Karen turned to the servant. “Verena is looking for me?”
“Yes miss.” The servant replied.
Karen turned to Kai. “You may go. It could be urgent.”
Karen nodded. She kissed the top of David’s head. “Go on and have dinner without me. I’ll join you soon.”
“Okay mommy.” David said with a smile. “I’ll save some chia seeds for you.”
Karen chuckled. “I’m sure you will.”
She turned and walked down the hallway, heading to Verena’s room. Karen had no idea what exactly had happened, but she had been able to heal Verena.
It felt that way to her, she felt a kind of energy transferring for her to Verena. And then she had passed out. Or maybe she was imagining it.
She got to Verena’s room to see her sitting up in bed, Nicolas feeding her some soup.
“You’re awake.” Karen said with a controlled smile.
Verena turned to her and smiled. “Karen, hi. Come in please .”
Karen walked in and shut the door behind her. Verena turned to Nicolas
“Babe could you please give us some time? I have something important to tell Karen .”
Nicolas looked worried. He put the bowl of soup on the tray. “Are you sure about that?”
Verena nodded, her red tresses bouncing . “Yes,”
Nicolas sighed. “Call for me if you need me. ”
“I Will.”
Nicolas got up and walked it the door. He paused beside Karen. “Whatever she tells you, don’t flip please.”
“Okay?”
Nicolas walked out of the room and shut the door. “Come here, you don’t have to stand.” Verena said, patting the bed.
Karen scoffed. “As much as I’m glad to see you alive, I’m not your friend. Please don’t act all goody to me.” Karen said but still sat on the edge of the bed.
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better.” She said. “Thanks to you. Nick told me you did something,”
“I don’t think I did.”
Verena shook her head. “I see. Well thank you a lot for it.”
Karen shrugged. “What did you want to say to me? I have dinner to attend to.”
Verena inhaled a lungful of air. “I have a confession to make.”
Karen narrowed her eyes. “Did you poison me?”
“It’s um… much more that that”
Karen folded her arma. “Go on then. I’m listening.”
“Before you came to the pack house, I was going to marry Kai. But then you were mated to him and we’ll, everything that went down went down.”
Karen didn’t like where this was going
“And I was angry, and really desperate. So I…. I frames you up and had you thrown into the dungeon.”
Karen flew to her feet. “You did what?!” She shouted, her voice thundering through the air. “It was you…. you and your father! You wanted me gone!”
“I’m sorry!” Verena cried out “I was so bitter then, but now I’m not anymore. I realized that what I did was wrong and now I…”
“You want me to forgive you?” Karen scoffed. “I nearly lost my life! And my son…. do you have any idea what that would have done to me? To Kai?!”
“I’m sorry Karen. Pease .. I just had to tell you. I…”
Karen sighed and turned away. “I can’t believe you! Just when I was starting to actually feel something nice for you! I thought we were on the same page, but this…. Verena this was crossing the line!”
“I know you must have suffered…. and I…. I really wish I could go back and undo what I did but…”
“You can’t!” Karen laughed bitterl. y “you can’t do anything! I had to try and get by on my own, always on the lookout. You can’t do anything at all!”
Verena grabbed Karen’s legs, her eyes fill of tears and pleading. “Karen please, I’m sorry!”
Karen pushed her off her and moves away from the bed. “I’m glad you’re better. But for your own sake, do not try to talk to me or even get close to me. I want nothing to do with you.”
“Karen….”
Karen stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her.
“Karen,” She saw Nicolas pacing outside. “Karen please, you have to understand”
“There’s nothing to understand.” She hissed and continued walking, eager to get away from that place. “You’ll defend her because she’s your mate! I almost fucking died!”
“I understand that and .”
“No you don’t.” She spat. “Please, leave me alone.”
He sighed and stepped back.
It was all Verena wasn’t it?
Karen had spent those long years wondering what she did wrong to have Kai suddenly want to execute her. And it was all Verena?!
Karen felt betrayed more than ever. If she has known that Verena was behind all this, she wouldn’t have tried to heal her.
“Damnit!” Karen hissed in Anger.
She suddenly wanted to leave this place and go back to her life in the human world. Leave this place and it’s bad memories. So much had happened here that she didn’t want to think about.
Verena and Asher.
And the worst part of all, Verena had to be mated to Nicolas!
Karen felt a spark of annoyance directed at the moon goddess. what kind of stupid track was this anyway?;
If Verena’s trickery had stopped at her being petty jealous and making life unbearable for her, Karen would have surely forgiven her by now.
