The day went by quickly after the lunch they had. It was like having people to chat with while doing work made time pass by twice as fast and before they knew it, nighttime had arrived.
"I'll close up here and head back inside." Dahlia told the rest who were already rubbing their eyes sleepily.
"Alright then, see you tommorow." They waved at her before leaving the stable.
In as much as Dahlia didn't mind closing up as the last one, the main reason why she chose to do so was because part of her was hoping to meet Azriel again that night. She had questions that needed answers, answers only he could provide.
Looking around the stable, Dahlia noticed there was nothing to clean up or do, the place was shiny and spotless; courtesy of the hardworkers she met earlier.
She nervously paced around, unsure of weather he would stop by the stables or not, and if he would be mad at her for breaking the rules twice in a row but her mind wouldn't be at peace if she didn't speak to him.
"Looks like someone was waiting for me."
Dahlia jolted up in surprise on hearing the familiar voice she was waiting for behind her. There he was in his ever so royal prim and proper attire, looking like the sin she wouldn't mind committing.
Shaking her head to get the forbidden thoughts out of her, Dahlia gave Azriel a slight bow, "Good evening, Your Highness."
"A good evening to you too." Azriel replied as he closed the gap between them.
Seeing him before her, Dahlia was too scared to ask the questions she had been preparing. For all she knew Azriel could have just done those things because he wanted to and she would end up looking life a fool who thought he did it for her as if she were a main character.
She nervously bit her lip and began thinking of an excuse to give but as panic struck her, her lips were unable to utter any word.
"You have questions for me, don't you." Azriel spoke up, breaking the ice between them, "I can only answer your questions if you ask… so ask." He left her side and walked toward Storm's stall after speaking, leaving Dahlia to battle the voices in her head.
Dahlia decided she'd rather face the embarasmment than die of not knowing why he did what he did so after going through the pros and cons in her head, she blurted out the questions, "I might be a little self-centred in my thinking but… Did you move Darcy here because of me? Why did you make me start working here? And why… Why did you get a bigger room for me?" She was shaking as she asked him those questions.
Dahlia had never been one to shy away form speaking her mind but when it came to Azriel, all sense of bravery left her body in a matter of seconds.
"It wasn't that hard to ask now was it."
Dahlia looked up to find Azriel smiling at her, a confusing response to her questions, she thought.
"I did move Darcy here because of you, I brought you here because I noticed you're fond of Storm as he is you, and I got you a bigger room so you could be more comfortable." Azriel didn't take his eyes off Dahlia as he spoke, and his tone expressed nothing but sincerity.
"Why… Why did you do all this for me?" Dahlia's words came out as a whisper in the dead of night but Azriel was still able to hear it.
"Because its you- I did all this, because its you." Azriel's eyes momentarily displayed an uncommon show of affection before it went away as if it was never there to begin with, "Besides, you've developed quite a bond with Darcy and it wouldn't be fair of me to snatch her away from you just so you could take care of Storm."
"Right… I'm grateful for your kindness." Dahlia could finally relax after getting her answer from him.
"I hope Storm wasn't stressful to deal with." Azriel asked, changing the subject.
"Not at all, he was quite the gentleman today." Dahlia's mind was wandering elsewhere as she spoke.
Petrichor- The smell of rain hitting a dusty ground. Her favorite earthy scent.
That was what Azriel smelled like to her. He had a unique smell for a wolf but all in all it was hypnotic and it was doing things to her.
'What is wrong with me?' Dahlia thought to herself.
The more she breathed in his scent, the more stirred up her wolf was getting, and the close proximity between them wasn't making it any better. It was like she lost all her senses except the sense of smell and Azriel's scent was all that surrounded her, the only thing she could pay focus to.
"What happened to your arm?"
Dahlia looked up to find Azriel staring at her elbow which got scratched during the fight she had with Jacinda. "I lost my balance and fell yesterday." She lied.
"Does it still hurt? Why isn't your wolf healing you?" Azriel delicately rubbed the scratch as he said those words.
The second their skin came into contact with each other, the last string of common sense Dahlia was desperately grasping on to dissipated. His touch was gentle yet rough and alarming yet safe at the same time. Her skin burned up despite being held by his cold hands, it was a mix of pain and pleasure that Dahlia hadn't come accross before.
All this from one touch.
Pulling her arm away from him as quickly as she could, Dahlia muttered, "I- I've applied some herbs on the wound so it should heal soon. I need to head back in before I get punished, goodnight, Your Highness."
As soon as those words rolled off her trembling lips, Dahlia bolted out of there leaving Azriel standing in shock and confusion.
Her reaction to his touch and scent scared her and all she could think off was running away from there as fast as she possibly could.
Although she just walked out on the king of the greatest kingdom mid conversation, Dahlia couldn't care less about the repercusions she would face, the only thing she was focused on were all the warning signs going off in her brain and her unsettled wolf who was trying to claw her way out.
"I need to start staying away from him." Her hands were on her knees as she tried to catch her breath after running the whole wy like a prey being chased.
To be fair, it did feel like she was a prey and Azriel was the predator out to get her, only two encounters with him and she was already losing herself. It was clear to her that something was wrong but she just couldn't figure out what. Not yet.