The Desert Alpha's Mate

CHAPTER 8-FLASHBACK 1

Eleanor was sitting in one of Aminah's classes. She was so happy and vibrant, there was no trace of what she had felt from the first time she came to this place. Her fear and confusion had been fading for a long time and now seemed like history.

She could not explain it, but she felt she belonged in this place. Although the questions were still there, lingering in the shadows, she preferred to enjoy her stay here in the Kingdom of Aucrulox. She was gradually accepting the fact that she could not go back home immediately. The Saharans were more welcoming and accepting than the people where she came from. They didn't even care about her appearance, it didn't seem to bother them. Even though she was still anxious in this new place, the attitude of the Saharans towards her helped her to feel gradually at ease. She could still vividly remember the things that happened on the day she came here.

******

"Please put me down, Your Highness," she said to the prince. Her face was beet red from the embarrassment she felt. With a flushed face, she tried to struggle out of the prince's arms. It seems that the prince was reluctant to let her go, but she was determined to be put down. There was this unknown feeling that she felt whenever their skin touched, and it confused her more. She couldn't think clearly, and the nearness of the prince wasn't helping. 'What on earth were you thinking, Eleanor? Who in their right state of mind would sniff a stranger?' she scolded herself.

When the prince finally put her down, she immediately put some distance between them. The loss of his touch made her feel void, but she shook off that feeling. She didn't want to be more confused about her emotions, her mind was already in turmoil, and she had enough confusion for a day.

"Thank you for your help, Your Highness. I feel okay now," she said to him as she recovered from her embarrassment. She was looking everywhere but not at him. In doing this, she had the opportunity to scan the place. Eleanor could see the entirety of the place from where she stood. Her jaw dropped in awe while taking in her new surroundings.

"Where the h*ll am I? This was not my world. I've never heard of or seen this place. Am I in a different world?" she mumbled to herself. Shocked, she couldn't believe that it was possible to be in an entirely different world.

The place where she was now was a watchtower. And from there, she could see what looked like small mud houses. It seemed like mud houses to her because she could only see the color of mud traces on the bricks and stones that made up the houses. There were no tall buildings, no noisy cars, and no busy people rushing in the streets. Instead of sky-tall buildings, the only imposing place there was the palace. Instead of cars and trucks, she could only see a few carriages with camels or horses to pull them. No busy traffic, but the people here seemed happy and laid-back. The place looked medieval but modern in a different way. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the entire place felt familiar to her and yet very different from the place she grew up in. Her head was swirling with a lot of questions. She didn't know if this was all a dream or not.

The voice of the man beside her drew her attention back to him. He explained where they were in that part of the palace and why he carried her out of the infirmary. Her face became red again, remembering the way she acted while the prince was carrying her.

"I know that you are confused, we are too. But maybe we can clear some of this confusion gradually by telling each other our names first, don't you think?" the prince said to her, "I'm Badr Omar."

'Badr Omar... Why does even his name sound handsome?' she thought to herself. 'I love how his name rolls out on my tongue, it seems that his name was meant for me,' she couldn't believe what she was thinking about this man beside her. As she saw that he was about to add something, she interrupted him to shake off the thought that was running through her mind. "The Prince of this Kingdom," she intercepted. "I am Eleanor Clifton. Nice meeting you, Your Highness," she introduced herself. She couldn't help but smile internally when she said his name out loud. As she held out her right hand to him for a handshake, she thought that she saw a hint of a smile slowly curved on the lips of the prince. But when she looked again, there was no more smile on his face, instead, confusion overtook his handsome features as he looked at her extended hand. She in turn became confused by his reaction. 'Doesn't he know how to do a handshake?' she thought.