Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 24

Betrayed by Blood~

Cain stormed into the office, behind him was a fuming Lydia The door slammed shut behind her.

"What the hell, Cain?" She gritted out, watching as the man walked over to his alcohol cabinet, pouring himself some wine.

"You can’t be serious," Lydia’s voice cut through the silence, sharp with frustration. "She hasn’t even been proven guilty, Cain. You’ve locked her away on nothing but suspicion!"

Cain clenched his jaw tightly, turning to look at her. "All evidence pointed at her. You should be thankful she’s not hanging right now," he gritted out.

"All evidence? It was just Kendra’s and Carol’s words. Please don’t tell me you suddenly take Martha’s words for it. Avery wouldn’t steal so why would you just sentence her to the dungeon like that? You’ve let your anger cloud your judgment. Avery isn’t the thief, and you know it!" She refuted.

Cain’s gaze, dark and cold, turned to her. His jaw clenched. "I have a fair judgment. She’s locked up as she should be. Carol has no reason to accuse her of theft if she didn’t do it."

Lydia didn’t back down; she knew exactly what Kendra and her mother were capable of. She wasn’t putting it past them to set this whole thing up. "What happens when you’re wrong, Cain? What happens when the truth comes out? You can’t just lock someone away and expect it to go unnoticed."

Cain’s lip curled into a cruel sneer. "You think you know better than me, Lydia? Don’t forget your place." He took a step closer, towering over her. "I will remind you, if need be," he gritted out through clenched teeth.

Lydia’s chest heaved heavily. "Does your bond not ache even a little at seeing your mate’s tears? Do you not have a single conscience when it comes to her, Cain, or are you really that far gone?" Lydia asked, shaking her head before stepping out of the office. She paused behind the door, her hands clenched tightly. Maybe it’s time she spoke to Avery herself.

~~~~~~~

Kendra stood by the ice bucket, the bottle of wine chilling inside. She poured herself and her mother a glass, glancing back at her mom who sat on the couch, legs crossed, deep in thought. Kendra smiled, remembering how Cain had sentenced Avery. Her mom was truly the best; she came and sorted it all out immediately. Kendra picked up the glasses and walked over to her mom.

"Mother, here," she passed the glass of wine to Carol, who took it.

"I really cannot believe you, Mother. You did such a phenomenal job today; I was questioning Avery’s character truly," Kendra said with a giggle before sipping the wine.

Carol hummed, leaning back against the couch. "That’s what happens when you use all of your head to think. It yields amazing results," Carol replied.

Kendra suddenly dropped her glass on the table and shuffled closer. "Mother, what about the investigation? What if Cain finds out it was orchestrated by us? What do we do then?" she whispered.

Carol rolled her eyes. "How would he find out if no one ever speaks? It’s pinned on that wretched girl. She’s never getting out of this one," Carol replied, and Kendra smiled, nodding her head.

"That’s just perfect. This way, we finally have that girl out of the way. I can pressure Cain to get mated to me instead, and then our family’s name can move up the ranks even more," Kendra said with a grin.

Carol, on the other hand, couldn’t stop thinking about how Cain had reacted to the news of Avery stealing. Something about his eyes pricked her skin hard. She didn’t like it. The servant girl was beginning to latch a stronger hold on him. She suggested hanging because it’s been used. Thieves have been hanged depending on the weight of what they stole, and in this case, Avery had ’stolen’ the Williams heirloom. She should be facing serious punishments, but Cain backed away from it? It irked something in Carol’s soul. She didn’t like it at all.

"What are you thinking of, mother?" Kendra asked, earning Carol’s attention again.

"Our next move, Kendra. We can’t lay low even now. We need to add more fire and be done with this. The family business is failing; we need Cain’s support more than ever now. You need to be his wife as soon as possible," Carol said.

Kendra’s eyes widened at her mother’s words. "The business is failing? How is father doing?" She asked; their business had been on edge lately, with investors dropping out like flies. Their name was fast crumbling, and without money, there was no power.

"What do we do next, mother?" Kendra asked, and a smirk slowly made its way to Carol’s face.

~~~~~~

Avery sat against the cold wall of her prison, her mind numb from exhaustion. The silence was deafening, the only sound the occasional rustle of her clothes as she shifted. She was tired down to her bones; every part of her body ached.

Her thoughts wandered, circling back to Cain. He was the one who had locked her away, the one who had condemned her without even trying to find the truth. Should she be grateful he didn’t choose to hang her and instead only locked her up? Avery scoffed, shaking her head. She had hoped that their bond meant something, even if it was for that one second. That he’d see that she couldn’t steal, but then again, what had she been expecting from Cain.

Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She wrapped her arms around her body; not only was she cold, she was extremely thirsty too. The guards were out of the dungeon, probably guarding it from outside.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of distant footsteps. At first, she thought it was the guards, but when the person came out from the shadows, she saw them properly.

Avery gasped the second she laid eyes on them. "Y-you?"