Ice Melts, When It's Hot Ch. 09

"Tell me why I shouldn't arrest you on Frank's behalf or take your head right now?" The queen asked while one of her alpha's pressed a knife to the back of my neck. I could feel it cut through my suit jacket, tie, and shirt and into my skin but I did not react to the sting.

I closed my eyes and swallowed nervously. "You hate my father and my pack, you hate me and I know you feel your hate is justified. Part of me does feel that you're right in wanting to hurt me as retribution but please, for the sake of my mate, I beg of you, let me try to fix this. I can't leave him without me. He will feel so lost if I never come back. Not to mention, my poor omega just ended his first heat not even twenty-four hours ago. He needs me. I've already been gone for so long." At the end of my speech I felt the burn of tears in my eyes but I refused to let them fall.

The queen's face softened a little when I mentioned Willow. "You love him then? Your mate?"

"More than I ever thought possible," I confirmed with my head bowed.

The queen was quiet for several agonizing minutes but soon enough I felt the pressure of the knife relent. "Well then, if you can settle down, maybe you are different from Alistar.. at least a little. So long as my pup gets out of this situation alive, I'll agree to your terms. Come, let us talk," she decided.

With that, the queen grabbed the end of my tie so hard it nearly ripped off and dragged me over to a conference table with a glowing orb in the center. She let me go and sat down, waiting with an annoyed look as I quickly settled myself into the seat across from her. We spent the next several hours in a heated discussion over how I should deal with getting the truth out of Frank. She insisted on my using some form of torture for she felt my plan was too simple and therefore risky but I refused. I could barely handle the fact that my best friend had done all that he was accused of. I knew it was likely that he was going to be dead in a few days, for if what I had been told was true, that was sure to be the sentence. I did not want to add torturing him to the list of things on my conscience over this whole situation. It was nearly morning by the time we came to a final agreement.

"And what of your brother?" The queen suddenly asked. "You know the rogue is part of your family don't you? And how I don't give a fuck about protocol? I want him arrested! I want him dead if things don't work out and I don't want you to cause any unforeseeable problems should he meet an early end."

"I will not fight you. He is yours to do with what you will. Right now my only concerns are finding out the truth, righting it and going back home to my mate."

The queen nodded once and went back to our previous discussion. When we finished I was unceremoniously thrown out on my ass but I didn't care to react to the disrespect. I was too exhausted to take it seriously. The plan was set for tomorrow morning. I pulled out my phone and let omega Anderson know that I would be home soon. I was disappointed but not surprised to learn that Willow was already awake and had been for a while. I ordered the omega to prepare a meal for my mate and then I shifted, wanting to take a little time away for myself to simply run.

*******

I arrived home three hours later, with a much clearer head, to the sounds of bickering and I couldn't help but roll my eyes fondly. It seemed that no matter what chaos happened around him, Willow was going to remain the same.

"-care if you just want to help! He's my mate, not yours! He needs better than anything you could whip up. He needs more options. He doesn't need to settle for anything you could make when he has me! Your sandwich was barely passable! You'll ruin everything!"

"You should be resting my Luna! The King said-"

"My heat is none of your fucking business! It's not anybody's business! How many times do I have to tell you?!"

I walked into the kitchen, observing how Willow was furiously whirling around the space that had once been clean. Now the counters were covered with ingredients and several pots bubbled away on the stove. Willow himself looked gorgeously disheveled with a streak of flour smudged across his flushed cheeks. His hair was a bit frizzy and he wore a messy white apron over his cute outfit. Despite the disarray, something did smell good and I wondered what my little omega had been up to.

"Your majesty!" Omega Anderson exclaimed once he saw me, dropping to his knees out of respect.

Hearing this, Willow whipped around to face me with an angry glare. "Where! Have! You! Been?!" He demanded with a small snarl and a stomp of his foot before pulling an entire cinnamon apple pie out of the oven.

I sighed. I was exhausted and just wanted to eat something and rest with my omega but of course, Willow wouldn't be Willow without him trying to bite my head off for something. With that thought I almost cracked a smile. I really did love the little maniac and I hoped that all his effort meant that he had missed me.

"Omega Anderson, you are dismissed. Thank you for your service," I told the other omega so that I could be alone with my mate.

