Chapter 130

Anila’s POV

“Thanks for coming with me to this dinner,” I said to Xaden as we neared the dining hall.

It’s been over a day since Xaden and the guys returned to school, a day since I became bonded with both Harley and Zach.

Since the marking, their jealousy and anxiety over me seemed to have subsided. It was strange like a lightbulb turned on in their minds or something. Now they didn’t seem to mind sharing me; it was like they had some kind of silent agreement over me.

Xaden came home an hour afterwards and I completed my bond with him as well. Being marked by all 5 of my mates felt incredible. It felt as if nothing could hurt me; nothing could get to me. I was stronger, I was powerful, and I could feel it surging through the pit of my belly, coursing through my veins. There was a power inside of me, begging to be released and I feared it’d unleash during the competition.

The competition starts tomorrow, but tonight, Principal Rapport is holding an important meal for those competing, along with plus ones. The dining hall was closed to everyone else. Xaden agreed to accompany me to this dinner because I didn’t want to go alone.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Xaden said, smiling down at me.

“Well, this isn’t exactly Zach’s scene,” I admitted. “Damien has to study for an upcoming test and Harley would rather spend his time in a gym. I didn’t really have a lot of options,” I teased.

“Ouch,” Xaden said, putting his hand to his chest and feigning pain.

I laughed and shoved him playfully with my hand.

“You know I would have chosen you regardless,” I told him. “Truth be told, I think you’re the only one who could get me through this in one piece.”

“I think Harley would get you through it too,” Xaden said, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into his side.

“I think Harley would never wear a suit,” I said, poking Xaden’s tie with a smile.

“Maybe you’re right,” Xaden laughed.

As we reached the dining hall, we were greeted by including Principal Rapport.

“Make sure to scope out the competition,” he said as I passed. “Some might look small, but they are fierce. Be wary of them and don’t trust anyone.”

Wise words from a principal.

I only nodded as Xaden led me through the crowd of people until we found a table that held our names on little cards, side by side. I lowered myself into the seat that Xaden pulled out for me before he took his own seat beside me.

Most of my tables were students from Lunar Academy, some of which I recognized. There were a good number of students competing in the competition from each school. Damien told me there were two scores for this competition.

An overall school score: whichever school wins as a whole will claim the Elite School title which Lunar Academy has had for 10 years in a row.

And there was the main winner score; the winner would be known as a top student and be posted on the school hall of fame and remain there until after graduation. The headmasters sat at the very front, assessing each and every student as they remained silent in their seats.

“This is my year,” I heard one of the girls at another table saying to her friend. “I can feel it. I’m going to win this for myself and for the school.”

“Everyone here looks so strong,” her friend said worriedly.

“They might be strong, but they aren’t faster than me,” the first girl said proudly, pointing at her own chest. “I am the best and you know it. I’ve been practicing my whole life for this moment and now it’s finally time.”

I felt Xaden’s hand on the small of my back, drawing my attention to him.

Before I could say anything, the staff returned with trays of food. They started to serve each table a ton of food; the scent made my mouth water and when a plate was placed in front of me, I nearly went feral with hunger. It smelled and looked so delicious; I had trouble containing my inner animals.

The staff also brought us juice in wine glasses as well; I knew right away there was no alcohol in them based on their scent alone.

Principal Rapport stood from his table and grabbed a nearby mic so he could speak to everyone.

“Good evening, everybody,” Rapport began, silencing most of the room. “Thank you for joining us for dinner. This marks the start of the competition which begins tomorrow night.”

He paused as everyone cheered in response.

“Your trainers should have given you your schedules for these next couple of weeks along with a set of competition rules. Any rule violation will result in docking points from your school and disqualifying you as a competitor, so make sure to read those rules and act accordingly while you are at my school.”

Murmurs and private conversations were going on around me. Nobody complained about what Rapport had said, so he continued.

“We have the school headmasters here,” Rapport said, motioning for the table with the headmasters. “Please make sure to show them respect.”

There was some clapping, and the headmasters all nodded at Rapport with pleased expressions on their faces.

“You’ll be able to get some extra training in this evening and tomorrow after sundown, so make sure to use your time wisely. The competition course opens at 10 pm, and the first set of competitors will begin at 10:30. The course closes at 5 am just before sunrise. That will go on 5 days a week, Monday through Friday for the next two weeks. Follow your schedule accordingly. If chosen at the end of the second week, you will move on to the final rounds in the third week. There will be 4 of you in total. Two of you will complete that Monday, the other two will compete that Wednesday, and then the winners of the two will compete for the golden title on that Friday. The celebration ceremony will be held on Saturday and the other schools will be leaving on Sunday.”

Everybody nodded along with what Principal Rapport was saying.

“If there are any questions, please feel free to ask away,” Principal Rapport announced. “But until then, enjoy your meal.”

Everybody clapped for him as he took his seat.

One of the headmasters stood to their feet and grabbed their glass which I was fairly certain did contain alcohol. He rose it in the air, facing everybody.

“To a fair competition,” he said, his voice booming without a mic across the dining hall. We all picked up our own glasses before repeating what he said and taking a sip.

He took his seat and the meal began.

……

Jaxon’s POV

I hated being an errand boy. That’s pretty much what I was to the Alpha King, getting him supplies that he wouldn’t be able to get on his own.

It’s been almost a week since I last saw Anila and my body was craving her. I could feel the mark on my neck pulsating every time she was with one of her mates. I blocked out her thoughts and emotions long ago, so I wasn’t entirely sure what she was thinking or feeling, but I had a guess.

“Did you get it?” Edmond asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I threw the bag at him, not wanting it in my clutches for longer than necessary. Alpha King Edmond told me this was the last errand I would have to make, but I had trouble believing him. There was always more he needed for a plan he refused to tell me about. I was expected to just stand by and wait for his orders or else he would use that stone and the evidence he has to destroy me.

He snarled as he grabbed the bag off the ground, but the scowl disappeared with pure pleasure when he recovered the gem from the bag.

“You did,” he breathed, holding the light blue gem in the air for the sun to capture it.

He walked over to the stovetop in the corner of the room. The other items I fetched for him were already in the pot. He added the gemstone to the pot as well and turned on the burner, waiting as it clicked to life.

He grabbed the dragon stone, unwrapping it from a cloth. I sucked in a sharp breath as he held it up for the world to see. My chest tightened; this was the first time I laid eyes on the stone in months. It was so close…I could just reach out and grab it.

But just as I thought to take a step toward him, he threw the stone into the pot, making me inhale sharply.

“What are you doing?!” I nearly shouted.

He said nothing, which infuriated me.

But then a second later, he pulled the stone back out and my mouth nearly dropped when I saw that it was glowing a florescent purple color.

He turned to face Sapphire and held up the stone for her to see. I watched Sapphire's eyes light up as she took in the stone.

“What is that?” I asked, stepping towards the King warily. “What are you doing?”

The King turned to me and narrowed his eyes.

“Building an army,” he replied as he stared into the dragon stone, his eyes glowing from the light. “Come to me!” he ordered the stone. “Come to your new master!” He ordered even louder, making the room we stood in shake.

The stone started to shine brighter, and I saw swirls of colors circling his body like a whirlwind. The wind caused the windows of the room to fly open and knock me backward. It wasn’t just the wind and swirls of colors that caught my attention, the colors weren’t swirls…. Upon closer look, I saw that they were dragons.

The ground started to shake, and I wondered if it was shaking everywhere, or just here.

Sapphire's eyes clouded over to a point where they were nearly black. She had been chained to the ground in the center of the room since I brought her here. I spent this past week by her side and making sure she was as comfortable as possible, but now it seemed it was for nothing.

He had taken over Sapphire and I knew he would soon take over the others as well.

Somehow, he made the stone even stronger and now nobody was safe. Not even those who hide under the ground.

I knew at that moment; I made a grave mistake by underestimating his abilities. He made the stone bypass the very barriers that kept my people safe. Now they were all in danger and it was my fault…

Anila was right; I betrayed them.

It wasn’t just Dragon Valley that was in danger anymore… it was everyone.

I needed to get to Anila.

Chapter 131 Picnic

Anila’s POV

“This competition is going to be a tough one,” Damien warned. “But I think you have it handled.”

“Of course she does,” Zach said, leaning against the doorframe, his arms folded across his chest. “She’s going to kick ass.”

I couldn’t help the smile that tipped the corner of my lips as Zach stepped into the spellcasting room. In less than a day, the competition would be starting. This could determine my future and my nerves were bubbling in my chest. I needed a break from all this practice and Zach posed as the perfect distraction because he was all about taking breaks.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him, the smile still on my face.

He shrugged.

“Though you could use a break,” he said, mimicking my thoughts.

Before I could respond, another presence appeared at the doorway.

“I brought lunch,” Harley said, holding up a giant bag and it smelled delicious. My mouth immediately watered. I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten today. I was so focused on my studies and training that I completely forgot to care for my basic needs. “Thought we could have a picnic. All of us.”

He glanced at Damien and nodded at him, telling him without using words that he wanted to include him as well.

“You read my stomach,” I said, walking towards the bag of food.

“Room for another?” Another voice asked at the doorway.

Xaden stepped into the room, his eyes scanning the scene around him before landing on me. My heart swelled at the sight of him; I was so glad that he was okay, and he was back. Though, whenever I thought about his wellbeing, I thought about Jaxon and his role in saving Xaden’s life. Then, I’d get sad because I hadn’t heard from Jaxon in almost a week. I was worried about him, and I kept trying to link with him through our sealed mate bond… but he was blocking me for some reason.

“There’s always room for you,” I told him, stepping into his open arms and letting him hug me tightly.

With our bonds sealed, they can all feel my emotions and they knew I was sad because of Jaxon. None of them asked me about it though… they knew it wasn’t something I wanted to talk about just yet.

“How about we go into the woods?” Harley suggested. “We can grab a blanket and have a real picnic.”

“I think that’s exactly what Anila needs,” Xaden said with a nod. Before I knew what was happening, Xadne was lifting me off the ground and throwing me over his shoulder fireman style. I squealed at the sudden movement and laughed as he sauntered over to the door. “Let’s go!”

The others shook their heads at us, which made me laugh even more. I’ve noticed with our mate bonds sealed, the jealousy and rivalry between them had lessened. It was as if they had an understanding between them now that they didn’t need to be jealous of one another because I enjoyed all of them. I was falling in love with each of them in their own ways.

I loved Zach’s rugged bad boy persona, Harley’s heart, Damien’s brain, and Xaden’s personality. They were all so different and they were all mine. It took a while for me to come to terms with the fact that I have 5 mates… but now I wouldn’t want it any other way. They were all mine, and I wasn’t giving them up for anything.

By the time we reached the woods, Xaden finally let me walk on my own. I swatted at his chest, laughing as I held my stomach, trying not to fall over.

He grinned from ear to ear listening to me laugh.

Harley got to work at spreading the picnic and making the area nice for us while Xaden helped him. Once they were done, we sat on the blanket and passed around the food, piling it on the paper plates Harley had brought.

“You’ll need to make sure you get plenty of rest before the competition tomorrow night,” Damien told me as he took a bite of his food.

I nodded in agreement; I was already exhausted. It wouldn’t be long before the sun started to rise, indicating a new day. Which meant it was almost time for us to get ready for bed. I looked around at my mates who were focused on their food, a smile tipping the corner of my lips.

They were all so endearing in their own ways and it was nice having them around me. If only I had my last mate with me as well then I would feel complete. Though both my wolf and bear were content, there was still a part of me that felt I wasn’t whole. I wondered if they could feel it too.

I was so lost in thought that I barely noticed when Zach stuck his finger in the mashed potatoes and then smeared it onto my face, halting the ongoing conversation between Harley and Xaden.

I stared at Zach, my mouth hanging open and he had a smirk on his lips.

I narrowed my eyes at him without warning, I grabbed a handful of mash potatoes and dumped it on his head.

“Hey!” He growled. “I only got a little on you!”

