Page 9 of The Omega Switch: Part 2

My heart sank at those words. Ivy was brilliant. She’d mentioned creating some of the best-selling products in their line, and now I believed all of it. She couldn't just give it all up. But she likely didn’t even know about it.

“Keep us updated. We want no stone unturned.” I said, and we spoke for a few more minutes before the meeting ended. This legal battle seemed to be getting more complicated by the day. So far, Pack Carrington had been willing to give us mostly everything we asked for in exchange for not outing Arabella. But they balked at the compensation we’d asked for. With this new information, I wasn't just going to go for damages; I needed to get Ivy back some of the company's value. She’d done so much work for them, and she deserved her cut.

The meeting had barely ended when someone knocked on the conference room door. Our head of security stepped inside and looked at all of us.

"What is it?" I asked.

The man glanced around before answering. "The investigator is here."

Every muscle in my body tightened. For months we'd searched for her, respecting the government's refusal to disclose Ivy's location while hiring a licensed investigator to determine only one thing. Was she really safe?

I rose immediately. "Excuse us," I said as my pack got up. None of us waited for the elevator. Within moments, we were walking into one of the smaller executive conference rooms where Daniel, our private investigator, stood waiting with a folder resting on the table in front of him.

He gave us a satisfied smile. "I found her." He said. None of us moved, and I realized we were all holding our breaths simultaneously. Ronan reached the table first.

"Is she safe? Does she have security? Is anyone bothering her? Does she have sufficient food?” His questions came out one after another as Ronan leaned his massive frame on the table, his eyes wild. He’d been looking strangely lean the last few months, and it was striking. The huge alpha was losing weight, though he was still easily the biggest person in every room.

Daniel raised a hand as Ronan fired off rapid questions. "Before we go any further,” he said, looking directly at me. "I need to tell you something."

I tried to stay calm. "Go ahead," I said.

"I only approached because I was instructed to determine whether she was safe." He said. Hope surged through my chest.

"Is she alright?" Ronan asked, his voice desperate. Daniel smiled softly.

"Better than alright." Something inside me unclenched. "She's healthy. She has started a small business.

Ronan blinked. "A business?"

"Yes, a boutique." He slid several photographs across the table. My throat tightened. It was Ivy. She stood outside a charming little storefront with the biggest smile I'd ever seen on her face, sunlight in her hair while she laughed at something.

She looked truly happy. Her smile was large, reaching her eyes. She wasn’t being polite or pretending. Ronan picked up the photograph with hands that trembled almost imperceptibly.

"I've never seen her smile like that," he whispered. None of us had. Daniel nodded, either oblivious to our pain or not caring one way or the other.

"According to everyone I spoke with, she's become something of a fixture in the community. They adore her." He smiled.

I couldn't stop looking at the pictures. She looked lighter - she looked happy. Daniel handed us the folder, letting us know that from all accounts, she was safe and thriving.

No one spoke for several minutes after the investigator left. Elias stood by the window, Ivy's photograph still resting in his hands while Ronan paced slowly across the room. Finally, Ronan broke the silence.

"We go tomorrow." He said.

I shook my head. “No. We can’t just show up.” Ronan frowned.

“She’s our mate!” His words were desperate, and I felt it through our fragile bond.

I nodded. “Exactly. But she’s already had too many people deciding what was best for her, dictating her life. I don’t want to mess this up.” I said. No one argued, because they knew I was right.

Ronan looked back down at the photograph. “Then how do we apologize? How do we explain how much we messed up?” He asked.

I looked down. “I don’t know. All I know is that we can’t disturb her peace if she finally found a life she loves. Which, from Daniel’s account, she has.” Ronan’s face looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown.

“I can’t just leave it like this.” He said, his breath coming in short gasps. “I have to see her. At least once.” He said, and I looked away.

“I can’t. Not unless she asks me to.” I said, and they both looked at me. "I Alpha Barked her. I became just one more Alpha who took her choices away." I hung my head at the memory.

"You didn't know," Elias said quietly.