Chapter Fifty-Five

The medical center which was built along the coastline of the ocean, was completely enveloped with the sound of crashing waves, which were carried through the air, made more magnanimous by the open flaps of the stone-carved windows.

The one thing that Ryder admired the most about the ocean wasn’t the fact that it was big and intimidating, it was the fact that it was deafening, the sound of it drowning the intrusive voices in his head.

He always found solace when he was out in the open, breathing in the calm ocean breeze, the scent of saltwater sticking to his body, and the sound of it drowning all other voices until all that was left was him and the all-encompassing massive body of water.

Now, lying here on a cot, recovering from an attack, all Ryder could think about was Saffron.

He could hear the faint voices of Shivani and other medical personnel flitting about, but he wasn’t focused on that. All he could think about was how he could have died from the attack before he had gotten the chance to tell her what he had found out about her past, and the feelings he had for her.

The news of her being a half-breed had been a welcome respite from all the confusion about her ancestry. And now that that had been taken care of, the issue of his wolf staking a claim over her didn’t matter as much as it had before when he had thought that she was just a mere human.

But, the fact that she belonged to their greatest rivals also put a damper on his plans, because his findings painted a much larger target against her back, than his mere interest in her, had before.

Her entire existence was now at stake because of her familial ties. And to hide the truth from his father the Alpha Supreme wasn’t just considered treason, but also went above everything he had been taught, both as a child and an adult.

But, to even just think about issuing a challenge to his father, when he was the heir apparent, could also be considered treason. So, keeping Saffron’s secret wouldn’t be the first line he would be crossing, when it came to his pack.

He blinked his eyes open to find Shivani hovering over him, a thoughtful frown etched on her face, as she poked at his sides with a needle.

“What do you think you are doing?” he questioned, eyeing the needle point like it was poison, as he shifted away from it.

“Oh, you’re awake,” she uttered, as she dropped the needle on a tray and took off her disposable hand gloves, and dropped them in a bin next to the foot of the bed.

“Do you even know how to handle a needle?”

“Very funny,” she deadpanned, before placing the back of her palm against his forehead to check his temperature. “Your injuries were quite extensive and deadly Ryder, I have no idea how you are still alive, or how you were able to heal as fast as you did, without shifting into your wolf.”

“Lucky me,” he muttered under his breath, attempting to rise into a sitting position, before giving up with a muttered curse.

“Yes, lucky you. What attacked you? I have never seen an injury such as yours before and when we found you…” Shivani trailed off, her eyes misting with unshed tears, before she cleared her throat and averted her gaze. “You weren’t healing Ryder. And I thought… I thought that was the end. Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, forcing himself to brave the pain so he could sit up, and see her clearly. “For scaring you.”

Shivani nodded but didn’t utter a word to him.

“It was a mutation that attacked me last night,” he stated, earning an alarmed look from her, as she turned sharply at his words.

“So, they’re real?” she whispered, palming the back of her neck, as she dropped unceremoniously on the chair besides his cot.

“Yes,” he nodded grimly, a sigh escaping his lips. “I have no idea where it came from but…” he cut off his words when they heard the sounds of footsteps heading towards them. “We’ll continue this later.”

He shifted into his wolf before she responded to his statement, a mewl of pain escaping him, as what would’ve taken him seconds took almost a minute to achieve.

But when he was finally shifted into his other form, he jumped from the cot and landed on the floor on unsteady paws, before he jumped out of the window, ignoring Myra’s outrage shriek at the fact that he had ran away from her.

He could hear Shivani’s growls in the distance as she tried to stop Myra from her attempts to follow him, as he bounced along the coastline and took the path that would lead him back to the cabins.

He needed to see Saffron and explain the situation to her. Yet, he had no idea how to break down the news to her. But first things first, he needed to get to his cabin and find some fresh clothes to wear.

He shifted into his human form when he was far away from the medical center before shifting back into his wolf form again, his gait much stronger and faster now that he had shifted twice.

As he raced towards his cabin, he thought about Shivani’s comments about his miraculous recovery from his altercation with the mutation, his mind wandering towards the lifeline he had pulled energy from, when he had been at the brink of death.

He thought about Saffron, and his theory about her being his mate. If his wolf’s obsession with her hadn’t proved to him that they were mates, then the fact that he had somehow drawn energy from her–which was something only true mates were able to do–to survive was another indication that they were indeed mates.

But, he also had his doubts because while his gut told him that the energy had come from her, he still wasn’t sure that it had come from her entirely. He needed to see her, to be sure that his theory was correct. And if it was, then keeping her secret wasn’t just a choice he had to make, it was a duty he had to fulfill.

His mate came above all, whether it was duty or blood, she came first.