Chapter 19
Nineteen
Nina
“ I hate to reward bad behavior, but you’re going to Colorado,” my mother sighs.
I’ve been hidden under lock and key without a phone for five days. I’m convinced Carter may be a ninja because he snuck an e-reader up to my balcony for me full of books.
Unsurprisingly, none of the packs believed my mother, and they have been having the beta check in on me when possible.
Thankfully, it’s been easier since my mother has been largely ignoring me. I’m not sure if it’s due to guilt or simply not wanting to see me.
Looking down at my pajamas, I bite my lip. I’ve been so sore, for the first two days, I refused to get out of bed. It was nice not to have to worry about wearing a wig or a face full of makeup. The housekeeper was gracious enough to keep me fed and bring me medical supplies for my welts.
“Yes, yes,” she says. “Silas has been very insistent that it has to be today. He’s coming to pick you up and take you to the airport. He says that he’s sorting out whatever you need for Colorado, as they’re having snow already there.”
It’s as I continue to stare at her in shock because things are moving quickly that she rolls her eyes.
“Here’s your phone. Go call him, and for God’s sake, put your wig on and make yourself presentable. I have no idea what they all see in you if you insist on looking like that,” she scoffs. “You’re so ugly now.”
Without even trying, my mother has managed to hit on every insecurity I have. Trying not to visibly flinch from her words, I take my phone from her. For some reason, my fingers don’t want to work, and I almost drop the damn thing.
“Worthless,” she mutters, not quite under her breath.
Steeling my spine, I walk away from her and up to my room, knowing I won’t have much privacy there either. I need a break, but I know Pack Mayor will have a lot of questions. I’m already exhausted thinking about it.
Me:
I hear I’m going on a trip, Silas?
I text him as I walk to the bathroom to shower, wincing as he video calls me. I can’t answer that.
Me:
I’m about to jump in the shower. I can’t video chat right now.
Silas:
Throw on a towel and answer anyway. I don’t care about a damn wig if that’s the issue.
Ugh. Carter has a big mouth.
Me:
My mother will have a fit if I do. Just give me twenty minutes.
Silas:
No. I’m on my way, so that’s all I’ll give you .
Fuck. Stripping off my clothes, I turn on the shower and get in, even though it’s frozen. Even though I have no privacy, not even in the bathroom, it hasn’t cured how insecure I feel about being naked.
Logically, I know no one will come up here to clean if they can hear that I’m in the shower.
The housekeeper has been very helpful in giving me as much space as possible since I don’t have any protection between my space and the rest of the house.
It’s a power play by my mother to remind me that I don’t have any rights.
This is the fastest shower ever. I shave as much and as quickly as possible without cutting myself, wash all over, and then throw myself out of the stall to dry off.
I don’t know if he means twenty minutes exactly or not, which means I have exactly ten minutes to get my life together. Fuck, this is stressful.
Using two towels to both cover and dry myself as quickly as possible, I walk to my closet and search for clothing. I have no idea what to wear, but decide to go with layers.
While the rest of the United States is leaning into the beginnings of fall, the September Georgia weather is still sweltering with heat.
Pulling on a pair of maroon leggings, a tank top with a long sleeved gauzy tunic, and flats, I grab a very warm coat to throw over it all for when it’s actually cold in Colorado.
Either way, I’m ridiculously happy just to leave here. I don’t care if I freeze. It wouldn’t be the first time.
I apply light makeup, my wig, and sigh as I hear the doorbell ring. Grabbing a large handbag, I use it to throw in my essentials to keep up this fake persona I have. Gazing down at it, I remind myself how sad this all is.
What would it be like to just be me?
“Nina!” my mother calls up to me, and I cringe.
Glancing at my phone, I see that Silas texted me.
Silas:
Time’s up. Get your cute ass downstairs. I have everything you need for Colorado. Leave whatever you’re thinking about bringing.
Gazing down at my bag, I sigh as I drop it on the ground. I’m going to have to just trust him. He hasn’t given me any reason not to, I simply am nervous about leaving overnight with him and his pack.
There are so many layers to why I’m fucked up.
Phone in hand and nothing else, I force myself to walk downstairs.
This will be fun. It’s better than being home.
Silas’ arms are crossed as he waits in the foyer, his gaze moving up my body as he watches. If he’s looking for bruising, he won’t find any, not anymore. My mother made me stand in front of her and turn slowly around so she could check at six in the morning before telling me to go back to bed.
