Chapter 29 #3
After three bows for the house, the curtain parted for us to return.
As soon as I returned behind the curtain, I broke out into a nervous laugh as my eyes swelled up with tears.
There was so much lingering tension and anxiety in my body that it just poured out of me.
I glanced around at the many faces that were staring at me, looking for my reaction.
Standing next to Dem was Isaac and Lukas, who were quickly approaching me.
“Come here, love,” Isaac said as he pulled me away from Preston and into his arms. “Come cry into someone whose clothes can be ruined.”
I let out another laugh as Isaac held me tightly. I could sense most of the company standing around as I melted into Isaac’s arms. I caught Lukas’s scent next as two more arms joined in the hug, holding me tight.
“You were so good, Ivy,” Lukas whispered to me. “You deserve every bit of this, and I hope you find a way to enjoy it.”
I lifted my head and nodded at him before softly smiling at Isaac.
I looked around at everyone who was watching and smiled. “I’m sorry, I’m fine. I don’t know if you all know this, but it’s been a hell of a month for me.”
My pack and all the dancers still lingering around broke out into laughs. The tension was slowly leaving my body as I took a tissue from Dem and wiped the tears away.
“Great show tonight, everyone,” Dem said to the company. “Go get some rest, and I’ll see you back for the evening show.”
One show down, five more to go. My name and face were out there as the next omega dancer, even if we hadn’t officially announced anything yet. The thought both terrified yet excited me as I walked off the stage with my pack.
***
Both Friday shows were a big hit, with Preston and me taking additional bows to a thunderous applause at the end of the matinee and evening performances. After eating a late dinner, we all sat on the couch at home, tired but happy, listening to a very excited Lukas provide a recap to my parents.
“Ivy, you should have seen the look on your face when Preston kissed you at the end!” Lukas laughed as he sat next to me on the couch.
His hand went straight to my thigh before slowly peeling it off.
He was trying so hard to be good, and it only made me want him more.
I softly laughed at his restraint and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.
“I’m so excited to see the show tomorrow!” Jonah gushed as she listened to more stories of the day. “I always knew Ivy would make it as a professional, but this…”
“Reviews are already coming in,” Lukas said, eyes glued to his phone.
“This is from the Arbonkale Gazette—‘The audience reaction to Ivy and Preston was unlike anything else we’ve seen. Whether Arco Ballet confirms its omega couple or not, it’s clear they’re building something bigger with this duo. A new era of Ballet, maybe?’”
For the next ten minutes, Lukas read all the glowing reviews coming in about the production and our duet.
Eventually, Isaac and Preston turned in, followed by my parents.
Lukas finally set his phone down and said goodnight, leaving only Dem behind—softly smiling at me with a look of quiet satisfaction.
I walked over to join him and sat on his lap, nuzzling his neck. “Congratulations, Mr. Director. Your shows seem to be a hit so far.”
“One hundred percent thanks to you,” he softly spoke to me. I shook my head as I pressed a few kisses to his neck. When I glanced back up at him, his brows furrowed a bit as he looked at me. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” I shrugged before adding. “Tired, of course. I’ve felt a little tense and hot all night. Why?”
He leaned forward and sniffed me. “You smell slightly sweeter than usual. Nothing wrong, I just noticed this when we were in the car earlier.”
“Oh, maybe from the high of the shows?” I asked, indulging in his scent a little more than I should.
He tilted his head slightly—something unreadable flickered in his gaze.
“Maybe,” he said, though his grip tightened slightly on my hips. “You were beautiful tonight.”
“Thank you.” I stood up and stretched a bit. “Today will definitely live long in my memory.”
***
Demetrius
“Ivy’s next,” I whispered to Jonah. I sat in the audience with Jonah and Justin Turin, watching the first half of the Saturday matinee show.
By now, I’d seen this duet several dozen times, but it always had me on the edge of my seat.
I still felt an eager anticipation of getting to watch them again, despite knowing what was coming next.
The thought of having a whole show with them as the stars really excited me.
