“Is it our plan to keep this a secret from the company?” I asked. “Maybe we should ask Ivy…”
Ivy- What would you like us to tell the company? Would you prefer we keep this a secret for now?
“I imagine she’s not going to want the company to know right away, and I really don’t want them to either.” Demetrius shook his head as his brows furrowed slightly. “There’ll be a lot of intense reactions about this—some supportive, others not. Let’s first make sure we’re moving in the right direction.”
All four of our phones buzzed.
If it’s okay with you, I’d prefer the company not know about this, at least for now. -Ivy
Perfectly fine with us, cutie!
“I’ll take one for the team and be the one to hang out with her,” Isaac sighed with a smile, clutching his phone to his chest.
“We should all keep our distance and let her come to us,” Dem said. “She’s going to have a certain level of discomfort in front of the company, and if we’re too clingy, she might not enjoy the attention.”
We all frowned with disappointment but agreed. Tomorrow would just be viewing from afar.
“At least let’s draw straws for who gets to walk her over,” I suggested.
***
Ivy
I stood in front of my living room mirror, fixing my shirt and checking my jeans. I kept second-guessing whether it was a good idea to go to the party. The last time I saw the Arco pack, they were hanging all over me, most likely because I was perfuming so strongly. I’d already taken a few beta blockers an hour ago, so hopefully my scent wouldn’t be noticeable to most. Plus, I couldn’t just keep avoiding them. Tomorrow, I’d need to return to the studio to resume my job.
Would they like this outfit? I wondered, then quickly shook the thought away. I wasn’t some silly girl who cared what her guy—or guys, I guess—thought about her outfit. I’d never been that way before.
A loud knock helped me to refocus. I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly before opening the door. Standing before me was Lukas with a big smile on his face. Of course, I noticed those cute dimples of his and those sparkling blue eyes.
“Hello, gorgeous! That outfit looks stellar on you,” he said.
My heart did a little flip at his compliment. I guess I was that type of girl who dressed for her guy.
“Ready to head across the street?” he asked, gently brushing my arm with his hand.
“I guess so,” I replied hesitantly. “And I can just come back if anything goes wrong.” A sudden wave of panic rose in my chest as I pictured the company all gossiping about me behind my back. Oh god, could I actually handle this?
“Hey, don’t worry. All five of us are on beta blockers today,” he said as he continued rubbing his hand up and down my arm. “We’ve begrudgingly agreed with Dem that we’re all going to keep our distance so you won’t have to worry about us.” The sound of his voice, along with his touch, reassured me. I wanted to lean into his touch more and just stay in this moment with it.
I exhaled loudly, relieved by his words, but now there was this annoyance that I wouldn’t be near them. My mind and my body struggled with what I wanted from this pack.
“I just don’t want the company talking about me. You understand, right?” I asked, searching his face for any sort of acknowledgement.
“Yeah, totally. I completely understand your apprehension,” he said. His eyes grew concerned as he held out his arms to me. “Ivy, may I hug you? I just want to comfort you.”
I rushed into his arms, not fully understanding the strong pull toward him. A large sigh escaped from me as I melted in his embrace. A faint hint of his lemon sugar and shortbread scent tickled my nose, working its magic to draw me in. Great, I was already a needy omega who needed comfort.
“It’s all going to be okay,” he softly said, cradling the back of my head. “I want what’s best for you,and if that means you need space as you get used to this new situation, then that’s fine! And if you need to pull a guy into a corner and make out with him a bit, I’m here for that too!”
I burst out laughing as I stepped back from his arms. “Thank you. I wish I were better at this.”
“You’ve only been an omega for less than a week.” His eyes seemed to laugh as he fixed a little hair on my forehead. “No one’s grading you here, and I’m frustrated with the fact that I can’t help you through all this.”
I let out another large exhale as I stepped out of my apartment and locked the door behind me. “Let’s go. And maybe we can find some time to chat at the party.”
“I’d love that,” he said.
***
