Song: Paralyzed by NF
Words: 1820
Published: May 22, 2020
Rayna's POV
I feel the wind in my fur; the dirt and grass and rocks beneath my paws; the nice, summer air flowing through my nostrils and lungs, still with a tint of spring; the smells of plants, flowers, dirt, critters, wolves. I can practically taste everything. My vision is so much sharper than it is in human form, even though over the years I've mastered how to use my wolf senses at any time. I hear the wind in my ears but can also pinpoint the slightest sound of someone or something near.
As much as I don't like how my wolf looks, I love being in my form. For some reason, my inner wolf, who has yet to tell me her name, is very reserved. I can always feel her in the back of my mind, but she rarely steps forward or talks to me. I feel her the strongest when I'm in pain. She heals me. I've only heard her voice a small handful of times. She has a very motherly aura to her, and her voice is soft, quiet, and soothing.
For a few years I harbored a huge hatred for her. She let me outgrow that on my own. I blamed her for the bullying from her fur, but I eventually realized that she couldn't control anything any more than I could. I don't necessarily like her, though, because I don't really know her. I guess that she's just my wolf and I'm just her human. That's how things are.
I reach the edge of the woods. Time to head back.
*~* Third Person POV *~*
School ended on a Friday. It's Sunday now, the day of Naomi's graduation party. Rayna looks at herself in the mirror. She's dressed in a nice, dark blue halter top matched with a pair of black leggings. It's a warm summer day, so she doesn't know how hot she'll get. She styles her hair up in a bun to try and stay a little cool.
So far, nothing bad has happened. It's putting her on edge. She feels like something really bad is about to happen. Something big. She's talked to Ray about it, which she guesses makes her feel a little better, but not much.
She slips on her shoes and out of the house.
She's surprising Naomi. Since it's her party, she couldn't come to pick Rayna up, and therefore assumed Rayna couldn't come. If Rayna shifts, she can make it there.
She heads into the woods. Once out of sight and sure no one's near, she strips naked. She ties her clothes around her ankle and wrist and sets her shoes down.
She closes her eyes and reaches out to her wolf, thinking about how it feels to be in her form and what her form looks like. There's a few light cracking sounds before she's in wolf form. She shakes out her fur and stretches. Her wolf is slightly smaller than the average female werewolf, which she figures is from her short height and diet. After picking up her shoes in her mouth, she heads out to Naomi's neighborhood.
She's there in seven minutes flat. She shifts back, gets dressed, and heads onto the sidewalk. She walks down the street to Naomi's house, where there's games set up in the yard and people littered everywhere.
Rayna doesn't see Naomi in the yard. She heads up the drive, slipping past people, and into the house. Naomi's sitting on the couch, facing away from the door. Rayna smiles.
"Boo," she whispers in Naomi's ear. The orange haired girl turns her head, her smile doubling in size when she sees her best friend.
"Rayna! You made it!" she squeals, standing up.
"Yeah." Rayna giggles.
Naomi walks around the couch and over to Rayna to hug her. Rayna hugs back, patting Naomi on the back.
"Nice party," she congratulates.
"Thanks."
Naomi starts taking Rayna around, introducing her. She's spent plenty of time with Mimi to know a good portion of her family, though there's still some others she hasn't met. Mr. and Mrs. West take pictures. Mimi has Rainy help herself to the food, but eventually, Naomi has to go off with other people and take other pictures.
Rayna starts to get uncomfortable, and that anxious, dreaded feeling comes back. She taps Naomi on the back.
"I- I gotta g- go," she stutters out in a whisper. Naomi gives a look of acknowledgment, nodding. She wraps her in a nice, tight, comforting hug.
"I'll see you Wednesday, okay?"
"Okay."
Then, Rayna turns on her heel and heads back into the woods.
She strips, ties her clothes again, shifts, runs back home, shifts, dresses, and walks hesitantly up the steps. She hears Johnathan yelling.
"Where the hell is she?!" he screams. Rayna cringes, wondering how long he's been looking for her. She doesn't sense anyone else in the house. She hears glass breaking and opens the door.
A fuming beta turns to her.
"Where the hell were you?" he growls, walking closer. She backs against the door.
"No where, sir. J- Just the woods," she answers, only partially truthful. If he knew she was at a party, he'd be even angrier.
