Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 31

Avery Jae~

I sat on the edge of my bed, my hands twisting the hem of my dress as my thoughts spiraled out of control. The room was quiet, but my mind was anything but. I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

The kiss.

My heart stuttered at the memory, and I pressed my fingers to my lips, as though I could still feel his touch. It had been unexpected, rough, and so confusing. I’d never been kissed like that before.

And I liked it.

The realization hit me like a punch to the gut, leaving me breathless. How could I feel that way? Cain hated me—he made that clear every single day. I was nothing more than a nuisance to him, a problem that was forced upon him by the goddess. So why did he kiss me?

My cheeks burned as I thought about the way he’d grabbed me, the heat in his eyes that had sent my heart racing. For a brief second, it had felt real—like there was something more, like there could be something more in his eyes.

But I was a fool to think that. I shook my head, trying to push the thought away.

He didn’t mean it. He’d also sent me out of the office. I knew it, the kiss was a mistake.

But if that were true, why did he do it? What did I do to make him act that way? I replayed the moment over and over in my head, searching for an answer, but I couldn’t find one.

I fell back onto the bed, frustrated at everything. The thoughts refused to leave my head no matter how hard I tried, not that I tried hard enough though. I sighed heavily and stared up at the cracked ceiling. Sleep didn’t come easily, though. My thoughts wouldn’t stop racing. I glanced at Millie who slept on the floor next to me. She refused to sleep on the bed even though there wasn’t that much of a difference between the two.

I looked back at the ceiling, my chest felt slightly heavy with the thoughts that plagued my mind.

And then I felt it.

At first, it was just a faint pressure, a dull ache that made my chest tighten. But it didn’t stay that way, not for much longer. It grew sharper, deeper, until it felt like my heart was being ripped apart.

I gasped, clutching my chest as the pain overwhelmed me. It wasn’t physical, but it was no less real. It was like someone had reached inside me and was tearing something vital away from me.

"W-What’s happening?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

Tears streamed down my face as I doubled over, trying to breathe, but the pain wouldn’t let me. It was relentless, crushing, and it only got worse with every passing second. Almost like my heart was being ripped apart, like I was being torn apart. Soon it wasn’t just my heart, my entire body felt like it was being ripped apart from inside. I curled into myself, tears leaking out from my eyes. The pain was overwhelming.

And then I knew.

It was him. Cain.

The bond. It was pulling at me, twisting and fraying like it was being tested to its limit.

"Stop," I whimpered, curling into myself as another wave of pain coursed through my body. "Please, make it stop."

But it didn’t stop. It wouldn’t.

I choked on a sob, my body trembling as the bond tightened around me like a noose. My heart felt like it was breaking, shattering into pieces I couldn’t put back together.

"Why?" I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Why does it hurt?" Then I remembered what Jasmine had told me years ago. If your mate betrays your bond, you will feel it. Is this it? And as if to answer my question, another gut-wrenching pain coursed through my body violently.

I knew it there and then, Cain was with someone else.

I pressed my hand to my mouth, choking on a sob that wracked through me. The bond was punishing me for Cain’s betrayal. He had just kissed me barely an hour ago and now he was with someone else already. He stole my first kiss and was now with another woman.

And I felt it.

Every touch, every thrust, every raw moment. I felt it all.

"Stop." I whimpered, clutching at my chest, "Please stop."

But the bond wouldn’t let me escape. It wouldn’t stop. I was being punished.

My breathing became shallow, I clawed at the thin blanket beside me, my hands trembling as I rued holding on to something. Something to ground me.

I hate him. I hate her.

I hate the two of them for making me feel this way. I hate him for wanting her and her for touching him. I hate the two of them for making me hurt.

Tears streamed down my face, hot. I knew he didn’t want me already but this-this was more than a confirmation for me. He’s never going to want me.

It was cruel, forcing me to feel every second of it all as if I was in the room with him. It was unbearable.

I doubled over, clutching my stomach as if it would stop the ache. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think. I couldn’t do anything but feel the pain. And beneath it all, I still wanted him.

That was the worst part. The part that broke me the most.

Even as he did this to me, even as he made me feel this brutal pain. I still wanted him. The bond was cruel like that. Tying me to a man who didn’t care, who would never care.

I cried harder, my hands curled into fists, and I pounded weakly against the bed. Wishing I could tear the bond out of me. Wishing I could stop it all.

And finally, it stopped.

I exhaled shakily, tears still leaking out of my eyes from the turmoil I had just gone through. I knew it right there and then. I didn’t want to wait for two months anymore. I didn’t want to be tied to Cain for much longer.