Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 94

Betrayed by Blood

Cain sat at his desk, his jaw tense as he flipped through reports he barely cared to read. The numbers, figures, and endless details all felt distant, even meaningless. He was waiting for news from Callum, but there was still nothing. Silence had stretched too long.

A sharp knock on the door jolted him from his thoughts. "Come in."

Lucas stepped inside, his usual calm demeanor missing, instead, he looked like he had seen a ghost.

"What is-"

"There’s someone here to see you, Alpha," Lucas’s words were clipped, barely above a whisper. He stepped aside, and Cain’s eyes flicked to the doorway.

A tall, broad figure appeared in the entrance. The man was older, his face weathered with time, but there was something strikingly familiar about him. Cain’s heart skipped a beat as his gaze locked onto the man. Memories crashed over him like a wave, a rush of images from his childhood.

It couldn’t be...

The man stepped into the room, his presence filling the space. His shoulders were squared and tense. The familiar face of a man Cain thought had been dead for years stared back at him.

"Beta Gerald," Cain muttered with disbelief, unable to believe what he was seeing. The man had been a ghost, one whose name haunted Cain. A ghost he thought was gone forever. He had seen the man’s dead body, mourned the man even. How was this possible? "You’re supposed to be dead."

The older man smiled faintly. Lines of exhaustion creased his face, and his hair had turned silver with age. "Dead, yes. That’s what your father wanted you—and everyone else—to believe."

Cain’s green eyes darkened, a storm of emotions swirling through his orbs. He stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. "I saw you... I saw your body!"

"You saw what your father wanted you to see. It wasn’t me. It was someone else. An innocent man was sacrificed. Your father murdered him in cold blood, all because of what you did twenty years ago."

Cain’s face paled at the man’s words. Twenty years ago...

Cain was eight years old and had an odd fascination for birds, but his father, Edward, wouldn’t allow it. No son of his was going to care for birds when they could hunt them. It was preposterous. And so, Edward had banned anything bird-related. He threw out the makeshift cages Cain had created and forced him to focus on shooting targets.

One day, while practicing his shot, Cain found an injured bird while exploring the forest near the pack house. Its wing was broken, and it trembled in his small hands. He couldn’t just leave the bird to die, so he took it.

He hid the bird in his room, feeding it scraps of meat and gently cleaning its wound. For a week, he cared for it in secret—until the beta discovered him.

"You’re not supposed to be doing this," the beta had said, though his tone wasn’t reprimanding. He crouched beside Cain, examining the bird. "Your father wouldn’t approve."

"I know," Cain whispered, his voice trembling. "But it’s hurt. It needs me."

The beta sighed but didn’t report him. Instead, he helped Cain care for the bird, even bringing herbs to speed its healing. His respect for the beta grew to an insurmountable point. To Cain, the beta was like a god. He saw the man in a different light.

That moment ended the day his father burst into the room unannounced.

"What is this?" his father had roared, his eyes red like a demon’s, the veins in his body threatening to burst. His gaze landed on the bird, and his expression twisted with rage. "Is this what you’ve been wasting your time on? Feeding a useless, broken creature instead of training! Have you no brains!" The man growled, grabbing Cain by the arm roughly.

Cain had tried to explain, but he couldn’t get a word out as he trembled, overwhelmed with fear. The man’s hand shot out, snatching the bird from its perch.

"No!" Cain had cried, lunging forward, but his father’s glare froze him in place.

With a sickening crack, Edward snapped the bird’s head off its body. Cain’s stomach churned, and tears stung his eyes, but he didn’t dare let them fall.

"This is weakness," his father growled, tossing the lifeless body to the ground. "And I will not tolerate it. Kindness makes you weak, and weakness gets you killed! You will be severely punished for this." He roared angrily. Edward’s punishments weren’t simple beatings or lectures—they were lessons meant to break a person down entirely, mind and body. He had one rule. The punishment must leave a scar, inside or out.

The beta had stepped forward in a rush. Edward was going to skin the child alive if he didn’t. "It was my idea," he said, drawing his father’s attention away from Cain. "I told him to take care of it."

