Chapter 4 First Test
Chapter four
First Test
Lukas
The Arco Ballet Company party always occurs on the first Sunday of the season.
It was usually a pretty laid-back event as dancers and staff caught up after the summer break.
It was also an opportunity for everyone to casually meet the new dancers and get to know them better.
I mostly just hung out with the admin team, tossing jokes back and forth while we watched a few of the dancers get drunk and start dancing.
This year, however, I was very eager to attend tomorrow as I'd hopefully get to see Ivy again. We’d only just met her yesterday, but already I felt like something was missing without her near.
Preston, Isaac, Dem, and I sat at the dining room table, eating dinner. We usually had a pack meeting every Sunday morning, but with the company party, we’d decided to meet up early, especially with the excitement about Ivy between us.
All four of our phones buzzed, pulling our attention to the incoming text.
Mind if I join the company party tomorrow? Dr. Laughlin brought me some beta blockers. Completely understand if I’ll be too distracting!
“She seems so sweet, and she’s worried about us,” Preston said, gently touching his phone screen. We each scrambled to be the first to reply.
Of course! We’d love to see you tomorrow! -Lukas
Absolutely, happy to have you! Don’t worry about us. -Preston
Come find me and talk with me when you get there -Isaac
We would love for you to join us if you’re feeling comfortable. One of us will be by your apartment to escort you across the street. -Dem
The four of us exchanged glances with each other as a thought dawned between us.
Preston frowned, clearly frustrated by the realization. “We can’t all hang out with her tomorrow. That would be very suspicious.”
“Is it our plan to keep this a secret from the company?” I asked. “Maybe we should ask Ivy…”
Ivy- What would you like us to tell the company? Would you prefer we keep this a secret for now?
“I imagine she’s not going to want the company to know right away, and I really don’t want them to either.
” Demetrius shook his head as his brows furrowed slightly.
“There’ll be a lot of intense reactions about this—some supportive, others not.
Let’s first make sure we’re moving in the right direction. ”
All four of our phones buzzed.
If it’s okay with you, I’d prefer the company not know about this, at least for now. -Ivy
Perfectly fine with us, cutie!
“I’ll take one for the team and be the one to hang out with her,” Isaac sighed with a smile, clutching his phone to his chest.
“We should all keep our distance and let her come to us,” Dem said. “She’s going to have a certain level of discomfort in front of the company, and if we’re too clingy, she might not enjoy the attention.”
We all frowned with disappointment but agreed. Tomorrow would just be viewing from afar.
“At least let’s draw straws for who gets to walk her over,” I suggested.
***
Ivy
I stood in front of my living room mirror, fixing my shirt and checking my jeans.
I kept second-guessing whether it was a good idea to go to the party.
The last time I saw the Arco pack, they were hanging all over me, most likely because I was perfuming so strongly.
I’d already taken a few beta blockers an hour ago, so hopefully my scent wouldn’t be noticeable to most. Plus, I couldn’t just keep avoiding them.
Tomorrow, I’d need to return to the studio to resume my job.
Would they like this outfit? I wondered, then quickly shook the thought away. I wasn’t some silly girl who cared what her guy—or guys, I guess—thought about her outfit. I’d never been that way before.
A loud knock helped me to refocus. I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly before opening the door. Standing before me was Lukas with a big smile on his face. Of course, I noticed those cute dimples of his and those sparkling blue eyes.
“Hello, gorgeous! That outfit looks stellar on you,” he said.
My heart did a little flip at his compliment. I guess I was that type of girl who dressed for her guy.
“Ready to head across the street?” he asked, gently brushing my arm with his hand.
“I guess so,” I replied hesitantly. “And I can just come back if anything goes wrong.” A sudden wave of panic rose in my chest as I pictured the company all gossiping about me behind my back. Oh god, could I actually handle this?
“Hey, don’t worry. All five of us are on beta blockers today,” he said as he continued rubbing his hand up and down my arm.
“We’ve begrudgingly agreed with Dem that we’re all going to keep our distance so you won’t have to worry about us.
” The sound of his voice, along with his touch, reassured me.
I wanted to lean into his touch more and just stay in this moment with it.
