<h4>Chapter 497: 497-She Did Not Lie</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    After what Fauna had told me, I was deeply disturbed.


    Thankfully, Troy arrived and helped distract me from those thoughts.


    However, the moment I looked at him, I could tell he looked worried.


    "What is it?" I asked again.


    "My mother is sick," he replied, and I watched his face with sadness.


    I knew how much his mother meant to him.


    It had always been the two of them against the world, so I understood his anxiety.


    "So I was thinking I could go be with my mother while you guys wait for your uncle to tell you where Nook is," Troy said, cing his hand on my shoulder and giving it a gentle rub.


    "Of course, that ispletely fine, Troy. It is understandable that you want to be with your mother. We are all here for Clementine, but your mother might be alone," I answered, holding his hand between mine and giving it a gentle pat.


    "Yeah, thank you so much for understanding."


    Troy looked down, probably hiding his tears.


    Otherwise, he had no reason to avoid my eyes.


    He did not need to feel guilty about it.


    I understood that he wanted to stay and continue looking for Clementine, but his mother also needed him.


    "Come on, don’t feel guilty. It is okay. I will inform you the minute we get any news, okay?" I told him, not burdening him with what Fauna had lied about.


    At this point, it did not matter.


    Nothing she said mattered.


    I knew she had found an excuse toe here and say nonsense just so she could spend time with me and then lie about the mate bond.


    "Okay, take care, mate," Troy said, giving me a side hug.


    Even though I told him it was fine, he kept avoiding my eyes.


    Then he walked out of the room.


    Once again, I was alone with my thoughts, and they drifted to Fauna’s eyes, the touch we had shared, and her im that we were mates.


    "So you’re not going to talk about it?" my wolf asked.


    "Talk about what? The fact that Fauna came here and lied? No, thank you," I replied with a grunt.


    "Really? Is that how you remember it? Because from what I recall, when she said she felt the mate bond with us, I also felt a little tingling in our heart and a slight sensation in your body," my wolf insisted, focusing on Fauna.


    "That tingling came from realizing she was ying a game with me. It was not tingling. It was shock, like when your body reacts before your mind does," I exined.


    As I continued, my wolf let out a grunt that annoyed me.


    "Right, that is exactly how we felt," he replied, not believing me.


    I turned toward the bed andy down, folding my arms under my head.


    "You can keep pretending that you felt something with her. You’re only saying this because you feel hopeless about Clementine, because you think she will never ept us," I said, using words I knew would hurt him because I was annoyed.


    In return, he only scoffed.


    "Really? Let’s talk about who is delusional and wrong. That would be you," he shot back, making my fingers curl into a fist.


    "Let me remind you, you were the one who started the friendship with Fauna. If you already knew you were never going to start anything with her, why lead her on?" he demanded harshly.


    I shifted in bed and refused to respond.


    "Great, just great. You’re honestly the biggest coward ever. And don’t tell me you were trying to take revenge on her father. That is not how it felt," he continued while I squeezed my eyes shut to block out his voice.


    Eventually, I fell asleep.


    When I woke up, I could already hear people talking outside.


    Morning had arrived, but nothing had changed.


    I was still worried.


    When I stepped out, I found out that Troy had left the night before.


    His room was locked from the outside.


    "Good morning," Ian greeted as he came out of his room.


    The quiet man who always made us uneasy looked worn out, but I was still surprised at how well he was holding himself together.


    He really was a confident and capable man.


    "Did you hear about Troy?" I asked, walking beside him.


    "He knocked on the doorst night to tell me that his mother was sick. I offered him my warriors to go with him, but he refused. He said it was fine," Ian replied, rubbing the back of his neck as we made our way to the hall where breakfast was going to be served.


    "You look tired," I remarked, and he nodded, sighing as he slid his hands into his pockets.


    "I miss her," he whispered, sending goosebumps across my skin.


    "I heard Fauna was in your roomst night. Did shee up with any information?" Ian asked, turning his head toward me while continuing to walk.


    I realized that almost everyone had heard everything here.


    "Yeah, she was making ims that her father would tell us today that Nook is dead, but that would be a lie. I don’t believe anything she says," I told him.


    Instead of reacting like I did, he looked concerned.


    "Wait, why would she say that? Did she hear it?" he asked.


    I raised my hand to stop him from getting his hopes up.


    "Don’t think too much about what she says. Trust me, she only lies so she can spend time with me," I replied as we reached the living room, where everyone had gathered instead of waiting at the dining table.


    We walked over to the couches and sat down.


    My uncle was sitting with Hilda.


    Mariana sat on a separate couch, while Fauna stood behind her father’s seat.


    She did not lift her eyes to look at me, and it did not bother me, though I still noticed.


    The headmaster was sitting on another couch, one arm resting along the back.


    It was strange to see him without his mask and long overcoat.


    "So I spoke to my trusted man about Nook," my uncle began.


    "Before he could find any information, he told me something that made me realize I did not even need to look for him."


    As he continued, Ian and I shared a nce.


    "What do you mean?" Ian asked, agitated.


    "There has been news that Nook died in an attack on his mansion," my uncle said.


    At those words, my head snapped up, and I looked straight at Fauna.