Chapter 58: Bring it on
Chapter 57
Ciel
I increase the pace of my steps, practically storming across the parking lot.
Oh, hell fucking no.
You take your eyes off Jack for one second—one damn second—and suddenly there’s someone draped all over him like they’ve got the right.
Nolan falls into step with me, his expression caught between concern and irritation.
"It’s probably not what we think," he mutters, trying for reason. "Look, the guy’s in a nursing uniform. Maybe he’s just—"
But whatever flimsy defense he’s about to mount collapses when the omega laughs too loudly and deliberately trails his fingers across Jack’s bicep, as if to stake a claim.
Oh fuck no.
Jack just stands there, tall and golden, looking polite and distracted, like he doesn’t realize he’s got a leech attached to his arm.
***
Nolan
Oh fuck no.
The sight makes my blood boil. The omega’s smile is too bright, too polished, like he knows exactly what he’s doing. He doesn’t let go of Jack’s arm, doesn’t back down even as we close the distance.
And for one violent second, I want to tear him off by the hair.
"Shit," Ciel hisses beside me.
"What?" I demand, though I already know it isn’t good.
"That’s him."
"Him?" My stomach twists.
"The omega I saw on Jack’s phone. The old fling. The one who won’t stop texting him—the one who sent him nudes."
Well. Shit.
Now that I’m closer, I see it: the bastard is even prettier up close. Smooth skin, fine-boned face, hair styled just so. He’s the type who knows exactly how to turn fragility into a weapon.
Not as beautiful as Ciel.
No one is as beautiful as Ciel.
But close enough to be dangerous.
***
Ciel
We’re almost there now. The sunlight hits Jack’s hair just right, making him look like some unbothered golden god with an omega clinging to his arm like a barnacle.
I’m furious enough to feel my heartbeat in my teeth. Lanny lets out a small fuss in my arms, picking up on my tension. I hush him automatically, but my eyes never leave the scene ahead.
The omega tilts his head, says something I can’t hear, and Jack gives him a polite smile, the kind he gives cashiers and old ladies, but it still twists my stomach like a knife.
We arrive close enough, Jack’s eyes zone on us, and they sparkle. He takes an immediate step back from the omega, his whole body shifting like he’s been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"You’re done?" he asks quickly, reaching out for Lanny like the baby is a lifeline. I hand him over without breaking eye contact with the interloper.
The omega’s gaze narrows on me before dropping to Lanny in Jack’s arms. His expression flickers—curiosity, calculation, something sour beneath the smile he pastes on.
"Jack," he says smoothly, brushing a few strands of golden hair behind his ear, "this must be why you’ve been unreachable. I didn’t know you had a child."
Jack adjusts Lanny against his chest, jaw tight. "Yeah, it’s been pretty hectic with a newborn."
Before he can say more, I step forward, cutting into the omega’s line of sight like a blade. "I’m the baby’s father. And you are?"
The man hesitates just long enough to be insulting. "Charlie. An old... friend of Jack’s." The way he lets the word friend hang in the air, heavy with implication, makes my eye twitch.
"Well, Charlie," I say, emphasizing every syllable of his name like it’s a curse, "I’m Ciel. Jack’s current omega."
His jaw clenches, the mask slipping for half a second before a polished smile replaces it.
"Oh my, I had no idea." Charlie’s tone is smooth, practiced, but the way his eyes rake over me is anything but polite. It’s the look of a predator sizing up another—measured, appraising, waiting for the moment of weakness.
I know this gaze. I’ve seen it before, in omegas who wanted to climb, to bite, to take. The only difference now? I’m not letting go of the alpha they’re aiming for.
"And a child, too." His voice dips, deliberate, like he’s testing how far he can push.
Jack shifts his hold on Lanny, pressing a kiss to the baby’s forehead like a reflex, though his shoulders are taut.
Charlie’s lips curve into something bright, something poisonous dressed as a smile.
"Moving pretty fast. Jack’s always wanted a family. I’m glad he finally got that."
The emphasis burns. Finally. As if he were supposed to be the one to give it to him.
"Congratulations, Jack." His smile turns dazzling, all white teeth and charm, but it’s aimed at Jack like I’m not even standing here.
"Yeah—thank you," Jack mutters, tone clipped, obliviously unaware of the storm brewing at his side.
Charlie glances down at Lanny again, lashes lowered, smile faintly mocking. "He’s beautiful. Takes after you."
"Of course he does," I say before Jack can respond, my voice sharp enough to slice marble.
Charlie’s gaze snaps back to me, a glint of challenge in his eyes. For the briefest second, his expression drops, cold and calculating, before he recovers with another practiced grin.
"Well, my break is over." He straightens his uniform, every movement graceful, deliberate. Then he looks at me—not Jack—like he’s making a promise.
My lips curve into a smile just as polished, though my blood is boiling. Well, bring it on, bitch.
The ride back home is silent, save for Lanny’s babble in the seat.
"So who was that?" I ask in the silent car, my voice cutting through the hum of the engine.
"An old friend," Jack says from the front seat, eyes glued to the road. His tone is flat, like he knows exactly where this conversation is heading and wants to end it before it begins.
I glance at Nolan in the passenger seat. Our eyes meet briefly in the rearview mirror, his brows arched in that way that says are you buying this?
"Friend, huh?" Nolan asks, his voice a low challenge.
Jack exhales through his nose, like he’s bracing himself. "Okay. Technically not friends. We... had something going on when I moved here. Nothing serious."
My fingers tighten around Lanny’s blanket. "How’d you meet?"
"Uh... his brother was the agent that got me the house," Jack explains, his grip flexing on the steering wheel. "Charlie helped me around. Showed me the city. That kind of thing."
Nothing serious. Right.
Jack might think it’s over. He might even believe it himself. But Charlie?
Charlie didn’t get the fucking memo.