Chapter 23 : Unveiled Desires

Karenina

She spent most of the time sleeping and resting, and when it was late afternoon, she finally woke up from her sleep. Helga was there to help her out of bed so she could go to the bathroom, though she noticed that this time her body didn't hurt as much when she moved. Could it be that the power of the wolf within her, which Xavier had helped to strengthen, was playing a role in this? She was grateful for the help of the Alpha of the Westwood Pack when she had expressed her desire to take a shower. If she was going to meet Xavier, she preferred to be clean and fresh, not wanting to irritate his sensitive nose with the smell of blood and sweat.

"Can I help you take a bath, Luna?" offered Helga as she stood by the tub of warm water.

Karen had a moment's thought of refusing the maid's offer, but she didn't feel strong enough to do it herself. The less pressure she put on her wounds, the better. With a sigh she finally agreed.

"Sure, thanks, Helga."

She watched as the woman gathered towels, washcloths, soap, buckets, and white pajamas, then placed them neatly on a small shelf near them and on the edge of the bathtub. Then Helga stood in front of her and began to carefully remove her clothes. Karen tried not to think too much about this rather uncomfortable situation. She stood still as her maid helped her undress, then folded her clothes and put them away neatly.

Now that she was naked, she was helped into the tub of warm water with her right arm around the maid who remained at the edge of the tub. Karen then immersed herself in the water, which reached almost to the top of her chest. The temperature of the water felt slightly stinging but also soothing on her back. She was relieved that her shoulders were not in the water. They had agreed to change the bandages on her shoulders after the bath, letting the water soak into the bandages so that they would be easier to remove later without hurting her as much as before. Afterwards, Helga promised to clean her wounds more thoroughly.

"Please keep your back away from the edge of the tub, Luna, so I can wet your hair," the maid advised her.

She did as she was told and then helped to bend her head as Helga poured water over her with the bucket she had brought. The water quickly soaked into the bandage on her shoulder, but the pain was not as bad as she had feared. In fact, Karen found the shower quite soothing as the maid began to lather her hair with soap and massage it into her scalp.

She didn't realize she was sighing happily, but Helga smiled softly, although she didn't realize she was smiling because her eyes were closed. Maybe a little help wouldn't be bad, she thought to herself.

"Close your eyes, Luna," the maid warned as she began to rinse her long, earthy brown hair. She was disappointed that her part of the bath was almost over. She was feeling very relaxed after the treatment the maid had given her until her next words made her eyes open wide.

"Lean forward so that I can clean your back, Luna," the maid said again when she had her eyes wide open.

Karen was beginning to wonder how much of a help she was going to be in this bath. She did as she was told, bending over with her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her bent knees. She felt the hands of her maid, Helga, who was still dressed, run gently over her bare shoulders, then down her lower back, below the surface of the water. A gentle pat on her right arm told her to raise it so Helga could clean it. A similar treatment was given to the other arm as well.

She then asked her to turn around and hold out her legs for a bath. However, she gently but firmly refused any further assistance and told her that she could finish the job on her own. Helga did not insist and simply gave her the wet cloth she had prepared, which Karen used to scrub her unfinished body parts.

Later, her maid helped her out of the tub. However, when she tried to help her dry herself, Karen again insisted that she could do it herself. Nevertheless, she allowed her to dry her hair. Karen sat in front of the dressing table with a large mirror and let her comb her hair. Helga had just started to brush her hair when the door to the room suddenly opened and Xavier walked into the room. Her eyes and Xavier's met through the mirror. She noticed that Xavier looked as angelic as ever. His silvery black hair stayed in place, his clothes were neat, his body was tall and graceful, and his face was extremely handsome. She found it impossible that anyone could look so beautiful and masculine at the same time. She thought for a moment about his silky shiny hair, she felt her hands itch when she looked at his silky shiny hair like that, and suddenly erotic thoughts arose about smelling the scent of his hair. She felt her cheeks heat up and her right hand itch at the thought. She felt uncomfortable and immediately lowered her gaze to the hand that was holding her thigh.

She did not see Helga's movement, but she sensed that the maid had moved away from her. She looked back at Helga and saw her bowing as a sign of respect to their Alpha, Xavier, who was waiting for his orders.

"Leave us now," he told the servant in the commanding tone of his Alpha.

Her eyes flew up to meet his gaze once more through the mirror, and she wondered if he was referring to her. But as Helga stood up to obey, she realized that Xavier was not ordering her to stand up and obey. As the maid left, she started to get up to confront this Alpha, but his voice stopped her.

"Stay seated, Karenina."

She watched as Helga slowly made her way towards him to leave them after she had obeyed his orders. He continued to watch her silently through the mirror. Now that she was here, she felt nervous and afraid. She could do nothing but watch as Xavier approached, the sound of his feet breaking the silence.

She didn't know what to expect from him as he came up right behind her, but his gaze seemed to read her own. Her eyes followed the Alpha's gaze through the mirror, trying to understand his intentions. He seemed to be staring at her, but she couldn't understand why. Her hair must look messy, she knew, but that wouldn't make him stare at her like that. He still stared at her and did not look into her eyes.

He caught her attention again, and this time she was embarrassed. His gaze fell on her exposed clothes. The buttons were loose because Helga had planned to re-bandage her wound after combing her hair. The bandage that was supposed to protect her seemed almost useless as her nipples protruded clearly from the cold. Her flat stomach was clearly visible. She felt naked when she clearly wasn't. Her face flushed as heat and shame washed over her.

Of course he's not checking me out, is he? she thought in panic. Such an act was completely out of character for Alpha Xavier, who had always seemed to be cold and heartless with his emotionless face.

She tried to fix her clothes, pulling the hem closer together, but a movement behind her caught her attention. He had been on his knees behind her and was now in the process of picking up her brush.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she murmured, her eyes full of confusion.

"I'm going to help you," he told her.