Chapter 52

Jaxon and I were completely sweat slicked by the time we were done. I would have preferred to stay locked up in the room with him but we had duties that required our attention. We had to take separate showers because taking one together would have ensured that we never left the room. Once I was out, I put on a light coating of makeup and retrieved the dress I was to wear for the after party.

It was a floor length silver gown with a thigh high slit. It was sleeveless but had a flowing cape that dissolved into a long and sheer train and it stuck to me like second skin. I paired it with strappy silver heels and retouched my lip gloss. I was still at the table doing that when Jaxon made his way out of the closet felly dressed in another tailored suit.

His hair was still damp and the curls were very evident especially when he ran his hands through them. He made his way over to me, placed his hands on my shoulder and pressed a kiss to the centre of my head. I dropped the lip gloss down on the vanity and looked up at him. His eyes fell to my lips and I could tell that he wanted to kiss me but I was very well aware. that if he started then we would never leave the room so I quietly slipped out of his hold and stood to my feet.

“We have guests waiting for us,” I reminded him and he grumbled a few incoherent words under his breath. “They are probably already wondering where we are right now.”

I tried to step away from him but he reached out and pulled me towards him by my hips. My hands went out to steady themselves on his chest and he leaned down to kiss me when someone knocked on the door. The annoyance in his expression was palpable and I couldn’t help but laugh. I saw the corner of his lips tilt up as he heard me laugh but he quickly smothered it

“Duty calls,” I whispered and he sighed but released me.

I walked over to the door before he could change his mind and pulled it open. Aiden was standing there and he had his hands over his eyes like a little kid trying to hide from someone. I rolled my eyes and pulled his hands away from his face but I saw that he had his eyes kept tightly shut.

“I need to know if you’re decent,” he spoke softly as if it was supposed to be a secret between us. “I can already smell the room and the last thing I need is to get a sneak peek at Jaxon’s-”

Before he could finish, Jaxon walked over and punched him in the arm. Aiden made a groan of pain and his eyes flew open. He rubbed the spot while nursing a small pout and muttering a few words under his breath about being treated unfairly by his friends. I shook my head as I watched the two of them interact. I will always be grateful that Jaxon has someone like Aiden in his life.

“Your guests are waiting,” Aiden said after a few seconds of nursing his arm. “There is only so much stalling I can do before people realize that you’re missing. Lycans are very attentive creatures. It is not hard to put two and two together.”

“We just went to change for the party,” I said dismissively and Aiden hummed in a way that made it so obvious that he did not believe me.

“Let’s hope your lying skills somehow improve between now and the moment you get into the ballroom.”

This time, I was the one who punched him in the arm.

man

When we got to the ball and I saw how many people were there, my mouth fell open: knew Jaxon was an important but I was not prepared for the amount of people that were in that hall. It had been arranged with long tables and chairs gracing the entire place. It had been cleaned and scrubbed so much that the metal knights were gleaming. There was immense chatter and as soon as we walked in, all the chatter died down.

In one organized move, everyone stood to their feet and bowed to Jaxon and I. I felt uncomfortable with all the attention but Jaxon quickly intertwined his hands with mine in a silent show of solidarity and to remind me that he was with me. As

