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Chapter 18

Alaya smiled wide at her best friend, who clearly thought this would be as easy to fix as some of their past mistakes.

But this was bigger...

So much bigger...

"Jesus I don't even know where to start," Alaya groaned, throwing herself dramatically back on her bed. She relished in the feeling of the soft pillow as it cradled her head, her rose duvet cushioning her body as if inviting her to stay there.

Stay there and sleep...

Stay there and forget...

"Well, how about you start with the hottie that appeared in your life. The one you had an impromptu sleepover with that I wasn't invited to. Oh wait...I was but it was some kind of weird surprise sleepover," Lenara prompted, her voice holding a little annoyance by the end of her sentence. Alaya rolled onto her side to look at her apologetically.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Everything happened all at once and there was no time to explain this morning. I know it felt like I was shutting you out and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," Alaya explained, knowing that Lenara had taken this morning badly. They shared everything, always had done and for Alaya to not explain to her right away and even worse, not include her, had clearly hurt. She could feel it under the annoyance in her tone, secretly festering.

"I get it. New hottie trumps best friend. But clearly something happened last night and instead of waking me...you forgot all about me. Completely," Lenara continued, shifting herself so she was right at the edge of the bed. She twiddled with the hem of her top, a awkward habit they both shared and Alaya sat up instantly, jumping off of her bed to land on top of Lenara, sending them both collapsing into a sea of yellow duvet.

"You are like Satan himself when I wake you," Alaya shouted out as they tumbled between fits of laughter.

"I need beauty sleep. Have you seen my face? This takes work," Lenara giggled as she twisted and turned, trying to get out from under Alaya. That in turn only made her go more floppy and unhelpful as her limbs splayed out, keeping Lenara in place.

"Really? This is what you look like after effort?"

"Hey! You're one to talk! How much do you weigh?" Lenara huffed, desperately trying to lift her off.

Lenara suddenly changed tactic, assaulting her with tickles as Alaya trashed about, trying to escape her grasp.

"Hey no fair," she squeaked out between fits of laughter before finally crashing to the floor out of reach.

"Ok, ok, I give up, I give up," Alaya panted, eyeing Lenara in case she decided the game wasn't quite over yet. Lenara sat back up, smoothing her now fluffy blonde hair as laughter filled the room.

"Dont forget who the winner is here," Lenara jested, reaching her hand down to help Alaya up. She pulled her onto the bed next to her amongst the ruffled yellow covers.

"Me. Always me," Alaya chuckled, nudging her softly with her shoulder. She looked over at her friend before taking a deep breath, the weight of what she was about to ask trying to crush her words before they even left her mouth.

"Right," Alaya continued before she could stop herself, shifting so that she was cross legged and facing Lenara. Lenara echoed her movements but exaggerated them slightly, making a point of copying her.

"This feels heavy. Like really heavy. Heavier than the time you had to tell me that jackass Keith was cheating on me with Bethany. It's not that heavy right?"

"Heavier," Alaya answered, holding her gaze so she paid attention.

"Oh," was all Lenara said before falling silent...waiting.

"Well...you know how all this time I thought I was an Omega?" Alaya asked, watching as Lenara looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean thought? Tunika read you as one? Are you saying she got it wrong? Jesus, I knew that bitch was half deaf but didn't know she was broken," Lenara replied, slight smile on her face as she spoke about her old mentor. The two had never gotten along, one of the many reasons Alaya believed Lenara refused to follow her path in the pack. A choice Alaya was thankful of now.

"Not exactly. Apparently it was because I hadn't accepted my wolf yet," Alaya continued, earning herself yet another look of confusion from her best friend.

"Accepted your wolf? You don't need to accept your wolf, you're born a wolf for Christ sake."

"I was born a little different it seems. It's the reason I've come here, the reason Noah arrived and his sister. It all leads back to what I am and what that means for me. That's why I need your help," Alaya tried to explain but doing a poor job of it.

"My help? You sound like you need mental help with this rambling Alaya. What do you mean what you were born as?" Lenara asked, eyeing her sceptically as if she didn't believe any of what she was saying right now. "You're a wolf right?"

"Yes."

"But not an Omega?"

"No."

"Ok then, what are you? Alpha? Because that's what I thought, well everybody thought before the Ascendants ceremony."

"An Amaris. It means child of the moon," Alaya rushed out, slight panic in her voice as the words were finally said out loud. She looked over and caught Lenara's violet gaze, hoping she made the right choice in telling her, not putting a mark on her best friend's back.

"An Amaris? I have no idea what that is?" Lenara stated, leaving Alaya feeling as if her revelation hadn't held as much punch as she had intended. But then again Lenara didn't know the story she did, of what it meant to be an Amaris. What it might mean for Alaya.

