Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 184

Chapter 184

One day left until the ceremony.

Avery sat on the edge of the bed, running her fingers absently over the embroidery on her robe. The day had been exhausting. Her mind ran back to what happened with Lydia and how her hair had glowed yet again, but this time around it didn’t heat anything. It took a couple of minutes before it finally settled, and Lydia hit her with, "Girl, are you Rapunzel?"

That one made her laugh at least.

Now, she sat on the bed after another day of planning and finally getting it all done, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t done. The tightness hadn’t left her since earlier that evening.

She took a slow breath, trying to push it away when the door suddenly creaked open.

Cain stepped in, his eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion.

Avery blinked in surprise, then stood up. "What are you doing here?"

He cocked his head slightly. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" he asked.

Avery couldn’t help but smile at this. Of course, he had been expecting her in his room. "Don’t you know it’s bad luck for the groom to see his bride before the ceremony?"

Cain held her gaze for a moment longer, then exhaled, stepping inside fully. "Leave that nonsense for the humans."

Cain closed the door behind him. Then, without a word, he stepped forward, wrapping his fingers around her wrist and pulling her into him.

Avery barely had time to react before his lips were on hers, possessive and hungry.

She sighed into the kiss, her hands pressing against his chest. Cain let out a low breath, his hold tightening. He pulled away just enough to rest his forehead against hers.

"I missed you," he murmured.

Avery smiled, her fingers curling slightly into his shirt. "You saw me just a few hours ago."

His lips brushed the corner of her mouth. "Not enough."

She laughed quietly because she missed him too. She then rubbed her chest slightly, unable to ignore the way her chest remained tight.

Cain must have sensed it because his hand slipped down to intertwine his fingers with hers. "What’s wrong?" frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Avery hesitated. She glanced toward the balcony, drawn to the cool night air, then tugged him along with her as she stepped outside.

Cain leaned against the railing, arms crossed, watching her. "Talk to me."

She pressed her hands against the railings, wondering if she should tell him. If it was worth it. A part of her wanted to tell him what she was feeling, but another part of her was scared he’d think it was ridiculous.

Cain stared at her for much longer, his gaze heavy on hers. "You’re overthinking."

"Maybe." She paused, exhaling softly. "I just..." She trailed off before forcing a small smile and turning to him. "I guess I’m just thinking about everything. Tomorrow... it’s finally happening."

He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. His thumb brushed over her cheek. "It is happening, and everything will go smoothly like it should. Like you’ve planned. I told you before, Avery. Nothing will happen to you. No one will hurt you. The ceremony will go as planned."

Avery nodded, a small smile coming to the rest of her face. He was right. Everything will go smoothly just as planned.

Avery stirred awake, the bed felt empty. Her fingers flexed against the sheets as she shifted, realizing Cain was no longer beside her.

The last thing she remembered was falling asleep on his shoulder. She sighed, her hand brushing over the place where he had been.

Yawning, she turned toward the window. Next to it was the wall clock, which read 7 am. Suddenly, it dawned on her that it was finally the D-day. Today she would be getting mated.

She shut her eyes for a couple of seconds, and when she opened them, her gaze flickered toward the table near the bed. A small object gleamed in the morning light.

Her brows furrowed, she sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and reached for it. She opened the box only to find a necklace. The delicate chain slipped between her fingers as she lifted it. It was absolutely beautiful.

Next to it was a handwritten note. ’Love, Cain.’ It read. Her heart skipped a beat, she tried imagining him tucking her into bed and then dropping the necklace.

A soft smile tugged at her lips, and she wished she’d been awake to catch a glimpse of it.

Before she could dwell on it any longer, the door burst open.

"Oh, you’re finally up!" Millie’s bright voice rang through the room.

Avery turned just as Millie and Selena stepped inside. "You guys are here already?" she asked as she got off the bed.

Selena hummed, "Yup. Today’s all about you, and we can’t take any chances. Beta Lydia requested we come early, and she would join us later."

"Oh, that’s beautiful," Millie voiced out, her gaze stuck on Avery’s neck, and before Avery could even speak, her gaze fell to the note Cain had left for her.

"Wait, that’s from Alpha Cain?"

Selena stepped forward, also admiring the necklace. "It’s so beautiful. How much do you think it’s worth? I bet he had it custom-made for you alone."

"Why are you asking? You want to pawn it off? Don’t you?" Millie shot back, eyes squinted at the other.

Selena rolled her eyes. "I’m just saying. With a stone like that. It’s surely gonna cost a fortune."

Avery cleared her throat, feeling awkward about the conversation now. "Okay, it’s a gift. Let’s focus on that instead."

"Yes! A gift given to you by your mate and Alpha. Oh, how romantic," Millie swooned.

Avery blushed, looking away just as Selena got into the closet and took out the dress she was to wear for the ceremony.

"Alright! Enough swooning. It’s time we make Avery the Luna."