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< 11:15 Sat, May 18 M. Chapter 52 towards the throne people rose, Jaxon led me forward and I followed his lead. He walked through the centre with all eyes on us but he didn’t seem to mind. He had his nose turned up as if he thought everyone was beneath him and made his way in the centre of the room. The last time I was in here, there was just one massive throne. I had never taken my time to look at it before but staring at it now, I knew it was what was left of the throne of pure gold that his father was lounging on in that picture. The bottom was still pure gold but someone had torn it down and had the rest of it replaced. I had a brief moment of panic where I wondered where I was going to sit seeing as there was only one throne. I glanced at Jaxon out of the corner of my eye trying to ask my question but he didn’t meet my eyes. When he got to the throne, he stepped to the side and gestured for me to sit down. I stared at him in shock with wide eyes. I silently shook my head telling him there was no way I was going to sit on the throne. In one quick move, he tugged me forward and had me sitting on the throne. It was cold to touch but for some reason, my skin went warm. A chorus of gasps went through the room when they realized I was the one sitting on the throne. Jaxon didn’t care about anyone else. he flashed me a victorious smirk and settled down on the arm of the throne. He winked at me and I flushed pink then promptly looked away. My eyes fell on Loris first. His mouth was wide open and for a second, I was worried that he would catch flies. He noticed my eyes on him and he quickly looked away as if he had been caught doing something illegal. I looked around again and found Aiden. He was making his way towards the throne and he was holding Kiara’s hand. She looked nervous to be under the scrutiny of so many eyes. She was clutching Aiden’s hand like her life depended on it and 1 knew that if he let her go she was either going to cry or bolt. I smiled at her in encouragement and it seemed to help because a little of the tension left her shoulders. Aiden made his way to the dais of the throne but he did not climb the steps. He bowed to both of us there and released Kiara’s hands. Her eyes widened in worry but he gave her a soft look of assurance and gestured to us. She didn’t hesitate before walking up the stairs and stopping directly at my feet. I didn’t care what the appropriate protocol was, I lifted my daughter and placed her in my lap. Jaxon squeezed my shoulder in assurance and I couldn’t help but feel like we had done the right thing. I could only imagine what everyone else was seeing- the royal family together. I liked the sound of that. As soon as we were all situated on the throne, the party officially started. Kiara complained about being hungry so Jaxon ordered a server to bring something for her to eat. I had expected proper food but when the small plate of finger foods was brought over, she reached out for it with eager hands and practically began stuffing her mouth. She looked cute so I couldn’t even be annoyed. When I began to worry was when chocolate covered strawberries were brought for her. I was concerned at how much of a sugar rush she would have at night.” A few dignitaries came up to the steps of the throne to greet Jaxon and I. They all tried to connect with Kiara possibly in the hopes that bonding with her would give them a spot in our good books but she did not seem concerned with talking to anyone. Jaxon introduced each person that came up by whispering their names and positions in my car so I wouldn’t be completely left out in the conversation. One hour into the party and my cheeks were hurting from the amount of times I had to smile at people and pretend to know who they were. I was just about ready to call it a night but knew the party was just starting and I knew that if I wanted to be jaxon’s mate then I had to get used to events like this. I glanced down at Kiara who was in my lap. She wasn’t bothered by anything and I knew in a few minutes she would be allowed to go back to her room and fall asleep. How I longed to be a chuld again “You look exhausted, Jaxon whispered to me and I barely held back a groan. “You have no idea He chuckded softly under his breath and reached out for Kiara who was in my lap. She allowed him pick her up and I could already yawning. She had spent the past hour alternating between my lap and bothering Aiden who didn’t KIPS VIRTUAL ADMISSIONS OPEN Prepare for Medical, Engineering. CS & Business Entrance Tests 17+LMSI FEATURES O ENROLL NOW! 11:15 Sat, May 18 M. Chapter 52 seem to mind having her around. Jaxon’s eyes glazed over and Aiden arrived almost immediately. Jaxon handed Kiara to him and whispered instructions into his cars presumably to take her to bed. Aiden nodded and within a second, he was out of the ballroom. I could see some eyes following him but no one dared to actually get up to follow. Once the door had shut behind him, Jaxon stood to his feet and stretched out his hand to me. “What is going on?” I asked but he stayed silent and held out his hand. I took it without hesitation and he led me to my feet. “It is customary that we lead everyone into a dance. I know you’re exhausted but while everyone is dancing then we can slip out.” I didn’t really have a choice in the matter so I allowed him lead me to the middle of the vast dance floor. His hand moved to my waist and right on cue, the music started. Jaxon led me through the steps and although I stepped on his feet a few times, he didn’t seem to mind. We danced alone for the first song but by the second, everyone started filing the dance floor. It started out as a quiet and calm waltz but before I knew it, the music had changed to an upbeat style. Everyone- including the elders- was dancing. I was so immersed with watching them that I didn’t even realize when Jaxon slipped his hands into my elbow and pulled me out of the room. As soon as the doors closed behind us and we were bathed in silence and darkness, I heaved a sigh of relief. “Do you think we will be missed?” I asked and through the darkness I stu him shrug “Probably not.” he murmured and he wanted to say more but I caught sight of a figure lurking in the shadows SEND GIFT COMMENT KIPS VIRTUAL ADMISSIONS OPEN Prepare for Medical, Engineering, C$ & Business Entrance Tests 17+LMSI FEATURES O