<h4>Chapter 441: 441-I Finally Speak Up</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    "And we are live," someone yelled from behind the ss.


    My footage began to y. The footage I had brought with me. Everyone began to watch it.


    They were all seeing it for the first time, and the fact that they trusted me enough to y it without checking proved they had been waiting for this moment for a long time.


    Or maybe they wanted it to look like a mistake, even if something inappropriate about the academy was shown.


    There were extreme moments of plotting and nning done by the academy and the ringleaders.


    It showed how they knew where Sadie was the whole time, how she was left behind by Oriana, and how the camera followed Sadie everywhere, yet nobody came to help her.


    There were multiple clips like that. One showed Oriana telling the alphas to leave Clementine behind and save her instead.


    It all yed.


    Once the tapes were done, hours of footage still looping on the side of the split screen, Dave and I appeared on the main view.


    "I’m Dave from your favorite channel. And today we have Ian Hunt, the headmaster’s son." Dave began, then adjusted himself.


    "So, Ian," he continued, "you’vee here to speak directly with me and to tell everyone about the academy and the north. What exactly did you mean by that?"


    He jumped straight into it, probably afraid that if the news spread too far, the alphas, the headmaster, the ringleaders, or anyone involved woulde to stop the live broadcast.


    "To tell the world that what they know about the north isn’t true," I replied.


    "Can you exin that further?" Dave asked, his eyes drifting toward the ss doors as he checked whether anyone wasing to stop us.


    "It means the north was created by the alphas and their ancestors," I said. "They injected poisons into criminals to turn them into monsters. In the beginning, orphans were forced to fight those monsters as a form of entertainment."


    I paused, closed my eyes, and remembered what had happened to my mother.


    "Then they attacked the north," I continued. "My mother. Everyone who lived there."


    From there, I exined everything from the beginning.


    By the end of it, amotion started outside, and I already knew they hade to collect me or stop the live broadcast.


    "So think before you let go of this matter. Today it is us. Tomorrow it will be you or your children. And remember one more thing. They will not stop until they have ruined everyone’s life. Until some of the monsterse through the cracks. Because how long do you think the monsters will stay on the other side of the north?" I finished, then got up from my seat.


    "Okay, I have some more interesting questions about your mate, and if you have liked anyone else," Dave remarked.


    He was just trying to add spice, but I was done. I needed to get out, find Clementine, and speak with her. I could tell the news had already spread. Warriors wereing in.


    "Mr. Ian,," Dave called after me, but I rushed through the crowd of people assisting around the room. I ran out of the office and down the hallway, which led to the other side of the building.


    As I ran, I heard something that made me stop in my tracks.


    "Is the guy here? The guy who is with Clementine?" a girl asked.


    I slowed down and eventually hid behind one of the walls. It seemed the warriors had note here to stop us yet. Someone else had arrived with her own warriors.


    "He was just here. He ran away," Dave exined.


    "I need to speak with him. It’s about Clementine. Where can I find him?" she asked.


    My body started to heat up inside. I knew there were two possibilities. Either this girl was telling the truth and wanted to speak with me about Clementine, or she was lying. She could have been sent by the alphas or my father to lure me back into his grasp.


    It was a risk. A risk I was willing to take. Clementine’s name was being used.


    I stepped out from behind the wall.


    "I’m here," I voiced, and my words carried through the empty hallway toward her.


    She turned toward me, and Dave pointed in my direction, gesturing for the cameras to stay on.


    The girl looked young, probably our age. She rushed toward me, motioning behind her to her warriors, who stayed alert, making sure anyone trying to stop us would have to get through them first.


    It did not make sense. I had never seen this woman before.


    Her warriors also made sure the camera was turned off before she came into view, almost as if they did not want to show her face or let anyone know what was happening.


    She approached me and gestured with her head, as if asking me to move behind the wall and hide from prying eyes. So I did.


    "Who are you? What do you know about Clementine?" I demanded.


    She looked at me, then cleared her throat.


    "My name is Vanessa," she replied. "I’m an alpha’s daughter. I was going to be sent to the north."


    As she spoke, I frowned.


    "What do you know about Clementine?" I pressed again, because her introduction did not matter to me.


    "Your mate, Clementine is–" she paused, "currently held captive, and I’m pretty sure they’re going to kill her."


    The moment she said those words, it was as if the world began to close in on me. I grabbed her by the arms and mmed her against the wall. She looked terrified when I did that.


    "What are you saying? Who is holding her captive? And who is going to kill her?" I shouted at her, my nails digging into her skin.


    "I didn’t do anything. I promise," she insisted. "It’s my father."


    She paused, then said the words that made my body go numb for a moment.


    "And the council leaders. They were all in on it," she finished.