3. Chapter 3
Elias
I noticed her the moment she entered the room.
The small omega, her hair and dress not quite as fancy as the rest of the other women here, nonetheless looked like the only person I wanted to talk to.
She seemed to want to hide away at the food table instead of socializing with anyone.
Her attention wasn’t on Hunter or the social media star we’d signed a collaboration with, or any of the other mini celebrities at the gala.
In fact, I was sure she might make an early exit if I didn’t make my move.
The moment she turned her face toward me, I nearly lost my breath.
She was beautiful - her brown eyes were flecked with gold and green, and her dark hair was simple and understated.
But she didn’t need anything extra to look like a classic beauty.
She was already outshining everyone without trying.
And when she spoke, I could tell she wasn’t used to all this attention.
She fascinated me. The way she seemed unaffected by the glamour of our gala, and the way she held herself back from saying what she really felt.
Except when she mentioned Hunter was irrelevant - that was the most honest thing anyone had said all night.
I was already smitten once she shrugged at the mention of him.
To my delight, it turned out she was also very smart.
She’s involved in product development and works in a lab.
How had we not heard more about her? In the meetings we’d had with Pack Carrington about Arabella’s role in the upcoming marketing campaign, Ivy had barely been mentioned.
Now I was set on knowing more about her.
“So that’s the sister they mentioned?” I said to Ronan as we watched Ivy join her family. Ronan’s eyes, dark and serious, scanned the crowd before he responded.
“Yes. Ivy Carrington. She wasn’t even supposed to be here tonight.
They added her to the list at the last minute.
” He grunted. Interesting. I watched Ivy step closer to her family, though she hesitated for a moment, as if she wasn’t sure who to walk toward.
Why wasn’t she spoken about more? With someone like her on the team, I would have thought a few media stories about her role in product development would do wonders for their PR.
“Well, I’m glad she decided to come. She’s fascinating, don’t you think?” I asked, watching the omega from afar. Ronan’s eyes tracked her, and I could tell that even with all his resolve, he wasn’t immune to omegas - especially this one.
“She’s cute.” That was about all I’d get from him.
I nearly checked him for a fever. Ronan was about as emotionally expressive as a hunk of granite.
Getting more than a two-word opinion from him usually required alcohol or a court order.
Yet as stoic as he appeared, I noticed his attention drift back to Ivy every few moments.
He never stared outright, but he always seemed to know exactly where she was in the crowded room.
Most people mistook his silence for coldness, but they were wrong.
Underneath the hard edges was the most loyal alpha I’d ever known.
He was protective to the point of brutality when it came to the people he cared about - that’s what made him so good at his job.
He did have a lighter side that occasionally came out, but only around people he truly trusted.
Everyone else got the steel stare down. And right now, despite the impassive look on his face, I knew he was watching Ivy just as closely as I was.
“Well, let’s get over there, shall we? I’m interested in seeing if she still thinks Hunter is irrelevant after she hears his over-the-top speech tonight.
” I said with a wry smile. The omega was right - Hunter did come across as the usual CEO alpha, smug about his own power, cold and ruthless at times.
But that was par for the course. Showing weakness wasn’t just frowned upon in our circles - it was dangerous.
Alphas had to posture to survive in the business world.
And yet, even he seemed to melt around Ivy. We’d been an unbonded pack for some time - it was natural that at some point, we needed to find an omega. But as a pack, we were adamant on finding the right fit - something that also happened to be the same topic that Hunter dedicated his startup to.
Though after tonight, I wondered if all that was needed. Because I saw someone in front of me who already seemed perfect.