Chapter 48

Anila’s POV

My lungs were burning as I dragged in deep breaths, holding my prize toward Zach who looked at me with that same impressed look that hadn’t left his face since showing up fifteen minutes ago.

But he didn’t say anything; he hardly even smiled the entire time we were together, and it left an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“Nice,” he finally said, giving me a nod.

“I got lucky, they were so distracted fighting one another, that they didn’t even notice me slinking by and grabbing them,” I giggled, wiping the back of my hand across my forehead to clear the sweat.

“Wasn’t you that told me to never underestimate you?”

He remembered that?

“And you told me my arrogance won’t matter when it counts,” I reminded him. “Which I don’t even know what you mean by that.”

He shrugged.

“You caught me off guard, but that won’t always happen,” he explained. “Don’t let your big head distract you.”

“My big head?” I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest. “I can beat you any day any time.”

“There’s that big head again,” he said, smirking.

My cheeks flushed with annoyance; how dare he downplay my victory.

He glanced at me sideways for a moment and then shook his head, sighing.

“Look, it’s important that you are prepared for any circumstance. Never fight the same battle twice and never let your opponent see your weakness. Now that I have a good read on your fighting style, you’ll be an easy defeat next class. I’m certainly not going to be the only one to take notice.”

I raised my brows.

“You act like I’m going to be fighting someone other than you at some point,” I said, peeking up at him. I was reminded, at that moment, what Professor Tilly was saying about some challenges but before I could ask Zach any more questions, Professor Santina blew her whistle.

“It’s already over?” I asked, surprised.

“Seems so, big head.”

I scowled at him, and he smirked as he turned and started to walk back toward the starting point.

“That’s not going to be my nickname!” I said loudly, trying to catch up to him.

“We’ll see about that,” he teased.

“Okay, so if you give me a nickname, it’s only right that I give you one a swell,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.

“Oh, yeah?” He asked, bemusement all over his face. “This should be good.”

I tapped my finger on my chin as if I was thinking very intently about something.

“How about Playboy?” I said, biting back a laugh.

His brows pinched together.

“Playboy?” He asked, not sounding amused in the least.

“It’s suiting,” I said with a shrug. “I’m sure others would agree.”

“Others? Like who?”

“Like that girl, you were pressed against earlier,” I answered simply. “Surely she knows she’s not the only one you’ve pressed yourself against.”

He froze in his tracks and for a second, I thought he was going to argue with me, but his mouth closed, and his lips turned into a thin line. I wondered if I struck a nerve with him and I almost wanted to take back what I said.

Almost.

“Anila!”

I turned to see Xaden rushing towards us, concern so clear on his face that it made my chest flutter.

“Are you alright?” He asks finally.

“Yes brother, your precious Luna is fine,” Zach sneered bitterly, causing a chill to course through my body. “Don’t worry, I didn’t harm a single hair on her little head.”

Xaden growled at his brother, the sound low in his chest.

“Fuck off, Zach,” He demanded, as his hand curled around my wrist, and pulled me into his side. “If you touched her—”

“Relax,” Zach muttered as he shoved past Xaden, bumping his shoulder with his own, but not in a playful manner. “As you often remind me, I’m not capable of a relationship anyway so you have nothing to worry about. I’m nothing but a Playboy.”

His words were like a bunch in the stomach, and I felt gutted.

“You’re acting like a child,” Xaden yelled to his brother’s back. “This is why it’s important that I’m the Alpha of our pack. Because you don’t think with your brain, you think with your dick. Were you even trying to help Anila or were you too busy trying to get into her fucking pants? You know how important it is for her to focus on her training, Zach.”

“That’s right, Xaden. You have me all figured out. Keep running your mouth and we will see who has the last word. By the way, has your wolf’s wounds healed yet?”

I sucked in a sharp breath and watched as Zach walked away, staring after him and trying not to look as hurt as I was.

What just happened?

Xaden was watching him too; a growl desperately trying to escape him and his eyes flaring yellow as he fought to keep control of his wolf.

“Hey,” I whispered, touching Xaden’s face, willing him to calm down. “It’s okay.”

“Did he do anything to you?” Xaden’s voice was a low rumble.

I looked at him, noting the lines of his eyes that say how uncomfortable, and worried he was. Has he been like this since class started?

I frowned, my hand coming up to touch his cheek gently.

“No, of course not,” I told him honestly. “We were just talking.”

“Let’s just get back to the dorms so you can clean up before lunch,” he muttered. “I have a meeting with a professor during lunch, so I won’t see you until after.”

I nodded, unsure of what to say. I had advanced magic after lunch and I was a bit nervous about it, but Xaden was right; I did want to clean up. I felt sweaty and gross after that game.

