Chapter 25: Life Sucks, and then it Sucks some More

**Coal**

I watched my mate put her phone under her thigh with a little huff, and furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. She shifted a little, unconciously moving closer to me. I smiled a little at that, and my wolf did a little dance in our shared mental space. I rolled my eyes at him, but internally I was just as ecstatic as he was. I loved the effect we had on her. I loved the effect the bond had on both of us. The way we gravitated to one another without even meaning to. I knew I did similar things without being entirely aware of it, it was the will of the Goddess for us to be together, and no matter how hard either of us tried we couldn't fight that.

"Who was that?" Her brother asked her, turning where he sat to face her.

"Cris," she rolled her eyes.

I growled quietly. She slapped my knee, "down, wolfman. He's just asking if I'm okay."

*Liar.* My wolf huffed.

I took in a deep breath, but nodded.

"I don't get what crawled up his ass and died," she shook her head, looking between her Alpha and her brother.

Shawn scoffed, "really? You don't?" She cast a glance to me, and Raegan followed her gaze.

"He can't be acting like this *just* because he's jealous," Raegan shook her head.

"He certainly can," Morgan chuckled, "you know mom never liked him. It's because he's absolutely enamored with you, Rae. Why do you think he fought so hard for the Gamma position?"

"If he wasn't qualified for it I would fire him in a heartbeat," Shawn groaned.

"I told you so," I whispered in Raegan's ear. She frowned deeply.

"So everyone knew he was into me, but me?"

Morgan nodded. "Pretty much."

"Honestly, we thought you did know, just because he's so fucking obvious about it," Shawn laughed.

Raegan folded her arms over her chest, and leaned back into the sofa. I rested my hand on her shoulder with my arm wrapped around behind her. She pouted, "I feel like everyone keeps secrets from me."

"It wasn't exactly a secret, Rae," Shawn tapped Raegan's shin with her boot gently, clearly teasing her about it now.

"He told me he wants to find his true mate," Raegan said softly, "if he wants to find her why is he into me?"

"You're quite charming, Miss Martin," I said, smiling down at her.

"You only think that cause we're fated," she rolled her eyes.

"I have a theory," Shawn started, leaning forward and looking between the five of us suspiciously, "that he already met his destined and rejected her."

"He wouldn't have," Raegan shook her head, "he wouldn't reject his destined."

"But wouldn't he? If he didn't deem her worthy or better than you at least, wouldn't he reject her? It would explain why his wolf is so attached to you."

"His wolf is attached to me?"

Shawn nodded, "you just can't tell because your wolf is on opposite ends from you currently."

Raegan frowned deeply, "I don't like this conversation, Shawn."

"I think her theory is right," Morgan shrugged, "and I think we need to have this conversation sooner rather than later. Especially now that you've found your destined, Rae."

"So this 'Cris', that's the guy that was outside with us?" Finn asked.

I nodded, "the one who came out of the training facility."

"The one your wolf nearly tore the head clean off of." Finn nodded.

I grimaced, but didn't disagree. My wolf saw red when Cris touched Raegan while she was distressed. He probably would have killed Cris if our mate hadn't been dry heaving and panicking on the ground just behind us.

"Why don't you just ask if he rejected his true mate?" Finn asked Raegan.

"He wouldn't tell me the truth--"

"If he's in love with you he might try to use his rejecting a gift from the Goddess as proof of his devotion to you. He wouldn't pass up an oppurtunity to try and sway you." Finn raised his brows.

I growled lowly, "I don't want her anywhere near a man willing to desecrate the mate bond for her."

My mate rolled her eyes, and looked up at me, "respectfully, chill out. It's a conversation. With a friend."

"Yeah, you saying that doesn't really make me feel all that much better," I huffed.

"Too bad, so sad. I understand you're protective of me, but you have to have a little faith that I'm not into Cris like that. I'm not going to throw myself at him."

"I trust you," I said, and tilted her face towards me by gripping her chin, "and I trust that you aren't into him, but I don't trust that he won't try something devious."

