Chapter 16 No Longer Lonely
Chapter sixteen
No Longer Lonely
Lukas
A quiet peacefulness hovered in the air throughout Ivy’s tiny apartment as I stirred awake. I found myself in a pile of blankets, surrounded by Isaac and Preston. Demetrius sat at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of tea. The shower was running in the background, most likely Ivy.
Standing up from the blanket pile, I stretched my arms and legs out, walking over to join Dem. A bowl of fruit sat on the table along with a few bagels, and though my stomach was hungry, I was mostly content to just sit and relax with him.
“I don’t make breakfast as well as Preston does,” Dem chuckled a bit as I took the chair next to him. He seemed more relaxed this morning, and something smelled different about him…was that her scent? It was all over him.
My eyes narrowed as I tilted my head curiously at him. “Seriously? When?”
“Middle of the night,” he replied, taking a sip of his tea.
“And?” I asked, taking in a deep breath.
“Did not disappoint,” he softly replied as his finger traced the rim of his cup. His eyes flicked over to me. “She’s timid about knotting, just fyi. We didn’t do that.”
“Oh my god, that’s right,” I quietly gasped, arousal waking up in my body.
It seemed to always be there these days.
“We could eventually be knotting with her.” I leaned back against my chair and ran my hands through my hair.
“Is it me, or does this keep getting better and better for us? I’m waiting to wake up from this glorious dream. ”
Demetrius silently nodded his head. Knotting was an alpha’s dream. The lock of an omega was said to feel amazing for an alpha. I just couldn’t believe my luck.
Isaac and Preston slowly stirred awake while Demetrius and I sat and drank tea, shifting our conversation to various plans for the weekend. Once Preston got up on his feet and joined us, he scoffed at Dem’s breakfast before rummaging around in the fridge for more food.
Eventually, Ivy left the bathroom and joined us, all fresh and changed for the day. She looked slightly tired but happy. A little blush formed on her cheeks every time her eyes traveled to Dem. I would definitely need her to blush for me soon.
Breakfast proceeded as we joked about the weekend, teasing Ivy a bit about her blanket pile, and making plans for potential dates next week. Once breakfast was complete, the four of us stood up, ready to head back to the packhouse.
This was the part I always hated, and it was getting harder and harder to do each day. We each kissed Ivy goodbye as we made our way to the door. A heaviness hung in my heart knowing I was leaving her behind yet again.
As Preston opened the front door, though, a bitter scent filled the air, causing us all to pause as my mind grew with concern. Ivy’s sweet scent had turned foul very quickly.
I turned around to see Ivy’s face full of concern as she stood before us, wringing her hands.
“Ivy? What’s wrong?”
***
Ivy
All eyes were on me as I breathed heavily. My heart was pounding a thousand miles an hour as I grappled with what my body was telling me to do.
I stared at them standing in the doorway—watching me.
I couldn’t stop bouncing on my feet, unsure if this was the right thing to do.
They said they were ready for me…we had a lot of fun together.
And I was growing closer and closer to them each day.
My chest tightened, but I couldn’t hold back anymore.
“I’m ready,” I finally blurted out, holding my arms wide.
“You’re ready?” Lukas asked as he stepped closer to me. The other three exchanged hopeful glances with each other.
The words started pouring out of me, but I couldn’t stop them.
“I’m ready to join you all and be with you in the packhouse.
I’m so lonely here, and I just want to be happy with all of you, laughing and teasing.
Playing with each other, talking about things, kissing, and having fun together.
I’m your omega. Let’s be a pack together. I’m all in.”
Once my words came to a halt, I saw the shocked expressions on their faces. I inhaled, waiting for their reactions.
“Ivy, that’s wonderful!” Lukas wrapped his arms around me in a big hug and spun me around. “Let’s pack your stuff!”
“Excellent,” Preston grabbed me next, planting a big kiss on my lips.
Isaac kissed me on the cheek. “It’s about time, we’re dying over here.”
Demetrius came up to me last and pulled me into a warm embrace. “I’m so glad you’re finally ready. We’ve all been ready and waiting for you.”
A huge smile spread over my face. I was so grateful they each accepted me.
“What do we need to grab?” Preston looked around. “I can start packing the food, I guess.”
“I really don’t have much, just a few suitcases' worth of stuff.” I looked around the apartment. Almost everything here was part of the temporary unit, so there was not much to pack.
