《Surrender To Us, Our Luna (One Luna, Four Alphas)》


 Chapter 1-Tomboy Whore Of South

    <h4>Chapter 1: 1-Tomboy Whore Of South</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Catch this she-wolf and bring her to Alpha William!"


    The royal beta¡¯s voice roared through the air like thunder. My body shuddered at the realization of how close they hade to me. The ground beneath me seemed to pull me down as my knees began to give out.


    I had been running for an hour, away from my worries, away from my bullies, from my stepmother and stepsister, and from my alpha father. If I don¡¯t, I will face a difficult time. I ran as fast as I could, my face wet with tears. The wind hit my skin like cold water, sharp and real. Ahead of me, the mountains stood tall in the distance, dark shapes under the heavy sky. The birds flew away in flocks, like they knew something bad wasing. My heart pounded. I didn¡¯t know where I was going. I just knew I had to keep moving.


    "Ugh!" A painful cry escaped my lips when an arrowced with wolfsbane grazed my thigh, and something wet began to drip down my baggy jeans. The amount of blood I shed didn¡¯t bother me as long as I got away from this hell hole called Crimson ws Pack.


    ¡¯Come on, wolf. We have to get out of here,¡¯ I tried hyping up my wolf, but it was useless as the poison had started its effect on my wolf. Another arrow struck me in the shoulder from behind, sticking out the front, and I dropped to my knees.


    Just then, it happened.


    My wolf went silent. The poison called wolfsbane knocked her out, and now it was just the human me, fighting the pack.


    I crawled on my knees, grunting in pain. My father¡¯s warriors slowed down, they knew I was done for. The sirens red in the air, making me lift my head and groan softly at the future ahead of me. I wished I had gotten away in time.


    "You thought you could run away? What kind of coward would do that?" Beta Ross knelt beside me and grabbed my hair in his fist, pulling me up from the ground.


    "I will not sacrifice myself for you¡ªor for any werewolf," I hissed, spitting in his face. That made him angry.


    He had earned the royal beta title after kissing my father¡¯s butt for a while. He would tter my father until he was gifted the title of royal beta. I bet he even let my father sleep with his mate once or twice.


    I hated the alphas and betas. I hated packs.


    But I couldn¡¯t go rogue, I had only two options: either stay in the pack and be part of their dirty drama or to be sacrificed as a warrior, a crusader to the north.


    "Take her to her father. He¡¯s waiting," the royal beta threw me to the ground, and soon I was dragged by my hair back to the packhouse.


    They dragged me through the hallway, the omegas and deltas catching glimpses of me from their rooms. The first floor was for omegas and deltas, the second for the royal gamma, gammas, and betas. Lastly, the third floor was for the alpha¡ªhis family and the royal beta¡¯s family.


    So they had to pull me all the way to the top while everyone else watched me treated like a ve.


    "Ugh," I grunted when they threw me onto the couch.


    "It¡¯s a shame. You ruined my name when you ran away like a coward," my father said, sitting on his high chair, a wine ss in his hand. His white hair were perfectly styled to the side, his face although a little wrinkly but still looked better for a man who had fought in wars throughout his life. His gray eyes were examining me a little too harshly.


    "Call me whatever you want. I¡¯m not your warrior," I hissed, rolling my eyes as the warrior grabbed the arrow from my shoulder and pulled it out. Blood sttered everywhere, and my screams echoed through the big hall.


    My stepmother snickered, "Look at her. She looks like a boy in those clothes. Why must she dress so tomboyish?" She always had a problem with how I dressed and acted.


    I identified as a woman, but I liked wearing clothes that were loose and big on me. I did not want any alpha or any werewolf¡¯s attention.


    "And she always wears that hat to cover her noodle hair," my stepsister added, sticking a finger in her mouth to fake a gag at my naturally curly red hair. She was always proper and polished.


    Leysa, the daughter of my father from his second fated mate, my stepmother.


    Sadly, the world was messed up.


    Every alpha had four or more fated mates. And every poor mate suffered, fighting for their alpha¡¯s attention. In fact, most males had multiple mates.


    She-wolves had no real power. They were controlled and had no say. They wouldpete until only one was left standing., and that meant killing off the other mates. Killing an alpha¡¯s child was forbidden, so they found other ways to get rid of them and secure the crown for their own.


    In my case, Glinda, my stepmother, had the perfect n, all backed by the royal beta and royal gamma.


    "I say we send her to the academy as a Crusader for North. Our pack has already been nominated to send a warrior anyway. Every pack is sending their children, the ones without brains to lead as alphas, just muscle," Glinda suggested, resting her hand on the back of my father¡¯s.


    "She¡¯s clearly not fit to be an alpha. Look at her. Look at how she acts, she¡¯s a boy. But Leysa? She¡¯s ready to be Luna. Every alpha wants to marry her, while Clementine is just a problem we can hand off to the academy to make ourselves look better," she kept yapping, afraid my father might change his mind.


    "I would rather die than fight for any of you in the North," I spat on the ground, watching Leysa flinch like I had dropped a bomb.


    North.


    Another disaster.


    It started with one pack in the North, attacked by giants and ogres. Then they took over the entire region. After them came other creatures. People feared that if they weren¡¯t stopped, the monsters would take over the world.


    So, every few months, the children of alphas or pack members with potential, specifically the ones who wouldn¡¯t inherit the crown, were sent to the academy. There, they were put into groups and sent off to fight in the North.


    This time, it was our pack¡¯s turn. The previous troupe mist have retired or died for them to look for recements.


    "Your stepmother is right. Your life has no purpose. Nobody wants you. It¡¯s better for you to die a hero than stay here and be the whore you seem destined to be," my father said coldly.


    Leysaughed before covering her mouth with her hands, pretending to be sweet and proper again.


    "Well, you¡¯ll have to drag me to that academy then, Father," I said, getting up, drenched in my own blood, and limped back to my room in the attic.


    It had always been clear, my stepmother would never let me be the alpha. So she treated me like trash. And in return, I grew up stubborn, angry, and defiant.


    Nobody knew how broken I was. They just knew I was insufferable, and hated me for it.


    That night, I cleaned my own wounds and bandaged myself, lying on the hard mattress that was torn and falling apart.


    I stared out the window at the moon and noticed the red color bleeding into the sky. Every time the creatures killed civilians in the North, or whoever was still hiding and alive, the sky turned red.


    I wasn¡¯t a hero. I didn¡¯t want to be one.


    Nobody had be a hero when I needed one, so why would I waste my life for anyone else?


    I just wanted to enjoy my life, not be an alpha, or someone¡¯s fifth or sixth wife or mate.


    As my eyes grew heavy and I started to drift off, I heard a click at the door. I felt someone step inside. Without opening my eyes, I reached under my pillow to grab my knife, but they were faster.


    Before I could grab it, they grabbed me.


    I opened my eyes to see men in ck, long coats, faces covered in ski masks, holding my arms and legs.


    "Let me go!" I screamed, kicking and swinging my fists, but they were strong, and clearly sent to take me away.


    "What the fuck!" I yelled, panicking. How had kidnappers gotten past so many warriors, gammas, and betas to find me?


    Fear crawled into me. Who were these men? What did they want?


    But the real shock came when they dragged me all the way down to the first floor, and I saw everyone just standing there, watching me struggle.


    "What are you waiting for? Help me! I¡¯m your alpha¡¯s daughter. Fucking stop them!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face until I saw my father standing with my stepmother, both holding wine sses.


    "You said we¡¯d have to drag you," he said calmly. "Well, happy eighteenth birthday. I¡¯d hope youe back a martyr¡ª or not at all."


    Those words from my father¡¯s mouth would haunt me forever.


    It wasn¡¯t kidnappers.


    It was the Lurkers, the guardians, from the academy¨C-taking me by force.

 Chapter 2- Not A Damsel In Distress

    <h4>Chapter 2: 2- Not A Damsel In Distress</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Hushhhh! Nobody will find out. Juste with me," the old man said, raising his hand for me to hold it, but I started shaking my head. He had an eye patch on, his old rusty clothes smell foul. He had some gray hair and the hand reaching me was subtly shaking too.


    "Fine, don¡¯te. But give him to me. He needs care," he continued, pointing at the baby I held close to my chest.


    "You will kill him," I uttered, my vision blurred.


    "I won¡¯t. Trust me, I¡¯ll keep him safe." his face started to contort into something uglier, his nails poking out like a monster ready to devour its prey.


    "No! No! I won¡¯t give him to you¡ªnot this time!" I yelled. A hard rock hit my cheek and I broke awake, sitting up panting and covered in sweat.


    The long brown oversized shirt with baggy jeans and no shoes made me look homeless. But that was how I dressed all the time, it was my style. With a hat that covered my hair, I have prevented myself from men¡¯s attention.


    I looked around and found myself in an unfamiliar ce. I was in a cage. There were many cages in the hall. The hall itself was huge, really¡ªwith high stone walls that looked like they were carved a long time ago. Everything felt old. The air was cold and smelled like metal and dust. It was quiet, the kind of quiet that made your skin crawl. The torches on the walls flickered weakly, casting shadows that moved like ghosts.


    The cages were lined up on one side of the hall, each one divided by thick iron bars. The metal was scratched and stained, and I didn¡¯t want to think about what had happened here before me.


    On the other side of the hall, more bars blocked the view outside. But through them, I could see where this hall was, probably in the woods. It was nighttime.


    The moon hung above the trees, glowing softly. The forest outside looked quiet and still, like it was holding its breath. Tall trees reached toward the sky, their leaves gently swaying in the breeze. And far behind them, mountains rose in the distance, dark and quiet, their peaks touching the stars.


    It looked peaceful out there.


    But sitting here in a cage, I felt like an animal who must be kept in chains.


    "Thank you for waking me up," I groaned tiredly, thanking the person sitting in the corner, barely responsive. He wasn¡¯t hurt or anything, he just seemed hostile. Dressed in all ck, with tattoos on the backs of both hands and a head full of ck hair¡ªthat was all I could see of him. But he wasn¡¯t my focus of attention. I was grateful he woke me up from a nightmare, but the real nightmare was still not over.


    I had heard about this ce. It¡¯s called the Transition Stage. This is where they bring the candidates who are being difficult.


    "What is your name?" I asked him, trying to fill in the deadly silence, "I am Clementine Stark." I introduced myself, realizing he probably didn¡¯t want to be here either.


    "Hey, can you get me that thing¡ª" I gulped, reaching toward his cage, gripping the bars with my hands and pointing at the small, very thin rod next to him. A small piece of broken debris from probably the cage had loosened over time and fallen in front of his cage. It could work in our favor. But the guy was so odd. He sat with his legs bent close to his chest, arms resting loosely on his knees. His fingers met in the middle like they were locked in thought, and his head hung low. There was something quiet about the way he held himself¡ªlike the world could fall apart around him and he wouldn¡¯t flinch.


    "I can open these cages if you get me that thin wire next to your cage," I whispered, making sure the others on the right were still asleep. It was just me and the silent guy awake. I was not the type to wait for someone to lead the way. I mostly came up with my own ideas and worked on them whether I had anyone on my side or not. But I needed his help tonight. He stayed quiet for a moment before turning his head to the left to look at the object I was pointing at.


    "Listen, I can pick locks. I¡¯ve done it my entire life. If you can help me get that, I can get us both out," I whispered in urgency.


    Not only was I still hurting from the arrows shot at me earlier, but I couldn¡¯t heal either as we have been given more wolfsbane after we were abducted from thefort of our homes.


    The silent guy finally stood up, and seeing how tall he was made me thank the Moon Goddess for putting him in the cage beside mine.


    He extended his arm out of the cage, and I was left with my jaw hanging at how long his arms were. He grabbed the wire and stared at it, head down, his hair hiding his eyes. He had a sharp jawline, so sharp I could¡¯ve used his jaw to open the lock, a thin chin, and full lips.


    His long neck had veins and an Adam¡¯s apple so prominent. I had never seen a guy so godly before. I wondered what his eyes looked like. He didn¡¯t lift his head as he strode toward me.


    He stopped right on the other side, and I gently stretched my hand out to take the wire from him. He towered over me, his presence radiating such a strange and mysterious aura. He finally lifted his head, and I almost gasped at the color of his eyes.


    They were a gorgeous shade of gray, like two glowing bulbs staring right at me. His thick ck eyebrows made him look even sexier. I couldn¡¯t believe I was thinking this.


    But Goddess, men are beautiful.


    "Take it," he said, and I nodded. His voice sent chills down my spine. It was notably low, with a rich, husky texture that felt raw and edgy. I grabbed the thin wire and reached for the lock.


    "Come on,e on," I muttered under my breath, pressing my skin against the cold bars, twisting the thin wire carefully inside the lock.


    I could feel his eyes burning, steady, watching me from the other cage. Part of me wanted to nce up, to meet that confident gaze. Instead, I straightened my shoulders and bit back a smirk. If I was going to be stuck here, I might as well get his attention. I wanted to impress him so badly at that moment.


    The lock clicked faintly, and I held my breath. One more twist and freedom felt just within reach. The hero act wasn¡¯t just for me anymore. It was for him, to show that I wasn¡¯t some helpless girl. I was the Alpha¡¯s daughter. And I¡¯d break out of this cage and save his gorgeous ass too.


    And then it happened, I opened the lock.


    "You¡¯re good," he said, and the way heplimented me in that deep, husky voice made my cheeks burn. I swear I was turning tomato red. I snuck out and stood in front of his cage, noticing how calmly he¡¯d been watching me. Even if he didn¡¯t want to be here, and that¡¯s why he was in the cage, he didn¡¯t seem in a hurry to leave either.


    "What is your name?" I asked in a hushed tone, opening his lock.


    "Ian!"


    That was all he said. Didn¡¯t even mention his rank or anything like most handsome men would do. Or maybe he wasn¡¯t trying to impress me afterall.


    Once I opened his cage, I stepped back and watched him get out. He was probably six-foot-seven, tall with broad shoulders and a slim waist, straight out of a manga.


    He walked right up to my face, dipped his head low, and gazed into my eyes before stepping to the side and walking past me. I followed him until we reached another set of bars to the outside.


    "The keys are hanging over there," I said, pointing at the wall on the other side of the bars.


    "But you¡¯ll have to jump through the bars and open it for me," I added, and he turned to me, scrunching his eyebrows.


    "I have wolfsbane in my system and I¡¯m injured. I don¡¯t think I can crawl this gate like you," I uttered. Ugh! I hated saying it out loud, and hated asking for help.


    It¡¯s usually me helping others. I¡¯m the one every girl at school woulde to when they needed help with the bullies. I¡¯d help them deal with those damn losers and cocky yboy jocks too.


    "Got it," he replied. He wasn¡¯t very talkative. He started climbing the gate, and I got a front-row view of his ass. He was perfect.


    The pants fit him so well. His long legs moved effortlessly as he scaled upward, and then he jumped down to the other side.


    "The keys!" I called, impatiently jumping up and down, pointing toward the wall. He looked at me, his gray eyes peeking through his ruffled ck hair and then at the keys. There was a moment of pause in his bodynguage where he was contemting something and then, he turned around to run behind the wall instead of grabbing the keys for me.


    "Hey! The keys!" I hissed, frowning.


    "He¡¯s fucking leaving me behind," I growled in disbelief, stunned and pissed.


    "Hey!" I called again, this time my patience crackingpletely.


    That asshole. He could¡¯ve helped me, but instead, he bailed? What a prick.


    Anger surged through my veins. If I couldn¡¯t leave, then I sure as hell wouldn¡¯t let him leave either.


    "Somebody stop him¡ªhe¡¯s escaping!" I screamed, running toward the right side of the hallway where some rooms housed resting warriors. I started banging hard on the doors, waking them up, before racing back to my cage to guide them toward the direction he ran.


    The warriors rushed out through the side doors, but at the same time, I saw the silent guy again, running back toward me with keys in his hand.


    "Huh?" I blinked, stunned, as he approached and started unlocking the door.


    "But the keys¡ª" I pointed at the set hanging on the wall.


    "They¡¯re fake. The real ones were hidden behind the wall. I had to go get them," he exined in that same deep, velvety voice.


    "But I thought you had left me behind," I murmured, covering my mouth when I noticed the warriors reaching behind him.


    He stopped. Slowly, he turned around, then looked back at me with betrayal burning in his eyes.


    "You fucking bitch," he grunted just before one of the warriors mmed a rod against his head, knocking him out.

 Chapter 3-Dorm Room Full of Exes

    <h4>Chapter 3: 3-Dorm Room Full of Exes</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Clementine Stark, I hope you¡¯ve made up your mind to cooperate," the headmaster of Ravecrest, the principal of the academy, said, his fingers tapping on the table.


    He wore a ck mask, his gray eyes shining from behind it. He was known as the Masked Principal. He was strong and powerful, but also arrogant and strict. That¡¯s what I¡¯d heard about him.


    He was tall, with broad shoulders and long legs. The ck suit he wore fit him like a character from a movie.


    "You will be sent to a guest room for now. We¡¯ve paired you up with some of the best candidates for the time being. Later, there will be a trial in the ruins which will decide your permanent squad for the rest of the year, before you are also sent to your dorm room."


    He had such a robotic voice, or maybe it was because of the mask covering his lips. But his presence made me nod, even though I didn¡¯t want to agree with him.


    Thest week had been so hard for me that I kept wondering whether I should keep resisting or switch to survival mode. After I messed up by being impatient, the warriors took the guy away, and I never saw him again.


    But I heard they were beating him nonstop to teach him a lesson. I was thrown back in the cage with the others, where they made us do hardbor during the day and left us locked up in the mountains at night, listening to the growls of monsters and ogres. Sleeping was nearly impossible.


    "Lurker! Take her to her guest room," he said, without moving a muscle, except for his fingers that kept tapping, creating a strange rhythm.


    The Lurkers were basically the guards, the ones who had brought me here. Or should I say, the ones who had kidnapped me.


    I stood up when the Lurker grabbed my arm and started pulling me away. Fighting was pointless. The ones who disobeyed were tortured in the worst ways.


    "Do you have a name?" I asked the Lurker, who didn¡¯t respond. Their mouths were covered, a ck mask hiding the lower half of their faces.


    They never spoke, never reacted, they only followed orders and observed us. Soon we were walking down a dark, long hallway with old-fashioned decorations on the tables and pictures hanging on the walls. He stopped in front of one of the many rooms and handed me a big, vintage key.


    "Ah! Still asleep, of course," I muttered to my wolf, still under the effects of wolfsbane. They had been drugging us to keep us under control.


    The Lurker walked away while I stood outside the room, sighing and staring at the key.


    "I¡¯ll be fine. Girls usually like me," I reassured myself.


    And it wasn¡¯t a lie. Since I wasn¡¯t your typical popr or girly girl, most girls didn¡¯t feel threatened by me. I was like a bro to them.


    With that thought in my mind and a lot of confidence, I swirled the key in the keyhole and opened the door to the room. As soon as I stepped in, I frowned. It was empty.


    There were three beds lined up against one wall, and the other three were on the wall with the door to the outside. The bathroom was on the side with no beds.


    I walked in and caught a whiff of cologne. That was the first shocker I¡¯d had. It was men¡¯s cologne. My heart skipped a beat as I looked around at the bags next to the beds.


    There was one pink bag, which gave me a bit of hope, but then the rest just seemed like trouble.


    "One, two, three¡ªthree sketchy bags," I muttered under my breath, counting the three bags that looked like something a guy would carry. One of the beds next to mine was empty.


    I had just put my bag down when I heard some noisesing from the bathroom.


    It was a girl gagging. My instincts kicked in, and despite calling myself an anti-hero, I rushed to help her.


    However, before I could storm in, the door opened and the girl in question walked out.


    "Ah! That was wonderful," she said with a satisfied look on her face, clearly not in any kind of trouble.


    Her long blonde hair was soaking wet, her pink skirt all rumpled. She was hurriedly fixing the tiny white top she wore when her eyesnded on me.


    "Ew!! What kind of guy are you?" she said, giving me a once-over.


    "I won¡¯t let you touch me," she added quickly, making me frown.


    "I¡¯m not a guy," I defended myself hastily before she thought I was some homeless dude trespassing. She looked me up and down before bursting outughing. I looked down at my baggy shirt and sweater and then at my shoes. What was sheughing about?


    "You don¡¯t look like a girl either. Those Billie Eilish clothes only work on her," she said, flicking me before walking off.


    "Really?" I grunted. Ugh! Why did she have to test my patience? I was known for having a bad temper, and she had just woken up the beast inside me.


    "At least I¡¯m not the one hooking up with some weirdos on the first day of meeting them," I snapped.


    As soon as I said that, I saw her eyes shift to something, or someone behind me.


    "She¡¯s calling you a weirdo," she snickered, making me gulp. I slowly turned around to face my new roommates, and just like that, I¡¯d already made a terrible first impression.


    But it wasn¡¯t just bad, it was much worse.


    The three guys walking out of the bathroom narrowed their eyes at me, then started exchanging nces with each other.


    Shit!


    What were the chances of that happening?


    In front of me stood a tall, handsome guy, all tinum blond hair, thick ck eyebrows, blue eyes, a sharp jawline, and high cheekbones. In other words, Alpha Troy Dusk. My best friend, well, once best friend, a good childhood friend who thought I betrayed him by leaking his secrets in high school.


    Beside him stood a tall, muscr guy with broad shoulders and a neck so strong you couldn¡¯t help but stare at it. He had gray eyes you could look into for hours, if you didn¡¯t know how awful he could be. His face had a tougher look, like he could be an MMA fighter or something. But he wasn¡¯t. I knew his past from when we were in school. The scar on his face was a reminder, I left that mark on him, and it never healed. In other words, Alpha Haiden Raze. Or better said, my crazy bully, who made my high school life a living hell until school ended.


    And then there was the other tall, handsome guy staring at me with his fists clenched. His hair was slightly messy, though he usually kept it neat. His green eyes with thickshes weren¡¯t his only striking feature. He had a mysterious look on his face, with a sharp jawline and fuller lips. The veins on the backs of his hands always stood out, and his muscr body showed even under his clothes. That was the redhead Alpha Yorick Bane¡ªmy toxic ex, who I dated for just a month before he broke up with me after using me of cheating.


    "Oh fuck, I¡¯m screwed," I muttered before turning around and sprinting toward the door. Escaping was all I could think of, but I wasn¡¯t as fast as their tall, 6-foot-6 plus, built-like-a-tank bodies.


    They ran after me, Troy mmed the door in my face, Yorick grabbed me from behind, and Haiden snatched the shoulder bag from me.


    "Look who¡¯s here¡ªit¡¯s Clementine fucking bitch," they said in unison, their smirks growing as they finally got their hands on me.

 Chapter 4-All Wet And Gagged

    <h4>Chapter 4: 4-All Wet And Gagged</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Give me my bag," I demanded, stepping back and away while they kepting at me.


    This bag was all that was sent with me. I didn¡¯t want to lose it. I didn¡¯t care about the clothes, but there were some things that reminded me of the family I once had.


    "Do you guys know her?" the girl in pink asked, checking her nails and shifting her weight to one leg.


    "She¡¯s the one who fucking got me kicked off the sports team by telling everyone I was using drugs," Troy hissed, but then the corner of his lips twitched upward into a smirk. He looked so handsome yet so nasty the way he was approaching me.


    "Well, you shouldn¡¯t have used drugs then," I shrugged, getting in trouble because of my foul mouth yet again.


    Troy pped the back of my head, but thankfully, I had tied the hat so well that it wouldn¡¯te off that easily.


    "Ouch! That is not very gentleman-like. A man should never hit a woman, no matter the circumstances," the girlined, watching Troy leave his fingerprints on my neck.


    "Riv, does she look like ady to you?" Troy quickly moved to her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his chest.


    She looked me up and down and then, with a snicker, shook her head.


