Chapter 72 - Stumbling into a wolf den

"Darling, you truly are high maintenance. Do you think I can get a refund? Kisses and hugs are acceptable." 

A frustrated sigh. "You have five seconds before I drop you here." 

"Did you say something? Did I say something? No? I must have heard wrong. It is probably the wind just now." 

Jian Yu snorted softly. 

Sure, the wind was especially harsh right now. Bellowing like something or even someone had managed to fuel it's rage to the maximum level. The wind was howling, like it was screaming in their ears constantly. It was harsh nevertheless. The normally soft and fluffy looking snowflakes were carried along by the strong wind, making them look solid and structured like they were made with sharp edges, cut through the both of them.

Jian Yu's legs trembled and he tried his hardest not to let his knees weaken, considering how he was supporting half of Zeke's weight and trying to withstand the strong breeze. 

He panted, white clouds puffed around his mouth as he adjusted his grip on the Alpha's arm that was slung over his shoulder. "How is your ankle? Think you can manage until we find a cave?" 

"Throbbing." 'Like how my heart throb for you' was left unsaid, hanging right at the tip of his tongue because Zeke convinced himself that he still wanted to see his future unfold. "But endurable," Zeke mumbled, voice strained as it tried to fly through the wind. 

Jian Yu frowned. They needed to find the cave Zeke had pointed out before or maybe just anywhere that was sheltered right now to avoid the snowstorm. Jian Yu gritted his teeth as he maneuvered against the thick snow that had somehow piled up to his ankle once they stopped moving. He had an impression that if they stayed still for any longer, they would be completely buried. 

But then again. This was mostly his fault that Zeke now supported a sprained ankle. If only he never let his guard down and dodge well, none of these would have to happen. The place had been marked off as a place with no predators, only to find themselves being jumped at by one. 

A bear no less.

Zeke was the first to react when a huge black bear leaped from the bushes. The Alpha grabbed him and pulled him aside, his arms wrapped firmly around the Beta's slim waist as he got them out of the way as a massive black shape brushed past them in the speed of lighting. 

Not only did Zeke land on the wrong foot and sprained an ankle but he also landed on the wrong side of the forest. It turned out that the both of them had wandered close to the mountain slope. 

It might not be that high but rolling down the slope like this would still hurt a lot. 

Jian Yu himself wasn't sure if he should laugh or actually be worried, because their fall managed to save them from a vicious swipe from the bear's enormous clawed feet. 

The both of them rolled down the snowy slope with the same mindset in their own mind. 'Protect!' 

Unknown to each other, Jian Yu and Zeke both thought the same thing and their bodies reacted accordingly. Unfortunately for Jian Yu, Zeke had a larger build and he easily tucked the Beta in his arms and took all the damage. 

The journey down the slope might be cushioned with the thickness of the snow, but sharp twigs still protrude stubbornly among the fluffy snow, waiting expectantly for their opportunity to stab you. They rolled and rolled, holding tight against each other. It turned out that the slope was quite slanted as they went down real fast. The throb in Zeke's ankle flared even more when they landed harshly on top of the frozen river. 

With both their body weights combined, the impact where Zeke's back met directly against the frozen water produced a low but loud thud and a small crack formed underneath them. 

Fortunately for them, they landed somewhere near the shore where Jian Yu hurriedly detangled himself from Zeke's arm, who was still groaning in pain as he received all of the damage, and hooked his arms under the Alpha's armpit and pulled him off the frozen river and into safety ground. 

And now here they were. 

"Found it," He told Zeke, his voice straining as he panted. "Hang on." 

Gritting his teeth in concentration, he adjusted his grip on the Alpha, this time using all his might to carry most of Zeke's weight. He couldn't let the Alpha keep pressuring his sprained ankle. 

The mouth of the cave was quite narrow but once passed the mouth, the cave opened out. It was dark and much deeper than Jian Yu expected. It was wide enough and they would definitely not feel cramped in here. 

Jian Yu carefully laid Zeke down on the ground, sitting him down with his back towards the wall of the cave. He was debating what to do in advance, lighting up a bonfire or treating Zeke's injury. Just as he was about to settle down to examine Zeke's ankle, the smell of old blood and rotten meat attacked his sense of smell, causing him to gag slightly. 

The disgusted look and frown on Zeke's face only proved that he smelt it too. 

A low growl was what they heard before they both found themselves locking gazes with gleaming yellow eyes. 

Holy mother…

They had actually intruded and almost made themselves cozy and comfortable in the house of wolves.