Page 72 of The Omega Switch: Part 2

Chapter 36

Elias

The next few days went by in a haze of bliss and relief. Ivy had finally received justice - now that she had the rights to her own products, she just needed to decide what to do about her stake in Nestwell. Public opinion had already started to turn in her favor, and I was glad. I’d never seen her more confident and in charge of her life.

Our pack had less of a struggle proving fraud by Ivy’s family. They had settled easily once the discovery showed that they had caused irreparable harm to Vale Labs, and they had to pay us a significant amount of money. After Hunter’s announcement and his resignation as CEO, the rumors of cheating shifted to suspicion that Arabella had been behind the breakup and drama. We didn’t speak again on the matter, but after Ivy’s trial, Arabella and the Carringtons left us alone. Their social media had gone quiet, and I knew that their family would be in for some rough times once they settled up with Ivy. But I had no mercy for them. They brought that on themselves.

Now, Ivy had decided to finally take a few days off of work, letting her staff manage the store while she took time for herself. I was proud of her - after all the work she’d put into making it on her own, she deserved to rest and do some self-care for once. The past few days she’d slept in and texted us late in the morning when she woke up. Our pack sent her a gift card for one of the best omega spas in the area, and thankfully, she accepted it without saying we were doing too much. She'd even booked herself an entire day.

We planned to pick her up when she was done for a nice, casual dinner nearby. Of course, casual to us still meant dressing up, bringing her flowers, and picking an amazing restaurant. It was hard not togo over the top with Ivy now that she was giving us a chance to win her over. Nothing made me feel better than the idea of giving her the world. I wanted to spoil her excessively, to make up for every day that she hadn’t been treated the way she should be.

It didn't help that I was becoming more attracted to her with each passing day. I'd always thought Ivy was beautiful, from the moment I first saw her at our gala. Even during those days when she'd been covered beneath a lab coat and kept her eyes lowered, I'd noticed her. Seeing her there in court, explaining her own work and ideas to everyone with complete certainty, was like watching her unlock a piece of herself that we never knew existed. I’d seen glimpses of it before, that genius intellect of hers mixed with her creativity and compassion to help others, but now it was like she’d finally stepped into the version of herself that made her complete. We could all sense the shift in her. God, she was magnificent.

Now, she looked people in the eyes. She disagreed with me without apologizing afterward. And now she was putting her own happiness above all else. I found it devastatingly attractive. But her softness was still there, too. She still had that instinctive compassion that drove her to create products that helped, not harmed. She was still the woman who rescued the little dog at the shelter because she couldn't bear to leave him behind. And I couldn’t wait to see what she would do next.

By the time we picked her up from the spa that evening, I could barely wait to see her. Ivy stepped outside in a sundress with her dark hair flowing around her shoulders, her face glowing from whatever treatments she'd spent the afternoon getting. She looked refreshed, like she’d just done some vigorous exercise - the type that I wanted to do with her in bed. She stepped into the waiting car and told us how nice the spa was. Her words slowed when she noticed all three of us staring.

"What?" She asked, looking at all of us.

"Nothing," Ronan said too quickly, his scent spike betraying his words.

Hunter cleared his throat, trying to distract her. "You look rested."

Her eyes narrowed. "That's what you were all thinking?" she asked, and I could tell she was smelling all of our scents, now magnified after we were all thinking the same thing. She looked damn sexy right now.

"You look incredible," I said, my voice low. She blushed, and dropped the topic.

The restaurant was Hunter's discovery, though we were all intrigued after learning the entire dining room was kept in complete darkness. The servers wore specialized night-vision equipment, while the guests ate without being able to see anything at all. The idea was to remove the visual element entirely, so diners could focus only on the flavor, texture, and aroma of the plates. It was also a way to help people bond over conversation without visual cues.

Ivy’s face lit up when we explained it. "This place really exists?" she asked.

"Yes, it’s a novel concept," Hunter answered, his dark blue eyes glancing over at her, pleased to see her reaction.

"So I won't know what I'm eating?" She prodded.

"Yes, and the tasting menu is a secret, but we made sure to check for allergies," I said.

She grinned. "This might be the coolest restaurant I’ve ever heard of." She said. Once we arrived, the hostess greeted us and welcomed us to follow her. Ivy reached for my hand as the lights dimmed, and I felt my heart rate pick up at her touch. She gasped in amazement as the hostess led us through a series of curtains until the last trace of light disappeared. The darkness changed everything. The staff carefully helped us into our seats, all of whom must have been wearing night vision in this pitch-black space.

Without sight, I became ever more aware of Ivy sitting beside me. I could hear her every breath, and noticed the brush of her arm against mine. I wanted to touch her more - but instead I tried to make light conversation to distract myself. The first plates arrived in front of us, with the server guiding our hands to the forks. I heard Ivy take her first bite. The little noise she made when she tasted it was amplified.

"Ooh," she said, the word laced with pleasure. I went still, and from the lack of sounds from my pack, I knew they were all having the same reaction. I smiled into the darkness.

"Good?" I asked.

"This is incredible." She said slowly, taking another bite.

"Can you tell what it is?" Ronan asked, and I heard the scrape of his plate as he tried the appetizer.

"I don't know." She said, chewing. "Something citrusy. Maybe yuzu? There's basil, too. And maybe pink pepper?” She wagered.

"You’re pretty good at this," Hunter murmured. “I can only tell that it’s delicious.”

"I make fragrances for a living. I can pick up scents and ingredients with fairly good accuracy.” She said proudly.

The next course arrived. Ivy guessed ingredients while the rest of us hopelessly guessed, and we clearly didn’t stand a chance next to her palate. Ronan was the worst at it, guessing a dish had cinnamon when, in reality, it was jalapeño. I couldn't remember the last time the four of us had laughed so much. It was nice, doing everything together. It felt complete. And it made everything that much more intimate when we couldn't see one another. Ivy seemed to speak freer without anyone watching her reactions.

Of course, without anything else to look at, my pack was highly attuned to each and every sound of her lips and mouth moving, and the little noises she made when she liked the food. I heard Ronan shift beside her after she made an appreciative noise over the dessert, and I knew without seeing his face that the poor bastard was suffering.