14. Remy

Chapter fourteen

Remy

Overall, the valley was dark compared to the mountains that surrounded it. The regions were high enough to block out most of the sun, causing there to be more shade than sun. There was a reason this was known as Death Valley. Due to the minimal amount of sun, nothing was known to be able to live here when it came to plant life. If it weren’t for some greenery that did not require much sun to survive, this area would be more of a desert than anything. However, it was still a beautiful area. The rocks from the surrounding mountain were a range of colors. There was some red, purple, orange, and yellow. It was dependent on how much sun had peaked through as to which of the various colors could be seen, but with the green, it brought out the imagery of a rainbow. Though it had a dark-sounding name, it was still a beautiful area.

Lykos was back in the driver’s seat and growled at the sign that signaled they had entered Death Valley. Bryan chuckled at the Alpha as Remy sat in the back and tried to hide her face and smile from the rearview mirror. Her father was in a sour mood from what happened in Redwood, so seeing her joining in on Bryan poking fun at him would not have gone over well.

"Unclench, Lykos. It could have been worse."

Lykos grunted. "That dumbass put my daughter at risk. I should go back with our pack and wipe his damn pack from existence."

Remy perked up in her seat and narrowed her eyes at her father. He didn’t acknowledge her looking at him, though she could see he looked up briefly, so she leaned forward to get his attention. "I don’t like the way you are talking, Dad. Just because the asshole lost control doesn’t mean he deserves to die."

He looked at her in the mirror, his pale blue eyes almost illuminating, his Lycan peering through them. " Hospitality laws are in place for a reason. If an alpha doesn’t abide by them, they deserve to be taken out."

"The Dark Dimension is sweeping through our kingdom, Dad. It is difficult to watch, but it is something we need to deal with. Killing everyone under the influence of it is not the way to go."

He grunted again. Remy took that as an agreement but also understood he was not happy about it and sat back in her seat. Her chest felt itchy, and there was tugging inside of the bonds the closer they got to the packhouse. Remy ignored it, as hard as it was, and assumed it was Chase reminding her that he was still there for her if she needed him. It was difficult to leave his bed just before dawn to escape to her designated room. It was needed so she could shower and get most of the scent of Chase and sex off her before Lykos would notice. As Chase said, his scent lingered on her, and to no surprise to her, Lykos questioned it. Bryan pointed out that the scent could have been from them staying inside the packhouse, and Lykos shrugged it off. Remy looked at Bryan, and he winked at her. Either he knew and would keep the secret, or he just didn’t want Lykos’s bad mood to effect the trip. Remy hoped it was the latter.

The pack seemed to be in the furthest section of the valley from how long they drove. Once they got to the heart of it, Remy noticed the cliffs blocking the sunlight were no longer there, and the valley turned into an open circle. There, she noticed the greenery was more plentiful. Many plants with colorful flowers and cactuses were everywhere, and red fruit grew from them. Remy remembered getting shipments of prickly pear from this area and several flowers for the floral shops in the kingdom. At least she knew this area held a purpose and was less likely to attack the way Redwood did. If the dark dimension had not touched this alpha, it could be a better meeting than they had before.

The house seemed similar to the one her pack had in terms of size. It looked like it was made from the rocks from the valley based on the colors of the bricks used to construct it. Remy noted how it had some reds, purples, and oranges within the bricks, and it stood just as many stories as theirs. Due to the bricks, it almost looked more like a schoolhouse than a packhouse. She remembered hearing this pack was close to the Great Plains pack in size but did not have as many powerful Lycans. This could cause issues with other packs wanting to attack to take over this land the more Remy thought about it. The less powerful the Lycans, the less powerful the pack overall.

