Chapter 25 – Ryder
Twenty-Five
RYDER
How I went from ignoring this woman to taking her on a fucking tour of our caves is beyond me.
My ancestors would slaughter me if they were aware a witch from the very coven they once warred with is inside our hidden places.
If only the wolf could be blamed for bringing her here, but he isn’t. After avoiding Carina, of only seeing glimpses when passing through the camp, of her vacant and anxious expressions, I wanted her to smile again.
And I needed to be the one who made it happen.
Carina’s about to get a lot of hell thrown her way, more than she’s already experienced, and if a bit of peace is what she needs, I’ll damn well provide it.
Two days of distance evaporated within the hour, leaving me with only myself to blame. And then I was irritated because I could have been getting to know her better if I didn’t stay away.
Bringing her here feels more of an invasion, more intimate, than having her at camp. Even if there, she’s also filling my home. She climbed right into this bed like she owns the thing.
She does.
The wolf longed to keep her there. To pin her down and claim her, mark her with my bite and with my scent and ensure no one goes near her.
To lock her in the cave, pin her to our nest where she’ll be safe, warm, and content, and where Twilight Grove won’t touch her.
He wanted to curl up with her, to strip her clothes so any warmth she’s feeling is from my body and the furs placed there for her and not her clothing.
I wanted her desire staining the pelts so even when she’s not inside, the space is marked as hers.
A reminder to myself where she’ll always return to—who she belongs to.
But I did none of that.
After ordering her to her feet, her small steps trail me down the stretch to what I’ve been—admittingly—eager to show her because she’ll like it, being the water witch she is. The further we walk, the more humid the air grows until it’s damp and sticky.
“How does this place stay warm?”
Luckily, we’ve reached the low entrance, which is also the answer to her question. Ducking through the shoulder-height hole and into the other side, pausing on the platform ledge, she gasps.
“This is how.”
The grotto is filled with a pool of cerulean water that bubbles every so often. The cave ceiling is low and water drips from openings we’ve never quite figured out to the origins of. Steam rises from the water, balmy as a fire, penetrating every inch of the caves behind.
“How?” Excitement bubbles over until she’s bouncing on her toes, leaning forward. The water is clearly calling to her, little drops forming on the top of her hair.
Power. Pure, unadulterated power radiates. I’d never noticed before now. It’s misting all over her body. Maybe she’s strong enough to survive what’s coming. Strong enough to take on Dark witches.
When she walks so close to the edge I fear she’s in danger of tumbling in, her excitement being so strong, I hover in reaching distance.
“This is why these caves in particular were chosen. The steam helps warm them and make it habitable. We haven’t been able to track where exactly, but the spring does drain, which circulates the dirty water out.
” I lean in closer to poke a finger into her chin, to force her head to turn and follow my trajectory to the slow trickling water stream by the very top. “Constant replenishment.”
“It’s amazing. Like magick. Nature at its finest.”
And probably another reason why a water witch was made my mate.
Her sweet scent, teasingly close, disappears when she drops to her knees and dips her hands into the warm water. First with a light breathy gasp, and then a near-moan that almost takes me out at my knees.
Fuck, she’s sexy. The wolf agrees but he isn’t behind the thought.
Her eyes flutter shut, and she dips her arm in deeper. Relaxation oozes from her before she drops onto her stomach. At what point, I wonder, will she just climb in entirely.
She cups the water and lifts her arms from the pool to let it pour back into the main body. Her happy noise makes me feel like I’m intruding on a private moment, but I also don’t dare go anywhere and leave what may fill my fantasy for the upcoming years without her.
“It’s so beautiful.” She twists her head and smiles the kind of smile that could destroy a man. The smile he’d walk over hot coals and later through a snowstorm for.
I’ll take her here every fucking day until Twilight Grove comes as long as she keeps smiling like that.
“You like it?” I pace around, getting a better view of the face I’m becoming addicted to. My question feels stupid, but the man inside needs validation; proof I’ve done one thing right by her.
“I love it. This is everything.”
Everything would be seeing her in the pool, water sliding down her hair, her body bare and wet and dripping for—
She flips over onto her ass, removes her socks, and slides her feet into the water with a long groan that has me second guessing the possibility of not admitting the truth.