I smirked at him, shrugging my shoulders as I continued to eat.

He grabbed the bowl of potatoes and dumped it on me before I could even comprehend what had happened.

“Zach!” I hissed, lunging at him without much more warning.

He caught me with ease, and we both rolled onto the ground, me on top of him. He belted out laughing as potatoes dripped off my face. Harley, Xaden, and Damien were watching us with amused looks on their faces.

Harley tried his best to clean up the mess, but we didn’t make it easy for him because we were now full-on wrestling and rolling around the ground, knocking over even more food.

“You’re ruining the blanket!” Harley scolded, but he was smiling.

I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of me when I saw that Zach was covered in food. I finally got the best of him I ended up straddling his lap, pinning him to the ground fully.

“Beat you,” I teased.

“I don’t think he’s complaining,” Xaden chuckled, shaking his head at his brother's grinning face.

That’s when I felt his hardness, pressing between my legs through his pants. He was turned on by this?

I raised my brows at Zach; I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Zach reached up and started to tickle my sides, sending me into a frenzy of giggles as I doubled over, making him noticeably harder as I rubbed against him.

“Zach, stop!” I squealed.

He sat up, taking me with him, wrapping his arms around my waist and allowing me to settle into him as I fought to control my laughter.

“You’re beautiful when you smile,” he said softly as he studied my face.

My cheeks flushed at his compliment.

It wasn’t often he complimented me like this, but I appreciated it. He leaned in and brushed his lips across mine, giving me a chaste kiss before pulling back slightly, a question in his eyes that I wanted to answer… so I did.

I leaned into him and pressed my lips against him, taking in the feeling of his mouth against mine and how our lips moved in harmony together. His hold around my hips tightened and I felt him pressing firmly against my core, his erection begging for some attention. My heart skipped a beat at the feel of him and suddenly, it felt as if I couldn’t get close enough.

His tongue swiped across my bottom lip, asking for permission to enter my mouth… permission I granted with ease. As I parted my lips, I felt his warm tongue sliding into my mouth, making a home for itself and tasting everything I had to offer.

He nipped at my bottom lip, drawing it further into his mouth, sucking on it like it was a piece of candy that he would go crazy without. A low growl escaped his throat as he pulled me tighter against him, leaving me no room for wiggle as his fingers roamed beneath my shirt and trailed up my backside, leaving goosebumps in its path.

The others watched and I was widely aware of their eyes on me as Zach continued to suck my bottom lip and grope my back with his fingers, pulling me closer to him.

Though I loved taking what I needed from Zach, I needed more.

For tonight, I needed to just forget about everything and enjoy my mates.

I felt a strong hand on my back, and I knew it didn’t belong to Zach. Without even looking, I knew it was Harley who was near me now. I pulled my lips away from Zach who frowned in protest. Looking up at Harley I saw that his eyes were glowing as his wolf fought to take control.

I nibbled my lower lip as I continued to grind against Zach, making him even harder. His erection pressed against my center, begging for entrance.

Harley leaned in and brushed his lips against mine, a low growl on his lips, hardly able to contain himself any longer.

I didn’t want him to contain myself, so I wrapped an arm around Harley’s head and pulled him even closer to me, deepening the kiss.

“Take off your pants,” I whispered to him.

Chapter 132 Sex in the Woods

Anila’s POV

The emotions of my mates were at an all-time high right now. I could feel each of their lust for me, and it spurned me on even more to give them a show.

“I think she’s wanting some more,” Xaden teased as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “She’s such a needy girl.”

“That’s our mate,” Zach breathed, his grip on my hips getting firmer as he continued to grind himself into me, his erection poking my entrance through my shorts. “Maybe we should get her out of these clothes.”

Without warning, Xaden lifted my shirt over my head and threw it to the forest ground. With everything going on, I completely forgot we were outside in the middle of the forest with daylight budding around the corner. But at that moment, I didn’t really care. All I wanted was my mates… I needed a distraction.

I felt Xaden’s warm hands on my breasts, tugging and teasing my nipples, making me gasp at the sensation. My nipples pebbled under his touch, and I felt a warm ray of chills coating my body as his lips closed around one of them. His teeth continued to tug and tease me until I was panting and begging for more. I ran my fingers through his hair and leaned against him, relishing the feeling of his mouth and tongue on me.

Felt Zach adjusted himself until his erection was flying free from his pants. His long length pressed against my bare belly, begging for attention. I wrapped my delicate hands around him, stroking him as I continued to grind against him, quickening my pace and chasing a quick orgasm.

My legs trembled as I started to see stars. I wasn’t even out of my pants yet and I was somehow forced into an orgasm by my mates.

“Did we give you permission to do that?” Zach asked, his eyes twinkling with a dominance that sent my heart into complete turmoil as it fluttered against my chest. “You’re a bad girl for having an orgasm without permission.”

He tugged at my other nipple until I yelped from the sudden pain.

“We should teach her a lesson,” Xaden agreed, a mischievous grin spreading across his lips.

I ran my fingers down Harley’s pants, running them across his bulge.

“I think I know what she wants,” Harley said as he started to pull down his pants as well, letting his massive erection fly free.

His was so big I could hardly wrap my fingers around it, but I certainly tried.

“Hold her so I can get her out of those shorts,” Zach said, motioning for his brother.

Xaden wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me slightly so Zach could pull my shorts down my legs and over my feet, tossing them to the ground with my shirt.

“She’s not wearing any panties,” Zach murmured, sounding pleased.

“They make me chafe when I work out,” I said breathlessly. My words fell on deaf ears though; they were all too focused on ravishing my body, taking me in. I could see lust in every single one of their eyes. Damien stood off in the background, watching with amazement in his eyes that made me squirm under his scrutiny. I didn’t want him feeling left out, I wanted him to join, but when I tried to express that to him, my words got caught in my throat as I let out a gasp.

Zach was now rubbing my clit with his thumb, making shockwaves of pleasure course through my body.

“Open your mouth,” Harley said, and I obliged right away.

He slid his cock into my mouth and struggled to wrap my lips around it. I ran his fingers through my hair, holding my head in place as he thrust his hips back and forth, going a little deeper with each thrust, stretching my mouth as wide as it could.

Zach lifted me from my hips, and I felt his manhood at my entrance, begging for access.

It was Xaden who made the decision for us both and pushed me further into him, forcing Zach’s cock to penetrate me. My core stretched and molded around him like it was made for him. Xaden continued to palm my breasts and tease me while Zach continued to thrust into me and I continued to suck off Harley.

“God, she looks beautiful like this,” Harley breathed, wiping the drool off my chin, admiration was clear on his face as he looked down at me. “You’re taking it like a champ.”

“What do you expect?” Xaden asked as he ran his lips down the nape of my neck. “She’s our mate. She was made for us.”

My heart swelled with admiration from his words. They were my mates…I was made for them, just as they were made for me.

Zach quickened the pace, hitting that sweet spot that made my entire body shudder with pleasure and need.

“Oh, yes,” I gasped, chasing my second orgasm, but just as I was about to release myself, Zach pulled out of me, an evil glint in his eyes. “Hey!” I complained as I pulled Harley’s manhood out of my mouth.

“You don’t orgasm until we tell you to,” Zach warned, a grin spreading across his lips.

“I need to taste her,” Xaden said, releasing my breasts and positioning himself between my legs.

Harley and Zach helped lay me on my back so Xaden could have better access to my core. Once I was settled, Harley settled his manhood back between my lips.

“Help me hold her other leg,” Zach said to Damien who was watching everything intently.

I thought he was going to decline the invitation, but to my surprise, Damien stepped forward and grabbed a hold of my leg. Electricity shot from his fingertips and coursed through my body, reminding me that Damien was very much my mate like the rest of him, even if he didn’t have an eternal animal.

Xaden wasted no time in diving into my soaked core. I gasped as he stuck and nibbled on my clit while my mates held my legs apart for him to devour me.

“How does she taste?” Zach asked, watching as Xaden licked the juices off from between my thighs.

“Incredible,” Xaden murmured, diving back into my core, sucking and teasing until I was panting and begging for him to let me come undone.

I felt Xaden sticking his fingers into me as he sucked on my clit, tugging on it with his teeth and pulling it into his mouth, making the little nub swell and throb from the sensation.

I felt Damiens' hand on my breast as he explored my body with open curiosity, his eyes filled with lust and desire.

“So, beautiful,” he breathed, the corner of his lips tipping upward into a smile.

I felt my legs starting to tingle as I was pushed towards the peak of another orgasm. My body jerked and swayed as I struggled to maintain myself. I was just about to jump over the edge, when Xaden stopped, smirking down at me he gave me a playful wink.

Harley pulled out of my mouth, and he bent to kiss me on the lips; his kiss was deep as his tongue explored every ounce of me. I couldn’t help the moan that escaped my lips as our tongues danced in the same rhythm with one another.

Harrly nibbled onto my bottom lip, drawing it into his mouth and sucking on it like it was candy.

All their hands were on me now and I could feel the heat from each of them. Zach and Damien continued to palm my breasts, teasing them and making my nipples pebble from their touch. Zach continued to rub my body with his big strong hands and Harley continued to rub his fingers through my hair and down my features.

The friction of my mates was almost too much for me to handle.

“I need to be inside of you,” Harley rasped out, his he tugged on my earlobe with his teeth, sending chills down my spine.

“Think you can take us all at the same time?” Zach asked, a grin on his face.

My face paled at his words.

I could hardly even take Harley by himself, let alone all of them at once.

Xaden was the next kiss me deeply.

“Let us try,” he whispered against my lips, making my heart skip a beat.

I nodded, both terrified and intrigued at the same time.

Zach looked like a little boy at a candy shop when I agreed to take them all at the same time.

“I think Harley should go first because he’s the thickest,” Zach suggested.

Harley nodded and went in between my legs, stretching my legs so wide I thought they might snap off. He pressed his massive manhood against my center, and he gently pushed himself into me. I gasped out at the pressure of him invading my core. I stretched and molded around him, swallowing him with only minor resistance. Once he settled into me, he let me breathe and get used to his girth.

Once the initial pressure went away and all that was left was pleasure, it was Zach’s turn to insert himself into me. He positioned himself next to Harley and though there was no room in my core, he managed to push himself into me as well. I nearly screamed out from the sudden pain from his invasion.

“That’s it,” Zach purred. “Take me.”

“You’re doing so good; taking us both like that,” Harley whispered, his eyes dark with lust.

The pain only lasted a few moments before I started to get used to him as well. The next was Xaden, when he pushed into me, I didn’t think he would be able to fit, but when my core opened and swallowed him as well, I let out a breathy moan.

“Damien, your turn,” Xaden said, motioning for him to join.

“Do you think there’s room?” Damien asked, a bit of worry in his tone as he stared at my filled core.

“Only one way to find out,” Zach told him.

Damien positioned himself at my core as well, wedging himself in between my other mates. I hadn’t even noticed he had taken off his pants yet; not that I was complaining. They helped him position himself at my core and attempted to stretch me further, making room for Damien.

Once my core swallowed Damien, they sat still for a long while, letting me adjust to the fullness I was feeling between my mates. I had all of them inside of me; I thought it would have been more painful, but it wasn’t. it felt natural… it felt good.

I gave them a head nod, telling them that I was ready for them to start moving.

As if we were one entity, we began to move together. They thrust into me, making me squeal and moan at the sensation of them all. They continued to stretch and mold me so I could only fit them and nobody else.

Their thrusts got harder and deeper, all of us moaning and sweat pouring down our bodies. Each of my mates bent to kiss my lips, taking from me what they each craved.

I felt myself reaching my peak once again; only this time, I was determined to finish.

“Hold her still,” Zach said as he quickened his pace. I felt his warm seed coating my insides, and soon, the others followed as well. Feeling their seed inside of me was enough to push me over the edge as well.

