Chapter 48
The next few days were filled with running, trying to regain a sense of normalcy in the family and planning for the mating ceremony. Kiara was an integral part in all three and she seemed to enjoy the times we spent running more than anything. It was easier to teach her about lycans and wolves when she could see our shifted form and she took a lot of interest in Jaxon’s lycan form because of how big it was.
Whenever we finished running, she would trail behind me as Aiden taught me everything I needed to know about the mating ceremony. Apparently, I was supposed to be taught by the closest female relative of Jaxon but he had none and the duty fell to Aiden’s shoulders. He didn’t seem to mind if I was being honest. If anything, he enjoyed seeing me squirm when faced with major decisions.
The planning process was exhausting but the thought of being permanently mated to Jaxon was the only thing that kept me going. It was the only thing that made me sit through massive books of lycan history and long lessons about the palace and the past rulers. There were so many things I did not know about lycans and I was shocked to find out like how most lycans were solitary creatures and there were more individual lycans than those in packs of their own.
Jaxon was v
very helpful whenever he could be. He spent most of his time trying to make sure that everything was fine and we did not have to worry about any unforeseen circumstances or any attacks from any strangers. He had also come to a somewhat civil standing with the elders and they had come to accept me- even Loris.
“Are you even listening to me?” I was snapped back to reality by Aiden and I blinked to try and remember what I was doing before I completely zoned out.
There were books opened in front of me. One held different potential venues and I was supposed to flip through them and pick one. It was to be an outdoor ceremony and I was unaware that there were over ten possible locations for that outdoor ceremony as well as another ten for possible places where the party would hold after. Beside that book was another book that contained different shades of colors that I was supposed to browse through and pick a color scheme.
I had been staring at venues and colors for the past two hours and I could feel a migraine forming. Kiara was flipping through her own book of styles and she didn’t seem to mind. She was fascinated by everything she saw and for a while, I wished I could be like her- carefree and with nothing to worry about. She had been doing better since the incident. She did not have any nightmares and she had started slowly going back to her old self. Her face also did not bear any scars that could be linked back to that horrific incident.
Jaxon did not trust anyone to guard her so Aiden watched her for the first two days until Jaxon was able to get. two new people to watch her. It took a lot of convincing and deliberating for him to allow someone else watch her. He wanted to give the position to Aiden permanently but I reminded him that it would have been a massive
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demotion from Beta to guard and that was the only reason why Jaxon relented and got someone else. He had threatened her new guards on multiple occasions and did not hesitate to tell them that if anything happened to Kiara, he was going to make sure they died slowly,
“I think we should take a break,” Aiden said leaning over to close the books and I let out a sigh of relief. “It will all be over soon. All of this is just for one day and you can pretend like it never happened. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I still have a dress fitting and a cake testing,” I deadpanned. “After that, I need to meet with Jaxon so we can go over Kiara’s security detail. You are more than welcome to take it up if you feel it is just a matter of time.”
“He raised his hands in mock surrender.
“My apologies,” he turned to Kiara. “Come on K, we better go before your mother goes bridezilla on our ass.”
Kiara dropped the book in a hurry and rushed over to him. He wasted no time in picking her up and placing her on his shoulders which made her giggle. I watched as the both of them left the room and I couldn’t help but follow closely behind them not just because I wanted to make sure there were no accidents but also because I needed to get a snack so I wouldn’t pass out.
Coincidentally, they were going to the kitchen as well. Aiden picked up a banana and handed it to Kiara. She grabbed it right out of his hands and stuffed half of it into her mouth. I shook my head at her and pulled open the fridge. I searched around until I found the little tin foil of brownies I hid at the back of the fridge and away from Aiden’s prying eyes and quick fingers.
As I unwrapped it, Aiden turned to me with sharp eyes. “I thought all the brownies were gone.”
“They are, this is mine.”
He pouted. “That is not even fair.”
