Ronan interrupted her, glaring at Nia as he gave more commands, to which the she-wolf gently replied with a submissive tone. Rem raised a brow at being interrupted so easily.
But the Alpha ignored it, and Rem sat on the ground as the three shifters of Warden spoke in a language she couldn’t understand.
* * *
Ronan sentSuna back to the Warden House, and Nia to inform the Elders on what happened. Meanwhile, he planned to walk Rem back to his temporary home, even though they couldn’t speak to each other.
She racked her brain for Icelandic words as they walked, feeling an immense amount of pressure to do everything perfect for this Alpha, especially after the way he came for her. Surely, she knew enough to saysomething.
"I.... Takk. För all..." She shook her head in defeat. She was trying to thank him for all the help.
He chuckled—his temper thankfully lessening—and as she went to look at him, the breeze carried a faint rumble in the distance; the air smelled wet. She also caught another scent. It was subtle and yet so encompassing.
It was an aroma that lingered in her nose. The smell reminded her of a bodily scent, but without the odor. It was sweet like honey, yet not sugary, laced with a heavier musk that perhaps even smelled like sugared wood. It was nearly intoxicating, and once she realized the smell was not going away… She looked up at the Alpha, understanding that the scent wasRonan's.
That smell was powerful, and it overcame her mind.
She stopped walking as she looked at him with wonder, feeling as if sheknewhim by scent alone. He stopped to look at her, a few metallic pieces of his ornate belt catching the moonlight.
And then it clicked.
The moon.
She looked up at it—the giant white orb in the sky was placed among the canvas of countless stars, silhouetting branches, and leaves.
It's nearly full. Maybe it influences my powers?
She slowly licked her lips and looked back at Ronan, who was looking at her with a curious gaze. The wind continued to blow, his scent filling Rem’s lungs. She wanted to get closer to him, to breathe him in. The Alpha cautiously glanced up at the moon and then back at her. A darker expression overcame him. She truly smelled him for the first time and failed to hide that she was enamored by it.
And he knew it.
As his expression changed to one of interest, the moon caught his eyes at just the right angle, and they flashed white like it would for a wolf, reminding her of the beast within. The overwhelming knowledge of being alone with him, in the woods, under the moon, with these changes coursing through her, melted away any barriers that remained between them.
He took a small step forward, his eyes laced with a cunning curiosity. The wind blew again, along with more thunder. The more she stared at this male that loomed over her, the more she became entrenched in everything about him.
She couldfeelhis power. She could feel that he was an Alpha. She couldn't explain the novel sensation, but it was knowledge she knew, like an instinct.
Ronan’s stolid face gently broke, a hint of a smile forming. He was enjoying watching her gain a new sense of her surroundings.
Rem was turning into one of his own.
The discipline in him seemed to crack, like the moon held power over him as well.
He raised a hand to her nape, her heart racing, his hand holding her still as he placed his face right next to hers. He breathed her in just under the ear where her jaw started. Was her scent changing that much?His breath warmed her neck, sending pleasurable waves through her. It didn’t help that his scent was irresistible when this close. No, it was his neck in general, like the scent was most powerful there.
That's the spot to smell another.
She placed a hand on his bare chest and didn’t fight him, the warmth of him inviting her closer. Her lack of hesitation surprised her, and yet not an ounce of her felt out of place. His growl vibrated against her skin, and her eyes gently closed, the grip on her neck squeezing tighter as he deeply inhaled her scent, like he was indulging in something he no longer fought.
She, too, had very little control over herself.
Rem’s heart palpitated when he rubbed his thumb on her skin, and at first, she thought it was from the excitement.
Then the hiccup in her chest repeated itself three times.
A pain spread in her arm, and she felt like she was choking.
She looked down. Where her veins were prominent on her wrists, they deepened in color like an octopus filling her veins with its ink, protruding against the skin.
