CAMILLA'S POV.
“Astrid?” I called out her name, my voice trembling with disbelief and rage.
“Yes, you thought I was dead?” Astrid replied, rising gracefully from her seat.
Her tone was laced with a mix of mockery and satisfaction, and I rubbed my eyes vigorously, hoping against hope that this was just a trick of the light.
“You can’t be alive! You should be dead!” I shouted, my anger flaring uncontrollably.
“This is impossible! He killed you; you should be dead!” The raw fury in my voice was clear, my emotions unravelling as I struggled to understand the sight before me.
“Just because you want me dead doesn’t mean I’ll be dead, Camilla,” Astrid said, her lips curling into a smirk that made my blood boil.
The sight of her, seemingly victorious and alive, only fueled my rage further.
My fists clenched tightly at my sides, my knuckles whitening as I gritted my teeth in a desperate attempt to keep my composure.
“You should be dead already!” I continued, my voice rising to a desperate pitch.
“You shouldn’t be alive; this is a hoax! He lied to me; he hasn’t killed you; he should have!” My nostrils flared with each heated word, my frustration spilling over in a torrent of anger.
“What’s wrong with you, Camilla?” Alpha Halfdan’s voice cut through my outburst, filled with irritation and concern.
“What do you mean by ‘dead’? Why would you think she's dead? Are you out of your mind? Maybe you should take a moment to think before saying things you don’t really mean.” His words weren't meant to temper my fury, but they only served to increase my frustration.
I swallowed hard, my throat tight with resentment.
My focus remained squarely on the fact that Astrid was still very much alive, a bitter truth that I could hardly accept.
“He claimed you were dead,” I yelled, my voice cracking with frustration.
“He said everything was sorted out, that he had taken care of everything. So why are you still here, alive and breathing?” The disbelief and anger in my tone were unmistakable, my emotions raw and unfiltered.
“What do you mean by ‘he’? Did you send someone to assassinate Astrid? Answer me!” Alpha Halfdan’s voice rose in fury, his eyes narrowing into a glare that could have burned a hole through me.
His accusation was fierce, his anger obvious as he demanded an explanation.
“That would be me,” came a deep, resonant voice from the doorway.
Just then, Beta Drake stepped into the throne room, his expression stoic and unrepentant. “I was the one tasked with assassinating Miss Astrid,” he announced, his tone cold and factual.
His words hit like a thunderclap. “You bloody fool! You what? How dare you!” Alpha Halfdan erupted, his face contorted with rage.
He threw his arms into the air, his fists clenched tightly as he prepared to lunge at Beta Drake, his anger barely contained.
“What are you doing?” Astrid shouted, her voice echoing through the hall. She moved with swift determination, placing herself directly between Alpha Halfdan and Beta Drake.
Her intervention was sudden and forceful, blocking Halfdan’s path and stopping his punch with a resolute stance.
Alpha Halfdan's face was a mix of disbelief and fury, while Beta Drake’s behaviour remained calm but tense.
“You’re the foolish one, Halfdan,” Astrid said bluntly, her voice steady and unyielding.
Alpha Halfdan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What?” he exclaimed, clearly taken aback by her bold accusation.
“Your Beta here was sent to murder me, but he didn’t follow through,” Astrid explained, her tone edged with contempt.
“He told me everything; how your cunning Luna sent him. I even gave him my blood as proof, something to show Camilla, who has already tried to kill me twice… no, three times.”
“So instead of harassing your innocent Beta, perhaps you should focus on dealing with the real villain: the despicable woman who planned this whole mess!” Her words were sharp and cutting, a direct challenge to both Halfdan and me.
“What did you just call me?” I asked, my voice rising in anger as I yanked off my closed-toe heel.
“Oh yes, you are,” Astrid continued, her gaze unflinching. “Calling someone like you a despicable woman isn't wrong. You’ve already taken Halfdan; what more do you want?”
“I want the pack!” I snapped back, my voice brimming with determination and fury.
“I want the pack to be mine, and I won’t stop or rest until I have what’s rightfully mine, even if it means killing you!” I interrupted her, my anger boiling over.
Turning on my heel, I stormed toward the entrance, my footsteps echoing with the intensity of my decision.
“Know this, Camilla… you are not allowed to return to the Ocean pack as soon as you step foot out of it!” Astrid shouted, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife.
I froze in my tracks, my anger simmering as I turned back to face her.
“Pardon?” I demanded, my voice edged with disbelief and fury.
“I, ASTRID SAFIYA, LUNA OF THE RED MOON PACK AND ALPHA OF THE BLUESTONE PACK, HEREBY BANISH YOU FROM EVER SETTING FOOT WITHIN THE PACK’S BORDERS,”
She declared bluntly, her tone authoritative and firm. Her words stung like a blow, and a bitter scoff escaped my lips as I stormed toward her, my rage barely contained.
“You can’t banish me! How dare you!” I screamed, my voice rising in disgust. But Astrid's expression remained impassive, her decision unshaken by my outburst.
Before I could react further and launched my fist toward her in a blind rage, the guards, standing nearby, quickly intervened.
They grabbed me roughly by the arms, restraining me with so much strength. Despite my struggles, Astrid remained unfazed, her gaze cold.
“Throw her out,” Astrid ordered the guards with a dismissive wave of her hand.
The guards obeyed without hesitation, dragging me forcefully out of the pack's mansion.
The rough treatment was jarring, and I stumbled and was tossed onto the hard ground outside.
My body ached from the fall, and I lay there for a moment, feeling a mix of pain and humiliation.
Slowly, I pushed myself up from the dirt, my anger boiling over. Every muscle in my body tensed with rage as I glared back at the mansion.
“You’ve gone too far this time, Astrid!” I yelled, my voice carrying across the open space.
“I will crush you and that's a promise!!”