<h4>Chapter 528: 528-They Got Her</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    Every vein in my head was throbbing.


    I could not understand how Troy thought he could go alone and rescue her.


    Then I remembered something. It was Troy who had created many of the differences between me and Clementine.


    He had been sabotaging our rtionship.


    So I began to wonder if he had done the same thing again.


    If that was true, I was not going to forgive him this time.


    I would destroy him.


    "You couldn’t keep her safe?" I asked Troy, clenching my jaw.


    Grief was visible in his eyes. But I refused to believe him. Because of him, Clementine was gone once again.


    "So what is the difference between you and Yorick?" I screamed, trying to reach him.


    Every time I moved toward him, someone stepped between us and pushed us apart.


    "I’m nothing like Yorick," he defended himself in a slow, soft voice.


    "How dare you think you could go alone and rescue her?" I shouted.


    And when I noticed that everyone had scattered, I knew it was my moment to approach him.


    This time, he saw meing. But he was a second toote to defend himself before I punched him.


    As soon as he fell to the ground, I moved closer and hit him again.


    He did not defend himself this time.


    He knew his stubborn pride had ruined everything.


    Clementine’s life was in danger because of him.


    Before I could strike him again, Leysa ran between us and shoved me back.


    "Fine, maybe he learned a little selfishness," she yelled. "But he was trying to keep her safe. He saved her from Yorick and his family."


    The way she immediately jumped to his defense told me something was going on between them. Otherwise, why would she defend him like that?


    It was obvious he had messed up.


    "If he really wanted what was best, he should have told us. I would have gone with him to Yorick as well," I shouted back.


    I clenched my jaw and turned toward her.


    I was ready to charge at her too.


    In my eyes, anyone who tried to take Clementine away from me was a monster.


    And I did not hesitate to raise my hand against monsters.


    "If you had gone to Yorick’s ce, he would never have let you inside," Leysa continued.


    "He knew Clementine had epted you. That’s why Troy going didn’t raise suspicion. Troy wasn’t a threat to them."


    There was hesitation in her voice.


    Her body had slouched.


    With one hand, she was holding Troy back so he would not charge at me. With the other, she kept her arm extended toward me to stop me from advancing.


    "You’re talking nonsense," I snapped. "Why would I believe you? You never liked Clementine. You always put her life in danger. Maybe you wanted her dead."


    I swung my hand toward her.


    My father stepped in and shielded her.


    "That’s enough," Troy shouted, getting to his feet. "Say whatever you want to me, but you will not speak about my mate like that."


    The moment he said mate, I understood.


    It was not hard for me to see what was happening.


    First Haiden, and now Troy.


    The Moon Goddess was clearing the path.


    "You think I’m not worried?" Troy demanded. "The moment I left her there, I wasing to you. I made a mistake. I was selfish. But I’m trying to redeem myself."


    His voice wavered as if he was close to tears.


    "Redeem yourself after you lost her to your psycho brother?" I shot back. "If I get my hands on Yorick, I won’t spare him."


    My breath quickened.


    My voice deepened.


    "Enough," Haiden finally shouted between us. "Control yourself. We need to find Messi. The rest can wait."


    When Haiden said that, everyone eased slightly.


    But the fire inside me was still burning.


    My mate was still missing.


    "Stop arguing. Let’s find Clementine. More importantly, let’s find Messi," Haiden uttered.


    "Did you all forget what Clementine told us? Messi once tried to kidnap her," Fauna spoke after a long silence.


    Once again, all our attention shifted to her.


    "What if someone told her to kidnap Clementine this time too?" she added.


    Her words made sense.


    We all looked at each other.


    "Fine. We’ll track Messi’s activity," the Headmaster said, giving me a hand gesture that made it clear he did not want to hear any more arguments from me.


    "Let’s move," Haiden suggested, pointing toward the cars.Of course, we were going to look for Clementine. But not before I took my anger out on someone, and there was one man who deserved a few more punches.


    I turned toward Grant. He gulped when he realized his lie had been exposed.


    "I thought she was dead," he uttered, trying to crawl away as I approached.


    This time, I grabbed him by the neck. With my free hand, I started punching him.


    One. Two. Three.


    I kept going, at least fifteen times, until I noticed his body going limp.


    "That’s enough, Ian," my father stepped in again, pulling me away from Grant.


    He thought he could lie to me.


    "She is not dead. She will never be dead. Not while I’m alive," I grunted, kicking him once more before stepping back.


    When I finally looked around, everyone was staring at me as if I had lost my mind.


    And maybe I had.


    "I’lle in my own car," Troy said softly, avoiding my eyes.


    If he thought I was going to forgive him right now, he was mistaken.


    I could not believe that the two people Clementine had always considered friends had hurt her so badly.


    I tried to imagine how she must have felt watching Troy, and Yorick y with her emotions. The thought alone made me feel sick.


    It was easy for them to say, forgive us. They had no idea how difficult that would be for her.


    Someone like her, who had only ever been kind, had her innocence and good heart taken advantage of by them.


    If I got my hands on Yorick even once, I would burn his entire family.


    And Troy, I was not done with him either.


    I stayed silent because I did not want to waste time.


    We started walking toward the cars.


    Just then, another announcement began over the speakers.


    It felt as if someone was constantly chasing my happiness and my love.


    "There is good news," the announcement dered. "Alpha Messi has located the monster Clementine and handed her over to the Council. There is no need to panic. The monster is in a secured cage."


    As the announcement yed, my skin prickled.


    I saw Haiden’s eyes turn red. Troy’s jaw tightened.


    This was shocking for all of us.


    "What does this mean?" I asked, looking at my father.


    "I’m getting a call," my father said, showing me his phone.


    It was from the Council Committee.


    He put it on speaker.


    "Headmaster, I assume you heard the announcement," a woman’s voice said. "Your monster crusader is in our custody. We are holding a meeting to decide her fate. It is necessary. People are frightened. Hopefully this time no monster from the North or the maind will cause destruction."


    It was Lady Sylvia.


    There was malice in her tone, as if she was mocking us for finding Clementine before we could.


    "What exactly do you mean?" my father asked calmly.


    "It simply means we will show the people that Clementine is a monster. There will be a public transition. After that, she will go where she belongs permanently," Lady Sylvia replied.


    Then she ended the call.


    We all stood there in silence.


    Some were confused. Some were stunned.


    I was afraid.


    I knew Clementine’s wolf was different.


    When monsters first began appearing in the North, her mother had been living in the Dark North.


    She had fled the North when she fell in love with Clementine’s father. Later, she realized she had made a mistake. The problem was that she already came from a highly vtile region of the North, where she had been a powerful she-wolf.


    Clementine was not born a monster like my brother and me. She was simply different. She carried the blood of the Dark Side because her mother had been born there.


    That region was known for producing rare and powerful wolves. Here, however, they were seen as monsters because our territories had never witnessed something so strong before.


    But how could I exin that to them?


    People only understood one thing.


    Good and bad.


    A normal werewolf and a monster.


    "We have to go. We have to stop Clementine’s transition," The moment I said that, I lunged toward the car.


    The others hurried after me and climbed into their vehicles. Fear was etched on every face because, deep down, each of us knew that Clementine’s wolf was different and that her transition would result deadly for her.


    It felt as if Clementine was right within reach.


    Yet she was still far away.