Page 22 of The Omega Switch: Part 2

“Oh, stop. We let you buy whatever you wanted.” He said, and I shook my head.

“Let me? I shouldn’t have to ask for permission to use my own money.” I said, my teeth clenching.

He scoffed. "You'll come home, resume your position in research, and we'll make sure you're compensated appropriately. We'll even upgrade your lab, or your room. Arabella won’t get in your way."

My stomach twisted. They hadn't apologized once or even acknowledged what happened or their part in it. They hadn’t even asked about how I was doing after all this time.

“I’m not coming! That’s final!” I said, my voice growing louder. It was hard standing up to them - I’d rarely done it.

Then my father looked at me, his eyes darkening as he lost his temper. His alpha dominance expanded, pressing against me like a wall. I sucked in a breath, my legs trembling as I turned to shelter Puff.

"ENOUGH!" My father yelled. The Alpha Bark slammed into me with the force of a physical blow. "COME. HERE. NOW.” He pointed to the ground in front of him. No matter how much I’d grown, my instincts still screamed at me to obey. Because my father was still, after all, an alpha. I resisted it as much as I could, but my knees almost buckled, and my body shook in frustration.

Then, another feeling pressed into the air, pushing back on my father’s dominance and shielding me. A large, echoing growl so scary that I almost jumped filled the air. It was deep, powerful, and primal. Within half a second, a massive body stood in front of me, blocking the view of my family.

I didn’t even have to look up to know that it was Ronan.

He stood framed by the afternoon sunlight, his broad shoulders nearly filling my entire view. The Alpha dominance radiating from him made the air itself feel heavier, like a weight pressing down on everything. I stepped to the side to look at him, my jaw dropping open.

His eyes never left my father. The growl in his chest deepened, and every member of my family instinctively stepped back.

“You do not bark at her. Ever again.” Ronan’s deep growl threatened, and my father held up his hands in defense. Though my fathers were alphas, even they knew it would be foolish to go up against someone as big as Ronan.

Then once they had backed up several feet, Ronan looked over at me.

"Ivy..." His voice was gentle in contrast to how he spoke to my fathers. I swallowed against the lingering pressure of the Alpha Bark.

"...Yeah?" I said, my voice shaking and weak.

"Do you want them here?" He asked, and I realized that for the first time, someone with power was giving it back to me. The decision was mine - he didn’t just force them to leave. He wanted my permission. My breathing steadied as my body released the panic that came from the feeling of being forced by a bark.

I turned and looked directly into my father's eyes. "Leave my property now. Never come back."

Ronan moved until he stood beside my shoulder, an intimidating presence.

My father looked between us, then laughed bitterly and shook his head. “Fine. I see who you really are now. You've made a terrible mistake." He looked over at my store, a sneer on his face. "I know you’re trying to replicate our products here. Don’t think that will work. We'll bury this place." He threatened, and I felt my heart leap in my chest.

“My products!” I said, a tiny growl forming in my throat. “My own creations!”

George shook his head. "You'll spend more time in court than behind that counter. You have no idea who you're fighting. I can’t believe you’d go against your own family.” He said, as if they hadn’t started the whole thing.

Ronan let out a growl that made them all shut up. He stepped forward, and it was fascinating to see my fathers actually flinch for once. Then, he finally spoke.

"I wouldn't make threats if I were you." He glared at them, and I watched them back up in fear, slowly leaving. My father looked at me one last time.

"This isn't over," he said, then motioned for the others to follow. They turned to leave.

Only after they were in their car and driving away did I realize I was shaking. The Alpha Bark still echoed through my nervous system. Without saying a word, Ronan bent down, picked up Puff's leash where it had slipped from my fingers, and quietly placed the loop back into my hand. His fingers never brushed mine.

I turned, my hands shaking as I unlocked my boutique, then rushed inside to grab a bottle of water. I gulped it down, trying to ground myself from what just happened. Once I finally stopped shaking, I looked up at Ronan, who waited outside.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked. My body felt weak - I had been ambushed, and nearly alpha barked again after all the trauma the last one gave me. I wasn’t even sure if I could keep standing. Maybe I shouldn’t be alone. And Ronan had never, ever scared me, not once. Of every alpha in the world, he was the one I could trust to do what I said.

I looked at him standing patiently a few feet away, waiting for my answer instead of deciding it for me.

"...Yes." My voice came out barely above a whisper. His shoulders relaxed, and he nodded.

"Okay."