129 Chapter 129
Betrayed by Blood-
Avery blinked.
The world around her felt… different. The wind whispered against her fur, sharp and cool. Every sound, every movement in the trees, every shift of the earth beneath her paws was so vivid. It was overwhelming, intoxicating.
I did it.
The thought wasn’t just hers–it echoed, layered, as if someone else had spoken it too.
Avery’s breath hitched. She could feel it. She could feel her wolf warm and deep inside of her, like they were one being. A tremor ran through her body. She lifted her paws, flexing them, feeling the raw power in her limbs, the strength humming beneath her skin. She turned toward the lake, drawn to her own reflection.
The moment she saw herself, her breath caught.
A wolf, but not just any wolf. White. Ethereal. Glowing. She took a hesitant step closer, her heart pounded hard.
Avery barely had time to process it before something shifted in the air. She froze the second his scent hit her nostrils. In her wolf, she could feel everything ten times more
than as a human.
Her breath caught as he took a single step towards her.
One step closer, his eyes locked on hers, disbelief coating his o…
And that was all it took.
A sudden, sharp snap surged through her body, like a cord yanked too tight. She felt herself folding inward, the shift happening so fast, so effortlessly, she barely
understood what was happening–only when she shifted back into her human self, bare and rid of all clothing, did she look at him.
She looked up only to lock eyes with him.
Cain.
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He stood at the edge of the clearing, his body rigid, his breathing harsh. His green eyes burned as they locked onto her, something wild and intense.
Avery’s chest rose and fell rapidly. Her heart pounded against her ribs.
Everything felt… different.
She barely had time to register it before a sharp sensation shot through her head. She winced, reaching up to run a shaky hand through her hair. Strands of white gleamed against the blonde rest of her hair. Her hands trembled as she looked down at them, her nails slightly sharper and longer than before. Then, she caught her reflection in the lake–her eyes.
No longer their usual color but instead were hazel.
They glowed.
A shiver ran through her, but it wasn’t from fear. She had no idea what was happening. The second she’d finally shifted and now, here she was staring at a different version of herself. When did she get this beautiful? Her hair had now somehow grown longer and
fuller.
She lifted her gaze back to Cain and that was when she felt it.
The shift in the air.
Thick. Heavy. Electric.
His breathing had changed. Ragged, uneven. His fists clenched at his sides, the muscles in his arms flexing, his body tense like a predator barely restraining itself.
Then she caught his scent–different. Stronger and darker.
It hit her like a drug, sinking into her lungs, curling low in her belly. It couldn’t be…
His rut.
Avery barely had time to react before Cain moved. One second, he was standing at a distance. The next, he was there, right in front of her, his scent overwhelming, his presence suffocating.
She gasped, instinctively stepping back, but he didn’t let her. His hand shot out, gripping her wrist–tight. His skin burned against hers.
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His eyes were wrong.
Not just green, but molten–feral, wild, filled with something dark and desperate.
“Avery…” His voice was wrecked, hoarse, barely a whisper.
Her stomach clenched. She should move. She should say something.
But she couldn’t.
Cain’s other hand came up, fingers grazing over her jaw, tilting her chin up. His thumb brushed against her bottom lip, and she felt it everywhere. A spark that overwhelmed her entire being.
His touch wasn’t gentle.
It was needy.
Desperate.
A groan rumbled low in his chest, his grip tightening. His entire body shook with restraint, his breaths uneven as he struggled against something far greater than himself.
“You don’t know…” His forehead pressed against hers, his voice nearly breaking. “You don’t–fuck.”
Avery’s lips parted, her own breathing just as unsteady. Everything was happening all at once. She’d never been or seen an alpha in rut and yet here she was with Cain. How did he find her? Where did he come from? He wasn’t even in the pack so how? These thoughts filled her mind.
The second he touched her, her knees buckled, a needy whine ureatening to escape her lips. Her body felt hot, something inside of her pushing her to fall on her knees and submit to the alpha. Their alpha and yet Avery couldn’t. Not with these confusing thoughts she was having. Still she could feel it. The thing inside her wailing at the way she hadn’t submitted yet.
Cain’s gaze darkened the longer he stared at Avery. Her eyes fluttered close and her head rolled to the side and her scent grew even more intense.
Cain’s grip tightened, a low growl reverberating deep in his chest. His breathing was ragged, his restraint hanging by a frayed thread.
