Karen It wasn't really his words that made her stop, but his unusual tone. He sounded... sad, remorseful, even hurt. She had never heard him sound like that before. He hugged her even tighter, his fingers sinking into her dark brown hair as he wrapped his hands around the back of her skull. "I can't let you go, Karen." The thought of letting her go, of letting her walk away from him, tore his heart apart. Pain like he had never felt before crashed into his chest, squeezing the organ that pumped life's blood through his body. "Just the thought of letting you go... I can't. It's like there's a stabbing pain in my chest that tells me I'm bleeding, but there's no visible physical wound." Suddenly, his words took her breath away; after hearing the painful truth in his voice, he finally spoke with some sincerity. "You know, you're not entirely correct in your assessment of my motives towards you. Yes, I admit that when I first saw you, I only saw a prize, a perfect mate. Even in your c
Xavier She's upset again, and again it's his fault. Will he ever learn to make her smile or will he forever be the cause of her tears? The thought made him uneasy as he continued to hug her, the salty scent of her sadness wafting around them despite her silence, her shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs. Somehow, her silent cries were worse than the loud ones. This... That silent display screamed out her suffering more clearly than the loud cries. He continued to make her suffer. He gently stroked the back of her head as he thought about what to do. There must be a way to get her out of her misery, to make her smile again. An idea flashed through his mind like a lighted beacon. As he looked down, he had to bend over so that he could nuzzle his nose against her temple, but he didn't mind, not in the least, because he was pleased with her small stature and her petite appearance. It made him feel more like her mate, stronger, more powerful, able to protect his precious little mate f
Xavier Their peace and quiet were interrupted when a dark-haired man ran towards them with a cocky grin plastered on his face. He didn't stop until he was standing in front of Karen, his muscular arms wrapping tightly around her. "Karenina! How's my woman doing? Did you miss me?" "Uh, hello, Kayden," she replied in a low voice, her face pressed against his chest. Seeing this scene, his eyes narrowed dangerously, his hands clenched as he imagined tearing off the man's limbs for daring to touch what belonged to him. "Let go of Karenina right now," he ordered, his tone of voice mixed with irritation. He almost called her his mate, but quickly refrained, not wanting to upset her again by claiming her, a claim she had denied. At that thought, Xavier forced himself not to physically remove the brash man, knowing he had no right to do so in her eyes. As he gritted his teeth, Xavier was agitated again, eager to show her, to prove to everyone that she was his...but was she? Even though
Karen Feeling helpless, she let Xavier gently push her aside so that she was no longer standing between the two men. "But... Xavier—" "It's not unusual for men to fight over a woman, Karen. Other men will probably try to challenge my claim on you by proving themselves in a fight to impress the woman, despite the fact that you are my current mate." She frowned and opened her mouth to tell both of them how stupid their actions had been, especially Kayden when he spoke first and cut her off. "Enough with the talk, asshole!" And with that, he lunged at Xavier. Normally his movements should have been too fast for her to notice, but she could still see his fist clearly as he tried to smash into Xavier's face. Xavier didn't have enough time to flinch, though, because he was faster. He caught Kayden's fist in the palm of his hand before tightening his grip and crushing the bone. She knew he did it because she could hear the painful cracking sound. Screaming in both pain and surprise,
Karen Later that afternoon, while out in the garden with Raine, she saw the child playing happily, even trying to ask Helga to dance with her, much to her amusement. Karen raised her hands to hide her grin, trying and failing to look sympathetic in front of a disappointed Helga. Helga gave her a quick look, begging to be saved, and with a small laugh she couldn't contain, Karen got to her feet, intending to help her friend by distracting the excited child. Just as she took the first step to intervene, her eyes widened, her breath caught in her throat as if she had been punched in the face, and she froze. Someone was here, barely noticed among the many different auras of scent emanating from Xavier's pack house, but undoubtedly he was here. Without thinking or warning her friends, she turned on her heel so fast that the bones in her ankle cracked and ran towards the front gate guarding the mansion, almost tripping over the clothes Helga had put on. She tried to grab a few strands
Karen At first, she wanted to say something, to help her "friend" when it was obvious that he was worried that Carolina would think he was involved in a romantic relationship with her, but no words came out, her voice stolen by the pain she felt at his rejection of her - in favor of another woman. "You don't have to explain yourself to me," Carolina interrupted. "Do what you want, Rylan. Spend time with my cousin, as I know you've wanted to for a long time." Then Carolina noticed Xavier's presence and nodded her head respectfully before looking meaningfully at a guard. Then Xavier had the man escort her to a room in his pack house. Carolina walked right past Rylan, ignoring him when he called out to her and continued on. As she stared into his face, Karen saw the longing in Rylan's golden eyes that followed Carolina as she walked away, she saw the old love and pain reflected there. Once again, she remembered what he had said, how he had let her go, and she felt completely shattere
Xavier He tightly grasped the small girl beside him, not only to keep her from falling out of his arms as they were running fast but also because he needed the physical closeness with her to mask the discomfort that he was experiencing - as if with the return of her beloved friend, the man she 'loved' was taking her further away from him even though she was still in front of his eyes. For the second time today, another man dared to touch what belonged to him even though it was clear from the scent of her body that she was the mate that he desired. Although the scent of her betrothal wasn't really a true sign since she didn't get it through sexual intercourse as usual, still that scent of him enveloped her body inside and out, which was a very major and clear declaration that she was taken. The first time with the Alpha of the Midnight Pack, Kayden Black almost made him bare his fangs, especially after hearing that the jackass had tried to claim her as his own in the past. Little di
Xavier She must have heard the strange tone in his voice because she looked at him strangely. All he secretly wanted was for her to speak, to answer, to put him out of his misery, because he had to know for sure that it was over for them, even if it would only be the beginning of his despair, he was sure. And hopelessness was what he felt. A miserable and unexciting feeling. A feeling he couldn't escape even if he tried. "Who? Rylan of course," she said with some surprise, as if the answer was obvious, and maybe it was, but not to his clouded mind. "Rylan," he repeated stupidly. Now it was her that seemed desperate, her face showing more than just sorrow as she took a hesitant step towards him. "I meant it back then when I said I wanted to be with you," she wailed, her hands raised and clutched to her chest as if her heart was aching as much as his. Eventually, a surge of hope washed over the pain and lifted him out of his agony. "Please, you have to believe me," she begged, spe