Outcast: The Alpha King's Beloved

Chapter 222: The Avalanche 

Jennifer's POV:

I woke up the following morning to the sun rising in the horizon.

"Anthony, did you sleep well?" I asked groggily.

But to my surprise, there was no response.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to wake myself up.

When I looked around, I found that I was alone in the tent.

Panicked, I shouted, "Anthony!"

Acting on impulse, I ran out of the tent without even thinking of putting on my coat.

The moment I got out of the tent, I saw Anthony walking towards me.

He was carrying a dead wild rabbit. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"Jennifer, you're awake.Let's have breakfast."

Anthony chuckled at my bewildered expression.Then, his eyes landed on my thin pajamas.

"Why did you come out without a coat?"

As he spoke, he frowned and fetched my coat for me.

"Where have you been?" I asked, hugging myself to keep warm.

"I went out to hunt and caught this rabbit.I can't let you eat biscuits every single mealtime."

Anthony reached out and pinched my nose playfully.

"Make a fire, honey.Let's roast the rabbit."

With a smile, I nodded and set out to find firewood.

Fortunately, the ground was littered with dry twigs and branches, and Anthony was able to set up a fire in no time.

Soon, the gamey smell of roasted meat wafted to my nose.

"Eat well.You'll need the energy."

Anthony tore off the rabbit's leg and handed it to me.

Then, he raised his hand to wipe the grease off the corner of my mouth.

"Look at you, you little glutton," he joked.

"It's because the rabbit you cooked is so delicious,"

I whined, taking another huge bite out of the rabbit leg.

The freshly roasted meat melted in my mouth.

When we were done picking the meat off the bones of the rabbit, we packed up our things and continued our journey.

Just then, Eva's voice sounded in my mind.

"I haven't been out in a long time.It's so stuffy in here.Let me have some fresh air.Why don't you two run in wolf form? Running as wolves will be easier and faster than walking as human," Eva suggested.

I smiled.

She was right.

"Anthony, my wolf said we should change into our wolf forms and run.I think she's bored."

I turned to my mate and smiled brightly.

"What do you think?"

"Good idea.Actually, I was wondering if I should turn into my wolf form and carry you the rest of the way."

Anthony grinned back at me.

"Come on.Give me your luggage.Let's run!"

Soon, Anthony and I transformed into wolves.

Together, we ran up the mountainside with ease.

Anthony's wolf, Zane, carried our luggage.

His sharp claws gripped the earth, and his smooth hair waved with the wind.

My wolf, Eva, ran alongside Zane.

The two couldn't help but let out long howls towards the sky.

Zane shook his tail in response to Eva.

Together, the two wolves swatted at each other playfully while they ran.

Eva and Zane didn't stop until sunset.

Thanks to their speed, we were able to make it to the hillside of the snow mountain.

The temperature became colder and colder.

The road was rugged and covered with snow.

Zane gently licked Eva's hair.

"Jennifer, let's go to bed.It's too cold.Put on more clothes."

Anthony took the lead and transformed back into his human form.

I followed suit and changed back, too.

As I transformed, Anthony hurriedly took my clothes out of the backpack.

Sure enough, as soon as I became human again, the cold wind blasted against my naked skin.

I felt cold to the bones and began to shiver.

Fortunately, Anthony worked fast and helped me put on the clothes.

Anthony's POV:

"Come here.You'll feel warmer in my arms."

I quickly pulled her into my arms and started rubbing her back, hoping to generate enough friction to warm her up.

Jennifer smiled shyly and nestled her face against my chest.

When she finally stopped shivering, I heaved a sigh of relief and then put on my coat.

After getting dressed, Jennifer and I found a relatively flat place to pitch the tent and set up a fire.

When the fire was up and roaring, we gathered around it to warm ourselves up.

I looked up at the bright, starry sky as Jennifer leaned on my shoulder.

She talked about how she pictured our future together, and I couldn't help but smile.

Listening to her gentle voice made me feel inexplicably at peace.

A little while later, Jennifer yawned sleepily.

Just as I was going to tell her to go to bed, I felt the ground underneath me shake violently.

Jennifer's eyes popped wide up and we both leapt to our feet agitatedly.

"What's happening?" Jennifer asked nervously.

"Avalanche." My expression darkened.

"Run!"

Without a moment to spare, I scooped Jennifer into my arms and started running.As I ran, I could hear the sound of snow collapsing behind me.

"Anthony, we'll run faster as wolves!"

Jennifer shouted urgently.

Although I was worried about her, I gritted my teeth and set her down.She was a strong she-wolf.I needed to trust her.

Jennifer and I immediately transformed into wolves and started running as fast as we could away from the avalanche.

Despite our speed, we felt the snow falling right at our heels.

Finally, the snow caught up to us and violently swept us off our feet.

Just as we were about to be buried alive, Zane roared to the sky and transformed into the human form.

I rushed to Jennifer, who had also turned back, and flung my body over hers to protect her.

My mind was completely blank.

All I knew was that I needed to protect Jennifer.

I held her in my arms and closed my eyes tightly.

My heart ached wildly, but I knew it wasn't because of the Love Curse.

It was because I felt so sorry for Jennifer.

‘’My love, I am so sorry"

Tears streamed down my cheeks.

I was the one who had taken her to this treacherous mountain.

Now, she was going to die because of me.

I wished more than anything to be able to sacrifice my life for hers.

Eyes squeezed shut, I was ready to welcome death.

But to my surprise, the suffocation never came.

Instead, I felt the ground give way from under me and we fell into the darkness.

After a tumbling in the dark, we finally came to a stop.

I opened my eyes and found that we had fallen into an ice cave.

There was no light; I could only barely see Jennifer's silhouette.

"Anthony, we seem to have fallen into an ice cave, but the snow has completely blocked off the exit."

Jennifer was gasping for breath.

"If the cave collapses, we're doomed.What should we do?"

"Our supplies..."

I gritted my teeth bitterly.I felt terrible, holding Jennifer tightly in my arms.I had failed her.

"Jennifer, I'm so sorry.I didn't sense the avalanche sooner."

"Don't say that, Anthony.We're mates.We're meant to be together, through thick and thin."

Jennifer's words moved me so deeply that I could barely speak.

"Jennifer..."

Just as I opened my mouth to say something, my heart suddenly lurched in my chest.I crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath.

Damn it! The Love Curse decided to attack at such a crucial moment!

As I lay trembling on the icy ground, I recalled helplessly how the medicine was lost to the snow, along with our backpacks.

"Anthony! Anthony, is Love Curse attacking you? What should we do?"

Jennifer rushed to my side, tears streaming down her face.

Her tears landed on my like droplets of ice.

I wanted to ask her to not cry and just leave, but I was in too much pain to utter a single word.

"Anthony, I'll find a way out."

Gritting her teeth, Jennifer began to dig into the snow with her bare hands.

It pained me to see Jennifer like this.

I shut my eyes tightly.I was really useless.

Before I knew what was happening, we heard a loud bang from outside the cave.

A split second later, we were blasted away by a huge force.

In the heat of the moment, I instinctively reached for Jennifer's hand.

Then, everything went black and I lost consciousness.