Chapter 321
It was almost night time when they finally declared it was time to make camp.
“We will rest here for the rest of the night.” He announced.
All the members of the travel party came down their horses, watching them over and setting their things down.
Tents were set and they all began to chatter and laugh together.
Xaden went to Anna’s carriage where she was still seated.
He turns and see Jasmine laughing with Ned and the other guards.
He stopped and watched her preparing food while the men even offered her some assistance.
Not for once did the men ever want to cook or even offer to do anything involved in cooking.
But seeing them assist Jasmine while she cooked some local animal and make soup infuriated him.
Kire was hopping around and Xaden hated to admit the fact that he was jealous of their bonding and happiness.
He felt left alone.
Jasmine laughed and she seemed so beautiful and young then she made eye contact with him.
He turned around and faced Anna’s carriage
He knocked at it.
“Who is it?” She asked.
“It’s me. Xaden.” He said. “I wanted to check on you to see if you were okay.”
“I’m fine.” She said.
“Do you want to come out?” He asked. “And stay with some of the men. We would love to keep you company?”
“No I think I am fine here on my own.” She said. “Thank you for the offer.”
He nodded and turned away having a sinking feeling inside him.
He saw Jasmine and the rest of the men chattering away and then he went to take a seat by a tree a bit away from them.
Jasmine who was now cleaning her hands with a cloth turned and looked at him.
Her smile came to a normal facial expression and she resumed talking to the men and then began sharing the food in bowls.
After that she had two bowls in her hands and was walking up to him.
She sat down beside him and handed him a bowl.
He contemplated collecting it from her for a second.
She laughed. “You do not need to worry I didn’t poison you then so I most certainly would not poison you now.”
He collected it from her and she used her spoon to fetch the bowl of soup.
“Shouldn’t you be in your tent having all your meals served to you?” She asked him.
“I wanted the fresh air.” He said dryly and the turned to look at Anna’s still closed door.
Jasmine noticed it and said. “You’re worried about her. Give her a short while, she would come around.”
“She doesn’t even want to come out and stay with the rest of us.” He said.
She touched his arm and said. “Give her time. She will come around eventually. It is not so easy to wake up and realize that your entire life was a lie and that your family murdered your real family, kidnapped you as a baby and then you meet your long lost brother and you are expected to digest that all in one day.”
“You’ve had an equally very hard life yourself haven’t you?” He asked her.
She smiled at him. “Yes I have. But you know the difference between Anna and I?”
He shook his head.
“I’ve always known my life was a lie.” Jasmine said. “That’s the difference. I have been aware of who I was and I have survived because I always saw it coming. But your sister?”
Jasmine shook her head. “She had the perfect life. She had everything done right for her. And so when everything came crashing down, she had no idea how to handle it. How to lose everything she had in one day. It could have been worse? She could have been the one taken to your pack instead of me.”
His entire being shivered as he realized that he could have actually taken his own sister and treated her the way he had treated Jamsine.
He had never seen it from that perspective before.
She smiled and gently nudged his elbow and said. “Give her a break. She will come around eventually.”
He nodded and then went on to eating his food.
He noticed that it tasted way much better than even the food cooked in his pack.
He had never eaten any of her meals because his pride would not let him.
He enjoyed the food but refused to say how good it was.
After he had finished his meal she collected his plate and got up to his feet.
He started to try to thank her but she waved him away.
“Don’t mention.” She said with a smile.
Then he went on speaking. “About Anna I was wondering if-
“Don’t worry.” She winked at him. “I will not let her go hungry.
And she finally walked away.
Xaden got up to his feet and walked into his tent.
He lay down on his make shift bed and Kire came into his room.
He rubbed the large wolf and he in turn rubbed his body in warmth around Xaden.
Xaden smiled at him.
“You still refused to go back to your mate didn’t you?” He asked him.
Kire yawned and then Xaden got up with a light stretch.
“There is that bad boy I’ve been looking for” Erik said as soon as he came into the room and saw Kire still hovered around him.
“Still refused to merge.” Xaden asked as he ruffled his large ears.
“Yeah. I was thinking maybe when we get back to the pack we could send for one of the mages.” Erik said. “So they could see what is going on themselves.”
“That could take almost three weeks for them to reply.” Xaden said.
“That is if they reply.” Erik remarked. “All the mages know how to do is drink, fuck and dirty politics.”
“And if that’s the case we’re going south of ridges, mage city is not so far from here.” Xaden said. “We could make a stop before we leave. Send everyone else ahead.”
Erik had a grin on his face. “Not a bad idea”.