Chapter 76 : His Perfect Mate

Xavier

He heard her take a deep breath as if she had been badly hurt. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes as she looked up at him, looking hurt. Wanting to correct his mistake, Xavier raised his hand to stroke her hair, but she flinched and rejected his touch. Then he clenched his hand into a fist before placing it on his thigh.

The sound of her voice was hoarse as she said, "I didn't mean to mislead you, to give you false hope. I would hate myself if I did something so cruel." Even though her tears were about to fall, she did not turn her face away from him.

Just as she had been instructed to do. They both heard her unspoken words, but made no comment.

"Stop worrying, Karenina. I will hold you to your word," he said, and when she opened her mouth to protest, Xavier spoke to her. "Still, you will not be touched by me unless you want my touch. Nor will I force you to be taught the ways of a true lady, but remember this, until the day comes when I know for certain that you will never be mine, I will never give up."

His firm words stopped any words Karen might have said. Seeing his conviction, she knew he would keep his word. Xavier would not give up until he himself realized that she meant it when she said that she could not be his mate. A part of her doesn't want him to give up, while another part of her is saddened by his stubbornness. The truth is that she didn't want to hurt Xavier, but she saw no other way. He had made his choice, just as she had made hers.

Karen nodded her head in understanding.

Then they sat in silence for a few minutes. The silence made her uncomfortable, but she didn't know how to break it. Should she leave? She had just mustered the courage to tell him that she should go back to her room and say good night, but his voice startled her.

"Tell me about yourself, Karenina. What is your life like outside the Moonlit Grove Pack?" He looked out at the darkening landscape. He could feel her fear, her uncertainty as the silence grew. He did not want to leave her yet. Chase's words came to his mind.

"Alpha Xavier rarely tells us anything about yourself. Where do you come from? Whose bloodline are you?"

It was too late for him to realize that he didn't know anything about her either. Now that his mind was set on that thought, he found that he wanted to get to know her, to understand her better. If he had more information about Karen, he might be able to find a way to turn her loyalty away from Rylan and towards himself. Now he would start with Karen's life before her first journey through the territories.

******

Karenina

She blinked in surprise. Was he trying to get to know her? Did he really want to know about her? Hesitantly, she said, "There's not much to tell, really. As you know, after my family and I moved away from Moonlit Grove, I was just a normal high school girl. Originally, I grew up in Moonlit Grove with the rest of my family before my father died and a tragic war broke out between my pack and the evil rogues. Actually, my father is a Beta of the Moonlit Grove pack, while my mother is a human descended from the Priestess of Light. I only found out after my father died in the war, and we decided to move because we were still grieving after my father's death."

Curious, he asked, "Are you still in high school? Tell me more about your school life?"

She nodded and began to open up the subject. "Well, it's been a nightmare, at least for me, since I've been going back and forth between schools. Even though I'm in my last year of high school now, I swear that if it wasn't for my friends helping me with the homework assigned by the teachers, I would have fallen so far behind that they would have had to pull me out of the pit I accidentally dug myself into. Not that I'm not already far behind," she muttered at the end, feeling sad at the thought.

When she looked at his face, which remained silent, she realized that he probably didn't know what she had said. She tried again and said to him, "In the city where I live now, in the center of the city, we live among humans and there are many schools. There, boys and girls go to school from the age of five until they are eighteen, unlike the Moonlit Grove Pack or other packs, who tend to attend school less and rely on private tutors. Then they can decide if they want to continue their education for a few more years or start working."

He looked at her thoughtfully, wondering how much knowledge she had.

"So what have you studied, Karenina?"

"Oh, math, English, science, history and such. Same as Raine, but a lot more," she said, using Raine as a comparison, remembering the child's studies. "For example, math," she grimaced at her least favorite subject, "there's a basic equation with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, but it gets a lot more complicated when you learn algebra, geometry, and calculus."

