Page 124 of Sweetheart: Part One

“I…” I swallowed.

“You’ll really show him up now, if you don’t—”

“Lee!”

“You’ve got ten seconds to make the decision, love, or we’ll have to say you stood us up—”

“N-no.” I couldn’t think straight. What would it look like for the pack, if I didn’t go out right now? What kind of Sweetheart would I look like?

My mind raced to what the lawyer had said to Rook. There were already strikes against me.

I scrawled a shaky signature across the page.

“Out of the way—”

“Shut up.”Then Jay was in front of me again. “Take a breath, Vex.” The irritation vanished from their voice as they spoke to me. “I’m not letting you go until you take a breath.”

I nodded, inhaling deeply. The world steadied around me, if only a little. Then Jay ushered me forward, and I was stepping onto the stage.

I had to keep it together.

I took another breath, forcing one foot in front of another.

It was too bright, and the crowd was hushed.

Then I saw him.

Ebony had stood from his chair, and he was looking at me, something soft on his expression. That softness, it wasn’t real.

Buthewas.

My mate.

I fixated on him, catching faint twilight grass—not strong enough. This wasn’t a beta only workplace, and he’d used a dampening spray to keep his scent limited while around so many people, reducing his risk of a scent match.

Still, I could do this with him here. I don’t remember walking toward him, but then his hand was in mine and storm cloud eyes were the only thing I could see.

Sounds rushed back. A cheer from the crowd, Dean Trance’s voice and more words I wasn’t capable of processing.

My face. What the fuck was my face doing? I had to check it.

There was a faint smile on it. Natural. Just natural enough, I hoped.

I didn’t look away from Ebony, trying to make him understand that he couldn’t leave me right now. If he wanted me not to make a complete idiot of myself—of him, I needed him.

I should be doing something, right?

Speaking, perhaps?

But there was a trace of something I’d never seen in his eyes before—just for me. Was that,maybe, real?

His arm wound around my waist, and he was sitting, sweeping me down with him easily. Twilight grass surrounded me, the warmth of his body caging me in protectively, my back at his chest. My breathing loosened just a bit, and every word he spoke—words I still couldn’t process—was a vibration down to my bones. Finally,finally, some of them began to make sense.

“Bit of stage fright,” Ebony said. “It can be overwhelming up here.”

I nodded, smile still on my face. Dean Trance was looking at me expectantly, with dark eyes, crows feet, and gelled black hair.

Hewasexpecting something. At my back, Ebony was silent now.

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