Page 46 of The Omega Switch: Part 2

“What happened?” Hunter asked, pausing to listen. “No. Don’t respond yet.” Another pause followed, longer this time. “Send me everything.” He ended the call and stared at the screen for several seconds.

“What?” I asked.

Hunter sighed. “Our PR team noticed a sudden spike in mentions of Pack Vale,” he continued. “Someone posted photos taken outside The Gentle Nest. Apparently, some of us have been seen there often enough that people started asking questions.”

Elias frowned. “What kind of questions?”

Hunter turned the tablet around. A social media post filled the screen, and I felt a growl forming at the invasion of privacy. The user had created a timeline, complete with photos of Ivy’s boutique, me parked nearby, and Elias and I both at the doorstep at separate times. The caption was in bold.

Wasn’t Pack Vale supposed to bond Arabella Carrington? Why are they always at her stepsister’s store now?

Below it, hundreds of people were already speculating. I scrolled through the comments, feeling my anger build with each one.

Is that the business Arabella said copied Nestwell?

Wait, so Pack Vale dumped Arabella and started seeing her sister?

This is messy!!!

Maybe Ivy stole more than just formulas.

My hand tightened around the edge of the tablet.

“They are blaming Ivy,” I said.

Hunter nodded grimly. “It gets worse.”

He tapped the screen, opening one of Arabella’s newest videos. She sat in the same staged room she used for most of her posts, dressed modestly with her hair loose around her shoulders. Her makeup was softer than usual, and her face looked vulnerable.

“I wasn’t going to speak about this,” she began, staring just below the camera as though gathering strength. “But there’s been so much speculation, and I don’t want silence to create the wrong impression.”

I felt the hair rise on the back of my neck. Beside me, Elias exhaled slowly.

“The most recent men who courted me were people with whom I shared something very special. For a long time, I believed they were perfect for me.” She gave a small, sad smile. “Sometimes, though, the people who seem perfect can still make choices that break your trust. I won’t share private details,” she said softly. “I don’t believe in publicly attacking people I once cared about. But I will say that I stepped away after learning about a betrayal I could not ignore. Please put the speculation to rest. This is all I’ll say on the matter.”

The video ended. Hunter went completely rigid. Arabella never named Ivy, or said anyone had cheated. In fact, she didn’t directly accuse us of anything. But the implication was clear. Then Hunter stood so abruptly that his chair rolled backward and struck the wall.

“She stepped away?” His voice was quiet, which was always more dangerous than shouting. “She committed fraud, stole confidential match data, and manipulated us into believing she was our match. Now she wants to control the narrative around our courtship with her after we said we would keep it quiet?” I could feel his anger pulsing through our bond.

Elias reached for the tablet and replayed the video, his expression clinical despite the anger tightening his features.

“She’s being careful,” he said. “Every sentence is meant to imply infidelity without actually claiming it.” My hands were balled into fists. I let a growl tear through my body, filling the room.

“She’s trying to make it look like we betrayed her with Ivy,” I said.

Hunter paced toward the windows, one hand braced at his hip. “And if we respond too aggressively, we look worse. ‘Powerful pack attacks heartbroken omega.’”

“She knows exactly what she’s doing,” Elias said. “Whether it was her idea or her team, they put the narrative out there first.”

I looked back at the comments. People were already putting two and two together. Arabella had been the perfect match - but Pack Vale had stepped out on her. Ivy had stolen her products and her pack. Arabella had discovered the betrayal and walked away with dignity.

It was all a lie, but lies moved faster than truth. By the time our attorneys produced documents, test results, and witnesses, thousands of people would already believe Ivy had destroyed Arabella’s life out of jealousy. My anger shifted. Instead of fury, I felt cold and focused.

“She’s trying to get the public to turn on Ivy before the courts even hear the case,” I said.

Hunter turned away from the window. “She’s preparing for the match fraud to become public.”

“Of course she is,” I said. “She knows discovery could expose her. So she’s building a story ahead of time.”