Chapter 101

Anila’s POV

Spending this short amount of time with Jaxon was nice. It was like the part of me that had been missing was finally found; it now made sense when that random shadow would watch me during my dreams with my other mates… it was always Jaxon who was supposed to be there. Though this multiple-mate thing was weird, I wasn’t sure how I felt about everything.

As I looked at him across the table, I studied his face. His handsome features made my knees weak; he was the kind of guy who knew that he was good-looking. He had an older and yet mysterious attitude about him. He had secrets, that much was clear. It made me want to find out what those secrets were. He had to be in his mid-30s; he had a world of experience under his belt, and a busy lifestyle to maintain, and yet he was seated across the table, treating me to lunch.

Despite being mates, I wondered why he wanted me to be his queen and have his children. I mean, he could have any woman that he wanted.

The very thought sent both my wolf and bear into complete turmoil. They growled in my mind at the same time, not liking the thought of our mate with another woman.

I had to take a steady deep breath before releasing it to calm them and myself down.

“Are you okay?” Jaxon asked, eyeing me carefully with a frown. I hadn’t noticed he was staring at me until he brought my mind back to the present moment. “You spaced off…”

I blinked.

“Yeah, sorry. What were you saying?” I asked, my cheeks burning from embarrassment.

He studied me for a moment.

“I was saying there’s a lot for you to learn. You are to be the queen after all,” he said, his eyes scanning my face. “What were you thinking about?”

“I guess I’m just a little confused about everything,” I admitted. “Everyone paints you to be this vicious person… someone to be afraid of.”

He raised his brows at me.

“And what do you think?” He asked. “Are you afraid of me?”

“I don’t really know you that well and it might be strange… but no. I’m not afraid of you at all,” I confessed. “And from what I’ve seen so far, nobody in Dragon Valley is afraid of you either.”

He looked down for a moment, and I wondered what it was he was thinking about.

“Maybe they should be,” I heard him murmur. I wasn’t sure if I was meant to hear it though, so I chose not to say anything.

“Here’s your order,” Caroline, the waitress, said as she placed a plate in front of me and another plate in front of Jaxon. I was grateful for the distraction.

On the plate was the tastiest-looking slab of meat that I had ever seen. My mouth was practically watering at the sight of it and my stomach growled hungrily. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until that moment. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

“Some more water would be nice,” I asked, motioning for my empty cup.

“Of course,” she said as she walked away to grab me a refill.

“This looks incredible,” I breathed, glancing up at Jaxon who was watching me with a starry expression. Now it was my turn to ask. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just surprised,” he admitted.

“Surprised?” I asked him, raising his brows as I cut into the meat. It was bleeding on the plate and my mouth watered at the sight of it.

“You aren’t a picky eater,” he told me. “You enjoy rare steak.”

“I mean… I’m technically multiple animals,” I reminded him.

“True,” he said, grinning as he cut into his own steak. “It’s just rare for a woman, regardless of the species.”

“I’m not like most women,” I teased, slipping the steak into my mouth and chewing on it. I let out a moan of satisfaction, making his eyes widen and then darken.

“I can see that,” he retorted.

As we ate, I peeked up at him.

“So, you mentioned there’s a lot for me to learn,” I told him, making him pause and glance at me in return.

“There is.”

“Can I ask some questions?” I asked.

“Of course,” he replied.

“Why are you so desperate for an heir and why me?”

He raised his brows, showing surprise at my question. After a moment, he cleared his throat and put his fork down. Before he could speak, Caroline returned with my water and asked if there was anything more we needed.

“That’s all,” Jaxon said to her. “Thank you.”

She nodded, bowed to him, and then quickly walked away to give us some privacy. I turned my attention to Jaxon who was staring at me for a long moment before he sighed and leaned back in his seat.

“An heir with a true mate is by far superior to just any kind of heir,” he replied, surprising me. “I need a strong heir. Someone who can take over for me when I retire… or if something were to happen to me. My job is dangerous, and I need the position to be secured sooner than later.”

I raised my brows at him as I nibbled on some of the veggies.

“Are you planning on something happening to you?” I asked; the thought making bile rise in my throat.

“No,” he replied simply. “But with my job, there comes risks.”

“You mean working with the Alpha King?”

He looked unsure of himself for a moment before he nodded.

“It’s more complicated than that,” he murmured.

“Then tell me,” I urged, wanting to know everything that was going on in Jaxon’s mind and life. I needed to know why he would work with Alpha King Edmond, that ruthless and awful man who hurt Xaden and so many others in his path. “Does it have something to do with how he was able to shift into a dragon…?”

Jaxon looked up at me and I could see the regret in his eyes.

“He has something of mine that I need to get back. He won’t return it until I help him get what he wants,” Jaxon replied as he picked up his fork and knife again and started to eat.