I exhaled loudly, relieved by his words, but now there was this annoyance that I wouldn’t be near them. My mind and my body struggled with what I wanted from this pack.
“I just don’t want the company talking about me. You understand, right?” I asked, searching his face for any sort of acknowledgement.
“Yeah, totally. I completely understand your apprehension,” he said. His eyes grew concerned as he held out his arms to me. “Ivy, may I hug you? I just want to comfort you.”
I rushed into his arms, not fully understanding the strong pull toward him. A large sigh escaped from me as I melted in his embrace. A faint hint of his lemon sugar and shortbread scent tickled my nose, working its magic to draw me in. Great, I was already a needy omega who needed comfort.
“It’s all going to be okay,” he softly said, cradling the back of my head. “I want what’s best for you, and if that means you need space as you get used to this new situation, then that’s fine! And if you need to pull a guy into a corner and make out with him a bit, I’m here for that too!”
I burst out laughing as I stepped back from his arms. “Thank you. I wish I were better at this.”
“You’ve only been an omega for less than a week.” His eyes seemed to laugh as he fixed a little hair on my forehead. “No one’s grading you here, and I’m frustrated with the fact that I can’t help you through all this.”
I let out another large exhale as I stepped out of my apartment and locked the door behind me. “Let’s go. And maybe we can find some time to chat at the party.”
“I’d love that,” he said.
***
The company party was in full swing as I entered through the front door.
Lukas had agreed to let me arrive first while he waited outside to avoid the appearance of entering together.
Inside the main studio, fun music and the smell of delicious food hovered in the air.
The room was crowded—many of the company dancers and support staff had brought their families and significant others.
Before I could even search the crowd, a few of the girls I’d met at the beginning of the week rushed up to me, all smiles, but likely hungry for gossip of my absence.
Susan, one of the older corps girls, gushed as she gently pulled a hair off my shoulder. “Ivy, right? We’ve missed you this week! Steven said you were sick. That was one hell of a bug you had!”
“Yeah, it was pretty awful,” I lied, feeling a little tense from the deception. “I plan to be back tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll catch up quickly.”
“Of course, we’ll help you!” Millie, another one of the older corps girls, said. In the brief time I’d known her, Millie seemed to always radiate upbeat energy. “We’ll get you back into action. Come in, have some fun, and meet some people!”
I followed Millie into the room, relaxing more the farther I walked in.
She led me around to meet various dancers, and most of the corps dancers were funny and open to knowing me.
On the opposite end, most of the principal and soloist dancers offered only the bare minimum of politeness.
I’d bet they saw a handful of corps dancers rotate in and out of the company every year, and probably didn’t bother to get to know those who might not stick around.
“Come here and meet another principal,” Millie said as she pulled my hand to her. As soon as I maneuvered around a few people, I found myself face-to-face with Preston, who was trying to suppress a smile as his eyes scanned me up and down.
“Hello, I’m Preston Maleric,” he said, holding out his hand to shake mine.
His piercing green eyes drilled into me, daring me to respond.
I inhaled sharply, unable to speak as I took his hand and shook it.
He looked so good in his casual attire, and I caught the faintest hint of his scent—chili chocolate and burnt caramel.
I had a strange urge to run my hands through his hair and bury my nose in his neck. Suppress the urge, suppress the urge…
Millie looked back and forth between us, adding a little laugh. “She’s Ivy Turin, one of the new corps girls.”
“Ah, very nice. I look forward to working with you,” he said, subtly squeezing my fingertips before gently letting my hand go.
His hand landed casually on my shoulder—but the way his fingers flexed, I could sense how badly he wanted to touch me.
“I always seem to be on food duty, so I should go back to manning the drinks and supplies. Let me know if you want anything to eat. Don’t want you going hungry. ”
I nodded with a smile stuck to my face as heat crept up my neck. His eyes glanced over me once more before turning back to the table of food.
“Preston’s always very intense, especially when he locks his eyes on you,” she laughed, no doubt sensing the awkwardness between us.
She reached for my hand and continued leading me around the room.
“He’s an amazing partner if you ever get the chance to dance with him.
Very caring and considerate, doesn’t rush the lines.
Also, in case you didn’t know, he’s one of the Arco pack members. ”