red eyes of a legacy. My scent wasn’t very overpowering and I was careful not to act like one of those asshole alphas who wanted to lord their strength and power over everyone else.

But no one ever assumed I was a beta.

They all instantly recognized my designation and I was pretty sure that was thanks to the training my father had put me through. It wasn’t something I knew how to turn off and as a result, other alphas tried to put me in my place.

Then they quickly discovered that despite my appearance, I wasn’t weak.

Soren didn’t look like he cared if he was stronger than me or not. He gave me the impression that he’d already decided I was ranked above him in every way even without the confirmation of my pheromones.

Honestly, it was kind of unnerving.

Alicia placed the weapons I’d asked for in the drawer, along with ammunition. She pushed it to my side and I thanked her before grabbing the cases.

She buzzed us through the next door and I reached for it with my free hand, but Soren beat me to it.

He grabbed the handle and swung it open before I could react, stepping to the side so I could get through first.

I raised an eyebrow, not sure what to think of this behavior. I should be the one taking care of him, but I suppose this was what he might do for an officer ranked above him.

Deciding not to correct him, I went through and walked down to the stall at the very end of the range.

I set the cases down on the table well behind the line and unlocked the one I assumed he’d prefer. “You should be very familiar with this one if your resumé is accurate.”

He didn’t respond to the jab, but took the pistol I handed him, instantly checking to make sure there wasn’t a bullet in the chamber and that the safety was still on. Once he was satisfied, he placed his hands behind his back again, pistol and all.

“If you’d like a different one, you can just ask,” I muttered, annoyed for no good reason.

Grabbing the magazines and ammo, I handed both to him and waited.

Soren didn’t hesitate. He took them all without meeting my eyes and sat at the table, methodically loading all three magazines with the kind of speed and efficiency that told me he was still very familiar with guns even if it has been a few years since he was discharged.

I crossed my arms over my chest and watched as he lined up the magazines and then waited for my next order, looking completely unbothered by the unknown.

The guy was a soldier through and through.

I’ve never seen an alpha as chill as him outside of the military or my father’s agents.

Placing my thumb to the other case, I waited until it unlocked before pushing it toward him. “Get this one ready too.”

He did so without question, lining it up perfectly for the most efficient loading system.

I was impressed despite myself.

“Good.” I stepped to the side and waved to the gun range. “Now show me your skills.”

Soren slid his coat off and I froze when I saw how tight his black shirt was. It was practically painted on and showed off every single muscle this guy had. The leather harness he wore over it accentuated those muscles even more, hugging his pecs in a way that made them stick out.

He loaded up the harness with the guns and the ammunition before stepping up to the line.

Getting distracted like this was a bad sign.

I blinked, forcing myself to look away from his broad back so I could try to remember what the fuck we were even doing here.

Soren glanced back at me, hesitating slightly.

I raised an eyebrow, surprised that he was capable of looking so uncertain.

“Would you like me to start?” he asked. “Or should I wait for your signal?”

Wow. What a good boy.

I cleared my throat and jerked my chin toward the target. “Whenever you’re ready is fine.”

He turned back and paused for just a second before his entire demeanor changed.

Stepping to the side to get a better look at his face, I watched as something in his eyes shifted, changing his body language from a cute nerd to a predator in an instant.

I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen when he finally pulled out his weapon.

The gun was in his hand before I could blink and he unloaded the clip in rapid-fire shots. They were rhythmic and hit the same spot every time. Once he was out of ammo, he dropped the magazine and loaded another with blinding speed.

His second round, he chose the heart instead of the head.

When he got to the third round, he hit every single weak point in the body while ensuring the target wouldn’t die in the process.

Then he did the exact same thing with the other gun, showing no issues with the change in sight or weight.

Once he was done, he checked both guns, put the safety on them, and then placed them back in their cases before grabbing the discarded magazines.

I watched him, keeping my expression as neutral as possible.

His quiet competence was very…reassuring. I could feel the tightness in my shoulders start to ease and that made me feel weirdly anxious.

Not to mention I couldn’t stop staring at his side profile.

Soren Hart wasn’t just gorgeous, he was also insanely proficient and his skill far exceeded my expectations.

It made me feel weird.

“Clean up the bullet casings too,” I reminded him.

Shoving down everything else, I forced myself to focus on the job. I couldn’t think about anything else.

Because if I did…

If I let myself admire his sharp beauty and calming presence, I’d lose sight of what was expected of me and what I had to do when I was already struggling.

Indulging in that kind of stupid fantasy yet again was going to seriously fuck with me.

No matter how good he was, I couldn’t let myself rely on another alpha.

Ever.

“Let’s go,” I snapped, closing the gun case harder than necessary. “I want to see your combat skills.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

His soft voice made me pause and I glared at him over my shoulder, hating how calm he looked despite my attitude. It made me want to see just how far I could push him before he finally pushed back.

Which I absolutely should not do.

I was an expert at reading people and even though I couldn’t read him all that well, I knew without a doubt that he was stronger than me. If it came down to a real fight, I would not win even if my pheromones were more powerful than his.

This alpha has been conditioned.

He’s been trained the same way I had which meant he’d rather die than ever give up.

I may be able to kill him with my pheromones, but not before he killed me with those massive hands of his.

And on top of all that, his singular, red eye presented a very dangerous mystery.

I never got the red eyes. I was a failure of a legacy alpha and now here was someone else showing me just how badly I fell short of my pack’s expectations.

This borderline submissive alpha could dominate me with his pheromones if he really wanted to. I was sure of it. Soren would win every time, but I also didn’t think he would ever let me lose.

And I found that really fucking unsettling.