Chapter 8: Family Ties
Astrid's POV
I groaned in pain when a pounding headache entered my senses as soon as I woke up.
I fluttered my eyes open and squinted in confusion when I found myself in an unfamiliar room.
I placed a hand on my head as I slowly stood up and looked around. For a moment I felt hazy until I blinked my eyes and collected myself together.
Soon enough, memories from last night flooded in my head, explaining why I was in pain, but it didn't explain where I was.
"Astrid." I looked up when I heard someone call my name. I came back to my senses when I saw Drystan enter the room.
"Are you okay? What do you feel?" Drystan asked me worriedly as he approached me.
Looking at him, I finally recognized the stranger last night before I fell unconscious. I couldn't believe that it was him and he saved me.
I openly stared at Drystan for I was too stunned to speak. I did not expect that I would see him this soon.
I had just stepped down as a Luna and divorced Killian yesterday. I'm sure he had already heard the news.
I felt embarrassed that he had to save me from the rogues last night. Drystan is still my ex-husband's uncle even though we are friends.
Now that I have divorced his nephew, he is no longer related to me. I'm not even sure if we could still count each other as close friends anymore because we really haven't seen each other for so many years.
We only meet once a year during the annual Pack Assembly. We just saw each other more frequently recently because of the things that had happened, and of course, my grandmother's death. "Thank you for saving my life," I muttered weakly after he came closer to me.
I couldn't even look into his eyes because I felt that I owed him a lot. He was there when I needed comfort during my grandmother's funeral, and now I owe him my life.
As if that wasn't enough, I was also the one who filed for divorce against his nephew.
I fidgeted my fingers nervously as I felt his eyes on me. Questions filled his head and I waited for him to ask his questions
"It's okay, Astrid. You are safe now. You don't have to worry about anything, my pack will take care of you." Instead of receiving questions from him, I received his assurance instead.
He must have noticed my discomfort. I'm still on the edge of my nerves especially since everything happened so fast.
When I realized that I was inside the Nightsong Pack, my nerves slowly relaxed.
I didn't notice the smile that crossed Drystan's lips for a second when he saw how his words greatly comforted me.
"You can also stay with us as long as you want," Drystan adds.
Although his offer is very tempting, I know I cannot stay here that long.
"Killian would be mad if he finds out that you allowed me to stay in your Pack," I muttered when I remembered how Killian threatened all the other Packs to stop them from letting me stay. Drystan fell silent when he heard my words.
"Is it okay if you don't tell him that I'm staying here? I won't stay long, I promise. I just need to recover and I will go my way." I pleaded with hopeful eyes.
My whereabouts needed to be kept a secret.
After a careful thought, Drystan nodded his head. I felt bad about asking for another favor from him. After everything that he had already done for me, I still dared to ask him to hide a secret from his nephew for me. "Astrid, can I ask you something?" Drystan asked shyly.
"What is it?" I asked back.
With the help he is giving me, he deserves his questions to be answered.
"A-Are you pregnant?" Drystan asked me with a careful voice.
My muscles tensed when I heard his question. No one, except for me knew that I was pregnant. Nobody could even guess that I was carrying a child. How could he know that I'm pregnant?
My heart pounded rapidly inside my chest as I looked into Drystan's eyes, trying to guess what he was thinking.
I was about to lie to him, but my long silence made it hard for me to deny the truth now.
I clasped my hands together with my eyes wide with desperation as I leaned closer to him. "Please," I whispered with my voice trembling in a mix of fear and vulnerability. "Don't tell Killian that I'm pregnant." Drystan couldn't speak, his face paled a bit when he heard my confirmation. Seeing his reaction made me even more nervous.
"Drystan, Killian would be angry if he finds out that I'm pregnant. He doesn't want to have a baby with me. My baby would only be in danger if he finds out that I'm pregnant," I tried to reason out with him. Drystan suddenly stood up and averted his gaze from me. I started to tremble in fear. I will do everything as long as Killian doesn't find out that I'm pregnant.
If the news of my pregnancy comes out, they would only see my child as a threat to Giselle's baby and we would be placed in more danger.
I waited anxiously for Drystan's answer, but what could I do? Blood is always thicker than water.