Rayne's POV
It didn't take long for us to get the Oceanpearl Pack. I couldn't even call it my pack anymore because of how much time had passed, but I could tell that nothing about it had changed at all.Reynolds parked the car at the pack house's garage, and I used the opportunity to quickly send a text to Kaiden to inform him of my arrival.My objectives were straightforward: see my mother, find out anything I could concerning Grog's death and the rogue attacks, and get back to Mysticrock, all in the same day. I didn't see myself staying in this place for the night, even if there was somehow a provision for me to do that.“Welcome home, Rayne dearest,” said Reynolds as we got down from the car. It didn't warrant a response, so I didn't say anything to him regarding that.I pulled up my hair into a bun, using the action to pull my mind into a state of focus. The band I used was actually a bracelet with rubber strings that I had swipedRayne's POV“Stop this, Reynold. I'm not in the mood for your sick jokes,” I said, noting every step he took towards me. They were light and heavy at the same time. Confidence. Almost regal. He only moved in such a way when he could just tell that he had the upper hand. His hands were in the pockets of his straight slacks, and he looked thoroughly bored. He didn't appear like someone casually saying things that made me question my origins.“Rayne, the reason why your destiny is tied with Oceanpearl, is more than just because of a simple prophecy. You see, very recently, I had a very serious chat with a Priestess, who revealed everything that I longed to know.“She told me about my family, and why you were somehow so important to us. I didn't want to believe it at first, but the more I thought about it, the clearer everything became. The truth that you belong here.”He stood before me now, slightly towering over me menacingly. He lifted his hand to my face, but I slapped his hand away
Kaiden's POVSomething had gone horribly wrong. I could feel it deep in my bones. I had been pacing my room for minutes, waiting for a call or message from Rayne telling me that she was alright. She had promised to give me a call when she arrived, but that had been four hours ago, and Oceanpearl was only an hour away from Mysticrock. By now, the sky had started to darken, but the moon remained out of sight. I moved over to my window to observe the movement of clouds, hoping that it would somehow clear my head. It didn't.I picked up my phone and dialed her number, hoping in my heart that she had simply been unable to make the call so soon after her arrival. Every single time I called, I kept getting sent straight to voicemail. Each time the automated voice came on instead of Rayne's low delicate tone, the worry in my chest fattened.Bradford came into the room after two swift knocks. “Sorry I didn't wait for a respon
Rayne's POV In the darkness, I forgot how to breathe without choking on my own fear. Locked in, as I was, with the corpse of a woman I didn't think I knew everything about despite having spent most of my life with her.I felt it, her corpse. Already giving way to bacteria and the other things that occupied a soulless body. Heavy and decaying, the stench of death hung in the air, coupled with the weight of everything I had been told. Information shoved down my throat before I could regurgitate it and rebuke it. My phone had been taken from me shortly before I passed out from a heavy blow to my head.“You should take a nice nap beside your mother. Who knows, maybe her spirit will visit you,” Reynold sharply commented before ramming his fist into the side of my head faster than my mind could process.Now, I had come awake, and I could immediately tell that I still remained in that same small, stifling room that my mother had been reta
Rayne's POVI stared into the mouth of the gun, wondering how I got myself to this point. Trouble never seemed to be too far away from me, and even in times when I would catch a sliver of peace, it always lurked in the shadows, waiting for the moment it would come out to light.But if there was one thing I had decided already, it was that I wouldn't just lay down and die like I didn't matter. I had things to look forward to, and people to live for. I had tasted what happiness felt like, and I wasn't ready to let go of it.“If you think shooting me will be the end of your problems, you're sorely mistaken.” I watched one of Sloane’s fingers spasm on the gun. “This will not bring you what you want.”A frown appeared on her forehead, distorting her features quickly. “You're supposed to be begging for your life. And you're simply running your mouth. Why don't you get on your knees and beg for your own life like you did your mother's?”At her d
Kaiden's POVWith an arm around Rayne, I faced the ones chasing her. It wouldn't take me more than fifteen minutes to tear them all down, but I gave them a chance to rethink their actions.“Are you all insane?” I roared, pressing my aura into them. “How dare you lay a finger on my Luna?”The men chasing her stopped in their tracks, and looked among themselves in awkward confusion. Did they not even recognise that Rayne was once one of them? I looked over her bruised and battered body. There was a shard of glass in her cheek, and the top of her shirt had been ripped at the shoulder, exposing her pale bruised skin underneath. Beauty marred by pain.Guilt and anger warred for dominance within me. I should have never let her go alone, and now here she was, in my arms, badly hurt. Even if she could heal, she didn't have to go through such in the first place.Her body trembled. She was crying.“My mother,” she said. “I couldn
Rayne's POVChaos rose, silencing my screams. People rushed about, eager to get a good look of what would be probably the biggest show for dominance ever in Oceanpearl. But I couldn't get rid of the apprehension in my chest, it ate me up on the inside until I could do nothing but tremble with fear. Fear of loss. I couldn't lose Kaiden. He might have been powerful, but Reynold couldn't be trusted. He likely had something up his sleeve. I knew him enough to know that he wouldn't have accepted the challenge in the first place if he knew he could lose. Kaiden gave one last silent command to Bradford before completely transforming into his magnificent wolf form. Black, large, with rippling muscles and glowing red eyes, he stood proud and tall, bearing down on his one and only target with the intent of a predator stalking prey. Even though I had seen him in this form before, the awe I felt still remained the same. The people of Oceanpearl stood transfixed by his form, like they had neve
Rayne's POVThe ground appeared endless underneath my feet, trailing and trailing on despite how my lungs were exerting themselves just so I could keep running. I leaped over logs and misplaced branches. I didn't dare look back to see the monsters running after me. I couldn't stop.I glanced at the cool object in my hand, and pressed it tighter to my skin. Something about it made me feel a certain way; almost like I could taste the energy it emitted. Just how powerful were the people that created such a thing? And did they ever imagine that people would use it in such a nefarious way? I didn't also want to dwell on the thought that for so long, Oceanpearl had been in possession of the object, and had been using it to keep itself safe while others suffered for it.Growing up, we never had rogue attacks. I didn't know just how bad other packs were having it or I was sure that it would have been a topic I questioned when I was younger. I used to think we were
Rayne's POVIt didn't take long for the news of Oceanpearl’s rogue attack to reach the headlines of the Paranormal Watch. Lives had been lost in the unanticipated attack, but luckily they were able to pull through with what they had. Alongside the questions of whether or not the Alpha had survived, were further details concerning the dead. A council member had died as well. Nothing spoke clearly of Reynold’s whereabouts, but that was something that we didn't necessarily need an answer to. Knowing that Oceanpearl didn't crumble to dust dissolved some of the guilt I had been feeling. But the more I rationalise everything, the more I understood that there was nothing that I or Kaiden could have done. Survival mattered most in that situation, and I wasn't willing to lose any more of the people I loved because of selfish people that never thought of the consequences their actions would have on others. Reynold, in his quest for power, had chosen what mattered most to hi