Chapter 30: Mummy Dearest

**Coal**

My frown only deepend, and my wolf let out a few rumbling growls through my form. My mother scoffed on the other side of the line.

"Don't take that tone with me, Young Man. I am simply telling you the truth that you need so desperately to hear."

"I wouldn't have rejected you," my father said quietly. His voice sounded hurt. So hurt in fact that part of me wished I was there to hug him and console him in this situation.

"Then you would have been a very stupid wolf," my mother responded in an annoyed tone.

I pursed my lips.

"I--" my father started, and then I heard his soft footsteps, "I think I need to take a walk." Then the sound of a door shutting.

The line was silent for a while after that, and I almost hung up, not wanting to bear that awkward feeling any longer, but just as I was about to, my mother spoke up.

"Reject her before she has the chance to break you, Coal," she said softly, and then she said her "I love you"s and hung up.

My wolf was growling incessantly. I couldn't blame him.

*She's wrong.* He snarled, *and if you even think about rejecting Raegan I will make sure you never shift again.*

"Don't worry, bud," I said aloud into my empty office, "I wasn't planning on it."

*Good.* He responded.

A knock sounded on my door, and I sighed before beckoning whoever was there inside.

Hannah stepped inside with her mate Jack behind her. They both bowed, and I dismissed the formality before they took the seats across from me at my desk.

"What do you need, Second?" I asked her, smirking a little at the way she was blushing while her mate oggled her openly.

"I have decided on our vacation location. I have also decided that I want to have a marking ceremony."

My eyes widened, and my eyebrows rose, "a ceremony?"

She nodded, "after our vacation in Southern America, I want to hold the ceremony. I want my family here to meet him, and he wants his family here to meet me. Considering my standing is higher than his, he also has decided to follow me here, and leave the title of Pack Alpha to his younger sister back home."

I looked to Jack, still surprised by this turn of events. It wasn't common for males to follow their female mates to their packs, let alone give up their titles to their younger sisters.

He smiled brightly at me, his hand taking Hannah's gently and grasping it tightly.

"Hannah and I believe the ceremony should be held here, as a tribute to both her title and rank as your Second."

"It also helps that it would be another reason for more wolves to gather and witness your generosity, your Majesty," Hannah added quietly, her lips quirking upwards into a smirk.

I grinned at her, and leaned back in my chair, "as long as I'm not planning it you're more than welcome to hold your marking ceremony here, Hannah."

She grinned widely, and leapt from her seat, yanking me out of mine over the table to hug me and kiss my cheek. "Thank you, Coal."

I chuckled while hugging her back, "anytime, Hannah."

She let me go, and bounded towards the door, Jack in tow. "I'll take your credit card information later to book that flight you promised me," she winked at me as she swung the door open and she and her mate disappeared into the hallway.

My own mate appeared just as Hannah and Jack were gone.

"What was that?" She asked, laughing lightly as she pointed her thumb back towards where my Second disapeared.

I smiled, "I gave them permission to use my home as a marking ceremony venue."

Raegan's lips turned up into a smile, "that was nice."

I shrugged, and looked behind her. I didn't see any of her guards behind her, and it immediately worried me.

"Where are your guards?" I asked, rounding the desk to peer around her into the hall. They weren't there either.

She sighed, and flopped down onto an armchair that sat near my fireplace. "Dante got scheduled over here and he started a fight with Marie over what happened the other day--"

"What happened the other day?" I asked, shutting the door and leaning against it, my arms folded over my chest once more.

Her eyes went wide, "I thought they told you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I raised my brows, and pursed my lips, urging her silently to explain.

She sighed, and laid back in the arm chair, "Dante hit on me when we were out-- on a walk." She rolled her eyes, "Marie and Kate put him in his place, telling him that I wasn't available, and he tried challenging Marie, but she clearly scared the shit out of him, and he backed off."

"He hit on you?" I asked, my wolf letting a growl slip out with the words.

