Chapter 111

Jaxon’s POV

I waited until Anila fell asleep before I slipped out of bed and put my clothes back on. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep. Marking her this early on wasn’t part of my plan. I got caught up in the moment and seeing her with that wizard boy in her dreams… it did something to me. It fired up this need to claim her that I had never felt for anyone before. I knew it was probably because she was my fated mate, but what did it mean that she was mated to other men as well?

I didn’t like the idea of sharing my mate with others, especially those I didn’t know. I ran my fingers through my hair as I stared down at her sleeping form. She was so beautiful and the sight of her naked in that bed made my cock twitch all over again. How was I getting aroused so quickly after having my way with her?

I knew I needed to get out of this room and fast if I wanted to keep any of my sanity. I quickly rushed out of the room and started down the hallway. I heard the clicking of heels across the marble flooring on the main level as I descended the stairs. Angelica looked tired as she made her way across the foyer.

When she saw me, she froze, and her brows corked up.

“Your Majesty?” She asked. “What are you doing awake? Shouldn’t you be sleeping beside your fiancé?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” I admitted.

She studied me for a moment and then her eyes widened when she saw the fresh mark on my neck.

“She marked you?” She asked, taken aback.

I instinctively touched the mark on my neck and then sighed.

“And I marked her,” I told her. “I’m not sure what came over me.”

“Well, I mean, she is your mate,” Angelica reminded me. “Now she’s bound to you forever. This is a good thing.”

“She’s mated to others as well,” I told her, shaking my head.

Angelica’s mouth nearly fell open.

“Wait… really?” She asked, narrowing her eyes. “How is that possible?”

“I’m not sure,” I murmured. “I don’t have all the answers, Angelica. I just know she isn’t mine alone.”

“Are they marked as well?”

“I didn’t ask,” I told her. “But one of them is a wizard. I don’t think he could mark her even if he wanted to.”

She thought about it for a moment, tapping her finger to her chin.

“But she’s here with you right now. So, that has to mean something, right?” She asked.

“She’s here because I gave her no other choice,” I muttered. “She would leave me the first chance she got.”

“How about we make it so she can’t,” Angelica suggested. “A woman can’t resist a man who is hard to get. Give her some time and space… it’ll drive her crazy right after you mark her. Block her from your thoughts and feelings and make her curious enough to come after you.”

I let out a low laugh.

“I don’t play games like that, Angelica,” I reminded her. “Especially with my future wife.”

“Aren’t you busy with your other duties anyway? You’ve neglected them this past day or so to tend to her. Keep yourself preoccupied. I’ll take her out tonight and we can spend some girl time together.”

“Girl time?” I asked, my brows rising.

“Yes,” she replied with a shrug. “I’ll keep her occupied and we can get to know one another.” I narrowed my eyes at her.

“What do you suggest doing with her?” I asked her.

She shrugged, but then she grinned.

“Wedding planning.:

……

Anila’s POV

I was surprised when I woke up and saw that Jaxon wasn’t in bed beside me. I thought after our night together, he would have stayed a bit longer. I wasn’t exactly sure what time it was when I woke up, but for some reason, I knew in my gut, that it was mid-evening. Around this time, I would be getting reading for my first class of the day and getting dressed with my friends.

A knot formed in my belly as I thought about my friends; I’m sure they were worried about me and wondering where I was. I hated that I couldn’t see them or talk to them, but this was important.

I was doing this for Xaden.

I was still naked after last night and I could still feel the ghost of Jaxon’s. My entire body warmed at the very thought of what we did last night, and a smile tugged at the corner of my lips. I reached up and touched the mark on my neck; I couldn’t believe we actually marked one another.

It was surreal feeling his emotions swirling inside of me, however, they were hard to distinguish now that I was fully awake. This morning when we made love, I could feel them so clearly mixing with mine. But now… they were blurry and confusing. It was almost like he was blocking me.

I shook the thought out of my head and decided to just get dressed.

Angelica mentioned stocking my closet full of clothes and I wondered what kind of outfits she got for me. I padded over to the closet and pulled the doors open, gasping when I saw how many clothes were inside. She wasn’t joking… it was completely full of brand new, designer, clothing.

