Page 32 of Ondine, Vol. 2 (Cash City Omegaverse)

Boo

Shadow

J ake ordered me to bash in Boone’s kneecaps.

Well, he didn’t say that.

He said that Boone needs to be told to leave Sebastian alone. I twirl my machete over my palm and knuckles on my way to Boone’s law office. I’ve been dying to tell this fucker off.

He keeps texting Sebastian, and while the guy is usually very put together, it’s eating him up. His stress and anxiety spikes every time his phone pings.

Up until recently I believed Boone every time he looked at me like I was the biggest fucking loser. But Jake chose me. Sebastian chose me. Ondine chose me. Why would I give a fuck about his slimey ass and who he chooses?

I asked Jake about Boone courting Ondine. He’d tried to lead Ondine to believe he was making food or getting her things that the pack was giving her.

Boone’s never made a lasagna a day in his fucking life. He’s a fucking liar.

And all the clothes were from Jake.

The sun is shining. A cool breeze passes over me. But I’m running hot so I don’t shiver.

Jake’s words echo in my head as I pick up my pace— I don’t often find myself admitting to being influenced, but it was Boone who told me to stop fucking you.

I was young and he knew my dreams of having a big pack, and building a successful business.

He said that if I tied myself so closely to you, it would stunt me.

And when we met Sebastian, and he was very vocal about his feelings about alpha-alpha relationships, I decided that was it.

I don’t regret anything in my life, but I regret not believing I could have everything I wanted.

You’re mine, Shadow. All mine. No one gets in the way of that again.

I thought Jake lost interest in me. I thought he didn’t understand how badly I wanted more from him.

This whole time he believed that our relationship would stop him from having all he wanted, because his older best friend told him so.

I won’t ever let him doubt me again. I will make sure Jake is happy.

That he has his big pack. I’ll always have his back.

Boone’s law office is a single-office building with a glass roof. I bust open the door and enter to find him at his desk. His paralegal nowhere in sight. Beautiful.

Just to set the mood, I slice my machete blade across the contents of his desk, sending everything flying off. Glass shatters on the floor and wall. Pencils and papers scatter.

“Wow, what the fuck, Shadow!” Boone shouts as he jumps up off his office chair.

I revel in his fear. But I think I can increase it.

I turn around and walk away casually to the front door. Then I lock it and turn back to face Boone.

“Boone Anderson. Handsome Boone Anderson.” I wretch my arm back and smash a framed picture of some damned meadow. The glass shatters everywhere.

Wide eyes and hands out, he yells, “Stop it! Goddamn are you insane?!”

Sweet glory.

“Oh, were you not aware? Did my history not make it clear? Do you even know what I do for Jake at Meier Protections Group? Oh, I see! Based on the dumb look on your face I can tell you have no idea.

“You think I’m useless don’t you? Wow, I never took you for stupid and yet here we are.”

I hold the handle of the machete with both hands and go to swing, aiming at a bookcase with trophies and accolades.

“Stop! Fucksake! What is going on? Are you this upset because you found out Sebastian and I kissed?”

“Oh we will get to that,” I say darkly. I point at him with the tip of the blade.

“I’m here on pack business. Ondine doesn’t want you anywhere near her or Sebastian.

She made it very clear to my pack lead. Jake told you to leave us alone.

And Sebastian has responded to your relentless texting, telling you to stop. And yet you persist.”

Boone’s face falls. He is gearing up to present himself as a hometown hero. All American. Good guy cowboy.

Gag.

“Ondine wants me to spend some time away from the Meier Pack? That’s fair. Why are you here trashing my place, Shadow? I would call the police, but maybe I’ll just call Jake.”

I laugh. Cause it’s so funny!

“You still don’t know what I do for Jake? I’m an operator, Boone. Do you know what that means?” His eye twitches slightly.

“I’m sure you do. We all attended the same military academy.

Didn’t you think it was odd I graduated but was still there for a whole other year?

What could I have been doing at a military academy all that time?

Hm? Any ideas? You probably didn’t even notice.

You thought Jake just wanted to get into bed with me.

Did he ever tell you what initially attracted him to me? ”

I’m pacing in front of Boone, and he’s growing nervous. He’s backing further and further away, and closer to the emergency exit.

“It wasn’t my charming personality. It was my ability to fuck a bitch up. Quietly. Exactly. Do you know how many people I’ve silently extracted for him throughout the years? Deleted?”

A line of sweat appears at his hairline.

“Tell me, Boone Anderson, have you been courting my omega? Letting her believe you’re providing food for her? Clothes? Her favorite tea? Did you try to seduce her and when that didn’t work, seduced my pack mate instead?”

“Shadow, this is ridiculous. Jake asked me to be in your pack. Which I was considering. I just needed to know you could be the pack for me. I did nothing wrong.”

He asked him a year ago. Which Boone declined. He’s always twisting everything up to look good in his favor.

“You weren’t trying to steal her from us? Maybe taking Sebastian too? Because the evidence is stacking against you here.”

His voice goes up an octave. “No!”

“I always wondered why you didn’t join us back then. And it hit me—you don’t want to be in a pack where you aren’t the pack lead.”

“Is there a question there?”

“And you could never challenge Jake. Even being three years older, fifty pounds of muscle larger, and how many inches taller? At least four I’d say. Despite all of that, he will always be superior.”

