Song: Coaster by Khalid
Words: 2275
Published: June 12th, 2020
Rayna's POV

It's Wednesday. I'm excited.

For the past few days I've stayed out of trouble and taken care of Jayce. We've actually gotten quite close, which makes me feel amazing. He's filled me in on Johnathans plan to mask my scent and lock me in the basement during the Alpha King's visit. I'm not sure what to do about that, so I'll talk to Naomi about it.

She's picking me up today. We've texted and she told me 2 o'clock. Jayce knows I'm going and said he can handle himself. I'm packed for the night.

I look at myself in the mirror.

My skin is light, which, doesn't look as it sounds. It's similar to mixed. My hair is long and brown. It's wavy today. My eyes are blue. Lately they've been pretty bright. When those dark feelings come they're more of a dark blue. I'm wearing a Bob Marley shirt and leggings underneath my hoodie.

I grab my backpack full of my stuff and head out.

*~* Third Person POV *~*

Rayna walks down the drive to where Naomi's (oddly, in other people's opinion) light blue car is parked. Naomi's leaning against the side.

She smiles when she sees Rayna.

"Hey!" she drags, walking over and hugging her tightly.

"Hey," Rayna responds, hugging her back. After a few seconds, they pull away and walk over to the car.

"How's it been?" Naomi asks.

"Good, actually."

Rayna throws her backpack down onto the floorboard. They buckle in and start the drive to Naomi's house.

"I've been getting close with Jayce," she tells her. Naomi smiles and nods.

"That's great."

"How about you?" Rayna knows that Naomi picks up on the subtle things. She'll take you like her or not based on how fast you ask about her day, if at all. Rayna's thoughtfulness is what makes them such good friends.

"I've been good. I've been so excited for this but kinda bored. Just working a lot, really. Imani has been annoying."

Imani is her little sister. She was at their grandma's for the past week. She has a job at their local Starbucks.

"Mhm." Rayna rolls the window down and turns the music up. They start nodding their heads to the beat. Music soon blaring, they drive through town with the windows down to Naomi's house.

Rayna grabs her backpack off the floorboard, and they walk inside. Naomi's dad, Mr. West, is sitting on the couch with Imani, playing some video game together. It seems really intense.

"My mom's out at the moment. Wanna unpack?" Naomi asks.

"Yeah. Hi, Mr. West. Hey, Imani," she greets. The two just give a nod, not looking away from the screen.

Rayna and Naomi head down the hall to her bedroom. She has a bunk bed, but it has a desk underneath it. Luckily, there's already a mattress on the floor set up for Rayna. That's what they usually do.

Rayna sets her backpack on the mattress while Naomi plops down into her desk chair, picking up the remote and turning on the TV.

"Do you remember what episode we ended off on on Glee?" she asks, finding the show.

"Uhm . . . The beginning of season four."

The show starts.

"Do you wanna do our nails? Wait, we should play board games first," Naomi says.

"Got any cards?" Rayna asks.

"Yeah. What do you wanna play?" She walks over to her dresser and grabs a box of cards from a bin on top.

"Garbage."

"Ooh, fun."

Naomi sits down on the mattress with Rayna, Glee playing in the background. They play garbage and a few other card games before they get out board games. Rayna's favorite is mancala while Naomi likes chess and checkers more.

After a good hour of that, they pull out the nail polish. Naomi paints Rayna's nails a shiny blue, as per request. Rayna paints Naomi's a cute coral color.

Glee still plays in the background, and Rayna gives it more attention when Naomi has her sit still to do her hair. She does it in a beautiful over the shoulder braid. Rayna gives her a nice low bun with her side bangs showing off.

They also do each other's makeup. Full face. Foundation, concealer, eyebrows, contour, highlighter, blush, eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow, lips. Naomi gives Rayna slight blush with a blue eyeshadow look, a strong wing of eyeliner, and top and bottom eyelash mascara. Rayna gives her quite a bit of a coral colored blush, the main color she's going for, along with an orange fading to pink eye look. Dainty eyeliner and only top mascara.

The two look at themselves in the mirror together.

"We look good," Naomi says with a smile, nodding. Rayna nods along with her.

"Yeah. We do," she agrees.

"We got our hair. We got our nails. We got our makeup. Tomorrow, we're gonna go shopping to get you some nice stuff. You're in need of a new pair of shoes, and you said the Alpha King will visit, right? You gotta look real good, girl."

Rayna nods, not saying anything.

They spend about an hour in silence. Rayna fixes up some of her old sketches, and Naomi watches YouTube on her phone with earbuds.

Around 5:30, they head into the kitchen to start making supper. Naomi and her family receive monthly packets with three recipes for different kinds of meals. Tonight, they're gonna make French sandwiches.

It's been a while since either of them have nearly burnt a kitchen down. Even though Rayna is forced to make at least two meals a day seven days a week, she enjoys cooking. It's something she was doing with her mother since she was seven. She had to teach Naomi a few things when they started cooking together.

They have a lot of fun. They make little mistakes or get a bit confused here and there, but they don't get upset with each other and share a lot of laughs. Naomi's mom, Mrs. West, comes home.

"Hey, Rayna. How have you been?" She asks.

"I'm good. Thank you, Mrs. West. How are you?"

"I'm good, thank you. What are you two making?"

"Supper," Naomi says.

"Ha ha," Mrs. West laughs sarcastically. Rayna and Naomi giggle.

"French sandwiches," Rayna tells her. She nods. "They'll be done in a few minutes."

