16. Cas

I couldn't stopmy jaw from dropping. Francisco's heir was brutally mutilated by an omega who wasn't even his real daughter, and all he could say was ‘good for her?'

But Frankie smirked like she'd known that would be his reaction as she made a pile of long-stemmed roses in dark purples and reds. "That's what I said when I found out what she did."

"Omegas are the most vicious of us all," Francisco said solemnly, like this was common knowledge.

I felt like I was losing my fucking mind.

"What makes you say that?" I asked, unable to keep my mouth shut any longer.

Yeah, yeah Frankie said to be a rock or whatever, but this was Lucy we were talking about. I wanted to know what the fuck that meant. Maybe if I understood, I could do a better job of being her alpha.

Maybe she'd agree to be mine if she saw I knew what she really was and didn't just accept it, but adored it.

"We coddle and protect them because they're precious to us, but they have teeth and claws just as we do," Francisco explained with more patience than I would expect. "There is nothing more dangerous than a bear and her cubs, Cassius Valentine. They simply show their rage in different ways."

"You'd know," Frankie scoffed as she tossed another rose into her pile.

"I would, wouldn't I? My omega has always been a little spicy." Francisco started pulling from Frankie's pile, stripping the roses of their thorns before arranging them among the bright red ones.

I felt like I needed to sit down, but I stood there like the rock Frankie wanted me to be. It was the best way to learn what I needed to know even if I could barely understand any of it.

"I take it this is why Arturo has been missing for nearly three weeks?" the alpha of the Lopez pack asked, his eyes on the roses.

Red eyes so bright they matched the flowers he was working with.

"He was going to rape her," I snapped, giving up on being silent. "Liam will go to war for Lucy if that's what it takes. Either way, his life is hers. She will decide if he lives or dies. Not me, not Liam, and certainly not you."

Surprisingly, Francisco nodded sagely, not even bothering to look at me as he worked. "No need for war as long as you understand she is the one who gets to choose."

Running a hand over my face, I tried to wrap my head around this new development, but it was so different from the intel I'd received I was having a really fucking hard time.

"Then what about your heir?" I couldn't keep my mouth shut and Frankie gave me an exasperated look, but she didn't try to change the subject.

"I have plenty of options," Francisco admitted. "No need to rush. I'm quite healthy."

Raising an eyebrow at Frankie, I silently demanded she explain this shit before I asked this legacy alpha one more stupid question and finally set off his rage.

"Pop, you're really not mad?" Frankie started stripping the dark roses of thorns, her eyes down like she knew…

Finally, her father paused his work and eyed his daughter like she was annoying him. "If he was stupid enough to do something like that, he deserves the consequences of his actions, doesn't he? When have I ever defended a rapist, Francesca? Not once in my entire career have I ever represented one, and I will not have one in my pack either. Personally, I was disappointed our little omega didn't take both his eyes and then his cock. What little there is of it anyway."

I pulled out my phone and started texting Liam the new developments, because never in a million years would we have ever suspected this shit. Although, it didn't surprise me Lucy was the one who'd charmed her way into this prick's heart.

Even when she didn't seem to like him very much.

"Regardless, I've already written up the paperwork to remove Arturo from the family registry. He's no longer a Lopez, let alone my heir. I'll make the announcement as soon as I know what it is Lucy would like. How is she by the way?"

Frankie took over the flower arranging just as Peter came back with a serving tray of fruit, coffee, and pastries. Her father sat down at the wrought iron tea table and gestured for me to sit across from him.

Why did it feel like I was about to get interrogated?

"She's…" Frankie sighed and pursed her lips. "Her heat finally came, but it was thirteen days long. The Valor doctor said her pheromones were triggered when she met her scent matches."

I hid my wince, knowing how much Lucy would hate it that they were talking about her like this. "You should just ask her yourself."

"Lucy has a hard time speaking with me after I got upset when she didn't want me to adopt her," Francisco admitted as he poured three cups of coffee. Peter glared at me before he left, but it wasn't quite as cold as it was when we first got here. "She wants nothing to do with this life, which I understand, but it's…difficult. I'm an alpha. I want to protect her and she won't let me. She barely even allows Frankie to take care of her."

I sighed and placed a cube of sugar in my coffee. A small splash of milk had it the perfect cocoa color. I felt the weight of a legacy alpha's attention and ignored it as I stirred.

Yeah, Liam had taught me all the bullshit etiquette rules of his world, just like I assume Frankie had taught Lucy, but this wasn't my world no matter how well I could perform. I was just a well-trained dog.

"You're very strong for someone who doesn't possess red eyes," Francisco admitted as he sipped his coffee black. "You and Francesca are a lot alike."

What the fuck was I supposed to say to that?

"Are you calling me an asshole right now?" she demanded, the shears in her hand looking more like a weapon now that she was pointing them at her father.

"I'm simply making an observation." Francisco didn't look away from me as he took another sip of coffee. "Tell me, what do you think of an omega working in such a dangerous field?"

This was exhausting. I wanted to get back so I could watch her on the cameras, but this was what she wanted me to do so that's what the fuck I was going to do.

Had she known Francisco would grill me like this, or was she really that worried about Frankie? Did she know how close these two really were?

