Elize, ever so gracious, placed a hand on Desar’s arm, glancing over at me with a faint, almost pitying smile. “Maisie, please, don’t be upset. I’m sure Desar didn’t mean to forget about you.”
It took everything not to laugh at her mock concern, her tone just patronizing enough to remind me that, in her mind, I was merely the complication between her and Desar. My heart hardened, the small cracks from the past months widening with every second I sat at that table, feeling like an outsider among his closest friends.
I excused myself as the evening stretched on, stepping out onto the balcony to escape the suffocating atmosphere. The cool air was a relief, and for a brief moment, I let myself acknowledge the truth I’d been running from. Desar’s life, his world, was one where I would always be on the sidelines, and Elize would always be at the center, like a magnetic force pulling him back, time and again.
A few minutes later, Desar joined me, shutting the door quietly behind him. “What’s wrong?” he asked, voice low. “You’ve been distant all evening.”
I shook my head, refusing to look at him. “Nothing’s wrong. I just don’t belong here, Desar.” I finally met his gaze, letting him see the weight of what I’d realized. “Not here, not with you, not anymore.”
His jaw tightened. “Maisie, you’re overreacting.”
“Maybe,” I said, feeling the numbness settle in. “But maybe I’m finally seeing things for what they are.”
“Seeing that we are mates? Everyone knows that,” he continued.
“It wasn't about everyone knowing it! You're acting like Elize's mate more than mine. Of course, you knew that and you never cared about my feelings,” I bursted out.
“Stop this nonsense Maise. Why are you comparing yourself to Elize? You're my mate. That should be enough for you.” Yet, just having the title is not something I could hold on to.
Any minute, a political marriage between Desar and Elize is not impossible. Desar is Alpha of the Stanley pack and Elize is the daughter of the previous pack -perfect match from the moon goddess.
“Come on inside, it's freezing out here.”
With that, I obeyed my Alpha and went back in.
As I sat across from Desar at the dinner table, Elize and Kyle cast glances my way, their faces barely masking the amusement under false sympathy. Elize's expression was particularly smug, and I knew she was reveling in the distance she’d managed to wedge between Desar and me.