A/N: Not edited 

Chapter 26 – Rainella POV (aka Rainy)

“How are you doing Rain?” the nurse Nancy asked me cautiously approaching me, she was nice, and if I forced myself I could even remember her from when I was younger and she worked at Chris’ hospital. She had a daughter I believe.

Rain. That’s what she would call me before – I shook my head, looking at her, focusing on her face, she had changed, Nancy was a wolf but when I knew her she was still aging, 26 years old maybe. I couldn’t be too sure now.

“Rain?” she asked again, concerned by my lack of response, I blinked a few times. “I’m… okay…” I replied but it sounded more like a question. “Are you in pain?” Pain? I didn’t know the answer to that at I’d be in pain for a long time. A long time.

Still I nodded, “but – but I don’t want anything strong… I want to stay functional.”

“I understand,” Nancy murmured.

Working, slowly not wanting to frightened for which I was grateful Nancy gave me something and I felt a bit better, there was still a pulsing ache but I could handle that, I could focus it away.

“You have very beautiful children,” Nancy said making conversation but her voice was unsure.

“Thank you…” I replied, even with an ugly past they were beautiful, my beauties and I loved them, I was sadden though, afraid. I was slowly dying in that basement, holding on, not giving up because that was what Seth wanted,  push me to give up before killing me, he wanted me to die, be a shell before ending me. I looked up at Nancy, her face tight, she was smiling but gosh I would she would stop, I hated the fake smiles.

Fictitious grins that I knew came with evil lusty cold eyes, “Please stop pretending,” I whispered.

“I – I don’t understand,” her brows knitted in confusion “This isn’t a disguise or mask Rain, I truly care.”

“I believe you, which is why you don’t have to pretend.”

Not sure she completely understood, she nodded though quickly ducking out of the room, I rested back closing my eyes.

Chris POV

I couldn’t connect with Lucy for very long, it was too much to even keep that going when I was forcing myself not to break down crying, leap on stage and strangle Adina or flying at Martin and Derrick.

So in spite of looking at her, I wasn’t actually seeing her. I checked out, hearing but focusing on other things, even then it wasn’t about the children or Rainy physically. I thought about options, I had read all their charts, knew their injuries and aside from Kayla all could be cared for at home if we had a few private nurses.

I thought of Rainy’s old room, the toys, furniture, and the warmth that my mother and not her adoptive parents had created.

The warm tones, accents and placement and then compared that to where my children were now, a cold room, sterile impersonal. Not that they had items that they treasured that could be placed around the room to begin with.

So as Logan continued to bring Adina down, I made a list of what I could do, would do to make what I wanted happen. First, I had to wonder exactly why we were, where we were. I knew that Rainy wanted to live on a beach but that wasn’t exactly where we were…

But I didn’t question that for too long instead focusing on my plan, seeing that they were all in one large room now, had grew up in one room together I was able to conclude that we couldn’t just separate them the minute they left that prison.

Having gotten a good look at the place were Logan brought us, I knew that there would be enough room for each child to have their own room, still with some space left over. Which led me think that if he knew that he was going to be bringing Rainy and her children to that home there must be a playroom of sorts, like the one they shared when they were children.

Mom was good at this stuff, but I couldn’t depend on her to help when I wasn’t even sure she would leave her pack to join Logans. I’d work it out though, first by purchasing two cribs, and nine beds maybe place them on either side, creating the play area in the middle or something. Rainy loved to play as a child… but I doubt my children really knew what the word play meant.

Instantly my mind went to when Nancy corrected me, their abusers did role play with – I stopped thinking going back to planning the room. I had kept all of Rainy’s toys, maybe I could bring them there… but I wasn’t sure what that would do to Rainy, would that hurt her? Maybe I should start with new toys I thought. Yeah new ones.

Then again the five older ones weren’t even in the position to be walking much less playing… I’d get them toys that they could play with in their beds.

Sadly I didn’t know what kind of toys those were though, all I ever played with my little sister when I was little was hide and go seek, took her fishing, racing, tumbling outside… the kids couldn’t do any of that yet, they couldn’t even be brought outside in the sun yet.

Oh light canceling curtains, if the play room had windows, I wouldn’t forget the curtains. I mentally added curtains to the list.Or maybe board up the windows all together, better not to risk it.

The kids couldn’t read so I couldn’t buy them anything they’d have to read. How did they learn to speak? Not that I had heard them speaking much but they knew some words, I wonder what more they knew…

Oh! Puzzles and coloring, those are things they could do in bed I thought excitedly as I was compiling a list of the personnel I would need to make all this work. Someone qualified to care for them, but also a physical therapist for Kayla, dietician for them all, may be a cook too, therapist… have all of them live in with us so we’d always have them handy. All women. No men.

‘Henry brought him to meet me, you see Elders, I was just bringing two mates together, as the Beta’s wife and mate I felt that because of who Rainella’s mate was-’ that snapped me out of the deep concentration, I spun around growling, glaring daggers at Adina, Rainy is my mate.

