Chapter 4 First Test #2
She introduced me to a few more staff before leading me to Isaac. My stomach flipped the moment I connected with his gaze. That glint in his eyes told me he was mentally undressing me. My eyes grew wide as the softest hint of raspberry coulis and vanilla reached my nose.
“This is Isaac Senders, resident choreographer and one of the Arco pack members as well,” Millie introduced us.
“Ivy, was it?” Isaac reached for my hand and gently rubbed my thumb with his.
“Yes, it’s…um…a pleasure to meet you,” I said, trying to sound casual. The attempt failed.
I could see him hold back a chuckle as his eyes narrowed to mine. “You’re the new girl with the contemporary background, right?”
“That’s me. I spent the last three years as the lead contemporary artist for Ballet Trope in California,” I replied very fast. Another inhale pulled in more of his delicious scent, and more thoughts of licking his neck dominated my mind. Why licking?
“Excellent. I find dancers with both contemporary and ballet training to have a unique, fluid movement to their style,” he said casually, his eyes anything but. “I look forward to working with you.”
Millie again glanced between Isaac and me curiously. We must have looked so awkward to her. “Well, more people to meet! Come on, Ivy.”
I was very grateful when she pulled me away. I could sense Isaac’s eyes staring at me as we left. I shot a glance backwards at him, and sure enough, he smiled at me with a wink. If the beta blockers hadn't been in effect, I would have burst with perfume just then.
Next, I met the staff who worked in the administration office. Among them was Lukas, who greeted me with a warm smile.
“This is Sarah, Jeff, Ullie, and over there is Lukas, another member of the Arco pack.” Millie gestured to each person. “Everyone, this is Ivy, one of our new corps girls.”
“Ivy, hey!” Lukas stepped forward. “I happened to get a lot of pictures of you this past Monday during class. You should stop by my office and take a look.”
“I remember you with your camera. I’d love to see them sometime,” I replied, feeling a bit more relaxed around Lukas's easygoing humor.
“I have a photoshoot on the schedule soon for all the new dancers. Looking forward to it,” he said innocently enough, but a moment later, when Millie started talking to Ullie, I caught Lukas’s gaze taking in my body. Another blush—I must have been as red as a summer rose.
I exchanged pleasantries with the rest of the administration team before returning my attention to Lukas.
“Look,” he pointed to a few people out on the studio floor, casually dancing. “Want to dance?”
“Millie was introducing me to everyone…”
She chuckled softly. “Go for it, don’t let me stop you.”
I looked back at Lukas, trying to decide if dancing with him was wise.
“Sure, I’d love to.” It was just a dance, not a public declaration. Plus, I really wanted to be with him.
The moment Lukas placed his hand on the small of my back, a jolt of lightning soared through my body, settling deliciously between my thighs. He led me out to the dance floor, catching a few surprised eyes and a few glares from his fellow pack mates.
We started casually dancing together to a fun, upbeat song as more people joined in on the dance floor. Lukas was trying his best to keep his hands off me, but I could sense a strong desire for him to touch me. I glanced over to Isaac, who was staring daggers at him.
“Is this your idea of subtle?” I quietly joked to Lukas.
“What, I’m not allowed to dance with a cute girl?” Lukas said as he grabbed my hips for a brief second before letting go again. “I’m not a saint…”
“Isaac looks pissed right now,” I teasingly shook my head in disapproval.
“You should see the look Preston’s giving me behind you.” Lukas laughed, grabbing my hand and twirling me around. “I don’t care, I won the straw draw. I get to dance.”
The sweet smell of lemon sugar and shortbread drifted in the air between us, and before I could stop myself, I leaned forward to inhale his scent. Standing back upright, I stared at him in embarrassment, trying to regain my composure.
“I’m sorry!” I whispered as I returned to dancing normally. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“It’s fine, we can’t always help it.” Lukas shot me a half-smile with a hint of fire in his eyes. “Though if you keep doing it, you’re going to give us away.”
