Chapter 9

Nadia's POV

I pick myself and whatever is left of my dignity up off the floor and actually head to the bathroom to fix up. 

Landon is not where he says he would be. 

 "Hey," Talia waves me from where she is among the crowds, "where have you been all the while? I was about to search for you. You do know your way around the house, don't you? Are you fine?"

I did not hope to see her on my way out. I had just embarrassed myself big time and hoped to make it out before I had cause to interact with just one more person. 

 "Uhm, yeah." I don't know which of the questions I'm answering affirmative to, I just want to be out of here, or best case scenario, rush back with the crowd into Vance's bedroom to see his lifeless body lay on the floor in a pool of his own blood. It would really make my night if Landon could do that. "Have you seen Landon?" I asked Talia for lack of someone else to ask. 

 "Yes. He came in with your exact sweater." She says smiling, obviously expecting me to smile back. "But he rushed out a couple of minutes ago." Talia doesn't seem to mind that, good for Landon and I. 

I head out of the house in search of Landon. 

I try using our mindlink, but I can't seem to hear him around. 

Luckily, my phone is still on me. Thank Luna I didn't leave it in Vance and Talia's room while I was going through stuff. 

 "Where are you?" I queried Landon over the phone immediately he picked up. 

 "The car." Landon sounds stoic over the phone. "Meet me now." it's the last thing he says before hanging up on me. 

I do the walk of shame from the house to the park where I see Landon grabbing the steer wheel like it was Vance's neck. 

 "Hey. I could not find you when I got out." I remark. 

Chances are Landon would have reacted more to the still air than to what I just said. 

His eyes are focused on the road with his two hands gripping the steer wheel extra tight. Something was off. Why did he not wait till I got out? Why did he not shoot Vance through the windows I risked my life to open? Why did he not go according to the plan? 

The ride is too quiet. I imagined coming out to vent all my frustration from Vance's embarrassment on Landon. And now I'm getting the silent treatment? 

Landon pulls over in his garage. He turns the car engine off and pulls the keys out. 

I knew he was probably going to open the door and leave me in there, so I moved to help myself, but I didn't feel him moving. 

 "Aren't you getting down?" As I turned back to ask him, I saw him staring at me, more like his wolf, with his slit green eyes threatening to pierce through my bones. 

I know better than to stay. Heading into the house, I make a run for the bedroom. 

 "You fucking broad!" It's the first Landon has said to me since we got back from the Alpha's. 

 "What the fuck do you mean?" I questioned his choice of words. Landon however does not look like he is having it today. 

A growl escapes him, that's all the confirmation I need that his wicked and fierce wolf is about to tear his human apart and jump out. 

There's no protection from Mars' wrath; Landon I can manage, but Mars is a totally different ball game

I scamper into the bathroom for safety.

Tyla would have come out, but even she is scared of Mars. Tyla always talked to Mars through the mindlink more politely that I would ever talk to Landon. 

A fierce wolf deserved all the fear. 

Mars is almost fully out. Landon's otherwise beautiful dentition now looks like a meat trap with his canines longly protruding. Landon's wolf breathes heavily as if to suck up all the oxygen in the room. 

I barely shut the door when one single push shoves the door open with me behind. 

Mars drags me by the hair outside the bathroom. Tyla is crying in my head. Dragging me from my hair is especially traumatic for us both. 

 "You promised this was never going to happen again," Tyla says to me, "it's just like living with Dad all over again." I'm hurt to have done anything that would get us in this situation. 

I almost lost Tyla as a teen. Mom's husband, my step dad, was abusive. He was a rogue my mom took in when dad left us. The first time he tried sneaking up on me, I fought him and escaped with his claw marks. 

The next time, I knew better than to do that. He raped me, leaving me and Tyla inconsolable in our broken state. 

For six months after that, Tyla refused to talk to me. I was broken beyond fixing. The rape continued on and on, and my mom kept turning a blind eye. 

I was battered and Tyla was hurt. I wore long clothes to pack meetings, and always stayed away from moonlight. 

I begged Luna day and night to make it stop. But it went on for six years. Six freaking years of torture. 

 "Please, please… " I don't know if I'm begging Landon's wolf to stop, or mine to stay, but that's the only thing I could utter between all the battering and kicking around, I feel Tyla groan in my head, I felt bad before, now I feel worse. 

 "Landon!" My best bet was to appeal to him, and I knew that. "I know you're somewhere in there. Please tell me what it is. I swear by Luna, I'll cooperate with you." 

Landon rage dies down breath by breath. He tosses me for the last time, less painful than the others. 

Landon is finally out, his wolf gone. Thank Luna! 

Landon crashes on the couch. The rage his wolf just displayed would have killed his human. He looks spent, but still angry. 

I pick up all that's of me off the floor and sit right beside Landon

He is furious, but doesn't move in his seat.

 "Why did you let Mars do this to me?" I'm choking on the tears I don't want to spill. "I'm torn all over, in and out." 

 "While you were taking time in Vance and Talia's room, I creeped up the window to see if you had done the job, but forgot to tell me." Landon's muscles contract involuntarily as he completes his sentence. "Have you been in Vance's room before?"

I know better than to give a direct answer to that. 

Landon is tired, but Mars is not. For Landon's sake and mine, I have to play smart. 

 "I don't know what you mean by that." I say, drawing a nervous breath.