    "No, we would never treat you this way because you¡¯re not her. No one can ever be a soul-sucking¡ªenergy-sucking¡ªstank-ass Clementine," Haiden said, making me clench my jaw at the way he was dangling my bag in the air. Yorick noticed and came at me, making my back hit the wall. The three of them looked like giants with broad shoulders and strong hands. Seeing theme at me all at once was terrifying.


    "Of course you¡¯d never treat her that way. You all found a good toy to fuck and keep your dicks wet and full," I hissed, remembering there will be no women or parties where they can enjoy the taste of a woman after we are sent to the North. I heard that after fighting monsters, the dorm mates would get crazy and look for ways to get steam off their bodies.


    And of course, Riv seemed so well put together that anyone would want to fuck her.


    As soon as she frowned and pulled his arm away after hearing myment, Troy stepped forward and pped the side of my head, leaving my ear ringing.


    The bell ringing for dinner broke the tension. Thank goddess I could get out of here and away from them. I nned to talk to the academy headmaster to ask for different roommates.


    They all shared onest look before Troy grabbed my head and Haiden took off his socks. All the while Yorick grabbed my arms to stop me from fighting back but the silent struggle continued. I watched Haiden ball one of his socks up and start to shove it into my mouth.


    I had no idea what they were nning, but his damn wet sock made me gag. Then they wrapped Riv¡¯s scarf around my mouth so I couldn¡¯t spit it out and tied my hands behind my back. I struggled the whole time, but they overpowered me. They didn¡¯t even care they were manhandling me in the worst way. Then, they dragged me to the bathroom and tied me under the shower.


    "You won¡¯t be getting any food tonight. You¡¯ll be going out to the ruins all hungry and weak," Troy hissed, turning on the shower over my head. The three of them gave each other a high five and left the bathroom.


    "Are you sure she¡¯ll be fine in there?" I heard Riv ask them, but I couldn¡¯t hear what they said in response.


    I stayed under the shower for a few minutes and then fell asleep. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time I had fallen asleep in water. My stepmother used to waterboard me all the time, and then she¡¯d leave me tied in a tub, where I¡¯d eventually drift off.


    But I woke up when the water stopped hitting my head. I opened my eyes and lifted my head to see a Lurker standing in front of me with a grim look in is eyes. He looked unimpressed. He removed the gag from my mouth and untied my hands.


    "I¡¯m just not very likable," I said once he pointed at the door.


    "Now? Where are we going? And am I not allowed to change my clothes first?" I asked, but instead of responding, he just grabbed my arm and pushed me toward the door.


    "Damn it, I¡¯m all wet," Iined, walking ahead of him. Once out of the room, I realized all the rooms had been emptied. It was already nighttime.


    "Are you taking me to thest ruins?" I couldn¡¯t believe the trial was already here. I was sleep-deprived, soaking wet, and starving.


    Fuck all my exes.


    The Lurker threw me into the back of a truck where others were already sitting. A few trucks had already left, and I¡¯m guessing the assholes rode those. After a while, we were knocked out with a sleeping gas and soon we had all drifted to slumber.


    I started to wake up to the noises around me. We were dumped into ditches together as roommates, with weapons lying in the corner. I was the first one to wake up since sleeping pills hardly ever affected me for too long.


    Loud howls echoed in the distance, waking up the others too. I was still rubbing my eyes when I saw the assholes stand up.


    "Everyone, we have to make it to the end of the grounds and stand behind our g," Troy said, making me look around at everyone¡¯s faces. I had no clue what they were talking about.


    "Was this something discussed at the lunch table?" I asked, watching them all turn to me. It was like every time I spoke, I ruined their mood.


    When I should¡¯ve been the one mad at them, they made me skip the tutorial.


    "She¡¯s our roommate?"


    However, a familiar yet distant voice from the corner hit me like a stab in the chest. As he stepped into view, I saw thest roommate¡ªthe one whose bed had been left empty¡ªstanding and staring right at me.


    "Shit," I cursed under my breath while looking at the silent guy, the one who fucking thinks I betrayed him.


    Ian from the cage.


    I was really deep in the ditch.

 Chapter 5-They Don’t Want Me In Their Squad

    <h4>Chapter 5: 5-They Don¡¯t Want Me In Their Squad</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    They were all staring at my face now.


    "What did you say your name was?" Troy asked the quiet guy, who kept staring at me with his eyes half open.


    "Ian," he whispered under his breath. His ck long hair was flowing with the wind, short leather gloves not hiding the fact that he had his fists clenched.


    "You know what this trial is about, right?" Riv asked him, since he had missed the dinner as well.


    "This is the final test before we get fully epted. There are ck gs ced around the field. The color ck represents our Squad. Some ogres, who were previously caught in the North, are roaming the area. Our goal is to collect all the ck gs without getting caught or killed by the ogres, and then reach the big ck g at the end. If we manage to collect the gs but can¡¯t make it to the big ck g, we can go under any other colored g and be roommates with the people who reached that g. You can have as few as one roommate or as many as six, but no more than that," he finished, exining it to me in the simplest way.


    He then looked at me and grunted, "I don¡¯t want her to be a part of our Squad."


    My body shuddered when their eyes shifted back to me. They all looked me up and down.


    "Let¡¯s see, we should just focus on our mission for now," Riv was the first one to sort of not disagree with Ian.


    I noticed the look Ian gave her. It was so deadly, as if not agreeing with him would make her his next target.


    "You want her in the dorm room?" Yorick asked her, making me roll my eyes at him. Ever since our breakup, he has caused problems for me. I couldn¡¯t even leave my packhouse for a run for a month because he would find me with his goons and bully me.


    "I mean, who else will do our chores? I heard we won¡¯t be given any room service. Don¡¯t we all need a ve?" Riv, who I thought was the only one with a little sympathy for me, cleared that misunderstanding too. She only wanted a ve for her royal self. Little did she know, I don¡¯t even do my own chores.


    "She¡¯s right," of course Haiden agreed. He would love to have me just to bully me again. I was his personal punching bag, I had always been one. Every time somebody crossed him, he¡¯d look for me just to take his anger out.


    Suddenly, we heard the heavy footsteps of an ogre nearby, and it hit us, we had been wasting precious time.


    "Okay, let¡¯s go," Troy announced, ready to climb the ditch. However, the first step I took, I stepped on my untied shoce and face-nted right between them.


    "She is so clumsy," Yorick groaned, others snickering at hisment. It wasn¡¯t a lie. I am a dumbass.


    I sat on my knees and pulled my foot forward, trying to tie my shoce. I¡¯ve learned things on my own. There was a variety of stuff I was good at, but tying shoces was definitely not one of them.


    I tried and tried, getting anxious as I watched Yorick climb the dirt wall and help Riv up. Haiden did it effortlessly too. And then there was Ian¡ªclimbing seemed to be his thing. One second, he was standing with us, the next, he was standing tall above the ditch.


    "Ugh!" I got up just as Troy knelt down and grunted, "If you¡¯re going to be a bad guy, be a bad guy and do your own shoces."


    I never asked him to help me. But just like old times, when he used toe to my packhouse before school and tie my shoces, there he was¡ªon his knees, tying them for me.


    Watching him do that after all these years was emotional, yet I had no tears in my eyes. He got up and hissed at me before walking over to the wall and climbing it.


    Did he still care?


    Well, I had no time to think about the past. I reached the wall and soon realized climbing was another thing I wasn¡¯t good at. Dust filled my lungs as I looked up at the steep walls of the ditch. The ground was loose, slipping away with every move I made. I had to climb out and fast. I was wasting time.


    It took me a few falls and many attempts to finally reach the top. I rolled over andy on my back, smiling in quiet victory when something caught my eye.


    I pulled myself out of the ditch, my hands covered in dirt. My arms ached, and my legs felt heavy, but I was out. The sun hit my face, and I took a deep breath.


    Then I saw him.


    The ogre!


    It was huge, taller than anyone I had ever seen. His skin was green and grey, and his muscles looked like big rocks under his skin. His eyes had a faint glow, and he looked furious. When he walked, the ground shook.


    My heart started racing. I felt cold inside, like fear was squeezing my chest. I knew I had to move fast and get to my feet.


    I saw the ck gs scattered around the field. They were mine. Other Squads were running too, each chasing different colored gs¡ªred, blue, green. But mine were ck.


    I started running.


    The wind hit my face, and dirt flew behind me. I saw the first g near a rock and grabbed it without slowing down. Another one was near a small tree. I reached it quickly, took it, and kept going.


    The ogre was close. I could feel him, even without looking. One of his arms swung near me. I ducked. The air from it was strong, but it missed me.


    I was frozen for a few seconds before the adrenaline hit me, and I realized, if I didn¡¯t run for my life, I¡¯d be dead, crushed by the ogre.


    I kept running, fast and light. My legs knew what to do. My hands grabbed g after g. I didn¡¯t trip. I didn¡¯t slow down. This was what I was good at. Running. Catching. Moving fast.


    Once I had enough ck gs, I decided to make a run for the big g. I had to cross the line and stand behind the cage wall to survive the ogre and be considered the sessor of the trial. But then I saw him running beside me.


    Ian.


    He looked different from the cage¨Cmore dangerous, more silent. His face was like stone. He didn¡¯t look at me, not even once. He had many gs in his hands. Of course he would make it to the finish line. The rule was clear: a total of 20 gs was the goal. Any fewer, and you¡¯d be thrown back out into the field. And this time, there wouldn¡¯t be another chance to collect gs.


    That¡¯s why the group discussion had been so important, everyone had to work together and only collect 20 gs total. I wasn¡¯t sure how many I had. Maybe more.


    That meant someone in our squad didn¡¯t have enough gs.


    My eyes went back to Ian He looked determined, but I knew he also hated me. It was my fault. I had misunderstood. I thought he was going to betray me, so I called the warriors. They locked him up. And now, here he was. In my trial. In my squad.


    My chest tightened. If he stayed with me, things would go wrong. He wouldn¡¯t trust me. Maybe he¡¯d try to get back at me. Or worse, we¡¯d fail, just because we couldn¡¯t work together.


    I had to do something.


    There was another g close by¡ªred. A few meters behind him. A red squad was already forming there. If he had enough ck gs, he could go with the red squad instead.


    My eyes darted forward. The ck zone line was right ahead of us.


    I didn¡¯t want to hurt him. I just wanted him out, since he wanted me out too. He stepped closer to me. Still no words. No expression.


    I ran forward like I had seen something important. My shoulder hit his, not too hard, not too soft. Just enough. It was on purpose.


    He stumbled.


    One foot back.


    Two steps.


    And then, he tripped¡ªright towards the red line.


    "What the fuck!" I heard Troy yell at me from the ck g line. He had seen me sabotage Ian.

 Chapter 6-My First Ogre Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 6: 6-My First Ogre Encounter</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "This bitch just pushed Ian over to the red g," Haiden screamed louder, already standing at the line with Troy.


    I suddenly stopped because of the way they were screaming and grunting at me. I had a feeling if I went near the line, they would push me back and not let me cross. I looked around in confusion¡ª Yorick and Riv were still not there.


    That¡¯s when I saw Riv in the distance. She was struggling, sitting on the ground with the gs in front of her.


    "What is she doing?" I asked myself, changing my n to go get her. She seemed too distracted to focus on the ogre. That wasn¡¯t good. She could get killed.


    "Riv, what are you doing?" I yelled, running towards her. The ogre was busy trying to squash others when I reached Riv.


    "I don¡¯t have the gs," she whispered, making me sit down and quickly count hers. She had only 3 gs.


    "Wait," I started to count mine.


    "I have extra," I said, watching her eyes light up with hope. "Here, take the rest. Now you have¡ª15." I watched her smile return, but then another worry hit her.


    "I don¡¯t have the rest," she said, staring at the ones in my hands. And then, without a second thought, she lunged at me.


    I didn¡¯t expect that. She got on top of me, trying to snatch the gs from my hands. She punched me in the face, but I didn¡¯t hit her back. I didn¡¯t want to hurt her, even when she gave me a split lip, but I had to protect myself. I used my strength to push her away from me. She stumbled backward. I didn¡¯t mean for her to fall so hard.


    But there was a ditch right behind her. I had no clue we had rolled a few times and reached the ditch. She slipped and fell into it.


    I heard her scream and my body went on alert. I got up and ran to the edge. She was on the ground, holding her leg, clearly in pain.


    "Help me!" she shouted, reaching up to me.


    Even after what she did, I couldn¡¯t leave her behind. I understood she was just desperate. I climbed down a bit and gave her my hand.


    "Come on, hold my hand. Just climb, and then together we can find you the gs. We still have five minutes," I yelled, shaking my hand to get her attention. It would be easy to get gs unless Ian had the spare. He wouldn¡¯t share them with anyone, not after I pushed him into the red g.


    But when she grabbed my hand, something felt wrong. She didn¡¯t pull herself up, she pulled me down.


    I gasped and almost lost my bnce. My chest hit the dirt, and my legs started to slide. She wasn¡¯t just asking for help. She was trying to pull me into the ditch with her. The ogres in the distance were going crazy too.


    I tried to pull back, but she kept holding on tight. I looked at her face, she looked scared, but also wild, desperate. She knew I was slow at climbing, and maybe she thought if I went down, she could take my gs and climb up instead.


    "Riv, what are you doing? I can help you get the gs," I yelled, trying to make her understand that betraying each other wasn¡¯t the right thing to do at that moment.


    "I can¡¯t risk it. I¡¯ll climb if you give me your gs," she screamed back at me.


    That¡¯s when I heard it, the ground shaking, the heavy steps.


    An ogre wasing.


    I looked up and saw its shadow getting closer.


    "Riv, it¡¯sing," I said, fear carved into my heart as panic hit me. I was shaking my hand, trying to pull her up, but she kept pulling me down instead.


    I didn¡¯t know what to do. The ogre hade so close. I felt my knees go weak from fear. I had never seen anything so deadly before. As sweat covered my face, I looked at Riv to have onest word with her.


    "Please, Riv, we¡¯ll both die," I begged.


    "Then give me your gs," she hissed angrily. "I¡¯m going to die anyway if I don¡¯t have any gs."


    It shocked me because to her, it was only about her own life. She didn¡¯t want my help to find gs. Her idea of survival was to steal my gs and leave me in danger. Even if I gave her my gs, the others would never share their spare ones with me, but they would be happy to help her out.


    Then I realized I had to save myself. I¡¯m no hero!


    With my free hand, I reached down and pinched her wrist hard, right where the muscle is soft. She screamed and let go. I pulled myself up, shaking, and crawled away from the edge just as the ogre stepped into the ditch.


    She was still down there, staring up at me, her face full of fear. Then the ogre blocked my viewpletely.


    I turned my back as I heard a loud scream echo through the air.


    And then¡ª she was gone.


    I couldn¡¯t move for a moment. I just stood there, shaking, not knowing what I had done. I didn¡¯t want her to die. I just wanted her to let go.


    But it was toote.


    I got to my feet, my eyes on the big clock in the air, showing I had only two minutes left now. My running was much slower this time because of the grief.


    Desperation can be a real killer. She didn¡¯t want to understand that she had to clear this trial on her own, and not by dragging others down with her.


    I sprinted, and finally, here I was. I reached the finish line with my head down and tears blurring my vision. I expected them to push me out, but once I crossed the line, I dropped to my knees. And after steadying my breath, I realized¨Cthey didn¡¯t push me out.


    But why?


    That¡¯s when I heard it.


    The voice I thought I had left behind:


    "She killed Riv."


    I raised my head and saw them standing around me, but my eyes were locked on Ian, who had somehow managed not to cross the red line and had made it back to the ck g.


    "She killed Riv."


    And then the words hit me.


    I was being used of killing one of us by all four of the alphas.

 Chapter 7-Ganged Up By The Alphas

    <h4>Chapter 7: 7-Ganged Up By The Alphas</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Ugh!" Yorick burst open the door ahead of everyone, storming inside and throwing his jacket against the wall. Troy brushed past me, clearly aggressive. I almost tripped because of him.


    Next in line was Haiden, who gave me a deadly re as he stepped in and stood by the door. His bodynguage was hostile, a clear sign of the threat in his presence.


    While I hesitated and stayed by the door, Ian stepped into the room.


    I was afraid of what would happen to me once I got in there. They willsh out like crazy. Looking around the hallway, watching other troupes hug each other to celebrate their survival and admission, I sighed and finally stepped into the room.


    As expected, Haiden mmed the door shut behind me, and my body jumped from the noise. I pulled my arms close to my chest, shaken by the sudden sound.


    All eyes were now on me. Haiden stepped in front of me, cursing under his breath. The fury in his eyes was unmistakable. If he could, he would¡¯ve devoured me alive right then and there. Even swallowing my saliva down my dry throat hurt.


    "You pushed me to the red line. What did you expect to happen? That I¡¯d just leave the squad?" Ian starteding at me. He was so tall, I looked like an ant next to him. "Fuicking botch," he grunted, his hands tight in a fist, making the others scoff as they realized I had messed up even worse on the ground.


    "It was an ident," I said hesitantly, noticing how they all stared at me.


    "Her voice gives me a headache," Troy muttered, the same Troy who used to ask me to sing for him when we were kids.


    "Oh, it was an ident?" Ian asked, putting his hand on me as he pushed me back. "I wonder if I¡¯m good at such idents too. Be careful what¡¯sing your way now," Ian added, and it suddenly made sense to me. This was exactly why I wanted him out of the room. But now, standing among these men, each of them hating me for one reason or another, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder why my stupid brain didn¡¯t work in time. I should have stood under another g because getting Ian out wouldn¡¯t have saved me from trouble anyway. There were three more who hated me the most.


    Yorick, who had been grunting with his hair clutched in his fists, finally turned around and grabbed my shirt by the neckline, mming my back against the wall without warning.


    "Argh!" A groan escaped my lips from the pain, but he shook my body by the grip on my shirt, forcing me to focus on him.


    "You killed one of us. Give us one good reason to trust you when we¡¯re up north fighting monsters?" he hissed in my face. I noticed the color of his eyes.


    There was once a time when I used to stare into those eyes and be madly in love. He was so kind back then, but everything changed. And he med me for it.


    Now, there was nothing but hatred in his gaze. They weren¡¯t even treating me like a woman. They didn¡¯t see me as one.


    "He¡¯s right. What¡¯s going to stop her from betraying us at such a sensitive time?" Ian, with his own grudge against me, added fuel to the fire. Yorick¡¯s grip on my neckline tightened.


    "She fucking killed an innocent girl," Haiden kept shaking his head, looking disgusted as he pointed at me.


    "I didn¡¯t. I offered her help. She didn¡¯t want my help, but instead, she wanted all my gs," I tried to exin, but Yorick gave my shirt another harsh jerk, and I fell silent.


    "What makes you think we¡¯ll believe anything thates out of your nasty mouth?" he hissed in my face, making me swallow my tears.


    "I know her¡ªand I know she would never offer help to anyone. She definitely stole her gs and left her to die in that ditch," Troy yelled, stepping up like he was ready to punch me.


    "I say we get rid of her," came Haiden¡¯s voice, and I wasn¡¯t surprised.


    My eyes moved to Troy, who was now under everyone¡¯s watch, waiting for his reaction.


    "Or we could just get her killed the first day up north," he finally spoke. His hatred for me had crossed all the lines the others had already crossed.


    "Say something. Beg us to let you go," Haiden screamed from the side while I stayed silent, my body tense. Every now and then, I blinked the tears away, but not once did I beg them to let me go.


    "She thinks she¡¯s too strong. She¡¯s the man," Yorick chuckled in my face, tossing me so hard Inded on one of their beds.


    They all rushed over, standing around the bed, not letting me get off.


    "Hmm, she likes being a man?" Ian joked, looking me over from head to toe.


    "She does. She hates it when someone points out she¡¯s a woman, even though she identifies as one. She doesn¡¯t like being feminine, or the idea of being in love and loyal. Somehow, she thinks it¡¯s insulting," Yorick said. I had no idea what he was going on about.


    This was the kind of bullying they did to me. I never got upset about being called a woman. But it was true, I didn¡¯t want to serve any man or mate.


    "Ah! Then how about this¡ª" Haiden smirked, "She¡¯s our ve in the room and a fellow crusader outside."


    I watched them smirk and share secret nces, as if there was a deeper meaning to what he¡¯d just said.


    "You wish," I hissed under my breath.


    "Oh, you will too. Look, it¡¯s not easy to have any fun once you¡¯re a Crusader. We won¡¯t have women around. We had Riv¡ªshe was down to get dirty with us, but thanks to you, she¡¯s gone now," Yorick hissed, making it very clear why he was so angry that Riv had died.


    "But you¡¯re here. And we don¡¯t care how ugly or filthy you are, we just want pleasure. So, make up your mind. If you want better treatment, you know what to rub¡ªlike a geniemp¡ªand your wishes will be granted."


    He smirked, his hand brushing over his groin as he finished his sentence.


    I started hyperventting. The thought of serving men for pleasure, something I had always been against, was now being pushed on me as a means of survival?


    All their faces showed they agreed with Yorick.


    Thankfully, I didn¡¯t have to voice my disgust right then, because a loud sound from the speaker pulled everyone¡¯s attention.


    "Crusaders, you will now be transferred to the Ravecrest Academy Dorm rooms, from where you will begin your missions up north. You have five minutes to gather your belongings."


    With that, the door burst open and in came the Lurkers, making sure everyone was getting ready.

 Chapter 8-Alpha Ex, You Betrayed Me.

    <h4>Chapter 8: 8-Alpha Ex, You Betrayed Me.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The Ravecrest was in the middle of a quiet, magical forest. In the center was a big ss hall where students would eat lunch and dinner. This main hall shone in the sunlight and glowed a little at night.


    From this hall, there were long hallways that went out in different directions, like a spider¡¯s legs. Each hallway led to a big dorm room where the students slept and lived. The building looked modern, but it felt a little mysterious, like it had secrets.


    Under the ground, there were special rooms for the teachers and the principal. These underground rooms were quiet and hidden, and students were not usually allowed there.


    "I¡¯m taking this bed. It¡¯s closest to the door," Yorick jumped onto the bed of his choice, dropping his bag at the entrance and eyeing me to pick it up.


    I stared at his bag, then at the others. They had picked their beds too. Mine was the lonely one next to the door to the verandah. I didn¡¯t mind. The outdoors looked nice.


    The dorm room was big andfortable. There were six beds in the room, ced along the walls with space between each one. The one empty bed belonged to Riv. Between every two beds, there was a small window that let in sunlight and fresh air. In front of each window stood a dressing table, where students kept their things.


    Under each bed, there was a trunk where students stored their clothes, books, and personal items. At the end of the room, there was arge bathroom that everyone shared. One side of the room had a big verandah where I intended to sit a lot, and looked out at the trees in the forest. The room felt warm, friendly, and a little magical. But the roommates did not. The ck and grey themed tiles with the modern design honestly made it look more like a resort than a dorm room.


    "Pick it up," Yorick ordered, making me clutch my bag tightly and not obeying him. I was thinking about what the consequences could be for pissing him off. What could he do that would be worse than being stuck with them and then going out on missions with them?


    "I¡¯m not your ve. Get your ass up and pick up your own bag," I hissed, hopping over his bag and reaching my bed.


    I sat down and started taking off my shoes, but I kept them in my peripherals. They were all sharing nces. I slowly raised my gaze to stare at Troy, he was gesturing to Yorick with his eyes.


    Yorick finally understood what Troy wanted him to do and got off the bed. That¡¯s when I started to feel uneasy¡ªalert, even.


    Yorick began pacing, taking off his belt, and then suddenly lunged at me. He wrapped the belt around my neck and yanked me off my feet. Inded on the ground, my hands gripping the belt, trying to loosen it from around my neck.


    "You think I can¡¯t make you obey?" Yorick pulled the belt tighter, making my neck stretch and my eyes water.


