32. Chapter 32
Ronan
“Welcome, Pack Vale!” The brand representative smiled at us as he handed us a swag bag full of their product.
We were at a launch party where Arabella was promoting the brand’s newest line of workout clothing, and her whole family was there.
I wasn’t a fan of such things, but I went to be supportive.
Also, I’d been on edge recently, my protective nature rearing its head more often.
I figured that bonding Arabella might take away the constant ache inside that made me feel like I wasn’t doing enough, that she was somehow in danger.
My senses all screamed that my mate was in trouble, but by all accounts Arabella was doing just fine.
I hated it - I always had good instincts, but lately it was like the world just didn’t make sense.
I tried to shake it off and act normal as my pack entered the venue.
Months of preparation had gone into the event, and the place was packed with investors, influencers, and industry representatives, all excitedly taking photos and trying out new workout gear.
The event staff moved through the crowd carrying samples of protein shakes and bars, with people posing as they held the products up and took photos.
Arabella certainly seemed to be in her element.
She ran over when she spotted us, posing next to us in her yoga pants and sports bra while everyone snapped pictures.
She looked perfectly at home among the cameras and attention.
She knew how to promote a brand, that was never a question.
Watching her should have filled me with pride.
Instead, I felt the same restless dissatisfaction that had been growing inside me for weeks.
Nothing was technically wrong, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that something important was missing.
My eyes shifted around the room as Arabella led us to the VIP lounge, where the rest of her family waited.
Without even knowing I was doing it, I immediately looked for Ivy, the sight of her sitting in a chair in the back easing something in me. She was here, and she was safe.
After the family greeted us, I noticed Arabella setting her handbag on a chair near the food table. She reached in, pulling out a beautiful, sparkling necklace. I recognized it as the one Hunter had picked for her - he’d sent us countless photos before we agreed on one good enough.
“I cannot wait to put this on!” She squealed, showing it off in its box.
“I’ll wear it later when we go out. Don’t want to distract from the clothing brand.
” She said with a wink, and Hunter smiled proudly.
My tension eased slightly as I watched her admire the necklace.
I thought it was cute how much she appreciated our gift.
Gift giving was an alpha’s love language, after all.
Arabella got pulled into a conversation with another influencer, and walked out of the lounge. Phillip stood up when he spotted me. He and his pack joined me at my side as we went to go mingle with the crowd.
“So,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. “It seems you’re treating Arabella very well. I’ve never seen her so happy.” I nodded, watching her up ahead as she spoke to another omega.
“She’s certainly special.” I said, although I didn’t quite know how to explain it.
She was special - different than how I’d imagined our match to be in my head.
And I still didn’t have a good read on her.
It didn’t help that my body craved more - my instincts were begging me to scent her, to breathe in that gorgeous perfume that I knew was hidden inside of her.
It was natural for an alpha to want to smell his mate, and I wanted to scent mark her as well.
But that wouldn't happen until she was ready. It was excruciating going so long without smelling it again - I knew once I had a breath of the full scent, I’d feel much better.
For the next few hours, the event continued without issue.
The PR staff were doing small interviews with the influencers, and people were clamoring to take as many photos as possible.
Guests were coming and going from the event while the launch unfolded, but I nearly died of boredom. This was not my scene.
Then a sharp scream cut through the crowd.
My instincts reacted immediately - that was Arabella’s voice.
Without even thinking, I tore through the event, knocking over a table as my heart pounded in my ears.
My body was tense, my muscles coiled until I arrived at the source, the VIP lounge where we were earlier.
Hunter and Elias stopped right behind me, and I was growling as I looked around, ready to tear apart anyone who had hurt her.
I saw Arabella standing near a small table with tears gathering in her eyes while Clara looked on with a horrified expression. Several members of the family stared toward something with looks of complete disbelief.
"What happened?" Hunter demanded. Arabella turned to face us, and she looked devastated.
"My necklace." Her small whimper pulled at my alpha desire to protect her. Her words made my skin prickle with suspicion. She was talking about the sapphire necklace Hunter had given her.
"What about it?" I asked, my eyes looking around for any source of danger.
"I couldn't find it. It’s the most important thing in the world to me. Then I checked everyone's bags. I’m so sorry, I just couldn’t stop unless I found it. But… Ivy won’t let me check hers.”
Arabella pointed, tears in her eyes. My gaze followed her hand toward Ivy's chair. She sat there, her bag under her seat, and a perplexed look on her face.
“What?” Ivy croaked out, her voice panicked. I felt another warning sign in my body, telling me something wasn’t right.
Clara stepped forward, the look on her face almost menacing.
