Chapter 67: Chapter Sixty-Seven

Saffron silently walked behind Ryder, her mind and heart a jumbled mess, as they headed towards one of the island’s weapon caches.

Her lips still tingled from their little make out session, and if it hadn’t been for the fact that she and Ryder were going to be separated in a matter of minutes or hours–depending on when they arrived on Silver Moon Pack territory–she would still be thinking about it, and how right it had felt, for them to finally share that moment together.

It had been as intoxicating and explosive as she had thought it would be, and though she had always thought of Ryder to be a rough lover, he had been surprisingly gentle as he had held her against him, and devoured her lips with his.

As it stood, she had far too many things to worry about, things like what she was going to do next, when she reached Silver Moon Pack, and how she was going to find her mother’s family.

She had to assume that with werewolf genetics, they had to still be alive, unless if their Alpha had had them killed, just like he had done with her mother.

“What’s she doing here?” A voice asked, startling her out of her reverie. And it was then that she realized Ryder had stopped in front of a building, and if the person who had talked hadn’t, she would have ran straight into him.

“Not a concern of yours,” Ryder growled, his gaze narrowing on the guard. “Now, open the door.”

The guard hesitated for a second, his gaze flicking towards Saffron, before he returned it to Ryder, his expression uncertain. He tilted his head sideways, and sniffed the air, his gaze narrowing on her once again, his uncertainty morphing into a confused expression, when he caught her scent.

“Are you going to get it open, or should I do it myself?”

The guard shook his head, his lips parting slightly as if he was about to say something but then he remembered himself, and from the look of absolute murder on Ryder’s face, he knew he would be signing his death warrant if he said or did something wrong. So, without a word, he opened the door, and stepped aside to allow them entry. Though, his gaze was still fixed on Saffron, as they descended the stairs that led into the weaponry.

Saffron’s nostrils tickled, as they stepped into the room, the scent of moss and mildew assaulting her.

But when Ryder flicked on a light switch, and the halogen globes flickered to life, she forgot all about her nostril irritation, as she gasped, openly gawking at the weapon stash that the lights have just revealed.

No wonder the guard had been skeptical, when Ryder had shown up with her in tow.

There were all kinds of weapons on display, lining up the racks on the walls, ranging from small purse pistols to long rifle-looking thingy. There were open boxes which contained ammos and explosive devices of all kinds.

On another wall, there was a rack which displayed a variety of knives, ranging from different sizes, lengths, and curves.

If the slaves knew about this weapon stash, there would have been a riot on the island, she thought, as her gaze flicked from one wall to another.

Though she had no idea what some of the weapons were called, she knew without being told, that they were deadly, especially in the hands of someone as untrained as her.

Although she felt intimidated by them, there was a part of her that was thrilled at seeing them, knowing that there was no shortage of ammunition should Ryder need help.

Her heart began to race, as she thought about the imminent fight that was hanging over Ryder’s head, like a dark cloud, casting dark ominous shadows over their lives.

She wanted nothing more than to stay by his side, as he fought for a safer future for them, and the others on this pack's territory but she knew that staying would only cause a hindrance to his plans.

When he had made the plan to save his pack from ruin, she hadn’t even been on Blood Moon Pack’s territory. And from the little she had heard about his plans, she knew that she was the reason why he was going through with the challenge in the first place.

It made her feel worthless and weak, knowing that someone was going to be fighting a battle because of her, even though said person was her mate, it still didn’t make it hurt less.

She hated the fact that she had to run away from her problem, while someone else fixed it up for her, when all her life, she had been the one to fix every single problem that she had ever had. She had been fighting for herself since the moment she had been born, and having a mate shouldn’t change that.

“I might not know or hear what you’re thinking, but I can feel your emotions,” Ryder stated softly, the corner of his lips turning down into a frown, as he glanced up at her, dropping the knife he was holding on the table. “I understand what you’re thinking, and I know that running away goes against everything that you want but…”

“You don’t have to say anything,” she cut him off, her tone as soft as his, as she crossed the distance between them, and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I accept that we have to part ways for now. I just wish that it didn’t have to be this way.”

“Yeah, me too.”

The loud blare of the horn had her sighing against his chest, because she knew that their time had come to an end.

He tilted her chin up, and brushed his lips against hers in the barest form of kisses, before he pulled back and turned around.

He picked up a selection of knives and began to arm himself, gesturing at her to do the same.

His expression was grim as he turned to face her once again, fully armed and ready to leave.