The Reaver Chronicles: Raziel (Book 1)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As if he was forced, he slowly set my mother down and released his fiery hold. I had no idea what he was thinking or feeling because his face was stoic, and emotion rarely seemed to cross his features. It was only a brief second that he caught me looking at him before I turned and ran to her side.

She had already shifted back into her Human form, and before I could realize what was going on she had grabbed me and was holding me tightly to her chest. Her platinum eyes were darker than I have ever seen them as her Wolf fought to get back out.

"Are you ok Rayne?? Did he hurt you?!" She tore her hardened gaze from the Reaver to inspect me and when I turned to look back at him, he was gone. He saved my life and listened to my pleas, allowing my mother to live… All of this, and I had no idea who he was at the time…

Why would a Reaver do that? It never made any sense to me after all the stories I was told about them. I questioned my mother for months after that, but she refused to tell me anything except it was a fluke. She had every excuse as to why he didn’t kill me, but not one of those excuses made any sense. Nothing about that night made any sense to me… It still doesn’t.

"Rayne? Rayne!!!" Wynter called out, snapping me from my memory. I looked up to see that we were already in my backyard. It was so easy to get lost in my own mind when I wasn’t the one in control of my body. I wondered if this is how Wynter felt, often being in the background of my mind.

I looked up at my house, the house I had grown up in since I was 12. It was a dark gray with white trim and the door was painted turquoise blue. The house was 2 stories tall, and it was a cookie cutter, much like the rest of them here. It looked just like the one next to it, and the one next to that. The door was the only difference, and it was the only thing that I requested they change when I came here.

I wanted it because the door on my home back on the outskirts of the pack was the same color. My mother and I painted that door together… I spilled paint everywhere, and most of it was still on the porch of my old home. Another memory threatened to pop back into my head regarding it, but I pushed it away. I didn’t have time to get lost in my head right now.

"s**t, Sorry I was lost in an old memory." I said to Wynter breathlessly, as I changed back into my Human form. I threw on the black sports bra and matching pair of sweatpants I always had stored outside for times like this. Once I was dressed, I sat cross legged on the grass hoping to get just a minute to myself. Thoughts of Eric passed through my mind, causing me to cringe.

I tried not to think about it, which was difficult. Instead, I let the cool breeze flow through my long silver hair, relaxing me a bit. Unfortunately, I knew we wouldn't be here long. I knew my Alpha needed me, and he would know exactly when I stepped foot back in pack territory. He probably knew I was here already. I was right, because seconds later I felt Alpha Drake come through my mind link.

"Rayne, my office, now." He spat. I could practically feel the venom coursing through my veins. "We are so dead…" Wynter chimed in, and for the first time I agreed. After disobeying Alpha Drake, I wasn't sure we would make it out alive… Most don't. He wouldn’t kill me though, right? I mean, I tried to come up with any reason why he wouldn’t. He needs me, I am one of the pack's best fighters… he couldn’t sacrifice me…

I was trying to reassure myself, but it wasn’t working at all because I knew I was feeding myself lies. Alpha Drake wouldn’t have cared if I was Beta Sean, his second in command, in the flesh. I had broken pack rules, and the punishment remains the same regardless of your rank. I inhaled slowly and headed towards town.

The pack house was a large fixture, which was situated right in the middle of town. It was solid black and about 6 levels high. The building itself was modern looking, but you could tell it had been remodeled. The sun was glinting off the solid back windows, blinding me as I made my way to the front doors.

Everything I had ever had to do was on the first level, so I had never been anywhere else inside. But two of our pack guards motioned for me to pass through once I reached them. They looked alike in size and stature. They both had large builds, one with dark hair the other with light, both with multiple scars and tattoos. There was no mistaking it, you could tell they were warriors. Most of our pack looked like this, which made them so scary.

