Clearly, he didn’t mindprivatedisplays of affection.
"And me. I don't know where to go," Josie said as she sat up, stretched, and yawned.
Nia shrugged her shoulders. "Not sure. I'm sure someone will direct you."
"Maybe an Alpha needs company," Josie added, although her coy eyes were clearly tired.
Rem rolled her eyes, wanting to make a clever retort of having done that already but then realized she actually hadn't. She merely had sex with him in the bathhouse, not sleep beside him in his bed.
Competition ignited inside of her, nonetheless. "Like you said. We can fight about it later," Rem tightly replied.
Loral chuckled.
The door opened, interrupting whatever retort was about to come from Josie, especially as Halvar made his appearance. They all watched and gave Nia space.
Halvar was staying with Warden until their summit, as a nod to their peace, along with a few other Betas from the other packs—such as the kind shifter named Cillian—while some of the Warden shifters went elsewhere.
He smiled at Nia, and she returned it. Rem swelled with elation and excitement for Nia, certain that if her dark skin could show it, Nia’s cheeks would be a profuse pink, especially as she always seemed to lose the ability to speak coherently when around him. Halvar gathered her and helped her out. Nia’s bones were already healing, but Halvar still liked to help her even though she was able to walk as of yesterday.
Nia told Rem she might milk it for as long as she could, as being carried around by him was the highlight of her entire year.
After Halvar let Nia lean into him, Rem was quick to step out of the carriage and into the cold of night, the smell of burning wood only amplifying the setting.
Her gaze fell on Ronan as he turned back into a man, the attention of his people firmly locked onto their Alpha. He acknowledged them and gently yelled to the small crowd, "Information will spread to every clan throughout the week. For now, take comfort in knowing that Scarlet has fallen. A new Alpha will be chosen, and we return with most of our pack intact."
The group immediately started to whisper, a few even hugging each other.
Rem hadn't thought about family members waiting desperately for news about their loved ones or about the state of their alliance.
Who knew how long this good news would last.
Ronan looked Rem’s way, their gazes lingering, until a few others approached the Alpha. He moved his head to address them, his eyes remaining on her a second longer before giving the other wolves his attention.
She greatly enjoying when he did that, but as soon as his attention was on his kin, she too focused on finding hers. She scanned the area through watery eyes from yawning, hoping that Oliver would be somewhere. She couldn't rest until she saw him.
Rem stopped when she saw someone staring unabashedly at her. It was a warm skinned, deep auburn-haired female that harbored an elegant beauty that Rem hadn't quite seen before. Rem locked onto the stranger’s green eyes, evident even from a distance, the darkness of night making them stand out against the whites of her eyes.
Rem blinked, tired tears falling down her cheek from another yawn, trying to look away, but she was perplexed. The female bore no expression and juststared.
Someone tapped Rem on the shoulder, making her jump as she turned around.
It was the familiar face of Gally.
32
FAMILIAR FACES
R E M
Rem staredat the blonde shifter who had a homely, yet sophisticated face. Gally's eyes softened, the natural superiority morphing into impartiality.
"My brother?" Rem immediately asked as she saw that the Callon was alone.
"Is at the house. I put him to bed because we did not know that you'd be back so soon. I told a cousin to wake up him while I fetched you."
Rem breathed heavier, her heart pounding with joy, a gentle smile breaking onto her face. Her little brother was near and being taken care of. She licked her lips, the muscles in her face fidgeting as a hundred questions poured into her mind.So much has happened and changed.Rem landed on, "Tell me—why did you do it? Why did you take care of him?"
Rem, of course, didn’t trust this at all, despite Ronan trusting her.
