14. Chapter 14
Hunter
The past few weeks had been easier than any I could remember.
Something just felt different. We’d sent out the free Bond profile testing and matching offer to every omega at the gala, and almost all of them had responded eagerly.
And yet, some part of me thought that maybe, even if we never found someone with a high compatibility rating through our own company, then it didn’t really matter.
Because I was starting to think that maybe we’d found something that a lab test couldn’t define.
Spending time over at the Carrington house was opening up parts of my alpha side that had long been dormant.
I’d spent a lot of time working to be successful, prioritizing Vale Labs over other areas of my life.
It had made me somewhat numb over time. But when I stepped into the Carrington house, it was like my shoulders instantly relaxed.
Working over there made me feel so full of life that I started making excuses to go back.
Arabella certainly made me feel like a king there. She fawned over me in a way that made me feel like asking. And I noticed that she always had food ready for our pack when we planned a visit. She’d present it to us, looking like the perfect domestic omega every time.
And yet, when Ivy was around… that girl didn’t even bother taking off her lab coat half the time.
She bowed her head and bit her lip when she was near me.
It was like she didn’t want attention. It should have been an instinct to ignore her, disregard her for the very obvious omega who was proving herself to be a viable partner to us as much as she could.
But I couldn’t possibly ignore her. Ivy would sometimes slip up and say something so damn insightful that I was shocked she wasn’t higher up in her own family’s company.
Or she’d look at me with those eyes, and something deep inside me wanted to reach out to her, take her somewhere safe and care for her, and treat her so well that she opened up so I could find out every one of her secrets and why she’d become so damn quiet.
But today changed everything.
I heard the automatic ping of an incoming email while I sat at my desk reviewing quarterly financial reports.
Normally, I ignored incoming messages until the end of the hour.
Constant interruptions were the fastest way to destroy productivity.
But for some reason, my attention snagged on this one.
I minimized the reports and opened my inbox.
MATCH IDENTIFIED - PRIORITY REVIEW REQUIRED
I straightened in my chair, my heart immediately racing as I saw those words. I knew what they meant - we’d seen it often for our clients, but never for ourselves. This was for me - for our pack. A potential match from our database.
Our system rarely flagged anything as a priority review.
The compatibility algorithm was intentionally designed to avoid false positives, so most results fell within the specified ranges.
Anything above 90% was extremely rare and almost always a scent match.
I opened the report, my heart pounding in my chest. All I could think about was that scent from the gala.
For several seconds, I simply stared at the screen.
Compatibility Score: 98.0%
My pulse raced. This type of compatibility wasn't just rare - it was practically unheard of. Immediately, I opened the full report breakdown, scanning the data with growing disbelief. Every category reached the same conclusion. The psychological compatibility was nearly perfect, and the bonding stability projections were off the charts. This omega’s hormonal synchronization scores with our pack were among the highest our company had ever recorded.
The software wasn't just identifying a strong match between our individual members and the omega - it was identifying a near-perfect match for our entire pack.
I was already out of my chair before I knew it.
"Elias, Ronan!"
My voice carried across the entire house. Within minutes, my two packmates had gathered around my desk.
“Well? What is it?” Elias asked, his hair askew. “I felt the pull from your bond all the way out in the garage. You had me thinking something drastic happened.” He said, a wry smile on his face as he looked at me. I was usually the composed one of the group - now I was sure I looked wild and feral.
I pointed to the screen. “We found a match.” The room went silent as their eyes went wide, both of them rushing to look at the computer screen.
"Well, shit," Ronan muttered, and I felt his excitement, though he didn’t say much. Elias looked stunned.
“Ninety-eight percentile?” He asked, his hands gripping his hair. “I’ve never seen such a high score!” His excitement was palpable through the bond, as much as Ronan’s.
Nobody spoke for several moments as we read through the results together.
We built this company ourselves. We knew exactly how difficult it was for a single omega to score highly across an entire established pack.
The odds alone were staggering. I read through the report, the excitement building as I saw how perfect this one was for us.