“Ivy, hand over your bag.” She said, her voice tense and threatening.
Thankfully, the little omega reached under her seat, her hands shaking as she handed the purse to her step mother.
Clara opened it, rummaging around until she pulled out a dark box.
She opened it, and anyone could see from the sparkle inside that it was the missing necklace.
For several long seconds, nobody spoke. The entire room seemed frozen in place as everyone tried to process what they were seeing. All I could hear were Ivy’s quick, short breaths. It made my chest hurt.
"No, no I didn’t!" she whispered, looking around wide eyed. Her eyes darted from the necklace to Arabella and back again, confusion written plainly across her face. "I didn't, I swear-"
The words died in her throat as her face drained of color. Clara lifted a hand to her mouth. She didn't look angry. She looked heartbroken, and that was even worse.
"Oh, Ivy." Clara murmured, loudly enough that everyone could hear.
The disappointment in her voice caused several people nearby to lower their eyes. One of her fathers closed his eyes and released a tired sigh. "Ivy... we discussed this in therapy." Therapy? I looked back toward Ivy, expecting guilt or embarrassment. Instead, her confusion seemed to deepen.
"I don't know how that got there. You have to believe me!
" The explanation sounded weak, even to my own ears, and judging by the uncomfortable shifting around the room, everyone else felt the same way.
Nobody wanted to believe it. Yet the evidence sat plainly in front of us. Arabella's eyes filled with tears.
"I wasn't even angry," she said quietly. "I would have shared it with you." The collective wince that moved through the room was almost physical. Ivy looked as though she'd been slapped.
"No," she said, her voice cracking. "No, I didn't take it. Please!" She turned to look around the room, overwhelmed and panicked. “Please, you have to believe me!” She pleaded. Hunter stepped forward.
"Ivy." The disappointment in his voice was unmistakable."You need to stop this before you destroy yourself."
I watched Ivy flinch, and for the briefest moment I felt like something sharp pierced my chest. Looking at her like this made me ache in a way I couldn’t explain.
I realized what it was - I was extremely disappointed.
I’d never expect something like this from her.
Not only was it theft, but it wasn’t a smart crime.
It was sloppy, and obvious. Ivy was smart, more sensible than that - at least I thought she was. And she just sat there, looking broken.
Then Arabella wiped at her eyes, and every protective instinct inside me immediately redirected itself toward her.
Whatever confusion I felt about Ivy, Arabella was still our future mate.
She was the one standing here humiliated.
Without thinking, I moved beside her and rested a hand against her back.
"It's okay." I rumbled. Arabella immediately leaned into me, seeking comfort, and although the gesture should have felt reassuring, that strange unease returned stronger than before.
After a few more awkward seconds, I took the necklace and I placed it in my pocket.
No one would try to take it from me. I could practically feel the whispers following us throughout the area.
Ivy disappeared shortly afterward, herded out by her fathers and away from the event.
Once she was gone, my pack gathered privately in one of the side rooms. The atmosphere was grim.
"That was beyond unacceptable. I underestimated how serious this was," Elias admitted.
Hunter rubbed a hand across his jaw before nodding. "I did too. I knew there were issues between them, but this was extreme and beyond what I thought she’d ever stoop to.”
Elias remained unusually quiet until finally speaking. "If she's genuinely struggling this badly, she needs immediate help.”
"She's been getting help," Hunter replied. "The family has been trying for years."
Elias looked ashen. “Obviously it’s not working. She’s getting worse, from what little I’ve observed. Arabella is at risk, and as much as I hate to say it, Ivy shouldn’t be around her at all at this rate.”
"Can you imagine living with that?" Hunter finally asked.
Suddenly the emotional distance we'd felt from Arabella made sense.
Her hesitation to open up, and the lack of deeper connection all seemed easier to explain.
If she'd spent years dealing with an unstable sister, perhaps she simply didn't know how to trust people. She’d learned to protect herself emotionally. And we had been so concerned with Ivy and how to help that we’d missed the signs.
Arabella had probably been through so much more than we witnessed, and she was afraid to tell us.
I felt horrible. Ivy was not who we thought she was.
Yet, I couldn't stop seeing Ivy's face when the necklace was discovered. The confusion had looked real. However, people lied all the time, and I'd built an entire career around identifying deception.
But Ivy’s reaction felt genuine, and that bothered me.
The necklace had been in her bag. There was no arguing with that fact, no other explanation that she’d offered to make any sense.
I felt like I had watched something terrible happen, but some part of it didn’t make sense.
And my body wouldn’t let it go, no matter what I told myself.