Chapter 5: Your Dad Wants to Die
1959 Words
Bryce laughed out loud at the excitement in his tone and confirmed repeatedly, "Yes, that's her. Who could have guessed that the person that half of the world was trying to reach was so close?"
"Are you going to bring her back to the pack? Has she agreed to work with us?"
The enthusiasm on the other side was impossible to hide. It was obvious from his tone that if Bryce said yes, he might fly over directly and offer to carry her on his back all the way home. The worship was truly matching the status of a fanboy.
"Not now. Give it some time. She will come to us eventually. Have you found the info I told you to get?"
"Astria? Yes, I've mailed it to you. But what does it have to do with Sorain?"
"Okay, don't use too much of your brain. Cancel my flight for tomorrow. I'll be staying here another week."
He needed at least that much time to make sure whether the sparks he felt repeatedly meant something deeper or were just a hoax of his drunken mind.
He disconnected the connection directly and drove off towards the hotel he was staying in, unaware of the storm Astria was about to face.
Astria had a stubborn and somewhat of a prideful personality. It was to be expected because of her upbringing. Her Father held the title of Alpha in the pack and he raised his daughter with great things in mind.
It was an unfortunate event that Astria fell in love with a scumbag who eventually dragged her away from the goals she and her father had in mind.
Astria's mother was also a strong woman with a steel like will. Even though their relationship was not as close as the father and daughter, she valued her daughter as she was the only child.
As for why Astria didn't immediately go back home upon being abandoned, it was due to the shame of being wrong in the biggest decision in her life.
They warned her about him three years ago when she brought Duncan home to meet her parents after descretly dating for two years and said she wanted to marry him.
It was a joint opposition from both parents and Astria had somewhat of a falling out with them due to Duncan. At that time, she was young and delusioned.
For her, Duncan was the one she wanted to give everything to. She thought her parents would eventually give in after seeing how happy she was. However, that day didn't come despite waiting for three years. They gave in to her stubborn nature but never truly accepted it.
Now Astria's prideful nature did not allow her to go back now that she faced something so big. Hence, she decided to stay at her friend's place for a few days and figure out her state first before showing up at her house.
She voluntarily gave up the Alpha position that was carefully prepared by her father and even now, she had no intention of taking it back.
The circumstances did not allow her to shamelessly ask for the security of the title. Even if her parents were reliable, Astria couldn't go back and simply ask for it.
There was still a career to be established and a name to make. Everything would come after this. The Alpha position will be won by her efforts.
Astria was determined to go on the route she dreamed of as a child. Besides, she wanted Duncan to fall into the depths of hell and for that, she needed to be a heavy weight in front of him and forcefully press him under her toe.
Just like she helped him rise up, she could throw him down as well.
Ruth was the friend she made in high school who stayed until this point. They were good friends who transcended time and faced the challenges of adulthood together. In short, it was the only friend that Astria trusted completely.
Although they grew slightly distant after she married Duncan, it was not to the point where they were strangers again. Besides, she didn't have a mate or a husband yet, so Astria didn't feel like she was intruding by staying at her home for a couple of days.
Ruth opened the door when the doorbell rang and was immediately tackled to the ground by Astria. The cool and elegant woman who didn't hesitate to walk away with the suitcase threw her legs up in the air and cried tears in her best friend's arms.
Ruth worriedly patted her back until she was done venting. She didn't even struggle to sit up because she was well aware of what kind of a menace Astria was. She wouldn't be moved if she didn't want to. Ruth extended a foot to gently close the door and lay on the ground until Astria voluntarily sat up to wipe her face with the scarf wrapped after her neck. Then she looked at the scarf in disgust and threw it on the ground, stomping on it as if the scarf was an enemy of hers.
"What's going on?" Ruth asked and simultaneously poured a glass of warm water from the pitcher.
Astria says back on the carpeted floor hugging her knees. She sniffed, drank some water to soothe her throat after the intense crying and told her what went down during the last month.
Ruth's expressions changed from shock to disbelief and settled on absolute disgust towards Duncan.
"What about your family? Didn't they say anything?!"
Astria wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn't dare tell her parents about it and didn't even call them. She didn't want to hear the words 'We told you so' and get her ego hurt. But she was not ignorant as to assume they don't know. They had not called her either, so she guessed they were upset and waiting for her to come back.