In a few minutes, the five of them are sitting in the living room. Mr. West has his chair, Mrs. West is sharing the couch with Rayna, and Naomi and Imani are eating on the floor.

They all love the sandwiches.

Mrs. West agrees to clean up while the girls go back to Naomi's room. Naomi pulls out her new strings for making bracelets. They sit on the floor and make a bunch of bracelets. One for Mrs. West, one for Mr. West, one for Imani, ones for each other, matching friendship bracelets, and at least one anklet for themselves. Rayna even makes herself a choker.

They talk a lot while they do. Rayna overthinks a lot, and Naomi's the only one she can say anything to. She knows she can talk to Jamie, but she has problems with that, since he's a guy. She can talk to Ray, but he can't talk back.

"I hate the way I'm treated," Rayna says. "I've had a lot of time to think, which doesn't help with my anxiety. I can't say anything or else it would all just get worse. Sometimes I just want to run away. You know I've tried. I don't have anywhere to go. Pack territory isn't safe. All the surrounding packs will just take me back. Either way, the beatings I'd get . . . I still have nightmares."

It may seem like Naomi is being a bad friend by just sitting there making a bracelet, but Rayna likes that. She just needs to get everything out and a few reassuring words after. Maybe some ideas.

"Even if I did get past all of that, I'd be declared a lone wolf. What good would that do me? I'd have to be wary of rogues. I'd have to learn how to hunt. I'd have to make sure I stay away from packs. I'd be alone. I would never be able to see you again."

"You're turning nineteen tomorrow," Naomi reminds her. "The Alpha King will be coming. Who knows, you could be his mate. If you aren't his mate, you can just ask to go with him. Tell someone that you are being mistreated and want to get away safely. You can take your phone, and we'll stay in touch. You'll be able to find your mate somewhere and be safe. Maybe even get the pack shut down."

"I- I can't do that. That's too risky-"

"So is staying, Rayna."

"I've also thought about meeting my mate. It's gonna be a guy, since, ya know, I'm straight. I have very low expectations, but if he treats me bad, I'd rather stay right where I am than move onto another living hell. A part of me still doesn't think I have a mate. That's what Johnathan's always said—that I'm not worthy of one, and that they'll reject me the moment they find out I'm their mate; that the Moon Goddess must have made a mistake if she gave me a mate."

"What does the rest of you believe?" Naomi asks.

"That it'll be my break. I'll get away from this when I meet him, and finally, I'll be able to live a nice life." She chuckles softly. "Part of me feels selfish for saying this, but the life I deserve."

"That isn't selfish, Rayna. You deserve the world for all the hell you've gone through," Naomi assures her. She nods.

"Being the Betas daughter, even though not biologically, my mate would have to be a leader in order for me to go to their pack. Otherwise, they'd come here, and I don't want that to happen. There's a chance they'd get killed for sticking up for me, or even worse, they'd join everyone else. I think that would be what kills me. If they are a leader, their Alpha would have to stick up for me in order to get me to leave packs, because I know Johnathan wouldn't let me go that easily. As much as he hates me, he wants me here."

Naomi nods.

"Your mate won't dare lay a hand on you."

"Male wolves, especially the higher ranked and stronger ones, are known to be more possessive and lustful. They have more testosterone and need heirs. Even if they aren't leaders, I wouldn't be surprised if they need sex to feel fulfilled in a relationship. I'm . . . I'm not ready for that yet."

"Any good man will respect your boundaries and wait."

"Even if I go to another pack, I won't be able to see you-"

"Girl, hush. Like I said earlier, you have the phone. We could still stay in touch. We could hang out every once in a while, and no one would have to know that I know about you."

Rayna nods.

"So, tell me more about the Alpha King. Honestly, I've forgotten who he is."

The two giggle. Rayna has briefed over who he is when she first told her about werewolves, but it's been a while.

"Well, the current Alpha King's name is Harley. Ironically, the families last name is King. He's Alpha of the Royal Pack, which is the biggest, strongest, and smartest pack in the world, making him currently the most powerful werewolf in existence. The title can be taken away from an Alpha King if someone else surpasses the current one in a series of tests, but that has only happened twice. The first was when one wolf—his name was Alexander Hemsworth, I believe—beat the Alpha King, a member the original bloodline. I think it was Oscar King. The second was when Oscar got his title back only six months later. Afterwards, it was proven that Alexander had rigged the tests. The bloodline hasn't been thrown out of power since.

"He's looking for his mate, as he has every year for the past six, ever since he turned 20. He's 25 already and still mateless. Wolves all over are getting antsy that there isn't a Luna Queen or heir to the thrown yet. I've heard that his parents, the past rulers, have tried to give him a chosen mate, but he refused, which is completely understandable. Considering what he's looking for and how those in my pack are, I doubt he'll have any luck here."

"Unless it's you."

Rayna pauses at the remark. Once her brain is able to comprehend, she giggles. She shakes her head.

"There's no way. The Alpha King needs a strong, smart, confident woman to be his mate. I mean, or man. No one's ever said anything about his sexuality, so I'm not gonna assume anything-"

"Rayna, you are strong. How many times do I have to tell you that not everyone could've made it as far as you have? Regardless of your learning disabilities, you are one of the smartest people I know. You just think differently than others, and that doesn't make you stupid. It makes you unique and determined, because you've worked harder than anyone else to get where you are. As for confidence, it's in you. It'll take time, but you'll be able to see that."

Rayna wraps her arms around Naomi and they share a nice, long hug.

"Thank you, Naomi. You really help," Rayna thanks, giving a genuine smile.

"Anything for my best friend."