“What! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Please don’t be mad. I came over looking for you and you weren’t home and he accidentally touched me and we knew. I’m sorry, Rain.” She babbled.
I scrunched up my face in confusion, shaking my head. “I’m not mad. Just shocked.”
“I know. He’s been nothing, but nice to me so don’t interrogate him, please.”
I sat down on the bed and stared at the floor, too shocked to do anything. I never would have guessed that my best friend and my brother would be mates. Especially since they never met.
“Have you gone on a date yet?”
“Yes, and he was such a gentleman.” She gushed, looking up at me hopefully.
“I guess that’s why he’s been so nice to me.”
“No, Rain.” She stated quickly. “He really cares about you.”
“He used to.”
She sighed and grabbed me from the side, hugging me tightly. “He still does.”
I sighed and leaned my head onto her shoulder, deciding not to push the subject. I wanted to bond with my best friend, not argue back and forth. It’s not worth it if Beck’s treating her right.
The doorbell rang and I groaned, getting up and stretching. No one else would answer the door. “I’ll be right back.”
“Would you mind if I went and saw your brother?” she asked warily.
I smiled, bumping my hip against hers and pointing a finger. “No funny business.”
She gasped, pushing me down on the bed and tackling me. I laughed along with her and rolled over, off the bed and stood up. “We haven’t even kissed yet.”
“I know, but now we’re even since you insisted me and Blake were doing stuff.”
“I was only asking!” she called after me as I left the room and headed downstairs. The doorbell rang again and I quickly made my way over to it, opening the door and becoming face to face with my mate.
“Hello, beautiful.”
I smiled and moved aside so he could come in, taking the red flowers he offered me. He pecked me on the cheek and moved back in case I freaked out, but I stayed put and continued smiling widely.
“I got something planned for us. I just had to run out and get you some flowers.” He stated, shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth gently. I looked down wearily, hoping he didn’t get the wrong idea.
“Actually, I was hoping we could talk.”
He suddenly looked scared, like I said something that he didn’t want to hear. “Okay.” He croaked, quickly clearing his throat and following me as I put the flowers in a vase next to the ones he brought me yesterday.
“Let’s go for a walk.” I decided, standing in the kitchen awkwardly along with him. He nodded his head and gestured for me to go first, following me as I went out the back door.
He quickly grabbed my hand, careful not to alarm me and rubbed it with his thumb. We followed my usual path, except I brought him further into the woods. There’s a lake about a half a mile further form my safe haven and he didn’t say one word about the distance.
We settled on the dock attached to the lake and sat down, dipping out feet in the water. He didn’t let go of my hand and kept it in between us as he looked at me expectantly.
“I just figured since we’ve been dating for a while now, it’s time I tell you everything.”
He nodded his head, already knowing what I was referring to and waiting patiently for me to start. “I know it’s not easy so take your time.”
I took in a big breath and started. “He started when I was four. At first it was only physical, but eventually he started drinking more and more and it became-“ I took a big breath and let it out. “Rape.”
“He blamed me for my mom’s death, since she died giving birth to me and the abuse lasted for about ten years, maybe less. When I was thirteen he was starting to get angry and Jackson and Beck came home early.”
I took another deep breath and let it out, reminding myself that my mate deserved to know. “They came home early because their game was canceled and when they walked in, it was like everything froze. I don’t really know what happened because I was half-naked and unconscious, but all I know is that Jackson went ballistic. He freaked and I thought he killed my dad right then and there, but I guess your dad stopped him.”
“Beck eventually wrapped me up and put me in Jackson’s car and they brought me to the hospital. I had a severe concussion and other stuff like broken bones that never healed properly. I was out of it for three days and when Jackson took me home, he laid me in my bed and told me how sorry he was and gave me this long speech about how it wasn’t my fault and that he was gone now.”
“It was at night and I heard Jackson go out on the back deck and cried for the first time in his life. My heart broke and I cried myself to sleep, knowing that I just ruined my brothers’ lives.”
“You didn’t, Rain.” Blake stated firmly, squeezing my hand gently. “They saved you and it was their choice.”
I frowned, looking down at the water and tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “Well, Beck changed. He stayed in his room and lost a lot of weight. Jackson didn’t go to college like he planned and everything went downhill. I was scared of everything, I was prescribed tons of medicine and I had nightmares every night.”
“Please don’t be mad, Blake.” I started, preparing myself for the worst. I really didn’t want to tell him this part, but he deserved to know.
“I won’t. You know how much I care about you, nothing will change that.”
Tears slid down my face and I chocked on a sob. “When I was fourteen, I had a miscarriage. I was pregnant and I didn’t even know it. One day I was getting out of the shower and all this blood came out and-“
I couldn’t finish. I stopped at the worst part and let Blake bring me into a hug. His touch calmed me down, but I couldn’t get the thoughts out of my head. “Sweetheart, it’s okay. I understand. You know how much I love you, nothing will ever change that.”
I stopped crying immediately at his words and pulled back, looking up at him in awe. “You love me?”
“Of course. I always have.”
“I love you, too, Blake. I’ve always wanted to tell you that.”
“Well, you just did.”
YOU ARE READING
She Paints Pain
Werewolf(Trigger Warning) (In editing) Rain's been through hell her whole life. Between her abusive dad, her brother who blames her for everything and the bullies at school, she has it hard. But when things start to settle down and Rain discovers her long l...
