Little Dahlia

Ch. 3 - Home Pt. 1

Things were the worst when she was fourteen. She was on a walk with Rose. They were having a good day. Everything was okay.

Rogues attacked the pack and killed Rose.

Everyone blamed Rayna. She didn't help. It should've been her. They were probably coming back for her. She should've given herself up to them. She should've never been there. It's all her fault. Johnathan began abusing her. Jayce only did when his father told him to. Jamie refused, but Jake willingly did anytime he got the chance.

The bullying only got worse. Luckily, she had Naomi to get her through it. As she's said before, if it weren't for her, she'd have offed herself by now. That was when she told her. She needed someone to have no secrets with.

All of her brothers have graduated already. They all got parties, but she knows no one cares enough to throw one for her. Who would show up, anyways? Humans aren't allowed on pack grounds, so Naomi wouldn't be able to attend. To clarify, the pack territory is the entire county, but the area where the Pack House and forest is is the pack grounds.

Naomi's having a party in a few days. Rayna hopes she can go.

Jayce lives in the pack house, which makes it easier for her. She rarely has to cook for him. He generally ignores her, really. He's only helped her out a handful of times. He always made it seem like the only reason he was doing anything for her was actually for his own convenience, but she knows deep down that he actually cares for her. Though, he does beat her when Johnathan tells him to.

Jamie only lives at home half the time, since he spends a lot of time at his girlfriends apartment.

Jake is always home.

Jamie's the only one with a mate. Jake is too young, and it's rumored that Jayce was either rejected by or rejected his mate. Rayna doubts that.

Jamie's mate's name is Hazel. She's amazing. She used to be a bitch, but when she was old enough to find her mate, she realized what she was and what she could be. She changed, made better friends, and when she met Jamie, it was like love at first sight. They're perfect for each other.

You see, in the werewolf world, you can't find your mate until you're twenty. That's why in the past, forced mates and multiple baby daddies/mommas were popular. A female would typically mate with a different male after sixteen (the acceptable time to have sex back then) and have a child with a different male every year. After losing their virginity, the female would go into heat every year, causing them to have more children. Then, once they found their mate, they'd stay with them.

Nowadays, forced mating is illegal and—with better forms of protection—multiple baby daddies/mammas is frowned upon, but having sex before meeting your mate is still very common, even with the message from the Moon Goddess that it's best to save yourself for your mate. You can find your mate after eighteen, but only if your mate is already twenty or over.

The mating process consists of two steps. 1. Marking. 2. Mating.

Marking is when one (first the typically more dominant) mate find the others sweet spot—the crook of their neck—and bites it. It mixes their DNA, allowing them to feel the others emotions. It makes the one marked pass out and leaves a permanent mark, letting others know that they're taken. After this, it slowly gets more and more difficult to not complete step 2.