Chapter 48: Chapter Forty-Eight

A groan of pleasure escaped Saffron’s lips, as she sank into the depths of the hot spring, the heat of it enveloping her body and easing the aches in her muscles.

After the disaster of the day she had just had, this was the remedy that she hadn’t thought she needed, until she had stumbled upon the beautiful, and life enhancing hot water body.

She had never known that the place existed, and had only stumbled upon it by chance, when she had left the meeting hall, after hours of waiting for a miracle to happen–which it did.

After giving up on watching the spot that wouldn’t get clean no matter how hard she had tried to clean it, she had dozed up, and when she woke up, the spot was as clean as the rest of the floor. It was like the mud hadn’t been there in the first place.

She hadn’t panicked or freaked out at the obvious mind fuck, neither had she allowed any negative emotion to trickle out of her. Instead, she had picked up her cleaning supplies, dumped them back into the storage room, and wandered off into another section of the woods which she was yet to explore.

It was the sound of the water falling against rocks, and the steam that had alerted her to the presence of the hot spring.

She had stopped, and traipsed towards the opening of the grotto, surprise and awe visible on her face, as she took in the expanse of the large pool of water, the carvings against the rock walls, and the statures that lined the path towards the pool.

It was unlike anything she had ever had the pleasure of seeing before. The place, and everything about it was beyond beautiful, it was magical even.

The stone carvings were a mixture of wolves, and humans, telling a story she didn’t understand. Stories that didn’t make a lick of sense to her, but still resonated with a part of her deep inside.

And from the several variations of entwined positions of the human carvings, it didn’t take long for Saffron to understand what purpose the place served as.

Her cheeks had tainted pink, as she took in every stone stature, her mind straying towards thoughts she had no business thinking, especially when she still had no idea what was going on.

She had no idea what was real, and what wasn’t. But in that moment, as her gaze fixed upon the swirls of blue of the water, and the steam that rose from it, she knew that she didn’t want to think about anything at all.

Not about Ryder, not about her life, not about the Alpha, and most certainly, not about the erotic thoughts she had about Ryder and her.

Yeah, all that mattered was surrendering herself–heart, soul, mind, and body–into the beckoning arms of the hot spring.

Before the thoughts crept back in, Saffron quickly stripped off her dirty dress, and took the step first into the water, a sigh escaping her lips, as warmth surrounded her, sinking into her bones, and heating up her veins, chasing away a chill she hadn’t thought was present in her body.

Every aching joint in her body rejoiced at the blissful feeling the warmth provided her with.

She lowered herself into the water, until she was fully submerged inside, then she ducked her head beneath the surface, and ran her hand through the strands of her hair, which were now coarse, instead of the silkiness she had been used to, growing up.

Another thing the Alpha had taken from her.

Shaking her head to clear away the thoughts that were bubbling up the surface of her mind, Saffron dipped her head back into the water to soak it up again. As it soaked, she ran her fingers through it, trying to work out the knots as best as she could, without the use of a hairbrush.

Her hair hadn’t been the same, since she had been taken. And for the life of her, she couldn’t remember the last time she had taken a bath with hot water, she had essentially forgotten just how amazing it felt, all that warmth seeping into your bones, and reviving you in a good way.

A strange comforting sensation washed over her, the more time she spent in the water, helping her to keep every thought, pleasant or unpleasant at bay, as she reveled in the glory of the spring.

She leaned back against one of the large stature of a wolf, and propped her elbows up onto the outer surface of the pool, absentmindedly watching the sheen of the water as it reflected onto her body, a serene smile on her face.

She stayed that way for a long time, just relaxing within the warmth of the pool, her body half inside, and half outside the pool, so far away from the realms of reality, it was a wonder she finally snapped herself out of it.

Submerging fully into the water one final time, knowing that she had to get back to the slave quarters, before the Alpha or his second came in search of her.

Her head ducked back onto the surface, and she stepped out of the water, stretching her arms over her head, and arching her back to test her body for any lingering aches, when she was back on solid ground again. It was only then as she stood to her full height again, that she realized she had an audience.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice so calm and collected, as she stared at the interloper, who was leaning against one of the statures, his unwavering gaze fixed upon her, refusing to cower and hide away her nakedness.

If he felt no shame to look at her while she was naked and unaware of his presence, then she had no reason to feel ashamed for being naked.

“I should ask you the same,” Zayden responded in a cool tone, quirking up an eyebrow, daring her to state her business.

“Don’t you know it is rude to watch a lady bathe?” she asked, refusing to allow herself to react to his presence. “What would your friend think? What would Ryder say, if I told him you preyed upon me while I was naked.”

Her emotions were now foggy at best, so it wasn’t hard to tamp them down.

“I would hardly call it preying upon,” he mused, his tone lilting in a way that sounded odd to her. “Observing would suffice, no?”

“What do you want?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, and staring at him boldly.

“Do you know what this place is?” he answered her question with a question of his own, making a spark of anger filter through her, before she shoved it back down.

“Why don’t you tell me?” she sassed, grabbing her discarded dress, and pulling it back on. “Since I have a feeling you would be telling me anyway, even if I did know.”

“You have a mouth on you little one,” Zayden chuckled, finally breaking the stare down, to gaze at the pool. “No wonder Ryder’s crazy about you.”

“Crazy about who?” she queried, her heart skipping a beat, because she wasn’t sure she had heard him correctly.

Ryder was crazy about her?

“This is a place of ritual for Ryder’s family, the Alpha Supreme does not take it kindly to those who trespass upon sacred lands without invite,” Zayden stated, ignoring her question. “Come, there are questions I need answers to, and you are the only person who can provide them.”

Zayden turned and began to walk away without looking back to ensure that she was following behind him.

‘You and me both,' she thought, as she followed after him.

Even though she was infuriated by the way he had ordered her to go after him, she was curious to know what questions he needed answers to.

Hope bloomed in her heart also, her lips tugging up into a smile, as she thought about Zayden’s comment about Ryder being crazy about her.

Yeah, it was good to know that she wasn’t the only one losing it.