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Ava began speaking a mile a minute in the background, her distressed tones drifting in and out of his fuzzy senses. Laying blindly on the floor, Remmus realized he could simply stay put, eyes closed, allowing the she-wolf to explain whatever had just happened.
He could marinate in his blood. It was fine.
Everything was fine.
Darkness prickled around his mind, and for a second, Remmus wondered if he should give in. He floated for a moment, suspended in pain and haze. Sleep sounded delicious, and he was so very tired.
“Remmus, wake up!”
The very real thread of concern in Ava’s voice jerked him back to reality. Eyes fanning open, the blur in front of him gradually sharpened to reveal the blonde angel he’d been dreaming of the last two nights. Her hands gently probed the tender flesh around his eye socket, then his jaw.
Each touch felt all-together too private, too intimate. Especially when the indignant faces of at least two—or was it four?—alpha wolves solidified beyond Ava’s shoulders.
“Geez, wolf, buy me dinner first,” came his slightly slurring reply. “If I knew you wanted to get handsy, I would’ve worn clothes with snaps.”
“Damn it, Raeth,” Riaz growled. “What did I tell you about making trouble?”
“I’m pretty sure he started it.”
Remmus flicked a bloodied finger to where Aidan glared down at him, the massive werewolf standing tall and unapologetic, bloodied fists at his sides.
With the build of a linebacker and biceps the size of tree trunks, the originator of the werewolf species was uncontested in terms of strength and dominance. Aidan’s twelve hundred years of life on the planet meant he knew his way around a punch.
Given that he was here in the den at Aidan’s request, he’d have liked to think they were on good terms. The beating threw that idea out the window.
“Ava doesn’t like Raeths, and you were all over her,” he spat.
“It was consensual, Aidan.” Ava’s voice was almost timid, her fingers still delicately probing the flesh beneath Remmus’ eye. “I kissed him.”
Remmus’ palm tentatively pressed into where his temple throbbed mercilessly; his eyes closed. “See. Not the villain you think.”
Inept. Failure.
The coercion in his mind demanded its piece of flesh for his lack of self-defense. Fortunately, Remmus was able to camouflage the usual pain and dizziness as consequences of his beating. Small miracles.
Except this time, when the coercion took hold, it brought with it a heaviness that was strange and unfamiliar. It was slithery, like oil seeping over his skin and sinking into him slowly.
Ava gripped Remmus’ shoulder. “I think you gave him a concussion, Aidan.”
A retort failed to form on his tongue. Bones ground beneath his palm, broken and mending already, but a far bleaker picture was beginning to take shape. The silver from his recent gunshot was continuing to meddle in his system and enhance the effect of his curse. By all rights, it should’ve dissipated by now.
If that wasn’t the case—and he had no way of knowing without a healer—then what he had feared was finally happening: the coercion imbedded in his mind was escalating. He’d worried it would begin to chip away at his sanity after centuries of punishment. It would be a death sentence.
When his obligatory quip failed to make an appearance, the tension level of the three wolves around him skyrocketed. Raeths could generally feel emotions from werewolves, and when their distress escalated enough, it began to press against telepathic gifts.
“Remmus, you need to go to the healer.”
It was a command from one of the alphas, but Remmus couldn’t tell which one. Regardless, there was no way he’d acquiesce. With whatever strength remained, he opened his eyes to find Ava staring back.
“I’m fine.”
He was proud that there was no waver of his voice, and he’d spoken it as though it was true.
Her beautiful features were painted with worry, but she saw the resolve in his eyes. “It’s ok, alpha. I’ll patch him up.”
Remmus didn’t know who was more surprised, him or the two men behind her. Riaz gaped, and Aidan’s eyebrows drew even closer together. Ava took no notice and grabbed his arm to steady him as he rose to his feet.
Leveling his gaze with Aidan, Remmus asked, “We good, Spot?”
