After we all finished greeting Ivy, Dem gestured with his arm to the backyard. “Ivy, this is obviously our patio. We have cookouts here occasionally, there’s a pool over there, hot tub to the left. There’s a patch of grass in case you’re a barefoot-in-the-lawn kind of girl. We’ll show you the rest of the house after lunch.”
I watched her intently for any signs that she liked our place. I wanted her to like our packhouse so badly, and if she didn’t, I wanted to change it all for her.Was I pacing while I followed them around? Ugh, I needed to calm down.
“Sounds great,” she said, looking around and breathing in the fresh air. “This amazing place is huge! How do you all afford it?”
Yes, she likes our place! I thought, feeling giddy as Dem led Ivy to the patio table.
“I had a small inheritance I used for building this and the company. We mostly sustain everything off our four salaries now,” Dem replied, pulling out a chair for Ivy and helping her sit down. He took the seat to her left while I maneuvered into the seat on the right, earning a glare from Isaac as he sat across from Ivy.
As the clouds cleared away, a sunbeam shone right into Ivy’s eyes. Sensing her discomfort, I reached up to prop the large table umbrella open, shielding us from the bright sun. She smiled at me with thanks, making my heart flip. Once Preston finished with the grill, he set down a plate full of steaks, burgers, and brats and took the last seat at the table.
“This looks delicious.” Ivy leaned forward, taking in all the sides and plates of food. “There’s so much here!”
Preston looked at her with wide eyes. “I wanted to make sure I made enough things you'd like, so I just kept making things.”
Ivy laughed as she accepted a plate full of food from Preston. “Thank you! I’ll eat as much as I can.”
We all filled up our plates with food and dug in. After a brief moment of eating, Ivy looked at all of us curiously.
“Do you mind if I ask some questions?” she said, studying each of us briefly.
“Of course, ask away,” Dem replied with a soft smile, reaching his arm around the back of her chair. How he could remain so calm and confident around her was beyond me. I loved how he had a natural, relaxed energy that somehow radiated his confidence. I'd always thought of him as the perfect pack leader.
She picked at a small piece of fruit, pausing briefly. “The four of you danced together at Twin Stellar Ballet, right? How did you decide to form a pack and your own company?”
“Our time at Twin Stellar was less than ideal,” Dem replied as the rest of us continued to eat. “My dance career was stalled, and I was exiting a rocky relationship. Isaac kept getting denied both medical care to address his injury and opportunities to choreograph. Lukas was doing all of their social media for free, and Preston was downright blackballed from progressing up the ranks of the company.”
“What? Why?” Ivy asked as her eyes darted to Preston.
“Everyone could tell he was extremely talented, including the director’s wife, who kept trying to seduce him. The director was pissed at her affections toward Preston and stopped casting him in shows. The three of us left in protest with Preston and settled here instead, forming our own company.”
“Wow, that’s horrible,” Ivy furrowed her brows as her sweet scent turned incredibly bitter. Alarm bells rang in my head—she was upset, and I needed to comfort her. My hand rubbed her thigh as everyone else leaned in.
“Hey, we’re all in a much better place now,” Preston connected with Ivy’s hand.
“Amuchbetter place now,” Isaac flirtatiously winked at Ivy. A strong burst of her sweet rosewater and white chocolate scent spread over the table. Her scent hit me—sweet and arousing—and I purred softly. Her gaze snapped to me, followed by a bashful smile.
"Dem and I knew each other before Twin Stellar, actually," I added, wanting to keep her gaze. "We've been best friends since high school, where we met. Then came Isaac into our group, followed by Preston. We seemed to just naturally click together, each ready for this new adventure."
"I think we're the luckiest guys on the planet," Preston said, giving Ivy a little wink.
Ivy took a small bite of her brat as she worked to cover up her smile. “Next question,” she said. She hesitated for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts.
I reached over and caressed her cheek. “Just ask it, we won’t be embarrassed or anything. We all understand this is still very new to you.”
She smiled back at me before looking at the four of us. “I’ve been trying to do a lot of reading, but there are stillsome things I just don’t understand. How does this omega thing work? I mean, why would you four want to share me?”
“That’s a great question,” Dem said, pausing to think for a bit. “There’s a tremendous benefit to us working together and sharing what we have. We each pull our weight around here to keep up with the packhouse, each contributing a salary, and everyone gets to explore things that interest them while still having companionship. No single person is tasked with having all of this on their shoulders.”
Dem paused, letting his hand softly massage her shoulder. “The same can be said for when an omega enters the mix. There are things we can each contribute to individually, but together we’re able to find a better balance to support our omega and each other. An omega tends to connect us all together, too, which helps to mellow out some of the rougher aspects of an Alpha’s personality.”
I closed my eyes, deeply inhaling her sweet scent. “Most alphas dream of scent-matching with an omega. But the reality is that an omega tends to need more than what one alpha can provide. Packs settle on three to five alphas, which seems to be the best way to support an omega without overwhelming her.”
“That I don’t understand. I can take care of myself.” Ivy tilted her head curiously at me. “Support me how?”
I chuckled softly as the others darted looks between each other. “Support you sexually. An omega’s sex drive is tentimes higher than that of an alpha or beta, plus your heat requires alphas to tend to you.”
“Oh…” Ivy blushed thoroughly as a new wave of perfume erupted from her.
