Rem clenched her jaw, isolation breaking her resolve. "This is not a good idea," she dumbly said, placing a hand over her nauseous stomach.
Fiona laughed at her, and Rem glared at a leaf on the ground.Of course,it wasn't a good idea. She had no idea what to do, though, or how to handle this. She was tired, hungry, and terrified. Immediately, she began to wonder if she should just simply tell the Alpha. Perhaps she’d meet him, then decide if he was worth trusting…
"Remara?" Fiona coaxed, leaning in.
"Fine," she mumbled, taking a step back, not knowing what else to do or say. Rem hadn't seen her brother in over a week, not since they last let her glimpse him on the road. She wanted to ask hundreds of questions—as many things didn’t make sense—but could only think of Oliver.
The Elder Witch smiled. "Good. Now, for the next part." She cut her own hand with a concealed blade and held it out to Rem, blood pooling in the crevices of her skin. "Lick and consume it."
Rem's eyes widened in horror. "Excuse me?"
"You need my blood for this work," Fiona gently explained. "You can use your finger to collect the blood, if you wish. But my blood must be in your system when I say my words."
"No," Rem retorted, shaking her head.
"Shall we bring your brother out to persuade you?" Fiona coldly asked.
The Elder Witch raised a brow, and Rem capitulated,loathinghow they had this much control over her. "No," she said, looking back down at the dirt, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Then do as I command," Fiona pressed.
Rem complied, despite the way her stomach lurched. She used a finger to collect the warm, red fluid, hesitating when it was near her lips, knowing this was potentially sealing her own death. Fearing Fiona’s wrath, and what they would do to Oliver, she swallowed the metallic liquid.
Fiona muttered words that sounded familiar to what the witches in Ashmire used, and Rem's mouthburned; her tongue glued itself to the roof of her mouth. It was as if her chest were a hearth and her throat the sealed off the chimney. She tried to scream, but her face was frozen.
The witch finished her incantation and Rem regained control, falling to her knees as she panted. "What did you do?" Rem gasped.
She laughed. "Ah, that always feels good to gain power over another..." Fiona wiped her hand on a cloth, a malicious smile revealing her fangs. "You are cursed, dear. If you dare utter what we say to anyone outside of the Callon Clan, you will lose your ability to speak until my last breath. Butthatwill never happen," she laughed again, arrogance staining her smile. "The Alpha expects you, but he doesn't realize there are traitors among him. He cannot know that, and I don't trust you to be silent, for obvious reasons. The minute details do not concern you, so don't bother asking about them. Just know that luck has betrayed you, as you are the perfect Silver to manipulate, which means your job is to gain his heart, so we can use that to our advantage. Do that, and your brother can go home, unscathed."
Rem shuddered with exhaustion, tears streaking down her cheeks, forming a salty pool under her chin.
The Elder Witch turned around and said, "She is ready to begin her process of meeting the Alpha. Take her to the Clan home."
Owen quietly said, "She could always write a letter about this."
Rem punched the dirt at the suggestion.
Fiona snickered. "No, she won't. She cannot read or write. It's part of the rules of the commune from which she is from."
"Seriously?" Deacon asked, his voice weak, still seated on his horse.
Rem glared up at the shifters before her.
Fiona faced Deacon and said, "The witches in Ashmire like to use humans for their blood magic. They didn't want them leaving, so they withheld the ability to learn to read or write for the younger generations, to isolate them more." Her cold gaze fell to Rem. "Including our Silver here."
Owen smirked, and Fiona returned the grin before transforming back into a brown wolf with a gray muzzle, trotting forward.
The minute that Rem got her claws, she decided that she was going to attack the Elder Witch first.
3
PREPARATION
R E M
The night had passed,and Rem arrived to the Callon Clan home—her temporary residence. She had been told her meeting of the Alpha would begin on the morrow, after she had cleaned up.
Rem blankly stared at the surrounding woods while relieving herself the following morning. The dense, green forest stretched as far as she could see, the warm sunlight streaking through the thick branches and copious leaves. It smelled like wet dirt and fresh air, bugs scuttering everywhere.
