DIANA'S POV
The twins said that I should be at our rendezvous at sunrise. I arrived at the stable a bit earlier, looking forward to see my island date. Wearing a white polo dress, sporting a loose braid, I waited for Isaac and Isavelle until the sun meets the sky.
"A what??", I exclaimed in disbelief as the children shyly tell what they want in exchange for me to ride Apollo.
"A kiss pretty sister!!", Isavelle said as she chuckle moving her shoulders up and tilted her head to the side with her hands clasped together. Before I slept last night, I kept thinking about what would they ask to have in return. Not even in my wildest dreams I would have thought that they would want something as simple as a kiss! I was expecting a bowl of candies, a pint of ice cream, maybe money or a dare to make me wash the horses and clean the stable spotless. But, to my surprise, they just wanted a kiss.
"Uhh.. is it too much?", Isaac mumbled scratching his right temple with his index finger. He can't even look directly at me, how adorable.
"When mama kisses us, it feels good. So we thought, it would feel nice too coming from a pretty sister like you", Isavelle was looking up to me with extremely cute puppy eyes. Who would dare turn those down? They must really like cuddling and snuggling I guess.
"Oh.. How could I ever say no?", I smiled at them as I bend forward. I felt so generous and gave them a kiss on each cheek . I even blew raspberries after each kiss then opened my arms to embrace the two sweet, and lovely children. These two give the warmest hugs and brightest smiles, indeed. I'm surprised at how genuine their happy reactions were. Then just like what we negotiated, my tiny business partners led me to Apollo, who's all ready for our island date.
"Please be careful and return Apollo in thirty minutes. If we get caught by Mama, she'll get mad. Papa works at the bar, so he's still sleeping right now", Isaac reminded me as he point me Apollo's reins.
"I will, Thank you Isaac!", I said in excitement as I hug Apollo around its neck before mounting the saddle. The two remained at a distance, cautious alongside the large stallion. We went out of the stables, across the field, and out of the fence.
"And don't go anywhere near the hotel, okay? Bye! Enjoy Miss!", Isaac exclaimed while waving goodbye.
"Okay! See you later!", as I led Apollo to trudge into the bushes deep in the forest. I closed my eyes as I breathe in the woodsy and citrusy fragrance of the forest. This is a different kind of way to enjoy the moist and fresh air in the morning. In my usual days in the city, I only take in the smell of blood in the operating room, or the aroma of black coffee on my desk as I read piles of patients' charts.
The scattered rays of the sun inexorably seeped through the thick leaves and in between the branches as the sunshine comes in. A view that I only see in the pictures. I followed the trails until we have reached the beach. I'm hesitant to proceed because someone might see us. But, the moment Apollo saw the turquoise waters, it started to gallop and accelerate its speed. I was astonished in Apollo's reaction. I did tried to pull him back but he was too strong. I gripped the reins, and tightened my legs securing my balance on the saddle. He was so fast, the hem of my dress went up to my thighs. Apollo ran over the waters chasing the waves on the shore. I didn't mind having my hair and clothes get wet from the splashes of water. I never knew horses love water this much.
Next thing I know, I was enjoying the salty gusts of the wind. The splashes of the cold ocean water washed away my worries. Greatly, the crashing waves didn't budge Apollo's strong legs. Such experience went straight to my core memory. After a while, I heard a soft whistle. Apollo slowed down, with its ears turned up. The whistling sound continued. It was then Apollo got out of the water and seemingly get drawn to where the sounds come from.
I looked ahead, and so a man walking out from a villa. When did we rode all the way here? Apollo galloped towards the man who kept whistling with his pursed lips. 'Uh oh.', the image of Isaac and Isavelle suddenly flashed on my mind.
As we go closer, the man looked intimidating, despite he was casually wearing a blue shirt, white shorts and hands kept in his pockets. His unruly dark ash hair matched his weary gray eyes with dark circles. How could someone look this tired, and not get a good night sleep in this paradise? Close enough, he stopped whistling as he stand in front of us with a frown. Could he be the island or the horse owner? How reckless of me... I should've been more careful. Being seen like this, Isaac and Isavelle would be in great trouble.
EARLIER, at AUTHOR'S POV
'Damn the reception. Couldn't even give a concrete answer', Scott thought as he walk back to his villa. He demanded to give him full details of all the guests staying in every accommodation... or at least the guests who arrived last night from the yachts. He couldn't sleep a wink last night thinking where the woman in red was. What he did first thing in the morning, he dashed to the reception bombarding the island staff to look for her. The island is small, and there's no way that he couldn't find her again. He even reiterated them to inform him at once whoever leaves the island.
Reaching his villa, he lit a cigarette and sat on the highest flight of the stairs. He was caught in a daze staring at the ocean waves. Scott kept replaying in his head the moment his world stopped spinning as soon as he saw his Luna. He leaned back with his elbow supporting his body, and one of his legs extended down the stairs. He puffed his cig, clouding his sight with smoke. Suddenly, he caught a whiff of a very familiar scent.
Scott stood up as he swallow a lump in his dry throat. He would never forget the intense feeling that made him flip out. Unmistakably, this is the scent that he has been craving for. He loosened a few buttons of his blue shirt while rushing down the stairs to the beachfront. He could hear his heart thump so loud, as he fuel his high hopes while the warm sand bury his feet at every step. He tried to calm his heartbeat by tapping his two fingers on his chest. He couldn't believe what he saw as he lay his eyes on the shore.
With the melody of the waves and the soft giggles of a woman, Scott gaped at the now even more scenic sight of the beach. He saw his horse galloping through the waves, with the most beautiful girl he have ever seen. He approached closer at a pace that is not too slow for her to flee easily, and not too fast to scare her away. He didn't mind the water soaking his legs up to the bottom edge of his shorts. Her alluring scent is still barely there even though he have gotten closer, when in fact it should be stronger for an Alpha imprint. Nevertheless, it was the least of his concerns. He knows this is his Luna, no matter how strong or minimal her scent is. Without waiting any much longer, he whistled to call Apollo, and in an instant, it delivered his Luna right in front of him.