Chapter 3

I'd made it barely twenty feet from the door before the night stopped me. I wasn't going to let anyone see me fall apart. I could wait out here until the crowd thinned, then confront Shane about ending this. That was the plan, until I heard voices shift behind the doors.

It was Mary's entrance. I hovered at the edge of the porch, hunched into my sweater. Through the window, I saw her, hair braided back with silver ribbon, skin gleaming against her navy-blue dress. She walked with calculated poise, her gaze  locked onto Shane, her lips curling.

Mary crossed the room in five deliberate strides. When she reached him, the entire table quieted. She rested her hand on his shoulder, just a whisper of contact. They stared at each other, two magnets locked in silent challenge.

"I brought you something," Mary said, her voice velvet. She unwrapped a long, narrow box and set it before Shane. A silver dagger glinted in the light.

"It's from the Moonlight Memories store," Mary said, flashing teeth. "I picked it out just for you."

Shane's whole body changed. Tension melted; his face came alive. He picked up the dagger, ran his thumb along the edge, and looked up at Mary like he saw an angel. "This is perfect. Exactly what I needed."

Their hands met over the box, fingers touching too long. They held each other's gaze, and the room pulsed with electricity.

I shrank against the wall, heart pounding. I couldn't look away. My hands balled into fists around the rejected pendant in my pocket.

She leaned in, hair brushing his cheek, and whispered something. Whatever it was made him laugh.

I turned away. The world spun around Mary and Shane, and I was just an errant moon, never able to catch the light.

The cold should have hurt by now, but I barely felt it. I sat on the low stone wall behind the hall, the pendant still clutched in my hands. I wanted to throw it as far as I could, but my fingers wouldn't let go.

I caught snatches of voices through the thin window above me.

At first, I didn't want to listen. But then I heard Mary's voice, soft and coaxing. I pressed closer.

"A wooden trinket? How embarrassing. You should have told her off.” Mary was saying. "Why hasn’t she ended it yet?”

“I know.” Shane's reply rumbled low. "If I dumped her outright, there'd be hell to pay. Your brother watches everything. I worry about how he’d treat you if I leave her for you."

There was a pause. Then Mary laughed, slicing right through me. "He’s always been hard on me."

He snorted. "He's blinded by Leah's work. She does everything he asks. It's his loss that he's missing out on knowing the better sister."

Footsteps scuffed. "So what now?" Mary asked. "We keep pretending and try new ways to get her to end it?"

Long silence. Then Shane spoke, voice clearer, more determined than I'd ever heard. "I can't keep pretending with your sister. I love you, Mary. You made me see that I never really loved her."

My heart stopped.

Mary's answer was quieter, but sharp. "You dated Leah for one reason and you know it.”

"I know. Politics. Your brother's the alpha. He's always favored Leah. I knew I would get the beta position if I dated her."

I flinched. I'd been nothing more than a pawn.

Mary wasn't done. "I don't know why he hates me so much. It's not like I ever did anything to him."

"You scare him," Shane said, almost admiringly. "You're better at this than anyone. Even him."

She laughed. "I like it when you say things like that." A pause, then, voice thick with promise, "So you'll come to me tonight?"

Shane's answer was immediate. "I'll be there. Don’t expect to get much sleep."

The words punched the air from my lungs. I doubled over, the pendant finally slipping from my grip, tumbling into the dirt. I stared at it, unable to move.

I pressed my fist to my mouth to keep from screaming.

Inside, the voices faded, replaced by footsteps and creaking floorboards.

I thought back to the beginning, those rare moments when I'd felt chosen. It had all been a lie. He used me to get close to Anton. When I suggested making Shane the beta, my brother didn't hesitate.

I squeezed my hands into fists. I was a shadow, always standing behind the stars.

I wiped my face, picked up the pendant, and tucked it deep in my pocket. This would remind me that my pain was real, but it would not break me.

Above me, the moon shone sharp and pale. It didn't care who watched, or who hurt, or who was left in the dark.

The moon depended on itself to shine.

Maybe I should do the same.