Chapter 15

Clare

I couldn’t stop watching them.

Joss stood in front of Arielle, his entire attention focused on her.

He wasn’t looking at the pack.

He wasn’t listening to the music.

He wasn’t even aware of the people watching him.

All he could see was her.

Arielle.

His first mate.

His Luna.

The woman who had owned his heart long before I had ever known his name.

I swallowed hard.

I had known there was another woman.

I had known Joss was already mated.

But knowing something and seeing it were two completely different things.

The concern in his eyes unsettled me.

It wasn’t simple concern.

It was almost desperation.

Every time Arielle looked away, Joss followed her.

Every time she spoke, he listened.

When she became upset, his entire body seemed to react.

He wanted to comfort her.

He needed to make sure she was okay.

And I hated how much that hurt.

My wolf whined inside me.

He loves her.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

I knew.

I’d known from the beginning.

But somehow, watching him now made the truth feel much more real.

Joss had told me that the bond between him and Arielle hadn’t changed.

At the time, I had tried to convince myself that it didn’t matter.

I was his mate too.

The Moon Goddess had chosen me.

Surely that had to mean something.

But what I was seeing tonight made me question everything.

Because when Arielle hurt, Joss hurt with her.

When she cried, he looked as though someone had ripped his heart from his chest.

Would he ever look at me that way?

Would he ever worry about me like that?

Would he ever feel as though my pain was his?

I didn’t know.

And not knowing terrified me.

Then I saw Tori.

She was standing beside Arielle, her arm around her shoulders.

Protecting her.

Again.

Tori hadn’t left Arielle’s side since the announcement.

Not once.

Whenever Joss approached, Tori watched him carefully.

Whenever Arielle became upset, Tori was there.

Whenever Arielle looked as though she might fall apart, Tori steadied her.

I felt something twist inside my stomach.

She wasn’t simply a friend.

She was Arielle’s ally.

A strong one.

And that scared me more than I wanted to admit.

Because I was alone.

I had walked into this pack tonight as a stranger.

No friends.

No history.

No one who knew me.

No one who would automatically take my side.

Arielle had everything I didn’t.

Joss.

The Luna title.

The pack’s loyalty.

Years of memories.

And Tori.

Especially Tori.

I watched as Tori whispered something into Arielle’s ear.

Arielle nodded.

Then Tori looked directly at me.

Our eyes met.

There was something in her expression that made my stomach tighten.

It wasn’t hatred.

Not yet.

It was a warning.

I know what you’re doing.

I looked away.

For the first time that evening, I wondered whether I had underestimated Arielle.

I had been thinking about Joss.

About how I could get closer to him.

How I could become part of his life.

How I could make him see me as more than his second mate.

But I hadn’t considered what would happen if Arielle refused to let me.

And she wasn’t alone.

Tori would make sure of that.

My hands tightened around my glass.

What if Tori constantly reminded Joss of Arielle?

What if she encouraged Arielle to fight for him?

What if she convinced Arielle never to give me an inch?

What if she turned the pack against me?

I could already imagine the whispers.

Poor Arielle.

Clare is trying to take her mate.

Clare is trying to become Luna.

I shuddered.

I didn’t want their pity.

I didn’t want their hatred.

I simply wanted the man the Moon Goddess had given me.

But would anyone see it that way?

Probably not.

To them, I would always be the second mate.

The outsider.

The woman who had arrived and threatened their Luna’s happiness.

My gaze drifted back to Joss.

He was speaking softly to Arielle now.

His hand was resting gently against her arm.

She looked devastated.

And he looked like he would do anything to take her pain away.

Something inside me cracked.

That should have been me.

I should have been the woman he couldn’t stand to see hurting.

I should have been the woman he rushed toward.

Instead, I was standing across the room watching him comfort someone else.

Fear settled deep inside me.

Not fear of Arielle.

Not exactly.

Fear of losing before I had even been given a chance.

I couldn’t allow that to happen.

I had been given this bond for a reason.

I couldn’t simply accept being second.

I needed to find my place.

But I had to be careful.

If I pushed too hard, Joss would pull away.

If I attacked Arielle, Tori would make sure everyone knew.

If I demanded that Joss choose me, I already knew who he would choose.

So I wouldn’t demand anything.

I would wait.

I would be patient.

I would become part of his life one small step at a time.

And perhaps that was the only way I could win.

I looked at Tori again.

She was still watching me.

Her arm remained firmly around Arielle.

Protective.

Loyal.

Unwavering.

I suddenly realised something that made my heart pound.

Arielle didn’t have to fight for Joss alone.

She had Tori.

And Tori was clearly prepared to fight for her.

That meant I couldn’t afford to make enemies.

Not yet.

I forced myself to relax my hands.

Then I smiled.

A small, polite smile.

Tori didn’t smile back.

That was fine.

She didn’t have to like me.

Neither did Arielle.

All I needed was Joss.

And sooner or later, I would make him realise that I wasn’t someone he could simply keep at the edge of his life.

I was his mate.

Whether they liked it or not.

And I wasn’t going anywhere.