Chapter 94 : Change of Plans

Maya

She now remembered her dream from that night. She was holding her beloved Karen in her arms when all of a sudden Nathaniel aka Nathan killed her right in front of her eyes. Gasping for breath, she stumbled over to the wall and leaned her hands against the solid wall. She was struggling to breathe. She could not get enough air into her lungs. She felt suffocated.

"It was only a dream," she said breathlessly, trying to use her own voice to separate truth from fiction. "It's just a dream! It's not real."

But not for long. If Chase Goldstein wants something, he wants to be able to get that thing.

Her hand trembled in her throat with terror. If she didn't do something to save Karen now, she would die, and she couldn't stand that. Love won out over honor with just a hint of consciousness.

Once again she ran through the corridors of the house, ignoring the guards who blocked her way. But what could she do? Her presence and her adamant refusal to allow Chase to kill Karen could lead to even worse consequences. Before she could come to a conclusion, she was outside and Xavier was standing elegantly in front of her. She stopped just as Xavier turned to look at her. What a sight in front of the powerful Alpha, her face flushed, panting, her hair and clothes probably ruined from her hasty escape.

If he was surprised by her appearance, Xavier didn't show it and his bland expression remained intact.

"Elena," he greeted with a bow of his head. "Is something wrong?"

"Ah... no," Maya stammered before an inspiration made her take back her previous statement. "I mean, yes!"

A single black eyebrow was raised in response.

Taking a halting step, she spoke hastily, not thinking things through. "You have to help me. I mean, this hybrid girl... Chas-ah... my father is after Karenina. I'm afraid of what he'll do. You have to stop him-"

He didn't even wait for her to stop talking or for her to reply. He left right away, probably to go after Chase and to keep Karen safe.

Had she made a mistake in bringing Xavier into this? Before she could regret acting so impulsive, she heard running footsteps from behind.

"Did you just say Luna Karenina?! Is she in trouble?"

She turned her head to stare at the young maid who staggered in front of her. A blush appeared on the maid's face - it was Karen's maid, she knew - and she bowed low to her.

"I'm sorry, Miss. I didn't mean to be rude, but... Is Luna Karenina all right?"

Another idea popped into her head. Her mind was racing and she decided to take this new action without giving it much thought. She had to save Karen. That meant cutting all ties with Nathaniel and protecting her beloved Karen from any harm. To do that, she had to get to her.

"The things we do for love," she told the stunned maid, stepping forward purposefully.

******

Karenina

Meanwhile, Karen had a sigh of relief and a smile on her face. Then she chuckled. It all seemed so surreal. She had gone from rejecting Xavier's approach to being afraid of losing him. So scared that she was talking like a mad woman. Acting like one too. But she was happy. Confused but satisfied. There was no clarity on where this strange relationship with Xavier of all men was going. Even though she had an idea of his intentions, she wasn't sure of her own. Everything happened too fast.

Yes, she was attracted to him, and felt emotionally connected to him, but did she love him? She thought she might, and that was what scared her. Instead of love being as simple as she thought, it was more complex than she realized. Does he love her too? She thought it was possible that he loved her. Like her, he seemed to struggle with his feelings. Xavier wanted her as his mate, to start a family with her. Not later, but now.

Aside from love, she thought things were moving too fast. She was still too young to get married, an eighteen-year-old girl who would soon turn nineteen. And to have children at such a young age? The responsibility of having a husband and a child was enormous. They had just been dating in a strange way - for a few days! It was too soon to commit to something big like marriage or mating, wasn't it? There might be different things in this territory, like mating, but she wasn't born here. She was a teenage girl with modern thoughts. Would she fit into his world of high society? Karen tensed.

No, she wasn't from this part of town. Would she really fit in here? Besides, if she mated with him, she would be the Luna of the Westwood Pack. Did she really want that kind of responsibility along with the others? She knew nothing about being a Luna. Surely she would disappoint him in her new role and embarrass him. It would be very disappointing for her to let him down.

But she could not bear the thought of leaving him alone.

Suddenly, she caught the scent of someone coming.

She turned, her eyes narrowing as she felt a familiar aura approaching. Moments later, a tall man stepped quietly from behind a tree.

"Alpha Chase." She bowed slightly, never taking her eyes off the Alpha Bloodmoon Pack. "What are you doing here?"

"Disrespectful as always, Hybrid," Chase commented almost kindly.

"I'm as respectful as the person speaking to me."

He ignored her impertinent remark. An evil gleam entered his knife-like gaze, making her nervous.

"You've been left alone, huh? Where is your protector? Has Alpha Xavier abandoned you and finally seen your flaws?"

She lowered her head again. She wasn't going to listen to this, not from Chase, that hateful and arrogant man.

"Get out of my way. I'm leaving now. Have a nice day."

She stepped aside to avoid him, but he stepped toward her, blocking her path. The air was tense, and as his aura reached its peak, Karen flickered her spiritual energy in a warning. Was Chase trying to intimidate her?

"You won't leave until I drive you out," he snarled, his voice like a big wolf pouncing upon his prey.

She was his prey, there was no doubt about it. What was he playing at? What does he want from her?"

"What do you want?" She asked tensely, cursing herself inwardly for not bringing her weapon of arrows. Although she could fight without arrows, she would feel much more comfortable with one in her hand.