Song: Far From Home (The Raven) by Sam Tinnesz
Words: 3335
Published: July 1st, 2020
Rayna's POV

I wake up freezing cold to a throbbing pain in my neck. I groan, disoriented.

"Oh. You're awake."

"Naomi?" I ask, confused. I try to open my eyes, but I have to close them due to a bright light.

"Yep. It's me."

I groan again, sitting up and shielding my squinted eyes with my forearm until they adjust. "Where are we?" I look around, not recognizing the red and black bedroom. I was laying in the bed, and Naomi was sitting on the edge, looking at the TV. She wore a white tank top and grey pajama pants.

"This is my bedroom," she informs me, turning around to face me sitting cris crossed. My mind is groggy, my memory a blur. He last clear thing was waking up from that nightmare last night. I move to rub my sore neck, and the moment my fingers touch it, images of Harley flash through my mind, causing me to shiver.

"Harley," I whisper. I turn to Naomi. "Where's Harley? What happened?" I notice the dark sky outside her window. "Wait, what time is it?"

"It's a little past nine," she replies. She then turns back to her TV, ignoring my first two questions. I think hard, trying to remember where the hell the day went, but I just can't.

I rub my neck, trying not to seethe in pain. I clench my jaw, also resisting shivers.

"What the fuck is wrong with my neck?" I mutter, mainly to myself. Naomi glances over her shoulder at me, her neck, grimaces, and looks away. My eyebrows furrow. "Naomi. Is something wrong with my neck?"

She shakes her head but doesn't glance at me again.

"Nope."

I focus my hearing towards her heartbeat, and it's just a little too fast for her to be telling the truth.

"Bullshit," I growl, getting irritated, though I don't know why. My period ended last week, so it can't be that. I never get mad, so something must be wrong. I start to get out of the bed. "Where's the bathroom?" I ask. There's only two doors—one open to reveal a closet, and the other closed towards the inside of the castle, so the hallway. There's no connected bathroom.

"Rayna," Naomi calls, her voice pleading. "Please. Trust me and come watch Glee with me."

I look over my shoulder at her, still just sitting on the edge of the bed, and sigh.

"Fine."

*~* Third Person POV *~*

Half an hour later after eating a large, late supper, Rayna is sitting on the bed wrapped up in a warm, fuzzy blanket. She's unable to pay attention to the show, but Naomi is too deep in it to notice. She keeps trying to remember what happened and continues to rub her sore neck. She's just so confused, and Naomi isn't giving her any answers.

She's been able to recall Harley waking her up early, drawing the sunrise, and eating.

She starts to absentmindedly trace the sore spot on her neck, and she suddenly realizes something. It's like a bite mark.

Then, flashes of what happened after breakfast flood her mind, all the memories coming back.

"What were you treated like?"
"Y- You really wanna know?"
"What did he do?"
"Dude, it's me. Calm down."
"You're scaring your mate. She's worried about you."
"Rayna! We need you."
"Harley . . . Please."

Wait a minute . . .

He marked me.

"Naomi," she growls, turning towards the ginger.

Her posture droops. She pauses Glee and slowly turns to look at Rayna.

"I remember."

Naomi sighs.

"I'm really sorry, Rainy. Keane told me not to tell you, and I just-"

The brunette interrupts. "It's okay . . . but where's Harley?"

"The dungeons."

She growls again. "Why?"

"He never got full control of his wolf back—or at least, that's what Emmett told me. I walked in just as Keane and Emmett were getting Harley outside and you were passed out on the floor. I- I was so scared."

Rayna doesn't know what to say, so she just nods. She stands up and throws the blanket on the bed.

"I'm sorry. Thank you for telling me," she mutters, walking out of the room. Naomi doesn't stop her. As she enters the hallway and looks around, she quickly realizes Naomi's room is in the Beta Wing. So, she finds her way to the Leader Commons.

The kitchen is already cleaned up like nothing happened, though everything that was broken is now missing. Rayna calls her nameless wolf forward, whom is eager to find their mate and gladly helps her human. They pick up Harley's scent and follow it out the back door down a hidden, beaten down path in the dark woods.

