She only had one guard with her at the moment, a she-wolf named Gally. The she-wolf gave Rem ample space for privacy.
Plumbing wasn't an option in these mountains. Itusedto be, but modern infrastructure was as much of a relic as an ancient pyramid. Only the hunters in the south reclaimed such innovations.
Bitter resentment darkened her heart at being stuck with these wolves, incensed she couldn't return to her family or flee to the hunters. Then again, if she left for home in that moment, she'd have to admit she didn't know where Oliver was.
He was her only source of sanity. If they just took Rem? She wouldn't care at all for their anger.
Maybe that was the intention.
"Let's go back now," Gally Callon shouted from behind, pulling Rem right back into her predicament as the she-wolf added, "Don't make me regret giving you fresh air. I let you into the woods to stretch your legs, but I don't mind taking you to the outhouse."
Rem faced the she-wolf, who moved through the underbrush. Gally Callon was like the rest of her Clan: pale blonde hair, dark eyebrows, and green irises. Her face was homely with a round jaw, round nose, and hooded eyes.
The she-wolf pressed her thin lips together before saying, "We need to go back and bathe you for tomorrow. Our Alpha won't take you likethis." She waved an arm at Rem.
Rem couldn't argue, as evenshecould smell herself by now. They had arrived in the night, and Rem went straight to sleep rather than tend to her hygiene.
Thinking of meeting their Alpha so soon numbed every part of her mind. The initial night already seemed like an eternity. "I don't want to go to him," she muttered as she straightened her dress, pleading to the only female she had met since arriving. "I need to just get my brother home. Please. Surely you have to see how this is" —she hesitated, not wanting to speak too out of line, still attempting to be as compliant as possible— "how this is so unfair to me. Or at least, unfair to my brother."
It was a meek approach, but Rem only knew how to work with witches, not shifters. Witches always helped when humans behaved.
Gally raised a stern brow. "You will find I don't engage in negotiations. Alpha Ronan needs a Silver, and our family needs you to do your duty."
"Can you at least tell mewhy?" Rem pressed, her patience for feigning manners waning. "It makes no sense. Why threaten the younger brother of a potential mate to your Alpha? This has to go wrong at some point," she said, waving her hands around, "...and I really don't want to manipulate anAlpha. That just sounds dangerous to me—"
Gally scoffed. "You are to know nothing of the details. That's the end of it."
"But I can'tsayanything. Fiona made sure of that."
Gally faced back towards where they came. "Let’s go. You're wasting our time, which could be better spent preparing you for Ronan."
Rem nearly remained put, but a sharp gaze thrown over Gally’s shoulder prompted Rem to follow the she-wolf. Thoughts of 'tempting' an Alpha flooded her, not understanding how she was supposed to manage that. Sure, she had been with Hugo once before, but that had been when she was seventeen. She was going to be twenty-three soon, her experience in intimacy was scantly enough to prepare her for making anAlphaswoon.
She walked forward, nonetheless, knowing her parents were relying on her to do everything to keep her baby brother safe.
* * *
"I broughtyou some bread with butter and strawberry jam. I am sure we can figure regular food for you, over time," Gally said, entering the attic where Rem slept. It was so dusty that she broke into sneezing fits every hour.
Rem nodded, wiping her nose. Her treatment was admittedly far from terrible, and yet she could hardly stomach any of it. Wet hair rested on her shoulders, her warm bath more luxurious than expected.
The shifters went above and beyond in their hygiene habits, creating covered wooden outdoor bathhouses. The wolf creatures were not immune to cold winters, implementing their own ingenuity by positioning tubs over outdoor fire pits to warm the water, producing pleasantly swirling steam inside the wooden construction.
She hated that she enjoyed her bath so greatly, her body having melted into the water like it was a magical therapy. Especially after two weeks on the back of a horse.
"Thank you," Rem said, feigning courtesy, trying to forget the luxury offered to her that morning.
She tucked her pale hair behind her ear before dropping her hands into her lap. She wore a clean white dress, not knowing where her original clothes were.
The smell of bread wafted under Rem's nose, her stomach begging for food. She wanted to deny it in protest, but she also knew that she had to be strong if she wanted to rescue Oliver.
Gally placed a pitcher of water on the window seat next to Rem, who quickly filled her belly with it. Rem glanced at the she-wolf, noting that she wore a white cloth dress and a black pelt on her shoulders. Smudged, dark makeup surrounded her green eyes, her hair partially braided with the free strands revealing beautiful curls.
Such a refined, wild look.
Rem furrowed her brows, as Gally was not this well dressed only moments ago.
"You changed."
