My lower lip quivered, and I stepped back again. “Please, don't touch me.”
Jillian looked hurt as I said this, her arms dropping. “Nina, I'm not part of this. Please, believe that. Let me help you clean up.”
I couldn't. I couldn't trust anyone. They had made that very clear.
I looked for Frank. I didn't know why, but my eyes searched. I quickly found him standing across the room, his eyes looking blank. I hated it. I hated how I instantly knew he had been part of this. Why else had he disappeared and magically reappeared after everything happened? If he saw nothing, he couldn't get mad, right? Wasn't that what he wanted in the end? To make my life a living hell.
I turned, pushing past Jillian and everyone else as I headed towards the doors. Laughter was behind me, and tears broke free as I sped and walked out of the room. I yanked my shoes off as soon as I was outside and started to run for it. I didn't know where I was going to go, but I wanted to get away from here. I needed to.
I pushed outside the building as I started to sob, making my way towards the trees. I didn't get far before my sobs took full effect, and I couldn't hold myself up. I cried, wishing that I could be someone else. I wished for nothing more than to get away from this place and never return. Was there a way I could make that happen? I doubt the Council would void the marriage because the pack treated me badly. I could run away. Katie tried. Not that she got far.
I felt so abandoned as I cried, wishing for nothing more than the world to open up and swallow me whole. Maybe then this would stop.
Chapter 10 - Frank
I looked across the party and found Nina sitting with Jillian at a table. They were talking, and she seemed comfortable. I kept going over our last fight, hating that it seemed to be what we did best. We didn't seem to know how to be civil with each other.
I looked back toward Dave, who was telling a story about the vacation he and his wife had just taken. I'd been listening, but my eyes were wandering back to Nina. I had been watching her the entire time we had been here. She hadn't eaten, and she had hardly touched her drink. She was talking to a few people, but otherwise, she was rather quiet. She stayed with Jillian, and most of the time, they stayed seated at that table.
I hated this feeling that twisted up my gut. This caring for her when I shouldn't. I had tried to ignore her and push past it, but every time I did, it seemed to grow. I ached to be around her more than I had.
“Are you even listening?” Kerr elbowed me as he whispered to me.
I looked back towards the group. “Of course.”
Kerr made a face. “Why don't you just talk to her? You've been staring at her all night.”
“Because she's mad at me.”
Kerr snorted. “Shock. Why does that not surprise me?”
I growled at him, which Kerr ignored.
“We had a great time,” Dave said as he kissed his wife's forehead. His arm was draped around her chair, and she smiled happily at him. Dave and his wife had always looked and behaved like a perfect couple. They were both shifters withdecent jobs. They had a beautiful house that was ready for kids. They had none, but that didn't seem to stop their determination. I knew that Dave had asked me about them joining Katie's project to get pregnant. Katie had someone helping her with her job, and since her alliance with Henrik, her project has only grown. They had so many people joining that they had a waiting list now.
I looked away towards Nina, thinking about the entire reason we were forced together. Kids. I had never had a pull to have a bunch. I always focused more on the pack and its needs. Running the biggest pack and one of the oldest meant my time was needed everywhere. I had more hands in the pot, so to speak, when it came to help, but that just meant more supervision.
I trusted everyone who worked for me, but I wasn't stupid not to watch. It was how my father ran things and how I would continue, too.
“So, how did you piss her off this time?” Kerr asked.
I scowled, “What makes you think I did it? She is unreasonable.”
Kerr laughed. “Because I know you. You're arrogant and hot-headed. If you're arguing, it's your fault.”
“And she's what, perfect?”
Kerr shrugged. “From what I've heard about her, she's sweet and kind, which greatly clashes with you.”
I ground my teeth together. “What did you look into her before we got married?”
Kerr nodded. “Yeah, I did. I wanted to know who my brother was marrying. That and the gardeners have nothing but sweet words to share about her.”
I grabbed my beer, taking a long drink. “Fine, what else did you find?”
Kerr looked at me. “Do you actually want to know, or are you just asking because you don't like to be left in the dark?”
I narrowed my eyes on him.
