Chapter 96 : Karenina was Kidnapped

Xavier

His mind was sharp, his goal was to find his target and eliminate him once and for all, but as he took his next running step, the shock almost froze him in place. Karenina. Her scent wafted here, not at his pack house where she would be safe. The scent was fresh, so strong in the air, she must have passed this way only moments ago. And there was something else. Helga's scent was here, too.

A snarl curled up his upper lip, revealing fangs pointed with unusual fury. What was her servant doing taking Karen from his place? His heart thudded as he realized where the two women's tracks led - to the gap in the barrier Nathaniel had created.

And then he was there, standing where Nathan had broken through, but as if it had never happened, the barrier was solid, the hole patched. Before he could answer the questions swirling through his mind, Rylan arrived with Carolina.

"Xavier! Where is he?! I know he's here. I can smell that filthy bastard. Where's Nathan?" Rylan shouted.

Though his words sounded harsh, Xavier turned his head to see his younger brother slowly lowering his burden to the ground. They were both staring at him, their expressions seeming to expect an answer that he was trying to give himself.

"A better question is how did a punk like him manage to infiltrate your home without you knowing, Alpha Xavier?" Chase asked after following close behind.

He already knew that the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack was following him, but he was not afraid of an attack from behind. Chase might have tried to go unnoticed and kill his future mate, his happiness, but the Alpha would have wanted a fair fight between them if that was his intention to kill him, that was what Xavier was sure of, and right now he wasn't sure.

"That's a good question," Carolina said, glancing at the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack without recognizing him before turning her gaze back to Xavier. "How could any of us be unaware of his presence here?" Then Carolina left Rylan's side and stood facing the barrier, her hands raised but not touching it, as if she felt its power. "This barrier is very strong. There is no way he could have entered without your knowledge, Alpha Xavier."

Once again, Carolina turned her head to look at Xavier.

He said nothing, just returned her gaze. There was no way anyone could get in without his knowledge, and Xavier refused to state the obvious or maintain his defense of her or anyone else.

But then Rylan had to open his mouth and vent his anger on himself.

"Huh, what's the matter, Xavier? Is your barrier so weak that you didn't notice someone breaking in?"

"You bastard-" Xavier snarled warningly and took a step towards the obnoxious younger man, only to be cut off.

"That's enough, Rylan," Carolina said, immediately silencing his younger brother.

"No one can cross it without his knowledge - no one. That leads me to believe that Nathan is welcome inside."

"This isn't the first time Alpha Xavier has let the enemy in," Chase scoffed.

Is everyone trying to piss him off, Xavier wondered, turning his gaze to Chase.

"You were here," he murmured meaningfully.

Chase stiffened at the implication that he was now considered an enemy.

"What are you saying, Carolina?" asked a confused Rylan.

Realization suddenly dawned on him.

"Maya," Xavier muttered, leaving everyone around him confused.

"What? If you have something to say, just say it," Rylan barked. "We don't have time for this. Where's Karen?! I smelled her scent. She's here. If Nathaniel has taken her, we have to save her!"

Fed up with his younger brother's anger and impatience, he explained. "Karen told me about Nathaniel's new follower, and how she was different from the others. A she-wolf named Maya is on the verge of death, and Nathan is offering her a new life and revenge on the people who tried to kill her in exchange for her loyalty to him."

"Never heard of her," Rylan replied, unimpressed by the news that Nathaniel had other alliances or followers.

"So this woman didn't come purely from Nathan's soul. What else do you know about this woman?" Carolina asked.

"Just that she seems to have a unique shape-shifting power like Nathan, absorbing the bodies of the people she kills. Maya can also produce black poison fog magic."

"Wait, wait, wait," Rylan interrupted. "What does this woman have to do with Karen? And how does Karen know about Maya? This is the first I've heard about her."

"Maya infiltrated your mating competition, didn't she, Alpha Xavier?" Carolina asked. "And that's how Karenina found out about her. They were both there."

Wordlessly, he nodded his head in agreement.

"There's something else," Xavier began, drawing conclusions from what little he knew. "Maya has same-sex attraction."

"What..." Rylan stared at his brother, dumbfounded.