Like Redwood, the Alpha stood on the porch and waited for them to leave the car. Remy’s eyes widened at the sandy blonde Alpha with bright blue eyes who was yelling at her father in the halls during her welcome-home party. The mountain of a man seemed to be even more of a mountain than he had appeared that night now that she was closer to seeing him. The man standing next to him seemed to be considerably small in comparison. He was just a smidge shorter than the Alpha but much thinner. He still had a bulk of muscle, but the Alpha towered over him. The other guy had black hair and a beard trimmed short with green eyes.

The problem was when Remy felt the tugging once again inside of her chest. With the two men standing there, she had no idea which one held the bond inside her that was trying to tug her towards them. One thing was certain, though—someone here was a mate of hers. Remy immediately wanted to jump back into the car and drive home. It was becoming a mess running into mates during this tour of packs. The last thing she wanted was for her family to find out that she had not just one mate but several. It wasn’t standard practice, and she wanted to find out why she had more mates than usual. If it were anything like Kaida, it could be due to her being a different Lycan than anyone else in the kingdom. Throughout her life, she had done research about being a Meta Wolf, but, like Kaida, nothing ever specifically stated that she would need multiple mates just because of her power. She didn’t toss out that idea because she didn’t fit the bill exactly, but it still made her want to find out why she had multiple.

One was bad enough after he rejected me. Chase is already proving to be more than I can handle with his uncanny ability to get me to do anything he wants.

I haven’t heard you complain about the things he wants yet.

Shut up. I just need to keep my shit together so my dad doesn’t end up losing his. He is on edge enough as it is, and now I am possibly mated to an enemy pack. If he finds out, this isn’t going to go over well.

Death Valley was another pack that did not seem to like the Great Plains pack very much due to their wealth and size. Her memory of what went down at the pack house only proved her point further that this path was not high on her list of having a mate within. Not only was Death Valley known to be where a lot of plant life could be as valuable as the crops that her family grew, but it was also full of hot-tempered Lycans who didn’t exactly play by the rules.

Lykos did not seem as worried about being here as Remy did. He stepped out of the car and waited for Remy and Bryan to get out before walking toward the alpha with the poise of someone who had leaked confidence. As soon as they stepped in front of the stairs, the Lycan Alpha looked at Remy. He scanned her as if he were assessing who she was and why it was a big deal for her to be in his presence. Remy did her best not to fidget underneath his gaze. She didn’t want to give away to him the fact that she knew he was a possible mate of hers. The other Lycan seemed to shift from one foot to the next for a second; if Remy had blinked, she would have missed it.

Then he looked back at Lykos. "Alpha Lykos, while you are here, we extend our hospitality to you and yours."

Lykos bowed his head. "We accept your Hospitality, Alpha Myles, and extend our promise to abide by it."

"My cook has prepared a brunch for us, so please come inside so we can dine and talk."

With another glance thrown her way, the Alpha narrowed his eyes at Remy before turning on his heels and walking inside the house. She didn’t know his problem, but she didn’t like his attitude. If this were a glimpse into how this meeting would go, she would need to have her wits about her, just like at Redwood.

I can’t imagine this going the same way.

You have more hope than I do.

While inside, Remy noticed how it was decorated to match the colors of the surrounding areas. The decor had more of an orange and yellow theme, and Remy preferred it over the last pack house. This home appeared to be lived in through all of the decorations, and she even noticed some children’s toys lying about inside the few rooms they passed before getting to the dining area. She could hear the commotion of other pack members throughout the home and took note of how it was more casual talking and some laughter. There was even some pitter-patter of children’s feet running above them, which brought a smile to Remy’s face. It was always good to hear happy children inside the pack. That meant there was no overwhelming urge to stay quiet because their leaders would become angry. If this pack was as hot-tempered as she was led to believe, it at least told her that they kept it out of the sight of the children, which made Remy’s heart clench with happiness. She hated it when children were made to feel locked in a box instead of allowed to be who they were.

Maybe this will go better than last time after all.

