Chapter 4: Betrayed By Blood

Axton’s P.O.V

“Gustav…” My voice came out a whisper, as I slowly stood up from the floor; Lily’s body lying unmoving by my feet.

“Axe…why?” Gustav fell to the floor, his eyes wide and fixated on Lily’s lifeless form.

“Alpha…” One of the men next to Gustav looked at me in horror before looking at Lily’s lifeless form and then back up at me.

Everyone stood stunned, rooted to their spot; including me. The situation kept getting worse with every second that passed.

“I found her like this, I swear.” I told my half-brother, putting my hands up in surrender as I watched his lips tremble as he watched blood gush out of Lily’s heart.

It is said that when a sharp object is impaled in your body, you mustn’t pull it out to prevent death due to blood loss. But the dagger that had been plunged into Lily’s heart had been silver. The only metal poisonous to werewolves and if I hadn't taken it out…no Lily had already been dead, I had known it the second I had seen her. But there had been a glimmer of hope when I had felt that her skin had still been slightly warm. Maybe her heightened healing could kick in and save her. Maybe she would wake up now and tell Gustav that it wasn’t me who tried to kill her! I would rather carve out my heart than harm a hair on her head!

But as the seconds ticked away, Lily didn’t wake up. She didn’t open her beautiful blue eyes and look at me one last time.

“You took her away from me…”

My head jerked up in the direction of Gustav. He had his trembling fingers pointed at me accusingly.

“W-what?” I felt my heart drop.

“You killed her! You took her away from me!” This time, his voice was loud enough that his friends were looking at him in shock. “She was your lover! You couldn’t stand that she was with me now!”

“Gus…” I looked at him incredulously. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You just called me! You wanted to know the change in code!” Gustav shouted, getting up from the floor. “Lily told me you were obsessed with her! You called her every single day for no reason, even after knowing that she was now mated to me!”

“Gus! You know that’s not true!” I yell at him, but the blood on my hands does not do my words justice. Several people have now joined Gus and his friends on the hallways. Curious faces that peeked over their shoulders to find out what the commotion was about but then their faces contorted to horror at the sight of Lily’s body at my feet and blood on my hands. “I’m being set up, Gus!”

But not only was Gustav looking unconvinced, so was everyone else. Whispered spread like wildfire and I was sure that not only people from this cabin, but the cabins around us had also heard the news now.

“Alpha! How could you?” One person shouted and then there was no stopping them. Several more shouts, several more insults and then everyone was pointing their fingers at me.

What was going on? How could this evening have turned into such a commotion from one heart beat to another?

I looked down at Lily’s form once more. Her hair, her clothes…they were covered in her life’s blood. Her face was now pale, a bluish tint to her skin that hadn't been there when I arrived. Her blood on my face burned like acid. But I felt rooted to the spot.

“Get him!”

My head snapped in the direction of the door, to find Gustav now standing on his feet. His face was contorted in rage while tears still streaked down his cheeks. It was him who had spoken that gritted out command.

“Gus?” My eyes widened in surprise.

“You killed my mate out of jealousy! You killed her because you could no longer have her!” Gus accused. “I do not consider you my Alpha anymore! I just cannot! How can an Alpha be so unfair?”

I was stunned speechless. What was happening? Why was Gustav acting like this? He knew I had always been fair!

“Get him!” Gustav yelled and then everyone was pouring into the room, ready to catch me.

Suddenly, I found the strength to move once again. Till now, everything around me seemed to have been shrouded in darkness, but the world around me now came to sharp focus. And I did the only thing I could. I ran.

I knew every inch of Gustav’s house, so I headed straight for the window at the back of the kitchen, the window that overlooked a slope a few meters below and hopped on. Every cell in my body protested as I jumped out of the window and landed on my feet a few meters below, on the rocky path. But I was outnumbered.

Betrayal felt like a thorn in my heels that I couldn’t take off. Gustav. My blood brother. How could he betray me like this? How could he frame me for Lily’s murder? Lily of all people! And how did he find out about our affair? Did Lily tell him about us herself? Was that why he had called me here? To tell me to stay away from his mate?

