Chapter 15 - Gina
I dropped my bags onto the floor and sighed, exhausted. Anger was fueling me, and it was starting to dwindle as the sun set outside.
I stared at everything I brought into the house's living room. I couldn't stomach spending another night at Lucas's place, not after our big blowout. It was clear he would hold that over my head soon enough.
I grabbed my essentials, packed them all up, and dragged them over to the house. The house was nowhere near ready for someone to sleep here, but I decided the living room would have to do. I could spend however many nights here until one of the bedrooms was ready upstairs, and then I could start sleeping up there.
I grabbed the air mattress and started to rip it out of the box. I plugged it in, letting it fill up. I then turned to the TV I had purchased and ripped it out of its box. After my fight with Lucas, I bought several things to make myself comfortable in the house.
I had no Wi-Fi, so I bought a few movies to play on the TV and figured it would be fine. I set everything up, throwing some sheets and pillows onto the air mattress. After about forty minutes, everything looked decent. It was messy, but it would be fine for the time being.
I pushed the TV into the corner of the living room by the fireplace and set the air mattress a few feet from the middle of the room. I then pushed the couches against the wall and laid out my clothes.
I smiled, proud of myself.
"Lucas can kiss my ass," I said with a smirk. Who was he to tell me what I could and couldn't do? Even if there was someone watching me, I was more than able to take care of myself. I wasn't fifteen years old, unable to protect myself.
Sure, it had scared me a little bit, but the chances of it happening again were slim. Lucas had overreacted and overstepped.
I popped a movie into the VHS and sat down on the bed. I looked at the snacks I had bought, not having even thought about dinner. I was so used to Lucas doing dinner that it hadn't accorded to me.
My phone rang, and I looked down, seeing it was Lucas. It was almost like he knew. I was tempted to answer but decided against it. He was working, so it wasn't like he was going to come and see me. And by morning, I would have proven my point.
I felt smug as I ripped open a box of chocolate and took a bite. I threw myself onto the bed and watched the movie.
My phone rang again, and I glanced at it, seeing it was Lucas once more. I grabbed it and stared at it. I pulled my finger up to answer but hit ignore instead. Instantly, he started calling again.
I rolled my eyes and hit the mute button, tossing my phone aside and turning my attention back to the TV. Even with the movie, the house was quiet. I could hear the wind blowing and looked outside towards the woods. I felt my stomach dip thinking about Lucas's words. Someone was watching.
A shiver ran down me, hating the idea.
I quickly shook my head. "No. Don’t think about that."
I wasn't a small, fragile wolf who couldn't protect herself. I was a strong, powerful wolf that people shouldn't fuck with. The chance of someone coming up to the house was slim to none.
Even as I said those words, they tasted wrong. I could handle an intruder, but I could still see the concern on Lucas's face. Whoever he was thinking about was someone to be concerned about. And Lucas was no small wolf. If he was worried, it was someone I didn't want to cross my path.
I looked outside the window, and my entire body tensed up when I spotted someone in the woods. It was mostly the shadow of a body, but my wolf growled on high alert.
I was frozen, my mind blank on what I should do. And then I grabbed my phone, desperate to call Lucas. But I paused.
I had just told myself I was strong and that I could handle anything. The second I see someone on my land, my first instinct is to call a man. I scowled at myself, curling my fingers into tight fists.
"You do not need a man," I told myself.
I pulled myself up and walked over, slipping on my shoes. I threw on my jacket and opened the door. It was dark outside, and I let my eyes adjust for a moment before I started to walk around the perimeter of the house. Once I was in the garden, I looked back at the woods.
I scanned the tree line, looking for the shadow to be moving now, but there was nothing. I curled my hands into tight fists. Whoever was there was really starting to piss me off.
I headed down the hill closer to the woods and sniffed. I could tell someone had been there, but I had no idea who. It wasn't Chris. A small part of me had been hoping it was just him snooping.
The smell was off, and I scrunched up my nose, getting a tangle of blood in the air.
I heard a snap of a twig, and I turned. My body stiffened for an entirely different reason. Lucas was walking down the wood line, and his eyes were zoned in on me. I could feel his anger from where I stood, and even my wolf went silent, knowing what was coming.
His eyes were filled with rage as he approached, and I could see his jaw clenching together. His hands were in fists at his side, and his shoulders were tense as he marched towards me.
"What the fuck are doing out here?" he snapped, stopping a foot from me.