    "You shouldn¡¯t have disobeyed me," Yorick hissed, chuckling as he made me follow his gaze to Troy, who had gotten up from the bed with a smirk on his lips.


    "She has a weakness, you know," Troy said, making my heart skip a few beats.


    "Tell us," Yorick insisted.


    Ian stayed leaning back against the pillow on his bed, a coin between his fingers that he kept flipping.


    Troy walked over to my bed and grabbed it. My eyes, teary from pain, now had real tears in them.


    "She¡¯s got pictures of her beloved brother and mother in this little filthy sack of hers," Troy announced, making the others burst into cacklingughter, causing my ears to ring.


    "Don¡¯t you dare," I warned them as they unzipped my bag and pulled out the photo album. That was all I had left of them. I could stare at the pictures for hours, and somehow, I would never get bored.


    But the looks on their faces told me they had discovered something important against me.


    Did my reaction give it away?


    No!


    The ex-best friend I had shared everything with exposed my secrets with a smirk on his face.


    "Now every time you misbehave, we¡¯ll take these and won¡¯t give them back until you promise to behave," Troy warned me, the album dangling from his hand.


    I just stared at his face, feeling likeva was erupting inside me. It¡¯s true¡ªyour biggest enemy is often your ex-best friend, because they know all your secrets.


    "No! That would be too easy," Haiden disagreed. He snatched the album out of Troy¡¯s hands and started ripping the pictures apart.


    "No!" I screamed, but Yorick tripped me and pinned my hands behind my back, kneeling on me while my neck was finally free from the belt.


    My heart shattered as I watched Haiden mercilessly tear the photos from the album whileughing louder than a monster.


    "Hey! Don¡¯t do that. We can use it to make her obey," Troy yelled, trying to grab the album back, but in came Ian. He had been watching everything with amusement in his eyes until Troy protested.


    Ian jumped off the bed and blocked Troy from grabbing the album.


    Haiden tore them apart while I screamed and cried, unable to push Yorick off me.


    "You fucking bastard¡ª" I cried out, "Ahhhh! I¡¯ll kill you."


    The pain I felt in that moment was so overwhelming that my ears started ringing.


    Yorick¡¯sughter behind me, Haiden¡¯s cackling, Troy yelling, and my own cries all blended together. I was losing my mind.


    Haiden then dropped the torn pieces and stepped on them.


    "You fucking prick, I didn¡¯t tell you to do that," Troy finally shoved Ian aside and confronted Haiden.


    "Why not? Don¡¯t tell me you secretly want to impress her by saving the album after you exposed her weakness to us," Haiden snapped with his usual bully posture, bumping his shoulder against Troy¡¯s.


    "You two, knock it off. We¡¯re not fighting each other over this she-wolf," Yorick finally got off me to break up the argument.


    I reached out, trying to grab the torn pieces, but Ian stepped on my hand.


    "What? You really think you can still save these?" he hissed, picking up the pieces before I could.


    He took long strides toward the bathroom while Haiden and Yorickughed, watching me get to my feet and run after Ian. Troy just stood there, shaking his head like he was trying not tough at my condition.


    "Fucking give them back to me," I yelled, reaching into the bathroom and warning him, but I froze when I saw him holding the torn pieces over the toilet, smirking like he was ready to flush them.


    "Give them back to me. That¡¯s all I have of my¡ªmy mother," I said through clenched teeth. I hated how every time I showed strength, people tried to break me. They couldn¡¯t handle seeing me so confident.


    "Say please?" Yorick whispered from behind, walking into the bathroom with his hands in his pockets.


    "Please," I said, shutting my eyes and forcing the word out.


    Yorick leaned against the wall next to Ian, a smirk tugging at his lips.


    "That¡¯s all? Shouldn¡¯t we ask for something more?" Haiden barged in, looking proud of himself, Troy beside him. Troy was still on their side, but he was the only one not smiling.


    "Please give them back¡ªto me," I added. I would rather die than beg, but these pictures were my weakness. My mother and brother were my weakness.


    "Take off this baggy shirt and show us what makes you a woman," Haiden demanded, and the others nodded. Tears began to sting in my eyes.


    They seemed to have made it their mission to break me. The oversized shirt was my way of hiding, a silent message that I didn¡¯t want men to look at my body.


    "Or these are gone," Ian warned.


    Now they were all watching me. None of them had seen my body before, not even my ex-boyfriend.


    Our rtionship had been short and difficult, never going beyond one cursed kiss.


    With a heavy heart and a hollow sense of defeat, I grabbed the hem of my shirt and lifted it up to my neck, revealing my breasts with my eyes closed.

 Chapter 9-The Unforgiving Alpha

    <h4>Chapter 9: 9-The Unforgiving Alpha</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    There was utter silence in the bathroom. I knew they were watching my breasts before Troy sighed and pped.


    "Okay, enough. It¡¯s not like anyone here is interested in this skunk. People get naked all the time before their transitions," he stepped ahead and stood in front of me, his back facing me.


    "Yeah, right. She must be thinking we¡¯re desperate," said Haiden, scoffing and walking past me. I let go of my shirt, and it covered my body again.


    "Let¡¯s not give her false hopes that handsome alphas like us could ever be satisfied watching her body," Yorick added, leaving the bathroom. To be honest, theirments helped me feel better. It made me feel like nothing wrong happened here.


    "Give her the pieces back. Let her sit and tape them together, and only then will she realize how hard it is to pick up the broken pieces and fix them," there was a deeper meaning behind Troy¡¯s words. He saw me as someone who had wronged him.


    Betrayed him.


    His hatred for me came from the past we shared. The rumors that ruined his life for a while were no small thing either, anyone would turn bitter.


    I stood with my hands down, eyshes wet.


    As soon as Troy walked past me, I sighed and expected Ian to return the pieces like the others had asked him to.


    "You know, betrayal leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, like medicine does. But sometimes, giving someone a taste of their own medicine is important," Ian¡¯s voice still sent goosebumps through my body. It was so deep and heavy, like a broken robot talking.


    But his actions were far worse than his creepy smile. He parted his fingers, and the pieces started falling into the toilet.


    "No!" As I screamed, I heard the others rush in behind me. Ian didn¡¯t waste a minute before flushing the toilet.


    I sat on my knees and watched the pieces flush away while little sobs escaped my lips.


    "What the fuck, Ian? We made a deal with her," in came Yorick, yelling at Ian.


    "You did. I didn¡¯t. I just did what she had done to me," Ian responded, not even a little guilty as the others looked at him with judgment in their eyes. This is why I wanted him out of our room.


    "Fuck you," Troy joined Yorick. I didn¡¯t care what they were doing behind my back, but I could tell they weren¡¯t happy that Ian went against them. This was what a typical alpha mentality looked like.


    They would even turn on each other if the time came. And I could tell Ian was the one who would be responsible for such a disaster. I closed my eyes and got up from the floor, and they all went silent. Then I ran the tap and washed my face in the sink.


    They all silently watched me as I cleaned my face, dried it, and then walked out of the bathroom like nothing had happened. Crying in front of them would mean to give them the satisfaction that they can twist my life and hurt me.


    They came out as well, taking their beds. The sight of them was angering me, but I was holding it all in, pushing down the rage that could ruin everything.


    That night was the hardest one to get through. I tossed around in my bed, had nightmares about losing my family pictures.


    The thing was, they didn¡¯t know, but Troy did. He knew what those pictures meant to me and had told the alphas, but he couldn¡¯t control them.


    It was obvious Ian wasn¡¯t someone who forgets or forgives easily.


    The next morning, I was up before them. So I took a shower, tied my hair in a tight bun, and wore a hat. Then I slipped into a gray oversized shirt and baggy, knee-length shorts.


    Today was the first day of training. There were other groups in the dorms on the other side of the academy, but we were told not to talk to each other until the announcement. It wasn¡¯t more like training but fighting to survive for everything that never seemed like a luxury before.


    The academy was built with legs spread out with a passage, each wing had an open corridor and a dorm room at the end. So it wasn¡¯t really possible for groups to run into each other anyway.


    Even the meals were served separately to every group.


    After we were all ready, we sat on our beds in silence. Nobody spoke.


    Then the Lurker arrived. He didn¡¯t have to say a word, just pointed his finger at each of us, one by one, and then toward the door.


    We all got to our feet, but the minute I tried to stand in line, Haiden pushed me out and took my spot. In the end, I was thest one in the line.


    We were taken into the mountain forest, where a podium had been set up for us.


    Yorick reached it first, standing behind it and holding a piece of paper.


    "It¡¯s the first day. The training is simple. All of you will start running and reach the finish line before the others. There will only be one winner. The rest wille back to the same spot tomorrow morning and every day until the next announcement, and practice their sprinting speed," Yorick smirked as he put the paper down.


    "Guys, did I tell you I used to y basketball in high school?" he smirked, reminding me of our time together. I remembered, even if the others didn¡¯t.


    "Huh, let¡¯s see who wins," Haiden scoffed, probably getting a shback of always ying for our high school and winning on the football team.


    I stayed quiet. None of them knew that when it came to sprinting, they couldn¡¯t beat me.


    And that¡¯s where I nned to take them down.


    "So what? We should just start?" Troy had his hands on his waist, looking around. I guess, like me, they expected the row before us to be filled with teachers, or whoever they were that would train us. We had expected a proper marathon setup. But there was nothing here.


    Yorick came and stood with us in line. "Maybe we¡¯ll get a clue what to do."


    This academy was nothing like we had imagined. There were no clear instructions, just these masked men¡ªsilent Lurkers everywhere. Even when we asked them questions, they wouldn¡¯t respond.


    But the minute we formed a line, the Lurker raised his arm into the air, pointing at the sky with the gun in his hand. The guys around me crouched down at the starting line, fingers pressed to the dirt, one foot forward, hips raised, every muscle tight and ready tounch, while I stood still like a viewer.


    As soon as the Lurker fired the gun, the guys began to sprint like their lives depended on it. I stayed behind, looking around briefly. My instinct told me we weren¡¯t as alone as we thought we were.


    I gave the guys a head start.


    And then, with a smirk on my lips, I started running.

 Chapter 10-Big Bad Alphas, Bigger Crybabies

    <h4>Chapter 10: 10-Big Bad Alphas, Bigger Crybabies</h4>


    <strong>Clementine: </strong>


    <i><strong>At age 1:</strong></i>


    "Look! Clementine is running. How?"


    A voice eximed, shocked that instead of taking my first steps, I was already running.


    <i><strong>At age 10:</strong></i>


    "Clementine has run away¡ªsomebody catch her!"


    Loud screams erupted as I ran through the crowd, nning to go rogue at such a young age.


    <strong><i>At age 15:</i></strong>


    "That bitch has run away again. Call the warriors, fucking catch her!"


    Their words echoed in my ears, but I kept going. The council had changed the rules, no one was allowed to go rogue. If anyone wanted to leave the pack so badly, they would be enlisted into the academy instead. But I wasn¡¯t bound by the rules.


    <i><strong>At age 18:</strong></i>


    "How the fuck did she pass us?"


    It was Haiden¡¯s ego taking a hit as I ran past all of them, leaving them behind.


    I have had experience since I was a child. Every few months, I would try to run away from the pack. But I would always get caught, not because I was slow, but because they used all sorts of weapons to stop me.


    The wind screamed in my ears, but I didn¡¯t care. It felt like it was carrying me. I could smell the trees, the damp earth beneath my feet, the wildness of the forest all around me.


    "Ugh!"


    I heard a grunt beside me, Yorick was catching up. My legs burned, my chest ached, but I didn¡¯t slow down. The others were behind me. I knew they were fast, maybe even stronger, but I was faster. I had to be.


    I ducked under branches, jumped over roots, not letting anything stop me. Leaves pped against my face, stinging my skin, but I kept going. I had to take out my anger on them for what happened yesterday. I channeled all of it into winning this race.


    But as soon as Haiden started catching up on my left, I got the feeling they weren¡¯t just trying to pass me. I was right, the moment Haiden tried to bump me with his shoulder, I reacted quickly and moved to my right.


    That¡¯s when I identally collided with Yorick. He had no idea it wasing and couldn¡¯t save himself. He was sprinting so fast that one bump sent him crashing into a tree.


    "Shit," I cursed under my breath, slowing down to check on him.


    "You fucking slut!"


    The way Yorick got up from the ground and yelled at me made me rethink my next steps. He clearly didn¡¯t need my help, and he definitely misunderstood what happened.


    So I spun around and sprinted forward again. By that time, Haiden had ran far ahead of us after he cheated.


    This time, I had to run, because a mad alpha was chasing after me.


    I don¡¯t even think Yorick was trying to win the race anymore. I felt himing up behind me, his fingers nearly brushing the back of my neck as he reached out to grab me.


    That¡¯s when I closed my eyes and ran faster than I ever had before.


    I¡¯m not good at running once someone starts using violence. But I had to break that cycle.


    I could see Haiden far ahead, and my only goal was to beat that asshole. Yorick should be going after him, he was the reason I bumped into Yorick in the first ce.


    In the next few seconds, everything turned silent around me. I left Yorick far behind, his grunting finally fading away, and now I was catching up¡ªno, passing¡ª Haiden.


    Anger kept flooding through me, blinding me.


    They had given us wolfsbane with breakfast so we couldn¡¯t use our wolf¡¯s power. Everything we had in this race came purely from our human bodies.


    But I wasn¡¯t as weak as everyone thought I was.


    I saw Haiden ahead of me, his back moving quickly as he ran, his feet pounding the earth. I pushed myself harder until I was right behind him. My legs were on fire. I could easily pass him, but I wanted revenge. He wanted to hurt me, so I wanted to do the same now.


    I waited for the perfect moment. Just as he lifted his foot, I moved fast, swung my leg forward, and kicked the back of his knee.


    It wasn¡¯t hard, just sharp enough to make his leg buckle.


    "Fuck!"


    He shouted and stumbled, falling to the side. I didn¡¯t look back. I just ran past him, heart racing, eyes on the finish line. I smirked even harder when I heard him cussing behind me.


    "Fucking cunt!"


    His sharp British ent actually made meugh. And just as I reached the finish line, back at the podium, I raised my arm high in the air, and flipped him off with my middle finger.


    I finally slowed to a stop beside the Lurker, bending over with my hands on my knees to catch my breath. While doing so, I spotted Ianing in second.


    That was¨Cshocking. He was such a silent, creepy guy. Not once had he panted or grunted during the race, and we hadn¡¯t seen him once. Where the hell had hee from?


    He came to a sudden stop just after crossing the podium. Third was Yorick, then Troy. And inst ce¡ªwas Haiden.


    Their first move after finishing was to charge at me. Haiden and Yorick rushed me fast enough to make me instinctively step back. Haiden grabbed my shirt and yanked me up from the ground, my feet lifting off the floor.


    Yorick came from behind me, his massive frame making me shiver as he ced a heavy hand on the back of my neck. I flinched, it always tickled when someone touched me there.


    "How fucking dare you sabotage my victory?" Haiden yelled in my face, making me squint my eyes against the force of his voice.


    "Your victory?" Iughed, and that only made him angrier. He shook me roughly, trying to snap my attention back to him.


    "You attacked me!" he yelled, conveniently forgetting he was the one who started it.


    "She did the same to me," Yorick added, pping the back of my neck. I closed my eyes as my skin burned from the sting.


    "So, you¡¯re the sore-loser type?" I said, smirking. "It¡¯s okay, I won¡¯t tell anyone that two big Alphas lost and then couldn¡¯t take defeat with grace."


    I didn¡¯t know why I couldn¡¯t shut up once I started talking. Even while hanging in the air, an Alpha behind me pping the back of my neck repeatedly, I just couldn¡¯t stop arguing.


    "Are you fucking serious¡ª" Haiden started to scream, and at the same time, Yorick pinched the back of my neck.


    But then we all froze.


    The sound of a gun clicking cut through everything.


    Silence.


    Haiden slowly lowered me to the ground, his eyes shifting to the side. I followed his gaze, and saw the Lurker pointing a gun at him, gesturing for him to put me down.

 Chapter 11-An Alpha’s Golden Shower

    <h4>Chapter 11: 11-An Alpha¡¯s Golden Shower</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I widened my shoulders when I noticed the others stepping to the side, creating distance between us. Now that I knew the lurkers weren¡¯t just silently watching but were meant to intervene if things got messy, I grew confident.


    "Yeah, back off, loser," I hissed. Haiden just turned slightly to give me a very quizzical nce. After that, he started facing the lurker again.


    Those four alphas stood there as if their egos had just been crushed. Maybe they really had. They wanted to bully me everywhere, so they didn¡¯t like the fact that the lurker checked them.


    The lurker stepped forward and handed me something silently. Everyone watched as I held a ck, shiny card.


    "Dinner card," I said, raising my head and staring at the lurker, who, I knew, wouldn¡¯t exin anything to me.


    I turned it over and began reading something written on the back. It was the directions to the main building hall, where I could enjoy as much dinner as I pleased.


    "Does that mean I get to eat dinner in the main hall with the others?" I jumped up and down excitedly, asking the lurker, who once again gave me the silent treatment.


    "Why does she get to enjoy special dinner while we¡¯re fed rice, one piece of chicken, and some fruit?" Haiden hissed, instantly killing my celebration.


    "We¡¯re big guys. Why are they feeding us so little and giving that opportunity to a girl who doesn¡¯t even need to eat at all?" Yorick snarled, jaw clenched, his deadly re scanning me from head to toe.


    The lurker began to walk away, almost like he expected them to follow. I stayed behind, holding my card with a smile so bright it could blind someone.


    "Yes, yes, yes! My first ever victory!" I sang, dancing a little, until I quickly fixed my posture after noticing the lurkers still watching.


    Even when I sprinted, I saw lurkers everywhere. It was clear they were there to make sure no one tried to run.


    Another lurker stepped in front of me and turned around. I knew he wanted me to follow him, so I did.


    He led me straight to the main building. As soon as I stepped onto the beautifully tiled stair, the ss door opened, revealing a vast hall.


    Paths stretched out from the center like a spider with many legs, leading to what looked like bedrooms.


    I took a deep breath and looked around, spotting only a few students with cards like mine in their hands. I guessed they¡¯d won, just like I had.


    They all walked silently around the buffet with tes in their hands, dressed perfectly.


    One stood out: a blond guy with blue eyes, the typical popr type, wearing a jersey and shoes that screamed rich.


    Whoever sent him here must have actually said goodbye with some luxury.


    But there was one thingmon about all of them: none of them were talking to each other. So I guessed it was an unspoken rule? I didn¡¯te here to socialize anyway.


    I grabbed a giant white te from the side and started filling it.


    A girl with blonde hair and pink highlights turned briefly to examine my te, and that was the only time I felt a hint of shame. But then my eyesnded on the king crab.


    No way that bad boy was escaping my grasp tonight.


    I came from a rich family, but luxuries like this were always forbidden to me. I was usually under some kind of punishment or timeout, so I missed out on all the good things our world had to offer.


    But tonight, I had rightfully earned this meal.


    There were tables ced at a distance from each other, all spaced apart. I chose the one near the window.


    The entire main building was one big hall with ss doors and windows. From where I sat, I could clearly see the passageways stretching out.


    "Okay, time to go in my belly, baby," I whispered, grabbing the crab leg and cracking it open. I dipped it in butter, and the very first bite made me feel like I was in heaven.


    "Ummm yummmm," I moaned out loud.


    When I opened my eyes, everyone was staring at me. The girl in particr looked like she was about to throw up.


    I didn¡¯t bother looking at her again and kept my head down, devouring the food. There was so much dessert, I tried everything. By the time I was done, my table was filled with empty dishes and piles of crab shell.


    I was the happiest I had been in a long time. There is nothing better than good food.


    Around 8 p.m., the lights started to dim, and we knew we had to head back to our wings. I rushed to my passage, and the moment the door opened, I ran into the open corridor.


    The fresh breeze felt amazing against my skin after that feast.


    It had probably only been a week since I was abducted from my home, but during that week, they¡¯d only given us biscuits. Starting today, they said we would receive rice, one piece of chicken asionally, and some fruit, one meal a day, until further notice.


    I felt relieved. But as the distance between me and my room began to shrink, a familiar tension crept in, the same kind of anxiety I felt around the alphas. I chalked it up to our earlier argument at the test ground.


    As I got closer to the room, a foul smell filled the corridor. Then my eyesnded on something horrifying. I should have known they wouldn¡¯t let this go so easily.


    I stepped closer to the bag lying on the ground, its contents spilled out. I didn¡¯t even need to examine the clothes, I knew they were mine.


    "Ughhh!"


    I felt all the food rising in my throat. My bag, and all my clothes, were soaked in pee.


    Tears began to form in my eyes. Tears of anger and rage. First, they shredded the pictures of my family. And now this.


    What the heck do they think of themselves?

 Chapter 12-At Their Mercy

    <h4>Chapter 12: 12-At Their Mercy</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The feeling of being controlled was what had pushed me into rebellion in the first ce, and now, just when I thought I could finally be free, these sick-in-the-head alphas started messing with me?


    I stormed into the room, tears still streaming down my cheeks, and to my surprise, the assholes were asleep. I looked around and checked my bed. It was wet.


    I couldn¡¯t be sure if it was pee, there was no smell, but the sheets and pillow were definitely damp.


    "You assholes like wetting things, don¡¯t you?" I muttered, shaking my head.


    I rushed into the bathroom and filled a bucket with cold water. I ced it silently near Haiden¡¯s bed, then went back for two more.


    Once all three buckets were ready, I grabbed the first and stood between Haiden and Troy. Without hesitation, I tossed the freezing water on them.


    "What the fuck?!" both of them yelled as they jolted awake, dripping and confused.


    Before they could even react, I had already thrown the second bucket onto Yorick and was moving toward Ian with the third.


    But all the yelling and chaos had already woken him up.


    Just as I raised the bucket over him, he rolled and sat up, and grabbed my wrist and yanked it down, tipping the freezing water onto me instead.


    "Ahhh!" I screamed, soaked and shivering.


    But Ian wasn¡¯t finished. Through the mess, he caught my arm and twisted, spinning me until his back was towards me. Then, in one sudden motion, he pulled me over his shoulder.


    My feet left the ground.


    I flew through the air andnded t on my back with a loud thud¡ªon his fucking bed. And then he came on top of me, pinning me in ce.


    "What the fuck," I grunted, feeling my heartbeat rise in my chest. I didn¡¯t expect him to fight back so hard. In my mind, I thought I would throw water on them and that would be it, we¡¯d be even. But I forgot that people like them don¡¯t believe anyone will ever fight back.


    "Hold her down, she wants to get people wet? She¡¯ll learn how it feels to be wet," Yorick shouted, mming the door shut and locking it.


    In the next few seconds, I realized: I was stuck under Ian, and I couldn¡¯t move.


    "You all wet my stuff. You peed on my bag," I managed to say, but I couldn¡¯t stop staring at Ian. He was tall and broad, his body strong. He held me down so easily.


    "Get off me," I tried to say, but my voice was weak. His face was close to mine, and his gray eyes were so bright it felt like I was looking into a light. But it wasn¡¯t just his eyes, his scent made me feel uneasy. Something about it wasn¡¯t right.


    There was something strange and intoxicating about his scent. It felt like I was falling into a deep, endless pit. My body was reacting in a strange way.


    He was lying on top of me. His strong, masculine hands had grabbed my delicate wrists and pinned them to the bed. I couldn¡¯t move. My chest was pressed tightly against his.


    It felt strange, like something was about to happen between us. Lying with him in his bed like that, feeling his body over mine, and the way he held my hands down, it was driving me crazy.


    And I didn¡¯t like this feeling at all.


    I had spent my whole life staying away from men, always careful not to let myself get close or attached to anyone.


    So why him? Why was I feeling this way about someone who used to bully me?