"I can't face them just yet. I'll go back in a few days and talk to them."
"What a sick woman!" Ruth spat some colorful curses at Lavender, "Whatever, you can't expect anything good of a woman who was raised right! I seriously think you should talk to your parents and go back home. It's not too late to start your new life. You are only 22, which is considered to be a ripe age to experiment. Didn't your father want you to inherit the title?"
"I said I will go back soon. You don't want me here?" Astria looked up sharply and was aggrieved at the same time.
"Why wouldn't I want you here? You can stay for as long as you want! I am just giving you some advice as your best friend. I only want good things for you. Right now is not the time to let your pride come your way. The days you waste doing nothing won't come back."
Astria buried her head in her arms and sighed. Ruth was right, but it was not that easy. Astria was currently in her 'fuvk everything' zone where all she needed was some time to herself to absorb everything and recover just enough to move forward.
How could everyone expect her to recover so fast?
Being betrayed in a relationship in life was comparable to being wounded physically. She needed the rest and paused a little to recover.
"I will call them tomorrow..." Astria decided to compromise that evening. Ruth patted her shoulder and stood up.
"I have to go to work now. These days my manager has been giving me a hard time and all my shifts have been turned into night shifts!"
Astria sat in the corner like a little wet pup. Hearing her complaints, she lifted her head slightly. With puffy eyes, she looked nothing like the woman who confronted Duncan and Lavender earlier in the day.
"What's up with that shitty manager?"
Ruth rolled her eyes while fixing her hair in the mirror.
"He said I'm not charming enough to be paid as much as I do."
"He made your life difficult because he was an asshole to you?"
"No, because I 'accidentally' forwarded his nudes to his wife. The ones he sent me on our work email." Ruth smirked at her through the mirror, "I even added an apology note. I didn't mean it after all."
Astria rolled on the floor laughing until her stomach hurt, and the veins on her head threatened to explode with too much excitement.
"How do you --- still ---- have the ---- hahaha job?!"
"Because his wife and I are now meeting for coffee every weekend, and she likes me. He doesn't dare to do anything. Changing shifts is all he can do!"
Astria raised a thumb at her, "Girl, I knew you had a storm brewing inside you."
Ruth shrugged, flipping the loose curls over her back. Her glistening skin looked like honey under the hue of the setting sun. She blew a kiss towards Astria, picked up her purse and walked away leaving behind the aggressive clicking of heels.
"I will be late. Don't stay up for me! Order something for dinner! My treat!"
Astria responded vaguely, then heard the door click close. She didn't bother getting up from the floor. Being alone like this was a curse. Astria didn't like it because nine times out of ten, she had the devil dancing in her mind, enticing her to do something she absolutely shouldn't do.
For example, within ten minutes of Ruth's gone, Astria was already thinking of ways to make Duncan's death look like an accident.
The scariest part was that Astria was capable of it. She was not a criminal because of her strong will. If not for that, she might have gone to jail by now and the home she left today would have been a crime scene.
That night Astria leaned against the sofa and slept uneasily. She swept in and out of light sleep during the night and that resulted in a groggy morning face. Astria hated being like this. Her life was a mess and nothing was working out.
She never imagined her early twenties to be such a s**t show.
Then, another tragedy knocked on her door in the form of a phone call from home. It was her mother.
Astria thought it was a good thing that she called. She intended to talk to them anyway. She picked up the call without realising why her mother had not directly contacted her through the link and called on the phone instead.
She was half anticipating her mother's scolding and half ready to apologise like she often did when she got into trouble as a child.
"Astria, are you happy now that you have ruined everything?!"
Astria's heart dropped, not because of the harsh words coming from her mother but because her mother was crying on the phone. The worst she could think of was that her mom must have heard about her divorce from Duncan. She tried to explain.
"Mom, what happened? Why are you crying? It's not a big deal -"
"Shut up! Your father and I raised you with all the love and care we had in us and all you ever did was pay us back with more and more disappointment and problems! Now your father is in such a state because you couldn't make better decisions and we have to suffer!"
Astria didn't understand what was going on. Her mother was hysterical on the phone, but her words were not making any sense.
"Mom, tell me clearly. What's going on? What happened to dad?"
"Your dad has locked himself in his office! He wants to die!"
- Writer
