Chapter 590
XADEN’S POV
From the moment she walked into the room, I knew it was her.
I had been in the middle of a boring discussion with a group of Alphas.
They were all applauding my status as Alpha and my survival from the attack.
I was terribly bored and irritated with their conversation.
Mostly because I knew they were only kissing ass.
No one wanted to be on my bad side, especially since I had gone head-to-head with two Alphas and survived.
It was fake and unnecessary.
This was the last place I wanted to be.
Had it not been for the Queen forcing me to attend, I would never have set foot.
And then she came.
Wearing a vibrant red dress that no one would have ever worn.
A dress that held her curves and was unlike all the large ball dresses most women wore.
It wasn’t because of the necklace on her neck or her vibrant red hair.
It was her scent.
She was an unshifted wolf, which meant she shouldn’t have a distinctive scent, yet Jasmine did.
One that from miles away I would always perceive.
One that made me hungry and made me desire her.
The red mask in place, she walked past the crowd, and heads turned.
Wolf and she wolf.
They all looked.
Even the Alphas beside me went quiet, and that made me furious.
I didn’t want others looking at her.
She was supposed to belong to me and only me.
I swallowed hard as she went past me without sparing a glance.
She went off to a corner and hovered over a drinks table.
Sweet Goddess of all wolves!
Just when I had assumed that she couldn’t be any more beautiful, she proved me wrong.
She proved me damn wrong!
I watched a young Beta approach her, and soon my teeth were grinding hard.
“Who is that?” I heard one of the Alphas beside me say
“I have no idea.” Another responded in a lust-filled voice. “But I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful.”
“I didn’t know there was another member of the royal family.” The third said quickly. “Must be another niece to the Queen.”
I grew jealous with every single word they seemed to share.
As I watched her smile back at the Beta, the fiery curve of her lips sending a jolt of possessive anger through my chest, the urge to intervene grew almost unbearable.
I clenched my fists, debating whether to disrupt the gathering to separate them.
And then, before I could make a decision, Anna appeared by her side, and both of them began discussing after the young Beta left.
I breathed a sigh of relief and tried to calm myself down.
I was getting jealous over nothing.
The other wolves began to discuss Jasmine’s beauty again.
This time, I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Excuse me,” I said, and without waiting for their approval, I walked away.
I stood by the grand piano and began to sip my wine.
I watched as she and Anna resumed their discussion, even though they looked more like arguments.
“Jealous are we?”
I turned around and saw none other than Queen Rose herself peering behind me.
“Your majesty,” I bowed.
She came and stood beside me, a mischievous gleam on her face.
“Jealous?” I said, raising a brow.
She nodded. “Yes, jealous. Jealous of everyone having eyes on Jasmine.”
“I couldn’t care less.” I scoffed.
“Oh, Xaden.” Queen Rose said in a sing-song voice as she shook her head. “You can lie to anyone as long as you want. Even lie to yourself. But not me. I know when you’re lying.”
I said nothing.
Perhaps if I kept my mouth shut and ignored her, she would keep whatever she had to say to herself.
But Queen Rose wasn’t giving up so seriously.
“That necklace.” The Queen nodded at Jasmine’s chest. “If I can recall correctly, it’s your family heirloom.”
I knew where this was going.
“I wonder how she managed to get it?” She asked with her hands folded.
I sighed.
She giggled. “Oh, come on, Xaden. There is nothing wrong with caring about Jasmine. I don’t know why you always deny it. She is a lovely girl.”
I repeated nothing.
And then, to my greatest horror, a twenty-two-year-old Alpha named Claude, who had recently become an Alpha after his father’s death, walked up to Jasmine.
He offered his hand, and Jasmine gave hers with a smile.
Xaden watched in horror as Jasmine was led away from Anna and down to the dance floor.
The music changed, and soon they joined the dancing group.
The moment he saw Claude put his hand on Jasmine’s waist, Xaden winced.
“Good goddess Xaden.” The Queen gasped. “I thought you said you couldn’t care less. You look like you’re ready to pounce on the poor boy anymore.”
I watched as they began dancing.
I clenched my fists and tried to control my boiling jealousy.
I watched them laugh together over something, and it made me even more furious.
What the devil were they even laughing about?
“You love her, Xaden.” I heard Queen Rose. “The sooner you realize that for yourself, the better.”
I didn’t have a heart.
I couldn’t love.
If only the Queen knew.
And yet there was something that pulled me to Jasmine.
A hunger that refused to quench.
A hunger that made me want to tear the little brat away from her.
“I don’t love her,” I said as I drank the entire wineglass.
I set the glass aside on the table and hungered for more to control my burning rage.
“If you say so,” Rose said with a sigh. “But it isn’t only you, Xaden. I think she has that effect on everyone. You have a beautiful girl right before you, and yet you refuse to see. I wonder what happens when she finally discovers the decision you made.”
I felt my stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot, and dread instantly overwhelmed me.