Page 79 of Knot Their Starlet

“Oh,” I say, nodding. “That’s... That’s really beautiful.”

It’s honestly surprising. Packs have only really become accepted since unbonding became a bigger thing. Maybe because it seemed like extra commitment, tying yourself to more than one person for the rest of your life.

“So, Andi, tell me what brings you here today,” Nancy says.

Despite the soft, reassuring way she asks, it still makes me stiffen in my seat.

“Um, well, I—I looked up omega therapists, and I found you on the internet and⁠—”

My babbling is interrupted when my phone starts ringing from my purse.

I wince, recognizing the ringtone instantly. Mother dearest is calling.

“Sorry, I have to take this,” I say, bracing myself against the soft cushion behind me.

“Go ahead.”

“Andromeda, what are you doing? Are you getting some work done? That’s not the normal beauty spa we go to,” she says, her shrill voice grating on my nerves.

“Did you check my location, Mom?”

“Of course I did,” she says casually.

I glance up at Nancy, who’s watching this terribly awkward exchange. I can’t read her expression. Probably because she’s spent years practicing her poker face.

Sorry, I mouth silently before glancing away to finish the call.

“No, Mom, I’m not getting work done. I’m just getting a facial.”

Lucky for me, there’s a place that does that in the same building.

What does it say about me that I looked that up before I came here?

“Oh? How fun! Well, I just wanted to check up on you. Make sure to call me later, since Beckham Knight’s team has been so inflexible when it comes to our suggestions, I have some I’d like you to bring up yourself.”

“Yes, Mom, I’ll give you a call later.”

I take the first full breath since the start of the call when she finally hangs up on me.

“Sorry,” I say, wincing as I slip my phone back into the bag.

“No need to apologize, Andi. This is your space.”

“That’s—that’s exactly it,” I say, my brows drawing down. “I want—I want that. But... but my mom... Well, let’s just say I have a lot of feelings about her.”

“Tell me more about that.”

“Well, I’m not sure how big you are into reality TV, but my mom is Gina Sterling, the omega who very publicly unbonded my dad. She’s sacrificed a lot for me, and she’s been through so much...” I find myself growing frustrated with the rehearsed words leaving my lips. “Sorry, there’s more there. We—we have problems, I swear.”

“I believe you, Andi,” Nancy says. The words catch me off guard. She says it so sincerely I actually believe her. “You don’t have to justify yourself. This is a safe space.”

I give her a jerky nod.

“I—I hate my life. I feel suffocated every day by everyone’s expectations.” I stare down at my hands. “I don’t—I don’t even really know who I am. And every time I feel like I have it figured out, it’s like the rest of the world around me falls apart and that little hold on something that I think is mine is ripped away. To make things worse, the only thing that’s giving me a hint of freedom is fucking fake.”

I shake my head, letting out a bark of laughter that probably makes me sound a little insane. Good thing I’m seeing a therapist, I guess.

God, I wonder what my mom would say if she knew where I actually was.