Page 45 of The Omega Switch: Part 2

Chapter 21

Ronan

“I’ve never seen you smile so much in my entire life.” Elias griped as he watched me walk through our hallway with a goofy grin on my face. I didn’t care. I had spent most of my life learning how to not show what I was feeling. In my line of work, visible emotion gave people something to use against you. Even after joining Hunter and Elias, I stayed the same way: quiet and controlled.

But one kiss from Ivy had ruined years of discipline. I couldn’t stop smiling.

The day I shared that kiss with Ivy, Hunter noticed within minutes. He looked up from the tablet in his hand as I entered the room, his gaze narrowing immediately. “What happened to you?” He’d asked.

I took the seat across from him. “Nothing,” I answered with a shrug. But I had a hard time keeping the edges of my mouth from curling up.

Elias glanced up from the stack of legal documents in front of him, studied my face for half a second, then leaned back with a knowing expression.

“What?” I asked.

“What happened with Ivy?” He asked. I shrugged, stretched my arms out, then put them behind my head as I leaned back in my chair.

“What makes you think it’s about Ivy?” I asked, and Hunter shook his head.

“Nothing else would ever make you smile like that,” He stated. He was right.

“Well, I helped her out when she was having some trouble. We may have kissed.”

Elias lowered his eyes to the documents again, though I could see his shoulders move with a quiet laugh. Hunter set the tablet down and buried his head in his hands. When he looked back up, his expression was softer. “Good.”

I had prepared myself for jealousy or tension. But Hunter looked relieved. Elias did too. Neither of them asked for details, nor would I have told them any. That kiss was just mine, a moment for me to keep.

Even now, the memory struck through me with enough force to make my chest ache. Her hand against my jaw. Her scent strengthening as she moved closer, the careful pressure of her mouth against mine. How she was so tentative at first, then surer when she realized I would let her control the pace.

I had wanted to pull her onto my lap and hold her there until neither of us remembered anything outside that room. Instead, I had kept my hands steady and my movements slow, because I’d wait an eternity if that’s what she needed.

She had started talking to me more. The last few times I brought food by after closing, she stayed at the doorway instead of taking the bag and disappearing immediately. She would ask about my day, or tell me something about Puff. Puff, that adorable creature, seemed to love me. He’d jump up until I reached down and held him in my arms, finally settling once he was up high where he could keep a lookout.

Our conversations were usually brief, but they made every day worth it. And truthfully, my Alpha instincts had become nearly feral in the days that followed. I wanted to bring her food, reinforce every lock, replace the windows, and station myself outside her door with enough weapons to discourage anyone from looking at the place too long. I was becoming an overprotective alpha, but I held back and settled for bringing her dinner. The last few nights, she’d even started texting me.

Are you already out?

Do you know anywhere nearby that makes decent soup?

Then, a few nights later:

I forgot dinner again.

She knew I would come. I drove across town and bought enough groceries to last several weeks, then forced myself not to look too pleased when she opened the door.

“You bought half the store,” she said, her eyebrows raised at the bags I held in my arms.

“You said you forgot dinner,” I replied, handing her the groceries one by one.

“I meant one dinner,” she said, though I could tell she was pleased at my help.

“You’ll need food tomorrow too.” She took them with an eye roll, and I could see her try to hide a smile.

The boutique was changing too. After her bout of exhaustion, Ivy had finally accepted that she couldn’t manage everything alone. She hired some people - a part-time employee to help with customers and packaging, and Nora, who took over more of the administrative work. She was learning to trust, to let the right people help her.

And though my progress in earning back her trust was slow, it was worth it. For months, I was in constant fear that she would disappear again, that one wrong move from us would send her running off forever. Now, I finally felt like there might be a hope for me, and my pack, after all. So yeah, I was smiling like a fool, every single day. I was thinking about Ivy when Hunter’s phone rang.

“Vale,” he answered. My instincts were still sharp despite being a man on his knees for an omega, and I noticed Hunter’s reaction to the call. His shoulders became rigid, then his jaw tightened. Elias and I both felt a jolt through the bond.