Alpha's Insanity

Chapter Seventeen

Her body shivered in fear as Ryder slowly stripped her of her clothes even though his eyes always remained above Fay's shoulders.

"I'm not him," he whispered to Fay, "I'm your mate, you're my mate and I will always love you unconditionally my sweet girl. Look, at me Fay, you're okay, we're okay, nothing will happen to you."

Tears leaked from her eyes as she looked up at Ryder, the feeling of dried blood on her cheeks burned her as a constant reminder of her sin that she had committed just a little while ago. The dress that she had worn now in tatters, coated in blood sat on the floor teasing her maliciously reminding her that she was cursed with the memories and she was no longer the sweet little girl that she had once been.

"Fay," Ryder murmured whilst stroking her cheek softly making her flinch back, "I'm going to pick you up and put you in the bath now."

Fay shook her head and tried to walk backwards away from her mate. Ryder gently gripped her waist softly to stop her from moving as he picked up her naked body in his arms and cradled her to his chest as she thrashed around in his arms in attempt to escape.  Sighing he approached the bath and lowered her into it and the water immediately turned into a red pool.

"Let me clean the blood off of you, we need to get you clean," Ryder crouched beside the bath so that he could clean her.

"No," she whispered with tear streaking down her hollow cheeks.

"I'm not him, I won't hurt you. I'm just going to clean the blood off of you and then we need to get you to bed."

With his calloused, yet soft, hands, Ryder began to rub a gentle scented soap around Fay's body before lathering shampoo into her hair. . The mate bond forced Fay to feel a shiver run down her body and sparks to ignite with every touch- if it had been in any other situation then Ryder would probably be smirking and enjoying her body's reaction but this was different. He didn't have any sexual desires with his mate, at least not while she was still sick. Ryder had been raised correctly and he would never take advantage of Fay in her time of need and weakness.
Even if she were to beg him, he would refuse and continue to nurse her back to health. But it wasn't only her physical health that he was concerned about, her mental health had deteriorated as well. All Ryder longed to do was help nurse Fay back to health and he would wait for as long as she needed until they would mate. And he would only do it once he was positive that she was ready mentally.

Fay had murdered and the scarlet-red water reminded him of that. She should be in a cell until they could find a cure but he didn't have the heart to abandon her like that, he needed her in his arms and she needed him- that was obvious. His little angel needed him to protect her, love her and cure her. And she needed to become Luna when she becomes better.

"Can I get out now sir?" Fay asked timidly once her finished rinsing the shampoo out of her hair.

"You are to never call me sir, you call me Ryder my sweet girl," Ryder demanded firmly but as softly as he could, "you are my equal, you are my Luna. You are not my inferior. Here, let's get you out of here and into bed. You must be extremely tired."

Pulling the plug to the bath, he slipped his hand under her knees and behind her back as he lifted her out of the bath and sat her upon the towel that sat on the floor. Carefully to avoid catching any of her scars, Ryder softly dried her before slipping one of his large shirts over her head and the shirt seemed to drown her which caused her mate to smile softly and in adoration at the small-framed girl.

"Ryder?" Fay mumbled. He stopped his actions and sat in front of her watching her intently.

"Yes, Fay?"

"Please help me. I don't want to be a monster. I don't want to be a murderer. Please," she pleaded as she crawled back and wrapped herself in her arms.

"You're not a monster, Fay, he done this to you. We're searching for a cure. We'll get you better. You won't be like this for much longer my sweet girl. I promise." Grabbing her hands in his large, calloused ones, he lead her to the bed where her placed her in the covers, kissing the temple of her head soothingly and leaving the room, locking the door behind him so she could not escape the room and go on a killing rampage if her mania decided to take over once again.

*****

"Ryder, she needs to be locked in a cell! I cannot allow members of my pack to be slaughtered like sheep because you refuse to put her in a cell!" Hayes cried absolutely exasperated after having this conversation with Ryder for well over half an hour.

"You will not lock my Luna in a cell like a common criminal! None of this is her fault!" Ryder roared.

"I never said she was a common criminal,, Ryder, I just need to reassure my pack that they are safe from her wrath when she decides to go on a killing rampage!"

"I will lock her in our room; she will not be in a place where common criminals go! She is as much a victim in this just as much as those who are killed by her! I have a duty to make her better as her mate and she will surely not get better if she is locked up like she has been for almost a decade!"

The two men just stopped as stared at each other for a few moments, both with their jaws clenched and anger seeping through their eyes as they burned holes into one another's head.

"Fine," Hayes spat at last, "but if she kills again the blood is on your hands and she will be locked in a cell despite what you say."

"She won't kill again," Alpha Carter spoke up as he walked into the room. "We have a cure, or so we believe although it will not be easy and could lead to both of your deaths."

"What is it Carter? Tell me, how do I cure my mate?" Ryder pleaded. He had never felt so desperate and helpless- his mate would be cured. He wouldn't let her down.

"You will have to kill Damien, and you will both need to drink water from the River of Hades."

"The River of Hades?" Ryder sucked in a sharp breath. Carter gave a sharp nod of the head.

"Well, where do we start?" Ryder asked eager to begin his quest to save his mate.

"You go to the very centre of the World and there should be the entrance to the Underworld of the evil spirits that the Moon Goddess herself has sent there. To get the water, you must get past the River Styx and then continue your journey into the depths of the Underworld where you will reach the River of Hades which is guarded by Hades and Persephone themselves- the King and Queen of the Underworld. But I must warn you, Ryder, this is a deadly journey that you must travel alone. This is a journey of peril and torture."

~~~~~
Author's Note

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Read my other books if you enjoy this:
Alpha's Tragedy
Alpha's Revenge

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-Jade ❤️❤️