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Remy bowed her head, putting her forehead on Chase's chest. The sniffles she made had Chase holding onto her a little tighter. "I'm sorry, Chase."
"Shh," he soothed as he stroked her head. "I know you are. I'm sorry I exploded. I just couldn't take seeing you battle yourself."
They stood there momentarily, taking in each other's scents and allowing their bond to settle after their tense moment. Remy wiggled so Chase would let go, stepped back, and lifted her arms. Chase smiled at her before pulling her shirt slowly off her. He dropped it on the floor and then crouched down to work her pants off. He scanned her body, most likely to check for injuries to calm his Lycan after everything they went through. He made no movements to touch her or kiss her in a sexual way. He just smiled at her before holding out his hand for her to take. When she did, she allowed him to walk her to the tub. He stopped her when they reached the tub, then grabbed the vial, popping the cork and dumping the contents in the water. He turned the water off and swirled it with his hand before helping her into it. The way the water felt against her skin sent signals through Remy's body that it was not the average water. It felt like it was seeping into her skin and calming her muscles. Chamomile, passionflower, and lavender scents reached her nose as she slowly dipped her body into the water. The combination puzzled her, and she looked at her mate for answers.
"It is a combination of herbs that can help with soreness: chamomile for adrenal fatigue, passionflower for depression, and lavender for relaxation."
"How do you know about these things?"
He frowned. "My great-great-grandmother was friends with a Witch—one that I think your friend was like—someone who knew how to heal others. My grandmother handed down small things to keep the pack running healthy."
Remy didn't question further. If the Witch was like Adrien, she knew Chase only knew helpful things. Adrien was powerful and could probably wipe the floor with everyone she knew, with the exception of maybe Kaida, but she wouldn't hurt anyone unless she absolutely had to.
Chase then knelt down by the tub and reached into the water to touch her. He slowly massaged her body, starting with her feet. Using the water's properties with the vial's contents to push it into her muscles and work out any soreness. She found herself moaning with her head laid back.
Chase laughed at her. "If you don't stop doing that, I may have to break my word on not doing anything right now."
"Shh, I'm enjoying this."
"Now, you don't want me to do anything feisty? Jeez. You really should make up your mind."
She lifted her lips, her canines coming down to show him that his joke was annoying. He laughed again and continued with his work. When he was done with her lower half, he gently pulled her forward and then got to work on her back. Between his fingers and the magic herbs, Remy slowly put the last twenty-four hours behind her. There were still some moans, and she felt Chase holding on to his chivalry as he massaged her through their bond. When finished, he leaned her back down, kissed her forehead, and walked out of the bathroom.
Remy stared at the ceiling as her mate left the room. With the hole where Lykos used to be in the bonds still vacant, Remy knew her mother did not plan on taking his place. She could have ruled the pack without him, but she clearly didn't want to. It would now be left up to her or Kodi, and Remy knew she would fight for it to be her. It wasn't to replace her father or his memory. It was to lead her people through this challenging time when even more bullshit was on the horizon. Lykos wanted to hand this pack down to one of his children, and Kodi had his own pack to deal with. It was her time, and she would not disappoint her father.
When Chase returned to the room with a plateful of medium rare steaks, Remy's stomach did a growl worthy of a Lycan.
"Thought you would be hungry by now. Eat up. After this, I am pulling you into that bed, and we are sleeping until our bodies tell us it's okay to wake up."
Part of her wanted to snap at Chase for giving her an order, but a bigger part of her loved that he was truly taking care of her and ordering her to meet her needs. She smiled at him, took the plate, and began eating. The devilish smile on Chase's face sent a shiver down her spine.
"Good girl."
The things those two little words did to her had her panting. I can certainly get used to that.
Chapter thirty-one
Remy
It was over twenty-four hours after Lykos's funeral before Remy was strong enough to face her mother and pack with the question of who was to be the new Alpha. Her stomach was in knots as she stood before her mother's bedroom door. The Luna locked herself inside after the funeral, and Kodi and Chase stepped up to keep the pack in line. Guilt riddled her for not joining in, but Chase had been right. She needed the bath, food, and sleep. She felt like she could take on the entire kingdom after waking up that morning.
Still didn't make this feeling go away about wanting to be Alpha.
Be there for her first, then mention it is time for a new Alpha to take command.
No shit; that was my plan.
Her Lycan huffed at her inside of her mind before its presence disappeared. Remy sighed and quickly rapped her fist against her mother's door. She heard the sniffling first in the depths of the room, some shuffling, and then the lock turning. Tala opened the door, and Remy could see she had not stopped crying since the funeral. Her eyes were red and puffy, tear streak stains on her cheeks, and they were slightly sunken from not eating. Remy threw herself at her mother and wrapped her into a hug. It felt as if the Luna fell apart in her arms; she felt the weight of Tala bring Remy closer to the floor before she caught her mother and held her. Tala's shoulders shook as she sobbed, and Remy did her best to soothe her.
Remy felt herself break hearing her mother mourn her father, and tears spilled down her cheeks. She buried her face into her mother's hair and cried silently for him again. Memories of Lykos teaching her basic fighting skills, shifting into her wolf, and even riding on his back while on a full moon run filtered through her mind. She thought it would worsen things, but the images made her smile instead. He may have been gone from the physical realm, but no one could take away her joyous memories of him. It was going to take a while before she wouldn't cry at the thought of him, but just like she was with Kodi when she thought he was gone, the pain would eventually dull.
And that's what my mother needs to remember.
"Mom, you need to remember something," Remy whispered to her mother before pulling her off her shoulder.
Tala stared at her, and Remy did her best to smile. It was tough, especially seeing her mother so broken, but this was important.
"Dad isn't gone—not really. He will always be with us, watching over us. It's hard right now because it’s still so fresh. Eventually, the pain will fade, but the memories will remain. He did everything he could for us. He fought valiantly so we would survive. He did that so our pack will live on."
