Chapter 36 : His Intentions

Xavier

Karenina followed Raine through the twisting corridors and large rooms without complaint, even as her injured hand was held tightly by Raine. She ignored the pain that coursed through her, choosing to simply enjoy the moment.

Karen had vowed never to go out without a guide, as the complex maze of the Pack Westwood mansion could easily lead one astray. As they walked through the halls of the Westwood mansion, Karen could not help but be mesmerized by the grandeur of the place. It was as if she had stepped into a childhood fairy tale come to life, complete with a beautiful princess or royal ruler. Karen took in all these sights with her beauty-hungry eyes and let herself be mesmerized.

The hall itself was painted white, with golden ornaments decorating the walls, and doors leading to closed rooms were scattered on both sides of the hall. The servants who passed by paid their respects; all Omegas here were trained to serve. Karen felt a little uncomfortable with this very old-fashioned and polite gesture of respect, so different from her familiar surroundings, especially as a girl who grew up in the downtown area, interacting with human life.

Sometimes they passed doors that were wide open, revealing rooms as luxurious as her own. She could actually feel the luxury in the air, and it made her feel even more inappropriate to be here. They continued to pass more servants, and Karen could only assume that they were heading for the servants' entrance, not the main hall she had passed through earlier. Although she had to admit that she had been too sick and too tired to notice when she had arrived here before.

After a few minutes of walking, she noticed a door that was different from the previous one, and she thought it might be her destination, especially when the guard standing in front of her paid special attention. The guard was dressed in elegant and fierce looking clothes, with a serious expression and a sword strapped to his waist. His eyes were sharp and black, staring intently. He wore a light blue robe with dark blue flame patterns rising from the bottom and along his large sleeves. He wore black pants and a black belt with a white shirt. His appearance was impressive, and she could sense from the aura he exuded that he was an Omega, like everyone else they had met since leaving her room.

"Miss Raine," he greeted her with a respectful bow. She couldn't forget that Raine was addressed as 'Miss', which was quite strange to her. The guard kindly opened the door for them.

They stepped out into the warm sunlight and the scent from outside filled her nostrils. She took a deep breath and enjoyed the smell of fresh air and the mixture of grass and flowers. Her eyes were drawn to the beautiful scenery.

They were surrounded by lush green grass, with flower beds scattered in an incredible variety of colors, and a forest a few meters to their left. Although her view was blocked by the towering mansion on the right, she did not mind. She was happy to get out of her pretty but boring room and feel the wind and sunshine again.

However, a small tug on her hand made her injured shoulder ache. Karen tried not to show her discomfort and looked at Raine curiously. "Yes, Rain?"

"Do you want to play with me?" she asked in a sweet voice.

Karenina didn't have the heart to refuse, but she quickly thought of a game that wouldn't burden her or make her too uncomfortable. Cheerfully, Karen replied, "Let's play hide-and-seek. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"Sure! I'll hide first," Raine said with a laugh and ran off. She called over her shoulder, "Don't get caught, Karenina!"

She shook her head at Raine's excited behavior, smiled, turned around and asked Helga, "Do you want to play too?"

"No, Luna. I'm just going to sit here and enjoy the sunshine and watch you two."

"All right," Karen said as she watched Helga keep her promise and sit down, leaning her back against the wall of the building. Then she started to count.

"...eighteen, nineteen, twenty, ready or not, here I come!" Karen yelled as she turned and scanned the floor. "You can't hide from me for long, you little brat!" She smiled as she heard Raine's laughter in the distance and ran in that direction.

Meanwhile, Xavier looked out the window, which was some distance from where Karen and Raine were playing in the other room. His sharp eyesight allowed him to see them easily, and their voices sounded clear to his sharp hearing. Strangely, he felt trapped watching them play with such apparent innocence. He was aware that this girl had been through many hard life experiences, but her innocence remained within her, beckoning to him like a charm he could not ignore.

