Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 13

Betrayed by Blood~

I was done with my chores for the day. I had gotten used to it and now made sure to be done earlier than everyone so I could take a break. I had finished arranging the food for the guards when the head maid stepped into the kitchen, her gaze roaming around the place until it landed on me.

"Avery," she called out to me, and I tensed up. Whenever she called me, it was never for anything good.

"Yes," I replied.

"Take this to the eastern border. The guards there are waiting for their delivery," she ordered, gesturing at the bag filled with the food I had arranged. I furrowed my eyebrows at her order. Not only was it not in my chore list for today, but the distance to the east border was no joke. I had done

it once, and it was hell. To do it now when my feet were still hurting would be horrific.

"But my feet..." I stammered, but Martha merely cocked her eyebrows up. "The orders are clear, Avery. You’ll go and deliver the food. It’s not optional. Don’t waste time. The distance is no excuse. Just go," she emphasized.

I swallowed hard. "It isn’t in my chores list today," I replied quietly. The kitchen had gone silent by now, everyone’s eyes were on me. I had never spoken back to anyone here.

Martha looked at me with disbelief. "Your chores list is written by me, and if I say you deliver to the east border today, then you will do exactly that... or would you rather take it up with Miss Kendra?" Martha snapped at me.

I shook my head, swallowing the discomfort that filled my throat. "Of course. I’ll leave right away," I replied. Guess there’s no break for me. At this point, I was pretty sure everyone here just hated me and took out their frustrations on me. I had been used to Jasmine, Aunt Darla, and Dean’s anger towards me and their frustration, but here I could never understand.

I grabbed the bag and walked out of the kitchen. The sun was scorching, and I had to walk under it for an hour with an injured ankle.

~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Kendra stood by the large window. She could barely suppress a smirk as she pictured Avery struggling with the long walk on her injured feet. It was hilarious to say, knowing Avery had no one to turn to here.

Not long after, the door to the room opened again, and the head maid entered the room. She bowed slightly before speaking. "It’s done, my lady," the head maid reported. "Avery is on her way to the eastern border, just as you requested."

Kendra turned from the window, her eyes glinting with excitement. She grabbed the wad of cash on the table nearby and passed it to Martha. "Good, you’ve done well," she said just as the head maid latched onto the money, thanking her profusely before she was dismissed.

Kendra couldn’t wait. The mere knowledge that Avery would never be returning filled her with excitement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forty minutes later...

Avery was still walking, no, she was dragging herself. She was almost at the eastern border now. From where she was, she could see some of the guards. The sun was scorching, yet she continued. She’d drop the food, rest for some minutes, then leave again. Another hour walk back to the pack.

Avery sighed to reduce taking a step forward only to pause when she heard it. A growl cut through the air, low, just behind her. Avery froze, her heart skipping a beat. She turned quickly but didn’t see anything.

"It’s just your mind playing tricks," she told herself, forcing her legs to keep moving.

But then, another growl, deeper and closer—this time. Her breath hitched, and she stumbled, nearly falling as her injured ankle buckled beneath her. She forced herself upright, trying to ignore the panic rising in her chest.

The sound of snapping branches came from the trees ahead, and Avery’s blood ran cold. Rogues.

She looked ahead, and the guards she had seen were now shifting into their wolves. Growls echoing in the air, and soon it was followed by a guttural scream. It was a rogue attack. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Before she could turn, they were upon her. Their eyes gleamed with hunger, their teeth bared as they surrounded her, growling and snarling. Avery tried to back away, but she stumbled, her ankle giving her away, and she collapsed onto the ground with a gasp. Her vision blurred, her head spinning. Fear gripped her, and her chest tightened. She tried to scream, but nothing came out.

The last thing she saw before blackness took over was a rogue closing in on her, its eyes burning with hunger.

~~~~~~~~~

Back at the packhouse, the meeting was growing tense. Cain’s mind wasn’t entirely focused on the reports being discussed. His thoughts kept drifting, his wolf was restless, something inside of him kept tugging and prickling him like something wasn’t right.

Suddenly, the door to the room swung open, and a guard rushed in, his face pale and breathless. He bowed, "I’m sorry to interrupt your meeting, Alpha." He rushed out, but Cain wasn’t listening.

"Where are your manners? Barging into here like that? Are you out of your mind?" Nathan snarled at the guard who shrunk into himself.

Lydia gestured at the guard to come forward, and he did, lowering his head to her ear and spoke.

Cain’s eyes drifted to the guard and Lydia. He watched as her eyes widened, Lydia’s face tightened when the guard spoke in her ear, her hands gripping into a tight fist. His attention drew to them even more at her reaction and when the guard stepped away. He could feel it in his guts. Something was off.

"What is wrong?" He asked immediately.

Lydia’s gaze shifted slightly. "There’s been a rogue attack at the eastern border again," she said. "Avery Jae was sent to the eastern borders this morning...." She hesitated for a second "No one has heard from her."