Stephanie's POV
Arthur's vehicle was parked at the entrance to Leyte Forest. It was a green SUV.
As soon as we reached his SUV, he shifted back into his human form. In the daylight, I could see his figure better.
He looked like a man who had just stepped out of the shower. His dark brown hair was drenched in sweat. Not only his hair, but it seemed that every part of his skin was sweating from the long run. A few drops of sweat slid down his strong back to his rear end.
My eyes moved down a little from his waist. Well...I must say, he had a sexy ass.
"Actually, I think he could have stayed naked. After all, he's still going to take them off later." Rose said after seeing him pull a pair of blue shorts and a white t-shirt out of the SUV and change into them.
That sounded a little strange, wasn't it?
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"I'm fine. Only Paul had to get tired to strike." Arthur laughed and shook his head, drops of sweat splashing from the ends of his hair to the ground.
I followed him to the back of his SUV, and he opened the trunk.
His trunk looked like a mini drinking bar. Lemon sodas, bottled lattes, energy drinks, NFC orange juice, mineral water - these filled almost two-thirds of the space. The remaining one-third of the space stored some basic gadgets and a white metal suitcase.
"Feel free to take your favorite drink." Arthur graciously pointed to the soft drinks arranged neatly on the left and opened a bottle of energy drink.
I waited for him to finish the bottle of energy drink in several seconds.
"Is this the latest way for the guys of the Silver Moon Pack to please girls?" I asked him jokingly as I casually took a bottle of mineral water.
"Well, if I can get my mate to smile at me with just a bottle of water, then I might consider filling the trunk with tons of mineral water in the future." Arthur laughed and picked up the white suitcase beside the bottled drinks mountain.
I took a big sip of water, trying to hide my joy after I felt the specialness from him for me. The water slid from my mouth through my throat and into my stomach. But I could still taste a little sweetness on my tongue.
Arthur twisted the code lock on the suitcase and opened it. Inside were three capsule-shaped containers about the size of my hand.
He used his index finger and thumb to pick up the gold capsule and pressed the fingerprint reader on the top and bottom. The container opened automatically, and a small glass bottle with a pink liquid popped out of it. I had seen humans using this kind of bottle for vaccines in documentaries.
"No problem! That's it." He confirmed that the liquid was the antidote serum we needed and closed the container. Then he put the golden capsule container into the travel backpack he had placed in the corner along with the other two.
"Are these the strong antidote serums Patrick needs?" I asked.
Arthur shook his head and told me, "The other two, one is the serum for wolfsbane only. The silver capsule contains ..." He pauses for a second before telling me, "A gas bomb, containing a kind of nerve gas that will kill at least 20 wolves at gamma level in 10 seconds."
"Nerve gas? Who do you want to kill with this?" My eyes widened as I wondered why he was preparing such a highly lethal weapon?
After grabbing an energy drink and a lemon soda, Arthur closes the trunk door. He turned to me with a smile and said, "I carry a weapon for self-protection, not to actively kill anyone, although I haven't used it yet. I occasionally went on trips with Paul. Sometimes we would encounter unexpected dangers. You know, having a weapon greatly improves the chances of surviving in times of crisis."
I raised my eyebrow and asked in disbelief, "You're already an alpha king. Do you still encounter any crisis that you can't solve with your power? I mean, at least you are one of the three most powerful alpha kings on this continent. Besides the other two alpha kings, the other wolves, even alphas and humans, are all no match for you, right?"
Arthur shook his head as he pondered for a few seconds and told me, "I might be able to beat a few alphas or even a dozen rogues. But I'm not a god, and if I were to encounter dozens of rogues or a combined attack from a pack, I would consider figuring out how to escape rather than fighting against them."
He was thinking seriously before answering my question, so he was not joking with me but telling me what he really thought. It felt good.
"... Figuring out how to escape rather than fighting against them." That didn't sound like something an alpha king sitting on one of the three thrones of the Night Moon Continent would say. After all, who would have thought that an alpha king would consider escaping?
But, for some reason, after getting surprised, I felt more fascinated by him instead. I had remembered my father saying that a competent alpha needed to have a clear perception of his own abilities before leading the pack members. After fully understanding yourself, you then decide how to adjust the management of the pack according to your ability.
At that time, I didn't understand the meaning of his words.
Now after hearing what Arthur said, I seemed to understand what it meant to have a clear perception of my own capabilities or power.
If it wasn't for Patrick's urgent need for the serum to save his life right now, I might have considered putting up a small garden table and two chairs, and Arthur and I would have a nice chat next to this mini drink bar.
"Let's go back; Eric will probably have members of your pack come to pick us up. If they're fast enough, we'll be able to get back in 20 minutes." Arthur slung his travel backpack on his back like a traveler preparing to go on a hike.
I realized then that he hadn't even considered asking Rose to carry him back to the pack to deliver the serum.
Rose exclaimed in my head, "He's so sweet that I'd forgotten how intimidating the aura around him can be when he's angry."
The sound of a motorcycle engine approached us from the entrance to the Lyete Forest, and soon two motorcycles came into view. It was Kane and Allen, and just as Arthur had said, my father had actually sent pack members here.
"Kane, Allen, how's Patrick now?" As soon as they pulled up, I ran over to them.
"Patrick's lips have turned red and purple," Kane said.
"Doctor Dave said that while the ice did ease the spread of the poison, it's still spreading. Be sure to inject the antidote serum before Patrick's lips turn black and purple." Allen added and pushed his glasses upward with his finger.
"We're running out of time," Kane said and tossed me the helmet hanging from the handlebars.
My father must have told Kane I wasn't allowed to ride my motorcycle back yesterday because I hit my head while riding it, which is why Kane didn't get off.
"I'm afraid you have to ride my motorcycle, Your Majesty." Allen got off the motorcycle and handed his helmet to Arthur. His motorcycle couldn't carry two people, so Allen might have to walk back to the clan.
Arthur shook his head and told him, "Sorry, I've never ridden a motorcycle in the forest. Also, the container with the serum needs my fingerprints to open, which means I'll have to arrive with the serum. So, Steph, would you mind giving me a ride?"
I must say, I caught a flash of a sly smile in his apologetic look. But, I appreciated his slyness. No wolf would refuse her (his) mate from riding a motorcycle with herself(himself).
"Well, Kane, for now, your rider is commandeered by Arthur and me." I patted Kane's shoulder.
"No, Eric said you hit your head yesterday. It's his... order..." Kane tried to get me to change my mind.
"His order?" raised an eyebrow. Arthur's low voice tone raised doubt for him.
"Yeah, it's..uh...o.. .okay... . alright, I didn't say anything," Kane stammered, backing up to Allen's side.
"We can't hold up any longer than we have to." I swung my leg over the motorcycle and straddled it with ease.
I thought I could look cool in front of Arthur. But when he sat on the back of my motorcycle, my coolness disappeared. His arm went around my waist, causing a sudden shiver to run through my body.
The purr of a motorcycle couldn't muffle the sound of my racing heart and Rose's exciting screams inside my head.
The motorcycle was revving up in preparation.
Calm down, Steph. Patrick is waiting for us. I adjusted my breathing and said to Arthur, "Let's go."