Page 3 of The Omega Switch: Part 2

"Alright, maybe I did.” She said slowly, lowering her eyes and rolling her head to the side to flash her neck. “But… so what? It doesn't matter. Not really, if you think about it.” She said slowly, her strategy shifting.

Hunter stared at her. "Excuse me? You better choose your next words very carefully, omega." He warned, and I don’t think Arabella understood the danger she was in yet.

"It all worked out, don’t you see?” she insisted, sounding almost desperate now. "Honestly, I'm a much better match for you in every way. It was fate that we met. Come on, look at us. Look at me, and your pack.” She said, gesturing to herself and to us. “We look like we belong. Ivy’s no real match for a pack like yours," she went on, unable to realize how much she was enraging us. “I mean, who cares in the long run? We were falling for each other. We were about to bond!” She was on her knees on the couch now, pleading to us. “If the test didn’t exist, we’d have ended up bonding anyway! You know it never would have been Ivy.”

For several long seconds, I couldn't even process what she'd just said. Arabella leaned forward eagerly, mistaking our silence for uncertainty.

"Ivy has never been good with people," she continued. "She's awkward, quiet, and honestly... she doesn't know how to behave in social situations. I'm better because I understand people. I know how to host events, speak to investors, handle public appearances... I'd make a much better pack omega. It’s just common sense.”

I felt a shock of cold from Hunter through our bond. "You almost tricked me into bonding with you." He said slowly, his voice so low that it was dangerous.

Her smile wavered. "But... you would've been happy."

"No." The single word landed with enough force to make her physically flinch. "I would've become exactly the kind of Alpha I've spent my entire life trying not to become. We would have grown to hate each other over the years, living in misery, stuck in a bond that wasn’t based on anything but lies. It would have been hell. For everyone, not just us." He said.

For the first time since we’d arrived, genuine uncertainty crossed Arabella's face. “No, it would have worked, it can still work!” She cried out, and Hunter growled, loud enough to silence the room.

“Arabella, we never would have looked at you twice without you manipulating the match results. That’s the truth. It would have been Ivy. It was always Ivy!” He barked, and she looked shocked before anger crossed her face.

“That’s not true! No one looks at Ivy! You never would have even noticed her!” Arabella argued, her face showing her insecurities.

“Shut up!” I barked, unable to control my rage at her. “You never held a candle to her, and you know it. If you hadn’t fucked with the test results and stole her damn perfume, we never would have looked at you twice!” I said, and Arabella’s face registered the shock, then jealousy, at my statement.

“She’s not worth it!” Arabella yelled, finally losing her temper, her face turning red as she yelled.

“She’s worth everything,” Hunter said, his deep blue eyes darker than I’d ever seen them. “And you’re about to learn what we’ll do to pay the price to get her back.” Arabella shrank back, looking terrified at his low voice. Hunter straightened, adjusting his tie. “Now, where’s your family? I’d like to have a word with them.”

Chapter 3

Elias

The elevator ride felt like an eternity. No one spoke as we waited for the floor that held Pack Carrington - who had apparently been staying here while Ivy went through her heat, all alone.

We’d left Arabella in her room, sobbing and hysterical, her hands reaching to grasp at my shirt as we walked out. I didn’t care about what she said or what excuses she made. The only thing I cared about was where Ivy was. But my pack, that was another story. I knew Hunter and Ronan wanted vengeance, and the way our bond vibrated with pent-up rage made me worry this might end at the police station.

We stepped out of the elevator and found their room number. I stopped in front of it, turning to face my pack. Hunter stood beside me with his hands clasped behind his back, but I knew him well enough to recognize the tension running through his body. Ronan leaned against the wall, his jaw set tightly, the only outward sign of the fury he was barely keeping contained.

I was probably the calmest out of all of us, which didn’t say much. My mind was still occupied by what I saw earlier. I couldn't stop thinking about that bedroom. I'd spent years treating omegas from every walk of life. I'd seen neglected children, abused partners, and frightened young omegas who'd never been taught how to care for themselves. I thought I knew how to spot cruelty.

Then I had walked into Ivy's room. Her mattress had been too small, and her wardrobe was nearly empty. There hadn't been a single comfort item in sight - absolutely nothing for a proper nest, no warm blankets, no collection of soft things every omega instinctively gathered to feel safe. The only thing carrying Ivy's scent had been a worn comforter, saturated with the lingering traces of a heat she should never have endured alone. I'd treated patients living below the poverty line who had possessed more comfort, dignity, and care than the daughter of one of the wealthier families in the city.

I hadn't stopped thinking about it for a single second. When I saw the wreckage of what Ivy had endured, my mind worked desperately to convince myself that perhaps there was still an explanation we hadn't considered. Perhaps the family truly hadn't known she was in heat. But then the staff explained that not only had they known, but they left due to the inconvenience. After forcing her to suppress her heats and her scent, for who knew how long. The rage still simmered underneath the surface. But I had to keep my cool. Lord knows the rest of my pack wouldn’t.

Clara answered the suite's door with a surprised smile that disappeared almost immediately as she took in the three of us standing shoulder to shoulder in the hallway. "Pack Vale?" she asked, blinking in confusion. "This is unexpected."

"It shouldn't be," Hunter replied evenly as he stepped inside without waiting to be invited in.

“Who is that?” One of Pack Carrington’s alphas asked, a low growl tinting his voice. I could smell them all here, and knew that any pack barging in on them would undoubtedly bring out an alpha response. Not one that was a threat to us, though. I’d never felt my pack this angry before, ever.

The voice belonged to Phillip - interestingly enough, he was Ivy’s biological father - the one who should have protected her the most. The hair on my neck rose at the sight of him; the image I had before shattered now that I knew how callous, selfish, and downright sociopathic they had to be to inflict such cruelty.

“What - Pack Vale!” He said, his face changing from irritation to a smile as he saw us. “What brings you here?” He asked, his eyes scanning us as he realized we were not here for any happy gathering. Aaron and George were sitting around, looking relaxed on their suite couches. It infuriated me. While Ivy was suffering, they’d been here the whole time, apparently living in luxury.

“Where the fuck is Ivy?” Hunter barked, dropping all pretenses of politeness.

The room quickly fell silent as every member of Ivy's family turned toward us, confusion spreading across their faces while George slowly rose from the sofa with an irritated frown.

"What exactly is this about?" he demanded.