Page 5 of Ondine: Vol. 2

What must he think of me? The scent match he didn’t want. The bonded mate he was only trying to help.

I don’t want him to feel trapped by me now that we are bonded. It all happened so fast and there’s no way for me to know if he regrets biting me. Bonding me.

I have to be invisible. Agreeable. And most of all—I don’t want to be too needy.

He means too much to me to lose him because I need him to be with me all the time. When he awakes, he’ll see how easy this will be for him. I’ll take care of myself. He won’t have to do a thing.

3

B is for Beta

Shadow

Jake tied the red-haired beta tied to a metal folding chair with zip ties. He looks well, surprisingly. I took some time to shower and change. I had a quick nap. He’s been sitting here the whole time like a good boy.

Fucking Arnold. Fucking Jake!

Jake dragged this man from his apartment and tied him to this chair. Normally I wouldn’t think anything of it. But he’s strong. He’s tall. He’s dense. For a beta that’s a rare thing. If you weren’t able to smell him you’d think he was an alpha.

And he was the man who had been with Ondine the day Jake met her on the train.

Jake had to get in an ice bath because of the tussle Arnie put him through. Half this studio we use for our business as a training gym and storage. We even keep some fleet vehicles here.

“Arnie, Arnie, Arnie, you are not an easy man to lift,” I tut. He sits on the chair like he sat there on purpose. Like he could leave at any time. Like he’s bored. It makes me respect him a little.

“I want to know what you think you are here for.” I’ve been dying to know what he thinks of all this.

I’ve never quite understood why Ondine needed to use a Heat Clinic. Paying for alphas? There’s something so fucked up about that.

Maybe that’s unfair.

Ondine prides herself on her independence. That’s why she lived alone and never registered with the Institute. And alphas are possessive fuckers, let’s be honest.

“I have no idea,” Arnie replies.

“Speculate.“ My alpha voice doesn’t work on him, but he still gets the impression it’s being used. Alpha barks don’t work on betas, only alpha and omegas.

Arnie sighs like I’m being tedious.

Jake will join me soon. After his ice bath, he went back to the beta’s place to look around.

“I don’t know. Perhaps I am being mistaken for someone.”

No one would mistake Arnold for anyone. He has tawny red hair, eery glass green eyes, and enough freckles to distinguish him from anyone I’ve ever known. Honestly, he looks like we could have found him by description alone.

“Oh, did someone else take advantage of an omega he was supposed to be caring for? Leave her to the streets when she was hours away from her heat?”

Arnold sits up straight. His face falls, his jaw drops. He gasps. “Ondine.”

I wasn’t going to tell him this soon, but Jake is going to be forever. And I’m curious.

He looks nervous. Upset. Shocked.

How interesting.

“Where is she? Is she ok?”

I tsk and pace around in front of him. Finally, a nice little response.