Destroy My Life In You
Chapter 88: Loss After Loss

Chapter 88: Loss After Loss

The first light of dawn painted the sky, as Astrid stepped into the clearing, her bare feet brushing against the dewy grass. The exhilaration of her first shift still lingered in her veins, the memory of her transformation fresh in her mind. She had spent the night roaming the forest, reveling in her newfound strength, her heightened senses. It had been terrifying, yes, but also intoxicating. This power that now pulsed through her and she could now handle it.

Smiling to herself, she ran toward their small cottage, her heart swelling with the need to share this moment with her parents.

"Father! Mother!" she called out, laughter in her voice. "I’m back. I’ve so much to tell you!" She was so eager to tell them how she had found her mate just on the night of her shift. It was considered luck to find you mate at such a moment, and she was sure her parents would be elated as her.

But the only answer was silence. Astrid slowed her steps, her smile faltering. By now, her parents should have been out waiting to hear how it went.

A strange unease settled in her chest. Something was wrong. The usual warmth that surrounded their home, the sound of her brothers playing, the soft murmur of her mother preparing breakfast, there was none. The air smelled strange, metallic.

Then, as she took a step closer, she saw it.

Blood!

It splattered across the ground, staining the wooden porch, seeping into the cracks between the floorboards. The scent was overwhelming, thick, heavy, suffocating.

Her breath hitched as dread curled around her heart. "Mother?" she called, her voice weaker now. "Father?" Still, there was no answer.

L

Trembling, she forced herself forward. The sight that greeted her made her stomach lurch. There, in the center of their small sitting room, lay her parents.

Blood pooled around them, soaking into the wooden floor. Her mother’s hand was outstretched, as if reaching for something, or someone. Her father’s body lay protectively over hers, his arms limp, his expression frozen in a silent scream.

Astrid stumbled backward, her vision blurring. "No... no, no, no..."

A choked sob escaped her lips as she dropped to her knees, crawling toward them. With trembling hands, she touched her mother’s face, shaking her gently.

"Wake up," she whispered. "Please, wake up..."

"Father?" Her voice cracked as she turned to him, pressing her hand against his chest, hoping for even the faintest heartbeat.

The reality crashed over her like a tidal wave, stealing the air from her lungs. A broken, anguished scream tore from her throat as she clutched them, her body wracked with sobs

Her dear parent were gone. That too brutally murdered.

But then, her brothers. Yes! Her brothers. Astrid’s breath caught. Her little brothers, where were they? Panic surged through her as she scrambled to her feet.

"Luke! Seth! Zeke!" she cried, running toward their rooms. She pushed open one door, then another, but they were empty. The beds were unmade, their blankets tossed aside as if they had left in a hurry. Her heart pounded wildly.

She was about to collapse in despair when her ears picked up something. It was small, hurried ootsteps. Spinning around, she ran outside.And then she saw her brothers.

Luke, Seth, and Zeke were, running toward her, their faces streaked with dirt and tears. A sob of relief broke from her as she rushed toward them, her arms opening wide. The moment they reached her, she pulled them into a tight embrace, their small bodies trembling against hers.

They clung to her, their sobs muffled against her shoulder."We thought you were gone," Seth choked out.

"I’m here," Astrid whispered fiercely. "I’m here." She held them until their cries softened, and then, pulling back slightly, she met Luke’s tear-filled eyes.

"What happened, Luke?" she asked gently.

Luke sniffled, wiping his face. "We heard... an argument. Father was fighting with a man." His voice trembled. "He called him... Father."

Astrid stiffened. "Father?"

Luke nodded. "They were looking for you." His hands clenched into fists. "They said something like, you are... the Primal Alpha."

Astrid’s breath caught.

The words felt heavy, scaring her deep inside. It meant she was the cause of her parent’s death.

She swallowed hard. "And then?"

Luke’s face darkened. "Father refused to tell them anything. He fought back. Then the old man—the one he called Father, ordered his men to take our Father. But he resisted..." His voice wavered. "While he was fighting, Mother helped us escape. She told us to run, that they would follow. But they never did."

Astrid’s stomach twisted with grief. She tightened her arms around them, her own tears falling silently. Her parents had sacrificed themselves. For her. For them.

Hours passed, and as the sun began to set, Astrid and her brothers stood before two freshly dug graves. The air was heavy with sorrow as they placed the last handful of dirt over their parents’ resting place. The young boys sobbed quietly, clinging to Astrid as she held them close, whispering words of comfort she didn’t fully believe.

"We can’t stay here," she finally said, her voice hoarse. "It’s not safe."

Luke, his face streaked with dried tears, nodded. "Where will we go?"

Astrid looked at their home one last time, the place that had once been filled with warmth and love, now a haunting reminder of what they had lost.

"Anywhere," she whispered. "As long as it’s far from here."

And so, they left.

Days turned into weeks as they wandered through forests and meadows, surviving on wild fruits and the small amount of food they had taken with them. Exhaustion clung to them, but they pressed on, their only goal to find a safe place to rest.

Then, one evening, they stumbled upon a village. Unlike their home which had mixed species, this one was bustling with humans only. The streets were lined with merchants, the scent of fresh bread and roasted meat filling the air.

Astrid held her brothers close as they moved through the town, searching for a place to stay. But everywhere they went, they were met with rejection.

Until they found an old woman with kind eyes and a gentle smile, who welcomed them watching their tattered clothes and exhausted faces. "You poor things," she murmured, looking at their tired faces.

And after narrating they were orphans, the woman happily said. "You may stay at my home, but in return, you must help me around the house."

Astrid nodded without hesitation. And so, for the first time since their parents’ deaths, they found a semblance of peace.

But peace was fleeting to Astrid. Night after night, she was haunted by the same dream again and again. She could see a man, is face obscured, always whispering to her.

"Mine." His voice was deep, possessive. He reaches for her, his touch burning her skin, his lips brushing against hers.

In the dream, she didn’t understand why, she never resisted.

Astrid had never known a man all her life and the only person who she could think of was her mate whom she had met the night she recieved her wolf. His scent still haunted her, but it was unfortunate she had left her home, and she didn’t knownif she would ever meet him again.

Shaking off the lingering thoughts, Astrid pushed herself up from the wooden floor where she slept. With a sigh, she moved to prepare breakfast for her brothers and the old woman, whom they now called Grandmother.

Months passed. The old woman, who had given them shelter, eventually passed away, leaving them the house, saying they were they people she had, after a long time, considered family. Alone once again, Astrid took up work at an embroidery shop owned by a kind young man named Liam. Life became bearable. For a while, they believed their troubles had ended.

But fate had other plans. One fateful night, raiders attacked the village, and flames devoured it. Once again, Astrid and her brothers ran.

This time, they didn’t stop until they found themselves at the gates of a different village, larger, darker and famous everywhere.

It was Vetheris Village, where humans and supernaturals coexisted in large numbers. But what made it famous, was the fact the infamous Vampire King resisted there.

Astrid decided to hide with her brothers, there since no one could discern her as Primal Alpha, her scent was the same as other wolves and lycans. She and her brothers finds an abandoned house at the farthest place of the village, and as per the rules of the supernaturals, an abandoned habitat becomes a home to anyone who claims it. They stayed there and Astrid started another path looking for a job.

Fate was already leading her toward something she could not escape. Not this time.

Because, on her first day to search for job, she perceives that scent again. The scent of her mysterious mate.