Remington shook his head. “I freaked out. I panicked. My whole life was shattered and I didn’t know what to do, so I did what I do best. I ran away.”
He said this with a grimace, like it was something he disliked about himself.
“I left the manor. I shifted and ran to the wildlife reserve, because being a wolf was easier than a human. I figured I could live my life out like an animal. At least that way no one could see me cry.”
I ached with sympathy for him. He was far more used to his shifted form than me, but I couldn’t imagine staying in one form or the other for my entire life. Wasn’t the whole point to be fluid? To choose?
“I drifted in the reserve for a while,” Remington said. “I had no living family, no pack, no friends, nothing. I was alone. And I got used to it that way. I’d convinced myself that I even liked it that way.”
As he paused to collect his thoughts, I stroked his back silently. I hoped the physical comfort made him feel better. He took a deep breath before he spoke again.
“But things changed when Klimt showed up,” Remington muttered.
I stiffened at the name, my hand clenching into a fist. My inner shark wasn’t a fan, either—I felt him stir with rage.
“He hasn’t changed. He was the same way back then that he is now,” Remington said, staring at the sheets. “His only interest in me was to take me as a mate, to reign over the reserve, or both.”
“Did you fight him?” I asked, unable to control the fury in my blood.
Remington faced me with flashing yellow eyes. “How could I?” he snapped. “I was practically a kid! I was scared and lost and weak! I was a coward, Nero!”
Shame flooded me as I realized what a horrible question I’d asked him. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to blame you for what happened.”
Tears shone in Remington’s wet eyes. He shook his head. He seemed angrier at himself than at me. “No, you’re right. I should’ve fought him. I don’t think he would’ve killed me. At least I could’ve showed him I had a spine.”
I shuddered at the thought of a young Remington fighting that dirtbag. “No,” I growled. “I’m glad you didn’t. It was stupid of me to ask.”
“I was a coward.”
“You were a survivor,” I said firmly.
Remington swallowed hard. His hand trembled as it held mine. Quietly, he said, “I’ve never told anyone else about this. Not even the pack.”
My eyes widened. I felt a bit special, but also sad. Had he been bottling this up all this time? I learned from a young age not to keep my feelings to myself, but I veered too much in the opposite direction and ended up blurting everything out.
“I’m glad you told me,” I said.
Remington wore a ghost of a smile. “If I can’t tell my fated mate, whocanI tell?”
I held him closer and we were both silent for a moment, basking comfortably in each other.
“Maybe it was a good thing I ran away,” Remington murmured. “After I escaped Klimt, I had nowhere to go. I couldn’t go back to the manor, and Klimt knew my scent so he would patrol the reserve looking for me if I stayed, so I left. I ended up travelling all around the area but I never went too far. I guess part of me was afraid of straying too far from what I considered home, even after everything that happened. But during my time as a stray, I came across the canyon.”
I perked up. He must’ve been talking about the same canyon Mom lived in.
“It was there that I met Dr. Pine,” Remington said with a genuine smile. “Like I said, being a wolf was easier, so I hadn’t been human for a long time. But she still recognized me instantly as a shifter.”
“Wow,” I said. “How did she know?”
“I have no idea. There’s something magical about her. She also knew when my omega packmates were pregnant even before they did. Not by running any tests, like a human doctor would, but just…knew.”
“I had no idea Mom could do that,” I murmured in awe.
“After she recognized me as a shifter, I got scared. I wasn’t used to humans knowing what I was, and she saw right through me. I thought she was a witch or something. But I was starving and alone, so when she left food out for me, I couldn’t refuse. She never pressured me, though. Just left out food and talked to me, even though I didn’t talk back. I eventually got closer and closer until I trusted her enough to shift for the first time in months. She restored my faith in people. A little.”
I smiled. If it wasn’t for Mom’s help, would I be here with Remington right now?
I rubbed the back of my neck. “To be honest, I always felt a little bitter that she left me and Nishiki behind to go disappear into the wilderness. But knowing that she was out there helping you makes me feel a lot better.”
