25: Impartial Process

**Coal**

I didn't try to conceal my rage. There was no reason to. The council was out of line and I wasn't going to hear them speak down to my mate or about my mate.

And after we retreated to our new room on the ground floor, Raegan made quick work of soothing both of our nerves. She ran her hands along the length of my arms and placed my hands on her hips before hooking both of her arms around my neck and dragging our bodies flush to one another.

She nuzzled the base of my neck and inhaled deeply. I took a deep breath from the top of her head and kissed her hair.

"God I hate them," she murmured.

"You can say that again," I scoffed.

"They love Kai and I just don't understand," she shook her head. I held her hips a little tighter.

"He's a better puppet than we are," I grimaced, "they can use him to get what they want."

"Ew," she gagged.

I chuckled.

*Coal, press is arriving in the throne room.* Hannah linked.

I sighed, "we should start for the throne room, Rae."

"Five more minutes," she grumbled.

I smiled, "sure. We'll stay here until the reporters come breaking down our door."

I could feel her lips tug up into a smile of her own.

And wait till we absolutely had to go we did. We held each other's hands as we ventured to the throne room, where I guided her to ascend the throne. It was her right more than it was mine, and I was happy to let her have it. She kept her features schooled as she sat on the throne but her uncertainty hummed through our bond as I round it and leaned against the back of it while placing my hands on her shoulders.

She crossed her legs and laid her palms against the armrests.

I placed a kiss on the top of her head and waited for the room to still.

When it was clear that we had the rooms undivided attention, I spoke. "The Alpha Queen has returned."

Immediately pictures were being snapped, and the headline Hannah had approved for optics hung in the air long after it left my lips.

It left no room for argument and even less room for disrespect. Between letting her assume the throne and calling her by a title effectively higher than my own, we were ensuring her position in the werewolf kingdom would never be questioned.

Questions hit the air following the sounds of cameras clicking.

Hannah answered most of then swiftly. Asking how she had been recovered and where, as well as when she was freed from Kai.

"What about Alpha Kai?" One bold reporter asked.

I raised my brows, and drummed my fingers against Raegan's collarbone. She shifted slightly and linked me to let me know she wanted to answer. I linked back that it was more than fine with me.

"Kai is in the castle dungeons awaiting trial by King and Council for his crimes against the crown, people, and Goddess," Raegan said, not an ounce of the anger she was feeling being given away in her voice.

"So it's true that he marked you against your will?" Rang out above everything else.

Raegan simply nodded. As the reporters started to fire more questions out at us, Hannah took over answering once more. Raegan's emotions sizzled in my chest as she sat still before the crowd of overbearing eyes.

The rage emanating from Raegan's end of our bond was stifling. I understood it well. Arsen understood it well. Between the two of us (my mate and I), rage was the language we spoke fluently. Something no one else either of us knew could do.

"That's enough," Raegan said quietly.

As if the room felt her words rather than heard them over the constant firing and answering of questions, everyone quieted. Raegan slowly rose from the throne, taking both of my hands off her shoulders and intertwining one with one of her's, she faced the reporters at my side once more.

"Any questions left will be sent to our Second for examination and potential response," I said in the most diplomatic tone I could muster.

Raegan squeezed my hand gently, and then together we departed.

"I need to see him," she whispered the moment we were outside of the room.

I frowned, "okay, but let's get your bandages changed first, alright?"

She nodded, and with that we headed to our room while I linked the doctor to meet us there.

The doctor was waiting outside the door with his medical bag in his hand. I opened the door and followed Raegan inside as the doctor followed us.

Raegan sat on the foot of the bed with her back towards the door and slowly tugged off her shirt.

I rushed to her and helped as she winced at the stretching of the still-healing flesh.

The doctor hissed at the sight of her back, and I forced myself not to look at it. I couldn't. The second I did I would kill Kai for putting them there and we need him alive still.

The doctor slowly undid the bandages and I focused all of my attention on Raegan's face. I stroked her hair and cooed softly as the doctor tugged and pulled at the bandaging.

When he was done, he sighed heavily.

"It looks better today, Alpha, but I still recommend you take it easy. That includes press conferences. It may not seem like it's strenuous work, but being as tense as you must have been during the interview isn't good for the healing muscles and flesh here." He spoke as he cleaned her back off.

Raegan nodded her understanding and gripped my forearm. Her jaw clenched and her eyes closed as the doctor spread the antibiotic across the stitches.

"Sorry, Alpha, I know this isn't pleasant." The doctor sounded genuinely remorseful.

"That's putting it nicely," she grunted, her nails digging into my arm.

I placed my free hand over hers in an attempt to comfort her.

When he was finished re-bandaging her he took a step back with a frown.

"What is it?" She asked, looking over her shoulder at him while I helped her pull her shirt back on.

"I'm just concerned at how your heat may influence the healing process."

Both of us stilled.

"What?" I growled out.

The doctor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I'm getting deja vu, your Majesty."

"But the bond has changed," Raegan protested, turning around to face him.

"It has," he agreed, reluctantly I might add, "but you have a new bond with another. You should be going into heat any day now that you're marked. How long has it been since the assault?" He tried to phrase the words lightly, but both of us winced at them regardless.

Raegan's eyes went wide and she looked up at me, "it's been almost three weeks. How long did it take after we met?"

I gulped.

The doctor seemed to have this realization long before Raegan and I did, and let out a breathy sigh.

"I have your charts, Alpha, and I know that suppressants don't work for you. The only option available will then be staying around your mate."

"Do you think that completing the mating process with Coal while I'm... in heat, could override Kai's mark?" Raegan asked the question quickly. So quickly that she had to have been considering it for a long while before posing it. I didn't want to diminish her hope by shutting down the question that I was already sure I had the answer to, so I let the doctor do it instead.

"I'm afraid not." He sighed, "I will look into it for you to ensure that it's not possible in that way, but there are no records of such an occurrence to my knowledge."

"Could you do research for us on removing a mark in general?" I asked before Raegan could falter entirely. Her hope had drained the moment the doctor answered.

"I will," he smiled softly.

"Thank you," I returned the gesture and we both shook his hand before he left us.

Raegan kept her eyes on the ground, and her shoulders hunched forward. It broke my heart to see her like this. I sat behind her and started to braid her hair at the nape of her neck. The action coaxed a small sigh from her.

"We'll figure it out," I whispered, kissing just beside where her braid lay on her neck.

"She lied," Raegan's voice was hoarse and it cracked.

"Who lied?" I asked gently, laying my chin on her shoulder and looking at her profile.

"Me. I did."