His Mortal Bride

♱ Chapter 5 ♱

Alec's P•O•V

4 days into the week ; 3 days left

Walking down the street, I felt a chill run through me as I had no idea where I was going nor what I was doing. Something was driving me, telling me to take a walk and get some time to think.

I had three days left until my birthday. The fire inside me only grew stronger as the days went by, revealing to me the day of my twenty-first birthday was fast approaching. I had no way of stopping it, nor did I have any way to get out of this. I couldn't just return to Romania by myself. There was no way I could return to my family's Kingdom without their next Queen. I would be exiled and my family would get the brunt of the shame-

My thick thoughts blurred my focus, making me inattentive to my surroundings. I'd run into something - more like someone - soft, and unexpectedly it cut off my droning thoughts. I froze in my spot and felt my hands swiftly grab the person I had run into so they wouldn't fall from impact. I looked down at the small woman and I was faced with shiny, curled hair the color of dark coffee. I could feel everything in me chill as she looked up at me.

That was when I notice that I had absentmindedly let my drive lead me to the familiar street I had first seen her.

Perfect hazel eyes gazed up into mine in shock. Soft freckles displayed thickly on top of her nose and thinned out on her cheeks. A little gasp came out of her perfect, dark red, plump lips. Her small, fragile arms held in front of my chest, holding herself steady and protected her from getting hit too hard.

It was silent as both of us recognized each other from the coffee shop. That was until the beautiful sound of her voice stuttered a bit,

"I'm - I'm so sorry!" Raven exclaimed with an insecure smile. "Please excuse how clumsy I am. Seems like I can't even manage to take a couple of steps out of my house without being a klutz." Her soft voice sounded to me as if an angel was speaking. She had gestured to the grey row house set in between two identical, but separate, row houses. I swallowed the lump in my throat and stiffly forced myself to let her go.

"No worries," I gave her a short smile, regaining whatever confidence I had. "Did I hurt you?" I asked, suddenly concerned about if I had accidentally managed to harm her.

"No, no you're fine," She gave a quiet, nervous laugh. I peered down at her in admiration. Dear Lord, I couldn't help myself. She was stunning. Admittedly the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen.

A blush rose to Raven's cheeks as she noticed my stare. Something in me snapped as I acknowledged the pounding now residing inside my head. I took a step away from her, backing away with the urgent intention to remove myself from her presence as soon as possible. My brain pounded with a single thought that killed me...

Her life's never going to be the same once she's taken to Romania-

"I'm sorry again," I apologized, the words coming quickly as I tore my gaze from her, pacing away, ready to get back to the hotel, only to leave her in shock.

As I turned for the fourth time onto a new block, retracing back the complicated way to the hotel, my phone started to buzz in my pocket. I sighed, reached into the pocket, and put the phone up to my ear.

"Hello?" I said in a ragged voice.

"Oh Alec darling, it's your mother. How is it in the United States?" My mother's familiar voice boomed in my ear. Her enthusiasm never ceased to shock me.