Page 11 of Ondine: Vol. 2

“Arnold Barrera.”

“Jake, who the hell is that?”

“He’s this ginger photographer. I think he’ll be a good asset if we want to add better surveillance to our business.”

“What?”

“I mean, I just thought of that, but it’s not a bad idea.”

Shadow speaks up, “He’s Ondine’s old boyfriend. The one she’d been with the day we found her.”

I open my mouth to ask a question, but the answer occurs to me—Arnold is the beta the woman at the salon spoke about. Ondine’s crush. She’d been with him that day Jake found her.

What the fuck is Jake up to?

“Why?”

“I like him. He has a broken finger, but otherwise he’s all there. He’s smart. And strong. He knows how to take care of omegas. Shadow and him can talk about art and politics or whatever. He probably can aim a rifle pretty well. You can take him shooting.”

He’s being an ass.

Shadow’s voice over the phone explains, “He’s Ondine insurance.”

“Sure yeah, he’s also Ondine insurance,” Jake confirms.

I look at the door to the nest. Ondine insurance.

“She likes him.”

“I believe so, yes.”

Jake wants to bond this beta to make our pack look more desirable to Ondine. If we have her crush bonded to us, she might not outrightly reject us.

“Ok then. I trust you, Jake.”

A light pleasing feeling erupts in the bond. Jake is happy. He’s hardly ever happy. But that’s usual for lately.

Ondine insurance.

Jake is playing to win.

It’s not even been 24 hours since she bonded with Freddie and Jake has her old crush and is going to make him a permanent member of our pack. Bonding is serious business. It’s for life. Severing a bond is not impossible, but it can lead to death or drive someone mad. If the severing is successful, you may never bond again in some cases. It’s psychologically damaging as well. Leading to intense psychotherapy.

He is a beta, though. Maybe he’d be fine if he severed the bond. It would just be us who would suffer.

Jake is acting flippant about this, but bonding with a new member is serious and he knows it. But he’s sure. That’s why he’s acting blase about it. He’s sure, so I’m sure.

“Shadow?” Jakes asks the man next to him.

We wait for his input.

Shadow opens himself up and I can feel his acceptance.

“You know my issues with my brother. But I trust you, Alpha Meier,” Shadow says.

I let out all the air I’d been holding on to.

I have a new pack member. A beta.