“Can’t they use a stand-in?” I looked at her, puzzled. Tammy rolled her eyes. “I wish. But Adam flat-out refuses. He says being that close makes him uncomfortable.” Adam… so innocent. But then I remembered the scorching kiss he had pressed to my forehead during his concert. “Raelyn, you’re close with Adam. Can’t you talk him into it for me?” Tammy batted her lashes, her tone full of pleading. “Fine. I’ll talk to him later.” And I kept my word. Not long after, I went looking for Adam. He was sitting by the lake when I found him. The moment he saw me approaching, his face flushed crimson. “What is it?” I ignored his reaction and asked, “I heard you and Tammy have a kissing scene coming up?” Adam stiffened, then gave a reluctant nod. “Yeah. But I don’t want to do it.” “Adam, if you’re going to be an actor, this day is bound to come.” Honestly, I wasn’t sure how to persuade him. Kissing someone you barely knew—anyone would feel nervous, awkward, maybe even resistant. Adam lowered his head. “But I really don’t want to film it right now.” “Can you tell me why?” He looked at my face, lips parting as if to answer—but before he could speak, Simon came rushing over, clearly panicked. Seeing us both there, he exhaled in relief, though his voice stayed urgent. “Raelyn, bad news—someone’s been poisoned!” “What?” My stomach dropped. Simon led Adam and me to the scene. One glance told me all I needed, sprawled on the ground was one of the drama’s supporting actresses, her role nearly as significant as the female second lead. Tammy was standing off to the side. The moment she saw me, she blurted out, “Raelyn, I don’t know what happened! She just took a bite of my pastry and collapsed. Now they’re all saying I poisoned her because I was jealous she’d steal my spotlight—but I swear, I didn’t!” I knew Tammy’s character; she wasn’t jealous, and she’d never stoop so low as to poison someone. From what she explained, she had just pulled a pastry out of her bag to eat. The other actress came over, snagged a bite, and almost immediately grew dizzy before collapsing. Her lips were blackened; her face had gone pale. She looked every bit like someone who had been poisoned. The director hovered nearby, his face etched with worry. “What now? We finally got production rolling, and now it might all be shut down again.” With the actress hospitalized and Tammy—our lead—named the prime suspect, if this got out, the entire drama would be swallowed by scandal; it might never recover. Moments later, the werewolf officers arrived and took Tammy away on the spot. Seeing her led off in tears, I couldn’t harden my heart. I followed her to the station. Before leaving, I pulled Simon aside and whispered, “Check the security footage.” He nodded quickly. “Got it.” At the station, I stayed beside Tammy as she gave her statement. The officers, seeing we were both young women, kept their tone relatively gentle, even allowing me to remain by her side. “You say you didn’t do it—but do you have any proof?” one of them asked. Tammy shook her head. “I don’t know… maybe the pastry was tainted somehow. But I didn’t poison it. I was about to eat it myself.” The werewolf officer frowned. “That explanation doesn’t hold.” Tammy looked so pale, on the verge of tears, that I stepped in. “Officer, I have something to say.” “Go ahead.” “I think she was framed.” His brow lifted. “Explain.” “First of all, if she wanted to set someone up, she wouldn’t wait for the other girl to come ask for food; she would’ve offered it herself. If someone takes the initiative, the risk of accidentally implicating someone else skyrockets. No one with half a brain would go about it that way.”The werewolf officer considered that, nodding slightly. “You make a fair point.” “Second, yes, that girl is pretty—but compared to Tammy, she doesn’t come close. And Tammy has a good reputation on set; you can ask anyone. There’s no way jealousy was her motive.” A faint smile tugged at the werewolf officer’s lips. “Your reasoning isn’t flawed, Ms. Beck. But you still have no proof.” I clenched my fists. “I know. But until we find it, please don’t detain Tammy.” He looked surprised. “That’s not how the procedure works.” “Tammy’s a public figure. If people find out she was detained, her career will take a massive hit.” “That’s not our concern. I can only follow protocol.” The werewolf officer shook his head. “What’s this? Has the Eclipse Pack lost its say in matters like these?” We all turned. Adam had walked into the station at some point, and now he stood in the doorway.