Chapter 43: Chapter Forty-Three

Saffron stared up at Ryder, a myriad of conflicting emotions coursing through her and shining through her eyes.

Her heart tugged at the concern she saw in his gaze, his eyes asking her without words if she was okay, and the gentle way he held her in his arms.

She had no idea what to do with this newfound affection she felt towards him, nor did she know what to do about his father and the threat he posed against her.

Before, it had been easy to nurture the tiny bit of interest she felt towards him, safe in the knowledge that there could be no future for the both of them.

But now, after what she had gone through at the hands of his father, his father’s men, and his lover, Saffron had no idea if she wanted him to be anywhere near her.

The thought of never seeing him again, however, of never smelling him, of never getting to be held in his arms again felt like a knife through her heart, making her stumble into him, closing the two-inch distance that separated them.

She clutched the fabric of his shirt tighter, closing her eyes against the onslaught of emotions, her breath becoming ragged as tears spilled from her eyes.

It was all too much, her heart and mind fighting for dominance, each tugging at a part of her, wanting to make her choose between embracing what she felt and what she knew about his world.

But, was there even a choice to be made? This was now as much her world as it was his. She was a part of this blood-soaked world, even though she had never wanted to be a part of it.

Ryder might have belonged to it by birthright, but she was now a part of it through circumstances. Some of which had led her right into his arms.

Was there a choice to be made when he was the only person who has made her safe throughout the whole weeks she had been stuck in the mafia’s territory?

Ryder might be the son of his father, but she knew in her heart of hearts that he was nothing like the monster who had imprisoned her in metaphorical chains and threw away the key.

Could she blame the son for the sins of his father? Even though she was literally paying for the sins of her father?

Would she let the cycle of violence continue? Or would she choose her freedom even though it would also be a path forged in pain and violence?

She took a deep breath, her nostrils tickling at that foreign scent that mingled with his, distorting the scent that she knew and loved.

“Wrong!” she growled, stepping out of his embrace and beginning to pull at his shirt, a foreign possessiveness taking over her and making her act irrational. “Take it off! Take it off!”

Ryder inhaled sharply as he rushed to do as she said, pulling off his shirt in one go and throwing it as far away from them as was possible, his eyes fixed on hers with a quizzical expression.

“Calm down,” he uttered, raising his hands up in surrender. “Tell me, what’s wrong.”

“Scent!” she growled, as she took a step forward, aligning her body with his once again, sighing heavily when she no longer smelled the wrong scent on him.

Ryder embraced her, his mind racing a mile a minute, as he wondered about the change that had overcame her in a matter of seconds when she had inhaled his scent.

Scenting each other was something that werewolves did and not something that humans partook in, at least not to his knowledge.

And even if they did, they didn’t do it at a primal level the way wolves did. And the flash of gold in her eyes he had seen the night before was present today, and he was sure it had not been a trick of his mind the last time he had seen it.

What the hell was going on?

He had suspected that she wasn’t human when she had remarkably survived the attacks against her, but now, he had no idea what to think.

Was she part human, part wolf?

Or was she a full-fledged wolf?

Was her other half being suppressed by something else?

And if so, who were her parents? Why would they choose to castrate their daughter like that? Why would they choose to separate her from the other half of her soul?

Now that he thought of it, he knew nothing about her, nothing about her life before his father’s interference with her life. Hell, he knew nothing about why she was on the island in the first place and why his father had insisted on her stay in the pack territory, even though he did everything to make her stay miserable.

Ryder felt angry at himself for not making any inquiries about her, for not researching about her identity and the true reason why she was in Blood Moon Pack’s territory. It was a mistake on his part and a mistake he was going to be rectifying soon, when the woman in question was no longer acting like a possessive mate.

Mate.

The word sent a pang through him as he recalled the dilemma he was now in. On one hand was the woman he was infatuated with, who was or was not a werewolf, and on the other was a woman who was destined to be his mate, albeit without his consent.

One was duty, and the other was not.

But, how could he choose between who was right for him and who wasn’t?

How could he choose between his heart and his duty to his pack, when all his life, all he has known was duty?

How could he choose a human over a werewolf when he was going to be the next Alpha Supreme of his pack?

Every way he thought of it, there was going to be a backlash for both choices. But, which was the hardest to come back from?

He closed his eyes, his hand raking through her silvery-white hair, the pull he felt towards her so impossible to ignore but also one that could be his undoing.

When he felt her breath return back to normal, he took a step back but still kept his arm on her, tilting his head to the side to regard her properly.

“What is wrong with my scent?” he queried, watching her tells carefully, his lips tilting up into a smile when her cheeks pinkened.

“I…” she gulped, as she avoided his gaze directly, choosing to stare at her feet instead. “It…”

“What about it?” he asked again, a hint of mirth coloring his tone when she refused to complete her sentence. Thoughts of the choice he had to make flew out of his mind at the sight of her being uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

“It was different,” she muttered under her breath, but with his super hearing and close proximity to her, he was able to hear her words. “Tainted.”

“Tainted?” he mulled over her words as he thought about what could have changed his scent, a part of him grinning at the thought of Saffron knowing what he smelled like.

It had to be Zayden’s scent on his clothes. The vampire had been all over his apartment and personal space ever since he had found her in the woods.

“What do I smell like to you?”

“Musk, spice, male?” she blushed at the last word, and it made Ryder’s grin widen.

“Male, huh?” he teased, earning a slap on the chest.

“Oh my god!” she gasped, placing her hand over her mouth, a look of absolute horror etched on her face. “I’m so sorry.”

He belted out a laugh at her expression, earning a laugh from her as well.

Her laugh was one of the best sounds he had ever heard. There and then, he knew there was no way he was ever going to let her go.

He had to protect her at all costs, starting with finding out the truth about her identity.