The Reborn

CHAPTER 2

Astrid shook her father countless times but he wasn't breathing anymore. What had happened? Hadn't Tarus given him something to calm him down and release the pain he was feeling?

"What's happening? Why isn't he saying anything again?" She asked, frantically looking at all of them but none of them gave her a reply.

She turned to Tarus, "Check my father this instant!" She immediately ordered him, shocking herself as she did so.

He did as she asked without question and only looked back at her after confirming him dead. "He's dead, Astrid."

She shook her head negatively, not wanting to believe him. "It can't be. He was alive a moment ago."

"But he's dead now." He declared and began to cover him up with a white cloth but she dragged it off him.

Killian stopped her from raving mad, "Stop it, Astrid. He's gone." He held her upper arms so she wouldn't struggle anymore.

"No, Killian. Please let go of me. He can't be dead. My father can't be dead!"

~~~~~~~

Everyone gathered in the meeting hall. Astrid, Killian, Ava, Tarus the healer and the council members. They all stood at each side of the hall while Astrid sat on the podium with Ava beside her, rubbing her back.

She looked lost as she stared straight ahead with dried tears on her cheeks.

The council members turned to stare at each other and then at her who still hadn't said a word.

Clinton, one of the members decided to speak up, "Why are we all gathered here if there would be no exchange of words?"

Darius, another member spoke as well, "Clinton's right. We have gathered here for a reason and that is the death of Bastian and appointing the next Alpha-"

"My father had already appointed me." Astrid spoke up, cutting him off.

Glances were thrown at each other as astonishment was filled in their eyes. "So you actually are going to take your father's words for it?" Clinton asked.

"Yes." She simply answered, still looking into space, "They were his dying words and he must have appointed me for a reason."

"Oh, dear Astrid. I'm sure your father just did it out of pity as he felt like he would be leaving you all alone in this world now. But in reality, you're not. You have your mate, Killian and even your friend Ava."

Astrid finally turned her head to him and focused her vision on him, looking him dead in the eye, "So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying you should make Killian the Alpha and you as his mate will become his strongest supporter."

Astrid couldn't believe her ears. This is what their plan was right after her father died? None of them even spoke of how they would honour him and moved straight on to talk about who would be the next Alpha. That had to be the biggest betrayal.

She turned her head to every council member in the room and then she stared at Tarus and then at Killian. She couldn't quite believe it. All they wanted was to make Killian the Alpha. Why does it feel like a plot?

"What if I don't want to?" She threw the question to all of them, staring at them one by one.

"You have to. You have no choice."

She scoffed. Was that a threat? "Um, if there's anybody who doesn't have a choice here, it's all of you. I'm your Alpha now and that..." She stands on her feet, "...will remain as that."

She tried to look as menacing as she could as she stood but the tears welled in her eyes probably didn't help.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and a voice by her ear call her name, "Astrid." It was Killian.

She turned to him and found him looking at her with a weird look in his eyes, "What?"

"You're not looking strong to-"

"What do you mean by that?" She cut him off as soon as those words left his lips, "How am I not looking strong? Is it because I'm a woman or because of something else?"

She stared deep into his eyes, reading his very expression and she could tell already what was going on in his mind.

She huffed in disbelief and turned around again. She stared at the faces of her father's betrayers. They had all wanted this to happen, knowing fully well that he had no son and so the position would be given to Killian. They had all anticipated it and now she was going to ruin it all for them.

She remembered her father's last words. He'd told her to fight and that was what she was going to do. She would fight anyone that tries to overthrow her, even if she might die in the process.

"This meeting has come to an end and never again should this matter be brought up to me. I am never, and I repeat, never going to give this position to anyone. Over my dead body will that happen." She finally said and walked away, Ava following closely behind.

The council members, Killian and Tarus were all left in shock and anger. It was time to take the matter to the next level.

~~~~~~~~~

Astrid stomped through the forest with Ava still following her. She was beyond boiling with anger at this point.

"Astrid, please wait." Ava called out to her as they had a wide gap between them.

"I've told you to stop following me, Ava! Stop! I just want to be alone." She shouted back at her, not still turning around.