    I was angry at myself for feeling anything at all.


    "Don¡¯t let her go. She needs to pay for her disrespect," Haiden hissed, digging through something in his closet.


    "She ruined our sleep. This bitch will get to rest till morning while we¡¯re out there taking the trial test, remember?" Troyined, as if they weren¡¯t the ones who started it.


    "She¡¯s always a problem," Yorick added.


    "As if you didn¡¯t all wet my stuff. You¡¯re disgusting. What are you, a dog?" I shouted, but when Yorick made a fist from across the room, I went quiet. I realized the more I spoke, the worse it got for me.


    "I¡¯ll scream for help if you don¡¯t let me go," I warned Ian.


    He raised one thick eyebrow, his eyes dropping to my lips. Then he leaned in, not to kiss me, but moved toward my ear. His voice was deep and soft, almost like velvet.


    "You¡¯re going to scream anyway," he whispered.


    My skin broke out in goosebumps. But before I could react, Ian moved off me. He wasn¡¯t letting me go, though. I froze as I saw Haidening toward me. He shoved something into my mouth, then pressed duct tape over my lips.


    While I struggled, I heard something Troy said.


    "Guys, be careful. Don¡¯t be too rough. Don¡¯t leave bruises on her."


    His voice sounded more worried than angry. I¡¯d known him since we were kids, I could tell when he cared about someone, and when he was just scared for himself. This time, it felt like he was worried about me.


    But I couldn¡¯t trust him. Not anymore. I saw it in his eyes, he was still going to follow their orders.


    "Mmmph!" I screamed through the tape and kicked hard, but Yorick grabbed my legs and pinned them to the bed.


    Ian had stepped back. He stood near the wall, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. The room was so dark that the glow from the cigarette was the only light. I could see the smoke curling in the air as he exhaled.


    "Now, Troy," Haiden ordered.


    Troy came over and pulled me up from the bed, just enough to tie my hands tightly behind my back. I kept struggling, twisting and trying to fight them off. But once they tied my legs together too, I realized it was over.


    I was trapped. Completely at their mercy.

 Chapter 13-Tossed Over The Alpha’s Shoulder

    <h4>Chapter 13: 13-Tossed Over The Alpha¡¯s Shoulder</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The three stepped back, standing side by side with Ian, who offered them cigarettes. They all epted, except for Troy.


    "What are we going to do with her now?" asked Haiden, looking at me with fury in his eyes. They were all shirtless, except for Haiden. He wore a gray sleeveless shirt that was nowpletely soaked, while the others disyed their abs proudly.


    "The longer she stays with us, the more annoyed we¡¯ll be. Besides, look at her, what¡¯s she even got in here?" Haiden stepped up and stole the dinner pass from my pocket, hissing at it.


    "You know she won because she cheated," he continued, scoffing and shoving the card into his shorts pockets before turning his attention back to his shirt. He casually walked over to his bed and pulled out his bag from underneath it, grabbing a dry one.


    "She used to cause trouble back when we were in school," Haiden went on, forgetting that he used to bully me and everybody else too. He took off his wet shirt, tossing it aside and revealing his abs.


    "But I never understood why she never took off her hat. It was as if it was glued to her head." He had a shirt in his hand, but instead of wearing it, he stood with the others around me, tall and dangerous.


    "Troy, you were her best friend. Why don¡¯t you tell us why she never took off her hat?" Yorick asked Troy, and my eyes moved to him. His shorts were dragged so low I could see a V running down his crotch. I instantly looked away from Troy. It was meaningless to admire these men. They were only good looks¨Cstrength wasted on assholes.


    "You were her ex¨Cbest friend once?" Ian asked, puffing smoke into the air.


    "Unfortunately, yes," Troy replied.


    For a moment, I went back in time and remembered the amazing moments we had when we were kids. I wondered what happened to him. How did a guy who was once so caring turn so evil towards me? Maybe peer pressure, or maybe he realized choosing me over the other students wasn¡¯t worth it.


    "She didn¡¯t have hair, so she used to hide her bald head under a hat," Troy exined, and the others pretended like it was funny shit.


    "I guess she still doesn¡¯t have hair. Probably just a few patches here and there. She never had hair on her head like a normal person."


    But Troy didn¡¯t seem to mock me when remembering my condition.


    Which was a lie I had told him. I never told him I could grow hair, that it was my stepmother who always shaved my head so her daughter would look better than me.


    "Anyway, what do we do with her?" Haiden asked. It seemed like none of them actually found it that funny, so they got over it almost instantly.


    "I know what we can do," Yorick smirked, making my heart skip a beat. Whenever he bit the inside of his cheek while smirking, I knew he was plotting something evil.


    "You know where the Lurkers are stationed?" Yorick asked the three, and they nodded.


    "I have a list of their duty posts," Ian said, exhaling smoke and forming circles in the air. His voice was just as rough as always.


    "Good. Carry her. She¡¯s in for a long, long night. Let¡¯s show the academy that their transition-stage topper is really a coward," Yorick hissed, gesturing at Haiden, who walked over to me and knelt down to my level.


    "You know what¡¯s tomorrow? Our wee breakfast," he whispered, taking a puff and exhaling the smoke into my face. I coughed internally and turned away.


    "But you won¡¯t be there. And you know why?" he smirked, looking both devilishly handsome and cruel. "Because you¡¯ll be in prison¡ªfor trying to escape like a coward."


    My heart skipped a beat. My eyes darted from face to face, searching for even a flicker of hesitation, any sign that someone might object.


    My best friend of years, who I thought might show even a little sympathy, nodded in agreement. I hadn¡¯t expected anything from the others, but Troy? When he nodded too, it hit me like a punch to the gut. I realized I¡¯d wasted my time being friends with him.


    And then there was Ian. He looked way too happy, like he was floating on clouds. Leaning against the wall, one leg bent, foot resting against it, cigarette in hand, he watched everything with a sick kind of satisfaction.


    "Carry her. Throw her across the border. And make sure you knock her out before untying her hands and feet," Yorick added. Haiden tilted his head slightly, as if giving it a moment¡¯s thought. Maybe he¡¯d remember how brutal he¡¯d already been to me, and realize doing it again would be unjust.


    Or maybe not.


    "Why should I do it? I¡¯m no one¡¯s bitch," Haiden snapped, making Yorick nce at Troy, then at Ian.


    "Then let¡¯s vote," Yorick said, and they all stepped into a circle, except for Ian, who stayed leaning against the wall, smoking.


    "Who thinks I should go?" Yorick asked, his expression unreadable.


    Haiden was the only one who raised his hand.


    "Who thinks Haiden should go?" Yorick asked.


    All of them raised their hands. Even Ianzily lifted his hand to shoulder height and waved at Haiden, who clenched his fists.


    "Fine. But remember, I won¡¯t forget this," Haiden muttered.


    Of course Haiden would take it personally. He always did. He could bully everyone around him without blinking, but the second someone joked at his expense, he¡¯d lose it and beat them bloody. He had always been the worst of them all, and the principal never did a thing.


    But the moment I did something about his bullying, I became the viin.


    "Come on, be in good spirits. Who knows, after we get rid of her, maybe we¡¯ll get a much sexier roommate?" Yorick said, wrapping his arm around Haiden¡¯s shoulder in a mock-seductive tone.


    "He¡¯s right. They¡¯ll probably assign us a new roommate since we¡¯ve already lost Riv and now this one," Troy chimed in, while I shifted my shoulders, trying my best to loosen the ties around my legs or arms.


    "Alright, one condition," Haiden said, smirking darkly. "Whoever the new she-wolf is, I get to hit on her first."


    He said it like it was some kind of game. Like my safety, my life, didn¡¯t matter at all. Once I was found across the border, the Lurkers and the Headmaster wouldn¡¯t care how I ended up there. The rules were simple: protect yourself, or face punishment.


    "Deal," Yorick said, and the others echoed it, sealing the agreement like it was just another twisted joke.


    Then Haiden turned toward me.


    "Say goodbye to this nuisance, guys," he said before lifting me over his shoulder.


    Haiden carried me out of the dorm room, heading straight into the passage where the Lurkers patrolled.

 Chapter 14-Did Someone Say ‘Mate’?

    <h4>Chapter 14: 14-Did Someone Say ¡®Mate¡¯?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "You know, when I used to see you in school, I¡¯d feel this itch in my fist that wanted to connect with your face. You had such an annoying existence, wearing baggy clothes to look cool when, in reality, you were insecure about your body because you weren¡¯t like all the other hot girls," Haiden hadn¡¯t shut up this whole time. But he never got tired, not even for a moment. Not once did I hear his breath hitch while carrying me.


    He was moving forward like he had a stic bag over his shoulder while I was pretty curvy. And no! I was never ashamed of my body. I didn¡¯t want boys¡¯ attention. I hated the idea of bing someone¡¯s second¡ªor sixth¡ªmate. And it was inevitable; every man had many mates. So if any alpha felt the mate bond with me, they would reject me with one nce. That was my n all along.


    And if it was someone else, probably a gamma or omega, they wouldn¡¯t want me either. I didn¡¯t want anyone anymore. I just wanted to be left alone.


    "You had such a punchable face," he snickered, stopping briefly to raise his head. "Ah, it¡¯s a full moon¡¯s night," he sighed. "What a life. I¡¯m stuck carrying a sack of potatoes on my shoulder while alphas my age are attending a ball to find their mates."


    He had no clue I was not interested in his sad and pathetic life. I knew most of them didn¡¯t want toe here, but they had no choice. Some of us, though, we were dragged here.


    He finally reached the border with the red barbed wire and started chuckling.


    "Ah, Clementine, it was nice meeting you."


    In one fell swoop, he tried to throw me over the barbed wire, but he missed, and Inded on the wires, my eyes shooting open in pain.


    "Oh shit," he grunted, instantly trying to lift me up. Pain exploded through me. It was sharp, raw like fire tearing into my skin. I couldn¡¯t breathe. The metal bit into my arms, my back, my legs, holding me there like it wanted to rip me apart. I could feel the blood, warm and wet, soaking through my clothes. Every little movement made it worse. I wanted to cry out, but all that came was a gasp because my mouth was still covered.


    "Shit, shit," he cursed again when he couldn¡¯t carry me. One of the sharp silver points was sticking near my ribs, making me close my eyes from the pain. Then I saw him, his face pale, eyes wide with panic. He didn¡¯t mean to do this; it looked like that from his expression. But it didn¡¯t matter, because he did it.


    "You are always a trouble," he muttered, and sadly, I heard him over the pounding in my ears. Every time he touched the wire to move it, it dug in deeper. I winced, taking a deep breath since I couldn¡¯t even scream. His fingers worked fast, but I could hear the hissing sound of his skin burning from the silver¡¯s effect as he tried to bend the barbs away from my skin. I felt every tug, every twist of silver.


    One by one, he pulled the wire off me, careful not to drag it deeper. My body felt heavy, torn, and burning, but I stayed still. Then, finally, with onest pull, the wire let go. I copsed into his arms, weak and bleeding, but free.


    I didn¡¯t even realize I was on top of him at this point. But the minute I did, I noticed how he had been staring at my face shamelessly. And then, he forcefully rolled me off him like he was disgusted by our touch.


    "Ugh! Why? Why do I have to be the one to deal with this cursed little piece of shit?" he got up and startedining.


    "You know what? I should just toss you over and be done with it," he pointed a finger at me while I sat on the ground, ring him down. I was bleeding and in immense pain, but no way was I going to cry in front of a shithead like him.


    I watched him get annoyed with me and run his hands through his hair.


    "And what¡¯s up with this dirty hat and that weirdly sticking-out some strands of hair over your eyes? Is it true you cannot have a head full of hair? You think you look cool? You look like a wannabe man."


    And suddenly, he was roasting me for my looks. The short hair sticking out from under my hat onto my eyes were my bangs. I let them fall to conceal my eyes.


    I would almost stitch my hat to my head, just to make sure it never came off.


    "Now now, what do I do? I should leave you bleeding on the other side," he mumbled to himself. But after a few seconds of convincing himself, he came back to me, tossing me over his shoulder.


    But this time, I started moving too much and slipped off his back. He turned around quickly and wrapped his arms around my stomach, lifting me off the ground.


    "Nah, bitch. You¡¯re going out. If you don¡¯t, the hot one won¡¯te," he hissed, wrapping his other arm under my legs and throwing them over the wire.


    When I jerked my head up quickly, I must have hit his chin. I heard a little gulp from him.


    "Fuck!" heined, his tongue between his teeth. "You stupid, clingy bitch."


    He turned me around and grabbed my baggy sweater by the cor, clearly trying to confront me when our eyes met.


    The cold wind blew between us, brushing the hair from my eyes for a brief second so I could look straight into his eyes.


    The ground beneath me seemed to shake. The wind howled, but all I could hear was his heartbeat, louder than mine.


    And then, in a very gentle, soft tone, I heard it.


    "Mate!"


    My eyes mirrored the reaction in his, widening with shock.


    He pushed me back and stepped away, shaking his head as he pointed at me.


    "No! No, no! This is a mistake. That can¡¯t be," he said, instantly panicking, his fear and disgust pouring out at the mate bond we just felt.


    He wasn¡¯t alone in feeling disgusted.


    I was beyond pissed off and angry. After trying so hard not to find a mate¨C I had finally found one¡ªin the face of my bully.

 Chapter 15-I Am Done With The Alphas

    <h4>Chapter 15: 15-I Am Done With The Alphas</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Moon goddess, why?" I had sat down while Haiden had beenining to the moon goddess for thest five minutes.


    This was the first time I was in tears as well. Even the bleeding and silver hadn¡¯t hurt this badly.


    Exactly, I wanted to know too. Why? Why did she do that to me?


    "I¡¯m going to throw you over there so that you die from excessive bleeding. I¡¯ll be rid of a mate¡ª" He gagged after he mentioned us being mates. He clutched his chest, gagging repeatedly until he turned to the side and started throwing up.


    Honestly? Same.


    I wasn¡¯t hurt that he didn¡¯t want me as his mate. I shared his sentiments. We should have never even been roommates, let alone mates.


    It was just so fucked up.


    "But it¡¯s alright. You know why? Because my next three to four fated mates will be better ones," he nodded with a forced smile on his lips. He was good atforting himself. But what about me?


    Women never got two mates. Maybe a second-chance mate after rejection. but the moon goddess had always been stern with us. If we left our mate, our second-chance mate would be messier.


    So Haiden was right to think he still had a chance.


    "If I leave you here, will you be kind enough to never return?" He made me roll my eyes. and it got to him.


    "I¡¯m giving you a chance to go out there and escape me. Do you understand me?" He hunched down in front of me, his finger pointing at my face.


    "If not, then you¡¯ll have to fulfill the duties of a mate. Are you ready to do that?" He made sure I felt it when he locked eyes with me.


    While Haiden was busy fighting a whole war with the moon goddess, I was sitting on my ass, my hands tied behind my back, my fingers working quietly to pick up something sharp from the ground.


    I began to untie my hands, but didn¡¯t show it. I acted like I was frozen in pain. That¡¯s why I stayed still.


    "You will not tell anyone, you promise?" He knelt beside me again. This time, his eyes showed more rage than ever.


    With my eyes, I gave him a silent reassurance that I wouldn¡¯t tell anyone. Which wasn¡¯t a lie. Why would I tell anyone?


    "Good. Then I¡¯ll now let you out on the other side, from where you can run away. You didn¡¯t want to be part of this academy, no wonder you were in the transition cage. So I¡¯m giving you a chance to run," he said, yapping nonsense.


    He really thought I believed his words.


    This alpha in front of me was about to toss me over barbed wire into a world where I wouldn¡¯t even survive alone. Not only that, I¡¯d be chased by the academy lurkers until they found me, and killed me.


    And who would survive after having their limbs tied, no weapons, and no means of defending themselves against the unknown?


    "Okay then, let me toss you over," he said in a much calmer tone this time. As soon as he hunched down to grab my arm, I attacked him.


    He wasn¡¯t expecting that from me, so I was able to catch him off guard and push him back. When he tried toe at me again, I grabbed some soil in my hands and tossed it into his eyes. I then booked it back toward where we hade from.


    When he was carrying me and yapping out of his mind, I was actually memorizing the path he was taking. I heard him groan for a while before it wentpletely silent. I had left him far behind.


    ¡¯And where exactly are we headed now? Do you think the others will let us into the dorm room?¡¯ My wolf had been so silenttely that when she finally spoke up, she spooked me.


    ¡¯Jeez, Mint, ring a bell before you show up,¡¯ I said, taking heavy, deep breaths while not slowing down.


    ¡¯Sure, I¡¯ll send a telegram next time. Why aren¡¯t you letting me transition to heal you?¡¯ she asked, probably wondering why I was running in so much pain when I could transition and help ourselves.


    ¡¯You asked me where I¡¯m going, right?¡¯ I finally stopped when I had arrived at my destination. It wasn¡¯t the dorm room. It was the main building.


    ¡¯I¡¯m going to have a word with the headmaster of the academy. I¡¯ll show him my wounds and request a room change. I cannot be in the same room as them anymore.¡¯


    I was determined to get them out of my sight. Once I was in another room, I was sure my interaction with them would be minimized.


    ¡¯Are you running from our mate?¡¯ Mint asked, making me grunt at her.


    "Duh¡ªand all the other psychos," I replied, reaching over to the hall¡¯s window and knocking on it as hard as I could. The minute I did that, the main circr hall started to light up. It looked like a crab¡¯s head, with its legs spreading out to the dorm rooms.


    I stepped back when I noticed a Lurkering my way.


    "I just need to speak with the headmaster," I started to back down when I realized he wasn¡¯t in a good mood. He was hostile, marching straight toward me.


    "Look, I¡¯m hurt," I hastily raised my shirt to show my t stomach, and he stopped. I hated showing my body to anyone, but right now, I was reporting bullying, and I was determined to do it the right way.


    "I just need to speak with the headmaster," I repeated myself, watching him slowly step back and pull out a mobile-like device. It had a few buttons, which he pressed. The rms of the main hall deactivated. Then he hit another button, and the door to the main hall opened. With a hand gesture, he let me in.


    He continued walking and led me to a basement behind the kitchen counter. I took a deep breath and stepped after him, realizing there was a whole different world in the basement.


    I hade this far to finally tell the headmaster about the boys, and well, it did not seem like I was very wee when I saw about 3 women and two men standing with their arms folded, watching me.

 Chapter 16-The Ringleaders

    <h4>Chapter 16: 16-The Ringleaders</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The floor was dark and smooth, like stone. One wall was made of ss, but I couldn¡¯t see anything behind it, it was just ck. Like a cave. Or maybe a screen.


    On another wall, real green nts were growing. The lights above were purple.


    The tables were simple, ck and shiny. The chairs looked soft and new, like they were made from a single piece of material. Everything looked like it belonged in the future.


    In the corner, a coffee machine made a quiet sound, like it was breathing.


    There were no papers. Just t screens¡ªtablets¡ªon the desks, each one glowing with a color name.


    It didn¡¯t feel like a ce for teachers to rest. It felt like a ce for nning. Watching. Hiding.


    But there were five rooms, each with a color name glowing above the door.


    My attention returned to the men and women standing before me. They had masks on their faces, wearing colored gowns, just like the ones I¡¯d seen everywhere. I could already tell the colors represented each dorm room.


    "What are you here for?" one of the teachers in a ck gown stepped forward.


    They had made me sit quietly in a chair, but it made me feel even more out of ce, especially as they all remained standing, watching my face.


    "I¡¯m here to speak with the Headmaster. To request a change in my dorm room," I said.


    They went silent for a moment. Then, the one in the ck gown took off her mask. My heart stopped when I saw the kind face behind it. She was a redhead, a woman in herte thirties with small, curly red hair. She had beautiful green eyes, and her thin lips wore soft pink lipstick.


    "Why? Do you not want to be in my squad?" My heart flipped again when she spoke without the mask this time. Her voice was very gentle, and so were her eyes.


    "I¨CI didn¡¯t know we would have teachers," I said, unsure of how to address them. The guards were called Lurkers, the principal was the Headmaster, the students were Crusaders, but what were the teachers called?


    "I am your Ringleader," she said with a smile. "Now, tell me, why don¡¯t you want to be a part of my squad?"


    The others began to walk away, as it no longer concerned their squads. But the fact that she already knew I was in her squad made me wonder why all the screens were lit.


    They were watching us, every moment.


    "Because of the bullying," I spoke softly, and she pouted, cing a hand over her chest.


    "That¡¯s so bad," she said sympathetically.


    Just then, another woman returned, the one in the red mask. She removed it and tossed it aside, folding her arms over her chest.


    "What kind of Crusader is afraid of a little bullying?" she said coldly, making my Ringleader groan and turn to her.


    The red color masked ringleader one had long, straight ck hair. Her eyes were nearly empty, withrge dark pupils that swallowed the whites. Her lips were fuller, her skin paler, and she was noticeably slimmer too.


    "It wasn¡¯t a little bullying. They were going to toss me over the border tonight. Look!" I stood up suddenly and lifted my shirt.


    My Ringleader gasped. The other woman raised a brow. Of course, I had a bra on, but I could tell it wasn¡¯t the wounds that had made her react.


    "You¡¯re a girl?" she asked bluntly, and I slowly pulled my shirt back down over my stomach.


    "It doesn¡¯t matter. She could be an elf and still be getting bullied. I can¡¯t believe my squad is doing that," my Ringleader hissed in her soft, high voice.


    "Please, I want to change dorm rooms," I pleaded, pressing my palms together. "I have a history with these boys. I can¡¯t be in the same dorm as them. Please."


    "I understand," my Ringleader replied in her gentle, airy voice.


    "Does that mean I¡¯ll get to be in a different room now?" I asked, a little too eagerly.


    "Rue, don¡¯t promise anything," the one in the back warned, finally giving a name to the ck-masked woman, and to the beautiful face of my Ringleader.


    "Lenora, it¡¯s fine. She¡¯s getting bullied. Look at her injuries," Rue argued, then turned her head back to me.


    They were both so tall, I wondered if they were regr werewolves like the rest of us. Easily standing at 5¡¯9".


    "We¡¯ll speak about the room change issue at the Wee Breakfast in the morning, okay?" Rue said kindly.


    She was so gentle, I actually felt bad for asking to leave her room. She would have been a perfect Ringleader. And I felt even worse for the Red Squad. Their Ringleader¡ªLenora¡ªseemed very strict.


    "But¡ª please, can you not mention that Iined? Can it be done in a way that feels like a natural change?" I requested, not wanting any attention on me in the future.


    "Well of course, don¡¯t worry," Rue said gently. "You can sleep in the guest room for the night."


    She pointed at a brown door, and I gave her a nod in thanks. She didn¡¯t offer any first aid, and I didn¡¯t ask. We weren¡¯t supposed to be fragile little princesses here, maybe that was the reason.


    So I didn¡¯tin either.


    I walked over to the brown door and entered, finding nothing but brown walls and a white mattress on the ground. I fell asleep almost instantly, too excited for the morning to arrive, when I would finally be moved to a different room. A lot had happened tonight, but I didn¡¯t want to think about it. I didn¡¯t want a mate. And nothing was going to change that.


    Morning arrived, and I was woken by a harsh knock on my door.


    It was a Lurker.


    He didn¡¯t say anything, just made me follow him out of the basement. I¡¯d hoped to see my Ringleader again, but I guessed that wasn¡¯t in the schedule for today. Still, I was excited. I would be in a new squad. Maybe I¡¯d finally have space to breathe, and time to heal.


    But when I stepped out of the basement, my jaw nearly hit the floor.


    All the Crusaders were already there, wearing their own clothes, no specific uniforms. The noise in the hall was loud, filled with casual chatter. But the moment I walked in, everything stopped.


    They all turned to look at me.


