Chapter 18 CHAPTER 18
When I got to Tasha’s house, the first thing I noticed was the silence. Not peaceful silence—heavy, tense silence, the kind that crawled along my skin. I knocked once, twice, then pushed the door open when she didn’t answer. The smell of overturned food, damp clothes, and exhaustion hit me right away.
“Tash?” My voice echoed through the small hallway.
I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. Shoes were scattered everywhere, a pile of laundry sat on the stairs, and the living room looked like someone had tried cleaning but gave up halfway. My chest tightened. She wasn’t usually messy, even in her worst moods.
I heard movement upstairs a thud, a shaky breath, then another. I rushed up, taking the stairs two at a time.
“Tasha?” I called again.
I found her in her bedroom, hunched over her bed, gripping the sheets so tightly her knuckles were white. Her back rose and fell in strong, uneven breaths. Her nails had lengthened halfway, eyes flickering gold for a second before fading back.
My heart dropped. “Oh, Tash…”
She didn’t look up at first. When she finally did, her eyes were glassy. “I can’t control it,” she whispered. “It’s happening again, Ayla. And it’s worse this time.”
I walked in slowly. “How long has it been happening?”
“A week,” she said, voice trembling. “Ever since everything with your dad started and you… and Branden… and work. I don’t sleep. I barely eat. My wolf comes and goes whenever she wants.”
I sat next to her on the edge of the bed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because,” she breathed out, shaking her head, “you have enough going on. Your father. Branden’s drama. Callen showing up like he’s lost his mind. I didn’t want to add more.”
I touched her shoulder gently. “You’re not adding anything. You’re my person. If something’s wrong, I want to know.”
She let out a broken laugh. “You already know how crazy things are right now. I just… didn’t want to be another weight on you.”
I pulled her into a hug, and for a moment she melted into it—shaking, breathing hard, her body still fighting itself. “Let me help you,” I whispered.
Tasha’s room looked like a storm had swept through, and she clearly hadn’t been keeping up. Clothes were on the floor, cups half full of tea or water were scattered around, and a blanket laid twisted on the ground. She sighed when she saw me looking.
“I know,” she muttered. “It’s a mess.”
“Good thing you’ve got me,” I said softly.
She tried to smile but it came out tired. “You always fix things.”
“I don’t fix anything,” I said, standing and stretching my arms before grabbing the clothes. “I just help.”
“You make things feel less overwhelming,” she said quietly.
As I started picking up clothes, she finally relaxed a little, lying back against her pillows. Her breathing steadied. “Tell me what’s going on with you,” she said. “I know you didn’t just come here to do laundry.”
I snorted. “Honestly? Too much.”
“Start at the beginning.”
“The beginning?” I groaned. “Which part? My father collapsing? My mother acting like I’m the reason the world is falling apart? Or the Alpha showing up in my bed this morning like it’s normal?”
Tasha sat up so quickly I thought she’d shift right then. “He what? Start there.”
I sighed, tossing a shirt into the basket. “I woke up and he was there. Literally lying next to me like we were living together. Teasing me. Touching me. And before you ask, yes, I liked it. Way too much.”
She raised a brow. “Obviously. The man is your mate.”
“Yeah, but…” I swallowed. “He kissed my shoulder like he had every right to be there. And then he Tash, he rolled us around on the bed like he was trying to make me forget my name.”
She laughed for the first time that day, a real laugh. “Wow. And you’re complaining?”
“I’m not complaining,” I said quickly. “I’m terrified. He’s divorcing his wife because of me. The Luna literally showed up just to threaten me. My father is sick and no one knows why. And Branden is acting like we’ve been together for years.”
“Do you love him?” she asked softly. I stopped folding a blanket and stared at the wall. “I don’t know yet. But when he touches me, everything in me calms down. My wolf just knows him.”
“That’s love, Ayla.”
“It’s also a disaster,” I muttered.
