16. Nolan
16
Nolan
I am inordinately excited for my day with Nora.
It'll be the first one-on-one time I've had since I found her dropped on the ground outside Roberto's.
I knock on her door early in the morning, before the rest of the pack is awake, and it swings open immediately. She's freshly showered, with her hair pulled up in a high, slick ponytail, and wearing another one of her pretty dresses.
"Hey, sweetie," I say, stepping into the room when she gestures me in. "Are you ready for our day together?"
"I am so excited!" she responds, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I just need to grab my heels."
"Actually," I say, moving to her closet and opening the doors. It's all dresses- pastel shades of every color of the rainbow, every silhouette and length imaginable. "Do you have any athletic wear?"
"Oh," she says, almost sadly. "I do have some gym clothing, but it's not appropriate outside of the gym."
I smile while I open the drawers of her dresser. I pull out a pair of cropped leggings, a sports bra, and a zip-up hoodie in a moisture-wicking material. "You have sneakers?"
"I do, yes, Alpha." She pulls them out of the darkest corner of her closet like having them is shameful.
"Here, go get changed." I push the clothes into her arms with an encouraging smile. "Meet me downstairs afterward. I'm going to grab us both some water bottles."
I've just finished making two large bottles of water when Nora comes into the room, and fuck, my heart almost stops. She's got the jacket slung over her arm, giving me a look at her gorgeous body for the first time. It's clear she spends time in the gym, her stomach toned and flat. Her breasts, squished into that sports bra, are much bigger than I expected, and the squeeze of the bra puts some cleavage on display. Her legs are shapely, and her ass is so round and cute. I almost want to make her change just so no one else gets a look at her.
"Morning, Nolan," Levi says, turning the corner into the kitchen. "Oh shit," he swears.
Levi never swears.
Nora turns to look at him, eyes bright despite the early hour. "Good morning, Alpha Levi!"
Blinking, Levi stares at her, slack-jawed and stunned. It take him a moment to regain his composure. "Right, right. Good morning, Nora. I just… I need my coffee…" he trails off, making his way to the machine.
When Blaine stumbles down the stairs, I wonder if they all set alarms to see us off. He takes one look at Nora, swears, and then pulls her against his body for a kiss. She doesn't push him away, doesn't stiffen. No, she melts into his kiss like she's been doing it forever. I even hear a little whine. Blaine whispers in her ear, and she blushes.
But she doesn't apologize for the whine.
Fuck, I want to make her whine like that.
Even Joey and Chase make their way downstairs before we can leave. The latter takes one look at Nora and leaves the room. He's not as immune to her as he wants us to believe.
"Little bird!" Joey says, pulling her into a hug. "Have a great day with Nolan." He doesn't comment on her outfit, doesn't look past her face. He's so respectful and gentle with her. Remembering how he was with her while she sat at the bar, I'm not surprised. Something about Nora seems to tame Joey.
"I will, Just Joey!" She raises up on her toe and kisses him on the cheek. He blushes deeply and returns the peck.
Now that the pack parade is over, we say our goodbyes, grab protein bars, and then I usher Nora out of the house and into one of our cars. She climbs into the passenger seat. "Where are we going?" she asks.
I pull out of the driveway and begin making the familiar trip to my gym, Alphamatic. "I wanted to take you to my gym, show you what I do day to day. Despite the name, women and Omegas are members as well. I thought we could take a group class?"
"Oh, wonderful! I am proficient in yoga, and I run on the treadmill a lot. I am excited to see what you do."
It's hard to keep what class we're doing a secret, but I have to hold it in. I don't want to spook her, and I really do think she'll enjoy it.
The drive is short, so short sometimes I even run it, so it's like no time has passed by the time we park and enter the gym. It's fairly busy early mornings, and when I walk in, Rob, who's working the counter, looks up. "Boss, thought you were off today?" he says. I clock immediately the moment he notices Nora. The man is an Alpha, and the way he's looking at her causes a growl to roll in my chest. It's quiet enough he doesn't hear it over the noise of the gym.
