Chapter 22: Untold Horrors

**Coal**

I looked at Raegan out of the corner of my eye as we walked to the training grounds. She was wearing a sports bra and a pair of leggings that hugged her thigh muscles well. I tried not to pay attention to that.

She had also put her hair into a braid at the base of her neck and left tendrils to frame her face. Absently, I reached out and started to play with the tail of her braid, relishing in the way it felt in my hand.

"Buddy, focus," she chuckled.

"Sorry," I mumbled, and reluctantly let go of her braid.

"Are they necessary for this?" She asked, looking back at the guards following us. Just behind the guards was Cassian, Watson, Finn, Hannah, Jack, Shawn, Morgan, and finally Donnovan. We had a small entourage for this sparring match.

I shrugged, "the guards are, the rest of them just wanted to see you kick Cris' ass."

She grinned at that, and the training grounds started to come into view. Cris was going to meet us there, being taken by Carl to it instead of guided by someone of my inner circle. I didn't care enough to have someone polite take him there.

She took in the new facility, and her mouth fell open a little.

"You really changed everything," she muttered as we walked towards it still.

I nodded, "the old King didn't have very good taste, nor did he have care to maintain something he never used. The Guards suffered for it."

"His Majesty even stocked it with completely new equipment, and it's open to all residents of the palace," Jordan said proudly from behind us. Raegan looked up at me for a second, her eyes wide and crinkled a little at the corners as she looked between each of my eyes.

"All of them?"

I nodded.

She smiled, and looked forward again, "I'm happy the palace has someone to look after it now."

My wolf purred internally, and laid down on his stomach with his head on his paws as he looked at our mate through our eyes.

"Okay, hold on, so, what exactly *are* you two to each other?" Finn called from behind us. We all stopped walking. Raegan turned around to look at him fully, and I followed suit. The guards parted to give us a better view of my older brother.

"Who are you again?" Raegan asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"He's my Beta," Cassian supplied, clapping his hand on Finn's shoulder with a wide grin on his face.

I rolled my eyes, "he's my older brother," I said while leaning towards Raegan.

Her eyes went wide, and she looked up at me, then back to Finn.

"Older?"

I nodded.

"You're so much bigger than he is, how is he older?" She gaped at me.

A chorus of laughter started at that, and I grinned, "if you want to compliment me, you don't need to use comparing me to my brother as an excuse to." I winked at her, "you can compliment my size anytime."

She glared at me, and shoved me playfully, "gross."

Finn rolled his eyes, "he's so full of himself. I apologize for his douchebaggery, Second Raegan."

Raegan looked between her brother and my brother. Then she groaned, "Raegan, just call me Reagan. No need for titles when it's just us here."

Finn looked around to the large group of wolves that we stood with. Morgan grinned ear to ear and clapped Finn on the back. "Be prepared to be severely dissapointed in our little sibling's decisions, Beta. It's going to be one *long* week."

Raegan rolled her eyes, "Morgan don't be a dick."

"Can I get a little more context than that?" Finn asked looking up at me.

I looked down at my mate, and pursed my lips. She huffed, but nodded.

"Miss Martin is my mate," I said, not tearing my eyes from her. Her cheeks went red as I said the word "mate." I smiled at her response to it.

"Is that why Zander was being such an ass to her?" Finn huffed.

Raegan shook her head, "he was being as ass because that's his personality."

I chuckled, and reached out, pulling the tail of her braid gently, "be nice," I growled playfully.

She glared up at me. "He called me a whore. Being nice to men who call me a whore isn't in my range of capabilities."

"He called my sister-in-law a whore?" Finn's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, and he looked between my mate and I incredulously.

"Not your sister-in-law," I corrected. *Yet,* my wolf added internally.

Finn's eyebrows narrowed now, and his incredulous look was replaced by confusion.

"We're not marked," I explained, pulling down the collar of my t-shirt a little to show my neck bare of her mark.

Raegan shifted uncomfortably beside me, and Morgan huffed.

"Bullshit in my opinion," Morgan grumbled, "when you get dealt the cards of a rich and powerful mate, you mark them as fast as possible. I raised you better than this, Raegan," he pouted at her. She rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Morgan," Shawn elbowed him in the ribs.