"Devious?" She snorted.

"Cris may be a lot of things, but smart enough to be devious is not on that list," Morgan chuckled.

"If you feel like he won't try anything underhanded, then I encourage you to ask him," I said after a moment of silence. Raegan smiled a little at me.

"You're *really* struggling with your wolf on this one, huh?" She placed her hand on my wrist that still held her chin and removed it slowly before taking it into both of her hands.

"You have no idea," I sighed.

My wolf didn't like the idea of her being around him at all, but they were right. They knew him better than me, and if they thought he wouldn't try anything I had to trust their judgement. I couldn't keep her from answers from her friend out of some primitive instinct to keep her glued to my side.

She squeezed my hand and placed my palm against her cheek. She leaned into it and took in a deep breath while closing her eyes. She smiled deeper and I couldn't help but smile back even though she couldn't see it.

The sparks that danced all around my hand hummed along my skin and into my bones. It sung out to me like a siren song. I never wanted to stop feeling her skin on mine. The soft texture of her flesh against my fingertips and palm. I wanted to never have to part from her physically.

A pur started to eminate from her chest, and I felt my wolf stir and start to paw to come forward. I let him watch her through my eyes, and he drank in the sight of her relishing in our touch. A pur started rumbling our chest too, a response to her call. Her eyes opened and she batted her dark lashes at us a few times, then pressed her hand to our chest. The smile on her lips never faded as she felt the vibrations coupled with my heartbeat.

"You pur a lot for a wolfman," she chuckled.

"It's something I only do for you," I responded, removing my hand from her cheek and pressing both of my palms against the back of her hands on my chest.

"What?" She tilted her head to the side, looking at me curiously.

I smiled and let go of her hands, "sometimes it's easy to forget how little you know about our wolf counterparts."

She raised her brows, still waiting for an answer.

I shook my head, "it's a wolf's way of communicating their contentment to their mate without having to have control. It's not a concious thing that they do, it's just the physical response that they have that translates through us to put our mates at ease."

"Do *I* pur?" She asked, her eyes going wide.

Shawn laughed loudly, "yes, you literally were just purring, Rae."

Morgan chuckled, "and I'd prefer it if you weirdos didn't get all romantic and such when I'm sitting in the room."

Raegan elbowed him in the ribs and glared at him, "shut up."

"I have a right to not want my sister to be all goo-goo-eyed directly in front of me!" He threw his arms into the air.

"I have to agree with Morgan on that one," Finn scrunched his nose up as he regarded my mate and I, "I don't care for watching my little brother dote on a woman physically."

"I third that statement," Hannah raised her hand.

"Okay, okay, if you all have a problem with me showing my mate affection you all can get out of my suite," I folded my arms over my chest.

"*Gladly,*" Morgan hopped to his feet, followed by Shawn and Hannah. They made their way to the door as Finn rose from his seat.

They were out in the hall when he approached us. He extended his hand out to my mate.

"It was lovely meeting you, Miss Martin," he smiled at her as she took his hand reluctantly.

"I wish I could say the same, Beta Finn."

He sighed, "I'm sorry for... slut shaming you. That wasn't okay. I was worried about my brother's heart--"

"Don't." Raegan shrugged, letting go of his hand, "worry about his heart, I mean. It's in safe hands."

My heart raced in my chest when she said those words, and I rose to my feet as my brother turned to me.

"I'll be seeing you the whole week, right?" He asked.

I nodded, "every meeting. Every meal."

"Except dinner," Raegan ammended.

I looked at her with furrowed brows.

"Dinner is the only time I can get Annalise to spare some time and make us a meal seperately, and I won't leave this palace without having made sure you know how mad her skills really are," she explained.

I looked back at Finn and shrugged, "ever meal except dinner."

He smirked, "she's already got you wrapped around her finger," he chuckled. Raegan growled lowly.

I pursed my lips.

"The things the bond does, am I right?" He clapped a hand on my shoulder, and then he left shutting the door behind himself softly.