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 neededto 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 housedown. 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 currentNutcracker tofocus 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 isCarmen, followed byA 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 saidyou’re being naughty.
Mom gasped as she turned to Isaac. “You! Of course! Isaac should be the bullfighter forCarmen. 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 forNutcrackernow,” Lukas pulled out his phone, looking at future ticket sales.
Dad laughed softly. “The burdens of success.”
Chapter thirty
Preparations
Lukas
“Sunday morning pack meeting,” Dem called to all of us as we sat down for breakfast. Ivy’s parents grabbed their plates and joined us, too. “Mr. and Mrs. Turin, every Sunday morning, we have a pack meeting to check in on things, discuss any important details, and make plans if needed.”
“That sounds nice,” Jonah said as she took a seat. “What’s on today’s agenda?”
“Let’s start with a check-in on this weekend’s performances. Lukas, give us the numbers.” Dem looked at me, already knowing the answer.
