Page 24 of Curvy Nerdy Omega

Not until Lucy agreed.

“Despite the situation, she’s very good at her job,” I gritted out, trying to keep my tone as civil as possible. “Not even Cas can do what she does.”

“As long as the job gets done, I don’t care. So make sure it happens, Liam.”

The sink cracked from the force of my grip, but I kept my face expressionless even though she couldn’t see me. “Of course, Mother. Anything else? I have work to do.”

“I’d like you to reconsider the union between you and the Steele pack’s omega princess. When would you be available to meet with her?”

Never.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek. Arguing with her about this was pointless and if I started yelling Lucy might hear me.

She may be strong, but she was sensitive to my emotions and had a tendency to assume I was mad at her whenever I was pissed off despite it being the farthest thing from the truth.

“As lovely as River Steele is, I’m not interested. Send the Steele alpha my apologies.”

I’d done my best to sound like the polite, corporate gentleman my mother’s been grooming me to be, but the slight growl in the back of my throat ruined all those gracious words and made them sound more like a threat instead.

Why couldn’t I just calm the fuck down? Why did the universe insist on testing me right now? I was barely keeping my shit together and my mother wanted to force this ridiculous meeting with another omega on me now?

“Liam—”

“Mother. If I have to meet with her, I might just kill her, so please. Don’t insist.”

Nothing could risk my relationship with Lucy. I refused to even look at another omega until we were bonded. She was so sensitive after being told she was defective all her life, and I would never forget the look on her face when she’d seen the way Melinda had clung to me.

I refused to do anything that would force me to see her look like that again.

“Don’t tell me you’re getting attached to that omega detective.”

Maybe I should be grateful my mother didn’t sound surprised, but the irritation in her words was a warning. She was giving me a chance to deny it, but I hadn’t been lying when I told Lucy I’d destroy every legacy pack in this fucking city to keep her by my side.

Even my own.

“I think it would be best if we focused on finding out who killed Gideon and why,” I managed. “I’ll take care of Valor Enterprises, and all the contracts currently in progress but I won’t be taking on any new ones until we know who killed him. If that’s going to be a problem, get one of my cousins to take care of it.”

I hung up before she could argue with me and selected the group chat Cas had made with Frankie when Lucy had gone into heat. That man was the only reason I was still somewhat sane.

Without him…I didn’t like to think about what I’d do if I lost him.

Frankie, I need you to come get Lucy and take her to Nathan’s office. Her heat broke, but the symptoms are starting to come back.

Her appointment is at 1 p.m. Don’t be late.

And I need to speak with your father as soon as possible.

I tossed the phone back into the sink and considered how I should play my cards.

There was a risk that telling her she could go without me or Cas would trigger her abandonment issues and she’d panic again. There was also the possibility that she’d assume we didn’t want her.

Lucy was deeply afraid of being abandoned, which was the only logical explanation for why she kept insisting that what we felt for each other was nothing more than the influence of our pheromones. If it wasn’t real, she couldn’t be hurt by it.

She couldn’t be abandoned by someone she never got attached to in the first place, but this thing between us was far more complicated than that.

Regardless, we had to give her the option, even if it was alarming how easily I lost my mind because of her. I was genuinely concerned I’d have to be put down if she decided she wanted nothing to do with me.

It didn’t matter. We’d prove to her none of this complicated bullshit mattered. Only her. I’d give up everything if I had to and run away with her.

---