Chapter 4 The Unlikely Alliance

Karenina

In the dark and dense forest she waited for the other she-wolf to appear. I'm sure it's just like the others, she thought. Her hands began to ache from the tension she was applying. Impatient and in pain, she called out to her hidden target. "Come out, wolf. I know you're out there!" A few seconds later she could hear someone approaching.

She-Wolf spoke as she came to see her. "Please don't attack. I don't mean you any harm."

She was suspicious about the sincerity of this stranger. Anyone would be suspicious after being forced to fight a she-wolf all day. But she sensed no malicious intent from the werewolf.

When the she-wolf saw that the girl was neither threatening nor relaxing, she spoke once more. "My name is Maya. I don't want to fight you. I can smell your blood and feel your strength. I wonder why a young hybrid like you is here. I didn't know that an Alpha like Xavier would allow a hybrid like you to enter his territory barrier." After her explanation, she waited for an answer from Karen.

When there was no response, she tried to speak again. Pointing again to Karen's injured and bleeding arm, she said, "You are hurt. Let me help you, little girl."

For a moment, Karen came out of her shock. She was surprised by this she-wolf's kindness after such a hostile encounter with the others.

Smiling, she raised her hand. "Finally, someone who doesn't want to kill me. My name is Karenina." The girl sat down again, put her hands in her lap and leaned back against the tree. "I would like your help. I seem to have sprained my arm a little." The girl looked down at her bleeding arm.

She approached Karen when she was sure she would not be attacked. She lowered herself to the girl's level and asked, "May I see your injured arm more clearly?"

"Yes, of course, and call me Karen."

She nodded and began to examine the wound on Karen's arm. After seeing the wound, she tore some cloth from her clothes and carefully wrapped Karen's wound. She watched Maya's appearance curiously, curious about what she had meant earlier when she had talked about the she-wolves.

"Hey, Maya? What did you mean earlier about Xavier? I saw them a while ago and they also said something about Xavier's territorial barrier. What territory barrier are you talking about?"

She was surprised by Karen's courage in confronting Alpha Xavier and her ignorance of the situation around them. Finding her voice, she asked, "Do you really not know?"

When the girl shook her head, she continued. "Alpha Xavier has been calling for adult female werewolves to find a suitable mate among them and accept his challenge for the right to be his mate. But I don't know why or how you were able to get past the barriers he put up around the battlefield, which only allowed pureblood she-wolves who were of a mature age to enter."

Karen, who had just begun to speak again, was held back by Maya, who could sense that it was the young girl's thoughts that were being spoken rather than addressed to her. "So he's the one who called me. But why didn't he mention anything before? Unless he was just messing with me!" she became angry, standing up and raising her fist in front of her. "When I find him, I'm going to tell him that I don't want to be his entertainment anymore. I'm not his chew toy!"

Without paying any attention to the woman in front of her, she started to walk away in search of the cold and arrogant Alpha. Maya ran after her, then hurriedly asked, "Can I come with you, Karen? I can help with the other women if you want."

Smiling at Maya, who was much taller than she was, without thinking why she would want to help her when her mind was only on one thing, she replied, "All right, let's go find that cold and arrogant Alpha!"

Maya's eyes widened at the courage of the girl younger than her to dare insult her Alpha, she wondered if it was courage or stupidity.

Karen and Maya continued their journey in high spirits to meet Alpha Xavier. They traversed the dark and dangerous forest, hoping to question the Alpha's true purpose and motivations.

As they approached Alpha Xavier's territory, they saw alarming signs of fighting and destruction. It was an indication that the battle between the she-wolves had been a fierce one.

The power was palpable in the air, sending a disturbing vibration through the forest. A moment later, the sound of breaking leaves and twigs decorated the forest floor.

Maya and Karen, these two unlikely friends, looked at each other with concern. Maya followed Karen's footsteps with an admiring glance as Karen continued to stumble and grumble about the roots that seemed to be blocking her.

Maya watched Karen's steps with a slightly amused expression. The young hybrid girl kept tripping over the roots and grumbling about how they kept jumping out and trying to bend her legs. Another burst of holy spiritual power kept her from bursting into laughter.

At this rate, we will be surrounded by the rest of the she-wolves, she thought.

However, their situation changed drastically when Karen suddenly stopped, her back stiff. She turned her head slightly, one eye staring at Maya while the other looked into the forest. She looked back at Maya and said, "They have surrounded us." Through the mind-link.

By 'them' she meant four powerful female werewolves. Maya also sensed their presence and prepared for a defensive stance, while Karen was ready to aim her arrows, imbued with her divine power, with determination.

The sound of a woman's laughter broke the silence of the forest, causing her to adjust the handle of her crossbow as she whimpered at the lingering wound on her shoulder. The girl's eyes were focused on the three female werewolves in front of her, while she also sensed the presence of a fourth female werewolf hidden in the trees. From her perspective, the three female werewolves seemed to have just engaged in a fierce battle.

The first she-wolf in the middle was about the same height as Karen. Her auburn hair flowed down her back and her eyes were gray. Her clothes, like those of the other two female werewolves, looked torn with fresh blood stains, though she could not be sure if it was her own blood or the blood of the enemy. The second one on the right had purple eyes and almost white hair, flowing down to the waist. Her tall posture and long legs reflected elegance. Meanwhile, the third she-wolf on the left had fiery red hair, sparkling green eyes, and an almost hidden claw.

The laughter that could be heard once again caused the female werewolf in the middle to speak to the female werewolf to the right of her, who was named Ariana. "How interesting, Ariana. A wounded little hybrid girl and a weak female wolf. We can settle this quickly. There's no need for our leader to get her hands dirty with this kind of garbage."

But as the words echoed through the air, something happened to Karen. She felt a strong urge and energy flow through her body. And with that, the female werewolves attacked the two of them. Karen didn't stay silent, so the girl shot her arrows full of holy moonstone power into the middle of the enemy, then she had to quickly dodge the claws that were coming at her. Her first arrow missed, but she was far from discouraged, she could feel her adrenaline peaking and hear her heartbeat echoing like a drum in her ears.

Then she glanced at Maya, it was just a quick glance, but it was enough to show that Maya was fighting two other she-wolves. Karen immediately focused on the red-haired she-wolf in front of her, who had ducked down with bared fangs and outstretched claws.

"You've reached your end, little one." The she-wolf jumped at her again, ready to pounce with her long, sharp claws, but she was ready with her crossbow, so she charged back at the she-wolf as she ran toward her, striking her in the side of the head. She drove the she-wolf away with her spiritual strength, which came from the power of her sacred moonstone.

The she-wolf staggered and fell backward, losing her balance.

She whimpered in pain and fear. Karen stepped forward, her crossbow at the ready, her eyes fixed on her. "Do you wish to continue your attack?" she asked, her voice full of courage.

The she-wolf stared back at her with a look of hatred and rejection in her eyes. But her strength began to fade and she realized that she was at a disadvantage.

"I... I surrender," the she-wolf said in a low, almost inaudible voice.