Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 175

Betrayed by Blood

The outskirts of the pack were quiet. The air was thick with damp leaves and the faint scent of herbs.

Avery stood with Lydia and Emma before the small, worn out cottage, its wooden walls warped with age and its roof slightly sagging.

Lydia let out a slow breath, arms crossed. "Are we sure this is it?" she asked, eyeing the house warily. "It’s been years since Hugh banished her. She could be dead."

Emma shook her head. "No. She’s here." She ran a hand over the doorframe. "Someone still delivers fresh fruit to her every Friday noon."

"Okay. At least we know she’s alive, and Hugh didn’t just kill her for the sake of it after what happened," she replied. The woman, Elder Loris, had lived with everyone in the pack house up until the death of Avery’s parents and Hugh’s takeover. Whatever happened between Hugh and Elder Loris was still unknown, but all that was said was that Elder Loris had betrayed the pack and therefore would continue the rest of her life in solitude. She was banished to the outskirts of the pack where no other pack member was allowed to ever visit her. It didn’t take time for people to forget the woman, even Avery. But now, they stood in front of her doorstep, seeking her help.

Avery exhaled. Just as she reached up to knock, a raspy voice drifted from within.

"Come in, children."

The door creaked open on its own.

Avery exchanged glances with Lydia and Emma before stepping inside. The air was warm, carrying the scent of dried lavender. Shelves lined the walls, overflowing with glass jars and strange trinkets.

In the center of the room sat a woman in a simple dark coat, her silver hair spilling over her shoulders. Though her eyes were milky white with blindness, there was no mistaking the way she felt their presence, her head tilting slightly as if listening to something they could not hear.

"So much time has passed," the woman murmured. "Avery Jae. I wondered when you would return." She said, a small smile making its way to her lips.

"You brought company too. It’s been such a long time since I had company. Have a seat, all of you."

Avery hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward. Lydia and Emma followed closely, their footsteps barely making a sound against the floor. Avery lowered herself onto a stool opposite Elder Loris, while Lydia leaned against a nearby shelf, arms crossed. Emma perched on the edge of a chair, scanning the room.

Elder Loris chuckled softly, as if amused by their wariness. "Still so cautious," she murmured, tilting her head. "Good. Caution keeps you alive."

Avery swallowed, fingers tightening around the fabric of her dress. "You knew my mother," she said, "Did you know my father as well?" The question was stupid. Of course, the woman knew her parents. She worked for them before Hugh took over.

Elder Loris chuckled, like she also found the question stupid. "Of course I did. I worked with them, you know? Your father and mother." She reached out a trembling hand, and without thinking, Avery placed hers in it. The old woman’s fingers were cold, but her grip surprisingly firm. "And I knew what was taken from you." freewebnøvel.coɱ

Avery’s breath hitched. What was taken from her?

Elder Loris then sighed, "You really do look like her, you know. Your mother, I mean."

Avery’s breath caught in her throat. "I do?"

Loris nodded slowly. "Yes, you do." She replied. "Your mother was... different. Special. Just as you are."

Avery frowned. "What do you mean?"

The woman tilted her head. "Did you ever wonder why Hugh kept you alive all those years? Why he didn’t just kill you the moment he had the chance after all, it would’ve been the same result. He would get to be Alpha without you in the future."

Avery’s fingers curled at her sides. What was the woman getting at? "Hugh wanted to break me. To control me. He wanted that power."

She let out a humorless chuckle. "Oh, child. He was never going to let you die. You were too valuable to him... until he grew impatient and couldn’t wait much longer."

Avery’s heartbeat quickened. "What are you talking about?"

Elder Loris leaned forward, her eyes on Avery like she could see her. "You came for answers, and so I will give them to you. You come from a bloodline that is unlike any other. Your mother was a White Wolf, one of the last of her kind." She paused, letting the words sink in. "And you are one too."

Avery’s breath hitched. "I don’t understand," she whispered.

