Chapter 24: Takes one (to know one)

**Raegan**

Hoots and hollars were called out as we passed wolves on our way up to his floor once more. Our entourage was smaller now, but Finn, Hannah, Morgan, and Shawn still trailed close behind. Cris had tried to follow, but thankfully Cassian pulled him back and didn't let him move any closer. I buried my face in the King's neck in an attempt to hide my embarassment at our PDA.

He chuckled, and his hands roamed my back freely. He was clearly enjoying this.

"Your Majesty--"

"Why do you insist on using my title?" He groaned, and stopped, setting me down on my feet.

"Because it's your title--"

"I gave you permission to use my name. I expect that you use it, Raegan," he frowned down at me.

I rolled my eyes, "I don't want to use it when we don't--"

"Raegan," he tugged the end of my braid to tilt my head back so he was looking into my eyes, "you're my mate. Until you reject me, or I reject you, you're my mate. You can use my name. I promise I won't bite your head off for it," he chuckled.

I frowned and twisted my head so that my braid was freed from his grasp. I turned and started towards the elevator, using the oppurtunity to walk on my own.

"Woah, woah, woah," he grabbed me by my waist and pulled me back against his body. "Not so fast, miss." He placed his chin on my shoulder, and clasped his hands in front of my abdomen.

"I can walk on my own," I tried to pry his hands off of me, but he shook his head and kept his iron grip.

"I know," he said, "but I want to carry you. You threw up from panic earlier, and I wouldn't feel alright with myself if I let you walk to our floor in the state that you're in."

"*Our* floor?" I raised my brows, turning to look at him from the corner of my eye.

He groaned, "yes, Raegan. The Alpha and Luna's floor. *Our* floor."

His chest rumbled with a pur as he spoke, and his eyes flashed their black color briefly showing that his wolf was watching me through his human's eyes.

I inhaled sharply, and tried not to get distracted by the sound of his pur and the feel of it vibrating against my back.

"I'm, uh, I'm not the Luna," I said.

"Not yet. But ideally you will be one day." He murmured, and turned me around. He lifted me up once more, this time bridal style, and started back towards the palace again.

"I don't like the title 'Luna', your Majesty. I'll never be the 'Luna'."

He grinned impishly at me. "Then what would you be called?"

I shrugged, "anything but 'Luna'."

"Anything but 'Luna'?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Then how about 'Alpha Queen'?"

I snorted, "no."

"Why not?"

"Because it sounds clunky."

"I disagree. It sounds like 'Beta King' to me."

"So you just want us to have matching titles?"

"Was I that obvious?"

"So obvious it hurt."

He chuckled, and Marie opened the doors to the palace for us.

I glared at her as we passed her, to which she smiled.

"I can walk," I repeated to The King.

"I'm not going to set you down until we get to my suite," he shook his head gently.

"Damn, I want someone to baby *me* like that," Morgan pouted.

"Don't worry, you'll get that someday," Shawn laughed, patting his shoulder loudly.

"This is less than ideal," I muttered, folding my arms over my chest.

"Don't lie," The King beamed down at me as he stopped and lifted his leg to press the button for the elevator, "you secretly love this," he whispered.

I leaned my head against his chest, "if you tell a soul it's your word against mine."

He laughed, and pressed me against him a little tighter.

"Raegan, I do want to talk about the stuff from earlier though," he said quietly looking down into my eyes.

"We already did."

"No, we didn't. You talked to my wolf about some of it. But that wasn't so much a conversation as it was him answering questions." He sighed, "I want to ask you something, and I swear to you I don't mean offense when I ask, I just... I would like to know."

"What is it?" I asked, looking anywhere but at his face. He sighed again.

"Raegan have you... have you never shifted before?" He spoke softly so that only I would hear his question.

I swallowed, and shook my head, "no. No I haven't."

His brows knitted together, and he let out a sound that was somewhere in between a whine and a grunt.

"Shit," he whispered, and pressed his cheek against the top of my head, "why not, Raegan?"

I shrugged, "dunno."

"Do you really not know, or do you just not want to have this conversation yet?"

"Not ready for this conversation yet," I pursed my lips.

