Page 137 of Sweetheart: Part One

Then what is the goal?

I’d found myself craving the nights she came, desperate for her presence in my room. I didn’t care why she was there, or if she’d rather be somewhere else.

She was my Sweetheart, and I wanted her in arm’s reach. I wouldn’t reach out to her, not ever, not really. But then the nights she was gone, I’d begun to feel… alone.

I’d never known loneliness. Born to a full sized pack, I’d joined my own the moment I hit eighteen. Yet the two nights of four without Vex were getting emptier than ever. I wasn’t the only one who felt it.

The living room post midnight had become something of an unspoken alpha moping zone, where Aura Boxing would run in the background and whoever wasn’t with Vex that night would turn up. Except Ebony of course, who was still hiding.

I’d never even considered that Drake might be on edge about it, worried for all of the wrong reasons.

There was a moment of silence and a soft sound.

Oh.

They were kissing.

I decided that was a good time to walk around the corner. I didn’t want either of them catching me overhearing this.

When I stepped out, Vex jumped, breaking their kiss. Both sets of eyes jumped to me. She was seated on the bar table, legs tangled around Drake’s waist, her palms to his cheeks. The kiss had been passionate, I’d caught that much.

Again, I buried a pang of discomfort that lifted its ugly head. I forced a grin onto my face as I passed them both, making for my room. “Don’t let me distract you love birds.”

But Vex was already extricating herself from Drake and slipping from the table. She caught up to me as I reached my bedroom door. I didn’t turn to her until I had it half way open, heart still racing in my chest as I tried to decide how I was feeling.

I wasn’t sure.

“Hey uh…” Vex was fisting the hem of her sleeves anxiously. “I wondered if I could come later tonight. Give Drake a little extra time—he wanted to watch a movie, and I thought—”

“Yeh,” I cut her off, an unexpected lump in my throat. “I’m actually tired. Not up for company.”

Her brows furrowed, eyes darting between mine as she processed what I’d said. “You… don’t want me to come in?”

“Nah. I’m good Baby Girl.” The nickname didn’t feel right on my tongue.

Nothing felt quite right.

It felt even less right as she took a few steps back, eyes lighting with relief. There was a smile on her face as she looked back to Drake, lips parted as if she was about to speak. Then she paused, glancing back at me.

“Okay…I’ll uh, come next time.”

I nodded, but couldn’t take my gaze from her. Not as she backed up. Not as the delighted smile lit up her face in full force as she turned to Drake.

She hurried over to him, animated all of a sudden. “Drake,” she said, excited. “Tonight, if you still—”

I cut off the rest of those words, slamming my door shut.

VEX

It was the day before the Diamond Tides Gala—the massive event that I was supposed to formally attend as the Crimson Fury pack’s Sweetheart.

It was the day that everything went wrong.

Rook had told me he was happy not to see me, and I’d watched a movie with Drake in my room. It was still early when the storm had hit New Oxford. It should have been fine—would have for any normal person—but for me it was worse than a thousand nights stuck with Alastor.

My fucking kryptonite.

So, not trusting myself not to purr in terror, or give something away to Drake, I sent him packing. Then I hurried to the only room in the huge mansion that had no windows: the theatre.

---