“Should we stop dancing?” I asked. As soon as the words left my mouth, my body screamed in resistance, wanting to stay near him longer. But if I couldn't control myself, I needed to stop.
We both stared at each other for a brief moment, then walked our separate ways. Each step away from Lukas was a battle with my feet.
As I walked off the dance floor, one of the principal dancers intercepted me with a frown, standing in front of me with her arms crossed.
“Adrienne, right?” I asked, watching her body language carefully. Her jaw was set tight, and she had a scowl on her face, but I wasn’t quite sure it was for me. “Something wrong?”
“I’m just here to warn you.” Adrienne glanced at Lukas, who was now chatting with Preston. “You don’t want to get mixed up with the Arco boys. They’ll discard you immediately when they find their omega girl. It’s all they care about.”
“Oh.” A flicker of panic rose in my chest. “I was just having fun and dancing.”
“I saw the way Lukas looked at you. He clearly likes you.” Adrienne crossed her arms. “I’ve had my heart broken by one of them. I’m just trying to save you from the pain. Good luck.”
She walked away from me and made her way over to Preston, who blew her off before looking for me from across the room.
My heart sank. They were clearly an item before all this. How could I compete with her? And she was probably right. I was going to get all tangled up in this pack before getting completely dumped by them. Maybe this was a bad idea. I didn’t need this pack to reach my goals.
Sensing a slight panic attack coming on, I slowly walked back to the hallway and dipped into the other studio for a moment alone to breathe.
***
Preston
“Adrienne just cornered Ivy,” I whispered to Dem. He’d been standing in the corner making small talk with several of the staff members. I knew, however, that just like us, his eyes followed Ivy the moment she arrived.
Just as Dem turned his head towards me, Lukas approached with an obnoxious smirk on his face.
“Lukas, what the hell?” I asked, annoyed at him. I grabbed his arm and pulled him away from everyone. “We said we’d all keep our distance from her tonight. Why were you dancing with her?”
Lukas shrugged, seemingly indifferent to my anger. “I asked her to dance, and she said yes. What’s the big deal?”
“Adrienne talked to her for some reason, and now she’s in the other studio, clearly upset,” I angrily whispered to him. Lukas really pissed me off sometimes when he acted like he could do no wrong.
“I'd be happy to go check on her,” he said.
I looked at Dem, who was watching us argue. After a slight pause, he motioned to me with his head to go after her.
Yes, I’d go check on her. I brushed past Lukas and walked towards the other studio. Normal people checked on each other, right? I wasn’t checking on her because she was my omega—could I call her that yet? She was my omega, though, or she would be eventually.
My heart pounded with each step I took towards the second studio. I would just peek in, make sure she was all right. If she needed my help, I’d be there to help.
What if she was crying? Did I have a tissue? The studios had tissue boxes, and I’d grab one.
Maybe she needed a hug, too. Lukas said she needed more skin contact. I could give her more if that would make her feel better.
I both loved and hated this feeling of uncertainty. I didn’t want to just be with her because she was our scent-match. I wanted to get to know her, be her friend, hang out, and have fun with her. And I wanted it all right now.
As I approached the back hallway, Isaac intercepted me.
“Where are you going?” he whispered, trying to act casual as he glanced back at me.
“I’m going to check on her,” I whispered back. “Adrienne said something to her, and now she’s back in the second studio, probably upset.”
Isaac watched the various couples on the dance floor as he replied. “Ivy seemed pretty sharp to me. She’s going to figure out you and Adrienne had a thing.”
My heart sank. Of course, she would, and I knew Adrienne would be sure to tell her.
“What should I do?” I quietly asked him.
“Tell Ivy the truth. She deserves to know what she’s getting into,” Isaac said. “We all have a past, but yours is walking around this company, still trying to win you back.”
I didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. “I will.”