Karen looked absolutely gorgeous in a dark blue mini dress with a motif of white doves flying across the fabric, adorned with a matching white ribbon. The dress was simple but elegant. He saw that she moved rather awkwardly in the dress, as if unaccustomed to it, and the sandals she was wearing. It was obvious that such an outfit was not part of her everyday style, for he knew that Karen would have looked different in a more casual outfit. He saw Karen take off her sandals and grab a piece of her open dress from her right leg, exposing a bit of naughty thigh for easier movement. Xavier was no stranger to the sight of her beautiful legs, which were always on display whenever he met her on his travels.

He watched her for a moment, noticing that she walked cautiously with each step and seemed to be in a low mood. He knew her injuries must be very painful, and her body was still very weak. He was using all his strength to heal the wound on her shoulder and it had taken a lot of his energy. He hadn't seen the wound since the previous day, but he planned to check on it then to see how it was progressing.

It seemed to be healing more slowly than he had expected. Her wound would probably take more than the three days that had passed. Xavier was growing increasingly frustrated with this development and with the fact that her human seemed to refuse to fully connect with the power of his wolf aura. Clearly, more was needed, for even if she were to heal completely, he would need to fully bond with her before that fact became a reality, so that he would have a chance to make her his future mate. For the first time in his life, he swore to himself.

He almost regretted that he had to change her genetic essence, even if only slightly, so that he could have Karenina as his mate. But he wanted to make sure they had a chance to live together for a long time, not just a few decades before death claimed her. He knew his wish was selfish, but for him it was a necessary step. Besides, he had never lied to her about what he was doing while trying to bond with her, except about his true intentions.

Why did he feel so uncomfortable in this situation?

Stopping his thoughts, Xavier jumped out of the window and approached her. His long strides easily covered the distance, and not long after, Helga, the servant Karen had appointed, knelt down and bowed deeply before him. He ignored her, giving Karen no sign that he had arrived, for Karen was engrossed in playing with his little sister.

Karen stood among the flowers while Raine giggled and ran in circles in front of her. Then Raine was the first to spot him among the flowers and called out to him.

"Brother Xavier!"

Raine ran to him and hugged his thigh tightly. Her head turned sideways to reach his hips because of Xavier's height. He recognized the happy smile on Raine's little face as the tiny hands reached his groin. Xavier patted Raine's head gently and released him after a moment, then stepped back and asked if he had come to play with them.

His eyes fell on Karen and he saw her face flush with concern. The smile she gave him as a sign of welcome warmed his heart. He liked that smile, more than the fearful reaction he often received from people when he showed no tolerance at all. He was tempted to respond to her greeting in the same way, but he was not very familiar with it, so he just nodded and said, "Karenina.”

"Hello, Xavier. What brings you here?" she asked after having made a statement before as if he had no reason to be here. Of course he was here. This was his home!

Xavier just nodded in response, but then he expressed his concern, "You should get some rest.”

She looked around, from Xavier to the grass below, then to the towering walls of the mansion, and back to him. She pleaded with her eyes, "Can I stay here a little longer? I feel trapped in this room, and today is such a beautiful day." She looked at him with eager eyes, as if hoping that he would allow it.

Xavier could not resist her enchanting smile. "For a while," he replied.

She smiled happily and was about to thank him when he added, "But maybe you should sit down." He walked over to the large tree near them and casually sat down, leaning against its massive trunk.

Before she could sit down as she was told, she felt Raine's small hand grab hers and pull her toward Xavier. "Come here, Karen," Raine invited cheerfully.

Laughing nervously, she let herself be pulled towards him. She had little choice but to either let Raine pull on her injured shoulder or accept Raine's invitation. After Raine released him and motioned for him to sit down, he realized that he was now right next to Xavier, with enough space between them that he was sitting very close to him. She stood hesitantly until he asked her to sit down.

"Sit next to me, Karenina," he said, rolling his golden eyes at her. "I won't bite." A small smirk formed on his lips, revealing his fangs.