Chapter 65: Chapter Sixty-Five

Saffron stared at her reflection through Ryder’s bathroom mirror, a frown tugging at the bottom of her lips, as her wolf peered out at her through her darkening orbs.

Her pupils looked so blown out and dilated, that she knew her heat was fast approaching. She had no idea how she and Ryder were going to go about it, since her wolf refused to come out.

Ryder had tried to coax her wolf out, but the stubborn creature remained dormant, only showing her presence through partial shifts.

It irritated Saffron to no end, the fact that she wasn’t making any headway but, it also made her worry, thinking whether her wolf was hurt or not.

“Can you please talk to me?” she pleaded, not for the first time, her gaze still fixed on her reflection, hoping that this time around her wolf would talk to her. “I need to know that you’re okay.”

Seconds passed with no response from her wolf. Saffron gripped the edges of the sink tightly, the muscles of her arms flexing, as she exhaled tiredly, before she strengthened and glared at her reflection. “Fine,” she groused. “Be that way.”

She turned and strode out of the bathroom, slamming the door forcefully behind her.

“You know, taking out your anger on the door will not force your wolf out,” Zayden remarked in a dry tone, his expression neutral, as he gazed at her from beneath his lashes.

“Thank you for pointing out the obvious,” she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “I hadn’t noticed just how unhelpful my hitting the door would be.”

“You know with that attitude of yours…” Zayden trailed off, shaking his head, before flicking his gaze off of her.

“What about my attitude, blood sucker?” she scowled, turning to glare at him, as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Zayden didn’t reply, neither did he react to her obvious dig at his species, making her scoff.

“You know…”

She got cut off mid-sentence, when they heard the sound of the front door opening and closing, alerting them to Ryder’s arrival.

With one last look at Zayden, she turned and walked out of Ryder’s bedroom, knowing fully well that the vampire would follow her out.

She had no idea why Ryder had tasked her with a babysitter, and though Zayden’s presence still got on her nerves, she understood where Ryder’s protectiveness was coming from.

If she was in his shoes, she knew that she would do anything to make sure that her mate was safe.

She didn’t like the babysitting, but she understood why it was necessary.

Though, she must admit that Ryder’s protectiveness just made her fall for him even more. All her life, no one had ever looked out for her. And to find someone who freely gave her protection and his love, Saffron couldn’t ask for anything more.

If only there weren’t people actively trying to kill her, then all would be well. As it stood, there was still the issue with his father, and she had no idea what Ryder meant when he said ‘I will take of him’.

Had he meant what she thought he meant?

She hadn’t gotten the chance to ask, as he had been called away by the Alpha Supreme before she had voiced her concerns, and she was graced with the face of the vampire, not even a minute after he had gone out.

From the way he had followed her around the cabin, and the way his eyes had tracked every movement of hers when they were in the same room, she had surmised that Ryder had called him to watch her while he was gone.

Her stomach had sank at the realization that Ryder didn’t trust her enough to take care of herself, but she had quickly banished the thought away, before it had taken root within her mind.

She didn’t want to have doubts about their relationship, especially since they were just starting out.

And from what she knew about fated mates, this relationship between them was a forever thing.

She still couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that she was going to have a long life, though admittedly not as long as a fae's or a vampire’s, it was a long one nevertheless.

Ever since she had turned eighteen on Blood Moon gang territory, she had given up hope that she would make it another year.

Now, to think that she was destined to live a life that was far longer than an average human’s, it was hard not to fight with all that she had, just so she could get the chance to live a long blissful life with her mate.

“What happened?” she asked, snapping herself back to the present, the moment she came face to face with him.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, when he didn’t immediately answer.

“Yeah,” he nodded, swiping his hand over his face, his gaze flicking towards Zayden, and giving him a signal to leave them, before he returned it to her. “Or it will be.”

“Why?” she asked, her tone laced with concern, her eyes searching his for answers to the distress she was feeling rolling off of him in waves. “What’s going on?”

She couldn’t even rejoice at the fact that she was feeling his emotions within her, all she wanted was to know what was causing him such distress, so that she will fix it.

“We are going to Silver Moon Pack territory today,” he responded on a sigh.

“Okay?” her tone was hesitant, as she pulled him towards the sofa. “What’s wrong with that?”

“It’s not for a peace treaty like I had hoped. We are going to attack them back.”

Silence met his words.

Saffron had no idea what to say, or how to begin processing his words.

She knew that her mother’s pack was an enemy of Ryder’s pack, making them her enemy by default. And the fact that their Alpha had killed her mother only cemented the enmity for her.

But, she had also hoped that one day she would be able to go there and find out more about mother, find out about who she was, whether she had meant to abandon Saffron or not, before her husband had decided to make the choice for her.

Now, the thought of Ryder attacking them, and possibly destroying her chance of getting closure, made her stomach twist in knots.

“Hey,” he called out softly, his tone conveying his regret for what he was about to say next. “I want you to come with me.”

“But I thought slaves weren’t supposed to leave the island without permission from the Alpha?” she asked, her brows furrowing, as she thought about why Ryder was feeling regret, over asking her to follow him.

“You have permission to leave, I asked my father, and he agreed. But that’s not the point. I want you to come with me, so you can escape this life of slavery and be with your family.”

“But you are my family,” she whispered under her breath, as she felt her heart splintering into separate pieces.

There was a part of her that was rejoicing over the fact that she was finally leaving the godforsaken island without shedding any blood.

But another part of her, the part of her that was connected with Ryder, and the family she had made on the island, felt remorseful over the fact that Ryder would suggest something like that.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he whispered, his forehead dropping on hers, his eyes snapping closed on instinct. “But, it’s not safe for you here. As long as my father is the Alpha Supreme, you will continue to be a slave here, and your life will still be in danger. I need to keep you safe, before I can focus on keeping my pack safe from his tyranny.”

She nodded against his forehead, tears threatening to spill over her cheeks, but she forced them back.

She couldn’t believe that they were going to be pulled apart, just when they had finally found each other.

How could she live in a place where he wasn’t around?