Chapter 65

Anila’s POV

Something shifted in the air. When I met up with Xaden for dinner after my classes, he seemed… okay. He didn’t ask me about my time with Harley, but he did ask me if Harley was okay. He’s been worried about Harley, and I could see it in his eyes.

I shouldn’t have been surprised because that was his best friend, but it was weird considering I am mated and bonded to Xaden. I would have thought he’d feel jealous after I spent alone time with another man.

But he didn’t seem jealous at all.

I felt a lightness in my chest as we ate and talked. He looked happy and content as we sat beside one another at the table in the dining hall. I don’t think I had laughed so hard in my life and others around me, including my friends, started to take notice.

Xaden wrapped an arm around me and kissed me for the world to see and I was beaming beside him. It seemed that everyone had forgotten about earlier when I showed up at the dining hall fully marked and bound. Now everything was starting to feel natural.

When it was time for me to meet up with Damien, I thought Xaden would give attitude about it, or at least seem a little upset. But he wasn’t. He gave me a gentle smile and kissed my lips passionately. It was the type of kiss that took my entire breath away and left me feeling dazed and utterly in love with the man standing in front of me.

I never thought this type of love was possible, but Xaden beat all odds and he was perfect. I wrapped my arms around him and deepened the kiss, never wanting to let him go. But then a throat cleared behind me and I froze when I felt the tethers of the bond tugging me and I knew Damien was standing right behind me.

I hadn’t even heard him walking toward us and I immediately felt embarrassed. Damien stood with his arms folded across his chest and his head lowered. Xaden let out a low laugh and nodded to Damien.

“Hey, man,” Xaden said, greeting Damien. “Take care of her, okay?”

Damien looked thrown, but he nodded.

Xaden kissed me one last time before he turned and walked away, leaving me alone with Damien. We both stared after him confused.

“That was weird,” Damien said, breaking through the silence that consumed us. “He seemed overly happy.”

I nodded in agreement.

“He’s been like that all night,” I confessed.

His brows pinched together.

“It must be your new bond,” he said as we started to walk toward the academic center. Instinctively, my hand shot upward and toward the mark on my neck. I felt warmth from the mark and butterflies took flight in my belly as I bit back a smile.

Once we got to the underground spellcasting room, we worked tirelessly for what felt like hours. By the time we were finished, I was completely exhausted.

“You did good today,” Damien praised as he put his supplies away.

“I have a good tutor,” I said in return, making a smile tug at the corner of his lips.

“Don’t get too cocky. Let’s see how you do during the challenges.”

My heart fell into my stomach; I almost forgot about the challenges. I still needed to speak with Principal Rapport and find out exactly what these challenges were and why he thought I needed to partake in them. A tightness formed in the pit of my stomach, and I suddenly wasn’t feeling so good.

Noticing this, Damien frowned.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“What if I don’t pass?” I asked, meeting his concerned eyes.

His gaze softened and he came to sit beside me at one of the tables.

“Then, you will try again next year. It’s not the end of the world,” he assured me. But even as he said those words, I still felt a wave of uncertainty coursing through me. “I think you have what it takes, you just need a little faith.”

“I don’t even have a spirit animal yet,” I reminded him.

He shrugged.

“Well, tomorrow is the first full moon since your birthday. So, I guess you’ll get one soon enough.”

“Is that guaranteed?” I dared to ask.

“As far as I know,” he told me. “But I’m more experienced in magic, not shifting. That’s something you’ll have to ask your boyfriend.”

The way he said boyfriend sounded strained and I wondered for a moment if that was just my imagination. I thought about my moment with Harley earlier in the night and my cheeks instantly flushed from the memory. I shouldn’t be feeling this way toward another man, especially Xaden’s best friend. Something in me wanted to go for it with Harley. I wanted to go for it with all of them, but it was clear that Damien only thought of me as a friend.

And he was a really good friend. I wouldn’t want to do that.

As if he was running off autopilot, Damien reached his hand over to me and brushed a strand of hair away from my face, tucking it behind my ear. Just the feeling of his fingertips on my flesh sent a shockwave of emotions throughout my body and I had to suck in a sharp intake of breath as I met his eyes.

He allowed his fingers to linger for a moment before dropping his hand to his lap. I immediately missed his touch and I hated myself for feeling that way.

“Sorry,” he murmured, shaking his head like he was shaking away all thoughts from his mind. He stood up suddenly and I was feeling cold and vulnerable from his distance. “The sun will be rising soon. We should get back.”

I nodded and I let Damien walk me back to my dorm. We said goodnight and then he went toward his own dorm section.

…..

When I woke the next day, I was feeling strange. I had a slight headache, and I was a little dizzy. I was glad that it was Saturday and that I didn’t have any classes today, because I wasn’t so sure I’d be able to get out of bed, even if I wanted to.

That soon proved to be false because my stomach practically turned upside down and nausea consumed me. I couldn’t get to the bathroom quickly enough before I started to lose the contents in the toilet.

There was a knock on the door, and I knew right away that it was Penny. I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but she had a distinct scent that I was able to pick up way easier than I normally would.

“Anila, are you okay?” I heard her asking from outside the bathroom door, although it sounded like she was right next to me.

I flushed the toilet and leaned against the wall, pressing my knees to my chest.

“Yeah,” I murmured, trying to maintain my rapid heartbeat. “I think so.”

I’m going to make you some soup and tea,” she offered. “Come out when you are feeling better.”

I groaned at the thought of putting anything into my stomach right now. I don’t know what was wrong with me. As I struggled to pull myself to my feet, I realized just how achy my bones truly were. I winced at the sensation, and it took every ounce of willpower to not fall back to the ground.

I had never felt this sick and weak in my life; every single one of my bones ached and my head was pounding. I was feeling dizzy and I’m pretty certain I’m losing my mind.

When I looked into the mirror to get a look at my face and see how badly I truly looked, I gasped when I saw that my eyes were glowing purple.

It was the same purple that glowed the last full moon. I didn’t understand what that meant or why it would be happening to me. But my eyes were purple, and I wasn’t sure what to think of that.

Then, I noticed how pale and washed away I looked.

What the hell was happening to me?

I turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water onto my face, trying to make myself look more alive. When I looked back into the mirror, my eyes widened when I saw that they were back to their normal greys.

I was seriously losing my mind, I thought to myself.

After I dried off, I left the bathroom and I saw Penny in the kitchen, finishing up some soup. When she saw me, she frowned.

“Oh, you poor thing,” she breathed. “I’m sorry you have to go through this. I heard the wolf’s first shift is tolling on a human body.”

My mouth fell open at her words.

First shift?” I asked, trying to wrap my mind around what she was saying.

She nodded and her brows pinched together.

“Yes,” she answered. “I’ve seen it happen before. It takes a lot out of a person.”

“Are you telling me I’m sick because I’m going to shift?” I asked her, still not fully understanding.

She paused and looked at me, like really studying me and then her eyes grew large.

“They never told you how it worked?” She asked. I shook my head, not sure I wanted to know. “It’s going to be a long night for you.”

“What do you mean, Penny?” I asked, my heart racing in my chest. “What’s going to happen?”

She bit her lip just before she poured the soup into a bowl.

“You are basically going to wish that you were dead.”