Chapter 21 : The chosen Luna?

Helga

Karenina was still blushing when her maid, Helga, came back into her room, her eyes glued to the floor. She was carrying another wooden tray with rags, bandages, and two bottles.

Helga was afraid of her, for the spiritual power that she possessed was a deadly one. She was also a special guest of Alpha Xavier who wanted to be treated with all the respect and courtesy that a woman appointed by Alpha as a candidate for Luna deserved, which seemed like a strange order coming from Alpha. Karenina is a hybrid and also possesses pure spiritual power. Besides, Alpha Xavier does not like humans or hybrids. So why would Alpha let this girl through his gates and into the halls of this packhouse?

Helga found herself wondering again. It was none of her business who Alpha wanted to take in and who he would choose as Luna. She just hoped that the girl wouldn't be rude to her after all her kindness and gestures over the years. Helga was also careful not to offend her as she was an honored guest. She would bring shame on her own Alpha and pack name if such a terrible thing happened.

So she went back to Karenina's room on Alpha's orders to treat her wounds. She was not a healer, but all she had to do was to apply the ointment that she had brought with her and re-bandage the wounds. She hadn't seen Karenina's wounds because someone else had bandaged them first upon her arrival, but she was far from disgusted at the sight of blood.

If she hadn't been so afraid of Karenina, Helga would have been interested in how a hybrid healed. She was aware that their healing was much slower than a typical full-blooded werewolf and not perfect, but she had never seen anything like it first hand. But she was afraid because she was forced to be close to Karenina and even touch her. She was afraid that even the slightest touch would burn her body.

Karenina's voice snapped her out of her reverie and made her realize that she was still standing at the door, blushing.

"Hello again, Helga."

Helga didn't dare raise her eyes. "Good afternoon, Luna. Alpha Xavier has ordered me to bandage your wound." Then she walked to the left side of the bed and placed the wooden tray on the small table nearby, hesitating before sitting down at the end of the bed and apologizing.

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize," she said with a small smile, Helga couldn't help but look out of the corner of her eye at the close proximity.

She was a little embarrassed to undress in front of others, even though Helga was a girl. The only person she felt comfortable undressing in front of was Selene when they bathed together. She missed Selene. What she wouldn't give to be talked to by that girl now.

Helga saw that she was struggling to get her white nightgown off, and with an apology to herself, she reached out to help her get it down to her waist. There were a few spots of blood that could be seen through the bandage on her left shoulder. Helga guessed that the gauze under the bandage had absorbed most of the blood, for she noticed that the white nightgown was not stained at all.

She had just unwrapped her bandages when a scent wafted into her nostrils. It was Alpha Xavier's scent. She decided to ignore the scent as her Alpha had just left the room. She began to unfold the white sleeping cloth by leaning on Karenina while she changed hands with her behind her back. She tried her best not to touch her skin directly, as she was still scared of getting burned by her spiritual power. However, she could not help but accidentally brush against her skin and gasped when it happened. She saw and felt her shift slightly.

"I can do it, Helga," she replied quietly.

Helga's gaze quickly settled on her sad eyes. Had she accidentally hurt the hybrid further by touching her wound? She had silenced her when she tried to explain.

"I know you don't like being near me."

This time she was the one looking away, but not before Helga saw a sparkle in her eyes. Her own eyes widened in surprise. The girl was crying? But why? Because she, Helga, was afraid of her? she looked down in shame and guilt. She had judged Karenina so harshly for no apparent reason. Her biased reaction had clearly hurt Karenina's feelings.

"I'm sorry, Luna. I treated you badly. But let me help you. You're hurt," Helga said in a soft and pleading voice, wanting to make amends.

Their eyes met hesitantly, then she smiled, encouraging Helga to return the gesture.

"It really does hurt. Thank you, Helga," she said.

"It's okay, Luna," Helga replied as she continued to remove the bandage from Karenina. She had just finished removing it and noticed the blood pooling on the gauze as she tried to remove it as well. It wasn't easy. The bandage stuck to the wound and Karenina gasped in pain, making Helga grimace in sympathy.

The cloth had to be moistened so that it could be removed without opening the wound even more. Helga unscrewed the lid of one of the jars that she'd brought with her and dipped the cloth into the cold water to wet it.

Then she pressed the white nightcloth to Karenina's shoulder and waited a few minutes, letting the gauze absorb as much water as possible before trying to remove it again.

It was still a bit stuck, but it was easier and less painful for her - although she still hissed in pain. Helga felt sorry for causing her more pain. Another bandage was wrapped around her chest to cover the wound on her back, but Helga's hand still held the knot as she looked closely at her injured shoulder.

There was a deep gash covered by a thin layer of coagulated blood. The previous removal of the bandage had opened the wound at the edges, allowing fresh blood to flow and stain her pale white skin. The wound looked very painful. There was no sign of it healing. Surely a hybrid would not heal so quickly? How could any of them be alive if such a wound took so long to heal?

The sight of more blood flowing from the wound brought Helga back to herself. Her fingers quickly untied the last bandage, imagining herself treating her shoulder after she removed the other bandages and looked at the wound on her back. She hoped it wasn't as bad or worse than what she saw on Karenina's shoulder.

Looking at her quickly, Helga was surprised by her silence, only to see that Karenina's teeth were clenched tightly together and her eyes were closed against the pain she must be feeling. Guilt and pity overcame her again.

Helga had to wrap her arms around Karenina again to untie her when the scent of Alpha Xavier reached her nose again. She frowned at the sight of her breasts slowly unbuttoning from her bra. She did not actually see Karenina's nakedness, only in her mind.

It seemed as if the scent of her Alpha was coming from Karenina herself. But was she wrong? Leaning closer to sniff over Karenina's skin, her breath froze in her lungs after a moment of probing. Too late, she realized that she had been too curious for her own good when she realized that Alpha Xavier's scent was indeed coming from Karenina. It wasn't the kind of scent one would smell on the surface of another person due to close contact, but something much deeper.

Helga froze in shock as her mind made the connection. This scent signaled Alpha Xavier's intentions, his claim. It was a sign of betrothal. Any werewolf would have been able to tell that she belonged to someone else. But why would Alpha Xavier want a hybrid? She asked again. Then another realization hit her. Karenina's wounds... Alpha Xavier had taken her to the packhouse and its territory... Karenina was the future of Luna!

Everyone in the mansion realized their Alpha's intention to find a mate by starting an aggressive competition for all willing she-wolves. They hoped that their Alpha would return with a winner. Instead, he returned with a wounded and bleeding hybrid. Could this girl be the mate their Alpha had chosen? Once again, she was at a loss as to how this could be the case. She was a hybrid! Half human!