Chapter 26
Elias
I sat out front of our home, working on tuning up my bike. I needed something to do, something physical that had an actual, verifiable solution. Because lately, I wasn’t getting any real answers in my personal life.
It had been weeks since we’d seen Ivy. After her horrific attack on Arabella, the family had decided she wasn’t allowed to attend family events for a time. I was still in shock that the whole thing even happened, and none of it sat right with me. While it was true that Araballa and Ivy should be separated, I still thought that Ivy needed real professional help if there was to be any long-term resolution to this. And so far, the family had been very cagey in answering my questions about how they were handling it. Not that it was my business - Arabella was my future mate, and Ivy’s family was responsible for her.
Still, there was a growing discomfort within me about the whole situation. Spending time with Arabella should have helped. The more time she was around us, the more she would open up - in theory. An omega should want to run to her mates for comfort. Yet I never felt that from Arabella, despite her going through the motions. Sure, I believed she was possessive of us when she looped her arm through ours or kissed one of us the moment anyone else was watching.
But besides staking her claim, she never seemed emotionally invested. I couldn't get her to listen to me for long when I talked with her about anything other than her social media accounts. And even when she was attentive, it felt strange, a little too performed. And trauma could do that - but I wanted to help her through it. If we were to bond, I’d feel her every emotion, and it was important to me that she trusted me first.
I tightened the chain on the bike and spun the rear wheel, testing it out. I heard the door open behind me, and didn't need to look up to know who it was. Ronan stepped out on the porch carrying a mug of coffee. He stopped beside me, watching me work before sitting on a bench. He didn’t say anything, but I felt his inner conflict.
Ronan was the quietest among us. But I could feel every emotion within him, and that alpha has the most to feel out of anyone. Out of the entire pack, he was the most guarded, but the most loyal and the most emotional.
“You’re feeling off,” I said, and he didn’t need to respond. I sat back and sighed. “I feel it too. I can’t seem to make any progresswith her.” Ronan knew exactly who ‘her’ was - Arabella. “I just don’t know what to do,” I said, frowning.
“She’s doing everything right,” Ronan said, his dark eyes troubled.
“Exactly. That’s what I don’t get - she’s acting like the perfect omega. And I do mean acting. I wish she knew she doesn’t need to be perfect. I want to see the real her.” I murmured, looking down at the bike. “You know I hate to compare the two, but Ivy was just….” I trailed off, feeling guilty for even saying it.
“It was easier,” Ronan said, nodding once. I ran my hand through my hair.
“I can’t understand it. Arabella is the one we should be connecting with. Because with those scores, we should be all over each other.” And truthfully, Arabella was very touchy - she constantly had her hands on us, nuzzling into one of us at all times when we were around her. And though I knew it turned on the alphas any time an omega did such things, I didn’t feel much passion towards her, and I could tell they were underwhelmed, too.
“Do you think the trauma is causing the issue?” Ronan asked.
“I think it’s the root of it. We don’t know how bad it was for Arabella if she doesn’t talk about it. And it’s worse than we think. If Ivy is that unstable, who knows what happened in the past?” I frowned, thinking back to the times I’d gently asked Arabellaabout her history with her stepsister. She’d only given me vague responses.
I didn’t expect anything to move at a fast pace just because we were a near-perfect match. But I thought by now that we’d be more cohesive, feel more like a pack with her around us so often. But it actually felt like we were doing worse. Nobody talked about it, but Hunter kept trying harder to make things feel right. Ronan had become more irritable, and I was losing focus. We were all waiting for it to work, and it wasn’t happening.
“Let’s just be patient. The worst thing we can do is rush. It will come eventually. Especially once we can get her to perfume around us.” I said, almost to myself. Arabella had still not allowed herself to perfume in our presence, which I thought might be because she didn’t trust us fully yet. I knew once that happened, everything would feel better. We’d smell that heavenly scent, and things would be alright.
A few days later, we were supposed to have dinner with Arabella and her family for a PR event. The moment we walked in, my eyes were drawn to her like she was the only light in a dark sea - but not my mate, Arabella. It was Ivy that drew me in.
Ivy was here. It was the first time I'd seen her since the incident, and the moment I spotted her, I felt an immediate sense of relief. The reaction was so strong it surprised me. Hunter saw her after me.
"She’s here,” He growled, still holding back his temper at what the omega had done to Arabella. But beneath that, I could stillfeel the little thrill in his bond at seeing her. I was moving before I could even think.
“Wait! Don't be obvious," Hunter warned quietly, but I didn’t care. I made a beeline toward her, and when she saw me, she froze. I slowed, not wanting to move too quickly. But I saw her eyes light up for a fraction of a second - a true look of excitement when she saw me, before her face quickly returned to a mask of polite professionalism.
"Ivy," I said, breathlessly. She folded her hands in front of her and nodded at me.
"Elias, it’s nice to see you." She said. Her voice sounded small, and she looked tired, but her smile was real.
"How are you?" I asked, genuinely concerned. Despite what she’d done to Arabella, I still cared for her. She was worthy of getting the right help.
"I'm okay." She said, but it was clear to me that she wasn't.
Before I could say anything else, Clara appeared beside her. “Ah, Elias! As you can see, Ivy’s been invited to this dinner. She’s going to be on her best behavior, aren’t you?” Clara asked, looking sternly at Ivy, even through her smile. Ivy took a breath as if she wanted to yell something, but then reached for her throat, coughing for a moment as she nodded.
“Y-yes.” She managed to say. “Sorry, dry throat.” She murmured, and I was even more concerned.
“Come now, let’s get you seated,” Clara said, redirecting Ivy toward the opposite end of the table. Her seat was far away, situated between two of her father's packmates as though someone had deliberately created a buffer zone around her. I suppose it made sense - she shouldn’t be near Arabella. But it felt odd watching her be treated like a criminal.
“I missed you!” A voice squealed, and I turned to see Arabella jumping into Hunter’s arms, throwing her head back, and laughing as he picked her up. She seemed extra happy today, despite having Ivy here. Hunter swung Arabella in a circle and kissed her forehead before setting her down. Then, Arabella caught my eye and walked straight toward me, not stopping until she was inches away.
“And I really missed you,” she said in a low voice, reaching up to run her hands through my hair. I normally loved that - but it felt wrong to be so affectionate in such a strange setting. Arabella didn’t care. She went on her tiptoes and kissed me, more deeply and passionately than she ever had. I was startled by it, but I knew that she might be feeling extra insecure with another unbonded omega here. Maybe she was more protective because Ivy had jealousy issues. I let Arabella touch me, her actions making a very clear claim on me to anyone watching. Her security as my mate was paramount, and I had to let her feel that no matter what, I was still hers.
