Page 29 of Curvy Dirty Omega

“Definitely,” the pathologist agreed, pointing to the wrist next. “This was the first place he was stabbed. Based on the bruising, I assume there were two knives used and this one pinned him down.”

“Hm.” Lucy leaned in closer, holding her hair back so it didn’t touch the body. “There was no damage to the desk, chair, walls, or floor, but I’ll take that into account.”

“I’ll send you the workup I did on his blood along with the pictures and my report,” the medical examiner promised. “There didn’t seem to be any health complications. Cause of death was blood loss from multiple stab wounds.”

“I didn’t smell any diseases in his blood,” Lucy murmured, leaning close enough I felt the sudden urge to pull her back so she couldn’t inhale the death lingering all over that slab of flesh.

“What else did you smell?” Frankie asked, inspecting the pictures on the computer instead of the body, her complexion a bit green.

“Fear and disbelief.” Lucy straightened and pulled on a pair of gloves, head tilted slightly as her eyes narrowed.

Was she really going to?—

Lucy lifted the left hand and turned it upside down to inspect the other side. “Was he wearing a ring when he was brought in?”

“Mm, let me see.” The medical examiner pulled out his phone to look at the report, frowning slightly. “I’ll double-check with the intern who removed all the deceased’s possessions, but no, he wasn’t wearing a ring.”

“And you noted the tan line here?” she asked, pointing out the pale skin around Gideon’s ring finger.

His wedding ring was gone? How had I missed that?

Honestly, I couldn’t remember much. The scent of Gideon’s fear had me sliding deep into that part of myself that terrified everyone I’d ever met.

Everyone except Liam.

The need to hunt had overtaken me, and I’d followed that faint scent of soap, trying to find who’d killed him but…

“The tan line has been noted,” the medical examiner promised. “There’s also some bruising around the knuckle on that finger.”

Lucy didn’t say anything, but she gently placed the hand down and then probed the wound on his neck. “Make sure to send me the scan of the internal damage too. Was the steel laced with anything?”

“How did you know it was steel?” the examiner asked, absolutely delighted.

“Contact with steel changes the scent of the blood,” Frankie muttered, tapping away at the keyboard. “She assumed it was a knife, but we’ve come across other steel weapons before.”

“Last one was a screwdriver,” Lucy agreed.

She didn’t seem upset anymore, and I leaned against the wall closest to the door, watching her work as I tried to decide if this was going to be a problem or not.

My ability to keep my pheromones in check was the only thing that kept other people from noticing me. If her psychotic sense of smell could somehow pick up on the tiniest changes…that was going to be a problem.

She could easily find out…

The sound of Peter arguing with someone had me cocking my head to listen. The voices got louder before the door to the morgue was thrown open.

“Why am I not surprised to see you here, Parker?” the male alpha scoffed as he stepped in, another one right on his heels. “Always sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“A pleasure as always, Hodge. Miller.”

The cops had shown up early. Why was I not surprised?

I forced myself to stay back against the wall and wait this out. We really couldn’t afford more complications with law enforcement right now, but I wasn’t going to let Parker and James get kicked out before they were done either.

“Who gave you permission to be here?” Miller demanded, getting close enough to the body that I actually took an involuntary step forward.

Lucy ignored them, even when they released their pheromones, making the beta cough and take a step back. I couldn’t believe they’d do something so fucking ridiculous. They must be incredibly insecure to try to bully an omega around like that right in front of her partner.

But Lucy just stood there like she couldn’t smell their pheromones at all.

---