Chapter  49. Clue

**49. Clue**

***Rafael's POV:***

I felt a surge of anger within me as I witnessed that jerk lay a hand on Astrid. The instinct to protect her coursed through my veins, and the urge to confront him almost overwhelmed me. Yet, a sense of satisfaction crept in as Astrid, in her own way, stood up for herself and taught him a lesson.

My frustration spilled out, and I began to blabber about the emotions I had long buried. Before I could comprehend what was happening, Astrid abruptly silenced me with a kiss, and it was the best feeling. Something shook within me, and before I could realize what was going on, she drew away from me.

The floodgate of emotions I had suppressed resurfaced, and I found myself backing her against the wall, holding her cheeks, and pouring all those feelings into that kiss. When Astrid answered with equal zeal, I felt encouraged, but our moment was cut short when Astrid pushed lightly and looked behind me.

"Mom," she remarked.

When I turned around, I saw that very familiar woman standing there, stunned. Astrid crouched behind me, and I gripped her hand tightly in mine, urging her to come forward. If she had been my mother, I would have hugged her and let out all my emotions, but such happiness is not in my fate. I'll never see her again; she's gone, and there's no way I'll ever meet her. If a parallel universe with heaven and hell existed, I'm sure I'd meet her there, but sometimes I think immortality is a curse.

Peering into Astrid's eyes, I saw tears welling up. I offered a small grin, leaving it to her to decide what to do."Hello, mother-in-law," I remarked cynically.

My words had taken her by surprise. "m-mother-in-law?" Her eyes widened in surprise. I could read her thoughts, and all she wanted to do was get away from us and never look back.

She's wondering how we got so close. "Oh yeah, Mom," Astrid grumbled. "Tch, tch, I know how thrilled you must be seeing your daughter whom you sold, right?" Astrid clicked her tongue.

"Oh, where have my manners gone? I have to introduce myself, right?" I lightly tapped my head.

"Let me do the honors, my love." Astrid grinned at me, and I was taken aback by her endearment. "Well, Mommy dearest, this is Rafael Delmar, the vampire king, as you may already know him by this and my Mate," she stated proudly, interlocking our fingers.

"You've already found your second mate? and it's him?" She was stunned. I'm sure Astrid was thinking the same thing, but she shook her head and continued the talk.

"Oh yeah, I did, and isn't he the best?" Astrid grinned.

It made me so proud that my mate admired me.

'No, it can't be. I had planned everything to avoid this, and they ended up meeting.' I read her mother's thoughts.

I couldn't figure out what she was thinking. I wish I could read about past events and what she intended, but that's what's wrong with this family; I can't seem to get their heads to stop thinking about the present.

"No way, you can't have another mate. You're lying; he brought you, and maybe you lured him to pretend he's your mate." She shook her head, and I was surprised at how a mother could be envious of her own daughter's happiness. Now I feel like I've said that line a million times.

"I'm ashamed to even call you my mother. How could you harbor so much hatred for me? What have I ever done to you? I've always strived to fulfill your wishes for the sake of your happiness. Yet, it seems you've always sought to rid yourself of me, and now you want to take my happiness away from me." Astrid glared at her.

"You will see, Astrid, that he is going to dump you as soon as he is satisfied." She burst out laughing. Fury surged within me, and in an instant, I found myself gripping her neck tightly.

"Thank Astrid, you're still alive; if I were in her shoes, you'd be better off dead by now," I growled. I'd have had vines growing out of my neck, and my eyes would have changed colors by now. Terror flashed in her eyes. Sweat formed on her brow, and she struggled to break free from my grasp.

"Please leave me," she begged, and as I backed away, she tripped a little and retreated away from us.

"Don't worry, we're not coming after you. I would consider myself an orphan who never had a family. I hope I never see you again in my life," Astrid scoffed.

I know my Astrid would like to add so many things that she has within her, but at times like these, she is always short of words to respond to anyone and will later stress her head, thinking she should have come up with a better comeback.

Her mother said nothing, but for the first time, a hint of guilt flickered in her eyes before quickly vanishing. She turned and left without uttering a word. Astrid continued to watch her mother's retreating figure, but she didn't turn back.

As soon as she was out of sight, Astrid sighed and looked at me. "Why do things keep getting harder in our lives?" She asked, her head resting on my chest.

I wrapped my arms around her and kept my cheeks on her head, rubbing her back. "This is just a period in our lives, Little Dove; it will all end soon," I mumbled, and she nodded.

