Huff, huff. Huff, huff.
As soon as I left the dorm room, I ran so hard I felt like my breath was about to burst out. When the downhill slope came, I leaned back and stretched one leg out long like surfing, sliding down. As soon as the flat ground appeared, I pushed off my legs hard and started running again.
The place where Lucien was was the hunting grounds behind the school. They used to hunt foxes there, but hunting was now prohibited, and it was just an empty field maintained by the school. Thick underbrush and tall grass grew, making it a place hardly anyone visited. It was a perfect place for Lilith’s new member initiation.
What on earth is that bastard thinking?
Swearing slipped out as I ran. It would’ve been better if he’d just used me as an excuse to join Lilith. But if he genuinely wanted to join because of me, that was seriously troublesome. I hoped Oliver’s words were true. If Lucien was that obsessed with me, it was a serious problem. Surely not that bad.
“Russ, Lucien! Where are you? It’s me, Dilly!”
I shouted at the top of my lungs, but all around was silence. I ran around calling his name repeatedly. The dim moonlight soon filled the area, and the empty wind brushed past me.
Has he fainted?
Extreme Alphas supposedly have a very low chance of catching viruses or diseases thanks to their special pheromones. When an Extreme Alpha gets sick, it’s mostly due to aging, accidents, or brain problems reducing pheromones significantly. So it was unlikely Lucien had a pathological issue now.
But hypothermia could still seriously worsen his condition. It was still February. Even if he didn’t catch a disease, he could die from the cold. After all, he was human. I regretted not bringing an overcoat, but it was too late. All I could do now was find him quickly and return. I stopped running and listened carefully, but all I heard was my ragged breathing. The once green hunting grounds shook gray, dried branches in the winter wind.
What the hell happened?
Running alone on two legs trying to find someone in this vast hunting ground, once ridden by horse, was almost impossible. But I couldn’t just give up.
Could something have already happened?
A bad premonition crossed my mind, and I let out a rough shout in fear.
“Damn it, Lucien Hearst! Answer me now!”
I squeezed out all my strength to shout, but only faint echoes returned. Exhausted, I sighed and buried my face in my hands.
… … …
I thought I heard some unknown sound. Surprised, I looked up and around, but all I saw was darkness. I tensed my whole body and focused all my senses on hearing. The area was still quiet. When I held my breath, nothing could be heard.
Was it just my imagination…?
As the tension left my shoulders in emptiness, this time a more distinct groan came. I immediately sprang up and ran toward the sound.
“Russ! Lucien? Answer me!”
The sound grew closer each time it stopped. I stopped and ran repeatedly several times. Finally, when I found where he was, I collapsed in relief. It was definitely an old pit dug for fox drives. Looking down into the pitch-black hole where the floor was invisible, I shouted with all my might.
“Russ!”
My voice echoed faintly inside the hole. Blinking my wide-open eyes repeatedly, I saw something moving in the darkness. Confidently, I leaned forward and called his name again.
“Russ, it’s you, right? It’s me, Dilly! Answer me!”
Just as I was about to take out my phone to call 911, a voice came from inside.
“...Dilly?”
It was faint but unmistakable. It was the first time Lucien’s weak voice sounded so welcome.
“Russ!”
I hurriedly repeated his name. For a moment, I forgot the cold in excitement. I kept shouting toward the hole and hurriedly said,
“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Russ, Russ!”
This time, the answer came quickly. Lucien replied from inside the hole.
“I’m… okay. Not hurt.”
His weak voice was followed by a rough cough. I quickly leaned on the ground and reached my hand into the hole.
“Can you get out? Grab my hand, or should I call someone?”
Maybe it would be faster if I went to get something. As I anxiously waved my arm, something touched my fingertips. Just as I froze, cold fingers suddenly gripped my hand.
“Eek...”