“What does he have?” I asked, urging him even further.

“That’s a story for another time, Anila.”

I frowned at him.

“If you want me to be your queen, you need to trust me,” I told him, narrowing my eyes at him.

“You being my queen has nothing to do with trust. I’m only after an heir.”

His words sliced through me, and I found my appetite dispersing. I stared down at my food, hating that I was feeling hurt by his words. He seemed to not have noticed my mood change because he continued to eat as he had said nothing offensive.

“Can’t you find someone to take over for you?” I asked. “Why does it have to be an heir”

“Because that’s the way it works,” he said through his teeth. “Plus, as I said, I need someone strong. Someone I can train at an early age. Someone I can trust.”

“How did you become the Dragon King?” I asked him.

He froze.

“It’s a long story.”

My frown deepened.

“You told me that you’d answer my questions, Jaxon,” I reminded him.

“And I will,” he assured me. “But there are some I’d rather not get into right now.”

When he noticed I wasn’t eating anymore, he frowned at my plate and then his eyes met mine.

“Are you not eating anymore?” He asked, raising his brows.

“I’ve seemed to have lost my appetite.”

He sighed and nodded.

“I’ll have Caroline wrap up your food then,” he told me as he continued to eat casually. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at him, but he didn’t seem to notice.

After he finished eating, he had Caroline put my food in a to-go box. She didn’t charge us for the meal, but I was surprised that Jaxon still took out some cash and placed it on the table for her as a tip. She thanked him and then we soon left the restaurant. He showed me a couple of other areas, but my mind was elsewhere. I wanted to know so much information, but Jaxon seemed hesitant to tell me anything.

Was it because he truly didn’t trust me, and he wanted to make sure I could be trusted before he spilled his secrets? The thought left me feeling unsettled in the pit of my stomach. He was my mate, and I wanted him to trust me… but at the same time, did I trust him? Why else would I be asking him these questions and so adamant about him answering them?

I looked up at Jaxon as we walked through the streets of Dragon Valley. I had no idea what time it was when we returned to the palace. Being underground meant I couldn’t tell what time of day it was; there was no sun and no moon. I thought I would feel uneasy being under the earth like this… like at any moment we could be caved in, but it was oddly comfortable and in a strange way, I felt safe.

“Angelica, can you take Anila to her room,” Jaxon asked his assistant who greeted us in the foyer.

“Yes, of course,” she said. “it’s fully stocked with some new clothes and toiletries, just like you asked.”

Jaxon nodded his thanks to her.

“There’s some paperwork for you to go over on your desk as well,” she told him. “If you need anything more from me, just call me.”

“I will,” he assured her.

I walked with Angelica to the guest bedroom on the second floor. She was quiet, but from the look on her face, as she walked, I could tell she was contemplating speaking.

“Have you worked here for long?” I asked, breaking the silence between us.

She froze at my question, and I could see the slight blush on her cheeks.

“I’ve been here since Jaxon created this city,” she admitted. “He did a very good job at protecting us all.”

“So, you’re a dragon master as well?”

She nodded.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Do you own a dragon?”

She let out a laugh and shook her head.

“No,” she told me. “I never have. Though, I would love to own one someday. They went extinct for a while, but Jaxon is trying to repopulate them.”

I nodded, remembering the baby dragons, including Ember, in the stables. I’m sure it was difficult to do though considering dragon eggs needed natural sunlight and nature in order to hatch properly. It’s not like he could hide a dozen eggs above the ground and risk their lives. If anyone were to see them, it could cause some disastrous problems for the dragons and dragon masters. Breeding them had become illegal, so he had to be careful.

“Is he a good Dragon King?” I asked the question before I could stop myself.

Angelica looked up at me, also surprised by the question.

“He’s the best,” she admitted. “Much better than the last King who fed off the power and used the dragons for world destruction. The last war he got into took out most of the dragons. He didn’t care about them or any of us…”

I nodded, feeling a ping of sadness in my chest.

“I’m sorry that happened,” I told her, and I meant that.

“I just feel bad for Jaxon. It wasn’t easy for him… but he did what he had to do, and he saved us,” she told me.

Now my interest was piqued.

“What exactly did he have to do?”

She looked up at me just as we reached the guest room.

“He killed the Dragon King,” she said. “It was pretty intense, and it had him messed up for a while.”

I gasped. Jaxon was the one who killed the King? I had no idea…

“Wow…” I breathed. “That’s… wow…”

“You really didn’t know? I thought he would have told you,” she said, a frown marring her lips. “It was a tough time for him… but he rose up and became the King we needed. We are still healing from the former king.”

“I’m surprised it messed him up honestly,” I said with a frown. “From what I hear about Jaxon, I would say he’d take honor in killing the former king.”

Angelica narrowed her eyes.

“How would you feel if you were forced to kill your own father?”