I flipped through each paper, one by one, making separate piles of those who appeared to be Ivy’s friends versus those who did not. It really irked me that her friends' pile was significantly smaller than the other one. I’d needed to fix this for her…no, she’d probably tell me that everyone just needed more time.
After going through every single one, I took the ‘non-friend’ pile and divided it up between male and female dancers. I then cross-referenced the list of dancers against Lukas’s observations.
Yesterday, he’d found a container of glass in Christian’s locker. I found Christian’s form and pulled it out as well. I was just about to add it to the suspect pile when I looked down at his handwriting—it looked like he had a first grader fill out this form. I let out a small laugh as I put his form down. He might still be guilty of the glass, but he probably didn’t write the message on this rock.
I glanced over at Adrienne’s form, then Susan’s, followed by Erika’s and Tracey’s forms. Nerissa hadn’t turned hers in yet, so I had nothing to go on there.
Adrienne’s writing looked very aggressive, while the rock contained more of a delicate, cursive style. Susan’s was cursive, but the slants were all wrong. I almost thought Erika could have written this message when I glanced over to Tracey’s form. The handwriting was a perfect match.
Part of me was excited to have put this clue together, but a whole other part of me was disappointed. Tracey had been with the company for over three years. She never made a fuss, never created any problems; she just showed up and did her job well. Why would she feel so threatened by Ivy?
I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Lukas. Hopefully, this connection will lead us somewhere.
***
Preston
Ivy and I sat in the backseat of the pack SUV, waiting for the other three to come out. This morning, I gave the two of us class in the home studio, then we ran through our piece a few times. Ivy claimed her toe was feeling better, but with our performances next week, we all agreed not to push her too much.
I could feel that both of us were excited to get out of the house. We were supposed to go shopping this past weekend, but with everything going on, the trip was moved to today.
Lifting Ivy’s hand to my mouth, I gently kissed her knuckles, softly rubbing her hand with my fingers. I hoped that this shopping trip would brighten her spirits—with everything going on in her life, she deserved to feel like a million bucks.
As soon as I saw the other three coming out of the company building, I rolled down the window and handed Dem the keys to the car. Lukas hopped into the front passenger’s seat while Isaac slid in on the other side of Ivy, immediately snuggling in her neck.
The level of aggravation was still high amongst the four of us, but what surprised me was the alpha energy radiating off of Dem. If I weren’t his packmate, I’d be terrified toapproach him at the moment. He probably needed this trip to destress as much as Ivy did.
As soon as the car pulled onto the main road, Dem cleared his throat, catching our attention. “Quick review: we’re looking for bedroom supplies for Ivy, along with things for her nest.”
Isaac lifted his head out of her hair. “We should stop by a lingerie store as well.”
“And why is that, Isaac?” she asked, slowly rubbing my hand with hers.
“You mostly wear sports bras during the week, which is fine, I guess, but do you own anything sexy?” Isaac asked.
Ivy laughed softly. “No, I've not had a whole lot of reasons to own a wide array of sexy clothes before now.”
“Maybe Isaac and I will go shopping for you while you find your room stuff,” Lukas said.
With a sigh, she shrugged her arms. “You know what I hate the most about this? That little omega part of me is squealing with delight that you want to buy me lingerie and have me wear it for you. Who have I become?”
“Preston, Dem, do you have any requests for our sexy goddess here?” Isaac asked.
“White, soft, angelic-looking things,” I said, earning Ivy’s attention as she lifted her brows at me. “Maybe some pink, too.”
“I’ll text you,” Dem said from behind the wheel, earning a laugh from around the car. Minutes later, we pulled into the parking garage and found a spot near the entrance.
As we all stepped out of the car, I spotted Ivy taking a deep breath and a loud exhale behind me. I shot her a curious glance, making sure she was okay.
“I used to secretly mock seeing packs with their omega walking around in malls and shops.” She anxiously replied. “I feel very self-conscious doing this.”
“But now you realize why packs travel together, right? Alphas want to be with their omega. I want to be right next to you, holding your hand.” I brushed my hand along her shoulder. “Would you prefer I give you space?” I clearly didn’t want to, but if that’s what she needed, I'd do it.
Much to my relief, she shook her head and reached for my hand, giving me a little squeeze.
“No, I want you all by my side. It’s time I face some of these insecurities,” she said.
It felt a little odd walking together as a pack with Ivy. Before her, we'd never done much together unless work called for it. I would have laughed at Dem earlier if he'd suggested we four all go to the mall to shop.
