Page 55 of The Omega Switch: Part 1
"We spent years building this system," I said with a warning. "The reports are real. The compatibility is real. Her scent is real! You all smelled it. The longer you hesitate, the worse it will be for Arabella. She’ll think we don’t trust her.” My voice grows firmer with every word."So no. I'm not willing to throw away a perfect match because we're nervous."
Elias opens his mouth, but I cut him off before he can speak.
"I'm not making the same mistake my parents made."
The room immediately goes quiet as my admission slipped out. They knew my history, and why I worked so hard to create Vale Labs. They saw the result of what happens when someone grows up in an unstable household full of people who weren’t meant for each other.
"My parents spent years miserable," I continued more quietly. "They could have found someone better, made better packs instead of living in misery. I'm not doing that." The room quiets as I sit down, resting my head in my hands. “Just think about it. We can’t lose her.”
Ronan finally speaks. "I know how to read people. And Ivy believes what she said." I looked up at him, trying to process his words.
"What?"
Ronan takes a breath before continuing. "I don't think she was lying. I think she genuinely believes her own story. Whatever'sgoing on, she wasn't pretending." He says in a sad voice. The implication is obvious.
“So she’s suffering from some type of delusion, a psychological break. In that case, even more of a reason to accept Arabella into our pack, make her ours.” I argued. Elias interrupts me, his voice rising.
“I won’t. Not yet. It’s not healthy to bond with an omega during trauma anyway. And Arabella has plenty of trauma we don’t even know about yet. It’s not smart.” He says, and I let out a growl.
“I’m bonding her. Soon. So either accept her, or accept that I’m biting her in.” I declare, and even Ronan looks up at me in surprise. Elias turns to leave, his disapproval of me coming through loud and clear. Ronan follows him shortly after, shaking his head. I’ve always been the main alpha of this pack. But now, it feels like even our pack is out of control. I close my eyes and lean back in my chair.
I have found my perfect match. No matter how uncomfortable this feels, I refuse to let doubt take her away from me. Not after everything it took to get here.
Chapter 35
Ivy
I fell over onto my hands and knees in the foyer, a wave of dizziness rolling through me. Heat flooded my body, making my skin feel too tight, and my heart raced. Then my own scent filled the room - similar to the replica Arabella had used, but much stronger, purer, and thick with the pheromones that should attract any alpha within a mile. I could hear my family yelling at the staff, all of them realizing what was happening.
“Get her into her room!” Someone shouted. “Secure the hallways! Get an air filter up there!” The voices faded into the background as I curled up in pain.
My heat was hitting me harder than I’d ever felt it. Maybe because it had been so long since I’d been allowed to have one. It was coming, whether I wanted it to or not, breaking through thesuppressants and descenters I'd been forcing into my system. A cold feeling of dread settled into my stomach.
I hadn't even been paying attention to my cycle anymore. The past few months had been consumed by heartbreak, betrayal, and the constant ache of watching my mates court another woman. Somewhere along the way, I'd stopped paying attention to my own body. But my body was going to force me to comply. I’d been taking too much unnecessary medicine, and now I would pay the consequences.
Across the room, Clara had noticed almost immediately. Her expression hardened as she watched me writhe in pain. Staff appeared, the beta women dragging me up the stairs while I heard my fathers talking over one another.
"I need a heat clinic," I said, already struggling as the first ripple of pain tore through my abdomen. “Please, something is wrong!” I cried out, knowing this heat would be worse than any before.
Nobody listened. Hands pulled me toward the staircase while I fought to keep my footing. The dizziness grew worse with every step, and by the time I reached my room, my entire body felt feverish.
“Please, I need a clinic!” I begged, looking between the beta women who carried me into the room. They shared a concerned look, but one of them shook her head.
“Your fathers say you can withstand this.” She said in a hushed tone. I looked around, desperately hoping Mara would benearby. She would help me. But even as I cried out, they pulled me into my room. The moment I crossed the threshold, the door shut firmly behind me.
I fell to the ground, my body feeling simultaneously freezing cold and then burning hot, the sweat making me shiver as waves of pain hit me one after another. I was waiting for someone to explain that this was just temporary - for someone to check on me, take me to the clinic. In the past, I’d at least been able to schedule my heats and go to a clinic or the guesthouse.
I gasped, the aching need for a knot crying out from my core. I clenched down, and the lack of any relief sent a shockwave of pain through my body. I cried out in agony, clutching my stomach. I needed an alpha to get through this. I needed several. Or toys, at least. But my room wasn’t set up for a heat - my bed only had a few blankets and pillows, not nearly enough for a proper nest.
I don’t know how, but I managed to crawl inch by inch in between the waves of pain until I was at the foot of my bed. I reached up and grabbed the comforter, tugging it down and wrapping it around me before the haze of the heat took over. But there was no relief, no euphoria that comes with a usual heat. This was pure torture.
The first day was excruciating. I only knew it was over when the dawn light came through my window. My voice was hoarse from crying out, and during that time, no one came to check on me. I wasn’t sure how my family could get anything done with my constant crying out in pain, but they managed to ignore me.
As the hours passed, I lost track of time. The heat consumed everything. Every nerve in my body felt exposed, and my muscles ached all over. My skin was so sensitive that I lay there naked, only the comforter on the ground touching me. Sometimes I curled beneath it because I couldn't stop shivering, and other times I kicked it away because the heat beneath my skin became unbearable. Sleep came only in short, restless bursts, and every time I woke, the loneliness felt worse.
My brain was addled from the intense hormones, and I couldn’t focus past the pain. I may have had some snacks in a drawer, but I couldn't even muster the energy to check. Every single ounce of my attention was focused on getting past this heat. The pain would build, my body crying out for a knot, and while my brain knew it wasn’t coming, my body punished me when a knot never appeared.
I didn’t realize I was fading until I had trouble sitting up. It had been days since I’d eaten, much less had water. I managed to crawl to my bathroom, drinking directly from the bathroom faucet because it was easier than waiting for someone to remember I existed.
