Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 7

Betrayed by Blood~

The guards hauled me to my feet like a criminal and dragged me into the room, their grip tighter than ever, as though I could ever break free. My feet scraped the hard floor, and my heart pounded so hard in my chest I feared it might burst. I had no idea where I was being dragged.

The door creaked open, and I was shoved inside. I stumbled forward, barely catching myself before I hit the ground. I whimpered as my knee grazed the floor painfully. My heart was pounding harder than ever. I didn’t need to be told where I’d been dragged to; his scent alone sent a shudder running down my spine.

I slowly looked up, and then I saw him.

Cain.

He sat there on his chair, like he had the world at the tip of his fingers, his green eyes piercing through me the moment they met mine. I froze, my body betraying me, and an icy chill ran down my spine.

"Leave us," he ordered.

The guards obeyed without hesitation, stepping out and shutting the door behind them.

And just like that, I was alone with him. Again.

He didn’t say anything for some minutes, his gaze heavy and intense on me like that of a predator studying its prey, that I began to tremble. I had no idea what he wanted to do with me. Again, the images of the man’s head being ripped flashed through my mind. I bit back a whimper that threatened to leave my lips.

He stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. He walked towards me, and I could swear my heart was in my mouth. He stopped right in front of me. "Look at me," he ordered, and I did just that, slowly lifting my head to look at him.

The man was ethereal, I’ll give him that. He leaned down slightly, bringing his hand to my face and wiped a tear. I hadn’t even realized I was sobbing. "P-please let me go," I stammered, and before I knew it, I was word vomiting while crying. "—I won’t return. You won’t ever see me again. I know you don’t want me as a mate. You hate me, so please let me go," I cried out.

Cain’s jaw tightened with each word that left my lips, his left eye twitching, but I was too lost in pleading to even realize. His fingers curled under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. "What gave you the idea that you have the power to choose what you want?" His voice was low. "You don’t get to decide what, how, and when you leave. Only I get to do that. You don’t get to leave me, you don’t get to run! You only leave when I want you to."

He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming. The heat from his body seemed to sear into my skin. I could feel the bond between us tugging at the very core of me. "You don’t get to leave me, Avery. You don’t get to run. You leave when I say you leave."

I flinched at the words, but his grip softened slightly, and I could swear I saw something flicker in his eyes.

"I didn’t ask for this," I whispered, trembling. "I didn’t ask to be your mate."

Cain stepped back, "Neither did I," he muttered under his breath. "But the bond doesn’t give us a choice, does it?"

"You’ll stay, Avery, until I decide you won’t." He spat out then called in the guards again who in turn dragged Avery out.

Cain stood still for a moment after Avery was taken away, his eyes burning a hole through the door she’d just left. His mind raced, but nothing seemed to make sense. He ran his hand through his hair frustratedly.

This shouldn’t be happening. Not now. He finally got Rowan right where he wanted. He should be celebrating the death of that fool, but instead, he was losing his mind. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey again and poured himself a drink. This! This is the reason he despised the bond, the mating, everything about it. The bond was nothing but a cursed tether, one he couldn’t get rid of.

He could see it again, her fear, her words, the way she trembled in his presence. It gnawed at him, made him feel... wrong. She was supposed to be afraid of him. She wasn’t supposed to make him question himself, yet here he is, doing the one thing he swore never to do.

"Dammit," Cain muttered under his breath, pacing back and forth in the office. The chair scraped against the floor as he sat back down behind the desk, his hands clenching into fists. "Lucas!" He growled out, and within moments, Lucas was at the door, walking in briskly as calmly as he usually did, but even he couldn’t hide the wariness in his eyes.

"You called, Alpha."

Cain looked at the man, "Get everything, and I mean everything you can on Avery Jae. Who she is, where she comes from, which pack she belongs to. What her connection to my pack is. If there’s anything I missed. I want everything."

"Yes, Alpha." Lucas nodded then left, leaving Cain to his thoughts again. Once he finds out everything, he would take control again. He would cut off the part of him that betrayed him. The part that wanted to protect her. The part that wanted to care. The part that made him feel... weak.