Chapter 177

177 High Altitude Romance

The car gently pulled away from the Silent Walkers Pack’s territory and rolled unto the road.

Not used to waking up this early, Lucien quickly became sleepy. The plush headrest, the comfortable seat, and the car heating system did not help keep Lucien awake at all. The man was quickly lulled back to sleep.

He was gone for only around ten minutes before Ronan pinched his cheek and kissed him awake.

“Wake up, Lulu. We are here.”

Lucien mumbled something incoherent and rolled on the car seat to continue sleeping.

Ronan chuckled. He peppered Lucien’s neck with kisses as he coaxed him into waking up.

“Rise and shine, sleepyhead. If you don’t, I am going to carry you out of the car.”

“I can walk alone,” Lucien mumbled while rubbing his eyes and squinting at the scenery ahead of the car.

As far as his night vision allowed him to see, they were in the middle of a vast clearing. There was nothing in there but emptiness.

.....

Ronan unbuckled his and Lucien’s safety belts.

“Come, let’s get out,” he said, tapping Lucien on the shoulder.

Lucien wrapped his jacket tighter around his body in preparation for the harsh winter wind. Once he stepped outside, he started looking around in the darkness.

“Oh,” he said when he saw some light ahead of him.

“What is that?”

“Let’s find out,” Ronan replied, smiling to himself.

The two men walked together toward the source of the light.

As the light gradually grew bigger, so did the things that the light illuminated.

Lucien widened his eyes in disbelief when he caught sight of the wonderful object that lay ahead of them.

A few hundred meters away from them, across the short-trimmed grass field, stood a huge hot air balloon. It bobbed up and down in the air as if nodding its head at the two approaching men.

Lucien, “...”

He was so amazed by the gigantic balloon that he barely noticed it when Ronan led him by his elbow.

A few local men were busy holding down the balloon while two people held oil lamps nearby for lighting purposes. Behind them, a younger man was seen screaming some guidance.

“A little to the right!”

“No, no, too much! Go back!”

“Wait, it is about to fall backward!!!”

“Ahhhhhhh!!!”

It turned out to be a panda-eyed Milroy. It was clear that he too had not had a good night’s sleep for a few nights in a row. As soon as the latter caught sight of Ronan and Lucien, he came over hastily to greet them.

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“Mr. Silverback, everything is ready,” he reported, breathless from screaming around.

“Good job,” Ronan praised. He placed his hand at Lucien’s waist and kissed the side of his head.

“Let’s go over there, my love.”

“Hmm,” Lucien gently hummed, letting Ronan lead him toward the balloon. Lucien gave Milroy a tiny smile, meant to be a sympathetic gesture. Ronan must be a tough boss to serve. The little smile drew a gasp from the younger man instead.

Oh my gosh, the assistant screamed in his head. So this was the person who stole the Alpha’s heart in one fell swoop! He was so, so, so handsome! No wonder the Alpha could not take his eyes off him for even one second!

Blushing profusely, Milroy quickly dedicated himself back to giving instructions to the men who were working hard to stabilize the hot air balloon.

After some more time, they finally managed to tie the hot air balloon to the ground by using ropes and wooden stakes.

Lucien reached out and ran his hands around the edge of the huge basket beneath the balloon. It was made of woven rattan sticks and canes. Sturdy but light.

The pilot was already inside the basket.

“Come on in,” he gestured for Lucien and Ronan to get into the basket.

Lucien had never been in a hot air balloon before. He put both of his hands at the edge of the basket, unsure how to get in.

Behind him, the sly wolf lifted him up easily and helped him into the basket.

Ronan himself slotted his feet expertly through some holes at the side of the basket and jumped in.

“Hold on tight,” Ronan whispered into Lucien’s ear, his warm breath tickling the latter’s earlobe.

Lucien held on to the basket edge tightly while Ronan stood behind him and put his hands next to Lucien’s.

“Ready???? GOOOO!!!” The ropes that tethered the hot air balloon to the ground were cut at the same time, allowing the balloon to gently bounce up and down before it lifted into the air.

Lucien sucked in a deep breath when the ground, the local men, and Milroy became smaller and smaller. At the same time, a strong gust of winter wind blew and caused his teeth to clatter.

Ronan put a blue beanie hat over Lucien’s head, covering his freezing earlobes. After making sure that Lucien was warm and comfortable, he put a dark brown beanie hat over his head.

The scenery was amazing.

The hot air balloon reached a certain altitude before the pilot stopped going higher and steered the balloon in a certain direction.

When the balloon left the ground, it was still rather dark. Five minutes in the sky, golden streaks broke through the horizon. The morning sun emerged from beyond the fluffy clouds, sending red, orange, and yellow hues across the sky.

The hot air balloon was bathed in warm, sparkling golden light.

“It is so beautiful,” Lucien said, overwhelmed by the enchanting sunrise.

“Not as beautiful as you,” the man behind him flirted.

Ronan licked at Lucien’s nape, bit at Lucien’s pheromone gland, and gently sucked on it.

The sensation caused Lucien to shiver inadvertently.

After Ronan was satisfied with the kiss mark that he left on Lucien’s nape, Lucien tilted his head to the side to give Ronan a smooch on the lips.

“How many people have you taken on this ride and how many times have you said this sentence?”

“With you, two.” Ronan wrapped a strand of Lucien’s red-golden hair around his finger and kissed it.

Lucien’s face darkened in an instant.