Page 154 of Sweetheart: Part One

But acting?

Elite packs who got into acting were in the public eye like no other. It wasn’t something that sounded remotely appealing to me, until I realised the beauty of it.

Tie the fame to the power, and I would never have to worry if my leash on Ebony wasn’t enough. It would be a million leashes from a million watching eyes at every turn, keeping him in line. If he wanted his money and power, he’d have to behave. And the crushing finality of that was the part Ebony had failed to calculate.

So Rook had recorded my audition and given it to Ebony. I faked obliviousness to the fact he was stalking our mail and forging my signatures. I think he even pretended to be me on a phone interview, and acted perfectly outraged when the truth came out. I even got a psychopath vacation when Ebony settled into that period of contentment he did whenever he believed he’d won another war.

Acting was the greatest gift my brother had ever had, and I don’t think he would ever understand the extent of that. The kind of faith I’d had in that plan, I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Not until Vex.

I almost jumped as Rook’s door opened. He nodded to me, dressed to the nines in the best he could manage of formal-wear as he made for the drawers of the kitchenette and sifted around.

“Taken yours yet?” he asked, waving the pack of scent blockers at me when he found it.

I shook my head, and he popped one for himself and then tossed the packet to me. It was Gala rules. Packs and omegas with the possible scent matches out there took these out of courtesy. They were strong drugs, not something you’d want to take all the time unless you wanted to send your hormones out of whack, but that was a low price to pay to avoid a scent match. These events were swarming with people and it was hard to control who we were in proximity to.

“You excited?” I asked.

It was a mid-tier award—Best Individual Actor Within Pack Dynamics—but wasn’t the top the ceremony offered. Rook got excited any time he was nominated to the Diamond Tides, though. Unlike the rest of us, he had a whole checklist of goals he’d set for his career.

“Yeh. Socials are blowing up, I think it’s adding to the hype for Dragon Hunters next week.”

He paid attention to shit like that. I did when I had to, but it didn’t bring me the excitement it did for Rook.

“It’s uh… first night we’re all going out with her,” Rook said, sinking down onto the armrest of the couch beside me.

I nodded.

“You think our image will be okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we’ve always been… available. Makes a difference for the fans, right?

I shrugged. “Packs get Sweethearts, they do just fine. Besides, everyone already knows.”

Rook nodded, looking a little distracted. “You and her are close, yeh?” he asked finally.

I blinked, trying to figure that out as I watched him. I hadn’t told him what went on between Vex and I on her nights with me. I didn’t want him knowing what I was forced to do, and I didn’t want it getting in the way of the two of them falling for each other. Two of the four nights, he was spending with her.

It was… a new experience, seeing Rook get close to someone. He’d had more flings than the rest of us put together, but he never let anyone close.

“We’re doing well,” I said evenly.

Rook nodded again. “Same. Me and her, I mean.”

“Do you think she’s doing her job well?” I asked.

All of this would be worth it if Vex was balancing them.

“Yes.” Rook’s answer was immediate.

“Good.”

The guilt weighed heavier than before. He had no idea how much I was faking, while he was building something real with her. Vex was looking like a more permanent addition and I needed to figure out a middle ground for us.

VEX

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