Startled, I gasped, but immediately a huge weight pressed down, and I fell flat to the ground. My wide eyes filled briefly with something black and eerie. When I unconsciously looked up, it surged straight over me. Just then, the full moon hanging overhead looked unusually large beyond the black shadow. Suddenly, a loud cough rang in my ear.
“Ru-Russ, are you okay?”
I hurriedly gathered myself and asked anxiously, but Lucien just hunched his tall, thin body and kept coughing. I quickly took off my coat and draped it over him, waiting for his coughing to stop. Soon, Lucien stopped coughing and gasped for air. I hurriedly stroked his heaving body and asked,
“Are you feeling very weak? If you can’t walk, should I call an ambulance?”
Worried, I asked. Lucien was still panting and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. I regretted not bringing warm water, and Lucien looked up. The pale moonlight made his pale face even eerier, chilling my spine. I instinctively shrank my shoulders, when suddenly Lucien grabbed my arm tightly with both hands. I gasped reflexively, and he stared at me strangely glowing eyes and spoke.
“You came to save me?”
His voice, flowing between heavy breaths, was tinged with strange excitement. Flustered, unable to answer immediately, Lucien asked again in a faster voice.
“You did come to save me, right? You came all this way looking for me.”
“Y-yeah, that’s right...”
Though true, I answered reluctantly with an uneasy feeling. Without waiting any longer, Lucien suddenly hugged me tightly.
“Of course! I knew you’d come. I believed you’d save me! Dilly, I trusted you!”
“W-wait...”
I tried to speak urgently, but he didn’t listen. Hearing him excitedly repeat my name like a chant made my head spin. Part of me thought, he was really scared. Feeling sorry for him, I quietly patted his back to comfort him. Lucien, who held me tightly and seemed to be mumbling nonsense, suddenly stopped and waited quietly for my touch. His behavior felt strangely like a stray dog who found his owner. It was both funny and pitiful.
“It’s okay now. Calm down. I’m here.”
As I quickly rubbed his back to encourage him, Lucien quietly rested his face on my shoulder and spoke softly.
“Those bastards said I’m not your friend.”
Startled, I paused, but he continued.
“I said the opposite. Your only friend is me. Those assholes are all mistaken. See, I was right. You came to save me because I’m your friend. We’re each other’s only one. Right? I’m your only friend. I’m the only one for you.”
Lucien repeated himself. His voice was so certain that he didn’t care about my opinion at all. But I couldn’t bring myself to speak. The situation was so absurd, I found no words. Listening to him, it felt like Lilith members and Lucien were having a ridiculous childish fight over me as a trophy. Stories of knights fighting over a princess are common in classical literature, but I never imagined I’d be the princess. Who could even imagine such a ridiculous situation?
But soon I came back to reality. Feeling a chill sweep over my body with the cold wind, I hurriedly pulled away.
“Let’s go first. You’ll catch pneumonia at this rate.”
It was good that I stood up quickly, but the warmth of the person touching me vanished, and a sudden cold wave hit my whole body. My teeth chattered fiercely, clacking together in the bitter winter cold. I crossed my arms tightly around myself and barely managed to say,
“I-I think I’m g-gonna d-die. H-hurry.”
It felt like even my brain was freezing solid. If I could immerse myself in hot water right now, I’d sell my soul to the devil. Forcing my stiffened body to move, one thought suddenly came to mind.
Wait, he doesn’t catch colds.
Then I should be the one wearing the coat, right? But Lucien didn’t seem to have that idea at all. Seeing no sign of it, I gave up quickly. There was no time for a quarrel. I steeled myself and took the first step. But then something unexpected happened. Lucien, who had no reaction until then, suddenly went limp.
“Russ?”
I called out in surprise but got no answer. Terrified, I quickly checked his face and saw him pale and unconscious like a corpse.
“Russ, Russ! Wake up, Russ!”
I slapped his cheek and shook him roughly, but there was no response. Realizing he had completely lost consciousness, I panicked. The ambulance arrived twenty minutes after I called.