Astrid’s POV
"The case has been reopened. The case of Zane’s death. We wanted to ask you a few questions."
I began to fret. Being called by name or summoned for an interview had always terrified me. I silently cursed whoever had reopened the case. Let the dead rest.
"Everything we showed you was exactly what happened that night. What else are you referring to?" I asked, holding myself together, which I’d always been good at.
The Minister of Information kept questioning me like he was heading somewhere he was already sure about.
"Evidence doesn’t lie. Let the evidence speak for itself, sir," I told him.
"Speaking of evidence, where is Draven? The two of you were both there that night, weren’t you?"
I told him yes, and that I hadn’t seen Draven in days ... which was true. They still didn’t know about our relationship. We had only told them we were passing by and saw Selene shoot Zane, that we’d been across the window, and that we’d gone to retrieve the CCTV footage afterward.
"Alright. We’ll get him, because we want to understand the relationship between Zane and Selene ... what would drive her to kill him."
This is not looking like it will end well.
"That will be all for now," he said. I stood and left his office.
I had never felt this much pressure sitting in my chest.
I went home and slept early ... one of the ways I dealt with anxiety. Maybe I was about to go down, but I was sure I wouldn’t be the only one taking the fall. Poor me.
I couldn’t bring myself to call Selene. She probably saw me as a betrayer now. I couldn’t face her, not with my words, not even with my voice. I was ready to face whatever consequences came.
Early the next morning, I woke to loud voices coming from my parents’ room. They were strong enough to pull me straight out of sleep. I went to eavesdrop, which had always been a habit of mine.
"You’re the reason my daughter is no longer here. There isn’t a shred of love in you," my father was saying, his voice thundering through the door where my ear was pressed.
My mother shot back. "You never loved Selene. Don’t pretend with me."
"My own daughter? How can you say I don’t love my daughter? That’s so wrong of you."
"That’s exactly what you’re doing to me ... accusing me of not loving Selene. It’s not my fault she committed a crime, is it?"
They went back and forth until I couldn’t bear to listen anymore. My ears had strained enough. I told myself my parents shouldn’t come out and find me standing at their door, so I left. They would come out when they were ready.
Knowing full well that I was the architect of everything unfolding, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like when they discovered I was the real culprit. I loved my parents too much, and I couldn’t live without their love ... or Draven’s. I would genuinely die.
Speaking of Draven, he still hadn’t answered me. Raven, my mate, had.
Alright, where? he’d responded when I said we should meet.
I sat on his message until the next day before replying. Bloodmoon Falls. No one really went there since it was a water area, and I wanted us to meet somewhere private.
Okay, he replied. I told him eleven in the morning. Bright daylight ... I wanted to see him clearly.
To my surprise, he arrived before me. He was eager to see me. Guess he loved me more than I gave him credit for, I thought. I had been treating him like a side story. I never could stand a lack of affection. I couldn’t survive it.
I hadn’t seen Raven in a long time. When I walked into Bloodmoon Falls and saw him, he looked different ... like he’d been working out. He’d always had those grey eyes and black hair that fell to his back, and that tall frame, but never this built. I guess I’d never let myself notice what a beauty he truly was. Life really isn’t fair, is it?
"Hey, Astrid. It’s been a long time, huh?" He smiled at me.
"Yeah, I lost track of time," I replied.
"I missed you, honestly. I was surprised you texted me."
"I wanted to see you," I said. We stood three feet apart while the waterfall roared behind us, loud enough that we nearly had to shout to hear each other.
"Why now, after all this time?" he asked. The question irritated me, but I knew I owed him an answer ... he deserved to wonder why his fated mate had stayed away so long.
"I wanted to remember what it felt like to be around you," I said. This time the words came from somewhere real, even if I wasn’t being fully honest.
Draven had been ignoring me ... that was the real reason I was standing here. If not for that, there had never been any true affection between me and Raven. Just the sex.
"Really?" he asked, and I nodded.
He took a step closer. I retreated a step in return. He understood the message.
"Hmm. How has life been for you?" he asked.
"Normal. I’m alive. What about you ... found someone new?" I was curious to know.
He laughed. "I’m too busy at the office for all that."
Male wolves and their lies. Did he think I was a fool? Still, I played along ... I couldn’t put words in his mouth.
"You had time for me when we were together, though."
"You’re different. You should know that."
His flattery, again. Whatever he was trying to achieve, he’d earned himself maybe one point out of ten with that line.
I said nothing, just fought back a smile ... and lost.
"I heard about your sister. I’m sorry. It must have been hard on all of you."
I waved my hand at him, brushing it off like it was nothing. His concern wasn’t needed. I didn’t care either way.
This time, I closed the distance ... two steps closer. He matched me, two steps of his own, until we were close. So close.
"You know what ... I’m going to say it. I missed you too." I faked a smile.
He reached out, stroking my hair between three fingers.
"I’m so happy to see you," he said, lifting my hand to press a kiss against it.
"Why so formal all of a sudden? Did they give you the official treatment at work?" I asked, and he knew exactly what I meant.
"It’s been a long time since we..." I kissed him before he could finish.
"We’re done talking." I kissed him again, and just like that, it deepened into something else entirely.
I had missed the taste of his lips. So I supposed I hadn’t been lying ... not entirely.
He held me the way he used to at Bloodmoon Falls, only better now, kissing me in a way that made me question why I’d ever left. His hand found my waist as we lost ourselves in each other, both of us fighting to hold back ... we were out in the open, and though no one usually came around, need has a way of making people forget where they stand.