Chapter 24
Chapter twenty-four
Interference
Lukas
“Whoa, I don’t get summoned to the big man’s office very often,” Tracey joked as she shut the door to Dem’s office. “Am I in trouble?”
“Please sit,” Dem said, gesturing to the chair across from his desk. I leaned off to the side against the edge of a bookcase, watching to see what Tracey’s reaction would be.
Dem lifted up his phone and scrolled over to the picture of the rock, then held it up for Tracey. Tracey’s eyes grew wide as her face paled a bit.
“This looks an awful lot like your handwriting,” Dem said. I could feel the restraint in his voice.
“Look, I put the rock there, but not the glass,” she quickly stammered, standing up out of her chair. “I had nothing to do with it.”
“We found the container of glass inside your boyfriend’s locker,” I added, walking up next to Dem.
“You found glass in Henry’s locker?” she asked, looking at us, perplexed.
Dem and I shared a glance before he continued. “No, we found it in Christian’s locker—he said he was seeing you.”
“Oh,” she replied, sitting down in her chair as her voice grew quiet. “Christian’s…just a side thing. Few people know…” She looked up at Dem, then over to me with a defeated look on her face. “She’s so dumb.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Christian’s other ‘girlfriend’,” she said with air quotes.
“I did the rock, but I had nothing to do with the glass. Susan probably didn’t know about either, so don’t punish her.
All of the dancers have been jealous of Ivy—that could’ve been any one of us stepping out of the corps to dance with Preston.
Sometimes our conversations were a bit heated, and Erika being an idiot… ”
She slowly stood, stretching out her back before looking back at Dem. “Would you prefer my notice now or after next week’s shows?”
“Now,” Dem said. His eyes looked so cold, but I knew he had to feel some sort of relief getting closer to the truth. “Don’t tell Erika about our conversation.”
“I won’t,” she said. “That bitch just cost me my job.”
***
Ivy
The last of the rehearsals was finishing up as I wiped sweat off my brow, practicing turns in the second studio. Preston was lounging on the floor by the barres, reading a book, and if we weren’t in public, I would have gladly pounced on top of him, claiming his lips.
“How’s this turn look?” I asked, taking a preparation and pushing into a spin. I locked my position solidly as I sailed through three turns on the top of my pointe shoe.
“Very nice!” Preston said. “Does that bother your toe at all?”
“I feel a little pressure, but nothing I can’t manage,” I replied. “Any corrections?”
“The left shoulder is lifted a tad too high,” Preston said.
I nodded, about to try another turn, when something in the hallway caught my attention.
“What do you mean you quit?”
That sounded like Susan, but why was she shouting?
“I’ve turned in my notice,” Tracey replied.
I cautiously walked to the door with Preston right behind me and peered out into the hallway. Tracey was carrying a box. Had she just emptied her locker?
“I don’t understand, why?” Susan asked. Erika slowly walked up behind Susan, but not before sending me a glare as she passed. Preston’s hand shot right up to my shoulder, pulling me closer to him.
Tracey sighed, then turned her attention to me. “Enjoy the fame, little Miss Perfect.”
My mouth dropped open as I looked up to Preston, then back to Susan and Tracey. “I didn’t say anything. What’s this got to do with me?”
“Erika Summerly?” A low voice announced, pulling all our attention down to the end of the hallway.
A police officer was standing there, alongside Dem and Lukas.
My eyes connected with Dem’s, who gestured for me to go back in the studio, but I shook my head at him. I wanted to know what was going on.
“What’s this about?” Erika asked, suddenly looking very nervous.
“I’d like you to come down to the station with me to answer a few questions,” the police officer said.
“Why?” Erika asked as Susan backed away from her a bit.
“There is evidence suggesting you may have been behind the assault of another dancer here last Friday,” the police officer replied. “Please come with me.”
I gasped, staring at Erika. I’d considered her my friend the first few weeks here, but this? Was she behind this the whole time? “Erika…”
“Oh, don’t Erika me,” she said, waving me off. “I’ve got nothing to say to you, Ivy. You hid your omega status from everyone, then wormed your way into the Arco pack. You’re a fraud.”
“Get her out of the building,” Dem growled at the end of the hallway. My stomach sank as tears bubbled up in my eyes. She pretty much summed up how I felt about myself this whole time—a fraud.
“You’re so pathetic,” Susan said. I looked up to catch her gaze, but surprisingly, she wasn’t looking at me…
she was watching the police officer escort Erika out of the building.
