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When I reach the stage, Olivia is giving me an enormous smile as I walk to her.
She gives the award to the emcee and takes my arms and holds me tight. I hear a small sob as she whispers, “I wouldn’t be where I am today without you. I bought one of your very first toys two years ago and that was the first day I could focus. My mind wasn’t full of thoughts of being knotted and rutted, and I finally sat down and made sense of what was in front of me. Two years ago, Eleanor. That’s all it took me to get where I wanted to be, and all because of you.”
“I’m so happy for you. But do you want a pack? Or an alpha?” I whisper, hoping the microphone doesn’t pick up on the question.
“One day. But not yet. I aspire to be the first omega CFO in a Fortune 500 company before anything else, and your toys are going to keep me focused.”
She smiles at me as she releases me from her hold before turning around and taking the award in her hands. I take a deep breath as I wait. “I’d like to present to you your award. For the best business created for omegas, and for being amazing.”
I laugh as she hands over the award. The audience cheers and claps, the sound of echoes around the room.
“Thank you.”
The emcee clears his throat and says, “It’s been quite the roller coaster of emotions tonight, and I’m sorry Eleanor, but one more person who’d like to say something.”
My eyes widen as he nods to the screen behind me.
My hand covers my mouth as my sister Ava sits atop her yacht with the sparkling blue Mediterranean Sea around her.
“Hello Bunnykins.” She starts, and I laugh, as does the audience behind me.
“Hello Peter Rabbit.”
She smiles. “I love you, Ella, and I knew you could do this. You were always the clever one of us sisters. You were always the one who found solutions to problems. And always the one who escaped with nothing, despite the fear of the unknown. The brave one.”
She was always the brave one. Not me.
“And for that, you also get a second award. I put your name forward for the Honoring Women in Business award for women who went through adversity to get where she is today. I told them your story.”
My fingers slide over the reminder on my left wrist.
“And I was notified one hour ago that you are the recipient of that award and asked if I would say a few words.” She leans forward as though she thinks nobody else can hear her. “They obviously didn’t trust me to keep the secret.”
The audience laughs.
She continues. “My very sweet sister, this day is yours.” She takes a deep breath and looks ahead. “My sister and I were kidnapped and nearly killed four years ago.”
She swallows. I know that she also struggles with that day, despite the brave face she puts on for others.
The audience gasps, but she doesn’t stop. It’s like she needs to say out loud to help herself. “Ella was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” She stays looking ahead, like she wants everyone to know or she doesn’t want to see my tears. “A pack who wanted me paid a kidnapper to steal me. But my sister was taken too.”
Her mouth forms into an O as she exhales a steadying breath. “And he told the pack that Ella’s scent was not so sweet, and...“ Tears coat her eyes and she blows out another deep breath. “... but he was wrong.”
She can’t say anymore about that day and I don’t want her to. I shake my head lightly, not wanting my past to be broadcast in front of these people.
“She’s the sweetest person I know. And I’m so happy you found not only your pack, but your scent matched pack. One day when my smell comes back...” She trails off again.
I sigh. My heart aches for my sister, and I can’t help but feel sorry for her. I hate what our stepfather did when he injected us that day. Her smell is still very much muted. I suppose my smell only came back when my heat was about to start. And I know when I met Walker that night it started the chain reaction to bring me to them.
But despite being twenty-three years old now, Ava has never had a heat either. She claims she’s happy and that she only needs Seb, her beta in her life. But I don’t know.
“Ella. I’m proud to call you my sister and my friend.”
I turn when I hear footsteps behind me. Seeing Walker, Gabe, and Jake fill me with so much warmth, heat bursts in my chest.
I rise to my tiptoes and kiss each of them as Walker hands me another award.
Jake holds my cheeks and kisses me like we’re the only two people in the room. The love I feel through the bond is deep enough it touches my heart. “I love you.”
