Trigger warning: Mentions of domestic abuse!
Nolan didn't make any moves to leave when they reached the front of her home. He just stood, staring at her, then at the door, his gaze expectant.
" Aren't you going to invite me inside?" His posture and the tone of his words appeared carefree but she had known him long enough not to trust this side of him. It was fake, along with the smile that stretched his lips as he waved at people passing them on their way here.
Standing out in the open was safe, it meant he was forced to hang onto his nice facade a bit longer.
Coraline lingered awkwardly by the front steps of her home. Her first instinct was to refuse him. She didn't trust him behind closed doors where he was free to do as he wished without reprimand.
His next words brought her fears to life.
" We are far too exposed standing here, wouldn't want anyone overhearing our conversation." His smile dropped a fraction and she caught a glimpse of the monster laying within. " Open the door, Coraline."
They weren't mates, though there was no way of truly knowing until her wolf emerged. She prayed to the moon goddess each night not to make them mates. Coraline was already bound to him through their family's connections and the engagement, she didn't need her soul to be entwined with his as well.
Coraline unlocked the door and stepped back to let him in. He had been inside her family's house many times over the years. When he stepped inside now, he did so like he belonged there.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she shut the front door behind him. There was no one else at home, they were all still at the council hall and they weren't coming back anytime soon.
He could strike her right now and no one would know. No one would come to help her.
The thought sent tendrils of fear through her veins.
She watched him warily, like he was a dangerous wild animal, all the while making herself less imposing, less of a target. He had his hands in his pocket as he stared around the place like it was his first time being in here.
She remained rooted to her spot by the door, refusing to move.
He came closer instead, taking a lock of her hair and twirling it between his fingers.
" Do you remember when you used to sneak me into your room whenever your parents weren't home?" Nolan said.
She recalled it. She also recalled how she let herself be thoroughly consumed by him and how foolish she had been for doing so. Now she didn't even want him near her home.
" My parents will be back any minute. Maybe you should go, see if your father—" Coraline began but Nolan cut her off sharply.
" I've been thinking… We should push the wedding date forward." He said.
Coraline froze. Terror like she had never felt before coursed through her at the thought of being married to Nolan.
She no longer felt any affection towards him. His violent nature made sure of that. But her parents had forced her to accept when he proposed, trapping her even longer in this horrid relationship.
An engagement for political benefits was one thing but marriage was a completely different ball game.
Nolan hardly looked bothered by her frozen state. He just continued speaking. " I already spoke to your father about it and he agrees. After dating for so long, it makes no sense to further postpone the wedding."
No.
Coraline wanted to scream.
She couldn't marry him. What kind of life would await her as his wife? A life of pain and misery.
She couldn't.
Her father. She needed to see her father and make him see reason. Maybe then she could finally be free from Nolan. It was wishful thinking and a part of her knew that hoping was futile in her situation.
The only thing that would save her was if her wolf emerged and she somehow found her mate before the wedding. Though she doubted that it would be enough to keep Nolan away.
****
Alpha Darian scheduled the trip to the bloodstone pack only three days after the pack meeting.
Coraline had expected only the alpha and her father to make the trip. She wished on the stars that Nolan would join them as well. She counted every day she spent away from him as a blessing.
But to her shock and utter disappointment, Darian requested that she and her mother accompany them to the peace treaty meeting. He claimed it was to present a united front and show the bloodstone pack how eager they were for peace and that they felt safe around them enough to bring along family members.
Coraline, however, was able to see through the Alpha's words and knew that Nolan had something to do with it. He wanted his favorite shiny trophy to flaunt around while he was in the bloodstone pack lands and they only invited her mother along to not seem rude.
She had spent so much time with that family that she trained herself to hear and see through their gentle words and polite gestures, down to the depraved filth that laid deep within.
