Cora, A Sidelines Story from Clayton

Charlie

The Characters of Clayton, Rya, Kennedy, Dallas, and the Valentines belong to Rachelle. The character of Cora is expanded on with Permission from Rachelle, and is written for the pleasure of the International Wildflower Pack, the WhiskeyQueenn fandom. #WildflowersUnited #iwp  

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Charlie's POV

Today as I drive my sister south towards my grandmother's pack, I have a lot to think about. She is asleep at last, exhaustion and painkillers will do that when a wolf is too banged up to move or breath without hurting. Her face is mottled with bruises, her broken arm in a cast. Our father had this done to her, he and the Beta. My friend Lance was one of the warriors she beat. He said it was brutal, she fought and never surrendered, even after her arm was broken. Then second Gamma Beau stopped them,  he refused to fight her further after it snapped. Lance said she just spat her blood on the mat, grinned and told them they couldn't break her, the Alphas already did. I am so proud of her. My father can rant and rave about her, my mother can carry on about their reputation. I don't care. I am proud of her.

Cora spent two days in the clinic before Doc Peters would let her leave, she was to come home and rest for two weeks but our parents had other plans, plans to save their reputation. Father made me pack all her things. Tina helped me and I am grateful because I had no idea what she would want to take. I mean, who knew girls had so much stuff to go through. The rest we boxed and put in the basement, then we packed my car. Mother didn't help or even see Cora. Too busy with work and the Luna's luncheon and her life to care about her only daughter. She disgust me but it has been this way since we were kids, we never we more than accessories. She has handbags that she cares more about. 

 Cora's stomach growls and mine follows. I start looking for a place for lunch. I think back to bringing her home, her jaw was too sore to eat so I took her for a milkshake. No one had been allowed to see her since it happened, except Gretchen and I, doctor's orders but I don't believe that for a moment. It was the Alphas who wanted to hide their humiliation that a 16 year old she-wolf could fight well enough to beat three out of four of our pack's warriors. That a teenager cared more about what was right and the ways of the Goddess than they did. We ran into Clayton and Kennedy as we were leaving the ice cream shop. Horrified, Clayton demanded to know what happened to her. Guess he didn't know what their fathers had done.

Before I could answer, Cora looked Kennedy dead in the eye and said loud enough for all the wolves in the shop to hear, "Ask the Princess's father, HE did this that night." Her words slurred but clear.

Both he and Kennedy looked horrified. No one else even breathed.

I held the door as she limped out with her milkshake. Neither of us looked back and the Alpha couple, thankfully didn't follow, because then I would be at the post. I wold be the one being whipped for attacking another wolf, for attacking the next Alpha. Clayton called me late last night, but I didn't answer. He's called twice today, I ignored both calls. If my parents ask me about it, I'll just say my phone died or I left it at home. I hate the alphas and beta as much as she does now, but I think I hate my own parents more. Since Rya's rejection and punishment, I have found out who my true friends are and it isn't anyone I thought it was. It isn't the wolves I was raise with to believe we were born to be better than everyone else. It is the normal, hardworking non-ranked wolves who care, even if they are too scared to do more than give give me a sad smile or leave a note in my or Cora's lockers about something they overheard. Timid teenagers trying to do the right thing while all our parents look the other way.

The Alpha still hasn't lifted Rya's punishment and no one in the pack cares or remembers that Rya is still under punishment. It is as if Rya doesn't even exist! As if that event never happened but it did happen. It happened and sweet, innocent, non-ranked Rya was punished for being the Alpha's mate. And as long as she is punished, so is Cora. Every night for months, I sat with her while she practiced fighting against the Alpha's command. Every day, Cora got stronger.I feel guilty because Cora forbade me from protecting her, because I am Rya's last line of defense, a mongoose in the snakes nest. I am Cora's spy, while she is Rya's guardian angel. Cora has gotten into more trouble in the last seven months that in her entire life. They punished her again and again, but she kept doing it. She keeps doing what is right. We figured that was the way things would go, from then on, we never expected them to send Cora away from Rya.