<h4>Chapter 472: 472-Struggling Against My Mate</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    As he started to get closer to me, I gulped again. There was a part of me that was not epting whatever was in that needle.


    "No, Yorick," I pulled my hand back again, shaking my head firmly.


    This time, I decided to tell him very sternly that I did not want to take that medicine.


    "Clementine, did we not go through all this?" heined tiredly.


    "Yes, we did, and I told you the same thing I’m telling you now. I don’t want that needle, okay? So put it away," I told him sharply.


    However, instead of stepping back, he continued to hold on to the needle.


    "Okay,e on now. I think you are just scared. Once you get the dose, you will be fine," Yorick remarked, then suddenly stepped toward me.


    "Yorick, I told you I do not want it," I shouted, lifting my hand to stop him froming closer.


    The moment he reached me, he grabbed my left hand and pulled it toward him, bringing the needle up in front of my eyes.


    "Wait, what are you doing? I told you I do not want it," I protested, reaching for the injection with my other hand.


    He pulled it away and held it tight. I scratched his hand, but he still would not let go.


    At this point, it was no longer about him caring for me. Something was deeply wrong. The fact that he did not understand that my consent mattered triggered me.


    "Yorick," I said, "let go of my arm."


    I demanded, even though all the fingers of my left hand had stopped working.


    "You need this medicine," Yorick hissed.


    There was something strange in his eyes, almost like something dark. Slowly, my right-hand fingers started going numb too, and I knew I did not have much time.


    When he brought the needle closer to my hand, I used my right hand to punch his wrist.


    The punchnded cleanly. The needle slipped from his hand and fell across the room, near the window.


    "Clementine, what the hell?" Yorick shouted, moving to retrieve the injection.


    I grabbed his shirt with my right hand and yanked him back onto the bed. He fell onto the bed as I threw myself to the floor and crawled toward the window.


    I tried opening it but the window was boarded shut from the outside. At that moment, I realized I was trapped.


    I reached for the injection, but before I could grab it, he had already picked it up.


    "Are you okay? What are you doing?" he asked, keeping his voice calm as he crouched down and grabbed both my arms to help me up.


    "Why the heck are the windows boarded shut?" I screamed at him, my body starting to shiver as he held both my arms, giving me support to stay upright.


    "Clementine, I told you, there’s chaos happening outside. People are fighting each other, attacking each other. They only shut it down so that you are safe," Yorick exined, but I began to shake my head at him.


    I even tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but I knew the moment he let me go, I would fall down.


    "Trust me," he uttered.


    "They only did it so that you are safe. Otherwise, Clementine, if anything entered, you wouldn’t be able to fight it. You’re not in your usual strength like you used to be. At least not for now, but soon you will feel better," he tried to exin, but my heart was pumping so hard in my chest that my only response to everything he was saying was to shake my head.


    "No, I don’t know what is happening to me, but this is all weird. I wasn’t even this numb when I was kidnapped. Why is it that suddenly, when I am in your care, I am losing my mobility?" I screamed, but my voice barely came out, a hoarse whisper.


    And that scared me.


    Losing my ability to fight and move scared me.


    All my life, my strength was what I relied on to save myself from any kind of harm that came my way.


    "No, let go. I do not want your help," I screamed at him, but he pulled me closer, almost as if trying to make it seem like I was losing my mind.


    "Rx. Okay, if you do not want it, I will not give you any medicine, okay?" he uttered softly, rubbing my back.


    I wanted to get away from him, but my hands and arms were numb now. I felt like I could only move above my neck.


    "Rx. Are you rxed now?" he asked again.


    "You trust me, right?" he whispered again, still keeping me tightly in his embrace.


    "Tell me, Clementine. Tell me you trust me."


    As he insisted again, I closed my eyes, and a tear rolled down my cheek.


    "I trust you," I replied quietly.


    The moment I said that, I felt his grip tighten around me, almost as if even he was shocked that I had said it.


    "Then you should know, Clementine," he paused.


    There was so much pain in his voice as he continued, "that I will never, ever betray you."


    He paused once again.


    "That I will never do anything that will bring you pain, even if it means that I have to watch you be happy with someone else. But sometimes, I do make mistakes too, so forgive me for hurting you."


    As he finished, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.


    I had no clue what he was talking about, but his words did bring mefort.


    I forced myself to believe he was telling the truth, until I felt something sharp pierce my back.


    "But I cannot watch you happy with someone else," he let out a small cry, and my eyes grew wide at what he was doing to me.


    "You just said you would never hurt me," I cried as I felt the pinch in my back.


    "I’m so, so sorry," he whispered into my ear.


    All our happy moments, our friendship, everything shed before my eyes.