Chapter Seventy-Two

A sharp pain broke through the dark haze of her mind. It started as something cold, like a lance spearing through her side, its tip so deep and raw that its coldness burned as it touched her insides.

For a moment, it was focused on just one spot until it spread to other parts of her body, the icy flame licking her from the inside out and setting every nerve ending ablaze as it ravaged her insides like an infection.

The iciness settled over every inch of her body, crawling over her flesh like tiny ants she couldn’t bat away, seeping into her veins, heating up her blood, and filling her up with excruciating agony.

The pain was slow burning before it grew in intensity as she drifted in and out of consciousness. But, it was only this pain that was tethering her to the land of the living, stopping her from drifting away into the unknown permanently.

One minute, all she knew was pain, and the next, everything changed.

She felt numb.

The raging inferno inside her had died down to only a slow ember that flickered in and out as she drifted off once again towards the darkness that was beckoning her towards it, like the arms of a lost lover.

This time though, as she slowly lost sense of time and identity, she didn’t feel terrified of what awaited her because this time, it wasn’t just a cold void that she was being beckoned towards, but a place that felt like home.

It wasn’t silent like it had been before because there were quiet noises that drifted over her, tiny whispers she couldn’t make out but could feel the love and adoration in them.

She could hear her mate’s breathing, the rhythmic sound of his purring, and the intoxicating scent of his skin washing over her and cocooning her in a safety net that had her sighing as she nuzzled into him further.

She had no idea whether she was still hovering on the brink of death or whether it was just a dream, but she wasn’t afraid.

This time, as she let herself gravitate towards the darkness and silence, there was a feeling of warmth and safety that accompanied her, and the feeling of home, comfort, and love embracing her and keeping her grounded.

This was a beautiful dream, a dream she wanted to hold on to for a little while longer before she had to let go.

Death was calling, and unfortunately, it waited for no one.

***

An entire day passed, then another, and another, and another.

Five days passed, and Saffron didn’t move, neither did she shift, nor did she show any sign of waking up.

Every single second that passed without her waking was excruciating agony for Ryder as he lay in bed with her, purring, growling, and sharing his life force with her, hoping and wishing that it was enough to save her life.

The anxiousness of waiting for her to wake up was unlike anything Ryder had ever experienced before, and he wished never to experience it ever again.

Though she hadn’t moved in the days since her attack, he had noticed the change in her wolf form, the effect of Zayden’s vampire blood, and the vitality of Ryder’s life force, making her coat appear shinier and softer than it had been, when she had shifted.

He increased his purring as he ran his fingers through her fur, a heaviness settling in his gut.

The heaviness had been there since Silver Moon Pack’s Alpha had given them one of his own lodgings to stay at while Saffron healed, and it had only grown stronger with each second that had passed.

No one had come to bother nor attack them, and he knew the tentative peace would be broken sooner rather than later.

And while the Alpha hadn’t spoken against the bond that existed between Saffron and Ryder, he knew that his father would never accept it, and neither would he agree to a peace treaty.

Things were going extremely downhill, and Ryder had no idea how to stop the ship from getting wrecked before it reached its destination.

But for now, all that mattered was for his mate to wake up and shift back into her human form.

That was all he needed.

Everything else could wait.

A warm paw touched his pecs, making him freeze, the purr he was releasing getting stuck in his throat as he turned to look at her.

He had no idea whether he was dreaming or not, but when her paw moved against his stomach once again, he knew that it was real.

He nearly fell off the bed from relief, and exhilaration, his hand running over her snout as he watched her ears twitch, once, twice, before she cracked an eye open.

“Hey,” he whispered softly as she looked straight at him, a riot of emotions in her wolf eyes, and he wished that he could feel and hear every thought that was passing through her mind at that moment.

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead over her snout, brushing his fingers through her soft fur. “I think it’s time to let Saffron out,” he spoke to her wolf, hoping that she would agree to let the human take back control.

He could feel how frayed the relationship between Saffron and her wolf was, and it made his heart ache once again because no shifter should have to go through having a broken bond with the animal within their soul.

He had no idea why it was that way with his mate, but he hoped to fix it and make her whole.

“You need to embrace each other,” he continued, speaking to both wolf and human. “I can not heal what has happened to you two, but I will fix it. However, I can because it needs to happen. Because I need my mate whole, I need both sides of you.”

Ryder had no idea whether Saffron was listening to him or not, but he continued in hopes that she was indeed listening.

“I will force you to shift,” he warned, running a finger over her snout as he lifted his head to look at her, letting her see the truth of his threat in his eyes. “I do not want to do that, but if it comes to making you whole, I will force the shift.”

He waited for a beat, resuming his purring and hoping that his words had gotten to her.

If not, he would have to take another drastic decision once again.