He certainly had to go.
“It’s not safe there,” he heard his own voice low and hoarse. It sounded like the sound of an old bellows being squeezed by the air after it was pulled open. He felt afraid; he couldn’t bear the thought of Emma being hurt. She had changed everything for him since she came here, and he couldn’t lose her. “I need to find her.”
Rother wanted to say that his brother had traveled that road many times. He had been back and forth on that road since he was twelve, and there had never been any danger. But it was clear that the alpha now couldn’t listen to these words.
“If you want to find her, you can catch up now. They’ve been gone for two or three hours. You might be able to catch up by driving.”
“Thank you.” He immediately left the bakery.
Harry called after him, “Wait for me, I’ll drive. You’re not in a suitable state right now.”
Patrick agreed. Then he left first.
Harry turned to Rother, shocked. “I only just found out that Emma works part-time at Rory’s bakery. Goddess! What was Rory thinking?”
Rother was indifferent. She knew about the struggle between her brother and these aristocrats, but it had nothing to do with her. She didn’t like getting involved in trouble that had nothing to do with her.
“Emma works quickly and is smart. I guess Rory really likes her, so he kept her, and the bakery is short-staffed. Didn’t Emma say where she was working?”
Harry fell silent. He thought Patrick must have known early on, but just didn’t let them know. This troublesome guy.
“Okay,” he muttered and followed after, “I hope nothing happens.”
Patrick left the bakery in a daze, his mind full of Emma and Rory leaving, and having to spend the night alone. He walked to the car, his hands trembling, almost unable to open the car door. He got in, took a deep breath, trying to capture the scent of her that lingered in the air. He needed to determine her path.
He couldn’t stop trembling, his teeth clenched tightly. He didn’t know if this was panic or anger.
He wished he could tear Rory apart. He should have killed him long ago. Not only was he alone with Emma, but he also led her into danger. He would never forgive him. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.
Now he needed to focus all his energy on finding Emma. If something happened to her, he dared not think further, as that possibility could tear him apart.
Harry opened the car door and sat inside, seeing Patrick’s state. It was as if he had lost his soul, only a shell remaining in the car, his spirit already flying to Emma.
“Calm down, Patrick,” he said. “Emma will be fine, trust me. The road is easy to find; we’ll catch up with them. Don’t worry.”
Patrick’s hands were still trembling.
They followed the road until they reached a forest. They couldn’t drive in the forest; they had to walk. Harry had just gotten out of the car when he saw footprints.
“Two sets of footprints, it must be them,” he said.
Patrick didn’t have time to think; he ran along the footprints quickly, and Harry had to keep up with his pace.
Soon they saw the figures of those two people, Emma was trying to climb a hill, with Rory carrying her. They looked close, Emma tightly holding Rory’s hand.
Emma and Rory had finally made it here, and Emma hadn’t expected it to be so cold. She thought this snowy mountain would be just a thin layer of frost covering the rocks, but she hadn’t expected the temperature to drop sharply just after passing through the forest. She was shivering.
There was a huge rock on the road. It was covered with snow, and Emma felt her vision obscured by the reflected light.
“Goddess, I can’t see the road,” she said. “It’s really hard to walk here, Rory. How did you fall in love with this place?”
Rory laughed, “You just haven’t gotten used to it yet. This mountain is the most beautiful. I can help you if you need it.”
Emma wanted to refuse his offer, but she couldn’t. The huge rock in front of them was the only obstacle. Rory could manage to get over it, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t tall enough.
“Okay,” she muttered, “please help me.”
So Rory put his arm around her waist and lifted her up.
“You’re lighter than I imagined,” he said.
Emma didn’t want to accept this kind of compliment. “You’re mocking me.”
“Don’t girls like to be as light as possible?”
“I don’t like it.”
Rory chuckled, “But you are indeed too light. You look seriously malnourished.” “You look like you’re seriously malnourished. You need to make sure you eat well.”
“I’m always eating. But I still look like this. I don’t know how to make myself look stronger.”
Rory looked at her. “I forgot you don’t have a wolf,” he said as he put Emma down, smiling at her.
“I don’t think I’ll have a wolf,” she muttered.
“You don’t think you’ll have a wolf?”
“Nelson doesn’t have a wolf. Maybe I inherited that from him. I don’t feel anything.”
Rory could see her disappointment, so he stepped forward to adjust her hat and scarf. “Watch your step; this environment isn’t safe. But maybe you need to adapt to this kind of environment. You need some adventure.”
He continued speaking as they walked. “There are a lot of rocks here.”
Emma looked around and nodded. Rory was right. She could even see the sharp edges of the rocks at her feet. The ground was covered in snow, and she could slip at any moment. Her heart suddenly began to race, just like how a tightrope walker should never look down; it would instantly shatter his confidence.
She could only hold Rory’s hand tightly and swallow hard.
“I won’t let you fall, Emma,” he said softly.
He felt Emma’s tension. Emma didn’t say anything, but she felt his hand holding hers become tighter. She appreciated his thoughtfulness; he always seemed to understand her emotions. If it weren’t for Patrick…
If only he didn’t exist. But if Patrick didn’t exist, she would really like Rory. Although she already liked him a lot now because he was a considerate and gentle friend.
“I know,” she smiled at him.
“You know, this is my favorite place,” he said as he began walking again. “I’ve loved coming here to watch the sunset since I was a child. The sunset has a kind of magic; it’s more powerful than a witch’s potion. It makes you forget all the troubles in the world, makes you forget the existence that makes you suffer.”
It was really beautiful here. Emma looked around in a daze. She began to understand why Rory would risk getting hurt to come here.
“I really like winter. Winter turns the world into a huge white package,” Rory continued. “Every place can purify a person’s soul. I love it all.”
Emma looked at everything around her, a smile appearing on her face. The tree branches were frozen, and the ice crystals seemed to shine. The pine trees were covered with silver frost, and the air itself was illuminated by this kind of world. The light of the setting sun cut this place into two parts: the part in the light and the part in the shadow. They stood in the light.
Now she couldn’t wait to go to the lake.
She had never seen such beautiful scenery before. Rory was right; she needed a new adventure.
“Hold on, Emma,” Rory held Emma’s hand tightly. “We’ll be there soon.”
Suddenly they heard a voice.
“Emma!” The voice called out.