128 Chapter 128
Betrayed by Blood
Chapter 128
Avery lay curled in bed, sweat clinging to her skin despite the cold night air seeping through the cracks in the window. The pain was even more intense now, a dull throb in her bones that pulsed stronger with each passing second. Her limbs felt heavy, her breath coming in shallow pants as she tried to will herself to rest. But it was impossible.
She wasn’t settled. It was almost as though something was wrong yet she couldn’t place her finger on what it could be.
She had barely slept. Every time she drifted off, another sharp pang jolted her awake, stealing her breath and leaving her gasping in the dim candlelight. She tried curling into herself, gripping the sheets, forcing herself to stay still. But nothing helped.
Then, she heard it.
A loud howl pierced through the silence. Her body stiffened at the sound, the ache and. pain she’d been feeling suddenly stopped.
The sound sent a shiver down her spine, but it wasn’t fear that made her fingers tremble where they clutched the sheets. The howl came again, echoing through like a whisper meant only for her.
Her heartbeat stuttered and her eyes snapped open.
She didn’t know why it affected her so much. There had bn howls before–this was a werewolf pack, after all–but this one… This one was different.
It wasn’t just any howl. It called to something deep inside her, something instinctual, something she had never felt before.
She sat up slowly, every movement stiff with pain. Her gaze drifted to the window and her heart stuttered in her chest, a strange heat curling in her stomach. She pushed herself up, legs trembling beneath her as she stumbled toward the window.
It was calling to her.
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Outside, the night stretched endless and dark, the sky painted silver by the full moon hanging above. Avery’s breath hitched.
The full moon.
She hadn’t even realized it was tonight.
Her fingers curled around the windowsill, her mind a tangled mess of hesitation and longing. The howl rang again, tugging at her like an Invisible thread.
Go.
Her pulse pounded, something inside of her was stirring, pushing her forward, urging her to follow the call. But Avery’s foot was deeply rooted into the floor, fear gripping her.
She knew what this meant. The shift was coming. The moment she had both
anticipated for all her life was finally here, just at the grasp of her hands and yet she couldn’t find it in her to move. To follow the howl calling out to her.
She swallowed hard, her throat dry.
The pull was too strong.
Before she could stop herself, her feet were moving. She grabbed her cloak, wrapping it tightly around her shoulders, and slipped out of the room.
The cold bit at her skin, but she barely felt it. Her senses were sharpening, her body aware in ways it had never been before. The world felt different–brighter, sharper,
alive.
She didn’t know where she was going, only that her feet ca d her toward the howl.
was
By the time she reached the clearing, her breathing in short gasps. The lake
stretched before her, dark and glassy, reflecting the full moon.
Avery paused in her steps, her eyes wide as she looked around. She could have sworn she heard the howl coming from here and yet there wasn’t a single being out here. A shudder ran down her spine,as the cold air wrecked her from the inside.
Only then, did the pain strike.
Avery choked on a gasp, stumbling forward as fire shot through her veins. She barely
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registered falling to her knees, her fingers digging into the dirt. A sharp crack splintered through her body, followed by another, and another.
Her vision blurred. Her scream shattered the silence.
Then-
Cain stepped through the gates of Vehiron, the scent of blood and smoke still clinging to his clothes. It had been five days since he left his pack and thrust it into Lydia’s hand for the duration of his absence. The battle had been swift–Silvermoon had fallen just as expected, its warriors crushed, its Alpha fleeing like a coward.
Matt was truly so stupid, maybe even more stupid than his brother. At first, Cain had thought that young man had the balls, thought he was even much braver than Rowan but of course, he just had to send an assassin after him.
Cain could still remember the way the man trembled in his hands, his look of fear that filled his eyes when he realized he was truly going to lose his mind. Ah, it was surreal. The look of dread and fear that filled Matt’s eyes. Cain really should have it framed. He could get behind that even though something pricked him internally.
It should have felt like a victory.
And yet-
Something was wrong.
His steps faltered. The night air was thick, heavy with something he couldn’t quite place. A prickle ran down his spine, his instincts sharpening, his blood roaring to
attention.
“Alpha?” Nathan called out to him, his gaze flickering about, trying to figure out what was going on. The warriors exchanged glances, waiting for an order from Cain but they got nothing.
“Alpha–What is wrong? Should we check out-” he trailed off, seeing Cain’s gaze darken, his ears perked as though he was hearing something.
A sharp gasp escaped one of the warrior’s lips, his gaze stuck on the sky and soon all the warriors were staring at the sky, their eyes wide with amazement.
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It’s the full moon tonight?” One of them calls out.
“That’s impossible. The full moon Isn’t until another two months‘ time. How can that evens” the words die down the warrior’s throat because shining brighter than all things in its full glory was the full moon.
“Alpha–This is-”
Cain paid him no mind, his ears echoing with different sounds yet he couldn’t plek a distinctive one.
Then, he heard it.
A scream–raw, agonized–cut through the night.
Cain’s head snapped up. His muscles colled.
His legs moved before he could think, his pace swift, driven by pure Instinct. His mén called after him, but he ignored them, weaving through the trees until he finally saw
her.
Avery stood at the lakeside, bathed in the glow of the full moon. Her small frame trembled, her hands curled into fists at her sides. Cain’s breath caught as her knees buckled. How had he missed it? Today was her birthday. The day she would get her wolf. The day he was supposed to reject her and yet standing right in front of him and shifting. He couldn’t believe his eyes.
He watched it happen right in front of him.
The first crack.
Avery gasped, her body jerking as the shift began.
Cain had seen countless wolves shift before. He had watched it happen in battle, in training, in moments of rage and desperation. But this… this was different.
Avery’s body arched, a strangled cry escaping her lips as her bones broke and reformed. He could see the
pain rippling through her, her breath hitching, her fingers clawing at the ground beneath her. His instincts screamed at him to move–to stop it, to soothe her, to do something–but he knew he couldn’t.
Another crack. Another choked
I gasp.
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Then, fur.
White.
Blindingly white beneath the moonlight.
Cain’s heartbeat slammed against his ribs, his wolf howling inside him. White wolves were rare–so rare they were considered myths in some packs. How was this even possible?
Cain’s hands curled into fists, his nails biting Into his palms as a violent shudder wracked through his body. His breathing turned shallow, every nerve alight with something he hadn’t expected–something he wasn’t prepared for.
Heat.
It struck him so suddenly that he staggered back a step, his jaw clenching as fire burned through his veins. His rut slammed into him with full force, more potent than anything he had ever felt before. His rut wasn’t due not until another month and yet… it was here, hot and relentless.
His wolf growled low in his chest, possessive, demanding. The scent of her–new, untouched, his–wrapped around him, sinking into his very bones. His vision blurred at the edges before sharpening again, locking onto her with an intensity that made his entire body tense.
Mine.
Avery didn’t move at first, her large silver eyes blinking as if adjusting to the world in this new form. She was breathtaking–pristine fur gleaming like fresh snow, a stark contrast against the dark forest around them.
Then, she took a step forward.
Cain nearly lost it.
His control, his restraint, all the walls he had spent years fortifying–it all began to crumble under the sheer force of his instincts.
She was his mate. She had always been his and he had been so stupid about it. So stupid to have denied it. But now? Now there was no more denying it. No more questioning it. No more pushing it away.
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His wolf wanted.
No–not just his wolf. He needed.
Her.
Only her.
