Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha
Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Chapter 62

Betrayed by Blood

Avery stood outside the door to the king and queen’s room, her heart racing. Her hands were clammy, and she so badly wanted to leave. The last time she saw them was during the hunt feast. She swallowed hard, with every nerve in her body wanting to turn and run away, but the head maid’s words echoed in her mind. She had no choice. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, and raised her hand to knock.

She knocked on the door quietly, the sound echoing in the lone hallway. As she waited for a response, the image of the king hitting the queen made its way to her mind again. Not like she had ever forgotten about that particular incident. The sound of the slap, the queen’s quiet acceptance of it... it all made her stomach churn.

Before she could decide to leave, a faint voice called out from inside.

"Come in."

Avery swallowed hard and pushed the door open. She stepped in, her head lowered, hands folded together. "Your Majes-" she was cut off by the queen’s frantic voice, and she looked up, the sight taking her aback.

The queen stood near the center, her gown pooling around her feet as she reached for the king.

"Please," the queen said softly, her voice trembling. "Can we just talk about this rationally?"

The king yanked his arm away from her, his movement sharp and filled with disdain. His cold eyes flicked to Avery as she stepped inside, and his lip curled in distaste.

"What is this?" he snapped angrily. Avery was certain this man was always angry. There hadn’t been a moment where he wasn’t angry.

Avery froze, her knees threatening to give out under the weight of his glare. She opened her mouth to respond, but no sound came out.

"She’s here to help," the queen interjected quickly. "I asked for assistance to pack."

The king sneered, his gaze raking over Avery irritably. "You waste your time with nonsense like this while the pack is in chaos. You really are just a waste of space," he spat out, his gaze flickering over to Avery again, a look of recognition crossed his eyes, and Avery knew instantly. She backed away, lowering her gaze.

Without waiting for a response, he stormed past Avery and slammed the door behind him, the sound reverberating through the room.

Avery stood frozen, unsure whether she should apologize or run. Why must she always come at the wrong time every time? It was beginning to look like a curse.

"I’m sorry about that," the queen said softly, drawing Avery’s attention. She walked towards the couch and grabbed a cream shawl off it, smiling softly at Avery. "Please, come in. I could use some company."

Avery hesitated before stepping further into the room. The queen’s presence was always gentle and calm. She glanced at Avery, a warm smile still on her face. "Come on, sit," she said, gesturing for Avery to sit, but Avery instead remained standing, clasping her hands together to stop them from trembling.

"You look nervous," the queen said quietly, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Tell me, do you have a mate, Avery?" she asked suddenly.

Avery’s eyes widened at her words. She snapped her eyes up to look at the woman, slightly alarmed by her question. Iris chuckled softly. "You don’t have a mark yet, so I’ll assume you don’t, and you might not understand how mating goes," she said softly, even though she was in the room with Avery. Avery could tell her mind wasn’t there by the forlorn look in her eyes.

"I imagine you’re scared of His Majesty, hence your hesitation. Am I right? After all, you’ve seen quite a lot already," she asked, her tone light yet Avery could detect the sadness buried in it.

Avery swallowed and nodded faintly, unsure of how much she could say without overstepping.

The queen sighed, lowering herself into a chair. "Let me guess. You’ve been told that true mates are the greatest blessing the goddess could bestow?"

The question caught Avery off guard. She was immediately reminded of Lucian... Yes. She was told true mates and mates, in general, were the greatest blessing the goddess could bestow, and she, like every other girl, waited impatiently for the day. Hers was even more humiliating. She prayed countless times that Lucian would be her true mate, but it wouldn’t have mattered still. She wanted to be with him even if he wasn’t. They could be chosen mates; after all, her father had chosen the alliance himself. How ridiculous. So yes, she was told it was the greatest blessing the goddess could give, but she learned so quickly it was a lie. The greatest lie ever told.

Avery cleared her throat and gave the most generic answer. "I... I suppose so," she replied cautiously.

The queen’s smile turned bitter. "And yet, here we are. A king and queen united not by love, but by politics and power. A bond forged not by the goddess, but by necessity. Don’t be too surprised at how relationship dynamics work, and don’t let it ruin the view you already have of mates. The king and I aren’t true mates."

Avery blinked, her jaw dropped at the woman’s words. Not once had she expected this. It never occurred to her that the king wasn’t true mates with the queen.

"My true mate is long gone," the queen admitted quietly. "I rejected him just like the king rejected his mate. We were bound by our duties, and it’s been like this for years now. It doesn’t matter now. All that remains is this... arrangement," she said the last bit like it was some burden she had to bear.

Avery’s chest tightened at the queen’s confession. It was so obvious that the queen was miserable in this relationship but couldn’t leave.

The queen then looked at her with a smile on her face. "Don’t let what you’ve seen influence your thoughts on mates. When you find your true mate, I hope he treats you better than this," she said, gesturing vaguely to the empty room.

She stood up and walked towards the luggage placed at the side of the bed. "Come on, help me. Let me show you some things," she said.

Avery rushed towards the luggage, about to grab them when they heard it. The sound of distant shouting reached them, muffled but urgent. Urgent enough to have Avery’s stomach drop.

The queen stiffened, her expression cracking for a second. "What now?" she muttered under her breath.

Avery turned toward the door, her unease growing. Something was happening.

The door swung open with a loud creak, and a guard stepped in, his face pale and his breathing labored.

"Your Majesty," he said, addressing the queen but sparing a brief glance at Avery. "There’s trouble."