Chapter Text
Chapter one
Rey groaned to herself, only 3 more hours and school would be done for the year. It could not end soon enough. Then she had the summer to muddle through and she would be a senior.
That was the first step to her plan towards freedom and a better life. She turned 18 in October and would age out of foster care. She’d already applied for admittance to a state run half way house for kids aged 18-21 who aged out of the foster system. The social worker had spoken to her how some participants may be nervous about taking this step in her life, Rey had tried not to laugh. She was desperate to get away from Plutt. Anything was better than living with him the past 6 years. She only had a few more months. She would make herself scarce over the summer. She could do that, she could do anything.
She groaned at her locker, self consciously rolling her shoulders. Wincing slightly at the pain radiating up her back and down her arm. Plutt had been drunk last night and attacked her for no reason. Throwing her against the coffee table as she tried to go to her room. Her back and left arm were black and blue this morning.
It was sweltering hot today, she’d had to wear a long sleeve shirt to hide the bruises. most of the kids who did not outright sneer gave her odd looks. She heard the whispers.
—“God look how skinny she is she must be anorexic” (most days she was lucky if Unkar fed her)
—-“What a piece of trailer trash” (Her clothes were threadbare and ugly, only what she could scavenge together at second hand stores).
Coruscant high was a public school in a very rich upscale area. There were cliques upon cliques and the only thing they all had in common was Rey fit into none of them. She was a loner not by choice but it was better this way.
Rey tried to blend in, she wanted to not be noticed , to survive for something better, but the kids of her school, well one in particular from Coruscant Hills seemed to want to make her life hell.
Coruscant Hills was a subdivision on the Hills that surrounded the town, that bordered up against a wild life conservatory. Miles and miles of wide open forest surrounded them and no further development was allowed. Hunting wasn’t allowed. Just the mini mansions up on the hills surrounded by all that beautiful green.
Ben Solo was the leader of the pack of kids from Coruscant Hills. His mom was the mayor of Coruscant his dad some big real estate developer whose company owned the Coruscant Hills development. The development was so posh you had to apply to live there. They were in essence a gated community only instead of a gate there was miles and miles of forest surrounding them.
Ben was the most popular boy at the school. He played sports, he had friends he seemed to be with a different girl every week and he absolutely hated Rey.
Or at least she assumed he did. The moment he’d laid eyes on her years ago when she’d moved schools, his eyes had narrowed in confusion, and it had begun.
She suddenly felt a thump on her back and felt herself falling forward into her locker. Slamming her head on the shelf, stunning her slightly.
“Watch it Niima.“
The laughter in the hallway erupted as a basketball that had hit her bounced way down the hall.
Rey took a few minutes to control her breathing. She knew who had sneered at her. Armitage Hux. One of Ben Solo’s minions. Ben, Armitage and Poe Dameron were an evil trio in Rey’s mind.
She grabbed her books and turned swiping her brow where the rough edge of the shelf had scraped her and blood trickled down her face.
Hux was behind her waiting for her reaction and as always Ben was with him. Hux seemed slightly taken aback that she was bleeding and Ben as alway was glaring at her murderously. Like she had just murdered puppies. It wasn’t fair that her heart seemed to leap into her chest every time she saw Ben. She supposed it was a normal teenage reaction. He was incredibly handsome. But it seemed like there was so much more depth behind his eyes.
“Excuse me” she muttered brushing past them. Making her way down the hall to her next class.
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“Fuck, I didn’t think that would happen when I threw the ball, she must be lightheaded from being so skinny.” Hux snickered watching Niima walk away.
Ben growled softly to himself, squeezing his fist so tightly, he was sure there was blood dripping from his hands. In that moment he wanted to rip Hux’s throat out. What the fuck was wrong with him?
Niima always had this effect on him. He felt drawn to her. Even the first day he met her. He wasn’t sure why but it bugged the hell out of him. it was as though she saw through him and Ben hated that. Over the years it had progressed to something different. Somehow someway, when he saw Niima he felt almost….protective, like he wanted to shield her, like he ….wanted her? But that was fucking ridiculous. She was human.
Coruscant Hills was established as a shifter pack. A way to still have contact with the rest of the world without jeopardizing the way of life or their secret. His dad was the alpha of the pack. The pack had so many people installed in positions of power throughout the city of Coruscant that they went undetected. It wasn’t completely abnormal for a few humans to know the truth. There were those who were trusted. Hell there had even been situations were wolf shifters had mated with humans but it was rare, and Ben was to be the next alpha. There was no way he would be attracted to a human…was there?
This summer Ben was turning 18, and his wolf would present, he could already feel him in the back of his mind, forming, guiding him. His wolf did not seem happy when he acted dishonourably especially towards Rey. Ben’s wolf would present when he was 18 and he would be able to find his mate, scent alone would lead him to the one who was his destined soulmate. Then he would stop obsessing about Rey Niima.
He wasn’t sure what was wrong with him his parents would kick his ass if they knew he was treating anyone even a human the way he treated Rey. But somehow it got all tangled in his brain. He needed to make her a social pariah. No one else could have her, ….even though he didn’t want her, …….or did he?