“Good. We’ll get everything set up on our end and give you all the rules you need to follow until the reunion show.”
Once the TV fades back to the show’s logo, I rub my hands over my face. Leaving the house isn’t the end of this.
“Shit, I forgot we’re going to have to be careful about being seen while the show airs. It’d ruin things if we were seen galavanting about as a pack.”
The sound of a soft knock interrupts whatever Ivan was about to say.
“Guys? Are you… decent?” I can hear her blush in her voice, and it is adorable.
“Yeah, sweetie, come on in.”
She’s fully dressed when she walks into the room, which is surprising. We haven’t been in here that long. Her contacts are in, her hair styled prettily, and she’s wearing tight jeans and a fashionably oversized sweater. She sits on the bed and wedges herself between us.
“This is it, huh? The last day.”
I can’t tell if she’s happy or sad. Things are going to be different once we get out of here, but that’s a good thing, right?
Ivan rubs his beard, eyes unfocused as he stares at the ceiling. “Yeah. How are you feeling about everything? About…” He doesn’t finish the sentence.
“Are you asking if I regret bonding you?”
Straight to the point, I see. I guess it’s better to get this conversation out of the way right out of the gate rather than waiting until we’re about to board the plane.
He places his hand on top of mine and squeezes, reassuring himself as much as he is me. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Then let’s get that out of the way. No, I do not regret it. I am still a little sore from the Sax situation, but I’m not going to let that stop me from seeking happiness. Calvin would have approved of you guys.”
I still have complicated feelings toward her brother. It makes me sick that he asked her what he did, but I can seeit was a moment of weakness for him. It doesn’t matter how I view him, though. It matters that his memory tainted Ariana’s view of the world.
Until now.
Ivan grabs her chin and pulls her across me for a delicate, romantic kiss. This is not the type of kiss that makes someone moan or their toes curl. It’s the kind that makes you feel safe. She sighs into his mouth, nearly melting into my lap.
When he releases her, I scoot back to give them more space. He presses their foreheads together, and she grabs his bearded cheek.
“We still have a lot to figure out, especially me and Derrick, but I promise I’m not going to run away from you.” She releases him and turns to me, caressing her bite on my lobe. “And I hope you don’t regret letting me bond you.”
“Never.” My words ghost across her lips before I press mine against them.
After a few luxurious moments where we fall into one another, she pulls away. “I’m going to go make us breakfast. Do you think they’ll have any last-minute challenges or anything they want us to do today?”
I try to think back to the final episodes of the show, but I can’t remember if it was just packing up or if the producers tried to sew in a bit of discourse before leaving the house. I come up blank.
“Well, it can’t be worse than asking us to bond, right?” Ivan asks as he pushes to his feet. He digs through his suitcase, which he never bothered to unpack when Derrick left, for an outfit to wear today.
“Well, Alpha, now that you put it out there, I bet it will be.” He stops short at Ariana’s words, spinning around and gaping.
“Say it again.”
My Omega wrinkles her brow in confusion for a moment before a sly smile curls her lips. “Oh, that now that you put it out there, it will be worse than asking us to bond?”
He shakes his head and takes two long steps to get to her. “You know that’s not what I want to hear, Omega.”
A full body shiver rolls down her spine. She plays with the ends of her soft brown hair. “Alpha.”
Our Alpha groans and grabs her around the waist, pulling her hips flush with his. “You’re not allowed to call me anything else. Fuck my name. Who likes Ivan anyway? I will only answer to Alpha now.” He points a finger at me and narrows his eyes. “You never call me Alpha.”
“I do too, Left Alpha.”
