Chapter Sixty-Two
Saffron shivered, as she fought against the urge to wrap her arms around herself, because she now knew better than to give in to the sheer sensation of despair that was still riding her hard.
Crying wouldn’t solve her current situation, neither would it provide her with the right answer as to how to deal with her situation.
Nothing would, she thought, her mood souring even more. There was nothing that would fix her situation.
Any new angle she came up with, gave her the same answer that she knew before; her life was forfeit. It had been, since the day she had been born.
But, was she just going to take it, lying down? After all the pep talks she had given herself, about taking back the reigns on her life, and dictating how it went, instead of having it being dictated to her?
And what about Ryder? She knew that there was no way he was going to let her go, and she surely wasn’t about to let him go either, even if his father was a power hungry murderous psycho.
His ex too. What was she going to do about Myra?
A wave of heat surged through her in that moment, scattering her thoughts about revenge and escape, as she doubled over, her hand clutching her lower abdomen.
These heat surges were most definitely her least favorite experience about being a werewolf.
Ryder had told her that as the full moon neared, she would be getting hit by heat surges until she went into heat. It was similar to the human females’ period, and Saffron was all too familiar with the cramps it came with.
She thought now that she was transitioning into her full supernatural self, she would be rid of the gut-wrenching cramps but it seemed like whatever species she was, there was no getting rid of it.
Such was the woes of being a woman, whether supernatural or otherwise.
She had no idea how she was going to survive these heat surges every full moon. The silver-lining in it though was that she would only go to heat twice in a year. So at least, there was that.
Heat surged to her face, enflaming her cheeks, as she thought about what Ryder had told her about the heat period, and how crazy the females went with lust, that only their Alpha mate could satisfy.
The scent of a wolf in heat could also drive other male wolves crazy, and when said wolf wasn’t claimed, then it would be open season on her.
Saffron didn’t want to think about what open season meant, especially when she had never been with a guy before.
She hadn’t even had her first kiss, and yet, her wolf, someone she had only known about her existence three days ago was riding her hard, to mate with Ryder, or anyone really.
A sigh escaped her lips when she felt the pain abate, before she used the back of her hand to wipe away the sweat that had gathered on her forehead.
Straightening to her full-length, she checked the area to ensure that no one had seen her, before she resumed her walk towards the hot spring, where Ryder was waiting for her.
She had no idea whether Ryder expected her to be onboard with their mating this coming full moon, but she knew that if she told him that she wasn’t ready, he wouldn’t push her on it.
As it stood, he had been absolutely patient with her, as he had taken it upon himself to ease her into her new life, and explained supernatural history to her, promising to protect her, until such a time when she didn’t need his protection.
She had been surprised to find that Ryder’s friend, the one who had tried to make her kiss him, was a vampire, and had tried to use compulsion on her, just to verify whether she was human or not.
Though she was still incensed about the manipulation, she understood that Zayden had only been trying to protect his friend, and the future they wanted to build for both their races, and the humans as well. She didn’t have to like it though, and she was going to tell him exactly what she thought about his underhanded approach.
The daily one-on-one lessons she had with Ryder had opened her eyes to a world beyond what she had known, and it made her see him in a new light, endearing him more to her, and her wolf.
It still felt foreign, referring to the voice as her wolf but it felt right to her. Though, it still concerned her that she could no longer feel or hear her wolf’s presence inside her head.
Ryder had no explanation for why Saffron hadn’t shifted into her wolf before, or why she was no longer feeling her, but he told her that he would keep researching and hopefully, he has made headway today.
“You!”
She heard Myra’s unmistakable high-pitched voice snarl from behind her, making her snap her eyes closed in annoyance, before she whirled around to face her.
It was time she dealt with her, once and for all.
Myra might have been a werewolf for far longer than Saffron, but Saffron was one also. And there was no way she was going to let Myra keep getting away with hurting her.
She was going to teach her a lesson, today.
Fuck proprietary.
Fuck keeping to herself.
“What do you want?” she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and staring down at Myra, like she was a bug under her feet, which she could choose to crush at any moment.
Myra faltered in her steps, as she took in Saffron’s stance, and the faint glow her body seemed to be emanating–a glow that only werewolves possessed.
“I thought I told you to stay away from Ryder,” Myra stated, recovering from her shock, and stalking towards her. “He’s mine.”
“Really?” Saffron faked a gasp, her tone carrying her amusement. “Funny, I didn’t see a tag on his neck with your name on it.”
“You little shit,” Myra cursed, raising claw-tipped hands to swipe at her, but Saffron had been ready, and had already anticipated the attack.
Shifting to the side, Saffron grabbed Myra’s hand and twisted with all the strength that she could muster, a feral growl escaping from her lips, just as a sickening crunch echoed through the clearing.
A pained mewl escaped Myra’s lips, before rage filled her entirely, and she twisted in Saffron’s grip, broken arm be damned.
Though she was confused by how Saffron had gotten to her this easily, the rage that clouded her mind stopped her from thinking about the possibility of it, and she swiped at Saffron’s side with her free hand, eliciting a pained hiss from her.
Saffron released her and took a step away, clutching her side with her hand.
Saffron could feel her skin knitting together, as her healing kicked in, but she paid no mind to it, her focus fixed solely on Myra.
‘Kill her!’
The appearance of her wolf’s voice in her head startled her a bit, making her lose her focus momentarily, just as Myra jumped onto her, knocking them both on the ground.
Saffron grappled for purchase on the ground, rolling Myra onto her back, as they traded blows with each other.
Saffron landed punches on Myra unseeingly, red coloring her vision.
She thought about how Myra, and virtually everyone on the island apart from Kiera, Lydia and Ryder had scapegoated her, since the moment she had set foot upon the island. She thought about all the pain, the suffering, the beatings she had received, and the confusion as she tried to think about why it was all happening to her alone.
All of those negative emotions, and the anger, she channeled them into her fists, slashing at Myra’s body with her claws, as if she had been the reason for all of Saffron’s misfortunes.
And when she finally regained her senses, she was shocked by the scene that greeted her.
Blood covered both of their bodies, Myra’s more so than hers. And Myra laid on the ground, barely breathing, tears tracking down her cheeks, as she bled on the forest ground.
Saffron gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, as she stared at Myra’s glassy eyes.
All she could think about then, was how she had become a murderer.
First the father, and now the daughter.
Was this what she was going to be, when she finally shifted into her wolf?
A sob escaped her lips, as she dragged herself backwards, away from the crime scene, shock making her movements sluggish.
And that was how Ryder found her moments later.
One look at the scene, and he quickly dismissed the female who laid on the ground, clothe in tatters, breathing her last breaths, and focused his attention on the only female that mattered–his mate.