Song: Dog Teeth by Nicole Dollanganger
Words: 2660
Published: August 26th, 2020
Third Person POV
Rayna

The next day, Rayna realizes why the doctor said to take it easy.

She made the journey the Alpha Wing living room after being treated to breakfast in bed by Harley and getting ready for the day, and it leaves her muscles exhausted. She collapsed onto the couch.

She mind-links Harley, who is now working in his office, to have Jamie and Hazel brought to her. He complies.

Soon, the couple walks into the living room.

"Hey, guys," Rayna greets, waving to them over the couch, which faces away from the entrance. "Come sit down."

"Hey," Hazel greets back.

"Hey, Rayna," Jamie greets.

They walk around the couch and sit down on the loveseat next to the couch.

"It's nice to see you guys again," Rayna begins. "How has your time in the castle been so far?"

They look at each other for a moment, nodding. "It's been great," Hazel replies. "It's really nice here."

"Yeah," Jamie agrees.

Rayna nods. "That's good. If anyone ever gives you any trouble, I'll deal with them."

"You sure have changed a lot," Jamie comments.

Rayna chuckles. "I guess, yeah. I mean, I'm treated pretty good here so I've gained a lot of confidence."

"I'm really happy for you," Hazel tells her with a smile. Rayna smiles back.

"I hope the king has been treating you good," Jamie says.

Rayna chuckles. "He's amazing."

She sits up.

"Anyways, I called you two here for a reason. I'd love to catch up right now, but I'm really worn out, so we'll have to wait for another time. Jamie and I already talked about this, but you two have nothing to worry about. You guys aren't gonna have any punishment. You'll just stay here until I decide what to do with the pack, so settle in."

The two nod.

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys another day," Rayna says, waving them off

They stand up, say goodbye, and head out, presumably back to their rooms.

She lets out a long breath and lays back down on the couch. She gives herself a few minutes to recover before she mind-links Harley again and requests that Jayce and Danny are escorted to her.

'Are you sure?' he asks.

'Yeah.'

'Maybe I should come down there with you,' he suggests.

'No,' she rejects. 'I got this.'

'Okay . . .'

There's a pause.

'They'll be there in a few minutes. Mind-link me if you need anything.'

'Okay, babe. Thank you. I love you.'

'I love you, too, baby.'

A few minutes later, Jayce and Danny hesitantly enter the living room.

Rayna was already sitting up on the couch, doing her best to look presented and confident. They see her instantly, and she can tell that they're both anxious and feel bad. She hides a smile at the sight of the fresh marks on their necks and intertwined hands. They're finally able to be together.

"Jayce, Danny," she greets with a simple nod. She motions towards the other seats in the living room. "Sit."

They nod and sit down on the same loveseat that Jamie and Hazel had.

"I can tell you guys are nervous," Rayna comments softly, smiling. They both let out an awkward chuckle. "You guys know about Jamie and I talking, right?"

They nod, giving each other a glance.

"Okay. Well, he told me that you guys accept whatever punishment as long as you're together. Is that right?"

They nod again, their grip on each others hands tightening.

"That's okay with me, so don't worry about that." Rayna lets out a sigh. "Jayce, you're my brother, and Danny, you're Jayce's mate, correct?"

"Yeah," Danny answers, nodding his head. "We've known for a few years now, but we kept it a secret because both of our fathers are homophobic."

Rayna nods. "I know that Jayce's . . . 'actions' were just because of Johnathan, but what about you?" she asks, looking at Danny. "How- How can I trust you?"

"I am so, so sorry for everything I've ever done to you, Rayna, or anyone else in the pack," he apologizes. "I don't mean to spill my life's story, but my father and I stopped seeing eye to eye when I became a teen which made me want to rebel. I got in with a lot of bad people in school and in the pack and did a lot of bad things. Ever since I graduated and went off to college and found out I'm mates with Jayce, I've realized what I was doing was really shitty and have done my best to become a better person. I'll do whatever I need to to prove that to you."

Rayna smiles and nods.

"I believe you, and I don't think anyone who's already learned their lesson needs to be punished."

The mates let out a sigh of relief before smiling brightly and hugging each other tightly.

"Thank you so much, Rayna," Jayce says. "We won't make you regret it."

She giggles a bit.

"Of course. I'm still figuring out what to do with the pack, so for now you guys will stay here in the castle. As much as I trust you guys, you're gonna have to be under slight surveillance until then. I hope you guys don't mind."