Chapter 133 Surprise

Anila’s POV

I was so exhausted after taking all my mates at once that I nearly passed out after my orgasm. Once they were out of me, they cleaned me up and then cleaned up our mess from the picnic. I used Harley as a bed as I curled up against him, pressing my head against his chest. We were all still naked, except for Damien who had got dressed right after.

I thought there would be a bit of awkwardness between them afterward, but there wasn’t. In fact, they all acted as if they were friends for a long time. Even Damien was joining them with some jokes and laughing. I was too tired to engage in conversation and Harley kept his warm arms around my body, pressing me further into him. His fingers traced my spine gently, sending goosebumps around my body.

Once everything was clean, Harley stood, lifting me into his arms. We went towards Xaden’s cabin so we could rest for the night. I made it clear that I didn’t want any of my mates to go anywhere else. I needed them tonight because I had a strange feeling that something big was going to happen in the near future. I just wanted to feel good before all hell broke loose.

Harley tucked me into Xaden’s large bed and then he slid in beside me, wrapping me in his arms again. Xaden lay on the other side of me, also wrapping me in his arms. Zach and Damien laid on the ends and though they couldn’t touch me, I could feel through their mate bond that they were content and just as tired.

I was woken by the sound of a phone ringing. I’m not sure how long I had been sleeping, but I knew my mates were still surrounding me before I even opened my eyes. it was Harley who groaned and reached over Zach to grab his phone on the nightstand. When he looked at the screen, he frowned.

“Yeah?” He asked sleepily into the phone as he laid back down.

I was too tired to listen to what was being said, but Harley’s jolt made my eyes open, and I looked up at him, seeing that he was now sitting up.

“Right now?” He asked, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. “It’s early. The sun is still up.” After another pause, he let out a breath. “Okay. I’ll be there soon.”

Without another word, Harley hung up the phone.

“What’s wrong?” Xaden asked, also waking up from the sound of Harly’s phone call.

“My father said there’s going to be an Alpha meeting,” he murmured. “For both bears and wolves. Which means, we need to return to our packs.”

Xaden sat up with a frown. He reached over Damien and grabbed his phone off the nightstand as well and glanced at the screen.

“Oh, fuck. Zach, wake up,” Xaden said as he quickly tried to get out of bed.

Both Zach and Damien were now awake from the commotion.

“What’s going on?” Zach asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Fuck what time is it?” Damien asked, squinting to look at the clock but he couldn’t see it because he wasn’t wearing his glasses.

“Dad called me a million times. There’s an Alpha meeting happening soon. We need to go.”

“You mean you need to go,” Zach murmured. “I’m not an Alpha, remember?”

“Aren’t you curious about what it’s about?”

“You can fill me in later,” Zach murmured, covering his face with his arm as he attempted to go back to sleep.

“I should get back to my dorm,” Damien said stretching. “I have to meet with Professor Rapport before the competition so I should shower and change.”

Before he slid out of bed, he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

“I’ll see you at the competition though. Don’t be nervous. You got this today,” he said softly, kissing my cheek again before he left the bed, leaving me feeling alone and cold without the nearness of my mates. My inner animals didn’t like the fact that we were all separating.

“What do you think the meeting is about?” I asked, looking at them as they pulled on their clothes.

“Who knows,” Harley murmured as he handed me my shirt and shorts. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“A meeting with all the Alphas though? It must be serious, “I said, my brows pinching together.

“Don’t worry about it,” Harley said, kissing my forehead gently. “All you have to worry about is the competition this evening. You should get some more rest. Just because we are leaving doesn’t mean you have to.”

“I’ll stay with her,’ Zach yawned.

‘You really aren’t coming?” Xaden asked, his brows raised.

“Why would I?” Zach asked, looking at Xadne. “It’s an Alpha meeting.”

“Just because you aren’t taking over as Alpha, doesn’t mean you aren’t an Alpha. You still have Alpha blood, just like me,” Xaden reminded his brother.

Zach ignored him, keeping his arm over his eyes to shield the light from disturbing his precious rest.

“Will you keep me updated?” I asked them.

“Of course,” Xaden said, bending to brush his lips against mine. “We’ll be back in time to see you win this competition.”

I smiled, but I knew it didn’t reach my eyes. it was admittedly worried.

Being able to read it on my face and thanks to the mate bond, they all knew I was worried.

Soon, Xaden and Harley were off.

“I’ll see you in a bit,” Damien said, giving me a quick hug and a peck on the lips before he too left the cabin, leaving me alone with Zach.

The second we were alone, it was like Zach got a second surge of energy and he grabbed me, pulling me into his arms and pinning me beneath him.

“Zach!” I gasped. His lips attacked mine and he kissed me deeply, his lips trailing down the nape of my neck until he reached the mark on my neck that he left on me. He nibbled and sucked on the neck, deepening it and making it fresh again.

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I ran my fingers through his hair.

“Aren’t you the least bit concerned about what the Alphas want?” I asked him, trying to keep him on topic.

“I’m only concerned about getting you to myself and now I do,” he purred, his lips trailing down my bare shoulders, sending warmth to course through my body.

“I still have a bad feeling, Zach,” I tried to say, but my voice came out breathy.

“Then, let me give you a good feeling,” he teased as he lifted me into his lap. In one quick motion, he was inside of me. I gasped at the feeling and suddenly all thoughts were gone from my head. I moved my hips against his, feeling him deep inside of me as he nibbled on that sweet spot he marked. “How are you still so tight after taking us all?”

“I don’t know,” I breathed as I continued to bounce on him, quickening my pace as his manhood stroked my G-spot.

“You look so good when you ride me,” Zach said as his lips closed around my nipple, tugging it into his mouth.

He gripped my hips and thrust even faster until we were both moaning and panting. It didn’t take us long for us to reach our peak and soon, Zach was coming undone inside of me and I was falling apart on top of him.

He kissed my sweaty temple and kept me pressed against him, his manhood throbbing inside of me still.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. I lifted my head and brushed my lips against his.

I heard my phone vibrating before I saw the screen light up. I hadn’t realized I had it on vibrate.

I pulled myself away from Zach, his manhood slipping out of me and I smiled at the pout on his lips. I grabbed my phone and glanced at the screen.

When I saw the screen, my entire heart fell into my stomach.

I had a dozen missed calls from Penny and a ton of messages from the group chat I had with my friends.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, my brows furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” Zach asked, looking over my shoulder at my phone.

“I don’t know,” I said softly as I went through the messages of the chat.

Sage: Where are you? Get back to your dorm!

Penny: It’s an energy. I’ve tried to call a million times. Get back here!

Sadie: You really need to get back to the dorm, Anila!

Panic started to consume me; I knew something was wrong…

“I have to get back to my dorm,” I told him as I struggled to get out of bed. I pulled on my shorts and tank top, not realizing that Zach was also getting dressed.

“I’ll go with you,” he told me, looking just as urgent.

I smiled gratefully at him.

Together, we went from the cabin and back to the dorms. Thankfully it was still fairly early so nobody was awake yet to question Zach.

I thought I was at least semi-prepared to deal with anything at this point, despite being on edge, I thought I was prepared for whatever waited for me back in my dorm.

But nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see as soon as I pushed open the door and I saw all my friends in the room.

My entire body froze and for a second, I forgot how to breathe.

This couldn’t be real.

“Is that a….” Zach started to ask, but his words trailed off.

He didn’t need to finish his sentence because it was obvious.

In the middle of the room was a giant Dragon.

Chapter 134 Ember

Anila’s POV

“Holy fuck,” Zach breathed, pushing me the rest of the way into the room and shutting the door behind us. The window was wide open, so I knew the dragon didn’t just walk in through the door.

I was too frozen to say or do anything except gawk at the big dragon that sat in the middle of the dormitory. Sage and Becca were on the couch while Sadie and Sally were across the living room, staring at the dragon with big and worried eyes. Penny was the only one who didn’t seem afraid; she was standing closer to the dragon, and she looked a bit sheepish.

“I can’t believe you let that thing in here,” Sally said, hiding behind her twin.

Penny frowned and folded her arms across her chest.

“She was wandering around outside. What was I supposed to do? Let her get hurt? The hunters wouldn’t let her live if they found her.”

“Why do we care what happens to a dragon, Pen?” Sally asked, her frown deepening as she glared at Penny from across the room. “She’s a freaking dragon!”

“And she’s harmless. She’s been here for like an hour and she hasn’t hurt anyone. Right?” Penny countered, raising her brows.

“That’s not really the point,” Becca said, standing to her feet. “The point is, having a dragon here is dangerous, not only for her but for us too. They are forbidden creatures for a reason. We could get expelled.”

Penny opened her mouth to say something, but Zach interrupted their bickering.

“Want to tell us why there is a dragon in the middle of the dorm?” He asked, staring at the ladies who looked amongst one another, none of them speaking.

Zach let out a low and annoyed growl as he turned his attention to Penny.

“You,” he said, pointing at her. “Owl girl. Start talking.”

Penny pressed her lips in a thin line.

“I don’t appreciate that nickname,” she murmured.

“I don’t care,” he shot back. “Tell us why there is a dragon in here.”

“I heard her outside the window. It sounded like she was trying to knock on the window. When I saw her, she looked desperate to come in, so I opened the window and here we are,” Penny explained, glancing up at the dragon.

I noticed the dragon’s eyes were familiar and they were pouring into me like she wanted to say something. During my time with Jaxon, I’ve gotten used to the idea of dragons and I knew they weren’t truly dangerous like everyone though. It was more shocking to see a full-sized dragon… yet still not as big as some of the others, in the middle of the dorm while everyone else slept.

Becca was right, if we were found out… if this dragon was spotted in here, we could all get expelled.

This wasn’t a good situation, but I had a knot in the middle of my belly. Why would this dragon be here? What was wrong?

And most importantly, where was Jaxon?

I stepped towards the dragon.

“What are you doing?” Zach asked, aiming to grab my arm, but I pulled away from him and continued my way towards the dragon who was pouring her gaze into mine. “She’s a dragon and dangerous, Anila. Don’t be stupid,” he scolded.

Ignoring him, I reached my hand out to touch the dragon on her head and the second my fingers touched her scaly skin, images of the baby dragon came into view. It was like pictures that went across my mind, playing a movie and keeping me paralyzed until it was over.

I pulled back and stared up at the dragon, my mouth gawking at her incredible size, still not sure how it was possible.

“Ember?” I whispered.

The dragon closed her eyes and pressed her head against mine, my question was answered immediately.

Holy hell!

“What the…” I started to say my eyes wide as I stared up at her. “Y…you’re huge!”

“Who is Ember?” Penny asked, raising her brows.

“That baby dragon that I found in the woods that one time,” I told her. “Remember I tried to hide her?”

Penny chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah, and she nearly burned down the school,” Penny said, but then her eyes grew wide. “Are you saying that this is that baby dragon? That wasn’t even that long ago. How could she be this big already?”

I had no words because I too wasn’t sure how it was possible. I just left Dragon Valley last week and she was still a baby at that point.

“I hear that dragons grow fast,” Zach said, reminding me of what Jaxon had once said to me.

I nodded as I ran my fingers down Ember’s neck, her scales tickling the palms of my hands.

“Ember, it’s too dangerous for you to be here. Why are you here?” I asked her, not sure if she was able to tell me or not… but maybe she could show me.

On cue, more images flashed through my mind. I saw Ember in the dragon stables with her mother. Ember had grown drastically since the last time I saw her, and they were both sleeping. But then something happened, and it made my heart stutter to watch it happen.

Ember’s mother opened her eyes, and they were completely red. It was as if there was no humanity left in her; she was moved like a robotic zombie. She stood and started to walk out of the stables. Ember also woke, but her eyes were normal as she followed her mother curiously out of the stables.

More dragons came out of the stables as well, their eyes also red. Ember was the only one who didn’t have red eyes.

I saw as the stable staff noticed something strange was happening and she tried to get them to return to the stables.

But something was wrong with them; they weren’t the same dragons I had come to know. They turned on her completely. One of them ripped her head off and I couldn’t help but scream as I ripped my hand away from Ember, stumbling backwards and into Zach who caught me with ease.

