The Desert Alpha's Mate

CHAPTER 10-ELLA

There she was the lady that occupied his thoughts all these days away from the palace. His eyes scanned the scene before him. Eleanor was heartily laughing while playing on the muddy ground, together with a few kids that he assumed to be Aminah's students. She was so happy and carefree, not a care in the world. Her laughter was so contagious that even the kids and Aminah couldn't help but giggle at her silliness and clumsy ways. Even the passers-by couldn't help but smile at them.

They seemed to be working on something in the garden. He took in her appearance. She seemed different from the last time he saw her. She was wearing a kurta, a cloth made of pure cotton wool with three-quarter sleeves, a straight hem, and side slits, paired with quarter-length trousers. He couldn't help but shake his head in dis-approvement of what she was wearing.

'Did nobody tell her that what she was wearing was meant for sleeping?' he thought. He made sure that she would have a lot of good dresses before he left.

'What do you expect, Badr? There are not a lot of women here in the kingdom that can teach her how she would properly dress. You could not expect a boy that you left to help her, to help her dress, right?' he thought.

The thought of having Armin help her dress and get ready didn't sit well with him at all. He shook his head again to shake off the thought. The kurta was clinging to her body because of the wet clay and mud. She was covered in wet mud all over, and her beautiful face was not spared. As he was about to walk to them so he could cover her from the eyes of the on-lookers, especially the men, his steps halted when he heard one of the boys in her group speak.

"No, that's not the way you should do it, Ella," the boy said to Eleanor.

'Ella...Now you have a cute name given to you by these kids,' Prince Badr thought. He couldn't help but feel jealous of the way the kids clung to her.

'They are still boys, kids or not, they are still boys,' he mumbled. Shaking his head, he tried to get rid of the unpleasant emotion that was starting to build up. He had to reign his emotion because he knew that he was being unreasonable. 'Are you crazy Badr? Why are you getting worked up with the kids? They are just barely five,' he scolded himself.

"Okay kids," he heard Eleanor say, "I think I am finished here, right, Aminah?" she asked the old lady who was standing not far from where the group was.

"But you didn't even finish your pot," one of the kids said. He lifted a small piece of clay in his tiny hand and showed it to everyone. Prince Badr almost laughed out loud when he saw what the kid was holding. It looked like a deformed human head with a lot of bumps and rough edges. Seemed like she just put all the clay together and tried to form a pot or a vase.

When Eleanor saw what the kid was holding in his tiny hands, her eyes went wide. She immediately turned and tried to get the pot from the kid. But because of her sudden movement, her feet slipped on the wet and muddy ground.

His reflexes automatically kicked in, as soon as he heard her gasp. In a matter of seconds, he was already at her side. He caught her by the waist before she even hit the ground. Another gasp came out of her, but this time it didn't sound like she was in a panic. When he looked at her, he thought he saw a glimpse of happiness in her eyes. But her scent distracted him from it.

'God how I missed her scent,' he thought. He helped her regain her footing without letting her go. He wanted them to stay still like this, her soft body against his. It felt natural, and she melted so perfectly in his hold. Her two gray eyes were looking directly at him. She was scanning his face and taking note of his features boldly without even blinking. He felt a knot that formed in his stomach tightened, at the way she was looking at him.