Page 9

CHAPTER 9

Soren

Francesca Lopez was a far more complex individual than I’d originally thought and it kept throwing me for a loop.

I was told she was a legacy alpha, but she’d been on something like an extensive leave of absence from her pack for the last decade so I’d thought she’d be…less intense.

Frankie stretched her neck from one side to the other, making it pop. Then she stepped onto the mat, crooking her fingers at me in an invitation to join her.

She tossed her bright, candy apple-red hair red ponytail over her shoulder and smiled slightly, her blue eyes sparkling like diamonds.

The high ponytail made her features look sharper but she looked almost…playful. I couldn’t think of another word to describe the shift in her demeanor.

I’d thought it would take her longer to shake off the bloodlust I’d sensed from her after dealing with Taylor, but volunteering to take whatever she doled out had instantly and unexpectedly settled her.

Volunteering to be her punching bag was a way to ensure she didn’t accidentally kill someone before burning through that bloodlust. I could take whatever she dished out unlike the others in the gym, but now it seemed as though there wasn’t an ounce of that bloodlust left.

Which was strange.

Alpha instincts were impossible to ignore after being triggered like that without some kind of release and she’d just…turned them off.

That level of control was insane.

Even I couldn’t do that and I’ve spent my whole life training until I could turn my instincts on and off like a light switch, but the bloodlust? It took a lot for that to trigger, but once it did, it was damn near impossible for me to come out of it without the right environment.

My employer must have no fucking idea what they were talking about because nothing about this alpha was easygoing or lenient. How she’d handled all those senior detectives was proof of that.

And the way she’d put Taylor in his place? Brutally efficient.

She’d instantly singled out the troublemaker who wouldn’t easily fall in line and targeted him in such a way that the others had stepped back without hesitation. Then she’d doled out his punishment with the kind of accuracy I needed to be wary of.

My special forces training was extensive and despite what she or the commander might think, I’ve kept up with it every day since being discharged.

And somehow, Francesca Lopez had very similar training. It might even be better than mine. She also had a better handle on her instincts than almost any other alpha out there except maybe her father.

All it took was a single look and the other alphas in the gym were instantly on the defensive without any hint of her pheromones to back up the threat.

It was pretty damn impressive…especially for such a delicate-looking alpha.

I took my place on the mat, bringing my fists up, but keeping them relaxed enough I could easily switch things up if she decided to get creative.

Francesca Lopez was the kind of person who kept everyone except her partner at arm’s length so I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I had to be very careful if I wanted her to warm up to me.

“What kind of fighting style do you prefer?” Frankie asked as she stepped to the side like she was going to circle me.

I matched her movements as I considered just how much I should tell her.

“I prefer not to engage,” I told her truthfully, my eyes on her torso for any tell she might have. “But I am very proficient at Krav Maga.”

Thanks to the military, I was proficient at a lot of different fighting styles, but Krav Maga was the one we used the most in the field.

“Is it a style you enjoy?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t say I enjoy it, but I am good at it,” I admitted.

Frankie took a step toward me this time. I held my ground, but tensed in preparation for that lightning speed I’d witnessed earlier.

The precision she had was unmatched. Even I couldn’t strike someone like that with the perfect amount of speed and force to incapacitate them. The likelihood that I’d accidentally kill them was too high so I usually avoided it, but this girl?

She was the perfect predator.

A pretty smile with a very attractive face and big blue eyes that made her look innocent when she widened them just so. It was enough to draw anyone into her trap, but if you paid attention, you could see she was watching everything.

She didn’t miss a single thing and it actually made me a little nervous to see just how clever and observant she was in person.

It was only a matter of time before she figured me out too which meant I had to finish this job as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, it appeared as though Francesca Lopez didn’t have a single weakness other than her penchant for being a pain in the ass.

Not that I could blame her.

She didn’t like me and the reason was obvious. I was here to replace her previous partner and she didn’t want to accept that in any way, shape, or form.

I had to find a way to overcome that.

Showing her how competent I was would be a way to do that, but…

Normally, I avoided fighting at all costs, but not because I couldn’t do it or didn’t like it. I avoided it because it was fucking dangerous and destructive.

I couldn’t always trust myself if I went too far which was why I knew that when it came down to it, Frankie would always beat me.

She was far more committed than I was – more engaged and in control. I had a feeling she could be drowning in bloodlust and she’d never accidentally target the wrong person. Because of that, she could step in and out of that mindset like it was nothing, even in a setting like this.

I had to stay passive or I could accidentally kill her and not even realize it until it was too late which meant she’d always have the advantage.

She could go full out with no repercussions.

Frankie dropped her hands, somehow sensing something that should be undetectable. “If you don’t like to fight, then why did you join the military?”

I shrugged, not sure how to answer that. I didn’t know how she picked up on the things she did, but it was starting to get on my fucking nerves.

Did she have to be good at everything?

Clearing my throat, I took a step forward, getting into her space. It was the only thing that seemed to throw her off, but this time she didn’t react at all.

It wasn’t like I expected this to be easy.

When I’d gotten the call from my contact, I’d thought they were fucking with me when they’d told me what the payout was for this job. Then I’d gotten a wire transfer for the first half and I’d applied to Genesis that very same day.

This would be the last job I’d ever have to take. I could retire after this and go wherever I wanted and do whatever I felt like doing.

All I had to do was figure out her weakness – something that could be used to keep her from taking over the Lopez pack.

That shouldn’t be difficult.

Everyone had at least one weakness. It was just a matter of time before they revealed it and I was a patient person.

