||Permission: The act of permitting, especially in giving formal consent; authorization.||
Arabella had ran all the way home in her wolf form, she had left her car there in her haze to escape the King.
Upon arriving in the backyard of her home, she hurriedly shifted and went inside her home. She took a quick shower and got dressed before she went to bed. Arabella laid in bed having irrational thoughts of fleeing the country to avoid the King's constant coercion for them to be mates.
Her mind and body was exhausted, exasperated from all the King's frequent incidents that occurred between the two. One of the many things that plagued her mind was the King's Birthday Banquet she had been enforced to attend much to her displeasure. It was her last dreadful thought before she drifted into an uncomfortable slumber.
The mellifluous chirps of the birds which were perched upon Arabella's balcony awoke Arabella to the primal thought of a good kill for breakfast.
Rapping on the front door could be heard from below before she got up to see who was at the door. Tying the robe around her, she descended the stairs reluctantly, hopeful that it was not the King who was at the door.
About to open the front door, she had not smelt a trace of the King's scent and she let out a breath she did not know she was holding. Unfortunately to her, what she did smell was her Godfather Vladimir. She readied herself mentality before opening the door with a small smile.
"Greetings Godfather." Arabella said welcoming him inside.
"Morning Arabella, Did you just awake? It is 6:30 already." Vladimir scolded Arabella as he trained her to wake up much more earlier.
"Yes." She said, hiding the fear she had that he caught her sleeping late.
Vladimir eyes gazed at her as his eyes were cast upon her under a scrutinizing watch. She stood taller and waited for his response.
"Get ready we're going jogging." Vladimir said dismissing her and entering the kitchen.
Arabella knew better than to question Vladimir, she should have realized what he came for based on his sports attire. She quickly showered and got dressed in a grey jogger sweatpants and a loose white t-shirt that stopped at her hip.
After knotting her laces of her sneakers together, she met Vladimir in the kitchen reading the newspaper with a plate of food next to him.
"I made you breakfast," he said looking up from the newspaper, "that's all I could find."
"Thank you. I need to go grocery shopping." Arabella replied still stunned that Vladimir made her breakfast.
"No problem." He said dismissively as he went back to reading the paper.
Two boiled eggs, an apple and one piece of toasted bread were plated for Arabella. She knew if would not be enough to satisfy her hungry but she quickly ate it.
After finishing her meal, Arabella and Vladimir were out the door in a flash. Side by side, they jogged down the lane, keeping their pace steady on the grey slabs of compact concrete the made up the sidewalk. Grand mansions paved the street with their elegance. Golden rays of the morning star warmed the Earth as it washed the streets with its ethereal glow casting shadows that followed. They had jogged down the cul-de-sac street, running until they could see the castle, almost a miles run.
Arabella had become quite suspicious and looked at Vladimir for a sign of his intentions being what was correct of her thoughts. Jogging past the castle with no sign of the King left her relieved there would be no confrontation so early in the morning.
Going around the street again and nearing the castle once more, the King's scent was pungent in the air and a muscular man dressed in black jogger sweatpants and a black exercise t-shirt could be seen standing at the gates of the castle flanked by two men. Approaching the castle, the King was recognized as the bystander at the gate.
Vladimir had slowed down and came to a stop in front of the castle, walking to meet the King. Arabella would have kept in jogging away from them if Vladimir hadn't motioned her to stop and come over. Grinding her teeth together, she walked over in defiance, reluctantly.
Nodding his head, Vladimir looked at Arabella, "Arabella, I have to leave to oversee some important meetings. We were doing a fifteen mile course, you have thirteen miles left. Please finish off with Xavier."
"What is the meaning of this Godfather?" She asked her voice passive but her entire being was angered.
"As I stated before, I have to leave to oversee some important meetings and Xavier follows the same routine as yours, so I allowed him to join." Vladimir said, some annoyance in his tone.
"Yes Godfather." Arabella said obediently, with resentment but with obedience.
The King had been observing the small dispute between Arabella and Vladimir to which he found amusing. Joining her at her side, he looked at her attire and her face that seemed more beautiful in the sunlight.
"Start." Vladimir said before walking into the castle grounds and dismissing the two.
Starting back at her pace, Arabella jogged away from the King creating the space that was much needed for her. The King caught up to her and was back at her side, the two jogging at the same pace. His two bodyguards in exercise attire behind him jogging along with them.
"Good Morning Arabella." The King said politely to Arabella, hoping to spark up conversation between the two for the long run they had.
"Good Morning, Your Highness." Arabella said passively, not glancing at the King and keeping her head to the front.
"I must say I was impressed to hear Vladimir trained you much less him being your Godfather." The King said curiously.
"Do you always have your Deltas follow you around or are you afraid of me?" Arabella said in mockery, not wanting to say what she truly wanted to.
The King chuckled at her remark, " Deltas, ad cadere." He said in Latin to the men behind him.
Deltas, fall back.
"De cursus, mi regem ." The Deltas said together.
Of course, my king.
The Deltas slowed their paced and followed from father away, giving the two privacy.
"The banquet is next Tuesday." The King said to Arabella.
"Yes, I have been informed." She said concentrating on her running instead of concentrating on how the great his hair looked today.
"I would like you to accompany me." He said turning to look at her while running.
"I would like a lot of things." she said under her breath.
"What was that?" The king asked amused.
"I said if that is what you wish, Your Highness." She said running faster now, annoyed.
"Your family will be attending." He said to her, trying to see her expression.
"That is great." She said speeding up her pace.
The King caught up to her, "And I plan on telling them we are mates." He said to her.
After hearing this, Arabella got dizzy and lost balance, she tripped on her own foot. She hit her left shoulder before a hand got ahold of her arm and brought her up.
Standing up, she held her head in pain, knuckles bloodied from hitting the coarse concrete pavement.
"Arabella, are you okay?" The King asked concerned.
"Yes I'm fine." She said before wiping the blood from her knuckles on her sweatpants.
Looking down, Arabella had seen her laces were untied. Reaching down, the King had already got down.
"Let me get that for you." He said as he squatted down and reached for her shoe. Tying her laces for her.
The Deltas looked on in astonishment that their King had unknowingly bowed down before another.
"Thank you." She said when he rose from the floor.
"Anytime." He said smiling.
"I'm not feeling well. I'll take your leave." Arabella said truthfully.
"I will accompany you to see that you are fine." The King said following her when she walked away.
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Translations are in italics.
Trailer for Bound To You - made by DG_and_Reid
What do you think will happen at the banquet?
Xavier is sweet isn't he?
Did Arabella's godfather plan them jogging together?
Will Arabella forgive the King soon?
Thanks so much for reading my book.
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❤️Jay