Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 96

Betrayed by Blood

Chapter 96

A man sat on a rather large golden chair, his adorned fingers drumming calmly against the dark wooden table before him. The rhythmic drumming ceased as a hooded figure stepped into the room, clad in black overalls. They bowed the second they saw the man and stepped closer, placing a folded piece of parchment onto the table carefully.

The man tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. He reached out and picked up the letter, unfolding it. His sharp eyes scanned the contents, his expression unreadable for a second.

The man slammed the envelope on the table in a fit of anger. "This is useless," he growled venomously. He crumpled the envelope in his hands and snapped his gaze towards the figure.

"What is this? I didn’t ask for this rubbish," he hissed out.

The figure bowed down even more, almost bending in half. "Forgive me, Sir. I thought it would be useful," the figure responded.

The man huffed, clearly irritated. He stood up, his chair dragging against the marble-tiled floor harshly. He turned towards the window, his gaze settling on the rather large grounds of his pack.

"I don’t need news about Xander unless it directly involves me. I want more than that and you know it. How did you get it?" he asked.

The figure straightened up, their hands clasped at their back tight. "I got it from the maid. She was going to see Alpha Cain with it, so I thought it could be useful to you, sir," the figure replied.

The man’s gaze narrowed, he glanced at the figure, an eyebrow quirked up. "The maid?"

"Dead. I took care of it," the figure replied.

The man shut his eyes tight as though he was praying for the maid’s departed soul. He had wanted to be careful, no blood shed this time, but who was he to go against the will of the goddess. She had to have written the maid’s death and slated it for when it happened. Seconds passed by, and then he opened his eyes, let out a deep breath, and shrugged.

"Hmm, not exactly what I wanted to happen but what’s one lowly servant’s death to do? It’s just collateral damage," he said, more to himself.

The man turned fully to face the figure, his sharp gaze scrutinizing them from head to toe. "You said you thought this would be useful. You thought wrong," he said coldly. "But perhaps you’ll redeem yourself. Speak. What else do you have for me?"

The hooded figure shifted slightly, their stance stiffening. "Two new people arrived at Cain’s park today, sir. One of them is Gerald, Cain’s father’s beta."

The man’s expression froze for a fraction of a second before a wicked smile slowly curved his lips. "Gerald," he repeated, almost tasting the name on his tongue. "And the second person?"

"His daughter," the figure answered. "She accompanied him. It seems Alpha Cain allowed them both into his pack."

The man’s smile faltered, replaced by a frown. He moved back to the golden chair, his fingers once again drumming against the table.

The figure watched for a while; the man didn’t say a word, only drummed his fingers against the table. The figure took a cautious step forward. "Shall I keep an eye on them, sir?"

The man looked at the figure and nodded.

"Yes, Gerald’s return is more than a coincidence. He knows something—or at least, he’s after something, and I want to know what it is." He paused, tapping his temple. "Keep a close eye on Cain; I want to know everything."

The figure bowed once more. "Understood."

The man leaned back in his chair. He waved a dismissive hand at the figure. "Leave me. Do not return until you have something of value."

The figure bowed once again and stepped out of the room, leaving the man to himself.

____________________________________

Avery had just gotten out of bed, about to change into her clothes and start her day cleaning when the bell rang. It was loud enough to jolt everyone up from their sleeps. The first day Avery arrived, she learned the bell ringing in the servants’ quarters meant an announcement. An important announcement.

Soon, they were all gathered in the small hall of the servant quarters. At the head of the room, the head maid stood stiffly, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Avery stood near the back, Millie was next to her, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve, while Selena stood to Avery’s other side.

The head maid looked around at the gathered servants before clearing her throat. "I have gathered you all here to inform you of an incident that occurred yesterday," she began, her voice firm but also shaky. "Martha... one of our own... was found dead near the Oakland path in the pack."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Avery’s heart dropped, her eyes widening in shock. She turned to Millie and Selena, but they seemed just as stunned.

The head maid continued, her voice heavier now. "It appears she was attacked—brutally. Her injuries indicate she was murdered." She paused, her gaze sweeping over the maids. "We don’t know who’s responsible, but Alpha Cain is aware of the situation and has ordered the guards to investigate. Until further notice, no one is to leave the park grounds without permission, and all outings outside the pack have been restricted. This is a very serious matter as this shows that there’s someone in our midst who might’ve murdered a fellow pack member, and it goes against everything Alpha Cain stands for. With that being said, you are all dismissed."

They all began to disperse from the hall, all of them exchanging nervous glances and whispers among them. Avery walked out of the hall too, her mind still reeling from what the head maid had just said. "Murdered?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "But why would someone...?"

Selena glanced at her, her eyebrows quirked up. "You’re shocked? Of all people, it’s Martha we’re talking about. Don’t tell me you’re feeling sorry for her."

Avery didn’t respond, still trying to grasp the fact that someone she saw yesterday could also die that very same day.

"Are you seriously upset about this?" Selena asked suddenly, snapping Avery out of her thoughts.

Avery blinked, startled. "I just... I can’t believe someone would do something so terrible. No one deserves that."

Selena stopped walking, forcing Avery and Millie to pause as well. She looked at Avery like she’s grown two heads. "Are you serious right now? No one deserves that? Avery, we’re talking about Martha. Do you not remember how she treated you? How she treated everyone? That woman was vile, plain and simple. If anyone deserved to be taken out, it was her."

"That doesn’t make it right, Selena. No matter how awful someone is, they don’t deserve to die like that," Avery replied.

A sharp scowl settled on Selena’s face. "So what? You’re going to mourn her now? Cry for her? She didn’t shed a single tear when she made your life miserable. I only knew her for such a short while, and even then she tried making my life a living hell. Why should you feel sorry for someone like her?"

Millie hesitated, glancing between them. "Selena, maybe Avery’s just—"

"No, Millie," Selena interrupted. "This is exactly why people like Martha get away with being horrible. Because people like Avery feel bad for them, even when they don’t deserve it."

Selena shook her head. "That woman was a nightmare. She humiliated you every chance she got, made your life miserable. Why are you even wasting an ounce of sympathy on her?"

"I’m not saying she didn’t do terrible things," Avery said softly, "But her death... it feels so... final. Like there’s no chance for her to change, to make things right. It’s just sad."

Selena threw her hands up in frustration. "Unbelievable. You’re wasting your sympathy, Avery. That woman deserved everything she got."

Avery frowned. "She was still a person, Selena. No matter how awful she was, this... this is just wrong."

Selena folded her arms and rolled her eyes at the statement. "Wrong? She probably had it coming! People like Martha don’t change, Avery. Sometimes the world just... balances itself out."