Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 124

Betrayed by Blood

Matt paced the length of his office, his fingers drumming against the side of his whiskey glass. The liquid sloshed inside, but he barely noticed. His other hand raked through his hair for the hundredth time, his breaths coming shallow and uneven.

The only sound was the quiet ticking of the wall clock. A sound that had become unbearable over the past hour.

Where was the call?

His assassin should have checked in by now. It was a simple job. Get in, kill Cain, and disappear. A clean, silent execution. Yet, the silence stretched on, thick with unease.

He took another sip of his drink, but the alcohol did nothing to settle his nerves. His mind ran in circles, thinking of every possibility he didn’t want to consider.

What if something had gone wrong?

What if Cain had...

His phone vibrated violently against the wooden desk. Matt lunged for it, nearly knocking over his drink in the process. He barely glanced at the caller ID before pressing it to his ear.

"Well?" he demanded, his voice sharp.

But it wasn’t the assassin on the other end.

"You fucking idiot," Callum’s voice snarled through the speaker.

Matt’s stomach dropped. His fingers tightened around the phone. "Callum?"

"Did you really think you could send an assassin after Cain and get away with it?" Callum hissed. "Do you have a death wish, Matt? Because that’s the only explanation for this level of stupidity."

Cold sweat broke out along Matt’s back. His mouth opened, but nothing came out.

"You should be running," Callum continued. "Right now. Cain knows everything, and he’s coming for you. This is the last favor you’re getting from me. I’m only doing this because of our ally, but now it’s done and over with. After this, you’re on your own."

The line went dead.

Matt stood frozen, the dial tone ringing in his ears.

Cain knows.

The glass slipped from his fingers, shattering against the floor.

Oh, he was screwed. Screwed. Screwed. Screwed. His breath came fast and shallow as his body snapped into action. He tore through his office, yanking drawers open, sweeping files and documents into a leather bag. His hands were shaking as he grabbed whatever he could—money, weapons, anything useful.

The door swung open, and his beta stepped in, his eyes narrowing as he took in what Matt was doing. "What the hell do you think you’re doing?" he asked just as his mother and sisters came walking into the office.

The three all stood shocked as they watched him practically run himself to the ground.

"What—what’s going on? What are you doing?" his mother asked in a panicked voice.

Matt didn’t stop moving nor did he spare them a glance. "I’m leaving."

The beta’s gaze darkened, he stepped forward, his jaw clenched hard. "Leaving? You mean running."

"Call it whatever you want," Matt snapped, stuffing more things into his bag. "The assassin I sent is useless. Cain found out! Do you think I am going to wait here until he comes?" Matt snapped angrily. "Cain’s coming. If I stay, I die. And I don’t plan on dying today."

His mother, Victoria, stepped forward, her eyes wide with shock. "What do you mean the assassin you sent?" She croaked out.

At the sound of her voice, Matt stopped, he looked at his mother, an exasperated sigh escaping his lips as he dragged his hands over his face. "I sent men to kill Cain, and I sent another one to kill him again, but it failed. They all failed me!"

Victoria lost her cool, his words ringing in her ears. "What do you mean you sent a man to kill Cain even after those two failed? Who told you to do such a stupid thing? Did you really think you could kill Cain? That’s like signing a death sentence. Why didn’t you inquire with me? Why didn’t you ask for my advice?" She screamed with rage, her chest heaving.

Matt huffed out, "The king, mother. King Alaric told me. Kill Cain first before he kills you, and that’s what I did. If this stupid assassin hadn’t messed up then-" he paused, his gaze shifting to the wall clock. Oh, shit. He had to leave.

He continued packing whatever he could find, ignoring everything they all said.

After he was done packing and aligned the bags over his shoulder, he moved to leave only to be held back by his mother. Her teary eyes on him. "And us? Are you leaving me? Your sisters? Your people? Will you really leave us to suffer the wrath of Cain Knight?"

Matt’s jaw clenched as he stared at his mother’s tearful face. His sisters stood behind her, their wide eyes filled with fear, their bodies tense like they already knew the answer. His Beta looked just as disgusted, his fists clenched at his sides.

Guilt gnawed at him, but it wasn’t enough to change his mind.

"I have no choice," Matt said, his voice clipped. "If I stay, I die. And if I die, then you all—" He stopped himself. No, he wasn’t doing this. He wasn’t going to stand here and argue when Cain could already be on his way.

Victoria grabbed his wrist, her grip surprisingly strong. "You coward," she hissed, her voice thick with fury. "You would abandon your own family to save your miserable life?"

Matt yanked his arm free, stepping back. "You’ll survive," he muttered, but even he didn’t believe it.

His Beta took a step forward. "You’re abandoning your pack," he said, voice low and dangerous. "What do you think will happen when Cain gets here and finds you gone? Do you think he’ll just let the rest of us live?"

Matt’s pulse pounded in his ears. He needed to leave. Now.

"I’ll send word," he lied. "I’ll find a way to help from a distance."

His Beta let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "You expect me to hold this pack together while you run like a dog with its tail between its legs?"

"I expect you to do your job," Matt snapped. "You swore loyalty to me, or did you forget that?"

His Beta took another step forward, but Matt was already moving. He pushed past them, shoving the office door open.

"Matt!" Victoria called, but he didn’t look back.

He hurried through the halls, past confused pack members and wary guards. His mind raced as he made his way to the back entrance. His car was already out there, so he threw his bags onto the seat and climbed in without hesitation.

As the car moved, Matt finally allowed himself to breathe.

He was getting out. He was going to survive.