I realize how difficult it is for her because there hasn't been a day we've spent in peace since I've been here; there's always some danger lurking around.

"If you want to go home, perhaps we could come back here another time," I proposed.

She shifted away and shook her head. "No, let's finish this today. I don't want to hold back anything. I'm not saying we should forgive my family, but we shouldn't harbor grudges either. Let them do whatever they want; let's leave it all behind, get through this, and start anew tomorrow," she said.

She was right. "You're right, Astrid, let's put this behind us; these people don't even deserve our hatred." I caressed her cheeks and kissed her forehead.

"Come on, let's finish this and get out of here; I have a surprise for you," she added, blushing and looking away from me.

I cocked my brow. "What surprise?" I asked.

"Surprises aren't supposed to be revealed," she said, clicking her tongue. "But I guarantee you, you're going to love it," she added, avoiding looking me in the eyes.

"All right," I shrugged, and we began walking away.

While we were driving, Astrid began telling me about her experiences with the places. The majority were pleasant and even humorous childhood memories.

"You know, I used to love ball gowns so much that I donned one when I was five years old and felt I could handle it, but as soon as my friends called me, I went after them without even taking up the gown. God, I fell down and smashed my teeth."

As we got closer to the ground, I realized that it was always locked.

"Astrid, why is this place usually locked? I haven't seen anyone around in a long time," I asked.

"This is 'Union Ground,' and it opens once a year when werewolves find their mates," she explained, beginning to detail the process.

I listened to everything with great attention. "Did you see my image on the moon, and how did we find each other out of that union time?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," she shrugged. "Wait a minute; Scarlet has the answer."

She paused for a moment before continuing to explain it to me. "Lycans, according to her, are different from other werewolves. We don't follow the customs, and because you're vampires, the ritual doesn't apply to you. Therefore, we're here, and the mark of the mate... wait, what do you mean, Scarlet?" She abruptly turned around, checking her wrist.

"What happened?" I asked concerned.

"The mark has vanished," Astrid mumbled.

"what mark?" I scowled.

"You know, when mates are destined, a mark arises on our bodies that matches the mate's mark. When a mate marks each other, the symbol becomes permanently engraved on our bodies. However, when someone rejects, it also doesn't leave until marked by another mate," Astrid explained. "Edward's mark on my wrist had vanished even though we hadn't marked each other, and I had completely forgotten about it," she lamented.

"It's a good thing I don't want anyone's mark on you." I coldly stated. I did not want that bastard's mark on her body, but it makes me question if she has my mark or not because similar things apply to vampires as well, but only to the royals. I'm not sure how, but I got two marks.

"Does this also apply to you?" She asked.

"Yes, but we're born with it, and only royals have it, but strangely, I'm blessed with it as well, and I have two marks," I explained.

"Two? How?" She frowned. "How come I don't have them?" I asked.

"Perhaps you haven't explored your body enough," I said, winking at her. "Would you like me to do that for you?" I made her blush by biting my lips.

"Wait, Scarlet claims I have it, and I was stupid enough to miss it, and when we..." She threw down her yes. "Complete mating... umm, one of them will shift on our wrists, which is why the previous mark was wiped. Anyhow, what mark do you have?" She asked.

"I have a phoenix on my torso and an eagle on my arm," I explained.

"Wow, you've got a wonderful place for that," she chuckled.

"If you want, I can show you," I teased.

She turned away from me, but I could see she was blushing.

"No, I still need to find mine. Maybe after I get home and..." When my phone rang, our conversation was cut short.

"Yes, Bryan?" I answered.

"Did you find any leads, sir?" He asked.

Shit! I had completely forgotten why we were here in the first place. When I'm with Astrid, I don't realize how quickly time passes. I excused myself from Bryan and told him we'd be back.

We went to various places and asked everyone if they knew the man in the picture. I was with Astrid, and I felt stupid for not showing her the picture before asking anyone. She might have had an idea, and she, too, did not look at the photo.

"Astrid, wait," I said, stopping her from approaching the next individual.

"Why didn't I do this sooner? Look at this picture and tell me if you recognize him." I looked through my phone.

"Here," I said, pointing to a CCTV image of the castle's surroundings.

Astrid snatched my phone and zoomed it. Her pupils dilated. "R-Rafael, who is he?" She gave me a look.

"I told you about the man my father killed, right? He is the one I doubt is Azael," I said. "Do you know who he is?" I could tell by her expression that she recognized him.

"No, it can't be," she said, shaking her head. "Rafael, that's my second mate."