Chapter 40 : Her Rejection
Karenina
She followed him cautiously, nervous but curious about the direction he would take. His hand on her back felt like a burning ember, sending warm sensations through her sensitive skin. They walked leisurely through the corridors, but Karen couldn't stop focusing on the hand on her back. She didn't even notice where they were going until they reached the main doors. These doors, large and ornate, were intimidating. The guards standing in front of the gate gave a deep salute as the couple passed and opened the door with sincere respect.
Once outside, he finally stopped, still without a word. His arm slipped gently around her shoulder, noting the wound on her shoulder. With a gentle touch, he pressed on her injured shoulder, careful not to cause pain. She felt her body begin to float, like the unforgettable sensation of floating in the air she had once experienced with him. Her clothes rustled in the cool night breeze, the moon shining brightly in the dark sky.
Karen looked up at the moon with pensive eyes. Only one more night before Rylan would become a wolf. Her determination to chastise Xavier came back to her, though her increasingly complicated feelings for the man made her hesitate.
He led her through the grove of trees before descending into the clearing. Karen gasped as her eyes fell on the pond and the large rocks near the dark water, glittering with the stars above. Despite the darkness, the sky was cloudless and somehow she had no problem seeing in the dark as she took in the beauty of the oasis that had brought her there. She didn't even notice that her vision was getting sharper, she was so mesmerized. She had always enjoyed the outdoors and found it difficult to be confined to her room. Now she breathed in the clean night air and exhaled deeply.
"It's beautiful," she murmured.
Xavier was pleased with himself that his efforts to please her had been so graciously received, and a sense of pride swelled in his chest.
"I wish I could please you."
She turned to him without smiling. "You shouldn't say such things to me."
"It's true."
"But you're already mated!" she said, a little harshly. "Remember? You went to the trouble of looking for her. She's the one you should be trying to please." Even as she said these words, her heart clenched at the thought of Xavier sharing such a happy place with someone else. She dismissed the thought.
He looked at her silently, her eyes could see him perfectly, and his eyes never left her face. His gaze did strange things to her stomach.
"There are no more she-wolves," he told her.
It was her turn to stare at him in silence, searching for the truth in his eyes. Karen didn't realize that she was the last one left. She hadn't thought of herself as a candidate because Xavier might want her, but it was the she-wolf he wanted as a mate, and the knowledge that she wasn't good enough for him made her sting.
She didn't know why she cared so much about his opinion, but she did, painfully. She felt tears sting her eyes and turned away, ashamed that she would cry in front of him and for such a stupid reason. She meant so little to him and she should have felt the same for him, but still her heart ached and tears stung her eyes, threatening to fall. Why did she have to do it now!
Somehow Xavier was in front of her, a hand cupping the back of her head and gently pressing her cheek against his warm, hard chest. She felt her heart melt and tears streamed down her face. Why was she crying?
Then he leaned over her, rubbed her temple, then moved his lips to drink away the tears she had unwittingly shed. She closed her eyes and savored the moment, even though she knew that for a man like him, she would never be anything more than a passing fancy.
"Why are you crying?" he asked in a soft voice, his lips brushing hers, barely touching.
She took a shaky breath, unable to answer and refusing to look at him.
Undaunted, Xavier kissed the corner of her mouth, then each of her eyelids, making her moan softly and groan against him. Her hands came up and rested on his chest, feeling the warmth beneath the smooth material of his clothes. When she moved to kiss him, Karen suddenly pulled away and pressed against his chest. But he had steel straps around his waist that held her in place. She had to arch her back into his arms to keep from kissing him as he refused to pull away.
"Stop it, Xavier!" She pushed against his chest once more, but to no avail.
"Karenina, we must bond once more to strengthen your wolf essence," he reminded her with a teasing tone in his deep voice.
Meeting his gaze, Karen said firmly, "No! I'm not interested in a physical relationship, so don't kiss me before we bond. Just get it over with." It was almost a plea because she knew the man's grip on her senses was very strong and she didn't want to feel what he could feel when he touched her intimately. Though she didn't say it out loud, they both knew she was thinking of Rylan as well.
His teeth chattered at her rejection as a man. He knew that she enjoyed him touching her, but she refused to let him touch her. He knew that she was thinking about his stupid brother, which pissed him off. He wanted her to think only about him and not about other men, especially Rylan.
He clenched his hands, which were roughly clawing at her hair, and ignored her words as he kissed her hard.
She stood frozen for a few moments before trying to turn her head, resisting the kiss, rejecting it. He tilted her head to the side to deepen the kiss, his hands gripping her hair, refusing to let go. His tongue coaxed her mouth to open with persuasive licks and bites, but she was desperate to break away from him, afraid of drowning in his arms again, so she bit down hard on his lower lip.
She tasted blood, but it didn't seem to bother him at all and he growled in encouragement. His voice was so erotic that it sent a pulse between her thighs, making her ache.
No! I can't... he has to stop... She tried to think coherently, trying to save her heart from a man who could never love her, someone she could never love because her heart had already been taken.
