Chapter 57

Anila’s POV

Damien quickly stepped away from me as if I had just burned him. Sarah stood at the doorway with her arms folded across her chest and her lips turned downward into a deep frown. She didn’t even spare me a look; her glare was fixed on Damien.

“I told you I was using this room to train Anila today. What are you doing here?”

“You call that training?!” She asked through her teeth. “It looked a lot more than just training.”

“The spell she cast was out of control. I was helping her stabilize it,” Damien explained. “She was a bit shaken up, so I was trying to calm her.”

“Oh, I’m sure you were. Admit it, Damien. You want her.”

My cheeks flared from her words and a surge went through me that told me to protect our mate from this woman. But as I stepped forward, intending to step between Damien and Sarah, Damien’s words stopped me dead in my tracks.”

“Anila is just my friend. You are my girlfriend, Sarah. Stop being stupid.”

It was like a punch in the chest and my breathing hitched from the impact. Damien didn’t spare me a look though; his eyes were on Sarah and her bottom lip was jetted outward like she was about to cry. Her eyes were misty as she peered up at him.

“You don’t act like you want me,” she murmured. “Lately, it’s all about Anila. It’s not fair to me, Damien.”

“It is not all about Anila,” he assured her, wrapping his arms around her and simultaneously stabbing a dagger in my chest. “You should know me better than that.”

“I should probably go,” I heard myself saying; if I didn’t leave the room at that moment, I would probably burst into tears and that wasn’t something I wanted to do in front of them.

Damien finally glanced down at me, as if he just remembered I was standing right there. I couldn’t look him in the eyes though; I forced a smile and stared at Sarah.

“You should treat him better,” I said, glad that my voice didn’t break. She snarled at me and just as she was about to curl her lip to spit something snarky, Damien held his hand up to silence her.

“Don’t, Sarah,” he ordered.

I swallowed the tight knot in my throat and turned away from them. Taking a deep breath, I left the room and went back up the stairs.

When I got back outside, I had to mentally shake my head, trying to figure out what just happened. Nothing happened between Damien and me, so why did it feel like it had? He was just helping me, there was nothing more to it. But still, seeing him comfort Sarah was like a stab to the heart.

“Anila?” I heard my voice from behind me, cutting into my mental rant. I spun around and my eyes widened when I saw Xaden.

Relief flooded me upon seeing him and I couldn’t help but jump into his arms, wrapping myself around him and burying my face in his torso.

“Hey,” he chuckled, rubbing circles around my back. “Long day?”

I nodded and peeked up at him.

“That’s an understatement,” I murmured.

“I was just coming to grab you from the witch layer,” he said, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

“The witch layer?” I asked, bemused by his wording.

“That’s what some of us call the basement spellcasting room,” he said, grinning.

“How did you know I was there?”

“Because you were training with Damien today. I figured he’d take you there. It’s the safest place to practice magic,” he explained.

That made sense: I felt my body relaxing as he held me tightly in his arms. He kissed the top of my head and smiled down at me.

“Are you okay?” He asked, concern etching his words.

I nodded.

“Yeah. Just a run-in with Sarah,” I murmured. “She didn’t like Damien training me.”

He laughed.

“I didn’t think she would,” he said in return. “Come with me. I have somewhere to take you.”

I frowned, but I allowed him to entwine his fingers through mine and pull me along with him. I was glad to get away from here, but I was a little nervous about where we were going. When we got to Xaden’s car, he opened the passenger door for me and I slid in, smiling at him.

He closed the door and ran around to the driver’s side. Once the car was started and our seatbelts buckled, he pulled out of the parking spot and away from the school campus.

“So, want to tell me where we are going?” I asked after a few minutes of silent driving.

“Remember when I told you about my aunt?” He asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

“Well, she really wants to meet you. So, that’s where we are going,” he explained.

My mouth nearly fell to my lap; he was taking me to see one of his family members? My eyes grew large as I stared over at him. He didn’t even let me return home to change clothes. I was wearing a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. What kind of impression would I make on this woman?

“How could you not tell me?” I asked, my voice coming out shaky. “I would have changed.”

He glanced at me and smirked.

“You look amazing,” he told me.

“I’m wearing a sweatshirt and jeans,” I murmured. “I thought the first time I’d meet your family I’d look a little… better I guess.”

“My aunt is different,” he said, his voice reassuring. “You’ll see. You’ll like her.”

