17. Do I know you?

Ally and Deimos held intense eye contact for a while. Mary spoke about the King's visit cheerfully, yet the young girl couldn't hear a word that left her lips. She was way too busy trying to figure out what had changed. For months she couldn't forget one kiss, and now, when he was finally facing her- there wasn't the feeling of need anymore. Deimos didn't seem any more interested in Ally than she was in him. A matter of pure, childish curiosity.

The Princess sighed, excused herself and headed straight at the direction where Deimos stood. His hands in his jeans pockets, lips in a thin line- nothing in his appearance gave out any feelings. In the lake, he was passionate, full of need, and longing. But standing there- Deimos looked like an empty shell rather than human being or shifter. When Ally stood in front of him, the male bowed his head slightly.

"Deimos," Ally called out his name as if trying to show off that she acknowledged his presence.

"Princess," He addressed her by the title she held, the first red flag Ally noticed. Something was missing- his eyes didn't seem as full of happiness and hope. Even his body wasn't as tense as it was before.

"You can call me by name, silly. Where have you been?" Ally decided to act more friendly than she ever did. Maybe by being curious yet way too kind, he will explain his absence.

"I can't. Any member of the Royal family must be addressed by their title; we don't go to the first name basis. I am just a trainer, nothing more. As to where I have been- busy, enjoying the long-needed vacation. I don't understand why I should provide such information, Princess." Deimos lifted his eyes, avoiding any eye contact with Ally.

He wasn't acting just plainly weird; on top of that, the young male seemed to be way too suspicious. Ally could guess that something happened, perhaps he got married and is trying to act as nothing happened between them? She massaged her temples and cursed under her breath. Overthinking leads only to one thing- migraines.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you? I mean, personally? No disrespect." Deimos spoke up again, frantically looking around the mall. He was searching for someone or trying to avoid eyes on him. With each minute passing, his behavior grew more suspicious.

At first, her eyes widened. The Princess couldn't understand how she was feeling so low and miserable for the man who forgot about her existence within months. How could she be such a child and hope that after getting back home, Deimos would still be the same? It was yet another sign for her to accept fate. Ally was to marry a stranger and to have someone by her side- distracting her from the goal was wrong.

"You know what?" Aly smiled, looking down at her feet and gently shaking her head. Never in her whole life had she felt so miserable and broken. She cursed herself for getting attracted to him so fast. Ally opened her mouth once again, this time lifting her gaze and staring right into his eyes as she spoke: "No, you don't. I guess I got the wrong person. You look awfully similar to a close friend of mine. Weirdly enough, you share the same name as well. It doesn't matter, though, I'll be going now. Have a great life, Deimos." She smiled for the last time and turned her back to the male. Step by step, the young woman counted seconds. If he wouldn't stop her after ten seconds- this was their goodbye. It doesn't matter for how long he stays around or if he gets back to working at the school. Ally would avoid him as if her life would depend on it.

Only when Ally reached Mary's side, she did understand that Deimos never called out for her. Ally didn't look back at him either- she wanted for him to want her. For him to take the first step and explain everything. Apparently, it wasn't part of his plan.

"Is that the boy?" Mary looked over Ally's shoulder, watching how Deimos walked away from the store entrance.

Ally nodded her head, biting onto her lip. She wanted to burst out in tears, scream and punch something, but it wouldn't help. He didn't want to be helped or reminded of the little thing between them. So why would she ever give up on her sanity and chase a man? If it wasn't meant- it wasn't.

"Let's finish the shopping and go back home. We can still have some girl time until your father arrives. I got some nice clothes for you while you were busy," Mary reminded her of Eve. So gentle and loving- just like a real mother was supposed to be. Deep down, Ally wanted to be next to her mom- to cry out her heart and hide away from the word. That's what her mother could do- hide her from everyone, protect her as if the human turned into a real lioness.
But at this moment she was happy to have Mary around- without her advice and kind words, Ally wouldn't pull through everything.

"Sounds like a plan. I would love some hot chocolate and the attic room," Ally grinned, walking towards the checkouts, hand in hand with Mary.

The attic room was their special place- both women spent three months renovating it into a hideout. It wasn't a large room, but enough for them to build a tiny paradise. That's where they hid from everyone and talked about anything. Balthazar knew about their little secret, but never approached it. The Lord decided that Ally and Mary deserve something to call theirs. It was their special place for extraordinary occasions. Most of their bonding time happened in that room; secrets and fears were shared in those walls.

"Oh, that sounds perfect. I'd kill for hot chocolate," Mary replied, making them both laugh. As funny as it sounded, Ally knew that there was a lot of truth hidden in that joke. The woman was crazy enough to kill for something tasty.

