Chapter 31
Chapter thirty-one
On the Edge
Isaac
I wasn’t quite sure why, but here I was, standing outside Ivy’s door for some reason. It was the middle of the night, and I should have been in bed, but I couldn’t clear her out of my head.
After the shows, we celebrated with dinner, followed by stories of Ivy growing up from her parents, with Ivy being sufficiently embarrassed. We all crashed early, exhausted from this long week and ready for a few days off, finally.
So why was I up in the middle of the night, standing outside her door?
What if I went in and just checked on her?
Would she be angry if I went into her room?
Would I be able to leave if I went in there?
My skin felt like it was crawling around again, the same feeling I'd had before we’d become physical together.
“You too?” Lukas asked as he walked up to me and leaned against the hallway wall.
“What are we doing here?” I asked, pointing at her door. “We’ve slept apart before. Why is tonight so hard?”
Now Preston was quietly leaving his room. As soon as he spotted us, he froze, frowning before coming over to join us.
“What are you all doing here?” he asked as the door next to Ivy’s opened and Dem stepped out.
I chuckled softly as the four of us stood awkwardly outside Ivy’s bedroom.
“A quick recap, none of us can sleep even though we’re all clearly tired, and we all suddenly want to check on Ivy, even though we’ve all been fine this whole time in our own bedrooms,” I said, looking over to Lukas. "What's going on?"
“I can’t be certain.” Lukas furrowed his brow. “But I believe what we’re experiencing right now is the ‘pull’. We want to be near her because she’s about to go into heat.”
“Thank god her parents are leaving tomorrow morning,” I added.
“Does everyone feel prepared for this?” Dem asked us, looking around at each of us.
Preston smiled. “I’m so excited to bond with her. I’m definitely ready.”
“Agreed,” Lukas added.
I completely agreed with them. I wanted that bond badly with her; she lit me on fire.
“Should we still check on her?" Preston asked, looking at the door.
I followed his gaze to her door. “She’s probably curled up in a little ball, snuggled in her blankets, fast asleep.”
We all chuckled at the thought.
“We need to get some rest as we might be heading into a long three days coming up,” Lukas said as he gestured us back to our rooms.
Three days in the nest with Ivy—just the thought made my pulse race.
***
Ivy
I was not imagining it.
There was a buzz in the air this morning—subtle yet electric.
It felt like a storm was about to roll in.
I caught Preston watching me as I bit into a croissant, his eyes slightly glazed.
Isaac was being unusually quiet, poking at his plate.
Lukas kept adjusting in his chair, his leg bouncing like he had drunk too much coffee.
Even Dem was more rigid than usual, his hands folded with clinical precision on the table.
No one said anything as we all sat around the table, eating breakfast. Usually, they were all joking and teasing each other.
“So, Ivy,” my mom broke the tension. “You seem a little flushed, sweetheart. Are you feeling well?”
“Just warm,” I shrugged. “Probably the theater lights this weekend. They always dehydrate me.”
Lukas nodded. “Yeah, we’ve all been running on adrenaline. Could be residual performance high.”
“Or nerves,” Preston added a little too quickly. “Nothing unusual.”
Dem lifted his mug to his lips but didn’t drink. “We’re all coming down after the high of this weekend.”
Every time I shifted in my seat, though, I caught each of them looking at me, hunger and possessiveness in their eyes. It almost reminded me of when we first met as a pack. Very strange.
“Well, Mom, Dad. It’s time to get your luggage all loaded up and into the car.
We said Dem and Lukas are helping today, correct?
” I said as I reached for my mom’s luggage.
All four boys sprang out of their chairs for some reason.
I laughed a little at their reactions as I shot them each a curious glance.
“Yes, I’ll get these bags, and then we can head out,” Dem said as he picked up each suitcase and carried them to the garage. My mom gave Preston and Isaac a wave, while my dad gestured goodbye to each before they followed Dem out through the garage door.
I looked back at Lukas, Preston, and Isaac. “Are you all feeling well? Something seems off today.”
“We’re fine,” Isaac shook his head with an indifferent shrug.
Preston didn’t reply, but he just looked at me with a small smile on his face.
“Here, take this and drink as much as you can in the car,” Lukas said, handing me a bottle of water. “Don’t want you getting dehydrated today.”
I chuckled softly as I kissed his cheek. “Well, let’s get going and get my parents to the airport.”
I tried to move towards the garage, but my feet felt glued to the floor, not wanting to leave Preston and Isaac behind. A soft little whimper escaped me at the thought of us splitting up. I looked at Lukas and blinked. No, something didn’t feel right today.
“We’ll be right back to them.” He gestured to Preston and Isaac. “Give her your shirts or some clothing, please.”
They both handed over their jackets to me quickly. Relief washed over me as I inhaled each scent deeply, feeling slightly better. Why did I need their scents with me?
“Let’s get in the car, and we’ll be right back,” Lukas said, leading me out to the SUV. He was treating me like a child, but it was oddly refreshing as it was becoming harder and harder to focus.
The ride to the airport still felt off. I had to keep inhaling Preston's and Isaac’s jackets to stay calm. Lukas rubbed my hand, whispering sweet nothings the entire ride.