"Is that… I'm sorry, are you the Perfect Omega?" he says, walking around the counter. "Holy shit you are. What are you doing here? Fuck, my pack is going to be so jealous that I got to meet you." He steps into her space like he's trying to scent her, and this time, my growl is loud and clear.
"Back away from my Omega, Rob," I bark. Nora's eyes land on me, and I swear she looks pleased with my reaction.
Rob immediately takes a giant step back, holding his hands up. Nora puts her hand on my elbow, and I hear the sweetest little purr come from her. "Woah, sorry bossman, I didn't… I didn't know you found your Omega. And fuck, the Perfect Omega?" He ruffles his red hair, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're going to blow everyone's minds. Holy shit, dude. Pack Sloane and the Perfect Omega." He walks back to the desk, shaking his head, and I gently guide Nora around him before I fire one of my best employees.
I knew she was well known, fuck, even I recognized her, but I didn't consider the implications of that. When we were shopping, she got stopped, and now Rob, who I would bet isn't regularly sitting down watching Design Clinic interviews.
We pass several employees, all of them hourly workers that I'm not well acquainted with, and I watch their reactions as we do. Every single one of them seems to recognize Nora. I see mixtures of disgust, admiration, amusement, and attraction. It's like the full gauntlet of human emotion. Eventually, we make it to the back offices, and I knock on the door next to mine.
Trina, my general manager, opens her door and props her body up against the doorframe. She's a female Alpha, and her physique shows it. She's stacked, her arms massive. She's also easily a few inches past six feet. She looks from me to Nora, and a feline smile creeps up her face. "Don't tell me the riffraff that is Pack Sloane matched with the Perfect Omega."
"We did, Trina," I say with a proud smile. "How'd you guess?"
"You'd never bring an Omega here if she wasn't yours, especially not this one." She steps towards Nora and crouches down to be closer to eye level. Nora quirks her head to the side.
"I've never met a female Alpha before," she says curiously.
Trina grins. "Well, I'm pleased to be the first, little Omega. And, of course, there is no other you, is there? The Perfect Omega. What's that like?"
Nora wrings her hands in front of her, dropping her head demurely. She gulps before whispering, "Well, I'm learning that not every pack needs or wants the Perfect Omega."
A growl emanates from Trina's chest, and she spins on me, a finger poking me in the chest. "You've told her you don't want her?"
Nora's face is stricken. "Oh no! That's not what I meant at all! Alpha Nolan is very kind and good to me. I just.." she chews on her lip. "Alpha Blaine told me that some Omega training is geared towards specific types of packs and that my pack is not one of those types." She beams with pride when she adds, "All of them are working together and helping me learn to be their Perfect Omega."
I try to communicate with a look to Trina that it's a work in progress and not as bad as it sounds, but I think she understands. Her voice is gentle when she addresses my Omega. "There's no one way to be the Perfect Omega. Being an Omega is just as unique as being an Alpha or a Beta. You are more than your designation." She pats Nora gently on the shoulder, and I swallow a growl. I know she's just being kind. "Your pack is lucky to have you, and not just because you're an Omega."
Fuck, how does Trina manage to be more eloquent than any of the rest of us when she just met Nora? Nora seems to like what she has to say because she beams back at the Alpha. "I feel like the lucky one, Miss."
Trina pulls me into a hug, pats me on the back, and whispers in my ear, "You have to protect her." I nod and pull out of the embrace. After a beat, she changes the subject. "What are you two doing today?"
"Well, we're going to take Lindsey's class," I say, darting a glance at Nora.
"Lindsey's? Shit, I need my camera," Trina laughs. I stick my middle finger up at her as I walk away.
Grabbing Nora by the hand, I lead her to the group classrooms. Each room is massive, with high ceilings and glass walls surrounding it. Anyone can observe a group class, and I've found that it encourages people to sign up for more classes when they can watch one first.
Right now though, I'm regretting that design choice.
We file into Lindsey's room, and it's got maybe ten women in there already. I place mine and Nora's bottles beside the wall, and she neatly folds her jacket and sets it beside them. We take a place in the center of the room, directly in front of Lindsey.
