27
Rogues are attacking again.
Same as the first time, Harley has to report to the scene, and Rayna is ordered to retreat back to the safety of the castle.
What makes this time different is that Rayna isn't listening. She let Harley think she's heading back to the castle, but instead, she follows him. He unknowingly leads her right into the danger he wants to keep her away from.
In an open field, rogues and pack warriors are fighting left and right. The warriors easily outnumber the rogues, but the rogues have no regard for their safety. Rayna looks into ones mind, and their only goal is to inflict as much damage as possible. She tries to read deeper, and she finds nothing.
Confused, she backs up. Something is wrong. Very, very wrong.
Suddenly, she hears a rogue coming up behind her. Her powers rise, her eyes glowing blue momentarily, and a vine wraps around the rogues foot. It trips them, and then pulls them back and into the air, leaving them to dangle from a branch. Rayna turns around, surprised at the sight, but she doesn't have the time to think about it.
She turns around again, looking around for Harley. It isn't hard to spot his gigantic, pitch black wolf fighting off a rogue. He obviously isn't struggling, as he's the Alpha King, but Rayna isn't going to let him get hurt.
She runs over to him and puts up her Queen Aura, protecting them from anyone. His eyes widen when he sees her.
'Why the fuck aren't you at the castle?' he growls through mind-link.
'I want to help. Something is . . . off about these rogues,' she tells him. He inwardly groans.
'We'll talk more about this once we get home.'
Rayna lowers her head and holds back a whimper.
'I'm not even hurt-'
He growls. 'We'll talk more about this once we get home,' he repeats.
'Fine.'
When they look around, they realize that all of the rogues are just staring at them. Then, they all run away towards the border together, besides the few bodies. The warriors watch in confusion, and Rayna lets her aura down.
Once she does, she realizes that it took a lot of energy to hold it up. Her legs start to shake, and Harley notices. He lifts her onto his back and runs them back to the castle. There, they shift back and into their human forms. They get dressed, and Harley carries Rayna inside and up to their bedroom. He lays her in bed.
"Take a nap," he says, giving her a soft kiss on the forehead. She hums and cuddles into the blankets, falling asleep.
*~*~*~*
When Rayna wakes up from her nap, the clock reads 4:44 P.M., and Harley is sitting at his desk in the bedroom, presumably working. She recalls everything that happened earlier, and her heart sinks slightly when she realizes Harley is most likely mad at her. Otherwise, her body and strength is back to normal.
"You're awake," Harley states without looking at her. Rayna sits up and rubs her eyes. He turns around in his chair, and they make eye contact. "Why didn't you listen to me?" he asks softly.
"I- I wanted t- to help," Rayna whispers. She blinks rapidly, her eyes stinging a little bit.
Harley stands up and walks over to the bed, laying down with Rayna.
"I don't want you to get hurt," he states, pulling her up to his chest.
"I know," she mumbles, placing a hand on his shirt. "I don't want you to get hurt either."
"Baby, I have training, and you don't. Yeah, you have powers, but you don't know how to use them yet, and you have no way to defend yourself. If you got hurt, I- I wouldn't be able to live with myself." He holds her tightly.
She holds him, as well, and does her best to comfort him. She kisses him softly wherever she can and soothingly rubs his back.
"I know," she whispers into his ear. "I'm sorry, Harley. I won't get hurt."
He relaxes after a few moments.
"Can you promise me not to do that again? At least until you have basic training?" Harley asks, looking into Rayna's eyes.
She nods. "I promise, babe."
He smiles softly and kisses her on the lips. "Thank you, baby."
*~*~*~*
The next day, Harley calls Rayna into his office.
"What is it?" she asks, walking over to his desk. He has her sit on his lap, and he hands her a piece of paper with a fancy border and cursive handwriting on it.
"The Council finally responded," Harley explains.
The Council, also known as The COASB (The Council Of All Supernatural Beings) is a selected group of immortal beings from all sorts of different backgrounds and species. Most species have their own councils, but the Werewolf Council is below Harley. The only time he goes to them is when a pack member dies. Otherwise, he goes to The Council.
Rayna holds the paper in front of her and starts slowly reading it aloud.
"Dear Alpha Harley Kit King,
We apologize for the delay of our response. A current issue in another realm is taking up a lot of our time. As we are busy, we can only suggest refraining from using any of the Flower Wolves powers until we can look into this further.
Respectfully,
Blythe Abram of the COASB"
". . . What?"
*~* Next Day *~*
Suddenly, there's rapid knocking on their bedroom door. They both freeze. Harley jumps up and out of bed, pulling his boxers back on, while Rayna picks up her clothes and rushes into the closet. Her heart races.
Rayna hears the door open and Keane's frantic voice.
"There's rogues again!"
"What?"
The bedroom door is slammed closed, and after loud, running footsteps along with growls, there's dead silence.
Rayna feels like her heart is about to beat out of her chest, and her hands and legs tremble with fear and adrenaline. She sits down on the closet floor, surrounded by pure darkness in the confined space. She presses her legs against her chest and buries her face in her hands, loud sobs wracking her entire body as tears stream down her face.
*~*~*~*
Rayna, Harley, Luke, and Leigh are eating lunch together later that day, as it is Saturday, when they're interrupted by loud footsteps and growling entering the Alpha Wing.
"Luke! Leigh! We're leaving!" Ophelia screams.
They're silent and share looks with each other. Harley sighs and stands up.
"Finish your lunch and then gather your things," he tells the two teenagers. They nod and continue eating as he enters the living room to greet Ophelia. He's only met with more yelling, so Rayna decides to follow him.
"No one told me that there's been rogue attacks!" the older woman screams at her own son. Frank is there as well, though he stands back, not doing anything. A simple bystander to Ophelias bullying. Harley groans.
"Mother, it's all over the news. I didn't think I'd have to tell you."
She only continues to yell and yell on and on about he put her children in danger. His face hardens and his fists ball up until he can finally get a word in.
"And you aren't at all concerned for my safety?" he asks harshly.
Her jaw drops, and her eyes widen. She gapes like a fish for a few moments, unable to think of a response.
"B- But your the king. You'll be fine!"
He shakes his head, disappointed. That was the best she could come up with?
"Whatever. Luke and Leigh will down soon. I'll say goodbye to them, and then you can leave," Harley says. He then turns around, walking back into the kitchen. Ophelia huffs and Frank remains silent.
"Harley-" Rayna starts, but he walks right past her. Her eyebrows furrow, and she follows him.
He leans his back against the kitchen counter and buries his face into his hands, small, silent sobs making his torso move slightly. Rayna's face softens, and she slowly walks over to him.
"Harley," she whispers, softly grabbing his wrists. "Can you please look at me?"
He pulls his hands away from his face, revealing his tears and red eyes and cheeks. She gives him a small, sad smile.
"It's okay, babe. Let it out. I'm right here," she tells him quietly.
He wraps his arms around her and buries his face into her neck. She can hear him sniffle and feel his tears fall onto her skin, but she doesn't mind. She wraps her arms around him and rubs his back.
After a few minutes, he pulls away, looking her in the eyes.
"Thank you," he says with a soft smile. She returns it, a lone tear running down her face.
Rayna cups his face in her hands and rubs the countless salty water droplets off of his cheeks with her thumbs. She pulls him in, and they share a short, emotional kiss.
"Anytime."