"Then I won't press any further," he said and placed a kiss to the top of my head. Traitorous butterflies flapped their wings in my stomach once more and I fought the oncoming blush that was creeping its way up to my cheeks.

The elevator made it's funky little sound telling us it arrived, and The King stepped forward into it.

Our entourage followed, and for a second I considered that I would have to brush my teeth with all of them in the room next to me. It made me more uncomfortable than I wanted it to.

The rest of our journey to his suite was silent, and when we got there he still didn't set me down until we were in his bathroom.

He set me on the sink counter, and I hopped off, moving to go to the suite he'd placed me in to grab my toothbrush. Only, he stopped me, and handed me my toothbrush from inside of the mirror cabinet above the sink and handed me a tube of toothpaste.

"When did this get moved over here?" I asked, looking up at him skeptically as I took both items from him.

"This morning, during the conference," he shrugged.

"Why?" I opened the tube, and turned on the faucet to run my toothbrush underneath it before turning it off and squeezing some of the paste onto the bristles.

"I've decided I'll sleep on my couch and you can take my bed. I don't want you down the hall when these rooms are all soundproofed," he leaned against the wall, and looked out the door briefly before using his foot to shut it quietly, "the way that the other Alpha's reacted to my support of Stone Moon made me even more concerned for your safety. I don't trust that they won't ally with him purely out of spite for me and try to get you away from here. I still need to clean house too. Cassian couldn't get any information from the guards that were on watch when Kai escaped, and I'm on edge."

I started to brush my teeth, immediately feeling relieved at the taste of mint in my mouth instead of tossed over breakfast.

"Trust me, I'm not trying to overstep, it would just be safer to stay in the same room." He added. His gaze was soft as he watched me, and I lost myself in the emerald pools in his eyes. They were easy to lose myself in, and I felt that they could read my very soul as if it were a book printed in bold 25pt. font. When I'd brushed each tooth and scrubbed my tongue thoroughly I spit out the toothpaste, and turned on the faucet. I cupped my hands under the running water and scooped some of it into my mouth, swishing it around before spitting again, and then did the same thing two more times before rinsing off my toothbrush and turning off the water.

"I appreciate you taking safety measures, Your Majes-- *Coal.*" I smiled at him.

He grinned at me, and I felt my heart sputter in my chest.

"Thank you, Raegan," he said and offered me his hand.

I took it and together we departed the bathroom to join the group of four that sat in his sitting area.

Morgan was talking animatedly with Hannah while Shawn and Finn watched them with the same kind of expression on their faces. I smiled and flopped down next to Morgan. The king sat down next to me on the armrest of the sofa, leaning over the back of it a little so that he was angled slightly behind me.

"Shawn, have you gotten any word from anyone at home?" I asked her quietly, looking over at where she sat on the armchair just beside the sofa.

She nodded, "the royal guards that his Majesty sent are set up, and your mother, Jayce, and Johnny are all safely relocated to the packhouse and under heavy guard. Kai won't get in or out of Stone Moon without one of us knowing. Your mother has also upped the strength of the wards you three have set up. She also wants me to have you check your phone so she knows your okay," Shawn smirked.

I nodded, and pulled out my phone.

I had multiple messages and notifications from not just my mom, but Jayce and Cris too.

I messaged my mom back first to let her know I was okay, knowing she would let Jayce know too, and then checked Cris' messages.

--Raegan call me

--Are you seriously leaving with him?

--Tell this dog to let me go so I can check on you

--Raegan

--Raegan

--Fuck Raegan, at least message me back

--Are you okay? They won't even tell me what the fuck happened before I got there

--The radio silence is killing me

--Please

I sighed and the little bubble popped up that told me he was typing again.

--I see that you've seen my messages, are you okay?

--I'm kind of flipping out over here Rae

--What did he do to you???

-Nothing, Cris. He didn't do anything to me. I'm fine. You don't need to worry.

--But I do. Raegan. What the hell happened?

-Did you know about the heat??

The bubble popped up, and then went away, and then popped up again and went away before he finally responded.

--Yes.

-And you didn't tell me.

--I thought you knew.

-You knew I didn't

--Not true.

I scoffed, and clicked my phone off. It buzzed a few times, letting me know he was still messaging me, and I rolled my eyes before setting it firmly underneath my thigh to ignore him.