“Perhaps we should grab a suitcase's worth of clothes today and return tomorrow for the rest when we have the bigger car,” Demetrius suggested to us.
“That sounds like a great idea. I’ll go pack a bag really quickly.”
I rushed into my room, grabbed a suitcase out of the closet, and immediately filled it with clothes. Isaac came in to assist, but paused short of the bed as a small grin spread over his face.
“Ivy, dear, why does it smell like sex in this room?” He asked quietly, slowly walking towards me.
A blush spread over my body as I shrugged my shoulders, shoving more clothes into my suitcase. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I see. So the fact that this room smells strongly of you and Dem means nothing?” He laughed softly. “Good for him.”
I rolled my eyes, smiling as I finished packing. Trying not to overdo it, I gathered just enough for a few days' worth of clothes. I’ll be back tomorrow, I reminded myself, trying to ignore a slight twinge of anxiety as I looked around.
“You okay?” Isaac asked me as his eyes watched me frantically roam my room. He reached out with his hands to my hips to pause my pacing, then gently caressed my cheek.
“Just a big change, you know? Three weeks ago, I was looking for my own place to move into. Never did I imagine I’d be moving into the pack’s house that runs the company.”
He pulled me into a big hug. “We all know it’s a big change for you. Let me know what you need.”
“I’m fine,” I said, snuggling into his arms for a brief moment longer before backing away. “Change is…change, I guess.”
We rolled my suitcase out to the living room, where the other three were waiting for us by the door, ready to grab my bag and head out to the car.
My boys immediately turned the walk to the car into a race to get there once I said I was ready to go.
As soon as I settled into the backseat, I sighed, letting a huge wave of relief overtake me. This felt right.
Lukas and Preston sat next to me and wrapped their arms around my shoulders, all full of smiles as we joked about me joining them.
This was it. I’d chosen my path, and I could finally breathe.
***
Lukas
My heart was doing flips as I sat in the back seat next to Ivy. My arm kept competing with Preston’s to touch the back of her neck and shoulders. She was finally ready to live with us; her scent would be everywhere, and we’d get to be with her all the time.
I buried my nose in her neck and inhaled deeply while I gently rubbed my neck against her shoulder.
“I can do this anytime I want now,” I softly said to her.
Ivy laughed at me. “I still have boundaries, you know.” She inhaled the scent from the back of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Let’s focus, pack,” Demetrius called out from the driver’s seat, excitement radiating from his voice. “We have a lot to do, so let’s reorganize our weekend plans.”
“Right…Saturday—cuddling with Ivy. Then Sunday—I get more time with Ivy,” I joked as I continued to rub the side of her neck. The combination of my excitement and wanting her physically was almost too much to handle.
“That’s not what I meant,” Demetrius sent me a stern look through the rearview mirror. “Ivy, when would you like to go shopping for your suite? And then not to rush you or anything, but consider what you’d like to do with the nest.”
Ivy’s body tensed beside me as soon as Demetrius mentioned the nest. A lot of the topics surrounding her heat seemed to still stress her out. I pressed ticklish kisses under her ear, trying to get her to relax.
She exhaled softly, giggling at my touch. “Why don’t we focus on the bedroom first, and I’ll take a look around the nest this week. Which room is it, by the way?”
“It’s the two double doors inside the group bedroom,” Isaac replied.
“We should just put giant mattresses everywhere,” Preston suggested as he kissed Ivy’s cheek.
“Like an insane asylum, should be really comforting,” I joked, getting another laugh from Ivy. Her laughter rang like a soft bell to me.
The car pulled into the neighborhood, inching us closer to Ivy officially moving in. I grabbed her hand and intertwined my fingers with hers, earning a smile and a kiss on my cheek.
“What do you want for dinner tonight?” Preston asked, gently turning Ivy’s head towards him. “You seem to like my shrimp salad.”
“That sounds nice, but whatever works for you,” she replied.
“I know what I want for dinner,” I whispered in her ear, getting another laugh out of her. Her laugh was perfect.
“You need to stop,” she pointed at me, trying to be stern, but her face couldn’t hold the expression. I leaned forward and licked her finger, causing her eyes to grow wide with surprise.
“We’re here!” Isaac called out from the front as the car pulled into the garage. “Everyone out immediately. I need to touch Ivy now!”
We all jumped out of the car quickly; I helped Ivy out of the middle seat. As soon as she was clear of the car, Isaac scooped her up in his arms and carried her inside the house. We were all just a tad excited that she was finally with us.
***
Ivy