“Yeah,” Rem said, nodding. “I can’t wait to be in Warden either.”
Ronan had never been far from her thoughts, the idea of another male not enticing to her in the least bit. She had hoped that by now, she’d have more powers to display to impress the Alpha… And to maim Jackson.
At least speaking with Deacon today will help.
The two of them walked outside, the smell of dead leaves in the air as they crunched underfoot. It was a glorious fall day, the environment absolutely breathtaking with bright leaves, the cooler air, and wooden carts carrying harvested food for the kitchens.
Within a few more weeks, the trees would be bare, and winter would be upon them.
Despite the dramatic drop in temperature within the last week, Rem didn’t seem to need more than leather pants, a shirt that looked like a dress, and a fur shawl.The shifters really are warmer than humans.Sheobserved the depth of the wilderness, able to see further now.
"Are you nervous to see Deacon?" Nia asked in her native tongue.
In broken Icelandic, Rem said, "I am… Determined. I want to know why Deacon listen to Jackson, and why he took me, and why Owen and Jackson took Oliver. There is a reason much bigger than what they told me.”
They continued their conversation in Icelandic despite how Rem butchered it at times. Aside from learning their language, the next best thing to being in Scarlet was how close she had grown to Nia. The formalities had faded, replaced with leaning on each other as they navigated everything.
She was convinced the two of them had one of those unspoken bonds by now. In that same vein, it was hard not to wonder if Ronan’s bond with Jemma would ever fade… Could shifters even lose that bond?
Rem didn’t want to ask Nia those things—not yet.
Her primary goal was to get away from Scarlet and back to Warden, where she’d deal with everything else.
There’s a time and place for everything, like gran always said.
The two walked along the same trail in which the warg initially appeared—an event that felt like an entire year ago— and rounded tall hillsides until they approached the backside of Warden, passing smaller, guarded buildings in the backyard, reaching the wooden doors of the home.
She pulled on the heavy doors, and just like the drawer, she pulled too hard, nearly smacking Nia in the face as if the door weighed no more than paper.
“Oh, wow, sorry,” Rem sputtered out, holding her hands out as the door began to shut behind her. “I didn’t hit you, did I?”
Nia laughed, although her eyes were open wide, as if still processing nearly being smacked with a three-inch-thick door. “You better get that under control before you see Ronan again,” she said in English with a chuckle. “You’re going to be in a nice, intimate moment with him, and thenwham! You’ll break the couch or bed, and then break the nightstand as you try to stand up.”
Rem’s laugh spilled out of her. “Oh, great! Now youknowthat’s what’s going to happen.”
The two continued to poke jabs at each other, although quieted once they entered the home and looked around.
“It’s quiet,” Nia stated.
“And I don’t see Lothar anywhere. But I smell someone.”
“Freya,” Nia replied, heading forward with a sobered expression.
They required the permission of Freya in order to see Deacon, being she was the official representative while Ronan was away.
In English, Nia said, "If, and I am pretty sure when, you become Luna, you can see prisoners without permission, by the way.”
They walked to the front of the home, passing by rich architecture and furniture.
"I can barely control my own life, let alone other shifters.”
While she thought of Ronan most nights, wanting to feel the strength of his arms once again, she hadn’t spent much time daydreaming about becoming aLuna. It was hard to daydream about a position she didn’t even understand.
"It's alright. You'll get the hang of it. I'll always be here to help," Nia replied with pride.
“As long as you go live your life at some point, too, Nia,” Rem countered, looking at her with a stern gaze.
“Oh, not this again. I’m fine doing this for now.”
