All she had to was grab his arm. She was tired, but she was ready for it.
Before she could do anything, a familiar, large, thick frame came into view as Ronan's scent surrounded her. He passed by her, grabbing the male by the neck as if Ronan were merely catching a bird mid-flight. He threw the human on the ground, who writhed in pain, the hammer falling back down and slamming into his gut.
It was as if Ronan had swatted a bug.
He turned around, and she clenched her jaw.
"I had him," she said in Icelandic.
Ronan smirked and even smiled, but quickly dropped the amusement as he took a step toward her. "You bled too much. Save your energy. I mean it." He furrowed his brows with command. "Why are you here? You should be at the bridge."
"Need to help Nia, get silver off. Looking for..." she said, slightly motioning chain cutters, but she didn't know the word. "A tool, for metal."
"You're not good at following orders.”
Blood and mud covered Ronan’s face, along with a shirt that might have once been gray, but was now black, brown, and red.
"Not when friends need help."
His blue eyes stood out amongst the muck, his gaze scolding her with the command of an Alpha, only to completely gentle as he raised his dirtied hand to grab her by the back of the neck, holding her still as he looked her over, eyeing her head. "How are your wounds?"
"Healing. Quick,” she affirmed.
His touch calmed every inch of her.
“Is the one that did this to you still alive?” he asked, danger bleeding through his gaze as he motioned to her thighs.
“No. You killed him.”
“Good,” he said, inhaling, looking her in the eyes. “You should really not be alone, Rem—“
Gasps filled the scene behind them, to which his gaze sharpened before turning to face the crowd, dropping his hand back at his side.
More wargs moved to the city.
Then, silence, except for the ringing in her ears from all the yelling. Everyone was just standing there, and she couldn't tell who was on which side anymore.
Ronan looked over his shoulder, tutting. “I shouldn’t leave you alone, but I need to go.”
“Warg, here, somewhere. It was here for me,” she said, looking around. “Even there,” she said, pointing to the ones that had suddenly appeared. “I am safe.”
“Stay near the crowd where they can see you,” he conceded, moving towards the horde.
He walked forward, and she trailed behind Ronan, curious whyeverythingstopped. Streets were filled with wolves and shifters, all staring at the wargs. Loral, Josie, and a handful of other Silvers stood there, surrounded by the giant beasts.
It seemed everyone paused in their bloodshed to stare at the magnificent wonder that these shifters were created after. No matter who fought who, they all bowed to the magic of their goddess.
Ronan walked forward, shifters making way for him, and Rem stood at the edge of the crowd. She even climbed up on a cart belonging to the market to gain a better vantage point.
Ronan stood out, many regarding him with veneration. Once he made it to the center and near a fountain that had been shattered, he cried out to the crowd, "Wolves of Scarlet!"
His voice cut through the air with a deep, guttural edge, all giving their attention to the Alpha of Warden.
"What better sign do you need that your queen is wrong than this right here!" he asked, pointing to the wargs, who moved closer to the Silvers upon being singled out. "Abandon your queen, as she is a false leader. She says the Silvers are to go to the humans, and yet the wargs defend them here.”
Ronan’s shoulders were pronounced as he cried out, his voice profound and bellowing, no doubt straining his vocal cords. He continued, “Who will you follow—your queen, or the creatures that the goddess created before we existed, the original blood of our kind? Lower your hackles, and I won't punish you for your loyalty to your pack. But this bloodshed is pointless. We're doing the work of the hunters with every heart we silence.Fuckthe hunters!"
Many Wardens cheered right away. Rem was pulled towards Ronan as if he were a magnet and she a collection of tiny broken metal shards, curiously attracted to his brutal yet masterful aura.
