Chapter 81 : A Tale of Betrayal

Karenina

She looked ahead and realized they were approaching a large old wooden house. Although it looked like any other house, she could feel the charismatic presence of the wolf. But it didn't feel scary at all. When they stopped a few meters from the house, Karen blinked in surprise at the sight of a man with white hair but a youthful look on his face.

As he gently sat her down beside him, the old man said, "Xavier. It's good to see you again, and sooner than I expected." He turned his eyes to Karen and smiled kindly at her. "And who is this lovely lady?"

"Benjamin, this is Karenina Mason, guardian of the Sacred Moonstone," Xavier replied. He was about to introduce her as his betrothed mate, but quickly decided against it. He did not want to be seen fighting with his mate in public. If she felt the need, she could argue with him in private, but he didn't want to see a public display of discord. He doubted he could handle it.

"Yes, I sense an ominous presence around you, little girl," Benjamin said, and she reflexively placed her hand on the hidden pouch containing her gem. Seeing her unconscious movement, Benjamin nodded his head. "A heavy burden, I am sure, especially for a girl as young as you."

"We all have burdens of some kind," she murmured, lowering her hands to her sides.

"Some are heavier than others," Benjamin replied in a low, sympathetic voice before turning his attention back to Xavier. "What is the purpose of your sudden arrival, Xavier? While it is always a great honor to meet the eldest son of the Great Alpha Alaric, I doubt you have come to introduce me to your betrothed."

"How could..." She stammered astonishedly.

Benjamin chuckled. "There's not much this old man doesn't know, young lady."

Taking over the conversation, Xavier spoke. "There are things Karenina and I would like to discuss with you, but recently Karen reminded me of another question I wanted to ask you, Ben."

At first the girl blinked in surprise when he called her by her nickname instead of the usual 'Karenina', but she made no comment.

Then Benjamin turned his attention from her back to him. "Tell me what you want to ask and I will try to answer it."

Meanwhile, she also gave him a questioning look, wondering what else he wanted to talk to Benjamin about besides the disturbing marks on her body.

"Do you have any idea what happened at my barrier during the mating competition?"

"Of course," the old man nodded.

"What do you know about the she-wolf called Maya? Karenina told me that she is Nathan's new ally."

"Ah, yes, the fiery she-wolf. The old man was interested in her as long as she was inside your barrier, Xavier."

She caught her breath. Would she finally find out about the strange woman who had now joined forces with Nathan? She wondered about Maya when her anger at learning that she had allied herself with her enemy had subsided somewhat. Who was she? She didn't have the same scent as Nathan, unless she used a power similar to his. This was the first she knew of it.

Benjamin continued. "After digging even deeper, talking to the forest creatures that haunt the forest, I found out some interesting facts about this woman. She is actually not a part of Nathan's soul."

At this news, Xavier narrowed his eyes, not expecting the answer. How could this Maya figure radiate Nathan's aura and yet not be made of his soul like the rest of the Alliance?

"Another interesting fact is this woman's taste in... bed." Benjamin looked at her meaningfully, but was too reluctant to say it out loud.

Annoyed at being reminded of the strange treatment the wicked she-wolf had given his mate, he said, "We already know about Maya's sexual orientation."

Karen stifled an amused laugh as she remembered their conversation not too long ago, but then she blushed at Benjamin's next words.

"Ah, yes. The kiss she gave the beautiful woman next to you," he said with a twinkle in his eye, knowing that he was baiting Xavier with knowledge of the incident long before the pup.

Xavier gritted his teeth before he ordered, "Go on."

The old man gave him a scolding look before finally agreeing. "I don't know much, I admit. I haven't had enough time to investigate further. However, I have been following the news and Nathan's various appearances through my friends. This is your lucky day, Xavier, because I got this special information in such a short time."

Although she was a little disappointed that Benjamin could not tell her much about Maya, she listened intently, knowing that the news Ben knew was most likely something important. Meanwhile, Xavier had the same thought as her, although neither of them knew it, but both of them remained silent, waiting to hear what the wise old man would tell them.

"A few months ago, this woman, Maya, became infatuated with another she-wolf named Alicia. From the outside, the two women seemed to be in love, but one night she was attacked from behind while visiting Alicia at a rendezvous point. As she lay dying from severe wounds inflicted by Alicia's male lover, Keith, she learned that she had been betrayed by Alicia, who wanted her to be killed because of her sexual preference for life mates."

There was a soft gasp of horror at the injustice of Benjamin's story. Unconsciously, she felt sadness for the betrayal Maya had experienced.

Benjamin continued without pause. "The lovers left the mortally wounded Maya to die alone, but before death took her, a man in a black hood approached her. The man offered her life in exchange for devotion, but the most tempting thing he offered was revenge on those who had harmed her. Maya accepted his terms. Partially cutting his skin, the man poured his blood over the wound on her back to be absorbed into her body."

"There is not much I can tell you after she was reborn as another form of Nathan," he said, his sad eyes catching both of their expressions in his story.

"How terrible," Karen whispered.

"Hmm," Xavier replied. His tone was emotionless.

It seemed to upset her as she frowned at him. "What do you mean, 'hmm'? This poor woman was betrayed and left to die, for God's sake. Show some compassion, will you?"

He shifted his gaze to look into Karen's irritated eyes. "Though her condition is not very good, she has allied herself with our enemy."

"I know, but..." She started, only to stop and look away sadly. "Nathan must be carrying out his old, evil plan. I'm sure Maya is just an innocent victim in every way."

"Even so, her intentions towards all of his enemies, which are you and me and your friends, most likely include our deaths." He said again.

She didn't answer, she knew Xavier was right, but this wasn't the first time Nathan had used others. Look at Selene for example. He had tried to manipulate her into killing Rylan, claiming it was all his fault that her family, her entire home, had been destroyed. Now she'd allied herself with them and become their best friend. How could she turn her back on another victim of his evil plan?

Xavier turned his attention back to Benjamin when she remained silent and asked the question that had them searching for the man. "Benjamin. There is another question I would like to ask you. It concerns Karenina."

The old man looked at Karen thoughtfully before turning to him. "Say your question, young man."

She forced herself to push the thought of Maya to the back of her mind so that she could hear what Benjamin had to say, knowing that he would ask about the mark on her side.

Ignoring the distasteful way it was directed at him, Xavier said, "Karen has a mark on her side that was not there before, where the Sacred Moonstone once hid under her skin. What does this mark mean?"