Optimal Omega Compatibility Profile Identified
Primary Emotional Functions:
Ability to stabilize pack stress responses: 95%
Creates emotional safety during periods of high pressure: 99%
Increases overall pack relationship satisfaction: 99%
Encourages emotional openness and vulnerability: 98%
Reduces conflict escalation through communication patterns: 94%
Social Traits:
Strong collaborative instincts
High relationship maintenance behaviors
Strong loyalty markers
High creative markers
High intelligence
I couldn’t believe it. I sat back while Elias let out a breath. “She’s perfect,” He murmured, and I knew from just the data that this person would get along with all of us. Then, my eyes drifted lower. This part of the report noted any potential issues.
Observed Areas of Concern:
Low self-security markers
Elevated self-sacrifice tendencies
Difficulty prioritizing personal needs
Past Trauma markers: HIGH
I felt like I’d received a physical blow to the chest. Our match has significant trauma. I was already holding back a growl. Whoever hurt my omega would pay for it, several times over.
“Past trauma?” I heard Ronan mutter. Elias let out a sound.
I felt him send calming feelings down our pack bonds, and I was grateful that he could keep a level head.
If anyone could help with trauma, he could.
He was well-connected to the best omega healthcare professionals in the world.
I tried to calm myself as we kept reading.
Pack Recommendations for ideal bonding:
Provide consistent positive reinforcement.
Establish predictable emotional support structures.
Encourage independent decision-making.
Actively recognize contributions and accomplishments.
Monitor for self-isolating behavior.
Prioritize emotional safety during early bond development.
Then the final line appeared.
Omega displays exceptionally high resilience despite significant adversity markers. Prognosis for long-term bonding success remains extremely favorable when provided with a stable and supportive pack environment.
Elias let out a long breath. “We found her. We finally found her.” I nodded, and Ronan let out a low noise.
“We’re going to make sure she never feels neglected again.” He stated. That would go without question. Whatever happened to our match, I was going to make sure she never suffered another moment of it.
Finally, Elias leaned forward, looking over my shoulder. "Did they agree to identity disclosure?"
I scrolled further down the report, my stomach tight. The system only revealed identities if both parties agreed. Most applicants chose anonymity until after compatibility confirmation.
"Yes."
I could feel everyone’s anticipation as I opened the final page. It had to be the scent from the gala. It had to be. The name appeared on the screen, and my jaw dropped.
Arabella Carrington.
I sat back, my head spinning. “It’s her,” I said, the scent from the gala filling my memories.
“It’s her! It’s been her the entire time!
” I stood up, half of me wanting to rush down to Arabella’s family home and scoop her up this instant.
“I knew it. We feel it every time we’re over there!
” I said, turning to my pack. “It’s even better than we imagined. Ninety-eight percent!”
My mind was latched onto her now. Of course she was our match.
It made perfect sense. We just hadn’t realized it, even with her right in front of us.
Arabella was exactly the type of omega who everyone thought would be perfect for a pack like ours.
She was socially intelligent, ambitious, charismatic, and highly adaptable.
She knew how to navigate powerful circles effortlessly.
She knew how to get attention easily, and would be great by our side.
“But…” Elias said, stepping back. I felt his trepidation crack through the excitement he was feeling through the bond.
“What is it? We found her! And we have confirmation!” I said, my heart full with joy. She was perfect. This omega was perfect.
“I mean, it does make sense. It’s just… It’s strange.
” Elias said, with a slight crease between his brows.
“We should have felt that she was our match just by being around her. We’ve been around Arabella for weeks now, and to be honest, I would have bet every dollar that I had that our match was-” He stopped himself, but I knew what he meant.
“Ivy,” Ronan said, and I felt a surge of guilt for the poor, quiet omega who Elias had seemed to fall for.
Ronan was strangely attached to her as well.
As for myself, despite the proof in front of me, I’d felt the pull toward her.
I even considered she might be the one for us, but now with our match confirmation, I knew that it wasn’t possible.