Chapter Fifty-Seven

“My mother?” Saffron queried, with a frown on her face, her confusion clear in the set of her eyes. “What about her?”

“Come,” he entwined their fingers together, and pulled her farther into his cabin, his steps measured, as he headed towards the sofa in his living area. “This is a conversation that is better had, seated.”

“Ryder,” she called out his name with uncertainty, unease settling in her gut, as she followed behind him with slow steps, her mind racing a mile a minute, as she thought about what he could possibly know about her mother.

Ryder stopped walking and turned around to face her, releasing her hand so that he could cup her chin with both of his palms.

Saffron leaned into his touch, her eyes closing on instinct, a soft breath escaping from her partially parted lips.

“You said that you trust me, right?” he asked softly, brushing the pad of his thumb over her lower lip, eliciting a sharp exhale from her, before she opened her eyes to look at him.

“I do,” she nodded, the barest hint of a smile appearing on her face, as the truth of her words reverberated through every part of her body.

Saffron was done second-guessing herself, and the attraction she felt towards him. Ryder might be the son of her enemy, but he wasn’t his father, as he had shown her, time and again.

He could have left her to die, when he had found her floating in the ocean, but he had chosen to save her life, when they barely knew each other.

He had saved her on many accounts, when someone in his place would have left her to die.

Yes, he wasn’t a good guy. But, in this world that she now lived in, what did it matter whether a guy was good or bad? Or, whether his morality compass was skewered? As long as he cared about her, would never hurt her, and would burn the world for her, that’s the only validation that mattered to her.

Perhaps, that said a lot about what kind of person she was, but Saffron no longer cared. The world could think of her as a villain but as long as Ryder saw her for what she was, then there was nothing more to worry about.

“Hey,” Ryder’s voice brought her back to reality, his eyes questioning her, as he brushed his thumb over her bottom lip again. “Where did you go to?”

“Doesn’t matter,” she shrugged, smiling softly to reassure him that nothing was wrong, as she raised her hands and placed them on his. “You’re here, and that is all that I could ever ask for.”

Saffron could swear that Ryder’s brown orbs had glowed at her words, a certain fire burning inside them, as something otherworldly lurked within them, peering at her with possessiveness.

But he blinked, and the golden glow was gone, leaving behind a certain pair of brown eyes that had darkened more, looking more like burnt chocolate than their usual dark color.

A trill of excitement shot through her, starting from the tips of her toes, and rising slowly, until it settled in her middle, the feeling growing and growing, until she felt like she could burst from its heady intoxication.

It was surreal, what she was feeling in that moment, and all she wanted at that particular time was to explore the attraction that burned between them, but she knew it wasn’t the right time.

She couldn’t let herself get lost, before she found the answers that she sought. Ryder knew something about her mother, which he thought was urgent enough that he had left his hospital bed to go look for her. She had to know what he knew, now.

“Ryder?” she called out tentatively, her soft voice cutting through the tension that swirled between them swiftly, making him blink, as he stared down at her with confusion. “What is it you want to tell me about my mother?”

“Your mother?” Ryder questioned dumbly, his gaze still on hers, before he blinked again, and took a step back, putting a bit of distance between them. “Oh, right.”

Saffron tried to squash the laughter that threatened to escape from her lips, but she was unsuccessful. The tiniest giggle burst out of her lips before she could stop it, making Ryder tense, as she doubled over, full-blown giggles escaping her lips.

She had never seen him this confused, and it warmed her heart to know that she was the reason for that.

When she finally straightened up, there were tears in her eyes, but there was a certain glow on her face that had Ryder grinning, as he took her hand and pulled her down on the sofa with him.

His expression turned serious, as he turned a bit, so they were now facing each other, his lips parting slightly, before he clamped them together, unsure of how to start the conversation. He couldn’t actually start with ‘your mother had an affair with a human, and her husband ordered her death.’, it wouldn’t bode well for the rest of his day, and it would upset Saffron more than anything, even though it couldn’t be avoided. He had to soften the blow a bit.

“What do you know about your mother?” he asked, trying to buy time, until he could figure out how to tell her the truth.

“Not much really,” she responded. “She died after giving birth to me, and my dad…” she trailed off, swallowing hard, as old pain resurfaced. She thought she had gotten over his betrayal but it seemed like she didn’t because every time she spoke of him, the reminder of his betrayal was hard to ignore. “He never told me anything about her. I don’t even know what she looks like.”

“You don’t?” Ryder asked, his disbelief and anger at her father clear in the set of his jaws.

“No,” she shook her head. “There were no pictures of her. And whenever I asked, well… he never gave me clear answers.”

Ryder was silent for a beat, before he clasped her hand in his, and said, “I’m sorry.”

He didn’t need to clarify what he was sorry about, but Saffron knew, and it brought a bitter smile on her face.

“It wasn’t your fault. But, I’m over it.”

‘No, you’re not,' the voice interjected, but she ignored it. And from the look on Ryder’s face, she knew that he didn’t believe her but she changed the subject before he could call her out on it.

“What was it you wanted to tell me?”

“Your mother was married to the Alpha of the Silver Moon gang, before she met your father.”

There, he said it. Ryder looked at her, waiting for her reaction but she had gone as still as a stature, after hearing his words.

“Saff…”

“What are you saying?” she queried, cutting him off, her lips quivering, as she rose to her feet, and began to pace the length of his living area. “My mother was in a gang?”

She paused her pacing, and looked at him, waiting for his answer. When he nodded, she pursed her lips before she resumed her pacing.

Ryder’s eyes tracked her movements wearily, her reaction not at all what he had imagined. He had thought about denial, anger, some cussing and maybe a physical altercation. But this silence, he hadn’t fathomed it.

Alas, he should have known that she wouldn’t react the way he had thought she would because she wasn’t at all what he had imagined a woman would be. She was different. And now, as he watched her silently process the bit of information he had given her, he wasn’t sure whether it was a good or a bad thing. All he knew was that he was going to be there with her, every step of the way.