16. Months of half loneliness.

Ally woke up the next morning, trying to regret the kiss. The worst part was the fact that she couldn't and didn't want to feel any regret. She enjoyed the closeness with Deimos more than anything. On the other hand, he didn't look too happy about the seemingly innocent thing between them. The kiss didn't last forever, but it was more than magical for Ally until the moment he broke it. Deimos pushed her away as if the electricity hit him in full power. His facial expression was frantic- changing between sadness and regret. The look alone almost broke Ally. That evening she watched how Deimos turned his back to her and left hurriedly. He didn't wait for Ally to get out of the water or got dressed- she disappeared faster than appeared. Before going back home she decided to check on him, maybe something urgent happened, and he had to leave without explaining himself. She found the house Deimos was talking about earlier and noticed that his truck was gone, not a single window illuminated in any light. Ally stood next to it for a couple of minutes, staring at the windows, hoping that there would be any movement.
The house looked empty, abandoned. Then the Princess turned around and left. Since that day she hasn't seen Deimos anymore.

"Aye, Ally!" Someone yelled from the other side of the hall, breaking her thought bubble and bringing her back to reality. She looked over her shoulder and noticed Arex, the same cheeky grin on his lips.
When he approached her, as usual- he threw his hand over her shoulders. During the last couple of months, they became closer.

Everyone around the school was stunned after finding out that Deimos left. In his place came other people, a couple of them, but it never felt the same. Something about him still bothered Ally, and she wasn't sure what exactly it was. Maybe his sudden disappearance? Or perhaps there was something more; she even considered the opportunity of them being mates. The idea was dropped pretty quickly, as much as she wanted to find a mate- she couldn't. Day by day, the day of her biggest fears neared.

"So? How did you do on the test?" Arex spoke up, noticing how serious her facial expression turned once again. He had gotten used to her sudden mood changes. Most of the day, the Princess tried to smile and stay surrounded by her friends, but she sank in thoughts whenever she was alone. He started to accompany her to the lake each evening, talking about the most insane bits of their past. Their friendship grew stronger with each secret, both of them shared.

"I think I did okay. I mean, the professor said that my result is better than the previous one. I do hope that there is some improvement, I need some good news," Ally looked away from Arex, hiding the things she thought about before the male approached her.
She kept stealing some glances back- deep down, hoping that the familiar smirk would appear behind them. It never did.

"Those are some amazing news, babe! Don't be sad; he will come back and explain everything way before you'll have to marry the ugly thing. Now, when I think of it- please don't have babies. They can't get their mom's brilliant mind and looks. Some might be pretty, but dumb, and some might be ugly geniuses. Just don't." Arex tried to lift her mood again. He pulled her closer in and pecked the top of her head. Everyone around the school kept rumoring that both of them were dating- fake news. Being great friends did fit in the same box with hugs and innocent pecks. Even more- he stood by her side no matter how upset, or angry Ally was. Arex was the one who watched how fast Ally changed.

"I'm not sad, just still wondering what happened. I have no idea why I am so drawn to him; it's crazy. Maybe he's my mate?" She raised an eyebrow, facing her friend again. During the absence of Deimos, Ally found out that Arex was engaged to neighboring Alpha's daughter. And Deimos was to marry the elder one. Both of them were meant to marry daughters of a powerful Alpha. And that Alpha was a close friend with her father. If the King found out what was happening there- he would be more than disappointed.

"Unlikely. If you were- he would claim you as soon as you appeared. It's rare for males to fight mate bonds for longer than a couple of hours, but he was around you for a while. Even I kissed you the first time we met, didn't I?" He wiggled his eyebrows, teasing the Princess. Arex was a fantastic friend; he even arranged a meeting with his fiancee for the girls to meet each other. She was a beautiful, sweet, but a little shy young lady. They did have a lot of fun together.

"I guess you're right. Well, maybe one day I will find out. And anyway, I have to get over this sooner or later, it's pretty tiring to feel sad most of the time. How long has it been? A month or two?" They laughed and headed towards the cafeteria. Arex and Ally loved to have lunch together, most of the time trying to get rid of others. They loved their privacy, which was an issue for most of the girls. Ones wanted to become friends with Royalty, and others wanted to get into her best friend's pants.

"More like almost nine months, Ally. The school year is nearly over; you've been crying over a guy for centuries. It's about time for this shit to stop." Ally's eyes widened. She didn't notice how fast the time had passed. But then again- she did call her parents each day, her little sister was growing fast and healthy. Bea, that's the name of the little rascal. Only after the topic of time was brought up, Ally finally understood how much things she had missed while crying over someone.

"Holy shit, I can't believe that I lost almost a year of my life over one kiss. This is insane. Am I stupid, do I have a fever?" Arex just laughed at her, leading the Princess to their table. During the lunch, they changed the topic and ended up laughing in tears. Most of the other students eyed them both, soon joining their fit of laughter.

When Ally and Arex were getting ready to head back to the class, they noticed Lord Balthazar standing in the door frame. The elder male smiled, watching how silly and joyful Ally was around her new friend. Whoever was left in the cafeteria instantly bowed in front of the Royal. They didn't do the same for Ally- she had made sure to avoid such things. The young girl didn't feel like being better than anyone just because her father was the King.

