"You're friends?" Rem asked, skeptical of this conversation now.
"She tried to see if I'd help her escape."
Rem gripped the frigid chain mail on her chest, her eyes widening as the cool breeze felt colder and faced Loral. “How… She did?” Rem asked, side-eyeing Mavis who was a few Silvers down from Loral.
“Yeah, I can’t read her yet,” Loral said, an air of whimsy about her with a wave of her hand.
While it was an important revelation, Rem wasn’t sure what to fully make of it. Was it desperation from Mavis? A plot? An insight into something deeper?
All the changes made her focus harder on Oliver and getting back to Warden. "You have any idea what we do now? I honestly didn't expect being 'chosen’ or being given toScarlet.”
What if she wasn’tallowedto return to Warden? What if someone else chose her while she was here?
An invasive thought spread, and she found herself annoyed that she had to look out for Oliver. Her stomach lurched for eventhinkingabout that, especially since a part of her didn’t fully disagree with it—her life would be easier if she didn’t have to worry about him. She could even focus on finding a suitable mate, if it was just her.
That’s not his fault. That’s the Callons. Focus, so you can get back and deliver them punishment. Then you can live for yourself.
Rem leaned in with nervous energy, "What if another wolf chooses us? Do we have to go with them? I mean they said we get a choice, but what if I have my eyes set on one? I don’t want to go to another pack.”
"I wouldn’t mind seeing a new pack,” Loral said freely, stealing a double glance at Rem. Picking up on her frustration, the Silver stiffened, her voice growing quieter. "You could always go with Mavis, wherever she is going, if you are worried.”
Rem's shoulders stiffened as well. "I don't know anything about where she is going. Or Mavis, for that matter."
And just as quick as before, Loral replied, "I don't trust the offer, or Mavis, either."
"You just told me to go with her."
She shrugged her shoulders again. "You seemed like you just wanted answers."
Rem sat quietly, chewing on her nails as she thought about everything. She winced as she pulled too fast on a nail, now becoming a hang nail.
"That doesn't mean you have to be quiet," Loral said meekly.
Rem spat the nail out to the side. “I just have a lot on my mind…” She sighed, also feeling like she couldn’t let this interfere with getting to know the other Silvers. They were her competition, and she had to know who was and was not a threat to stealing Ronan’s attention. “What about you? Does anything change for you now?" she asked as she pinched the tip of her finger to stop the pain.
Loral's face turned into the most genuine expression, placing both hands on the table. "I don't know. I don't mind the shifters. I like the Novak pack, which is who I came with. I am kind of excited, to be honest. I might actually find a family here."
"What aboutyourfamily?"
"I was going to leave them anyway to marry a man I didn't like. I don't get along with my family. The only useful thing they did was teach me Icelandic. So, this isn't so bad."
Rem remained silent. She hadn't considered there would be those who would openly welcome this change. Perhaps, for some, itwasbetter than what they had.
"Do you think that we'll become really powerful?" Loral asked with wide, blue eyes.
"I don't really know. They make it seem like we will." Rem looked over Loral once more, noticing she was rather small. "How old are you, anyway?"
"Twenty-one. I know, I don't look like it. I think I’m actually going be like my gran. She's the only person I ever liked, but she died a few years ago. And based on her, I’ll look twelve until I'm thirty, then look twenty until I am forty, and then at fifty I’m going look eighty."
Rem laughed, the comment reminding her of Nia.“I was close to my gran, too.”
Loral smiled, pressing her lips together. "What do you want to do, Rem?" she asked with a kind tone. “Did you have your eyes set on Ronan, by chance?"
Rem's face fell, blinking twice before she looked down at her hands.
"Yeah, I kind of do," Rem quietly said. Would it hurt to let others know of her interest? Isn’t that how these wolves operated?
"Well then, I feel like I should mention that all this time we've been talking, your Alpha hasn’t taken his eyes off of you," Loral added. “I thought it was just the table, but when you winced from biting your finger, I saw him grip his chalice harder.”