"Why haven't you marked one another? Are you going to hold an actual ceremony?" Finn looked hopeful. He was probably thinking about how he would want our parents to attend such a ceremony and touching moment.

I bit my lower lip, "not exactly."

"I'm so confused, can you just tell me what's going on--"

"I don't want the mate bond," Raegan said plainly.

I stiffened, and looked up at the sky to avoid my brother's gaze.

He was quiet, and then he laughed loudly. "You're funny, I like you."

When Raegan didn't laugh he cursed. "You're not kidding, are you?"

"No."

"Are you going to reject him?" Finn sounded hurt. I pinched my eyes shut as I tried to block out the growing feelings in my chest once more.

"No."

"So...?"

Raegan sighed, and I felt her hand close around mine. She tugged on it, and I opened my eyes to look at her. Her large brown eyes bore into mine, and I felt a hundred fleeting emotions flitter between our bond. Some were mine, some were her's.

"We're going to figure it out," she said softly, looking to my brother only after holding my gaze for long enough to let me feel the promise in her words.

"You realize that leaving a bond the way you are will have consequences?" Finn huffed.

I glared at him, "it's her decision. Leave it."

"I don't want you to be left without a second chance should she decide to leave you, Coal." Finn stepped towards me. Liam growled, and stepped in between him and me.

"Liam," Raegan snarled his name, and he looked at her briefly. "Chill the fuck out," she glared at him.

He straighted his posture, and stepped out of the way.

"What the hell was that?" Finn scoffed, looking between Raegan and Liam. Then his eyes widened, and I saw his wolf surface. "Are you holding off on accepting my brother because you want to be with other wolves?"

Raegan dropped my hand and stepped forward, "what the fuck did you just say to me?"

Shawn and Morgan growled at my brother, and I caught myself and Cassian doing the same. He would be severely outnumbered in this one.

"If you're planning on dessecrating such a beautiful bond and gift by sleeping with other wolves under your own mate's roof you might as well just reject him to spare him the pain--"

Raegan tackled him, and her claws came out, peircing his flesh as she pinned him to the ground.

"Don't even," she growled at him, "I am *not* that fucking cruel. Nor do I wish to sleep with other wolves under his roof. You don't even know me, and you sound just like Alpha Zander. Maybe instead of being a judgemental overprotective prick you could keep asking questions or leave well-enough alone. Just a thought," she pressed her hands into his shoulders deeper, peircing his flesh further.

He growled at her, and moved to defend himself, but before he could do much my wolf surfaced and I had Raegan off of him and behind me as he snarled and got to his feet.

Raegan tried to shove past me, but I turned and grabbed her by her shoulders. My wolf looked at her, and shook our head, "*don't.*" He ordered.

She glared up at us, but crossed her arms over her chest and stayed put as I turned back to face my brother.

"*Be careful what you accuse my mate of, Finn.*"

"She's just going to hurt--"

My wolf let out a snarl that silenced him.

Raegan's hands found my waist and wrapped around me, and moved up to my chest where she squeezed. "Calm down," Raegan said, still audibly upset herself.

My wolf purred a little at her touch, and leaned back into her once more. "*I'm getting tired of wolves shaming you for having had a sex life, Raegan.*"

"I'm shocked you're not upset with me having had a sex life before you," she murmured, pressing her forehead into our back.

My wolf huffed, and shook our head, "*I could never be upset with you for things you did before you met me.*"

She sighed. My wolf closed our eyes and laid our hands over her's.

"You can't just leave this bond this way," Finn said. He sounded less upset than he did a second ago, but I could feel the anger still radiating off of him.

Raegan groaned.

"You'll go into your first heat now that you've met," Finn said quickly, raising his hands in surrender as he approached us once more.

My wolf's attention snapped to him at that.

"My *what*?" Raegan asked, letting go of me and moving to my side.

"Your heat. The fog. The haze. The cycle."

She looked up at me, clearly confused. My wolf wrapped our arm around her waist and pulled her into our side. Just thinking about the fog had him anxious.