It's creepy out here.

It hurts Rayna deeply to imagine Harley being dragged through here earlier in the day because of her.

After a minute or two of walking, they reach a random metal door with a lantern lit above it and two guards. The sides of the door were hidden by bushes and trees, but Rayna can picture it leading down a stairwell to the dungeons.

She takes a deep breath and does her best to put on a strong, confident facade. Luckily, her wolf has her back. The pain in her neck is easing up a bit, and she's not as cold, which is nice.

She steps out of the tree line, walking over to the door. The two guards notice her instantly.

"You shouldn't be out here, Miss," one says with a blank face and tone.

She (not-so-subtly) pushes her hair over her shoulder, revealing the one of a kind Mark of the King on her neck. She hasn't seen it yet, but the Mark of the King is like no other. Normal marks are simply bite marks for a day or two and then a permanent hickey only visible to supernaturals. The Mark of the King will always be a bite mark, and his initials will appear underneath as if tattooed permanently onto her skin.

"I demand to be let through," she orders, sounding like a real Queen. The guards share a quick look, mind-linking, before opening the door and stepping aside. They haven't seen their Queen yet, but the mark can't be faked. "Thank you," Rayna says with a nod, walking through. They reply with a respectful bow.

Once inside with the door closed behind her, she's in the dark. The walls are made of metal, like the outside, and there's a staircase leading down to another light. It appears to be another lantern.

The place is filled with terrible, horrible smells. Blood, vomit, old food, sweat. Even so, she continues on her search for her mate. She knows her wolf is giving her a major adrenaline and confidence boost in order for her to do this, but she doesn't care. Besides, it's too late to back out now.

She heads down the stairs and is given the choice between right or left. Closing her eyes and breathing, she sorts through each and every smell and scent in the dungeons to find Harley's. Left. She follows it.

Eventually, still on the first level but after a few minutes of cautiously walking past cells upon cells of rogues and wolves locked up with guards giving her questioning looks, she reaches a large, wooden door. The only reason she wasn't stopped before then was because she had to have been let in somehow, and she doesn't expect to be stopped now.

Harley's scent disappears behind the large door, so she knows that's where she'll find him. Already, the pain in her neck is simply dull and she's not cold anymore. Five guards stand between her in her mate, so she reinforces her facade and steps up to the one in the middle.

"I demand to be let through," she says again, nearly exactly like she had before, but now with a slight growl from her impatient wolf and a little faster heart rate. The guard simply chuckles at her.

"What makes you think I'd let you do that?"

She freezes, her wolf growling even louder and rising further to the surface. The primal anger begins to fill Rayna as well.

'No one disrespects us anymore.'

Rayna feels a large warmth emit from the mark, and a slight blue hue surrounds her vision. She tightens her fists and stands tall, pausing her growling. What she didn't realize was that her eyes were glowing bright blue, and so was her mark.

"I am your Luna Queen, and this disrespect will not be tolerated. You either let me through right now, or I'll have your running away tail-tucked and crying faster than you can say sorry."

The other four guards have wide eyes, glancing nervously at the one in the middle. He gulps and backs down, hastily grabbing the keys to the door.

"Right away, Luna," he says in a whisper, bowing his head.

She crosses her arms and nods. Good choice. He opens it for her and her though, all five of the guards bowing to her as she passes.

Past the door are six, large, clean cells; three on either side of the isle in the middle. She looks around to see Harley in the one on the far right. She gasps, smiling, her entire body heating up back to normal and the aching coming to an end.

She rushes over to him, looking into his cell. It's obvious the bars are laced with silver, so she doesn't dare touch it. There was a toilet, though with a curtain for privacy, a sink, and a cot. Harley laid on the cot, staring at the wall. Somehow, she could tell he wasn't sleeping, and rather just staring at the wall.

"Rayna?" She looks over her shoulder to see Keane sitting in the aisle in a folding chair. "What are you dong down here?" he asks, standing up. She hears a jingle as he does and notices the key chain on his belt.

