Chapter 175
Betrayed by Blood The outskirts of the pack were quiet. The air was thick with damp leaves and the faint scent of herbs.
Avery stood with Lydia and Emma before the small, worn out cottage, its wooden walls warped with age and its roof slightly sagging.
Lydia let out a slow breath, arms crossed. "Are we sure this is it?" she asked, eyeing the house warily. "It’s been years since Hugh banished her. She could be dead."
Emma shook her head. "No. She’s here." She ran a hand over the doorframe. "Someone still delivers fresh fruit to her every Friday noon."
"Okay. At least we know she’s alive, and Hugh didn’t just kill her for the sake of it after what happened," she replied. The woman, Elder Loris, had lived with everyone in the pack house up until the death of Avery’s parents and Hugh’s takeover. Whatever happened between Hugh and Elder Loris was still unknown, but all that was said was that Elder Loris had betrayed the pack and therefore would continue the rest of her life in solitude. She was banished to the outskirts of the pack where no other pack member was allowed to ever visit her. It didn’t take time for people to forget the woman, even Avery. But now, they stood in front of her doorstep, seeking her help.
Avery exhaled. Just as she reached up to knock, a raspy voice drifted from within.
"Come in, children."
The door creaked open on its own.
Avery exchanged glances with Lydia and Emma before stepping inside. The air was warm, carrying the scent of dried lavender. Shelves lined the walls, overflowing with glass jars and strange trinkets.
In the center of the room sat a woman in a simple dark coat, her silver hair spilling over her shoulders. Though her eyes were milky white with blindness, there was no mistaking the way she felt their presence, her head tilting slightly as if listening to something they could not hear.