The Brave Human Mate

18.

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Healer Rhea's POV

Two weeks, it had taken Rhea two weeks before she had caught sight of her males, and Goddess have mercy on her soul that night when she attempted to nurse Dane back to semi-health—As it was the norm to get the men heading to the infirmary to return back to the slaughter within a day.
A day?!

Rhea nearly sobbed outright when a Rogue guard had come in and tore a male out of bed and shoved him to the ground, leaving Rhea's careful bindings to nearly come undone until she spoke up.

Which had been one of her first mistakes, as Osmin was forced to come in and reprimand her—But a slap on the arse was nothing, not when Lillian had taken the punishment and held her our moans as Rhea pretended to scream in pain, when in reality it was painful on how uncomfortable she was getting regularly.

The first night, Osmin did not join Lillian as it was his first night back in the territory as well. From then on, however, the witch claimed that now that the pack believes that the pup is his, he has more of a reason to come into the tent—And that he did.

It certainly made Rhea comfortable to see a familiar face, especially when she guilted him into thinking that she was raging on hormones and needed to know what was happening to her men.

Things were rather tense in the tent, as of late.
Osmin had taken a rather brutal beating from the Mad King in the event that he wanted a turn with the lucky female. Thankfully Lillian had thought on her feet and claimed that humans were the weakest while pregnant and during this time it would be dangerous to have sex and could possibly lose the fetus.

That lie had sent the Mad King into a spiral, and Osmin had earned himself another punch straight to the nose, why? Just to clarify his sexual frustration, but also shot Rhea a flirtatious grin.
Not that it was reciprocated.

If anything, it had confirmed the nickname the mad king—Yet his true name, Dreven, made him seem less like a threat. Leaving Rhea to have a hold over him, one that would work in the moment of authority.

Dane, in the sense of his injuries, was forced to come once a day at a similar time, and kept Rhea informed of their group. They were being kept together with Osmin's men, the same as the others they were traveling with. Yet it still irked Rhea that she hadn't left to see the outside world, not that she truly wanted to see the territory in action.

And she hardly knew the truth of what caused the soot lining in the injuries of the fallen men that were lugged by the dozens to and from the tent.

They were digging, possibly killing off the human stock, as Lillian started to call the males. But Goddess, Rhea couldn't even begin to understand or pick at what would be worth the time, money, and energy to have the product to be treated so brutally.

After the fifth death of the day, Rhea had taken the strides out of the tent and looked around in pure grief—When she lost a pack member, Alpha Stephen would be one of the first one to hear, as per his request and position of the pack. But it didn't stop there, he would comfort her—Work her courage back up to make sense of the things not in front of her.

"Back in the tent, female."

"I want to talk to the King," Rhea demanded before making any sort of plan before grinding on the fact that her anger had taken over her tongue. "He's busy."

"Yeah? And you're sending me too many males at once, most on death's door. I demand to speak with him, now." The single word to finish her sentence had made them concede—Whatever had influenced that switch in tone had stumped the males guarding the infirmary.