Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 188

The door slammed shut, and Kendra stepped into the room, flicking a stray tear out of her eyes. It was pathetic having to pretend like she cared that Avery was kidnapped. Horrible that she had to pretend when it was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Kendra fell onto the bed, a smile slowly making its way to her lips, and suddenly, it turned into full-blown laughter. The sound of her laughter echoed through the walls, light and giddy. It was the kind of laughter that came from pure victory.

She rolled onto her back, arms stretched above her head, sinking into the silk sheets with a delighted sigh.

"Finally," she breathed, staring up at the ceiling with shining eyes. "Finally, I don’t have to see her face again."

She kicked her feet, turning onto her side as she giggled. It was like she couldn’t believe her luck. "I almost can’t believe it, Mother. I keep thinking someone is going to come running in, telling me it was all a dream and that she’s still here, still walking around with that stupid, pitiful look on her face." Kendra’s lips curled in disgust before her giggling again. "But she’s not, is she?"

Carol sat in an armchair, with a glass of deep red wine in her manicured fingers. She hadn’t laughed along with her daughter, but her smirk was satisfied. She swirled the wine slowly, watching Kendra. As much as she reprimanded Kendra for how she acted, she loved her too much. Way too much.

"No," Carol said smoothly. "She’s not."

Kendra laughed loudly yet again, rolling onto her stomach, propping her chin on her hands. "Goddess, Cain must be losing his mind right now. Can you imagine?" She bit her lip, eyes glinting. "Hunting for her, searching like a madman, only to realize she’s never coming back."

Her voice turned sweeter, more breathless. "And then he’ll see me. Really see me, for the first time. And he’ll realize..." She trailed off, lost in her own fantasy. "He’ll realize I’m the one he should’ve chosen from the start."

Carol hummed, taking a sip from her glass. "Is that so?"

Kendra sighed, flipping onto her back again, staring up at the ceiling. "Mmm-hmm. Just imagine it, Mother. He’ll be furious, lost in his grief... and then he’ll turn to me. He’ll finally understand that I’m the only one who’s ever been there for him. The only one who has ever truly seen him. I’ve always been the one waiting. And when he does, I’ll be waiting for him too."

She closed her eyes, savoring the image in her mind. It was beautiful, and she couldn’t wait for it to happen.

But then, something clicked.

Her eyes snapped open. She bolted upright so suddenly the sheets twisted around her legs.

"Wait a second..."

Carol arched her brows at Kendra’s sudden movement. "What is it?"

Kendra turned to face her mother. "Mother..." Her voice was slower now. "Did you... did you have something to do with Avery’s disappearance?"

Carol didn’t answer right away. Instead, she took her time. She lifted the wine glass to her lips, took a long, slow sip. Then set the glass down on the small table beside her, crossing one leg over the other.

Finally, she tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a knowing smirk.

"What do you think?"

Kendra stared at her blankly for a few seconds, and then her entire face lit up.

She shrieked loudly, launching herself off the bed and racing toward Carol, throwing her arms around her mother’s shoulders. "Oh, Mother!" she beamed, squeezing her tight. "You’re the best! The absolute best!"

Carol chuckled, patting Kendra’s arm with an air of indulgence. "Of course, I am."

Kendra bounced back, her smile wide. "Tell me everything! Where is she? Who took her? What did you do? How did you do it?"

Carol picked up her wine glass again, taking another sip before setting it back down. "Does it matter?" she asked smoothly. "The point is, she’s gone. Now, all you need to do is focus on what’s truly important."

"And what’s that?"

Carol’s eyes narrowed, a knowing smirk on her lips. "Cain."

She reached out, flicking a stray strand of hair from her face, her voice calm. "Let him search for her all he wants," Carol continued, her voice smooth as silk. "Let him tear the world apart looking for her. It won’t matter. He’ll never find her."

Kendra grinned and hugged her tightly again. "Thank you, Mother. Oh, thank you!"

