1 The Party

1361 Words

Mara I showed up late to the Mooncrest pack party. The music pulsed, the crowd buzzed, and laughter filled the air like smoke—light and choking all at once. The moment I stepped in, Rowan spotted me and waved me over to the VIP section where he sat with Darian. My heart clenched the second I saw why Darian hadn’t picked me up. She was blonde. She was beautiful. And her name was Tiffany Northwood. I’d heard rumors that Darian and Tiffany had been talking, but I told myself it was nothing serious. Darian had always been focused, guarded. The kind of guy who kept his distance from distractions. Or so I thought. Maybe she wasn’t a distraction. Maybe she was the exception. I sat down, quietly folding my emotions into the tightest corners of myself, hoping no one would see the crack in my smile. “Sorry I couldn’t come, Mara,” Darian said, leaning toward me, his voice casual, kind. “Tiffany made us wait longer than expected, so I couldn’t swing by. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” He meant it. That’s what made it worse. But Tiffany, sitting beside him with a forced smile, didn’t like his apology. I saw it in the flicker of her eyes. And I had a sinking feeling she’d made him wait on purpose. “There’s no need, Darian,” I said, managing a smile I didn’t feel.