"I don't really know either. Noah and Neve know a lot more. But that's not why I've come. Well it sort of is but not to explain all of it. It would take too long and not make a hell of a lot of sense as I'm not even 100% clued up on what it all means." Alaya began to ramble again, the panic fuelling her words once more making her words become less constructed sentences, more word vomit.

"Slow down. Nothing is making sense at all now. What exactly do you need right now from me? Apart from a slap across your face if you descend into chaos once more."

Lenara grounded Alaya, pulling her out of her mind where the fear and worry had fenced her in. Her smile relaxed her a little, making the danger seem smaller for a moment as she sat there in a sea of yellow duvet and light blue walls. Like the sky on a beautiful summers day devoid of clouds, of any chance of rain. Pure perfect blue.

"Sorry. I need you to read me. Tell me what you sense my rank to be," Alaya continued, praying she agreed. From the look on her face she didn't look like she was happy at the request.

"But Tunika."

"She is reading me again in a few hours. Father's instructions. And I don't know whether I will read as an Omega this time," Alaya replied.

"Well isn't that a good thing? Luther and the others can't treat you like crap anymore. Clement won't need to make you a lone wolf. This is the answer to everything. But you're not smiling, I feel like you should be smiling," Lenara said, a smile on her face that soon fell slowly like melted wax when Alaya didn't mirror hers.

"It's not that simple. If I don't read as an Omega then that means I'll be read as something else. An Amaris. Well they won't know that's what I am, not yet. But it will raise questions that I dont have the answers to," Alaya tried to explain, getting frustrated at her apparent inability to convince Lenara of the danger she was now in. Maybe she should of brought along Noah or Neve to explain all this better? But she couldn't have done that anyway, courtesy of her fathers brillant idea of house arrest.

"But I haven't read anyone in weeks Alaya and you know I hate doing it. Makes me feel weird delving into peoples subconscious like that. I really would rather I didn't," Lenara answered with a mock shiver, trying to portray how grossed out she was at the idea. Alaya had known all that already, known Lenara hated what she was destined to be much like Alaya had done. But that didn't matter. Because she needed her now to embrace it.

"That should show you exactly how much I need this favour. I wouldnt ask if there was any other way. But if Tunika reads me and I'm stronger, stronger than my own father then I don't know what will happen next."

"Stronger than Clement? Thats not possible," Lenara said on a chuckle, one fuelled more by nerves than by actual humour.

"Trust me it's possible," Alaya replied, holding her friends violet gaze. She wished for a moment where she could show her, prove to her how strong she was, how different. But unless she was in her head, spoke to Adolpha then there was no evidence. Probably something that has kept her safe all these years.

"Please can you just read me, reassure me that it will be the same as before? Then I'll go. Better yet, you can come back with me and meet Noah and Neve. But I can't go back till I know," Alaya continued, allowing the desperation to seep into her tone so that Lenara understood how much she needed her help.

"Alright. Alright. But I haven't even been trained properly. What if I read you wrong? Then when Tunika reads you again she senses whatever it is that's got you so worried?" Lenara worried, Alaya reaching out to still her fidgeting hands.

"I know you can do it. Tunika wouldnt of been so mad when you dropped out if you had sucked at it," Alaya reassured her, half because she believed in her, the other half because she needed her to believe in herself. She was her only shot at knowing.

"Ok, but if this comes back to bite us in the arse then remember I warned you. And Tunika just isn't used to someone saying no to her, thats all," Lenara replied, trying to act modest but Alaya caught the small smile at the compliment.

"Ok," Alaya breathed, some of the fear and tension that was bubbling inside her calming for a moment. Alaya shifted closer to Lenara on the bed and offered her head. She cleared her mind as much as she could and allowed Adolpha to the forefront a little.

𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭?

𝘕𝘰. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘬𝘢'𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘖𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳.

"Ok your mind it clear right? Because I won't be able to concentrate if I have to filter through loads of crap to get to your wolf," Lenara rambled and Alaya lifted her head back up, frowning at her friend.

"I know how it's done. This isn't my first rodeo. Now quit stalling and get reading," Alaya said lacking the sternness she was intending. She lowered her head back down and cleared her mind once more, not even waiting for Lenara's answer. She needed her to do this and quickly, not argue about whether they were doing it right.

Alaya felt as her friends soft hands hesitantly touched the sides of her head. For a moment all she felt was a slight awkwardness as nothing seemed to happen, not like it did at the ceremony all those weeks ago. Just before she was about to ask what was taking so long, she felt it, felt her friends presence inside her head, creeping through, searching for what she needed.

𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨?

𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘢? 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶? 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸?

Lenara's voice echoed around Alaya's mind and she stilled, not knowing whether to answer.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘢. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘦...𝘈𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘢.

Adolpha answered, clearly not having the same concern.

As Alaya felt Adolpha come to the forefront, a jolt of power seemed to course through her, rippling around inside of her like electricity. As the feeling subsided Alaya realised something was missing...

Lenara's presence definitely wasn't in her mind anymore.

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