<h4>Chapter 429: 429-Clementine’s Sister</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    "Your brother will be so happy to see you," my mother stated as we were finally home.


    Our pack had always been the quietest one. Nobody really poked their noses into each other’s matters.


    In fact, my father had made sure everyone did their job without questioning anything, and it worked in our favor.


    Nobody knew the dark side of our home, our life.


    "So, how are you feeling about getting out of the academy?" my mother asked me, a bright smile still on her lips.


    "Not satisfied," I responded, letting her know it felt like I had left so much behind.


    "It’s alright. Everything will be fine. Just focus on getting the power now," my mother uttered.


    I got out of the car and looked around at the people. They were all looking at me with bright smiles on their faces.


    "Do they not know what I was used of?" I asked my mother. She avoided my eyes.


    That was when I focused on the women’s faces. Their smiles were the brightest, but they were fake.


    My father had warned them not to show what they truly thought of me, and it hurt even more.


    All the praise, all the pping was fake. After everything I had done in the North, it was all washed away because someone decided to lie about my character.


    "Now, stop focusing on that. Just think of it as someone having dark thoughts about you. You know people do not always like someone, but they have to pretend they do because they are scared of what will happen if they show their real emotions. So take it as something positive. Nobody would dare to upset you. In the meantime, wee back home," my mother spoke in one breath.


    She opened her arms as my father opened the gate, the two of them watching me with nothing but fulfillment on their faces.


    It was unsettling to think that my parents had once told me they knew they would set me free.


    And now, here I was, set free. I knew exactly why. I just did not realize their words would have such a strong impact.


    Once I stepped into the house, I felt cozy. Still, I had hoped that this time, when I came back home, I would have my mate with me.


    Not just any mate, Clementine.


    Sadly, she had left me when I needed her the most because she decided she would rather be discharged and start over with Ian than stay and face our troubles and issues.


    The same dark mansion stood before me, with therge hallway on the first floor where my parents’ offices and theirboratory were, and my room on the second floor.


    I started to step toward the second floor to freshen up, but my mother held my hand.


    "Do you not want to meet your brother?" she asked. There was a strange grin on her lips.


    "Maybeter," I replied, freeing my hand from hers.


    I noticed she looked disappointed. She wanted us to get along well. How could I? My brother did not understand the difference between right and wrong.


    But I had a lot going on in my mind. I could not deal with another situation like this.


    My father gave my mother a hand gesture, letting her know it was fine, that I needed some time, and that she should respect that.


    Thankfully, that was it. They let me wander away.


    As I climbed to the second floor and stepped toward my room, I began to hear scufflinging from one of the rooms.


    It was not just the sound of someone being there, but someone in panic and hysteria.


    I stopped near one of the doors before my bedroom and leaned in, pressing my ear against it.


    Someone was whimpering inside, but not loudly. The words were muffled.


    "What are you doing?" my mother asked.


    I stepped away from the door and pointed at it.


    "Who is in there?" I questioned, watching her with a stern look.


    "Why do you care?" she replied, looking upset that I was once again asking the same kind of questions I used to ask before leaving for the academy.


    "Mother, you promised you would stop," I told her, looking her in the eye as she rolled hers.


    "I am close, just one more attempt," she uttered, and I pped my forehead.


    "How many people have to suffer for my brother?" I grunted, reminding her that she had told me the same thing before, that it would be just this once and then it would be over.


    Every time, she faced disappointment and failure, and that meant she continued anyway.


    "Open the door. I want to see who is inside," I ordered, pointing toward it.


    My mother looked at me with the same expression she always gave me before I left for the North. Disappointment and annoyance.


    "You are back to your ways. Have you learned nothing?" my mother grunted, cing a hand on the door to make sure I did not open it.


    "Mother, open the door. I just want to see," I insisted, giving her a stern look.


    "Fine, but you have to promise me you will not intervene in matters," my mother warned and I shook my head.


    "I will not do that. If you are doing something wrong, I will not be a part of it," I told her.


    She clenched her jaw, then folded her arms across her chest, as if weighing her words.


    "What if I make a deal with you? What if you let me do this, and I help you get to Clementine?" she offered.


    The moment my mother said those words, the resolve building inside me began to fade.


    "Tell me. Time is ticking. Make a decision," my mother insisted, tapping her foot on the ground.


    The sound of her foot tapping and her jaw tightening started to make me anxious. Then I gave in.


    "Fine, but open the door. I want to see what is in there," I said.


    After hearing my response, my mother smiled. She stepped forward and opened the door.


    There were many locks on it, and it took her a while to undo them all.


    When the door finally opened and I stepped inside, it felt like an instant blow.


    "Leysa?" I gasped at her sight.