Page 11 of Ondine, Vol. 2 (Cash City Omegaverse)

Courting

Jake

S hadow and the beta are fighting again. I can’t wait until they leave the house. All they’ve been doing is walking around the floors bickering. It’s nice that they are getting to know each other but I’m in no mood for playful fighting. I’ve been separated from Ondine for too fucking long.

I had to leave to prepare my pack for her, but I am at war with myself about it.

She needs this to be the easiest decision of her life.

We will have everything she could possibly want.

We have her little beta boyfriend. We will have the perfect nest. I’ve bought her more clothes.

More groceries. I’ve hired someone to tune the piano.

I’ve even bought cat food for Freddie’s damned feline.

What was the tea she liked? I’m at my office computer, so I pull up a search for some tea shops nearby. “What tea do omegas like…” I type into the search bar. Oh god, there’s a lot.

A text pings from Boone Anderson. I ignore it. Like I’ve ignored the last several. I have no time for him today. Sebastian told me all about this morning. How he invited himself to Sky Nest.

I’ve known Boone a long time, and for the most part ignored his tendency to lie or scheme. It’s never been so obvious that I’ve been forced to admit it’s a problem. We are dealing with too much at this time to also deal with some nosey lawyer.

I put a few pounds of tea in my digital cart along with canisters, tea spoons, a tea set, and little steepers. I get a call from one of our security agents on the street.

“Alpha Meier, Boone Anderson is approaching the house. Should I intercept him?” Ever since Ondine was taken we’ve had a detail at the house. Sebastian has three guys on Ondine and Freddie, along with a detail at Sky Nest.

“No, just watch him.”

“He’s spotted all of us. Seems suspicious that he’s looking for your protection.”

“Interesting…but don’t worry about Boone Anderson.”

I hear when Boone lets himself into the house. Shadow and the beta are already gone, so it’s just me in the house. He heads right to my office. I end the call, then lean back in my chair and wait for him.

He knocks on the door. Curious since he just let himself into my house.

“Come in, Boone,” I call. He lets himself in.

He’s wearing a suit. His shoes are shined. His bolo tie and cowboy hat have a matching green gemstone. This is no ordinary house call.

“Jake,” he tips his hat to me.

Something I don’t often think about is how both he and I grew up in Sixthwater Ridge two states over.

He is three years older than me, so we weren’t that close.

He moved to the peninsula to start his law practice, and finding a childhood friend, the nostalgia of it, outweighed most things.

Then Sebastian and him became fast friends, and I didn’t think anything of it.

But Boone never wanted to be part of my household, just benefitting from it.

“What do I owe the pleasure?” I say, keeping my face neutral.

“Ondine and I spoke this morning,” he starts, and I am immediately on edge. “She said that the contract I wrote for you has been unexpectedly violated.”

I don’t move. I let the silence pile on.

“Last summer, you made a verbal offer to me, do you remember?”

Yes, I fucking remember. I offered him a bond.

“And you rejected that offer.”

“Did I?” I finally speak up.

Already exhausted with his doublespeak—I choose again to wait.

“Jake, it’s time. Let’s finally finish this out so we can get started on a plan to separate her from Freddie Wong.”

Oh, how fucking interesting. He thinks I need him.

Also, I don’t intend to separate her from her scent match. He must not know how serious her bond is with him. Or maybe he truly doesn’t care. That would be disturbing.

“Boone, my omega rejected you this morning. Sebastian told me that she was really upset that he touched your arm. She then told you to leave. How would it look if I brought you into my pack, knowing my omega doesn’t like you?”

“Jake, come on, that’s not what it looked like to me.

Ondine doesn’t want her alphas together.

I warned you about this possibility years ago.

That’s why, when you told me about meeting a handsome alpha at military college, I told you not to get too close.

Omegas don’t often want their men in their own relationships. Ondine is no different.”

I hate to say that for a small moment I follow his logic. When I was 21 and in my senior year, Shadow’s crush on me became too obvious to ignore. We spent two weeks in the throes of sex and limerence. When I came home for fall break, I spent some time with Boone who did tell me this. He got to me.

I used to view him like an older brother. Someone who knew more than me.

He told me that it would be a bad idea to start a relationship with him if I ever wanted an omega.

“My scent match, Bunny, she felt the same way. She didn’t like how two of her alphas were getting so close. It hurt her, remember?”

Now he’s going to bring up his dead scent match.

I have compassion for him, I do. Boone was 19 when he found his scent match, an omega already in a bonded pack.

She suffered from bond sickness and died shortly after that.

Her pack was charged with negligence. The case was so severe , it made Boone want to became a lawyer.

It’s also why I tended to lean on him with his knowledge on omegas.

But it feels like he’s bringing Bunny up now just to manipulate me.

“You think Ondine wants you, she just doesn’t want you to be with Sebastian?”

“It’s obvious. Have you told her about you and Shadow? What did she say?”

She hasn’t said anything. Sebastian and Freddie were together, too. Did she get upset about that? I didn’t even think to ask.

I didn’t realize until now that my belief I needed to be careful about alpha-alpha relations in my pack was all from Boone.

I’ve let him manipulate me. I’ve let him control my relationship with my pack mate. This whole time. I was young and vulnerable. I’d fallen for Shadow so fucking quickly, and then suddenly apart from him, Boone’s words took root.

I still bonded Shadow when I returned to school. I knew I wanted him. But I told him I didn’t want to keep fucking him. That I had just been excited to find him.

Did he know I was afraid?

“Jake, the best thing now is for me to be the bridge. It will establish a line between Ondine and yourself. And it will keep her away from Shadow, if he continues to be a problem.”

Oh, thank fuck he finally revealed his intention. I am getting so sick of listening to him. He wants to be the bridge, and by being the bridge he could potentially set himself up as pack lead.

That’s why he turned me down last summer. He didn’t want to be my alpha, he wanted to be pack lead.

“I will take it into advisement. In the meantime, do not contact anyone but me. Not Sebastian. Not Freddie. Not Shadow. And definitely not Ondine. Furthermore, do not touch Sebastian again.”

On my laptop, I pull up my formal request to court Ondine. As Boone talks, saying something to convince me I didn’t just say what I just said, I add some more language.

…Inter-pack relationships will be permitted, specifically between myself and Shadow…

I didn’t think Boone would listen to me. That’s why I already have a plan. Boone can’t be around my omega nor Sebastian. And there’s only one alpha I know who can ensure that will happen.