Tasting 261

261–I Will Save My Mate

Nora:

“They’re going to kill him? But why? He didn’t kill Mia. I know he is innocent,” I said, bewildered. I

wasn’t sure why I was suddenly defending him when I had previously gathered evidence against

him over Christina’s murder, linking him to Mia’s murder. Now, I believe that sometimes innocent

people could look guilty when someone is framing them.

“What do you think they’ll do to him after he admitted to killing Mia and then showed his monster

side?” As soon as Daphne said that, April rushed out of the room, crying. Her friends sighed and

then turned to face me again.

“Don’t call him that. You know she’s sensitive about him,” Natalya requested softly, but it made

Daphne roll her eyes before she turned back to me.

“I’m not just saying this out of nowhere. It’s true. Have you seen his wolf? I don’t even know if we

can still call him that at this point,” Daphne seemed indifferent, but it was clear she was here with an

agenda, and I wanted to know what was going on with her.

“As for you, can you leave so I can have a word with her in peace?” Daphne asked Natalya. It was

obvious Daphne didn’t get along well with her. Maybe it was a status difference, but she treated

Natalya like she didn’t exist, with a rudeness that was hard to ignore. Natalya, still her usual self

when she wasn’t drawing strength from April or Cain, nodded meekly and left the room for us to

talk.

“What is it that you want to discuss with me? If you’re here to call

Ryker a monster, just save it. I will fucking-” Before I could finish, she shook her head, silencing me,

and continued talking about why she had actually come to my room.

“I’m not here to do anything wrong. In fact, I’m going to offer you something to save Ryker,” she

said, folding her arms over her chest. Now that she was being upfront, she had my full attention. If

anyone wanted to save Ryker, it was me. I didn’t care what anybody said about him.

Before seeing his wolf form, I had suspicions because of how things were matching up. I did make a

file because, somewhere inside, I thought the brothers might be involved. But the minute he

transitioned and I saw his wolf, my mind changed.

Touching his wolf gave me a different feeling, one that I could still feel in my palm. The warmth and

everything about it felt so different.

“I’m going to save Ryker,” she said, making me frown in confusion.

“How? How can you even do anything about it now?” I inquired, my eyebrows knitted together and a

frown on my forehead.

“It’s going to be a deal we make, and in return, I’ll need something from you,” she continued,

confusing me even more. I didn’t even know if I had anything I could offer her to save Ryker.

“If it’s my life–take it,” I said determinedly. She raised her eyebrow, clearly surprised by my

response. The look she gave me, as if she didn’t expect me to say something like that, was a

mystery in itself. It seemed like she was trying to understand something, but then she shook her

head and kept pacing around the room.

“Your life is worth nothing, Nora. You’re a monster’s daughter, and it

261-1 Will Save My Mate

wouldn’t benefit anyone to kill you. In fact, keeping you alive would make a lot of difference,” she

shrugged, making me shake my head at how toxic she was towards me and my life.

“Then? How can I save him?” I asked directly this time. My heartbeat was rising, and she was taking

her sweet time telling me what needed to be done.

“I’ll take care of everything, but don’t you want to know what you have to do in return?” she asked

with a smirk.

I knew at that moment she was going to play a final card. I kept watching her face before I steadily

nodded my head.

“I’ll do anything to save Ryker,” I uttered, but it wasn’t a meek response. I was confident that this is

what I wanted.