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His rut was consuming him. Destroying the control he thought he had.
His hand slid from her jaw to the side of her neck, his thumb pressing over her racing pulse. It pounded beneath his touch, just as frantic as his own. His head dipped lower, his lips barely a breath away from her skin, and fuck, her scent was everywhere.
His control snapped.
With a rough snarl, Cain’s arm wrapped around her waist, yanking her flush against him. His nose traced up her throat, his breath hot, heavy, his body vibrating with the force of his need.
“Mine,” he rasped, his voice deep, guttural, raw with hunger.
Avery gasped, her fingers curling into his shirt, a broken whimper escaping her lips. But her mind her mind was still fighting to catch up, tangled in shock, in confusion.
“Cain,” she whispered, breathless, as his lips brushed against her jaw. Her head tilted on instinct, baring more of her neck to him.
That was it. That was all it took.
A sound rumbled from his chest, somewhere between a growl and a groan, and then his teeth scraped against her throat.
Avery shuddered, her legs trembling beneath her, her breath catching as his hands. tightened on her hips. He needed to get her out of here. Out of the open. Away from prying eyes.
His mouth dragged lower, fangs grazing over the sensitive skin of her collarbone, and he felt her entire body shiver in response.
That was all he needed.
With a rough inhale, Cain lifted her into his arms. Avery let out a startled gasp, her arms automatically looping around his neck.
He moved, fast, driven by instinct, by hunger.
He reached his quarters, kicking the door open with more force than necessary. It slammed shut behind them, sealing them in, trapping her in his space, where his scent was thick, where there was no escape.
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His scent enveloped her whole, her knees buckled, a breathy whine escaped her lips.
He set her down, barely giving her a moment to steady herself before he caged her against the door, his hands slamming on either side of her head.
His breathing was ragged. His entire body burned hot.
Avery stared up at him, her pupils blown wide, her lips parted.
Cain’s hand shot to her jaw, tilting her face up as his mouth crashed against hers.
It wasn’t soft.
It wasn’t careful.
It was desperate. Hungry. A claiming.
Avery gasped against his lips, her body arching into him, her hands flying to his shoulders, gripping, clutching. He didn’t give her room to think, to hesitate. His teeth scraped against her lower lip, a low growl vibrating from his chest as she whimpered in
response.
His tongue swept into her mouth, devouring, demanding, his free hand sliding to her waist, gripping tight enough to bruise.
She was intoxicating.
She was driving him insane.
Avery’s hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer, pressing her body flush against his,
and Cain lost it.
“I’m gonna have you, Avery.” He whispered hoarsely. He spunem, moving with swift grace, walking her back until her knees hit the mattress.
She fell onto the bed, her hair splaying out around her like a halo, her lips swollen, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
Cain stood over her, his body tense, his restraint hanging by a thread. His s eyes roved over her, from the new streaks of white in her hair to the way her new, glowing eyes stared up at him, dazed and wanting.
His.
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Only his.
Cain loomed over her, he braced himself on either side of her body. His muscles were tight, his breathing erratic. The scent of her–new, untouched, changed, wrapped around him like a noose, choking out all reason. She was like a drug he needed to breathe, consuming him whole, he couldn’t deal.
Avery’s chest heaved, her glowing hazel eyes locked onto his, dazed, uncertain, yet filled with something just as consuming as what burned inside him.
His rut was clawing at him, demanding, relentless. Every fiber of his being screamed to
take, to claim.
“Avery…” His voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable even to himself. He was losing control. He could feel it slipping, unraveling like thin rope. He knew by tomorrow he would totally be gone, his brain would be rut–filled.
Avery didn’t respond. Instead, she reached for him. Small fingers grasping at his shirt, pulling–needing–and it was over.
Cain growled, he crushed his lips against hers again. This time, there was no
hesitation. No holding back.
His hand slid into her hair, gripping the strands, tugging just enough to expose the pale column of her throat. His lips left her mouth, trailing downward, his teeth scraping against the sensitive skin just beneath her jaw.
Avery gasped, her body arching into him.
Mine.
His wolf snarled, pleased, but it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. He needed more.
Cain’s hands roamed, sliding down her waist, gripping her hips. His mouth was relentless, claiming, biting, tasting every inch of her skin that he could reach.
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130 Chapter 130
