The Alpha Prince's Mate (Book 7 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 18

"Hi Riley. I'm here to keep both you and Mila safe," Nick greeted her.

"Thank you for coming. Mila might freak out a bit though. She didn't put on any makeup and her face is a mess, so please don't say anything to her about it," Riley warned them.

They all nodded and looked up to the porch as Mila walked outside, pulling the door shut behind her. She stopped when she saw Nick and his heart broke for her.

Her face was a mess. She had a black eye and multiple bruises on her cheeks. Her lip had been busted, though it was starting to heal some. Her arm was in a sling. She looked like a deer in the headlights as she stared at him and he could imagine what she was thinking. She knew that he knew Ethan. He kept his face impassive as he watched her internal debate. He knew she had to be wondering why in the world he was here. The world is a much smaller place than you think it is, Mila.

"Come on Mila," Riley called, turning back to her cousin.

She stepped off the porch and slowly, reluctantly, approached them. "Hi," she mumbled. Nick guessed that at the moment, she wanted to go back in the house. He really hoped she wasn't blaming herself for what had happened to her.

"Mila, this is Nick. He's a friend and came along to help out today," Max told her in a calm voice.

Nick could hear the concern in his voice and was glad Ethan wasn't here to see what kind of a mess Mila was in. He was concerned for her himself.

She gave Nick a half smile. "Thank you for coming."

He smiled back at her. "Of course."

He found himself seated in the backseat of the truck with her next to him and Riley on her other side. She was quiet and stiff and he imagined completely uncomfortable next to him, and it annoyed him a bit that Riley had put her in the middle. He didn't really move, not wanting to make her any more uncomfortable than she already was. Hopefully the drive was short.

Her phone rang after a bit, and she pulled it out and answered it.

Nick could easily hear the conversation, and his frown deepened as he met Max's gaze in the rearview mirror. It was the police calling her to inform her that someone had vandalized her apartment and her car. Ethan was going to be furious.

She hung up, and he could feel her tension. If someone looked at her wrong, she would probably break, and he couldn't blame her. She wasn't crying though, but he had a feeling she wanted to, and she probably wasn't getting through this without breaking down. He almost guaranteed it was her ex. The man seemed set on punishing her for not wanting to be with him. At the rate they were going, Nick wondered if it would be easier if they just told her everything and took her to Pennsylvania where she'd be safe. He knew it couldn't be that easy though. This situation was already messy enough.

They pulled into the parking lot and he could see two police cars sitting there. Another car was sitting close by, the windows smashed out and someone had taken a baseball bat or something similar to the body. The car would need a lot of work. How did this guy have that much anger? He was glad Mila hadn't returned home. She was going to need protection or she was going to end up dead.

Max stopped his truck and the doors opened. Mila practically pushed Riley out the door, before she hurried over to her car.

A police officer approached her, and Nick watched her wrap her arms around herself. She desperately needed Ethan right now. She needed the man who could hold her and make her world right again among the chaos. She needed their bond to calm her down. Nick met Max's gaze.

"She needs him," Max said, frustration clear in his voice. None of them could comfort Mila like Ethan could. A man she really didn't even know.

"I know," Nick said with a sigh. "I just don't know if she would welcome it right now. I don't know her well enough."

Max nodded as he wrapped an arm around Rebekah. Riley had approached Mila and had her arm around her. At least Mila had family here though Riley wouldn't be able to provide the level of comfort Ethan could. But it was something.

Nick kept an eye on it all, watching her and for anything to be off. He doubted her ex would show up with the cops here, but he also didn't want to be caught by surprise. Not everyone had common sense.

They headed up to her apartment after Mila had finished speaking to the police, all of them behind Mila. She stopped in the doorway and a sob escaped her. The police officer was directly behind her, but Nick plainly heard her cries. They were heart wrenching. Nick found himself wishing that Ethan had decided to come along instead of him or along with him.

He walked inside of the apartment and stopped, a bit shocked at what he saw. Someone had been furious, and had destroyed everything. Her entire life was scattered everywhere and in ruins.

Broken dishes, dirt spread everywhere, pots stomped on and destroyed. Her pillows were shredded, the couch slashed, her TV busted, and pieces of books were everywhere. Nick was a little overwhelmed by the level of rage that he saw.. something was wrong with this guy. Seriously wrong.

Mila carefully moved from room to room, looking for anything salvageable, but he'd destroyed almost everything. It would have to be picked through more carefully when she wasn't completely overwhelmed by having her life utterly destroyed. Nick knew she had lost both of her parents in the last 2 years, including her father four months ago. She didn't need this. No one did but Mila really didn't. Nick couldn't even imagine the level of rage he would feel if it was Noelle. It was probably a good thing. Ethan hadn't come. He might actually lose that control he held on to so well.

Max glanced at Nick who nodded to him. He'd caught it too, the scent in the apartment. A rogue werewolf had been in here, which brought up questions. Was Mila's ex a werewolf as well? And with that level of rage, how long had this guy been a rogue? "Are there cameras?" he asked the police.

The officer looked up at him and nodded. "Yes in the hallway. We've already viewed the footage. It's the same man who she filed a report against Friday night. He has a record already."

Which meant Mila had gotten tangled up with a rogue with anger issues. But it also meant Owen was fair game. There were laws against hurting humans, and Owen had broken them. Nick clenched his jaw.

"We'll find him," the cop said. "She's the daughter of a fallen police officer. This one's personal."

Nick nodded. Not if we get to him first. Not that he could say that out loud but the officer didn't need to know that. Owen had put a major target on his own back when he'd got involved with Mila and hurt her the way he had. He was either going to be spending the rest of his life in prison or dead depending on who found him first. Nick was hoping it was them. At the moment he wouldn't mind ripping the man apart.

Riley managed to salvage a few things and Mila's landlord came to speak to her. Somehow she managed to keep it together while she spoke to him, keeping her tears to a minimum, but Nick could hear her anger. Her landlord wasn't happy about this, and he wanted her out and told her she was paying for the damages. She was too much of a liability in his mind.

She nodded and walked outside with Riley. Nick glared at the landlord, his arms crossed over his chest.

The landlord glared back, but deflated after a moment under Nick's harsh gaze, hunching over. "What am I supposed to do?"

"If you tell me you don't have insurance on this place, I will take you to court for neglect. File a claim with them. Whatever they don't cover, you will send the bill for the damages here," Nick said, handing him a business card for Remington Enterprises. "And if you even think about overcharging, we will take legal action against you."

The landlord accepted the card with a frown then nodded. "I'll send the bill here."

"Someone will come tomorrow to clean up," Nick told him, then left the building. He headed across the parking lot towards the truck, and frowned as Max got out and headed back towards him. Mila, Riley and Rebekah were still inside the truck.

"She needs him. She's completely broken. It's killing me to watch her and I barely know her," Max said.

Nick took a small breath and nodded. He had a feeling it was going to come down to this. It was just too much for her. He pulled out his phone and called Ethan.