Xaden walked me to my dorm room, and he stopped at my door so he could give me a soft kiss, which I returned with love and want. The soft kiss turned into something much more and soon, his tongue was twirling with mine, leaving me craving more.

I loved the fact that when I was with Xaden, thoughts of everything and everyone disappeared from my mind. I loved how I felt when I was with him. I loved how normal things seemed when we got lost in one another.

“I love you, Xaden,” I admitted to him, and he pulled back, surprised.

It was the first time that I had said those words to him out loud. It was the first time I had ever said those words to anybody besides my father when I was only a little girl and I hardly even remembered that. It was a feeling I honestly didn’t know I was capable of having.

But I knew now that what I felt for Xaden was love.

The bewildered look on Xaden’s face melted into something endearing and this thumb stroked my cheek tenderly. I knew he wasn’t expecting me to just blurt out that I loved him, and I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t say—

“I love you too, Anila,” his words cut through my thoughts.

My breath hitched.

“You do?” I asked, unable to contain my smile.

His smile mirrored mine as he brushed his lips across mine.

“More than you could possibly know,” he whispered against me. “You are mine.”

It wasn’t possessive but claiming and I melted into him.

“I am yours,” I whispered, kissing him again before he pulled back.

“We can talk more later, but for now, I have to go,” he said.

I nodded, not wanting him to go, but understanding.

He kissed me one last time before stepping away from me, smiling as I stepped into my room.

When I closed the door behind me, I sagged against the wood frame; my mind was whirling.

“You alright?” A warm voice asked, and I raised my gaze to see Penny, sitting at our table with her laptop and a cup of coffee, if I had to guess by the smell.

I sighed, giving a light shake of my head.

“I don’t know, actually,” I said as I sunk into the chair across from her.

“Want to talk about it?” Penny offered, and for a long moment, I considered her offer before finally shrugging.

“Sure. I’ve got four fated mates, and two of them absolutely hate each other. One won’t go near me, and the other keeps me at an arm’s length away and somehow still wants to be friends.”

Penny’s eyes widened.

“Four?” She asked, her mouth agape.

My face flushed.

“Damien…”

Nothing could have shocked Penny more. She gasped loudly and covered her mouth.

“Seriously?” She gasped. “Since when?”

I shrugged.

“I had a suspicion when I met him the first day I arrived,” I confessed.

“Oh, my goddess!” She exclaimed. “Because of the wand thing, right?”

“I honestly don’t know,” I told her, sighing and sinking further into the seat, defeated. “He helped me in the library last night and all doubts about it went out the window. He’s definitely my mate.”

“I didn’t even know wizards mated like that,” she said, her eyes filled with wonder.

“Apparently they do,” I murmured. “He wants to be friends which is weird, but it might be good.”

She nodded thoughtfully.

“Would Xaden be okay with that?”

I lifted a shoulder, uncertainty bubbling in my chest.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I just told Xaden I loved him a little bit ago.”

She squealed happily at my words.

“Oh, my goddess! That’s huge, Anila!”

I blushed.

“Yeah, but I also can’t get my interaction with Harley and Damien out of my mind,” I confessed. “I had a moment with Harley earlier that left me feeling… confused.”

“What kind of interaction?”

“Well…” I began, hesitantly. “I thought he was going to kiss me,” I blurted. “And I kind of wanted him to. Which left me feeling guilty.”

She didn’t look surprised, more understanding.

“And Damien?” She asked. “Besides him wanting to be your friend. What else happened?”

I covered my face with my hands and groaned.

“He usually acts cold and indifferent toward me. But last night he was sweet and helpful. We talked about our parents… or our lack of parents. We grabbed dinner at the dining hall, and he walked me back here. The interaction was just unusual.”

Her eyes widened.

“And Sarah didn’t catch you?” She asked, chuckling. “Girl, you got lucky.”

I nodded in agreement.

I bit my lower lip.

“I’m not sure what to do… I’m so confused, Penny. The only thing that makes sense is my love for Xaden.”

Penny waved a hand dismissively, “You’re being too hard on yourself. Meeting one of your mates before you even arrived probably puts a wrench on things. Finding three more right off the bat would make anybody feel confused inside. You have a right to be confused. I don’t really know how it works myself, but from what I can tell, it is an uncontrollable feeling for all parties involved.”

I’m grateful for Penny. Grateful for her company, and her advice. Most importantly, I’m grateful for her friendship.

“You’re right,” I admitted, bringing my gaze to hers. “It is uncomfortable for all of us. The question is, what are we going to do about it?”