Chapter 2
Nico
“Ithink she’s trying to kill you with the leash.” Evan’s tone is pure amusement.
“I think she is a he,” Sebastian corrects through gritted teeth, arm stretched taut as the dog yanks him forward.
I think I can feel my blood pressure rising, personally.
“Remind me why we couldn’t get a chaperon?” Jason asks, deadpan.
“And miss watching Seb lose a fight against a poodle?” Evan responds incredulously from beside him, phone raised and pointed towards the dog and alpha duo. Damn, I should have thought of recording first.
“You try telling your mom she can’t leave her favorite kid with you,” Sebastian shoots Jason a look that could curdle milk. “You think she’d trust dog sitters with her baby?”
“Did you want to tell the grande dame no, Jace?” I know Jason’s a good poker player because he’s managed to not laugh at Sebastian’s struggle with the demonic pup yet. The corner of his mouth twitches at my question, but I’d take that over Evan’s snickering.
I’ve always thought it was a miracle Sebastian didn’t turn out spoiled, considering he’s the only child of a tech giant pack. Unfortunately, whatever moral failings he missed out on developing seem to have been doubled and passed onto his mom’s poodle instead.
Clementine has only been staying with us for two days while Seb’s parents’ pack are on vacation, and I can confidently say I’ve never felt this type of fear before.
I’m not sure any of the four of us have a pair of socks left intact. A lamp Jason inherited from his grandfather has met its demise after generations in the family. That thing isn’t a damn dog. It has to be a familiar of some kind.
“Evan, stop bumping into me.” Sebastian’s accusation makes the blond bristle.
The smoothness of his aloe vera scent turns rocky with indignation. “I’m not, man. How about you learn to walk in a straight line?”
“Watch out,” I start to warn Sebastian, but it’s too late.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Clementine manages to wrangle the leash out of Sebastian’s hand with the cunning of a practiced escape artist. The cursed canine goes running, barreling away through the middle of Scentral Park.
For a dog too lazy to walk to his own food bowl, he sure is fast. We take off after him. Evan makes the most distance, long legs eating up the pavement.
I shouldn’t have stopped by the office before we decided to walk the damn demon, my dress shoes slip against the wet ground with each step. The other two race alongside me, and I can hear Jason cursing under his breath next to Sebastian.
“I’m not representing you if that wretch bites someone and they sue,” Jason informs Sebastian as we run. “Or the wretch.”
A woman steps directly on Clementine’s leash as he runs past her, stopping him in his tracks. Anxiety floods my chest. What if Clementine bites her? It’s not fair to unleash ‘the wretch’ around the general public. Perhaps we’ve made a grave mistake.
He doesn’t have a history of biting, but what the dog does is much more surprising.
Instead of mauling her, he flops onto his side in the dirt.
Our psycho pooch wags his tail so hard his entire back shakes.
The woman squats next to him, one foot still planted on the leash, reaching down to pet his stomach.
Evan reaches her first, his athletic build and casual dress paying off. He’s saying something we can’t hear from our distance. We skid to a stop next to him, bewildered at the sight in front of us.
The woman isn’t crying for help, she’s laughing at our dog’s attempts to lick her face. Clementine is actually being nice to her.
But Clementine doesn’t like anyone, except Sebastian’s mother, Meredith. The four of us stand above the dog and woman, looking between them in disbelief.
“We owe you, really. You’ve stopped disaster in its tracks,” the woman giggles at Evan’s words, but I know him well enough to catch the complete seriousness in his face.
“Aw, this little guy?” She rubs Clementine’s stomach and laughs again, a pleasant, soft sound.
There’s nothing little about the standard poodle, besides the small glimpses of white fur peeking through as he rubs his back into the mud along the walkway, staining himself brown. I can only imagine the terror we have in store for us bathing him later.
The omega woman doesn’t seem to register his danger, releasing the leash from her foot and taking it into her hand. I brace myself, but the dog doesn’t yank or try to tug her arm off. The leash hangs limp between her fingers.
Her fingers curl along the leather, slow and deliberate, as if she’s testing its weight. She stands, and her eyes seem to trace the length of it in her hand to where it connects to Clementine’s pink collar. Her thumb brushes against the worn material, like she’s pondering it.
