Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 111

Betrayed by Blood

Kendra woke up as early as she could and got dressed. She stood in front of her mirror, applying lip gloss to her lips. She straightened up, gently combing her hair. After she was satisfied, she smiled and walked out of the room, ready to face the day head-on. She had only today left and needed to solidify her stay as soon as possible before anything else. How else to solidify it if not by exposing Avery.

The heavy doors to Cain’s office swung open, and Kendra stepped inside, her heart pounding with anticipation. She had waited for this moment—waited to see the look on Avery’s face when Cain found out what she was planning.

Cain was seated behind his desk, sharp eyes flickering up at her. His expression was unreadable, but she knew how to push him.

She shut the door behind her, a small sultry smile on her face. "Alpha—"

"Did you perhaps lose the ability to knock, Kendra?" Cain’s sharp voice had her freezing. She was not expecting to be met with the sharp tone of his.

She forced a smile on her face. "I’m sorry, Alpha. I’ll knock next time," she replied.

Cain hummed, shifting his focus back to the papers he was signing without a second thought. Kendra’s smile waned off; Cain wasn’t even giving her the time of day. Had it truly gotten this bad between them?

She hesitated slightly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She cleared her throat. "Alpha, there’s something you need to know," she began, but before she could finish, the doors suddenly slammed open again.

Lucas, breathless, burst in. His clothes were dusty, eyes wide with panic.

"Alpha Cain," he said hurriedly, his voice tight, "We’ve caught him. Xander. He was found right at Vehiron’s border."

Cain snapped his head up at the man. "What? Xander was caught, and that too at Vehiron’s border?"

"Yes, Alpha, and he wasn’t alone," Lucas replied.

Cain’s chair scraped back as he stood, all attention shifting. His green eyes darkened, a slow, dangerous smirk tugging at his lips. Xander was a very, very foolish man.

Kendra took a step forward, her eyes wide with panic. This was her only chance to tell him everything about Avery. She couldn’t lose it. Not like this. "Wait—Cain, I—"

But he didn’t even look at her.

He was already moving, striding toward the doors with Lucas close behind. Kendra was left standing there, fists clenched, feeling like a ghost in the room.

He hadn’t even heard her.

Kendra’s nails dug into her palms. She had come here to ruin Avery, and instead, she was being dismissed like she didn’t even matter.

Xander’s knees hit the cold marble floor roughly.

He winced, gritting his teeth harshly, his wounded leg barely able to hold his weight. Blood seeped through the fabric, but he didn’t let himself show pain.

Around him, warriors stood like stone pillars, their faces hardened. Everyone had gathered in the grand hall, the news of Xander’s capture already making waves in the pack and beyond it.

Beside him was Ezek, who was also made to kneel. The old man looked worn out and out of it. It had been two days since they had been on the run. They should’ve gotten to Vehiron within a day, but Xander’s leg had held them back. It was impossible to move quickly with a wounded man, and Ezek couldn’t do much to help him. He didn’t have all he needed to heal the wound.

Normally, Xander’s leg would’ve healed the bullet wound already, seeing as he is a wolf, but this was different. Whatever Xander was shot with wasn’t just an ordinary bullet, so Ezek couldn’t do a thing but watch the man writhe in pain each time.

Xander looked around, his gaze catching on the one person he thought would have his back, Lydia. She had just stepped into the hall after hearing her brother had been captured. She ran as fast as she could, the maid’s words echoing in her head. Xander had been caught. Lydia burst into the grand hall, her gaze immediately finding the two men kneeling in the middle of the hall. A sharp gasp escaped her lips at the sight of him, Xander.

He looked horrible. Thinner than she had ever seen him, his hair had grown so much it fell past his eyes. He was sweaty as he was bloody, with bruises lining up his face.

Lydia’s stomach churned at the sight, bile rising to her throat. Xander lifted his head, and his eyes met hers. Lydia’s breath hitched, her feet deeply rooted into the floor. She couldn’t do a thing but watch.

