Chapter 76

Anila’s POV

This wasn’t the first time someone referred to me as the new Moon Queen. Xaden’s aunt Winnie had said the same thing when she looked at me. I didn’t feel like a queen though; sure, I had multiple mates that I’m still trying to sort through, and I had multiple spirit animals. But did that really make me a queen?

“Sorry, I don’t mean to frighten you,” Principal Rapport said, quickly recovering himself. “It’s just that I suspected that you were different, but this confirms it. You are more powerful than I could ever imagine.”

“I don’t feel powerful,” I told him, staring down at my hands with a timid frown. “I just feel like me…”

He shook his head.

“I assure you; you are special Anila. I can feel it, and others can too,” he said as he glanced over at Harley who remained silent, but he also didn’t protest. I looked at him with a questioning gaze and he gave me a slight head nod.

“I don’t understand,” I whispered, shaking my head. “Why are you telling me all of this?”

Principal Rapport sighed and took a good long look at me before answering.

“Because I signed you up to take the challenges,” he finally told me, making my entire heart fall deep into my stomach.

I was already assuming this before Damien mentioned the same thing. But he said that Principal Rapport was only thinking about it and nothing was decided just yet. Hearing him confirm it with certainty left an unsettled pit in the middle of my belly.

“Sir, with all due respect, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Harley surprised me by asking. “The challenges are extreme, and Anila is very new at all this stuff. Shouldn’t she at least practice some more? Maybe take them next year.”

Principal Rapport kept his eyes on me.

“I think the world needs you to rise now rather than later,” he answered. “With Edmond out for Alpha King and with news of a baby dragon being spotted, I fear the worst is about to come. The world is in need of the Moon Queen.”

I shook my head, trying not to let my emotions get the best of me.

“What can I do?” I asked, still shaking my head. “I’m only me. I’m not some warrior lady or a queen.”

“That’s where you are wrong and these challenges are going to prove just that. If not to the nation, then to yourself,” he said cryptically.

“You are certain about this?” Harley asked. “That she is meant to be the Moon Queen reincarnate?”

“I am,” Principal Rapport said without hesitation. “I knew you were special from the moment I saw you. I don’t believe in coincidences Miss Montgomery. There are one too many and I know with certainty that the Moon Goddess had chosen you to be our savior and restore this nation back to its prime days. When we all lived in harmony without fear of war and with the promise of a better tomorrow.”

There was so much pressure resting on my shoulders that I thought I was going to pass out.

“How can you be so sure that I’m the one for this job?” I found myself asking, my voice coming out nothing more than a whisper.

There was a twinkle of humor in his eyes as he leaned forward and whispered, “Tell me, how exactly did that baby dragon get into your room?”

My heart dropped along with my mouth.

I felt Harley tense from beside me and his hand paused its movements on my leg; his eyes were on me and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him in return. I knew my face was burning with heat.

How had Principal Rapport known? And why wasn’t I in huge trouble?

He only smiled and leaned back in his seat.

“She trusted you, did she not?”

I couldn’t lie to him, I managed to nod my head once and I heard Harley’s sharp intake of breath as he pulled his hand away. I felt cold without his touch, and I hated that he was staring at me in the way that he was. I could feel his eyes like daggers in my soul and I wanted to recoil into a shell and hide away from the world.

“Dragons don’t trust just anybody,” Principal Rapport said simply. “Not even baby dragons.”

“Do you worry that I am a dragon master? Like the ones other’s fear?” I asked, staring at my hands shamefully.

“The Moon Queen was not a master of dragons; she was more like a mother,” he explained. “They loved her and she spoke to them just as clearly as she could speak to anybody. She was like the mother of all species and was able to communicate with them as clearly as you and I.”

“But I can’t do that,” I said, furrowing my brows together. “Talk to animals, I mean. I wasn’t able to speak with the baby dragon.”

“Of course not, it was only a baby,” he said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And I imagined you haven’t been around other species to really communicate with them. Give it some time and I have faith that your true powers will shine through in time.”

I opened my mouth to speak again, but I had no idea what I was going to say. So, I closed it and nodded slowly. I knew no good would come from arguing with him.

“You have two months to prepare for these challenges,” he told me, leaning back in his seat as if he was satisfied with my submittance. “Use your resources and lean on your mates as much as you can. Learn all of what you are capable of doing. Check your school email and I will send the challenge forms to your inbox. It’ll explain a little about what you will be expected to showcase during these challenges. As I said, it won’t be easy. But the Moon Goddess does not make mistakes in choosing a queen and I have full faith that you are the one we have been desperately waiting for. Gone are the days of fear. Long live the Queen.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, and I stood to my feet as soon as Harley did.

