Chapter Fifty-Six

A knock sounded on Ryder’s door, making him pause what he was doing, and cant his head to the side, to sniff out who his visitor was.

The knock had been soft, and hesitant, as if whoever it was had been unsure of knocking in the first place.

When he got a whiff of jasmine and vanilla, the unique scent that belonged only to Saffron, a smile lit up his face, before he quickly donned on his t-shirt and strode out of his bedroom, his sight zeroing on the figure that stood just outside his door, with only the wooden structure standing between them.

He took a steadying breath as he came to a complete stop when he was only an inch away from the door, his hand hovering over the doorknob, a sudden anxiety attacking him out of nowhere.

The feeling of anxiousness was foreign to him, as it had never happened to him before, especially when it came to other sex; he had always been a smooth talker, and had never once felt at lost of what to say or do.

Also, this was Saffron, the human he had been enamored with, since the first moment he had set his sights upon her. There had never been an awkward moment between them, even that one time they had woken up together, naked. Yeah, he was comfortable with his own body and as a wolf shifter, nudity had never been an issue for him.

But for her, a human, to wake up naked next to someone she barely knew and not remembering how it had happened, Saffron had remarkably done well and not freak out, like it had been the must natural thing to happen.

So, where did this anxiousness come from?

It was annoying, and deprecating, if he was honest.

Taking a deep breath, he placed his palm on the doorknob and pulled, coincidentally at the same time Saffron had braced herself against the doorframe, making her stumble into him, when he opened the door.

They would have crashed against the floor if not for his sturdy frame, and the strength of his wolf. But, bracing her fall had definitely knocked the breath out of him.

“Oh my god!” she gasped out against his chest, as she held onto his shirt for dear life. “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to rush into you. I didn’t know you were there. When I knocked and you didn’t answer I just thought…”

“Saffron,” he called her name softly, laughter in his tone, as he pulled away from her, putting an inch of distance between them, as his hands found purchase on her arms. “Breathe.”

She paused, then blinked at him, before doing as he said, a pink hue coloring her cheeks, as he thought about how she must’ve looked, rambling on and on.

“It’s okay,” he pacified, when he took in her expression. “No harm done.”

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she rushed to say, wrapping her arms around him in a fierce hug.

The hug took him by surprise, but it also warmed his heart to bits, as his own arms automatically wrapped themselves around her, her scent hitting his nostrils more vividly, as they stood there holding each other, with not an inch of space separating them.

It was the first time he was holding her that he felt a sense of rightness in their stolen moment together, with no thoughts about the wrongness of the situation intruding upon their moment.

She pulled back for a bit, craning her head upward so that she could fully look into his eyes, a shy smile on her face, before she averted her gaze.

Using his forefinger, he tipped her chin upward, his eyes flicking towards her full lips, before flicking back to her eyes again.

He could see the want in her eyes, the need for him shining clearly in her brown orbs, her eyes a mirror image of his.

Ryder had never wanted someone as much as he did her, and he could feel the tension between them rising slowly and slowly, the ensuing silence stoking the embers of the flame that burned within them.

It was an intense moment between them, one that felt supercharged with feelings left unsaid, and desires left unsated.

Subconsciously, Ryder leaned downward, his lips only an inch away from hers, his eyes closing in anticipation for a kiss that never happened.

“Zayden tried to kiss me, two nights ago,” Saffron blurted, halting him in his tracks, her breath the only thing that was brushing his lips in that moment.

“I’m sorry, he did what?” he questioned in a dangerously low tone, that had her taking a step backward instinctually.

“I’m sorry, I should have told you earlier but then you were attacked and I couldn’t get to you sooner because I passed out when I felt like my body was being pulled apart and…”

“Saffron,” he called out, making her stop her rant, blinking wide eyes at him. “Breathe.”

“I didn’t want to kiss him,” she said, a plea in her voice, her eyes begging him to believe her.

“I know, I believe you.”

“You do?” she asked, the hope in her voice sending a spike of pain through his heart.

“Yeah,” he nodded, smiling reassuringly at her, when she stared at him with uncertainty. “I trust you, Saffron.”

“I trust you,” he reiterated, taking a step towards her, and pulling her into his arms. “Do you trust me?”

When she nodded, he sighed, and palmed the back of her neck, his thoughts going back to what she had said, about how Zayden had tried to kiss her.

Why the hell would he do that? And to what end? Why didn’t he tell him also?

Zayden de la Vega had a lot to answer to, when they meet next. But first, he needed to clear the air between him and his mate. A relationship could only be built on trust. So, he shouldn’t be hiding things from her, especially when they threatened her life.

She had to know about her mother, if only to be prepared for what was to come, in case he wasn’t there to protect her–which he hoped would never happen, as long as he lived.

“Saffron? There’s something I need to tell you, about your mother.”