Page 51 of Pack Fever

His hand loosens on my arm, but he doesn’t step back.

“The damage is done. This news will spread like wildfire, and the image their marketing team has built around us will be demolished in a flash. That’s what they care about… getting more record sales.”

“I-I’m sorry.” The words spill from my lips, not because I have anything to apologize for, but for the trouble he’s now going to face.

He pulls back suddenly, and I hate how my body steps after him, my chest sticking out, how my lack of control is so obvious. It’s embarrassing.

“I’ll talk to them,” I suggest. “I’ll convince them it was a mistake. Maybe I can say I’m a family friend, married to a cousin, that I’m working for you. We can come up with more ideas.”

Seth heaves a heavy sigh, his expression painful. He stuffs the ring into his pocket with a quick, almost angry motion. Stepping back, he glances at me with something tender behind his eyes.

“Leave it to me to fix. I’ll think of something,” he says firmly. Then he strides out of the kitchen.

I’m alone, standing there, drowning in a feeling of rejection. The situation sucks, yet there’s that lingering sting from how upset he seemed about having me wearing his grandmother’s ring before he knew the full story.

I can’t deny the attraction toward him. The excitement of being close to someone like him is mind-blowing, but perhaps Seth isn’t for me. The same goes for Reed. Doubts about Jasper start creeping in, making me wonder how long it will be before I see his true colors, too.

The ground might as well be shifting beneath me because I’m left feeling unsteady and uncertain. What am I supposed to do now? It’s not like I can just leave… even though it’s exactly what I’m dying to do.

I push into a fast step, heading up to my room, humming a tune in my head, playing the words of my song…

The stars above have stories to tell, but none as bright as us…

And those whispered dreams are now dust

Because you’re not the man I thought you were…

Hmmm Hmmm Hmmm

Chapter

Twelve

JASPER

Strolling into Seth’s office, I’m immediately hit with the thick tension in the air.

Seth’s hurling his cell phone across the room, growling, “Fuck!” The phone smashes into one of the couches, then bounces to the floor. Surprisingly, it doesn’t shatter.

“Day’s that bad?” I ask, leaning against the doorframe, waiting to see what he’s going to throw next. I holed myself up in the empty bar most of the day, working on drums for the recent songs we’ve written. With the new album about to launch, followed by tours and gigs, I want these songs pulsing through my veins like they’re part of my very being.

Seth’s expression remains grim. “Rick’s saying that Wing Music isn’t backing down. They’re accusing us of breaching the contract and want to sue us for everything we’ve got.”

Ice floods through my veins. “What the fuck for?” I nearly bellow the question, disbelief thundering through me. This is the last thing we need now.

“Clearly, Reed hasn’t told you the news.” Seth marches across the room and switches on the huge TV in his office on the back wall, remote in hand.

I frown. “What news?”

He flips through the channels until he reaches the entertainment news channel on the TV. Our mugs are plastered on the screen, followed by a side photo of Danica at the party from last night, staring down at her hand. Then a headline pops up underneath about an alleged engagement. Then it cuts to a panel of the presenters talking about the shock of Seth’s engagement rolling through the industry and speculating who the mystery Omega is. Seth had publicly admitted that he had no plans to settle down with anyone. However, their shock is way overdramatic.

“Well, this is a new kind of fucked up,” I murmur, flopping down on the couch as he snatches the phone off the floor.

Seth explains how his mom gave Danica a family ring at the party and assumes his cousin’s friends leaked the photos to the media for payment.

“I’m already in talks with our lawyers, but I’d rather this not get into a legal battle,” he groans, his brow furrowed as he paces across the office from his desk to the television.

“This is fucking insane,” I mutter. “We need another way out, then.”

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