Chapter 184
I took a deep breath as I stood outside Jake’s office. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might jump out of my chest. I had been waiting for this moment—to finally have a real conversation with him, to get everything out in the open. But now that I was here, an odd sense of hesitation filled me. Would he listen? Or would he just shut me out like he always did?
No. I couldn’t afford to second-guess myself. Not now.
I pushed the door open without knocking. He was sitting behind his desk, scribbling something on a piece of paper, his expression cold and distant. At the sound of the door opening, he looked up. For a moment, something flickered in his eyes—something I couldn’t quite place—before he masked it with his usual unreadable expression.
“What is it?” he asked, his tone clipped and impatient.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay strong. “We need to talk.”
“I’m busy.”
My nails dug into my palms. “Too bad. I’m not leaving until we do.”
He exhaled sharply, tossing the pen onto the desk and leaning back in his chair. “Fine. Say what you have to say.”
I stepped closer, standing right in front of his desk. “Jake, you need to stop shutting me out. I’m not your enemy. I’m here to help. You can pretend all you want that I don’t matter, but I do. The twins matter. And whether you like it or not, we’re connected.”
His jaw tightened. “I know the twins matter. That’s exactly why I can’t afford distractions.”
I scoffed, crossing my arms. “Distractions? Is that what I am to you?”
He looked away, his hands clenching on the desk. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what do you mean?” I pressed, stepping closer. “Because from where I’m standing, you’ve done everything in your power to push me away. But I still stayed. For them. For this pack. And for some ridiculous reason, for you too.”
His entire body stiffened. “I never asked you to stay.”
That stung. More than I cared to admit. I clenched my jaw, refusing to let the hurt show. “No, you didn’t. But I did anyway.”
The tension in the room thickened, crackling like a storm ready to explode. I could see it in his eyes—conflict, anger, frustration, and something else. Something raw. Something he was desperately trying to bury.
I shook my head, stepping back. “You know what? Maybe this was a mistake. I thought you’d at least try, but I was wrong. You’ll never let yourself feel anything again, will you?”
His eyes flashed. “Don’t push me, Ayla.”
“Or what?” I challenged, my voice rising. “You’ll keep treating me like I’m nothing? Like I don’t belong here? Like I don’t—”
Before I could finish, he was suddenly on his feet, moving faster than I could react. In an instant, he was standing right in front of me, his towering presence overwhelming. His scent—woodsy, musky, intoxicating—wrapped around me, making it hard to breathe.
“You don’t understand,” he said, his voice low, almost a growl. “You think this is easy for me? You think I don’t feel the pull? That I don’t—” He cut himself off, breathing hard. His fists were clenched at his sides, his whole body tense like he was barely holding himself together.
I stared up at him, my heart racing. “Then stop fighting it.”
His eyes darkened, his wolf flickering just beneath the surface. “I can’t.”
“Why not?” I whispered.
“Because if I do…” His voice was raw, tortured. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop.”
The air between us became suffocating. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to close the distance, to reach for him, to make him see what was right in front of him. But before I could do anything, he turned away, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
“This isn’t just about us,” he muttered. “There’s too much at stake.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I know that. But pushing me away won’t change anything. It won’t make this go away.”
He stayed silent, his back still turned to me. The weight of his pain, his guilt, hung in the air between us, heavy and unspoken.
After a long moment, I sighed. “You don’t have to do this alone, Jake. You don’t have to carry everything on your shoulders. I’m here. Whether you like it or not.”
He exhaled slowly, his shoulders slumping slightly. When he finally turned back around, there was something different in his eyes. A crack in his armor. A tiny, almost imperceptible shift.
“I need time,” he admitted quietly.
It wasn’t much. But it was something.
I nodded. “Okay just dont take too long.”
He smiled "I won't "
For the first time in a long while, we weren’t fighting. We weren’t avoiding.
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