"Sweetheart, your father, will visit you today. I already spoke to the principal; you're getting the rest of the day off. I came here to pick you up because Mary keeps talking about shopping sprees with you. She has this idea that you have to wear something nice when Eros arrives," Balthazar smiled down at Ally.

"Is mom coming?" Her voice was hopeful, full of excitement. Ally was daddy's girl, but her mother meant so much to her. Eve was her person- the only one she could truly trust. Her mother always kept her secrets and stood by her side even when times seemed too dark.

"Unfortunately she isn't, little Bea is giving her some Hell, as what I have heard. She promised to come before the school year ends- within a week. Or you will spend the summer in the castle if that's what you wish to do. Up to you, pumpkin." Even Balthazar seemed to be sad because the Queen wouldn't visit them this time. They had a special bond with Eve- both of the elder Royals seeing her as their daughter. The family was really tight, always having each other's back, no matter how bad things went.

Ally sighed, and a sad smile appeared on her lips. She hugged her friend and promised to pick him up the next morning. He pouted, but let go of the girl when she promised him that everything would be alright. Everyone, once again bowed in front of Balthazar as they left the school. Who wouldn't? The male was surrounded by a superior aura, showing off his dominance and power. The Lord never acknowledged young shifters, intentionally reminding them where their place was. He stood tall, head held high, a smirk of victory plastered all over his lips.

"I'll take you home to change into something more comfortable. After that, I'm out of the picture- tell Mary that I'm dealing with some awfully important things, please." His facial expression softened as soon as his eyes met Ally's. She gasped, unable to believe that the Lord himself was begging her to do something.

"You... You want me to lie to Mary?" Ally gasped again, placing a hand over her heart and faking surprise. After a few seconds, her cover broke, and the corners of her mouth twitched.

"Fine, you can drive my car for a month." He groaned, rolling his eyes as he got into the driver's seat. Ally followed his actions, popping into the passenger seat and grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Double or nothing, buddy. It's Mary; I'll have to do Hella lots of acting to convince her. Or you can join our little trip. If we go down, we go down together, Uncle Balthazar." Ally knew that she was pushing his buttons, the same as she knew how much he hated the shopping trips. Both of them did, but Mary kept forcing them to join her. She called it "family bonding time" while Ally and Balthazar called those trips to the mall torture.

"Two months and you get a week off from doing the dishes. Just make sure that Mary thinks I'm so busy I can't pick up the phone. The last time I had to join your two, it was a legit video conference. Ally, she showed me at least thirty different outfits and bought none, because apparently not even one suits her perfectly. Sometimes I feel like women go shopping just to touch things, call them cute, and leave empty-handed. I swear shopping should be listed as one of the deadliest tortures ever. My poor heart can not take it," Now it was Balthazar's turn to act a little too melodramatic. He started the car and drove to their house, listening to the calming music in the background.

When they reached the house, Ally bolted inside, running upstairs like a bullet. *"The sooner we start this, the sooner it ends."* she reminded herself over and over again. As the Princess threw a simple hoodie on, Mary rushed into the room.

"Ally, where is Balthazar? He was supposed to join us today! We will need his help; I'm not planning to carry those bags alone." Mary crossed her arms in front of her chest and tapped her foot against the wooden floor. She was an old lady, but the sass in her reminded a woman in her early twenties- one of a kind.

"Something urgent came up; he left his car so that I could drive us there. Don't worry, aunt, I'll carry your bags. Sometimes things happen when we aren't ready for them, and the uncle wants to make sure that the territory is safe. He's getting ready for my dad's visit the same as you are trying to. It's just that both of you have different ways of showing it. Anyway, you ready? Because I am!" Ally mentally tapped her shoulder, feeling proud of how convincing she sounded. Balthazar has to be happy that she's on his side- otherwise, he would get into deep trouble.

"Let me grab my purse, and I'm ready! Meet me downstairs," Mary clapped her hands and ran to the master bedroom. She was way too fast for her age, making Ally laugh most of the time.
The car drive to the mall didn't last for too long- both women spoke about things dear to their hearts. Mary knew about Deimos, and the way Ally was trying to get over whatever little thing they had. She tried to stay close whenever the Princess needed her. At this point, Ally couldn't imagine her life without Balthazar and Mary.

When they arrived at the mall, most of the people parted, making way for the Royalties. Ally hated it; she wanted to fit in and be the silly teenager instead of acting like she's on the top of the world.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Mary questioned her as soon as they entered the first store. All workers stood in the line, bowing in front of both women and shoppers left. It's the same as all other times when they went out- people gave them space and privacy.

"I think my months of half loneliness are coming to an end. I'm coming in terms with the fact that life is what it is and I can't change much. It's time to suck it up and face reality." When Ally turned around, she gasped. Her eyes were met with the ones she missed the most. Deimos stood near the entrance of the store, unfazed by her standing just a couple of feet away. He seemed rather emotionless, having no interest in Ally at all.

And the weirdest part of it all was that Ally didn't feel the pull. She didn't feel the need to approach him and live out of the dreams. Ally planned to scream, demand answers, and simply hug him when the chance would come. But now, when they were facing each other, there was no need to do that. She felt as if she was staring into the eyes of a stranger. Whatever she cried over was lost. A huge weight lifted from her heart when the young woman smiled and nodded her head. She acknowledged his presence the same as any other.
There was nothing special about Deimos anymore.