36: Is there Anything Else?

**Raegan**

"She's asking for the Queen Alpha," Hannah said, looking between my mate and I.

"She better be in the fucking dungeons for setting foot on my territory." Coal snarled.

"She is. But she wants to speak with you," Hannah made eye contact with me as she spoke.

"Did she say what about?" I folded my arms over my chest.

Hannah nodded, "she said it was something a fellow high-ranking female would understand."

I watched Hannah's facial expressions carefully. She looked upset. But not just angry, upset like the kind when you find out news you wish you hadn't.

"I'll see her," I nodded. There weren't many experiences that I would say that any high-ranking she-wolf would understand, but the few that I could say that confidently about, weren't great. As much as I detested the woman, if what she wanted to speak about was any of those chance experiences, then I would hear her.

"Rae--" My mate started to protest. I turned in his arms and placed a kiss on his lips.

"I'll be right back, Wolfman. I promise."

He frowned, then sighed. "Alright, but be careful. I don't trust her."

"I don't either," I pursed my lips.

With that, he let go of my waist and I followed Hannah downstairs. Half of the Queen's Guard followed me, and the rest stayed to babysit my mate. I smiled at the thought that he needed babysitters now too. Oh, how the turn-tables.

When we reached the dungeons I heard her singing softly to herself. I frowned deeply and stood in front of her cell.

"It's rather bold of you to show your face in my home again after the last time you were here," I narrowed my eyes at her.

Her pretty blue eyes raised to look at me, and a small smile spread across her lips, "I know."

I folded my arms over my chest and raised my brow.

She watched me for a moment before rising to her feet. "I came to swear my fealty to you. And apologize." She murmured the last half.

I blinked several times, but didn't verbally respond. I needed more information, but I wasn't going to ask her for it.

"Challenging you was stupid. And what I did to him before that was... it was cruel. There isn't an excuse for my behavior. I just..." She bit her lower lip, and looked into my eyes, "...I just... I wanted them to be *proud* of me."

Immediately my resolve to hate this woman melted. I saw something in her gaze that was easy to recognize as I'd seen it in the mirror more times than not. Desperation. She was just a daughter trying to make her family proud of her. I swallowed thickly.

"Go on," I nodded once.

She sighed heavily, and shrugged, "I said it's something a ranked she-wolf would understand because it is. Having ranked blood in our veins makes us a commodity, and being Gamma ranked, I didn't have that many options. Father wanted me to be a leader, and mom wanted me to be happy. Coal made me happy, and I was... I was so blind. I let my father's craving for power get to me. I thought that if I didn't bag an Alpha, and let his bloodline become top-tier rulers, I would disappoint him. So I tried to keep my fated at the same time I tried to keep Coal, and I knew Coal, so I knew he wouldn't like that. So I had to trick him. Again," she put her hands up in submission as a growl tumbled from me, "not an excuse... just... just a reason. And then for his birthday, I was going to show up and see if he was my second chance, but he wasn't. It made me so angry when I showed up here and he was gone, and then I heard from the staff that he was in Stone Moon with his *mate.* My heart dropped. I felt cheated by the Goddess. It's not that I loved him, but I could have. And he was the best option for a ranked wolf. You know how he is," she smiled, "he's nice. And respectful. And such a good goddamned person it's ridiculous. I wanted that for me. I wanted a man who was *kind.* Even my fated wasn't as kind as Coal is. He just wanted to fuck, and be the next Gamma male in our pack." She scoffed.

"When I couldn't seduce him, my father was pissed. He raged about how I cost this family the potential to be above it all, and he threatened to sell me off to a council member or widowed Alpha." She shuttered as she said those words. My stomach turned. "So I challenged you in hopes to stall him, if I lost, I would have lost to my father while swinging. If I won, I would have gotten the perfect mate. I didn't think about how badly my father wanted this for our family. I didn't know he would give Kai that opening. If I did I wouldn't have challenged you. I swear to you, I had no idea about the kidnapping until well after it happened, and then he threatened me against telling anyone. I didn't know what to do. I am *so fucking sorry.*"

She was trembling by the end, and I felt moved by her words. I sighed and leaned back on the concrete walls, rolling my shoulders as I did so.

"I understand." I said, "I... I get it. You're right, being ranked she-wolves makes us a commodity, and we either fight for our autonomy or hope whoever it is handed to handles it with kindness. I'm sorry your father is a cunt." I smiled a little, and she chuckled, wiping her eyes free of tears that I hadn't seen fall.

"Me too," she smiled back, "he's a real prick."

"I can get him locked up for you," I offered, only kind of joking. He was threatening his own daughter with essentially human trafficking. That wasn't okay, and regardless of her answer, he would face consequences.

She laughed, but shook her head a little, "I don't want to waste energy on him anymore."

I nodded and motioned for the guards to unlock the cell.

She watched me curiously as the cell door swung open and the guard held it.

"You're just letting me go?" She tilted her head to the side.

"We have an understanding," I said, standing up straight, "this doesn't mean I forgive you for what you did to my mate, but it does mean I won't actively try to hunt you down and kill you."

She smiled brightly at that and stepped out of the cell. "I appreciate that. And I really would like to swear my fealty to you. After everything... it's the least I can do to try and fix this bridge."

I considered it briefly, then nodded, "I'll grant that. But afterward, I want you off my territory and on the first flight back to Canada."

"Canada?" She questioned.

I turned from her and started to ascend the stairs once more, "you're the rightful Gamma to Cassian. I'm sure he'd let you back for a rehab period."

At the top of the stairs, I saw Coal leaning against the doorjam.

I smiled and picked up my pace a little. I couldn't seem to keep my hands off of him as the days went on.

"Hello, handsome," I greeted, wrapping my arms around his waist and looking up at him.

He brushed some of my hair out of my face and kissed my forehead, "what did she want?" He asked quietly.

"To apologize," I shrugged.

His eyes narrowed, and his brows knitted together. I sighed.

"We have an understanding," I repeated the words I'd told her to him. "She explained herself, and though it's not an excuse, I understand her reasoning."

"So what's the verdict?" He clenched his jaw, leaning back against the doorjam and letting his hands fall from me.

He looked frustrated and I hated that.

"I'm letting her swear fealty, and then she's off of palace grounds. We... we need to call Cass." I reached up towards his face, to which he jerked out of my grasp entirely.

"What the hell do we need to call Cassian for?" He tilted his head in a confused manner, but his eyes shone dangerously.

"I'd like to call it a rehab period," I said, folding my arms over my chest and taking a step back from him. "She is his rightful Gamma, and as much as I dislike the woman, it is her right to at least be considered for that position. I know he still hasn't assigned a new one since her father stepped down, and she was raised to be a Gamma. Even if just temporary--"

"I am not sending that woman back to my childhood pack," Coal growled out.

I sighed heavily, "don't be difficult, Coal."

"*Difficult?*" His eyebrows shot into his hairline, "Raegan, she *cursed* me, and tried to force me to mate her. I would hardly call my reaction right now 'difficult', and frankly I'm fucking furious that you think that's what this is."

"She won't be anywhere near you, or us," I said, a little confused on why he was so pissed off about the prospect of her going back to Canada.

"No, but she will be near my niece, and my siblings, and father. I don't want her anywhere fucking close to anything to do with my life," he snarled.

"*Don't* snarl at me," I snapped, clenching my fists in anger.

His jaw ticked and then he turned his back on me. I frowned.

"We were talking here!" I shouted after him.

He made a gesture of dismissal and I huffed.

"Asshole," I muttered before turning on my heel and heading back to our room.