She growls, her mark heating up again, but the blue hue hiding itself away.

"Give me your keys."

His eyes widen, and he's quickly dropping them in her hand. She grumbles with a nod, holding them tightly, and turns back to her mate.

"Harley?" she whispers. He doesn't hear her, his wolf in control but at the same time somewhat dormant. "It's me, Rayna," she adds a little bit louder.

He groans softly and turns his head. His eyes are black, but his entire face lights up when he sees her. Her rolls over too quickly, falling off the cot and onto the cold floor. He stands up, staring at her in disbelief.

"Mate?" he asks.

She nods with a smile.

She looks through the keys and notices that they all have words engraved on them. She finds one saying "King", and realizes the lock on Harley's cell also has King engraved on it. She unlocks his cell, and before she knows it, she's on the ground with Harley on top of her.

She giggles uncontrollably, Harley—his wolf still in control—smothering her with kisses like a dog tackling and licking it's owner. After a minute he calms down and stands up. He helps her up as well, pulling her into his chest and holding her tightly.

"I'm so happy to see you," he whispers. Harley's back.

"I am, too."

Harley pulls away, his beautiful hazel eyes back, and lightly touches the mark on Rayna's shoulder. She gasps, getting the weird feeling again, but now specifically . . . down there. She's never felt like this before, so why does she keep feeling it? Her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

He only hums and picks her up bridle style, making her gasp in surprise and hold him tightly.

"Harley!" she exclaims, confused and a bit scared.

He chuckles and kisses her forehead before carrying her back through the wooden doors. She notices the single guard avoiding her eyes, as he should. They're quickly out of the dungeon.

"How'd you get down there?" Harley asks just like Keane had as he carries her back to the castle.

"The mark does wonders," she jokes. She quickly realizes that she's getting more confidence around Harley the more comfortable she is with him.

His light mood drops. "I'm really sorry I did that without your permission," he apologizes sincerely.

"It's okay," she tells him quietly. She doesn't know if it's her wolf or the marking effects or what, but she doesn't really care. It only just makes them closer . . .

Wait . . . Now he can read my thoughts.

Her heartbeat speeds up, and she starts to freak out.

Back at her old pack, she was never able to mind-link with anyone since she wasn't born into the pack. There's a ritual most wolves would do to become apart of the pack, though you can't do it until you've shifted, but Johnathan got it held back somehow and after Rose, her mother, died, no one cared enough to do it.

She doesn't want him reading her thoughts. Yeah, figuring out mind-linking is cool, but she still wants her privacy. What if she thinks of something embarrassing? Or Harley hears something that makes him mad?

"Hey, hey, shh," Harley coos, setting her down and brushing her hair with his fingers. "I get why you're scared, and I will teach you how to put up a wall, but for now, my wolf and I feel so much better without it. I promise that I won't invade your privacy. Is that okay with you?"

She takes some deep breaths and nods. "S- Sure."

Harley gives her a kiss on the forehead and picks her up again.

"I- I can walk," she says.

"I know. I just wanna carry you," he mumbles. She nods a bit.

Soon, they're back in their bedroom. Harley sets Rayna on the bed.

"I'm gonna go shower okay?"

"Okay," she replies softly with a nod, not really wanting him to be out of sight but also not wanting to be in the bathroom with him.

'Yet,' her wolf adds to her thoughts. Rayna blushes profusely, but Harley had already walked into the bathroom.

'Why the fuck would you say that?!' she asks, but her wolf just giggles at her before disappearing into her subconscious. Rayna groans.

In her flustered state, she didn't realize that Harley forgot to grab a pair of clothes before showering.

She whimpers softly, her body getting cold and the ache in her neck coming back. She cuddles under the blanket and turns on the TV. She's still surfing through channels when Harley comes out of the bathroom.

Wearing nothing but a towel.

His hair is still wet and messy, and water droplets slowly trickled down his skin. Rayna quickly looks away, blushing more, and once again feeling that weird feeling she still doesn't understand. It flashes throughout her body, and she just tries to avoid looking at Harley.

Is that man ever not perfect?