The Obsidian pack was known for their no mercy attitudes. We were taught this from day one. Had it drilled into our heads. This is how we maintained our elite status. I shuddered as the thought of crossing one of the warriors of our pack made its way through my mind. "Hard pass." Wynter snickered. I agreed.

I made my way down the hallway, admiring the photos of the previous Alphas and the warrior memorabilia on my way to Alpha Drake's office. I thought it was really neat that we kept these things up, and I briefly wondered just what might be adorning the hallways in the upper levels.

Mostly, I was trying to distract myself because I was shaking like a leaf. Wynter started trembling as we approached Alpha Drakes office door. My heart was beating out of my chest, and I knew this might be the last time I ever saw the light of day. I tried to cherish our adventure, and all of the scenery we saw today, focusing on the sunrise. I swallowed the fear that had been building as I stood outside the door and knocked.

No one ever just went into Alpha Drakes office without an invite, that was a death sentence in itself. "You may enter." He snarled. He even sounded f*****g pissed… Wynter started to whimper, but I wasn't about to show weakness. I wouldn't give Alpha Drake the pleasure of seeing me unraveled. Especially if this was my last day alive.

No one would ever get that pleasure, especially not him. Call me hardheaded, but I didn’t care. I inhaled slowly, put on my strongest face, and walked into his office and acted like I was completely ready for whatever was coming next. Even if that meant death.

Alpha Drake was facing me in his chair. He was wearing a silver suit jacket with a black button down shirt underneath. His Obsidian black hair was perfect, slick back as usual. His fingers were intertwined within one another sitting on top of his desk in front of him. His dark blue, ocean eyes, were darker than I have ever seen them. The different colors of blues were swirling like the waves in the deep.

Power, that was one word I could use to describe him. Complete and utter power was emanating from him in nauseating waves. They washed over me, threatening to consume me. I didn’t say a word and neither did he. The air was so thick it was nearly choking me. The intense silence between us was threatening to drive me mad.

"Where were you today?" He finally said. I almost thought I heard worry in his voice but was proven wrong when I didn't answer him fast enough. And by fast enough, I mean that very second. He hardly gave me a chance to speak before he exploded. He stood from his chair and slammed his hand down on the desk so hard, he knocked over a glass full of pens, causing me to flinch while Wynter let out a yip.

"I will not ask you again, Rayne." He growled, and this time the venom in his voice was deadly. It prickled into my brain, numbing my senses. I panicked internally trying to think of something to say… "I… I was trying to blow off some steam, Alpha." I stuttered, hoping it would suffice. It was the first thing that popped into my head, and I didn’t have extra time to think. Unfortunately, I knew it wouldn’t suffice for him, but it was too late to take it back now.

I saw his face harden and that's when I knew that he knew my answer was complete bullshit. But there was no way I was telling him what happened with my Demon and Eric. No possible way… I couldn't even gather the words if I wanted to. In fact, I wasn't sure if I could ever speak about Eric… Ever again.

“Tell him the f*****g truth, Rayne! Jesus christ! Why are you so hard headed?!” Wynter screamed. Not a chance in hell, I thought. I pushed her out of my mind just as Alpha Drake closed the gap between us.

I flinched at his advance which just seemed to piss him off even more. He snarled as he grabbed onto my upper arm. His grip was so f*****g tight I couldn’t have escaped if I tried. But I didn’t try. He yanked on me, causing me to gasp as he basically dragged me through the pack house and outside.

My Alpha had manhandled me on occasion, mostly during training sessions or when he was trying to get his point across, but this was different… This felt different. I wasn’t even sure that he was in his right mind at this point. The rage emanating from him as he dragged me outside tore through my chest like a flaming sword.

I had seen him upset, but never anything like this. Nothing on this level. I whimpered as I fought to keep up with his long strides. He didn’t care, nor did he slow down a single bit. Even though I was tripping on my own feet, and his, he kept going. He didn’t stop until we were outside and in the pack training grounds.

"You want to blow off steam? Let's blow off some f*****g steam." He roared.