Page 5 of The Omega Switch: Part 1
“Wait, the sister… you’re Arabella’s mystery sister?” He asked, his grey eyes lighting up as I nodded. “Brilliant!” he exclaimed, tossing his head back with another laugh. “In that case, let’s get you over with your family to meet Hunter officially. We’ll be working closely, you know,” he reminded me pleasantly.
I felt my heart race; all of this was too much, too soon. I felt frozen, not wanting to join Arabella and my family, knowing that no matter how stiff their smiles would be, they would hate that I was there ruining the moment. Ronan glanced at Elias, who took a moment, assessing me again.
“Or, we can stay here if you want. Do the official introductions later,” he offered, and I nodded, stammering out an excuse.
“Yes, I just - I get a bit overwhelmed at these events,” I said, and Elias nodded understandingly.
“Understandable. I just didn’t want your family to worry about you being alone too long. It is a bit unorthodox to leave an omega alone at an event, even one as secure as ours,” he said, and while I appreciated his concern, I doubted my family would even give a rat’s ass if a rogue pack of alphas came by and snatched me up, never to be seen again. I glanced over at my family. They seemed to be preoccupied with basking in Hunter’s glow and the multitude of photos being taken.
“Don’t worry, I’m at your service. No one will bother you, even us.” Ronan, the massive alpha said. “If you’d like to eat in peace, say the word. This one likes to chat too much.” He said, giving a light shove to Elias, who rolled his eyes with a grin.
“No, it's fine - I actually enjoy the company,” I admitted. It was the truth - no one ever really talked to me at these types of events, and it was surprisingly nice.
“In that case, let’s have a seat until the big photo shoot is over. I’d like to know more about the mysterious sister we’ve heard so little about,” Elias said, pulling a chair out from a nearby table. I sat down, flattered at his small gentlemanly action.
God, I was such a pathetic person for being impressed by the bare minimum. Arabella got a champion horse delivered to her last month from a pack that wanted to court her, and here I was blushing at a man pulling out my chair. But I had to admit, he was so easy to be around that I felt myself unconsciously leaning toward him. And I was so curious about his smell. Those were my specialty - I had a nose for scents, and I was sure his would be incredible. But at these events, everyone’s scent was kept suppressed by descenter and suppressants. It was considered gauche to display your scent in our circles unless you had officially asked to court.
“So, what is it that you do with the organization, Ivy?” Elias asked, his attention fully on me. I felt my cheeks heat at the way he looked at me.
“I work in product development,” I answered, and his eyebrows rose.
“Really? That’s impressive. Anything you can share that you’ve been working on lately?” He asked, leaning back in his chair.
“Actually,” I answered, already excited to share, “I’ve been working on a calming spray. It would help with agitation in alphas and omegas, but also would have a nice scent and be good for sanitizing, too.” I’d been working on this product for a while, and knew it would be beneficial once it was released. Elias looked impressed.
“I didn’t realize you were so involved in the company. George mentioned you did some assistant work, but this is far more than that.” Elias said, and I suppressed a frown. George, my father’s pack mate, would have of course called me an assistant. Everyone called me that in my household.
“Well, I do help out a lot in other areas. But my main interest is being in the lab, trying out new products. There’s always something new to discover.” I said, my spirits already lifting at the idea of what I could produce next. Elias nodded. “And I’m sorry, I forgot to ask what it is that you do?” I asked.
“I’m a doctor. Nothing as exciting as what you do, I imagine,” he said with a smile.
“Wow! Well, I don’t know about that,” I said. “You save lives. I just spend hours mixing chemicals and hoping I don’t accidentally create something that smells like burned sugar.”
Elias laughed, and I found myself smiling harder than I could remember. I was genuinely having a good time.
“Besides,” I added, tilting my head to look up at him, “your work is probably a little more useful in an emergency.”
“Maybe. These days I primarily work with genetics and bond research. Especially now that Vale Labs is so invested in it.” He answered, lifting up his hands in a shrug. Now that fascinated me. I leaned in, my mouth opening a little. Was it my imagination, or did his eyes flick down to my lips for a moment?
“You work with bonding research?” I asked, my interest so high I could barely contain it, and his eyes lit up.
“Yes, naturally, it lends itself to our newest genetic test.” He said. Vale Labs was rolling out some sort of genetic and bonding product, but I hadn’t looked into the details as of yet. All I knew was that Arabella would promote it.
“I’d love to know more! Our product leans heavily on biological responses. Understanding more about how bonding works on a chemical level is my next hurdle.” I said, my mind already whirring with ideas.
“I’d be happy to meet with you and go over my research,” Elias said, his eyes warm. “With your family’s permission, of course.” He added. An unbonded omega living at home would not be seen with an unbonded beta, so that made sense. I wasn’t sure how that would go over with Arabella - she hated not getting all the attention. But this was too good to pass up.
“I’d love that!” I said, my mood now completely on the upswing. Maybe this pack wasn’t what I’d thought. Elias seemed really cool, and he had a magnetism to him that made me want to stick next to him all night. I hadn't realized that somehow my chair was next to his, my body only inches from his own.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ronan look over as he stood guard by the end of the table. His alpha instincts must be off the charts with how natural it was for him to watch and guard. I cleared my throat, realizing that I’d been so enraptured by Elias that I’d practically ignored his pack mate. Maybe this was why no one wanted me at parties.
“And do you work on the genetic research as well?” I asked the massive alpha, who gave me a small tilt of his lips, which on him must pass for a smile.
“No. I run a private security firm.” He said, and my eyes widened. He certainly looked the part. “I leave the brains to the other two.”
Elias chuckled, and I blushed. The big one (as I called him in my head) seemed to be gentle with me, despite looking like he could crush someone with just one bicep.
“Private security?” I repeated. “That sounds much cooler than my job.”