“And if she hates you for it, I’ll be right here to comfort her,” Isaac smirked at me before holding the studio door open.
I flipped him off as I walked inside the room.
***
Ivy
As I worked to calm my nerves, the scent of chili chocolate and burnt caramel drawing closer caught my nose. Looking up, Preston was standing awkwardly inside the studio, watching me with a concerned look on his face.
“Hey, mind if I…” he gestured next to me.
Reluctantly, I nodded, and he settled against the ballet barre close to me.
He remained motionless beside me for a brief moment before breaking the silence. “I saw you talking to Adrienne. What did she say to you?”
“She warned me to stay away from the pack, telling me I’ll be dropped the moment you all find your omega.”
“She warned you about yourself?” Preston softly laughed, his fingers finding my arm and drawing circles.
I thought for a moment before admitting my stupidity. “Actually, yeah, she did, didn't she? I was so fixated on her warning, I didn’t realize what she was talking about.”
Kneeling, I ran my hands through my hair, trying to release some tension. “You two had a relationship at one point, didn’t you?”
“Briefly, but it obviously didn’t work out. I was killing time, waiting for our omega to show up, and she wanted the whole thing.” He knelt next to me. “She’s never meant anything to me, and I’m one hundred percent ready for you in my heart. I want you to know that.”
I looked over to him, surprised but also comforted by his words. “Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it.” I wasn’t sure why, but it was easier to talk to him in this moment. The intensity was gone, and in its place seemed to be vulnerability.
I flashed him a brief smile as we both heard the sound of footsteps entering the room.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I was just checking on Ivy,” Millie said, standing in the doorway of the studio. “Is everything okay?”
Preston stood up quickly. “Me too, just checking on Ivy. She’s been sick all week, so I wanted to make sure she wasn’t passed out somewhere.
” He turned back to help me to my feet. The touch of his strong, gentle hand had a grounding effect for me.
I guess I was touch-starved, reflecting back on Lukas’s comment.
Millie approached us. “Very well. Do you want me to give you two a moment?”
“No, I should probably go.” Preston motioned to the door but didn’t move. Instead, he looked at me questioningly, as if wondering if I still needed him.
“Thank you for checking on me, I’m fine,” I said, sharing a brief smile with him. He silently mouthed okay, then slowly left the studio, briefly looking back once more before exiting.
Millie watched him leave, then fixated her gaze on me. “You seem to have gotten to know Preston very well pretty quickly.” She walked over, standing next to me. “You know, I’ve known this pack since their Twin Stellar days, before this company was even formed…”
I dropped my gaze to the floor, shuffling my feet around awkwardly, unsure whether I should trust anyone else with my secret.
“I won’t tell a soul, but it might be nice to have a friend with whatever's going on here,” she added.
“Millie, I wasn’t even aware I was an omega when I got here. I'd been classified as a beta since I was ten,” I blurted out.
“I knew it!” A look of pleased confirmation took over Millie’s expression. “Are you their scent-match?”
“Yes. Last Monday, both Demetrius and I realized…it’s just that the whole thing is so much to take in. Honestly, it feels good to tell someone.” I looked over to her, curiously. “How did you figure it out?”
“Well, Preston, Isaac, and Lukas all seemed very interested in touching and talking with you. Lukas stole you away to dance with him. Demetrius couldn’t keep his eyes off you from his corner.
Adrienne could sense that you and Lukas liked each other, then Preston came in here to check on you.
” Millie ticked each point off her finger.
“I’d never seen so many people so invested in a new company dancer this much before. ”
I laughed. “We’re not very good actors, are we?”
“Well, maybe I noticed because I was watching for something.” She looked at me and smiled. “Consider me your confidante and supporter. What would you like to do? Rejoin the party? Head home?”
“I should rejoin and try to pull myself together.” I stretched my neck and jumped around a bit, trying to get re-energized. “Let’s go.”