Destroy My Life In You
Chapter 71: Astrid’s Hidden Secrets

Chapter 71: Astrid’s Hidden Secrets

At the cracking of dawn, Alaric, his brothers, Luke, and Nyx gathered up in his study room, which was at the far end of the hallway, the same floor as his room.

Thick, chilly air covered the study. Alaric’s eyes were closed as he sat on an arm chair, near the class window. Silence stretched between them for long until Alaric opened his eyes unhurriedly, blankly gazing at them. Anyone else would have been pleased with his calm nature, but they knew better. It was better if he had an outburst and vented out, but him being so silent, they were in real trouble.

"How long?" His tone as well carried no hint of danger, but the sharp look was enough to make one go on his knees. He needed answers, and this time, without leaving even a single information.

But they all remained quiet. No one had the courage to give a satisfying explanation. Punishment was inevitable. Even Zander, who was the least scared, did not say a word. He knew the result of revealing everything to his brother.

Alaric felt his patience tested in a great way, but still, he remained calm. "Don’t let me repeat myself."

Nyx was the first to step forward when he saw the others had no intention of opening their mouth. "It’s almost three years now." Her previous free self was nowhere to be seen, and there only remained a subordinate answering to her master. Though she had worked for him for a long time, the fear he instilled in her had never gone away even a little. His presence drove her to an edge because she knew one mistake and he would kill her. After all, he had done it before. Twice to that matter.

Alaric took a deep breath as his eyes closed again. It took all his wits not to shed some blood. "I want tobhear everything. And I mean everything."

Nyx nodded and looked at Zander and Finn. "I’m no one’s spoke person here. I’ll only say what I know." Nyx informed then shifted back to Alaric. "It happened a day before Astrid died. Together with Zander and Finn, they asked me to extract... half of her core."

Alaric hands trembled for a moment. His eyes snap open, and a hint of pain flashed in them. "Why?"

"Maybe because she knew she would die and wanted to leave something that would guarantee her return. As you know, she was not just any werewolf. Anything else you want to know, the answers lie with them." Nyx stepped back, gesturing at Finn, Zander, and Luke.

"Do I need to make you talk?" Alaric asked impatiently.

Finn sighed in resignment and continued where Nyx left off. "Astrid did not tell us much either. She only said someone was after your life and had taken her brothers in captive. The person knew Astrid was close to the Vampire King, and thus, she threatened her. Kill you in exchange for her brothers’ lives... but Astrid did not do as asked. She confided in us and asked us to save her brother while she played along with the enemy because time was running out. Only one day was left for her to complete the task she was given... killing you. If she didn’t, then her brothers would be murdered. That was when she asked us to take her to Nyx in order to extract her core. We decided against it, but she said it was to ensure that even if she mistakenly attacked you, it would not be lethal."

Finn paused, taking a long breath, then continued. "We asked her to tell you, but she refused. As for the reason why, she never told us. We left for the place she had informed us her brothers were being kept and by the time we returned, she was... gone. It was that night I ran Ravenna over, did I realize Astrid was back. Her face was the same, but she was quite different, so I needed to confirm. I took her to Zander, and we called in Nyx, and she did confirm she was Astrid."

Everyone was silent. Alaric, too, but his grip on the armrest tightened. His eyes were extremely dark, with a glimmer of golden, a sign of the storm brewing inside him.

"And you decided to keep this information away from me for four centuries?" Alaric outburst broke as he swept everything across the table, then looked at Luke. "And him... how’s he involved in all this? Did you know too?"

Luke flinched in fear, but not for too long before he replied. "I found a note. It was the time I had run away from your palace, I went back to our hometown. I found a note and something else in her pouch. She... she knew I would definitely return, so it was addressed to me saying I should give the pouch to Zander and Finn. It was then I realized it was her extracted core. In the note, she had said the core would not let her soul disappear. Rather, the fragments would be gathered, and she would be born again. She also mentioned not to say a word to you but never explained... Lastly, there was a last sentence she had highlighted and was also capitalised. It was... From... dawn... no..."

"’FROM THE CLOSE DOTH, THE DAWN ARISES.’ That’s what was written." Zander spoke up, expressionless.

"Yes, that’s it. But we still don’t know what it meant." Luke finished off.

To Alaric, it was much to take in. He still remembers that horrible night, though Astrid’s face still remains unclear. It was because a spell had been used on him. For everyone’s safety, they had tried to erase Astrid’s memories from his mind, but she was deeply imprinted in him, and they managed to erase only her face.

For four centuries, a lot of damage had been caused already, which had caused a lot of ruckus between vampires, werewolves, witches, and humans. The vampires build their own kingdom, where only a few can go in and leave. The wolves hid in the forest, forming different packs. The witches hid among humans since there wasn’t much difference between them.

Alaric was shaken, not just anger, but also confusion, guilt, and fear, which he tried to mask, but somehow couldn’t.

"The person who caused all this... Who was it?" Alaric questioned, feeling his voice grow weaker.

"We never knew who it was. Only Astrid knew him. Even Luke and his brothers never got to see his face." Zander replied.

"Zeke and Seth... do they know, too?" Alaric questioned, heaving softly.

"They know nothing." Luke replied in haste.

"Good," Alaric stood up from the armchair. "Astrid is gone, and Ravenna is Ravenna. Not even her should get a word of it. As for the hidden enemy, it wouldn’tbe a surprise he’s back. He might be the one behind all the chaos that happened."

They all nodded in unison.

"When did you start getting suspicious that Ravenna might be Astrid?" Finn inaudibly asked, but it still caught everyone’s ear.

Alaric, who was about to leave, paused. "I knew from day one she was special but never thought her to be Astrid. Until that night she almost brought down the mansion. Her eyes, they were blue... Just like the first night I met her centuries ago." He became lost in memories for a moment, then he walked away.

Behind the room, Zander gave Finn a knowing look. For sure, these two always had something to hide. And whatever it was, it was not easy. Not with the worried look on Finn’s eyes. Luckily, no one caught their secret interaction.

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