I didn’t have the time to argue with him because he was soon parking the car outside a bakery. My brows raised as I peeked up at the pretty brick building with pink lettering that read: Winnie’s Bakery.

“She’s at a bakery?” I asked.

He grinned and turned off the car. He got out of the car and ran around the vehicle to open my door before I even got my seatbelt off. He offered me his hand and I nervously took it. I wasn’t sure what to expect during this meat and great and the unknown was what scared me the most.

I walked with him into the bakery, the sound of the bell chiming as the door opened brought me a soothing sense. It wasn’t a loud and obnoxious bell; it was pretty sounding like an angel’s laughter.

A woman with curly blonde hair which was kept in a pink bandana that matched the pink apron she wore, stood behind the counter. She was frosting a cake, and her technique was perfect. She was creating small roses around the cake. She had frosting smeared on her apron and some on her cheek.

I could tell how hard she was concentrating because she didn’t look up once when we entered. The entire bakery smelled delicious, and I found my mouth watering. The display cases were filled with a variety of baked goods, and I struggled to not buy every single thing offered at this place.

Xaden leaned against the counter, staring at the woman.

“Can we get some service?” He asked, making the woman pause and shift her attention to the distraction that stood in front of her. Her gaze lifted and a smile spread across her aged features.

“Oh, Xaden. It’s you,” she chuckled, placing her frosting tools on the counter beside the cake. “I didn’t know you were coming today.”

She walked around the counter with her arms outstretched. She still had cake frosting on her, but Xaden didn’t seem to care. He wrapped her in his arms, and they hugged, not caring that she was getting him dirty with frosting and maybe cake batter.

“What honor do I have for this visit?” She asked, pulling away from him, her smile never leaving her face.

“I wanted you to meet someone,” he said, wrapping a protective arm around my shoulders and pulling me close to him. “This is my mate, Anila.”

The woman’s eyes shifted to me, and they widened as a gasp left her lips. She covered her mouth with my hands and tears welled up in her eyes. I wasn’t expecting such a reaction from a stranger, and it took everything I had not to wiggle out of Xaden’s embrace and run from the building, fearing what this woman might do.

But a smile spread across her lips as she grabbed a hold of my hands. It was a gentle hold and non-threatening, but I found my heart racing against my chest to a point where I thought it was going to beat right out of my body.

“You look just like your mother,” she whispered, making my entire body freeze.

She knew my mother?

“Anila, this is my aunt, Winnie,” Xaden continued to introduce.

My eyes grew large.

“Winnie? Like the name on the building?”

The woman, Winnie, nodded a fond smile on her lips.

“This is my bakery,” she said, waving her arms around. She seemed to have recovered and was taking a deep breath. “Come to the back room so we can talk. Xaden lock the front door, please.”

“Yes, mam,” Xaden said, saluting her before going toward the front door.

Winnie didn’t allow me to wait for him, she was grabbing my arm and pulling me along with her until we reached the back room, which mainly looked like a storage area with a table in the center of it.

She sat down on one of the seats and motioned for me to take another. I sat down, keeping my hands crossed on my lap, a nervous bubble in my chest.

“So, Xaden told me a little about you already. Tell me, how are you liking the school?”

“I enjoy it,” I told her honestly. “I met a lot of great friends and of course, Xaden.”

She smiled fondly at the mention of her nephew.

“The sparkle in his eyes when he last spoke about you, that boy loves you,” she told me.

I opened my mouth to tell her that I loved him too, but then Xaden walked into the room, drawing her attention.

“Go away,” she scowled at him, shooing him away with her hand. “Let us girls talk for a little bit.”

He looked like he was about to argue, but he looked at his aunt and he closed his mouth immediately. It was cute to see Xaden so obedient; like he was a small child that just got scolded.

He glanced at me, and I gave him a small smile to assure him that I was fine. He sighed and nodded at his aunt.

“Okay. I’ll be out here if you need me,” he told us before turning and walking out of the room.

“Won’t he be able to hear us still?” I asked, turning back to Winnie.

She shook her head.

“Soundproof room,” she said with a wink. “Growing up around werewolves, I’ve learned my lessons.”

I was surprised by the laugh that bubbled out of me.

“I can’t get over how much you look like her,” Winnie breathed as she studied me.

“My mother?”

She nodded.

“I’m not sure if Xaden told you, but I was actually friends with your mother for a long time before she disappeared.”

“Is there anything you can tell me about my mother? I’d like to know the truth about her…and about what I am…”