Chapter 6 Trap

"Uh... hi," I stammer, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. My fingers catch on a small leaf tangled in it, and I quickly pull it out and drop it, hoping Stella didn't notice.

She laughs. A light, tinkling sound that would seem pleasant if I didn't know better.

She definitely saw it. Great.

"You weren't at the banquet last night," Stella says casually, like we're old friends catching up. Like she didn't publicly humiliate me less than twenty-four hours ago. "You missed a really good party."

What game is she playing? Why is she pretending to be nice?

"I was sleeping," I respond quietly, my eyes darting around her, looking anywhere but directly at her face. Because looking at her reminds me of everything I'm not. Everything Mason chose over me.

I hate that she's perfect in every way. Exactly what everyone expected for an Alpha's mate. When Mason's parents return from their trip, I know they'll adore her. How could they not? She belongs here in a way I never will.

She's his chosen one. His real mate. And I'm nobody. I've always been nobody here, no matter how hard I tried to prove otherwise.

"Oh," Stella's smile turns into an exaggerated frown. It looks as fake as everything else about her. "Well, that's okay. There will be plenty more parties. That is..." She pauses, and her expression shifts into something cold. "If you're still here."

My eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. "What?"

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Her eyes gleam with something dangerous, and suddenly I can see past the beautiful exterior to the ugliness underneath.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I take a step backward. "I have to go."

I turn to leave, desperate to get away from her, but her voice stops me.

"Mason talked to me about you last night."

My body goes rigid. Mason talked about me? To her? After everything that happened, he was thinking about me? My treacherous heart skips a beat despite knowing I shouldn't care. Shouldn't hope.

"What did he say?" The question comes out before I can stop it.

I shouldn't ask. Shouldn't care what they discussed. But I can't help it. Maybe some pathetic part of me still believes Mason cares about me. That I still matter to him somehow.

"He told me about how his parents found you," Stella says, crossing her arms. "How they took you in out of pity. I mean, I would have guessed you weren't from here because of, you know..." Her eyes rake over me from head to toe. "The way you look."

Each word is a small cut. Death by a thousand tiny wounds.

"Anyway," she continues with a wave of her hand, "he said I shouldn't treat you badly."

My heart does a flip. He actually told her to stop? Mason stood up for me? Maybe Damon was right. Maybe he does still care. Maybe—

"That's not all, though."

I was halfway turned away, ready to run back to the castle, but her words stop me cold. When I turn back to face her, the friendly mask has completely dropped. Her expression is chilling.

"This is the best part," she giggles, but there's nothing happy about the sound.

This is bad. Every instinct is screaming at me to leave, but I'm frozen in place. I need to know what else Mason said, even though I already know it's going to hurt.

"He said I shouldn't treat you badly..." Stella pauses for effect, her smile growing wider. "In front of others."

The words slam into me like a physical blow. My world tilts sideways.

No. No, he wouldn't. Mason wouldn't say that. He wouldn't give her permission to—

"Wh-what are you talking about?" I shake my head in denial. "I don't believe you. Mason would never say that."

But even as I say it, doubt creeps in. Because Mason has been different since Stella arrived. Cold. Distant. Cruel in ways I never thought possible.

"Oh, believe it, sweetheart." Stella takes a step closer, clearly enjoying my distress. "He said I was free to do whatever I wanted to you as long as nobody saw. Because if they do, it reflects badly on him. Don't you see? He cares more about his reputation than he ever cared about you. And you thought you had a chance with him? How pathetic."

Her laugh echoes through the trees, harsh and grating. Like nails on a chalkboard.

"I know you used to sleep with him," she hisses, all pretense of friendliness gone. "But those days are over. You will never touch my mate again, you disgusting—"

She shoves me hard, and because I'm not expecting it, I stumble backward. My back slams against a tree, and pain explodes through my spine.

"Ow!" I curl into myself, trying to protect my body from whatever comes next.

Please let this be enough. Please let her leave me alone now.

But Stella isn't done.

She crouches down to my level, grabbing my chin roughly and forcing me to look at her. Her perfectly manicured nails dig into my skin.

"How does it feel?" she whispers, her face inches from mine. "Knowing that Mason is all mine now? That he'll never look at you the way he used to? Never touch you the way he did? Never love you again?"

Her words are poison, seeping into my wounds and making them burn.

"I have to go," I whisper, trying to pull away.

I start to push myself up, gathering what little strength I have left, but her hand clamps around my arm. Her grip is vice-like, squeezing so hard I think she might actually break bone.

Stella is smaller than me. I'm taller, more muscular from years of training and running. If I really wanted to escape, I could probably overpower her. But something keeps me frozen. Some self-destructive part of me wants to hear more, even though every word is killing me.

"Don't play stupid, Sage." She squeezes harder, and I bite my lip to keep from crying out.

"It's Sage," I correct automatically, but she ignores me.

"When you two were both mateless, you found each other. How sweet." Her voice drips with sarcasm. "But now he has his real mate. How does it feel knowing you'll never have him like that again? Knowing he chose me?"

I grit my teeth and turn my head away, refusing to answer. Refusing to give her the satisfaction.

"Look at me!" She slaps me across the face so hard that birds scatter from nearby trees. "Answer me!"

My eyes squeeze shut against the stinging pain. Tears threaten to spill, but I bite my lip until I taste blood, forcing them back.

I will not cry. I will NOT cry in front of her.

She's terrifying right now—eyes wild, smile twisted into something cruel. I feel unsafe in a way I've never felt before, even during my worst days in this pack.

I need to get away from her. Now.

"What a bitch!" Stella snarls when I don't respond.

A growl rumbles in my chest before I can stop it. Luna is angry, pushing forward, wanting to defend us. But I push her back down. This fight isn't worth it. Stella isn't worth it.

"I know what you want." Stella's voice drops low, and something dangerous flashes in her eyes. "You want to hurt me. Don't you? If I disappeared, you could have Mason back. No mate means he's all yours again, right?"

She leans closer, her breath hot on my face.

"I've hurt you so many times. This is your chance to get revenge. To make me pay for everything I've done." Her eyes bore into mine. "Do it. Hit me. Fight back. I know you want to."

The suggestion makes my mind go blank for a second. I hadn't thought about that, but now that she's said it...

Without Stella, Mason would come back to me. Things would return to how they were before. We could be together. I could be his Luna. No one would take him away from me again.

My dream. Everything I wanted. It could all be mine with just one punch. Maybe two. She's smaller than me. Weaker. It would be so easy.

We could be together forever.

"Do it," Stella whispers again, and there's something in her voice. Something that sounds almost eager.

No. Wait. Why would she sound eager?

This is a trap. Of course it's a trap. She's goading me into attacking her so she can—