To Love My Alpha King

Chapter 24

Kohl felt a weight pressed on top of his shoulder and hot breath warmed his neck.

Arya had laid her head on the strong shoulder muscle, exhausted from the long walk.

Ever since they lost the horse, they’d walked for hours and hours. Kohl had high hopes that they could make it to Oprela before dark, but it hadn’t exactly worked out as he’d hoped. They took a wrong turn somewhere and got a little lost, so another night had to be spent in the forest, this time in a cave.

When the sun was up again, they’d resumed their journey, walking all day again. Arya was tired. So tired, that she didn’t even protest when Kohl grabbed her to pull her on his back for a piggyback ride.

She wasn’t used to this kind of exercise like Kohl was. Arya wrapped her arms around the warm alpha and nuzzled against the nook of his neck.

Kohl looked to the side, and their faces came so close together. He took a big breath, taking in her sweet perfume.

When they had fallen into the hole yesterday, he had the displeasure of feeling an emotion that was quite unfamiliar to him: Fear. And it wasn't his own life or the horse’s life that he’d feared.

When he had fallen on top of Arya after she freed him from the hole, he almost rolled off of her to run away right then and there, leaving her all alone, because...it was happening again, just like it had happened when he was young. He always thought about Isoldi first. She was more important to him than he was himself. And then...she was gone. After she died, he had nothing anymore. He felt dead too. It hurt so badly, way more than his father’s punishments, way more than the cutting of his flesh.

For the rest of his life, he walked around like an empty shell.

But now? Now, he was confused, even though everything was also very clear.

It was scary.

During their walk, he was haunted by his own thoughts. I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t want to get hurt. When you don’t love, you can’t get hurt, right? As if Arya would ever love someone like me.

“Hmm, Kohl...” Arya mumbled when she began to wake up. “Where are we?” she asked with a hoarse sleepy voice.

“We’re close. Just a little further, maybe an hour left.” Kohl answered. He could already see the castle becoming bigger with every few minutes that passed.

“What? How long did you carry me? Please let me down, your back must hurt so much!” Arya wiggled herself off.

“Not really.”

Arya looked at the castle in the far distance. All of a sudden, a thought came across her mind.

“When we arrive at the castle, you need to wear something around your face, so people don’t recognize you. Otherwise, the news about you not being dead will reach Pascal in no time.”

Kohl had already thought about that too. “I agree.”

“Ok, shall we go then,” Arya said and she turned around to proceed their walk but a firm hand wrapped around her wrist and stopped her.

“Wait,” Kohl said.

“What’s wrong?” Arya asked.