Avenging Nina (hiatus)

Chapter 4: Nina's World

Ryan went straight to Alpha Charles with the information he had gained so far. He was looking for the rouge described by Beta Matthew and Alpha Leonard. They were alone in the older alpha's office on the bottom floor of his pack house. Charles was trying to think back on if he ever knew a rouge that fit that description when the door flew open and bounced off the wall. Both men were surprised to find Nina with her nose in the air. "Ryan? Is that you?" Ryan walked over and took her hand, "Yes, my love. I was getting ready to come see you in your room." A large smile flashed across her face and she latched onto his side. Ryan sensed both Nero and Nera purring. Ryan kissed her hair and said, "I'm surprised to see you up and wandering around, Baby." Nina nodded her head, "The nurse is probably mad at me but I smelt my mate. I couldn't resist." That made Ryan's heart soar with happiness. Charles approached and asked for a hug. Nina happily jumped to her father's arms and giggled as he kissed her forehead. "It's good to see you, darling." Nina nuzzled her face against her father's chest. Charles looked up at Ryan and mind-linked "Thank you." "For what?" Ryan asked. "This is the first time she has willingly left her bedroom since she left the hospital. She has been cooped up for 3 weeks by choice. She must finally feel safe enough to leave her room. This is thanks to you, her mate." Ryan was even more surprised. He did not realize the extent of Nina's trauma. He thought Charles was being over protective and keeping her in her room.

Ryan was about to start telling Nina why he had come to meet with her father but Charles sent him a dark look and mind-linked, "Don't. I do not want to discuss this in front of her. She is finally recovering, healing." Ryan nodded and told his first lie, "I wanted to see you before I went out of town again." It was only a half lie. He really did want to see her. Nina planted a kiss on his cheek and said, "I'm so excited! I've missed you! How long will I have you before you go?" Ryan thought about the timeline he had worked out with his beta and trackers. "I can stay for an hour and then I need to go. I will come spend the whole day with you this Saturday. That is when we plan to take a break from trac--i mean our work." He stumbled over his words trying not to upset Nina or her father. Nina nodded excitedly. "Daddy, can I take Ryan to the dining hall? I want him to meet my friends." Charles chuckled and said, "Yes, of course. Good luck with that, young alpha." Ryan stared wide-eyed. He got the gut feeling his mate's friends were either going to be really strange or over protective.

He was correct. Nina's friends, her beta Barry and gamma Cherry, twin wolves, were very strange and hovered as if they were themselves Nina's guardians.

"Nina-bo-bina!!!" The young twins lunged forward, trying to dogpile Nina. This startled Ryan, unsure of who they were, and he grabbed up Nina and lifted her off her feet. The twins hit the tile floor and growled. They were young, barely thirteen. Ryan chuckled as they threatened him. He regretted it as soon as the boy Barry bit his leg. Ryan cringed and almost fell with Nina in his arms. "What is with your pack and biting?!" Nina laughed. "Barry! You can't be biting my mate!" The twins stood up and stared at Ryan with scrutiny. The girl finally spoke, "Nina! Did you say mate?! Squeeeee!" Nina giggled. As Ryan put Nina back down on her feet he noticed tension in the air and looked towards the twins. The girl, Cherry, was spinning and giggling. Beta Barry, on the other hand, was glaring at him. Suddenly the young boy approached and grabbed Nina's hand. "Let's go, Nina. You don't need this guy." Nina thought it was humorous while Ryan did not. Ryan pulled Nina's hand out of Barry's and said, "Not so fast, pup. I am Alpha Ryan and Nina is my luna. You will not disrespect me or our bond." The twins stared in awe at Ryan's words. Barry nodded and whispered an apology.

As the couple sat down for lunch with the twins the alpha determined they were both adorable and mischievous. They discussed pranks and how to get away with not doing schoolwork. As they discussed school Ryan realized he had no idea if Nina went to school or not. "Do you attend school?" He asked her as she ate her soup. Nina dropped her spoon and started sobbing. Ryan tried to hug her but the twins beat him to it. "Why would you make Nina cry?" Cherry cried at Ryan. "I'm sorry, I don't know what I did." He was genuinely confused. What was his faux pas? Nina pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around her legs. "I dropped out." Ryan's eyes bulged and he said, "What? Why?" Before Nina could answer a large man with white hair came up behind them and pushed Ryan out of his seat. "How dare you! Do you know who I am?!" Ryan yelled. The man glared at him, "Yes I do and I am not impressed." The man patted Nina's hair and said, "Dolly, allow me to take you to your nurse." Nina nodded and the man picked her up as if she weighed nothing. He carried her away. Ryan tried to follow but the twins grabbed his arm. "Don't. That is Master Nicholas, Nina's grandfather. He is not a man to cross," Barry explained. Ryan glared at the old man's broad back. He did not want to upset his mate's family but he was not going to let anyone get in between them.

The twins nodded at one another, mind-linking a secret message, and took Ryan back to Alpha Charles. Cherry whispered into the alpha's ear as most pups do. She told him what happened. Charles sighed, his eyes sad. He dismissed the twins and told Ryan to take a seat. The pups flew out of the office, barely closing the door. Ryan sat and looked to Charles for answers. "Why did Nina drop out of school?" Charles stood and stared out of the window, "A week after it happened, when she got out of the hospital some of her classmates came to visit her here. They were aware she had been blinded but not of the other details. They brought flowers and candy to comfort her, but they turned on her quickly. They smelled it on her, smelled him I should say. They said horrible things, called her horrible things because they could tell she was not a virgin anymore. It probably sounds old-fashioned and barbaric but my father raised both male and female pups in our pack to believe in waiting for intercourse for when they were properly matched to their mate. She is of age but they knew it was not her mate so they scrutinized her for it. They are pups themselves and cannot possibly understand the circumstances or the hurt they caused but it sent Nina into a deeper depression. We made them leave and until you came along she wanted nothing to do with other people. Her wolf would take over and we wouldn't get to speak to Nina for hours, sometimes days at a time. We submitted her resignation from school immediately. She said she could not handle being treated like that. It was terrible to see her in so much pain. I could not subject my daughter to it." Ryan nodded, hiding the fact that his insides were twisting. He felt sick. He couldn't believe her friends could treat her like that.

Then he thought to himself, why didn't he smell it? This scent that apparently told others what had happened. When he was with Nina all he smelled was cinnamon and sugar. It was intoxicating to his senses. Charles cleared his throat, disrupting Ryan's thoughts.

"You're probably wondering why you don't smell it." Ryan nodded. "I was the same way with my mate, Nina's late mother. I could only smell her wolf. I was blind with love for Beatrice. Even when she didn't always seem to love me I only looked at her. You'll find the mate bond keeps you from seeing the flaws that others see. You'll go the rest of your life thinking she walks on water, an expression my father used to say. Master Nicholas, my wife's father, is not as sentimental unless it comes to Nina. She is the moon and sun to that man. Do not let him catch you upsetting her again. He may try to separate you from her permanently." Ryan felt his heart drop and the blood rush from his face. He nodded, realizing he needed to be very careful about what he said in front of Nina. He thought they had moved past her trauma, but he was naive. He didn't like admitting that about himself but he knew it to be true.