“I - I guess.” She stammered. I wanted to smile like a fool. She was cute - and seeing her cheeks pink made a long dormant part of me want to see how else I could make her flush. I pushed that feral side of me down and focused on being a gentleman.
“And what do you do when you’re not coming up with the next big thing?” I prompted. She bit her lip, then looked at me, her deep brown eyes showing me the tiny green specks that were only visible with direct eye contact.
“I like to paint. I don’t really do it anymore, but I used to when I was younger.” She admitted. I raised my eyebrows.
“That’s impressive. You’re smart and creative, too.” I said, and she gave me a smile.
“I suppose. I also like to find vintage pieces. Some of the furniture in my room is vintage,” she said, and I nodded, wanting to hear her talk more. “But I’ve been trying to find these rare pieces for my lab. They’re from a brand that no longer exists, but it was the first company to make lab equipment. You can sometimes see the old complete sets online.” She said, then pulled out her phone to show me an old, definitely vintage-looking lab set that looked like it was from a hundred years ago. “That,” She said while showing it to me, “is what I want to get. Eventually.” Her voice was excited, and I loved that she was opening up in front of me.
“What about you? You do more than protect people, right?” She asked, and she looked so small and sincere that I just wanted to scoop her up and take her home.
“Oh, keeping my pack safe takes up a lot of my time. Especially Elias, that man is usually so deep into a book that he’d trip on a pothole if I wasn’t around.” I said, and she covered her mouth to stifle her giggle. Well, who could blame me for teasing my pack mate? He’d hogged Ivy the last time we were here.
“But yes, I do have other hobbies. I love yoga and meditation.” I said, and her eyes grew wide.
“You do yoga?” She asked, and I nodded.
“I know. I don’t look like a yogi, but I love it. Keeps me flexible and clears my mind.” I said, flexing my arm for emphasis. She smiled, then her pupils grew slightly larger as she looked at my arm. Deep within me, my alpha side was pleased. I had a needto show this omega how much of a protector, and a provider, I could be.
“Ah! There you are. I was wondering where you ran off to.” I turned at the unwanted interruption, only to see Clara, Pack Carrington’s omega, watching Ivy and me. "Arabella's made the most delicious sandwiches, and a whole spread is waiting for you out on the back patio.” She said with a smile. I looked back over at Ivy, whose gaze was now on the table. Unfortunately, I wasn’t going to be able to spend all day with her. But at least I made her smile. I turned to Clara.
“I’ll be out in a moment,” I said, and she nodded before walking away. “Are the sandwiches worth it?” I asked in a mock whisper to Ivy. She bit back a grin, then looked around before answering.
“They are. But they were made by our chef. Don’t tell anyone.” She said, her voice a whisper. I held out my hand to her, and she looked at it for a moment before taking it. Her little hand was so small that I was extra careful not to squeeze it.
“Your secrets are safe with me,” I said, shaking her hand once before standing. I left for the back patio, smiling the whole time. I couldn't tell you much about the sandwiches or what else happened for the rest of the day. My mind was just stuck on Ivy’s beautiful smile.
Chapter 13
Ivy
The compatibility reports arrived later that week. I wouldn't have known, except that Arabella shrieked like a banshee down the hallway when they arrived. She practically snatched both envelopes off the kitchen counter the second she walked in, tearing into hers before she'd even sat down. I watched from across the island while stirring a cup of tea, trying very hard not to pay attention. I’d seen them arrive, but I had no interest in reading about my own profile.
"Oh, my god." She flipped through the pages rapidly. “Here it is. I can’t wait!” She said, opening her report before looking at me. “Don’t you want to see yours?” She asked in a sly tone, and I shook my head.
“I told you before, I don’t really care. I’m not going to submit mine to the matching database.” I said. She looked at her paperwork.
“Well, we have a copy of Pack Vale’s profiles right here. They are a high-quality pack. I can use them as a baseline and see where my qualities stack up. It says here that they scored high on intelligence, ambition, and safety. And according to their profile needs, the best potential omega match for them needs to be emotionally stabilizing, collaborative, and creative. Basically, me in a nutshell.” She said in a singsong voice.
Arabella read through her profile while I sipped my tea, rolling my eyes. But as the seconds passed by, she did something she almost never did - be quiet. The room felt almost still as her words died off. Arabella flipped back to the first page, then the second. Her excitement was fading visibly.
“So, are the results not what you expected?” I asked, wondering why she was suddenly so quiet. But she didn’t answer. Instead, she picked up the other envelope, opening my own Bond profile. I didn’t want to see it. I knew it would likely show my scent gland issue, along with any other abnormalities I wasn’t even aware of yet.
I watched as Arabella’s eyes scanned my paperwork, and she flipped through the pages. Then, she looked back at hers. Then back to mine. Finally, she looked at the profiles Pack Vale had given us. I started to get worried. What had she seen in mine? I knew whatever was wrong with mine, I’d never hear the end of it.
“What is it?” I asked, leaning over the table to look.
“Nothing.” She said sharply, snatching up all the paper. “It’s fine. I know you didn’t even want to do this, so I’ll just shred yours. I don’t think they are even that accurate. Their method is sloppy, barely tells you anything.” She said, then stood up and walked out abruptly. I let out a breath, thankful that she at least hadn’t lorded her results over mine. But she was wrong - Pack Vale wasn’t sloppy. She probably didn’t understand a single bit of the science behind the process. But now that she wasn’t as excited about it, she might drop it.
But despite what she said, I knew she wouldn't destroy mine - she’d probably use it to make fun of me at some later time when she wanted to feel powerful. At least now she would stop harping on the whole thing. And finally, I could get some peace - I could just pretend I was a great omega, no paperwork or a profile needed.
I couldn't bring myself to care very much, anyway. I had other things on my mind. Specifically, the text message sitting on my phone.
Elias had asked about my day, sending me little science memes that made me laugh. I had another reason to be excited - I found my scarf in the lab after he had visited, and it smelled of his black tea and cotton scent. I wasn’t sure if it was intentional, but it felt like it was. He’d scent-marked my clothes.
It made me feel warm deep in my core - I hadn’t realized I’d get so turned on by a scent. And not only that, but Pack Vale haddone something so unexpectedly thoughtful that I still smiled every time I thought about it.
After hearing me talk constantly about how hard it was to find rare vintage lab equipment, they had quietly arranged for several pieces of the equipment from an auction site to be sent to my lab. Not to help with any marketing or collaboration effort, but for me specifically. Because I had made an offhand comment about it. It couldn’t have been cheap, but they had shrugged it off the last time they were here for a meeting.