"White Wolves are rare, almost mythical. They were once believed to be blessed by the Moon Goddess herself, gifted with abilities beyond what ordinary wolves possess. Each with their unique abilities." She paused for a second, "Tell me, have you felt it? The power humming beneath your skin? The way the world seems to shift around you? What is your unique ability?" She asked.

Avery’s stomach twisted. Her hands clenched into fists in her lap as memories surfaced. The fire that had erupted from Hugh’s face when she had screamed at him, the way the Ember Stone had pulsed in her hands like it recognized her.

She thought it had been a coincidence. A fluke. But now, hearing Elder Loris speak of White Wolves and their gifts... it made too much sense.

"I... don’t know," Avery said. "I’ve felt things, but I don’t understand them."

Elder Loris nodded knowingly. "That’s because it was never meant to awaken yet. White Wolves don’t just inherit their abilities. They are chosen to receive them when the time is right."

Chosen. The word sent a chill down Avery’s spine. "So you’re saying my mother—she had abilities too?"

"Unfortunately, the late Luna was the exception. She never possessed any abilities even though she had a white wolf. She was never chosen."

Avery’s brows furrowed. "But... you said White Wolves have abilities. If my mother was one, why wasn’t she chosen?"

Elder Loris sighed, her eyes seemed distant. "No one knows exactly how the Moon Goddess chooses. Some say it is fate, others believe it depends on the wolf’s purpose in this world. Your mother was strong, kind, and beloved, but for reasons unknown, she was never granted the gifts of her bloodline." She paused, "Perhaps she wasn’t meant to wield them. Or perhaps... her purpose was elsewhere."

Avery’s mind was a jumbled mess at this point. If her mother had lived her entire life without ever receiving the power of a White Wolf, then what did that mean for Avery? Was she truly meant to have them?

Lydia’s voice cut through her thoughts. "But Avery was chosen?"

Elder Loris nodded. "The abilities skipped your mother to you. I believe Hugh knew that."

Avery’s eyes widened. "He knew?"

Elder Loris hummed. "He wasn’t sure as I wasn’t either, but he suspected. He knew there was a possibility that you could get it. He waited, testing you. That’s why he never killed you outright. He wanted to see if your power would awaken, if he could use you." Her voice dropped lower, "But when it didn’t awaken fast enough... he lost patience."

Avery’s blood ran cold. The countless beatings, the torment, the control... had all of it been a way to force something out of her?

Emma stiffened beside her. "That bastard," she muttered under her breath.

Avery swallowed hard, choosing to shove that information down and focus on what was at hand. "How do I control it?"

The old woman tilted her head slightly. "First, you must understand it. Tell me, child, what have you felt?"

Avery hesitated before answering. "I—I burned Hugh’s face when he tried to hurt me. But I didn’t mean to. It just... happened."

Elder Loris let out a soft hum. "Ah. Fire..." she trailed off then furrowed her brows. "There’s more?"

Avery hesitated, she wasn’t sure, but maybe... "I found something.... I found an Emberstone. I’ve found three Emberstones."

Elder Loris paused, her face blank for a second. "You have two abilities? That’s a rarity," she finished, her voice barely above a whisper. She stared at Avery with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. The woman was blind, and yet... it seemed like she could see Avery’s soul.

Lydia’s brows furrowed. "Two abilities? Is that possible?"

Elder Loris nodded slowly. "It is, but it is rare. Most White Wolves are granted only one gift. For you to have two means your bloodline is even stronger than I thought. I guess since it skipped your mother. Even her abilities came to you." She exhaled deeply, as if trying to process the revelation.

Avery’s heart pounded. "Two abilities? The fire and—"

"The Seeker’s Gift."

Elder Loris’s gaze locked onto Avery. "You must be ready, Child. You possess two great abilities, and you must learn to wield them and hide them properly because there will be those who seek to take them from you. And they will stop at nothing to do so."