They left the store smiling and laughing, as the women neared the exit, Ally noticed Deimos. He wasn't far from them- his eyes fixated on her. The look of regret flushed over his facial expression, hidden as soon as he noticed that Ally was watching him. He stood there as if he was numb.
Instead of staying for longer or staring at the male, Ally left the mall in a hurry. She dropped bags into the backseat of the car and sat in the driver's seat. Ally didn't speed whenever Mary was in the car, so the drive home took more time than she'd like. Balthazar stood in front of the entrance, a look of pity in his eyes. Ally understood right away that Mary must have mind-linked him and spilled the beans. The Lord took their bags and opened the door for them without saying a word. He whispered something into Mary's ear and smiled, shortly after walking away. Ally eyed them both suspiciously, wondering what they were up to. The older woman grabbed her wrist and led Ally to the attic.

"Wait, how about..." Ally wanted the cup of hot chocolate, it made her calm down, and sugar helped thinking.

"Don't worry; I arranged that before we arrived. There are two cups of steaming hot chocolate and some cookies waiting for us upstairs. Hurry up; I don't want them to get cold." Mary laughed, dragging Ally upstairs. Soon enough, both of them burst out in laugher, even before reaching the attic room. With each step, the young woman felt better; she was nearing her safe heaven with one of her favorite persons by her side.

As soon as they entered the room, Mary locked the door and sat on the carpet, grabbing one of the cups. For a while, both sat in silence, letting their thoughts go wild. Ally loved the idea- Mary always said that it was the easiest way to start the conversation. Just grab on the first thought and talk.

"He didn't recognize me. I had so many questions to ask, but all I could get over my lips was the one about where he was. Something happened to him- that man is not the same Deimos I met nine months ago. He is not the same Deimos I couldn't stop thinking about. The look in his eyes, Gosh, if only I could describe how empty and numb he looked. And the worst part was that he kept calling me a Princess instead of using my name. I tell you- that is not him. Mary, something terrible happened to him; it's like I can feel it. I don't believe that someone might change that much during such a short period of time. I'm so lost it hurts," Ally whispered the last words. She couldn't stop staring at the cup in her hands, waiting for it to give any answers. Wherever she looked- the young woman could picture his face- the cold, distant look in his eyes which nearly froze her soul.

"Maybe nothing happened, let's start there. Have you thought about things which perhaps he did on his own? Let's be real- there are way too many possibilities to hold onto one, which is just a guess. What if he left with the idea of forgetting whatever happened? What if the boy did all of this on purpose? I know it's hard to believe, but you told me yourself that he's engaged, the same as you are. Wouldn't that be the most logical solution- getting rid of the crush and thinking about the future? Even you thought of that and mentioned the idea more than ten times. What if he did what you were thinking about? Is it making you sad, angry, or maybe happy? Technically we can look at the situation like you got what you wanted, sweetheart. You tried your best to get rid of those feelings, and now, when he is cold, you might succeed." Mary did her best to come up with reasonable ideas. She wanted to show Ally that there's always positives and negatives- depending on the situation. If the Princess would try to see things from a more positive perspective, perhaps she would feel better. Mary could keep on hoping, but the fact that Ally was a more realistic type of person like her father didn't help. Sometimes she wished that the Princess could be so positive and gentle as her mother.

"There's this thing... I don't feel it anymore. I mean the wild attraction towards him- it's gone. All this time, I kept waiting for the moment when I'll get to see him again. I dreamed of running into his arms, hugging him and holding onto that man till the day when I have to face my responsibility towards the Kingdom. I wanted to feel real happiness even if that might last only for a couple of months, if not weeks. But now, out of nowhere, I don't feel like that anymore. And I think that that's the thigh which bothers me the most. Everything faded just as suddenly as it appeared. I'm not numb, nor I feel empty, but I don't want him either. It's weird, so damn confusing, but that's how it is," Ally sighed. She had to close her eyes to calm down. Her heart was racing while she spoke about her emotions, but that's all. Whenever his face popped back in her mind- her heartbeat normalized again. As if there was no Deimos or the night at the lake. Even the memory didn't make her heart race.

"And that's where everything gets only weirder. I mean, it's pretty common for men to lose feelings, pull, or do anything to damage those, but women don't get involved in that process. Usually, women still feel and act the same, while males become emotionless. It shouldn't happen like that. If he was your soulmate, what I did think might be the truth- even then, this shouldn't happen. I've heard tales about one of the fated ones losing their soul. The other longing for the lost part of their soulmate still feeling the attraction for the body. But you don't feel anything. I will need to make some calls- maybe witches know anything about this. Ally, you're at the perfect age when your species starts looking for mates and building families- you shouldn't lose even a crush for a guy. Your body and mind should be racing just after the thought of him. If you felt that pull- you and Seraphima considered him as a candidate for mating. Even if you didn't think about it- your beast and body could act on their own without you noticing. I need more time; this is not good." Mary whispered under her breath and got back on her legs. She dusted her pants and headed towards the door, unlocking it.
Before leaving the attic room, she reminded Ally to get ready for her father's arrival. It's been just half of the day, and it's more eventful than the last couple of months. The only thing which worried Ally was her dad's visit. What would Eros think of his daughter if he found out what was happening behind his back?