Chapter 221: Drawn to Her

{Third Person}

Alexander noticed Amara’s absence the moment he sat down for lunch.

Her chair remained empty beside him, and although he knew exactly why she was not there, his eyes lingered on it for a moment before he turned toward Mrs. Woods.

"Is Amara still resting?"

Mrs. Woods nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."

Alexander’s expression changed slightly. He was a little surprised that Amara was still asleep several hours later.

"She has not woken up since then?" he asked.

"No, Your Highness."

Alexander exhaled softly. He looked down at his meal again and found himself wondering whether she had been more tired than he had realised.

He did not ask Mrs. Woods to wake her. He just simply continued with his lunch.

Yet the fact that he had noticed her absence so quickly remained at the back of his mind. He had become accustomed to seeing her at meals, and apparently, he had started noticing when she was not there.

Amara finally woke later that afternoon. And her first reaction was confusion.

She gently opened her eyes and looked at the familiar ceiling, pausing for a few seconds as she tried to recall how she ended up in bed.

The last thing she remembered was sitting beneath the tree in the garden. She had been reading for a while, but at some point sleep overcame her.

She certainly did not remember walking back to the house.

Amara pushed herself upright and darted her eyes across the room before they landed on Mrs. Woods. The older woman was putting some clothes away and immediately noticed that she was awake.

"You are awake at last, my Lady."

Amara rubbed her eyes before looking at her. "How did I get here?"

Mrs. Woods turned around with a knowing smile. "His Highness carried you here."

"His Highness?" Instantly, the last trace of sleep disappeared from her eyes.

"Yes." Mrs. Woods nodded. "His Highness found you asleep beneath the tree and carried you inside himself. He brought you straight to your bedroom and laid you on the bed."

Amara stared at her in disbelief. Her cheeks gradually became warm as the image formed in her mind.

"Why did he do that? He could have woken me or asked one of the servants to bring me inside."

Mrs. Woods smiled. "But he did not. He carried you himself."

Amara looked away, suddenly finding the blanket far more interesting than Mrs. Woods’s face.

"Maybe he only did it because sleeping outside like that was dangerous."

"Perhaps."

"It does not mean anything."

"I did not say it meant anything."

Amara glanced at her again, but Mrs. Woods was already smiling.

She decided not to continue the conversation and turned her attention toward the tray on the table.

Mrs. Woods noticed her looking at it and pointed toward it. "You should eat. His Highness ordered that your lunch be brought here."

Amara’s eyes widened. "Lunch?"

"Yes. You have slept through the entire lunch period."

Amara looked toward the window and realized how much time had passed. She had never intended to sleep for so long.

After eating, she picked up a book and returned to the garden. She settled beneath the shade and began reading, although her thoughts wandered several times.

She kept remembering what Mrs. Woods had told her. Alexander had carried her himself.

She could not understand why such a simple act had left her feeling strangely shy.

By dinner, Amara had managed to put the matter aside.

She entered the dining room first and took her seat. Alexander arrived a short while later and sat across from her.

They began eating quietly, as they usually did.

Amara hesitated several times before finally gathering enough courage to speak. "Thank you."

Alexander looked at her. "For what?"

"For carrying me inside earlier."

He paused briefly before answering, "You should not sleep beneath trees like that. You could hurt yourself."

She smiled. "I understand. I will be more careful next time."

There was something about the sincerity in her voice that made Alexander pause. He watched her for a moment before returning his attention to his meal.

They continued eating in comfortable silence. Then, almost at the same time, they reached for the same dish.

Their fingers touched, and they both stopped.

Alexander felt a sudden warmth pulse through his hand, quickly spreading throughout his body. His wolf responded immediately, becoming alert but without the usual aggression that used to accompany even minor excitement. Instead, it seemed drawn to her.

Amara experienced something different. The brief contact gave her an inexplicable feeling of familiarity, as though she had encountered that warmth before, although she could not remember where.

Neither of them understood what had happened.

Alexander, however, was deeply unsettled. The sensation reminded him of everything he had heard about mate bonds, something he had never felt before.

He withdrew his hand and continued eating, but his thoughts had already moved far away from the dinner table.

That night, sleep refused to come easily.

Alexander lay awake in his room, replaying the moment their hands had touched. He could still remember the strange warmth that had travelled through him, and the reaction of his wolf had been even more disturbing.

His wolf wanted Amara. It wanted to find her.

Alexander frowned in frustration. This had never happened before.

He closed his eyes and tried to suppress the instinct, but it remained. Could his wolf be reacting to her because she was his potential mate?

The thought appeared in his mind, and he immediately pushed it away.

He had spent years searching for his mate because she was supposed to be the only person capable of undoing his curse.

He had eventually stopped allowing himself to hope because every disappointment had become harder to bear.

Now, however, everything seemed to be pointing toward Amara.

His health had begun improving after she entered his life. His wolf had become calmer. His body felt lighter. The curse seemed to be losing its hold on him.

And now his wolf was reacting to her in a way he had never experienced with another woman.

Alexander turned onto his side and stared into the darkness. He could ask his wolf what it thought, but he did not.

He did not understand why he was reluctant to hear the answer.

For the rest of the night, he fought the urge to get out of bed and go looking for her. Eventually, he managed to fall asleep, but it was neither deep nor restful.

By the time morning came, Alexander felt as though he had barely slept.

He sat briefly on the edge of his bed, rubbing his eyes before getting up. He needed to clear his mind, and a long morning run would help accomplish that.

Without wasting any more time, he changed and prepared to leave the house.