Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha
Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Chapter 82

Betrayed by Blood

Martha froze, her face drained of blood as a cold sweat broke out across her skin. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, and for a moment, the world seemed to tilt beneath her feet. She slowly raised her eyes, and there he stood—Alpha Cain. His figure filled the doorway, his presence suffocating her immediately.

She gasped, her breath catching in her throat. Her legs weakened, but she forced herself to stand tall.

"What are you doing in here?" Cain’s voice was low, but there was a sharpness to it that made her heart race. His gaze fell to her outstretched hand, the letter she’d been about to snatch now hovering in midair. His eyebrows rose in silent accusation. "Speak up, Martha!"

Martha’s mind raced, searching for a way to explain herself, but nothing seemed to come to her. Her words felt trapped in her throat, her thoughts muddled by fear.

"I—I wasn’t... I didn’t mean—" she stammered, the lie slipping from her lips before she could even think about it.

Cain’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t move closer. "You’re what? Snooping around in Lydia’s office? Is that it?" He asked, and her eyes widened, the letter falling from her hand and onto the table.

"What? No! Alpha. I was only helping Beta Lydia put the papers back on the table. It fell off, and I was just-" she didn’t get to complete her words as Lydia stepped in right at that moment, in her hand was a bottle of water. Her eyebrows furrowed the second she stepped in, confusion filling her features. Her gaze shifted from Cain, whom she was in no way expecting to find, to Martha, who stood by her table, looking shell-shocked and scared.

"Martha? What are you doing here?" Lydia asked.

"I—" She was still too shaken to form a coherent sentence, and as she glanced from one to the other, it was clear her story wasn’t convincing. Cain’s eyes narrowed at her in silence, and Lydia’s confusion deepened.

"Answer her," Cain said coldly, his voice like ice.

Martha flinched hard, "I came to look for Beta Lydia, but she wasn’t in, and I knocked the scrolls over and found the envelope, so I was just putting it back." She rushed out in panic.

Cain glanced at Lydia to see if she was buying the story because he wasn’t. Lydia’s gaze fell to the envelope Martha was speaking of, and her eyes widened slightly, snapping back to Martha.

"What do you say, Lydia? Do you buy her story?" Cain asked, his gaze intense on Lydia, almost like he was trying to figure something out.

Martha stared at the beta, her heart pounding harder than ever in her chest. She desperately needed her to believe her story. She had to because if she says otherwise, then Martha might as well kiss her life goodbye.

Lydia stared at the woman, her jaw clenched hard, her blood boiling with anger. "Yes, I believe her." Lydia gritted out through clenched teeth.

