Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 47

Betrayed By Blood~

Avery paced impatiently around the kitchen, her lips bitten raw. Her eyes darted up to the wall clock for the twentieth time since she stepped into the kitchen. There’s been no news yet. All the alphas have gone deep into the forest, and none of them have stepped out yet.

Avery knew it could take days to find an Eland, especially a pure black eland. It was the largest deer there is, and what most of the alphas would search for, except that it was extremely rare to find one, which could, in turn, lead to the hunt lasting for days.

It’s been hours since the gunshot rang in the sky, indicating the beginning of the hunt. Since then, nothing. No signs, no howls, no returns.

"What are you doing pacing around? You still need to drain the plug! Get to work already!" Avery flinched as the harsh tone of the new head maid rang out across the kitchen. The woman’s arms were crossed, her face set in a scowl as she glared at Avery.

"I-I was just—" Avery stammered, but the head maid’s sharp gaze silenced her.

"No excuses. Grab the bucket and knife and get out there. You’re already behind!" She snapped at Avery.

Swallowing hard, Avery grabbed the tools without a word and walked towards the door, only for her to be called back. The head maid stepped closer to her, her nose scrunched slightly. "What’s that smell?" She asked.

Avery stared at her confused, she sniffed the air but could perceive nothing. "What smell?" She asked.

"You don’t smell it? It’s almost like-" The woman paused as she sniffed the air again, her eyes coming to settle on Avery for a second longer. The woman stepped back and cleared her throat.

"You can leave." She replied stiffly, furthering Avery’s confusion. Avery nodded and stepped out. The cool air outside hit her like a slap, but it did nothing to calm the fear inside her chest.

She walked to the back of the pack house, her eyes darting out towards the forest. She knew she should focus on her task, but her mind kept returning to him. The voices she heard yesterday echoed in her head repeatedly.

What if something had gone wrong?

What if—

No. Avery shook her head, nothing could happen to him. She should feel it, right? The bond should tug, right? Avery sighed as she rubbed her chest, trying to feel the bond, but it was dead silent. Now, she was even more agitated. She should feel something at least, but there was nothing.

Avery ran her fingers through her hair frustratedly, she couldn’t concentrate any longer. The wait was killing her, every second her eyes kept darting towards the forest. It was excruciating. She couldn’t wait any longer, only the goddess knew how long the hunt would go for. What if they got to him before then? Avery shook her head, she couldn’t allow that to happen, and so she made up her mind.

She was going into the forest too.

Yes, she was well aware that no one apart from the alphas participating in the hunt was allowed into the forest, but she couldn’t keep waiting any longer. She had to do something.

Avery dropped the bucket in her hand and slowly made her way towards the woods. The cool breeze tugged at her hair, but it did nothing to settle her nerves. Every instinct screamed at her to turn back, but she couldn’t. Not this time. She just wanted to be certain. That was all, and then she’d leave. She glanced around and slowly moved into the woods, oblivious to the eyes watching her from afar.

_________________________________________

"She fell for it. She’s in."

Kendra turned to look at her mother as she grinned proudly, setting the binoculars on the table. "She’s in the woods, mother. She broke the rules and flouted the traditions. This alone is enough to have her killed," Kendra said.

"We won’t leave that decision up to Cain now, will we? This is perfect. She fell for it and now will pay," Carol replied, her gaze darting to the clock.

Kendra grinned, unable to contain the excitement that coursed through her veins. She’d been looking towards today for a while now, and it’s finally here. Avery believed every single thing she heard last night, and now she acted against the rules. She went into the forest, and now, anything that happens to her in there would simply be classified as her being punished for her mistake.

Carol smiled as she grabbed a scrunchie from the table and walked behind Kendra, helping her to tie her hair. "That’s right, Avery has just dug her own grave and now will pay the price for it," she replied.

Kendra turned to look at her, "How did you even come up with this? Pure genius allowing her to hear those men."

