Back at the house, I collapsed onto the couch, the dull ache in my body nothing compared to the chaos raging inside me. I grabbed my phone, ready to vent, desperate to get the weight off my chest. But the second I opened my social media, Darius's latest post hit me like a punch to the gut.
It was a picture of Elara, her back turned but unmistakable. The caption read: "I’m the luckiest to have this beautiful woman by my side."
My heart sank, and as I scrolled down, the comments only made it worse.
Raven Thorn: "That back looks familiar! Is it Elara?"
Luna Blackwood: "You two together again?"
Again?
But one comment stopped me cold.
Freya Winterborn: "Oh, I get it! So the pup’s yours? Congrats, Alpha! When’s the mate ceremony?"
They knew I was Darius’s mate...
Elara’s reply came fast, defensive, and panicked.
"Oh, stop it! We’re just friends, nothing more! People always make such a big deal!"
Her best friend Nina Wolfsbane, though, didn’t hold back.
Nina Wolfsbane: "Why don’t you just leave Ember and be with Elara? She’s not our Luna yet anyway. You’ve been with her forever. What’s holding you back?"