Page 45 of Claimed Omega

Tears welled up in my eyes—Frannie didn’t remember me.

“Frannie, it’s me. We grew up together at the Institute. Don’t you remember?” I pleaded. What the hell had Axel done to her?

Her face softened slightly as she studied me, and for a moment, I swore I saw a glimmer of recognition in her eyes. Then it was gone in a flash, and her expression hardened once again.

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember any of that,” Frannie answered, her voice flat. “Are you one of Axel’s friends?”

A lump formed in my throat. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing my friend all over again.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

She blinked at me, glancing over my shoulder, and appeared slightly alarmed.

“I promise you, I’m your friend. Do you remember we attended the Bakewell Institute for Girls together? Then you blossomed into your Omega, and Bakewell sold you to an Alpha. Was it Axel she sold you to?” My blood ran cold thinking that the dick somehow faked her death… but why?

She frowned, shaking her head. “Axel saved me.”

My shoulders pushed back. That was the last thing I expected to hear. Frannie stepped closer, asking me to move back as she shut the door behind her. We were both standing in the hotel corridor outside her room, leaving me feeling more vulnerable. Her lips pinched to the side like she always used to do when she was worried.

“How did he save you?”

She shrugged. “It’s very patchy, but I don’t remember my past. Only when I opened my eyes, and I was in a dumpster bin. The first thing I saw was Axel’s angelic face. He told me that a really bad man had shot me and that he would take care of him.” She rubbed her side where I assumed she’d been shot, and my insides pinched.

I wanted to hug her and take away her agony.

“He carried me out into an alley swarming with cops. Then he came with me to the hospital and said an Omega like me needs a better Alpha, so after I healed, he brought me to this penthouse to live in. He visits me when he can. He’s a busy businessman.” The trust in Frannie’s eyes and gratefulness to the monster who saved her almost made me sick.

So, how much had he kept from her? The fact that he was married and kept Frannie in this tower like Rapunzel at his beck and call? No Alpha could turn down an available Omega, so of course, the asshole took my friend, yet it seemed he also saved her.

“I think I hit my head when I was shot and dumped in the bin. It’s such a horrible thing, to be honest, and I try not to think about it.”

“You have no idea how happy I am to see that you’re alive.” Reaching over, I took her hand as a tear slipped free from the corner of my eye. “I thought you were dead.”

Her gaze lifted, light beaming behind her eyes. “I would have been if my angel, Axel, hadn’t found me that night.” She smiled.

I bit my tongue, unable to bring myself to tell her that Axel was a fucking demon or ask her how she got that bruise on her neck.

“I’m happy Axel was able to help you when you needed it most, but I think it’s important to remember that not everyone can be trusted. Sometimes people can surprise you in a bad way.”

“Axel has been nothing but kind to me.” She took her hand away from mine. “I don’t think he would ever do anything to hurt me.” Her touch shifted to her neck, covering her bruise. “You know he’s given me a home.”

“It’s always good to be cautious. Not everyone has good intentions, and it’s important to protect yourself. You don’t remember me, but we are really close friends, and I want to help you. Maybe you should come with me.” Just as the words left my mouth, I realized it might not be such a great idea to place her in the firing line.

She was shaking her head. “I don’t know you, and I’m not going anywhere. I don’t have anyone else.” She glanced outside the corridor as if she’d heard a sound.

I stood across from my best friend, Frannie, trying to hide the tears forming in my eyes. She stared at me with a confused expression.

“That’s not true. You have me, Charity, and Adella. We’re best friends, and you will always have us. You don’t have to stay with an Alpha who gives you bruises.” It was hard not to be upset. My friends and I had been through so much together, and with us separated, it felt as though a part of me was missing.

“I’m here for you, Frannie,” I implored, reaching for her hand again, but she pulled back, and her brow furrowed.

It brought back memories of our time at the Institute, surviving Bakewell’s abuse, along with the agony of losing Frannie when she went missing. The pain of that day was fresh as if it had just happened yesterday.

“Frannie, I’m worried about your safety. I’m trying to gather information on Axel to figure out what he’s up to,” I explained, hoping she would understand.

Frannie turned from me abruptly, anger curling in her expression.

“What do you mean by that? Are you spying on my boyfriend?” she asked, suspicion in her voice.

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