The other man scrambled to his feet and practically fled from the house.

"Coward," Willow muttered under his breath as he watched the omega leave.

"I have a feeling you made things difficult for the poor guy," I replied tiredly as I nearly stumbled on my way to find a seat at the dining table.

I expected Willow to tear me a new one for defending another omega but instead my mate rushed to my side, holding my chair steady as I slid into it.

"You look so tired," he murmured anxiously while his small hands cupped my face. "Please tell me you have time to rest before we go confront Frank?"

I blinked slowly, trying to process what he said and then I smiled. "Are you worried about me Princess?"

Willow blushed and dropped his hands from my face as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. He tried to turn away but I grabbed his arm which naturally meant that he made a show of pulling out of my grasp. Then he turned on me.

"Me? Worried? Of course I haven't been worrying! Why would I be?! I was only abandoned in bed again with no way of knowing where you were! And then you were gone for hours and I had no way of reaching you! Not to mention my heat ended not that long ago, as I've been reminded of about fifty times! And according to the stupid brochures from the healer, you're supposed to be here for me if you fucking care! But nope, no worries here! That would be so silly of me!" He shouted angrily.

"But I left-" I started.

"I didn't find the note until after the omega informed me of your absence! You could have thought to put it in a more noticeable place! He knocked on the door and I answered it naked because I stupidly thought it was you! You made it so that I humiliated myself as Luna and I'm sure everyone will hear of it!" Willow retorted with another deep blush.

"Are you alright Princess?" I asked sympathetically, reaching out for the bristling omega.

"Yep! Everything is perfect! Why wouldn't it be?!" The boy replied aggressively with a scowl as he ignored my hug in exchange for bringing several dishes of food to the table.

My eyes widened in astonishment as Willow piled the table high with: hot apple pie, what looked to be fresh made butter, beignets, mashed potatoes, pomelo candy, white rice, and a plate stacked with four rare steaks. It was a random assortment but somehow the little minx knew all about my favorite dishes and, according to the snippet of arguing that I'd heard, he cooked it all himself.

"I'm in the middle of making lasagna!" He explained defensively as he gestured to the messy stove. "I didn't know how long you'd be gone. There wasn't supposed to be a mess when you got here," he hung his head a little at that and clasped his hands behind his back, looking as if he had failed at something.

I looked up at him, completely speechless.

"What?" The boy asked as his cheeks flushed yet again but this time he seemed unsure of himself.

"How did you know I would like all of this?" I asked, feeling that Willow's choices we're anything but random.

The omega shrugged and glanced at his feet. "Training," he muttered self-consciously. "I.. was given a binder with information about you when I was younger. My parents gathered it for me... m-mother thought it would look good for me to be able to cook anything you desired but I.. well.. maybe I should've made you something else?" He questioned with an embarrassed expression. "You like a lot of things so I didn't know what to pick or how much time I had to work with. I can make cookies next.. maybe?"

I grinned, "My goodness Willow, I didn't know you could be this sweet! I can't remember the last time I had a home cooked meal that I didn't have to make myself."

The boy blushed again and bit his lip. "So I did alright?" He asked.

"Yes Princess. Thank you. Sit down and relax. Everything looks delicious," I replied, pleased when the omega finally allowed me to pull him close. "I'm sorry for worrying you. And I'm sorry you were surprised by omega Anderson. I really thought you two would hit it off," I murmured as he curled into my lap and rested his head against my shoulder.

"What took you so long?" He asked after we sat in silence for a few moments.

"I went for a run after my meeting. I wasn't in the right state of mind to come home right away. I'm sorry baby. I probably shouldn't have done that. I wasn't trying to make you wait on me. It's just, the Lotus Queen.. she.. is a difficult woman, at least for me. She hates my father and.. by extension me. She's blaming me for everything Frank might have ever done. I think she would have loved to kill me."

I felt Willow stiffen in my arms and his hand gripped my wrist tightly.

"Don't worry Princess. Daddy's not going anywhere. I promise," I assured as I leaned in to kiss him on the forehead.

"Did she do that to you?" He inquired softly as his fingers caressed my reddened cheek.