“What was it? What did you see?” He asked.

“They killed her,” I said, my eyes filling with tears. “But why?”

Ember had the look of pure remorse in her eyes as she lowered her head and stared at the ground. She couldn’t speak, but her emotions were clear, and it tugged at my heart.

I reached my hand out again to touch her, I needed more answers, but Zach grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.

“That’s not a good idea,” he told me. “You don’t know if she’s showing you the truth or if it’s part of some big plan. She could be working for someone.”

I pulled my hand away from him and folded my arms across my chest.

“Ember wouldn’t do that to me. I trust her,” I said firmly, narrowing my eyes.

“How do you know that?” Zach asked a bite in his words. It was clear he didn’t want any part of the dragon aspect, and it was infuriating.

I pressed my finger to his chest and stepped towards him.

“You need to start getting on board with this side of me, Zach. I am a dragon master… I am supposedly some kind of queen, and the dragons aren’t as bad as most think. Jaxon is my mate just like you are… if you don’t like it, then leave and let me deal with this on my own. Clearly, Ember came here to tell me something and I need to listen to her.”

Zach’s jaw tightened as he fought to keep himself under control. He stared down at me, his brows twitching and his nostrils flaring. He was pissed, that much was clear.

“This thing could turn on you in a second,” he said through his teeth.

“She would never,” I said adamantly. “As I said, you are free to leave any time.”

“I’m not leaving you,” he replied, shaking his head stubbornly.

“Then stay out of my way,” I said in return, turning away from him and going towards Ember who was still watching me.

Taking in a deep breath I ran my hands down her nose.

“Tell me more,” I whispered. “What happened to the other dragons? What happened to Jaxon?”

She closed her eyes and soon, more pictures flashed through my head. I watched the dragons burn Dravon Valley until they found a way out of the ground. They were desperate to get out. Ember was the only one who wasn’t affected by whatever was going on. She looked terrified though and she tried to send out a warning cry, but it fell on deaf ears.

There was so much damage in Dragon Valley that it broke my heart in a second.

Angelica paused beside Ember; tears clear, in her eyes as she stared around all the damage.

“We need to get help,” she whispered. “Our King is gone… Anila is our last hope.” She then turned to Ember and touched her head gently. “Go find her. Tell her that the Alpha King is using the Dragon Stone. He has control over all our dragons. There is a war coming and it’s looking really bad.”

With that, Ember took off and went to find me immediately.

I pulled my hand back, letting out a breath of air as I processed what I had heard.

“What did you see?” Penny asked as Zach tried to keep me stable.

I looked at her and then at everyone else in the room.

“There’s a war,” I told them, my voice coming out grim. “And I think we are all in trouble.”

Chapter 135 A War is Coming

Xaden’s POV

“What do you think this is about?” Harley asked as we approached the conference hall for Alphas. It was outside of all territories and rarely used except for meetings that included all Alphas for both bear and wolf shifters. We only had a meeting that concerned everyone when it was an emergency.

Whatever this was about, I knew that it wasn’t going to be good.

“I guess we will find out,” I murmured as we approached the hall that led to the meeting room.

“Where the hell have you two been?” My father asked as he stormed towards us. “We had been waiting for you.”

“Sorry, Dad. You called when we were at school. Took us some time to get here,” I told him as we went towards the doors together.

“This is an emergency, Xaden. You should have run faster in wolf form,” he muttered, then he froze and sniffed the air, narrowing his eyes at me, his lip curled up. “Did you shower?”

I frowned and glanced down at the fresh clothes I was wearing. Harley was also wearing fresh clothes, and his hair was still damp.

My father glanced between us both.

“You both showered? What part of an emergency did you not understand?” My father asked, folding his arms across his chest. “There was no urgency??”

If I hadn’t showered, my father would know that we were both with Anila. Plus, we were still sweaty from our night last night and the last thing I needed or wanted was for the other Alpha’s to know what went on.

“Just come on,” my father growled as he turned and stormed towards the meeting hall.

The table for the meeting was long and it held all the Alphas in the region, both bear and wolf shifters. When we entered the room, they all turned to stare at us, their eyes narrowed and the look of annoyance that reflected my father’s annoyance was evident on their faces.

“Sorry we are late,” I said as I grabbed a seat at one of the empty chairs. Harley sat beside me, he gave his own father a look and nodded at him. Harley and his father looked so much alike; it was almost uncanny.

I looked around the table, expecting to see the Alpha King present as well, but he wasn’t. which meant this meeting was under his nose… it made me believe that this meeting was about the Alpha King.

“Xaden, how are you feeling? Word got out fast about your injuries during the last attack,” Alpha Clay, a wolf shifter and an alpha from one of the nearby packs, said.

“Better,” I told him. “It’s almost like it never happened.”

“But it did happen, and that’s why this meeting is so important,” my father said, his eyes scanning the room. “There is a dragon on the loose and the Alpha King is involved. My own son almost got killed because of it. We need to assume that another war is going to happen only this time it’s going to be worse because it’s not just the Dragon King who is involved. Our own Alpha King is also involved.”

The murmur erupted around the room, and it was clear everyone was worried.

“I saw a dragon earlier today,” one of the Alpha said, shaking his head. “I honestly thought I was seeing things. What are we supposed to do if the King turned on his own people? Are we strong enough to fight him? He nearly took out multiple packs during the last battle and it wasn’t even that big.”

“We need to find out where they are hiding and what they want,” Harley’s dad said, standing to his feet. “We need to protect our lands at all costs.”

They all nodded in agreement. I looked over at Harley, who seemed deep in thought.

“We need a plan,” my father said, settling in his seat at the head of the table. “If we want to take out the dragons, we are going to start with the Dragon King. Without the Dragon King… the Alpha King has no power.”

“So, we kill the Dragon King?” One of the Alpha’s asked.

A worried pit formed in the middle of my stomach, and I could tell from Harley’s face, he was feeling it too. This wasn’t good; if they were after Jaxon, it meant they could potentially take him away from Anila and that wouldn’t be good.

Harley pulled his eyes away from everyone else and looked at him, both of us having the same understanding.

We needed to save Jaxon.

…..

Jaxon’s POV

The dragons flew overheard, their eyes glowing red. They weren’t in control; the Alpha King was in control of them. He managed to figure out how to take control of all the dragons even though they were protected under the ground. A witch informed him if he only had one of the dragons in his possession, then he could soon have all the dragons. He tricked me into giving him a dragon and now all the dragons had broken out of Dragon Valley.

“What are you planning on doing with them? You promised me you wouldn’t hurt them!” I had yelled at the Alpha King, fury boiling inside of me, but I knew I was powerless. Not while he still possessed the Dragon Stone. Now he also possessed all the dragons… one wrong move on my part could mean their end.

“As long as they cooperate, there will be no need to hurt them,” he simply told me. “You are either on board with me, or you aren’t. But let me warn you, Jaxon, there will be consequences if you go against me.”

With that, he turned and walked away, taking the dragons with him.

I clenched my fists at my side. I needed to get out of here; I fucked up and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to fix it.

Without another word, I turned and quickly left the Alpha King’s palace. It took about an hour, I eventually returned to Dragon Valley, my whole heart sinking at the sight of the city that took us years to build underground. It was supposed to be a place of protection, but now there was a large crater leading to the outside world where the Dragons had escaped from.

There was blood and fire still burning; my heart sank at the sight. I knew it was bad… but seeing it was something entirely different.

“You’ve returned,” Angelica said, her eyes misted with tears as she looked around at her surroundings “You’ve missed some things.”

I leaned against one of the walls that went to a building that was once standing but now was a crumbled mess.

“This is all my fault,” I whispered. I hated the type of weakness and vulnerability I was feeling. “I was careless.”

“I don’t understand what you were thinking,” Angelica said, shaking her head. “Sorry to say, Your Majesty. But you are right. This is your fault. How could you be so dumb??”

Typically, I wouldn’t have let anyone speak to me like that. But I knew she was hurting, and she was right. I fucked up… if I hadn’t given him a dragon, then none of this would have happened. Then again, there’s no telling what he would do with the Dragon Stone if I hadn’t done something.

It was such a powerful stone that he could use it to destroy us all.

“You were supposed to be protecting us; you promised me that you were only doing this to protect us. But you gave that monster access to us and now… our dragons are gone. Not only that, but the stable staff are dead.”

I snapped a look at her, my eyes narrowed at her words.

“What are you talking about? Who is dead?”

“The stable help,” she repeated.

“Which ones? Who??” I asked, my voice roaring.

“Does it matter?” She asked.

Of course, it didn’t matter, but I needed to know how many died because of me.

“All of them, Jaxon,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “They are all dead. They were trying to tame the dragons, but the dragons killed them instead.”

Tears poured out of her eyes as she spoke.

I staggered away from her. My people were dying because of me. I needed to fix this. When he asked for a dragon, I never thought he would do something like this. He gave me his word that my dragons were safe and stupidly I believed him.

I didn’t even think it was possible; the earth was supposed to protect the dragons from dark magic. That was part of the reason why we live under the ground, so no dark magic can harm them. I never thought that he would be able to cast a curse on the dragons using the dragon I had given him.

I felt sick to my stomach at the thought.

“I have to go,” I told her, pushing past her and going towards the gaping hole that led to the outside world.

“You’re leaving us, again?” She asked, folding her arms across her chest. “Shouldn’t you stay and do some damage control? Those who are still alive need their king. They are devasted and working tiredly to rebuild our home despite their hearts being broken.”

“I need to find Anila,” I told her over my shoulder. “I need to tell her what’s been going on. Maybe she can help us. She has an infinity with the dragons. If anyone can break the hold the Dragon King has on them, it’s her.”

I had faith in my mate; I knew that deep in my soul, she was special.

“You should know, that not all the dragons are under the influence of the King,” Angelica said, stopping me in my tracks. “It could be because of her connection with Anila. But she might be able to help as well.”

“Which Dragon?” I asked, turning to face her.

“Ember,” Angelica replied. “She went to get Anila’s help. So, she might already be aware that something isn’t right. You are right though; you should go to her. Because we are going to need all the help we can get. A war is coming, Your Majesty. And your dragons are in the eye of it.”

Chapter 136 Competition Day

Anila’s POV

“The competition is in a couple of hours. What exactly are we going to do with a dragon?” Zach asked. He was now leaning against the wall on the far side of the dorm room, his arms folded around his chest as he watched the dragon intently.

“Yeah, what are we doing with it?” Sage asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

“Her name is Ember,” I scolded, rolling my eyes as I ran my hands down Ember’s head.

“What are we supposed to do?” Penny asked with a timid frown on her lips.

I turned towards Ember and pressed my forehead against her as I whispered, “Go find Jaxon.”

She closed her eyes, taking in my words, and then without another word she turned towards the window which was still open, and she took off.

“Be careful! Don’t be seen!” I whispered-yelled.

“This is a really bad idea,” Sage said, folding her arms across her chest.

“Well, while we wait, I should get ready for the competition,” I told them.

They nodded and after a while, they left except for Penny and Zach who remained in the living room. I went into my bedroom so I could get ready for the competition. I decided to wear a sports bra and a pair of workout shorts. I wasn’t sure if there was a specific dress attire for this competition, but this was going to have to do for right now.

I threw my hair into a ponytail. I went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Once I was done, I stepped back into my room only to find Zach seated on my bed. His arms were still folded across his chest and when he looked at me, my heart flipped in my chest.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked him, raising my brows.

“Like what?” He replied.

“Like you either want to lecture me, or fuck me,” I said, folding my own arms across my chest.

“Maybe I want to do both,” he teased.

I rolled my eyes and playfully swatted at his arm.

“Don’t be stupid, Zach. This is serious.”

“Getting the Dragon King involved though? He’s not on our side, Anila. If there’s a problem with the Dragons, that’s his fault,” Zach told me.

