Chapter 45. Peace

**45. Peace**
***Third Person's POV***
"Are you still in love with him?" Rafael expressed his thoughts.
He couldn't get over it because he had looked inside Edward's mind and experienced Astrid's agony. He could see that Astrid loved him so deeply that she begged him not to reject her, but the bastard eventually did.
Though Rafael has shown Astrid how much he loves her in every way possible, he wants to know about her sentiments before making a spoken confession about his feelings for her, but Astrid drops another bomb on his head about her second mate.
"What!!!" Rafael exclaimed
Astrid was taken aback by his sudden question, but she was sure of her feelings after that day. She had no feelings for Edward, and she hated him for mistreating her.
'Yes, how could we continue to love someone who treats us like trash when there is someone like Rafael who redefined 'Love' for us?' Scarlet pushed Astrid to reveal her feelings for him.
Astrid understood she was hopelessly in love with Rafael when she was facing death. She declared her feelings there as well, but to say those things in real life, she needed more courage, and Rafael should make a move towards her, or Astrid is too much of a chicken to take any action.
She chose to tell Rafael everything from the beginning so that he has no worries about her and receives all of his answers so that there are no misunderstandings in the future.
"Okay, let's start from the beginning. Since you've peeked into Edward's mind, you might have an idea about his part of the narrative, but let me share my side with you," Astrid said, reflexively scooting closer to Rafael, needing to be near him to clear things out. Rafael, too, extended his hand behind her neck to ensure her comfort, and Astrid couldn't deny how beautiful that felt.
Rafael braced himself for the worst, even though he knew what her response would be.
Astrid began telling him how she had always been attracted to Edward since she was a child, and he had shared her feelings, and they had always longed to be each other's mates. As time went by, they drifted away, but Astrid believed that they wouldn't deny each other once she was his mate.
She described how fate conspired in her favor, and she found him as her mate, but he rejected her since he didn't want a weakling to rule with him.
Rafael interrupted her, saying, "You are not a weakling."
"Yes, that's what you think, but that's what my pack thought." Astrid grinned as she heard Rafael's discomfort over even calling her a weakling.
She continued her story, detailing her rejection and the strange day. She even made a mental note to ask Scarlet if she was aware of the change in the environment that everyone experienced that day. She also discussed Skylar's rejection.
"So your brother was also rejected?" Rafael voiced his thoughts.
"Yes, he was, but fortunately, he wasn't treated the way I was. Mom supported him, assuring him that life offered second chances," Astrid replied, trying to push aside the growing dread in her mind. "And you'll never guess who his mate turned out to be."
Rafael caught on, sensing the tension in Astrid's demeanor.
"No, don't tell me," he said, shaking his head. "Tell me it's not who I'm thinking it is." "Ahan, I guess you've met her," Astrid said, smiling.
"Charlotte," they said together, though Rafael's sounded more like a question.
"I don't like how her name sounds like Scarlet." Astrid frowned.
Scarlet hissed, 'I am not like that bitch.'
"And how did she become his mate? What exactly happened? That scumbag even attempted to throw herself on me." Rafael let out an annoyed grunt.
"Yes, I noticed that. I was tempted to grab her hair for her audacity," Astrid admitted, coming to a halt as she realized the envy in her own words.
Rafael smiled as he teased, "I smell something burning."
Astrid averted her gaze, trying to conceal her embarrassment.
"No, I am not jealous," she stated confidently.
"Who said you're jealous? You're not, and I was saying something's on fire," Rafael joked.
"Shut up." She slapped his big chest, but Rafael grabbed her palm on his chest and held it there.
Scarlet urged her to take control, sneering at her from within Astrid's thoughts.
Rafael was well aware of the effect he was having on her, and he relished the attention.
"All right, let me continue. I still have to tell you about my other mate," Astrid continued, noting how his expression slumped at the thought of another mate.
Astrid went on to explain how Edward claimed Charlotte and how she had to witness everything. She detailed how her parents blamed it for everything, her desire to leave the realm and live among humans, and the hope of finding a second chance mate. Astrid also shared the agony she endured when he died.
"What?" Rafael gasped. Even vampires, who are immortal, can't suffer the agony of rejection and loss of mates—a near-death experience that Astrid had endured.
"Yes, I was away in the woods near the cliff where we first met, and I had built a tree home there when I felt the pain, and it was as if I was standing in front of the scene observing how he was killed, and I couldn't do anything. Even if I didn't have any affection for him and hadn't seen him in person, seeing him or anyone else slain was so terrible that it caused me to have nightmares for days." Astrid shivered.
"He was murdered, Rafael, and I witnessed everything. That pain felt like I was getting killed along. I, coming from werewolves, knew that I wouldn't survive the pain for the second time; nobody else had. How could I even? For around a day or so, I felt like I had died but didn't know how I returned, and then I lost every hope of living and finding happiness because we as werewolves can only have two chances to find our mates, and once that's gone, it's done." Astrid's voice became hoarse from sobbing.
"So after that day, I thought I had no future, and if you ask the old me, I will defend what my mother did to me, but nobody had any idea about the second mate, whom I don't even know the name of, and that's why if you declare me as your mate, they'll think you're my second mate. I realize this is all very complicated, but I hope you can connect everything." Astrid exhaled a sigh.
"Don't worry, Little Dove; everything is crystal clear to me; otherwise, I would have asked you," Rafael said.
