Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha

Betrayed by Blood~

Cain dropped to his knees, cradling Avery’s limp body in his arms. Her head lolled against his shoulder, her face pale, lips parted but unmoving.

"Avery," he whispered, brushing his fingers across her cheek. "Hey. Look at me. Open your eyes."

But she didn’t.

He patted her face lightly. Then harder.

"Avery, come on," he said, more frantic. "Wake up. You’re okay. You’re okay. Just—just open your eyes."

Still nothing.

"Avery!" he roared, his voice cracked with desperation. She was still, no matter how much he shook her, no matter how much he called her name. She didn’t move.

"I swear to the fucking gods, don’t you do this to me," he muttered, his voice breaking apart as his forehead dropped against hers. "Don’t you leave me. Not like this. Not now. Please."

Behind him, Xander and Lydia pinned Alaric to the ground. The king struggled on the ground, snarling. "I am king. Get off me, you animals. I will have you hanged for this! I will have your heads! Do you hear me! Do you hear me! I will kill you." He screamed, but they paid him no attention. Lydia pulled her blade, attaching it to his neck. Xander yanking his arms behind his back. They stripped him of his weapons.

"You’re not worthy of being called a king. In fact, you’re nothing but filth," Lydia spat out, her gaze shifting to Cain, whose desperate voice filled the air.

Cain stood up with Avery in his hands, sparing no one else a glance before rushing out of there.

"Get him up," Lydia spat, and Alaric is dragged up.

They dragged him towards the woods where they’d parked the cars and horses. The smell of blood filled the air as they walked by. They arrived in the woods, but Cain’s car was already gone. Alaric is then chained to the back of the vehicle. Every stumble earned him a harsh pull forward. He would walk all the way to the pack grounds in shame.

Inside the car, Cain held Avery in his arms, rocking her slightly even as the vehicle jolted and swerved dangerously. Her head lolled against his chest, too still, too quiet, and it was killing him.

"Faster! MOVE, or I swear I’ll drive this damn car through your chest!" he snarled at the driver.

The tires screeched again as the car lurched forward, going at an even faster speed. But Cain barely noticed. He was hunched over Avery now, breathing hard, his forehead pressed to hers, his grip so tight her skin was paling beneath his fingers.

"Come on, come on," he muttered, over and over like a prayer, like a man begging the goddess for a miracle.

His hands shook as he cupped her face again, brushing hair out of her blood-matted lashes. "I’ll fix this. I’ll fix it, I swear. Just...just don’t leave me. Not you. Not you."

No answer.

Not a twitch of her fingers. No flicker of light behind her eyes. Nothing. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Cain let out a sound, low and raw, ripped straight from his chest. It wasn’t a sob. It wasn’t a growl. It was something in-between, something broken.

The second they arrived at the pack grounds, Cain was out the door. The car hadn’t fully stopped when he flung the door open, clutching Avery to his chest as he stumbled out.

Seven- no, ten healers stood waiting just outside...lined up, tense, eyes wide at the sight of the Alpha carrying a limp body, drenched in blood.

"She needs help—now!" Cain growled.

The moment they stepped forward, hands outstretched to take her from him, Cain snarled, so loud and sharp a few of them staggered back.

"Don’t touch her," he growled. His eyes were wild, feral. "Don’t fucking touch her!"

"Alpha," one healer began gently, "we need to examine her—"

"Then move!" he snapped. "Move or I’ll rip your hands off and do it myself!"

He stormed past them, boots slamming against the tiled floor, down the corridor and into the room. He laid her down, her blood now staining the white sheets underneath her.

The moment he released her, the healers closed in.

They swarmed her like bees. Their hands glowed, their chants filled the air, but Cain paced like a caged animal, waiting.

Time passed, an hour. Then two. Then five.

Still, nothing.

"Why isn’t she waking up?!" Cain roared, slamming his hand into the wall, cracking it down the middle. "DO SOMETHING!"

"Alpha, please," one of the healers said shakily, sweat beading on her brow. "We...we’re trying everything...p-please if you can just.."

"Then TRY HARDER! Do whatever the fuck you need to fix this or I’ll rip your lungs out through your ears!"

The youngest healer burst into tears.

Lydia, who had also been in the room watching, stepped in cautiously. "Cain... you have to give them space—"

"Shut the fuck up!" he barked. "Don’t tell me to stand down while she’s dying!"

"I wasn’t telling you to stand down before but stand down! This is about Avery. She needs all the help right now, and you aren’t helping. It’s better if you leave and let the healers do their work!" Lydia snapped.

Cain opened his mouth to retort but paused, his gaze shifting back to Avery. He swallowed hard, knowing Lydia was right. The healers were trembling, unable to work with him breathing down their necks and threatening them.

"Fix her. Do whatever it takes but fix her." He gritted out before walking out, his wolf howling in his mind as he stepped out. It was totally against leaving Avery there. It took everything in Cain to step out.

The tension in the air was suffocating, and Cain could barely breathe. He paced around the corridor, His hands clenched and unclenched. He couldn’t think, couldn’t focus. All he could see was her. Avery, her bloodied form, her soulless eyes. She wasn’t supposed to be like this. She wasn’t supposed to—

He growled, His wolf was howling, thrashing inside him, unable to do anything but scream for their mate.

It’s been hours.

The healers hadn’t emerged, not a single one had come to tell him what was happening. Were they even doing anything? Were they truly trying? Or were they... failing?

The room felt suffocating. His hands were trembling. He couldn’t sit still. He couldn’t.

Twelve hours later, the door opened. Lydia stepped in, her face pale and concerned. Behind her were two of the elders. They looked worn out, stressed, and exhausted.

"What’s going on? How is she? Is she awake?" He rushed out.

One of the older healers, trembling, dropped to her knees. "We don’t know what this is," she confessed. "We’ve never seen anything like it. She’s not dead, but... she’s not here either. Her soul is distant. Alpha, we’re sorry. We don’t know."

Cain stood frozen, his heart hammering in his chest, his gaze flickered between Lydia and the two healers. his entire body shaking with the raw panic that surged through him.

"She’s not dead," the healer repeated, her voice barely a whisper, "but... but she’s not here."

His hands gripped the nearest surface, nails digging into the wall. He pushed past the elders and flung the door open. His gaze shot to Avery, still lying motionless. The blood that stained her skin seemed to mock him, to remind him of just how powerless he was in this moment.

"No... no, this isn’t happening. This can’t be happening," Cain murmured. A tear..just one slipped down Cain’s cheek, the only indication of the pain that was coursing through him. His hands trembled, shaking uncontrollably.

Everyone looked away at the sight of his tears. Seeing an Alpha cry was rare. Seeing Cain cry was a sight that no one had ever witnessed. This was a man that didn’t shed a single tear when his parents died.

He had to do something. Avery...she cannot leave him. He refused to allow it.

"Cain," Lydia’s voice cut through his thoughts, She stepped closer, "Cain, I know someone. Someone who can help."

Cain’s head snapped toward her, "Who?" His voice was barely a whisper.

Lydia’s gaze hardened. "Elder Loris from the Blood Moon Pack. She has knowledge of ancient rituals, things that might help."

Cain didn’t hesitate. "Get her here. Now."