<h4>Chapter 492: 492-Bully Your Mate?</h4>


    <strong>Fauna:</strong>


    Walking beside Haiden after everything that had happened between us was hard for me, but I kept my posture steady, promising myself not to give in to my feelings again, or I would look more desperate.


    Besides, I had noticed that ever since I talked about my feelings, the ones that went beyond words, Haiden had been trying his best to hurt me. I was not a child. I knew what he was trying to do.


    He was seeking revenge on my father by hurting me, or so he thought. My father would not care, and that was something only my sister and I knew.


    "So what did you guys want to ask us?" Mariana inquired, breaking the silence.


    "We want to know if it is true that there is a man with the data that only he can ess," Ian stated, going straight to the point.


    "I mean, we know there is a man who keeps the data, but this is the first time I am hearing that he is the only one who can check it," Mariana exined. For a brief moment, I noticed the others slow down before remembering that we were supposed to act normal.


    "So does that mean he is lying to us?" Troy asked.


    Clementine was definitely special. I had never seen so many people worried about one girl.


    "I think he is just twisting the truth. Maybe he is buying time for whatever n he has," Mariana continued, her hands sped in front of her as she walked with confidence, while I struggled with my posture.


    I did not know if I should sp my hands behind my back, which might make me look arrogant, or hold them in front of me, where I would keep fidgeting. I had my own worries that I could not ignore.


    "So you think your father is ying with us?" Ian pressed.


    "Knowing my father, I would not be surprised. But how would we know what game he is ying? That is the main question," Mariana replied.


    As I lifted my head, I saw her nce at me and give me a small nod to pull me out of my thoughts. However, before I could respond, someone else noticed my silence.


    "If someone does not have anything to add, they can just leave," Haiden remarked, bringing everyone to a stop. I knew he was talking about me.


    "Um, it is all right. Not everyone has something to add, but we know she is on our side," Ian replied. I had only met him a few hours ago, yet he defended me, which made me smile as I held back my tears.


    "No, I am serious. I do not trust certain people. Them walking with us in silence makes it seem like they are gathering information to report back to their father," Haiden continued, his tone cold.


    At that point, I began to wonder if I had truly done something wrong to him. Otherwise, why would he hate me so much? He was speaking normally with Mariana, and she was also my father’s daughter.


    "Dude, you are taking your anger out on the wrong person," Mariana snapped. In response, Haiden only shrugged, showing that he did not care. Of course he did not, but I did.


    "Um, it is okay. I was about to head back to the mansion anyway. You guys can talk. Please, Mariana, help them with whatever information they need," I said quietly. I could not even pretend to sound cheerful.


    My sister looked at me helplessly, and I knew she wanted to stand up for me and argue with Haiden, but that would not help. I did not want her to insult him either. So I walked away.


    Once I was far from everyone, I could not stop my tears. Small hups escaped my mouth as I cried.


    Walking into the hall, I realized that dinner had already ended. The Royal Beta and Gamma families had left.


    The headmaster had also gone to rest, while my parents were nowhere to be found. It was just the maids clearing the dishes from the big hall and taking them back to the kitchen.


    I moved toward the stairs and climbed them slowly, hoping to get some rest and put my worries aside. Having Haiden ignore me was one thing, but him constantly bullying me was hard to ept.


    But I felt like I deserved it. I had been very confident and admired my whole life, so I thought this was my karma.


    Lost in my thoughts as I walked past my parents’ bedroom, I heard a soft whisper and caught part of their conversation. My steps immediately stopped.


    "The three alphas?" I heard my mother ask my father, as if adding to something he had just said.


    "Yeah, Haiden, Troy, and Ian," my father confirmed.


    I quickly looked around to make sure no one saw me listening to my parents’ conversation.


    "I am just worried that if the academy shuts down, the three of them will be out in the open," my father said, sharing his concern with my mother. His words made my body tense.


    "Why is Ian dangerous to us?" my mother asked. There was confusion in her voice. She rarely joined conversations, so when she did, it meant something serious was being discussed.


    "No, not Ian in particr. His mate is not rted to us in any way. She is not a threat unless she starts asking for more investigation. Then there is his pack. He is already an alpha. He is not a problem for us," my father exined.


    "Yeah, he is not dangerous, but his mate could be. I have heard that she has quite a messy past. She is behind all the investigation going on right now. I mean, Ian would have been out of the academy, but she was the one pushing to survive and keep others out of it," my mother said, mentioning Clementine, probably remembering thest time she had seen her.


    Clementine was intelligent. There was no doubt about that. I remembered how she had caused trouble before, andter we found out that they wanted to return to the academy.


    Everything she did, including her arguments with people and her own humiliation, had been part of her n.


    That had frightened my parents. I remembered how she was discussed for weeks after she arrived here.


    But why were my parents talking about them in such secrecy?