Ronan.
28
REINFORCEMENT
R E M
A familiar warmthand strength lifted Rem from the ground, Ronan no longer a stranger to her. She trusted him, and breathed out all of her fear as gratitude washed it away.
I won't die today.
Anger warped his handsome face, more than she had ever seen. She wanted to laugh, thinking of how right Freya was.
Many were going to die slow, painful deaths tonight.
It didn’t ease the immense pain, however, which threatened her coherence. It surpassed the level of crying out, as all she wanted to do was give into the darkness that begged to soothe her. Sporadic moments of clarity let her feel the depth of her injuries, sent back to nights and days in the attic as her back healed.
A comforting rumble in Ronan's chest vibrated against her skin, and their eyes met for a moment before her body and mind drifted… Ronan's scent had a calming effect, contrasting the world around which erupted into warfare, filled with screaming, snarling, the pounding of heavy paws, and metal on metal. She even caught herself leaning into his body so she could fill her lungs with his musk, relaxing her in ways that only shifters could understand.
He let her move and touch him however she needed.
She tried to force herself to stay awake, staring for a long while just at his neck and the stubble on his face. Her vision would fade when a strike of pain took her breath away. Wolves pummeled into Scarlet by the dozens, tearing at the flesh of the human hunters that remained.
Her eyes widened when she spotted three dozen wolves barreling right in their direction, moving at speeds she had never seen before, like a wave of deadly fangs, claws, and fur.
But they ran past them, and she smelled they were Ronan’s men. Their speed brought wind, their heavy paws hitting the ground so hard that the Earth shook. Ronan shouted something, the deep bellow of his voice making Rem close her eyes as it was too much noise.
At some point, Ronan handed her to another shifter. She didn't like the foreign smell and missed Ronan immediately.
"To the back, by the bridge. I have to find Freya," Ronan commanded to whoever took her.
And just like that, Ronan’s presence was gone.
Her heart pounded and skipped beats from blood loss, not liking being in this stranger's cradle.
Rem looked around for Nia; there were wolves in every direction, a few even in their large, varúlfur state. The vast sea of moving bodies reminded her of rounding up a hundred farm animals, except these were all attacking each other and incredibly deadly. Awareness rapidly returned to her, and her collar shifted with a crack, like pieces were merging back together
"Easy," the male said as she squirmed; she looked at his face for the first time. His skin was warm like coffee with a dash of milk, only enhancing the honeyed warmth of his eyes. He had long, skinny black dreads that were collected wildly at the back of his head. He looked down to her, and she thought it silly that one of her first thoughts was how handsome he was. "You heal fast, but your blood is still lost. That will take time to get back."
"Your name?" she asked through the pain.
"Halvar, or Hal."
After a time, Hal placed her down, and she gripped his warm, sweaty body to steady herself. The severed muscles in her thighs just barely began healing—a pulsating sensation rippled through where she healed, electrified with burning pain.
More wolves ran through the river, coming from the south where Ronan would have arrived from. They climbed over the dirt walls as they charged forth, the tremors of their stampede reverberating in the ground.
"How many?" Rem asked with a dry mouth, groaning and wincing when something major healed in her left thigh, as if an invisible fire sewed her back together.
“Over three hundred, at the minimum. Didn't count them all. It's a combined force."
"A combined force?" she managed out.
"I'm a Beta from Novak pack, the one that Enzo leads. Ronan came to us and asked for us to storm Scarlet with them for their betrayal. We have the numbers to make Scarlet heel. We just have to mitigate the losses now."
Despite struggling with some of the translation, Rem caught what was necessary; they would win. She would live to see her brother.
Halvar reached his arm out, “Come, let’s go to the bridge. It’s not far, but it’s safer than in the open here.”