The dining area had a large table with many seats around it. The hardwood floor had an orange tint, so whoever decorated the room had a deeper orange wooden table with a lighter shade of white painted on the walls. The home smelled of garlic, onion, and red meat, making Remy’s mouth water. She could smell the scent of burning oil and wondered if somebody was also frying up chicken. If that were the case, they would definitely be eating well here. It was also a statement that this place was better off in terms of money to have a better meal plan with more expensive meats.

Like last time, the two alphas sat at either head of the table with their betas at their respective rights. Remy took this as a signal to just go with it and sit on her father’s left, even though he had been wanting her to sit on his right to show that she was to be the future alpha of the pack. Lykos didn’t trust this Alpha at all. The food was brought out to them by a few submissives who did not look anyone in the eyes and craned their necks to show their submission. Their jaws were clenched, and their hands were white, knuckling the plates they held. Remy paid a little more attention and noticed the power emanating from the five of them in the room. If she were a submissive walking in here, Remy would have done the same thing. This much power in a small space would choke someone without the same power level. Remy inhaled a deep breath and focused on pulling back her Lycan. The submissives showed her that the beast was more on edge than she thought.

"I believe you came here to discuss the land disputes that are plaguing our kingdom."

More like the Dark Dimension is plaguing our kingdom.

He doesn’t need to know that if he speaks to us in this manner.

"Yes, I would like to extend an offer. I did the same with the Redwoods, but they decided my offer was... beneath them. So, I would like to start by saying that I will not give away so much of my land that I don’t have any myself."

Myles leaned back in his chair and grimaced. " Already making excuses, I see. That doesn’t bode well for the rest of our discussion."

"It’s more like stating that my territory is still mine. If I choose to give away only a small section of the land, that is my prerogative, but remember, I don’t have to give you anything."

"If you were in charge of us all, would you say the same thing?"

Remy scrunched her nose at that question. She wasn’t sure what he was getting at.

"Considering our leader is leaving this all up to the packs to spread their territories how they see fit, yes."

Myles snarled. "Someone needs to take that man out anyway so a real leader will get involved to show the rest of the pack how it is done. He is sitting inside of his territory, living it up while the rest of us are fighting for our lives and just scraping by."

"Fenry is also fighting for his life. All of the surrounding packs are attacking him the same way."

Myles laughed. "I got the letters, too. I don’t believe in him and hope he is going through the same thing. It is just an excuse to withdraw from all of this. He’s waiting for the dust to clear so the problem children are all gone."

Remy caught her father’s jaw clenching. A noise got caught in his throat, telling her that he suppressed a growl. "I have seen firsthand what he is dealing with. I was at his home during the first attack and helped him keep his land as his. You are sorely wrong if you think our leader deals with nothing compared to us. Packs are trying to take over his place as we speak. They want the title and the land that goes along with it. That is what we are facing here."

Myles’s body language remained the same. His arms were folded over his chest, and he glared down the table to their side. Even though he could smell the truth of her father’s words, this did not stop him from thinking this was all a ruse.

"Then why are you here? If you do not wish to give up large parts of your land so the rest of us could live the same life as you, then what will you propose instead?"

"That we do not resort to the same thing the other packs have been doing or saying. You mentioned not too long ago that I needed to help solve this problem. You understand that the Lycans believe the Old Ways are needed to settle their issues. The old ways need to stay in the past; they are the Old Ways for a reason. If that becomes a new norm, then no one will be safe. The packs will begin taking over every small pack they can, killing the strong and keeping the weak to have more under them to gain power. If the powerful ones join them, then they will gain that power. Soon, our entire kingdom will be covered in blood. Is that really what you want for our kingdom?"

Myles cracked his neck. Remy’s heart fluttered, and she felt his rage roll through the room. She didn’t know what that meant. Why would his rage cause this kind of reaction to her?

"What are you trying to state here? Do we need to forge an alliance between our packs? If this is the reason why you came here, you’re going to leave quite upset. I have no interest in aligning myself with anyone around here. Having an alliance means more than what a young pup will think. It means that if I grow power, you can rely on me to help you with your battles. If I would grow in riches, I would have to bail you out."