"So there is no such thing as a Third Chance Mate in the werewolf world, which is why everything is so confusing to me."
'Yes, it's unusual for me. We're exceptional. That's why we have a third opportunity,' Scarlet said.
"Scarlet, are you serious?" Astrid exclaimed loudly.
"Astrid, what happened? What does Scarlet have to say?" Rafael asked.
"She claims we're special, which is why we have a Third Chance Mate," Astrid explained.
"Perhaps you're a Lycan; that's why." Rafael sighed and shrugged.
"Perhaps, yet I still need to figure out how to connect with Scarlet; it's all too confusing in my head." Astrid sighed.
"It's okay, love. You'll get used to it; it's all new to you, and today has been rough, but maybe tomorrow you'll feel better." Rafael brushed Astrid's hair tenderly.
"Rafael...." Astrid paused.
"Hmm...."
"Don't you mind that you're not my first mate? Are you insecure?" Astrid asked.
"No, that doesn't matter. I was a little frightened thinking you are going to...," he shrugged, not wanting to make Astrid uncomfortable. It meant everything to him that she was so candid. He wasn't prepared to let this go. "And at the end, I've got you, and as I've mentioned many times, having you means everything to me, but sure, I'm glad Edward rejected you," he laughed heartily.
"You are so mean," Astrid scoffed, slamming her fist against his chest.
"That hurt, especially with your Lycan power," Rafael whined. He was joking to lighten Astrid's mood.
"Then you deserve more," Astrid said, but Rafael grabbed her hands and twisted her, laying her down on the bed and caging her between him.
Astrid gulped as she observed Rafael's eyes welling up with lust. With the color of his eyes swapped, he appeared even more seductive to Astrid.
Rafael moistened his lips absentmindedly; it wasn't an intentional effort to entice Astrid, but her attention was captivated by the subtle movement, and she found herself swallowing, entranced by the perfection of his lips.
"Mate... Mate," Scarlet began to dance in her head, causing a dull ache to reverberate through her head. In an attempt to quell Scarlet's fervor, Astrid shook her head forcefully, but Rafael misinterpreted her discomfort. Concerned that he might be bothering her, he willed his eyes back to their normal state, whispering a small apology before gently moving away from Astrid and returning to his original position.
"It's not what you think, Rafael." Astrid attempted to excuse herself, but Rafael cut her off.
"It's okay, I understand," he said, attempting to hide his pain. "Let's pick up where we left off," Rafael said.
Astrid's face dropped; she wanted Rafael to be happy too, but he misinterpreted her gesture.
Astrid felt a pang of guilt; she wanted Rafael to be content, but he had misconstrued her actions. Regardless, she decided to press on. "That's the gist of it; there's nothing more to say except that I'm no longer in love with Edward. The day he rejected me, he killed a part of me. After he claimed Charlotte, I started to despise him and wanted nothing to do with him. You already know what happened after the auction," she concluded.
"Hmm... Do you want to describe what happened when you were unconscious if you want to wrap everything up today?" Rafael inquired.
"Let's get this over with," Astrid groaned, and she began detailing everything that had transpired and how she had been held captive.
Scarlet was also narrating what she could remember, and Astrid was relaying the same information to Rafael.
Scarlet claims she doesn't recognize the person since he concealed his identity. But when I saw my mother, she insisted it was just a trick of the light," Astrid relayed.
"She also says it took this many days to undo the effects of the concoction our mother used. She tried to appear during other times, but I was too weak from rejection to handle the pain. Since she was always in her head, she fought him there, but she played no role in bringing me back to life. I did that myself, not for the first time," Astrid sighed, shrugging.
"Is she aware of how that happened?" Rafael asked.
"No, she doesn't; all she says is that I'll figure it out in time." Astrid's eyes blinked.
Rafael rubbed his temples. "We strive to find solutions, but all we get is another set of questions that need answers. How are we going to get to the finish?" Rafael exclaimed, defeated.
"If we've gotten this far, I'm sure we'll figure out the rest," Astrid assured.
"I hope so," Rafael expressed, pondering whether to divulge what he had done with her pack after encountering her brother and Edward. Deciding to wait until Astrid was fully recovered; he didn't want to add more stress to her already burdened mind.
"Alright, it's late. The sun will rise in about half an hour; you should get some rest," Rafael suggested, reheating some food and feeding Astrid again.
"I'll pull the curtains, so your sleep isn't disturbed," he said as he stood up and closed the windows.
He approached Astrid and draped a quilt over her.
"Rafael! Aren't you exhausted?" Astrid asked. Rafael hadn't slept since the day she became unconscious, according to the maid.
"I am, and I will go get some sleep as well." He turned away, but Astrid grasped his hand.
"Don't leave," she muttered.
"I'm not going anywhere, little dove; I'm just outdoors."
"Sleep next to me." Rafael was taken aback by her proposal.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"I trust you," Astrid said, wanting to be near Rafael.
Rafael contemplated but decided to go with the flow.
Astrid soon nestled into him like a stuffed toy as he lay in his original position. Rafael soon became aware of her steady breathing and soft snores.
He laughed. "Goodnight, love. I hope tomorrow brings a new chapter in our lives."
He drew Astrid closer to him and kissed her on the head. He felt at ease, as if he were at home, and fell asleep while still gazing at Astrid's placid face.
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