//------------------------------// // Ch 34: What is Love? // Story: Enchanted // by The Whiskey Spirit //------------------------------// Ashwyn sat on the couch, a deep frown on her face. It had been a week since she had accidentally walked in on the Alpha while he was taking a bath. The sights she had witnessed were still stuck in her mind. It was an issue, but not the primary issue she was experiencing. She was confused. Everytime she would think about it, or have one of the images flash in her mind, she felt something. A familiar feeling in her chest that she had initially dubbed as the feeling of friendship. This incident made it clear that was not the case. Now she had no idea what this feeling was, nor why she felt it so strongly for the Alpha. A fact that irritated her greatly. If the Alpha had not gotten the Princess to clear her head, she might have thought that he was behind it. As it was, however, it was clearly not the case. This was a feeling that was her own. One that she, nor Inkheart, had felt before. The subject of this feeling was in the basement, working on some project or another, giving her the perfect opportunity to try and solve the issue herself. Channeling a bit of her old life, she decided to investigate it. What did this feeling do to her? It made her feel warm, certainly. Not hot, but a pleasant warmth that permeated throughout her body from her chest. Her cheeks would feel a little warmer too, but that could very well be due to the images in her mind now. Her heart rate would increase whenever he looked at her. She frowned as she scratched her chin. It was in situations like this where she wished that Inkheart was more extroverted. Ashwyn was sure she would understand what she was feeling if Inkheart had just been more social. Who knows, she might have even had this feeling before if that were to have been the case. Sadly, that was not who Inkheart was. Nor who Ashwyn was. Leaving her without any conclusion. She didn’t understand what those symptoms meant, so maybe she had to look at the cause? In all cases, it had to do with the Alpha. Why? What was so special about him that made her feel this way? Images flashed across her mind, bringing a red tint to her cheeks. She furiously shook her head to rid her mind of the thoughts. Barring that, what did he do to make her feel like this? Probably chief among them was his smile. She didn’t fully understand it. She didn’t feel it wrong to liken that smile to a drug. Every time he would do so, she couldn’t help but mirror it. She felt happy when she saw it. She felt even happier when it was directed at her. She had even found herself acting in ways to pull said smile out of him. Such as with her repeated asks for bacon. He seemed to find it amusing, and everytime he would smirk, filling her with the warmth she was now desperate to figure out. It also seemed to crop up whenever she got close to him. Which was often, because of the feeling. The most prominent being when they would sleep. The Alpha would wrap his arms around her and hold her close. A grip she could easily break out of, but never had any intention of doing so. Resting there in his arms made her feel safe. The small smile on his face as he went to sleep certainly helped. She greatly enjoyed the closeness of the situation. It was an experience she had shared with very few others. Namely her parents. Or Inkheart’s parents. Either way, it made her happy. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing she did. The newest development being her resting her head in his lap. While not the same as being in his arms, it was still a pleasant experience. Especially when the Alpha would run his hand through her mane. A small part of her mind told her that it was degrading to be pet like a cat. A far larger part of her mind beat it up and informed it that it felt amazing. Whenever those fingers would run through her mane, she just felt herself relax. Being so close to him had, obviously, quickly made her intimately familiar with his scent. The effects of his scent were the most confusing. It made her feel safe, warm. She inhaled as much of it as she could with every breath. While not as effective as his hand, it did wonders to relax her as well. A sudden thought came across her mind. It was the scent of home. The Alpha was her home now. Perhaps that was what the feeling was? She thought of him as family? No. That felt close, but it was wrong. It was something different than familial love. Something that… Love. Her face grew red as realization washed over her. She was in love with the Alpha. How could she be so blind? Of course she was in love with the Alpha! All the signs pointed towards it. Had she truly never been in love before? No. She hadn’t. She barely interacted with ponies, let alone stallions. Could that have affected this? Could these feelings of love be because he was the first male she had let in? Something told her that wasn’t the case. That this was genuine. That begged the question, then. How was she going to deal with this? How would the Alpha react? Would it affect their friendship if he rejected her? Would she have to leave? She swallowed a lump in her throat as she remembered something the Alpha had said when they first met. “I’m not about to fuck a horse.” Was he saying that to calm her down at the moment, or was he against relations with ponies? Perhaps that didn’t matter? She wasn’t exactly a pony anymore. She frowned as she looked down. She still mostly looked like one though. She ran a paw down her face as a sigh escaped her. What was she going to do?