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Chapter 17

Alaya instantly felt the unease inside of her, unsure if it was hers or Adolpha's at her suggestion. In theory, if her power could be sensed because she had accepted her wolf, then surely if she reversed it then they might have a chance for hers and Noah's true nature to remain hidden? Maybe if she tried to strengthen the walls in her mind, stabilise the ripple so that neither could pass through? Alaya had no idea how she could do that though.

"What?! No that's absurd. I've heard of people ignoring their wolves and that never ends well but not cutting the connection. What would happen if you couldn't mend it? No that's a stupid idea," Neve replied angrily, frown deep between her eyes, nose crinkled like the very thought was physically repugnant. Well, Alaya was grasping at straws right now because time was of the essence and they had nothing, absolutely nothing to go on. She didn't know whether this reading would be her death sentence so it's not like this was the time for rationality.

"Well sorry but it's all I've got. Adolpha doesn't know what we will be read as or if the power inside us will be too strong. So forgive me for trying but by all means, let's hear your ideas!" Alaya yelled, anger and frustration getting the better of her but she wasn't used to having other people's lives dependant on hers. It was too much and it wasn't like she could even ask Tunika to check, she would go straight to her father and tell him. And the ones in training are all under her watch apart from...

"I'm trying to I certainly-" Neve began until Alaya put her hand up to silence her, an action more like her father than she would care to admit.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you are but I have to go," Alaya said absentmindedly as she walked towards the door.

"Luna?" Noah asked, worry in his tone as he stood and moved to follow her. Alaya turned and raised her hand once more, not having the time to explain when it might just be a wild goose chase.

"No, you have to wait here. If Fen returns tell him I've gone to collect some things but I'll be back in time for the reading. Just wait here, I'll be back as soon as I can," she said before running straight out the door leaving a very worried and confused mate in her wake.

Adolpha perked up the moment they breached the front door, seeing Robert on guard as she shut the door behind her. He nodded after looking behind her briefly, loosely checking she was alone. As she went to go down the steps her movements ceased, Adolpha not liking their distance from their mate already.

𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘰𝘬, Alaya tried to soothe but she felt as Adolpha paced a little inside them both, clearly not sharing the same feeling.

𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦, Adolpha replied, her voice gruffer, more animalistic than the ethereal hum it held earlier.

𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵.

Alaya tried to reassure Adolpha and felt relief once Adolpha settled a little. Her fur still prickled, clearly remaining on edge but it would have to do, for now, as Alaya didn't really have the time to argue any further.

Alaya let her wolf fuel her steps as she jogged down the wooden porch steps and into the street. Her eyesight and hearing picked up as Adolpha filled more of her, making it hard to feel where she ended and her wolf began. The feeling of oneness, of being complete make her smile as she ran, ignoring everything around her as Adolpha helped to filter the senses that before had overwhelmed her so they could focus on getting home.

They made fast work of the journey, completing it with ease having the speed of a wolf pulsing through her muscles. She knew it was Adolpha’s way of ensuring they were apart from Noah for as short a time as possible.

Alaya stopped at the foot of another set of porch steps but this time they could lead her into dangerous territory. The door opened with ease, the scents of her friends filling her nose like she was sniffing each of their armpits. The severity made the back of her throat burn and her stomach wretch a little as Alaya's head swam.

𝘈𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘢? 𝘈 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦. 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘺'𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵.

Adolpha's laughter echoed around Alaya's mind as she retreated and with it the scents that threatened to drown her.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶

Alaya walked through the house that was filled with memories of her life before all this crazy had started. The pictures screamed at her at how different she had always been and how lucky she was to have not been discovered already, especially living under the same roof as Luther. She tried to focus on the task ahead and not memories of the past. They wouldn't help her now.

She knew that most of the house was out as some of their scents hadn't filled her nostrils as strongly when she arrived. They were all still there, lightly floating through the house but that was purely what was left behind, more like a memory than anything else.

"Alaya?" Alaris' voice filled the hallway in front of her and pulled her attention from the pictures on the wall. She stilled, not really having the energy nor the time to fight with him right now. She held his gaze before walking past him, trying to ignore the call to him she still felt as their arms brushed silently.

"Are you just going to ignore me then? Not even explain what’s going on?" Alaris demanded, anger thick in his voice. Normally that would have pissed her off, stirring the passion within her but she didn't let it this time. She just silently walked up the stairs refusing to even glance back in his direction because she knew. Knew at that moment that if he had been aware of what she was all those weeks ago at the Ascendants ceremony he would never have left her. Which proved that he never truly loved her in the first place, he loved what she might become. Alpha to the pack. And what that meant for him.

Alaya hurried her steps knowing that time was her enemy and not wanting to risk Alaris trying to carry on his pointless argument. She noticed how Timothy and Mark's door was still closed, weird considering the time but she ignored it, powering down the hallway praying that Lenara would be inside their bedroom.

As she pushed open the door she was greeted with everything that signalled home for her, the rose duvet that used to wrap her whilst she slept, Lenara's yellow bed opposite to hers. She was laid there oblivious to the intrusion, silver headphones upon her head shielding her from everything but the music that could even be heard slightly although muffled.

Alaya stilled for a moment, doubting whether this was the smart thing to do, the right thing. Yes, Lenara was her best friend, had been there for her a lot these past few weeks. And she also knew that she would be there for her through this if she let her. But what if this all went south in a few hours? She would be dragging Lenara down with her, their friendship an iron ball and chain.

She decided against it, turning towards the door, determined to find another way when it slammed shut in front of her, a shoe rebounding off, narrowly missing her nose.

She turned round to be greeted with Lenara fully sat up on her bed, headphones off and scowl firmly in place.

"Chickened out already? Seriously thought you had more backbone than that," Lenara growled, folding her arms in front of her chest. Alaya looked at her in confusion wondering how the hell she had known she had chickened out when she had barely been in the room two seconds.

"I've not come here to fight," Alaya replied, slowly walking over to her bed and lowering herself onto it. She looked at Lenara wishing she had just kept walking. But she hadn't.

"Then why have you come?" Lenara continued, sitting cross-legged on the bed. She was wearing her favourite skinny jeans, the ones with the rip in the pocket from that time they had been drunk and climbed a tree. That pocket had saved Lenara from falling, hadn't helped Alaya though. Lenara's blonde hair was pulled up in a messy bun and she had a light blue top on that seemed to make her violet eyes burn brighter. Or maybe that was the anger behind them.

"To explain everything. And to ask for your help," Alaya said the last bit lower, quieter but with a gentle smile. Lenara uncrossed her legs so that they dangled off the bed, a smug smile on her face at being needed.

"Well of course you do? Now tell me what in the hell has been going on, what you've broken and how I can fix it."

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