Song: Dog Teeth by Nicole Dollanganger
Words: 2660
Published: August 26th, 2020
Third Person POV
Rayna
The next day, Rayna realizes why the doctor said to take it easy.
She made the journey the Alpha Wing living room after being treated to breakfast in bed by Harley and getting ready for the day, and it leaves her muscles exhausted. She collapsed onto the couch.
She mind-links Harley, who is now working in his office, to have Jamie and Hazel brought to her. He complies.
Soon, the couple walks into the living room.
"Hey, guys," Rayna greets, waving to them over the couch, which faces away from the entrance. "Come sit down."
"Hey," Hazel greets back.
"Hey, Rayna," Jamie greets.
They walk around the couch and sit down on the loveseat next to the couch.
"It's nice to see you guys again," Rayna begins. "How has your time in the castle been so far?"
They look at each other for a moment, nodding. "It's been great," Hazel replies. "It's really nice here."
"Yeah," Jamie agrees.
Rayna nods. "That's good. If anyone ever gives you any trouble, I'll deal with them."
"You sure have changed a lot," Jamie comments.
Rayna chuckles. "I guess, yeah. I mean, I'm treated pretty good here so I've gained a lot of confidence."
"I'm really happy for you," Hazel tells her with a smile. Rayna smiles back.
"I hope the king has been treating you good," Jamie says.
Rayna chuckles. "He's amazing."
She sits up.
"Anyways, I called you two here for a reason. I'd love to catch up right now, but I'm really worn out, so we'll have to wait for another time. Jamie and I already talked about this, but you two have nothing to worry about. You guys aren't gonna have any punishment. You'll just stay here until I decide what to do with the pack, so settle in."
The two nod.
"Well, I guess I'll see you guys another day," Rayna says, waving them off
They stand up, say goodbye, and head out, presumably back to their rooms.
She lets out a long breath and lays back down on the couch. She gives herself a few minutes to recover before she mind-links Harley again and requests that Jayce and Danny are escorted to her.
'Are you sure?' he asks.
'Yeah.'
'Maybe I should come down there with you,' he suggests.
'No,' she rejects. 'I got this.'
'Okay . . .'
There's a pause.
'They'll be there in a few minutes. Mind-link me if you need anything.'
'Okay, babe. Thank you. I love you.'
'I love you, too, baby.'
A few minutes later, Jayce and Danny hesitantly enter the living room.
Rayna was already sitting up on the couch, doing her best to look presented and confident. They see her instantly, and she can tell that they're both anxious and feel bad. She hides a smile at the sight of the fresh marks on their necks and intertwined hands. They're finally able to be together.
"Jayce, Danny," she greets with a simple nod. She motions towards the other seats in the living room. "Sit."
They nod and sit down on the same loveseat that Jamie and Hazel had.
"I can tell you guys are nervous," Rayna comments softly, smiling. They both let out an awkward chuckle. "You guys know about Jamie and I talking, right?"
They nod, giving each other a glance.
"Okay. Well, he told me that you guys accept whatever punishment as long as you're together. Is that right?"
They nod again, their grip on each others hands tightening.
"That's okay with me, so don't worry about that." Rayna lets out a sigh. "Jayce, you're my brother, and Danny, you're Jayce's mate, correct?"
"Yeah," Danny answers, nodding his head. "We've known for a few years now, but we kept it a secret because both of our fathers are homophobic."
Rayna nods. "I know that Jayce's . . . 'actions' were just because of Johnathan, but what about you?" she asks, looking at Danny. "How- How can I trust you?"
"I am so, so sorry for everything I've ever done to you, Rayna, or anyone else in the pack," he apologizes. "I don't mean to spill my life's story, but my father and I stopped seeing eye to eye when I became a teen which made me want to rebel. I got in with a lot of bad people in school and in the pack and did a lot of bad things. Ever since I graduated and went off to college and found out I'm mates with Jayce, I've realized what I was doing was really shitty and have done my best to become a better person. I'll do whatever I need to to prove that to you."
Rayna smiles and nods.
"I believe you, and I don't think anyone who's already learned their lesson needs to be punished."
The mates let out a sigh of relief before smiling brightly and hugging each other tightly.
"Thank you so much, Rayna," Jayce says. "We won't make you regret it."
She giggles a bit.
"Of course. I'm still figuring out what to do with the pack, so for now you guys will stay here in the castle. As much as I trust you guys, you're gonna have to be under slight surveillance until then. I hope you guys don't mind."
They shake their heads.
"No, it's fine, we get it," Jayce assures her.
"Okay. I'm really tired, so we'll catch up another time. Bye, guys."
The two say their goodbyes and head back to their rooms, letting Rayna rest. She soon feels the effects of socializing get to her, prompting her to mind-link Harley.
'Can you bring me some pain medicine and water please?' she asks.
'Of course. I'll be right there.'
She can't help but smile at how caring he is.
Harley's quickly down the stairs with a bottle of pain meds and a glass filled with water. She sits up on the couch, and he sits next to her, handing the pills to her and the water.
She takes the pills, washes them down with water, and then sets them on the coffee table.
She wraps her arms around Harley's arm and rests her head on his shoulder. She hums in contentment and closes her eyes. He give her a smile and kiss on the top of the head.
"Can you take one of those fifteen minute breaks right now?"
*~*~*~*
