Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha
Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Chapter 65

Betrayed by Blood

Chapter 65

Cain stood at the edge of the bed, his gaze heavy on her, watching her unconscious form. It was beginning to look like a constant thing where she’d be unconscious in his bed. He hated the circumstances that surrounded it. His jaw clenched tight as memories of what had happened flashed in his mind again. How it all went left so quickly still bugged him.

Rogues’ attack was limited to the east border, but they had gotten so brave that they dared to attack the pack itself. It was madness. One that Cain could never take lying down. He’d made them pay in blood. He’d painted the ground with their blood, his wolf taking savage pleasure in their terror. When he finished washing their blood on the very grounds they terrorized, he saw the guard running towards him in panic, face pale and stricken.

He remembered the moment he heard she was missing. The blood drained from his veins, replaced by something cold and sharp. For a fleeting second, he’d almost lost his mind. She was supposed to be in her quarters, safe, under guard. But suddenly, she was gone. Every word said to him at that moment had drowned out.

The hunt for her had been brutal, and his wolf took over his body with a desperate need to tear apart whoever dared to take what was his. The scent trail led him to the rogues—animals, filthy, and unworthy of even the dirt they stood on. He tore through them without a second thought, rage fueling his every move. It wasn’t until he found her, unconscious and limp, that he realized the depth of his own anger.

The doctor’s words echoed in his mind as he recalled their conversation from earlier. Her heat was here.

’Her pre-heat is gone, which means her heat has hit. When she wakes up, she’ll be in pain,’ the man said as he stood up, packing his things.

The timing couldn’t have been worse. His bond with her was already on edge with all that had happened, coupled with the maddening scent of her that filled the room.

Cain had walked him out, his mind running through everything that happened. How was it possible that Avery was taken right under his nose? The thought plagued his mind, and when he stepped out, the first person he saw was Lydia, who stood outside the door, her eyebrows pinched in worry.

"What is it?" He asked gruffly, and she froze, her eyes flickering about for a second.

"Avery... I wanted to know how she’s doing," she replied.

Cain hummed dismissively, "Find every one of them responsible for this debauchery that happened here. No one will escape my wrath," he ordered before stepping back into the room.

Lydia opened her mouth to respond but didn’t. She watched him turn back toward the room, then left.

He’d gone straight to his alcohol cabinet and pulled out a bottle of wine, taking a gulp of it and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He turned to look at Avery who lay on his bed still. He ran his hands through his hair. He was meant to help her with her heat, but her words... her words rang in his head. She’d been so defiant and refused so clearly. ’I’d rather suffer than share it with you.’

He turned around to look at her again. She looked so fragile, so delicate, lying there as if the world had drained all of its strength from her. A whimper escaped her lips, nose scrunched slightly in pain. Cain froze, remembering what the doctor had said. Her heat was here. Whatever those bastards did to her triggered it.

Avery blinked slowly, her vision hazy as she tried to focus. Her body burned, a searing heat coursed through her veins, leaving her breathless and desperate. Every inch of her skin felt too tight, every fiber of her being aching with a need she didn’t understand.

Her hands clawed at the sheets beneath her, damp with sweat, and she gasped, instinctively reaching to pull at her clothes. It clung to her skin, suffocating, unbearable.

"Hot," she murmured, her voice hoarse, almost a whimper. She turned her head, her eyes landing on the figure standing at the edge of the bed.

Cain.

He stood still, his gaze piercing and intense, watching her with an expression she couldn’t read. Avery blinked again, trying to clear the haziness of her memory. Where was she? Was Cain truly here? Was she safe? The rogues? Was she really— the thought trailed off as another wave of heat coursed through her veins, even more intense than it was before. Avery shut her eyes, a whimper escaping her lips as she writhed on the bed. Everything was so uncomfortable.

"Cain," she breathed, her voice trembling, uncertain whether she was calling for help or... something else.

He didn’t move at first, his green eyes flickering with an emotion she couldn’t decipher. His gaze settled on her flushed face. She writhed on the bed, her skin slick with sweat, her chest rising and falling in frantic gasps. Every sound she made drove him mad. His body betraying him as his instincts fought for dominance. His wolf wanted her. He wanted her.

He swallowed hard, shutting his eyes for a brief second and inhaled sharply. He paused as his senses were immediately flooded with vanilla and amber. His eyes shot open, realizing what he’d done. Every part of the room was filled with her scent. It was even more potent now that her heat had finally hit. "Avery," he called out to her hoarsely, his voice thick with restraint. "Your heat has started." He finally let out.

Avery’s breath hitched, her eyes widening at his words. Her heat was finally here? Is this how it felt to be in heat? This hotness she was battling from within. She swallowed hard, her gaze settling on him, and once again the heat coursed through her. More intense than the last. She clutched at the sheets, her nails digging into the fabric. "Make it stop," she begged, her voice breaking. "I—I can’t—"

Cain’s gaze darkened at her words, he gulped hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up. "You can’t fight it, Avery. It’s your body giving in to what it needs."

She shook her head, tears pooling in her eyes. She couldn’t think straight, not with the insane need and pain that overtook her entire being. "Help me," she whispered, her hands trembling as she reached out toward him, fingers brushing against the fabric of his shirt.

Cain’s eyes narrowed at her touch, her words from before echoed in his head. ’I’d rather suffer and be done with it than share it with you, Alpha Cain.’ She had said and now... "You don’t know what you’re asking for," he replied hoarsely as he took a deep breath only to be assaulted by her scent again. It was thicker, richer, and absolutely intoxicating. Cain’s hands curled into fists at his sides, his nails digging painfully into his palms, the only anchor he had to keep himself grounded, sane.

Her lips trembled, her body arching off the bed as another wave of need coursed through her. "Please," she whimpered, her voice trembling.

The knot in his chest tightened painfully. He could feel his control slipping, not like he had much control over it. The pull of the bond was maddening, every instinct in him screamed to give in, to take what was his.

"You remember what you told me?" he murmured, his voice low. "You said you’d rather suffer through this than share it with me."

Avery’s wide, desperate eyes met his, and his heart slammed painfully in his chest, and the beast inside him growled. Avery whimpered, her body trembling, her mind too clouded by heat to process his words fully.

"You don’t get to beg me now, Avery," he said, "Not when you said no." Even as he said it, his hands twitched at his sides, wanting to touch her. She was in pain, and it was unbearable. It was maddening. The bond pulled at him, urging him to claim her.

Her wide, tear-filled eyes locked on his, and for a moment, the air between them seemed to still. He should leave. He had to leave. But the bond wouldn’t let him move. He didn’t want to.

He stepped closer, his breath ragged. "Say it, Avery. Say you want me—not just relief, not just the pain to stop. Say you want me."

Her lips trembled, her eyes filled with tears, but she nodded, desperate. "Alpha..." she stammered.

"Fuck it." That was all it took. Any lingering doubt vanished, overwhelmed by the need that surged through him.

He crossed the space between them in a single stride, gripping the back of her head, and pulled her toward him. "You asked for this," he murmured darkly, his gaze flickering to her lips. "Remember that."

He slammed his lips against hers with a desperation he couldn’t contain any longer.