“Jaxon cares about his dragons and his people. He would never want this for them,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “I’ve spent almost a week with him and—”

“Exactly. It’s only been a week, Anila. You barely even know him. You literally met for the first time a few weeks ago. That’s not enough time to know someone.”

“He’s my mate, Zach,” I said, my voice losing some of its resolve. I’m not sure what all this means… I’m not sure exactly what I am. But I do know that I have a strong intuition, and I know his character. He’s not as bad as most people think he is. He’s caring and gentle. He loves his people and dragons and would never hurt them intentionally.”

“Then why did he give the Alpha King a dragon in the first place if he cared about them so much?” Zach asked.

“He gave him the weakest and oldest dragon,” I murmured. “If he didn’t, there would be worse repercussions.”

“What did he need a dragon for?”

“I don’t know, Zach,” I nearly snapped. “World domination? He can’t really accomplish that with Sapphire because she’s not strong enough. It was the safest option.”

“And if Sapphire isn’t strong enough, the King will have her killed and Jaxon will have to give him another dragon. It’s a never-ending cycle.”

We walked together to the arena as I pondered Zach’s words.

I hated that Zach was right; I wanted Jaxon to stop working with the Alpha King and start leaning on us more. My other mates might not be on board with him at the moment, but he was still my mate, and he made me happy just as they all did. They would do whatever it took to keep me happy, even if it meant helping the Dragon King.

The Alpha King was up to no good and Jaxon was a victim to it.

Professor Rapport was at the arena when we appeared and he smiled down at me.

“Are you ready for the competition?” He asked me.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I murmured. “Damien was incredible in teaching me everything I knew.”

Principal Rapport smiled at Damien, who was now by my side.

For the next couple of hours, Damien and I went over some basic spellcasting along with some advanced ones. He prepared me on what to expect and the rules for some of the challenges that I’ll face.

The rest of the competition looked really fierce. There were dozens from each school that were competing for a spot as a top student, and they didn’t look as if they would back down without a fight. I wondered what spirit animals they held as they practiced and prepared to fight. Some were more delicate than others.

“Welcome to Round 1 of the competition,” the announcer spoke through the loudspeaker, making the entire audience silent. Zach and Damien stood at the sidelines with a few other students and the faculty. They were both watching me with intent gazes. “Round 1 is a scavenger hunt in the forest. You can use your animal forms or magic to help you. You will be given a list of things to find, each list is different. The person who finds it the quickest will win the round.”

As he spoke, someone walked around, passing around the pieces of paper with the list of items on it. Once they got to me, I thanked him and glanced at the list.

Everything seemed simple enough. There were about 6 items that I had to find in this forest.

Once everyone had a list in their hands the announcer went over the loudspeaker again. “You are given one hour. Your time starts now!”

And with that, everyone took off in different directions.

……

Jaxon’s POV

I was close to reaching the school grounds; I could already smell Anila. She was outside and preparing herself for the competition that was about to begin. I could feel through our mate bond. I had unblocked her over an hour ago after I left the Alpha King’s side.

I needed to warn Anila about what was happening. I screwed up and it was bad.

A wolf and bear stopped short of me, both looking feral in their own ways. One with glowing yellow eyes and the other with glowing red eyes. I knew if I was caught above ground, that alone could start a war. Me and my kind had been banished to the underground long ago. But then they started to shift, and I stood frozen as a very naked Xaden and Harley stood in front of me.

Neither of them cared that they were naked. Shifters were strange creatures, I thought to myself as I folded my arms across my chest.

“As much as I’d love to talk. I need to find Anila,” I told them as I started to walk past them. To my surprise, they actually let me walk, though they trailed close behind me.

“You also need to tell us what the fuck is going on with the Alpha King,” Xaden said, his tone gruff and annoyed. “We had a meeting about him. What’s he planning, Jaxon?”

“I have it handled,” I murmured, not sure if I believed my own words.

“You clearly don’t have it handled,” Harley was the one to speak next. “Dragons are being spotted everywhere. What’s happening? Don’t you have a handle on your dragons?”

I bit back a growl at his words; the last thing I wanted was to be lectured by my mate's other mate. That wasn’t happening.

“Do we need to be prepared for a war?” Harley proceeded to ask. “Jaxon this is important. Talk to us!”

“Why should I talk to either of you? You want me dead like everyone else. I can’t trust anyone other than myself.”

“Trust me, if we wanted you dead, we’d kill you ourselves. Without that Dragon stone, you are powerless,” Xaden said through his teeth.

His words caused me to pause for a moment.

“Tell us what you know, Jaxon,” Harley said, stopping me from walking any further. “We can help you.”

I stared at him, and I could see the sincerity on his face. Maybe I could trust them.

“He’s not starting a war with us. The last battle that nearly killed Xaden was only a distraction to weaken our forces,” I told them. “The real battle won’t be here. He’s planning on taking over the human nation.”

“He’s starting a war with the humans?” Xaden asked, his eyes narrowed.

“He doesn’t think humans should exist. He’s planning on taking them out and then taking over the lands, making his territory even bigger.”

Xaden and Harley stared at me dumbfounded before looking at each other.

I wasn’t sure how they could help, but it was kind of nice telling others of the King’s plans. Maybe I didn’t need to figure this out by myself; maybe Anila was right when she said we’d work better as partners than separately.

Before anyone could say another word, a screech came from above, drawing our attention to the sky. My heart fell when I saw all my dragons flying ahead. They were heading towards the human territory; the largest dragon I knew was the Alpha King. Thanks to the Dragon stone, he was able to shift into a dragon and hold all the same powers as a dragon. He was screeching into the night, my dragons’ screeching in response.

“We are too late,” I whispered, shaking my head. “The war is starting.”

The sound of something landing nearby made us jump when I noticed it was another dragon, only this one was different.

Xaden started to growl, and it was clear he was about to shift and attempt to attack the dragon, but I held my hand up, stopping him from fully shifting.

“Wait, I don’t think she’s under the influence of the King,” I said quickly. “Her eyes aren’t red like the others.”

I turned towards the dragon who walked towards me, her eyes filled with concern as she kept looking up at the sky and back at me.

“Ember?” I asked as the Dragon neared.

“How do we know she’s safe?” Harley asked, eyeing Ember with an open curiosity.

“Because I can tell,” I said over my shoulder, holding my hand out for Ember. After a moment, she pressed her forehead against my palm and closed my eyes.

Images of her time with Anila flashed through my mind and I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips. She sent Ember to find me; she knew something is wrong.

When Ember was finished telling me what happened, she opened her eyes and pulled back.

We would never get to Anila on time on foot, which left us with one other option.

I turned to face the others.

“How do you feel about riding a dragon?”

Chapter 137 So It Begins

Anila’s POV

While I was engulfed in the dark woods, I grabbed my wand out of my boot and cast the spell for light to light the area up so I could see better. I had my wolf and bear sight, but it was still difficult to see the items I was looking for. I wanted to refrain from shifting right now because I wanted my animals to be well-rested and prepared for when I needed them the most.

Besides, most of the others hadn’t shifted. Some of the bird shifters did, but aside from that, everyone was wandering around different sections of the forest in their human forms.

“Don’t overthink it,” I heard Zach’s voice in my head through our mindlink. I paused at the sound of his voice and looked around, wondering if he was nearby. It made him chuckle which solidified that he could see me.

“Where are you?” I asked him out loud.

“I’m not near you. I’m still where you left me. But I can see you through my mind’s eye little mate,” he told me, his voice sending a warmth throughout my body.

“You can talk to me in my head?” I asked him, amazed by that.

“We are bonded. So yes,” he told me.

“Can I do that with the others?”

“Not sure about the wizard boy. But Harley and Xaden yes,” he answered. “Now stop getting distracted and focus. Use the spells that Damien taught you. Remember, not everyone here is a wizard. In fact, most are typical shifters. You have an advantage.”

I thought about what Zach had said and then all the spells that Damien taught me. Hadn’t he taught me a finding spell? I tried to think about how it went; most spells were in Latin because it was the wizard's natural language.

I stared down at the paper, focusing on each word as I waved my wand over the pages and spoke the spell that I remembered Damien teaching me forever ago. The words on the pages started to glow and suddenly they were bouncing off the page. They were glowing so brightly; that I had to squint to look at them as they bounced around the forest ground.

I followed the words that were now moving on their own and glowing brightly. They started to pause right beside their items. I smiled as I grabbed the first time. The moment my fingers grazed it, the words would disappear and reappear on my paper.

Well, this was going to be easier than I thought, I thought to myself as I started towards the other items.

They were fairly spaced apart, but it didn’t take long to collect everything and bring it back to the arena.

Zach and Damien were cheering for me as I ran across the arena and towards the judges, giving them my list and the items that I collected. I was the first one back, but a few seconds after I reached the judge's tables, others were merging from the woods as well.

“Congratulations, Anila,” one of the judges said, smiling at me. “You win the first round!”

He announced it loud enough for everyone to hear and the arena went nuts. I couldn’t help but smile and pump my fists in the air from the victory.

I felt Zach’s arms wrap around me as he twirled me around, his lips finding mine as he gave me a deep and lingering kiss.

“You used the finding spell, didn’t you?” Damien asked with a grin.

I nodded and hugged him next.

“Thanks to you. I was able to find these items with ease,” I told him. He kissed my cheek, and I chuckled.

However, the happy feeling in my chest didn’t last long. A loud screeching brought our attention to the sky and my heart fell deep into my stomach when I saw what now everyone was seeing.

Dragons.

They were flying through the sky and as I saw in Ember’s visions, their eyes were glowing red. For a second, everyone remained frozen as they flew through the sky, their mouths agape. But then the panic started to set in and everybody, including the judges and faculty, started to scream out in terror.

They thought the dragons were going to attack them, but even I could see that they weren’t paying attention to what was beneath them. They were on a mission; they were having somewhere else.

My eyes remained on them until they had completely flown over us and were out of sight.

“One of them was the Alpha King,” Zach murmured, his eyes remaining glued on the sky. “I would recognize his dragon anywhere.”

“The Alpha King shouldn’t even have a dragon,” I said through my teeth. “It’s because he has the Dragon Stone. Who yields the Dragon Stone, yields the Dragon. It should belong to Jaxon. We need to get it back.”

“And how do you expect to do that?” Damien asked, his brows furrowed.

Before I could speak another word, a thumping sound behind me caused me to freeze. The screaming and running from nearly everybody around me were enough for me to know that a dragon had landed directly behind me.

Damien and Zach stood in front of me, their eyes on the Dragon behind me and their eyes wide. They didn’t run screaming or try to drag me away, so I knew I wasn’t in any immediate danger.

I slowly turned and saw Ember looking down at me. But that wasn’t the most shocking part.

“Xaden, Harley?” I asked, staring up at my mates who were seated on Ember’s back. Then, my eyes flickered to the third person on her and my heart swelled. “Jaxon…”

“The Alpha King has control of the Dragons,” Jaxon explained to me as he slid off Ember’s back, landing in front of me. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have given him a dragon. Because of that… he was able to take control of all the dragons using a dark spell.”

I quickly lunged at him, wrapping my arms around him. Despite all that was happening, I missed him like crazy. I didn’t realize how badly I missed him until this very moment. Tears spilled out of my eyes before I could stop them. On top of missing him, I was also terrified that something had happened to him. Having him block me for almost a week was gut-wrenching.

“I was so worried,” I whispered against his chest.

He wrapped his arms around me and held me close, nuzzling his face in my hair and taking in a deep breath as if he were committing my scent to memory.

“I am sorry for worrying you,” he said softly, holding me tightly. “I won’t make a habit of that. You have my word.”

I wanted to scold him for blocking me, but something was telling me now was not the time for this.

“Where are the dragons going?” I asked him.

“To the human nation,” he told me. “He wants to take over.”

“We can’t let that happen,” I said, shaking my head as I looked into the direction the Dragon’s went.

“Which is why I’m here. We need to follow them,” Jaxon said, a worry look in his eyes. “I need to make things right and get them back. I think you might be the only one who can break the curse on them and get their minds back in control.”

