Betrayed by Blood, Claimed by the Alpha-Chapter 204

Betrayed by Blood~

Two weeks had passed since Avery and Xander woke up.

Preparations for a new era had begun.

In two weeks, the pack had changed, and so had she.

The training grounds buzzed with grunts and groans. Just as Avery grabbed her opponent’s legs, Xander clapped loudly, his voice ringing across the grounds. "That’s enough, everyone! Let’s take a break. Everyone can reshuffle their partners if they want."

Avery stood among them, wiping sweat from her brow as she reached for her water bottle. Her body was still buzzing with adrenaline from the training session.

She was lifting it to her lips when Xander approached, his sharp eyes catching hers.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Avery took a long drink before answering. "Nervous," she admitted, lowering the bottle. "Sometimes... I wonder if doing this was the right thing or maybe if I’m rushing into this."

Xander chuckled knowingly, "Cain said so... you might be feeling nervous, but you know what, Avery. If there’s anyone I know that can do this, it’s you. Your path was carved out long before now," he said. "You just had a detour. But this—" he gestured around them, "this was always meant for you."

Avery stared at him, his words settling in her mind. She remembered what the head warrior, Orin from Blood Moon, had said.

She nodded, Xander was right. Just as she lifted the bottle to drink again, Lydia swooped in and snatched the water bottle from her hand, gulping every bit of the water.

Once she was done, she tossed the bottle into the air, catching it easily.

"You’re back."

"Yes, we are back," she replied, looking at the two of them. "I’m sensing some sort of—"

"You’re sensing nothing. Your sense of smell is nothing to write home about," Xander huffed out, and Lydia gasped, punching him playfully in the shoulder.

"Where’s Cain?" Avery asked, looking towards the doorway where she should be coming from but nothing.

Lydia huffed. "In a mood. You should probably leave him alone for now. The meeting didn’t go the way he wanted."

Avery chuckled dryly; she knew this was going to happen. "They want him to lead, don’t they?"

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Yeah. They’re sticking to the law. Whoever defeats the Alpha King becomes the King."

"With how much they hated or maybe still hate him. You’d think they’ll grab these opportunities for themselves. I can’t lie that I’m not surprised they are the ones pushing for this while he is the one refusing," Xander said.

Lydia shrugged. "Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that he’s, in fact, a very good leader and Alpha. They saw the changes he made with the Silvermoon pack and all that’s happened in the past few months. I believe those were his selling points. Besides, they say if Alaric could be defeated, then he’s not fit to lead the region." Lydia grinned, leaning closer to Avery.

"Besides, anyone can see that Cain is a changed man. A certain somebody turned him inside out, and now, he’s human." She winked at Avery.

Avery flushed hard at Lydia’s words. It’s true, Cain was entirely different from how he had been. Avery’s even had some pack members stop her to thank her. It was weird, but she’ll take it.

A small smile danced on her lips. "So, that means..."

Lydia drummed her fingers excitedly, "We are planning two crownings. Avery as the rightful heir and Alpha of Blood Moon pack and Cain, as the Alpha King of the region."

Avery raised an eyebrow. "That’s if Cain agrees to it."

Lydia rolled her eyes, "He has no choice. He defeated Alaric. He is the king now."

Avery hummed, grabbing the rest of her things, ready to leave.

Lydia’s eyes narrowed. "Where are you going?" she asked.

Avery glanced at her with a smile on her face. "To see Cain.

"But he’s in a mood."

Avery shrugged. "He’s never in a mood when it comes to me." She replied with a wink before walking off.

Avery pushed the door to Cain’s office open. Cain was standing by the window, his back to her, his broad frame tense. He didn’t turn when she entered, but he didn’t need to.

"Cain?" Avery called out to him softly.

He turned, his eyes softening the second they landed on her. His lips twitched, but the tiredness was evident in his face. He walked toward her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, like he always did after what happened.

Avery stepped closer, her hands brushing against his chest. "I’m good. Nervous but good. It’s just- it’s all happening so fast. I’m not sure I’m ready."

Cain reached for her, cupping her face gently with his large hand. His thumb ran over her cheek. "You’re more than ready, Avery," he said. "You’ve always been ready for this."

Avery smiled faintly. Everyone keeps telling her that. She shook her head slightly, focusing on him.

"Then why don’t you want it? The title, I mean. The Alpha King title. You defeated Alaric. You are the king now, whether you like it or not."

Cain’s expression darkened slightly, and he dropped his hand from her face, running it through his hair in frustration. "It’s not that simple," he muttered, his voice strained. "I don’t want that responsibility. I never did. I’ve never wanted the title of ’king.’"

"Why?"

Cain looked at her, then sighed, "I’ve done so many horrible things, Avery. Some because I wanted to, some because I had to protect the pack. If I become the king, I won’t just be looking out for the pack but the entire region. I vowed not to do anything that would put me in that position. That would make me the man I was before." Cain said quietly. "Not after everything I did to survive. Not after everything I almost lost... including you."

Avery’s chest tightened at his words. She reached for him again, taking his hand into hers. "You’re not that man anymore, Cain. Yes, you’ve done things, and you’ve also redeemed yourself. You found your way back. You found us." freēnovelkiss.com

Cain stared at her for a long moment. Then, without warning, Cain pulled her into him, his mouth claiming hers in a kiss that left no room for doubt.