"It didn't even hurt," I lied. "But thank you for worrying about me. Then I caught his hand in mine and kissed it so that he wouldn't find the slit that had been cut into my jacket. "You look very pretty," I told him as I brushed some of the flour from his cheek.

My stomach chose that moment to unceremoniously growl, long and loud.

"Stop being mushy and just eat already," Willow demanded as he shoved me playfully.

Then he pulled away once more to begin tidying up the kitchen. However, I saw the way he smiled to himself, as I ate his wonderful cooking, when he thought I wasn't looking.

*******

-The next morning-

Willow's Pov:

I anxiously rode next to Maxwell as Sophie drove us to Frank Habberforth's house. I knew our confrontation had to go well, otherwise there could be some serious repercussions from Lotus Pack. So far everything had gone well. Frank had sounded incredibly off during Maxwell's phone call to come by this morning for an official meeting with his new omega. We hoped that meant we caught him by surprise but only the moon goddess knows what will happen. I sent a silent prayer to her, pleading that everything go well. I was so scared that something bad would happen to the rumored omega or that something bad would happen to Maxwell. I was a nervous wreck and my wolf was no better.

"Calm down Princess," Max murmured, surrounding me with his scent as we neared the beta's dingy looking home. "I need you to be on your best behavior okay? You won't have to kneel but I need you to be good for me. I won't be able to focus if I'm worried about you the whole time."

I nodded solemnly and completely concealed my scent. This was my first real act as Luna, serving by my alpha's side, not to mention the gravity of the situation. I really didn't want to be the one to fuck everything up.

In less time than I would have liked, we arrived at Frank's door but Max forced Sophie and the others to wait outside, unseen, for our protection. Frank finally answered the door after Maxwell knocked for a full minute. He then ushered us into his sparsely decorated living room with a smile, though there was a wild look in his eyes. His gaze lingered on me for a few moments but I pretended not to notice.

"Where is the omega?" Maxwell asked as I stepped closer to him.

Frank finally tore his creepy eyes off of me and looked down the dark hallway. "Fae, come on out and meet the King and his Luna. Don't be scared, I'm sure they'll love you," Frank practically purred.

I fought the urge to growl at Frank's sweet, sickly tone. It sounded all wrong and I didn't trust him. I scooted even closer to Maxwell so that my hand brushed against his. That at least kept me sane, though I was still super on edge over the whole situation. Maxwell grabbed my hand and gave it a comforting squeeze and I almost felt better but then-

"Ah! There he is. A bit beat up, I know," Frank started, sounding sad and sympathetic. "Poor thing has been through so much but that's about to end, isn't it sweetheart?"

I studied the tiny omega who nodded timidly as he walked towards us. He looked terrible. He was practically bald and his clothes fit horribly, looking as if they hadn't been washed in ages. He was pale, his green eyes were dull and he seemed malnourished. He looked as if all the fight had gone from his body and he wore a tortured sort of expression across his exceptionally pretty face. I tried to ignore my irrational jealousy over the fact that he could look both that beautiful and that destroyed at the same time. My unreasonable thoughts were interrupted when I noticed that Fae was wearing black leather gloves and a collar. The gloves went halfway up his arms and the collar was thick, hiding most of his neck. I narrowed my eyes at this detail. Why was he so covered up? And why did that leather look so familiar? I could have sworn I'd seen it somewhere before....

"You have to bow before the King, Fae," Frank warned, causing me to shiver from the threatening edge beneath his silky tone. I could almost feel the consequences he wanted the younger man to suffer later, after we left. The defiant side of me wanted to tell the omega it was fine, that he should only bow if he wanted to, but the way Frank prompted him made me too afraid to speak up.

The omega dropped to the ground instantly and bared his neck, "I apologize Alpha," he replied shyly without meeting our eyes.

"He means 'your majesty'," Frank corrected, causing chills to run down my spine when I saw how the omega shivered in response.

The omega didn't feel safe and neither did I.

"It's alright Frank," Max gently interrupted. "The poor kid doesn't need to worry about being formal."

The man looked up at his words and met my alpha's gaze then his expression turned completely heartbroken. I wondered what he could be thinking. He must be scared to death. We should just arrest Frank already! The look in the omega's eyes was proof enough for me to believe in every bad thing we'd already heard.

