Page 34 of Curvy Quirky Omega

I kept my eyes down just like Francisco Lopez had taught me. This wasn’t my alpha and I wasn’t her omega. For all intents and purposes, I didn’t exist until my alpha introduced me to an alpha I didn’t know and technically, that alpha wasn’t Frankie anymore.

Yeah, it was a stupid fucking rule, but right now it was working in my favor since the last thing I wanted to do was talk to Liam’s mother after that awful phone call I’d been forced to listen to.

“I understand your frustration, Valor,” Frankie stated. Coming from anyone else, it would sound placating, but when Frankie said it, it was a warning they shouldn’t ignore. “But this isn’t a simple matter. We’ve uncovered more than one crime that came from within your own pack, so unless you can take it from here, I suggest you patiently and politely wait for us to finish our work.”

Biting the inside of my cheek was the only way to keep from smiling when I shouldn’t. It was harder than it should be too when I could feel how shocked Cas and Liam were despite how neither of them outwardly reacted.

“I see.” Nicolette glanced at me and then turned on her heel, ignoring Liam and Cas completely. If I didn’t know better, I’d even say she had no idea they were there. “My maid will show you to Melinda’s room.”

When it was just us left, I let out the breath I was holding and thanked my lucky stars Nicolette wasn’t interested in having that conversation about Liam just yet.

But we would. It was only a matter of time.

“I’d like to see her try to do all the shit we do,” Frankie muttered as she fussed with my jacket like she always did when she was anxious. “I can’t believe she had the audacity to act like we’ve done nothing when she can’t even keep her own pack members in line.”

“Those are inside thoughts,” I reminded her. “Last thing we need right now is more drama between Lopez and Valor.”

Frankie huffed, ready to argue with me, but the maid came back and barked at us to follow her. She had a lot of bite for a beta but I wasn’t exactly surprised considering who her employer was.

“We’ll wait for you here,” Liam told us, glancing over at me only once before he refocused on the courtyard.

Hopefully, his mother did the smart thing and left him alone. He was doing better after last night, but he was still on edge.

Cas gave me a nod, silently promising he’d keep an eye on him while Frankie and I got what we needed to confirm whether Melinda was behind Gideon’s death or not. With the questions she wrote and I revised, this should be the last time either of us would have to talk to her.

We followed the maid through the maze of a house and down a large hall to a door that looked just like all the other ones. The maid didn’t even knock, she just opened the door and waved us through.

I tapped the button on my phone to record as Frankie went first, taking her time looking around before plopping down in one of the armchairs near the massive bay window.

The room was big enough to be the master bedroom in an average house and beautiful, decorated in creams and pinks with a splash of green here and there. Plants framed the window and I wondered if Nicolette liked to garden just as much as Frankie and Francisco did.

“Come to gloat?”

I glanced over at the huge canopy bed where Melinda was sitting on the edge, glaring at me. Her stomach was still as flat as ever but she was wearing a long white nightgown that offset her golden skin in a way that made her look like she was glowing.

Even if I didn’t know or couldn’t smell it, I’d still wonder if she was pregnant.

“Maybe a little,” Frankie admitted, a sly smile on her face. “You thought you had us fooled, didn’t you?”

“Well, one of you is certainly a fool.”

“Is she? I don’t know if I agree. Lucy doesn’t need to trick an alpha into choosing her.”

I sat down on the bench in the bay window and pulled out my new sketchpad, angling my body so I was as hidden by the armchair as possible.

Melinda watched me for a moment and then focused on Frankie. “Get to the point. Why are you here?”

“Well, we’ve managed to get our hands on some more evidence, and as such, there’s really only one question I need you to answer. I have the evidence I need for everything else.” Frankie waved her hand, making it all seem like a done deal.

Melinda glowered. “I doubt that.”

“We’ll see.” Frankie’s smile widened and she leaned back, legs spread wide in one of her infamous power poses. “What made you think it was worth the risk to tell Gideon the child was his?”

Melinda definitely hadn’t been expecting that question, but she answered without hesitation. “Because it is his.”

Impressive that she’d commit to the lie like this.

I started sketching her frame, wondering just how many faces she’d make before we were done.

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