#Chapter 26: Deception

ELENA The ride home from the Masquerade Ball felt longer than it should have. I asked my driver to put the partition between us up and I changed clothes in the back seat of the limousine, opting for a comfy pair of sweats; I needed something less constricting and light. The weight of the evening pressed into my ribs, thick and suffocating, though I wasn’t entirely sure why. The ball had been a success. Many people had found their mates, alliances had been strengthened, and for one perfect night, the tensions between packs had been masked by music and candlelight. But for me, it had been something else entirely. It had been another night of missing pieces. Another night of chasing ghosts. Another night spent standing in front of Derek and pretending I wasn’t still haunted by him. I had left him there, in the shadows of the playhouse hallway, his accusations still ringing in my ears. "How long have you been with Logan?" "And Aiden? Is he his?" I had let him believe it.