399: Him Or Her

Him Or Her

The rest of the things that happened between Anne and Wilder, Richard didn't know. But as the other warriors chased after them that evening, Richard followed too. He ran with all his might.

Even though he had lived in this town for over 3 years, he didn't know much about this area of the woods because Wilder had forbidden him from following Anne. So he was just as clueless as the other guards, who didn't know exactly where he was taking her. 

However, something told him that Wilder would not take her far from there because he knew Wilder. He would want her to return, especially now that she has been injured. 

Fortunately, he was able to find them around a rocky area that had rocks big enough for a person to lean on. 

Richard didn't approach. He couldn't. 

Wilder had changed into his human form, and he simply lay on the ground. His robe was used to cover his body, and Anne kneeled beside him, crying. One hand was on his back, while the other was touching the side of her stomach that had been cut and was bleeding so much. 

She also had some injuries on her palms and face and a cut on her lip. 

Judging from those, he assumed she had probably fallen off his back or he had been too weak, and the two of them fell together. 

Wilder whined in pain and tried to turn to his side. Despite her pain, she tried to help him, but he shook his head. 

"Turn around." He instructed her weakly. 

She complied and turned around, while Richard stepped behind a tree to hide so she wouldn't see him. 

Wilder wore the robe, and when he was done, he looked at her back and said, "You shouldn't have come."

She turned around to face him and found him tearing the bottom of his robe. When he was done, he sighed heavily and shifted to rest his back on one of the rocks before he turned his face to the side to look at her. 

"We... need to stop the blood." Speaking alone was difficult for him. 

"Raise your shirt." He instructed her. 

She didn't speak at first and just shifted to share the rock with him before she turned to look at him.

"How... long?" She asked, inferring how long he had known about her identity. 

"You don't... seem scared yourself." He said, referring to his nature. 

"I... my mother... reacted badly when I said your name. I... also heard her talking to someone. So I... knew you were one."

"Yet, here you are." He said before muttering, "Stupid."

"I... really am." She laughed, but tears poured out of her eyes at the same time. "Our... barrier is breaking. I felt something was wrong with you and wanted to check before I left with the others."

"What if it was I who broke it?" He asked gently.

"I... trust you." She said with teary eyes. "And I... am sorry I could not protect you."

You looked at her in disbelief. "You really... know nothing about me. Yet you've saved me twice." He shook his head.

"Come with me. My family can heal you. We are good at so many things. We are not evil, I swear." She tried to reassure him as she took his hand, holding him intimately for the first time. 

He looked at their hands before slowly removing his. 

"You should leave now. Before the moon appears."

She shook her head stubbornly. "I will worry about you. Please. Let's go together." She cried helplessly from both the physical pain she was in and the one in her heart. 

"Go. You are hurting." He spoke to her quietly. 

"And... I cannot save you." His voice was filled with hurt and helplessness. 

It was the first time in Richard's life that he had heard Wilder sound like that. 

He was truly helpless, because even as he said that, he coughed out blood and groaned in pain. 

Anne wanted to help. She wanted to do something. But she could not do anything. She could only cry and watch him helplessly. 

"I'm... sorry for biting you that day." She sobbed and gently hugged him as he kept groaning in pain. 

"I'm sorry for everything. This is all my fault. If... if I had listened to my mother and stopped coming here, I... I never would have caused you this pain. I never would have destroyed our home."

She cried in his arms, and he let her. 

Richard figured the pain in his heart must be killing him, but he didn't push Anne away. He only quietly said, "It's not your fault. None of it."

 0

"ANNE! ANNE!" 

They heard a woman calling for her, and their attention went to the woman who had shown up from the opposite side where Richard was hiding.

As soon as Anne heard the voice, she pulled away from the hug and looked surprised as she managed to stand up while holding the side of her stomach in pain.

"ANNE!" The woman cried when she saw her. Anne also burst into tears when she saw her mother, and when the older woman saw the blood on her clothes and hands and how she looked, she turned pale. She didn't ask why Anne had come here, nor did she scold her. But her voice sounded urgent as she said, "We have to hurry before nightfall befalls us—" She paused as soon as her eyes landed on the man, who stood up from behind the rock and stood beside Anne. 

His look alone was so scary that the woman touched her chest in fear.

"You... are a wolf." She spoke, and a red ball of light formed in her hand. She was about to strike when Anne stood in between, spreading her arms. 

"DON'T, MOTHER, HE'S MINE!" 

The woman was already in the middle of striking, so she diverted it to the side, and the ball hit a rock, shattering it. 

"That... is Prince W-Wilder?" Her mother asked in horror. 

"Mother, please save him! Let's take him with us." Anne said in a pleading tone. 

"Have... you... lost your mind?" The woman asked in disbelief. 

"Our people are going to die! Do you... really want to end us like this?" The older woman cried. 

"Mo-Mother..." Anne cried. 

"You... are our only hope, Anne. Our pureblood. You cannot taint yourself like this." The woman pleaded.

"I... don't want to l-leave him." Tears streamed down her eyes, and she turned to look at Wilder behind her.

"Go!" He ordered her in a cold voice. 

"You are hurt—"

"They killed your grandparents!" Lady Avery yelled. "Your father! And now they've hurt you. But you want to bring a wolf with you on a full moon night?"

"Come here! We need to leave. You... you are hurting." Her mother cried in pain as she watched Anne, who was also crying. 

Anne let out heartbreaking cries. She wanted to obey her mother. It was obvious. But she also wanted to stay with Wilder. He was sick.

"Did you know what happened to your aunt Leah?" Her mother asked amidst her tears. "She was just a young girl like you. Stubborn like you. Her dream was to be a painter. She wanted to live a simple life and even derived joy from the simplest of things. But... do you know what happened to her?"

"SHE! THOSE PEOPLE!" She pointed at Wilder.

"THEY BURNT HER ALIVE TO MAKE A POTION FOR THEMSELVES!" 

"YOU PROMISED TO STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!" She reminded her daughter before getting soft as she begged, "Please, Anne. Come with your mother."

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