“Me?” I asked.

“How am I supposed to do that?” I asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” He asked, his brows raised. “You are the Moon Queen, Anila. You can do anything.”

My heart hammered in my chest at the sound of that. The Moon Queen.

I was the Moon Queen.

All 5 of my mates were looking at me expectantly.

“Go with him,” Xaden said, stepping towards me. “The rest of us will catch up to you because I have a feeling you’re going to need us. But you need to get there as fast as you can and make sure they don’t do too much damage.”

I nodded and looked up at Jaxon.

“Come with me,” I said it like an order, but really, it was a question.

He nodded as he put a hand on my shoulder, running his thumb down the nape of my neck and causing goosebumps to form on my flesh.

“Of course,” he breathed.

I didn’t bother saying goodbye to the others because we really didn’t have that much time. They said they would be there, and I needed to trust that they would.

“Jaxon,” Xaden said, stopping him from boarding Ember. “Now that we are aware of the situation, we aren’t going to let him get away with this. I know we don’t exactly trust each other, but when it comes to Anila., I trust that you can keep her safe.”

Jaxon, who looked like he wanted to argue and tell him that he didn’t need to warn him, swallowed his pride and gave him a curt nod.

“Of course,” he finally said, though it sounded as if it pained him.

“For Anila’s sake, we need to trust each other. We are all her mates, and we all want what’s best for her. We also don’t want to see this world fall apart,” Xaden continued. “With that being said, I know you were trying to handle the situation on your own. I know you want that Dragon Stone back. I need you to trust us for once.”

Jaxon’s jaw tensed as he looked at the rest of my mates. I wasn’t sure what they were planning, but it was clear they had something in mind.

“I might have a plan on how to get the Dragon Stone back,” Zach surprised me by saying. “It’ll require some teamwork, but as long as we are trusting each other and all on the same page, I think it could actually work.”

Jaxon looked at him for a long while before looking at Xaden. After another beat of silence, Jaxon reached his hand out to shake Xaden’s.

Xaden took it and the two shook hands.

“I trust you,” Jaxon finally said.

Xaden nodded and then turned to me, a smile decorating his lips.

“We’ll be there soon,” he assured me. “Go with him.”

I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him tenderly before pulling back, tears glistening in my eyes.

“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice cracking as the emotions began to become too much.

I turned to Jaxon, and he lifted me into his arms, helping me get onto Ember’s back. He climbed on behind me and not before long, we were airborne.

Chapter 138 Final Battle Part 1

Anila’s POV

Ember was going faster than I had ever known her to go. Then again, I’d never ridden on her before because the last time I saw her, she was only a baby. She also knew exactly where she was going without even looking at the other dragons. We weren’t riding with a saddle, which was also weird, but oddly enough, I felt secure on Ember’s bare back.

Jaxon sat behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist and my back was pressed into his broad chest, so there was that extra layer of protection as well.

“We need to protect the humans because they are defenseless,” I told him; he nodded in agreement.

“We should get them under the ground,” he said. “If there are any sewers or anything. It’s safer for them.”

I wasn’t going to argue with that; as long as the humans were safe, that was all that mattered. As we neared the human nation, my heart started to sink. I recognized the nation was heading into; I grew up in this nation.

This was where my stepmother and sister were.

I could hear the screams of terror coming from the town below. Dragons were swarming the area and blowing fire on homes and businesses, burning them until there was nothing but an ashen mess in their path.

Ember landed in the middle of the town, letting us slide off her back. We nearly got burned when a dragon that flew overhead blew its fire down upon us, but thankfully, Ember used her body and fireproof scales to shield us, keeping us from getting hurt.

“We need to get them under the ground!” I told Jaxon as I searched for the sewer drains. “We need to get them open.”

He nodded in agreement and together we got to work at opening the sewer drains as we made our way across the town. More dragons were flying above our heads and this time, it was Jaxon who kept me from getting burned by shielding me with his body, pressing me into the ground, his breath hot as he breathed against the nape of my neck.

“Jaxon, are you okay?” I asked him, worried that he was burned by his own dragons.

“I don’t burn easily,” he told me as he pulled me to my feet and pulled me around the corner and away from the roaming dragons who were searching and hunting under the Alpha King’s orders.

“Do you see the King?” I asked him.

“Not yet,” he murmured. “I’m sure he’s watching from afar though. To cowardly to get his hands dirty so he’s making the dragons do everything.”

“Someone help me!” I heard a woman screaming from around the corner.

Without hesitation, Jaxon and I ran through the rubble to reach the sound of the voice, and I saw the woman lying under a large pillow. It looked as if she couldn’t move and because of the weight of it, she couldn’t get it off. She was completely stuck.

If she didn’t get out of there, she would die.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she struggled against the pillow.

I ran to her without hesitation and when she saw me, she looked relieved.

“Please, help me,” she cried. “I don’t want to die.”

“It’s okay<” I assured her. “I won’t let that happen.”

I grabbed the pillar and attempted to move it, but I wasn’t strong enough. At that moment, I wished Harle was there because I knew he’d be able to move it without any issues.

She let out a distressed sob as more fire burned around us, making more debris fall at our feet. I had to jump away to keep it from hitting me.

“I’ll help you,” Jaxon told me as he grabbed a hold of the pillar as well.

His eyes began to glow purple as he channeled the strength of his inner dragon. I called forth my inner animals as well and used their strength. I knew without looking in the mirror that my eyes were glowing, though I had no idea what color they were; maybe purple as well?

With all my strength and the strength that Jaxon contributed, the pillar started to move with ease off the woman’s body.

She pulled herself out of the rubble and just as she was set free, we released the pillar, letting it slam back against the ground.

“Oh, my God. Thank you so much,” she sobbed, her entire body trembling.

“You need to get underground,” I told her. “Most of the nearby sewer drains are open. Get under there. You’ll be safer.”

She looked uncertain but after she looked into my eyes, I saw her body relaxing and she nodded.

She turned and took off towards the sewer drains without saying another word.

We turned to walk away from the area, but a dragon landed right in front of us, halting us. The Dragon screeched loudly, but no fire came out of its mouth. This was an obvious male dragon, and his eyes were glowing red as he growled and snapped his giant teeth in our direction.

Jaxon was about to grab me and pull me back, but I wanted to see if I could get through to him. He hadn’t burned us yet.

Could I calm him before he got the chance?

“Hey,” I said, holding my hand out. “It’s okay. It’s just me… it’s me and your King…”

The dragon screeched again, making me flinch at the loud sound.

“Anila, we need to get away from him,” Jaxon said, grabbing a hold of my arm. He was seconds away from lifting me off the ground, throwing me over his shoulder, and running in the opposite direction.

I ignored him though, staring into the red eyes of the dragon.

“You don’t want to do this,” I told him, trying to reason with him, not entirely sure if he could understand me or not. “You are under the influence of someone else. You can break the hold. Let me help you.”

The dragon screeched again, but he still didn’t blast us with fire, which I found to be a win.

I stepped closer to the dragon, much to Jaxon’s protest.

“We aren’t going to hurt you,” I told the dragon, my eyes remained on his beady red eyes.

He looked restless now like he was struggling with what he knew to be right and what he thought he had to do. He looked as if he was about to fly away, but he kept himself grounded, his head whipping around as he struggled against the hold the ‘Alpha King had on him.

When I reached my hand out to him, I realized it was glowing with faint white light.

“Anila,” Jaxon tried to urge me to walk away but I refused to back down, not when I was so close to successfully breaking this dragon from the King’s hold.

I placed my hand on the dragon’s nose, allowing the glow and my strength to wash over him. He closed his eyes as if he was relishing in the feeling of my power.

I let out a breath that I hadn’t known I was holding until that moment. When he opened is eyes, the red was gone and his eyes were back to their normal pretty blues. I could see the fear, remorse, and sadness in his eyes as he looked at me.

He didn’t want this; none of them wanted this. They wanted to go home and live their days as they were before. They didn’t want to cause any issues for anyone.

“Amazing,” Jaxon whispered from behind me.

The dragon took a step away from me, the red in his eyes starting to return. I was able to temporarily bring his mind back, which means I could do that with the others too. Once his eyes were glowing red again, he turned away and took off into the sky, leaving me staring after him with my mouth hanging open. Even though his eyes were red, meaning he was under the influence of the Alpha King, he still didn’t hurt us.

That had to mean something, right?

I heard another loud screeching sound, and I looked up at the sky seeing Ember trying to fight one of the dragons.

“Ember!” I shouted, drawing her attention.

She flew down to me and I grabbed my wand out of my boot.

“I’m going to see the situation from the sky,” I told him. “Try to get everyone under the ground.”

Just before I was able to climb Ember and get on the back, Jaxon grabbed me and pulled me into his arms.

“Be careful,” he whispered.

I nodded and kissed his cheek.

“You too,” I said firmly as I pulled away from him.

I climbed Ember and together, we flew into the sky. It was mayhem; way worse than it was when we first arrived. I held onto Ember as we flew around, assessing the scene. Jaxon got to work at getting the humans under the ground, starting with one who was clustering the streets, trying to escape.

A dragon flew towards us, fire missing us by only inches. I swiped my wand towards him and cast a defense spell to get him off our backs.

Ember buzzed through the sky as I continued my defense spells, trying to get the dragon to settle down and stop this mayhem, but I knew they were too far gone. In the distance, I could see the form of the Alpha King in his dragon form watching everything happen and his eyes were deadly as he watched me buzz around the sky.

Ember brought me back to the ground so I could help Jaxon round up the humans, saving them from a deadly fate. Just as I was running around the corner to check for any survivors, I ran smack into a form, landing us both on the ground.

“Fuck,” I heard a familiar grunt.

I opened my eyes, and my eyes grew wide when I saw Gina sitting on the ground in front of me. My stepsister.

“Gina?” I asked, my eyes narrowed.

“A…Anila?” She asked, narrowing her eyes. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Where’s Claire?” I asked, looking around, not wanting to exchange pleasantries with the girl who made my childhood miserable.

“She’s stuck in the house. I left her. I would have died otherwise.” There was no remorse in her tone, and it left me shocked. “Is this all happening because of you? I should have known you’d be the reason our world got destroyed.”

Ignoring her, I stood to my feet and started to run in the direction of the house I grew up in.

“Where do you think you’re going??” Gina called after me, her hands on my hips.

“If you want to live, I suggest you get under the ground,” I said over my shoulder without bothering to turn around.

I couldn’t believe I was saying this, but I needed to save my stepmother.

Chapter 139 Final Battle Part 2

Anila’s POV

The house was on fire when I reached it. There was rubble everywhere and something was blocking the front door from opening. I barely recognized the place because of all the ash and rubble that surrounded the yard. I felt no attachment to being back at this house, nor did I feel any remorse over the fact that it was burned to the ground. I didn’t really care about any of that; it was no longer my home.

My home was where my mates were and that was the place I longed to be at last.

I gave up on the door and tried a window instead. Thankfully, it wasn’t locked, and I was able to get into the dark home. I nearly was choked out by the amount of smoke and soot in the air. Instead of staying in human form, I decided to strip out of my clothes, throwing them outside so I would have them later, and then I shifted into my wolf. Even in my wolf form, it was difficult to breathe, but at least I was lower to the ground my wolf’s senses were stronger, so I was able to navigate through the house.

I heard the breathy whimpers and gasps from someone upstairs so that was where I headed.

Claire was in her room, under a pile of rubble. Her face was nearly black from the soot and her hair was singed from the fire that burned her. She also had blood on her hands and legs as she struggled to get herself free.

When she saw me, her eyes widened, and I could see the pure fear in her eyes. She had no idea it was me. I was sure of it, but she wasn’t used to being around a werewolf in wolf form either, so I knew she held a lot of fear for the supernatural.

I ignored her pleas and cried and got to work at clearing some of the rubble, using the canines of my wolf and her large claws to make a pathway through the rubble to the window.

