Chapter 8 #2
The dance continued onward—more turns flowed effortlessly at every moment, lifts were so easy, and every chance she got, she connected with me to add a soft touch, or an extra head lean on my arm, even an intense connection between our gaze.
Butterflies were continuing to grow more and more excited in my stomach.
She might not have been able to say a god-damn word to me, but her dancing sang volumes between us.
Dancing with her felt like a sensual encounter in the bedroom, so intimate and seductive.
I could so easily carve her into any shape I desired, and I knew she’d be like that for me sexually as well.
My mind started to tunnel in on her every move.
My hands effortlessly molded around her body as if she were made just for me. They glided along her waist, down her gorgeous legs, up her back. I even let my chest find more contact between us; I would never have done that with any other partner.
I took a deep breath as fatigue set in. Rosewater and white chocolate hit me hard, almost causing me to miss a brush of my arm with hers. She adjusted so fast to the missed beat—remarkable.
The last turn took off—ten clean rotations, finishing in a wrapped position—her leg wrapping around my waist with her foot lifted to reach almost my mid back.
Next, I was supposed to separate, lower to my knees and bow, but I didn’t want to let go.
Instead, I wrapped my arms around her waist and dropped down to my knees, burying my head into her stomach.
This was so much more than anything I could’ve imagined dancing with my scent-match. There was such an intense connection between us, and we barely knew each other. I knew right then I would never let this woman go.
***
Ivy
The music concluded as Preston buried his head into my stomach—not quite the way the choreography was supposed to end. Not that I could blame him, as dancing together felt like several minutes of foreplay.
This was the most charged rehearsal I’d ever felt—my skin was tingling with need.
This was what an omega ballet couple could do, and this was just our first time dancing together.
Everything was so easy to execute, and the energy seemed to explode with each turn and lift.
The sensuality was so natural between us that our dancing became a race to find the most extra skin contact.
And I’d even taken beta blockers this morning, how much stronger would this have felt without them?
Preston continued to wrap his arms around me as we both breathed heavily.
The smell of his arousal hung in the air everywhere.
He could clearly smell my arousal, being so close to my pelvis.
Gasps and murmurs sounded behind me in the hallway—apparently, half the company decided to watch our practice during their break time.
Glancing up in the crow’s nest, Demetrius and Isaac watched as well, both with a different sort of fire in their eyes.
In the room, Lukas sat under the barre, his camera down on the floor as he stared longingly at us. “Wow…” he said, clearing his throat as we worked to catch our breath.
I gently rubbed Preston’s shoulders. “You can let go now.”
His hands moved to my lower back as I felt a brush of his lips against my stomach.
Oh god, what if he went feral here? I thought in a panic.
“Preston! There are a lot of people watching us,” I sharply spoke, trying to get his attention.
“I’m sorry.” He pulled back his head and stood up, walking away from me and draping himself over a nearby ballet barre. “Give me a minute to breathe.”
A small break would be a good idea, I thought as I grabbed a drink of water. The clock turned eleven, signaling the start of lunch for most of the company.
I gestured to Lukas that I was going to grab a bite to eat. He slowly nodded to me, watching me leave the room without a word. Walking down the hallway, I refilled my water bottle at the water fountain before turning around and running right into Adrienne.
“So you’re the little omega. Did you think it was funny when I warned you to stay away from them?” She asked me. Her face looked puffy and red, as if she’d been crying.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied, pretending not to remember her warning.
“I bet you run your mouth about me the moment I’m not around.”
I looked at her in shock, shaking my head. “No one talks about you at all. Why would we?”
Her entire body stiffened, then she brushed past me, slamming into my shoulder which caused a little water from my bottle to spill. I frowned, shaking it off as I leaned against the beige hallway wall. I needed to move past this encounter; there would certainly be more of them to come.
I made my way over to the dancers’ lounge, wanting to grab my lunch and eat something.
But as soon as I entered past the door, all eyes immediately turned to me.
I paused, standing in the doorway, hands clutched together, anxious as hell.
I did not feel welcome in this room…at all.
I searched for Millie, but couldn’t find her anywhere.