They shake their heads.

"No, it's fine, we get it," Jayce assures her.

"Okay. I'm really tired, so we'll catch up another time. Bye, guys."

The two say their goodbyes and head back to their rooms, letting Rayna rest. She soon feels the effects of socializing get to her, prompting her to mind-link Harley.

'Can you bring me some pain medicine and water please?' she asks.

'Of course. I'll be right there.'

She can't help but smile at how caring he is.

Harley's quickly down the stairs with a bottle of pain meds and a glass filled with water. She sits up on the couch, and he sits next to her, handing the pills to her and the water.

She takes the pills, washes them down with water, and then sets them on the coffee table.

She wraps her arms around Harley's arm and rests her head on his shoulder. She hums in contentment and closes her eyes. He give her a smile and kiss on the top of the head.

"Can you take one of those fifteen minute breaks right now?"

*~*~*~*

Later that day, after a good lunch made by Mrs. McClain, Rayna is back on the couch and now watching Criminal Minds.

Suddenly, she hears quick footsteps enter the Alpha Wing and begin walking behind the couch. Her heart speeds up, but she breathes in and can smell that it's just Emmett. Though, he seems like a bundle of emotions with a fast heart and prominent sweat. Her heart continues at a fast pace as she looks over the couch at him.

"Emmett?" she asks softly, seeing him pacing behind her. She then grabs the remote and pauses the show before looking back at him.

"Oh," he whispers, not expecting anyone to be there and turning around to face her. "Rayna,"  he says, looking relieved. "I've been trying to get a hold of you for days now."

She sits up, fully facing him. "What is it?"

"Wh- When we attacked at that ritual, I- I found my mate. They're from your old pack. They were fighting back, so I know that they were supposed to be killed, but I couldn't let that happen to my mate, you know? So I protected them and they've been in the cells since. I- I want them out, i- if that's okay with you."

Emmett was talking quickly, so it takes Rayna a moment to process what he said.

"Oh, why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asks, standing up.

He chuckles dryly. "I tried, but Harley was really protective and didn't let me."

Rayna's eyebrows furrow.

"I'll talk with him about that later, but anyways, who's your mate?" she asks.

"I don't really know. They've refused to talk to me. I think they have a higher rank, 'cause no one else in the cells is telling me either," he tells her.

She nods.

"Okay then. Well, I can come down there with you sometime to see who it is and let them out," she tells him laying back down on the couch.

Emmett clenches his fists.

"Rayna, please. I can't stand seeing them in there anymore," he begs.

She sighs.

"Okay . . . well, let's go then."

Rayna gets up, and the two start walking through the castle to the dungeons. Emmett quickly realizes just how tired Rayna is and offers to carry her, which she accepts.

'Harley's gonna kill me for this,' Emmett thinks.

They soon arrive at the entrance to the dungeons, where the guards let them in and Emmett carries her to the section all of the pack wolves are being held. As these are the Royal dungeons, it's no surprise that they have the capacity for everyone.

Rayna requests to be set down as they enter the hall filled with River Shine Pack wolves, and she is. She wants to stand tall in front of them and not seem weak.

"Show me who your mate is," she demands from Emmett, tired.

Emmett leads her down the hall, stopping in front of one cell.

"This is them," he tells her softly with a slight smile, pointing inside.

Rayna looks inside. There's a curtain in one corner, presumably covering a toilet, with a sink next to it. There's a bed hanging off the wall, and someone sitting on it. Rayna's eyes widen at the sight of the oh-so-familiar male, and she gasps and takes a step back.

"Jake," she whispers.

Her "brother" looks up at her as she says her name with a blank expression, and then gives a quick glance to Emmett before putting his head back down. Rayna can easily hear his thoughts.

'It's mate!' his wolf barks excitedly.

'Shut up, mutt,' Jake growls back.

Rayna's eyebrows furrow. She turns her head from Jake to Emmett, then back to Jake, and then back to Emmett multiple times.

Her abusive adoptive brother and this sweet, funny guy she's come to know as a good friend are mates?

"This is your mate?" she asks Emmett. Out of all of the wolves in the world, why him?

Emmett nods, though now his smile is gone as he can sense that something is wrong by Rayna's reaction. "Yeah. I guess I never told you that I'm gay . . ."

Rayna shakes her head. "No, it's not that," she assures him, looking back at Jake.