But someone had killed Lily and I had to find out who it was.

I made my way to my cabin, hoping to find some answers there as I ran as fast as I could. This was my pack, my people. They wouldn’t go against me like this, would they?

Gustav was grieving. He just lost his mate so he wasn’t in the right mind. I’ll talk to him once again tomorrow morning. Once he’s a bit more stable…yes. That would be the best plan.

I arrived at my cabin within minutes. It was situated right at the edge of a steep cliff with no other cabins around. I knew it was foolish of me to come here because this would be the first place the enraged crowd would come looking for me, but I needed something to fight with, something like a silver dagger.

Several warning howls went up in the air and I halted mid-run. My blood felt frozen in my veins as I realized what was going on.

It was a howl to announce a rogue.

My pack had deserted me.

“No…” I whispered through trembling lips; thousands of emotions passing through my mind in a matter of seconds.

How could my pack do this to me? Declaring me a rogue? Even I would’ve never imagined them to do this.

But I didn’t get time to think as my ears picked up hushed steps behind me. I looked back and ducked, just in time to dodge the silver dagger aimed at my chest. Jumping out of the way, I stood up to face the assailant.

“Gus!” I warned my half-brother. “Get your emotions under control! You’re making a grave mistake.”

“No,” his voice was a growl. “You made that mistake by coming after Lily.”

“I didn’t kill her!” I shouted. But it was no use, because the next instant, there was a flash of light and in place of Gus stood a dark brown wolf with a white patch at the center of his forehead. The silver blade was caught between his teeth.

Without thinking, I let my wolf take over, transforming into my grey and white wolf form. Gus and I were both large wolves, the blood of the Alpha flowing through our veins. But I had never imagined going up against my older half-brother, never in my wildest dreams.

Gus came at me full force, scratching and growling and I kept backing away, trying to defend myself. I couldn’t hurt Gus! He wasn’t in his right mind. However, I realized too late that while trying to defend myself, I had kept backing off until I was almost to the edge of the cliff.

Suddenly, Gus changed back into his human form and used the opportunity to plunge the dagger into my shoulders.

Howling in pain because of the silver, I turned into my human form and fell to my knees, clutching my bleeding shoulders.

“Gus…” I panted. “You need to stop. It wasn’t me! I didn’t kill Lily!”

“I know.”

Jerking my head up to look at my brother, I found him standing over me with the silver dagger, a sinister smile on his face.

“W-what?” I stuttered; my mind going numb from shock.

“You’ve always been privileged, my dear litter brother.” Gustav knelt in front of me, placing the dagger on my neck. “That’s why you never noticed how much I’ve suffered all my life.”

“Gus…what are you talking about?” I managed to stutter out.

“My mother became the pack reject right after your mother showed up. You became Alpha even though it was my place. And then you slept with my mate!” The dagger dug into my skin and I could feel it burn through. “You’re a pathetic weakling that got everything served on a silver platter. Not anymore. You don’t deserve to be Alpha.”

“Gus…I,” I gulped, my throat suddenly dry. “I-didn’t kill Lily.”

“I know, you weakling. I know.” Gus laughed humorlessly. “And you know why I know you didn’t kill Lily?”

I nodded, too numb to do anything else.

Gustav’s smile this time was just wrong. “Because I killed her.”

And then, the knife sliced through my throat and he kicked me back over the cliff.

*

*

Gustav’s P.O.V:

I looked over the ends at the thick forest below, my lips stretched into a smile.

It felt good to have your enemy’s blood on your hands, even if that enemy was your half brother.

“Gustav!” Damien and Emilio came to a stand behind me, my friends and my partners in crime.

“He fell.” I told them.

“Is he dead?” Emilio asked, his voice showing relief. “He should be dead right? That’s a big drop.”

I shook my head. No, I didn’t believe my brother was dead. He had the Alpha’s blood in his veins; he wouldn’t be defeated so easily.

“Injured, yes. Dead? No.” I told them. “He’ll lay low for now, heal himself before he strikes. So we have to find him first.”

“Yes, Gustav.” They spoke in unison.

“No.” I told them, looking up at the moonless sky. “Call me Alpha.”