"Sorry Max... just trying to teach him. The poor guy hasn't ever been part of a pack. I really have no clue how he came to find me but I'm really happy he did. I've been looking for my mate for ages... well, you know that," Frank explained cooly but I could tell Fae's ignorance had pissed him off. Frank was lying! I just knew it! I gripped Max's hand tightly in mine, trying my best to gather the courage to speak.

"Does Habberforth make you happy?" I finally spat out, needing to give the struggling omega some type of lifeline.

"As happy as he can imagine I should be," he replied softly and he met Frank's eyes before his own darted away nervously.

I squeezed Maxwell's hand frantically, trying to communicate how wrong everything felt in this place but he didn't seem to understand.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Maxwell replied, shocking me. "Honestly, with everything I've been told lately, I was beginning to worry that my best friend wasn't who I thought he was."

I angrily dug my fingernails into Maxwell's hand. It was one thing to lure Frank into a false sense of security but Max was practically telling the omega that we'd never believe him if he spoke up for himself. I didn't like this at all. It was fucked up! Maxwell gave my hand a gentle squeeze back, despite the fact that I was near to drawing blood from how hard my nails pushed against his flesh. Then he firmly removed his hand from mine, ignoring the tiny glare I shot his way.

"What was your life like before you met Frank?" Max asked gently as he moved to the kitchen and casually began to pour the four of us coffee, serving me and the omega before himself and Frank last.

I picked up my mug with an annoyed huff but accepted that Maxwell was still following the plan, for now anyways, and sat down at the kitchen table while the others followed along.

"It was lonely," Fae explained, ignoring his drink. I fought the urge to tell him that he still looked lonely. That wouldn't be helpful. "I thought I'd never meet my mate or anyone else," he continued, "And then I was taken," the omega glanced at Frank looking nervous but strangely determined. "I was beaten a lot, used by many."

That's it! I thought, near ready to jump out of my seat in excitement. Just tell my alpha what happened. He will fix it!

Max shot Frank a concerned look and I nearly groaned in annoyance for this seemed to frighten the little wolf. I discreetly kicked Maxwell's leg from beneath the table but he didn't even acknowledge that he felt it.

"F-Frank saved me," Fae anxiously piped up. "He's a very skilled fighter."

Now that was interesting. I glanced at Maxwell, hoping he'd picked up on it like I had.

"Frank fought for you? I didn't realize. I thought you'd met randomly."

Yes. Perfect response. Max knew better than anyone how much Frank had slacked off. It was almost laughable to picture him in a real fight anymore, unless he was cheating.

"Frank saved me from dying," Fae told him.

Liar! I nearly stood up to slap the omega across the face, feeling enraged. Why wouldn't he just ask Maxwell for help? I was tired of this charade and I was feeling more uneasy by the minute. I just wanted to get out of Frank's home. It was making my skin crawl.

"Frank... you... when did you save Fae? I thought you were done with fighting? That you didn't shift much anymore?" Maxwell's questions were interrupted by a loud howl that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Max instantly stood and pushed me behind him as he settled into a defensive stance. Suddenly, there were sounds of several wolves fighting, snarling viciously at each other with an occasional whine of pain. Both Max and I noticed how the sounds affected the omega, for the poor thing was twitching anxiously with every hiss and growl. His energy was making me nervous and I whimpered timidly as the sounds grew closer, gripping onto Maxwell's shirt for reassurance.

"Don't worry," Max murmured comfortingly with a soft kiss to my forehead before he returned to his fighting stance. "The guards will take care of whatever the threat is."

I barely got a moment to accept my mates words when another cry sounded, causing the omega to lose his shit. He ran forward and began to thrash around wildly in a distressing attempt to fight off Frank and Max. He was no match for them but still he struggled and tried to hurt them.

"Calm your mate!" Maxwell ordered, looking at Frank as he moved me out of the fights way.

"Get back! It's not safe!" Frank bellowed as he shoved the omega up against a wall. I cringed as I watched, feeling pity towards the smaller man. Frank was clearly incapable of calming an omega in distress. It was almost laughable that he claimed Fae was his true mate except that this was not a laughing matter at all.