    My eyesnded on my dorm mates. The three Alphas were standing together, and all three snapped their heads around to re at Haiden.


    I could read his lips clearly.


    "I tried to kick her out, but¡ª"


    So that¡¯s what he told them? That he had gotten rid of me sessfully?

 Chapter 17-I Am A Snitch And They Hate Me

    <h4>Chapter 17: 17-I Am A Snitch And They Hate Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Troy started to shake his head while Yorick clenched his jaw. Ian had been ring at me, and as for Haiden, he had much stronger emotions than the rest of the three. I was awkwardly taking small steps, refusing to join my squad at the table. They all had dishes full of amazing food before them.


    I got to see the Red Squad and the others, but I couldn¡¯t focus on any faces for the moment. I guess they were all surprised to see mee out of the basement as well. It was definitely something. I then looked to my left and saw the ringleaders standing in a line with masks on.


    "Pleasee here," Rue called out thankfully, and I let out the breath I had been holding back all this time. I wanted it to flow naturally, but this would do as well.


    I reached her and stood beside her. This wasn¡¯t the first time I was anxious about all the eyes on me. The girls from the other squads had their noses wrinkled in disgust. The boys were whispering and pointing too, almost like they wereughing at me.


    Miss Rue took off her mask, and everyone went silent. I noticed others taking off their masks too. I so badly wanted to watch everyone¡¯s faces, but I had to stand straight for the announcement of the change in my dorm room.


    "I am really sad to say, one of my squad members will be reced with another crusader. We are making a little shift in the squads, so if anyone wants to be a member of the ck Squad¡ª" Miss Rue was announcing when she was interrupted. I had been so happy until her words were shut down.


    "Actually, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea. If we do it for her today, tomorrow others will startining too. This ce is not for children, so one must be able to bear the consequences of their actions or face hardships to survive. Isn¡¯t that the whole meaning of this ce? To train them to survive, instead ofining?"


    As expected, it was Lenora speaking. She had toe in between and ruin it for me.


    My heart started to pound, my eyes on my dorm mates, who were just watching me like they were waiting for me to be back in the dorm room with them.


    "But she is getting bullied¡ª" Miss Rue shut up, remembering my request. But not Lenora.


    "She is getting bullied," Miss Lenora announced, and everyone started to speak in whispers. "It is true. Her dorm mates tried to toss her over the borderst night. It is quite a shameful act, and they will be taking extra chores topensate for their actions. Yes, that will be their punishment. But she will not be ced in another dorm room. Maybe she should also reflect on herself, and ask herself why she is getting bullied. We are not here to protect you like you are some children, you are crusaders. You are here to protect others, to protect our kind from the monsters of the North. So, no! There will be no changing of the dorm room. And her dorm mates will be punished. For now, go ahead, take your seat with your crusaders."


    She was so stern and blunt.


    She said all that in one breath, making me lower my eyes in embarrassment. I never thought I¡¯d say this, but I badly wanted to change her facial structure.


    I started to do my walk of shame among the students, reaching my table. There were a total of five squads with five ringleaders.


    Once I reached my dorm mates, I sat down without lifting my head.


    "Hmm, what are you? A child?" Troy grunted at the fact that I had gone as far as toin about them to the ringleaders. That had probably never happened before.


    "She got us in trouble," said Yorick.


    "Everyone, please enjoy your breakfast. At lunch, we will tell you exactly what our schedule will be from now on," Lenora continued, while Miss Rue started to reach our table.


    I felt so embarrassed. Almost everyone had watched mein about my dorm mates. It was called snitching¡ªthat¡¯s what the crusaders called it. I heard they didn¡¯t like snitches.


    "I hope you guys enjoy your meal. And be kind to her, Okay." She ced her hands on the table and hunched down, making me look at Yorick staring at her face a little too deeply. He was a fucking teenager with horny genes and nothing else in him.


    "Treat her right. The injuries you guys gave herst night will stay with her until she transitions, which will take a few days to a week. So, I¡¯m expecting good treatment from you all toward her."


    She was so kind in the way she spoke to us. In fact, the other crusaders had been staring at her with wishful eyes as well. I guess everyone adored her.


    "We will, miss¡ª?" Yorick straightened his back, adjusting his shirt.


    "Rue Dawson," she uttered, giving him a smile like a motherly figure gives to a child.


    Once she walked away, I dug my head down and restarted finishing my food. I could be desperate, stressed out, or badly wounded¡ªone thing I cannot stop myself from doing is eating good food.


    Thankfully, we weren¡¯t allowed to speak to each other or the other crusaders, so breakfast was done in silence.


    We were then asked to return to our dorm rooms for now. I was hesitant to be alone with them again because I knew such gentle advice wasn¡¯t going to work on them.


    The minute I entered the dorm room, I found the alphas turn to question me.


    "You fucking bitch, you wouldin about us?" Haiden took the lead, rushing at me and mming the door shut behind me, making my back hit the door.


    "You fucking gave her injuries,"


    However, a little crack in their newly formed alliance against me showed when Troy yelled.


    "What?" Haiden turned to face him, even confusing me.


    "They said she has injuries on her body. We did nothing. What the fuck did you do to her?" Troy continued,ing at Haiden, who I could tell was surprised by the confrontation.


    "Did you put your hands on her?" Yorick questioned, squaring up as well.


    I was not expecting that.


    "Someone has to clean her wounds though."


    Through all the tension, there was one alpha who was creepily waiting for his turn to speak up. And once he did, he rightfully filled my skin with goosebumps.

 Chapter 18-I Hate My Mate

    <h4>Chapter 18: 18-I Hate My Mate</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    "What?" I turned to look at Ian in disbelief. When the hell did they start to care for that sack of potatoes?


    They had beenining about her this whole time. They talked about how much they hated her and how she was the reason we didn¡¯t have a hot girl in our dorm room, and suddenly they were worried about her well-being?


    These hypocrites.


    "I said, someone should clean her wounds. Come on, Clementine, take off your shirt and show us where he hurt you."


    It was when Ian exined hisment to us that I began to realize what he was trying to do.


    He was the only one who didn¡¯t show fake care for her, unlike the other two. The look on Clementine¡¯s face said it all. She knew Ian was never on her side. He either didn¡¯t believe her story or he wanted to embarrass her because he knew she wouldn¡¯t show her body to anyone.


    ¡¯But she did show us her boobs, and I have been¡ª¡¯ I shut Dane down for a very good reason. He was spared for his remark because I understood it was the mate bond fucking with him.


    "I will not take off my shirt in front of any of you losers." And just like that, I hoped she had shown the two losers that she did not deserve anyone taking a stand for her.


    "Ian, please stay out of it. We are not going to make her strip again afterst time," Troy hissed, making me scoff and raise my eyebrow at him. What had happened to him overnight?


    "Which, by the way, was a deal we made, and you broke it," Yorick agreed with Ian.


    I was pondering their behavior. Something was going on in their minds. There¡¯s no way even one of them was truly concerned for her.


    "I did not hurt her. When tossing her over the barbed wires, shended on the wires and that¡¯s how she sustained those injuries. I was the one who got her freed and that¡¯s how she escaped," I exined, watching them steadily realize I did not take her out there to assault her.


    ¡¯That is not how it happened. Let me jog your memory a bit. So you tried to toss her over, she fought and freed herself. Oh, and we also felt the mate bond with her. And then she won when racing against us once again.¡¯


    Every word Dane said made me clench my jaw. I ignored him once again.


    "I get it," Ian suddenly started chuckling, shaking his head and lighting a cigarette.


    "They are trying to be in the good books of Miss Rue," he said, his eyes having this wild vibe every time I looked at him.


    I don¡¯t know, he seemed crazy to me. But I couldn¡¯t agree more with him.


    "That is not true," Troy suddenly started shaking his head.


    "Huh," Yorick grunted.


    And just like that, I¡¯m sure Clementine realized all this concern wasn¡¯t for her.


    "Excuse me," she hissed, walking past all of us to the bathroom.


    For a moment, I noticed everyone went silent and watched her walk among us. She was short, probably 5 feet 6, shorter than most of us. But it was at that moment I noticed something.


    Her presence had a huge impact on the surroundings. When she walked among us, we just stared. Even when she didn¡¯t wear revealing clothes or had her hair done to show off how amazing she is. In simple words, there was nothing shy about her, yet I saw them watch her walk away to the bathroom.


    And only when she had mmed the door shut did we all break our stare and look at each other.


    "You guys are assholes. We should have confronted her forining against us," I hissed at Troy and Yorick, who rolled their eyes and walked back to their beds.


    "Dude, we¡¯re not sure. I mean, it was all fun and games until the ringleaders came in. I think we should get serious about this now. I heard someone from the Red Squad talk about our first mission. I don¡¯t want any bad blood when I¡¯m in the North," Troy clicked his tongue, speaking in his usual nonchnt tone while lying down in bed.


    "He¡¯s right. And Clementine, even though extremely annoying and an easy target for bullying, can be very unpredictable. She can be a good crusader too. So we¡¯ll need to work together toplete our first mission. I don¡¯t want to go in there acting like a bully. Now that I¡¯m here, I want to be a crusader that can¡¯t be defeated," Yorick said, making me watch his face in disbelief.


    I then turned to look at Ian, who was chuckling to himself while puffing out smoke from his cigarette.


    "You all are losers," Imented, leaving through the door to get some fresh air. I was seriously annoyed with them.


    How dare they make me toss her over just toin and then act like I¡¯m the only one who hasn¡¯t grown up¡ªlike I¡¯m still stuck in my high school bullying era.


    ¡¯Can you believe them? They¡¯re so annoying,¡¯ I hissed, wandering farther away and taking the route I knew didn¡¯t have lurkers around, at least for now.


    However, I soon noticed the barbed wires and realized I hade too far. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing that made me stop dead in my tracks.


    It was someone standing there, facing the barbed wires.


    "Umm, I heard they¡¯ve got these live now¡ªbecause of what happenedst night," I said, shoving my hands into my pants¡¯ pockets and uttering the words awkwardly. I couldn¡¯t exactly say out loud that it was because I tossed someone over, or at least tried to.


    The person staring at the wires slowly turned to me, and I was stunned for a moment. Her short ck hair danced in the breeze, the freckles on her face made her green eyes stand out even more. And then, her timid body in a baggy sweater almost reminded me of someone I hated the most.


    "I can¡¯t be a part of this academy," she whispered, her voice breaking, silent tears leaving her eyes.


    It was odd, but I was fascinated.

 Chapter 19-In Her Womb

    <h4>Chapter 19: 19-In Her Womb</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    "I¡¯m sure many of us didn¡¯t want toe here willingly. But it is what it is," I used a much gentler tone because I could tell the girl was not in the mood to back down from the wires. The way she kept clenching her fists while taking shallow breaths made me worried for her. She seemed distraught and hade to terms with something already nned in her mind.


    "Listen, why don¡¯t you step back from the wires and tell me what exactly is going on?" I began to panic when she took another big step closer to the wires.


    "I cannot stay here," she repeated her words, making me anxious.


    Damn it, why did I have to find her?


    I looked around to find a lurker. Of course, there were none. Ugh! My hands started to swell as I contemted how to help her. I wasn¡¯t really an emotional type of person. Sellingfort wasn¡¯t my thing either.


    So it was difficult.


    "Is your squad bullying you? You can tell me and¡ªI can help you," I bit my tongue at my own hypocrisy. I¡¯m bullying someone in my own squad, how will I face someone else and question them for acting the same way I do?


    "Aren¡¯t you the one who was used of trying to throw his squad member over the fence?" And she hit me with the truth. I awkwardly averted my eyes and scratched the back of my head.


    "Hey, hey, stop!" Just when she got me distracted, I watched her try to rush over the wires. I reached her and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. That¡¯s when my eyes widened as I saw her sweater move.


    She stepped back and ced her hand on her belly, tears falling even harder now.


    "I can¡¯t be a crusader. I¡¯m pregnant." As she broke down, it all made sense why she wanted to escape so badly.


    "Oh, ummm¡ª and you think you¡¯ve figured out a way to change your life?" I didn¡¯t even know what I was saying.


    "Listen, you cannot cross these wires. I tried to make someone cross. And secondly, do you think the world out there will be a safer ce? The lurkers will find you, and what they¡¯ll do to you will be worse," I tried to make her understand, but she kept shaking her head, sobbing.


    "Go back to your room. I¡¯m sure when you give birth, the Ringleaders will change the rules for you. They¡¯re not stupid people. They would never make a pregnant girl go to the North. Just... ..please go back to your room and trust the Moon Goddess," I uttered with a shaky tone. I was honestly scared of her.


    She seemed like she was ready to throw herself at the wire. But her situation was so scary.


    Not just scary¡ªsad, too. Think about it this way: pregnancy is the most amazing thing to ever happen to anyone. During that time, the mother deserves love and respect. Care.


    But here she was, pushed to stay in a room full of strangers. Some of them might be like me. And then the pressure of going to the North. It was such an unfair thing to happen to someone. I felt bad for her.


    In fact, I felt too deeply for her.


    "I¡¯m Haiden from ck Squad, by the way. Alpha Haiden of the Magical Fangs Pack," I introduced myself, holding my hand out to her for a handshake.


    She stared at my hand before her shaky one reached out and held mine. She was so warm, and trembling.


    "Omega Sadie Benson of the Crimson Blood Pack. And now in Red Squad," she uttered softly, retrieving her hand and looking back at my face, but this time with much more hope in her eyes.


    "You think they won¡¯t take me to the North?" she questioned.


    "Of course they won¡¯t. Why would they, when they know you won¡¯t be able to fight? In fact¡ªI don¡¯t want to be mean, but you¡¯ll be a responsibility to your squad," I said, noticing her giving it some thought before she nodded in agreement.


    "Then I will go back to my room," she uttered. "Thank you, Alpha Haiden. Thank you for stopping me from making a mistake in haste."


    The way she smiled, like she was truly grateful, made me feel so shy.


    I always felt pride when someoneplimented me. It made me believe I had done something right. Of course, I couldn¡¯t expect a singlepliment from Clementine. She¡¯s the reason I feel like I¡¯m a horrible person.


    She was so full of herself, just like her father. Goddess, I hated her.


    "Stay safe," I said, turning around only after I saw her enter her room.


    I made my way back to mine, but by then, we were already being asked toe to the hall again so they could tell us what was expected next.


    My squad was already in the hall. Better this way, I didn¡¯t want to interact with Clementine.


    "Where have you been?" Yorick turned to whisper, eyeing me.


    "Dude, I met a girl," I replied, keeping my eyes on the Ringleaders as they stood together, talking about something.


    "Where? Is she cute?" Troy turned to join in, his eyes full of hunger.


    "No¡ªI mean, yes. She was gorgeous. But she was either trying to hurt herself by throwing herself on the barbed wires, or trying to escape," I mumbled, making sure others weren¡¯t listening.


    Clementine was standing in the front row, giving us her back. I wanted to yank off her hat and show everyone her bald head so bad. But that was just me, always thinking about how to make her suffer.


    "Oh, what? So let me guess, you saved her, and then in return for thanking you, she let you hit?" Yorick made me believe he only thinks with his dick.


    "No, I¡ªugh. She was¨C pregnant," the minute I said that, Troy¡¯s and Yorick¡¯s eyes widened as I subtly pointed at the girl with my eyes.


    She was standing with her squad-mates, all alone. It did seem like nobody spoke to her, maybe for that very reason. Or maybe they were just bitter bullies.


    "So, just like many of you have suspected: your first mission is here. And everyone¡ªevery single person, despite their condition¡ªwill be going to the North,"


    That¡¯s when the Ringleaders had finished their conversation and let Lenora from Red Squad step forward to make the announcement.


    Let¡¯s just say, her words made Sadie snap her head and look at me like I had betrayed her.

 Chapter 20-My Mate Has A Girlfriend?

    <h4>Chapter 20: 20-My Mate Has A Girlfriend?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I received a little vampire¡¯s blood a few hourster from Miss Rue so I could heal before the first mission. I had no clue what the mission would be, but I was just excited to be out of my dorm room. I hadn¡¯t spoken to the Alphas again, and I was pleased to keep it that way.


    With my wounds finally healed, I felt like myself again.


    Now I stood in front of my squad, listening to the instructions with full attention. One mistake, and it could cost any of us our lives.


    ¡¯Please be Haiden¡¯s,¡¯ I groaned to my wolf, and she hit me back with silence. It was as if I was whining about our mate again, and sometimes she didn¡¯t like the extreme thoughts that ran through my mind. But it was just that¡ªthoughts. I would never actually wish death upon anyone.


    "There has been a threat. A monster is trying to prate through the northern gates to reach the rest of the world. How do we know this?" Miss Rue¡¯s voice was serious. "Young werewolves living nearby have been hearing a melody. It causes depression and hatred toward their mates. Hallucinations of loved ones betraying them. After a lot of study¡ªwe¡¯ve discovered that it¡¯s a creature named¡ª"


    Miss Rue stopped when Ian¡¯s utterance stole everyone¡¯s attention.


    "The God of Songs," he said, and all eyes turned to him. I noticed a girl from the Red Squad turn to watch him, one eyebrow raised as if he intrigued her.


    "What was that, Ian? Would you like to fill us in on what you know about this creature?" Miss Rue asked in her gentle yet excited tone. I could see the pride on her face,her squad knew more about the creature. Probably more than the others themselves.


    "It¡¯s a faun-like creature. His name is Eliot. Long white hair, long beard. Horns like a ram¡¯s, overgrown with vines and thorns. Wears nothing but leaves and bark. Goat legs. Hooves. Eyes that don¡¯t blink. Carries a flute and never stops ying it."


    As Ian came to the front, he brushed past me with his shoulder, bumping me to the side. I frowned and groaned, but no one interrupted him, even though I was certain others saw how disrespectful and mannerless he was.


    "There¡¯s a small creature always near him. Some kind of forest lizard or dragon. Harmless-looking, but probably not. He doesn¡¯t talk. Just ys. And the music gets into your head if you¡¯re not careful. They say he was betrayed by someone he loved. Now he doesn¡¯t let anyone get close and wants everyone to hate their mate before they get betrayed," he exined, stopping in front of me.


    Somehow, his words made me feel uneasy. The creature must be dangerous, then. Something that can harm you from miles away is always more dangerous than something that has toe close to attack.


    "Wow, Ian. How do you know all that?" Miss Rue looked so impressed with him. The others were just staring.


    Miss Lenora and the other ringleaders nodded before turning to their squads, looking rather disappointed. My eyes kept drifting to the back, where Haiden stood. He had been staring at one girl a little too long. She was in the Red Squad, looking all squirmish and sweaty. It seemed like she was holding back tears. Trust me, I know that behavior too well, someone was clearly ufortable.


    "I just do. I like to know details. I like to know more and more," Ian uttered, making me secretly roll my eyes.


    "Well then, your task is simple, everyone. You must kill this creature before ites out of the North and takes over the world. And remember, any failure would result in other monstersing forth too," Lenora stepped ahead again, her hands folded in front of her body under her abdomen.


    There were male ringleaders too, and they were quite intriguing. Handsome, tall, and broad. Some of the girls had been staring at them a little too hard, and I don¡¯t me them.


    "And any deaths from the squad should not slow you down. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get new squad members if one passes away," Lenora added like it was nothing. Her tone was so nonchnt, while everyone else started exchanging eye contact with their squad members.


    I don¡¯t know about the others, but I was hesitant to go out with my squad. They hated me. They¡¯d probably want me dead.


    "Are we getting any weapons?" a voice came from the other corner of the hall. All our heads turned toward a tall blond guy standing in the White Squad. His blue eyes sparkled as he looked directly at his own ringleader.


    "Do you think you¡¯ll get weapons when you¡¯re deep into the North for months? Don¡¯t get me wrong¡ªbut no. We won¡¯t help you. We only give you missions. Survival is your thing. Go fight, survive, and save others," said his ringleader, the most attractive man everyone had been staring at. His name tag read Rick. Well, he wasn¡¯t very easy on the ears. He had the most stern and harsh voice I¡¯d ever heard.


    "Great," the blond guy rolled his eyes, leaning back and shooting a look toward the ringleaders.


    "Now return to your rooms and stay ready. You¡¯ll be collected in the next few minutes. You¡¯ll only be sent to the area near the border. Don¡¯t go deeper. You are not yet ready for the big monsters," Miss Rue exined, and we all began heading back to our dorms.


    "I¡¯m so worried. I told her they wouldn¡¯t take her," I heard Haiden say from in front of me. I was now at the back with Ian, both of us strolling slowly behind the others.


    "Why did you say that?" Troy argued. I had no clue who they were talking about, but she must mean something to Haiden for him to sound so concerned.


    And why wouldn¡¯t they take her? Did he not want her to go because he liked her or something? What was going on? Did this asshole have a girlfriend?


    "Ooohh! Seems like the perfect murder n to get rid of someone like you," Ian whispered into my ear, leaning down close before stepping in front of me like he hadn¡¯t just threatened me.

 Chapter 21-All Sexy Outfits

    <h4>Chapter 21: 21-All Sexy Outfits</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Okay, guys, listen," Yorick took the spotlight as soon as we entered the dorm room. He rushed in front of us and turned to face us. "This is our mission. Let¡¯s go one by one, and focus oning back alive. All five of us,"


    I would¡¯ve loved to agree with him, if only one of them wasn¡¯t staring at me with a smirk on his lips.


    "And I mean all five of us. Right, Clementine?" Yorick drawing attention to me made me square up, not to fight, just for the debate.


    "Maybe tell yourself that. You Alphas have been on my back ever since I arrived," I said, and for the first time, they didn¡¯te at me for speaking my mind.


    That wasn¡¯t odd. I wasn¡¯t a child.


    They were doing it for the sake of the first mission. None of us really knew how much teamwork would matter once we were out there. So any help would be great.


    "I¡¯m not interested in speaking with her," Of course Haiden wasn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t care about him either. But unfortunately, the Moon Goddess thought I should.


    I felt a different kind of vibe whenever he was in view now. And I me the mate bond for it. But it won¡¯t be an issue in the long run. Once two fated mates hate each other, they can disobey the pull of the mate bond and despise each other.


    So once that bond cracks from our constant bickering and hate, I¡¯ll finally be free of these feelings.


    A knock on the door was all we needed to break the ice. Yorick rushed to check, thinking it must be a Lurker, and he was right. But the Lurker hadn¡¯te here to invite us to join him. He carried some bags as he walked in. Asking him any questions wouldn¡¯t get us answers, so we silently watched him ce the bags down and leave.


    Once he was gone, Troy jumped up to check the bags.


    "There¡¯s a note," Troy said, showing it to us.


    I remained behind while the three of them checked the bags. Ian didn¡¯t seem too bothered either. He was staring at me.


    Someone please give this man a job so he¡¯ll leave me alone for once.


    "Crusaders, these are some uniforms I¡¯ve been preparing for my squad. I think I¡¯ve perfected them. You can¡¯t fight in shorts, can you? Please pick whichever suits your style and join me in the hall again after an hour¡ªYour Ringleader, Rue."


    Troy read the note, and that¡¯s when Haiden and Yorick started fighting over a bag.


    "There are four bags. Come on, pick any," Troyined, watching the two huff and grunt, fixating on one bag for far too long before Yorick finally let it go.


    Sometimes, Haiden reminded me of a child no one wants at their birthday party.


    They pulled some outfits out of the bags and after examining them, they picked what they desired. I was not sure what was in store for me because I truly loved what I wore.


    They all seemed satisfied, until thest bag came into question. I walked among them, approached the bag, and unzipped it.


    They were all staring at me as I stared at the uniforms.


    "What is this?" I wasn¡¯t happy. It¡¯s not that she hadn¡¯t put her heart into the outfits, I could tell she had, especially for the female crusader. But the fact was, they were all well-fitted and dramatically gorgeous. The kind of thing other students would look good in, but not me. Not so much.