That was how she found herself next to her mother in the backseat of one of the cars of the Alpha's convoy. Her father, Garrett Jennings was seated in the front passenger seat next to the driver, who expertly navigated the fairly busy roads as they drove to meet Alpha Alister Westbrook.
Coraline rested her chin in her palm as she stared out the car window. Lost in thought, she didn't notice the piercing weight of her mother's stare boring into her flesh.
Her mother, Paloma Jennings was a radiant woman in her late forties. Out of her four children, Coraline resembled her the most. They shared the same blue eyes, the same narrow jawline and high cheekbones. Those same features that made Paloma beautiful were now twisted in thinly veiled annoyance as she regarded her youngest daughter.
Coraline's sleeve had slid down while she stared out the window, revealing the darkened finger-shaped bruises along her arm that were left behind from the last time Nolan gripped her harshly, his fingers digging roughly into her skin.
She didn't even notice that her sleeve had shifted or that the marks were exposed but her mother had. Paloma saw and noticed everything.
" Cora." Her mother called, snapping Coraline out of her thoughts. She reached over and pulled up her daughter's sleeve to cover the marks back up as she continued speaking in hushed tones. " How many times do I have to tell you to keep those covered?"
Paloma spoke low enough so her husband and the driver wouldn't hear, her words meant only for her daughter.
Coraline silently watched Paloma rearrange her clothes until all the bruises were completely covered.
People in the pack had been shocked when Coraline changed her style completely and went from wearing cropped tops and skirts to wearing flowy dresses that covered her shoulders down to her ankles just a year into dating Nolan. They all thought it was merely a change in style and Coraline never tried to correct them.
They had no idea that the evidence of Nolan's cruelty lay beneath her clothing. They had no idea that her skin bore the brunt of his violence.
Her mother knew all about the abuse and her first thought was to urge her daughter to cover up the bruises.
" Those look fresh." Paloma said, referring to the finger marks. " What did you do to enrage him this time? You know he has a temper."
Coraline's eyes stung as she stared at her mother. It wasn't the first time she had been asked that question; it usually happened whenever Paloma discovered another scar on her body.
By now, Coraline should have been used to it but she feared she never would be. Each time she heard that question, it chipped away at a piece of her soul.
As though Coraline was somehow responsible for Nolan's abusive nature, like she was to blame for every time he raised a hand against her.
Her lips parted but Paloma cut her off before she could utter a single word.
" You never listen to me. I always tell you to keep your head down, be more agreeable and he won't hit you. Why is this so hard for you to understand." Paloma shifted closer and grabbed Coraline's hand, clasping it in hers like a caring mother would. There was now a gentle expression on her face but Coraline knew it was fake. " It's not long now, you know that right? Patience. You only need to tolerate it long enough to become Luna and give him an heir to secure our family's power and influence in the pack. Then you can do as you please. You can even demand to live in a different house from him and no one would bat an eye."
This wasn't the first time her mother had said those exact words. Spoken in such a gentle tone, Coraline had internalized those very words and taken them as the truth for years.
All she had to do was weather the tumultuous storm that was Nolan's temper long enough to become the next Luna. It was what her family—particularly her mother—wanted for her ever since Nolan made his interest in Coraline known.
She lifted her eyes and met her father's stern gaze in the rearview mirror. No other words were said after that.
She hadn't spoken to her father about the matter yet, afraid of the possible outcomes. After all, her father was also one of the people that vehemently pushed her towards Nolan. She hoped to speak to him before they left the bloodstone pack lands.
She would have to tell him everything as well so that Nolan would no longer have any power over her.
Would he still look at her the same way knowing his daughter was a killer?
When their cars came to a stop, three finely dressed men stood outside like silent sentries. They greeted her family with polite smiles.
" Welcome!" One of the men said as Coraline shut the car door behind her. " Our alpha has prepared fitting accommodations for his esteemed guests. Allow us to show you the way. The alpha will be with you shortly."
Coraline kept her gaze trained on her father's back as they followed the men sent to escort them,