The duet music kicked off as Ivy and Preston ran out to the center of the stage, holding hands. Excited murmurs rippled through the audience as they entered; the press reviews were starting to really work up the hype in our favor.
The couple launched into their duet with steps as polished, sharp, and energetic as ever, and the crowd responded in kind, almost to the point of drowning out the music.
Ivy’s turns continued to push the envelope for what could actually be executed in the span of a few counts of music.
Preston’s reflexes knew exactly when she’d stop and where she needed to be, seamlessly guiding her into low lifts and sweeping tosses.
It was just so amazing to watch them perform at this caliber. She was my omega, and she was so beautiful. Something inside me lit on fire as they reached their final diagonal pass. I had to find a way to perform with her, even if it was only once.
Jonah reached for her armrest, grabbing it tight as Ivy was whipping out more turns and moving through the hand-grabbing section with lightning precision.
I felt the intensity and excitement in the audience grow as the end of the duet approached.
And right on cue, Preston pulled Ivy down to his thigh and planted a big kiss on her lips, though now she was definitely expecting it.
The audience erupted onto their feet as whistles, cheers, and bravos drowned out anything else.
Next to me, Jonah was up on her feet, holding her hands to her heart as she screamed bravo for her daughter. I glanced at Justin, who was silently wiping a few tears off his cheeks as he added to the applause of the room.
Ivy and Preston took a step forward, bowing to the audience before stepping back and letting the ballet resume.
This time, though, the audience was still applauding.
They awkwardly smiled at each other as Preston led Ivy forward again for another bow, which seemed to help calm the house down.
I took my seat as the audience settled down and the rest of the ballet continued forward.
We did all of this in four weeks, no bond, and an omega trying to figure out who she really was. Imagine what we could do when we had time to actually plan a real ballet season around my now complete pack.
***
Ivy
In between the two Saturday shows, my pack, my parents, and I stopped into a restaurant for a bite to eat before needing to return back to the theater.
Dem was seated to my right while Lukas was seated to my left, and since the table covered my legs, they both immediately rubbed their hands up and down my thighs. I flashed a smile at them both as I gently caressed their hands back.
“Ivy and Preston, my god…it’s like I’m sitting with celebrities here,” my mom gushed about the show. “Your performance was just so amazing…and did you see the reactions from the audience? They know…this omega thing is something special…they get it.”
Dad nodded along, suddenly seeming more open to my pack as a whole.
“So what’s next for the season, The Nutcracker? Then what?” Mom continued. “Are you two going to do a bigger role?”
Dem leaned forward. “From here on out, they’ll be the stars of the show. We just couldn’t prepare Ivy fast enough for this current production, especially since we’d never worked with her before.”
“We’ve already started adapting our current Nutcracker to focus on Clara and the Nutcracker prince throughout," Isaac chimed in as our plates arrived at the table.
“And Isaac, you said you’re choreographing everything?” Mom pointed at him with her fork. “Another scent-matched pack member is making this all connect. I get it now…” She excitedly stabbed her fork at her pasta, swirling little bits around.
“Then after that is Carmen, followed by A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Lukas replied as his hand felt up my thigh a little higher than it needed to go. I shot him a look that said you’re being naughty.
Mom gasped as she turned to Isaac. “You! Of course! Isaac should be the bullfighter for Carmen. You even have that ‘I’m going to steal your girl away from you’ vibe going on.”
“Mom!” I blushed as I shook my head at her. She could be so forward and blunt sometimes. The rest of the pack burst out laughing at Isaac.
“Why, thank you, Mrs. Turin?” Isaac laughed before turning his hopeful gaze to Dem.
“If you think you’ll be ready in time,” Dem said. “You’re the choreographer too, so you can always work around your own limitations.”
“We need to call the theater and see if we can add more weekends of shows as well. I don’t know if we’ll have enough for Nutcracker now,” Lukas pulled out his phone, looking at future ticket sales.
Dad laughed softly. “The burdens of success.”