Alaric’s crimson eyes slowly faded back to their usual deep black as he t Astrid’s gaze. A lump ford in his throat, rendering him montarily speechless. He had no idea what had taken over him, but when he saw the werewolves daring to attack, an uncontrollable surge of killing intent had consud him. Instinctively, he had done what he did best—ripping out their hearts, letting them drown in the agony of their foolishness for even thinking of touching what was his.
But now, regret started to settle in—not for killing them, but for doing so in front of her. He was certain she was afraid of him. The rapid, erratic beat of her heart confird it. His fingers curled into fists as he averted his gaze, his voice calm but strained.
"Are you... all alright?" he asked, his voice softer and cracked.
There was a beat of silence before Astrid answered. "Yes."
Alaric gave a curt nod. "Good. That’s good."
Without another word, he turned and began to walk away, cursing himself. He was barely a few steps gone when a soft voice called out behind him.
"Wait."
Alaric paused, his body tensing before he slowly turned around. His dark eyes locked onto Astrid’s face, and the expression she wore made his chest tighten. Fear lingered in her eyes, but there was sothing else hidden beneath it. Relief? He wasn’t sure and dared not to interpret further.
His voice ca quieter this ti. "What’s wrong?"
Astrid hesitated, then, in a low, almost inaudible voice, she asked, "Can you take us with you?"
Silence followed. Only the distant sounds of the night accompanied the stillness between them. Then, the sound of Alaric’s footsteps broke the quiet as he walked back toward them. He stopped just a short distance away, his gaze still locked on Astrid.
"Are you not afraid of ?" he asked.
Astrid blinked, slightly taken aback. "Huh?"
Alaric lifted his hand and gestured toward the bloodied corpses, then dropped it, his fingers twitching as if he wanted to say sothing but couldn’t find the right words.
Astrid understood. She lowered her eyes montarily before looking back up. Was she afraid? A little, but not for the reasons he assud. The sight before her wasn’t what unsettled her—it was the reminder of the past. The first massacre she had witnessed had been that of her own parents. This scene was nothing more than a cruel echo of that tragedy. But she knew that, if the werewolves and lycans continued their relentless pursuit, more monts like this would co. Perhaps, one day, she would even have to kill to protect her brothers. The thought brought a sharp wave of anxiety, but her determination to keep them safe quickly overpowered it.
Alaric stood still, his fingers trembling slightly at his sides. Her silence fed his growing fear. What if she truly hated him now? Would he be able to bear it? For centuries, he had been alone, yearning for sothing, soone to anchor him. And now, just when he had found it, he feared he had ruined everything. If only he had controlled his anger. He blad himself bitterly.
The tense silence was broken when Luke suddenly spoke up. "So... what now?"
Astrid and Alaric snapped out of their thoughts, turning to look at Zeke before their eyes t again. Astrid was the first to speak.
"Thank you," she said softly.
Alaric’s brows furrowed in confusion. "For what?" His heart pounded in anticipation of her answer.
She held his gaze. "For saving us."
He blinked. Slowly, he gave a small nod. His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say sothing more, but he stopped himself. He didn’t dare ask if she despised him. He wasn’t sure if he could handle hearing the answer if it was not in his favour.
Luke, however, wasn’t about to let the mont rest. He stepped forward, narrowing his eyes at Alaric. "What are you even doing here at this ti of night?"
Alaric turned his attention to Luke, his expression much colder now than when he had been looking at Astrid. "I was busy during the day," he said simply. "But I wanted to see Astrid. Even if it was just for a glimpse."
Luke scoffed. "At this ti? Couldn’t you have waited until morning?"
Alaric shook his head. "No. There are matters I must attend to during the day."
Luke fell silent for a mont, weighing his next words. Astrid, her face tinged pink from Alaric’s direct confession, reached out, intending to stop Luke from pressing further. But before she could, Luke spoke again.
"Then if you can’t even set aside ti for my sister, you shouldn’t even think about marrying her."
Astrid gasped, eyes wide. "Luke!"
Alaric, however, went quiet. A mont passed, then a low chuckle rumbled from his chest. He turned his gaze back to Astrid, a hint of amusent glinting in his dark eyes.
"Astrid," he said, his voice quieter but firm, "would you like to co to the palace and live there for the tj being?"
Astrid eyes widened. "The... palace?" Earlier, she had asked him if he could take them with him, because she had alsmot forgotten his dwelling was in a palace. Perhaps it was because she treated him as a normal person rather than a king. Nevertheless, Astrid knew there was safer place for her brothers than that very place. The lycans wouldn’t dare invade the Vampire King’s palace. So, for her brothers, Astrid would not hesitate to throw her modesty away. "Will that be fine?"
Alaric nodded instantly. "Of course it will."
Astrid nodded before adding, "Sorry for the trouble. I won’t make promises of leaving soon because... we’ve nowhere else to go for now." It took her all to say those words, and she could feel embarrassnt creeping in. It was out if her character but there was no other choice.
If only she knew her words elated him madly. Why wouldn’t he be happy when he would be seeing her everyday?
"No worries. You can’t as along as you Luke, I have no problem." He comforted, biting his lip to stop himself from smiling.
Luke, however, did not miss this. He gazed at the man with sharp eyes, silently telling himself, ’I’ll kill you if touch her.’
Alaric felt the lingering cold gaze and he spared Luke a glance, his lips now half raised, with a look that said, ’As if you can.’
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