It scared the shit out of me when she turned on the overhead light and yelled at me to get up. It was reminiscent of my time at Weeping Willow in a way, and something I would like not to relive.
“Hello,” he murmurs, watching as I smooth my hands down my body. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I respond, taking his hand when he offers it.
“She didn’t have much time to get ready, so it’ll have to do,” my mother sighs.
“Nina is beautiful regardless of that,” Silas rumbles. “I’ll be in contact, Miss Vivian, and let you know when I’m ready to return her.”
“Wait, I thought this was just for a few days,” my mother says, eyes wide.
“Ah, but you see, we’re going to be in the mountains, and we may get snowed in. We won’t be checking in regularly,” he says, opening the front door .
He leaves my mother standing there as he walks out with me, appearing amused.
“Bold,” I murmur as we walk to the SUV parked on the street.
“Apparently, we haven’t been bold enough according to her latest exploits,” he grunts, opening the back door and helping me in.
To my surprise, Cassidy is sitting there and I surprise myself by throwing myself into her arms.
“I missed you too,” she says tearfully, hugging me fiercely.
Silas closes the door behind me without a word and gets into the front seat.
“Am I being kidnapped?” I ask, half laughing, half hiccuping from tears.
“If I thought Lyle could win the case, we would,” Silas says. “We aren’t quite there yet.”
“Now, what the fuck is happening?” Cassidy sniffles, pulling back as I wipe my face.
“How much time do you have?” I grumble, grabbing the seatbelt, only to have her steal it from me to buckle me in.
Alpha instincts can be cute, I guess.
“We really are on the way to the airport, so I’m going to help steer the conversation a bit,” Silas says, putting the vehicle into drive.
Cassidy quickly puts her seatbelt on, and his eyes watch as it clicks into place before merging out of the parking spot.
“What have you been doing the last five days?” he asks.
“Healing,” I sigh. “I can’t sleep very much because the sun and moon shine into my bedroom. It keeps me awake.”
“Carter mentioned that you don’t have any doors or curtains,” Cassidy growls.
“He talks a lot,” I reply. “I don’t have any privacy and it makes me twitchy. My nerves are raw. One of the things I was most excited about was having my own space again.”
“As opposed to what?” Silas asks, brow raised .
“Fuck a duck,” I mutter. Too comfortable, Nina. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t get to thank Carter for the e-reader because I was in such a haze. I need to make sure I do that.”
“Later,” Cassidy says, squeezing my hand. “You have a lot of secrets that we can’t help you with if you don’t tell us.”
“Secrets that belong in the past,” I respond. “Knowing I’m a basketcase isn’t really going to help anything.”
“Nina, I don’t care to hear you speak about yourself like that,” Silas says. “Why is your head shaved?”
I grumble to myself, but drop my head back onto the seat.
“I used to have really pretty, long ice blonde hair,” I say.
“When I turned eighteen, I had highlights done in bright pink, and my mother hated it. She walked out the door and said she was going to check me into a mental hospital to give me an attitude adjustment. Apparently, that’s what the rich do when their daughters have moments of defiance. ”
“I don’t think dying your hair is a form of defiance,” Cassidy shrugs. “It’s an expression of individuality, and it can always be changed.”
“What did you do when your mother stormed out the door?” Silas asks.
“I ran away,” I confess. “I had applied to a university in Minneapolis, knowing she wasn’t going to be happy with any of my choices. I packed up my life and left. I slept in my car, worked at a bar, and went to classes.”
“How did you afford the school?” Silas asks.
“I got a scholarship by stating that I didn’t have any income, which I knew was going to be true as soon as I left.
It didn’t cover housing though, and the SUV became my home,” I say.
“It worked for a while, until my mother caught up with me and had me committed. That’s where I was while she was looking for packs to court me. ”
It feels as if my insides are vibrating as I tell my story, but my voice is dead and calm. I hate having to tell them this .
Cassidy purrs for me, helping me take an easier breath as she holds my hand.
“What happened to your hair?” she asks. “Can I see it?”
Running my fingers through my wig, I wrinkle my nose.
“I don’t think I’m ready for that,” I whisper.
“Some of it is really foggy, but I had my first heat when I was brought into the hospital. They put me under medical sedation because I was inconsolable apparently. I didn’t come into my designation until I was almost eighteen.
I feel as if I'm constantly learning new things about being an omega, and it’s frustrating that there isn’t a guide book or something for this. ”