Destroy My Life In You
Chapter 85: Primal Alpha: Wait Until She Was Back

Chapter 85: Primal Alpha: Wait Until She Was Back

The night was silent. Too silent. Neither the vampires nor the werewolves dared make a noise, afraid of being victims of the deranged Vampire King.

Alaroc remained, his forehead pressed against Ravenna’s, his eyes shut as if trying to reach beyond the physical world.

’Wake up, love.’ He was still trying to mind link her.

’Ravenna, please I’m begging you.’ He tried again and again, his voice soft and desperate, echoing in his mind. But no answer came.

Inside his head, his screams of agony grew louder, more frenzied, clawing at the depths of the silent void where her consciousness should have been. As her body jn his arms grew colder, his heart twisted painfully, each second dragging him further into an abyss of despair, that he had never though he would experience again. Death had stolen her away from him one more time and there was nothing he could do. Nothing except cling to the only thread of hope keeping him from falling into madness. The faint, delicate heartbeat of the life still growing inside her. Their child. The little knew was still holding on to life and he knew it was only matter of time and the rhythmic beath would be gone. The thought caused pain, burning his chest. It was only a few hours he had discovered about their child and had no time to even tell her, and now, she was gone and so would their child.

"Ven," his voice filled with deep suffering, rang out. "Even if not fro me, please come back for our child. I’ll die... if you both leave me. Who should I live for?"

There was no answer.

***

Zander was the first to stir, then Finn. Their senses returned slowly, but when they finally opened their eyes, the dreadful scene met them. Alaric, their pillar and the strongest of them, was crumbling. They had already anticipated something like this but watching it unfold, their hearts clenched painfully, especially Finn who was closer to Alaric.

The two exchanged a look, an unspoken understanding passing between them. It was time to let put the last secret they were holding. Even if they would suffer afterwards, at least they would save others from Alaric’s outburst that was unquenchable. And this time, the Ashen sisters weren’t there to help. They only had one and she would not be able to hold him down alone.

They were about to approach Alaric but a hand shot out, stopping them. It was Nyx. She gazed at them coldly, then said, "It’s not wise to to talk to him right now. Knowing you were the ones who stopped from saving her, he might do something extreme."

Finn gave her a weak humourless smile. "It’s fine. We can handle it, don’t worry."

Nyx hesitated but with their firm gazes, she let her trembling hand fall away with a humph. As she stepped back, she discreetly wiped the wet streak from her cheek, as if denying she had she’d any tears. She was hurting too. The past two months she had spent with Ravenna were the happiest in this lifetime. They had grown close creating a sisterhood bond very fast. As if they had known each their whole lives.

Zander and Finn had just begun to move forward again when a sudden gust of wind rushed past them.

Luke stood on their way. For the first time, the usually composed Luke seemd to have lost control of his emotions. His golden eyes blurred with fury, pain, grief and something closely to despair.

"Why? Why... did you let this happen?" His voice was low and sharp, like an edge of a blade. His gaze flickered between Zander and Finn, before locking onto with intensity they had never seen in him before. "You were supposed to protect her."

None of them spoke. Luke’s fingers curled into a fists, his body trembling before he lunged forward, grabbing Zander’s shirt and yanking him closer.

"She wasn’t supposed to die. He could have save her..." pointing at Alaric, "... After all, he’s immortal. But you both stopped him. Why? Why!"

Zander remained still, his expression unreadable.

"She’ll be fine," he finally murmured.

Luke let out a bitter, almost deranged laugh, tears streaming freely down his face. His grip on Zander loosened, and his body seemd to lose all its strength. He fell to the ground on his but, one knee bent, and his other leg stretched out as he hunched forward, fingers digging on his hair.

"She’s fuxking dead," he murmured hoarsely.

His fingers curled into the dirt and he gasped for breath between silent sobs. "I failed you again, sister," he muttered. "I failed you again, sister. I’m sorry."

The air around him grew heavier, as if suffocating under the weight of loss.

Zeke and Seth, watched as their brother cried endlessly. It was a shock to them watching him break down like this for a person they had know for a few months. They had lost many of their pals along the years and never once had he ever been like this.

Zeke turned to Finn and Zander, curiosity flickering in his eyes. He had about feeling on whatever was being hidden from him and Seth. "What the hell is Luke mumbling about? What has gotten into him?"

Neither of them answered. Zander and Finn just walked beside them, approaching Alaric who was the impending doom whom they had to stop first.