******

Xavier

He just stared at her, realizing that this little girl had more knowledge than most students. The benefits that her knowledge could bring to the people of this pack were so great. She might not realize it, but she possessed enormous power from her brain alone. He looked at her with a new sense of awe and pride. Yes, she was indeed the perfect mate, his mate. Rylan had failed to realize the jewel he had within his grasp when he had not accepted her as his own. A mistake he would never make again.

Then he wondered at the difference between their environments, and the realization dawned in his heart. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. Would she leave the unfamiliar place she described to him, where her freedom was severely restricted?

Indirectly, wanting to know her thoughts on the matter, he asked, "Do you miss home? Or do you prefer it here?"

Sensing no intent other than curiosity on his part, she replied, "I often go home to see my family, go to school, and meet with friends... Over the years, I've found a happy balance between the two. I have come to love this place, in addition to living in Moonlit Grove and now being a part of your pack. I never see myself not coming here. This place is so beautiful compared to the city."

Her words fascinated him, but his uneasiness grew. He was one of the richest and most powerful Alphas in the pack, but he knew that no matter how luxurious a home and lifestyle he could provide for Karen, the comforts she was used to would not be within his reach. Would she choose to stay with him instead?

"Humans are strange creatures. Destroying nature is the same as destroying one's future," he remarked, knowing that he would definitely not like what she had said.

She chuckled softly at the memory. "You should have seen Rylan the first time he went through the portal in Silverthorn Forest. To this day, Rylan hates the big city environment, he thinks the city smells, is too bright and noisy."

Her words brought his attention back to her face in an instant, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "I know about the myths in Siverthorn Forest and the magic portal. Is there anyone else besides you who can use that power?" He asked, thinking about how that power could be used in the wrong hands, frowning at the possibilities.

"Oh no, it's not like that. Only Rylan and I can use the portal. I don't know how it works," she said simply.

He stiffened. He wasn't happy to learn that Rylan could travel with her to places he couldn't. Or could he? "Then I'll test the power of this portal," he said in a brusque tone.

She looked at him in surprise. Xavier sounded almost... angry. "Uh, sure, but don't be surprised if it doesn't work."

His jaw tightened at her hesitation, but he didn't say anything. The gulf between them seemed so wide at the moment, and he tried to cross it as best he could. He moved so that his back was to the window and grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to his side.

Karen looked up at him with startled eyes as he wrapped his fingers under her chin, tilting her head further back to meet his lips as he lowered his head.

But she turned her head and let his lips fall to her cheek. Undeterred by her rejection, his lips slid down her cheek in a gentle caress.

"Xavier," she protested in a low tone, but he heard the longing in her voice.

"Karenina," he whispered in her ear before licking her rounded outer lips, in stark contrast to the pointed tip he had.

"We shouldn't," she murmured, but did not stop him as his lips moved down to her neck, over her throbbing pulse.

He used his soft tongue to trace the wildly throbbing pulse, his breath hot on her body and he felt her body tremble in response. Eagerly, Xavier planted open-mouthed kisses on the side of her neck before tugging at her skin, sucking gently, knowing that her skin was sensitive to his attention. Her answering moans were music to his ears. Xavier pulled harder, increasing her pleasure.

Running her fingers down his back, she rubbed his scalp as her hand tightened reflexively. Knowing that Xavier could not continue this moment without making her regret it later, perhaps pushing her further away from him, Xavier pulled away slightly. Letting his breath warm the wet trail he had left behind, he saw goosebumps rise on her body. "Karenina, let me help you. You must be aching from wearing these heavy clothes."

******

Karenina

At first she didn't understand what he meant, not until he used his curved finger to bring her lips right under his and she froze. Karen pushed desperately against his chest, and he allowed her to have a small space between their upper bodies, but her hips were still tied to his, and their thighs were pressed against each other.

He saw the fear in her eyes and understood. "Do not be afraid of the wolf aura within you. I won't let anything happen to you."

She shook her head and looked up at him, her hands moving to grab the front of his shirt with a firm grip. "N-not that." She swallowed before stuttering, "There is a mark on the side of my body where the Sacred Moonstone used to be before it was moved."

Frowning at her statement, he backed away further. "Show me."