Little Dahlia

Ch. 11 - Goodbyes

"Th- There you go," she concludes, happy with her work. She bites the inside of her cheek and walks out of the bathroom, not entirely sure of what to do. Harley gets up and follows her again.

"Finish your breakfast and get ready." He checks the clock. 6:32. "We're leaving in an hour."

With that, he leaves.

*~*~*~*

Forty minutes later, Rayna has cleaned the house, showered, dried and brushed her hair, got dressed, brushed her teeth, put on deodorant, and triple checked that she has everything packed. Jamie just texted her that he and Hazel are there. She texted Naomi as much.

She silently opens Jayce's door. Of course, he's asleep again.

She slips three pieces of paper into his desk drawer. The first is the drawing she made long ago of Jayce with Danny. She realized what she had wrong. She changed it so that their arms were wrapped around each other and they were leaning in for a kiss. The second is a completed sketch of the Polaroid picture she had found in his drawer before. The third are her last words to him before she leaves.

'To: Jayce
I love you. You'll always be my brother. Good luck with Danny. I can't wait until we can meet again.
From: Rayna'

It isn't much, but to her, it's all that's needed. She quietly slips out of his room.

She walks through the house, her backpack on, looking at what she'll hopefully never have to see again. She had her hair down now. She wore one of the new shirts--a fluffy, baggy, white, off-the-shoulder sweater. She matched it with a pair of black leggings and her new pair of light gray/blue converse with a yellow flower on the sides.

She steps outside to see Jamie and Hazel talking to Harley. Jamie notices her first, as he was facing towards the house. He smiles and walks towards her. Harley turns at his actions, and his lips twitch at the sight of Rayna. Otherwise, he remains emotionless.

"Rainy!" Jamie calls out, opening his arms. Rayna smiles, and they share a hug. He's the only person besides Naomi who has nickname privileges with her.

"How've you been?" she asks.

"Good, good." Jamie looks back at Hazel for a moment with a smile. "What about you?"

"I've been okay," she mumbles a bit. He nods.

"I still can't believe you're mates with the king. You're finally getting out of here," he exclaims, though quietly. Rayna blushes slightly and nods, glancing at Harley before looking at her shoes.

"Congratulations," Hazel chimes in. Rayna looks up at her and smiles with a small nod. She doesn't know how to respond, and she's shrinking a bit. Harley notices and walks over.

"Do you want me to put that in the truck?" he asks, motioning towards her backpack. She pauses for a moment before nodding and taking it off to hand it to him. He grabs it and walks over to his truck, opening up the back door and placing it inside.

Rayna can't help but watch Harley move. It wasn't his muscles. He just . . . Intrigued her. The way he moved with quick confidence. His light brown hair was again clean and brushed. He wore a grey dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of black pants. He had on the same black combat boots he did yesterday.

"Well, anyways, do you know when we'll be able to visit?" Jamie asks.

Rayna shrugs. "I- I don't know, but when there's a chance, I- I'll tell you," she says.

Jamie nods. "Okay."

Harley talks with his beta and delta who proceed to get into their cars before he walks over to them.

"We're going to leave in the next few minutes," he informs. Rayna nods, crossing her arms awkwardly.

"O- Okay. Well . . . Bye, guys," she whispers.

"Bye, sis."

"Bye."

Johnathan appears on the porch of the Pack House. Rayna gulps when she notices his presence. He stares daggers. She doesn't look at him as she walks over to Harley's truck. She opens the passenger door and steps in. Harley puts the truck into gear, as he had already turned it on, and they drive out of the pack driveway.

Rayna looks back, but only at her brother.

She then turns to Harley, who she catches staring at her. She quickly looks at her lap once their eyes make brief contact.

"So, uhm . . ." Harley stutters, not really knowing what to say. Rayna's confused as to how the king could stutter. "Is there anywhere you'd like to go before we head to the castle?"

Hesitantly, Rayna nods.

"C- Could you take me to the cemetery?" she mumbles. With Harley's expert hearing, he's able to hear her.

"Of course."

Harley doesn't ask why, and in a few minutes, he's parked outside the gates.

"I- I'll be back in a few minutes," Rayna stutters, opening the door. Harley nods, turning up the music the radio had been playing.

She steps out and walks down the gravel path. She passed dozens of gravestones, heading towards the one she knew in particular. Once she reaches the square slab in the green grass, she bends down and traces the engraving.

"Rose Quinn. Wonderful mother and wife. Loved by all. R.I.P."

It says the year of her birth and death. Rayna doesn't like how she was just described by her relations to others. That isn't what she would've wanted. Not only was she loved by all, she loved everyone. She was so much more than just a mother and wife.

"Hi, Mom," Rayna whispers. "This is gonna be the last time I'll be here. It turns out I'm mates with the Alpha King, so I'll be moving away to the castle. I love you."

She sits there for another minute or two before forcing herself to her feet and walking back to the truck. She doesn't want to keep the king waiting. She hops in the passenger seat, and Harley looks at her.

"Anywhere else?" he asks.

"Y- Yeah, i- if that's okay?" She buckles herself in, fiddling with the strap a bit.

"Yeah," he responds, giving her a light smile to assure her.

Rayna gives him an address, and he puts it into his GPS. He explains that he always has it when he travels. Rayna nods. In another few minutes, they're pulled up outside of Naomi's house.

Rayna's heart beats a mile a minute, and she shakes. How can she be doing this?

She slowly steps out and walks up the drive. She knocks on the door, and Naomi quickly answers, dressed and ready with a suitcase behind her.

"H- Hey," Rayna stutters. Naomi gives her a reassuring smile.

"C'mon. We got somewhere to be," she responds, hugging her. They walk around the corner, and Harley stares. Rayna walks up to his window, which he rolls down.

"Th- This is my best friend, Naomi. C- Can she come with us?"

"Sure."

Naomi giggles.

The Beta's SUV pulls up.

"Are you driving?" Harley asks her.

"Yeah."

"Okay. That car is my Betas so don't be worried."

Naomi nods, hugs Rayna again, and heads to her car. Rayna takes a deep breath before walking back to the passenger side of the truck. She hops in.

"She's human," Harley states.

"Yeah," Rayna confirms. He nods.

They start the drive to the castle.