Chapter 74 : Her Wrath

Chase

He was not satisfied with this answer and took another sip of the champagne. He didn't really care where she came from, but since he didn't get an answer, he was curious. He wondered what Xavier was hiding. Maybe it had something to do with the reason why the girl still didn't have the scent of a true betrothal. Either they hadn't had sex yet or the engagement was a fake. How could it not be? No matter how much wolf aura energy resided in her small body, she was still a hybrid, not on their level. If she could not endure the bond, then she had no right to Xavier. His daughter might still have a chance.

"Of course," Chase agreed quietly, trying a different tactic. "But I have to admit, you might have a good idea. It's been too long since I came home to the arms of a mate, my mate died a few years ago, may she rest in peace."

"Maybe," was his vague reply, but he knew instinctively that Chase was up to something. Another covert attack? It seemed that Karen was secretly wondering the same thing, tense at the prospect of the worst. They didn't have to wait long.

Chase pretended to look at Xavier and Karen, though she refused to turn her head and look at him as she took a sip of her champagne.

"I wonder," the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack murmured in a low voice, "if this girl really is a gem, why haven't you come out and admitted it yet? I don't smell the scent of betrothal on her body. Why do you have doubts, Alpha Xavier? Or is she incapable of keeping this bond?"

******

Xavier

That name again, she thought with some surprise, as she had forgotten it after her conversation with Helga had been interrupted. Inwardly, she muttered confusedly, "The scent of betrothal?" without realizing that she had spoken aloud.

Xavier fell silent as his fears surfaced. Chase realized that the girl did not have the scent of his betrothal, a ritual required to declare her as his intended mate before the actual mating ceremony. It doesn't matter if both parties are virgins and have never had intercourse. During the betrothal ceremony, the two must have sexual intercourse to blend their auras and scents. Then, on the day of the mating ceremony, they must have sex again as husband and wife, but this time they exchange blood and mating marks to bind them together until one or both die. Only death could break the bond.

He didn't dare to look at her. He wondered what she thought of the Alpha's question. Did she understand the meaning of the bond? Did she know what it meant at all? Or did she not know anything about the Alpha's courtship at all? Xavier glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was staring at her champagne with a puzzled expression. He doubted it. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Was it one of those pieces of information he should keep from Karen until later or should he reveal it as soon as he could?

He didn't know! He didn't want to do or say anything that would push her further away from him. He was already in a state of uncertainty.

"Yes, the scent of betrothal. Little girl, don't you know-" Chase started to speak only to be cut off by Xavier.

"That's an inappropriate topic here, Alpha Chase. Another time, perhaps."

Chase nodded his head politely, but he knew he was dealing with something big. "I'm just worried about you, Alpha Xavier. Wasn't a lowly woman the cause of your father's great and terrible downfall? I don't want that to happen to his son."

******

Karenina

The silence that followed was deafening for her. She sighed silently as the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack hurled insults at both Xavier's father and himself. She set her glass down sharply, drawing the attention of both men. She no longer cared about manners. To insult her was something normal, but to insult the master of the house in his own home was something completely different.

"You are talking about things that you do not know anything about," she said in a deep and fierce voice. "How dare you insult Xavier while you are enjoying his food in his home?! Luna Irene is a true lady, a wonderful person, a wonderful woman. It was his father's decision to protect his loved ones. You dare to insult his sacrifice?"

"It is not proper for a woman to speak her mind," Chase criticized, ignoring her words.

"And talk about bad character for the sake of criticizing others unfairly. You don't know Luna Irene or Xavier's father. You don't know Xavier or me. You know nothing of this," she snapped back, glaring angrily at the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack.

"Now look here-" Chase began, his cheeks reddening at her words.

"No, you listen!" She said loudly, cutting him off harshly.

Chase was shocked at her audacity to cut him off, to raise her voice to him, and he sat there staring at her in astonishment as she continued.

"I'm sure Xavier is old enough to choose his own mate without you holding his hand. And in case you forgot, I was the one who won the mating contest Xavier set up. Not the other she-wolf, not your daughter. It was me! So the next time you question his decisions, remember the facts."

Xavier looked at her with wide eyes, surprised by her wrath. In truth, he had been enraged by Chase's latest insult, but before he could retaliate against the Alpha of the Bloodmoon pack, she had struck him, defending him and the honor of his late father. He stood suddenly, startling his guests and servants as he reached out and gently helped Karen to her feet. As he gestured for her to start walking, he said over his shoulder without looking back, "Excuse me, Alpha Chase. My dear little girl and I will rest now. A servant will escort you to your room after you have finished eating."

Chase was stunned as he watched them leave, leaving him alone with his bad temper. He threw his champagne glass angrily as they left the hall before getting up to leave as well.