My Wild Beast-Chapter 172: Nova Winslow?! (3)

With the distance between them, Chad finally looked over the girl who’d plagued his dreams for months. She’d changed. She was still a beauty. But there was a sharpness to her eyes that was never there before.

Not to mention, she’d just pushed him away like he was a stranger. She was backing away as he might hurt her. What pissed him off more was that Bruce had subtly-not-so-subtly stepped in front of her, almost like he was shielding her from him. Him?!

Who did he think he was?Bruce worked for the Vales. Sure, he’d been Nova’s bodyguard plenty of times, but right now, he held more authority, and the guy was acting like he was a threat.

As though sensing Chad’s growing ire, Bruce said, "She’s been through a lot, Sir. You should take things... slow..." He trailed off as Chad’s expression darkened the more he spoke.

"Are you telling me how to treat my fiancé?" Chad gritted his teeth, calming his temper that flared up. He couldn’t lose his cool. Not when he just got the girl back.

Nova took another step back, correcting him. "Ex-fiance."

"What?" Chad’s head snapped back to look at her.

Nova’s gut coiled at his expression, warning her not to say anything else. Since her time away from him, and once she’d gotten into a routine with the others on the island, she had time to mull over her past relationship with the guy, and how stupid she’d been to stay with him so long.

Now, although she had the skills to take him out, she wouldn’t. This wasn’t the Beast world, where things could be solved easily. Chad was also a little... crazy. Men with money and power didn’t go well with craziness.

Until she could figure out her next steps, it was best to keep Chad Vale at bay without using violent methods. That didn’t mean she would allow him to try to touch her or assume their relationship just continued since before she fell into that lake and into another world.

Nova didn’t know what had happened in the time they were apart, but his aura was frazzled, almost unhinged, and the glint in his eyes showed some of that madness. Had it always been there? Or only nearing the end of their relationship?Either way, whether it was there before or not, she wouldn’t rattle him more.

"I’d like to be alone," she said instead.

"I just got you back! And you’re turning me away?" Chad scowled, stepping forward, reaching for her.

Bruce leaned closer to Nova, shielding her again. Chad halted and raised his chin to meet the bodyguard’s stare with a glare of his own.

"She’s been through a lot," Bruce repeated, his voice deeper, almost sounding like a warning. Nova’s eyes widened at the tone and realised he might seriously get into trouble speaking to his boss like that.

"Um..." She stepped around them. "How about we all just have a drink instead? I’d prefer to get changed first, though... alone."

Chad glanced at her soaked attire, noting how the material clung to her body, and cleared his throat. "Right. I’ll... give you some privacy, I suppose."

He’d seen her body before, yet it felt like they were back at square one. It was impossibly infuriating. "I’ll get some champagne to celebrate this reunion," he added, turning away from them, pausing at the door for Bruce to follow.

"I will guard the door. The scientists have been insisting on meeting Nova." Bruce strode forward, stopping by the entrance as Nova lingered near the bathroom doorway, looking between them and their shared sharp looks.

"I assume some money won’t keep them at bay for long..." Chad scoffed, remembering how they conversed with him last time. They were far too eager to get to the bottom of whatever that lake was. He knew men like them. They wouldn’t give up.

There was no such thing as ’paying them off’. They used that money to fund their little science projects. Now that Nova was back, he didn’t give a damn about the project. If anything, he’d try to destroy that lake so nothing like this could happen again.

In that short meeting with Nova, he could tell something was different. It had been eight months, and she didn’t look relieved to be back or happy to see him. Bruce said she’d been through a lot, but was that all it was?

Nova released a breath as the door shut behind them. She wanted to run in the opposite direction from that man, but how could she outrun someone like that? She continued into the bathroom, undressing and stepping into the shower.

Her mind was plagued with thoughts about what to do next, what could happen next, and feeling this luxurious bathroom shrink until she felt cramped. No, that’s not real.

She inhaled deeply, exhaling as she let the spray of heated water trickle over her body. Every nerve in her body felt frazzled, wanting to leave, to escape that man and this new reality. But she couldn’t lose her cool. There had to be a way out, and panicking would only cause her to take the wrong actions.

Once she was dressed again, Nova eyed her bedside table that contained her weapons, feeling more at ease knowing they were there. She waited in the lounge of the suite, fingers idly playing with the anklet Yoa made her, reminding her of his strength.

"Nova? Chad is here," Bruce announced with a soft knock on the door.

"Really?" She heard Chad scoff on the other side of the door before swinging it open. "This is my room too."

Nova rose and beckoned him over, even as her entire body wanted to recoil. She glanced at Bruce and his damp clothes. "You should change."

Bruce glanced at Chad’s back. "I’m built for worse conditions," he grinned, trying to conceal his wariness of his boss.

Nova didn’t push it further. She didn’t feel comfortable with Chad here, and some of that unease drifted away as Bruce refused to leave.

Chad sat across from Nova as a man who worked for the hotel scurried into the room anxiously with an ice bucket, champagne, and glasses. He started setting it all up by the coffee table between them. The cork bursting from the bottle snapped Nova’s attention away from the golden-haired man whose charming expression gave her the creeps now.

Was it because she saw past the mask? Or was it because she just didn’t want to have anything to do with him or this world anymore?

"A toast," Chad began in that smooth, charming voice as he handed her the champagne flute and lifted his own before him. "To your safe return."

Nova lifted her glass, answering silently, holding his gaze as she lifted the glass to her lips, taking a sip of the refreshing drink that made her stomach churn.

Bruce stood by, looking between them, but Chad flicked his hand. "You can return to the door... As you said before... The scientists have been skulking around. Wouldn’t want them to interrupt our reunion now, would we?" He smirked with a dangerous gleam in his eyes, especially for the bodyguard.

Bruce glanced at Nova, then dipped his head. "Yes, Sir."

Once the door closed behind him, Chad’s attention returned to her. His arm lounged back on the sofa as his gaze wandered over her body, lingering on the new tattoo beneath her collarbone with a frown. "I must say... I’m a little disappointed."

"Oh?" Nova tilted her head, gripping the stem of the glass a little tighter as she fell back into her old ways, remembering how to converse and play these games with those of power.

That was how she had to look at Chad Vale again. Those in the jungle, in the Beast World, didn’t play by these rules, and she’d grown accustomed to that, preferring it even. There, nobody hid behind fake smiles. She knew exactly who hated and liked her. But this was no longer the Beast World.

Chad smirked, reading her expression. That was the woman he knew, but not the one he usually dealt with. Nova Winslow had her professional persona on, putting him at a distance. It was irksome.

"I didn’t know what happened to you, grieving for you, and when we finally see each other again... You give me the cold shoulder," he pouted, really putting it on, testing her.

Nova took a sip from her champagne, taking her time to answer. She could see the muscle ticking in his jaw as he worked hard to remain composed. The guy was a little nuts, but it seems he has also changed a bit since the last time they saw each other.

"I’m sorry, Chad," Nova said pleasantly, a small, courteous smile curving her lips as she lowered her glass. "A lot has happened. It feels like a lifetime has passed since you pushed me into that lake."