THIRD PERSON POV
Astrid looked down at Adams, then back up at Claw, who had an apologetic look on his face. Confusion ran through Astrid's mind as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.
Adams was the best swordsman she knew; how could he be dead? Step after step, she dragged herself forward, tears falling from her eyes as she cautiously walked towards Adams and Claw.
Astrid's limbs were trembling. It felt like with each step, the ground was giving in. The distance from Astrid's former location to Adams was just a few meters away, but it felt like it was a thousand kilometers.
Astrid made her way to Adams, falling to the ground next to him. Her heart felt like it had scattered into a million pieces.
"Adams, babe," she cried, as she held him in her arms.
"Wake up, babe," she cried, trying to wake his lifeless body. "No, no, no..." she screamed. Tears streamed down her face as she squeezed him tightly to Adam's dead body with trembling arms. "Adams, please don't leave me. Someone help me." Claw looked down at her, a look of concern on his face.
"Astrid, I'm sorry," he apologized, his voice laced with regret.
"You killed him," Astrid muttered, not bothering to spare Claw a glance.
"I didn't have a choice," Claw explained as he tried to comfort her with a shoulder pat.
"Don't you dare," she warned, her eyes fixed on him as they metamorphosed from bright red to blood red.
Claw stopped in his path, feeling like she had stabbed his son with her piercing gaze; those lovely eyes that had intrigued him before were now scaring him to his very core.
Astrid let go of Adam, her skin slowly transforming into a hairy beast (her wolf-vampire form) as she rose to her feet. Her intense gaze never left Claw as she approached him with murderous intent.
"You lied to me, played with my emotions, and killed my fiancé. Now I'll kill you," Astrid said, her voice etched with hate and determination.
"Astrid, calm down..." Claw beseeched, but Astrid cut him off in anger.
"Shut up," she commanded, her voice hoarse like that of a muscular man. She fell to the ground, her skin broke open, and reformed itself into a huge humanoid wolf on two legs. Her screams filled the air until her alter ego form was completed.
Claw stood there, watching her transformation fearfully. Claw should have run away, but he was too intrigued to move, and that cost him.
Once Astrid was fully transformed, she shot towards Claw with a spear, pushing him to a wall. Claw collided back first, falling to the ground, as he cried in agony. The pain in his abdomen was something he had never felt before; it was unbearable.
"Stand up, coward," Astrid commanded, circling Claw like a predator would its prey. Claw tried pulling himself to his feet but couldn't due to pain. He fell right back to the ground, coughing out blood. Astrid let out a menacing laugh as she kicked his ribs in, consequently cracking a few. This was the power of Astrid's alter ego; once in this form, she became invincible.
Claw clung to his broken ribcage and tried to scramble backwards, but she caught up to him. She held him firmly against the wall by his neck. Her eyes burned with murderous intent as she said, "Any last words?" Astrid raised her hand, her claws protruded as she decided to end him once and for all.
Claw could have easily ended things, but that would have ended up in physical violence, and he hated to have to repay her kindness with violence.
"I'm sorry, but that man didn't deserve you," Claw voiced, but Astrid cut in, furious,
"Shut up. Now you die," Astrid said, her eyes burning red as she descended her hand. But that's when one of Claw's men hit her on the back of the head with a gigantic wooden staff, and she went unconscious.
The man tried to kill her, but Claw demanded he didn't, and both of them escaped the scene. By the time Astrid woke up, she was back at their camp in the woods. Everything that happened in her wolf state was now forgotten; the only thing she recalled was that she dreamt that Adams was now dead.
Panicked, she ran out of her tent, only to see a crowd of her fellow HLDF surrounded a headstone with an "A" on it. Immediately, she knew who it was; she wasn't dreaming; it was her Adam's final resting spot.
Astrid tried walking towards Adam's grave but her limbs gave way, and she found herself crawling to him in tears.
"Adams, please don't leave me. Please come back, babe," Astrid screamed in tears as she lay on Adam's grave. "I'm sorry for arguing with you; just come back, I will never fight with you again," she lamented, her sobs louder.
Astrid's chest hurt horribly for two reasons. Firstly, because the love of her life was gone, and secondly, because it was all her fault; if only she had ended Claw on time. "This is all my fault," she cried, her voice growing smaller.
"You got that right," Joy said, her eyes burning red with hate as she moved towards Astrid. "You are the reason why my Adams is dead." Her words took Astrid aback. She rose to her feet to look her friend in the face, feeling like it was a dream.
"What do you mean?" Astrid asked, wiping away her tears.
"You dragged Adams out of here in the middle of the night just so you could prove that you're better than everyone else," Joy yelled in tears.
"That's not true. I was just trying to help," Astrid tried explaining with her cracked voice, but all her cries fell on deaf ears.
"Who exactly were you trying to help, Astrid? All you have done is cause trouble since the day you got here," Joy added, every word laced with immense hate.
"That's not true..." Astrid tried to defend herself in a pleading tone, but one of Adams's male servants interrupted.
"Joy does have a point. Astrid is bad for everyone. Adams used to be a strong, committed warrior, but since Astrid came into the picture, he started compromising; he reduced his training time and compromised his rule of not taking captives," Von voiced bitterly. Astrid was dumbfounded; she had no idea that Adams made any such sacrifices for her.
"Von is right. Astrid is the reason why our prince Eren is still missing and might probably be dead," he yelled, confusing Astrid further. Eren was missing, and she was at fault. How was she at fault? He asked her not to go with him.
"Eren asked..." Astrid tried defending, but once more, she was cut off. "John is right. Astrid isn't for us. I saw her; she stood in Adams's path when he wanted to kill that monster Claw," Susy said, making Astrid's heart skip a beat. She didn't know anyone saw what she did and didn't know how exactly she was to explain things to them.
All eyes turned to Astrid, hateful stares aimed at her as they tried to figure out the truth. "I can explain. I... I didn't..." she mumbled, but Joy interrupted. "You didn't what? Astrid, you have proven yourself to be untrustworthy, and as such, you cease to be a member of this organization," Joy informed sternly, and the others agreed.
Astrid's already scattered heart scattered once more; it felt like a rug was pulled underneath her. "You can't do this to me. I have worked hard for this faction. I created this faction," Astrid pleaded her case, but that was like pouring water on a duck's back.
"We already did, and unless you can prove your loyalty to this faction, our decision is irrevocable," Joy put her foot down.
"And how do all of you expect me to do that when you have all turned your back on me?" she yelled in desperation, never having felt this bad in her life, even with all the bullying.
Astrid never knew the day would come when Joy would turn her back on her after all the sacrifices she had made for her.
"Simple, bring us Claw's head, and you're in," Joy said, knowing that the mission was impossible and that Astrid would surely fail, seeing that Adams, who was the best of them all, couldn't even defeat him.
She had hoped that Astrid would die in the process as payment for the life of her baby's father. Astrid's blood ran cold, but she knew she had no other alternative; she had to accept it. It was either she killed Claw or he killed her, and she was ready for the consequences.
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