Waiting as long as I needed to for the right moment was one of my strong suits and this job should have been no different than any of the others.

Except it was.

I hadn’t expected her to be so fucking perfect . Francesca may not have the red eyes, but her track record was flawless and there was nothing anyone could use against her.

Not yet at least.

“Well, I prefer boxing,” Frankie told me, opening up for the first time. “It’s really fun.”

And she had the perfect build for it.

Boxing could be deadly with the kind of speed she had. Frankie could dance around opponents like they were standing still and she seemed to know exactly where to hit someone to do the most damage.

Her core was crazy strong too from what I could tell. The way she’d moved when dealing with Taylor had been smooth and effortless. She hadn’t lost any strength despite having to punch up instead of down.

Frankie stretched one arm in front of her, showing off her wiry build. “Do you know anything about boxing?”

“A bit.” I dropped my eyes to the floor so she wouldn’t catch me staring.

This mark of mine was strong as hell and beautiful. She had this ethereal air about her and it was really fucking distracting.

I hated to admit it, but I hadn’t anticipated this problem.

Whether it was the tank top showing off her lithe, muscular form or the shorts that felt way too fucking short to be considered appropriate, I didn’t know, but those shorts were shorter than a pair of boxers and showed off her thighs like she knew exactly what I liked.

Maybe she did. At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me.

All my research told me that Francesca Lopez wasn’t just famous because of her looks and connections. She’d earned her position here at Genesis and had used her wits and cunning to catch criminals even the feds couldn’t get their hands on.

Thanks to my programs, I still had a backdoor into confidential files and I’ve seen the offers the military and the government have made her over the years. Frankie had declined them all, refusing to lose her independence.

Somehow, she’d gotten the government to agree to contract jobs instead, earning the kind of money most could only dream about.

Yes, her partnership with Lucy Parker was a huge part of her success, but Parker could only do so much on her own. I’d know that better than anyone since I had the exact same problem.

I couldn’t understand people the same way Francesca could. I was better at following orders and getting the job done than I was at getting someone to confide in me without resorting to violence.

Francesca sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “I watched you spar with the others this morning. Why are you being so weird with me?”

Her question was so direct it threw me off guard and I looked up to see she appeared irritated, exasperated, and maybe a little hurt.

I didn’t expect the twinge in my chest and I opened my mouth to answer her, stopping myself before I said something really fucking stupid.

This alpha kept making me forget why I was here.

I couldn’t tell her I was nervous that I’d hurt her, or that I was apprehensive about getting so close to her when I had no idea how my body would react to having her right up against me.

Another alpha didn’t usually make me feel this way, but there was something fragile about Francesca’s strength that kept drawing me in. I wanted to see what it felt like. Maybe even smell it on her skin.

Which was something I’ve never wanted to do before.

I was a freak of a legacy alpha so I didn’t react to other alphas or omegas the same way most did. I’ve never felt the need for an omega or the desperation to have someone soothe the violence I was constantly craving.

Luckily, I didn’t feel the need to challenge other alphas either.

I didn’t need to know where I stood in the pecking order compared to them because it never bothered me to be at the bottom. I didn’t feel anything about it no matter where I was.

If I needed to take care of something, I would.

Their place above or below me had no bearing on my actions. I’d kill another alpha regardless of their rank if I had to and I’ve never had the burning need to prove that.

I knew that made everyone believe I was submissive, or maybe some kind of defective legacy alpha, but again, I didn’t give a fuck about that because I had nothing to prove.

But this female alpha glaring at me right now? She made me want to prove that I could be whatever she needed and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

At first, I’d thought it was my need to get the job done right, but seeing how she reacted when she liked what I was doing made me want to see more of it.

Now she was wearing that tank top and those tiny shorts, making me forget what the fuck I was even doing here.

Frankie scoffed at my prolonged silence, her irritation reaching a boiling point. “Are you really that scared to find out you’re stronger than me?”

I flinched, so shocked by that question I couldn’t hide my reaction.

Was she feeling threatened?

“I’m not afraid,” I said slowly as I tried to gather my thoughts before she could get me to say something I shouldn’t.

Telling her I was worried she’d get hurt or that someone might see her struggling and mess up all her hard work didn’t seem like the right choice. I doubted she’d take either of those reasons well even if they were the truth.

“I’m still trying to figure out what you want from me,” I admitted, going for a different truth to satisfy her insanely accurate instincts.

“I want you to spar with me,” she snapped. Then Francesca pointed her finger at me accusingly. “You keep trying to avoid it and I want to know why.”

Because I had no idea how I’d react when I learned what she smelled like.

I cleared my throat and got back into position. “I’m not exactly a fan of pain,” I murmured, deciding to tell her another truth.

She blinked, shocked by my vulnerable honesty just as I’d hoped. “We’re just practicing though.”

“Doesn’t mean it won’t hurt.”

I waited for her to process that, but I didn’t drop my hands. She was wicked fast and I knew my size wasn’t going to be much of an advantage against that when I was slower than her. It wasn’t by much, but it was enough.

Her eyebrows rose in disbelief and I could tell she didn’t believe me. “But you were in the special forces.”

“I didn’t engage much with anyone outside my training,” I explained. “My priority was always intel.”

“Huh.” She rolled her shoulders back, seemingly satisfied with my explanation. “Okay then. I won’t use full force. I just want to see what it’s like to go up against someone as big as you.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. I really shouldn’t like the way she glared up at me but I did and that was going to be a fucking problem if I couldn’t get my shit together.

Because this was a job. Nothing more.