Chapter 38: Chapter Thirty-Eight

It took nine long days for Saffron to wake up.

Nine long days in which Ryder Oscura had laid siege against Blood Moon Pack’s enemies, bringing them to heel and serving as the Alpha soldier his father has trained him to be.

Nine long days in which he had scouted the area where Saffron had been attacked, trying to hunt down those who were responsible for her catatonic state but to no avail.

It was like the person or people responsible for the attack had not existed at all. The only coherent scent both him and his wolf were able to find was that of Saffron and the tang of her blood that had been spilled.

But from the claw marks that had been visible on her body—straight slashes across her cheeks, stomach, and arms—it was easy to say that she had been attacked by a werewolf.

But who?

Which wolf shifter had been brave enough to attack her when the Alpha Supreme had made it clear she was not to be harmed in any way or form?

Had it been a shifter among the Blood Moon Pack or another from a rival pack?

And if so, what sort of werewolf was able to mask their scent completely without the barest hint of their presence?

Ryder had never heard of such thing happening before. But it didn’t stop him from investigating further, neither did it abate his anger and his vow of vengeance.

He was going to make the person responsible pay dearly for what they had done.

**

Ryder sat on a barstool, overlooking the crowd of rogue wolf shifters with a serene expression on his face, his lips tugging up into a smile that was anything but misleading.

It wasn’t a pretty smile. It was a smile a predator gave its prey when it knew that it had it right where it wanted it.

Ryder was thriving on the fear that emanated from the wolf shifters, the uncertainty on their faces, the weariness in their gazes, and the wide breadth of space they gave him, each pretending to mind their own business yet keeping him within their sights, unsure of what he was about to do next.

The stories of his wild rampage had spread around the packs like wildfire, and it seemed like this bar full of rogues have already heard or were prewarned against engaging with him.

Although most of the stories were greatly exaggerated, it worked to Blood Moon Pack’s favor. Nearly one-third of other werewolf-owned mafia gangs have now sworn their allegiance to them, ensuring that their business operation was now bigger and the cash flow more flush than it had been before.

Ryder, on the other hand, didn’t care about the business all that much now. All that mattered to him was finding Saffron’s attackers and making them pay.

“You are a long way from home, mutt,” a deeply accented voice spat from behind him, making Ryder turn sharply, his nostrils flaring at the insult.

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?” Ryder taunted, his lips lifting up into a full-fledged smile that had some of the rogues cringing away.

‘Do not engage in combat now!’ Ryder’s wolf warned, trying to get him to back down. ‘It is not worth it.’

‘Shut up!’ Ryder snarled at his wolf. ‘This does not concern you.’

“You dare to come into my bar and try to insult me?” the man bristled, spittle flying out of his lips.

“You call that an insult?” Ryder guffawed as he palmed the neck of the cheap whiskey he had been drinking ever since he had walked into the bar. “And here I thought you were more intelligent than you seemed. I guess you are far more stupid than I gave you credit for.”

“You little shit!” The rogues’ Alpha cursed before lunging for Ryder, shifting mid-air and landing on Ryder on all fours, knocking them both down.

Chaos ensured then. Some of the bar patrons shifted into their wolves to assist their Alpha while the rest remained in human form, watching on the sidelines and waiting to jump in when needed.

Ryder was outnumbered fifteen to one, but it meant nothing to him. He had gone into the bar with a singular purpose of looking for a fight.

Summoning the strength of his wolf, partially-shifted Ryder grabbed the Alpha by the scruff of his neck, digging his claws in painfully before he threw the wolf across the room with an enraged snarl.

The Alpha let out a weak whimper of pain as he hit the wall with a loud thud, the cracking of his spine echoing across the bar, blood sprouting from his wounds. He shifted back into his human form, his naked body shivering before he seized as he gave up the ghost within seconds.

The other wolves converged on Ryder at once, having witnessed the death of their Alpha by his hands, their pain and anger at him making their attacks uncoordinated.

Ryder parried the attacks, managing to block and dodge a few of the teeth and claws that came at him. Some got a hit on him, but it only made him fight harder. And within a matter of minutes, the fight was over.

A sea of carnage laid at his feet, the outcome of his sporadic anger and thirst for revenge turning him into a killing machine that he wasn’t.

Blood dripped down his arms, none of it his, his irises flashing between gold and brown, his chest rising and falling furiously.

“Ryder?” a soft feminine voice called out uncertainly, making him jerk his head sideways as he sought the direction of the voice.

He had waited a long time to hear her voice. But never in the last nine days had he imagined that he would hear her voice now, and here of all places.

Not at the place he had laid siege, all in the name of seeking vengeance for her.

But when he looked around him, he couldn’t find her. A snarl escaped his lips, causing the remaining rogues to whimper.

The vibration of his phone had him snap his attention to his slacks, patting the pockets until he found the item.

“She’s awake.”

Those words had him rushing out of the bar, leaving the bloodbath behind him as he made his way towards the woman who had made him go insane.