Turning to face me, she added. “Ivy, she may never say sorry, but I certainly will. I may be insanely jealous of everything that’s happened to you, but I never wanted you to get hurt like that. I’m sorry.”
Dem and Lukas walked down the hallway, both pulling me into a big hug.
Susan shook her head beside us. “Dem, I assume you want my letter of resignation too?”
“Not if you had nothing to do with any of this,” I said, fighting tears back as I inhaled Dem’s calming scent.
Dem lifted his head to Susan and shook his head in reply. “We’ll see you tomorrow for class.”
“Right,” Susan said, quickly walking off and disappearing around the corner.
I couldn’t hold back the soft whimpers as I nuzzled my head back into Dem’s chest. “Thank you,” I whispered, reaching my arm back to pull Lukas tighter into our hug. “Thank you both.”
“This is part of our home,” Lukas said, nuzzling into the other side of my neck. “And you will be safe in it.”
And surprisingly, he was right, I already felt a lot safer, nestled in their arms.
***
Preston
“I still can’t believe Erika was the one who put glass in my shoes,” Ivy said. We were sitting on the floor in our home studio, waiting for Isaac to join us for his extra rehearsals. “I was hoping one day, we could be friends again.”
I pulled Ivy into my arms and held her tight. The cold dance floor froze my back a bit as I crashed backwards with Ivy on me. “I’m glad for your sake that it’s all over. I hated the idea of you in danger. This whole thing’s made me want to lock you in a tower and never let you out of sight.”
“You were supposed to be my prince who saves me from the evil tower, not the one who locks me up,” Ivy laughed, rubbing her nose against mine. “And what would you do with me up in that tower?”
“Very naughty things,” I whispered against her lips. Our mouths reconnected into a soft, passionate kiss. I could kiss her all day, every day…
“I love you,” I blurted out, lifting my head from our kiss.
She softly laughed, rubbing our noses together again. “I love you too.”
With my heart full, I smiled at her. “Shall we keep kissing?”
She was about to agree when Isaac stormed into the room and walked over to the stereo, plugging in his phone and staring at us.
“Let’s go, you two. I want to see our duet now. And stop holding back! You’re not giving it your all. We’ve only got a few days left to get this right.”
I stood up off the floor. “Look, we’re holding back for a reason. This piece is so sensual. I have to walk a very fine line between getting the job done and not losing control.”
“Agreed.” Ivy stood up next to me. “I’m so close to letting desire take over and falling into a heat-flash with this piece. Is that really what you want, us having sex on the stage?”
“I want you to push past that and become familiar with dancing in that sensuality,” Isaac replied. “If you push into it enough, you’ll train to get past it.”
“I didn’t realize you were an expert on dancing with your scent-matched mate,” I mumbled, crossing my arms.
“Fine. Let’s stop holding back.” Ivy threw her hands up in the air. “I’m not afraid of what this will become. I won’t hold back.” She pointed at me. “Don’t hold back either.”
I shrugged in agreement, not bothering to hold back a smile. This would definitely end in us having sex.
I took my place next to Ivy and looked over to Isaac to begin.
The music started with three distinct notes, then on the fourth, I reached out and wrapped my hand around the back of Ivy’s neck.
She grabbed my arms and rolled into my body before stepping up to pointe.
Next, my hand guided her leg up to the side, then drifted back to her hip.
Instead of resisting, I leaned her against my body, firmly grasping her hip with my hand, and burying my head in her shoulder.
“Good!” Isaac shouted in approval.
A shiver ran down Ivy’s spine as I went to lift her over my head.
From the top of the lift, I slowly lowered her down along my shoulder, her back and neck relaxing against me as my hand slid up along her stomach, between her breasts till it cradled her head.
I could hear Ivy’s breath hitch as I used her neck to rotate under my arms.
Next, she dashed away from me, which kicked in my alpha instinct to chase.
I quickly caught up to her and overpowered her as she extended her leg front.
A tiny gasp escaped from her as she shuddered into my arms, my grasp far more possessive than we’d rehearsed.
I pulled her back towards me into a drag down to the floor.
As my arousal grew, I could pick up the scent of her growing need as well.
She rolled out of my grasp, again triggering my alpha instincts to catch her, which I used to run and roll past her to the ground, catching her with my arms and pulling her up to me.
She lifted her leg, her chest pressed against mine—and for a second, I couldn’t stop picturing her naked on top of me.
“This is better! More!” Isaac shouted, slowly moving closer to us. The scent of his lust was mixing with ours.