Chapter 26: Oh Brother

**Coal**

Raegan curled into my side and laid her head on my lap. I moved my laptop off to beside me to keep working while she napped. She'd insisted on watching a movie while I worked, leaving us in companionable silence, but halfway through the movie she passed out. I covered her with a throw blanket but that hadn't been comforting enough for her. She'd wiggled her way underneath one of my arms in her sleep, and now she was laying on my lap snoring softly as she held my forearm against her chest.

I smiled while looking at her, then looked back over to my laptop.

The chart with the pairs made during the masquerade needed updated with the new alliances and trades that were being set up. I added what I could remember as pending information, and dropped in the copies of the contracts that some of the Alphas had already gotten drawn up that detailed the conditions of their trade. The paperwork was always boring, but it was incredibly necessary to uphold alliances between packs. An Alphas word meant a lot, but pride meant a lot more. If an Alpha felt like they'd been slighted they could go back on their word without thinking twice about it. The contracts helped keep them from making rash decisions based on heat of the moment emotions, and the time it took to get out of the contracts gave them the space to rethink that decision and hopefully keep their end of the bargain up.

It was a safety blanket for our economical growth, and any pack that broke a contract had to pay handsomly for it. They would compensate the pack they broke contract with for the loss of profit or goods. That wasn't an intended deterent for breaking contracts, but it doubled as one.

I yawned and closed my laptop, laying my head back against the backrest of the sofa.

I reached my now free hand over and undid Raegan's braid. I carefully unwound the three strands that made up the braid, and when it was entirely undone I ran my fingers through it. The smell of strawberries wafted up to my nose and I smiled. The smell complimented her natural scent well, and I'd have to remind myself to ask her to keep using her strawberry hair products.

She stirred a little in her sleep, her brows knitting together, and then she wiggled closer to me, the back of her head reaching my abdomen and my arm getting sucked in between her grasp and her torso further.

Her knitted brows parted, and she inhaled deeply before returning to her soft snoring.

I ran my fingers through her hair again and then continued to do so when she started to pur.

I could get used to that. The sound her purring mixed with her soft snores and the feeling of her body against mine in such a soft and domestic setting. It had me in a state of dazed bliss.

She looked calm in a way I'd never seen her before. The thought had me amused. I'd known her for three days, of course this is the first time I'd seen her this calm and relaxed. I barely knew her, but I wanted to know everything I could. I wanted her to tell me everything. Lay her story bare for me to see, and let me tend to the wounds of her past. I wanted to see every facet of her. Every side. Every emotion. I wanted to experience life with her.

The feeling of want for her was all consuming. Everything started and ended with her for me. I'd just wished I'd been able to sense her earlier. I wished that I could have sensed her during the challenge, or during the engagment party the former Prince had thrown for their upcoming nuptuals. Even just two years more. I just wanted as much time with her as I could get. If I'd been able to know she was my mate earlier we'd already be mated, marked, and onto ruling this Kingdom together. Never had I hated Serena as much as I did at that moment for stealing precious time from me that I could have spent with this lovely woman before me.

My wolf growled at the thought of Serena. At the way she'd poisoned us. At the way she'd hurt us.

I hated that even years later I was still coping with what she had done.

I guessed that I might always be coping with what she'd done to me.

*Dinner is almost ready, your Majesty,* Annalise linked me. I sighed.

*Has Miss Martin already requested what she wants for us individually?*

*She has. Your meal will be ready shortly after everyone else's. I'm just waiting on the last bit of it to be done.*

*Thank you. If you could have it brought up to our suite that would be greatly appreciated.*

She hesitated, and then her voice rang through my head in a broken sort of way, *our?*

My eyes went wide as I realized my mistake.

*Your Majesty, if I'm not overstepping, what exactly is Miss Martin to you?*

Everything.

*If Miss Martin wants you to know, you must ask her yourself.* I linked back and then shut the line down.

"You're tense," Raegan said groggily, stretching her arms above her head as she turned around to bury her face into my abdomen, "it woke me up." She said against my shirt as she brought her hands up in between her chest and my hip to cross them over her body like she was laying in a coffin sideways.

"Sorry," I sighed, and ran my fingers through her hair again before letting my hand drape on her shoulder. "Chef wants to know what you are to me."

She sighed, and I felt my t-shirt be sucked up as she took in a deep breath of my scent. "I'll tell her."

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows.

She shrugged, "yeah."

I traced small circles on her shoulder blade with my thumb, growing curious with her behavior. "What's so special about Annalise?" I asked.

She wiggled a little closer to me, "she was like my aunty while I was here with Kai. She kept an eye out for me. I trust her implicitely." She giggled softly, "that and I think if I don't tell her she'll think you've kidnapped me and are keeping me here against my will. Which, she would poison you for."

"She would?" I asked, taken aback by the thought of Chef Annalise trying to kill me.

Raegan nodded, "without hesitation."

"Good to know," I muttered.

"Don't take it personal," Raegan pinched my hip, "she offered to poison Kai for me all the time. She just cares about me a lot."

"Remind me to never get on her bad side," I chuckled, "or fire her for that matter. Anyone who cares about you enough to want to poison a royal wolf for your safety is an asset to me."

"You can't hire and fire people based on their loyalty to me," she scoffed.

"Oh yes I can," I twirled a strand of her hair around my finger. "You forget, I'm *King*, I can do whatever I please."

"Is that so?" She turned and looked up at me with a devious twinkle in her eyes.

"It is," I nodded.

She took my hand into her's and brought my palm to her lips, "well then, *your Majesty,* if that's so, how about you do me a favor?" She mumbled against my palm.

"Anything for you, dearest," I smiled.

She licked my palm, and sat up, "fetch me food, peasant." She grinned.

I gasped, looking at my wet palm and then at her.

"Did you *lick* my hand?"

She nodded.

I furrowed my brows, and angled myself towards her, "*why?*"

"I wanted to know what your skin tastes like," she said and then her face went red.

I raised my brows, my eyes going wide as her words processed. My face and neck started to heat.

"Shit, I don't know why I said that. I am so sorry--"

"No, no, no, you're okay, I just," I shook my head and chuckled, "I'm just a little taken aback by that. You're fine, Raegan. Truly, don't worry about it."

"That was awkward, I really, I'm sorry. It's like the filter between thought and speaking just vanished. I hope that didn't make you uncomfortable," she looked nervous as she looked between my eyes and to my hand.

I shook my head, and wiped my palm on my trousers, drying it, "you didn't. I swear. I just wasn't expecting that response is all."

She shoved her hand towards me, "here. Do it back."

I raised my brows, and snorted, "what?"

"It'll make us even," she shrugged, and wiggled her hand a little in front of me.

"Raegan, we don't need to be eve--"

"I'm only going to get more awkward about this if you don't do it back. Lick my palm or suffer my anxiety." She scooted a little closer to me.

I pursed my lips, but took her hand into mine and raised it to my lips, "you realize how strange this is, right?" I asked.

She nodded, "which is why we're getting even. Now lick it."

I shook my head a little in disbelief. "If you say so," I whispered and then I licked her palm.

I let go of her hand the second my tongue was off of her skin, and she quickly wiped it on her leggings. "There. We're even."

"Satisfied?" I asked, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

She watched the action with her lip pulled between her teeth and her eyes hooded.

"Are you okay?" I leaned away from her a little, assessing her body language in it's entirity.

She shook her head quickly, and then nodded, "yeah, sorry, just got a little distracted for a second there. Uhm, what were we talking about?"

"Food."

"*Food,*" she grinned.