    I¡¯ve never worn tight clothes. I¡¯m not even sure I¡¯d feelfortable in them. And then¡ªthere was the fact that it wasn¡¯t my style either.


    "Someone¡¯s going to cry today when the outfits don¡¯t fit," Haidenmented as he walked away toward the bathroom.


    "Maybe she should work on her confidence, and her body¡ªmore," came from Yorick.


    I grunted under my breath. I was seriously done wrong.


    I hated every minute of it. I watched them leave for the bathroom one by one while I stayed in the room, feeling so annoyed.


    There were three outfits in front of me, and I wasn¡¯t even sure which one would make me feel the least ufortable.


    One even has a tiniest skirt that would expose my butt entirely with teeny tiny panties underneath. They seemed more like something a fashion icon would wear when doing an adventure movie than a crusader would when fighting monsters.


    "See youter, potato," Haiden joked, leaving the room with the others. I took a deep breath and got up from the bed. I watched them walk away. I had been so caught up in my own worries that I didn¡¯t pay attention to what they were wearing. All I could think of them was three towering men, broad and buff wearing clothes that made them look like models.


    ¡¯We must check out their outfitster,¡¯ Mintmented, trying to ease me up after I have exhausted myself with countless thoughts.


    ¡¯Clem, we¡¯ve already attracted a mate, or at least a mate bond. I don¡¯t think dressing any certain way will change anything anymore. If anything, dressing like we do is probably getting us more attention than dressing normally like the other cool girls.¡¯ Mint tried tofort me with some sense.


    Mint was right. The reason I always wore baggy clothes was because I didn¡¯t want attention, but somehow, I got a lot of it anyway. Even if it wasn¡¯t the positive attention, I still got it.


    And now, I had no choice but to change my preferences, and probably my outfit too.


    I closed my eyes and picked one and went into the bathroom to change.


    When I came out, I put my hat on, so at least something would still feel like me.


    Once I stepped out of the room, I realized everyone had already been introduced. Which made things even worse because now I would be introduced in front of every single fucking person in the academy.

 Chapter 22-The Beautiful Swan

    <h4>Chapter 22: 22-The Beautiful Swan</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    My eyes were constantly searching for Sadie. She must have been introduced before me because now only one Crusader was left to join.


    And then I found her¡ªSadie!


    Standing in the corner with her squad, wearing a red shirt and red leather pants. She must have been so ufortable in it. I felt angry thinking they made her change out of herfortable clothes.


    But I was hesitant to make eye contact with her. She trusted my words, believed an Alpha would know how things are done, and instead of helping her, I gave her false hope.


    Even so, I was d she didn¡¯t make the mistake of trying to cross the wires.


    I heard gasps, just a few, but I didn¡¯t pay attention until I heard ament from Yorick that made me snap my head to the front.


    "And the ugly duckling was actually a swan." I followed Yorick¡¯s gaze to Clementine, and my heart did a little flip inside my chest.


    Gold sps and belts traced along her thighs and waist, enting her hourss figure like armor forged for seduction and war in equal measure.


    And her chest¨CGoddess. Perfectly framed by a deep-cut neckline lined in ckce, it was impossible not to notice. She had perfectly shaped, soft breasts that were peeking out of her dress. Full and high, the curve of her cleavage drew the eye. But it wasn¡¯t vulgar, it was powerful. Her ck gloves flexed.


    She didn¡¯t even look like Clementine. Her body was curvy, but she had the tiniest waist and a t stomach. Her long legs made me realize she only looked shortpared to us. But then she had that ugly hat on, maybe her hair was the problem. She was too scared to ept herself as she was.


    ¡¯And who is to me for that?¡¯ my wolf made me roll my eyes at him. ¡¯We bully her and then question why she¡¯s like that.¡¯


    ¡¯Must I remind you who she is? She is not someone we should feel bad for. She deserves pain, just like my mother did. So fuck you for getting toofortable with the mate bond.¡¯


    I probably shouldn¡¯t have argued with my wolf right before my first mission. But it was always a sensitive issue for me.


    And the fact that previously he was all in on bullying her, but the mate bond suddenly changed his feelings, that was what was really irking me. It felt like some kind of twisted joke or maybe an opportunity the Moon Goddess had bestowed upon me.


    "And ck Crusader Clementine Stark," Miss Rue announced with a smile on her lips.


    Everyone was just watching, not because they were in love with her, but because the baggy clothes were off and what they¡¯d all expected didn¡¯t turn out to be the oue.


    But there was one person who wasn¡¯t satisfied as easily as the others. Miss Lenora stepped forward to confront Clementine.


    "Take off your hat. You¡¯ll be out there with your squad, reading eyes and not speaking much, for your own and their safety. So take that hideous thing off."


    Her demand made me a little ufortable. Even though I used to enjoy seeing Clementine mocked or pushed around, I didn¡¯t truly feel that way anymore. I wanted to be the one to do it, but why should others?


    "That¡¯s sick," I heard Troy mutter under his breath, and my head snapped toward him. He probably didn¡¯t think anyone heard him.


    I¡¯ve noticed that about Troy. Whenever Clementine wasn¡¯t looking, he¡¯d be watching her. I hoped he wasn¡¯t missing his friend. He should remember how she ruined his chance to be on the pack¡¯s athletes team.


    Clementine didn¡¯t immediately obey, I knew she wouldn¡¯t.


    "Take off that hat," Lenora repeated, more hostile now. Then, in front of everyone, she lunged at Clementine to snatch it off. She pulled it so hard, maybe because Clementine hadn¡¯t tied it on like she usually did. Sure enough, the hat came off.


    And this time, everyone gasped the loudest.


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from staring either.


    Underneath that hat was a girl with a head full of lush hair. It spilled down her back in thick, cascading curls, each lock catching the warm chandelier light. Long, wild, and luxurious, it framed her face like a crown, softening the sharp edges of her presence just enough to make her even more dangerous.


    Her curls were so vibrant they looked like they danced around her. Then, I noticed her features clearly for the first time.


    Her eyes were shining blue. The blue was so intense it was almost blinding. I grunted at how doll-like she looked. I almost wished she were bald, just so she could be mocked more easily.


    I was annoyed watching everyone look at her like she was a goddess.


    "What the fuck¨C" I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one who hadn¡¯t known of her real beauty. The alphas from my dorm seemed just as stunned.


    Even Troy looked speechless.


    "Everyone, please walk towards the exit in a line behind your ringleader. We will now escort you to the train that will take you to the North," Miss Rue announced again, looking far from pleasant after Lenora had snatched Clementine¡¯s hat in the rudest way possible.


    We walked toward the exit, where Clementine had already been waiting. Now she was leading us, walking ahead as we followed her to the train station.


    It was a magical train that responded to ringleaders¡¯mands, dropping us at specific locations in the North, avoiding the deeper areas where much bigger monsters were likely waiting for us.


    "Clementine, I¡¯m really sorry for how she treated you," Miss Rue said. "But I¡¯m sure that won¡¯t kill your confidence. You look amazing. Come back alive, and bring the Alphas too." Miss Rue gave her a warm, confident smile, while me and the others awkwardly stared at Clementine.


    She had small freckles sprinkled across her cheeks and nose. Her lips were naturally full, with a soft red tint, just like her cheeks.


    "Thank you, Miss Rue," she said with a smile, climbing onto the train, and we followed behind her.


    "You fucker¡ª" I grunted, bumping into Yorick. "You dated her and didn¡¯t know she looked like this?"


    He only turned to give me a warning re.


    Clementine sat by the window with her perfectly shaped ass, so annoying. But then someone else crossed my mind again, and I couldn¡¯t help but nce out, looking at the other coaches.


    And there she was, Sadie, walking behind her squad, her eyes wet with tears.


    "It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll be there for you," I whispered, even though she couldn¡¯t hear me.

 Chapter 23-My Mate’s Baby Momma

    <h4>Chapter 23: 23-My Mate¡¯s Baby Momma</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The hat being snatched off my head felt, for a moment, like a p right in front of everyone.


    I¡¯m not sure if I was wrong for not stitching it on perfectly or if I should be d I didn¡¯t. Otherwise, she might¡¯ve knocked me out with the force she used.


    Now, I was sitting in the train with the squad mates, the ones who had been acting awkwardly.


    I hated the way they stared at me for a while.


    "Okay guys, I made a little map of the area we might be heading to," Yorick started yapping nonsense. I noticed his outfit finally and must say, Rue did a great job. He wore a long ck leather coat with gold buttons, the sleeves cuffed and detailed with bronze.


    Underneath, he had on a high-cored ck shirt with a subtle pattern, fitted ck pants, brownce-up boots, and a gold pendant resting against his chest.


    And i knew he had no clue where we were going. He was just making stuff up for attention ¡ª or maybe not.


    He suddenly got up from his own seat to sit next to me, as if trying to make a point to the others while facing them.


    I felt awkward and ufortable, so I squeezed myself closer to the window.


    "Tell us, please, what area would it be?" Just like I suspected, Troy probably caught him in a lie too, because he started pressuring him for clear answers. He wore a long ck leather trench coat over a fitted ck button-up shirt, the cor left slightly open.


    His sleeves were detailed with sharp metallic ents near the elbows, his ck leather pants were belted with a tactical clip, and he wore ck gloves with a silver pendant hanging from his neck.


    "I mean¨Cit must be the woods, right Ian?" Yorick said, calling out to the only one who had been staring silently out the window and not at me.


    "Hm," Ian responded, not showing much interest. He wore a long ck leather coat with silver zippers and sharp paneling along the shoulders and arms.


    Beneath it, a tight ck V-neck shirt hugged his torso, tucked into fitted ck tactical pants secured with a utility belt, his hands covered in fingerless ck gloves andyered nes resting on his chest. The outfit was amazing, sadly, wasted on a pick like him.


    "So I say we stick together. Group of two," Yorick continued. Even I was all ears now, not because I wanted to stick with them, but because I wanted to know who was really in charge of making me suffer.


    "Umm, how about Troy, Haiden, and Ian go together, while I sacrifice myself to stay with her," Yorick grinned, gesturing toward me with his head.


    "Count me out. I have other ns," Haiden quickly responded, watching someone a little too intently through the window.


    I looked out the window too, but I couldn¡¯t see the end of the train. It just kept going, and going, until thest coaches disappeared into the mist.


    I don¡¯t know how many coaches there are. Maybe a hundred. Maybe a thousand. Or maybe it never ends. You can¡¯t really count them, not from the outside. You have to walk through them, one by one. Open the door, step in, and then the next one appears. Like the train only shows you the part you¡¯re meant to see.


    The walls were white and the seats were gray. Between each coach, there was ss door.


    I noticed a girl from the Red Squad enter the coach in front of ours, the same one who had clearly caught Haiden¡¯s attention. The way he swiftly moved away from the window seat to the door confirmed she was the one he had been watching. He wearing a tight, sleeveless ck faux leather shirt, ck fingerless gloves, slim ck jeans, and a ck leather belt with arge metal buckle. The outfit was fitted and showed off his muscr build.


    As for the girl, I couldn¡¯t see much of her, but I noticed her belly. There¡¯s no way they let a pregnant girl go on a mission.


    "You don¡¯t have to sacrifice yourself, Yorick," said Troy, snapping my attention back to him.


    "He¡¯s right. I don¡¯t need any of you on my side. I don¡¯t trust any of you anyway," I grunted, rolling my eyes.


    "Fine, fuck you. I was just trying to be nice," Yorick said, getting up and walking back to his seat. But of course, he wasn¡¯t done yet.


    "Oh, and by the way, I¡¯m so d I broke things off with you. What kind of girlfriend doesn¡¯t show her boyfriend her true self? You used to look like a sack of old socks when you were dating me. Ugh!"


    So that¡¯s what was bothering Yorick, that he didn¡¯t know I had a banging body?


    "What are youining about?" Troy jumped in. "I¡¯ve been her best friend her entire life, and she never let her guard down in front of me. You know why? Because she knew she wasn¡¯t loyal or honest with herself, so she couldn¡¯t trust others either."


    I couldn¡¯t help but point out his hypocrisy.


    "I did tell you how important my family pictures were to me. So yeah, you¡¯re right! I can¡¯t trust anyone. I shouldn¡¯t trust anyone," I hissed back.


    Troy seemed to shake a little. His confidence cracked when Yorick nodded in agreement, even though he had been equally involved in bullying me.


    "Are you guys going to keep yapping the whole way?" Ianmented, his voice cold. "It¡¯s just that the more you all talk, the more she talks back, and the more annoyed I get hearing her voice."


    Once again, a subtle reminder of how much he despised my existence.


    However, what should have been hours-long, a journey to the north, not just a trip to the neighborhood supermarket, was weirdly short. Probably no more than ten minutes before the train began to slow down and stop on the tracks.


    "We¡¯re already here?" Even Troy sounded confused. The train was magical, indeed.


    "Okay! everyone, we¡¯ll be back here by the¡ª- end of the week?" Yorick nearly gasped as he read the final note.


    "We¡¯re going to stay here for a whole week?" Troy sighed, getting up and heading toward the door.


    Everyone had started toe out of their coaches. The other squads sped off, probably looking for weapons, while ours just stood around, dragging our feet. We each stepped out more dramatically than necessary, and even paused to watch the train disappear.


    Even though I hated Haiden and wanted him out of my sight, the moment I saw him rush toward where the Red Squad had gone, I felt itchy. Like something was crawling under my skin.


    Was he following that girl? Who was she?


    Instead of minding my own business, I made a fool of myself and turned to Yorick.


    "Who is that girl Haiden¡¯s been looking at?"


    It was as if I¡¯d just handed them proof of jealousy. All three alphas stared at me with mocking smiles spread across their faces.


    "She is his baby momma," the minute Ian said that, my heart flipped inside my chest.

 Chapter 24-Behind The Tree With Him

    <h4>Chapter 24: 24-Behind The Tree With Him</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The mate bond had ruined my whole personality. I felt pain in my chest when I heard the truth about my mate and that girl. No wonder Haiden had been so worried about her.


    "Oh, okay," I shrugged, trying to seem like I don¡¯t care.


    "Why? Why would you be interested in who he is paying attention to?" asked Yorick, not looking very pleasant. It was probably the air here.


    "Nothing. I was just curious," I groaned at them for not giving me a pass for a single question.


    The air there felt different, heavier, like it was pressing down on my skin. It was cold, yes, but not in the usual way. It was the kind of cold that made my throat dry and my lips crack. I kept swallowing, wishing for water, something warm, something clean. Every breath felt thick, like the air was filled with something unseen, something old. It made me want to cough.


    "Here," Troy gently nudged my arm with a teeny tiny water bottle that he had probably snuck with him when nobody was watching, because we weren¡¯t allowed to bring anything with us.


    "Save it for yourself. I don¡¯t want to get bullied for drinking your water and leaving you thirsty," I taunted. I had be bitter after everyone had treated me in a way that they made me believe if I didn¡¯t fight for something, I wouldn¡¯t get it.


    "Don¡¯t be stubborn. Your lips are¡ªgetting dry," Troy grinned, showing urgency before the others caught him requesting me to drink water from his bottle.


    I epted the water bottle because I was indeed craving some. I took a few sips, but they were honestly enough. The water going down my throat felt like heaven.


    "Thank you," I returned the water bottle to him while stepping forward to examine the area better. Haiden and Yorick were exploring the area as well.


    The fog was everywhere. It wrapped around the train station, around the trees, even around my thoughts. I couldn¡¯t tell what time it was. There was no sun, no shadows. Just this pale, quiet light that could have belonged to either morning or evening. I remembered leaving homnd in the afternoon, sometime after lunch, maybe close to two. The ride hadn¡¯t been long.


    Yorick was doing his own thing, looking around and furrowing his eyebrows a lot, almost as if he noticed something. But if I asked him what it was, he would brush me off. So I didn¡¯t bother him.


    The station we had arrived at didn¡¯t match the train at all. The train had been sleek, silent, something from the future but the station was old, broken in ces, made of red stone and rusted beams. The roof creaked in the wind, and the wooden tform felt like it could fall apart under our feet. It was the kind of ce that shouldn¡¯t have been able to hold a train like that. But then again, it wasn¡¯t an ordinary train. It hade, and then it was gone. Just like that.


    There was a clock on the far wall, above what used to be the ticket window. It was a big one, with ck hands and a face that had yellowed from age. It was stuck at nine. I didn¡¯t know if it was nine in the morning or nine at night. I didn¡¯t even know if clocks worked the same way here. The fog had stolen all the clues.


    When I looked around, I realized we were surrounded by trees. Thick, tall, shadowy woods in every direction. The kind that feel like they¡¯re listening. There were no roads, no lights, no towns. Just the train station, sitting in the middle of the forest like it had been waiting for us. And maybe it had.


    I noticed some movement out in the faraway trees and decided to check it out. It was also my subtle way to part ways from my squad. I could not trust them. Not after how things went between us in the past.


    The trees were really tall once I was walking among them. There were birds chirping and the insects were chittering around. Once I was deep into the woods, the fog started to clear up, and that¡¯s when I acknowledged it wasn¡¯t thatte.


    "How are we going to find it?" I asked my wolf, trying to get her tomunicate with me so that I don¡¯t feel alone.


    "Ugh, I don¡¯t know. Maybe when he ys the flute and, goddess, this ce is so dry. What has be of North?" After struggling for a bit, Mint began to growl.


    She was right. It seemed like a graveyard to me.


    "Mint, did you notice something?" I suddenly stopped in my tracks and looked around. The trees had stopped moving with the wind, the insects had gone silent. And the birds flew in flocks, far away from this very specific area where I was.


    I didn¡¯t move either, but I was looking around for a clue. This ce wasn¡¯t all just about Eliot the fawn. There were other deadly creatures who could at any pointe to the woods, or the edge of the border, which this ce was.


    While trying hard to figure out what was going on, I heard a bone-chilling tune from behind me and for a moment, my body froze. I could not even turn around to check it out. I felt like my legs had been glued in ce.


    The tune wasing from a flute, sad and full of agony. It was as if it wasn¡¯t only entering my ears, but my heart and eyes as my eyelids felt heavy.


    About a few seconds in, a hand pulled me out of its way, rushing me behind a big tree. My back met someone¡¯s back as he spun me around while cing his hand over my mouth from behind.


    Now I was facing the flute-ying monster in my view, with someone behind me, hiding me behind a big tree.


    "Stand still," I heard from behind, and goosebumps spread across my skin.

 Chapter 25-The Once Caring Best Friend.

    <h4>Chapter 25: 25-The Once Caring Best Friend.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The faun was unlike anything I had seen in real life, something I must have heard from my stepmother during storytimes. Her storytimes used to be diabolic, at least for me. It was her way of trying to scare me, but it angered her when I ended up liking those stories even more. I was always the type to adapt instead of getting scared away.


    Or maybe that was the only way I could survive in a world full of people who didn¡¯t like me.


    "Don¡¯t make a noise," he whispered right into my ear, and I knew exactly who it was.


    I just did not expect Troy to save me and stop me from getting into trouble. The faun walked on its goat-like legs, ying the flute while tearing up.


    That littlepanion Ian had mentioned turned out to be a chameleon sleeping on his shoulder.


    He yed the flute and walked steadily while Troy quickly covered my ears after removing his hand from my lips.


    So I couldn¡¯t really make out the melody. The right thing would have been for me to cover my own ears so that Troy could cover his. But like I said, I was so stunned I hadn¡¯t even moved a muscle or blinked during the entire time the faun was in view. And then it disappeared behind the tree. Troy removed his hand from my ears, and I began to hear the insects again. The trees were alive again, and so was I.


    I let go of the breath I had been holding and turned around to look at Troy. That¡¯s when another shock struck me.


    "Troy," I gasped, pointing at his nose. He gently touched the blood under his nose, but I noticed his movements were a little stiff. I grabbed my own handkerchief from my pocket and offered it to him.


    However, instead of taking it from me, he leaned forward, almost like offering me his face. I didn¡¯t want to be a bitch because I was honestly concerned for him. Even when so much had broken down between us, I still couldn¡¯t stand seeing this asshole in pain. At least the first mission made me realize that I still cared.


    So I dabbed the cloth under his nose to clean the blood, avoiding meeting his eyes.


    "Ugh," he finally broke free from the stance and stepped back, shaking his head and softly hitting his ears. I expected him to immediately start bickering with me over it, but he didn¡¯t.


    "Are you okay?" he asked, not making eye contact with me.


    "I¡¯m fine. Are you okay though?" I questioned, moving around, looking at the trees and everywhere to be certain we were really okay and not getting ambushed by some other monster.


    "I am great," he replied.


    "Why did you leave on your own? You shouldn¡¯t. I know you¡¯re a big person with a big personality and a big bad she-wolf, but this ce is not for loners. It can get to you, you know," he uttered softly, using the same tone he used back when we were friends.


    "This ce isn¡¯t for the weak, Troy. If I have to be here, I better learn to be alone," I replied, my eyes still wandering around until something struck me. "Isn¡¯t it weird that they recruit young wolves every batch whenever the previous one retires, when they could send their warriors here to y the monsters and free the North?" Imented in confusion.


    "That will always remain a mystery, Tin Tin." Troy must have bit down on his tongue when he identally called me the nickname he had given me a long time ago.


    "I meant Clementine."


    "I get it. Trust me, one slip-up changes nothing," I reassured him that him calling me Tin Tin thousands of times wouldn¡¯t matter anymore.


    "We should stick together. At least for the night, until we get used to being around here," Troy suggested, and I couldn¡¯t agree more.


    Since it was getting darker, this ce was giving me the heebie-jeebies.


    "We should collect some wood for the night. The weather here seems unpredictable," Troy added as I followed him, still keeping my eyes on my surroundings.


    "What if it rains?" I asked, and he turned to look at me. I had my hands in my pants pockets, but my elbows were sticking out.


    "Then we should look for shelter. It¡¯s the North, where once the biggest packs used to live. I¡¯m sure there will still be some homes around," While he was talking, I noticed him eyeing me from head to toe, but then he¡¯d look away like a master pretending he wasn¡¯t checking me out.


    "Why did you all suddenly change your behavior toward me? Not specifically all, but you and Yorick?" I pressed, because it had been eating me alive.


    "Let me guess, you think we¡¯re fascinated with your body and face?" When I raised my brow, reminding him how I caught him not even long ago checking me out, he realized he had been caught in a lie. "Because now you look like a girl, and bullying a girl¡ªit¡¯s just iffy. It was better before. At least we felt like we were picking on a dude just like¨Cugh! Now it¡¯s so annoying," Troy grunted ufortably, the agitation in his voice supporting his difort. He was truly annoyed, it was evident.


    "Well, when I go back I¡¯ll toss on my old clothes so you can bully me all you want then," I taunted, stepping ahead of him to find a ce for the night.


    "Hey, don¡¯t act like we bully you for fun," he made me stop and turn to challenge him.


    "Really? Then what else did you bully me for?" I hissed back. This was the first time we were one-on-one talking to each other after our big fight.


    "As if you don¡¯t know, Clementine. I¡¯m here today because you chose to betray me that day. So just because you¡¯re all m now doesn¡¯t change the fact that you have the ckest heart ever."


    I was taken aback by the anger and hurt in his eyes. His jaw clenched while he maintained that eye contact with me.

 Chapter 26-The Blond Guy From The White Squad

    <h4>Chapter 26: 26-The Blond Guy From The White Squad</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We looked around for a while, but night fell, and we were pretty cold. We were also starving, so Troy and I decided to look for some fruit trees. We found an apple tree, and he was the first to take a bite because I didn¡¯t want to risk being poisoned by an apple from a tree, which seemed harmless by the way. But who knows, this ce was pretty messed up. Once I saw he was fine, I grabbed an apple too. He started the fire, and we sat around it, watching the mes rise. For a moment, there was just silence. If it had been us before the fight, we¡¯d beughing, talking, gossiping, ying all kinds of fun games. But things had changed, and it was because ourmunication was really poor. We were young, I admit that, but I still expected him toe to me first. The way he handled the situation left me thinking, maybe it was for the best that we were no longer friends.