"Woods, my ass." He grabs her by the neck and starts choking her. She panics and grabs his wrist, trying to tug him away. They both know it's useless. He's 7 inches taller and has well over twice the amount of muscle and body weight she has.
"Pick that up," he orders, slamming her against the wall and then motioning towards pieces of broken glass. She gasps for air before crawling over to the broken shards on the floor. It's what she had heard break. In her haste, she picks it up piece by piece, not caring how sharp one is or if it cuts her.
She throws them in the trash before washing her bloody hands as to not make any more of a mess and grabbing a broom and dustpan to get any little bits she missed.
"Basement," John orders, standing by the open door to the stairs that lead down.
She hesitates.
"Don't make me force you," he growls.
She scurries over and starts walking down the stairs. She must not be fast enough, since Johnathan pushes her down halfway. It reminds her of Friday, when Travis and his friends had pushed her down the bleachers.
"Where were you really, huh?" Johnathan barks, picking her up and throwing her across the cold basement floor. "I bet you were going around being a slut. No man's gonna want a whore for a mate."
Rayna knows what she was doing. She wasn't being a slut. Even so, he's managed to get it into her head that she's a whore. She had 'sex' before she met her mate. She's a disgusting piece of shit. She's used. Damaged goods. Broken. Useless.
Johnathan beats her with words, fists, and whips for nearly an hour straight, prioritizing how she's too worthless to have a mate.
"The Alpha King is stopping by Thursday. Since you are unworthy of even standing in his presence, you must be home by 2 o'clock sharp. Any later and you won't be able to stand at all.
"Now, I have business to attend. The basement is beginning to stink. Clean it by supper time."
With that, Johnathan heads upstairs.
Rayna lays on the floor in the fetal position. Silent tears slip from her eyes. Her entire body aches. She's bloody. Luckily, not all of her clothes were ruined. The top and bra are okay. The leggings just need to be washed. The underwear is unsalvageable.
She groans in pain as she gets to her feet, leaning against the wall for support as her vision darkens for a moment. She limps over to and up the stairs. She walks over to the closet to grab cleaning supplies.
She hears the door open but doesn't really process it. There's a gasp.
"Rayna!" It's Jamie.
She turns as she has the product in hand. He rushes over and places the stuff on the ground before she can process.
"What?" she whispers.
"C'mon, let's go into the bathroom," he coaxes. He helps her start walking.
"I . . . Need to . . . Clean the basement. B- By supper," she explains, cringing at her pain.
"I'll help you with that in a second. For now, let's patch you up."
Jamie sits her down on the closed toilet seat and grabs a first aid kit from his room. She could go to the pack doctor. She has before, but Johnathan doesn't like her seeking help. Last time, he locked her away for a couple days as punishment.
After a few minutes of Jamie inspecting her injuries and helping her change into clean clothes, he carries the supplies and then her down the stairs. He masks his scent so that Johnathan can't tell he was down there, too.
Together, they clean the basement. This also included cleaning off the whips and knives down there. There was dried blood dating back to over a month ago.
It takes about two hours before Jamie takes Rayna back upstairs to start cooking supper. He puts the supplies away and helps her still. By now, she's nearly healed besides the whip marks, though she must've hit her head hard at one point. It'll take food, water, and a good nights sleep for her to stop limping and be able to think straight.
The only reason she's able to make supper is from muscle memory.
Jamie makes a sandwich for her and makes her eat it, along with a glass of water and some pills. One's a pain killer, another's for sleeping, and the last is a healing pill.
She's passed out in bed by 5:56.
*~*~*~*
"You know, Ray . . . Sometimes, I wish I were you. A bird with wings and no responsibilities. Then I could go wherever the fuck I wanted with no consequences. I could shit on people for all I fucking care, and they couldn't do shit about it. I could finally get away from this place."
When she woke up, the clock read 12:48 AM. She stole some alcohol from the cellar behind the pack house and is now tipsy in the woods, talking to Ray. He looks and sounds concerned, trying to get her away from the bottle.
"I'm not gonna get caught, Ray. Half the pack are alcoholics, so no ones going to miss a bottle or two," she slurs. "And I'm not addicted. This is the first time in a couple months, and I'm not gonna drink too much. It just . . . It really hurts, ya know? I don't want it to hurt, even if just for a little bit."
Ray croaks, rubbing his face against her neck. She giggles.
"Ray," she says, stretching out the 'a'. "Stop that."