She nodded, "yeah. By the way, you need to make sure he's not on steroids," she picked at her nails as a look of disgust crossed her features. "It's not natural for even a wolf to have that many veins bulging and muscles straining."

"What did he say to hit on you?" I pushed, my curiosity getting the better of me, and my wolf wanting to know how thoroughly he needed to be punished.

"Called me a 'lovely face' and kissed the back of my hand like a goddamned weirdo," she muttered.

"He *touched* you?" I asked, incredulously.

That seemed to get her attention. Her eyes travelled up to meet mine slowly, and her jaw clenched, "it's *fine.*" She whispered, rising to her feet.

"He *kissed* your hand," I re-iterrated, and tried to rein my wolf in under my control again. He was clawing to get out and nipping and growling at the air in our shared headspace.

"Come here," she said, her hands stretching out towards me.

I huffed, and my wolf protested. That shocked me a little bit, but then he spoke using my form, "*not a chance are you going to distract us with that, mate. I want blood, and I won't let your sweet heart prevent me from tasting it.*" I rolled my eyes internally at him, and wrestled back for control of my voice.

"*Come here,*" she said again, her voice stern.

He whined a little, but I forced him to obey her, and together we walked towards her. Even without her Alpha Tone we would follow her blindly into the abyss if she commanded it.

She ran her hands up our arms and then cupped our neck, pulling down a little so we were closer to her eye level, "it was just a flirt, wolfman, I promise you, he will never get an oppurtunity to do so again when Marie is done with him."

I growled lowly, "I want to make sure he understands--"

She pressed her finger against my lips, and I furrowed my brows.

"Shh," she rolled her eyes, and turned me around to push me into the armchair, then she climbed into my lap, pressing the side of her head against my chest as she wrapped my arms around her and brought her knees to her chest. "I don't need you terrorizing every wolf who flirts with me," she said and I tightened my arms around her while narrowing my eyes at her, "if you did there wouldn't be that many male wolves left for the rest of the Kingdom."

I growled and nuzzled her neck, trying desperately to scent her so that the wolves she spoke of would know who her mate was.

She giggled, "you do realize that scenting me isn't going to do much in lieu of a mark, right?"

I huffed, and nipped at the crook of her neck warningly. She gasped, and shuddered at the feeling. I grinned, self-satisfied.

"I think we should talk about telling people," she said after taking a deep breath.

I looked down at her, my eyebrows raised, "are you considering making it public?"

She nodded, "it might work out in your favor to have a destined mate. It'll sure as hell make Kai desperate, and when he's desperate he's sloppy. It could lure him out and rid both of us of him permanently."

I frowned, "I don't want you to make this decision based strictly on political merit."

She sighed, "I thought you would say that."

"You did?"

She nodded again, and tucked herself closer to me.

"And what scheme have you devised to get around my response?" I asked. It annoyed me a little that she knew I would disagree with her motives for telling people and bring it up without having a secondary reason. Or maybe it annoyed me that she wanted to tell people for political advantage rather than for her want for the bond.

"I haven't."

"Liar."

"Really," she looked up at me, and drapped her legs over the armrest, "I haven't. If you didn't agree I decided I'd leave it at that. It's not just *my* mate bond. It's *ours*. I don't get the end all be all on it, and... as much as I hate that you won't use it to get a leg up on Kai, I understand."

"Why *do* you want me to stay on the throne so bad?" I asked, curiousity ever present.

She shrugged, "I told you, if he's on the throne I have to mate--"

I shook my head, "no, you've said that already. It's not the whole truth. I know it's not. What reason do you really have for keeping me on it? For advising me on how to present my issues with Kai? You did it the night of the masquerade, and you've been doing it since."

She looked up at me, and I let my hand that was around her legs move to rest on top of her thigh while I twirled some of her hair around my finger.

"Because--"

*Your Majesty there's been a breach on the Western boarder! Rogues!*