“Yes sir,” I said, nodding my head to him. “I’ll do what I can.”

I turned to leave but Principal Rapport’s voice stopped me.

“Oh, and Anila?” I paused to look at him; he smirked. “Try not to let baby dragons loose on my campus again. I had to use magic to make the girl forget what she saw, and I really hate using magic on my students.”

My cheeks warmed but I nodded again.

“I’m sorry; it won’t happen again.”

His smile softened and he nodded in return.

I turned on my heel and scurried out of his office. Harley followed at a distance behind me and once we were outside, he grabbed my arm gently to stop me from running away. I knew he was upset, and I wanted to comfort him, I just wasn’t sure how.

“I’m sorry,” I blurted as I spun around to face him.

When I met his eyes, he looked almost troubled.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, sounding hurt. It tugged at my heart knowing that I had hurt him, and I wasn’t even sure why. “I would have helped you.”

“Zach helped me,” I found myself saying and I immediately wanted to clamp my mouth shut.

He looked even more hurt by my confession and his shoulders slumped.

“You trusted Zach and not me?”

“No, it’s not like that,” I said quickly, stepping closer to him. “Besides, it’s not like you’ve made it easy to talk to you lately. You have been avoiding me up until recently.”

A pained look shot through Harley’s eyes, and I immediately regretted my words.

I sighed.

“Zach was just there, Harley. When I heard about the commotion, I ran inside to find the baby dragon and Zach followed me. He guessed that I was responsible for the baby dragon based on my reaction to the news. I wouldn’t have told him if he didn’t follow me.”

Harley’s face softened slightly and then he nodded slowly.

“So, it was true then. You let a dragon loose on the campus?”

I flinched at his words, and I bit my lower lip, chewing on it vigorously and nervously. Harley’s gaze shifted and now he was looking at my lips. I could see the hunger and desires in his eyes, making my stomach flip and my heartbeat faster. I had to squeeze my legs tightly together to relieve some of the pressure building between them.

“It was an accident,” I whispered. “I wasn’t trying to let a dragon loose. It just happened. I found her in a tree. She had just hatched, and I didn’t want to leave her alone. She was so cute. I brought her back to my dorm and got her a little cage. I guess I wasn’t really thinking about how easy it would be for her to escape the metal cage.”

I was embarrassed by how stupid I was but when Harley cupped my face in his hands and brought my gaze up to meet his, I saw nothing but understanding and compassion in his eyes. My breathing slowed and the embarrassment simmered.

“You have a beautiful soul, Anila,” he said gently. “I wouldn’t have expected anything less.”

I blushed at the compliment.

“I was out in the forest gathering leaves and bugs for the dragon to eat and Zach followed me,” I confessed. “That was when Penny called to tell me about the dragon loose on campus. Zach saw my reaction when I ran toward the dormitory, and he followed me. That’s how he found out. He helped me sneak the dragon out and we brought her back to the forest…”

“That’s when Xaden found you?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, but by then, the dragon disappeared,” I admitted.

His eyes widened.

“Disappeared?”

“Yeah, I’m not sure where she went. One minute she was there and the next she wasn’t,” I said, shaking my head at the thought. “I’m still worried about her, but I’m more worried about this war now. It kind of preoccupied my mind. I was trying to figure out where the little dragon had gone when Xaden showed up. Then, you showed up and took me away.”

He nodded thoughtfully.

“We could always go back and try to find her if you’d like,” he suggested. “We could go for a run in our fur at the same time.”

I smiled at the idea.

“I like that idea,” I agreed immediately.

“Then maybe later we can actually talk?” He asked with a bit of hopefulness in his tone. “I hadn’t been able to get the other day out of my mind and I’d really like to talk to you about it…”

I knew he was referring to our very passionate kiss and my cheeks flushed at the memory. I nodded though because we really did need to talk about it. I had no idea where I stood with Harley, and it was driving me crazy.

He grinned at me.

“I don’t want things to be weird,” he confessed.

I chuckled.

“They won’t be,” I assured him.

He took my hand and started to pull me toward the forest, but a voice around the corner made me stop. Harley looked at me confused and I pressed my finger to my lips, indicating for him to be quiet. I pulled him with me around the corner and paused when the voices grew louder.

“Why don’t you wear the necklace I got you,” a man said in a low and kind of husky voice.

“Because Damien flipped out when he saw it,” a familiar female said. “You know how he gets.”

“I thought you were going to dump him.”

“I just can’t right now, babe. But I will soon. I promise,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

I peeked around the corner and nearly gasped when I saw Sarah locking lips with someone who certainly wasn’t Damien.