Remy couldn’t hold her tongue anymore. This guy didn’t seem to understand what her father was proposing. She didn’t know this was going to be where this conversation led. She thought they were coming here to give the same proposal as they did with the Redwoods. If an alliance was on the table, that meant the same thing as what this alpha thinks we want from them. He was being stupid, and she hated stupidity.

"So, you mean to tell me that if you had the option to align yourself with one of the strongest packs inside the kingdom, you would say no? We are one of the richest inside of the kingdom and one of the most powerful. You state that you do not want to give us any of your riches or help us with any battles, fine. Yet an alliance is the same thing both ways. You fear that we are going to rely on you? No. We are extending the opportunity for you to be able to rely on us."

Myles looked taken aback. Remy assumed he did not expect her to speak up at all. One thing a lot of people will need to learn now is that she anticipated the pack would be hers within the next few years, and she would be just as powerful as her father if not more. She would be an alpha who does things to help better her pack and kingdom. If this man was supposed to be her mate, he must learn this now. She would not be a rollover-and-submit kind of Luna.

"I see you let children fight your battles for you."

Remy growled. "I am no child, and I am allowed to speak. I am not afraid to tell you that we expect you to rely on us as much as we rely on you. An alliance is a partnership. If this is not something you want, then you need to tell us now so we can stop wasting our time and forge alliances with those willing to talk."

Shockingly, Lykos had a smile on his face. He approved of what she was saying. He also liked that she took charge. It showed that this pack was a strong force, and each member would stand their ground, not just the Alpha.

"I’m not sure how we got off on the wrong foot here," Bryan added, taking the hint that they could all talk this out, "but we are here to ensure the safety of the packs–all of them. The old ways need to remain in the past. If we begin to align with other packs, then it would be a stronger force for these lost souls to destroy. You are inside of a valley. There is only one way in and one way out of here. If the packs trying to bring the old ways back band together and come here, you will be the one who loses. If you choose to align yourself with others who are willing to have your back, that is something these packs aren’t going to expect. Lycans are creatures who need others to keep their power. We are a social breed and need all those people to keep our power."

The Beta to Myles cleared his throat. "I agree that we have gotten off on the wrong foot. I believe that we need to step away and have a discussion."

"Beta Asher has a point. Please excuse us."

Asher was his name. During her time away, this pack clearly had a management switch. She did not remember Alpha Myles or Beta Asher as the ones in charge of this pack. She made a mental note to ask her father what had happened when they were alone. Even if they had walked away, with the enhanced hearing of their species, they could hear the conversation. She didn’t want to announce that she did not remember these facts, especially after showing that she was a powerful Lycan of the pack by speaking out as she had.

It was only a few minutes before the two of them came back. Their body posture was slightly different from before when they sat down. Myles had his fingers folded together and pressed against the table, and Asher leaned back in his chair.

"We have no reason to take you up on this offer. I don’t like that you are still unwilling to share your land. However, if you are proposing an alliance, you will be able to help out with our pack. Does this also mean you will share resources?"

"I can send shipments of resources to your pack from ours. If you are willing to give me a list when I return to my territory, I can put together that shipment and send it to you as soon as possible."

Myles nodded and then stood from the table, signaling that the discussion was over. Remy sighed in relief before standing up. Myles’ eyes were fixated on her, and the heat from his gaze made her stomach turn into knots.

"I can extend my hospitality to give you some rest from your travels if you wish."

Lykos bowed. "Thank you, but I believe we need to move on. However, I would like to use your facilities before leaving. It is a long drive to the next destination."

Bryan agreed, and they walked off to use the bathrooms. Asher disappeared as well but didn’t announce where he planned to go.

Myles stared at her. "I think we need to have our own discussion. Don’t you think?"

Shit. Is it too late to run?