Page 159 of Sweetheart: Part One

Fuck me.

This was insane. I couldn’t believe I was talking totheKhloe Robbins about Romeo Knight in real life. After she’d given me a ticket to an early Pack Darling showing.

This was a dream.

“Guess we’ll be there,” Love said with a roll of his eyes.

“Yes!”Khloe beamed, pulling me into a hug. “See, you’re exactly what they needed. Too much testosterone, if you ask me.”

I placed it carefully in my handbag. It couldn’t get damaged. It might be the most precious thing I’d ever owned.

Emboldened by the Khloe Robbin situation, I wanted to wander about and see more celebrities up close. Love and Drake were both a bit protective, worried about me going off by myself (definitely an alpha thing). But being in this room was like a dream come true, and I wasn’t going to waste it.

Rook, it seemed, was the only one interested in leaving the booth, and beggars couldn’t be choosers, so I stuck with him for a bit. But arrogant and full of himself as he was, it wasn’t hard, once he’d immersed in a conversation, to give him the slip.

* * *

I’d had enough to drink to set me on the edge of tipsy as I wandered the room full of celebrities by myself. Drinks were a pure necessity, given the whole… Ebony situation. At the back of my mind, I knew I was one step from this all falling apart, so I would enjoy tonight. The universe owed me that.

So far, I’d only taken photos on Drake’s phone, wanting to build memories for us with something that didn’t belong to Alastor. But since Drake was tucked away in the booth, I had no choice.

My phone was quickly filling up, and frankly I didn’t care if people thought I was weird. Plus, there were some great displays on the food table that Ihadto take shots of.

I was just getting an up close with a platter of strange heart shaped jelly puddings, when I heard my name being called.

“Vex Eden, is it?” I turned, phone in hand, wondering who, in this place, could possibly know me.

I frowned, not recognising the heeled blond approaching, holding her hand out to me. “Lovely to meet you, honey.”

My smile turned a little stiff. “Hi?”

“I’m Alana Swan.Hadto say hello, especially since we both have so much in common,” she said.

“Oh… yes?”Did we?I looked her up and down, from cream dress, to hollywood curves, bright red lips, and ridiculous heels. I had very little confidence in her statement.

“I was close with the Crimson Fury pack—Love especially,” she said with a tinkling laugh.

Uh…What?

“You… were together?” I asked, trying to stifle a little burst of omega jealousy.

“Yes,” she said with a smile. “We met in the business, I’m a private journalist.”

“I thought there was no press in here?”

“Oh no.” She waved a hand with a laugh. “I’m here as Evan Sorowitch’s plus one.”

“Oh. Okay.” I didn’t know who that was.

My reaction clearly wasn’t what she wanted, but I wasn’t sure what else to say.

“Bitch bells are going off.”That’s what I’d say to Aisha in a moment like this.

“What uh… do you want?” I asked.

“You know, I was really close with Love,” she said. “The breakup was unfortunate, nothing more than circumstantial. He still messages me sometimes.”

I stared at her. “Right…” I forced a smile on my face, taking a step away.