I ignored him and took a large bite out of it. His eyes narrowed in my direction but I did nothing but smile widely at him. Kiara reached out her hand in a silent plea and I broke off a piece for her. Before I could process what was happening, she lifted the piece and handed it over to Aiden. I watched in disbelief as Aiden smirked in victory. and took it out of her hands.
“Did you just pick Aiden?” I asked in complete shock and all she did was smile innocently and bat her lashes at
me.
While I was still watching them, Jaxon walked into the kitchen. He glanced at the three of us and muttered something under his breath about not wanting to be part of what was happening and then made his way over to me. He pressed a soft ki*s to my temple and before I could blink, he took the last of the brownies out of my
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hands and ate it.
“Are you kidding me?” I asked aloud and he stared at me almost confused.
Aiden burst out laughing and I punched him in the shoulder which just made him laugh harder. Jaxon was still very confused and I couldn’t even explain what had happened because I was still trying to wrap my head around it. It was Aiden who explained to him while trying and failing to curb his laughter. By the time he was done, the corner of Jaxon’s l*ps had quirked up and I could see that he was trying and failing to hide his laughter.
“It is not funny,” I murmured under my breath and he hummed in agreement but did not stop laughing.
“I’ll buy you all the brownies in the world,” he promised but I still wasn’t convinced so I crossed my arms over my chest. “Name any request, it doesn’t matter how absurd it is, I will get it for you.”
I thought long and hard about what I was going to ask for. I didn’t particularly want anything but I was determined to make things as hard as possible for him. I thought about it for a split second then an idea popped into my head.
“I want Chinese food,” I crossed my arms over my chest as I spoke knowing very well that the nearest Chinese fast food place was over three hours away by drive.
“I’ll get it.”
He sounded so sure that all I did was hum. It was already evening and I knew for a fact that they closed at seven. I never understood why they closed that early- it was just the way it was.
“I need you
to come with me,” Jaxon whispered to me in a serious tone and it was like a blanket fell over the room. “It isn’t anything serious I swear. It is customary that you see the elders before the ceremony seeing as you will have to relate to them after we are mated.”
I nodded and allowed him lead me out of the room but I was terribly anxious. Our last meeting did not go well. and although they had given their approval of me, it did not mean that they actually liked me or they had forgotten everything that happened the last time. If I hadn’t there was no way they would have.
Jaxon sensed my unease because he intertwined our fingers and squeezed tightly. He pushed open the doors of the council room and the first elder I locked eyes with was Loris. He had a neutral expression on his face so I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He stood to his feet and the others rose as well. As I got closer he stretched
out his hands to me.
“It is a pleasure meet you under the official circumstances,” he said and I couldn’t help but nod as I took his hand. “Please sit, we will not take much of your time. This is customary and it will not take any more than ten
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minutes.”
It ended up taking twenty minutes. They basically droned on about their roles as the elders and how it was their job to offer advice. They gave me a breakdown of my expected roles as Queen which included bearing heirs and assisting Jaxon with the ruling of the pack. There was not a single thing they said that I did not already knows but I stayed silent and made sure to smile softly and nod as they spoke.
If there was one thing I knew in life, it was to always allow people think that they knew more than you. I pretended like I was hearing everything for the first time and they seemed impressed by me. By the time the meeting was done, they were all smiling from ear to ear and shook my hand with a lot more vigor than earlier.
As soon as they left and the door shut behind them, Jaxon turned to me. “You did good. I am impressed.”
“Thank you,” I said with an over exaggerated curtsy. “I have gotten my fair share of men.”
‘Speaking of that, do you want to take a walk with me?”
I nodded eagerly and allowed him lead me out of the castle. After everything that had happened, a walk with Jaxon was exactly what I needed. We walked around the palace and he showed me nooks and crannies I had never seen before. The palace was a lot bigger than I had thought and the sky was completely dark by the time we returned.
I was exhausted and wanted to eat then sleep but Jaxon was adamant that there was something he needed from the room and asked me to help him get it while he handled something quickly. He agreed to get it.
laimed it was on the bed so l
When I pushed open the door to the room I didn’t see his files on the bed but I did see a box of Chinese food.
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