A New Beginning Ch. 02

"Can you believe him?" Raven snapped, taking a sip of her coffee.

"You'll wake up the kids," Beth warned as she pulled a plastic covered tray from the refrigerator.

"How long will those take?" Mage asked, licking her lips at the sight of the cinnamon rolls as Beth pulled back the plastic.

"About twenty minutes or so," Beth answered, popping the tray into the oven. She pulled out a mixing bowl and carefully measured out some powdered sugar, dumped it into the bowl and added a softened block of cream cheese. "What exactly are you talking about?" Beth wanted to know.

"Xavier! He mated with me! He didn't even ask my permission!" Raven exclaimed.

"You had sex with Xavier?" Beth asked, eyes wide.

"How was it?" Mage wanted to know.

Beth gave her cousin a grin. "If he's anything like his brother, Raven's lucky to be able to walk," Beth said.

"It was amazing," Raven admitted.

"So what's the problem?" Mage asked.

"Jimmy has only been gone a year. And I hardly know him," Raven protested.

"Do you like him?" Beth inquired.

"As a friend, yes," Raven answered.

"So what's the big deal? Jimmy wouldn't want you to be alone," Mage murmured.

"I'm not ready for a relationship! He had no right to mate with me without my consent!" Raven shouted.

"What is going on in here?" Cole asked, walking into the kitchen and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Xavier mated with Raven last night," Beth answered.

"Without my permission," Raven added, giving Cole a look of disdain.

"What'd I do?" Cole asked, eyes wide.

"You're related to him, so right now, that's enough," Raven answered. Cole grumbled, kissed Beth on the cheek and walked out of the kitchen, coffee in hand.

"What are we going to do about the latest demon mark?" Mage wanted to know, changing the subject.

"For that discussion, we'll need Parker," Beth announced, grabbing her cell phone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What the fuck is your problem man?" Xavier shouted, looking up after Cole shoved him hard to the ground.

"You mated with Raven!" Cole exclaimed. Dominic pulled Cole away from Xavier.

"What is wrong with Xavier mating with Raven?" Dominic asked.

"He did it without her permission!" Cole answered.

"Xavier!" Marie exclaimed.

"I couldn't help it, my wolf took over," Xavier protested.

"You know how to control your wolf, I know I thought you how," Dominic snapped.

"I couldn't control my wolf last night. Not around Raven," Xavier admitted.

"None of this bickering is going to help. Let's go inside, have a cup of tea and we'll discuss this," Marie insisted, pushing Xavier towards the house.

"What has Raven said about you mating with her?" Marie asked Xavier. Xavier took a long draw of his tea. "I told her the mating was essentially a were wedding and she said she wants a divorce," Xavier answered.

"This is why we don't mate unless both parties are willing!" Charles exclaimed, giving his twin a dark look.

"Thanks Charles for taking my side," Xavier said grumpily.

"We have a bigger issue than your forced mating," Cole said.

"And what's that?" Xavier wanted to know.

"Raven hasn't been on birth control," Cole answered. Xavier swallowed hard and paled visibly.

"An attractive girl like Raven not on birth control?" Dominic sounded incredulous.

"Her fiancee is dead and she wasn't looking for a date," Cole reminded his father. Dominic conceded and gave Xavier a look of disappointment.

"What will you do if Raven gets pregnant?" Dominic asked his son.

"I don't know," Xavier admitted.

"You'd better figure it out, just in case," Cole suggested. He downed the last of his tea and stalked out of the house.

-2 weeks later-

"C'mon Beth, where is she?" Xavier pleaded with his sister in law. Beth turned to face him, hands on her hips.

"Why should I tell you?" Beth wanted to know, her eyes flashing in anger.

"She's my mate!" Xavier snarled.

"You mated to her without her permission!" Beth reminded him.

"Where is she Beth?" Xavier asked again, his eyes going hard.

"I am not going to tell you," Beth said calmly. Xavier growled low in his throat.

"Where is my mate?" Xavier asked through gritted teeth.

"A forced mating can be reversed!" Beth reminded him.