How did she even get these in the underground city?

I rummaged through the clothes and settled on a white crop top and high-waisted jeans. It fits my body perfectly. I stared at myself in the mirror with my mouth hanging open; how did she even get clothes that fit me this well on such short notice?

I grabbed the shoes she got for me as well. Once they were on, I threw my hair into a ponytail and went into the bathroom to finish my morning business.

Once I was done in the bathroom, I left the room and started towards the stairway, only to stop short when I saw Angelica walking towards me.

She wasn’t wearing her usual business attire; yesterday she wore a dressy blouse and dress pants. Her hair was neatly combed out of her face and tied into a low ponytail, and she wore light makeup that brought out her features, along with her dark-rimmed glasses.

But today, she wore a pair of casual jeans and a tank-top that rested just above her belly. Her hair was down and curled slightly, bouncing around her shoulders playfully and she still wore light makeup that brought out her features along with dark-rimmed glasses. She had a bright smile on her face as she approached me.

“Good morning,” she said cheerfully. “I hope you slept well.”

I felt a bit awkward; yesterday when she was speaking to Jaxon, I felt a surge of jealousy coursing through me. I didn’t like how close they were, even though I knew she only worked for him.

“Yes…” I murmured, staring down at my feet. “I did. Thank you for asking.”

“I was hoping we could spend time together today,” she surprised me by saying. I lifted my gaze to meet hers, and I could see that she was serious.

“Oh… uh…” I started to say, biting my lower lip and chewing on it nervously. “Is Jaxon going to join us?”

She frowned and shook her head.

“He’s going to be busy today,” she told me. I felt a jab of disappointment in my chest. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. I mean, he was the King of Dragon Valley after all. I shouldn’t have been surprised that he couldn’t take another day off. “But he’s trusting me to take care of you today.”

I nodded and forced a smile.

“Okay,” I breathed.

“How about breakfast?” She suggested. “We have the best coffee shop in the world in our underground city. Everything is grown organically and is super delicious. They also have really good pastries.”

My stomach growled angrily, answering the question for me. Angelica must have heard because she let out a laugh, grabbed a hold of my arm and pulled me along with her.

“I was also hoping we could do some wedding planning today,” she suggested.

I raised my brows.

“I get to plan the wedding?” I asked her.

She frowned and glanced at me from over her shoulder.

“Well, yeah. Of course,” she answered. “You are the one getting married after all.”

“Yeah, but I assumed Jaxon had people preparing the wedding for us and all I’d have to do is show up,” I admitted. Truth be told, the concept of just showing up at my wedding and getting married didn’t sit right with me. I always dreamt of planning my own wedding.

“Is that what you want?” She asked with a frown. “I could certainly make arrangements and make the wedding planning easier. You don’t have to lift a finger if you—”

“No, I’d like to take part in the planning portion of this wedding,” I said a little too quickly, stopping her words suddenly. “Sorry,” I murmured. “I just… I’d like to help.”

She smiled a toothy grin and nodded.

We ended up walking to the coffee shop; it was only a mile away from the palace and it gave me a chance to truly look around without the commotion of the festival or being distracted by my mate. Some of the people I met at the festival waved at me and stopped us to say hello. I wasn’t expecting everyone in Dragon Valley to be so kind, but they were, and it warmed my heart that they were accepted into their little community so easily.

“So, after breakfast, what’s the plan?” I asked as we entered the little coffee shop; the doorbells jingling as we walked in.

“I was thinking we could do wedding dress shopping,” she suggested. “There’s a great bakery up the street, we can also pick out a wedding cake. The wedding is going to be very small. The King is a private person and wants to keep the ceremony private. However, once you are sworn in as Queen, that ceremony will consist of the entire city, so we must be prepared for that as well. We should probably start thinking about your attire for that Inauguration ceremony.”

She paused when she saw the look on my face.

“Are you feeling okay?” She asked me, a frown marring her lips.

“It’s all happening so fast,” I admitted. “What about a wedding ceremony? Shouldn’t we start there?”

“The venue is the palace grounds of course,” she told me. “And no, it’s not too soon. If anything, we are running out of time and must get started right away. You be married in two nights.”

My mouth dropped at her words.

Did she just say two nights??