I’m about to ask her if there’s a problem with it when she straightens, holding the leash out towards us. The question dies in my throat now that she’s looked up and I can see her face clearly. Her eyes are swollen and tinged red, contradicting the soft smile on her lips.
“Are you alright?” Evan asks her, voice full of concern.
She startles, as if not expecting the question. “Oh, yes of course!” Her words come out in an unnaturally high chirp, making the four of us exchange glances.
“Miss, if you’re in some form of trouble,” Jason starts, but she cuts him off.
“Not at all. Here,” she shakes Clementine’s leash, drawing our attention back to it. “I guess she’s yours.”
Sebastian accepts it from her hesitantly. “Thank you. You’ve saved us all from disaster.”
She raises an eyebrow, a hint of amusement written on her face. “No, I should be thanking you. I needed to see a little cutie like her today. Aren’t you just the sweetest thing?” She leans down, directing her words to Clementine.
There is something sweet here, but I’m sure it’s not the damn dog. It’s her, I realize. A soft scent drifts off the omega in front of us, lightly wafting through the damp air. It reminds me of tea, but I can’t tell which kind. Chamomile, maybe?
“He,” Sebastian corrects gently. “He’s a he.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She pulls out her phone from her oversized hoodie, definitely a man’s, judging by the way she drowns in it. Checking the time, she frowns. “Well, I’ll be off then. Bye, buddy.” She waves at Clementine, who lets out a bark in response.
“Wait,” I say. “You’ll get soaked in this weather.” The rain has been coming down lightly the past hour, but the gray clouds above promise it won’t stay that way. I hold my umbrella out to her.
She blinks at me, as if puzzled by the offer.
“You’ll get sick,” I urge, softer this time. Her long hair is already damp at the ends, making it curl.
“Are you sure?” Her eyes are wide, big and brown, making her look like a baby deer.
“Take it,” Evan pipes up. “He doesn’t need it.” He’s not wrong. I can share with him or Jason, but she seems to be out here on her own. “And we owe you for grabbing him,” he nods his head at Clementine.
“Thank you.” She wraps her fingers around the handle, and they brush against my hand as I give it to her. Her touch is cold as ice, like she’s been out here for too long.
“Get home safely,” Jason says, voice serious.
The omega turns and walks away, holding the umbrella carefully over her head. We watch for a moment as her figure grows smaller, until she and her chamomile scent have disappeared.
“She was cute.” Sebastian notes, arm once again being yanked by Clementine.
She was. But just cute doesn’t seem to fit her right. She seemed sad, like a lost puppy wandering alone in the rain.
“Did you guys notice she kept looking at me?” Evan puffs out his chest jokingly, breaking through my thoughts.
“She was looking at your obnoxiously huge umbrella,” Jason clarifies dryly.
“Umbrella? That’s not what the ladies usually call it,” Evan’s response makes Jason groan audibly.
“It’s taking up the entire walkway,” Sebastian points out, holding Clementine back from lunging towards a garbage can.
“It is egregiously large,” Jason adds, with the tone of a man who’s argued cases on less.
Evan just grins at him shamelessly. “I get that a lot.”
The raindrops quicken their drumming against the top of my head. “Let me under your umbrella,” I cross the pavement, settling next to Evan.
He puts a hand to his heart in fake shock. “At least buy me dinner first, Nico.” He raises his arm to position it over the both of us anyways. We fall back into step, continuing our walk through the darkening afternoon.
With his newfound friend gone, Clementine’s good behavior has disappeared. He returns to his usual misbehavior, yanking at the leash with renewed enthusiasm.
My thoughts linger on said friend. I could see the mating mark peeking out of her sweater’s collar, but she had been by herself. If she has a pack, why would she be walking in the rain alone, crying?
Bonded omegas are meant to be treasured, protected. And her fascination with the leash, it was odd. Something about it doesn’t sit right with me.
Maybe it’s a sign I’m getting old, this increased worrying about everyone and everything. Maybe there’s been some truth to the mother hen jokes Evan’s been making about me for years. It’s not really any of my business, at the end of the day. It’s just bothering me more than it should.
At the very least, I hope she makes it home before it starts raining any harder.