She has no idea what her little noises are doing, and how dangerous it is to tempt a wolf, an animal who’d love nothing more but to sink his teeth into her neck, pin her between his body and the ground, and fuck his claim into her.
If she did, she certainly wouldn’t be moaning like that.
“Goddess, that feels good.” Her pout has my cock twitching in my jeans, and her eyes slowly slide back open until coming to rest on me. She reaches up to tug on my hand, intermingling our fingers together. “Sit with me.”
The close ledge ensures she’s firmly pressed to my side. If I were to place my arm around her back, it’d be to deliberately hold her. Instead, my fingers knot together on my lap.
“If you have this place, why run all the way down the mountain for that pond?” She kicks her feet slowly through the spring, forming gentle waves.
Much gentler than the crashing river her question sends racing through my blood.
Given it’s where we met, it’s unsurprising we’ve come to this topic, but it doesn’t make it any easier to answer.
Of all people, it’s almost comical that my n?kak?stis is the only one to know about that place. Dad probably suspects, but he never sent anyone to tail me, and even Xander doesn’t know where I disappear to all the time.
But she does. Fucking irony.
“It was my mom’s favourite spot. Something about that specific pond, she claimed, felt mystical. It’s where she and Dad met, so that’s probably her attachment, but it didn’t make it any less special to her.”
It’s also where Carina and I met. Deep down, Mom would appreciate knowing I met my mate the same place she met hers, but I wonder how she’d feel about her being a different species.
Carina tips her head, a slight dip into her brows and a pout to her lips. “You never mention your mom.”
“Because you and I have known one another for so long.” It’s a teasing remark that I regret immediately when she frowns.
“She died a couple years ago. It’s when Dad’s health began declining; he’s struggling to live without his mate.
Mom was… She was one of the good ones. Loved everyone like they were her own child.
She was one of the fiercest warriors, one of the best hunters.
She took turns caring for all the pack’s pups, even when I grew up.
She assisted the elders with whatever they needed and stood as an equal beside Dad.
Losing her wasn’t only a hit on us, but everyone. ”
“I’m sorry.”
Everyone says they’re “sorry” when dealing with a loss. It isn’t until Carina that I believe someone is. Fuck knows the woman’s known her own kind of grief in the last few days alone.
“She and I went to that pond every other week,” I continue, my throat feeling like it’ll close if I don’t shut up soon. “It was her way of escaping being an Alpha’s mate. After she died, I didn’t give it up.”
“She knows you still visit,” Carina murmurs with conviction. “She never left you, even if it feels like that. She’d be proud of the Alpha you’ve become.”
Shifters don’t have a special place in the Otherworld, but I believe we go somewhere. I have to, to believe she and Dad will be reunited one day.
Carina waves her hand into the air and a series of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of drops lift from the spring; enough to make the overall body lower an inch or so.
Her other hand circles in the air. The drops respond, twirling in a vortex before shooting up to the ceiling.
It hits, splashing hot water all around, including misting onto us, before gathering in the centre again.
A flick of her finger and the drops spin and spin, enough to make a person dizzy, until falling gently back into the pool.
“Amazing.”
Pink darkens her cheeks, and she shrugs one shoulder. “Parlour tricks, nothing more.”
“Considering all I can do is growl, it’s impressive.”
“Uh, you shift into an animal. You win.” She nudges my side. “This is nice. Thanks for showing it to me. You’re not so bad after all, Alpha. For a shifter.”
Playing it off and trying to ignore the strain in my tone, I nudge her back. “And I never believed a witch’s company would be enjoyable, kamahki.”
“Gonna tell me what that means?”
Never. “Maybe.”
As her feet slowly kick the water, her side decompresses into mine.
Another sigh, and then her head falls onto my bicep.
As a hunter, I can force my muscles to lock, my body to be still, to avoid scaring off potential prey.
It’s those instincts I call upon, even bracing my breath to ensure not even the slightest motion encourages her to pull away.
I should. I really fucking should before too many barriers between us crumble.
Before I end up falling for the woman who’ll never be mine, not completely.
As a witch, she’ll always be owned by a coven—never completely pack property.
Her leaving for Twilight Grove is a blessing in disguise.