Anila POVSitting in Principal Rapport's office was a first for me. I’d half expected tall bookshelves and weird mysterious baubles, like how Professor Howl kept his classroom. Maybe a bronze statue, or a medal signifying some kind of service or power.Maybe that was a bit…judgmental of me, to assume anything.But who doesn’t? And moreover, it didn’t change my surprise when I came and walked into the room. The first thing I smelled was earth, followed closely by the refreshing scent of life.Plants on top of plants on top of plants—not that I didn’t like plants, of course. They are beautiful and produce oxygen which we need—but I didn’t take Rapport to be a… plants kind of guy.But here he was, pruning one of his bushes before getting started. His entire office was stuffed with greenery, it was all along the walls and crowded the windows. It even hung from the ceiling, and as I took a deep lung-stretching breath, I felt so calm by their presence.Vines crawl up posts and droop from th
Anila POVI sulked the entire way to the bookstore.I knew I was being pathetic.My own behavior was making me annoyed, but no matter how I tried to ignore it, push it away, or bury it with delicious thoughts of what I was going to make Xaden do later, it was still there.Persistent. Painful. Annoying.Shadowing every action and thought, a layer of possessiveness that not only shouldn’t even be there but grew worse every time that image of Zach whispering sweet nothings to that woman pinned beneath him rose to mind.She wasn’t even that pretty.Ugh no, that’s a lie, she was fucking strikingly beautiful.Stop it, Anila. It didn’t matter what, or who, Zach did.I shook my head to quiet the thoughts. I was in a relationship with someone I was starting to… truly love, with my whole being. It was the first time I had openly admitted that I might actually be falling in love with Xaden.Something warm and fluttering, new and beautiful. Something I wanted to experience to the fullest.I hadn
Anila POVThere were a lot of things in life I didn’t expect. I never expected to break free from the prison my stepmother kept me in. I never expected to be part of this supernatural community. I certainly never expected to find my fated mate, not to mention have three of them, maybe four.But most of all, I did not expect an eighty-year-old lady to recommend a smut to me.Yes, a smut.I can’t stop the heat from warming my cheeks as I read this… deliciously naughty story about the moon queen and her five mates. I’m not sure if she grabbed the wrong book, or wanted me to read this filthy book just to… what? Prepare me for the future? Or just to get me all antsy with no release?Even so, I enjoyed the read.I spent most of the early morning reading while the sun started to rise, and curfew was in effect.While most of it was sexual in context, there were bits of information that did come in handy. Such as how she managed to have five loves, and none of them felt excluded, or jealous.I
Anila POVMy body was sore and exhausted. Every now and then, I could feel a phantom kiss, or lick, or touch, gracing my skin like a ghost. From the slickness between my legs, and the dampness of my panties, I felt ashamed.I got so wet from a dream, a dream about three people touching me greedily, and two more watching from a distance.*What was wrong with me?*I was depraved. I must be, or at the very least, I was in my subconscious state.
Harley POVMy day started from bad and got immensely worse.For the first time in… ever, I woke up with splooge all over myself, and my sheets. After making it to the shower and laundry undetected, I thought my day might pick up.I was tired, sure, but that never bothered me before. I thought my dream would fade away to nothing like it normally does, but it stayed present. Teasing me through breakfast. Taunting me as I walked through the halls.
Anila POVMy muscles were even more dead by the end of class.I was exhausted and sweaty, hair clung to my forehead as I sluggishly gathered my things. I caught sight of Harley chatting with Professor Tilly. As soon as my eyes landed on him, his eyes found me. I offered a warm smile, thankful for the help he offered today.And that he didn’t touch me. If he had touched me, It would have felt wrong. Like I was betraying Xaden for some reason. But also,
Zach’s POV“Zach, sweetie? Are you okay?” Emma, the girl that was pressed against the wall and peering up at me asked as she twirled her long brown curls around her perfectly manicured fingers. She batted her long lashes up at me and I realized I had completely zoned out.I stepped away from her, running my fingers through my hair in frustration. This was the second time I hadn’t been able to perform properly in front of another woman. Earlier I was humiliated in front of Stella who was expecting me to rock her world, but I couldn’t even get it up for her and sent her away early.
Xaden’s POVWhat the fuck is wrong with me? I shouldn’t be here, and I knew I shouldn’t be here. I should have just told Anila what was going on in my mind instead of acting so vague towards her. There was no doubt in my mind that she would know something was up. She was a smart girl, and I knew I would only push her away if I continued to act like this.But I couldn’t help myself.That dream I had of her was way too real for me to truly think about anything other than figuring out what it meant. All day, I had to live with the ghost of her l
Jaxon’s POVI stared in amazement as Anila nurtured the baby dragon as if it were second nature. I knew Emily was impressed too; the only ones who were able to communicate and bond with dragons were dragon masters, but Anila wasn’t a dragon master. At least not yet, but the way she cared for Ember as if she was her own child, did something to my insides that I didn’t particularly like.I never wanted to have real feelings for Anila. I recognized her as my mate when I first saw her in the forest and despite the fact that she has other mates in the mix, I knew exactly what she was to me. I saw her as an opportunity
Anila’s POV“Dragons?” I asked, my eyes wide as I stared up at Jaxon.He cocked his head at me.“This is Dragon Valley,” he reminded me. “Of course, there are dragons here.”“Well, yeah. I guess I kind of assumed you allowed them to go free,” I confessed, biting my lower lip in embarrassment. But it was strange that they’d keep dragons locked away in stables like horses.