Once I got Claire free, I saw that her leg was busted, and I knew she wouldn’t be able to walk in that condition.

I grabbed her ripped shirt with my canines, and she winced, being this close to a werewolf. I threw her on my back, her screams piercing through the thick air with not only fear but also pain because of her busted leg.

She wrapped her legs and arms around my wolf’s back and without a second thought, I leapt from the second-floor window and onto the ground in the front. She screamed during the process, and I could hear her rapidly beating heart as I ran around the house and grabbed my clothes off the ground, holding them in my mouth as we ran through the streets until we reached the town’s center. Gina was already in the town’s center, in the middle of being ushered into the underground sewer by Jaxon.

“Who the hell are you? Why do we need to go underground? It’s gross under there!” I could hear her complaining, making me internally roll my eyes.

Jaxon turned to look at me and I could see the relief in his eyes as I approached. Claire still clutching me tightly.

I lowered myself, letting Claire climb off my body shakily. Without another thought, I shifted back into my human form, making Claire scream.

“Anila?!” She gasped. “W…what is going on?” She asked, her eyes wide and filled with tears.

“There’s no time to explain. But it’s safer under the ground,” I told her as I slipped on my clothes.

“Mom?” Gina asked, rushing to Claire. “You’re alive?”

Claire pressed her lips together in a thin line.

“No thanks to you,” she murmured.

“No time for arguing,” I said, glaring at them. “Get under the ground!”

They all stared at me with wide eyes; I hadn’t realized that my voice had amplified until they both took a step back. I had never seen that look on their faces before and I thought maybe it was because I was being assertive for once. A vast difference from when they last saw me.

Without another word, they followed the crowd to the sewer, which surprised me. It was almost like they were possessed.

“Anila, you’re glowing,” Jaxon pointed out, glancing at my hands.

I stared down at myself and saw that he was right; I was glowing.

“Is that everyone in town?” I asked him, ignoring my glowing state.

“Everyone I could find,” he answered. “They are going to move on to the next town though if we don’t hurry and stop him now.”

I nodded and whistled as loudly as I could, using my fingers to make it even louder. I wasn’t sure if that would work, so I was almost amazed when Ember landed right next to me almost a second later.

Even Jaxon looked impressed.

Before Jaxon could comprehend what was happening, I was airborne. I could hear him yelling my name as Ember lifted me into the air and buzzed through the sky. I grabbed my wand again and started to use defense magic to keep the dragons from doing any more damage or moving onto a new town.

“Anila!” I heard my name and when I turned, I was shocked to see Xaden, Harley, and Damien in a helicopter. I didn’t even hear the helicopter approaching because of the chaos of everything happening.

I was relieved to see them, though I was curious as to where Zach was.

Xaden held out his arms for me to jump into them. I jumped from Ember’s back and into the helicopter without a second thought. They all managed to grab me and pull me into the helicopter before I fell to my ultimate doom.

“I don’t know what to do,” I said, tears filling my eyes. “I managed to get one of the dragons to break the hold the king has on him… but it didn’t last long.”

“It’s the Dragon stone,” Xaden said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “As long as the King has it, they will remain under his hold.”

“We need to get it back,” I said, staring between them.

They all looked at one another as if they had some kind of secret.

That was when I saw something in the distance. I squinted my eyes.

Was that an owl?

“Penny?” I asked as the owl got closer.

“Anila!” I heard Penny’s voice in my head, and it startled me.

How was it possible that I could hear her? Not only was she a different species, but I was still in human form. I stared down at my arms and legs and saw that I was still very much glowing.

Was this one of the powers of the Moon Queen?

“There are dragons’ going into the next town,” Penny informed me in my head.

“Anila, you have a powerful influence. We can feel it from here. You need to get them to safety,” Damien told me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“But what about the dragon stone?” I asked, staring at them with wide eyes.

“Leave that to us,” Xaden told me, a smile on his lips. “We have a plan.”

“Technically it was Zach’s plan,” Harley corrected him. “But trust us, Anila. We are your mates, you have to believe in our abilities just as we believe in yours.”

I heard the screeching of the Alpha King in the distance; he was furious that we were trying to stop his plans. He was coming to help soon enough and if that happened, I fear for everyone.

I wanted to trust my mates, but I worried for them.

“Are you sure?” I asked, turning to look at them.

“We don’t have time to argue about this,” Xaden said. “Go to the next town and safe them.”

Without another word, I jumped onto Ember’s back, and we took off. Penny was right behind us; for a small owl, she was very fast and was able to keep up with us with ease. I was surprised she was there and wondered if the others followed her as well.

Did my mates get Penny to help us?

It was stupid of them to involve her, but I pushed the thoughts out of my head and focused on my task at hand. Once we reached the next town, it was pretty much the same as the one we just left. There was fire and mayhem everywhere as everyone struggled to reach safety.

I needed to get them under the ground, but there were so many of them and thye were all so scared, I feared they wouldn’t listen to me.

I remember a spell that Damien taught me a while ago to amplify my voice without the use of a loudspeaker. Grabbing my wand, I cast a spell on myself, making me glow even more.

My voice boomed across the entire town, causing everyone to stop and look up at me. Their demeanors were now calm, and their eyes were wide as they listened to each word I spoke, as if I held all the answers they needed.

“You need to get under the ground,” I told them. “It’ll be safer there. The dragons won’t be able to fit under there if you use the sewer drains and magic is weaker under the surface.”

I thought there would be more resistance and arguing, but there wasn’t any. Most took the initiative and started to open the sewers.

They trusted me.

I stared at my glowing hands as well.

Was that part of my powers?

Out of anger, dragons started to come at me, blowing fire and trying to knock me off balance. Ember was quick in her movements and dodged each attack. I used my wand to cast defense magic, not wanting to hurt anyone, but knowing I needed to get them off my back as I made it to the next town.

There wasn’t as much damage, but everyone was still alarmed and trying to get to safety.

Like the last town, I was able to get them under the ground with ease. They all trusted me based on my words alone and it was a good feeling to have that type of influence.

I heard the screeching of the dragon King once again and this time, he was coming at me.

This was it… I was about to fight the King himself.

Chapter 140 Fighting the King

Anila’s POV

Everything around me started to fade away as the battle continued in the sky.

It was Ember and me, vs the Alpha King and about 3 of the dragons.

The glow of the Dragon Stone was wedged in his chest, pulsating with each beat of his heart. That dragon stone was the reason he was like this… it was the reason all of this was happening in the first place.

If only I could get it, I could put an end to all of this.

He would be powerless.

The King swiped at me with his large claws; he managed to get my arm, and I hissed in pain, grabbing the sore spot on my arm. For a second, I had a moment of panic. When Xaden got scratched by a dragon, it put him in a coma.

But when nothing happened, I felt a sense of relief.

However, I did almost fall off Ember entirely, but thankfully she prevented me from falling. I did get a good look at the ground though and I saw that people were still being ushered under the ground, my influence still strong as they struggled to get to safety.

That was when I noticed something else.

Sage and Becca… they were helping people get to safety.

What were they doing here?

I looked around, expecting to see Penny somewhere, but she wasn’t. She completely vanished and I wondered if she would go back to the other town to help my mates.

The king came at me again and I used defense magic to fight him off, nearly falling off Ember in the process. She continued to buzz through the sky, dodging the fire attacks from the King’s dragon and I was grateful to her for that. However, it didn’t last long because with one swipe, the King knocked Ember off course, and she started to tumble towards the ground before she could fully grasp what was happening. I fell off her and I started towards the ground as well, screaming in the process.

I tried to use magic to cushion my fall, but at the moment, I couldn’t think of any proper spells to use. I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact, but it never came. Instead, I fell onto something soft and when I opened my eyes again, I saw Zach’s wolf beneath me.

“I knew you fell from heaven,” Zach teased in my mind.

Relief flooded me at the sight of him as I wrapped my arms around the neck of his wolf and buried my face into his fur.

“Where have you been?” I asked.

“Gathering some help,” he explained.

I raised my brows as I looked at my friends trying to get the humans to safety. They were so brave for being here in the middle of a battle.

“You brought them there?” I asked.

“They are your friends. They wanted to help,” he explained.

Ember landed on the ground beside us; thankfully, she was unharmed, and she looked at me apologetically as if she was sorry, I ended up falling off her. I gave her a reassuring look, letting her know that I didn’t blame her for anything.

The screeching from the King brought our attention back to the sky.

“Thank you for catching me,” I said, kissing the top of his wolf’s head. “But I need to go back up there and keep fighting him. I saw the Dragon Stone, Zach. I’m so close to getting it. I can end this!”

“Don’t worry about getting the stone,” he told me. “Worry about getting to safety. Let us deal with the rest.”

“The stone is the reason this is happening,” I told him. “I need to get it back so Jaxon can have control of the dragons again.”

I heard a mighty roar in the far distance, sending a chill down my spine.

“What was that?”

“Sounded like my father,” Zach surprised me by saying, though he didn’t sound surprised at all. “I guess the Alpha’s finally arrived.”

“You called them too?” I asked.

His wolf’s head bobbed.

“I knew they’d want a piece of the action,” he told me. “They’ve been preparing for this fight.” Though he spoke the words confidently through our mindlink, I could feel it in our bond that he wasn’t being completely truthful. He was keeping something from me, and it bothered me.

As much as I wanted to call him out on it, a wave of fire from the dragon in the sky brought our attention back to the battle.

“I need to get back,” I told him, climbing onto Ember. “I have to get the stone.”

“Anila!” He shouted after me, trying to stop me, but it was too late. I was already back in the sky, ready for another fight.

The King whipped around when I approached him and snapped his teeth in my direction; Ember managed to dodge him and swipe her own tail across the King’s face, but it didn’t seem to do much of anything.

I stood on Ember’s back, trying to get my balance and I told her to get as close to him as possible. She listened, though I could feel her anxiety as I struggled to keep my footing on her back. I held my arms around, trying to keep my balance as she whipped around the air with me standing on her.

Once she was close enough to the Alpha, as soon as he swiped his tail at her to knock her off course and to knock me down, I jumped from Ember’s back and attacked the Alpha King. He screeched loudly, fire burning through the night’s air and singling a piece of my hair in the process, however, it didn’t hurt my actual skin, which was amazing to me.

I wish I could say I had a plan, but I truly didn’t.

But I tried to use my powers to force him to shift into his human form so I could grab the Dragon stone from him. He struggled to get me off his back, but I held onto it with all my strength, digging my nails into his dragon scales, surprised that they actually went through.

He screeched again, shaking the entire earth in the process and making more buildings fall in their path.

I tried to use magic to get him to shift, but all my attempts were futile.

I gasped when I saw Penny flying towards me.

What the hell was she doing?

She was going to get herself killed.

However, the king was so preoccupied with everything else that he didn’t even notice Penny. Between the dragons, me, the Alphas, and my mates, the King’s attention was divided everywhere, trying to figure out who to attack first.

Penny didn’t get super close to him, but close enough that it was alarming, and then she did something I thought I imagined at first. She threw something at him and when I adjusted my eyes to see what it was, I saw two mice flying through the air, attaching themselves to the King.

I knew those mice.

Sadie and Sally.

The King finally noticed Penny, but he didn’t notice the mice that were now crawling around his body. I screamed for Penny to get out of the way, but it was too late, he swiped at her, and she went down, shifting into her human form in the process.

He screeched as fire followed Penny’s path and I screamed out for her; tears burning my eyes as terror shot through my veins.

I couldn’t see the ground with all the fire and smoke everywhere, but I feared what’d happen if she landed on the ground.

My entire body trembled as I clutched onto Ember’s scaly neck, trying to keep myself from falling after Penny. I turned back to the Alpha King, rage clear on my face as I clenched my fists.

Then I saw one of the mice, either Sadie or Sally, I couldn’t tell which one, close to the king’s eyes, finally, he noticed at least one of the mice. She started to claw at his eyes, and he screeched out angrily, trying to get her off. I used that as my chance to use magic to get him to back down and weaken him.

