Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 135

Betrayed by Blood

The room fell deathly silent.

Cain remained motionless at first, but the atmosphere around him changed, thick with something dark and dangerous. His jaw clenched, a muscle twitching violently. His breathing was slow and controlled, but it was a facade of restraint. He was on the brink of exploding.

Then, without warning, he moved.

The nearest maid barely had time to blink before Cain’s hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat. She screamed, her feet kicking as he lifted her off the ground as if she weighed nothing. The other maids stumbled back, hands clasped over their mouths, frozen in sheer terror.

"How dare you put your hands on her!" Cain’s voice was low, seething, his grip tightening. "What gives you the right to hit her?" He snarled.

The maid in his grasp clawed at his wrist, gasping for air, her eyes wide. "A-Alpha—" she stammered.

Cain didn’t release his grip.

He slammed her into the nearest wall with force that shook the foundation. The impact sent dust falling from the ceiling, and the maid choked out a strangled cry.

The others screamed. Kendra gasped, her eyes wide and filled with shock. She had never seen Cain this angry. Her body trembled, and she took a step back, swallowing shakily. Cain’s burning gaze snapped toward them.

"On your knees," he growled.

The maids dropped instantly, trembling, their heads bowed, teeth chattering. They knew there was no way out of this.

Cain finally released the girl he had against the wall, and she collapsed roughly to the floor, coughing and sobbing. He stepped over her as if she were nothing, towering over the cowering maids.

Cain’s gaze swept over the pathetic display before him. The maids knelt, their heads bowed so low they nearly touched the ground, their bodies trembling with terror. He walked slowly towards them, his boots clicking against the floor, each sound making them flinch.

"You dared to put your hands on what’s mine? Did you really think you could do that and walk away unscathed?" He continued, his voice deceptively calm.

One of the maids, still clutching her throat from where he had slammed her, sobbed out, "P-please, Alpha—"

"Shut the fuck up."

She bit back a cry, her shoulders shaking violently.

Cain crouched low, gripping another maid by the chin and forcing her to look at him. She whimpered as his claws extended, sharp against her skin.

"You all wanted to see Avery humiliated, didn’t you?" he murmured, tilting his head slightly. "You wanted her to suffer."

The girl nodded frantically, then froze, realizing her mistake. She shook her head just as fast, but it was too late.

Cain chuckled, a low, menacing sound. "You’re all so bold when you outnumber her," he mused.

His gaze flickered to Avery, who looked utterly torn apart, with bruises on her forearm and face, blood staining her.

Something dark curled inside him.

He had felt her fear. He had felt her pain.

At first, it was shocking, the fear that suddenly filled him from inside. He had been in a meeting when he felt it. He knew instantly that it wasn’t his emotion but rather hers, and he sprang to his feet to find her without hesitation.

Slowly, he stood. His voice rang with finality.

"Fifty lashes," he declared, eyes scanning over the maids. "Each of you."

A ripple of panic surged through them. The one at his feet let out a choked sob. Another clutched the hem of her dress, gasping in horror.

"Please, Alpha—"

"You earned this," he cut her off. "You don’t attack anyone in this pack and walk away. You don’t attack her—" his gaze snapped to the maid who had tried to scratch Avery. "You called her a whore, didn’t you?"

The girl paled, shaking her head in frantic denial.

Cain let out a cruel laugh. "You’ll get seventy."

More wails. More begging.

Cain ignored them, glancing at Lydia, who stood at the side with a smirk on her face. "If she faints? Douse her in cold ice water and continue, and if she dies, toss her body into the woods and leave it for the vultures. They’ll appreciate a good meal."

"And after you’ve been whipped," he continued coldly, "you’ll spend the next two weeks on the farms, doing maximum hard labor. Maybe that will remind you of your place." ƒгeewebnovёl.com

The weight of his words settled over the room like a death sentence. Every one of them was ghastly pale.

But he wasn’t done yet.

His gaze landed on Kendra.

The woman who had orchestrated all of this.