Tasha sighed. “Okay, fair.” I cleaned a little more, picking up cups, tossing trash into a bag, shaking out her blankets. She watched me, sometimes closing her eyes when waves of pain hit her, her wolf pushing up under her skin.
“Breathe through it,” I murmured. “I’m here.”
She nodded, clutching the pillow. “What about Callen?” she asked after a while. “He looked… strange at the hospital.”
“He’s crazy,” I said flatly. “He told me he wanted me to be his second wife. Then Sierra walked in and he acted like nothing happened.”
Tasha froze. “You’re joking.”
“I wish I was. He said he regretted marrying my sister and that he still wants me.”
“Ew,” Tasha muttered. “Like I’m sorry, I know you liked him once, but—what a snake.”
“I know,” I whispered. “It made my skin crawl.”
I finished straightening up the room, then sat beside her again. “You should eat something.”
“I can’t,” she murmured, her voice small. “Every time I try, my stomach turns.”
I forced a smile. “Then I’m making tea. And you’re drinking it. Even if I have to pin you down.”
She smirked weakly. “I’d like to see you try.”
I left for the kitchen. Downstairs, the silence felt even heavier. I boiled water, made ginger tea, grabbed a few crackers, and brought them up.
“Drink,” I said, handing her the cup.
She frowned but took it. “You’re bossy.”
“I learned from the Alpha,” I said dryly.
That made her choke on her tea. “Okay, that was funny.” As she sipped the tea, I sat beside her again. We didn’t talk for a few minutes. She leaned her head on my shoulder, I wrapped an arm around her. Silence wrapping around us like a thick blanket.
“Do you think I’m losing control?” she whispered.
“No,” I said instantly. “I think you’re stressed, when you are stressed so is your wolf. She feels everything that you feel, when things go back to nomral in your life or when you start coping, she will too.”
“What if things don’t calm down?”
“Then I’ll help you,” I said. “Always.” She exhaled shakily. “I’m scared, Ayla.” We stayed like that for a long time, just breathing together, letting the room soften around us.
After a while she said quietly, “What about your father?” My throat tightened. “He’s getting worse, each day. Today I couldn't even bare to see him in that bad state. The most painful thing is we dont even now whats causing this illness."
“You’ll soon find out, I am sure the doctor's are working around the clock to find out whats wrong with him.” she murmured. “Your family is strong.”
I nodded even though I wasn’t sure anymore. “When I left the house today, someone was inside,” I admitted. “I heard footsteps after my shower. But no one was there.”
Tasha sat up slowly. “Ayla, that’s not normal.”
“No, its not." She swallowed. “Maybe someone’s watching you.”
“Or maybe I’m losing my mind.”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t like the sound of that, you need to be really careful. Especially now that you’re with an Alpha, his enemies become your enemies.”
I sighed. “There was a woman who came to my house and claimed to be my mother, it feels like a nightmare that I refuse to replay." I confessed to Tasha telling her for the sake of just telling. "But I dont want to talk about it now."
The room went quiet again.
To distract her, I talked. I told her about waking up next to Branden, about the way he kissed me good morning, how my heart raced, how we almost didn’t stop before he remembered my parents weren’t home. She teased me about blushing. I teased her about her dramatic wolf.
She laughed more, relaxed more, the shifting eased.
At some point, she said, “Ayla I’m glad you’re here. It makes me really happy to have such a supportive friend like you in my life.”
“I always will be here, you have done the same for me.”
“You’re the only one who makes the chaos feel less heavy,” she whispered.
“So are you.”
She leaned her head on my lap, and I stroked her hair, feeling her breaths even out. Her wolf settled enough for her to fully relax.
I kept talking softly, letting her drift, telling her everything I hadn’t said out loud: my fear, my confusion, my desire, my guilt, my hope. She listened in that half-asleep way she always had, absorbing every word without judgment.
When she finally fell asleep, I quietly covered her with a blanket, cleaned the last bit of clutter, and sat beside her, watching her breathe. I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring. But right now, in this quiet, messy room, with my best friend snoring softly beside me, I felt like I wasn’t alone either.