Chapter 58

Anila’s POV

Winnie looked at me thoughtfully for a long moment. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her hands on her lap as she studied me. I felt my cheeks warm from her scrutiny.

“Your mother was the bravest and the kindest,” she finally answered after a short pause. “She was one of the best wizards at the school. For all 4 years, she held that number one top student slot.”

“She did the challenges when she was a first year?” I asked, raising my brows at this information.

“She was a stubborn woman and fought to take the challenges,” she said, chuckling and shaking her head at the memory. “She wowed everybody.”

I smiled at the thought of my mother putting the board in their place and getting them to agree to allow her to partake in the challenges.

“And then she got a boyfriend,” Winnie continued, her smile faltering only a little. “Your mother was so in love with him.”

I raised my brows at her words; she had a boyfriend while she was living here? I hadn’t heard about that. I knew she met my father when she was living in the human world. As far as I knew, my father was the only love my mother had. Hearing news that she had another boyfriend was strange and it sat heavy in my chest.

“Who was my mother in love with?” I found myself asking; I needed to confirm that it wasn’t my father.

She thought about it for a moment, like she didn’t want to tell me, but also like she was trying to remember his name.

“His name was Cayden Rivers,” she told me, glancing at the table. “I didn’t know much about him. But I knew he had secrets. Dark ones. I could see it whenever I spoke to him; there was darkness in his eyes, and it gave me a chill down my spine. But your mother loved him anyway, despite that darkness. I could tell she was keeping secrets from me as well; she knew more than she was saying.”

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. I didn’t like the thought of my mother being dark. Because if she was dark, would that mean I was too?

“And then the war happened,” she said, taking a deep breath and snapping me out of my thoughts.

“The war?” I asked.

She nodded, grimly.

“The dragons attacked,” she explained. “Nobody can explain why, but a lot of lives were lost. I thought your mother was dead. But a couple of months later, I got a phone call from her and she told me she escaped to a human world and met a human man that she planned to marry. I hadn’t heard from her since. But later, I realized it was because she was dead.”

I winced at her words.

“And nobody knows why the dragons attacked?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Not that I know of. It’s become a mystery. There was a rumor that the dragon king at the time died from his own dragon and a new dragon king came into power.”

My eyes grew large from her words.

“How are dragon kings appointed?” I asked, despite not really wanting to know. But something inside of me was telling me that I needed to know.

“The dragons choose their king,” she explained. “They usually choose a dragon master to become their king. Dragon masters are already connected with the dragons in a way that the rest of us aren’t. They have an infinity for dragons and can call upon a dragon at any time. But the dragon king… he’s a different story. Once a master is appointed a king or queen, they don’t just have the infinity for dragon… they can transform into one.”

I gasped.

“Like a shifter?” I asked.

“Yes,” she answered simply. “The dragons chose a dragon king that only wanted destruction and power. Since the war that killed the former dragon king, nothing was the same. We lived in constant fear that the dragons would attack because that’s what they did. We were being dictated to by the dragons and the dragon king. It was a dark time… and then there was another war. An even bigger one. It was a war that Xaden and Zach fought in. They both almost lost their lives during this war. Many weren’t as lucky.”

She shuddered at the memory, and I could tell it was hard for her to think about.

“My husband also died in this war; along with my son,” she said, tears welling in her eyes.

My heart shattered for her and before I knew what was happening, tears were spilling out of my eyes.

“I’m so sorry…” I whispered.

She forced a smile through her tears and nodded.

“It still doesn’t feel real sometimes,” she admitted. “I’ve been drowning myself in this bakery, trying to keep my mind off my loss. But nothing can take away the pain.”

“I couldn’t imagine,” I said sadly, lowering my gaze to my hands.

“I hope it’s something you’ll never have to imagine,” she said sincerely.

“What ended up happening to this dragon king?” I asked.

“He died during the war,” she explained. “I’m not really sure the details of it. But the dragons appointed a new king. Jaxon Develson. He’s a handsome man, and the youngest Dragon King to ever exist, but he’s also feared. However, since his throning, dragons haven’t been seen. Once in a while babies will appear, and they will be killed on the spot.”

My heart sank into my stomach.

“Baby dragons are being killed?” I asked hoarsely, suddenly feeling an overwhelming wave of emotions.

