Chapter 21

Third Person's POV

Cyrus's breath suddenly grew close, his eyes swirling with a hint of probing curiosity.

His pupils, tinged with an ink-like sheen under the daylight, had faintly visible vertical edges, like a lurking predator assessing its prey.

His cool, metallic voice resonated in her ear, "Why did you save me?"

His presence enveloped her completely, creating an intimate, enclosed atmosphere just for the two of them.

Patience could distinctly feel her wolf shiver deep within her consciousness.

It was the instinctive tremble in the presence of a powerful alpha.

"Because it was instinctual," she replied indifferently.

Her former warrior instincts had kicked in without a second thought, driving her to save him.

"Instinct?" He slowly pushed himself up, looking down at her lying beneath him.

He was above, she was below.

In that moment, a ripple of emotion surfaced in his usually lifeless eyes.

His pupils reflected Patience's clear yet resolute face.

"Yes, I would have done the same for anyone else," Patience said without hesitation.

Cyrus was taken aback.

By then, Patience was growing impatient. "If you're not hurt, get up already."

His eyes flickered—a rare display of impatience directed at him.

Seeing he didn't move, Patience pushed him off her and stood up herself.

Not far away, the horse continued to charge around erratically, with Hazel on its back, screaming in terror, "Help... ah... help! Someone, stop this horse!"

But no one dared to approach the horse.

Hazel couldn't hold on for long; the reins slipped from her grasp.

The horse leaped again, and she lost her balance, tumbling off its back.

Fortunately, she landed on a soft patch of grass, but even so, she cried out in pain.

Kelsey quickly rushed to Hazel's side, saying worriedly, "Hold on, the staff have already gone to get help. You'll be taken to the hospital soon."

At that moment, Yvette's voice suddenly rang out, "Patience, watch out!"

Kelsey started in alarm, looking towards Patience. He saw the black horse charging straight at her.

His wolf, stirred by the tattered but still intact mating bond, growled urgently in his mind.

His wolf let out an urgent growl, and his Alpha pheromones surged instantly.

"Patience!" his wolf urged him to rush over immediately.

Instinctively, he tensed, like a bow about to release an arrow, his eyes fixed solely on Patience.

But Hazel suddenly grabbed his hand, her nails digging into his flesh, "Kelsey, I'm in so much pain!"

The moment she spoke, a cloyingly sweet mating pheromone spread from her, wrapping around Kelsey's senses like honey-coated vines.

It was her hidden calculation—using the most primal temptation to disrupt his wolfish instincts.

Her cry of pain and the sudden pheromones doused the agitation in Kelsey's wolf.

His wolf whined in confusion, its protective urge diffused by the sweet scent, and his steps halted mid-air.

The faint bond with Patience grew indistinct amidst the cloying aroma.

His pupils flickered with hesitation, the edges of his vertical pupils tinged with a struggling red.

In the blink of an eye, the black horse was upon Patience.

A flash of malice crossed Hazel's eyes—she was hurt; Patience shouldn't get off easily either. She wanted Patience to be even more humiliated!

Everyone gasped. Seeing Patience standing there, seemingly stunned, they all thought she had been frightened out of her wits.

Only Patience knew that her wolf was already on high alert, its pupils shrinking into sharp vertical slits in an instant.

Just as everyone thought she would be trampled under the horse's hooves in the next second, Patience swiftly grabbed the reins. Her fingertips, empowered by her wolfish strength, cast a faint gray shadow as she leaped onto the horse's back in one fluid motion.

The action was as swift as a lone wolf darting through the forest, fierce and untamed.

No one expected Patience to ride the horse.

Everyone stood there, agape at the sight. Patience's skillful and decisive handling of the reins, her body leaning forward, legs gripping the horse's flanks, as she galloped away.

The seamless series of movements clearly showed that her horsemanship was far from ordinary.

Kelsey's face was a picture of astonishment—he had never imagined that Patience could ride a horse.

The way she sat on the horse felt alien to him. Despite being mated for three years, he had no idea her horsemanship was so refined.

Her long hair flew in the wind, making her look fearless and valiant, like a true warrior!

Hazel, in Kelsey's arms, was equally incredulous.

How could Patience ride a horse? And even such a spirited one at that!

Hazel prayed in her heart for Patience to be thrown off.

But to her disappointment, not only was Patience not thrown off, but after a few rounds, the spirited horse began to obey her commands as if tamed.

When Patience rode the black horse back smoothly, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief—she had tamed the horse!

After Kelsey's dismounting, Kelsey was still in a daze.

"When... did you learn to ride a horse?"

"Does it matter?" Patience retorted coldly.

Kelsey was speechless.