She was probably in another rehearsal at the moment.
“That’s her, right?” Someone whispered loudly enough for me to hear.
Feeling my face flush, I slowly backed out of the room and stood in the hallway, unsure where to go at this point. I was tired, hungry, and not welcome in most parts of this building. I guess I’d just go wait for rehearsals to start in the studio.
***
Isaac
I realized I was pressed up against the glass window as much as was possible, watching Ivy and Preston dance together. Their chemistry was incredible, no doubt due to the scent-match between them. I was so inspired to work with them, ideas started darting through my head.
“My god…” Dem exhaled in shock before looking at me. “Well?”
“Well fucking what, you know what I’m going to say.
That was amazing,” I couldn’t help but loudly exclaim.
“We could do a rework of Romeo and Juliet, or La Bayadere. Tons of contemporary pieces featuring them. Dem, this is it. They’ll make this company the premier company to venture to.
Every alpha pack’s been trying to do this, and we’re about to succeed.
My mind is on fire right now—they aren’t even bonded yet, we aren’t bonded yet.
Imagine what it’ll be like when we actually are! ”
Dem chuckled slightly. “It’s everything we’ve wanted, right here at our fingertips. We have to tread carefully…it’s not just them that'll make this work, but they have to be in the limelight. She has to be ready for it.”
Lukas entered the room, slightly out of breath. “You watched that, right? Tell me you saw them dance.”
“We saw,” Dem replied. “What are your thoughts?”
“My thoughts?” He gently laughed, stepping closer to us.
“That was amazing, and they’re just getting to know each other.
Imagine what they’ll do with full-length ballets or contemporary works.
I have a thousand ideas on how to market them.
We have to create a launch and show them off to the world, let the dance community know we’ve done it.
Everyone who’s anyone will fly to see our company. Are we prepared for this?”
“Great question, are we actually prepared for this?” Dem asked, looking between Lukas and me. “Can we shelf them for a season while we prepare for next year?”
“Word will get out too fast,” Lukas said, quickly shaking his head. “The company already knows we have an omega, and they’ve guessed it’s Ivy.”
“Wow, that was fast,” I frowned. “How is she doing? She probably feels so isolated.” I looked out the window down at the studios. “I don’t see either of them…are they…”
As if answering my question, Preston walked in with the biggest smile I’d ever seen. “Did you all see that?” He dropped down on the couch and ran his hands behind his neck. “That was amazing. How did it look?”
“It looked amazing, and I’m very jealous it’s you and not me still.” I frowned further as I grabbed a pillow off the couch and hit Preston with it.
“You’ll get to work with us. She’ll bring your ideas to life.” Preston sniffed his shirt before collapsing against the back of the couch. “Her scent is still on me.”
Lukas paced a few steps in front of the window, then turned to face us again, his eyes bright with focused urgency.
“We’ve got maybe a week—tops—before word spreads outside our walls.
You know how fast the dance world moves.
If we don’t get ahead of this, we risk looking like we’re hiding something.
We need to frame this right: Ivy is our omega, yes—but she’s also an incredibly gifted dancer who earned her place here.
The message can’t be ‘pack finds omega,’ it has to be ‘pack discovers artistic partner who elevates the company’s legacy. ’”
Demetrius folded his arms, considering. “And how do you suggest we do that?”
“Start small. Controlled. First, I do a behind-the-scenes feature—low stakes, maybe about the new dancers. Casual photos of Ivy and the corps, nothing too pointed. Then a slow trickle of Ivy and Preston rehearsals—just enough to tease something exciting without confirming the bond. Let the dance world come to us.”
I gestured in agreement, impressed. I'd been best friends with Lukas for a long time. He may act like a flirt, but when it came to publicity, he knew his craft.
Lukas leaned against the windowsill and exhaled. “Then, when the time’s right, we build an exclusive. A formal shoot. A press release, ‘Arco Ballet’s Rising Stars’ or something equally vague. Keep it clean, artistic. Let the magic speak for itself before the omega angle even enters the room.”
“Where did she go?” Dem asked, looking over between both studios.
“She said she was getting lunch,” Preston gestured downstairs.