Kendra had gone pale, her lips pressed into a thin line as she tried to regain control of herself.

"Cain—" she started, her voice soft, lips puckered out, already trying to manipulate it.

Cain cut her off.

"Strip."

The single word hung in the air.

Kendra froze. "What?"

"You’re stripped of your rank." Cain’s voice was final. Absolute. Lydia stepped forward instantly, reaching for the golden pin on Kendra’s shoulder—the insignia of her status. The golden pin represented her status as an important person in Vehiron. That pin meant Kendra’s authority, and even when Cain banished her from Vehiron for that one month, he didn’t take it away. He left it with her, but not this time. She’d crossed way too many boundaries.

Kendra stumbled back, eyes wide. "Cain, no—"

"Your title." Cain continued, unwavering. "Your privileges. Your status. Gone."

"No!" Kendra shrieked, struggling as Lydia ripped the insignia from her. "You can’t do this! My mother—"

"She’ll be stripped too."

The words sent her ablaze. She practically turned red.

Kendra screamed in fury, eyes blazing with rage. "You can’t do this to me! I am supposed to be your Luna! I’ve done everything for you, Cain! You can’t do this to me." She screamed.

Cain stepped closer to her, his eyebrows arched. "My Luna?" He scoffed. "What delusional pill have you swallowed, Kendra?"

Kendra’s face twisted in pure rage. "I was supposed to be by your side! Not her!" She jabbed a finger toward Avery, her voice shaking with fury.

Cain just stared at her—cold, unbothered. "You were never going to be my Luna, Kendra," he said simply. "That was a fantasy you created for yourself. One I allowed you to believe for far too long."

Kendra’s hands curled into fists. "You let me believe it because you wanted me!" she spat. "I was the one at your side all these years! The one who stood with you through everything! And now you’re throwing me away for her?"

Cain tilted his head, "I never wanted you, Kendra."

The words hit her like a slap. She stumbled back, her entire body trembling. "You’re lying."

Cain’s voice remained calm. "I tolerated you."

Her breath hitched.

His next words were a death blow.

"I should have exiled you the first time you overstepped," he said, his green eyes burning. "I let it slide. Again and again. I gave you chances. I gave you mercy. I let you be insolent and disrespectful. I let you do as you wish, but you’ve done nothing but push my buttons. Not anymore."

Kendra’s body shook, her eyes red with rage as she stared at Avery. She let out a sharp, furious scream then lunged—at Avery.

Cain’s body moved instinctively.

Before Kendra could even get close, his hand shot out, grabbing her by the throat. She choked, eyes bulging in shock as he slammed her against the wall.

A sickening crack echoed through the room.

Cain leaned in close, his lips curling into a deadly sneer.

"You just sealed your fucking fate."

Kendra’s eyes widened in sheer panic. She tried to shake her head, tried to form words, but the pressure around her throat made it impossible.

Cain turned his head slightly to look at the guards. "Take her to the dungeon."

The moment the words left his lips, Kendra froze.

The guards stepped forward swiftly. Cain finally released her, and she collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. But the relief was short-lived. The guards yanked her up, grabbing her arms, and reality crashed into her.

"N-No," she choked out, struggling against their hold. "Cain—wait! Please!"

Cain didn’t even look at her.

Her chest heaved as pure desperation clawed its way up her throat. She turned to him, her voice shrill with panic. "Cain, don’t do this! You love me! You need me!"

The guards started dragging her away.

Kendra screamed.

"Cain!" She kicked and thrashed, but their grip was unrelenting. "You can’t do this! I did it for you! Everything I did was for you!"

Kendra’s face twisted, tears streaming down her cheeks. She tried again, her voice breaking. "Cain, please! Please! I’ll do anything!" As the guards hauled her toward the door, her screams turned frantic. "You can’t just throw me away!" she screeched. "I was supposed to be yours! Not her!"

"Don’t do this to me!" she wailed, her voice shattering with hysteria. "I love you, Cain! I love you!"

Cain did nothing but watch as she was dragged out.