I used some of the combat spells Damien taught me, blasting him back further as he struggled to get the mouse off his face.

He was so distracted that he didn’t notice the second mouse that was on top of the Dragon Stone that was wedged in his chest. I noticed it at the last minute, and it was only because Sadie shifted back into her human form, grabbed a hold of the stone, and ripped it off the King’s body, throwing it down to the ground, and watching it disappear through the fire and smoke. I had no idea she had thrown it too, but it was no longer attached to the King, which meant he was powerless.

He screeched out one last time as his body started to force a shift back into his human form.

Sadie, her sister, who was still in mouse form, off the King’s face and then jumped from his body.

I screamed at the sight of them falling and Ember and I raced to catch up to them, trying to get them before they fell to the ground. Thankfully, Ember was fast and was under them seconds before they hit the ground. However, Zach and Xaden were also there in wolf forms, waiting for them to catch them.

Sadie attached herself to Ember, keeping her hold on Sally’s mouse body.

“Where’s the dragon stone?” I asked them as soon as we were safely on the ground.

They didn’t have to answer, I heard the loud screeching of another dragon and then the ground started to shake as the biggest dragon I had ever seen flew through the sky, fury radiating off him in waves as he set his sights on the Alpha King who was no longer in Dragon form, but now in wolf form as he tried to get away.

Jaxon….

Though Jaxon had the dragon stone and was able to shift into his dragon, the other dragons were still under the mind control of the Alpha King and continued to fight, attacking anyone who tried to go against the King.

Something inside of me burned with a power I had never felt before and I knew I was glowing brighter than ever as my wand itched in my hand.

The dragons were now going after Jaxon who was going after the Alpha king; he was pissed, and he was making that known. The King was in his wolf form, running from the fight now that he no longer had the Dragon Stone, he was powerless. His only hope was that the dragons would continue to kill.

Ember landed beside me and lowered her head so I could mount her. She too knew what needed to be done and she was prepared. Once we were in the air, I lifted my wand up, watching as it glowed. My entire body was glowing along with it, my power pulsating through my body. I could feel both the former Moon Queen and the Moon Goddess granting me their blessing at that moment.

It was as if something inside of me had taken over completely; the words that came out of my own were in Latin and the voice didn’t sound like my own. I didn’t even know Latin outside of the spells Damien taught me and this was no spell I’ve ever learned. But it made the glowing even brighter and the overall aura much stronger.

My wand grew hot and the world around me grew hazy with light as the spell and powers ripped through me, causing an explosion. Or something that sounded like an explosion.

Then, there was silence.

As my world grew dark, I felt my body falling out of the sky.

Chapter 141 Bonus Chapter

Anila’s POV

I’m not sure how long I had been out, but when I woke up, I was no longer in the burning towns. I was lying in a fairly comfortable bed in a familiar room.

“Oh, good. You’re awake,” Nurse Lorelei, the head nurse at Lunar Academy, said with a smile.

“I’m back at school?” I whispered, my voice sounding unfamiliar and hoarse. My body was stiff as I attempted to move, but I didn’t feel any actual pain.

“You were brought back a few days ago. You were sleeping ever since that battle,” she said sighing. “I heard quite the story about you. I must say, word had gotten around quickly.”

My cheeks flushed at her words.

Everyone knew what had happened?

“Anila,” I heard my name from the doorway as Xaden walked into the room. “We could feel that you were awake through the bond.”

I smiled weakly at him and gave him a small wave, trying to get my body to cooperate again.

“Just take your time,” Lorelei said gently. “You hadn’t used your body in days so it’ll be stiff.”

“I was so worried,” Xaden whispered, stepping closer to the bed as Lorelei gave us space. “After everything went down, I thought we might have lost you.”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” I teased. “Who would keep you from killing your brother?”

He laughed and before he could reply, Zach spoke from the doorway.

“He could try,” Zach muttered, stepping into the room. “But I wouldn’t go down without a fight.” He smiled when he saw me and it was a nice smile, making my heart flip in my chest. “Hey, little mate. Welcome back to the land of the living. How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” I admitted. “And stiff.”

“Yeah, you used a lot of magic. They could apparently feel it all the way at this school. You’ll probably be tired for a while,” Zach told me, a look of pride on his face. “My mate’s kind of a badass.”

This made Xaden laugh as he nodded in agreement.

“She’s smart too. I like my women with a brain,” Damien said, stepping into the room. “You used a lot of really great spells. I was pretty impressed. But that last spell you used…” he whistled appreciatively. “I never taught you anything like that. I don’t think I could even if I tried. That was a doozy, and it took a lot out of you. I’m surprised you aren’t asleep longer.”

I let out a weak laugh; I’m not entirely sure what possessed me, but it was something. Or someone.

I didn’t voice that out loud though; they had enough to worry about. I wasn’t going to add to it.

“And she’s strong,” Harley said, walking in after Damien. “Heard she was picking up pillars like it was nothing.”

Harley walked around the bed and slid in beside me, wrapping me in his arms. There was barely any room for the both of us, but as I snuggled up with him, grateful for his warmth. He knew exactly what I needed at that moment.

“Well, isn’t this cozy,” Jaxon said from the doorway; his eyes dark as he stared at me.

My heart skipped a beat as I shimmed out of the hold of my mates and got to my feet. My legs didn’t work at first and Harley had to catch me before I fell. But I was too eager to get to Jaxon. I was so worried about him… seeing him now made me feel nothing but relieved.

“I could have come to you,” he told me as I finally neared him.

He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled his face in the nape of my neck, inhaling deeply.

“I was so worried,” I whispered to him. “Are you okay?”

“I should be asking you that,” he said, peppering kisses along my shoulders. At that moment, I realized I was completely naked. But that also didn’t matter because I was with my mates, and it wasn’t anything they hadn’t seen before.

“I’m okay now,” I told him.

He lifted me into his arms and carried me back to the bed, his lips never leaving my neck as he kissed and nipped at my sweet spot.

“Good,” he murmured against me, sending a warmth like no other throughout my body.

“Have any of you guys seen my friends?” I asked, refocusing my attention. “Are they okay? How’s Penny? What even happened out there? How did I end up here?”

They laughed at my rapid questions.

“One question at a time, little mate,” Zach teased. “They are all fine. They are recovering but for the most part, they will heal fine.”

“I made sure Penny made it through,” Jaxon told me. “I caught her before she landed on the ground and cured her from the dragon's scratch. She’ll be okay. Just tired, like you.”

I nodded as relief washed over me.

She was okay.

I didn’t lose my best friend.

Thank you, Goddess.

“As far as what happened, well you can thank Zach for this plan,” Xaden said, patting his brother’s shoulder. “He took charge. It was his idea to use everyone as a distraction for the Alpha King and to bring in Sadie and Sally. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be able to get the dragon stone.”

Zach shrugged.

“It wasn’t hard to distract him,” Zach murmured. “I figured Sadie and Sally were small enough in their animal forms that they could get the dragon stone without being seen. Penny volunteered to get them close to the king. Having the wolf and bear shifters there just added to the distraction. I could see him losing his mind from the ground.”

I thought about the Alpha King in dragon form, whipping around and trying to figure out who to attack first while Sadie and Sally were getting the Dragonstone from him.

“You’re incredible,” I whispered to Zach, hugging him. “Thank you. But you could have told me.”

“It was funny watching you be confused,” he admitted with a sly grin. “But I’m just glad the stone is back where it belongs,” Zach added, glancing at Jaxon who nodded at him.

“Now, I just need not figure out a place for my dragons. I don’t think Dragon Valley is going to survive, nor is it safe.”

“Are the dragons, okay?” I asked him.

“Yeah, they feel awful about what happened. But they are okay. I’ll need to train new stable help as well.”

My chest tightened.

“I’m sorry for your losses, Jaxon,” I whispered, thinking about the stable help who had lost their lives trying to tame the dragons.

He nodded, his mind whirling and I could feel it through out mate bond. He was conflicted about something.

He finally looked at me, his eyes shining with remorse.

“I planned to make you my queen after this whole thing was over,” he told me gently. “But I think for now, I’ll hold off on planning. I need to focus my attention on my people.”

“What are you saying?” I asked him, my voice breathless.

He stepped towards me, cupping my face in his hands and bending to kiss me.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Anila. Thank you for your help and thank you for the greatest gift I’ve ever gotten,” he whispered against my lips.

“What gift would that be?” I asked him, my tone trembling, not liking where this conversation was going.

“Your love,” he replied simply. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Take care of yourself.”

“Y…you’re leaving?” I asked, my heart aching.

“For now,” he told me. “Not forever. You are my mate after all. I can’t leave you for good. But for now, I need to focus on some stuff, and I think you have your hands full here,” he added, glancing at my other mates behind me.

“Jaxon…” I whispered.

“Don’t be sad,” he told me, his tone holding authority. He brought his lips down to mine. “Just be the queen I know you are.”

He kissed me one last time and then he was gone.

Epilogue

Anila’s POV

5 years later.

A knock on the door jolted me from my thoughts as I stared at myself in the full-length mirror; a frown marring my lips.

“Are you ready?” Penny asked, stepping into the room. “Everybody is waiting on you.”

“I look fat,” I sighed.

“You’re not fat. You’re pregnant,” she muttered. “You are glowing. Come on.”

I stared down at my protruding baby bump and a small smile lit up my face. I was pregnant with my mate’s baby. Truth be told, I had no idea which one was the father and none of them really cared to find out.

Today was the day that Xaden was officially crowned the Alpha King.

He had to do a lot of training and Jaxon had to pass the title down to him considering he was the one who killed the former King, which made Jaxon the Alpha King by default, but he didn’t want the title.

He was content being the Dragon King.

I have been living in the Alpha King palace with my mates since I graduated from Lunar Academy last year. This was also where the inauguration ceremony was being held.

My mates should be waiting for me downstairs.

As we walked down the long hallway that led to the grand staircase, I smiled at the trophy in the case against the wall. After the battle 5 years ago, everyone was so impressed with my abilities that they named me the winner of the competition; the competition that got interrupted by the battle.

I always felt a sense of pride when I looked at that trophy. Principal Rapport was so proud of me when he gave me the reward.

“There she is,” I heard Jaxon saying as we walked down the stairs.

Jaxon had left 5 years ago, and I barely saw him. He was busy rebuilding his nation and I’m proud to say after a couple of years, he was able to rebuild Dravon Valley, only this time, he built it above ground. Since he accidently became the Alpha King, the rules were up to him now and he unbanished dragons and dragon masters. It took a lot of convincing for everyone else, but they all eventually saw that the Dragons themselves weren’t dangerous.

I also might have had to do some convincing on my end.

Jaxon returned to me full-time almost 3 years ago and on and off lives in the palace. I also visit Dragon Valley often and help whenever needed.

I saw all my mates standing around smiling up at me as I walked down the stairs.

“I’m going to find the girls,” Penny said, kissing my cheek before she skipped down the stairs to find the rest of our friends.

Jaxon walked towards me, a smile on his lips as he held our 2-year-old son in his arms.

“Mommy!” Brayden said as he reached his arms out to me.

I smiled and kissed his flushed cheek, holding him in my arms.

Braydon was my biological son with Jaxon. I made sure to bear him with a son before the others so he could have an heir, as promised. Though he’s Jaxon and my son, the others help out plenty as well.

“You look beautiful,” Harley said, kissing my cheek.

I smiled at him.

Zach was the next to kiss me, only his was a long and deep one on my lips, making the others roll their eyes.

“Shouldn’t you be more mature now, Alpha?” I teased.

“Can’t tame this beast,” he joked.

Now that Xaden was being named the Alpha King, Zach was named the official Alpha of their pack, with their father’s blessing.

I kissed Braydon’s head and handed him back to Jaxon.

“Are you ready?” I asked Xaden as I took hold of his arm. “You’re about to be crowned a King.”

“As long as you’re by my side as queen… I’m ready for anything.”

The End