Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 22

Betrayed by blood~

"My necklace! It’s gone! Who dares steal from me?" A loud shriek burst through the walls. Carol stood in the middle of the room, barking out orders as the servants scoured about the room, turning the entire place upside down.

Kendra came running from her room after having heard her mother’s screams, her heart pounding hard in her chest. It had been barely a day since her mother’s arrival, and this had happened. She reached the main corridor just in time to see the gathering of servants, all frantically searching as they scoured every inch of the room.

"No sign of it, ma’am," one of the servants said, her voice trembling.

"Search again! I want to find it. Do you realize how expensive it is? It is my most prized possession. I was going to give it to my daughter, but it’s been stolen!" She screamed into the servant’s face. The servant flinched hard before scurrying away.

Kendra stood frozen for a moment. She knew the necklace meant everything to her mother. It wasn’t just a piece of jewelry—it was a symbol of her power, her status. Losing it was an insult. Stealing it was an even bigger insult.

She made her way through the crowd of maids that had gathered outside, walking towards her mother. "Mother, what’s happening?" Kendra asked, forcing herself to approach Carol. She kept her tone calm, though the excitement of the situation tingled under her skin.

"My necklace, Kendra. I came inside and started to unload my luggage only to find out my necklace was missing. I’ve searched relentlessly for it and still cannot find it."

Kendra opened her mouth to speak, but the sharp, piercing voice of her mother cut her off, her eyes widening as if she’d suddenly found the necklace.

"Where is that maid? Avery, is it! She brought my luggage in here. She must’ve stolen it. Come here!" Carol shrieked out.

Avery had been walking by when she heard the commotion. She froze in the doorway. The moment her eyes met Carol’s, a cold shiver ran down her spine.

"You!" Carol hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "You think I didn’t see you? You’ve been eyeing my things right since I arrived." Carol accused.

Avery’s throat went dry, her heart pounding hard in her chest. "I—Madam Carol, I didn’t take anything," she stammered, shaking her head.

Carol didn’t listen. She pointed her finger at Avery. "You’ve stolen it, haven’t you? You think I won’t notice? I left you with my bags, and you took my necklace."

Avery’s eyes widened with fear, her body trembling. "W-what? N-no, I would never. I didn’t take your necklace!" She stammered.

Carol stormed towards her. By now, everyone had stopped searching for the necklace and was now watching the scene unfolding in front of them.

"Then why is it gone? Don’t lie to me! You carried my suitcase. You are the only one who has held my suitcase, so who else would take it? You stole my necklace."

Avery’s face went pale. This was beyond her imagination. "N-No, I didn’t. Martha, the head maid, also held your suitcase. It wasn’t just—" she barely got the words out before she was slapped roughly on the cheeks.

Avery gasped, clutching her cheeks, her eyes stinging with tears. "Are you saying I’m lying now, is that it? You insolent, worthless girl?" Carol spat out angrily.

Avery shook her head while trembling. She would never take anything that wasn’t hers.

"Lady Williams, I think Avery Jae is mentally disturbed because she never gave me your suitcase. I wasn’t even in the pack house for half the day, so how could I have held your suitcase?" Martha’s voice came from behind.

Avery turned to look at the head maid. She had given the suitcase to the woman when she got them into the pack house. Initially, she was supposed to take them into the room, but she’d been stopped by Martha.

"Why are you lying? I didn’t take the necklace," Avery refuted.

Carol scoffed, "Shut up, you lying little thief. You didn’t steal it, right? Then you’ll be cleared when we search your room." Carol declared.

Avery shook her head, "I didn’t take your necklace. I wouldn’t do that, please believe me." Avery cried out. The runt girl was in the room, scared and sobbing half of the time. She’d freak out if this happened in front of her. freēnovelkiss.com

Carol grabbed her arm harshly, her fingers digging into Avery’s arm. "If you didn’t steal it, then you should have no problem with your room being searched." She spat out, then her gaze flickered to Avery’s back where Martha stood.

"Martha! Search her room." Carol ordered. Martha nodded, a nasty smirk growing on her face.

Avery’s heart raced as she was roughly pulled through the corridor. Her feet stumbled with every step, her heart pounding hard against her chest. The harsh grip on her arm was almost enough to make her knees buckle.

The door was swung open with force. The servants poured into her room, their eyes darting around suspiciously as they began to tear through her meager belongings. The runt girl scampered to a corner, scared.

"Search it all!" Carol’s voice rang out, sharp and demanding. "We’ll find it—if not on her, then somewhere in here!"

Avery stood by the doorway, helpless, as Martha made her way to the bed and threw everything off it. They walked to the wardrobes and flung out everything.

"Nothing here!" one of the maids yelled.

"Keep looking!" Carol snapped angrily, her eyes narrowing as she scanned Avery’s trembling form. "There must be something here. You think I’m a fool, don’t you?"

Martha turned to Carol, "Perhaps the thief didn’t hide it here. Maybe she thought she could get away with it."

Avery shook her head, still trembling. She couldn’t hold back her tears anymore, and just as she opened her mouth to refute it again, Martha’s voice rang out.

"Found it."