Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha
Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Chapter 72

Betrayed by Blood~

The wooden floor creaked faintly beneath Xander’s boots as he paced around the cabin. He ran his hands through his hair frustratedly. He glanced at the wall clock, ticking without stopping. He furiously rubbed his forehead, the wall clock was only a testament of how long he had been in this cabin. Every creak, every tick of the clock got on his nerves.

The door opened with a sharp click, and Xander turned around sharply, his gaze settling on the intruder. Alpha Matt stepped into the place, his face calm even though he could sense the anger exuding from Xander. He walked to the windows and pulled the curtains apart, letting air into the space. He turned to face Xander, whose eyes were already on him.

"You’ll wear a hole in the floor at this rate," Matt mused.

Xander crossed his arms over his chest, his posture tense. "I’d rather wear a hole in the floor than sit around waiting for you to decide when I can leave."

Matt chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Leave? Xander, you know that’s not an option right now."

Xander scoffed, his jaw clenched tight. "This is the last time I’m asking, Matt. Why am I still here? You said you were helping me, but all you’ve done is cage me like an animal."

A disbelieving chuckle left Matt’s lips, his eyebrows cocked up. "Helping you? Oh, Xander, I’ve already done more than enough. You’d be dead if it weren’t for me. Cain would have ripped your head off, and you know it."

"I’ll take my chances. Anything’s better than this. How long am I supposed to stay here? Hidden from the world? What am I supposed to be doing here? For how long will I hide?" Xander spat out angrily.

Matt smirked, leaning closer. "You think you can just walk out of here? Cain’s warriors are hunting you, and there’s a nice fat bounty on your head. The second you step outside this cabin, you’ll have every rogue and bounty hunter after you."

There was a beat of silence as the two men stared at each other. Xander took a step forward, his voice low. "What are you really playing at, Matt? You didn’t drag me out of there out of the kindness of your heart. What do you want from me?"

Matt smirked, "You’re giving me too much credit. I didn’t save you because I wanted something. I saved you because it was the right move. Cain was never going to sentence you. He was going to make you wait, hope, and lose your mind in there. He was going to make you a prisoner in your own mind, and I saved you. Do you even realize how deep I am in this? I have risked the lives of hundreds of my pack members for yours. I’ve risked my title, wealth, name all for you. I saved you because that’s what I should do as an alpha. It’s not my fault you’re not used to having actual responsible alphas."

Xander scoffed, "Oh, spare me the bullshit, Matt, and give it to me directly." He spat out, taking a step closer to the man, pointing a finger at him. "You don’t do shit out of the goodness of your heart. You aren’t the responsible alpha you think you are." Xander paused, taking a step back, arms stretched out. "What? I thought you brought me here to scheme. Didn’t you want some information on Cain? Who best to ask than his former trusted warrior? I know him inside and out, so go ahead. Ask me all that you want and fulfill your heart’s desires."

Matt’s smirk didn’t falter as he stepped closer to Xander, calmly, a stark contrast to Xander’s frustration. "You think you’ve got it all figured out, don’t you?" he said, his tone laced with amusement. "You think I want information on Cain, but I don’t need it. I already know everything I need to know about him. But you?" He tilted his head, his eyes gleaming with something darker. "You’re far more useful than you think."

Xander’s jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Useful? Is that what this is about?"

Matt chuckled lowly, "Call it what you want, but let’s not pretend you don’t have a role to play in all this. You hate Cain. That much is obvious. And I think you’re smart enough to realize that your hatred can be...productive." He paused, walking over to the table and taking a bottle of water. "It’s simple, really. Cain has enemies—more than you probably know. You’re not the only one who’s been wronged by him. But unlike the others, you’ve got something they don’t: proximity. You know his weaknesses, his fears. You’ve seen him at his most vulnerable. That kind of knowledge is invaluable."

Xander scoffed, "Looks like I wasn’t wrong at the end of the day. You only want a tool to help you ruin Cain. That’s it."

Matt’s smirk dropped at Xander’s words. "Oh, give up the self-righteous act already. It’s boring. You’re really going to stand there and act like you don’t want the same thing. Like I’m the one in the wrong to crave Cain’s downfall? Is that it? You think you’re so different from me, but you aren’t. You are exactly like me. If you truly respected him or were loyal to him like you are pretending you were. You wouldn’t have fallen in love with him, mate. You wanted her. You craved her body. You pursued her even though you knew she was his."

Xander’s fists clenched tighter, the veins on his arms bulging as Matt’s words struck a nerve. His eyes burned red with barely restrained anger as he stepped closer. "Watch your mouth, Matt," he growled.

Matt smirked, his tone growing sharper, more biting. "Why? Did I touch a nerve? You can lie to yourself all you want, Xander, but don’t try lying to me. You looked at her like she was yours, didn’t you? And Cain? He saw it too. That’s why you’re here. That’s why you’re not rotting in his dungeons or walking around with your head still attached. He knew you were weak, and now so do I."

Xander’s breathing grew heavier, his muscles coiled like a spring ready to snap. He stepped closer to Matt, his eyes on the man. "You don’t know a damn thing about me," he sneered.

"Oh, I know plenty," Matt shot back. "I know you’re just like me. Bitter. Angry. Tired of being stepped on and tossed aside. The only difference is, I’ve embraced it. I’m not afraid to admit what I want or do what needs to be done to get it. And you? You’re still fighting yourself, still pretending you’re better than this, better than me, but you’re not. You’re exactly like me." He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a taunting whisper. "Deep down, you know I’m right."

Xander shook his head. He was nothing like Matt. He only accepted his help so he could be out of the dungeon and actually search for the bloody man who sells the bloodroot poison. He could no longer be stuck in that damned crappy cell where he could do nothing but wait for Lydia’s message all day long. He knew he had to do something, and so he latched onto Matt’s help, but he was never going to join Matt. "I’m nothing like you," he spat out coldly. "You’re a coward hiding behind manipulation and lies. You think you’re playing some brilliant game, but all you are is a snake waiting to be crushed."

Matt laughed, the sound cold and humorless. "Call me whatever you want, Xander. It doesn’t change the facts. Cain ruined you. He took everything you were and left you with nothing. And I’m offering you a chance to take it all back. To take him down and finally be free of his shadow."

Xander stared at Matt blankly. The offer was tempting, maddeningly so, but it felt like a trap. His loyalty to Cain was gone, that much he knew. But joining forces with someone like Matt? It felt like trading one master for another. A stupid one at that.

"You think I’ll just fall in line because you dangle some cheap revenge in front of me?" Xander spat out. "I don’t need you, Matt. And I sure as hell don’t need your schemes."

Matt’s smirk returned, more infuriating than ever. "Maybe not. But you’ll see soon enough that fighting alone gets you nowhere. And when that time comes, don’t worry—I’ll still be here. Ready to help you, whether you like it or not."

Matt moved to walk away, only to stop by the door, his hand on the doorknob. "Ah, that reminds me. Your precious Avery Jae had her heat, and for three days, everyone in Vehiron heard nothing but her moans." Matt chuckled, "I heard she screamed his name so well."

"You fucking piece of—" Xander lunged at the door, but Matt was long gone.

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