Anila’s POV “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly,” I said, gawking at Jaxon, my jaw nearly hitting the ground. “Did you just say you want me to be your queen?”“That’s right,” he said, entwining his fingers together. “My people expect me to rule over them with a queen by my side. I assured them infinite protection since the last Dragon King screwed them over and the only way I can ensure that protection is if I give my people an heir.”“An heir
Anila’s POV“He’s here,” I whispered, staring at the shadows. They followed my gaze to the shadowy region; Zach furrowing his brows together.“In the shadows?” Zach asked, looking at me like I had just lost my mind.I nodded.“Yes,” I answered. “He’s hiding himself.”“He’s being a fucking coward is what he&rsq
Anila’s POV“What do you mean you know the dragon king?” Harley asked all their eyes on me completely now.My cheeks flushed.“He’s kind of my fifth mate…” I admitted, biting my lower lip and anticipating some lash-back. But they all just stared at me with their mouths hanging open.“Your 5(th) mate is the dragon king?” Damien asked, finally finding his mate. “Are you sure about that?”I nodded.“Yes,” I told him. “I’m sure about it just as sure as I am that the four of you are my mates.”Damien shuffled awkwardly in his shoes and glanced at the ground. Zach and Harley exchanged a look before looking at Xaden who appeared frozen in place as he stared at me.“And you’ve spoken to him?” Xaden asked, his voice coming out softly.I nodded again.“Yes,” I answered. Then I looked at Zach, meeting his eyes. “That baby dragon that I found. Jaxon came to retrieve her. That’s why she went missing.”He nodded in understanding.“What baby dragon?” Xaden asked, looking between Zach and me.“It’s a
Anila’s POVWhen I got back to the clinic, both Harley and Zach were watching me warily. I’m not sure what to say to them or how to explain to them what I was going to have to do. My stomach was in a complete knot but I was doing this for Xaden. They had to understand that.“Are you okay?” Harley asked, watching me carefully.“Yeah,” I lied, trying to force a smile as I sat back at Xaden’s bedside. “I just needed some air. I’m good now.”I was a coward for not coming out and telling them that I had to leave by sundown tonight with Jaxon. That was his request; that I go back home with him, and only then will he tell me what he wants me to do before he saves Xaden’s life.“You look like you’re about to puke,” Zach points out, his brows furrowed together.“And we can tell that something is wrong with your emotions, Anila,” Harley said, eyeing my face. “Just tell us what’s going on.”“Do you think maybe we can just talk later? I’m kind of tired and I think I just want to close m eyes for
Anila’s POV“It’s you…” I whispered, taking a step back, my heart hammering in my chest.“Like I said, I’m not here to hurt you.” Jaxon emerged from the tree line, and he was walking towards me. I held my breath as I watched him approach me, his hands raised to show that he wasn’t carrying anything. He was completely shirtless, and my mouth dropped at the sight of his body. He had tattoos across his chest and along his shoulders that looked as if they went down his back as well. I knew right away that the tattoos were of dragons, or maybe one really big dragon with little dragons inside of it.Regardless, I found myself drawn to them.He also had a long scar that went across his chest and down his torso, but that didn’t make him any less hot. In fact, it made him look more manly. I swallowed the lump in my throat as Jaxon Develson, the dragon King, stood only inches from me.He had the scent of limes and passionfruit, and it caused my senses to be on high alert. There was no doubt in
Anila’s POVAs soon as I felt Zach’s fangs dig into my soft flesh, it was like a wake-up call. But before I could react, I heard the deep throaty growl of a bear, and I knew Harley had just witnessed this. Zach quickly released me, blood dripping from his lips just as Harley attacked him.A scream escaped my lips as I watched the two fall to the ground. Harley was in his bear form, but Zach shifted back into his wolf form almost immediately and the two began to fight.My fingers shakily went to my neck, and I felt the spot that Zach marked.He actually marked. After he said he wouldn’t do that.I knew that I needed to get out of there. I didn’t stick around to see if the fighting continued; I trusted them to know when to stop. I was furious, and I was hurt, and I was scared. I was scared for Xaden, and I was scared for myself.Zach marked me… without my permission.Anger filled me at the very thought, but it was hard to maintain because my wolf was happy about this.I found my clothes
Zach’s POVThere had been a line that was immediately crossed, and I could see was fucking red. I wanted to rip Harley’s throat out for crossing that line, but I was completely glued to my spot, staring at them like they had both just struck me at the same time.I’m not an idiot, I knew Anila didn’t trust me and I also knew that she blamed me for what happened with Xaden. I knew she would even if it wasn’t my fault. I was the easiest one to blame. My vendetta against Xaden wasn’t a secret and his vendetta against me wasn’t one either. Xaden and I talked a lot during this battle though and we came together with a mutual respect.He made me promise that if anything were to happen to him, I would take care of Anila. He told me to mark her and keep her protected. I didn’t think Harley would swoop in and take her for himself though, especially without speaking to me about it first. He was so hurt and upset that Xaden went ahead and marked Anila without talking to us about it and then he we