Edging his way to a clearing, he deftly moved through the woods as he listened, not wanting to reveal himself until he knew what was happening.
Rem's scent was now clear.
Smelling the air again, he realized it wasn’t herscent, however, but still just her blood.
Why can I not smell her? Why only her blood?
Two people were talking, and finally, he spotted her in a small clearing. Ronan shifted back into a human, his joints shrinking and jutting.
Ronan clenched his jaw at what he witnessed: through the bushy foliage stood Rem with a firearm in her hand, pointing it at another. He couldn't smell that hunter either.What is going on?
Ronan eyed Rem, blood staining her white dress, mud all over her pale face, neck, and legs.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked with a heavy voice, although he couldn't understand her language.
Ronan meant to interrupt whatever was happening, but he hesitated at the last moment. Rem's arm shook as she pointed the firearm at the stranger, her face rife with anger and confusion. If it were him, he'd want to kill something after all the mayhem that she endured.
He relaxed his body, watching. Waiting. If she needed to kill something, he'd let her have that. He was going to kill the hunter, anyway.
"You're betraying your own kind," the man said in English.
Ronan's eyes narrowed on Rem, who flailed the gun around. "I didn't ask for any of this! I cannot be taken away, don’t you understand? I have to stay!"
The man sat up on an elbow, coughing. "You're going to die. The hunters are seeing to it. Your kind will be eradicated, you shifter whore. That's all you're good for... A good fucking to make babies for your rapist. Or you can come with us, and we'll turn you into a hound that'll hunt out these fuckers. Maybe, once you’ve done that, you can live a normal life." He chuckled with a laugh that bubbled, as if either blood or sputum clogged his throat.
Her face looked like it was going to explode before she shouted, "Rapist! You're the one making jokes about violating me just now! And you'relying! The hunters are allies. They were coming to help me. They have no interest in hunting Silvers. I've met plenty of hunters myself. I don’t know what you are, but you’renota hunter."
"You dumb bitch, the hunters who visited you were being cordial for the sake of the witches commanding it. The witches arereallywho is in charge, and they want the shifters gone. Come with us, and you'll live. Stay with these creatures, and you’ll die in a war fighting for their side."
"Hell no, you're a horrible man who, who—" Rem's face sneered, her voice shaking.
"Get over it; the world is cold, and it’s only going to get colder,” he said, spitting.
Rem pointed the gun at him, taking a step closer.
Ronan considered that perhaps it was time for him to intervene. It would help if he knew what they were saying.
The man cackled, slowly crawling backward only to halt when Rem cocked the revolver. The man continued, “You weren't in chains when we grabbed you," the man said with a cocky grin. "You're willing in this, I bet, so clearly you like it when a man tries to take it—"
CRACK.
The trigger was pulled, and Ronan squeezed his eyes shut, growling lowly, his teeth barring at the sound while every muscle in his body braced for assault. He hated guns and the sounds they made. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head, and pushed through the twigs towards Rem. She grabbed her own ears after dropping the gun. The shot didn't hit its mark, and the man grabbed himself to see if he was wounded.
"You missed!" he shouted with a wild satisfaction, crawling towards the gun.
Rem kicked him in the face, reaching for the firearm again.
Ronan stepped into the clearing, the ringing in his ears muffling his hearing. Rem’s vibrant blue eyes widened when she saw him. Within the same second, a larger male appeared from the forest and grabbed her, pulling her into the brush as she thrashed and yelled.
Now, this was just pissing him off.
Ronan hurried over and grabbed the firearm, the human hunter glaring at Ronan with fear. The hunter’s ankle appeared broken, so he wasn’t going anywhere fast. And just to be sure, Ronan crushed his other one. The hunter screamed in agony, falling over as his eyes rolled into his head from pain.
The Alpha's body shifted just enough to release a smooth howl. He glared at the hunter before pursuing Rem, hoping his Betas would find the human and take him for questioning.
And if they didn’t, it wasn’t his priority now. He had to chase after Rem.
For whatever reason, the hunters were targeting Silvers, and it didn’t look amicable. Why would the hunters come after her with such aggression? Had they already marked the Silvers as enemies? He knew that the hunters wanted to use the Silvers, but their behavior reminded him of Jackson.
