Elias was next to him, wearing casual slacks with a button-down, the sleeves rolled to his forearms. The top few buttons were undone, exposing tan skin. I couldn’t help my eyes lingering on the skin near his throat, a warm feeling of neediness building up in me at the sight of him. I swallowed, my nerves rising, but thenhe looked over at me with such warmth in his grey eyes that it helped to ease my intimidation at being here.
“This place is impressive. We’re glad you wanted to talk about strategy so soon.” My father remarked while Clara glanced over the menu as our server stopped by. Hunter nodded, ever the professional. Elias kept glancing over at me, his eyes lighting up in a way that made heat creep up my neck. Even Ronan’s gaze tracked me quietly as I sat down, intense enough that it made my pulse jump. They weren’t being obvious enough for my family to comment on it, but I noticed it anyway. Arabella definitely noticed, though. She cleared her throat and flipped her hair behind her shoulders, a move meant to show off her neck.
“Hello, Arabella,” Elias said as he noticed her. “You look like you just got done with a tennis match. Do you play?” He asked, and Arabella fluttered her eyelashes at him.
“Who, me? Occasionally.” She said sweetly, placing her chin on her hand as she looked at him.
“Well, you look the part. You’d fit in well at this club.” He said with a nod, and I could practically feel her crowing with victory at scooping the attention back onto herself. But her victory was short-lived. Elias turned toward me, eyeing me.
As he leaned forward, I caught his scent for the first time. It was incredible - black tea mingled with the clean smell of freshly laundered cotton, warm and quietly comforting. Before I knew it, I'd found myself taking another discreet breath.
“And Ivy, well. I’m glad you came out today. I’ve been dying to talk to you more about bonding research.” He said, and I beamed. Arabella sighed dramatically and reached for my shoulder, placing her hand on it in a fake show of camaraderie. It took everything in me not to pull away from her.
“You’ll have to excuse Ivy. She’s not used to coming to these places and wasn't sure about the dress code. It’s something I’m helping her with.” She said, a pearly smile on her face as she acted like an angel who spent her time helping the less fortunate. I felt my face heat as I looked down. I thought my outfit was fine now that she’d fixed it?
“You look perfectly fine, Ivy. I’m the one dressed like I’m on the beach.” The low voice from the far side of the table surprised me, and I looked at Ronan, who wore the hint of a smile. He was the most casually dressed of us all, and I gave him a grateful smile. It made me feel so full of confidence that I felt like I could speak up.
“Well, speaking of research, I already looked up some of your published works. Your paper on inherited bonding compatibility markers was incredible. Most researchers focus entirely on scent pairings, but you actually explored the neurological side of long-term bond stability.” I said, excited to talk about science with someone besides the staff at our company.
Elias blinked, clearly surprised. “You read that?” He asked, leaning forward, his grey eyes widening.
I nodded quickly. “Twice, actually. I thought your theories about pheromone adaptation were really interesting, especially knowing that emotional safety can strengthen compatibility markers.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear nervously. Elias’s smile grew bigger. The table had gone oddly quiet.
Elias stared at me for a moment before laughing softly in disbelief. “You might actually be the first person outside of academia who’s ever read my dissertation voluntarily.”
Heat rushed into my face. Arabella let out a delicate laugh and pushed her hair back, exposing the smooth line of her throat instinctively toward the pack. “I swear, Ivy has always preferred research papers over actual people,” she teased lightly. “Meanwhile, I barely survived chemistry classes.” Elias chuckled politely as Arabella smiled brightly at him, her entire posture opening toward the pack in soft, inviting omega body language.
Clara smiled smoothly from across the table, immediately seizing the opening before the attention could drift back toward me again. “Well, thankfully, Arabella is an expert when it comes to connecting with people,” she said warmly, reaching over to squeeze Arabella’s hand affectionately. “That’s why she’s become the face of our brand.” Pride filled her voice as she looked toward Pack Vale. “Honestly, the engagement metrics after we announced the collaboration were unbelievable. People adore her.”
Arabella laughed modestly, though I could tell she loved every second of it.
“She’s spent years building trust with omega audiences,” Clara continued. She turned toward Hunter. “Arabella was thinking of exclusive video content, lifestyle features, maybe even a behind-the-scenes series with your pack - a feature on you to help people know the men behind the company. She’d have to spend some time with your pack, but that can be arranged.” Clara said as Arabella nodded, and I could see the men’s eyes grow with interest.
To me, the secret strategy was clear - get Arabella closer to this pack under the guise of work. I figured that Arabella and Clara were angling to get Arabella courted by them. Not that it would take much maneuvering. Arabella looked and acted as if she belonged with a high-status pack.
The conversation started professionally enough after that, though Elias somehow kept pulling me into it. Every time I tried to stay quiet, he asked another question about my research.
“What compounds are you using for the calming spray?” He asked, leaning slightly closer.
“Mostly pheromone stabilizers right now,” I admitted. “I’m trying to create something that lowers agitation without suppressing instincts completely.”
Elias looked genuinely fascinated. “That’s actually brilliant.”
I blushed embarrassingly fast.
Arabella laughed softly. “Ivy gets very obsessed with her projects. I swear she forgets there’s a real world outside.” I looked down at my drink. But before embarrassment could hit me fully, Hunter spoke up.
“Obsession usually creates innovation. I would know firsthand.” He said, raising an eyebrow at me, and Arabella’s smile twitched.
The rest of lunch continued like that, with every subtle dig from Arabella somehow countered by Pack Vale’s growing interest in me. Elias especially seemed completely absorbed whenever I spoke, and I could almost feel Arabella’s desperation growing. Eventually, Hunter transitioned the conversation toward what I found out was the real reason we were here.
“So, I will admit that there’s another reason we invited you out today.” He said, his voice now serious. All three omegas in my family snapped our attention toward him. “As we explained before, our startup developed a noninvasive compatibility mapping a few years ago,” he explained. “Traditionally, bonding interest relied heavily on scent exposure, but repeated perfuming tests can be stressful for omegas.”
“That’s putting it lightly,” I muttered before I could stop myself. Elias smiled slightly.
Hunter nodded. “Exactly. So instead, we’ve been testing out a way to identify successful matches using blood analysis and hormonal markers. The samples can be submitted through a lab without requiring direct exposure to scent thousands of times.” Inodded at his words. I was aware of what they were working on, though I hadn’t researched it too much myself.
Arabella glowed. “That’s incredible.” Hunter nodded.