She narrowed her eyes at me.

“Dragons are dangerous when they are fully grown,” she reminded me. “The former Alpha King made them illegal. I’m not sure where they are being stored but Jaxon does a good job at hiding them. The problem is that the dragon eggs need the power of nature and the moon for them to hatch. So, he isn’t able to hide newborn babies. Especially because they tend to wander once they hatch. It’s not like he can stay by each egg until they hatch and it’s not like he can keep the dragons from reproducing.”

“So, baby dragons are constantly being killed,” I whispered, still feeling that heaviness in my chest. I wasn’t sure why this bothered me so much, but it did. I didn’t like the idea of them dying. “And this Alpha King? He’s the werewolf Alpha?”

“He’s the Alpha of shifters,” she explained. “Usually, the Alpha King is a wolf because they are the most powerful shifter. But he got a treaty passed to ban all dragons.”

“Is this Alpha king still in power?”

She shook her head, sadness washing over her features.

“No,” she breathed. “He died months ago in another battle.”

“And there’s no replacement?”

She shook her head again.

“Not yet at least. The Alpha king had no dependents or anyone he was particularly close to. It’s basically been battle after battle.”

I shuddered at the very thought.

“Why are you so interested in all of this?” She then asked, studying me carefully.

“I guess I’m just trying to get the full picture. I’m still new at all of this and trying to figure out what’s going on with me. I thought if I knew more about my mother, it might shed some light on things. But it’s only confusing me more and leaving me with even more questions.”

Winnie nodded thoughtfully and reached across the table to grasp my hands. Her hands were wrinkled and soft, they were also very warm and comforting.

“I know things are confusing; especially considering you have more than one mate. But I truly believe that you were sent here to help our nation recover from the battles that took so many. I believe you are here to allow all beings to live in harmony once again. Things were a lot different when the Moon Queen was in power. Fear did not exist knowing that she was here to protect us. Or so I was told. Obviously, she died centuries ago, and I wasn’t alive. But I’ve heard before she died, she made a promise that she would reincarnate and return to help our nation. And now… you have arrived.”

“You think I’m the queen’s reincarnation?” I asked, my jaw hitting the table.

“Do you have a better explanation as to what’s going on with you?” She asked, her brows pinching together. “With the powers you have and the fact that you are mated to more than one man. I truly believe you could be the queen’s reincarnation. The one she had promised the nation.”

That was a lot of pressure; I found myself drained from this conversation.

“What am I supposed to do?” I whispered.

“Exactly what you are doing,” she told me, giving me a small smile, which warmed me. “Just be yourself and learn everything you can. I’m sure when the time comes, you’ll know what to do.”

“And my mates?” I asked, peeking up at her, sheepishly. I was feeling embarrassed about the whole mate thing, and I wasn’t sure why. Maybe because two of them were her nephews. I wasn’t sure how she felt about me being mated to them both, along with a few others. No aunt in their right mind would like that and I can’t imagine Winnie supporting it.

“I think you’ll be surprised what your mates would do to make you happy. Their spirit animals were designed to love and cherish you as you are. Don’t fight the mate bond with any of them, it would only hurt you and your spirit animal.”

My stomach clenched.

“Two of my mates hate each other,” I told her, staring down at my hands.

To my surprise, Winnie laughed.

“Are you speaking about Xaden and Zach?” She asked a twinkle of humor in her eyes.

I nodded.

“They haven’t gotten along in a long time,” she explained. “Not since Xaden’s mother’s death. But that’s a story they should tell you.”

I wanted to ask more questions; this was the most information I had been given and my brain was still trying to process it all. But before another word could escape my lips, Xaden walked into the room, poking his head through the door.

“Can I come in now?”

“Yes,” Winnie said, standing to her feet. “We were just about done here. I’m glad I got to meet you, Anila.”

She held out her hands for me to take and I did; she clasped my hands gently, sending a warmth throughout my body.

“I feel you are going to be doing great things. Trust your instinct and embrace your destiny. Don’t fight what is meant for you.”

“I won’t,” I whispered. “Thank you.”

She smiled and released my hands before looking at Xaden.

“Take care of her,” she ordered.

“Yes, mam,” Xaden said, hugging his aunt. “Thank you.”

She pulled away and winked at him before she stepped around him and left the room.