Chapter 109
Right at that moment, the two other wolves pounced at her. While she was fighting the wolves for her life, the Wolf King stood up, and with its keen sense of smell, it, too, lunged toward the woman. As Veronica was defending herself from the wolf underlings, she had no time to parry the Wolf King‘s attack. Right when she thought her life was as good as over, she heard a thundering bang that even scared the little birds in the woods away. Then, the Wolf King weakly whined before falling to the ground
Veronica turned to the source of the gunshot and saw Matthew gracefully appear beside her. Holding a gun, he fired a couple of shots at the two wolves in front of her, immediately killing them. As the wolves fell to the ground, having escaped death, Veronica collapsed to the ground and feebly looked at Matthew who was jogging to her. That man was as stunning as ever, with his perfect figure and his face of the golden ratio, though he had a look of worry on that impeccable face of his right now.
Matthew hurried to her and condescendingly glanced at her before his eyes fell upon her right arm. As she was donning a short–sleeved shirt, her arm–drenched in blood
—was plainly presented before him. The part that was bitten by the wolves was dripping with blood, which led to her unhealed wound to bleed even more. The blood flowed straight down her pale arm and dripped on the green leaves.
Drained, Veronica went to lean against a tree trunk with her right leg staggering, her injured arm weakly resting on her knees and fingers trembling as she bled profusely. Despite being in grievous hurt, she simply revealed a reassured smile at Matthew‘s arrival. Her smile carried an unusual sense of security, as if the tension in her heart instantaneously vanished and she no longer had anything to be terrified of.
Still, she maintained her tough–woman facade. “A second more and you‘ll never get to see me again.” She deeply believed that Matthew would come looking for her, and obviously, he didn‘t disappoint her!
Truth be told, back when Matthew saw the smoke arising in the woods, he swiftly charged toward it, only to be shocked by the scenario he faced–a skinny woman, surrounded by a number of wolves, could have had her life ended right then. In that instant, as if his heart had stopped beating, he was so agitated he almost suffocated.
All of a sudden, his cold, still face turned into a subtle smirk. “You won‘t die. You‘re as tough as a rock.” Although it sounded like mockery, he was actually comforting her. He then squatted down and took a look at her gravely injured arm, claiming, “The wound‘s real bad. We gotta get you a tetanus shot ASAP.” As he was saying that, he took off his white shirt and ripped it into strips of makeshift bandage before giving
her arm a simple wrap.
“How did you find me so quickly?” Given that she was hundreds of miles away, she couldn‘t figure out how Matthew found her.
“Grandma‘s gonna be upset if you die,” Matthew replied as he bandaged her wound.
“It‘s true that I‘m tough, but…” She turned to him, pursing her lips, quizzing, “You got something to eat? I‘m starving.” She was hungry–no, she was ravenous! Having voiced her question, she stared at Matthew, who was visibly baffled, and waved her hand. “Never mind, I guess. A man like you wouldn‘t have food.”
“You want this?” After searching in his pocket, he reached out his hand before her and opened his palm, revealing a fistful of Hershey‘s Kisses.
Her eyes shone at the sight of the sweets. “Where did you get them?” Although it wasn‘t a proper meal, some sugar could definitely help replenish her energy.
“We didn‘t just donate stationeries to the kids, but a lot of snacks as well. And this is what the kids gave me in return when I was helping out in their school.” As he was speaking, he grabbed a piece of Hershey‘s Kisses and unwrapped it before putting it into her mouth.
The Hershey‘s Kisses––milky and sweet–was chef‘s kisses. It was the tastiest thing she had eaten for the past few days. With the sweetness melting on her tongue, the bitterness in her mouth scattered. With her mood alleviated, she stupidly peered at Matthew, showing him a beam.
Although there was underlying agony in her smile, the man, heartbroken, responded with a smile of his own. Subconsciously, he caressed her head. “You smile like an idiot.”
Veronica then laughed. With that, she turned away to hide the surge of soreness that suddenly gushed in her reddening, glistening eyes, not wanting the man to see it as she feared he would take the opportunity to tease her.
In spite of that, Matthew took in every little gesture of hers, and his heart followingly tingled. He looked at her painfully and asked, “Wanna get some meat?”
Hearing that, Veronica sniffled and confusedly frowned. “Meat? From where?”
The man slightly lifted his head and glimpsed at the wolves beside them.
He‘s gonna cook those, now? She questioned, “Aren‘t wolves a protected species? That‘s
illegal.”
The man leered at her. “You‘re dying, and you‘re still worried about that?”
Veronica stopped arguing. Having ventured long distances without eating for three days, she was exhausted and starving, so as long as there was food, she would be more than grateful to accept it.
“Stay still. I‘ll make ‘em.” After looking for some firewood, Matthew started a campfire in front of her. He then dragged one of the wolves‘ carcass away to clean it up before hanging it above the fire.
“You‘re gonna draw the wolves‘ attention, starting a fire here.” Veronica couldn‘t help but feel concerned.
“I‘m right here. Don‘t worry,” Matthew briefly replied.
Those simple words left her feeling utterly safe, and she immediately felt relieved. She knew that she should be more defensive against him given that he was Tiffany‘s fiancé, but having spent so much time together, she subconsciously lowered her guard whenever she was around him.
Rustle, rustle
Out of nowhere, crispy, clear rustles were heard. The two of them looked at each other before turning to the source of the noise.
At that moment, a figure walked out of the shadows. And it was none other than the masked man!
Standing still, the masked man momentarily glanced at Matthew before wordlessly turning to Veronica, who was resting by the campfire.
However, Matthew had already drawn his gun, pointing its barrel accurately at the masked man. His expression was horrifyingly filled with hostility.
Seeing that, Veronica sprung up and grabbed Matthew‘s firearm with her wounded right hand.
Her action bewildered Matthew. As he peered at her in confusion, she had already gotten his gun. She then raised her hand and aimed the gun at the masked man.
As Veronica and the masked man were facing each other, the latter glowered underneath his mask. “You‘re killing me?”
“Not awaiting Christmas, are we?” Veronica had always been a zealous woman, and no loose ends ever escaped her. Skipping the jabbering, she grasped the gun in her hand. Having her crosshair fixated at the man‘s thigh, she pulled the trigger.
“Ugh…” The devastating pain from the shot slightly trembled him, and he almost sell kneeling on the ground. Nevertheless, he managed to endure the pain and remain standing without even a flinch.
Thereupon, Veronica returned the gun to Matthew before speaking to the masked man. “Well, that makes us even. Next time, it‘ll be up to luck.“
