Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 157: Chaptee

Betrayed by Blood~

Avery hesitated outside Cain’s office, shifting on her feet as she debated whether or not to enter. She had been so sure of herself just moments ago, excited even, but now she wasn’t certain if she should interrupt.

She sighed, lowering her gaze to the floor. Maybe she should just come back later.

But she couldn’t. She had to show him. She took a deep breath and knocked lightly before pushing the door open just enough to peek inside. Cain sat at his desk, eyes scanning over a set of documents while several high-ranking wolves stood in front of him, waiting for his orders. His presence filled the room, but the moment his gaze flicked up and landed on her, everything stopped.

The discussion halted. His fingers stilled.

Avery swallowed. "Um... I—" She faltered. She hadn’t expected him to acknowledge her so quickly, especially in front of his men. She suddenly felt foolish for barging in like this.

"I—It’s nothing," she said quickly, shaking her head. "You’re busy. I’ll come back later. I’m sorry." She rushed out.

She turned on her heel to leave, but before she could take another step, Cain’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Wait."

Avery froze, turning around slowly.

Cain shifted his gaze toward the wolves before him, his expression unreadable. "We’ll continue this tomorrow. You’re dismissed." He passed the documents to them.

There was a beat of stunned silence. The wolves exchanged glances, clearly reluctant to leave, but Cain’s word was final. One by one, they bowed their heads and turned to exit, each one passing by Avery, looking at her with curiosity, some surprised, some annoyed, but no one said a word.

Avery, on the other hand, stood stiffly, awkwardly, as if she had made some massive mistake.

Once the last wolf was gone, Cain’s focus returned to her. "Come here."

She hesitated but stepped forward. "I—um. I wanted to show you something."

Cain arched a brow. "Show me what?"

Avery bit her lip. "Just... can you come with me? It won’t take long, I promise."

Cain stared at her, his tongue poking his cheek. "Why should I?"

Avery was taken aback, her eyes widening for a moment at his words.

"Did you think I forgot what you did with those children? You let me be assaulted by those kids." He shut his eyes as if reminiscing how they’d almost driven him mad. Avery burst out laughing, unable to hold back. "Assaulted? Now, that’s a very strong choice of word," she replied. "Although, you seem to be forgetting. I helped you."

Cain looked at her, then rolled his eyes. "Yeah. You helped me after watching me be miserable for minutes."

Avery chuckled, "Okay fine. What do you want in return? A handwritten letter of me apologizing for not saving you from children?"

Cain scoffed, "I should make you suffer just as much as I did."

Avery gasped, placing a hand over her heart. "Suffer? Cain, they’re just kids!"

"They’re menaces," he corrected, but there was no real bite in his voice. "And you let them crawl all over me."

Avery stifled another laugh. "I still don’t see how that’s my fault."

Cain narrowed his eyes at her, but the faint twitch of his lips betrayed his amusement. "You’re lucky I like you."

Her breath hitched slightly at that, but she quickly recovered, clearing her throat. "So... will you come with me?"

Cain exhaled heavily, as if this was some grand inconvenience, but he was already moving toward her. "Lead the way."

As they stepped out of the packhouse, Cain expected Avery to lead him somewhere nearby, but instead, she turned to him with a small, excited smile.

"We’re going back to the hilltop," she said.

Cain paused, brows lifting slightly. "The same place as yesterday?"

Avery nodded. "Yeah."

He studied her for a moment, intrigued. "You liked it that much?"

Her smile widened. "Actually, yes."

Cain huffed, shaking his head, but there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes. Without another word, he led her toward the car.

Avery blinked. "No horse today?" she asked.

"No, Billy has to take a rest today," he replied.

"Billy?" Avery asked as she got into the car.

Cain hummed, "The name of the horse. Her name is Billy."

For the third time that day, Avery tried to stifle her laugh. The horse was a female and named Billy?

Cain shot her a look as he started the car. "What’s wrong with Billy?"

"Nothing," she said quickly, lips twitching. "It’s just... I didn’t expect that from you."

Cain scoffed, turning onto the road. "What did you expect me to name her? Something ridiculous like Midnight Shadow or Stormbringer?"

Avery burst out laughing at the names he mentioned. "I mean, you’re Alpha Cain. It would fit you."

Cain exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "I should’ve left you at the packhouse."

Avery only smiled, glancing out the window. Not long after, they reached the hilltop, the familiar expanse stretching out before them.

Cain put the car in park and turned to her. "Alright. We’re here. Now, what is it you wanted to show me?"

Avery’s heart pounded in her chest. "Come on, I’ll show you."

Without waiting for his response, she got down from the car and began walking while Cain followed, his eyebrows furrowed in curiosity.

Avery led him a little farther up the hill, her steps quick with excitement. And then she stopped.

"Here," she said softly.

Avery’s fingers brushed against the rough, earthy surface of the object nestled in the grass. It was small and round like a ball. Its texture was rough, with faint, intricate lines carved into it. She could still remember the way it had caught her eye earlier. She’d been passing by this same place earlier after helping the kids when she saw it. Something kept bugging her until she climbed the hilltop all the way up and found it nestled perfectly in the grass.

Cain’s eyes flicked between her and the strange object. "What exactly am I looking at?"

"Just wait."

She bent down, carefully picking it up. It was warm in her hands, as if it had been sitting in sunlight all day, though the evening air was cool. Turning it over, she traced her fingers along the faint lines on its surface. Then, with a firm press on one of the grooves, the outer shell cracked open with a soft click.

Cain’s eyes narrowed as he took a step closer.

Avery gently pried the shell apart, and the moment she did, a brilliant blue glow spilled out. Sitting inside the ugly shell was something breathtaking, like a crystal, but smoother, more fluid in its shine. Tiny flecks of silver and white shimmered beneath the surface, resembling stars in an endless sky.

Avery exhaled softly, mesmerized. "Wow..."

Cain, for once, was silent. His gaze locked onto the glowing core. He didn’t speak for a long moment, and when he finally did, his voice was quieter than before.

"Where did you find this?"

Avery looked away from the light and glanced at him. "Right here. I felt... I don’t know. Drawn to it." She frowned slightly, glancing back down. "I thought it’s intriguing and that maybe you’d like it."

Cain didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he reached out, brushing his fingertips over the smooth, glowing surface. The moment he did, the light pulsed, just once before settling into a steady glow.

Avery looked up at him. "What is it?"

Cain looked at her then his gaze flickered to the glowing light. "It’s the Emberstone, otherwise known as Celeste’s heart. It’s an incredibly rare thing to find. Only tales of it have been heard across the region but never seen, not until now." He paused, looking at her. "And you found it."