I looked back to the woods, and whatever I had felt, whoever I had seen was long gone now. I looked back at Lucas. "I saw someone out here, so I came to check."
His nostrils flared, and his lips formed a thin line. "And your first instinct was to come out here and check it out? Are you insane?"
I scowled at him, crossing my arms. "My first instinct was to protect my land."
He grabbed me, hooking his arm onto my elbow, and yanked me, turning us towards the house. "Hey!" I snapped, trying to break free, but his grasp was too tight. His steps were too stiff as we moved.
I walked, looking over my shoulder as we moved. I still saw no one and wondered who it had been. Who'd been watching me? How was lurking in the woods?
"You are a goddamn pain in my ass," he snapped as we moved. "Idiot! Only an idiot would come out here alone."
I looked at him with a glare. "Says the man that patrols the woods at night by himself. Calling the kettle a little black there."
"It's not the same," he snapped at me, his eyes boring into mine. "I'm not some fragile little girl who is blindly walking around the woods! It's my job! I was trained to protect. And I’m not even that close to the woods. I stand several feet away. I observe! I don’t fucking walk into the woods."
His words were like a slap, and I ground my teeth together. Yet again, he saw me as a fragile wolf that couldn’t protect itself. I hated it. "I wasn't blindly walking around! I was looking for whoever was out here!"
"And what happens if you find them? Hmmm? Do tell me how that would have gone!"
We entered the garden and started around the house. I ripped my arm free and glared at him as I crossed my arms. "I would have protected myself just fine!"
He laughed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "You can't even protect yourself from Chris or your family. What makes you think you can protect yourself from a stranger? From someone that wants to kill you."
I was so sick and tired of everyone thinking I was weak. Rage built up, boiling in, and I curled my hands into fists. I wanted to punch him. I wanted to do so much more than that, but I didn't. I turned and started marching inside, but Lucas followed.
“Gina, you can’t just walk away!”
“I can because I’m done talking to you.” I rounded the house and stepped inside the house. I shoved the door to shut it, but Lucas caught it and pushed his way inside.
I walked to my living room and could hear Lucas hot on my tail. "Gina, stop. You need…" Before he could finish, his words died as he stepped into the living room behind me.
"What the fuck is all this?" he growled, his eyes scanning my makeshift living space before coming back to me. I simply shrugged at him as I slipped my shoes off.
"My new living space," I said, looking at the time on my phone. It was only a little past nine now. "I was getting ready for bed before all this."
"You aren't sleeping here," he snapped. "I was pretty sure I made my feelings about this house very clear."
I turned to him and gave him a smart smirk. "You did, which is why I'm here. You do not control what I do, Lucas."
His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath in and then rubbed at his face. "Gina, this isn't a game. Pack your shit up and let's go."
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here." I said, crossing my arms.
"You aren't," he growled back. “You just said you thought someone was watching you, and you want to stay here?”
Not really. I likely wasn’t going to sleep, but I sure as hell wasn’t going back to his house so he could yell at me more.
"I don't recall you having a say in what I do." I sat down on the bed. "Aren't you supposed to be on the night shift anyway? Why are you here?"
He growled, taking a few more steps towards me. "I was, but you didn't answer your phone, and I got concerned."
I felt my heart skip a beat. But I quickly shook it away. He wasn't concerned. He was trying to be controlling. There was a difference.
"Well, you wasted a trip. You can go."
His eyes narrowed on me. "Gina, I swear to God, I do not have the patience for your smartass tonight."
"Do you ever?"
He took a deep, long breath in and then released it. He turned and grabbed my bag.
"Hey!" I was moving, rushing towards him, reaching for my bag. "Don't touch anything!"
"If you're not going to pack your shit up, I will."
"Lucas, if you don't drop my stuff, I swear to god I will hurt you."
Lucas didn't respond, so I pulled a hand up to punch him. He caught my fist, and his eyes narrowed at me. "I already told you. I'm in no mood. I don't have time for you to throw a tantrum because you want to prove a point."
I pulled my leg up and kicked him, which he had never been prepared for. But it got him to drop my bag and take a step back. "You do not get to order me around!" I snarled at him, shoving a finger into his chest. "You do not get to come in here and demand me to do anything!"
"I am trying to protect you!" he yelled. "We don't know who is out there! And you don't get to act like a goddamn five-year-old!"
"And I don't need you to protect me," I screamed at him. "I don't need you or anyone to look out for me! Why don't you get that!"