<h4>Chapter 481: 481-The Annoying Fauna</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    Every time I was back home, it felt like I was somewhere that had been stolen from me. It was supposed to be my mansion, my pack, my people. Everything was supposed to be mine. Sadly, things have changed drastically.


    Things changed the minute the destinies of my father, my mother, and my sister were written by those evil people. And then wolves came out of the bushes to attack me and whatever was left of me. One of them was Patrick.


    "Come on, I will show you the rooms," Fauna purred once again. She was too excited to be interacting with us. I did not buy her fake sweetness and her whole ’oh, I care so much for you, Haiden’ agenda. She was just like her parents. That is what stopped me from paying attention to her.


    Mariana and Fauna both started to walk in front of us, leading the way. The mansion hadrge hallways.


    I knew it was like the back of my hand, but ever since I had been stripped of my crown and powers, I did not seem to have enough control to wander around.


    Every time I did, Patrick or his wife would see me, and they would quickly stop me. It was not that they were hiding any secrets.


    They just did not want me to look like I owned the ce.


    "I heard about you, mate," Mariana began. She was moreposed, the one who knew what she was talking about, and the one who could be very quiet and sneaky, just like her mother Hilda.


    Ian silently nodded his head.


    "I think what you did was very heroic," she remarked, not trying to be seductive or flirt with him. That came genuinely from her.


    Then we stopped in front of three bedrooms at the end of one of the hallways, but none of us went inside because it seemed like Mariana had something to talk to us about. She faced us and kept looking at Ian.


    "I’ve heard that she has been missing, and since it is a huge world, I think every second counts," she continued.


    It was as if she was implying something, most likely wondering why we were here instead of looking for her. Or maybe she had put two and two together and realized that us asking about Nook was somehow rted to Clementine.


    "We will find her. I’m sure I’ll find her," I replied, stepping in to let her know that just because Ian was the one who had a mark on his neck right now did not mean he was her only mate. I was too.


    "All right, you are all her mates," Mariana said. The moment she said that, I noticed Fauna’s smile start to fade.


    "Yeah, but I think we can all assume that she has already picked one," Fauna added in a bright tone with a fake smile on her lips, pointing at Ian. Of course, everyone had seen the mark left by Clementine on his neck.


    "Um, but that would mean that she is going to reject the others, right? Has it been talked about?" Fauna went on.


    Like her father, she had no control over her mouth. When she started speaking, she spoke her thoughts out loud. But since her father was more experienced, he knew when to stop. Fauna did not.


    "You should worry about yourself, Fauna. You have not found a mate, and you are focused on who is epting whom or who is rejecting who," I snapped, watching her eyes widen before she looked at Troy and Ian, probably feeling embarrassed that I had snapped at her in front of them.


    "Well, my sister was just trying to understand the dynamic, which I think everyone is wondering about, because it is the first time a she-wolf has many mates instead of a male wolf. So there is no need to be hostile, Haiden," Mariana replied, defending her sister.


    I could tell that things had changed. The two used to argue a lot before, but this time I noticed a difference in the way Mariana was acting. There was not much arrogance in her words.


    "What about your marriage to Messi, since we are talking about mates and eptance? I heard you were getting married to my stepbrother, but it has been months and I have not heard any news. Did you get married and not invite me?" Troy asked, changing the subject with a hint of teasing andint.


    Mariana shifted her weight to one leg as she gently rubbed her empty ring finger. Troy must have noticed before the rest of us. Even if we had, we did not say it out loud, but he did.


    "No, the engagement is not off," she replied quickly. "I am just having second thoughts," she added, then wrapped her arms around herself.


    "Actually, after thest time when you guys told everyone that Messi was trying to sell Clementine to someone, Mariana put the wedding on hold," Fauna exined. "She wants to look into it herself before she decides to spend her life with a man who could be involved in trafficking."


    As expected, Fauna revealed the whole secret, but this time Mariana did not stop her.


    Surprisingly, Ian was even paying attention to their conversation. The moment she mentioned Messi trying to sell Clementine to someone, he looked at me and then at Troy.


    "I think that is very courageous of you. I understand that you feel guilty about not taking the right stand at the moment, but everyone gets carried away when all eyes are on them." Troy told her, because I knew even he wanted her to confront Messi for attempting to kidnap Clementine.


    "And he thought he was untouchable," I muttered under my breath.


    "Anyway, you three should rest. We will have snackster and then dinner," Mariana instructed, gesturing toward the rooms and giving each of us a key.


    It felt humiliating not to have a key to my own mansion, the mansion that my father and grandfather had built with their hard work.


    But ever since Ian started talking about whatever our parents had been involved in, especially our fathers, I began to feel like my mother received the punishment that was meant for my father.


    Maybe everything that happened to my mother and my sister was some kind of karma, but it struck the wrong people. If anything, my father was the one who had done wrong.


    My mother and my sister were just two innocent people.