His hand inches closer to the door, and I let him think he might get away.

“Do you know why my mother thinks that I should have been pack lead?” I muse, sounding casual as I roll the machete over my knuckles and palm, slashing it in the air when I get a hold of it.

“The Wong alphas have an especially powerful alpha bark. It’s what makes Freddie so dangerous as a feral alpha.

As a kid he could even stop his own father in his tracks.

My mom was scared of him. And for good reason.

This alpha bark, I also possess. It’s what makes me so valuable in what I do.

It’s funny though, I hardly use it. It makes me feel bad.

But, between you and me? I want to see how affected you are. ”

Boone reaches out and grabs a glass trophy and chucks it at me, as I’m dodging it he turns to run out of the emergency exit.

“ Stop! ”

And, like a good boy, Boone stops.

Beautiful.

He’s facing the door, so I let him listen as I trash the rest of his office. I tip his desk over. I break the legs off his table. I turn out the drawers of his filing cabinet.

“ Answer me, Boone. Did you intend on taking Ondine for yourself?”

“Yes,” he says soberly.

“ And when Freddie bonded her, what was your plan then? ”

“I’d position myself to be the bridge between Freddie and the Meier Pack. Setting myself up as new pack lead.”

If he bonded Freddie and Jake, he might have pulled that off. A bridge is an important role in a pack, and is often the role of the pack lead, unless they aren’t strong enough, then the bridge fails and the packs divide.

“Ok, well, that’s not happening. Ondine wants us. Exactly how we are. And she doesn’t want you. Most importantly, she doesn’t want you touching Sebastian. Ever. Anymore.”

With a sneer, Boone says, “And are you going to touch Sebastian?”

I roll my eyes and kick the wall, leaving a little hole. “I am pretty happy with Jake and her. She’s actually really possessive over Sabbies. Which I find adorable. Who doesn’t love a possessive omega?”

He doesn’t believe me. But he should. I like that Ondine is making these decisions on how our pack functions.

It makes me feel safe. Omegas are ultimately the ones who decide, anyway.

And she isn’t asking for anything that would be hurtful or wrong for us.

Sebastian will flourish under her possessiveness.

Jake and I need each other. Arnie is her favorite, we all know it. And he loves that.

Also apparently he has the biggest cock out of all of us? Which I must see.

Freddie is her first, and he’s always going to be set apart because of that. He listened to her first. He chose her first.

I let the pull of my alpha bark wane, and then fall away. Boone is no longer a slave to it, but he’s pretending he is.

Most alphas can’t feel when their influence from an alpha bark is no longer effective. He thinks I’m like most alphas.

I’d like to beat the shit out of him, and I can’t do that (with zeal) unless he takes the first hit.

And if he runs away instead, well then he’ll never be the pack lead he claims he wants to be.

He surprises me by coming right at me. And he’s fast. He hits my wrist from both sides, making my machete go flying. Then to my utter horror, Boone reaches into a backpack I’d tossed onto the floor and pulls out a handgun.

It’s still in a holster, so I get over my shock enough to tackle him to the ground.

I slam my knee into his thigh and my fist into his ribs. His arms are all awkward in front of him and I realize he’s trying to unholster his fucking Glock.

Is he going to shoot me?!

This fucker.

I lift up enough to slam back down into him with my knees and elbow. I want to knock the wind out of him. So I do it again with gusto.

He grunts and loses his grip on the gun.

I twist enough to be able to shoot out my hand and hit the gun so it slides away, preventing him from grabbing it again. He starts kicking at me and then wraps his arms around me.

I honestly love a good tussle.

I throw him so I’m now underneath him, which allows me to get my arms up and over his, until my biceps are around his neck. Our breaths are short and hard, and his teeth are gritted so hard I think he’s going to break some of them.

I press him into my headlock and he’s completely immobile.

“Shh. Shhh.” I tell him. And then I remembered I can really end this.

“I’m Jake’s operator, Boone. I do all his dirty work.

You should have been expecting me if you were half as observant as you claim to be.

Stay away from Sebastian. Don’t even think about Ondine.

And if I ever catch wind of you giving anymore self serving advice to Jake, I will do more than send a message. Now sleep, Boone. Sleep .”

He goes limp on my arms.

(I usually love more colorful threats, but he was thrashing too much in my arms.)

I let him down gently beside me and then sprawl out.

Catching my breath. I can’t believe he got his gun out.

I sit up and crawl over to where it slid to, by the cabinet.

I lift it up to my eyes. It was loaded. And the safety was off.

I search around for the holster and find it.

I take the clip out, pushing the rounds off onto the floor.

I put the safety on, holster it, and take it with me.

He’ll wake up in a couple of hours with a screaming headache. My alpha bark is powerful, but it’ll eventually fade.

I walk back to the house, since it’s just a few miles and my body is buzzing with adrenaline.

I see Jake waiting for me on the porch with one hand in the pocket of his gray slacks.

He’s drinking a glass of whiskey. I twirl my machete and toss it into the garden, and then stick the gun into the back of my pants.

With a single mind I climb up the stairs and grab Jake’s face and kiss him.

The whiskey glass crashes onto the porch, and his arms grab my torso pulling me closer. His lips are unforgiving. His tongue pushes deep into my mouth. I push him backwards until he hits the window next to the door. I push my erection into him so he can feel what he does to me.