Chapter 12

Aliyah's POV

"This would have been a great love story, even though it's very one sided, except that Skylar, the love of your life actually sent Jude to drug you that night."

And for the second time that day, my jaw dropped to the ground.

Tyler's words echoed in my head repeatedly.

Skylar? My Skylar?

"What?" My voice was so low I could barely hear it. "What did you just say?"

"I don't like to repeat myself, Aliyah. You heard me." Tyler replied nonchalantly.

"Wh...why would Skylar.... why would he do that?" I found myself stammering.

Tyler simply shrugged in response.

"You are lying. You dirty liar! Why would you go this low??" I whispered and stepped back from him.

He smirked, "I knew you would respond like that. But think about it, Aliyah. That drug Jude used on you is a wolfsbane extract, but another thing you don't know is that, it is very expensive and very hard to access. Only wolves with connections and power. Like Alphas, can access it." He paused to see my reaction to everything he just said. "Now, think." He concluded, tapping his temple with his index finger.

No. No. No

I had always wondered why Jude would go as far as getting a wolfsbane extract, just to drug me.

I felt my legs become weak under me.

I shook my head severally, as if to rattle the absurd situation out of my mind.

"But why? Why would Skylar do that to me? Why would he drug me? He has no reason to hurt me. He's.... he's a Professor and an Alpha. Why would he bother with a mere wolf like me?" My countless questions continued to come out.

"And Jude? Why would Skylar involve himself with a slimy weasel like him? It makes no sense!"

Tyler's eyes narrowed but his expression was unreadable. "Aliyah, I think you have been underestimating how bothersome your crush on Skylar is."

"Excuse me?"

"You have been throwing yourself at him for months. Mooning over him like some lovesick puppy. He hates it. Like you said, he's an Alpha and a Professor, imagine how humiliating it must be for him, especially when people were starting to talk...."

People were starting to talk?

"......a mere werewolf who is a nobody is madly in love with him. He just wanted to take you out of the way. And Jude? That asshole is vain and a fucking loser, a perfect tool for a dirty job like this. Skylar decided to kill two birds with one stone, set you up with Jude and get you off his back. "

I laughed, but it came out bitter. "Set me up with Jude? That's ridiculous. This is ridiculous. Skylar doesn't care enough to orchestrate something like that. He doesn't even see me."

My wolf was also restless inside, but even she couldn't deny the doubt creeping in.

Maya, is this true?

Did Skylar really try to set me up with Jude?

Tyler stepped closer, "That's what he wants you to believe. That's the mask he wears. And the exact one I want to rip off."

Tyler was a lot of things—arrogant, manipulative, annoyingly hot—but a straight-up liar? Not about something this big. Not when it involved his own twin.

He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming in the dim light filtering through cracked windows. "Noble? Please. That's the mask he wears. The one I want to rip off. Skylar's been playing you, Aliyah. That night at the party? Jude didn't just 'happen' to have that spiked drink. Skylar handed him the vial himself. Told him to make sure you were... pliable. Distracted. Out of the picture so he could focus on pack business without your puppy eyes following him everywhere."

"Prove it." I challenged him and my voice cracked despite my best effort to sound tough.

"What?"

"Prove that everything you just said is true."

Tyler rolled his eyes at me, "Of course it's true, I overheard Skylar and Jude plotting. How do you think I knew to come to that party that night? Listen, do you believe me or not?"

He was starting to sound impatient.

Fuck.

He wasn't lying.

I know I'm not supposed to believe anything that comes out of Tyler's mouth but he's my mate. We're meant to feel each other's emotions, which means I would know for sure if he was deceiving me right now. If I didn't, my wolf, Maya would. And Maya tells me he's not.

Skylar really did drug me.

I had always desperately craved for his attention, but not like this.

"I can see the wheels turning in your head. It's hard to take in, right? But that's the thing, Aliyah. Skylar is ruthless like that. When he needs to be, he is very ruthless."

I glanced him, throwing a glare towards him. "Don't get smug yet. We're not friends or anything. But how do you intend to do this?"

Tyler's shoulders relaxed at my words and I saw triumph flicker through his eyes.

****

It was already dusk when I left the warehouse and returned home. I was few blocks away from our dorm building when my phone buzzed. I fetched it out of my pocket and my eyes widened slightly as I read the text from Becca.

'We found Leah. Come to this address.'

Without thinking twice, I flagged down a taxi and jumped into the first one that stopped. The taxi stopped in front of a motel and I rushed towards Kelly and Becca after sighting them in a corner.

"Hey. Leah. Where is she? Is she okay?" I rushes out the questions.

"She's okay, I guess." Kelly replied and I frowned at the icy tone in her reply.

"What's wrong?" I asked in confusion and looked around me. "And what are you guys doing here? Where is Leah?"

"We found Leah. Coming out of a motel with Jude." Becca said with a quiet voice.

My brows furrowed. "What?"

"Yes, Ali. That crazy bitch was with Jude in a fucking motel." Kelly looked visibly raged.

"What the hell was she doing with him?"

"They were together in a motel, of course they were fucking!"

An elderly man passing by with his dog threw suspicious glances at us.

I blinked severally, unable to believe my ears. Why would Leah sleep with the same boy who drugged me?

"Let's go in, Aliyah." Kelly suddenly announced.

"What? Go in where?"

"What do you mean 'go in where'? The motel, obviously! To catch that backstabbing bitch red handed!" Kelly said.

I was about to protest when she grabbed my hand and dragged me into the motel, with Becca trailing behind us. She passed by the receptionist who was fast asleep and we stopped in front of a door.

Without knocking, Kelly burst into the room.

Leah shrieked, scrambling to pull a sheet over herself on the bed, while Jude was shirtless, holding a beer.

"What the fuck?!" Jude shouted.

"Leah? Wh... what are you doing with him?"

"What kind of stupid question is that, Aliyah? We're in a motel." Leah snapped at me.

I blinked, "After what he did to me? He drugged me, Leah!" I couldn't believe my own friend would do this.

There was no sign of remorse or shame on Leah's face as she rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Stop being dramatic. I was already fucking him before he drugged you. And what if he drugged you? So fucking what? You should be flattered someone like Jude even noticed you."

What the hell?