Chapter 53 : Conflicted Hearts

Chase

The Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack, Chase Goldstein, was alone in his room, not wanting the company of a servant when he had so much on his mind. He felt an overwhelming need to see his daughter again, to make sure she was safe. He knew he was overprotective, and although he had rarely given in to his protective tendencies since Elena had grown up, he was currently finding it difficult to respect her boundaries and still sit quietly in his guest room.

Elena's attitude toward him had always been cavalier, probably because he had spoiled her as a child, so he was a little puzzled by her reaction when she appeared out of nowhere when he and Xavier were almost looking for her. She let him hug her pamperingly.

Could it be that she was heartbroken over the fact that she was not the winner of Xavier's competition to be his mate? Maybe her encounter with the hybrid was worse than he had feared? He wanted to make sure his daughter was okay.

Though out of character for her, her actions might mean that she needed her father right now. He had just made up his mind to see her when, out of habit, he fell back onto his pillow. The last time he had overthought her reaction to a situation, he had only gotten a lecture, albeit a respectful one, that Elena would come to him if she needed him.

In vain, Chase waited for her arrival.

Elena was precious to him, his only living daughter. She looked so much like his deceased mate, especially with her dark hair, that he couldn't bear to lose her as well. Perhaps that was why she was so independent, raised by her father and three brothers, and had no female friends other than her servants.

His thoughts returned to the hybrid girl who dared to hurt his daughter. This girl was probably the same girl who Xavier claimed had the essence of a powerful werewolf lord stored in her body, the girl who would be his future mate. Based on the Werewolf Law after finding the winner of the contest Xavier Westwood held, she was already the mate he wanted.

Chase gritted his teeth in anger at the thought, unacceptable. Even if the phenomenon of hybrid girls who possessed the strength of a wolf lord and the energy of a spiritual aura was true, how could an Alpha choose a half-human, half-wolf hybrid girl over a pure-bred she-wolf like his daughter?

He hated the girl because he knew how much his daughter wanted to be Xavier's mate - how passionate and confident she was in her ability to win the right to be at his side. Yet this half-human girl, this hybrid, dared to usurp the wishes and desires of his child? Unacceptable!

When he got rid of his restlessness, he decided to visit the girl in question, even though it was almost dinner time. He knew exactly where the girl was because of the unique light and scent that couldn't be mistaken. Xavier had even put her up in his main room, which was usually reserved for the Lunas!

******

Maya

She felt numb as she left her room to go to the Alpha Bloodmoon Pack's room, as Nathaniel had requested, carrying a small magic mirror in her palm. She was aware that she was indecently dressed in nothing but white nightclothes, but she didn't care.

Her ally, who was also her friend, wished harm to the girl she loved.

She shuddered in horror at the thought.

One of the servants had told her where her father's room was before they left her after tending to her needs and injuries, so Maya tried hard to find it by scent.

There was no one in the hallway, perhaps everyone was in the middle of dinner preparations, but she was aware that food would be delivered to her room because of her injuries. She stopped abruptly in front of Chase Goldstein's bedroom door and just stood there, lost in thought.

How could she let Karenina die?

Tears glistened in her eyes as her face contorted in grief. She wasn't afraid that Nathaniel would see, since the mirror wasn't facing her, but she tried to remain silent.

No! She must not break, not now. Later. She would cry her heart out when she was alone in her room. Rubbing her face with her sleeve, she knew there was nothing she could do about the redness in her eyes as she knocked politely on the door. "Father? I came to see you."

Not once did her voice falter, for which she was grateful.

But no one answered - another knock, but still nothing. She heard no movement inside. In fact, she heard nothing. There was no slow breathing, no heartbeat, and she could not smell his scent inside. She knew without a doubt that her father was not inside, and she cursed herself for not paying attention to her surroundings, or she would have realized that he was gone before she even reached his doorstep.

She took a deep breath before bringing the mirror closer to her face to once again see the reflection of her alliance. "He's not in his room, Nathan. I don't know where he went."

"I see. Call me next time when you find him alone. Don't keep me waiting." Then he disappeared and the mirror reflected Elena's face once more.

She was relieved to hear the news. For now, the girl she loved was safe. What should she do now? She wanted to see her, she had to! It had been too long since she had seen Karen, and she longed to hug her tightly and never let go.

Maya walked towards the girl's room, knowing where she was from the pure light and scent, but stopped short. The hybrid was not alone. Heartbroken, she could no longer hold back her tears as she walked down the hallway to her dark and lonely room alone.

Karenina, her heart cried out with longing.

