Chapter 143: Took him

The injured man was heavier than Anaria had expected.

She struggled to keep his upper body steady while the brown wolf supported his legs. The man’s head lolled to one side, and she quickly adjusted her grip.

"Careful, his head might hit something!" Anaria warned.

The wolf shifted his hold. "I’ve got him. Just lift a little higher."

Anaria gritted her teeth and pushed upward.

After another attempt, they finally managed to get him onto the cart.

She immediately checked his position, making sure his injured side wasn’t pressed against the wooden surface "Thank goodness."

The brown wolf straightened and rubbed his shoulder "That fellow is heavier than he looks."

Anaria wiped her forehead. "You don’t have to tell me."

She checked the man’s breathing again. It was still weak, but at least he was breathing.

"We should get him moving."

The wolf nodded and took hold of the cart’s handles.

Just as they were about to move, someone came rushing through the trees.

"My lady!"

Anaria turned.

The guard who had accompanied her was approaching, his expression caught somewhere between relief and anger.

"My lady, what happened? Why did you run off like that?"

Anaria winced.

"I know. I’m sorry."

The guard stopped beside her, looking at the injured man on the cart.

"Who is this?"

"Someone I found in the forest. He was badly injured."

The guard frowned. "You found him alone?"

"Yes."

"And you decided to leave without telling me?"

Anaria looked at him.

"I didn’t exactly have time to send you a message. He was barely breathing."

The guard’s expression softened slightly, but he still looked upset.

"My lady, you can’t just disappear like that. What if something had happened to you?"

"I know. I’m sorry for making you worry." She glanced at the man. "But please, let’s get him home first."

The guard sighed before moving to the cart.

"Fine. I’ll pull it."

The brown wolf stepped aside, allowing him to take hold of the handles.

Anaria walked beside the cart, keeping an eye on the injured man.

The journey back to Wolfrine felt longer than it should have.

Every time the cart moved over an uneven patch, she worried about his injuries. She had managed to stop most of the bleeding, but she still wasn’t sure how much blood he had lost.

"Can you pull a little slower?" she asked the guard.

He glanced back.

"Is something wrong?"

"The cart is moving too roughly."

The guard adjusted his pace.

Anaria looked down at the man "Just hold on a little longer."

By the time they reached Wolfrine, Anaria’s arms were aching from constantly supporting herself against the moving cart.

The brown wolf helped them bring it closer to the settlement before stopping.

"Will he be alright?" he asked.

"I hope so."

The wolf nodded "Then I’ll leave him in your hands."

"Thank you for helping me. I really appreciate it."

He waved dismissively "Just make sure your husband gets better."

Anaria froze for a moment.

Right, she had told him that. She managed a smile. "I will."

The guard glanced at her "Your husband?"

Anaria turned towards him "Yes."

He looked at the injured man, then back at her "Since when?"

Anaria raised an eyebrow"Since when what?"

The guard hesitated.

"Nothing, my lady."

"Good." She wasn’t about to explain herself.

Two servants came running towards them as they approached the entrance.

"My lady, what happened?"

"He’s injured. Please prepare an empty room for him."

The servants immediately moved to help "Bring clean water and healing herbs too."

"Yes, My lady"

Anaria climbed down from the cart and adjusted Ana against her chest.

The servants carefully lifted the injured man.

"Watch his leg," she reminded them. "Don’t move him too roughly."

They carried him inside and placed him on the bed.

Anaria followed, checking his position before allowing them to leave.

The guard remained near the door.

"My lady, should we send for someone?"

"No. I can treat him."

The guard looked doubtful.

"Are you sure?"

Anaria nodded.

"Yes. Just make sure nobody disturbs us."

He bowed before leaving.

Anaria finally released a breath.

That had been exhausting.

She approached the bed and looked down at the injured man.

His face was still pale, and his breathing remained shallow.

She placed her hand against his forehead.

"You’re still hanging in there, aren’t you?"

The man didn’t respond.

Anaria sighed and began checking his injuries.

[System: Candidate’s condition is stable.]

Anaria paused "Stable?"

[System: Yes. However, the candidate requires sufficient time to recover.]

She released a breath "Good. That’s good."

Anaria sat beside the bed and continued cleaning his wounds.

The servants had brought everything she needed, so she carefully treated the injuries she hadn’t been able to properly attend to in the forest.

She worked quietly, checking his breathing from time to time.

The man remained unconscious.

After a while, Anaria leaned back in her chair.

"You’re really making me work for this."

She glanced by the side of the room, Ana was already sleeping peacefully then the door open and she looked up towards the door.

A servant came in with a fresh bowl of water.

Anaria thought about her mates, they might have gotten the news of her bring back a stranger at their home. She needs to figure out what to tell them cause she can’t just openly declare that this man whose identity is still unknown to her apart from what the system told her has a high compatibility with her and is going to be part of their little family.

Anaria turned back to the injured man.

She couldn’t help wondering what had happened to him.

The System had confirmed that robbers attacked him, but that didn’t explain why they had left him in such a terrible condition.

Had they wanted to kill him?

Or had they simply thought he wouldn’t survive?

She shook her head.

Whatever the answer was, she would have to wait until he woke up.