Chapter 7

Kelly “Where are we going?”

“Off grid.” Thorin smiled, handing me a helmet to put on before getting on the back of his bike.

“And my father was okay with that?”

“Eh…what he doesn’t know, wont hurt us.” He shrugged. “He is busy man, he wont even notice.”

He was right about that. My father had a lot going on. He was trying to get a few peace treaties signed as of lately. Tack on a sick mate, three daughters providing him with regular headaches, and running a kingdom…he might not even know I’m gone.

“For how long?” I asked.

“Few days.” He shrugged, revving the engine. “We go hunting.”

“Hunting, huh?” I laughed, throwing on the helmet and wrapping myself around Thorin.

“Da.”

Throin drove for an hour or two, parking his bike on the edge of the highway, and hiding it just out of view. It was exactly what I needed today. Fresh pine air, a cool breeze, a time for my thoughts to be put to rest. We walked deep into the forest, just Thorin and I and the clothes on our backs. I was surprised he didn’t bring anything to handle Keres if she decided to loose her s**t. He is more trusting than I thought.

“We learn archery, the old-fashioned way.” He grunted, picking up a few large sticks. “Sometimes you can’t always shift, you need new way to fend for self and get food.”

“Sometimes?” I snorted.

Thorin shot me an amused look before continuing. He spent the afternoon teaching me how to make a bow and arrows from scratch. I spent all evening making as many arrows as possible while Thorin setup camp for us and made a fire. He also showed me how to make a fire bed, keeping us warm through the night.

“What’s it like out there?” I asked, staring at the wide open sky. “In other parts of the world?”

“Some places are hot, others humid. My child home was cold.” He shrugged. “None felt welcoming until now.”

“Yeah?” I asked. “It just seems like there is so much out there. I would love to travel one day.”

“Why don’t you?”

“I’m the future queen, remember? My father would never let me travel by myself.” I snorted. “And, I am kind of a walking hazard.”

Thorin let out a loud belly laugh, agreeing with me, before he got serious again. “The world has many beauties, but even more dangers. You might not be the worst thing out there.”

“No? What’s the worst thing you’ve ever encountered?”

“Keres.” He grunted. “But I never went looking for trouble. Trouble just always seemed to find me. I had friend who went looking for trouble.”

“What ever happened to him?”

“No one knows. He left one day looking for a wild beast, and when he returned, he was never the same again. He rambled on and on about what was lurking in shadows, drawing pictures of the being he claimed was haunting him. Eventually, he went mad and killed self.”

“Thats so sad.” I frowned.

“Like I said, much beauty, more danger.” He sighed. “Now, get rest, we hunt at sunrise.”

“Yes sir.” I winked before turning onto my other side.

Maybe it was just the fire flickering, but I swear I saw Thorin’s eyes turn black. I guess I hadn’t scared him off completely after all. I felt peaceful with Thorin. He always had a way of making my problems seem less detrimental than they actually were. Maybe with time I could make room for love after all.

– – – – – – – – –

“This is really hard…” I huffed, annoyed that I hadn’t landed a single shot all morning.

“It takes practice. You will get eventually.” Thorin encouraged.

We quietly stalked through the woods, collecting all of my arrows before heading over to a new area to hunt. I could hear some small woodland creatures the further we went. Thorin wordlessly put his hand on my shoulder, pushing down slightly, telling me to crouch. He flicked his head at my target and I got lined up. Carefully, Thorin put his arms around me, adjusting my position to help me achieve a perfect shot. His breath fanned my face, his scent invaded my space. I could get used to this.

“Now.” He whispered in my ear, so quiet I probably wouldn’t have heard him if I hadn’t been so focused on him instead of the squirrel in front of us.

I released my arrow and it was a perfect kill shot. I jumped up in excitement, pulling Throin in for a k**s before I even knew what I was doing. I pulled away, but only slightly. Thorin’s eyes searched mine before his mouth crashed into mine, devouring me. I was soon pinned against a tree, our hands roaming each other. I reached for his belt when he stopped me.

“Nyet.” He heaved for air, resting his forehead against mine.

“But-“

“Nyet.” He shook his head. “Lets go get your kill before something else does.” He said, reluctantly pulling away.

I felt confused. It seemed like he wanted me. So why would he pull away? Because I was his student? I tried to brush off the abrasive feeling of being turned down, again, as I watched Throin prepare the squirrel for us to eat. I practiced shooting for a few more hours before Thorin called it quits and we went back to his motorcycle, back to the palace, back to normal.

– – – – – – – – –

Thorin I noticed the princess was not herself lately, not since what happened in Alpha Averys pack. I decided that she needed a break and was willing to bend some rules to see that happen. King Carson was not especially fond of his daughters leaving the kingdom. He preferred that they stayed within the palace walls. Especially Kelly. But sometimes rules must be broken.

I decided to take her out for a bit of a camping excursion. I could teach her archery and she could mostly relax. She wouldn’t need to worry about someone forcing her to take strange pills, or her father forcing her to study, or her mother getting sick. She could just be for a few days. Archery was mostly a cover in case we were caught, but Kelly seemed to like to learn about survival, so I didn’t mind teaching her while we were away.

What I hadn’t planned on was her kissing me with her perfect, soft lips. I also didn’t plan on losing control as I had. It would seem that I was a weaker man than I had thought. At least when it came to her. Perhaps it was because my wolf, Theo, was feeling lonely. We have been all over the world and have never found her. Our mate. We have been able to sense our mate for almost a decade now. Needless to say, we were feeling impatient.

Kelly was upset with me that I stopped us from going further. I don’t blame her. I was upset with myself for stopping it. But she deserved better. She deserved to be properly mated, not just taken on the forest floor like an animal. At least not for our first time together. I was far from a pure man, but I knew well enough to know a first time between a man and a woman should be…thoughtful and…special.

“I see tomorrow for training?” I asked as I took Kelly’s helmet off.

“Of course.” She nodded, her demeanor shifted, she looked sad.

I went back to my home, pondering what to do next. It would be improper for me, as her trainer, to pursue her. But when has manners ever stopped me before?