“As I have said, I am not leaving the Silvers. If Rem is not your destined one, then one of them is. I will watch over that for you.”
His furrowed brows remained, but he knew a deeper emotion crossed through his eyes. “If they hurt you…”
“If I die, my dear son, then I will gladly haunt these forests and wait for you to return with vengeance in your heart, and I will bask in our enemy’s blood as you kill them for me.”
His lips twitched as he tried to control his emotion. The thought of his mother being murdered while he was away was enough to bring amber to his eyes, a burning in his chest warning him to collect himself. He looked back at the fire, and she leaned into her chair with a smile on her face.
“I don’t want to talk about that, mother.” He darkly added, “But if that were to come, I will skin every one of them if that happens. I’d skin them slow and put all their pelts at your ghost tree.”
“I know, Ronan. I would do the same for you.”
R E M
The day cameand went for Rem, and she waited in her room for Nia so they could walk through Bellmont. Rem was free at last, and Suna would arrive to Warden within a few days to inform the temporary leader about the Callons and Oliver.
Deacon Callon had also been apprehended and imprisoned, meaning only empty wind would precede Suna’s arrival.
It truly was a day to enjoy and appreciate life.
Rem rummaged through the drawer for some clothes, picking a black dress that was nothing more than some loose fabric, buckling a small belt around her waist, adding a white fur shawl on her shoulders, and leaving the crystal necklace underneath her dress.
The world felt funny now, like it was vast and open-ended.
So many things had happened to her, unable to ever take the time and process it all… Until now. She also couldn’t stop thinking about her interaction with Ronan in the woods, before her veins turned black. It felt so raw, like there was no deception on either end. It was pure, novel desire.
She wanted more of that—more ofhim, of his smell, and his warmth. She was unashamed in her desire now.
Perhaps it was the moon talking that made her so enamored, but honestly, Rem didn't care. She was tired of caring about what was normal and what was not.
When Nia arrived, the two spoke about lighter things, such as their favorite season and what their favorite drinks were.
Rem and Nia made their way to the backyard when the sun was just halfway over the sky. As they walked on a path that would lead to the trail from the previous night, Rem stared at the burned pyre that human servants were deconstructing.
"Nia, what happened to me after I passed out on the trail?" Rem asked.
Nia seemed like she was about to give a very serious response but then pressed her lips together and awkwardly said, “Well, one could say youblacked out” —a tepid smile froze on her face as she looked at Rem—“Get it? Literally. You blacked out. Your veins and everything. You went unconscious..."
It took a long moment before Rem realized it was ajoke. She laughed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh, Nia. When did you decide to try jokes?"
Nia's shoulders fell, her smile drooping. "It wasn't good, was it? Jokes have never been my strong suit. Someone told me I am too formal, so I thought I'd try to work on that."
"Well, I suppose technically it worked," Rem said. "Ididlaugh."
"It wasn't very good," Nia quickly said, scrunching her nose.
Rem chuckled. "I mean, don't give up! I just didn't expect the joke, is all."
Nia gently rolled her eyes, and the two of them laughed.
But as was the pendulum of life, it swung right back into somber waters as Nia cleared her throat and asked, “So, now… I don’t mean for this to come off wrong… But I’ve been dying to ask you—why didn’t you just mouth what happened to you? That seemed to work.”
Rem’s sigh mixed with a groan. “I didn’t know what to do, honestly. I was worried that if I said anything, she’d know. Even mouthing it might have stolen my voice. Witches have a way of knowing when their curse is broken. So, if I broke the curse, whatever happened after had to be quick. I mean, I suppose I could have broken the curse once she got here, since my main concern was her proximity to Oliver… I just didn’t think about it. I don’t know if I’d have risked it, either.” She stared blankly ahead. “I’ve never been that scared, or confused, in my entire life. Every option just feltwrong. And then I have to deal with becoming a shifter and being mated off, on top of it all.”
Nia touched Rem’s back and gave a gentle pat. “It’s alright. I don’t judge. I was just curious, is all… I still can’t believe that happened. Not just to your family, but anElder Witch… I can’t get over how I justbelievedyou.”
“No, you didn’t, remember?” Rem urged. “You kept pushing me to tell you the truth. If anything, you helped me stay sane because I realizedsomeonesaw that something was wrong.”
The she-wolf gave a faint smile. “Hey, maybe we should come up with a secret language, with code words?” Nia asked with a grin. “So, if something else goes wrong, we won’t have to worry about that happening again.”