"I think an omega can do whatever they want to do," I admitted, even if it irritated me to no end that she wanted nothing to do with me right now. "It's up to the alpha to keep them safe, right? If I can't support her endeavors and keep her safe at the same time, then I'm not the right alpha for her."

Frankie looked shocked, but Francisco gave me a sharp, predatory grin. "You believe you can do that? How?"

"It's not just me," I reminded him. "It's also Liam, and all the resources we have access to. She can run around as much as she wants as long as she sticks to a training regimen. One of us will always have an eye on her no matter what she does."

"And she's fine with that?" He poured more coffee into his cup, clearly unconvinced that I could manage that. "The only protection she's ever allowed me to give her is my eldest daughter. I'd do more if I could, but Francesca is one of my strongest. She's done well up until now, hasn't she?"

"She has."

"A shame she and Lucy weren't scent matches."

"I'm sure she feels the same way," I muttered, glaring at the coffee in my cup. "Lucy knows we're watching her, even now. If she didn't want that, she'd destroy every camera we have on her, but she hasn't. She's more worried about the case right now than Liam's psychotic tendencies."

The last thing I expected was for Francisco to laugh. A loud laugh full of humor and joy.

"I'm glad she seems to like you." Then any trace of humor disappeared and that cold look was back in his eyes. "Ask me the other question your master sent you here to ask."

I shared a look with Frankie and she shook her head, pleading with her eyes for me to keep my mouth shut, but I couldn't just ignore the alpha of an entire legacy pack in his own home.

"Lucy would probably want me to ask where you were the night of Gideon's murder," I admitted as I sent Liam another text. "But you weren't at the top of her suspect list. You weren't even in the top five."

"Lucy, not Liam?" The sharp smile on Francisco's face was a warning, but the chill in his eyes was starting to thaw.

"If you think Lucy doesn't have complete control over Liam, whether she knows it or not, you're not paying attention." I ran my hand through my hair and checked the footage real fast to see Lucy was digging through her apartment like she'd lost something. "Liam is now slated to take over Valor, and he would do anything for her."

"Clearly, if he was willing to go to war." Francisco seemed pleased even if his expression barely changed. "Tell Lucy I'll forgive everything that happened and everything that will happen with Arturo. As for where I was when Gideon Valor was murdered, I'll send proof of my alibi as well as my schedule, the information regarding our interest in the docks, and anything else my daughter asks for. Just tell Lucy I would rather she ask than hack into my servers again."

My eyebrows rose and Frankie blushed as she finished arranging the red roses in the vase. This pack was fucking bizarre, but I couldn't say I didn't like it. If anything, it felt a bit more normal than the Valor pack.

"I'll also send over my research on dominant omegas," Francisco stated. He stood and I immediately followed suit, watching as the older alpha clasped his hands behind his back to inspect Frankie's work. "There's not much, but I would assume it's better than nothing."

Well, I would fucking think so.

"This is very nice, Francesca. Thank you for helping." Her father smiled slightly before leaning down to smell the roses. "I expect to see you on Sunday, my daughter."

"Of course, Pop." She reached for the last dark rose that hadn't been used, eyeing it like it had all the answers we could ever need. "I just have one last question."

"Oh?"

"Did you know what she is?"

I really didn't like the way the smile on Francisco's face sharpened.

"How could I not know what she is, when her father is the same?"

Jesus fucking Christ. What the hell was I supposed to do with that information?

"You're sure of it?" Frankie asked, not sounding the least bit surprised.

"As sure as I can be about anything." Francisco turned his head slightly to study me and I raised an eyebrow, wondering what the fuck he was going to say now. "I believe we should have a meeting with Nicolette, don't you? If Liam is going to court Lucy, your alpha is going to have some problems with that. I'd like to prevent as much damage to her mental health as possible by reminding Nicolette how unfortunate it would be if she were to offend me."

Great. Somehow this omega of mine was getting not one, but two legacy packs all stirred up over her when I knew it was the last thing she wanted.

"If Lucy wants to, I'll ask Liam to contact his mother." I crossed my arms over my chest and stared into Francisco's eyes. It was a challenge in his territory, but I didn't care about the potential consequences. Not when it came to Lucy. "But at the moment, she's not interested in starting a relationship with either of us."

Francisco gave me a sharp grin and for some reason, it reminded me of Liam. "I wonder if she'll do to Liam what she did to Frankie."

"Hey!" Frankie threw the shears down on the table but neither of us looked away from the other.

"And what exactly did she do?"

"Oh nothing." Francisco plucked one of the roses from the table and offered it to me. "Just made my daughter choose between her and the Lopez pack."

I took the rose and studied the dark purple petals. This one still had all its thorns too.

"As you can see, Francesca no longer bears the Lopez name." The alpha of one of the wealthiest packs in the country turned his back on me, breaking eye contact first, but it didn't feel like a victory. "What do you think Nicolette will do if Lucy does the same to him?"

Squeezing the stem of the rose, I could feel the thorns pierce my skin before they were crushed by my strength.

Lucy might be strong, but she wasn't strong enough to withstand the strength of Valor if Nicolette decided to crush her.

I needed to warn Liam.

This might not end well, but I knew better than anyone he didn't give a single fuck if his mother would accept his choice or not.

"Liam promised to go to war for Lucy," I reminded them. "He never specified with whom."

If she wanted him, but not his legacy status, Liam would destroy our entire world if he had to and then remake it. Just to have her.