One wolf after another fell, but the ones left became even harder to handle. During the chaos, they feasted on their fallen packmates. Now, with their bellies full, every swipe of their claws was more powerful.
Prince Nolan’s back was raked with several bloody claw marks, and Dorian Owen (Doudou) fared even worse—his face was gashed by wolf claws.
Wolves that could survive in the Miasma Forest were obviously no ordinary beasts; this pack was likely the ultimate victor of this region.
While the wolves were busy eating, Serena fired her tranquilizer gun at two of them. Whether the dosage was too low or the wolves had mutated from living in the miasma too long, the tranquilized wolves didn’t collapse immediately—they only slowed down a little.
Serena’s move seemed to provoke the pack. One wolf even abandoned its meal and lunged straight at her.
Serena drew her dagger, quickly gauging the distance between herself and the wolves, ready to charge forward.
Given the wolf’s speed and size, standing here would only get her knocked down—and once that happened, she’d have no chance against it. But just then, Prince Nolan stepped in front of her, stabbing the wolf in the throat as it leaped.
With a sharp sound, Prince Nolan pulled his sword free. Blood sprayed out, splattering across Serena’s face and the back of her hand—the warm, sticky sensation made her instinctively frown.
"It’ll be over soon. Get ready," Prince Nolan said, then charged at the wolves again.
Even wounded, Prince Nolan’s moves remained sharp and swift, never losing their lethal edge.
Serena knew she couldn’t help in the fight, so she retreated to a safe distance and began preparing, just as Prince Nolan had instructed.
Both Prince Nolan and Dorian Owen were injured and needed urgent treatment. Wolves that survived in the Miasma Forest probably carried toxins, so Nolan’s bite could mean poisoning—or, if not, at least the risk of rabies.
No matter what, she had to be ready. Serena checked the area again to make sure it was temporarily safe, then activated her Smart Med-Pack and summoned the necessary medicines, plus clean clothes for all three of them.
She scattered supplies all over the ground. Luckily, Dorian Owen didn’t see it happen, or he would definitely have shouted, demanding to know where Serena had made everything appear from.
When Prince Nolan and Dorian finally finished with the wolves and came over, spotting both clothes and a medicine chest, Dorian couldn’t help blurting out, "Wait—wha—"
He only got two syllables out before clamming up—not because he was obedient, but because his face was so swollen that speaking hurt like crazy. Dorian simply couldn’t talk.
Dorian whimpered and pointed frantically at the stuff on the ground, waving his hands like he was signaling SOS.
Serena guessed what he meant but pretended not to understand. She took a piece of oilcloth from her pack and spread it on the ground, signaling Prince Nolan to sit down.
Serena first injected Prince Nolan with a rabies vaccine, then began to clean his wounds. The worst injury was the bite on his shoulder.
Serena cut open Prince Nolan’s clothes, exposing the bloody wound. Even with all her trauma experience, she couldn’t help but suck in a breath.
That wolf bit down so hard its teeth went straight to the bone.
"Hang in there, it’ll be over soon." In the perilous Miasma Forest, Serena didn’t dare use anesthesia on Prince Nolan—and even if she did, it probably wouldn’t work anyway.
"I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt," Prince Nolan said, not even frowning. He really did seem unfazed by the pain.
It wasn’t that he felt no pain—just that this kind of pain was something Prince Nolan could bear. With a wound that deep, unless he’d lost all feeling, there was no way it didn’t hurt.
Serena couldn’t bring herself to offer empty comfort. All she could do was clean and bandage Prince Nolan’s wound as quickly as possible.
Dorian Owen stood nearby, watching as Serena poured yellow and green liquids over Prince Nolan’s bloody wound, scrubbing it clean.
Dorian was awestruck. When he saw Serena pull out a needle and thread—like something used for embroidery—and start stitching up Prince Nolan’s wound, his eyes lit up even more.
It wasn’t the first time he’d seen this, but every time, Dorian thought it was incredible.
Squish—Dorian was close enough to hear the needle going through flesh. It made his scalp crawl. He peeked at Serena, wanting to see her face—
—and just froze.
Whoa. Serena was actually... gorgeous.
It was like Dorian was seeing her for the first time. He straightened up without thinking, just gawking, totally entranced.
Serena was so absorbed in treating Prince Nolan she didn’t even notice Dorian staring—her eyes stayed glued to Nolan’s wound, hands steady as she stitched flesh together.
So cool!
So beautiful!
Dorian looked utterly smitten, an odd feeling bubbling up inside him, as if something was about to burst out. But just then, Prince Nolan’s icy, blade-like glare shot his way.
How dare you—staring at my woman right in front of me.
That look couldn’t kill, but it was enough to scare Dorian half to death. He jolted, instantly sobering up, and instinctively took two steps back from Nolan’s terrifying gaze.
Yikes—beautiful women are great and all, but staying alive is way more important! Dorian Owen is not about to risk his neck over a pretty face.
He shot his hands up in surrender, making it clear he had zero designs on Serena—no way, not him!
Not that he’d dare—after a glare like that from Prince Nolan, any funny ideas were dead on arrival.
Good.
Prince Nolan nodded in satisfaction and withdrew his gaze, as if nothing had happened. Only Dorian was left wiping cold sweat from his brow.
Holy crap, that was terrifying.
Just that one look from Prince Nolan made him feel like he was being attacked by a hundred wolves. He hadn’t even done anything—he was just admiring her. If he really tried something, Nolan would destroy him.
Note to self: stay alive, keep your distance from Serena!
Serena was oblivious to the silent showdown between Prince Nolan and Dorian. With Nolan so badly injured, all her focus was on patching him up—she had zero bandwidth for any of that drama.
Every now and then, when her mind wandered, Serena worried about how to medicate Dorian.
Dorian’s injuries weren’t fatal and didn’t bleed openly, but he was hurt worse than Prince Nolan—and those caterpillars might have been poisonous.
Ugh, this is a nightmare—two patients and only one pair of hands!
Serena wished she could grow another pair of hands to treat Dorian.
Logically, Dorian’s injuries were more severe. After finishing Prince Nolan’s shoulder, she should inject Dorian with the rabies vaccine and check him over. But…
Doctors are human too, and humans have selfishness. She couldn’t bring herself to leave Prince Nolan unattended and go treat Dorian first.
Sorry, Dorian—you’ll just have to tough it out a little longer.
Serena felt guilty and rushed, but her hands never faltered—she worked with crisp, efficient moves, every action smooth and controlled. Watching her was almost soothing…