Chapter 28 : Carolina

Maya

In tense silence, Mike tried to pull out the shaft of the arrow that had pierced Maya's back. Blood soaked his hands as he broke the tip of the arrow with white feathers. His muscles tensed, and even though he silently apologized for the pain he had caused, he remained focused on what he needed to accomplish. Slowly, Mike pushed the arrow deeper into her body before carefully pulling it out.

She endured the pain tenaciously, only her tense body indicating how painful the process was. When the arrow finally came out, blood ran down Mike's hand and he immediately tried to stop the bleeding. Maya stopped him with a calm voice, insisting that she would heal herself.

Rylan, who had been preparing with his weapon, brandished it and shouted angrily at the shadow hidden behind the trees. "Come out and fight, you coward!"

Maya ignored him and his two friends who were getting ready to fight. She continued to focus on herself, trying to keep her appearance as strong as possible. The strong spiritual energy from the previous series of events had weakened her, and she doubted her own abilities. Maybe Nathan was right, maybe she was not strong enough.

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed as a strange black shadow-like presence appeared from the direction of the trees. The shadow slowly transformed into a calm and noble figure. The figure was wearing a long white dress with red accents, and her dark brown hair was tied up in a neat ponytail, resembling the appearance of a saint.

When Maya saw the figure's face, her breath caught and she was almost at a loss for words. The person looked very much like Karen, her missing girl. However, her face looked cold and gloomy, unlike the warm and friendly Karen. And the scent surrounding this woman revealed an eerie emptiness and death. She couldn't believe what she saw. "Karen?" she muttered in disbelief.

A man seemed to be saying the name "Carolina" in the distance. Maya frowned in confusion as she watched the reaction of this mysterious woman. There was something wrong with her. This woman must have a deep secret, and she felt that her presence would change everything. Who was she and what was her motive?

However, her memories suddenly surfaced. Although she had never seen this woman before, she knew her from Nathan's story. She frowned. So this was the woman who disappeared a few years ago and was rumored to be dead. Carolina, Karenina's cousin, Rylan's first love. Rylan fell in love with Carolina as soon as he saw her, while Karenina secretly harbored feelings for the same man, knowing that he loved her own cousin. Many consider Karenina and Carolina to be twins because of their striking facial resemblance, which makes them almost indistinguishable. Only their personalities differ. Carolina is the more reserved and loner type, while Karenina is an outgoing and open girl. Also, Carolina is a human, not a she-wolf or a hybrid like the others.

She clearly saw the similarities between the two girls, but there were also striking differences. Karen was so open and warm, while Carolina looked cold and seemed to have no emotions at all.

However, the voice of the girl named Carolina interrupted her thoughts. "Why are you protecting this she-wolf, Rylan?" she asked. "Is she one of your friends?"

He replied with some hesitation, "Not a friend, just someone who helped us find Karen."

"So you lost her again, huh?" she murmured, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Rylan felt cornered and tried to defend himself feebly. His ears were pressed against his skull and his eyes were downcast.

Selene, seeing this situation, felt angry. Why did he have to apologize to her? It was none of her business, even though Karen was her cousin, but their relationship was not as close as cousins. "What are you doing here, Carolina?" she demanded, "and why did you attack Elena? You almost killed her!"

Carolina looked at Selene impassively, "I felt an evil aura around her."

Selene stuttered. "Not all she-wolves have an evil aura."

Carolina tore her eyes away from Selene, ignoring her, and focused on Rylan. "I'll help you find the girl." Then she looked at the surrounding forest. "There was a huge fight here. I want to investigate why."

"You don't have to bother," Mike interrupted, not wanting Carolina to go with them to look for Karenina either. Seeing her would only hurt his friend, and he didn't want to deal with this cousin Karen, who had become mysterious after they found her.

Carolina's attention turned to him, but she remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Elena's here," Mike said, pointing to the she-wolf who had finally gotten up. "And she's got an interesting story to tell."

"Basically, Alpha Xavier of the Westwood Pack built a barrier that only full-blooded she-wolves could pass through, where they would fight for the right to be his mate. The victorious female would be given the title of Luna of the Westwood. Did I miss something, Elena?" asked Mike, turning to the she-wolf.

She shook her head, her eyes never leaving Carolina. How could she have ever thought that her Karen would betray her love like Alicia did? She felt so stupid for having suspected such a thing for a moment. She wanted so much to apologize to Karen for not trusting her and doubting her.

"I understand," Carolina replied. She stood for a moment, as if thinking, then turned to leave.

"Wait, don't go, Carolina!" Rylan called after her, as if reluctantly.

The other members frowned, glad that Karen wasn't here to see her love call another woman. Again.

Her head turned as she half looked at the man. "What is it, Rylan?"

He paused, unsure of what to say in front of his friends.

Carolina seemed to sense what he wanted, which was for her to stay. "Like I said, I'll help you find the girl." She didn't tell them the real reason why she was staying with them. She had sensed something strange in this forest.

Rylan tried to hide his sigh of relief as he approached the girl who had been his first love. How could he stand a girl who seemed to have no such emotions? As if she had no life, Maya did not know.

"We're wasting time," Maya said and ran off again.

Rylan transformed into a large wolf with golden brown fur, unlike Xavier who had silver gray fur. He bent down and offered Carolina his back for a ride. "Come on." Carolina did not argue or refuse, even though they both knew they could walk normally. Her cold hands gripped his shoulders while her warm hands held under his knees to lift Carolina onto his back.

His friends had already jumped back to Felix to follow Elena, who was already sprinting ahead when he felt Carolina stroke the fur on his neck. A pained expression crossed Rylan's face before he ran after his friends. Her hands tightened slightly around their legs.