[Arthur's POV]
I bet Steph would have kicked me off the motorcycle if she knew I wanted to touch more of her body parts after I touched her waist.
Luckily, the strange fog of the forest dulled my five senses, especially my proudly acute olfactory sense. I could barely smell the lemon soda emanating from her body. Otherwise, I would absolutely continue to explore her soft body.
The first 3 miles were covered by the thick white fog on our way back to the pack after entering the forest. And, I had remembered Lassie was cautious about directing Paul for the first 3 miles.
But Steph didn't appear to require her vision to ride in the forest at all. The motorcycle she was driving didn't slow down. It seemed to be a living thing, nimbly dodging dangerous traps, trunks, and stumps hidden in the fog.
"You know what? The first 3 miles into the mountains are the most exciting part." Steph sounded excited.
"I can feel it." The sensitivity of my five senses had decreased here. But I was now so close to her that her long hair gently caressed my cheek and lips, tickling my heart along with my skin and lips. This was very challenging to my self-control.
To distract me, I said, "You don't even need to watch the road and slow down."
"This is the backyard for me and my members, and we've been through the mountains countless times. Even if we cover our eyes and block our noses, we can still get back to the pack by experience." Her voice was full of pride. I guess she must be smiling with pride and confidence now.
I suddenly had the urge to jump off the motorcycle and let Paul run in front of it so that I could flutter for her once more. This stirring feeling always fascinated me and made me cherish it since I had waited for her for over 30 years.
"It's an impressive ability," I smiled, clearing my throat.
My arms tightened around her waist. Her body suddenly became stiffened, and even the motorcycle veered off course.
Thankfully, there was no tree trunk or trap ahead. And, after just two seconds, her body returned to softness, and the bike returned to normal.
"Stay the fuck still and quiet!" the driver yelled out grumpily. I was surprised. It was the first time I had ever heard her say 'fuck'.
She added, "Stop doing anything distracting to me. I don't want to die in this lifetime from a crash."
I was distracting her? That might be the best thing I'd heard today.
I broke into a peal of soft laughter. Then I heard my moody mate yell, "Keep laughing, or you ride the bike."
"I'll zip my lips," I said, stifling my laughter and making a show of shutting up.
Steph put all her anger into speeding up our ride. 15 minutes later, I managed to see Patrick, covered tightly with comforter and ice bags.
I patted Eric's shoulder and immediately took out and opened the gold capsule container. I then tossed all the quilts and ice bags on Patrick's body to the side and used the syringe to inject the powerful antidote serum into his veins.
The poisoned spot on Patrick's neck had quickly faded from dark purple to crimson in just a few seconds. My pack's medical team never disappointed me with their work. I smiled and moved to the side, leaving my place for Steph, who was waiting behind me with bated breath.
"Is it working?" After asking this question, Steph couldn't wait to get down on her knees and observe the color of Patrick's neck and lips.
She was more interested in finding out for herself that Patrick was getting better than if I had told her he would be okay.
Doctor Dave, who was crouched across from us, plopped down. He carefully examined the color of Patrick's neck and felt the carotid artery in his neck.
Then he excitedly said to Eric, "Eric, it's amazing. The toxins in his body are being cleansed rapidly. His heartbeat is gradually becoming stronger."
A loud shout and cheer erupted around the canopy. Members of the White Star Lake group tossed ice cubes and bags of ice into the air.
Eric clutched Doctor Dave's hand with excitement. His tears were welling up in his red eyes, which was new to me. After all, this was the first time I had ever seen Eric cry.
My neck was encircled by a pair of soft arms, and I subconsciously wrapped my arms around her and locked her into my embrace. A very special aroma rushed into my nostrils. It was a mixture of lemon soda and cedar. I closed my eyes and smiled as the two scents I loved massaged my nerves.
The sound of Steph's sniffling reached my ears as her tears wet my shirt. With a sobbing voice, she said to me, "Say something, you badass!"
"So, can I unzip my lips now?" I asked her after laughing lightly.
She left my arms. Her eyes, brighter after being washed by tears, gazed at me.
I kept smiling and made the gesture of unzipping my lips with my fingers.
She laughed at my motion and cupped my face, kissing my lips without any hesitation.
I wrapped my arms around her and pressed her body to my chest. Even though there was no more space between our upper bodies, I still felt a distance between us, and I needed to hold her tighter.
The cheers around us stopped abruptly, so quiet that it was as if the only sound we could hear was that of our lips tangling together.
The kiss lasted a short time for those around us, maybe five seconds.
But for me, it was a long kiss, so long that I could spend the rest of my life engraving the kiss into my memory.
When her lips left, I opened my eyes, and a tear was squeezed out of her smiling eyes and slid down her face, which was comparable to a red rose. I raised my thumb and brushed the tear away for her.
"See? I promised you I wouldn't let Patrick die."
"You have my words too. I'll do whatever you want for you, come hell or high water." She hugged me tightly again and whispered her thanks in my ear. "Thank you, Arthur."
I smiled back at her, "No need hell or high water, my silly girl. You've promised me three things. Only the second thing has to change a little."
My lips were close to her ear, and I whispered, "I want you to be my luna. "I would have wanted her to be my luna. However, I only asked her to be my assistant at that time so as not to scare her.
"AHEM. "Eric coughed hard. Steph immediately broke away from my hug. Her cheeks were heating up fast.
I helped Steph up from the ground. I scanned the circle of pack members gathered around the canopy, most of them with open mouths that hadn't managed to close.
I didn't mind they knew about my relationship with Steph. Anyway, Steph no longer had any ties to that Demon Forest bastard.
I pointed to Patrick on the ground and said, "Even though he's now detoxified, you guys better move him to the hospital and recheck him for frostbite."
Eric called a couple of pack members to get Patrick to the stretcher. "I'm coming along," Steph whispered, bowed her head, and left without even leaving me a look.
Eric and I were the only ones left in the canopy. Maybe this would be a good opportunity to ask Eric for his blessing before having Steph as my Luna Queen.