Chapter 5

“Why don’t I come with you and stay at your place tonight? Don’t you think it is safe if I am also there with you and help you take care of this wolf?” Erin asked.

Anayka held the car door’s handle and suppressed her feelings to throw a punch at his face.

“Thank you for your offer. But as I said earlier, I can manage fine by myself. I hope that you would stop coming on to me so much as it’s becoming difficult to even breathe for me. As a colleague, I respect the work you do at the hospital. But I don’t want to have a relationship with you. Please try to understand that you are making me uncomfortable by saying such indecent things.” Anayka told him straight to his face.

“Ana, I think you mistook me. I did not suggest that with any other hidden meaning. You must understand that lone wolves are very dangerous and they are prone to attack humans when they feel threatened. If you are experiencing shortness of breath, then try to relax your neck and shoulder muscles,” He said with a worry filled tone.

Erin moved close to her and touched her shoulders. Anayka moved back immediately and pushed his arms away.

“Listen, Erin. My name is not Ana. It’s Anayka. As I said before, I can take care of myself just fine. I don’t need anyone’s help. So, please leave me alone.” She said and slammed the car’s door on his face.

Once she got inside the car, she started the engine hurriedly. She drove away without even sparing a glance at Erin.

“Oh! Ana! You are going to regret later for not listening to me. Mark my words, one day you will come and fall on your feet to beg me. Then I will see who actually makes someone feel uncomfortable, ” Erin shouted from behind.

But Anayka was not there to hear his ranting. She hit the accelerator and speedily drove the car towards her apartment complex. After she parked the car below her building, she got out from the car. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath while leaning against the car. 

She looked around to check if Erin was following her from behind. Thankfully, no one was there and she sighed a breath of relief.

She then walked towards the elevator and pressed the button to go upward. She waited for the elevator to come down. When she rubbed her face, she realized that something was missing from her hands.

"Shit!" She cursed and started to run.

She actually forgot the wolf in the back seat because of the stress Erin gave her. She dashed towards the car and opened the backdoor.

“Goodness! I completely forgot about you. Aren’t you supposed to tell me that I left you behind?” Anayka complained to the wolf.

Drake did not even open his eyes and laid on the seat lazily as usual. She rolled her eyes at the wolf.

“Look at me! Talking to you once again and expecting a reply from you,” She shook her head in disappointment and lifted him up hastily.

She slowly walked towards the elevator and noticed that the elevator had once again gone back up.

“What the hell! Who is using the elevator at this time of the night?” She cursed and tried to press the up arrow again.

As she was holding the wolf in both her hands, she couldn’t press the button at all. She did not have the heart to put him down on the cold floor. So, she twisted, turned, and even lifted her leg up to press the button. But nothing worked. 

In the end, she almost lost her balance and started swaying in the air. Even after so much struggle the button was still not pressed and the elevator stood on the top floor. She leaned against the wall gasping for breath. Finally, Drake slightly opened his eyes and extended his paws. In seconds, the elevator started to move down.

“Wooo… Finally! It looks like I accidentally pressed the down button. Yay!!!” She cooed and leaned against the wall next to the elevator door for some support.

Even though he looked malnourished from outside, she could still feel that he was a little heavy. Every step she took, she had to be very careful to not drop him on the floor.

Once inside the elevator, she found herself in another trouble. She now had to press the floor number of the apartment where she stayed. The lift door closed behind her and she started to try her luck once again to press the number sixteen. In the process, she noticed that she had pressed almost all the numbers on the display except for the number sixteen. 

“Haa... What is wrong with this elevator? Why is it not letting me press the number sixteen? Who could even reach it, if they keep that button so high? Do we have to bring a step stool every day, so that we could press the button on the lift?” She complained.

She forgot that every day she used the same lift from the time she started to live here. And not even once had she faced such trouble before. As a last attempt, she tried to jump and hit the button. All she could do was hit the fifteenth-floor button.

Once her feet landed on the floor, she lost her balance and swayed from one side to another. In an attempt to get some support, she moved towards the sidewall and leaned over it. 

Her hands started to ache and had become numb. Her body wanted to let go of the heavyweight in her hands but her mind did not allow it. She held him tightly and even closer to her chest. She inclined against the sidewall so that she would not lose her footing.

“Maybe, I will get down on the fifteen floors and climb up from there,” She announced as she did not want to jump one more time.

Drake once again half-opened his eyes and pressed the number sixteen by extending his paw lazily. As the other floor numbers were pressed by mistake, the elevator stopped on each floor. She closed her eyes and tried to get some rest while regaining some energy to carry him.

By the time they reached the fifteenth floor, it took more than twenty minutes. As she thought, she hadn’t pressed the sixteenth-floor button, she stepped out of the elevator. The weight in her hand had already become unbearable for her to hold anymore. She was carrying him for so long now and her head started to become dizzy suddenly. 

She turned around and pushed him against the wall. Drake got squeezed between her body and the wall. Still, he was not ready to get down and walk on his own. After a couple of minutes, she took a deep breath and dragged her unmovable legs towards the staircase. Drake could not understand why this idiot got down on the fifteenth floor. 

“No… No… I can’t walk anymore. You are too heavy. Are you really not going to wake up?” Anayka asked him.

“I don’t know why I am even bringing you home with me. Maybe I should have left you back in the clinic.” Anayka complained but still was not ready to put him down. 

Slowly, she took one step at a time and climbed the stairs. When she reached her apartment, she noticed that she forgot to bring her access card. She held the wolf up on her right shoulder and supported him with one hand on his bottom. 

Then she entered the passcode and opened the door. Once inside, her legs couldn’t support her weight anymore and she fell forward. Her body hit the floor but did not get hurt much as she squeezed the wolf under her. 

Drake gasped as her sudden weight compressed him from above. He puffed but did not make any effort to move away. 

“I am sorry, I am sorry… I lost my footing and my hands had become numb as I was carrying you for a long time. You should know that you are too heavy to carry." She said and heaved for quite some time while trying to catch her breath.

She didn't even realise that she was still lying on top of him and he was struggling to breathe. Even now he was not ready to make any effort and laid on the ground without making any noise. By the time, she saw what she was doing, his face had turned red and then white. 

She looked down and asked him, "Did you get hurt anywhere?”

Then she noticed his puffing and moved away from his body. She wanted to check once to make sure if he got hurt somewhere but she couldn’t even lift her hand an inch. She closed her eyes and thought to take five minutes of rest before she could examine him. But unknowingly, she dozed off in a minute.