Logan POV

When Masen called me away from Chris in the gallery over Rainy’s surgery, he called me to show this piece of tape. Wanted me to see it for myself, just who was really involved, we had thought – I had hoped that Adina was spelled and that was why she was involved. Wrong.

I played the video, Adina pregnant – then something caught my eye. Derrick. He wasn’t watching the video; no he was only concentrating on Adina on stage, holding her gaze as if they were in some kind of tragic story, ignoring the matter of what was really going on. Pressing the space bar, I paused the video before speaking.

“Derrick, watch the video. Watch what Adina did, how will you be able to deny and come up with some bullshit excuse if you aren’t watching,” I stated calmly, no pleasure in his glare, “Smug ass-”

I wasn’t superior in this scenario, no one was. “I have no reason, no position being smug… no one won here, I certainly didn’t; my niece and sister were abused for ten years, I didn’t win. I’m not smug but I am in the right.” I cut Derrick off, playing the video.

There were different views of this, so many but I chose two, one from Adina’s car, and the sound video from Seth.  

Adina stopped near the side of a deserted road, in broad day light, she opened the back door and picked Rainy up, and carried Rainy over to Seth, handing her over drugged and asleep, “I helped you Seth but you can’t bring her back here… and I’ll make sure her brother understands that Rainy wishes not to be found.”

My fists at my side, I clench them tightly, my nails cutting into my skin cutting and I smell my blood, hear it drip because the room is dead silent.

Taking a deep breath I closed my eyes, I heard shuffling but I didn’t care what was happening, but then I heard a door close and I opened my eyes momentarily, clumps of women, a few hand full of men leaving the assembly hall. I shut them again.

“Chris, Chris I had nothing to do with that… I’m sorry she did what she did,” Anna blurted out, but as Chris growled, my eyes snapped open. Caleb, Chris’ father was holding a struggling Anna back from Chris.

“Elders if you have forgotten, Adina said a few minutes ago that Rainy left willingly with Seth. That is not a child that went willingly with anyone,” I found the Fae that made the complaint, meeting her eyes, not caring that I had Henry, I played the final video. Everyone was murmuring, wondering who Rainy’s mate really was, if he was Seth, who fathered that young child in the clip I showed, no one, not one person said a loud that it was Chris.

Grace, I knew she had been searching for Rainy in her own way as was Caleb, but when she saw that video of Chris and Rainy learning they were mates, her eyes swung over to her son, to Chris. She took a step towards him sobbing, but he just took a step back halting her movement, and with one look over her shoulder at the video she turned back to Chris, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted.

Before she could touch down, the man holding Lucy’s hand jumped from his seat catching her as Chris locked eyes with Martin. Not bothered by those theatrics, I turned to the Elders when the video finished.

“As you can see, not only was Adina involved, she gave my sister away to Seth Stevens. But that is not all Elders, if the Elder log is checked, this man, is reported on there by numerous female Weres’. The same Elders log, that the mate of the Beta would have access too, instead here I have the transcripts, showing that no one searched that log. Adina, drugged Rainy and then gave my sister away to a known child abuser,” I swallow making sure my voice sounded detached.

Ignoring the supporters' whispers, I said my peace, “Those of you that have come to speak on Adinas’ behalf just remember that this pack, abandoned a child, one that was raised in their own home and that child, could be any one of yours.”

Facing the Elders, “My sister couldn’t be here today; in fact she can’t be outside or see the light yet because of spending ten years locked in the dark. Nor could she leave her nine year old daughter that was created while being held captive by one of her abductors. However I do have video of what she would like the punishment for Adina to be, I do hope that I can play it since she is unable to be here.” I said politely as Derrick stood, shouting out, “No, that isn’t how this works! Adina has the right to face her accusers Elders!” I couldn’t even smile, because as I said no one was a winner here.

“Elders, my sister isn’t an accuser, the accuser is this Fae, who is here today… I was just showing evidence against Adina, who did commit the crime that this Fae has accused her for. Also may I add that Adina didn’t face my sister when she handed her over to that monster, so I’m not quite sure why she would want to face Rainy now?”

I decided to level Adina and Derrick, the Elders as well, “And Elders, I’d like you all to know that since these ‘trials,’ are open to the public, that my men standing in the back, they're currently filming and we are streaming live on the Elders website,” I watched satisfied now, when Elders Caelum and Tallon snapped their heads to the right, watching Grant who was holding a camera, but they didn’t need to know that I was bluffing, that I’d never publicize this – especially to the world what Rainy or Kayla had endured.

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“Oh god!!” Adina stood crying, sobbing, frantically looking between Martin, Derrick, and the Elders “I – I really thought she was his mate Elders! I was just – just”

“SILENCE!” Tallon shouted, standing, towering over the oak desk, whether he meant that for the thirty or so ‘supporters’  left who were speaking between themselves, some teary eyed, gazing at me apologetically – too fucking little too late – or Adina I didn’t know nor did I care.

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