******

Karenina

She had just decided not to go to the dinner for one of two reasons; first, she wasn't sure how to deal with Xavier, and second, she had no interest in meeting the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack.

She didn't know what to do with Xavier anymore. First, he used barbaric means to find out about her powers when he had her attacked repeatedly while he was looking for a mate; second, he surprised her by wanting to protect her because she was the guardian of the moonstone that made her useful in defeating Nathaniel; then third, he completely confused her by admitting that he wanted her sexually and even touched her in a way no man had ever done before!

She was still a little annoyed at him for being heartless as to why he was deemed suitable to test her spiritual growth and control, but when she stopped to think about it, wasn't he just testing his future mate's strength against the spiritual power of a priestess to make sure she would be a good protector of their future child? How could she hold a grudge when Xavier was only thinking about the safety of his future children? If she were honest, she could admit that a father who dotes on his child is attractive in a man.

Besides, it was considerate of Xavier to offer his help, as long as she didn't think too much about his motives, which were to defeat his enemy and make the moonstone disappear from the face of the earth. Looking at her bandaged shoulder, Karen knew it was because of his help that she was able to recover so quickly. It had only been a few days, but you would never know it from the progress her injuries showed. Even if his methods made her uncomfortable, made her feel things she physically and emotionally did not want to feel, she should be grateful to him, not angry with him.

She shook her head. She realized that she should be grateful, but she refused to betray Rylan any further. She was already afraid to reveal what she had allowed Xavier to do all this time, knowing that the reaction would be far from understanding. She sighed.

She wanted him to understand how she felt, that although she felt lust for him, she was not in love with him, and that was very different from the way she felt. She flushed and covered her red cheeks. Still, how could she not be flattered by Xavier's interest in her?

Then Helga's words brought her out of her reverie.

"I'll bring your dinner right away, Luna Karenina." With a greeting, Helga went to the door of the room.

She couldn't help but smile at Helga's words. After all, she was calling her name now.  However, they both froze as the negative werewolf demon's aura approached, the wolf's energy pulsing with a hateful scent. Instinctively, she took a defensive stance. Before she could call Helga to come back to her, the door to her room opened unceremoniously.

Just like Xavier, the newcomer entered with arrogant strides. Helga immediately knelt on the floor to bow deeply and remained in that position. From her actions she assumed that this was the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack. She accepted him quickly without moving from her defensive position. He stood tall and graceful in his royal robes of golden silk. Even his hair seemed to be made of shining gold, his eyes were a fierce yellow that Karen recognized as predatory, the most fearsome of wolves. When she saw the yellow mark above his left eye, like a symbol of nobility, she knew the man's identity without a doubt, even though she had never seen him before.

She stared at him intently, unafraid of his fierce expression, even though the rest of his face was expressionless. Karen didn't know why this man had barged in unannounced or even why he had come to visit Xavier, but he was here and she didn't believe it. She silently begged Xavier to come and rescue her, for she was still injured from the previous incident and she was Xavier's guest. Lord Alpha wouldn't be happy if they fought in his packhouse, would he?

Meanwhile, Chase was staring at her with flashing eyes filled with disgust, and she was not happy with that look, but she was no stranger to it; however, the silence was tense.

"Who are you to have the right to barge in here unannounced and uninvited?"

He sneered at her. "You show an unseemly lack of respect for your superiors, filthy hybrid. I am the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack, Chase Goldstein."

Bowing in deference to his position, Karen stood without being beckoned, never once taking her eyes off him. "I'm not the only one lacking respect, Alpha. This isn't your pack house territory, but you barged into the guest room unannounced and spoke disrespectfully. I'm sure Alpha Xavier was unaware of your visit."

She saw Chase's cheeks flush with anger and knew she was right.

She was hoping that it would help to overcome this obviously angry Alpha if she mentioned Xavier's name. She wasn't sure if she could defeat him if he decided to attack her. For reasons unknown to her, Chase clearly disliked her.

His answering growl made her take a defensive stance once again.

"How dare Xavier choose you over my precious daughter?" he spat at her, his words filled with contempt.

Puzzled, she tried to open her mouth to respond, but a familiar scent caught her attention before Xavier spoke from behind Chase. Of course, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar cold tone.

"I suggest you leave and return to your room, Alpha Chase. You must be tired after today's events. Helga, make sure he gets to his room without any problems."

"Yes, Alpha." Bowing once more, Helga rose to her feet, but was stopped by the short reply of the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack.

"Don't bother. I need some fresh air."

Then he was gone. Before Karen could breathe a sigh of relief, Xavier sent Helga away, leaving them alone. She jumped slightly as the door clicked shut, shutting them in intimately.