"What did you do?!" Xavier shouted, lunging for Beth. Beth side stepped him easily and Xavier went flying over the kitchen counter.

"I haven't done anything and you'll want to watch your anger before Cole gets home," Beth warned.

"Too late," Cole rumbled from the doorway. Xavier's anger dissipated when he saw the look on his brother's face.

"I need to know where Raven is," Xavier told his brother.

"Raven needed to get away so she and Jenny went away with Mage and Logan. She'll be back soon and I will not tell you where they are. Rave needs time to think without more stress then she's already under," Beth answered.

"Damn it Beth!" Xavier exclaimed.

"Cool it," Cole warned.

"Is she pregnant?" Xavier asked. Beth, who was taking a sip of juice, choked. "Is she?" Xavier demanded to know.

"I have no idea. If she is, it's too soon to tell," Beth answered.

"Have her call me?" Xavier asked.

"I'll tell her," Beth promised. Xavier nodded, glanced at his brother and walked out of the house.

"What was that all about?" Cole wanted to know.

"Your brother is obsessed with my cousin," Beth answered.

"He mated with her. He has the right to know where she is," Cole pointed out.

"He mated with her without her consent! Something you and your father has made perfectly clear that it is not allowed!" Beth exclaimed. Cole sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"I don't want to fight again Beth," Cole said wearily.

"Then stop trying to push my cousin into this! Raven doesn't want this! She wants to mourn Jimmy," Beth told Cole.

"I know that, but it will be very difficult to get the mating reversed," Cole said.

"Figure out a way Cole," Beth warned.

"Raven and Xavier look good together, and it's obvious that they like each other, let them be," Cole told Beth.

"Raven does not want to be mated to Xavier, Cole and it isn't fair to push her into this!" Beth argued.

"It's done Beth and having it undone could take years," Cole said wearily.

"Figure out how to undo it Cole," Beth retorted before stalking out of the room.

"And what if I can't figure out how to undo it?" Cole asked, following Beth out of the room. Beth turned around and gave Cole a look that could scald a grease fire.

"Until you manage to undo the mating ritual between Xavier and Raven, you can stay at your parent's," Beth said, her voice low and full of anger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You've really fucked up Xavier!" Cole snapped. He threw an over-sized duffel bag at Xavier.

"What did I do?" Xavier wanted to know.

"You couldn't control your wolf and now Beth has thrown me out. I can't go home until I've found a way to reverse the mating ritual," Cole told him.

"It's not my fault your mate is easily angered," Xavier grumbled.

"It's your fault that Beth is pissed at me! You are more than old enough to be able to control your wolf! You should have stopped the moment you realized your wolf wanted to claim Raven as your own!" Cole exclaimed.

"That is enough boys," Dominic said from the doorway. Xavier and Cole looked at their father and Xavier swallowed hard; the look on his father's face was somewhere between amused and pissed.

"Dad, please tell me there is a way to reverse the mating," Cole pleaded.

"Beth will take you back into the house soon," Dominic said.

"Dad, can it be undone?" Cole asked.

"Yes," Dominic answered hesitantly.

"I refuse to allow it to be undone!" Xavier exclaimed.

"This isn't your decision anymore! Raven never wanted to be mated!" Cole growled. Xavier growled loudly and lunged for his older brother. Dominic stepped in and grabbed the collar of Xavier's shirt.

"That is enough! Stop it both of you! Now!" Dominic shouted. Xavier stopped in mid lunge and looked at his father.

"How can you have the mating undone?" Cole asked. Xavier growled again.

"Call Beth and Raven. I will only discuss this once," Dominic told Cole.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"So can it be reversed?" Raven asked quietly as she rocked Jenny in the wicker rocking chair.

"Maybe. There is a way for forced matings, however, most matings usually result in pregnancy," Dominic said hesitantly. Raven's face lost all color and Beth shot Xavier a dirty look.

"And if Raven's pregnant?" Xavier asked, the possibility making him feel light headed.

"Then the mating cannot be undone," Dominic answered.

