They were only staying three days, so she packed light. Coraline dragged her luggage along as she and her parents were led to their accommodations.
The harsh afternoon sun beat down on them as the men guided them towards a row of cozy cabins. They were the guest cottages, one of the men said when her father asked.
" What about Alpha Darian and his son? Where will they be staying?" Paloma asked while one of the men unlocked the front door to one of the larger cabins.
" They have their own separate accommodation." The man answered politely.
It meant that despite how nice and comfortable the guest cottages were, Darian and Nolan's accommodation would be much better than theirs. It made sense, he was the alpha after all.
Paloma must have understood this too because she glanced back at Coraline, her eyes glinting. Her lips stretched into a wide, beatific smile as she turned to regard her daughter. It was a smile she only used in public when she wanted to fool people into believing she was a decent person.
She wasn't. Coraline had learned that the hard way. Paloma was just like the rest of them.
" You should stay with Nolan, dear. You've hardly spent any time together lately." Paloma said, her tone leaving no room for objections.
Coraline just stared back, stunned. Her eyes were wide, her chest squeezing painfully.
How could her own mother send her back to a man like Nolan? How did she stomach her own actions right after seeing the bruises he left on her body?
Coraline couldn't speak. She couldn't move. She had avoided being in the same space with Nolan since the day he walked her home from the council hall, putting distance between them. Now her mother was willingly shoving her into the lion's den to be eaten and have her body broken.
Did her mother hate her that much? Why was she so comfortable with watching her daughter suffer?
Before Coraline could ever utter a word in response, Paloma was already turning away to address the man she had been speaking to.
" Please show my daughter where Nolan Castro will be staying. They are engaged." Paloma said, smiling like she wasn't sending Coraline back to her abuser. All so she can keep boasting about her daughter being the next Luna of their pack.
The man returned her smile with one of his own, oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
Coraline's hand shot out and she grabbed the sleeve of her father's shirt, gripping the fabric like it was a lifeline.
Garrett Jennings glanced down at his shirt sleeve before his gaze settled on Coraline with a frown.
" Can I speak to you, please. It's important." Coraline said. Her father knew that she and Nolan fought often but he didn't know about the true extent of the situation. He didn't know about the bruises. At least she didn't think he knew.
She hoped that if she explained it to him, if she showed him the bruises, he would understand and believe her. Perhaps he would be different, unlike Paloma and take her side
But her father only sighed, already impatient.
" Can it wait? I have to get ready to speak to Alpha Alister." He said. His job was always the first thing on his mind.
" Oh," Coraline muttered, slowly letting go of his sleeve. She felt something inside her break and she glanced away so she wouldn't meet her mother's narrowed gaze. " Yes, it can wait."
Nolan was leaving his cabin when Coraline found him. She turned back to the man that accompanied her with a small smile.
" Thank you for showing me the way. That will be all for now." She said politely and the man nodded in response before walking off.
Nolan didn't look surprised to find Coraline standing by his cabin.
" So your mother does have enough sense to follow instructions. Not going to lie, I doubted her a bit." Nolan said, his acerbic tone making her stiffen. It was the tone he always used right before he hit her.
But he couldn't, they were still outside.
The meaning of his words dawned on her a second later.
" You asked my mother to send me here." It wasn't a question. She didn't need to ask when the answer was already plain as day.
" Don't think I haven't noticed that you've been avoiding me." Nolan said, stepping towards her.
Coraline suddenly regretted sending her guide away. She stayed still when every part of her screamed at her to run.
If she ran, where would she go that would be far enough from Nolan's reach.
Coraline's lips quivered. " I'm not—"
" Liar." He said. His gaze was like a hot brand raking over her body. " Don't tell me you're getting cold feet."
Her mouth opened but nothing came out. His nearness struck her with a type of fear that left her paralyzed.
" Because it would be pointless. This wedding is happening whether you like it or not. I don't care if I have to drag you by your hair, I will do it and so much more." Now he was close enough to whisper. " And I'll make it hurt for you. I own you, Coraline. Remember that, and perhaps I might just forget what happened that night three years ago, when you struck poor Aaron so hard on the head and cracked his skull open."
Did he know that she was planning to call off the engagement?
A hard lump formed in Coraline's throat as she recalled what happened that night.
Nolan watched, his eyes twin hollow dark pools as he relished in her discomfort.
She hated him with every fiber in her being.
With one last look, he walked past her to meet with both their fathers and Alpha Alister to discuss the peace treaty.
The light from the sun had begun to wane when Nolan returned to the cabin.
Coraline was seated on the front steps with her luggage, unable to walk inside. Nolan found her there.
" Go inside and get dressed. The bloodstone pack is hosting an event to celebrate the newly signed peace treaty and you will be attending with me." Nolan ordered.
Coraline merely glanced up at him.
" No." She said, " I'm not feeling well." She added when she watched his eyes narrow menacingly at her.
" Cora, my love, I couldn't care less if you are actively bleeding to death. You will do as I say."
For once she didn't lower her gaze. She met his stare and held it defiantly. She didn't move from her spot or flinch. Not even when Nolan roughly grabbed her jaw in an almost bruising grip.
" Don't make me repeat myself." He snarled.
Coraline wanted to spit in his face but she curbed the urge to do so.
Her eyes never left him. Her silence was defiant on its own.
Nolan brought his face closer to hers. " Don't. You won't win and will only end up getting hurt. So just take your things inside and do as you are told." He pushed her head back as he released her.
****
Soft music and the low hum of conversation filled the wide space as people fleeted and mingled around her. She was dressed in another one of her flowy gowns as she observed her surroundings.
Everyone around her wore a smile on their face as they celebrated the newly formed alliance between the two packs. Everyone was happy. Everyone but her.
Her grip tightened around her champagne flute. She had lost count of how many people her father had introduced her to that night, their faces already blurring together in her mind.
He said she had to know every important person worth knowing in the bloodstone pack and she believed him. Politics to her father was a game and connections were currency.
If only he spent the amount of time he put into his role as beta into something else like being a more present father, perhaps then he would see that the man that he had been pushing on his daughter for years was the same thing that was slowly killing her.
Nolan stepped up to them and flashed a charming smile at her father. It was a smile meant to deceive and disarm.
" Can I borrow my fiancee for a moment?" He asked smoothly, causing her father to chuckle.
" Of course. She's all yours." Garrett said.
Her father's words, although said in jest, made her stomach drop and bile coat the back of her throat.
As soon as her father moved away, Nolan's hand snaked around her waist, gripping her tightly to his side.
He brought his lips to her ear, whispering; " Did you hear that, Coraline. You are all mine. Even your father understands and I will make sure you never forget it."