I felt anger hit me like a wave, and I curled my hands into tight fists. I rounded the corner, walking towards the group. Nina had her back pressed against the building, and three women stood around her. The one in front of her was the one talking, her arms crossed as she stood close to Nina.
“That's not true,” Nina said in a whisper. I could see she looked scared, her eyes pleading to just leave her alone.
The woman pressed closer. “Isn't it? Don't see your husband around anywhere. He's not here to defend you. He's inside with that waitress.”
I cleared my throat, and all of their heads turned towards me. Their eyes all widened, including Nina's.
“Her husband is right here.”
“I….” the woman sputtered as she tried to find words.
I walked closer, and the three of them stepped back, pushing away from Nina. I took in each of their faces, wanting to remember them. “Do continue. I would love to know what else you think of my wife. What do you know about our relationship?”
They all swallowed, looking paler by the second. The one in the front spoke more softly. “We were just talking. Nothing's going on.”
I narrowed my eyes on her. I disliked a lot of things, but I hated being lied to. “I heard what you said. You called her a loser and said that she was just trash. You have five seconds to apologize and leave before I lose my patience.”
“We're sorry,” they all said in unison and turned, running for it. They stumbled as they moved, running into each other as they hurried back down the street. I looked at Nina, who stared at where they were before her eyes came to mine. But there was no softness there.
“Why did you do that?” She pushed herself off the wall, taking a step towards me.
I looked at her, confused now. I had expected her to thank me, not yell at me. “What?”
She curled her hands into fists. “I had it under control. You had no reason to butt your nose into this.”
I snorted. Was she serious right now? “Oh yeah, it sure looked like you had it under control. I heard what they said. You were just letting them talk to you like you were a nobody.”
“And I had it handled! You had no right to come in here and say anything!”
I took a step towards her, and Nina stepped back against the wall. Her eyes widened as I leaned down into her space. “I'm not going to have people in town talking about you like that.”
I watched her lips form a line, and her eyes darkened. “How is it any different from how you speak to me? How do you talk to people about me?”
I ground my teeth together. It wasn't the same. It was entirely different. I was Alpha. “It's not the same.”
She gave me a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, please! You treat me like your own personal whipping post, but what? No one else can do that. No one else can talk about me?”
“Watch yourself, Nina,” I growled.
“Or what?” She stepped off the wall, her face just an inch from mine. “My life is already a shit show. What more are you going to do, Frank? You already yanked me from my home. You've made me a goddamn prisoner at home, but of course, it's not my home. You've made that perfectly clear.”
She pulled her hands up, shoving at me. I stepped back once as she dropped her arms, glaring at me. “I do not need you standing up for me if you can even call it that. Just leave me alone. You don't want anything to do with me, and I don't want anything to do with you.”
She stormed past me, and I turned around, throwing a fist against the wall. I took a few deep breaths as I tried to remain calm. But I wasn't. I was beyond frustrated, and most of it was my own doing.
My wolf growled, irritated.“If you had treated her nicely, maybe she wouldn't have been yelling at you.”
“Shut up,” I snarled at myself, and my wolf did.
Chapter 9 - Nina
I clutched my drink closely as I scanned the room. I didn't even remember whose party we were at, but Frank had left me a note that I needed to attend. It was someone higher up, and I had to dress for the occasion. I decided to wear a long sweater dress with a black belt. My hair was pulled up in a messy bun. Everyone was dressed just as nicely.
I looked across the room and found Frank wearing a pair of dress pants and a nice brown button-down. We hadn't put our clothes together, but we matched somehow.
He was talking to his brother and a few other guys, avoiding me. We had been doing this dance for a while now, and we were good at it. We hardly spoke, only when it was necessary. We still hardly saw each other, which I preferred. I split my time between the greenhouse, making it what I wanted, and with Jillian when I could.
I was looking for work but still hadn't found anything. I still didn't think anyone would want to hire me. So, I focused on the greenhouse instead. I bought more plants and picked through some of my stuff in storage that would pair nicely with everything. I had cleaned all the windows and scrubbed the floors. I hung some lights and bought a rug. The space had come together nicely.