Cain’s father’s rage turned on the beta, his fists flying. He struck the man repeatedly, calling him useless and weak. Cain had watched in silent horror as the beta took the punishment without complaint, shielding him from his father’s wrath. And when his father was done beating the beta to a pulp, he stepped back, heaving heavily.

"I will not have you taint and turn my son into a weak, spineless coward like your pathetic self." He motioned at the guards. "Strip him naked and lock him up in the dungeon. You will learn to obey me!" He growled.

Cain couldn’t do a thing but watch the beta be dragged away like a criminal.

~~~~~

Now, Cain stood still, his gaze unfocused as the memory crashed into his mind. "You’re alive." His father had told him Gerald had been executed. He had seen the body, witnessed the scene. But here the man was, standing before him, alive.

"I survived," the beta continued, stepping closer. "Barely. I was left for dead after your father’s men dragged me out of the region. But I managed to crawl out of that grave they dug for me." He let out a dry laugh. "Twenty years... It’s taken me twenty years to find the courage to come back."

Cain let out a humorless laugh as he dragged his hand over his face. This was not only wild, it was insane. He owed the man his life. If he hadn’t done what he did for him...

Cain stepped forward. "I owe you my life, Gerald. What you did for me..." he trailed off, shaking his head.

"No, Alpha. I’m glad I was able to help you even for that fleeting moment," he replied.

Cain stared at him for a second longer then nodded, a tight smile on his face. "Why have you stayed away all this while? I searched for your family. I didn’t find anything-" When Cain assumed his position, one of the first things he set out to do was find Gerald’s family in the region, but it was as though they had vanished without a trace.

"It’s a long story, Alpha. I couldn’t stay in the region with your father out for me. I know this makes me a coward, but I was scared for my life. I gathered what I could and ran far enough."

Cain studied the man before him, his jaw tight. "You’re no coward," he said firmly. "You survived against odds no one else could. You saved me, Gerald. That doesn’t make you weak—it makes you a stronger man than most."

Gerald’s eyes softened for a bit. He straightened, his posture still tense. "Perhaps. But running meant leaving everything behind—my family, my position... even my honor."

Cain frowned. "Your family... What happened to them? Where are they now?"

The older man hesitated, his hand clenching into a fist. "My mate died a few years after we escaped. She couldn’t bear the life we were forced to live. It was too much for her." His voice broke for a moment, and he quickly cleared his throat, forcing himself to continue. "But my daughter... She’s the only reason I kept going. She’s here, I hoped she’d get a chance to meet you."

Before Cain could respond, Gerald took a step back and gestured toward the door. Cain turned to look as a woman entered the room, stepping forward gracefully. She was young, perhaps in her twenties, with striking sharp features with dark hair that fell in soft waves around her face.

"This is Nora," Gerald said softly, his tone carrying a pride Cain hadn’t expected. "My daughter."

Nora nodded politely at Cain, her eyes briefly meeting his before she lowered her gaze. "A pleasure to meet you, Alpha Cain."

Cain’s gaze flickered over her, his eyes narrowing. "Welcome to Vehiron, Nora," he responded and then looked at Gerald again.

"I’ve come to ask you for something. I need you-" Gerald began, but Cain was quick to cut him off.

"Not here, Gerald. Why don’t you and Nora get settled first. Get familiar with the pack again, and during dinner, you can tell me everything," Cain said.

Gerald smiled and nodded. "Thank you very much, Alpha Cain."

Cain called for Lucas, and the man came rushing over instantly. "Lucas, take Gerald and his daughter to the quarters. Have them settle in and provide them with all they need," he ordered.

Lucas bowed and motioned for the two to follow him. As they left the room, Cain watched their retreating figures, his mind still hazy with everything he had to learn. But just as the door began to close, something caught his attention.

Nora turned her head, her eyes locking with Cain’s once more, her expression unreadable.

Cain didn’t have time to react before the door closed completely, the room once again silent.