Mine (Book 1 )

Part 4

Hal

I wake up when the sun hits my eye and decide to go for my run. I go out to the front and call out to Kaala but she doesn't respond. I start my run thinking she's just sleeping or resting. I decide to run towards the river. My mind racing and going back to the events that transpired in the last two days. I get to the river and stop in my tracks when I see her lying down reading a book with one hand and stroking Kaala mindlessly as Kaala rests her head on her stomach. "Is she your wolf now?" I teasingly say and she immediately jerks up pushing Kaala off her stomach and stands up. 

"Your Highness" she greets. 

"I told you not to call me that" I say irritatedly. "I called for you" I say to Kaala, she yawns and ignores me and rests her head back down.

"I was just on my morning run and she joined me is all" she says softly. 

"You still run?" I ask and she nods. "In a skirt?" I smirk knowing it would push her buttons. She looks at me with disbelief and I cock my eyebrow challenging her. 

"I can run in a skirt" she says sternly "And I'm probably faster than you" I chuckle and her face turns angrier. 

"If you say so" I shrug. 

"I know so" she argues. 

"Prove it then" I challenge. 

"Fine" she says determined. 

"Till the end of the river on the east" I point to a rock and she furrows her brows in focus. "Ready?" she nods "3... 2... 1...Go" we both run and I knew she was fast. I run at my highest speed and she gets faster. She jumps over the rocks bunching up her skirt. When we're closing in the end we get faster. 

"I won!" she jumps chirpily. "I won!" she laughs making me chuckle. She quickly composes herself "I didn't mean to gloat" 

"No?" I quirk my brow chuckling and she smiles a genuine smile. 

"Maybe a bit" she laughs. She was beautiful. More beautiful than the last time I saw her. I had imagined how it would be like, me finding her again, me apologising, she leaping into my arms and we would stay there forever. 

"We should get back" I break our stare and her cheeks immediately blush and her eyes widen. 

"Of course" she nods. She's still waiting for me while I wait for her. "I have to walk behind you" she says softly. 

"How about you walk beside me?" I say and her eyes plead with me. 

"That is not.." she begins looking down at her feet and I cut her off. 

"Royal order" I say and she looks at me and takes a deep breath in making her chest expand and my eyes immediately dart to her chest and back to her eyes. "Come on" I say and she hesitates but walks by my side. "Seeing Viktor come to get me and Kyrr as well, I take it you'll are still friends?" 

"They moved out of the orphanage, they got jobs at the Officina" she explains, she smiles slightly at herself "but we are friends. We served at the Battalion together" she looks at me. 

"They were there too?" I frown "How did I not notice?" 

"You were fighting a war" she shrugs. "We were even assigned to take care of Kaala" 

"Is that why she spent so much time apart from me?" I chuckle and her face grows crimson again. 

"I'm so-" she begins. 

"I don't mind. She always loved you more" I say and she turns to look at Kaala who was walking behind us. We walk to the Palace and she immediately steps behind me and I give up for now as we head to my quarters. "There is only one bath here. Why don't you go first?" I say to her when we're inside. Her eyes widen.