Page 21 of Now Their Starlet

“What—what kind of stuff did they ask you to pull?” I know the moment I see his face after the question leaves my lips that I probably don’t want to know the answer to the question.

He grinds his jaw so hard I can see a vein pulsing in his temple. No amount of breathing exercises can calm him down now.

“I sat through an actual fucking business meeting with a bunch of fuckers talking about the ‘merits of leaking a sex tape’ of the two of us,” he bites out.

“You’re fucking joking. What is this, the early 2000s?”

“Dead serious. Why the fuck would I lie about something like that?”

“You said—you said no, right?”

“Of course I said no,” he says, his eyes flaring wide as if he’s shocked the thought he’d say yes even came to my mind.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I say with a shake of my head. “I had to ask.”

“Yeah,” he says, running his hand through his hair again in that familiar nervous tic of his. “Makes sense.”

My chest is rising and falling far too fast for me to catch my breath. I feel like I’m drowning, bobbing above the surface of stormy ocean waters just long enough to take a tiny sip of oxygen before being plunged underwater again. The stupid fucking dress isn’t helping.

My chamomile perfume, bitter with my anxiety, explodes out of me so hard Ezra lets out a quiet cough.

“Hey,” he murmurs, taking a hesitant step towards me. When I don’t stop him, he rests a light hand against my shoulder. “You’re freakin’ out.”

“Of course I’m freaking out,” I rasp, squeezing my eyes shut and shaking my head.

“Do you... want a hug or something?”

I’m really tempted to say yes. My inner omega needs something grounding. Hell, I need something grounding, something real in this world of fake, and Ezra’s desire to help me seems to be the only real thing I’ve experienced since this shitshow started.

But I can’t even have that.

“Andromeda, it’s time for your spray tan,” Stuart says. His red onion scent is mild since he’s a beta, but it’s no less irritating.

I hesitate for a split second, watching Ezra’s expression, watching the wave of frustration that bleeds away into ‌helpless resignation, probably mimicking exactly what’s going on with my face.

“Andromeda,” Stuart repeats.

“Coming,” I mumble.

CHAPTER 6

Leo

My fingers drum across my lap as I stare out the window of Edison’s office. He, Cameron, and Everett are working on the script for the video interview we’re planning on releasing at the same time we make it public that we’re going to fight to get Andi’s conservatorship transferred away from Gina.

Even though the legal system is obviously the most important, the court of public opinion is still something that can’t be ignored.

I would know, considering I’m the pack’s publicist. Technically, I’m Beck’s, but the moment Andi agreed she wanted more from me than friendship over hotpot in her Santa Monica apartment, I knew I’d do anything to help her.

I wasn’t trained or educated in this work, but I’m the only one out of the three of us who even finished college, and I got my degree in accounting to follow in my father’s footsteps and take over his firm.

If it weren’t for Beck, I don’t think I would’ve ever ended up in this industry. But I’m detail-oriented, and I cared more about Beck than any of the other vultures who immediately started making their way out of the woodwork when he started getting big.

He knew he wanted Eli and me by his side when he moved down to LA, so it was a no-brainer for me to help him out, even if the decision disappointed my parents. They questioned why I’d choose to make such big decisions based on someone else, but what they didn’t understand was that I’d been making decisions based on what other people expected of me my entire life. My college degree a prime example.

As the only beta—both in the trio I’m a part of with Eli and Beck, as well as the overall pack—my role has always been a supportive one. But with the helpless, overwhelming feelings roiling under the surface of my skin because of this situation, I’ve been itching to play more of an active role.

That’s why I’ve been pushing for us to consider what people will think of Andi throughout every step of the process. It’s obvious to anyone who spends any amount of time with Andi, when she doesn’t have her walls and masks up, that she’s a creative person. Unsurprising, considering who her father is. But to live a fulfilling life, she will always want to create, and in order to be a creative, you have to have an audience willing to perceive your work.