Rem gripped Oliver's oversized jacket, desperate to see him. The closer they got to Warden, the more she felt comfortable in accepting her victory over Jackson.
Jackson lost, completely. So did Owen and all the others. She was unmated, would see her brother, and was actually enjoying her new life and friends.
The realization of what she had actually been through gave her a small moment of lucidity. She was ashifternow. She was aSilver, had a silver tattoo, been intimate with an Alpha, survived and killed another in a battle, and even ate raw meat.
Her former and present self may cast the same shadow, but she changed.
No, this was more than change. Changes were easy to accommodate, as one just functioned differently within new circumstances. What Rem went through wasn't that. It was atransformation, something that she could never take back, like the death of a loved one.
It's the death of my former self, although I don't mourn it.
As if she could read Rem's mind, Nia placed a splinted hand on Rem's knee.
Nia reassured, "It's going to be alright. You'll see your brother soon and sleep well tonight. I bet a deep sleep, too."
Rem smiled, savoring the moment, but before she could reply, Josie chimed in, eyes still shut. "Oh, whatever. It isn't all that good. We still have to deal with mating and fighting the hunters. If the shifters lose this war, it would all have been for nothing."
Rem held her blink for a few seconds.Why on Earth did she seriously have to choose to come to Warden?
"That doesn't mean we can't enjoy a night of peace," Nia retorted, taking her injured hand off of Rem.
"I plan to enjoy my nights very soon," Josie coyly said, smiling with closed eyes.
Rem glared at her, knowing that she was talking about Ronan.
"Rem already did that," Loral quipped. "You got some catching up to do, apparently."
Josie's orange eyes shot open to scowl at Loral, and Rem snorted while Josie replied, "I don't take issue with you, and I'd appreciate it if you didn’t try to start something with me."
"I'd appreciate if you treated my friend with more respect,” Loral countered.
"Mating is a fair game. You heard the Elders says it themselves. Rem and I are not friends, not until Ronan has a mate."
Rem sighed and said, "Let's all decide to fight after we get out of the carriage, alright?"
Josie closed her eyes again, crossing her arms. "Sounds good to me."
Awkward silence befell them. Rem let her mind wander, catching the dark, moving figure of Ronan in the distance as he matched the slow, cautious speed of the carriage.
They had spent four nights out on these roads, and he hardly interacted with her. In fact, he hadn’t said much to her, although shedidfind him watching whenever she wasn’t in this contraption.
Nia reminded her that he had aloton his mind, and, once again, he wasn’t fond of displaying how he felt publicly. Nia was certain that once he had a mate, it would be different, but for now, it would cause more drama than not, especially with having more than one Silver among them. Her best guess was that he was waiting for them to be back in Warden before making any more advances.
While Rem respected that, a part of her just wanted him to take her. She didn’t feel as desired as she wanted to be, not after a few days away from his touch. Life had almost been taken from her, more than once, and she didn’t want to live the rest of it in a guessing game.
A warm, soft yellow glow invaded the darkness of the carriage, and they slowed. Rem looked outside for the source of the light and saw that they had a small welcoming party, a maze of torches illuminating the night.
Her heart raced, and she deeply exhaled.
They had made it safely to Warden.
And Rem was going to see Oliver.
Despite the excitement, she yawned, and her eyes watered as she clutched the jacket closer when they came to a stop.
"He'll probably be with Gally at the Callon house," Nia said to Rem.
A surge of loyalty and appreciation for Nia filled Rem as her friend seemed to know exactly where her mind and heart were. "Where am I staying? Do you know?" she asked, a shadow of her mind wandering to expectations of sleeping next to Ronan.
