Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 26

Betrayed by Blood~

Cain leaned against the chair, a glass of whiskey in his hands, his eyes shut, thoughts running wild. The fire from the fireplace shone brightly. His wolf was restless tonight, clawing his mind endlessly, but Cain suppressed it as he always did.

A knock at the door jolted him from his thoughts. Before he could answer, Kendra stepped in, her silk robe clinging to her body, her lips doused in shiny gloss. She looked every bit like any man’s wet dream.

"Alpha..." she called out sultrily as she walked towards him seductively, the robe slowly showing every inch of her skin. "You’ve been working so hard. I thought I’d check on you."

Cain’s jaw clenched hard, his wolf had begun to run madder, clawing at his mind relentlessly. It was almost like he was going insane with the way his wolf kept chanting Avery’s name.

"What do you want, Kendra?" He asked gruffly, shutting his eyes close in a bid to silence his wolf. He’d been able to suppress it initially, but now, since Kendra stepped in, his wolf had gone berserk again. It wasn’t like this before, though. He was okay fucking Kendra hard, releasing every pent-up energy, but now, he couldn’t even look at her without the bond pulling his heartstrings or his wolf practically howling in his head.

Kendra walked closer, her hand trailed along the edge of his desk, her fingers brushing against papers and pens until they came to rest near his glass. "I just hate seeing you like this—alone, stressed. I thought... maybe I could help."

Cain’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t move. Kendra took his silence as permission and smirked. It was working. Her mother was right; she could see him breaking. She stepped closer, daring to place a hand on his shoulder.

"You carry so much, Cain. Let me share some of that burden." Her words dripped with honeyed sweetness as she leaned down, her lips dangerously close to his ear.

His hand shot up, gripping her wrist tightly and stopping her in her tracks. "Enough, Kendra." His voice was low, cold, and dangerous.

She blinked, taken aback. "Alpha, I—"

"Leave, Kendra, before I say something I will not regret. I won’t repeat myself. Leave." The coldness in his voice was enough to send a shiver down her spine. She yanked her hand free, stumbling back, hurt flashing in her eyes.

"Fine, I’ll leave..." she mumbled then walked out.

~~~~~~~~~

The next day found Lydia in front of Avery’s room. She was determined to prove to Cain how wrong he was about the girl. She sighed heavily and pushed the door open, stepping into the room. Everything had been cleaned up, not like there was much here in the first place.

Lydia moved carefully, checking the bed, the dresser, and even the floorboards. As she leaned down to inspect under the bed, she had no idea what she was checking for, but she was certain there was something else at play here. Only if she could tell what it was.

She stood up, hands akimbo as she looked around once again. Lydia snapped her head towards the door when she heard it squeak, only then does she see the runt girl quietly step in. The girl’s eyes widened the second she laid eyes on Lydia, and almost instinctively, she shrunk back into herself, her gaze down and body trembling even though Lydia hadn’t said a word. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"I-I’m sorry," the maid stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn’t know anyone was here." The girl whispered.

Lydia took a full look at the girl and instantly knew what she was. The business and marks on her body were enough to tell it all. A runt. The girl looked scared, frightened even.

Lydia’s face softened, a small smile coming to rest on her lips. "It’s all right. You’re not in trouble. What’s your name?"

The maid hesitated, clutching the edge of her apron. "My name is Millie," she said finally, her voice quivering.

"Millie, I’m Lydia," she replied gently. "I’m here to help Avery. Do you know anything about what happened? Anything at all?"

Millie’s eyes widened, and she took a step back. "I-I don’t want to get in trouble," she said, her voice shaking.

Lydia’s brows furrowed at the girl’s reaction. She stepped closer to the girl, not missing the way the girl trembled in fear. She wondered just what had happened to the girl to make her this frightened. Just then did Lydia’s gaze flicker to the girl’s hand; a nasty burn scar was on her hand. The girl seemed to realize what Lydia was staring at and quickly hid her hand inside her apron.

Lydia looked at her again, slipping the piece into the back of her mind and continued with what she was there for. "You won’t," Lydia assured her firmly. "No one will hurt you. But if you know something, please tell me. Avery’s life depends on it. I know she’s innocent and didn’t steal anything, but I need to prove it."

This seemed to get Millie. She hesitated, biting her lips nervously. Her gaze flicked to the floor as she swallowed hard. "I... I saw someone," she whispered finally.

Lydia’s heart leapt at the girl’s words. "Who? What did you see?"

Millie swallowed hard, her voice trembling. "I saw... the head maid. She came in here with something in her hand. I didn’t see what it was, but she put it under the pillow. I-I didn’t think much of it at first, but when everyone started saying Avery stole the necklace..."

Lydia’s eyes narrowed, her hands clenched into tight fists. "Where were you when this happened?"

"I- I was hiding..." Millie replied quietly, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"And you’re sure it was Martha?"

Millie nodded quickly. "Yes. I swear it. Please don’t tell her I said anything. She’ll... she’ll make me regret it."

Lydia’s gaze softened again. Back in the days, she used to be clowned for being too soft-hearted, but maybe that’s how she was meant to be. "You did a good thing by telling me, Millie. I promise, nothing will happen to you. You did a good deed."

Millie’s eyes blurred with tears, and she nodded before stepping back toward the door. "Thank you," she murmured before slipping out of the room as quietly as she had entered.

~~~~~~

Lydia wasted no time. She stormed out of Avery’s room. The packhouse was bustling as usual, but she ignored the murmurs and stares, heading straight for the kitchen where she knew Martha would be.

Just like she predicted, Martha was there tending to the lunch being prepared. The moment Lydia stepped in, the chatter died down, the servants freezing.

At the far end of the kitchen, Martha was barking orders.

"Martha," Lydia called, her voice firm.

Martha turned, her face filled with confusion. "Beta Lydia, Is something wrong?"

"You tell me," Lydia replied, stepping closer. "I have reason to believe you were in Avery’s room the day the necklace was planted. Care to explain what you were doing there?"

Martha’s face ran pale. "I—I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Lydia scoffed. She stepped closer to the woman. "Don’t lie to me. I already have a witness."

The color drained further from Martha’s face, and her hands trembled slightly. "Beta Lydia, I swear, I didn’t—"

"Enough," Lydia snapped, her voice icy. "Save your excuses. I just wanted to see how far you’re willing to go with your lies, but I’ve had enough. I’ll take this to Cain myself."

Martha’s knees buckled, and she fell to the ground. "Please, Beta Lydia, have mercy! I... I was following orders!"

Lydia’s eyes narrowed. "Whose orders?"

But Martha clamped her mouth shut, trembling violently. Lydia straightened and frowned. "Fine. You’ve made your choice. But don’t think for a second this will end well for you."