27: Hush Now

**Raegan**

He called to me in my slumber.

I found myself sitting in my wolf's meadow, watching as he emerged from the trees. The movement was slow, and at first I thought it was my mate coming towards me. I even smiled as I thought it was Coal. When Kai came into view, that smile turned into a scowl quicker than shit.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed at him, jumping to my feet.

"You tell me," he shrugged, coming closer to me.

"This isn't a space you're welcome in." I growled lowly. "Do you hear me?" I shouted, "You're not welcome here!"

He laughed.

"Of course I'm welcome here, lycan. If I wasn't," he smirked, stepping closer, "I wouldn't have made it here in the first place."

A frustrated yell escaped me, and I glared at him.

"You aren't welcome around me anymore Kai. You aren't welcome in my head, and you sure as hell aren't welcome in my dreams."

"And whose gonna stop me from coming here?" He scoffed, "that pathetic excuse for a mate that you've got? You? Your family?"

"No," I snarled, "she will." I pointed to the woods. I saw my second form prowl forward at the mention of her. God was she gorgeous. The videos from my fight with Serena didn't do her justice.

Her fur glimmered, and it looked almost blue it was so black. Her teeth were sharp and so white it was unnerving. The realization that this was me hit me like a bag of bricks.

Kai seemed to realize the error of his ways as he put his hands up in front of him, never taking his eyes off ny second form.

"I'm your mate, you wouldn't harm your mate." He reasoned.

"You harmed me," I retorted. "At least here when I hurt you it doesn't leave scars on your body."

He snarled at me. "It was within my--"

"I don't give a fuck!" I screamed at him. The waves of emotion that were hitting me were intense and shook me. I was angrier than I'd ever recalled being before. Of course, aside from earlier when the reporters were being the vultures they were. "You don't ever, ever have the right to do to people what you did to me! You didn't have the right to do what you did to *me*!"

He flinched from my words, and I quickly recoiled. I stood straight and without putting it to words or even to mind, my beast prowled forward. Lithe and graceful, she stalked our supposed mate back into the woods. Once he disappeared in the treeline, she took to chasing him, and I hoped she would find him and tear him to shreds. Even if it is just in this unreal world.

Shortly after she gave chase, she let out a victorious howl, and with that I woke up.

I was alone in the bed, and the room was dark. My heart constricted at the familiar feeling of loneliness. Tears sprung from my eyes unbidden, and I hugged myself to give myself comfort.

I rocked back and forth and breathed deeply, forcing my eyes to stay open and register my surroundings. I couldn't let myself fall back into that tent. I needed to remind myself that I was safe. Kai was locked up.

I was safe.

I was safe.

I was safe.

I wa--

"Oh my-- Raegan," Coal's frantic voice sounded in the dark room.

"Coal," I breathed his name out, turning to see him standing in the doorway.

He came to my side and I immediately fell into his warm embrace.

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone, I had to talk to Hannah," he murmured into my hair.

I didn't respond to him.

"Are you ready for dinner?" He whispered after a while of holding me.

I nodded, and as we had been since I returned, we went to the dining hall together.

As soon as we entered the room went silent and everyone smiled at us.

It was a little weird, but not weirder than being hand fed by a man I hated in front of my only friend.

"Raegan," Gabe smiled brighter than everyone else as he saw me, and I returned it to him.

"Fitting in well, Gabe?" I asked as we got closer to him. He nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, I've actually been talking about next steps with everyone just to see what my options are after everything settles."

"What options have you got?"

Coal pulled my chair out for me and I took the seat, thanking him before looking back at my friend.

"Morgan has offered training at Stone Moon, Alpha Grace has offered the same for her pack, and, well, the King has offered me a place here. On your team of bodyguards."

"Correction, pup," Marie chuckled, always present and ever sneaky, "we're not bodyguards, we're *babysitters*."

The team chuckled, the sounds filling the room as they seemed to surround it at all corners. Gabe smiled even brighter.

I rolled my eyes and started to pick at the food set before me.

It was strange to me still. Being given meals that weren't untrustworthy. Eating with people I enjoyed being around. There were so many little things I had taken for granted before and now... now I wasn't sure what to do with them.

*Annalise wants to know if you want something else,* Coal's voice sounded softly in my head.

I swallowed slowly, clearing my mouth of non-existent excess saliva. *No... I'm just having a hard time finding my appetite.*

He took one of my hands into his and squeezed twice. *Alright, let me know if you want something else to eat.*

I smiled softly at him.

"What do you have planned for tomorrow?" Morgan asked, clearing his throat as he looked between Coal and I.

"Doctor's appointments." I said quickly. I needed to see the doctor about the bomb he dropped on us. No fucking way was I going through that hell again and no way was I going to go through it while Kai's mark lay on my flesh still. Fuck. That.

He frowned, "your back alright?"

I shrugged, "still can't touch it or sit back or sleep on it."

"I'll come with you to your appointment and see if the doctor has cleared you for magical aid in the healing process," mom said. There was no room for argument in the tone she used.

The next day, she was waiting outside of the Luna suite for me and together (with Coal trailing behind us) we made our way to the medical wing.

Coal sighed heavily and kissed my forehead as he left me and my mother with the doctor. He was going to a virtual meeting, and though I knew he wanted to stay and hear what the doctor had to say the meeting to precidence and I ushered him to take the meeting.

"If you can do a spell to help heal her, you are more than welcome to," The doctor answered my mother's request, "with the way her beast is dormant at the moment, her healing is slow--"

"My beast is dormant?" I asked incredulously.

The doctor looked guilty. His eyes flashed with pity and I felt my breath hitch.

"I thought--" I cut myself off from the sentence I was going to utter.

"It seems that the dormancy has either been pushed by distance from your destined or the high stress situation you were living in. Either are entirely plausible, but the good news is that it won't be permanent. I could see signs of your beast returning to you in your healing pattern."

"My beast isn't seperate from me though," I frowned, "how can it be dormant when it is me?"

"It's more like the magic that allows you to shift into your second and third forms is dormant. It's just easier to think of it as your beast being dormant."

I frowned even deeper. "Does that mean my magic is gone too?"

"One step at a time, little wolf," my mother cooed, and stroked my hair affectionately. "Let's fix your back first and then we'll assess your magic, okay?"

I nodded, and my mother set to work.