Seth, unable to wait anymore, turned to Nyx. "I know you are in this too. What’s going on here?"

Nyx closed her eyes for a moment then opened them. Alaric had warned them from talking about it but at this moment, it was of no use hiding it. The other werewolves would have already guessed Ravenna’s identity so hiding from the two would be of no use.

"Nyx!" Seth stepped closer to her.

"Danm it! Okay, I’ll tell you." With a heavy exhale, she said it. "Ravenna is... Astrid."

Half a minute passed by with no one saying a word, until Seth snapped. "What are you talking about?"

Nyx sighed then still explained. "Ravenna here... is really Astrid. Your sister who died centuries ago. You were all still young and might not remember her but she’s Astrid."

For a moment, no one breathed. Seth slowly stumbled back, processing the words one by one, until they sank into him. He sank to his knees, his face unreadable and completely blank.

Zeke, on the other hand, wasn’t as composed. His eyes burned golden, bloodshot and wild. His fingers trembled as he wiped his eyes, trying but failing, to stop the tears from escaping. His eyes fell on Ravenna who still engulfed in Alaric’s arms, and memories surged through him like a wave.

"No," he muttered.

The constant bickering with her, the endless fights, the moments of irritation where they almost killed each other. Every single thing he and Ravenna had gone through, they came like a movie and now it seemd to be over.

And now?

Now she was gone. Again.

Why did he have to learn the truth when it was too late?

On the other hand, Zander and Finn stood beside Alaric, silent.

Zander carefully watched his brother, the way he clung to Ravenna’s lifeless body, his expression unfathomable. He hesitated for anly a moment before speaking.

"Alaric."

But the man did not response.

A beath passed. Then another. Zander took a slow breath before saying.

"Still remember, ’From the close doth, the dawn arises?"

For a moment, Alaric remained still but he opened his eyes like what seemed like a century.

"She’s not gone forever." Zander added.

And finally, Alaric lifted his head, his crimson eyes flickering toward Zander’s direction, waiting.

Zander held his and explained. "Something has to end in order something new to begin. That’s what it meant. When Astrid removed her core, her wolf within her died too."

Alaric’s expression didn’t change, but his grip on Ravenna tightened.

Zander continued. "Astrid-Ravenna-we all know she isn’t just any shifter. She’s the Primal Alpha. That too for the second lifetime now. When she was reborn, her core did retun to her. But she had to pay a price in order to awaken her real form, the Primal Wolf... The moment she got her wolf, her power tried to awaken, but she couldn’t handle it and it backfired, killing her. You know, the thunder. It was all her doing... Even if she didn’t die from the bolts, he death was inevitable. Wolfless Ravenna had to die in order for her new era as the Primal Alpha to begin."

Alaric’s jaw clenched as he listened keenly. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

"Because you would’ve have never let it happen." Zander’s voice was firm. "If Ravenna hadn’t shifted when she did, she wouldn’t have had another chance of awakening. Her human body would have been crushed because it was too weak to handle that power but her wolf is powerful enough."

A heavy silence settled between them.

Alaric spoke, his voice unnervingly calm. "When will she wake up?"

Zander hesitated, before he quietly replied, "That, no one knows."

Alaric’s gaze darkened. "How do you know all this?"

"From Ravenna’s manual. She had written everything down. After Luke found that letter from their hometown back then, Finn and I went back to take a look and found it. It was like she had guessed someone would follow up and find it, so she had ge really summarised everything, but not how long it would take for to awaken in both her deaths.

Alaric nodded and turned back to Ravenna’s still body, his expression blank. No one could guess what was going on in his mind. Then, without another word, he rose, lifting her into his arms.

He was about to leave but paused, asking, "Will... our child survive?"

Zander and Finn froze and heightening their hearing, they heard the same faint heartbeat for the child.

Seeing they weren’t answering, Alaric was gone. He took her back in the house they had been loving in for the past two weeks, precisely to their bedroom. He laid her gently down, as if afraid she would wake with the slightest discomfort, then pulled the blanket over her.

His gaze never left her face, and then he simply lay beside her. His red eyes were distant, his expression devoid of emotions. It was like he was caught in a trance and only she could take him out of it. But she was somewhere far even if her body was lying beside him. Until then, he would keep her company day and night so he could wait until she was back to him.

And there, in the suffocating silence, he continued to wait.