Chapter 131
The image of the little blond boy who hugged his leg appeared before Ronan’s eyes. That little guy was injured? When? Before or after he made the phone call?
Ronan did not listen in on the phone conversation, but if it’s before, should Lucien not say anything? Lucien would tell him this kind of thing. Besides, they chatted for some time. An injured boy would not talk that long into a phone.
Was it after, then? Did he get punished because he made the phone call...?
No... unlikely. Kinnon would not do that to his only child.
“What happened to him?” Ronan heard himself asking.
Exasperated laughter rang out from Kinnon’s side.
“Ronan, what are you playing dumb for? You can play the hero for the whole world, including Lucien, to see. In front of me, do not try to even pretend. I know what kind of person you are.”
Ronan furrowed his brows in anger. Did he need Kinnon to pull his name into the mud? Lucien was allowed to say these words if he wanted to, but Kinnon was not! Ronan did not remember doing anything to Kinnon or his little son.
.....
“Alpha Kinnon, speak clearly. I can tell you honestly that I have done nothing to you or your son.”
“...”
“Kinnon, are you still there? Hello?”
Ronan cursed under his breath when he tried to poke some dirt on his left side but failed. Thinking about it, he did slam Kinnon’s head repeatedly against the rocky cliffside during their fight. That guy might suffer from heavy bleeding from the head. He needed help.
They both needed help.
Ronan tried to move different parts of his body.
His arms were completely trapped. His back was stuck thanks to the big trunk of the tree. His legs...
Ronan tried to prop himself up by using his knees, but then he heard a precarious tinkling sound above his head. The Alpha unwittingly broke into a cold sweat.
A lot of things came crashing on them when the mudslide happened. By Goddess’ mercy, none of those ended up crushing their heads. That was already very lucky. If Ronan moved carelessly around, he might set off an unwanted movement up there.
The Alpha groaned out of agitation. What was he supposed to do then? Just wait here for someone to rescue them?
Once he stopped exchanging verbal ammunitions with Kinnon, the adrenaline in his blood receded. Ronan started to get tired again. His eyelids grew so heavy. They fluttered a few times until they fell shut.
When he regained consciousness again, he seemed to hear someone calling for him.
‘Ronan...’
‘Ronan...’
Beowulf?
No, it doesn’t sound like Beowulf...
It sounds like...
Ronan furrowed his brows.
He heard it before, but he has not heard the voice for a long time. The last time he heard it was seven years ago.
‘Owww...!!!’
It was Sunday. One of the many Sundays that they spent together at the Alpha Camp. The two teenagers were lying together in their secret hut at nighttime. They made love all afternoon and were then reveling in the sweet afterglow. Young Lucien pulled a grimace when young Ronan withdrew from his body. He purposefully pressed his face into the pillow just so that Ronan could not see the painful expression on his face.
Strangely, Ronan still found out.
“Does it hurt?” Ronan asked, his tone full of concern. He put his hand against Lucien’s lower stomach and clumsily tried to massage the invisible sore points.
Surprised, Lucien turned around and blinked at him.
“It does, but... how did you know?”
Ronan shot Lucien a confused look.
“Well, because you groaned?”
“I did not.”
“You did. You said, ‘owwww’.”
Lucien stared at Ronan. “Ronan, I really did not say that.”
Ronan was puzzled. He was sure that he heard Lucien. Or was it not Lucien? But then who was it?
At present time, Ronan fell into a daze.
So who called for him just now?
The voice was very insistent, too. And it sounded so desperate. So sad. So pitiful.
Ronan muttered under his breath, “Lucien...”
“Lucien...”
Due to exhaustion, he was unable to keep calling for Lucien. His voice died out, so he could only call in his heart.
‘Lucien...’
‘Lulu...’
And then the voice that had been calling for Ronan started getting louder.
‘RONAN! RONAN, CAN YOU HEAR ME???? WHERE ARE YOU???’
Ronan knitted his brows.
‘I am... Lucien?’
‘IT’S ME! NOW TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE!’
Where was he? Good question. All he knew was that he was buried under a huge mass of earth, mud, and everything else that came down with them. How was he supposed to tell his exact location?
‘Close to the cliffside,’ Beowulf tried to be helpful. ‘We were resting near the cliffside after Kinnon fell unconscious.’
Right.
‘I am close to the cliffside,’ he spoke in his heart again. ‘Me and Kinnon both. He is also still alive.’
Ronan bit his lips in resentment when he told Lucien about Kinnon. Truthfully, he never wanted to talk about Kinnon ever again, but he knew that Lucien would feel better if he knew that Kinnon was still alive.
‘Be patient, Ronan... I am going to get you out of there,’ Lucien said.
Ronan closed his eyes and dozed off again.
He did not know how many minutes or hours passed after that. Occasionally he heard sounds coming from above him. There were also the frantic voices of some people. What they said was unclear. Ronan could not make sense of the cacophony of sounds. All that he knew was that when he opened his eyes again, he was tightly wrapped in Lucien’s embrace.
Lucien was crying loudly. He was all naked, and his skin was as cold as ice.
“I got you,” he sobbed loudly. “I got you, Ronan...”
Ronan gave him a weak smile.
“Don’t cry, my love,” he whispered. “I will always come back for you.”
And then he passed out again.