"Okay. So, do you know 'em?" Emmett asks.

Rayna sighs. 'How do I break this to him gently?'

"Yes, I do. His name is Jake, he's nineteen, and . . . he's my adoptive brother. The abusive one."

Emmett freezes. "Oh . . ."

"Yeah," Rayna says, sighing through her nose. "Well, this was unexpected."

Jake stays silent, confusing Rayna, as he's always been an outspoken person. Reading into his thoughts, it seems like he's in denial that he has a male mate. He also just seems confused and lost since the battle.

"Wh- What are you gonna do?" Emmett asks.

Rayna takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. 'What am I gonna do?' she asks herself.

Her reaches for her wolf, some help and guidance, and a warm, tingly sensation fills her body. Somewhat like her mates touch, but with a more powerful feeling that's a lot less physical.

"Open the cell," she orders. The guard at the end up the hall quickly stands up, walks over, and obediently unlocks the cell, opening the door for her.

She steps inside, closing the door behind her. Jake watches her with a raised eyebrow. She reaches out a hand towards him and lifts up a finger, making him stand up. His confused face instantly becomes a scared face. She then lowers her hand, making him sit down on the floor on his knees.

"What are you doing?" Emmett asks, concerned.

Rayna doesn't know how to respond, as she doesn't know the answer herself, so her wolf responds for her.

"Something just between Jake and I."

She walks over to Jake, who is unable to move or speak at the moment. She sits down on her knees in front of him, and his eyes are wide as he looks into her glowing blue ones. She then reaches out her hand and places it on Jake's chest.

His eyes stay wide, and his mouth opens as his head tilt back, and a soft, blue aura surrounds him.

In a matter of milliseconds, Rayna shows Jake all of her memories and puts him through all of the pain she endured herself.

She pulls her hand away, and Jake falls forward onto his hands and knees, panting. The blue aura surrounding him disappears, and Rayna's own glowing eyes dull but don't go away.

"What was that?" he asks, looking up at her.

"That's my life so far," she tells him simply.

He sits back up, his mind racing as he processes everything he just saw.

"How'd you do that?"

"I'm the Queen and the Dahlia Wolf—I can do a lot of things."

Jake is silent for a few moments.

"That's a lot," he mutters under his breath as he processes the memories. He even has a physical reaction to the rape part. "They actually did that to you?"

Rayna only nods.

He looks up at her. "Can- Can I do the same to you, where you see my memories?"

"Yes," Rayna's wolf answers for her. "Put your hand on my shoulder."

Rayna closes her eyes, and Jake puts his hand on her shoulder like instructed. Her head tilts back as the blue brightens again, and Jake's own soft blue aura reappears. Jake's memories flash through her head like a really fast movie

Jake pulls away, and Rayna quickly realizes why he wanted to do that.

When he was little, Jayce would tease him, but he would get emotional, and because of that, Johnathan would beat him and abuse him. He was Johnathan's victim before Rayna was.

When Rose died, Johnathan told him that he wouldn't hurt him anymore if he hurt Rayna, and he'd even be rewarded the more he did. This obviously fucked him up, and the farther into his teenage years he got, the more bad things he did, like drugs, sex, alcohol.

That's why he was always so aggressive, but on the inside, he was hurting. A lot. That week he was gone when she and Harley met? He had nearly overdosed in a ditch. He wanted to, but his wolf didn't let him.

Only days before, he had almost rejected Emmett from internalized homophobia, and deep, deep down, he didn't want to hurt Emmett by being with him.

"I never knew," Rayna whispers, looking up at him. He nods, looking down at the ground. She looks over her shoulder at Emmett.

"Well, I can't really keep you in here anymore, as Emmett hates that," she says aloud to herself.

Jake glances at Emmett, who gives a nervous smile to his mate.

"I'm not gay," Jake whispers to Rayna, just quiet enough that Emmett can't hear him. Even so, he smiles softly at Emmett's wave.

Rayna chuckles. "You have a long way to go, but I know that if any guy is gonna be your mate, Emmett is the best option. Just give him a chance."

Rayna stands up, dusting her clothes off.

"For now, I guess you can get a room in the Delta Wing, but you're gonna have to be kept under tight surveillance.

Jake growls softly at the last part.

Rayna ignores her brother's protest as the guard unlocks the cell door. She turns around and exits, giving Emmett a smile on the other side.

Then, everything goes black.