Chapter 154
Betrayed by Blood
The two rode around on their horses for a bit and soon they stopped. They were now walking, the quiet crunch of gravel beneath their boots as Cain and Alaric walked through.
Cain kept his steps measured, his expression impassive, but he knew there had to be something else behind Alaric’s visit. It couldn’t all be about Silvermoon. The man hadn’t mentioned anything about it ever since Cain told him he didn’t ask for his permission. He knew Alaric wasn’t a man who came without reason.
Alaric walked beside him, hands clasped behind his back, his gaze flickering over the sights of Vaheeran as if committing them to memory. His silence was deliberate, the kind that made men uneasy. But Cain wasn’t like most men. He let the quiet stretch, waiting.
Finally, Alaric spoke. "You found your mate."
Ah, there it was. The real reason why Alaric came to Vaheeran. Cain didn’t react immediately, though he knew the king was watching him. "Yes."
Alaric hummed, as if considering. "And won’t you introduce me to her?"
Cain barely stopped himself from frowning. He wasn’t sure why the request irked him, but it did. Actually, he knew why. Alaric was a man who couldn’t be trusted, and who knew what he heard to have him coming to Vaheeran without notice. Still, he nodded, glancing ahead.
His gaze landed on Avery.
She was seated with a few pack members near the garden’s edge, a small plate of meat in her lap. She laughed at something one of them said, the sound light and unguarded. The setting sun bathed her in warm hues, catching in the soft strands of her hair. It was one of the few times Cain had seen her let loose and laugh. She was mostly shy or nervous around him, understandably so.
Cain didn’t realize how long he had been staring until he felt Alaric’s gaze trace his.