"But, Astr-"

"Leave me the f**k alone, Ava!" She turned now and shouted loud at her, making her stop in shock. "Don't follow me, Ava. Don't say I didn't warn you." She turned back around and continued stomp-walking while Ava just watched her from where she stood and did as she had said.

Only, Astrid wished she hadn't listened and proved stubborn later on.

Astrid walked in between thick trees and stepped on fat twigs. She was delving into the deeper part of the forest but she didn't care. All she wanted was to clear her head at that moment. She couldn't think of the dangerous part of where she was going. It never even clicked but that wasn't what she should be scared of. Infact, the forest was safe, she just wasn't. Whether she was there or not, she was not safe.

The leaves on the trees shook but she wasn't even paying attention to those small details, but a loud growl made her snap back to reality. It sounded far but there was a chilling feeling to it.

Suddenly, everywhere became cold. The kind of cold that she felt when her father was on that bed. The death kind.

She stopped and decided to pay more attention to where she was at the moment. She could hear tiny little twigs snapping from all directions. But then a loud one made her look to her right. She stared hard for almost a minute but nothing was there. It looked like nothing was there but she knew something was there. She could feel eyes on her. Not just one pair but almost like a dozen.

Fear slowly began to fill her up but she wasn't going to show it. The predator feeds on the prey's fear before even commencing attack and right now, she was the prey.

She slowly placed her hand on the hilt of her dagger that sat in her thigh belt, waiting for whatever would jump out of the darkness but nothing came. Instead, a voice was heard. A very familiar voice.

"There's no need for that, Astrid." The figure stood at a distance as she squinted hard to try and figure who the person was. Her instincts already told her who it was but she was still speculating. She might have misheard but as soon as the figure took another step, she knew right there who it was. His dark hair blended with the night and his brown eyes, shining under the moonligt.

"Killian?" She called, still a bit unsure.

"Yes, my love." He answered.

"What are you doing here?"

Normally, she would have removed her hand from the hilt of the dagger by now as she usually feels safe around him but not today. Today there was something off with him. She could sense all the cold energy came from him.

She suddenly remembered the dream she had but she knew it wasn't it. But still, it felt like it.

She subconsciously took a step back as he took one forward. He walked like a predator watching and observing his prey before attacking.

"I came to find you." He said.

"Find me?"

"Yes." He growled out, "I came to take what you've decided to keep. Something that I rightfully own."

Don't say it's the Alpha title he's here to argue about.

But Killian wasn't here to argue. He came here for a single reason.

Astrid watched as he unsheathed his dagger. She definitely was his match but she was honestly shocked and confused. She kept her eyes on him, waiting for any movement.

The feeling of betrayal filled her up as she watched him stand opposite her with a dagger, looking ready to slice it through her.

"The title, right?" She asked.

"What else? Your father is dead? Why don't you just hand it over to me?"

"Because this was what my father was fighting against. Betrayers like you. All you just want is the title. Nothing more. You had no plans of saving my father. You actually just wanted him dead-" She was suddenly cut off by the sharp piercing into her back. She gasped out as pain began to fill her up.

"You talk too much for a so called female Alpha." Another voice whispered by her ear. She knew it well enough. Tarus. It was definitely Tarus.

She could only keep gasping as she struggled to breathe at this point. His voice was the only thing she could clearly hear as a loud ringing sound filled her hearing, "You said we could take the title over your dead body and that is exactly what we," He paused, glancing at the now smiling Killian, "...have done."

Then another round of gasping sound came from her as he pulled out the dagger from her back. He had stabbed the left side of her back with a sword that protruded out the front.

She immediately dropped to the ground and fell on her back. Her vision had started to go blur but she could still make out Tarus and Killian's figure as they stood above her, smiling wickedly.

She tried to say something but all she felt was pain. She took in deep breaths but it was all useless efforts. She could see another figure now standing with them but her vision was too blurred that she couldn't make out who it was but her instincts told her it was someone she knew.

Her lids began to feel heavy. Was this how she was going to die? Just like that? Not long after her father also died? How wicked could people actually be?

She wanted to laugh but was slowly going numb.

Fight. Her father had told her to fight but she didn't even lift her blade. Such a sorry way to exist.

She finally took her last breath and succumbed to the numbness.

But only that she didn't.