Chase, who had been silent until now, let out a sound of disgust. "This is completely inappropriate. It goes against every law of nature." Then he gave Rylan a sharp look, wordlessly implying that he was also against nature, being a disgraced wolf.

Rylan got the hint and frowned. "You got something to say to me, bastard?"

"I guess I just did."

Growling, he took a step toward Chase, but Carolina's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Now is not the time, Rylan," she told him. She stared at him for a moment, making sure he was paying attention to her, then glanced at Xavier, and he could see that Carolina was thinking the same thing he was.

"Karenina was kidnapped..." Carolina muttered.

Xavier nodded. "By her maid, Helga, but now I suspect it was Maya in disguise."

Once everyone understood that it was Maya and not Nathan who had burst in, the discussion ended. They still didn't know how Maya had gotten in or what her true form was, but right now they had to find Karen. Rylan and Carolina went in one direction as soon as he cleared the way for them, while he went into the forest in the other direction. Chase stayed behind at his insistence. They still had unfinished business, and he did not want the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack to help with the search, since Chase could not be trusted to bring Karen back alive. He didn't seem to mind, as he had no desire to ensure the safety of a worthless hybrid and return to where he currently resided.

A few hours later, the two of them returned with no news at all. Every trace of Maya had vanished. But while they had been away, new guests had arrived at his pack house - the rest of Rylan's pack and a newcomer. That wasn't the only news that awaited them. Elena is gone, and Chase is furious about her departure. All of them, Xavier, the pack of Rylan and Joshua as well as Chase were present in his study. It didn't start this way.

At first, he called everyone but Chase into his study to let Selene and Mike know what happened regarding Karen. Rylan and his friends - except for Carolina - expressed their shock at the fact that Karen had not only stumbled into the mating competition with Xavier, but had won it; he seemed pleased with the outcome and wanted to make her his mate, but also the added drama that she had turned into a full-fledged she-wolf.

Before everyone could get over their shock, Chase had burst into the study without warning, demanding to know where his missing daughter was.

"Elena?" Mike said in surprise as he looked up at Chase.

Selene grabbed his shirt. "I know what you're thinking, Mike, but I doubt we're talking about the same she-wolf."

"You, do you know where my daughter is?" Chase demanded fiercely, taking a menacing step toward Mike as if he would pry information out of him if necessary.

Tension filled the air, intensifying as the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack's rage reached its peak, his amber eyes fixed on his prey.

"No fighting in my pack house," Xavier warned in a deep, threatening voice.

He sat behind his desk while the others sat or stood on the other side of the large wooden building. Only Rylan and Chase stood, both looking tense. Chase was ready to attack Mike, while Rylan was ready to defend his friend if necessary.

"Alpha Chase," Selene pleaded, kneeling next to Mike, Joshua beside her, looking up at Chase. "Mike thinks we might know who your daughter is, but I'm not so sure. The woman we met might have the same name as your daughter."

"Tell me one way or the other," Chase demanded, visibly holding back and controlling his anger.

"Ah... well..." She began, trying to think of where to start, only to have Mike take over.

"It happened about a week ago. We - Selene, Rylan, and I - went looking for our friend Karenina Mason. She had disappeared. We tried to track her but ended up at the Alpha Xavier barrier. That's where we met Elena. She was one of the women in the battle and told us that Karenina was there too. She also told us that she was going to help us find Karenina."

"Heh, but not out of the goodness of her heart," Rylan muttered, but everyone ignored him.

The news seemed to upset Chase even more, a puzzled expression knitting his eyebrows together. "Why would she do that? Your friend tried to kill my daughter with one of her spiritual arrows. She was lucky to have survived a direct hit."

Selene raised a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. Sensing her frustration, Joshua placed his palm on her knee, comforting her. This did not go unnoticed by Mike, who gave the man a dirty look.

"What? What?! I can see it in your face. There's something you're not telling me," Chase snapped, looking from Mike to Selene and back again.

"Uh... it wasn't Karenina who shot Elena..." Selene muttered, glancing quickly at Carolina.

"Did Elena get shot in the shoulder, Alpha?" asked Mike in a brusque tone.

Chase nodded vigorously before realizing where Selene's gaze was going and narrowed his eyes on Carolina.

"You?" Chase let out a questioning breath. "You tried to kill my daughter?!"