    "You know, others were pretty confused seeing what you were hiding behind that hat and those baggy clothes," Troy said after clearing his throat.


    I just let out a scoff because I knew exactly what he meant. Sadly, when I wore those baggy clothes, they didn¡¯t respect me. But I noticed their attitude changed once my appearance did.


    "What was that scoff for?" Troy definitely noticed, so he asked.


    "What about you? Why has your attitude changed?" I asked, raising my eyes to find him staring at my face before he shrugged and looked away.


    He was sitting on his ass, knees up, legs apart, with his arms wrapped around them.


    "Honestly speaking, I just... I told you, I feel awkward bullying you now because it feels like I¡¯m mistreating a girl," he mumbled under his breath.


    "Sure," I rolled my eyes. Then I looked around for a bit, ncing up at the sky.


    When night arrived, it kind of started to look like South, East, and West. Like nothing was wrong with North.


    I¡¯d heard great stories about the North being the most beautiful one. Their packs used to be rich and full of fun things and activities. I remember my maid telling me she had run from the North when all the chaos erupted. She was just a baby back then, a little child.


    So it really saddens me how this part started to go bad. Like mold on bread, it starts in one corner and then ruins the whole thing.


    This is what we were afraid of, that somehow these monsters would cross the border and reach the other regions. That would be a disaster. Only the warriors would survive in that case.


    "You know, Clementine, I honestly don¡¯t care how you dress or how gorgeous you look now."


    His tone had changed again. My eyes moved back to him, and I found him tilting his head, staring me dead in the eye.


    "Because I know how ugly you are on the inside. You¡¯re jealous, envious.You¡¯re the reason I¡¯m sitting here today. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve been back in my pack, treated with respect, wearing an alpha crown and not bing an alpha crusader." The pain in his voice made me look away and bite my tongue. If only he knew the truth. If only he had asked. But I had promised myself I wouldn¡¯t exin myself to him again. Not until I felt like he had earned the exnation.


    "Anyway, we should rest now. We¡¯ll start looking for Elliot in the morning." Just as quickly as his mood had spoiled, hey down, and I felt like he had already fallen asleep because he closed his eyes. I stayed awake for a while, sitting and looking around.


    The cracking of the wood, eaten by the fire, sounded like a melody. I didn¡¯t wantplete silence because this ce was indeed scary.


    After some time, I finallyy down, hands mped together under my cheek, and fell asleep on my side.


    For a moment, everything stopped, all the worries halted, as I dreamed about what my life would¡¯ve been like if my mother were with me. But all dreamse to an end when morning arrives. And sure enough, I woke up at exactly 5:15, like every other day. It was as if some rm had been fixed in my head.


    But this time, I wasn¡¯t waking up to my stepmother beating me up, or yelling at me, or throwing cold water in my face. I was waking up to an extremely terrifying sight in front of me.


    It was Elliot standing on top of Troy, ring at him.


    He was on all fours, hands down, goat legs apart. Troy had no clue, or maybe he was in a daze, but he justy there, sleeping as Elliot red at him.


    I began to get up from the ground, first raising my head, but with minimal movement. I felt like if I breathed too loudly, I¡¯d catch his attention, or he¡¯d stomp on Troy. He looked like he could be very powerful. Of course, he was Elliot the Faun, the monster who could kill you with his hooves and his horns.


    But the minute I tried to lift my leg, a branch snapped under my foot and he finally moved. In a heavy, dramatic movement, he turned to me. It was almost theatrical, but it scared the shit out of me. His eyes were this weird shade of grey, and the ck seemed to pour into them the longer he stared at me. Then I noticed he was changing color. His horns started to turn red, almost like they were on fire. That¡¯s when I knew I had his attention. And I guess that was the right thing to do.


    Because the minute he looked away from me and started focusing on Troy again, I made my move again. I jumped up from the ground and started waving my arms.


    "Hey, here, you sucker!" I yelled, watching him turn more quickly this time, like he¡¯d just been shocked by what I was doing. Then I turned and ran.


    "Come after me if you think you can catch me!" I screamed.


    I knew I was provoking him, but it would buy Troy some time to wake up and shake the sleep from his eyes. And that¡¯s exactly what happened. The moment I started screaming and the Faun began chasing after me, Elliot got off Troy and that woke him up.


    I watched him sit up, and that¡¯s when I knew he was safe. But now I had to get away.


    So I ran. I ran as fast as I could.


    It felt like my tail was on fire. I could hear him behind me, his hooves pounding the ground. I turned around to see how far he was, and the sight terrified me. He jumped with his back legs, grabbed a tree with his hands, and swung himself to another branch.


    It was like watching a creature that had all the traits of both animals and humans. And that was the scariest shit. I knew he could pounce on me at any moment. But he was enjoying the chase.


    And then it was like the world had begun, because I could see a road. A freaking road. Until now, I thought we were just in a maze. Like, just a very fictional North, which was all woods and nothing else. There was nothing beyond the woods. But I was so wrong. There was a whole road outside. But I couldn¡¯t celebrate, because that meant I was going deeper into the city areas, which meant bigger monsters.


    But for now, I jumped onto the road, and I instantly fell. My knees scraped, and I grunted, still getting up when it came out. Jumped out of the woods and stopped, its hands slowly rising from the ground as it stood on its hooves. It was bizarre. But he was still at some distance from me.


    That¡¯s when something hit him, and he screamed in pain. Almost like an agonizing pain. He stepped back in pain. Then I saw another fireball hit him from the other side. And then more and more. He started to back down, then turned around and ran into the woods.


    I wasn¡¯t sure where the fireballs came from, but I was thankful.


    "It seems like your pretty little face intrigued it. He was pretty adamant to catch you."


    I heard the voice of my savior. I watched the same blonde guy from the White squad squat down and smirk. They all had the same kind of outfits, white shirts, white leather pants, and white fingerless gloves. But he, for some reason, had high cors. So I assumed he was special in his white squad.


    "Hi, my name is Joshua White. I¡¯m from White Squad," he said, smirking, using his eyebrows to show interest in me. He seemed like a fuckboy.


    "I¡¯m Clementine Stark."


    As soon as I said it, he nodded.


    "I know, you¡¯re from ck Squad."


    His eyes almost dropped to my lips when I heard another voice from beside him.


    "Back off, redhead. He is mine."


    Came a girl with the tiniest waist, wearing an all-white, onesie-style leather suit that fit perfectly on her physique with a vintage belt. She had a slightly rounded chest and a little wide hips. But other than that, she was pretty lean. Her ck, long, dead-straight hair was thin, but it looked good with her brown eyes. She had thin lips, but they were such a perfect shade of pink that even I stared at her for a moment.


    "What is going on here?"


    Our heads snapped toward another personing in. Troy seemed to have chased after us and managed to catch up. He came out looking so fucking big from the woods.


    The minute he saw me sitting on my ass, my body leaned back with my elbows behind me to support my head, and Joshua almost squatting so close to me, he yelled,


    "There is a fucking monster out there and you are flirting with my squad member?"


    There was so much anger in Troy¡¯s voice that I immediately felt like he had embarrassed me.

 Chapter 27-The Monster Is In Love With Me

    <h4>Chapter 27: 27-The Monster Is In Love With Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I watched Troy walk onto the road and toward me. He leaned down, offering me his hand. I gave it a thought, then gave him my hand. He pulled me up, and I started to shrug my pants off any dust that they gathered.


    "My man was not flirting with your girl," the girl said, stepping forward, her arms folded over her tiny waist.


    "Actually, we saved your girl," Joshua said, also getting up, hands on his waist.


    "I¡¯m not his girl," I retorted, stepping away from Troy.


    That was when all the white squad members started to show up. The total of five seemed to be sticking together and doing a great job trying to find ways to defeat the Faun, while my squad members were nowhere to be found. It was just Troy and me. I had no clue where Ian was, no idea where Yorick went. And Haiden? He must be somewhere around his baby mama.


    "Then why is he getting so aggressive about it?" the girl narrowed her eyes as she almost yelled. Neither Troy, nor I focused on answering her.


    "Anyway, how did you guys find out that Fauns get scared of fireballs?" I asked Joshua, while his girlfriend frowned.


    "I didn¡¯t. My baby did. Meet Suki Young. She¡¯s one of the finest warriors of her pack." Joshua wrapped his arm around her tiny waist and pulled her closer. Too close for anyone¡¯sfort. But she fit perfectly in his arms.


    "And what do you guys want from us now? A thank you dance?" Troy taunted, trying to hold his muscr arms over his chest, but they ended up looking extremely buff, so he let go of the idea.


    "Well, it was nice meeting you, Clementine, but make sure you surround yourself with people who are less sassy and more helpful," Joshua continued, making Troy narrow his eyes at him.


    "Yeah, you don¡¯t need to tell us what we should and shouldn¡¯t do. We are doing fine without you. So go ahead, take all your babies, put them in your bag like those demonic ass Labubus, and walk away, Joshua," Troy said as he stepped forward, almost like keeping me behind his back.


    I stepped to the side and then came out. I was not gonna hide behind his back. And what was I going to be hiding from? The guy who saved me?


    Joshua gave Troy a very bizarre look before he startedughing. Then he looked at me and uttered, "Oh, by the way, um, I¡¯m pretty sure someone has fallen in love with you. So good luck, guys, because he will being back soon to fetch his lover."


    That taunt came like a bullet to me. Both Troy and I shared a nce before looking back at him.


    "What do you mean?" Troy asked.


    Now it was time for the white squad to share smiles. They looked like they had achieved something by getting our attention.


    "Well, you did not want our help, so why should we?" Joshua said, stepping backward while staring at us with smiles on their faces.


    And then, after all of them had turned around, Joshua did a few secondster, and they started to walk away.


    "What the heck did he mean by that?" Both Troy and I turned to look at Yorick, who had arrived and heard Joshua¡¯sst statement. Hence, the question came.


    Now both of them were watching my face.


    "I don¡¯t know," I shrugged, annoyed.


    First, Yorick was off somewhere, and then he was appearing out of nowhere, acting like I was having an affair with the Faun.


    "I know as much as you two do. I don¡¯t know what their statement meant," I groaned, watching them look at me like I was hiding something from them.


    But then, after staring at me for a little too long, they probably realized they were being unreasonable. So their posture started to soften a bit.


    "Now what?" Yorick asked Troy.


    "I don¡¯t know, man. That thing was on top of me when I woke up," Troyined, and I watched Yorick stare at him.


    "What? He was having¡ª-" Before Yorick could say something nonsensical, I had to intervene.


    "No! You freak. He was just standing on top of him, watching him," I interrupted. The two then looked at me again.


    "And then you saved my life by calling him after you," Troy said, nodding his head as he realized that was exactly what happened.


    "A simple thanks would have sufficed." I shrugged, watching them both roll their eyes.


    "But what did that jerk mean by the Faun being in love with Clementine?" Yorick then brought it up again.


    "I don¡¯t know. I guess we¡¯ll need Ian for it?" Troy asked, since he was the one who had the most knowledge on the Faun.


    But it seemed like after the arrival of the Crusaders in the woods, the others had started to learn a lot about the Faun while we were just wasting our time.


    And I knew it wasn¡¯t apetition, but I had a very bad feeling that it would turn into one. The teams, the squads, would do their best to y the monster before the other squad. And that meant they might be willing to harm each other for it.


    "But where are we going to find Ian from?" Yorick asked.


    Honestly, I had the same question in my mind too. None of us has heard from him again. We don¡¯t even know when he slipped away from us. That was when we heard a voice. A familiar jerk¡¯s voice.


    "Just by looking up."


    We looked up at the owner of the voice and saw Ian sitting on top of a tree. Ian was sitting on a thick branch, his back resting against the trunk of the tree, arms folded behind his head, one leg crossed over the other, lookingpletely at ease.


    "What are you doing up there?" Yorick asked. And I think he was probably thinking the same thing I was thinking, maybe Ian was hiding from the Faun.


    "I was waiting for you guys to finish this mission so that we could go back to homnd," he said, making me realize, nope! he was just beingzy.


    And then I remembered, he was in the cage with me, which meant he never wanted to be here. And unlike me, who had slowly adjusted to the idea and was actually doing as much as I could to be a Crusader, it was different for him. He still didn¡¯t seem to ept the role.


    "Well, turns out, we have two useless people taking over our dorm room," Troy said to Yorick, giving him a look as he referred to both Ian and me being undesirable dorm mates.


    "You know what, Ian, we¡¯ll leave you behind if you don¡¯t help us out," Yorick said, lifting his head again and watching Ian slowly open his eyes and tilt his head to look at all of us.


    "Fine," he groaned, removing his hands from behind his head and cing them on the branch as he jumped down. Hended and stood straight up.


    "So, like Joshua said, the Faun has found fascination with our Clementine." He walked between the two and reached me, giving a head nod when mentioning me, while looking straight at me.


    "That is crazy." I ufortably stepped back from him, and now the three of them were watching me.


    "Why?" Troy asked, almost like it was such a far-fetched thing for someone to like me.


    "Probably because he doesn¡¯t truly know her. He¡¯s just looking at the outside, I bet," Yorick added, making me clench my fists while watching them one by one. Even in a situation like this, they were able to bully me with their words.


    "You know what we can do?" Ian started again, and I hated his voice every time he spoke. It was so deep, so gruff, but it was because he always spoke negatively of me that I didn¡¯t like listening to him.


    "Make her the lure. Once he¡¯s close enough, we eliminate him."


    Ian¡¯s n made the two stare at each other, then at me, and now the three were watching me like pricks. So they wanted to use me to kill him.

 Chapter 28-Do Not Kill Him.

    <h4>Chapter 28: 28-Do Not Kill Him.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine</strong>


    "Oh, look at me, I¡¯m such a damsel in distress, walking among the beautiful trees like a pretty little angel," I uttered to myself as I wandered around the trees.


    This n was going to suck ass. I don¡¯t know what made them think a monstrous Faun would fall in love with me when not a single werewolf has ever fallen in love with me and yet the three of them decided I could be a lure just angered me so much.


    What were they nning on doing? I only raised my eyes to check on Ian, who was sitting on top of a tree, holding a rock that had an alcohol drenched cloth wrapped around it, and then he had a lighter in his other hand.


    They were going to set it on fire and throw it onto the Faun. Did they think that would kill him? I mean, it could scare him. I waspletely lost, but I was just ying my part because I did not want them toe yell at me saying I did not help them catch that Faun.


    So if this was their master n, I was up for it. I would love to watch them fail when they realized that the Faun was not in love with me.


    However, the minute everything went silent was when I started to feel my body go numb again. It was happening just likest time, and then I heard the haunting melody of the flute.


    I quickly grabbed the cloth plugs that Troy had made for me and stuffed them into my ears. I began to look around, and I saw the Faun making its way towards me. I started to back down.


    I sneakily looked up at the three of my squadmates, and they were ready, all set to attack him. Once, he was in the desirable zone.


    I was shaking, gulping a lot, becauseing face to face with a monster that had chased me down like it was having fun was so scary.


    "But what if it doesn¡¯t work," I said to myself under my breath, taking slow and steady steps back. It kepting, ying the flute, and then it stopped suddenly.


    Now it stared into my eyes while ying the flute before it slowly pulled the flute down. I steadily raised my hand to act like I was tucking the hair behind my ear when I pulled one of the cloth plugs out of my ear.


    "Where have you been all this time?"


    I felt my heartbeat stop when he said in a thunderous voice. His voice was so haunting. I pointed at my chest to know if he was really talking to me.


    "I was here." I began to wonder if what they said was true.


    "I have waited so long for you," he said, its movements so weird. Was he a goat? Was he a human? What the fuck was he?


    "I was here all along," I replied awkwardly, keeping my distance from him.


    "But you betrayed me," he said. "You ran away with him. You said he was just a friend."


    I felt the goose pimples cover my skin. His emotions were so raw that I started to have tears in my eyes.


    "We had a baby. We were supposed to take care of her together. But then you left me," he continued, taking his steps towards me. He was on his back legs while his hands held on to the flute, which were more like human hands.


    I don¡¯t know, I guess I began to stutter because we did not rehearse this part of the n, and I wanted to hear, I wanted to know what he was talking about.


    "We were lovers, Diana. We have loved each other for so long. But then look, look what you did to me. Look what I have be because of you. Because of my anger. Because of my hatred for what you have done. Because I hate love."


    And he suddenly screamed, and I fell to the ground when I watched hime towards me with his horns ready to hit me.


    But that is when he stopped, and he started screeching and screaming when they began to hit him with the fireballs.


    "No, no!" I got up screaming.


    "Stop!" I said, my hands in the air. "What are you guys doing?" I screamed. "Do you not hear me? I am telling you to stop!" I shouted.


    I watched the Faun get up and then fall down, then struggle, trying to grab onto the fireballs and throw them back at my squadmates.


    "There he is."


    And then the worst thing happened. The White Crusaders came in and they all had made themselves makeshift crossbows with the tip of every bow on fire.


    "Run!" I screamed at the Faun, who looked me dead in the eye and then looked back at the White Crusaders.


    "I said just fucking run!" I repeated myself, and that is when he finally turned around and started to book it in the other direction.


    In order to stop my own squadmates, I had to step closer to the Faun. Not too close, but the minute I was in the view, in the vicinity, I noticed that my squadmates stopped throwing fireballs, probably because they were worried that I¡¯d get hurt, which was a rare thing.


    I did not really think they would stop. I mean, Ian didn¡¯t stop. One of his fireballs even hit the Faun and then tossed onto my shoulder, burning it a little.


    Once the Faun was gone, the three from the tree jumped down, standing around me in a circle, while the White Crusaders started chasing after the Faun, but I guess he was long gone by the time they could even arrive.


    "What the fuck was that?" Yorick yelled, almost like he wanted to get too close so that he could push me back and show me how angry I had made him.


    "I don¡¯t know, I just didn¡¯t feel like we were doing the right thing," I argued.


    That is when Troy stepped forward, almost pinching my shirt so that he could make me turn and face him.


    "What do you mean by that? We are fucking supposed to y these monsters so that we can go back home. Do you not want to go back home or what?" Troy yelled in my face, making me take a deep breath and step back.


    "All I am saying is that there are other ways we could y a monster. Ever heard of helping them see the light?" I asked, and the two shared a very disgusted look like I was saying something nasty.


    "Oh, I knew she was gonna be trouble," Ianmented, sounding way calmer than them, but I could tell he was not. He was annoyed.


    "I wish we had just left her here and left for our homnd. I don¡¯t like her," he then added, ying with the ball in his hand. He would throw it in the air and then catch it back.


    "I just wanted to hear his story!" I screamed back, once I felt like they were not listening to me.


    "Huh?" Yorick scoffed, asking me with a simple gesture of his body. "You wanted to hear a story? You fucking want to hear bedtime stories?" Troy repeated, yelling again.


    They were so loud and so aggressive, but that was the least of my concerns at the moment, because soon I saw the White Crusaders rush back, their shoulders puffed, anger on their faces, their fists clenched, and all four of them were headed straight towards us.


    Suki came like a fire, standing, stopping just a few feet away from me, and then pointing her arrow at me. It made everyone gasp and stare at her in confusion.


    "I think I know how to get out of here. We fucking kill the one he is in love with and he dies out of misery," she said.


    And that is when she shot her arrow right at me.

 Chapter 29-MY Squad Stands Up For Me

    <h4>Chapter 29: 29-MY Squad Stands Up For Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine</strong>


    I watched the burning arrowe straight at my forehead. I prepared myself to fight it, but it wasn¡¯t such a swift move. However, everything was in slow-mo because someone stepped ahead and grabbed the arrow before it could even touch me.


    While he grabbed the arrow, he turned towards me with a smooth move, the arrow whooshing in the air while being in his hand as he pulled it down, and the force he applied to do so put the fire out from the arrow.


    He now faced me with his eyes on me.


    "Troy," I uttered.


    He then backed down again, turning to face Suki.


    "What the fuck," Troy grunted, stepping ahead and putting his hands on her. The way he pushed her, I guess she did not see iting because shended straight on her butt.


    That is when Joshua, who was still walking slowly with his crusaders, started sprinting. Seeing his mate fall on her ass probably triggered him. He came to attack Troy when Yorick got in the way and the two started to put their hands on each other.


    Joshua threw the first punch that only grazed Yorick¡¯s chin before Yorick punched him in his stomach and then put his head between his underarm, trying to drag him away. Joshua pushed him from the back, freeing himself and then pushing him again.


    It was bing too chaotic. Their other crusaders had arrived too. Two more boys and a girl, and they started throwing punches at Yorick and Troy.


    But Yorick and Troy were the best, I could tell, because Troy was able to grab two crusaders in a headlock and then throw them away before he turned and punched the girl from their group, and shended on the ground.


    That is when the entire scene stopped because she started screaming.


    "You fucking gave me a split lip!"


    The way she screamed, everyone stopped to watch and look at her. Even Suki stepped away, wrinkling her nose at the blooding from that girl¡¯s mouth.


    "You fucking hit a woman?" Joshua screamed at Troy, who shrugged.


    "There is no gender in a fight. If your bitch cane and attack our crusader, we will do the same. You hear me?" Troy yelled back, shocking me with his reaction.


    He was doing this because someone tried to attack me. I thought he would just stand by and have popcorn while I got hit with that arrow. But I guess I wasn¡¯t truly that great at knowing what people thought of me. I thought I had figured it all out. I thought I knew what Troy wanted.


    I guess not.


    "Because your bitch fucking ruined our chance to y that monster," Joshua yelled.


    "Oh, you fucking bastard. You don¡¯t get to call her a bitch," Yorick stepped up, pointing his finger at him.


    What was going on? Why were these two fighting for me? I was so stunned that I could not even speak for myself.


    "Besides, who said it was your n? It was our n. It failed? So what? Why did you want to kill him while we did the hard work?" Ian finally snapped, but speaking in his very low and calm, scary and creepy voice.


    Everyone turned to look at him.


    "Did you not see how your crusaders hit a woman?"


    The girl from the ground got up, suddenly ying a woman card.


    "I saw. Enjoyed it. But now you¡¯re bing a boring person," Ian shrugged and said in the most taunting and carefree voice. So much so that everyone just kept staring at his face like he was speaking gibberish.


    "And if you want to y the monster, do it yourself. Don¡¯te running into our n. Because next time, we might not even want to y the monster. And our focus might turn into other targets," Ian threatened, his eyes speaking their ownnguage.


    Everyone was so silently listening to him at this point.


    It was actually Joshua who stepped forward to offer his handkerchief to the girl bleeding, while Suki just kept her distance. I could tell she was too full of herself.


    But these two were the ones that were running their squad. Obviously, they had picked leaders. I wondered if it was the same for every squad, while our squad was just running around on their own.


    Was it the right thing to pick a leader? Or should we all just be individuals? I guess that is why we were all separate now and they were all in groups.


    "Let¡¯s go, guys. We will y the monster, while these fucking alphas will watch their bitch getting fucked by the faun," Joshua hissed as he wrapped his arm around his girl¡¯s tiny waist again, before they walked away.


    "Thank you," I said to Troy and Yorick, who turned to me and red at me.


    "Whoa, I¡¯m just being grateful," I said, holding my hands up as a means to surrender.


    "No, but what the fuck was that? You really wanted to listen to what that goat was saying?" Yorick yelled.


    "Fine. What did you guys n to do? Hit him with the balls? How many balls did you even have to kill him with? Did you not see? He only gets scared and screams in pain, but then hees back. There is no injury left on him. That means these balls can only scare him, cause him temporary pain. We cannot kill him with it," I yelled back after they had fucking ate my head for the past few minutes.


