“I’ll tell you more later - maybe in the afternoon?” I said, noting that anyone could walk into the kitchen at any time. Clara didn’t want me socializing with the staff, so I had to talk to Mara in secret most of the time. She nodded and put her finger to her lips. I couldn't wait to tell her more.
Just then, as if she’d been summoned by the smell of food, Clara strolled into the dining room, a long silk robe wrapped around her slim frame. Arabella followed only seconds later, still holding her phone for filming. Not long after that, the rest of my father’s pack filtered in one by one, drawn toward the dining table like it was simply expected to be waiting for them. Mara dismissed herself quietly, knowing that staff weren’t to be seen or heard.
Clara glanced over the spread on the table before looking at me. “You did well last night,” she admitted smoothly. “Pack Vale seemed… entertained by you.” There was something sharp hidden beneath the compliment. “But going forward, I think it’s important you remember your place during this collaboration. Pack Vale is extremely influential, and we can’t risk wasting their time with distractions.” The room quieted slightly.
“I wasn’t planning on distracting anyone,” I said carefully. “All the collaboration is to help the overall understanding of bonding and potential breakthroughs for new product development.”
“Of course,” Clara replied with a smile, although it was insincere. “But men like that appreciate refinement. Arabella is the face of this partnership for a reason. We don’t want them to get the wrong idea about us from the way you act,” she said, eyeing me up and down.
Arabella smiled smugly into her coffee while Aaron chuckled under his breath. My father stayed quiet for a moment before finally looking at me.
“To be fair,” he said, leaning back in his chair, “Ivy did help the socialization aspect last night. Pack Vale seemed unusually receptive to her.” His tone held mild surprise, like even he hadn’t expected it. “Elias himself seemed interested in sharing his research with her.” Warmth bloomed briefly in my chest at the acknowledgment before Clara smoothly redirected the conversation.
“Well, as long as we keep things professional,” she said lightly.
Before anyone could respond, my father’s phone buzzed loudly against the table. He frowned slightly before picking it up, and I watched his eyebrows rise as he read the message.
“What is it?” Arabella asked immediately.
“It’s an invitation from Pack Vale,” he said slowly. “For a private club lunch this afternoon. They said they have something important they would like to discuss.” He paused. “They specifically requested both omegas attend.”
Arabella let out an excited shriek.
“Oh, my god. They requested me?” She practically bounced in her seat, immediately pulling out her phone again. “Mom, I need to figure out what to wear.”
Clara smiled warmly at Arabella while completely ignoring me. “Of course they want you there, darling. You made such an impression.”
I sat quietly at the edge of the table, my pulse racing with excitement anyway. Pack Vale wanted to see me again. I mean, they asked for Arabella, too, but I usually never got an invite to anything. Before I could let myself enjoy the feeling for too long, Arabella looked over at me and sighed dramatically.
“You should probably wear something simple today, Ivy,” she said casually. “Nothing too attention-grabbing. We don’t want the focus to get ruined during the meeting. Especially after you made such a scene last night, eating off his spoon and all. Seriously.” Her words made me feel ashamed for some reason, and my face heated. “And leaving so quickly like that didn’t help. Try to either remember your manners, or just don’t bother showing up if you can’t.” Her words dug into me, but no one else said anything. They just reached for the food, continuing on as if Arabella’s word was final.
The excitement in my chest dimmed slightly as the rest of the table ignored the slight, already having moved on to discussing Arabella’s outfit and makeup.
I tried not to let it bother me, though. The pack wanted to see me again - and that was all I could think about as I headed toward the stairs, tingling with excitement and anticipation, already wondering what they could possibly want to discuss.
Chapter 7
Ronan
The pack bonds were feeling more alive than usual. I knew the cause - everyone did. That insatiable smell from the gala, that damn perfume that nearly knocked me off my feet and sent our pack into a scramble trying to figure out where it was coming from. But more importantly waswhoit belonged to.
We really only conversed with two omegas that night, but in reality, it could have been any omega guest. Hunter had been working all morning on scouring the guest list, planning to personally reach out to them and offer a free Bond profile and matchmaking from our company if they wanted.
“There was a grand total of thirty-two omegas last night, and ten of them are bonded,” Hunter said as he held out a sheet of paper, a coffee in his other hand.
“It wasn’t a bonded omega scent; I know that for sure,” I said, and Hunter set the sheet down. They smelled the same thing I did. That scent hadn't carried the settled warmth of a bonded omega. It had been achingly available.
“Once we get the results back, we’ll know for sure if anyone there is a match for us.” He said with certainty.
“About today - do you think it was one of the Carrington pack omegas?” I asked, watching carefully for his reaction. But even more so, I looked over at Elias. He’d felt something for one of the omegas last night - I could feel it through our bonds. Even without their scents available, I knew why he was drawn to her. He liked her mysterious personality and her interest in scientific research. I just saw an omega who needed protecting.
I could pick it out like a beacon on a pitch-black night. The way she carried herself, like she was lost at sea despite being surrounded by people. That omega needed someone. And a needy omega was like catnip to an unbonded alpha like me. I’d tried my best not to interfere or get too possessive over the girl, but the way she acted, her look of shocked joy when we’d offered her a seat at our table - it made something primal in me to act up. And I wondered if that perfume we’d smelled in the hallway could be hers - I was already attaching the scent to her unconsciously, hoping I’d somehow smell it today when we saw her family at lunch.
“If it is one of them, then we struck gold. Imagine,” Hunter said as he paced around the kitchen, “we already have a collaboration with Arabella. She’s perfect, if you think about it. She’d fit into our pack like a missing piece.” He mused. I glanced at Elias.
“You’re right, Arabella would fit in by all usual measures,” he said, running a hand over his slight beard. “She certainly looks the part. She’s successful, and she looks like a great match for a pack like ours in every way. And still…” His eyes drifted, and I knew what he was thinking about. “There’s something about Ivy that just felt like she fit. I’ve never felt so at ease with an omega. You felt it too, right?” He looked at me, and I nodded. We turned to Hunter, who took a moment before shrugging.
“Yes, the girl was like a magnet. Yet I don’t see how she could be a match, in all logical aspects. From all accounts, she’s not successful or driven. Her family says she stays in her room most of the time and is extremely introverted. You know how our pack ranks on those qualities.” We had all had our genetic and bonding testing run through Hunter’s startup. Based on our individual and pack qualities, the perfect omega for us would be someone who was happy around others, had a strong creative drive, and a peaceful disposition. All things that Arabella possessed, from what we knew.
