Chapter 142
It was one of those days where I couldn’t seem to catch a break. Tammy had been hovering around Jake like a bad smell since breakfast, which wasn’t unusual, but today she seemed especially determined to cause trouble. I could feel it in the way her fake smile lingered a little too long and how her sugary tone had an underlying sharpness.
Still, I tried to ignore her. If I let her get to me, she’d win, and I refused to give her that satisfaction.
By mid-afternoon, I found myself in the library, organizing books that I didn’t even read just to keep my hands busy and my mind clear. It was peaceful, a rare sanctuary away from Tammy and her relentless drama.
That peace was shattered when Sophie burst into the room, her face pale.
“Ayla, you need to come to the main hall. Now.”
I frowned, closing the book in my hands. “What’s going on?”
“It’s Tammy,” Sophie said, her voice tight. “She’s—ugh, just come. You need to see this.”
My stomach dropped. Tammy and her antics were never a good combination. Reluctantly, I followed Sophie to the main hall, where a crowd of pack members had gathered.
At the center of the commotion was Tammy, sitting on the floor with tears streaming down her face. Her dress was torn at the shoulder, and there was a red mark on her arm that looked like a bruise.
My heart sank. What had she done now?
“She attacked me!” Tammy sobbed, pointing a shaking finger in my direction.
I blinked, completely caught off guard. “What?”
“She pushed me!” Tammy wailed, clutching her arm like it was broken. “She said I didn’t belong here and that she’d make sure I left one way or another.”
The crowd murmured, their eyes darting between Tammy and me. I could see the doubt in their faces, the way they were piecing together her story and already starting to believe it.
“That’s ridiculous,” I said, stepping forward. “I didn’t touch her.”
“I saw it!” one of Tammy’s lackeys piped up from the side. A tall blonde who always seemed to follow Tammy like a shadow. “She shoved Tammy right into the wall. I was there!”
“That’s a lie,” I said firmly, my voice rising. “I’ve been in the library for the past hour. Ask Sophie!”
Sophie nodded immediately. “It’s true. Ayla’s been with me—”
“Not the whole time,” Tammy interrupted, her voice trembling but her smirk barely hidden behind her fake tears. “You left to grab something, didn’t you, Sophie? Ayla must’ve followed me after that.”
Sophie hesitated, her lips parting as if to protest, but Tammy’s words had already planted doubt in the crowd.
“She’s an omega,” someone whispered from the back.
“And a liar,” another voice added.
My wolf growled, furious at the blatant lies being spread. But what stung the most was seeing the people I’d come to care for turn their backs on me so quickly.
“I didn’t do this,” I said again, my voice shaking now, not with fear but with anger. “She’s setting me up.”
“Why would I do that?” Tammy asked, sniffling dramatically. “What reason would I have to make this up?”
“To get rid of me!” I snapped. “You’ve been trying to do that since the moment you got here.”
The crowd murmured again, but Tammy’s crocodile tears seemed to have a stronger grip on their sympathy.
And then Jake walked in.
The room fell silent as his presence commanded attention. He looked at Tammy, then at me, his brow furrowing as he took in the scene.
“What’s going on here?” he asked, his tone calm but cold.
Tammy wasted no time. She scrambled to her feet, running to him and grabbing his arm like she’d just survived a war. “Alpha, thank goodness you’re here. Ayla—she—she pushed me into the wall. Look!” She held up her arm, showing off the red mark.
Jake’s eyes flicked to me, his expression unreadable.
“I didn’t touch her,” I said firmly.
“She’s lying!” Tammy cried. “She’s always been jealous of me. You know that, Alpha. Please, you have to do something.”
The room seemed to hold its breath as Jake looked between us, his jaw tightening.
For a moment, I thought he believed her. He was silent for so long, his gaze lingering on Tammy’s fake tears and my trembling hands. My heart sank, and my wolf whimpered, the thought of him taking her side unbearable.
Then he sighed. “Tammy, stop this nonsense.”
The room gasped, and Tammy’s eyes widened in shock.
“What?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“I said stop,” Jake repeated, his tone sharper now. He gently pried her hand off his arm and stepped back, creating a distance that made it clear he wasn’t buying her act. “I’ve seen enough to know when someone’s lying.”
“But—Alpha—”
“You’ve been stirring up trouble since the day you got here,” he continued, his voice calm but laced with authority. “This pack doesn’t have time for your games, Tammy. And I don’t, either.”
Tammy’s face turned red—not from embarrassment but from anger. “You’re defending her? After everything she’s done? She’s an omega! A liar!”
Jake’s eyes darkened, and the room seemed to grow colder. “You don’t get to decide who belongs in my pack.”
The weight of his words hung in the air, silencing any whispers from the crowd.
“Now,” Jake said, turning to the pack members, “I suggest everyone gets back to their duties. This discussion is over.”
The crowd dispersed quickly, no one daring to disobey their Alpha. Even Tammy, though visibly seething, had no choice but to retreat.
Once the room was empty, it was just me, Jake, and Sophie.
I looked at him, my heart still pounding from the confrontation. “You believed me,” I said softly, more to myself than to him.
Jake met my eyes, his expression softening slightly. “Of course I did.”
Those words hit me harder than I expected. After everything Tammy had done, after all the doubts and whispers from the pack, Jake had stood by me.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
He nodded, his lips twitching into the faintest of smirks. “Don’t make me regret it.”
Sophie let out a relieved laugh, breaking the tension. “Well, that was dramatic.”
I smiled, feeling lighter than I had all day. Tammy’s plan had backfired spectacularly, and for the first time since she arrived, I felt like I might actually survive her reign of chaos.
As Jake left the room, Sophie nudged me with her elbow. “See? He’s not so bad.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. “Yeah, maybe.”
Fatima walked in just then, looking around. “Did I miss something? Why does Tammy look like she’s about to explode?”
Sophie grinned. “Oh, you missed a lot.”
As the three of us laughed, I couldn’t help but feel a spark of hope. Tammy might still be here, but at least I wasn’t alone in fighting her. And with Jake on my side, maybe—just maybe—things would finally start to get better.
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