Page 78 of Ondine: Vol. 2

Arnie stands up tall.

“I’m her boyfriend. You must be her alpha.”

Now I’m doubly worried.

As well as proud he called himself my boyfriend.

Freddie cocks an eyebrow and asks me, “You have a boyfriend? How very avant garde.”

I debate telling him the whole story but I opt to just shrugging.

“And why are you worried?”

“I’m worried,” I lean in and whisper, “that he’ll think it’s weird that I’m about to forgive Jake and Sebastian for this whole thing. Because it’s a very omega thing for me to do.” Freddie smiles at me, like he smiles at his kitten when she gets the zoomies. “And maybe a normal person would be horrified. And not…flattered.”

“Flattered!” Jake repeats.

“Flattered,” I mumble, ashamed.

Arnie takes me by my arms and sides, twisting me until I’m facing him and he pulls me into him. He hugs me and I bury my face in his chest.

“I don’t know if you realize this,” he says loud enough for everyone to hear, “But I’ve known this whole time you’re an omega. You don’t need to be anything else around me. I know.” He pulls me away so he can look me in the eyes. His hand goes into my hair. His fingers grip me at my scalp, firm and loving. “You ran away from me because you were ashamed that you acted like an omega with me, didn’t you?”

My mouth is in a permanent pout. I nod a whole bunch of times. I did. I ran away because he’s a beta and I attacked him with my crazed omega pussy. But he didn’t reject me. He encouraged me.

He looked for me.

He knew the whole time I’d stolen his comb and put it in my nest.

He knows I’m fucking insane.

The moment I saw him on the street he pulled me into a bathroom and fucked me. He knows exactly what I need. No questions. No hesitations.

He dips his head down and kisses me on my closed mouth. I’m too overcome with emotion to move.

“Fuck me,” Freddie says from behind us. “She’s in love with him.”

Jake growls, but it’s just Jake being his regular jealous and possessive self. So it makes me lose my pout and almost smile.

“Ondine, we can keep him. If you want him,” Freddie offers, and Jake’s growl grows until it’s no longer cute.

“You can’t fucking keep him! He’s mine!”

“He looks like he’s Ondine’s.”

“I bonded him. He’s bonded and registered to the Meier Pack.”

Sebastian’s voice comes from the other side of the room, “He did it to make sure Ondine chose the Meier Pack. He wants her, Freddie.”

“I know! I wasn’t planning on keeping her for myself.”

“Stop yelling!” I yell.

Everyone shuts up.

While I loved fighting with Jake on the lawn yesterday, this is the not fun kind of yelling. And it’s upsetting.

I stand up and look over everyone. Four alphas. One beta. All men.