Chapter Seventy

Saffron dropped to the leafy floor on all fours, as she felt the world come to a screeching halt.

The more she tried to gasp for air, the harder it became for her to breathe. She moaned at the fire she felt coursing through her, but it came out as a yelp, sending cold shivers up her spine.

What had happened to her?

Disoriented, she tried to raise her hand to touch her stomach, where she could feel the fire souring, but she couldn’t.

She felt disconnected from her body. And it was in that moment that she realized she wasn’t actually in her body, but in her wolf’s body.

She was numb however, unable to feel any of her limbs, as she laid there, the fire souring through her, the only thing she could feel.

Her panic was mounting by the second however, because where the bond with her mate should have been thriving, there was only a frayed edge of a bond that should have been sealed off, but hadn’t.

In that moment, she felt regret that they hadn’t taken the moment to complete their bond, and that they had missed their chance to be together.

Everything they had planned was going down the drain, all because of a single gunshot that wasn’t healing.

It had to be a silver bullet, she thought, as she whimpered, blood soaking the white coat of her wolf.

Her eyes fluttered shut, as she whispered to herself that it was going to be okay, that it was better her than Ryder, because the pack needed him more than they needed her. And perhaps in dying, she would be finally free of the chains that kept her captive.

Although, this wasn’t the way she thought she was going to be free of captivity, she wasn’t complaining about it much.

Dozens of times, she had thought about what her death would be like. Whether she would die at the hands of Ryder’s father, or whether he would send someone to do the dirty deed for him. But never had she imagined that it would be like this, saving her mate.

Her only regret was that she was going to die, before she had had the chance to bond with her wolf, or her mate’s wolf.

At least, she had the memories of her time in the meadow to take with her.

“No, no, no.” A hand grabbed her face, shaking it gently, and she fluttered her eyes, trying to focus on who it was.

Ryder leaned over her, blood splatters on his face, his gaze feral and filled with panic, as he cupped her cheek. “Don’t you dare think about letting go, Saffron,” he warned, his tone carrying a steel edge that almost made her want to laugh, but all she managed was a painful mewl, that sent more panic flaring in his gaze.

“I want you to shift,” he said softly, caressing her snout. “Can you do that for me? Please?”

The panic in his eyes, and the plea in his voice had her trying to do as he had asked, but, she didn’t have the energy to do so.

Was this how Myra had felt? Helpless against what was inevitable, as she laid on the floor alone?

“Fuck!” she heard him growl, as her eyelids began to shutter off once again.

She tried to speak to him, but all she managed to do was let out whimpers that felt pathetic even to her own ears. Tears leaked from her eyes, rolling down her wolf’s face, as she thought about their uncompleted bond.

If only they had mated, she would have been able to speak to him through their mind link, and she would have been able to him how much she loved him, and how sorry she was that she wasn’t going to be there to see the future he was going to build for the pack.

“Shh,” he cajoled, trying to sooth her, as he wiped away her tears with his thumb. “I’ve got you, and I’m not going anywhere. You aren’t either.”

And then, he began to purr for her, his chest vibrating beneath her, as those soothing rumbling sounds went into her, soothing and healing the gaping chasm within her, making everything fall away, until all that was left was the two of them, cocooned in a haven of Ryder’s making.

I love you, she wanted to say, but the words refused to leave her lips, only circling around in her mind, as she bathed in his warmth and scent.

She was vaguely aware of distorted voices and words she couldn’t make out, but she could feel Ryder’s purr increasing with intensity.

Another tear escaped her eyes, rolling down her face, and disappearing into her blood-coated fur, because she knew that her time was up.

She felt her body being lifted up, and she could have sworn that her soul was trying to leave her broken body, as Ryder held her in his arms, and began to walk with her.

She had no idea where they were going, or what had happened since she had jumped in front of him, to take the bullet for him, whether the fight had stopped or not.

All she knew however was that she was safe, and for one final time, she blinked her eyes open and stared at her mate’s profile, committing it to memory, before she let them close again, everything going black after that.