But framing her up for execution?!
That was unforgivable.
Karen met Kai and David in her room. They were playing a chess game, chatting like old friends as they did.
“Kai,” She called. “It was Verena wasn’t it?”
Kai turned to her and sighed. “She finally told you.”
“How could she do that?! I would have died! And all for what?”
“Mommy what’s the matter?” David asked.
“It’s Nothing , okay?”
He didn’t look like he believed her.
Kai took Karen’s hand and led her outside the room. “I know what she did was a hefty offense, believe me I do.” He said “and I was going to kill her, if Nicolas didn’t reveal that they were mated.”
Karen sighed. “And she expects me to be friendly with her?!”
“If that is what you want to do, fine. If not, also fine.”
“I just…. I can’t believe it!”
“I know I….”
The sound of a scream made him pause, his senses going into overdrive. “That sounded like David!”
“Oh my gosh!”
They rushed into the room. “David!” Karen cried out.
“Damn it!” Kai groaned. “This soon?!”
“I told you he had the fever!”
Karen rushed to David’s side. “Hey, baby, can you heat me? David please talk to me… please…”
David writhed in the floor, his bones twisting in odd angles, sounds of bone cracking and snapping back to place mingled with his blood curling screams.
“Mommy!” He screamed, reached out for her. Karen grabbed his hand and he held tight, breaking the bones in her finger. She winced, not daring make a sound, knowing sound broke fingers was nothing compared to the pain he was going through right now
“This shouldn’t happen now!” Kai shouted, trying to hold the boy in place. His back twisted all the way back, his screams hurting Kai
Karen felt tears in her eyes. David held her hand, his eyes darting to her. Those beautiful blue eyes were gone and in their place blood red. His teeth were elongating, fangs poking out of his mouth.
Karen sobbed quietly.
He was only four!
She had shifted at thirteen, and she remembered how it hurt so bad she passed out for hours! She couldn’t imagine the pain he was going through now.
He screamed again, his voice growing deeper and turning to a growl. Fur erupted over his skin. He let her hand go, Kai grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back as he began to shift.
A huge black and silver wolf that wasn’t possible for a boy his age manifested right in fornt of them, knocking over the bed and furniture .
“My goodness,” Kai breathed. “He’s got a huge wolf….”
Karen felt her heart break. She could feel his pain, she could feel him crying out to her. He turned, red eyes flashing and fangs bared. He lounged at them, large claws raised
“David!” Kai roared making him stop. “You will not hurt anyone, is that clear?!”
David’s wolf growled, the sound deep and rich. It paced the floors, it’s claws clicking on the tiles. It would try to attack and fail, stopping halfway.
He may be powerful, but his father had more authority.
Karen watched, her heart in her hands as the wolf started to get smaller and smaller till David’s small form was left in it’s place, his bones still snapping into position. They rushed to him, Karen pulling his bloodied body into her lap. She touched his face with her good hand, a relieved smile on her face.
“He’s alive.” Kai said, heaving a sigh of relief. “The healer will be here soon. We can’t stay in this place, it’s ruined now.”
Karen winced feeling her bones snap into position. Kai held her hand and kissed her repairing knuckles.
“I’m sorry,” He murmured.
“It’s okay ”
David stirred, his eyes fluttering open. “Mommy? Daddy?”
“We’re right here baby.” Karen said. “Everything is okay. You’re fine. Does it hurt?”
He shook his head. “Not anymore.” He sat up in her lap and yawned, stretching his arms. “I’m so tired.”
“Let’s get you cleaned up and then you can sleep, okay.”
His head fell towards her chest and he nodded. “I’m sorry I hurt you…” He whispered as he drifted off to sleep. “I won’t…. again….”
Karen sighed. She and Kai exchanges glances. She knew what he was going to say.
“It’s too soon” She said. “He’s just four. ”
“You saw what just happened, how large his wolf was at his age. If left unchecked…..”
He could become a monster.
Karen sighed heavily. She hugged David close to her chest. “I don’t want to let him go just yet…. he’s still my baby”
“I understand,” Kai said. “But we don’t have much of a choice now?”
Karen wanted to cry. Kai cupped her cheek and held her gaze.
“We both will be there for him, every step of the way.”
She nodded, leaning her head into his touch.
David had survived his first shift, the youngest alpha to ever shift. Karen felt uncertain about their future as a family.