The Brave Human Mate

12.

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Healer Rhea's POV

After Rhea had marked the six males, things in the camp and their travels had turned a bit brighter. And no, she didn't think of her rebranding as a blessing, if anything, she wanted to give them some sort of protection—Even if she didn't necessarily know how well it would pass with a wolf's loyalty to the Alpha King.

Currently, they were walking diligently through the woods, hoping to find some type of shelter that would provide some cover from the incoming storm. One that Rhea and Gilroy had voiced their worry about, considering they could feel the lingering shots of pain within their healed injuries.

Rhea thought the trick was always a waste when a wolf's nose in the pack could sniff it that morning, or feel the slightest shift in the temperature. She didn't doubt that the packs needed both humans and wolves to function, the idea of being human and basically mortal kept the mortality rate of the entire pack in better shape.

She couldn't manage to count how many times she had to remind wolves that they were at risk of certain things as well. As illnesses were starting to pick through the pups—It just reminded Rhea that she had left all her notes back in her infirmary.

She was hopeful that Alpha Stephen will have saved something worthwhile, given that she spent actual years tending to the medical science of everything. If it wasn't available, Rhea was certain that she could repeat the given tests, her memory was fairly decent—Though one thing that had prevailed had been the cough that started to plague their group.

First, Rhea had assumed it had been from the inhalation of too much smoke from their fiery escape, but evidently, Ray had been feeling weak for quite some time. And this amount of travel and adrenalin had given him the wearing down, leaving travel to a minimum.

Or at least they had found a rather abandoned shack in what appears to have been a former human farm—Given that Dane caught sight of some rusted and broken equipment after sweeping through the better part of the shelter and fields.

"Wouldn't be a bad place, with the right amount of hands to clean it up," Dane claimed, his eyes out the cracked window while Hawes nudged him, as they were tasked with boarding up the given cracks with what they could find.

It was going to be chilly tonight, and the fire in the hearth wasn't going to be of any use if it slipped through.

In the midst of it all, Rhea had set up their sickened member in her robe and in the remanence of a padded chair. One that more than likely housed rodents a time or two.

"You're sweet, love, but I don't think this special treatment will do me any good." Ray laughed, though it swiftly turned into a cough that Rhea nearly flinched at.

"Some of us want a full night of sleep, damnit...Hey, Clive, hand me those spears—I saw a deer right along that way." Hawes huffed his approval into joining and Rhea stared out to see the collective group of men devises a game strategy. One that didn't go much farther than—Kill the deer.

"Goodness, you three—Get over here." She ordered, and Clive had been the first to stand at attention. And it certainly caused Rhea to tumble right onto her arse as she tried to get Ray tucked in properly.
"Clive, darling, really—You're not my soldier. None of you are...Here, take this—Deers are obsessed with it. My pack's humans were getting offended so they asked me to make this. Caught a few of the ingredients on the way over, just not sure how potent it is." She offered up the vial, and Clive felt powerful in the Queen giving him the attraction potion.

"My advice, if you decide to take it. Delude it with water, get positioned in the trees, and strike from above. We might not have the claws and teeth as the wolves do, but we can still hunt just fine." Rolf, who was still stationed beside the door had tossed his spear from one hand to the other. "Hunted a lot?"
"Absolutely not. But I've heard some horror stories and what they would've wished they had done instead of what caused them to come to need my aid. You pick up a thing or two...And if you could possibly keep an eye out for our tea leaves? That'd be a blessing." Clive had instantly shouted his agreement and taken to going outside, though Rolf and Hawes caught Rhea's shake of the head.