Cain hummed, "Alright then, come see me when you’re settled." He said, turning around to leave only to pause, his gaze settling on Martha for a second longer than he stepped out finally.

~~~~~~

Lydia’s chest heaved, her anger almost spilling over. She shut the door swiftly without shifting her gaze from Martha.

Martha shakily stepped back, she could see the rage in Lydia’s eyes. She didn’t believe what she said but only said so to pacify Cain. "Beta Lydia," she stammered.

Lydia stormed forward, and before Martha could get anything out, she slapped her hard across the cheek, sending the woman stumbling back from the force.

Martha held her cheek, her eyes wide with shock. "Beta—"

"How dare you, Martha? How dare you snoop around my office? Since when did you get the audacity to even step into my office? Have you lost your mind?" Lydia sneered, her eyes red.

Martha’s body went stiff, her cheek burning where Lydia’s hand had struck. The sting was sharp, and her heart thudded in her chest as she tried to process the situation. The room felt suffocating, the walls closing in on her.

"I-I didn’t mean to," Martha stammered, her voice barely audible, taking a hesitant step back. Her gaze darted to Lydia’s face, the anger written all over it, making her throat dry with fear.

Lydia’s eyes were cold and filled with disgust. "You didn’t mean to? You think that makes it better?" she spat, her fists clenching at her sides. "You’ve been here long enough to know better, Martha. Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking you can get away with this."

Martha swallowed, her hands trembling as she clutched the edges of her blouse, feeling like she was about to crumble under Lydia’s anger. She had never seen the woman in such a way before; she’s always been a calm person, never even raising her voice, but this, this was different.

"I-I’m sorry," Martha whispered, barely able to form the words. She wanted to explain, to plead for forgiveness, but she knew that nothing she said would change Lydia’s perception of her in this moment.

She took a slow breath, her eyes narrowing once again. "I don’t know what you’re involved in, but don’t ever think you can cross me, understand?" Lydia’s voice was low and controlled, "I’m giving you a chance to walk out of here without consequences, but if I ever catch you snooping around again, there won’t be a second chance."

Martha swallowed hard, nodding quickly, unable to summon any words. The intensity of Lydia’s stare had her frozen in place, her heart thumping painfully in her chest. She didn’t want to anger the Beta further, not when she was already in such a fickle position.

"Go. Now," Lydia snapped, turning her back on Martha.

Martha wasted no time in retreating, her legs trembling as she quickly exited the room, the door slamming shut behind her. She stood in the hallway for a moment, taking shallow breaths to steady her nerves.

She then turned around, her gaze settling on Lydia’s door. Initially, she wasn’t so serious about it; she didn’t take it as hard, but now, seeing how Lydia had reacted. It only meant something. She had seen how Lydia tensed up when she stepped into the room and saw the envelope. It was almost as if she was scared. But what could the beta ever have to be scared of?

Martha rubbed her palms against her cheek, her jaw locked. Lydia had slapped her, so harshly too. It wasn’t personal before, but now, it is. She will find out exactly what Lydia is hiding and expose her to Alpha Cain. ’Let’s see how well she likes being on the short end of the stick.’ Martha mumbled to herself bitterly.

Inside the room, Lydia stood still, staring at the scattered papers on her desk, her hands gripping the edge so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her heart raced, not from anger, but from fear. What if Martha had gotten a hold of the envelope? What if she had read it? Even worse, what if Cain had read it?

It was Xander’s letter to her. The one that was delivered to the pack. That was the very same letter Martha was about to get her hands on. Lydia shook her head, her gaze settling on the letter. She couldn’t continue like this. She had to do something to clear Xander’s name quickly.

____________________________________

Avery was done with her tasks for the day and was waiting at the corner for Millie. She’d promised to wait so they could walk to the servant quarters together. Avery couldn’t help but smile at the thought of having a friend in the pack. Someone that wasn’t out trying to sabotage her or make her life a living hell. She exhaled, thinking about how life hasn’t been different still. Living with her uncle and aunt in her pack, she didn’t have any friend too. Her smile slowly waned when she realized she overlooked her one friend back in the pack. Emma. She wondered if they ever thought of her. Did they think she died after that fall? Did they celebrate her supposed death? And Jasmine? Was she married to Lucian now? Were they happy? Does she ever cross their minds? Do they feel even an ounce of guilt when they think about her?

She shook her head, not wanting to think more about them. She was going through hell here and didn’t want to think about her previous hell either. She swallowed hard, rubbing her palms together. She only wished the goddess had let her parents stayed with her longer. She wished her father realized who his brother was but now-

"Avery.." Millie’s timid voice jolted her out of her thoughts. She turned around, slightly startled.

"Oh, hi.." she murmured quietly, the shot of energy that had been coursing through her veins before was suddenly gone.

"Are you okay?" Millie asked quietly, and she nodded. They began to walk towards the servant quarters.

"Yes, just cold.." Avery replied, and silence setting between them as they walked until Millie broke the ice again.

"The moonlight festival. W-will you be attending?" Millie asked, earning Avery’s attention.

"The what?" Avery asked, confused.

"The moonlight festival.." Millie replied, glancing at her and sees the confusion in her eyes. "You don’t know about it?" She asked, and Avery nodded.

"Oh, it’s umm..It’s a festival that happens in the pack every year to celebrate the moon goddess. The next one is in a week and a half, All the unmated wolves try to impress their fated mates," She said..."Are you attending it?"

"Can I not attend it?" Avery asked although the two of them already knew the answer. Millie shook her head, her lips palmed into a thin line.

"And you? Do you have anyone you want dancing to you?" She asked but couldn’t help but cringe at her question. All she wanted to do fill in the awkward silence.

"No." Millie replied, and Avery smiled. "Well, good. We can just be together that day." She replied, smiling when she sees Millie smile.

Avery couldn’t help but wonder what the moonlight festival was really about...

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