“Sweetie, is everything alright? You look a bit agitated,” my mom asked.
“Yeah, I just feel off today,” I shook my head as I wiped a bit of sweat collecting along my brow. “I probably picked up a bug this weekend.”
“I’m sure all of you are looking forward to resting,” Mom smiled as we parked the SUV. Dem unloaded the luggage while Lukas continued to hold my hand. I had to have him near me right now, and he seemed to sense my needs. I didn’t even like Dem walking in front of me—he felt too far away.
Every step through the airport was a battle to move—my body wanting to return to the car and back to my mates' jackets. I had to glue my mouth shut to prevent any whimpering on my end. We walked my mom and dad to security, where we said our goodbyes.
“Ivy, I’m so proud of you sweety,” My mom said as she wrapped me in a big hug. “Your show was beautiful, and this pack of yours—I approve.”
Next, my dad gave me a big hug. “Just be safe and let us know if you need anything.”
He turned and shook Dem’s hand. “Take care of her, please.”
“We will,” Dem said.
“Have a great flight! I love you!” I waved as they made their way through security. A part of me was very sad to see them go, but a larger part was screaming to get home with my pack.
I turned around and wiped more sweat off my forehead. Grabbing Dem and Lukas’s hands, I whispered to them. “I feel very off today.”
“We know,” Lukas squeezed my hand. “You’re starting your heat. Let’s get back to the car quickly.”
I looked at him blankly as his words started to set in. “You think…”
“Yep,” Lukas nodded. “You need your packmates now—that’s why you had a hard time leaving this morning. Just keep holding my hand, and we'll get you home.”
We navigated our way through the airport terminal, past the many travelers coming and going till the front doors appeared in sight. As soon as we stepped out into the fresh air, I cried tiny whimpers.
Lukas held my hand tighter. “Do you want me to carry you?” he asked, rubbing his hand against my arm. I couldn’t seem to talk anymore, so I just shook my head.
I whined with delight when we finally arrived back at the SUV. Once inside, my hands immediately grabbed Preston and Isaac’s jackets and brought them to my nose, inhaling deeply. That seemed to calm me down a bit, but not as much as before. I needed them badly, near me, touching me.
“Try not to let her perfume so I can focus,” Dem said from the driver's seat. Lukas buckled me up and pulled my head down to his chest.
“I’ll do my best,” he said as his breathing started to increase. He whispered soft, soothing words to me as the car took off and exited the airport parking lot.
I tried so hard not to whimper or whine, but my body began to shake with need.
I inhaled my packmates’ jackets again, which continued to give me brief moments of reprieve.
My eyes were starting to tunnel in and tune out all other distractions apart from my mates.
I barely registered the car zipping fast down the freeway—my eyes were watching Lukas as he continued to whisper to me.
“Here,” Dem said as he shed his jacket and handed it back to us. I immediately grabbed it and added it to my pile of scents, inhaling deeply.
“You’re doing great, Ivy. I’m so proud of you,” Lukas whispered to me. “I loved watching you onstage this past weekend. I can’t imagine how it would feel to actually dance with you. I’ll have to get in shape, so you’ll have to wait a bit for me.”
I turned my head to him and inhaled his chest deeply before lifting my head to his and kissing him. That helped relieve a lot of the stress building up, but he pulled away slightly. I let out a soft whimper at his lips.
“Sorry, Ivy,” he struggled as he spoke. “I want to kiss you very badly, but I’m very afraid I’ll lose control here, and you’ll perfume.” Lukas sighed as my kisses trailed down his neck.
The SUV pulled into the neighborhood, relieving more of the stress—I knew we were getting closer to home. I lifted my packmates' jackets again and inhaled deeply as the SUV pulled into our driveway.
Gratitude filled my heart once the car came to a complete stop. The three of us unbuckled our seatbelts quickly and rushed inside to find Isaac and Preston eagerly waiting in the living room for us.
As soon as I saw them, I cried out with joy before smiling back at Dem and Lukas. My breathing grew heavier as I wiped more sweat from my brow.
Nodding at all of them quickly, I barely squeaked out, “Yeah, it’s time.”
Intuition took over my body, and my feet carried me upstairs.
My mind slowly tuned everything out around me with each step I took upward.
The sensation in my fingertips heightened as I drifted them along the wooden stair banister, feeling the smooth polish of the dark wood.
I could smell the delicious scents of my packmates behind me, following me with each step I took.
When I reached the top, I glided towards the double doors and opened them to the group bedroom, pulling my hair out of its hair tie and letting it cascade down my back.
Inside the group bedroom, there was another set of double doors leading to the nest. I pulled off my socks in front of those doors before opening them, revealing the nest inside.
I could hear gasps behind me as I walked inside the nest, peeling off my shirt and shorts, then unhooking my bra and pulling down my underwear.
I reached the center of the nest, where a pile of blankets and pillows lay about.
Completely naked, I kneeled and closed my eyes—a burst of my perfume exploded, inundating the room completely.
My thoughts blurred together before simpler wants and desires emerged. I should have been nervous, but I wasn’t.
I wanted this, and I wanted them.
The omega part of me was now completely in control.
End of Part One