Lethal Temptation

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. “I’m not mad.” He thanked me, and that was that. Darian was always kind to me—just not the way I wanted him to be. I’d been in love with him since we were fifteen. He never noticed. Or maybe he did, and just didn’t feel the same. Either way, it didn’t matter now. Darian had never had the luxury of being carefree. His older brother shirked every responsibility, so Darian carried the weight instead. His mother made sure he lived up to the family name, pushing him, shaping him. He didn’t complain. He rose to it. Passed his Alpha trials with excellence. Earned his father’s rare and public praise. He became the golden heir, the future Alpha everyone respected. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be a warrior—until the day he told me he was starting Alpha training. That same day, I signed up too. I told myself if I trained hard enough, maybe I’d become his Beta. Maybe that would mean something. Maybe he'd finally look at me and see me. If not for him, I’d probably have become a healer. But I chose a different path—for him. Four years of pushing myself harder than I ever thought I could. Four years of hoping. Of waiting. Of watching him walk past me without a clue. Now we were done with training, ready to step into our roles. And still, I was just the friend. The girl who was always there. While another woman—perfect, polished Tiffany—was the one resting comfortably in his arms. And the worst part? I couldn’t even be angry. Just hollow. Just tired of pretending I didn’t care. The party kept going, with Tiffany glued to Darian like she was staking a claim. And maybe she was. She didn’t leave his side once. Every time I glanced over, she was touching him—his arm, his chest, his hair—like she wanted everyone to know he was hers. And he let her. Rowan, ever the gentleman and the strongest wolf in our year, asked me to dance. I said yes, even though my mind was elsewhere. Even though my heart kept drifting back to Darian. He looked good. No, great—but that wasn’t why I fell for him. It was never just the way he looked. It was his heart. The way he was always there for people. The way he made tough decisions, not because they were easy, but because they were right. The way he carried the weight of leadership with quiet strength. I admired him deeply. Secretly, I’d convinced myself that maybe I wasn’t just crushing anymore. Maybe I was in love with him. Not that it mattered. He didn’t know. And he never would. I wasn’t the kind of girl who confessed feelings. I wasn’t built for vulnerable speeches or romantic risks. I figured maybe, maybe, once we started running the pack together, he’d notice me—not just as a friend or comrade, but as something more. But watching him now, with Tiffany’s tongue practically in his ear and him making only half-hearted efforts to pull away, I realized how naïve that hope had been. I wasn’t stupid. If Darian hadn’t fallen for me in all these years—through training, battles, late-night strategy talks—why would he now? Unless the Universe herself decided to take pity on me and twist fate, I’d just keep carrying this unreturned love around like a damn curse. I wanted to stop. Gods, I wanted to be free of it. But my heart didn’t care. It still ached for him, still searched for meaning in every glance, every word. Rowan and I returned to the VIP section, and the first thing I saw was Tiffany—mouth too close to Darian’s ear, body pressed to his like she was trying to merge their souls. I could barely look. Darian sat stiffly, jaw tight, but his eyes… there was a flicker of heat in them that made my stomach twist. Rowan cleared his throat loudly. Tiffany finally pulled back, licking her lips as her tongue slipped back into her mouth like she hadn’t just been performing for an audience. I nearly gagged. Disgust crawled up my spine. Darian didn’t look disgusted. That was the worst part. Was it really that easy for her? Was I missing something? Maybe strength wasn’t attractive after all. Maybe being bold, driven, and capable was some kind of repellent. I’d heard people talk about “preferences,” and apparently, what some men wanted was soft, clueless, and in need of saving. If that’s what it took to be wanted… then I was screwed. I didn’t know how to be helpless, and I was a terrible liar. “So, what will you be doing the next two years before we take over our positions?” Rowan asked, breaking the tension. Darian looked at me. It wasn’t a long stare. Just a glance. But it was enough to make my heart stutter. If my skin were lighter, the whole room would’ve seen me blush, but all I could do was keep my face neutral and pray no one noticed the flicker in my eyes. He wasn’t even looking anymore. “I don’t know,” he said. “Mara?” The way he said my name… soft, like it mattered. It undid me a little. I had to look away. I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. Truth was, I had no idea what I’d do with two years of freedom before duty took over my life. I looked at Rowan for rescue and to return the question. He smiled, warm and easy. “Travel,” he said. “See the world while I still can. Once we step into those roles, freedom dies.” That actually made me smile. It was such a him thing to say. “That’s so cool, Rowan,” I said, wide-eyed. Then, on impulse, the words slipped out before I could second-guess them. “Do you mind if I come?” Rowan didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked at Darian, almost like he needed permission. And Darian—bless him—gave me that soft smile again. “If you go with him,” he said, “who’s going to be my friend and keep me company here?” I knew the answer. We all did. Tiffany. Tiffany would. But if I said that out loud, it would expose everything—my jealousy, my feelings, my pain. It would ruin whatever fragile friendship we still had. So I said nothing. Just sat there, heart breaking quietly behind steady eyes.