"I don't want to be mated to Xavier," Raven said, her voice just above a whisper. Beth gave her cousin's hand a squeeze and looked up when one of the quadruplets cried out in their sleep.

"They're alright," Marie said quietly from the doorway. Beth nodded and squeezed Raven's hand as she turned her expression back to her father in law.

"The healer is here," Sydney said from behind her mother. Xavier swallowed again. He wasn't ready to be a father, yet the wolf in him was unwilling to lose his mate. Charles sat in a chair and put his hand on his twin's shoulder.

Beth followed Raven and the healer into a large bedroom before giving her cousin's hand a reassuring squeeze. Beth never left her cousin's side as the healer began her exam and after nearly a half an hour, the three women left the bedroom.

"Well?" Dominic asked.

"There's no pregnancy," the healer reported.

"So the mating can be reversed?" Raven asked.

"Well, it can, but it will come at a price," the healer began.

"I'll pay it!" Raven exclaimed.

"The price will not be yours to pay," the healer said, glancing at Dominic.

"You can't expect me to banish my own son!" Dominic roared.

"Forgive me Alpha, but pack law states that any time there is a forced mating, the one who forced the mating is banished from the pack. If we make an exception for your son, then pack law would fall apart," the healer told him gently. Dominic gave Xavier an annoyed expression.

"What does that mean?" Raven asked Cole softly.

"It means that Xavier will be cast out of the pack and that none of us will be allowed to talk to him or acknowledge him again. If we see him in town, we have to turn and walk the other way," Cole told her, an unreadable expression on his face. Beth slipped her hand in Cole's and gave it a gentle squeeze. He glanced at her and offered a small smile; he was angry with her for what she had said to him earlier, but he knew it was only said out of concern for her cousin and her anger at Xavier for putting them all in this position.

"It is Raven's decision," Dominic said finally.

"You mean I don't have a say in if I'm banished or not?" Xavier asked. Dominic turned to his son, his eyes calm, despite how he felt about the prospect of losing a son.

"You brought this upon yourself Xavier, when you failed to control your wolf," Dominic told him.

"What are the other options?" Raven asked softly.

"You can remain mated," the healer answered. Raven blanched, not ready for a long term relationship.

"Works for me," Xavier said. Cole and Beth shot him a look of anger.

"Raven should not have to be tethered to you because you couldn't control your wolf," Cole reminded his brother.

"Can we make a compromise?" Raven asked.

"How so?" Dominic asked.

"I will stay mated to Xavier for a trial period of six months. At no time will sex be part of the relationship, unless I decide other wise. After six months, if we are not capable of living together as mates, then the mating is reversed and Xavier does not have to be banished. He can stay in the pack," Raven said. Dominic rubbed his chin thoughtfully and nodded.

"It is a good suggestion. It is done. Raven, you and Jenny will move to the compound," Dominic agreed.

"Cole doesn't have to live at the compound!" Raven protested.

"No, however, if you and Xavier don't work out, it would be easier for you to leave him at the house he has here on the compound," Dominic pointed out. Raven nodded and turned to Beth.

"Can you take me home to pack?" Raven asked.

"I'll take you. We might as well get this arrangement started," Xavier told Raven. Raven nodded again and followed Xavier to his truck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Cole?" Beth asked after the kids were in bed and asleep.

"Yeah Beth?" Cole looked from the papers on his desk.

"I'm sorry about earlier. About kicking you out. I know it wasn't your fault that Xavier was not in control," Beth murmured. Cole gave her a smile and reached a hand out for her.

"It's okay Beth. You were angry with Xavier and by proxy, any one related to him by blood. I was angry with him. I still am angry with him. And I'm sorry for acting like a jerk trying to take his side," Cole apologized. He pulled Beth into his lap and kissed her passionately. "Are you done with the books for Gambit?" Cole wanted to know.

"For tonight anyway," Beth answered. Cole stood up, Beth still in his arms and headed towards the bedroom.

"Good. You're all mine tonight," Cole said, his voice a husky rumble.