I glanced up, and Ivy was looking at the table, her body tense. If she really did have such strong jealousy issues, this would likely be uncomfortable for her. But she needed to understand that Arabella was our match. I braced myself for the meal, lettingArabella sit between Hunter and me, each of her hands holding one of ours.
“Good to see all of you,” Hunter said, tipping his head at Arabella’s family. Yet he shot Ivy a look, stern and serious. I could feel his frustration through our bond - this was the omega who had scratched our mate. And we still had no clear answer as to what was going on with her.
“Likewise. And of course, you can see we brought our wayward omega as well.” Aaron joked, and Ivy bit her lip, her eyes still on the table. I didn’t like the way he joked about the whole thing. It wasn’t normal. “She’s going to be on her best behavior from now on.” He said.
“I’d expect nothing but the best after what happened,” Hunter said, his voice deep and serious. Ivy didn’t respond, but her cheeks burned. I felt a pang of sympathy despite it all. My hand squeezed Arabella’s under the table. I should have felt more sympathy for my mate - she was the victim here, the one who’d been through extreme trauma. But for some reason, I couldn't stop the desire to comfort Ivy.
As the dinner started, I found myself watching Ivy more than I intended. She barely touched her food and avoided eye contact. Her emotions seemed tightly controlled, as though she was forcing herself to remain calm. Of course, her family didn’t seem to have sympathy. Every once in a while, they’d throw a jab her way, seemingly innocent, but still meant to put her in her place.
When the discussion turned to work, Clara piped up. "We would have launched our newest product weeks ago ifsomeonehadn't caused delays." She shot a look at Ivy. My hands twitched, the instinct to reach out to her overwhelming. Phillip leaned on the table to glance at her as well.
“Well, she’s learning that not everything can go exactly the way she wants.” He said casually. “It’s an important lesson for any omega." I looked at Ronan, the strange feeling I was having mirrored by him through our bond. They talked about her as if she wasn’t here, like she was a child. She was a grown adult, and it was weird. Ronan was sitting still, though I could see his eye twitch. Something about this whole scenario just wasn’t right.
“I think we can move on from past mistakes, if that’s all right with everyone,” Ronan said, his voice interjecting across the veiled barbs. He looked at Arabella, who graciously nodded.
“Yes, it’s always best to learn, forgive, and move on to better things.” She said, smiling at each of us.
“Well, in order to move on, lessons do have to be learned,” Clara said with a shrug.
“We don’t need to make things uncomfortable,” I said, my blunt comment addressing the elephant in the room.
“And who started that?” Hunter asked, looking at me over Arabella’s head. He frowned at my comment, and I could feel him sending me a warning shot through our bond.
“I apologize - you are right,” Clara said, taking over. “Ivy has always struggled with social situations," Clara said sympathetically. “We feel that a little exposure at a time would be helpful.”
Arabella immediately shook her head. "Let’s drop it. She's trying."
"And you're so patient with her," Clara said proudly. Again with the talking like Ivy wasn’t here. Ivy lowered her eyes to her plate, swallowing.
“Well, speaking of the future, I’ve been having the best time of my life with Pack Vale,” Arabella said proudly. “Thank you to each of you for making this past month the most memorable. I’ve never felt so cherished before.” Arabella’s expression of adoration was hard to look away from - she knew exactly how to appeal to Hunter and Ronan’s protective nature. Hunter put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in closely.
“And no one will ever harm you again. You’re ours.” He said, his voice practically purring as he tilted her chin to face him.
Across the table, a glass spilled on the floor, the shattering sound drawing all attention. My gaze snapped over to Ivy, who was trembling so hard that she’d knocked over her glass, her fist tight around her fork as she took in short, quick gasps. Her eyes were on Arabella. The careful control she'd maintained all evening had cracked completely.
Immediately, my pack went into protection mode. I pulled Arabella to me, angling myself in front of her as Hunter stood quickly, his full attention now focused on Ivy. The room went quiet.
"I'd like to make something clear." His voice boomed out across the dining room. Every conversation stopped, and the other patrons were now watching us.
"Arabella is under the protection of Pack Vale. Whatever disagreements exist between you and her, they end now. I will not tolerate any mistreatment of Arabella. I will not tolerate open acts of jealousy, aggression, intimidation, or any other type of attempts to undermine her relationship with our pack."
His declaration hung heavily over the table, and though he didn’t say her name, it was clear he was speaking directly to Ivy. Across the room, Ivy looked as though she'd been physically struck.
“Is that clear?” He asked, but no matter how intimidating he was, Ivy, for some inexplicable reason, wasn’t backing down. She didn’t answer him, just stared, swallowing as if she couldn’t speak. Hunter's expression hardened.
"Ivy." He said, his voice strained and tense. Slowly, she breathed in through her mouth, her eyes resolute.
"You owe Arabella an apology." Hunter demanded. Every muscle in my body tightened. The entire room was now focused on her, and waiting for her response. I looked at Hunter, willing him to let this go. But once he had a point to make, there was nostopping him. And he wanted Ivy to submit. Yet from the look on her face, she had no intention to do so. Great, just great. And the evening had started off so promising.
Chapter 27
Ivy
My entire body was shaking with rage. The shattered glass was spilled across the floor at my feet while every eye in the restaurant remained fixed on me. Hunter stood, his hands on the table, his expression cold and disappointed as he stared at me.
I’d seen the way Arabella snuggled into them, knowing full well that she was lording her lies over me while I was forced to watch. It tore me up inside, to the point where my body was unable to hold the anger back. I shook from the top of my head down to my feet.
Hunter stood there, the most handsome man I’d ever seen, looking at me like I was lower than dirt. Why couldn't he seewhat was happening? Why couldn't he feel the ache of being in the same room as your mate, and being with the wrong omega?
