Chapter Sixty-One

Saffron twisted and turned on her bed, sleep eluding her, as memories of a time before assaulted her mind.

Ryder’s story, and his transformation right in front of her hours ago had unlocked some memories in her, memories which she wasn’t sure belonged to her, but to her wolf.

Her wolf.

It still stunned her, to think she wasn’t just a simple human girl like she had thought, but something more, someone supernatural. It felt bizarre, to know that an entity lived inside of her, sharing her mind, body, soul, and everything that she was made of.

But, she also knew that a part of her had always believed that she was a part of something more, that she had a destiny to fulfill.

To think that she had thought herself crazy, the day the voice had manifested in her head, when it was just her wolf talking to her. Which thinking about it now, she couldn’t remember the exact moment when the voice had started speaking to her.

She felt like it had been with her, her whole life, giving her comfort when she needed it, and providing guidance to her, whenever her path had begun to stray.

When Ryder had finally revealed the truth of what they were, it had taken her a hot minute before her brain had caught up with what she had seen him become, and the implications of what he had told her, after he had assumed his human form once again.

Her mother had been a werewolf too, and was the Luna of Silver Moon Pack/mafia gang.

And her mother’s husband, the Alpha of said pack had been abusive, which was why Leonora had had an affair with Saffron’s father, a human.

She had no idea whether her father had known what her mother was, when they had been together, or whether she had also hidden the truth from him.

If so, had her mother hidden the truth of what she was to protect them? Because Leonora knew that the Alpha would kill them all, if he knew about James Kessler, and Saffron's existence?

But, she was never going to know. The truth had died with her mother, and so did her father, even though he still breathed to date.

To his credit, Ryder had stood patiently and watched her, as she had tried to come to terms with her newest reality, as she filtered through the new information he had given her, a sense of loss hitting her out of nowhere.

“I… I don’t get it,” she had said, stumbling through her words, as she wrestled to control her emotions. “Why didn’t I know any of this? Do you think my father knew? Is that why he sold me here?”

“I have no idea,” Ryder had replied, his tone gentle, as he gripped her chin with his hand, forcing her to look at him. “Maybe she wanted to tell him, or she had intended for you to find out when you were older, but she died before she had the chance to tell you? And as for your father, I have no idea what made him do what he did. Even though I am not happy about the circumstances with which you were brought here, I am glad that I finally found you. My mate.”

At his words, Saffron had found herself unconsciously leaning against him, her heart and mind so filled with sorrow, she couldn’t even find the silver-lining about how they had found each other. His words should’ve made her heart leap with joy but instead, all it did was make her feel like her world had been upended once again, with no clear directive as to where she was supposed to go from there, and what she was supposed to do.

All she had ever wanted ever since she had found herself trapped on this godforsaken Island was to find a way to escape, and live her life like she had always wanted.

But now, after finding out where her mother had come from, and that she belonged to another werewolf owned mafia gang, she no longer had any idea what she wanted.

A part of her was so desperate for some form of comfort, that only Ryder could provide to her. But, she also knew that they now not only belonged to two different worlds, but also belonged to two different packs that were vying for the throats of each other.

What future existed for them? Even though they were mates? How could they co-exist, when she was sure that Silver Moon Pack’s Alpha would be coming for her head, the moment he knew that she was alive? And Blood Moon Pack’s Alpha, Ryder’s father, who had been gunning for her since she had been sold to him, what would happen to her, when he found out that she belonged to his rival’s pack?

She had wanted to lean into Ryder’s strength, to bury her head in his chest, to envelope herself in his warmth, and the protection he silently offered her.

She wanted to unleash every emotion she was feeling, wanted him to hold her through it all, to tell her that everything was going to be okay, that they would weather the storm together.

But the moment her head had met his chest, their new reality had sucker-punched her in the gut, forcing her to take a step away from him, fighting against his hold, even as he tried to hold onto her.

Suddenly, she felt like she needed space away from him, to process her thoughts alone, where she wouldn’t be hit with his presence, and the potential of what they could be, should she choose to leave.

“I need to think,” she had blurted out, before she had nudged past him and ran out of the grotto.

The place she had once seen as beautiful and breathtaking had now become something she couldn’t stand the presence of.

Everywhere she looked at, was like a reminder of what her heritage was, a heritage that was going to be the death of her, if she wasn’t careful.