Carol smiled as she petted Kendra’s arm. A light ding from her phone had her reaching for it. Her gaze flickered through the message, and she set the phone down.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hours later, Carol stood by the window of the office, her gaze on the large landscape. The man’s voice carried over the office, he was clearly upset by something those mongrels had done.

She turned around, unbuttoning her top a little to show her cleavage. She then stepped closer to the man, placing her hand on his shoulders and gently massaging.

Alaric stiffened under her touch. His hands were braced against the desk, his knuckles white from the force of his grip. "Get it done and don’t even think of messing it up," he snapped and cut the call.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. How long will you continue to do this? They’re only going to keep stressing you, my king. You deserve better," she mumbled, pressing herself lightly against his back.

Alaric exhaled sharply, his jaw clenching. "And I suppose you think you’re better?"

Carol chuckled softly, letting her fingers trace slow circles over his shoulders. "I think you need someone who understands you," she murmured. "Someone who knows what you truly deserve. You waste so much time and energy on fools who don’t appreciate your power." She paused for a second then continued. "Like this, how long will you go with this? Won’t it be better to do away with her finally? She’s useless, and frankly, I don’t want her to come back to Vehiron. I think this is the very opportunity you’ve been waiting for. If you kill Avery, you’ll ruin Cain and Vehiron. What else can you want? You just need to be ruthless. Finish what you started. Kill them all."

Alaric’s grip on the desk tightened. "Carol..."

"Avery is nothing. Cain will crumble without her. Take him down. Take all of them down." Her voice was honeyed, dripping with poison. "And then you and I... we’ll have everything. We can spend the rest of our lives together. You want that, right?"

"We will be done with everyone and everything... even your wife, the Queen."

In a flash, Alaric moved. His hand shot out, gripping her wrist with force. Carol barely had time to gasp before he twisted, wrenching her hand away from him.

"Are you out of your mind?" he growled. freёweɓnovel.com

Carol winced, trying to pull away. "Alaric...!" Okay, maybe she went too far.

"You think you can dictate my actions?" His gaze burned into hers, filled with unrestrained fury. "You’re nothing but a convenience, Carol. Nothing more."

Her breath hitched. "I—"

"You overstep," he continued coldly. "And I don’t need you."

He shoved her back, sending her stumbling.

Carol caught herself on the edge of the desk, eyes wide, lips parted in shock. Then, just as quickly, her face lit up in anger.

"You bastard!" she spat, standing straight. "After everything I’ve done for you? You think you can just. I risked my life bringing those good-for-nothing mongrels into Vehiron. I could’ve died. All I ask is that you kill that useless girl. That’s all, and you won’t do that?"

Alaric turned back to his desk as if she were nothing more than an irritation.

"You owe me! You’re insane if you think I’ll let this go," Carol hissed. "If you think you’ll just walk away without—" Alaric’s hand shot out again—this time gripping her jaw roughly.

"If you think you can mess me over," he murmured, his grip tightening, "then you have something else coming for you."

Alaric’s eyes narrowed, the anger in his eyes was like a bottomless pit. He held Carol’s chin tightly, his thumb pressing against her skin as if he could squeeze the life out of her.

"You’re becoming a nuisance, Carol," he hissed out. "One I refuse to accommodate any longer."

Her breath quickened, realizing what he meant. Her eyes widened, and she tried to pull away. "You can’t just—"

"Shut up," he snarled, cutting her off. In a swift movement, Alaric turned, grabbing the silver from the desk, and before she could scream, he stabbed her. The knife plunged deep into her. The sharp sting of silver burned through her flesh, making her gasp, her body jerking against his grip.

"You’re a bigger problem than you’re worth," he said coldly. "And this is the last time you cross me."

Blood trickled out of Carol’s mouth, and she fell to the floor with a thud. Just as she fell, the door opened, revealing Finn. His gaze fell to the body on the floor. "My king."

Alaric glanced at the man, then he threw the knife to his feet. "Get rid of her."