Carol shrugged, "That’s my secret to keep, now, isn’t it?" She paused for a second, "I made it so perfect she couldn’t see their faces but heard every single thing. I knew Cain wasn’t allowed to step out of his room the night before the hunt. It was forbidden. It was the perfect time to make her overhear such a thing. Everything fell into place right after that, and now, I don’t even need to go into plan B. She took the bait," Carol replied with a grin just as the door opened. Martha stepped in.

She bowed, in her hand was what they needed. "I’m sorry for being late, but we finally have everything we need," she replied, and Carol’s smile widened.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s pay Avery a sweet visit," she said, collecting the thing from Martha.

________________________________________

Avery’s breath quickened as she ventured deeper into the dense woods. The trees towered above her, their twisted branches blocking out most of the light, making everything feel dim. Avery swallowed hard, sweat beads trickling down her forehead. She couldn’t hear anything, not even the chirping of the birds. She swallowed hard and walked more, straining her ears for anything. She had to see Cain even if it was from afar.

She couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that something was wrong. Every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig had her spinning around, but she saw nothing.

She stepped carefully, trying to avoid making too much noise, had no idea how far she had gone or how long she had been walking for. All she knew was that she still hadn’t seen a sign of life in the forest. She heard nothing, saw nothing. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen.

Suddenly, a snap of a branch behind her made her freeze. Avery whipped her body around, her heart pounding in her chest, eyes scanning around yet she didn’t find anything. The forest was still and silent. She couldn’t see anyone or anything, but the sense of being watched was undeniable. Everything inside of her screamed at her to leave, to run back to the pack house, but she was already deep in.

A whisper of movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. Avery turned sharply to the side, and her breath caught when she saw the figures moving among the trees. The distinct scent of wolfsbane filled the air. Avery’s heart skipped a beat.

Her legs trembled beneath her, and she turned, forcing her legs to move. It was now dawning on her why this was the stupidest move she could’ve made. She had nothing to protect herself in here, and yet she went in. What if they mistook her for prey? What if the hunters—

Before she could process it further, one of the figures stepped out from the cover of the trees. Three wolves stepped out, two brown and one black wolf. They were different from what Avery had been expecting. They weren’t male wolves, just female...they weren’t the hunters. Their eyes gleamed with malice, and the familiar scent of anger and disgust filled Avery’s nostrils. The wolves didn’t hide their intent. Their eyes locked onto her, and she recognized them immediately—Kendra, Martha, and Carol.

A sickening realization dawned on her as the wolves surrounded her. Carol, Kendra, and Martha. Did they follow her into the woods? Did they-

The black one stopped right in front of Avery and shifted back into her human form. Avery gasped when the wolf shifted into Carol. She already knew it was them, but this was an even more concrete confirmation. "Y-you?" She stammered.

Carol’s eyes filled with disdain. "Foolish girl. Tell me, did you come in here to inform Cain of the supposed threat made on his life, or did you come here to protect him?" She asked, her eyes glinting with disgust.

Avery’s brows furrowed, "W-what do you—"

"You still don’t get it, do you?" she purred, her voice almost sweet, as if she were enjoying a puzzle. "There’s no threat against Cain’s life. No plot to kill him, no secret conspiracies. It was all a lie. A lie I carefully spun, just for you."

Avery’s face ran pale at her words, her chest tightened, the breath she had been holding caught somewhere in her throat. Her mind raced, trying to piece together the madness. She was set up.

"W-why? Why would you do-"

Carol grinned, her eyes narrowing. "Why, you ask? It’s only because of one thing. I’m sick and tired of you. You made the ultimate mistake when you walked into the hunt, without hesitation. Do you know what happens to those who defy the rules, Avery?" Her lips curled into a twisted grin, the malice in her eyes burning brighter than ever. "Anything that happens to you in these woods, during this hunt, will be seen as a sacrifice. A tribute. To the goddess. And as far as everyone will know, your death will be nothing more than an offering to her... one that was long overdue."