Hunting Love

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I don't know where I'm running to, and I don't care. My goal is just to get as far away from Drew as possible. I don't even care about getting caught running my fastest speed, I just need to put as much distance between us as possible.

After a while, I throw the mask away and wipe the tears that blur my vision as I try to dodge twigs and branches in my way. The deeper I go into the forest, the harder it is to maneuver around at my speed.

Eventually I decide that I'm far away enough so I start to slow down. I look around and check the surroundings before leaning against one of the trees and sinking to the group, wiping away more tears with my bare arm.

My heart hurts, my legs hurt, my eyes hurt, everything hurts. Tiny cuts litter what bare skin I have, from my legs to my arms and even to my face. Why am I so cut up like this? I look around and notice how incredibly dense the area is. The trees grow barely two feet apart with multiple branches sticking out with giant leaves. Ferns cover nearly the entire forest ground, making it impossible to move an inch without stepping on a fern or getting poked by a branch.

I sniff back more tears and rub my eyes before listening intently to see if anything is near me. Other than the birds and some bugs, I can't hear anything else. No other sound to indicate that I'm being followed or watched.

While I did want to be alone, it did hurt a little to think that Drew didn't even bother to follow me. Did he really just let me go? Did he even move once I started to run? Did he just watch me run before realizing that I'm not worth it before going back to the castle? Wait, why am I questioning this. This is what I wanted. I wanted Drew to let me go. Drew needed to let me go. So why does it hurt so much that he did?

It shouldn't matter how much this hurts. As painful as it is, I know that it's for the best. There's no way Drew and I would ever work out. He and I are just too different. He's loved, I'm not. Everyone needs him, no one wants me. He has everything, I have nothing. I'm not going to bring him down with me.

Drew deserves the whole world. He deserves the throne, the power,...and a better soulmate. He needs someone that royal members would approve of, and that's not me. He deserves so much better. As much as it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, Karla's a better choice for the throne than me.

I grab one of the twigs on the ground and start to mindlessly trace a random pattern in the dirt. Just once, can I please be happy? Please. Just once...

**

Drew's POV

I scoff in disbelief as I watch her run deeper into the forest. I stay frozen on the ground for a while before it finally clicks in my mind.

She's getting away!

I start to dash towards the forest only to be stopped by one of the roof guards. "No! Let me go!" I roar out, trying to break free from their hold. I can feel more hands grab me and try to hold me back and that only serves to get me angrier.

They're trying to keep me away from her! "No let me go! I need to get her!" I scream out, pushing more arms away only for more to grab on.

"My prince, we cannot allow you to go into Blood Forest," one of them calmly tells me. Everything he says goes in one ear and out the other since my first priority is to get my soulmate.

She's by herself, alone, in Blood Forest. Something can easily happen to her and I won't be there to help her! I just got her, I can't lose her again.

After a while, I start to fight my way out of their hold. I punch one guard before twisting out of the hold of another. My fangs pop out from how incredibly pissed I am and bite the arm of the one that grabbed my arm. Suddenly more guards start to show up and I keep fighting my through them. What makes this easier is that they aren't to do any real damage on me, so it's easy to just throw them aside.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone stops what they're doing and turns towards the king, my father. His expression is surprisingly calm considering that he walks out to find his son fighting with the guards.

It's deathly quiet around us, other than the groaning sounds of some guards who are on the floor. Seeing the king, some other guards who are still on their feet kneel with their head down. My father pays them no mind and keeps his gaze at me. Seeing as how I'm going to be the future king, I hold his gaze without looking away.

"Son, walk with me," he orders, turning around and walking away without hearing my response. I follow after him while stepping over the bodies on the ground. Just before entering through the door, I look back at the forest where I saw her run.

I hope she's okay, wherever she is. I promise with everything in me that I will go after her the second I have the chance.

**

"-so you see, I have to find her," I finish, looking at both my parents. My mother and father are sitting in front of their desk, looking at me with shock just as I finish the story.

I tell them about the ball, how I took her to the roof and how we danced alone. Unfortunately, I also had to tell them about her running away when I was announced as the future king, how she refused to reveal her identify other than her run, and how she ran away from me again.

Let me tell you something, there's nothing more humiliating than telling your parents that you practically got rejected by your soulmate. Twice.

"I had no idea Drew," my mother says, looking at me with sympathy. Even my father's expression softens after hearing my story. "Doesn't she know you're a prince? Why would she run away from you?" she asks.

Well if I knew mother, she wouldn't have run away from me the second time.

"I don't know. I'm guessing it had something to do with what happened at the ball," I think out loud, rubbing my forehead.

I can tell my parents have no idea what happened at the ball judging by the confused looks on their faces. "What happened at the ball?"

"Karla tricked me into thinking she was my mate, and I didn't see past it until it was too late. Bria- my soulmate probably thinks I chose Karla over her. God I'm a fool," I groan, lowering my head and leaning it against the desk in front of me.

Someone pats my back and pulls on my shirt gently in an effort to bring me up. "Now I will not have a King think like that. I know why you were so insistent on going to the forest, but it's a fool's errand to just go there. The forest runs for miles in both directions, each path leading to something different. Tell me, is there anyone you know that could tell you where your soulmate most likely ran to?" my father asks.

After some thought, I realize that there's only one other person who might know where my soulmate is. Standing up, I straighten my back and give my parents a tight smile. "Prepare a search team, set them up near the borders of the forest, tell them to wait for my instructions. I'll be back after a few minutes," I tell him.

Since I'm not technically a king yet, I prepare myself on my father lecturing me about ordering him around. But I'm pleasantly surprised when he only nods and starts to discuss the preparations with the guard behind him.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, I walk out the door and start making my way around the castle. I know exactly where to go to find this person. And one way or another, she's going to help me get my soulmate back. 

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Shorter than the previous chapters I know, but I felt like stopping here was good enough. Anyways, tell me what you think about the new content added