Lindsey is a young Beta with dark brown skin and long braids that she wraps up into a bun on top of her head. She teaches a handful of classes here, including pole fitness, Zumba, intermediate yoga, and Latin dance.
We're not here for any of those, though.
"Welcome everyone to hip hop cardio!" Lindsey calls out.
Nora looks at me, "Hip hop cardio? What's that?"
"Just go along," I whisper. "She'll show us what to do. Just follow her instructions."
"Let's get started, and y'all make sure you do a good job 'cus my bossman is here with his Omega today, yeah?" Lindsey says from the front of the room. Even when she turns her back, I glare at her in the mirrors that line the back wall. With a saucy, exaggerated wink at me, she turns on the music and begins to demonstrate the steps.
It's an hour-long class, and man, it is more of a workout than I thought it would be. I barely keep up with the steps, but that is mainly because I keep sneaking glances at Nora, either in the mirror or just turning my head to look at her. She's beaming, picking up the movements immediately, bouncing and wiggling and laughing along with the rest of the class. A thin sheen of sweat coats her chest, making her shine, and fuck, I don't think she could look more beautiful.
After a particularly involved eight count, she looks over at me and calls out, "I didn't know exercise could be so fun!" and my heart melts. That's exactly why I chose this for her. Based on what she's told us, I was sure she was required to exercise frequently, but I have no doubt they just tossed her on a treadmill.
When the class is over, both of us are red in the face and sucking down water. I watch it drip down her chin and onto her chest, and she doesn't wipe it off. For some reason, that feels like progress. I doubt the Perfect Omega is supposed to be sweaty and spilling her water while she drinks.
While we're in the car on the way back to the house, she's talking a mile a minute, and I take the long way home to extend that.
"I just have never heard music like that! And wow, what a great workout. I really feel healthy and reinvigorated." She places her hand on my arm. Her lilac and wood scent is filling the car since she's so sweaty, and it makes my head spin with desire. "Thank you so much for taking me to your gym, Alpha."
"Of course, sweetie. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."
"I really, really did. Can we do it again? Oh, could I come to the gym more? Maybe I could help you or Trina." Her words come out in a waterfall, so quick and sharp it takes my brain a few moments to catch up.
I reach my right hand over and squeeze her knee. "Absolutely yes to all of that. I would like nothing more."
We arrive back at the house, and I'm surprised to find everyone but Levi still home. But a glance at the clock tells me it's just now ten o'clock, so maybe it's not too out of the norm.
"Hey, birdie. Did you have fun?" Joey asks, looking up from his phone. He's still in his pajamas, with one massive leg crossed over the other as he reclines on the couch.
"Oh, such fun! Alpha Nolan introduced me to people he works with and then took me to one of his exercise classes. I can't believe he regularly does hip-hop cardio! It was such a workout!" She walks into the kitchen and fills her water bottle while the men laugh loudly. She hums to herself, wiggling around the kitchen while I deal with the ribbing from my pack.
"Hip-hop cardio?" Blaine says, wheezing on his laughter. "I wish I could've seen that."
"Nora is quite good," I say, crossing my arms and smirking. "She has very good rhythm. And had no trouble at all with the body rolls."
I raise my eyebrows and click my tongue. Joey and Blaine look at me with jealousy in their eyes. Chase shakes his head and pays closer attention to his phone.
"What're we going to do with the rest of our day, Alpha?" Nora says, moving to my side.
I wrap my arms around her hips, lean down, and gently kiss her lips. She returns the kiss but doesn't deepen it, which is okay with me. It's progress.
"I wanted to just cuddle up and watch some of my favorite movies. Maybe we'll have pizza for lunch."
She looks up at me with those wide blue eyes that I could fall into and a brilliant smile on her face. "I'll go shower and get changed. What should I wear?"
"Lounge clothes would be preferable," I call after her as she heads to the stairs.
"I'm very excited for the rest of the day, Alpha," she says, stopping halfway up the stairs. "I've never had pizza before."