It didn't take long for Dahlia to catch up to Azriel who had already developed a steady lead and the two began to compete to see who would beat the other.
Just a few hours prior to this, Dahlia was thinking about how she wasn't sure if she'd ever get the opportunity to ride a horse again and yet there she was enjoying the wind in her hair and running free in the night.
Taking the bizzare situation to a whole other level, she was riding with none other than the king of Zrika himself. He even helped strapped up her horse for her.
"You're a skilled rider." Azriel called out, expressing his admiration for her skills.
"I try my best, Your highness." Dahlia replied as she tried to catch up to him. The split second she took to think about how weird the whole ordeal was, Azriel managed to get ahead of her.
For the first time since that night, Dahlia didn't fear the woods. As their horses galloped on the rough terrain and around the large trees, a wave of adventure replaced the place in her heart previously held by fear.
Although neither of them knew it, Azriel was helping Dahlia heal from the trauma she went through.
They raced for a while before reaching a cliff at the end of the forest and unsurprisingly, Azriel won.
"It seems I still have a long way to go before reaching your level, Your highness." Dahlia said once she caught her breath.
"You're far more experienced than I thought and even already at my level."
'Probably because I've been riding since I was five' Dahlia wanted to say that but decided against it in stead. "Hearing such words from you is an honor, Your Majesty."
"Again with the formalities. It seems like you only forget to add Your Highness or Your Majesty whenever you're carried away." Azriel voiced out his observations.
"Well, you are the King, and I need to respect that, Your Highness."
Once again, Azriel's let out a chuckle, "There's no one around so drop the formalities... What's your name?"
"Dahlia." This time, she didn't add any honorifics when talking much to Azriel's delight.
Dahlia wondered why a king wanted a slave to drop the honorifics when talking to him but she didn't dare ask. He was already treating her so well and deep down she wondered if he would have done the same if he knew where she came from.
"Dahlia... What a lovely name you have. My name's Azriel."
"I'm aware, Your Majesty." Dahlia chuckled at Azriel for introducing himself to her as if there was anyone who wasn't aware of who he was.
"Well then, since you're aware, I'm sure you won't mind calling me by my name."
Dahlia was dumbfounded by what Azriel said. He asked her to call him by his name in the most casual and nonchalant way as if he wasn't the Alpha of the greatest pack while she was a mere slave. "I- I ca-"
"Before you refuse, we're the only ones here so it won't hurt to let your guard down a little, besides, do you really want to disobey the king?" Azriel joked.
On any other day, Dahlia would have been worried if a king said that to her but after the time she spent with Azriel, a bit of his humor was coming to light so feeling brave, she decided to go along with it. "I wouldn't dare disobey you... Azriel."
The two burst out laughing at the silliness of what they just did but in truth, that made the atmosphere around them lighter and Dahlia felt more comfortable and relaxed in his presence.
The way Azriel's name naturally rolled off Dahlia's tongue came as a shock to her but she had to admit it felt nice, even more so when he said her name earlier.
'I should stop going too far with my thoughts if I want to keep my head attached to my neck.' Dahlia repriminded herself before her thoughts could escalate.
The two of them lay on the soft grass as they watched the sky above them. It felt like Dahlia was in the prsence of a friend and not a king, and she had to admit it was comforting in a way.
"Orion..." Dahlia found herself mumuring.
"Is that your favorite constellation?" Azriel asked once he noticed the hunter in the sky Dahlia was focused intently on.
"It is."
"May I ask why?"
"It was one of the first constellations I learned of. It's also very useful in locating other stars so in a way, it feels like with orion, you'll always find your way home no matter where it might be." Dahlia explained her love for the constellation without realizing Azriel had been staring at her intently the whole time.
"That's something I've never thought of before. The way you speak of the stars in a passionate manner is quite captivating." Azriel lightly smiled for a brief second before returning back to his blank face.
"What about you, what's your favorite constellation?" Dahlia asked.
"Lupus." Azriel replied in a low tone.
"The wolf star? Is it because you're an alpha wolf?"
"Not at all," Azriel shook his head, "Being alpha at a young age with so many responsibilities, I had everyone looking up to me like someone great and no one to look up to. So whenever I see lupus in the sky, I feel small compared to the star, like there's something else higher than me at the top of the food chain and in a way, it doesn't make me feel so alone."
There was a sense of vulnerability in the way Azriel spoke and Dahlia found herself wanting to cradle him in her arms and tell him everything was okay and he wasn't alone.
It was rare to find a king being willingly vulnerable in from of anyone, much less a slave he met an hour ago and yet Azriel was doing just that. In a way, Dahlia was glad he was opening up rather than keeping it all to himself.
Although he was a wolf, an alpha, and a king, Dahlia saw him as someone else that night; just a human. She realized no matter how much others idolized and feared him, deep down, he was still just a human and had the same emotions as everyone else.
"I can't say I understand what you're going through but all I can say is even if you're not aware of it, there's someone who's truly on your side and you're never alone." Dahlia tried comforting him to the best of her abilities, "And you finding solace in the stars up above is proof of that."
"I suppose you're right."