A Second Chance - a werewolf story

Part 1

"You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom, Malcolm X."

It's only human nature to crave freedom, especially when you are kept locked up. Rayna wasn't kept locked up physically but mentally, and emotionally they had her caged and the years of loneliness was starting to tear at her soul.

She walked into the Alpha's office, wondering what they could possibly want her for, she barely interacted with him or anyone else in the pack.

There across from her was the son of the man that kept her a prisoner of this pack, he was the same age as her, birthday a couple of days before hers. He looked more like his mother instead of his father, same blond hair, heart shaped face and crystal blue eyes.

Crystal blue eyes that often looked her way with hatred but in reality, if anybody should feel hatred towards another it should be Rayna. Paying for someone else's mistake, a debt that was forced on her just because she exist and the enemies blood ran through her veins.

Yet, instead of hatred Rayna, understood that people, whether they were human or, werewolves had a tendency to hurt and isolate the stuff they don't understand. It was just in their nature to fear the thing or person that looked like whatever caused them pain, she was their insurance they could prevent the pain from happening again. But it didn't mean that they would accept her, they believe that by keeping her alive it was the only thing preventing the past from repeating itself.

"Rayna, do you know why you were called here?" Alpha Robbin asked her, he no longer looked at her with hatred in his eyes, instead, he felt guilt and pity looking at this girl. She was a child, just like him when that night happened, he was only 4 days older than her and yet his father blamed her. It was his father that told him and the pack to treat her like this, and at the young age of 8, he believed his father was right.

But after finding his mate Elizabeth, he started to see Rayna in a new light. That was 3 years ago and during that time he never took the steps to right the wrongs that his father has done to her. He was ashamed and unsure of what he could do or say to make it right, but a year ago his mate told him what he could for her, what he could give her.

It took a year of thinking it over, to finally decide that was the best thing to do and today would be that day. He squeezed on Elizabeth's hand for support because if he didn't say it today then it would probably take another year before he could sum up the courage again and Rayna has already suffered for 15 years, he couldn't make her wait another year.

"No, Alpha Robbin, nobody informed me of why I was called here," she said quietly.

"Well, my mate told me that the success of her online business is due to your help and creating the website for her. Thanks to your help her business has brought the pack over 6 figures in the past 12 months. Rayna smiled at that information, she was glad that Elizabeth's business was doing so great. Almost 2 years ago Elizabeth had asked for help with her online business, it was failing horribly and since Rayna was almost an expert when it came to marketing and building sites, she asked for help. It was the first time in a long time, anybody has asked Rayna for help with anything, it might have to do with the fact that Elizabeth wasn't from this pack.

"Your help has helped to expand the business and helped us employed more people from the pack. " Alpha Robbin continued but was soon interrupted by his mate "you are the best Rayna, we could never thank you enough," she said with a wide genuine smile on her face. Elizabeth liked Rayna and thought the young girl was very beautiful and kind. When she learned of how this kindred soul was being treated by the pack and her mate, she was livid. How dare they treat another person like that? How could a bunch of adults blame a child for something another adult had done? For the longest, she was embarrassed to be mated to a man who would behave in such a way or be the luna to a pack of adults who thought to treat Rayna, like they did, was ok.

Alpha Robbin smiled at his mate, he was grateful for her interruption, she said the words he couldn't say to Rayna. She thanked her for her contribution and it did not pass him how Rayna's eyes shined and her smile towards his mate made her normal beauty breathtaking.

"Thank you, Luna, for your kind words; it means everything to me to hear you say that"

Rayna wasn't lying when she said that, it's been a long time since anybody gave her a compliment, Luna Elizabeth was a beautiful person inside and out for treating her like a normal pack member. She always made an effort to speak to Rayna, even when the other pack members gave her strange looks, she would always smile Rayna's way.

"My mate told me that you refuse to take any money as payment for what you've done and instead has asked to be released from the pack bond. Is that correct Rayna?" Alpha Robbin's asked after the shocked of her beauty had worn off, he wasn't attracted to Rayna but not even a blind man couldn't deny that she was indeed beautiful.

Rayna's heart raced in fear of the consequence of admitting that she asked to break her bond to the pack. It was unheard of, your pack was your family, it was safe and the place a wolf should feel accepted but that wasn't the case for Rayna.

"Yes, that's correct" she answered truthfully.

"Are you unhappy in the pack?" he asked her more for himself than anything, he had to know.

"The pack has been unhappy with me since December 14, 1993" Rayna answered sadly at the truth, hoping she wouldn't be punished for speaking the truth.

Alpha Robbins was silent for a moment, repeating Rayna's word over and over in his mind. She spoke the truth and his wolf agreed, he had the chance to fix this a long time ago but instead, he didn't.

"I've decided to grant your request and release you from your bond with the pack," he said, choosing to ignore her last comment.

"Once you are released you are no longer this packs responsibility, you will be a lone wolf and unable to request the assistance of this pack. Do you understand and accept this?" he asked her, watching the different emotions flash through her eyes.

"Yes, I accept" unable to contain the surprise in her voice.

"It also means that if you trespassed on another's packs land you can't call this pack for help and will be treated as a rogue" he continued watching her, to see any change in her face.

"My wolf died a long time ago, I smell more human than wolf so I shouldn't have any problems with any other packs," Rayna told them, not an ounce of shame or blame in her voice for what happened to her wolf. A werewolf without a wolf was thought off as a disgrace and Rayna was in that position because of him and his pack, so all Alpha Robbin could do was nod his head.

"I guess this is goodbye, I'm going to miss you, Rayna," Elizabeth said giving the young girl a hug, she meant it when she said she would miss Rayna.

"Thank you Elizabeth, and you too Alpha Robbin" Rayna said after hugging Elizabeth, she bowed her head for the last time and walked out the office to pack her little belongings.

Unsure of what was to come ahead of her, Rayna packed her last item and grabbed her laptop bag, with no one to say goodbye too she walked out the pack territory without looking back.

Once outside of the pack territory, she took a deep breath and allowed the tears that she held in during her talk with Alpha Robbins to flow.

"This is the beginning Mr. X, I can finally find peace and the freedom that comes with it," she said to herself staring at the quote she wrote down this morning.