Aurelia's POVWhy would a plant need fifty guards to get to his highness? What kind of plant was that? I shut out the weird dream and turned in my sleep, throwing my hands over the body next to mine.I could feel a warm gaze on my skin and I pried my eyes open to see Liam staring at me with a restrained look on his face.We held each other's gaze in silence before his eyes lit up in a smile and I found myself smiling too. It was that easy for him to get to me."I was wondering how long you were going to be asleep," he caressed my face, brushing my hair away. "I feel bad for wearing you out," his tone took on a sad tone and so did his eyes.His highness that was usually expressionless and cold was smiling and showing me so much emotion on his face. This was still hard to wrap my head around but every time he did this, my heart grew familiar with it."You're blushing again," he stated. "Why? Are you suddenly shy?"I shook my head but my eyes fell on his chest, "No, your highness… Liam."

Aurelia's POV"Nothing.." I muttered. On second thought I felt I shouldn't have said that to her...at least not yet.We walked in an awkward silence going further into the woods. The sky was getting darker and I grew worried by the second. Was his majesty searching for me already? I was fidgeting as I thought of how pissed he would be."Er… Miss Emma?" I called and stopped walking. "It's getting so late. I don't want his majesty to worry.""Come on, Aurelia," Emma mocked. " I'm sure he's fine. He can stay without you. Let's have some fun girl time. You've been locked up in that castle ever since you got here.""Well," I rubbed my arm. "It's alright. The King keeps me… company," I bit my lip and stared at the floor."I'm sure he does," her tone was strange but her smile eased my worry."Are you looking for something here?" I looked around. There was nothing but trees and leaves here."Yes. There's a herb around here," she stared at the floor. "I need it for the King-""Why? Is he sick?

Aurelia's POV"Emma?" I called as I tried to sniff her out. I switched to my night vision as it was too dark to see anything. Even the moon didn't shed enough light.I rubbed my arm as a chill made me shiver. It was getting cold too and as I turned to look around the woods, I came to the bitter realisation that I was lost.Even worse, Emma was nowhere to be found.Had she wandered so far that she forgot the way back? I was worried about her.Why couldn't I trace her scent? It felt it was everywhere yet nowhere at the same time."Emma?" I tried again, flinching at the sound of every little thing. "It's just a bird," I said to myself.I couldn't even remember the route I followed to get here. I wasn't paying attention when she led me here.Would Liam be looking for me by now? I could already feel that I was in trouble. Maybe he would lock me up this time and throw away the key.Deep down I wondered if he would be mad or worried. I actually wished it would be the latter but Emma's words

Aurelia's POVHe didn't let me walk to my room myself. Liam was beside me in silence. Despite how calm he had reacted, I was still recovering from the shock and fright I had thrown myself into.I had expected him to throw a fit. Why had he taken everything like it was a natural occurrence for me to leave and it was his duty to chase after me?It would prove a lot harder to get him to trust me. The first time, he called me a liar, now he was acting like he was already used to it.I felt like I was putting my mate through a roller-coaster of emotional and mental abuse. Why would he go through all that because of me? He shouldn't be getting this interested in a toy if he was going to lose interest someday.I ignored the dreadful feeling in my heart with Emma's words. I didn't need to feel at loss that my mate would never love me. I too was holding back from it.We slowed down when we got to my room and I circled my thumb in my other hand."You should-""Your highness-"We paused, waiting

Aurelia's POVI laid in bed for an extra twenty minutes after I woke up. I had no will in my body to drive me out of bed. What did he mean by 'saving me from himself?' Was he holding back on me now? Have we drifted that far apart? My bed suddenly felt too wide for a little she-wolf like myself.It felt like ages ago since the King last held me in his arms. It was strange to admit I was addicted to his touch. It was almost impossible to get a good night's rest without him being around. I took a shower… a long one, silently hoping he would come in and touch me like that day. It felt like I was waiting for an hour and when I finally stepped out, it was with a frown on my face.I dressed up and headed outside to join the maids in their work today. I could already imagine working myself to the bone to keep my thoughts away from making me feel depressed or sad over Liam.Why was I getting this upset over the fact that he was keeping our bond a secret? Sometimes, I wondered what I really wan