Harley chuckles, walking over to the closet, which only makes her blush more. He heard me! He then walks back over to the bathroom, now with clothes on, but not before giving his mate a wink. She flips him off.

He comes back a little later with his hair brushed and dressed in a black tank top and flannel pajama pants.

"Wh- What would you w- wear to bed b- before I got here?" she stutters out.

"Uhm . . . Nothing," he replies, crawling into bed, making her blush hard.

"Thanks for wearing clothes," she mutters. He chuckles and kisses the top of her head.

"I'll wear whatever you're comfortable with," he says, pulling her into his chest.

'If you don't wanna wear a shirt-' Rayna's wolf starts, specifically talking to Harley through her mind, before Rayna blocks her out, blushing profusely. Harley laughs a little.

She can't help but sigh at his touch. He's so warm, the tingles invade her body in a pleasant way, and his maple scent is intoxicating. She hums and snuggles further into him, wanting to stay like that forever.

"I'm sorry that I marked you," he apologizes again.

"It's okay," she repeats. "What's your wolfs name?"

"Hollow. What's yours?"

"I don't know. She hasn't told me."

"Hm."

"She's there, but we don't usually talk much," she tells him. Some wolves are like that, but most do communicate frequently. Actually, this is the most Rayna's wolf has said to her in a long time.

"Hollow didn't talk to me much for a while, but we're good now," Harley says, a bit somber.

She looks up at him, as if asking "what happened?" but she doesn't out loud. He sighs.

"There's something I should tell you."

"Okay . . ." she says. The last time he said something like that, it didn't exactly turn out well.

"Regardless of what anyone might think, I'm not perfect, Rayna. I've made mistakes," he starts. She just nods, though she doesn't believe this man is anything but perfect. "When I was younger, around the time I became King, I . . . was . . . a man whore."

Oh . . .

Her wolf rises, blocking Harley out herself.

'Don't blame him, Rayna. I talked to Hollow, and he's learned his lesson.'

'Okay.'

"I slept around. I was a terrible person. On top of that, I was reckless and stupid and ruthless when it came to punishments. I am so, so fucking sorry that I didn't save myself for you. Hollow disowned me for years, and he blamed me for us not finding you sooner. I feel like shit. I know what I did was wrong, but I promise you, Rayna, I haven't had relations like that in years. I give all of me to you and only you for the rest of my life."

His voice was shaking and his eyes were getting glossy by the end of all that. Rayna's heart breaks seeing how much pain he's in. She sits up more and wraps her arms around him, (at least, as much of him as she can,) squeezing him tightly. She then pulls away, meeting his eyes.

A single tear slips from his eye, so she reaches up and brushes it away with her thumb. She gives him a smile.

"It's okay, Harley," she whispers. "I trust you, and I'm not upset. Thank you for telling me."

He looks down at her with tears streaming down his face and a smile big enough to hurt his cheeks. He grabs her tightly and flips them so he's on top of him. He simply cries, all of his pain being released. Rayna doesn't say anything, understanding that these are tears of joy. She rubs his back and kisses him where she can.

After a few minutes, her pulls away to look at her. She wipes away his tears, and he smiles down at her.

"I wish I had gotten to you sooner. You've gone through so much pain . . ." he whispers, caressing her face.

She feels her own eyes get glossy.

"I know, but we're together now, aren't we?"

"We are," he says with a nod.

Without thinking, he plants his lips on hers. Unprepared, she isn't able to process it and freezes with wide eyes. Harley quickly pulls away.

"I- I'm s-" he starts to stutter, but Rayna cuts him off my wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling his lips back on hers. He groans in pleasant surprise and starts moving his lips against hers, so she tries it out, too.

Soon, their lips are moving in sync.

Rayna pulls away, breathless. She realizes she had started crying, too, when Harley brushes away her tears.

"This is nice," she mumbles.

He nods in agreement, flopping to her side. "It is."

Harley gets comfortable laying back, and Rayna cuddles into him, making him wrap an arm around her. Harley turns a movie on, but not even halfway through, Rayna is fast asleep.