Page 64 of The Omega Switch: Part 2

I sucked in a breath, wishing I’d used some of the calming oil. My sweet smell filled the boutique, and all three men’s eyes went nearly dark as they looked over at me. Ronan closed his eyes and let out a moan. Elias faltered, nearly tripping. And Hunter let out a low, soft purr at my scent, his pupils so big that the blue was gone from his eyes.

“Omega,” He said, looking at me like a meal, “That’s the most beautiful scent in the world.” I loved his compliments. I loved how he was touching me. And I loved that Elias and Ronan were watching.

And because I loved it so much, I needed to get them out of here soon, before anything else happened. I drew my foot back, clearing my throat.

“Thank you for the date, and the belated birthday. Now, I have to go to bed. Out!” I said, pointing my finger at the door. A second went by where all three of them stayed there, watching me with their big eyes, and I worried for a moment that they were going to be taken over by their hormones. But then Hunter stood, and Elias shook his head quickly, like he was in a trance. Ronan walked to the door.

“It was our pleasure to court you, Ivy,” Hunter said, standing slowly as he smiled. The three of them murmured their thanks to me, each of them bowing their heads as I tried to regain control over my hormones. Then they left, although I could tell they were extremely reluctant to go. Elias turned, the last one at the door, giving me a mischievous smile before he left.

“I think we're all going to enjoy watching you discover just how much influence you have over us." He said with a wink, before I nodded, shutting the door and turning against it, sliding down to the ground. The air was thick with all of our scents, and I closed my eyes, breathing them in as I thought about what just happened. They’d submitted to me - and I loved it.

There was also another issue, one I needed to take care of without them here. I looked down at my body. After all this time off of suppressants, it was starting to come alive. I was feeling things, and I knew that if I was around Pack Vale for too long, I’d lose my willpower. Because after a lifetime of celibacy, my body was finally waking up.

Chapter 32

Hunter

Something had changed between Ivy and our pack. It was like an invisible wall came down between us, and ever since we took her on her first real date, we couldn't get enough of each other. Soon she was texting us more, actually wanting to hang out more as a group, and though she was still controlling the pace, it didn’t matter to me if it moved at the speed of a glacier. I was thrilled to just be near her.

She was finally truly in charge, and she seemed to love having the power for once. I loved it, too - I never realized what a turn-on it would be to have her boss me around, but to be honest, anything she did would turn me on. She was perfect.

I carried around so much pain from the shame of how I’d acted before, but that was lifting slowly. I was finally sleeping through the night again. Being around Ivy calmed the restless alpha need for my mate, and I could finally think clearly. I was less snappy, and for once I could see the bigger picture.

Ivy seemed happier, too - though she was getting nervous about the upcoming trial. We noticed that whenever the patent case came up, she started talking faster and her voice would pitch. It pained me to see her worry so much. No matter how much money her family lost from paying us off, it was a matter of the truth now. Ivy should get to keep the rights to her products, and have the truth come out about her inventions.

In order to distract herself, I noticed that she became obsessively focused on developing new products for her boutique, and she started spending hours in the laboratory Elias had set up. I knew it was what she loved to do, but I also knew that Ivy was preparing herself for the possibility that she might lose.

Her evidence was getting stronger, but it still wasn’t perfect. Elias had old notes from when he’d worked with her, and our attorneys found former employees and suppliers who remembered Ivy being heavily involved in development. Ivy had the truth, but the truth wasn’t always the easiest thing to prove.

I found her one afternoon sitting outside in our garden after I got home from another long day at work. Ever since she let us court her, I’d been craving every second I could spend with her. Now, here she was, taking a break from her lab work and looking at the flowers outside. She glanced up as I approached and grinned. I felt my entire attitude improve just seeing that smile of hers.

“Hey,” I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead before sitting next to her. She leaned into me slightly, like our bodies were magnets. “How’s everything going?”

“Alright,” She said with a little sigh as she looked out at the backyard, lacing her fingers into mine. I loved her touch - it made every single problem I had disappear. “Just thinking about the trial next week. The legal team thinks I have a chance,” she continued, running one finger along the edge of my thumb. “But it’s not a big one. I might not win.”

“You might not,” I replied.

She turned to face me suddenly, and I could tell that she'd expected me to reassure her. I could have told her we had the best lawyers money could buy and everything would work out, or that she shouldn’t worry because Pack Vale would handle everything. But I learned over time that I didn’t need to baby her or lie to her. Ivy didn’t need me to tell her everything would be fine. She deserved someone who respected her enough to tell her the truth.

“Your family has all the paperwork on their side,” I went on. “They deliberately kept you out of meetings and created a paper trail that makes your contributions look much smaller than they actually were. To be honest, that's going to make this difficult, and I don't want to insult you by pretending otherwise.” Her shoulders sank slightly, but I leaned in, pulled her close, and let her heart sync up with mine. This was the most we’d touched so far, and I could tell she needed the comfort.

“But it’s not impossible. And no matter what happens, you’ll get through this. You know those products better than anyone alive, Ivy. And you’ll be alright no matter the outcome.” I wanted to add that we’d support her to the point where she could start a whole new Nestwell if she wanted, but she also had an independent streak. I’d wait until we were closer to suggest that. She nodded, biting her lip.

Finally, she looked down at her hands. “What if I lose?”

The vulnerability in her voice made my chest ache, but I refused to lie to her. “Then you lose a court case. You don't lose your talent, or your ability to create. You won’t lose your mother's legacy, because no one can take that away. And you’ll have our support, forever.” I paused, then added, “For as long as you want it.”

She let out a small smile. “You always say that.”

“I'll probably say it for the rest of my life,” I admitted.

She laughed softly before shifting slightly closer to me on the bench. “I'll fight as hard as I can.”

Pride hit me hard. “I know you will. You’re a fighter.” Ivy looked surprised. I figured no one had ever taken her for a fighter. But she fought for every single thing she had in her life, and I was going to do my best to make sure she got whatever she wanted from here on out.

A few days later, our s attorneys called with news I had been waiting months to hear. The Carringtons had agreed to settle with us for the amount we asked. The legal claims between their company and Vale Laboratories were finally coming to an end.

The settlement amount was astronomical, but really, they didn’t have a leg to stand on. If they hadn't given me what I wanted, I’d make sure every detail of Arabella’s lies was leaked to the public, along with the internal fraud Nestwell had been involved in. That family was too proud to let their reputations get ruined along with their bank accounts.