Chapter 25 : Intimate Moments 2

Karenina

Her scent was still the scent of him he had just sensed, but no longer on the deeper level that indicated the deeper bond he desired. In just a few hours, his claim on her had vanished as if it had never existed. He no longer felt the aura of his power in her body, or the elusive radiance of the aura that the sacred moonstone released into her petite body.

As she shifted uncomfortably. Several long minutes had passed since he had last moved or spoken after removing the rest of her bandages. A feeling of unease began to creep into her. Was something wrong?

Hesitantly, she asked him, "Is everything all right, Xavier?"

He lifted his eyes to look at her and replied calmly, "You're not completely healed."

With a slightly offended tone, she said, "Of course, I may heal slower than a full-blooded werewolf, but I feel like my shoulder looks better than it did before."

With great patience, he explained, "I know your body is healing quickly, but the wound on your back still shows no signs of healing."

Her eyes widened and she asked anxiously, "What do you mean?"

"Your scent no longer mixes with mine. The power of the aura I transferred to you seems to have weakened."

She frowned, trying to understand what he was saying, and then turned to look at him seriously through the mirror. "So you're saying the bond might not last long or be permanent?"

"The potential for a permanent bond still exists," he replied firmly. "I just need to give you half of my aura power every few hours until the wolf essence inside you is strong enough to maintain the bond on its own."

She processed the information. In order to heal faster, she would have to receive his wolf power on a regular basis, so that it would become as much a part of her nature as her spiritual power. This seemed to be a reasonable explanation, until she remembered her last experience with Xavier, when he had bound himself to her.

She tried not to sound condescending, knowing he was only trying to help her. Carefully, she said, "Do you, um, think that there might be, I don't know, different ways to bond... with me?" As she fumbled with her words, she glanced at him from behind her eyelashes from time to time. She would have been lucky if he had not interpreted her as suggesting that he would have sex with her.

If he were someone else, she would probably also think that her words could hurt his ego, because he would assume that she did not enjoy his kiss. But she was sure that Xavier only saw her as a tool to achieve the goal of Nathan and the Sacred Moonstone. This was the main purpose of the protection and help he offered her, she knew.

But the few glances she stole at him didn't give her much of a clue, as he remained as silent and calm as ever. It was almost impossible for her to read his thoughts.

On the other hand, he took it as a punch to his ego. He was not happy to hear that she wanted nothing to do with him. She even refused to kiss or hug him. It did not help his pride at all, nor did it make him feel like a man in her eyes. What does she think of me? he asked himself.

But then his high self-confidence returned. Xavier was considered very handsome, very strong and rich. He had so much to offer a she-wolf or even a hybrid like Karen. He was the perfect picture of a man, and he was sure that once she realized that, she would ask him to mate with her, as had happened to so many she-wolves before.

With his pride restored, he replied with a simple but firm "No".

Then, before she could think of any other answer she could have expected, he reached for the bottle of ointment and began to rub the green solution into her back. He was very gentle for a strong, cold, and feared Alpha. Karen was surprised by his skillful treatment as he placed gauze over the wound and began to wrap her back again. However, she felt embarrassed when she had to raise her arms, unable to protect her naked body any longer.

She felt his long fingers touch her nipples, which instantly twitched at the contact. Gritting her teeth, she tried to contain the reaction as the clean white gauze was gently wrapped around them. The constant touch of his fingers on her full breasts produced a sensation that mixed pain and warmth, filling her stomach with fluttering butterflies. Karen forced herself to remain calm, even though she was disturbed by her body's reaction.

However, Karen felt a strange wet sensation between her thighs in the midst of his gentle treatment of her wounds. He was toying with her most sensitive of feelings. She tried to stop her increasingly wild thoughts and felt ashamed. How could she be aroused by Xavier, Rylan's brother? She felt her tears pressing down, regretting her betrayal of Rylan. But she couldn't control her body's reaction, even though her mind resisted.

Suddenly, she felt her midsection pinched by steel ropes, forcing her to slump onto his lap. He cupped her chin gently, tilting her head to rest against his chest. Their eyes met in peace.

Holding back the emotions that were churning within her, Karen began to watch as Xavier lowered his face. His lips touched the corners of her eyes, sending shivers through her body. Karen felt his breath on her ear as he whispered softly, "Why are you crying?"

Xavier, who had noticed that her arousal increased as he deliberately stimulated her, now wanted to comfort her. It was important for him to respect the feelings and emotions of his mate, even if he did not fully understand the reason for them.  He was certain that he could not ignore her grief. That would not be appropriate. Besides, although his body felt excited, his heart felt uneasy, as it always did when his sister was sad.