Cain stepped into the hall, and immediately, the air shifted. Conversations died down, murmurs faded, and a thick tension settled over the room. The warriors straightened, their backs stiffening as the Alpha of Vehiron made his entrance.

His boots clicked against the marble floor, his sharp green eyes locked onto Xander, who remained kneeling in the center of the hall, blood staining his pants from his wounded leg.

Cain’s lips curled into a smirk. "Was it worth it?" His voice was smooth, taunting, laced with mockery. "Escaping from my dungeon. Running for days. Only to end up right where you started?"

Xander clenched his jaw, forcing himself to meet Cain’s gaze. His body screamed in pain, his leg felt like it was on fire, but he refused to show weakness.

Cain let out a low chuckle. "Look at you." He tilted his head, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "I’ve seen rogues in better shape."

He took another step forward, towering over Xander, looking down at him like he was nothing.

"You should’ve died out there." Cain’s voice dropped lower, almost a whisper. "It would’ve been a better fate than crawling back here like a wounded dog."

Xander didn’t flinch. Instead, he let out a strained breath. "Then why didn’t you kill me on sight?" he rasped.

Cain’s smirk deepened. "Because I want to hear you beg first."

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Lydia’s breath hitched, her heart hammering in her chest. She stepped forward, wanting to interject, to tell Cain he was being too mean, but she was held back by Nathan, who shook his head. "Don’t," he mouthed.

Cain crouched slightly, so he was at Xander’s eye level. His fingers gripped Xander’s chin harshly, forcing him to look at him.

"Tell me, Xander," he drawled. "What lie are you going to spin this time?"

Xander held his gaze, his voice steady despite his pain. "No lies, Cain. Just the truth."

Cain scoffed. "The truth?" He stood back up, towering over him once more. "And what truth is that?"

Xander’s eyes flickered toward Lydia before he took a shaky breath. "That I was framed."

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Cain arched a brow, staring at him with a bored expression. "Framed?" He chuckled. "You expect me to believe that?"

"It’s what happened. The bloodroot poison was planted on me. I didn’t send any assassin to you. I didn’t try to kill you. I had no reason to. I was drugged that night." Xander gritted out tightly.

"You didn’t try to kill me, but not only was the bloodroot smell on you. You had the silver piece that belonged to the assassin. Are you going to deny that too?"

"That’s what I am saying. I was framed for it all."

"And you were also framed for escaping the dungeon? Is that it too?"

Xander swallowed hard, his jaw clenched tight. "I didn’t escape of my own free will. I was taken forcefully."

"I have proof. Proof that I didn’t buy any bloodroot, proof that I was framed." Xander spat out.

Cain’s smirk faltered for just a second, his gaze darting at Xander’s words.

The room erupted into whispers. Lydia’s eyes widened, her fingers trembling.

"What proof do you have?"

"Ezek. Ezek is the only person who sells bloodroot poison in the region. Ask Ezek if I ever got the bloodroot poison from him."

Cain looked at the man. "Ezek," Cain drawled, his voice laced with boredom. "You heard him. Tell me, did Xander buy bloodroot poison from you?"

Ezek groaned, lifting his head slightly. His eyes were unfocused.

Cain crouched down, his green eyes dark with amusement. "I suggest you answer, old man, before I decide to speed up your trip to the afterlife."

A thick swallow moved down Ezek’s throat. His lips parted, voice hoarse but steady.

"No. I haven’t seen this man in my life, not until he barged into my home and forced me to come here and prove his innocence. Bloodroot is an extremely rare kind of poison that’s used to kill alphas, particularly alphas. I sold it to a different man at his insistence, not Xander."

A sharp gasp rippled through the crowd. The smirk on Cain’s face faltered at this. He looked at Xander again. "And I’m supposed to believe him?"

"Yes! You should believe him because I didn’t do anything wrong. I wasn’t just framed and drugged at the dinner that day. I was also taken forcefully out of the dungeon that day by Alpha Matt." ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com