    "We could capture him and set him on fire," Ian imed, leaning against the tree trunk.


    "Alright, and how are we going to capture it?" I asked, staring at him.


    "So what do you suggest, Redhead?" Ian asked, pushing his body forward so that he could stand up and shove his hands in his pockets.


    "I¡¯m just saying, let¡¯s hear him out. Let¡¯s see his story. Why the fuck does he think I am the girl who had betrayed him?" I pointed at my chest, watching Troy and Yorick share a nce, but this time it wasn¡¯t like they were secretly calling me names or getting angry at me. More like they were kind of agreeing with me.


    "When his horns turn red, it means he is in love, read it somewhere," Ian exined how the others found out he was in love with me. Back when he was chasing me, even then his horns were on fire.


    "And he called her Diana," Troy remembered. "Could it be his lover¡¯s name? But was she a faun too?"


    "I don¡¯t understand," Yorick asked.


    "Exactly, that¡¯s what I want to know. Maybe there¡¯s another way for us to help him move on," I said, watching them slowly rub their chins.


    Ian started shaking his head and rolling his eyes. I could tell he was least affected by anything, literally anything. He did not give a fuck about anyone¡¯s emotions, feelings, or stories.


    "Fine," Troy was the first one to give up. "But you will tell us what you are nning on doing," he hissed.


    "Of course. We are in this together," I said, reminding them we were literally a squad.


    "Okay then, what do we do now? Lure him back in and let him continue to talk to you? Did you not see in the end he got angry and tried to attack you?" Yorick reminded me, and I began to nod my head.


    "How about this time we chase after him? Like, see where he was going. He must have a home, a ce," I suggested, watching Troy look impressed.


    "Yeah, if we can get to his home, we can look around and maybe we will find something that we can use against him," Troy mumbled.


    Thankfully, the two were agreeing with me now. As for Ian, he seemed like he was tired of our bullshit. He gave us a hand gesture as if to say, you guys are unbelievable, and then he walked away.


    "Where are you going?" Yorick yelled for Ian.


    "I¡¯ll do my own thing," he voiced, not even looking back to look at us.


    "Well, I guess it¡¯s just the three of us now," I uttered.


    "Yeah, in order to chase him, we will have to lure him again. But this time we will have to get you out of his sight quickly so that he doesn¡¯t get to attack you. And at the same time, once he is leaving, we will start going after him," Troy suggested.


    But Yorick began to nod his head as if he was having his own n, his own ideas.


    As the rain started out of the blue, Yorick started to smile.


    "I guess I know how we can follow him. We need to do it while it is raining," he suggested.


    And both Troy and I shared a very interested look.

 Chapter 30-Crushing On The Bestfriend

    <h4>Chapter 30: 30-Crushing On The Bestfriend</h4>


    <strong>Clementine</strong>


    Just like we had nned, we were luring him again, but this time we were making sure we were in apletely different area and there were no white crusaders or anybody else around us. It was just the three of us. Both Yorick and Troy were hiding behind big trees while I was casually walking around, trying to hum a melody. And then, just like we had suspected, the minute I was alone, he appeared again, and this time it wasn¡¯t ying any flute. He was just staring at me. He had his horns on fire, his eyes full of pain.


    The minute he began to rush towards me, Troy and Yorick came out. He stopped when he saw the fireballs in their hands. He then turned around and started to speed away. That is when we began to chase after him. The rain had helped the ground beneath us be wet and muddy. Hence, his big hooves were leaving marks behind for us to follow. So even when he was faster than us, we were able to locate him, or at least until the point that he was on the wet soil.


    While chasing after him, I was still trying to calm myself down. The way he had appeared out of nowhere and stared at me in that moment, I felt like my body had gonepletely numb. And I was so d Troy and Yorick came out in time, or else I would have just stood there, letting hime and hit me. But now we were rushing and speeding after him.


    For a while, we lost sight of it, but we followed his hooves. They were bigger than a goat¡¯s hooves. Of course, it was a much bigger faun and he seemed very strong too. He had biceps, his body was muscr, he was tall, broad.


    And then, just like we had suspected, we arrived at the ce we saw him going into.


    "That must be his home," I whispered, hiding behind a big rock with Yorick and Troy.


    The rain was still pouring down pretty bad, but we were determined to keep an eye on him. It was a small old-style run-down cabin in the woods, but more like a home. It had a swing in the front yard, although it looked all rusty now, but I could imagine a child ying here in the past. That reminded me of something the faun had said. He said he had a child with his lover or his wife, the one he thought I was.


    And then, after a while, we saw him leave again, this time with the flute. It was such a sad life. It seemed like he would just wander around, kill whoever came in his way. We stayed, watching him disappear on the other side of the woods.


    And then we came out from behind the big rock.


    "Let¡¯s go," I said, rushing down to the house.


    The rest of the area was clear around the house. It was as if the trees had been cut down for the house to have a proper backyard and front yard. But there were no other gates, so we managed to reach the porch. The house smelled weirdly fresh. At least the front porch did. It was all wooden. The door creaked open and then we stared at the inside, watching a lonely candle light up in the corner of the room.


    I took the opportunity to go ahead first, entering the house that belonged to the monster we were here to y. The two came after me and they locked the door. Just in case he tries to return, we would have enough time to leave through the window or back door, if there was any.


    It was not as small of a house as we had suspected it to be. At the entrance, there was a small area where the staircase ran upward towards the second floor. The first floor had a living room, a tiny kitchen, and a bedroom. And then there were tons and tons of pictures hanging on the walls.


    "I don¡¯t think he¡¯s using the second floor," Troy said as he pointed at the old furniture blocking the top area.


    "Yeah, I think so too," Yorick agreed.


    "But I guess all we need is right here," I said as I stepped into the living room that was just a few steps away from the stairs and behind a big wall.


    It looked cosy, but it wasn¡¯t. It was just sad. There were old toys resting around the living room. A Barbie doll, very old, with half its hair gone, was ced in one of the chairs. And then there was a pillow that had eyes on it, almost like he tried to draw himself and his wife, and it was sitting on the dining table.


    "That is so sad," I uttered. Tears started to fill my eyes.


    "Look," Troy said as he pointed at the photographs. There were a bunch on every single wall. And then on the ground, on the tables.


    "Oh, fucking hell," Yorick eximed as he picked up one and showed it to us.


    It was the faun. But he wasn¡¯t a faun. He looked human. And right beside him stood a gorgeous redhead with curly hair. It was a ck and white picture but he had colored her hairter on. She did not look like me, features-wise. It was just the hair color that made me feel so iffy. And then they had the cutest little child, a little girl, standing beside them, standing between them, holding onto both their hands with her tiny little fingers.


    "This is so sad." Now even Troy agreed with me.


    "Look at this, guys." Yorick then brought our attention to another thing that might tell us more about their story. It was a diary, an old one.


    "What is it?" I said, reading it.


    "It¡¯s Diana¡¯s diary," Yorick uttered, handing it over to me. The minute I held it and read the very first word, my heart shook.


    "I know I¡¯m married, but I cannot help having this feeling towards my best friend."


    I read the first line and then looked up to share a very brief and sad nce with both Troy and Yorick.


    "So she cheated on her husband with her best friend?" Yorick asked, and I began to shrug.


    "Let¡¯s keep reading," Troy said.


    I looked around, just to remind them that we were still in the house.


    "If we start reading, it¡¯ll take us a while. How about we get this stuff and leave?" I suggested, and the two began to nod their heads.


    "Fine, let¡¯s grab whatever is important." While Troy said that, I watched Yorick grab the doll from the little baby¡¯s chair.


    "I don¡¯t think we should grab this," I said as I pointed at the doll.


    "I guess this will help us lure him in next time, so that we don¡¯t have to put you through danger all over again," Yorick said, but he almost whispered thest line while stealing nces at me.

 Chapter 31-The Brutal Betrayal

    <h4>Chapter 31: 31-The Brutal Betrayal</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "So, how does the story end?" Yorick asks, giving me the apple.


    While they were preparing for the night, I read through the diary. And honestly speaking, the tale was sadder than I thought it was.


    "So basically, she had a best friend she always had a crush on, but the two never shared feelings. I guess it was back when everything was normal, or the monsters were only in one corner of the North. And then Diana began to have second thoughts about her marriage once her best friend returned. They were all omegas, by the way," I added, clearing my throat.


    Troy was squatting down, one arm on the knee and the other just against the thigh, with his fingers meeting and him plucking the grass between them, whereas Yorick sat next to me, his one knee up and the hand resting on it. His head turned to me.


    "So she fell in love with her best friend again?" Troy asked.


    "She began to have feelings and introduced him back to her husband. The three started going around, farming, everything together. Diana and Elliot had a daughter too. Everything seemed to be fine for Elliot until one day he found them together in his bed. He cried, she wrote it in the book. He was devastated. He asked her why she did this to him. And she said it was just that she never got to experience what it was like to be with the man she had always loved. So when he appeared again, she couldn¡¯t help but love him again. And this time, even he was in love with her. So the two started just fucking around when Elliot was not around. It upset Elliot, but he still gave her a choice. He told her if she wished to be with him, he would forget about the best friend and they would just live like nothing had happened. She told him fine, she¡¯d do that and forget about her best friend," I sighed, taking a pause, because I could tell the two had questions.


    "Then how did it end up being so messy?" Troy asked.


    "Good question. The answer is simple. She lied," I uttered, watching them nod their heads as if saying, ¡¯woman.¡¯


    "She was nning on running away with her best friend," I exined.


    "Then why did she lie to him? She could have just told him. He was giving her a choice. He was not going to force her to stay with him," Yorick exined, definitely taking sides.


    And honestly speaking, I was on Elliot¡¯s side too. His wife, his lover, fucked him up in all sorts of weird ways.


    "She didn¡¯t want to leave her daughter behind," I said. This was something I had read in the diary.


    "Oh, so she wanted to have everything. She wanted to break him, waste his years of life, and then take his daughter away from him as well?" Troy was right. I agreed with him. We were so angry with this woman.


    "But then how did he turn into a Faun?" Yorick asked.


    "Actually, there is a twist," I uttered.


    "What is it?" Troy questioned.


    "She ran away with her boyfriend and her daughter. Elliot came home, probably must have cried, drank himself to sleep. But I guess he had too many drinks. And the bottle near him, at some point in the night, tripped. And the alcohol was poured onto him while he was sleeping and in his drunken state. He must have tipped over the candle when he tipped over the bottle as well. He was caught on fire. Elliot had a goat that he had always loved and taken care of. That goat rushed through the front door, the door he had left open thinking his wife would return, and started to jump on top of him to put out the fire. Something his wife didn¡¯t do, his goat was ready to do for him, to fight for him. But sadly the two died together, or so they thought."


    I paused because, once again, Troy started to click his tongue.


    "Is it written in the diary?" he asked. "How did Diana know?"


    He was right. She didn¡¯t.


    "Actually, after some point, when Diana left, she left the diary. So Elliot started to write in it. And this was him, filling in thest pages, telling his story." I finished and watched Yorick and Troy go so silent.


    "How can someone you love so much turn out to be so evil? How can one person move on from their love just to go back to their past?" Yorick asked, sounding low in energy.


    I was too. I had the same questions, but there were no answers.


    People are just mean, especially when they get too much love without any struggle.


    "So now that we know the whole story, how are we going to deal with it? Because it seems like there was no misunderstanding. It was just pure evil on behalf of Diana. And just an unfortunate death of a man and his pet goat that night," Yorick eximed, his sorrow clear. His eyes were red, almost like they had mist in them. Was he crying?


    "Yorick is right. What are we going to do now? That Faun is already dead. He died that night. Whatever this thing is, this is a monster who just wants revenge. And for him to think you are Diana, he¡¯s going toe after you and kill you." Troy added.


    But there was more to the story. There was more that we could do than just kill it.


    "When Diana introduced her best friend to her husband, the men actually bonded over their shared interest in farming. They also grew close and became friends. I think it was the fact that he got betrayed by both his wife and his best friend that makes this story so sad," I said, gently tapping my chin, "and the fact that the two did not even care about him probably made him turn into a monster. There has been only sadness in this story for him, for Elliot. There was fire that night, and the only one that tried to put it out was the goat."


    "What if, what if his lover tries to take it out? What if he sees that they care about him? They just ran away because they could not face him out of shame and guilt, and not because they were just cold-blooded people, which they definitely were," I mumbled, until I noticed them roll their eyes at me.


    "So what are you suggesting?" Yorick asked tiredly.


    "How about I y the role of his girlfriend, and one of you ys the role of the best friend?" I suggested. "How about this time we help him? We show him that we care for him. I¡¯m pretty sure that is all he wants," I said.


    But Yorick started to shake his head.


    "You¡¯re going crazy, thinking a monster cares. He just wants revenge."


    Obviously, he disagreed, and I understood him. There was a possibility that would be the case.


    "Wait, one of us has to be the lover. Who would it be, then?" Troy asked, and I kind of felt like he was on board with the n.


    "You¡¯re seriously not thinking this would work?" Yorick turned to question Troy, who shrugged.


    "Why not? The fire can only hurt him so much because it reminds him of that night. It¡¯s not gonna kill it. But what if peace is what he¡¯s looking for?" Troy questioned.


    "Okay, fine, then I¡¯ll be the best friend," Yorick said, raising his hand.


    But I disagreed. The minute I shook my head, Yorick narrowed his eyes at me, almost like challenging me to exin why I did not want him as the best friend, because whoever gets to be the best friend will y the role of my lover too.


    "I just think Troy will be the best option."


    The minute I said that, I watched Troy¡¯s shoulders widen a little, while Yorick looked very defeated and very upset, as if he had such great expectations for me.

 Chapter 32-Accused Of Being A Cheater

    <h4>Chapter 32: 32-used Of Being A Cheater</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "So what? You two are now going to y lovers in front of him?" Yorick finally opened his mouth after doing everything in silence for the past hour.


    Ever since I made that decision, I had noticed Yorick had been very grumpy. I guess he just didn¡¯t want to lose to anyone, whether it was a fictional love or about bullying me.


    "It¡¯s just going to be an act," Troy hissed at him, finally getting annoyed.


    "Are you sure it will be just an act, or is it like you two finally got a chance to act on your feelings, on your secret emotions?" Yorick smirked, shaking his head, while I frowned. I was ignoring him. For the past hour, he had been huffing and puffing a lot, and I had a feeling he was going to blurt something nasty out of his mouth any moment, and he finally did. As for the three of us, we were stripping long fibers from the inner bark of the trees, twisting them together until they started to look like a rope. It was rough and uneven, but it would do.


    "What secret emotions? There have been none. Are you okay? What are you even on about?" But as expected, Troy was pretty much entertaining Yorick¡¯s rudements by continuing to argue back with him.


    "No,e on, don¡¯t say there were never any emotions. Remember back when she and I were dating? You would always show up to ces, and then her mood would turn sour. I mean, and don¡¯t even get me started on that night." Yorick made my heart skip a beat. I instantly looked over at Troy and then at Yorick.


    "What night?" I asked, watching Troy shrug. But there was a nasty smile on Yorick¡¯s face, as if he was trying to say he knew more than we thought he did.


    "Will anybody tell me what night is being mentioned here?" I asked in frustration, but in response, they just shrugged and went back to their work.


    We had prepared quite a lot of rope, and now we were sitting together to prepare the snare trap. It was going to be hard because we were starting from a very close proximity. So as we sat in a circle, our knees almost brushing, I noticed Yorick starting to chuckle again, and I knew another hatefulment was on the way.


    "So you never showed Troy your body or your hair?" he asked, and I almost lost my eyeballs as my eyes grew that wide.


    "What?" I asked, while Troy clenched his fists.


    "Yorick, that will be enough." That was the kind of warning an alpha would give to his worst enemy, so I could tell it was serious, but I had no idea what this scandal was or why I was being a part of it.


    "I¡¯m just curious, was it alwayspletely dark when you two met?" Yorick continued to bewilder me.


    I gave him a look and then tossed my head down, focusing on putting one rope over the other, preparing the trap. It was already prettyte, and once the sun went down, we would have to continue the next day. We were already on the fourth day in, so we had only a few days left before the train appeared. If we didn¡¯t y the monster and board the train, we would have to wait another full week. That would be a disaster. At that point, we might evene across other dangerous beings.


    But of course, the alphas were too busy ying their games.


    "Yorick, not one more word," Troy warned him.


    "And then what? Why don¡¯t you want me to talk about it? Are you afraid of her? Or is it because you don¡¯t want to y the fictional lovers in a bad mood?" Yorick teased him, making Troy grunt under his breath.


    "You know what? You two can argue all you want. I¡¯m going to finish another trap alone." I got up, brushing the dry leaves from my pants and walking away from them. We had to prepare quite a few traps, so we could ce them all around the area. I went ahead and set up quite far from them.


    If only Haiden and Ian were helping us, we could¡¯ve done it literally so easily. But we didn¡¯t even know where they were at this point.


    As I sat at a distance doing my work, I noticed the two of them still arguing. It was as if they were having a very heated conversation. But I focused on my work, and it was crazy because I had finished one trap before the two of them could.


    Once it was done, I began to feel hungry. I got up and walked back to the apple tree. As soon as I stepped on the dry leaves, I heard a little yelp from behind the big tree.


    It was crazy. I didn¡¯t know there were others around with us. And then, before I could even take another step to look who it was, I heard a voice.


    "It¡¯s okay. There¡¯s nobody there. It¡¯s just us. It¡¯s just the two of us."


    I heard a very familiar voice, something I had heard recently, but I couldn¡¯t ce it.


    "Are you sure, Suki? I don¡¯t want to do this to Joshua. He¡¯ll get extremely angry if he finds out," I heard the other voice say the names. That was all I needed to know.


    My heart was pounding in my chest now.


    "Come on, don¡¯t be a fool. He¡¯ll never find out if you don¡¯t tell him. I won¡¯t tell him either. Besides, if he did find out, you¡¯re also a crusader. I¡¯m pretty sure you can fight for me, wouldn¡¯t you?"


    There was a meticulously cunning tone Suki was using with this guy, whoever it was. I couldn¡¯t recognize the voice.


    "Are you sure? I mean, of course I¡¯ll fight for you. But are you sure you¡¯ll be able to choose me over him?"


    My heart was now going crazy. I could hear it beating in my eardrums.


    "Yeah, I will. I¡¯ll definitely choose you," she said to him. And I could spot a liar from far away. She was fucking using this guy, whoever the fuck it was. And I knew if I moved even a little, they¡¯d find out I was eavesdropping.


    So I began to take steps backward, then rushed back to my group.


    "Wait, what is it?" Troy instantly got up, thinking maybe I had spotted the faun again.


    "Where is he?" Yorick joined him, all set to hold the trap like he¡¯d throw it and catch him right then.


    I guess when necessity calls, you do everything.


    "No, it¡¯s¡ª" I was breathing hard, trying to calm myself down with a hand on my chest while pointing toward the direction of the apple tree. It was quite a walk, hence, the cheaters must¡¯ve thought they were alone.


    "What?" Troy asked, his eyes bulging out.


    "That¡ª Suki. I caught her cheating on Joshua."


    The minute I said that, I watched the two of them narrow their eyes at me.


    "What?" I groaned.


    I admit it. I kind of like listening to gossip. Only because people always gossiped about me. So I¡¯d hear about it. I wouldn¡¯t usually pass it around, but I hated Suki, the way she fired that arrow at me. I was so happy to find out she wasn¡¯t doing well in her life. Of course, cheating on your mate, who even does that?"


    "I think you should focus on making traps," Troy suggested.


    I frowned, cing my hands on my waist. "I¡¯m just saying. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to announce it to Joshua. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s so pathetic," I said, dropping my hands beside my body and slouching over to walk back to the ropes and prepare the next.


    However, it was Yorick¡¯sment that stopped me dead in my tracks.


    "Funny how you say it, because you¡¯re exactly the type who would do that to her own lover."


    I stopped and turned to him. "What did you say?" I asked.

 Chapter 33-The Envious Ex Best Friend.

    <h4>Chapter 33: 33-The Envious Ex Best Friend.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Okay guys, let¡¯s keep doing our work. We have a lot to do," Troy snapped his fingers between us as we kept ring each other down.


    "No, wait. I need to know what he¡¯s on about. It¡¯s been some time that he¡¯s been taunting me and mocking me. When have I ever cheated on anyone?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at Yorick, who began to p.


    "Wow, that is solid. You¡¯re such a bitch," he said as he ced his hands on his waist.


    I was in shock. How could he define my character in such words? It was like I had been used of a lot of things, being rude, being careless, being someone who liked to spread gossip, even when this was the first time I had done it. And only because Suki was a hateful, vengeful woman. Other than that, I don¡¯t remember ever doing anything wrong. But I¡¯ve always been used of one thing or another. So it really got to me, and tonight I decided to get answers for it.


    "Hey, just stop it, guys. What is wrong with you?" As Troy stepped between us, I began to re at him too.


    "You need to step away. Why the fuck are you so hell-bent on stopping us from talking about this matter?" I asked him, making him my target this time, and he narrowed his eyes, almost like asking me if I was being serious.


    "I am taking your side. I don¡¯t want you to feel bad, because his words would definitely rip you apart. And you¡¯re yelling at me?" he said, pointing at his chest.


    "Oh? Why would my words rip her apart? It¡¯s yours. It¡¯s your words."


    And then Yorick tilted his head from behind Troy toe into my view and said those words, the words that left my world pretty shaken up.


    "What?" I asked, looking at Yorick first, then moving my eyes to Troy. "What words? What did you say about me?"


    It was like all my strength drained out. My voice started to be very low.


    "You¡¯re focusing on the wrong stuff right now, and I won¡¯t be a part of it," Troy gave up as he shrugged his shoulders and dropped his hands down. "You two can fight all you want. But I hope after this, you realize it was the biggest mistake to have this conversation," he said to me and then looked at Yorick in the back.


    "Wait," Yorick said. "Why don¡¯t you want to talk about it? Is it because you don¡¯t want to be held ountable as the one who broke the news to me? Or is it because now that you¡¯re ying her lover, you don¡¯t want any grudgeing between you two in the moment, so you can enjoy the task? Because I¡¯m pretty sure you don¡¯t fucking give a damn about her."


    Yorick stated what I wanted to say. It was true. I didn¡¯t think he necessarily cared about me. So whatever reason Troy had for not wanting us to have this conversation was pretty sketchy.


    Troy stepped aside and started to run his hands through his hair. "We should focus on work," he repeated with the same look on his face as before.


    "Fucking hell fine." As soon as Yorick gave up, I watched Troy¡¯s posture slowly straighten, as if life hade back into his body.


    "No, I want to know. What are those usations?" I asked Yorick, who turned around and waved his hand at me as if dismissing me. And Troy was already so excited to walk away from us, from this topic, like he¡¯d been doing it for quite a few minutes.


    "Come on, say it. Or I¡¯ll think you just wanted my attention."


    The minute I said those words, Yorick stopped and turned to me, ring.


    "I know you cheated on me with Troy," Yorick said in one full sentence. A brief one, but it told me the whole story.


    Troy suddenly grunted and dropped his hands to his sides like he was finally defeated.


    "What?" I was shocked. That wasplete bullshit. I was still a virgin, and why would I cheat on Yorick with someone I had already broken my friendship with? Because that¡¯s what had happened, my friendship with Troy ended before I started dating Yorick.


    "Ask him. He told me that night when you got stuck in the library with him, that¡¯s when you had sex with him," Yorick continued, giving me one shock after another.


    I turned to Troy, giving him a look, because now I understood what had happened. He had sabotaged my rtionship. Is that why Yorick suddenly started to hate me? The way he put me through so much without evening to me once to ask if it was true? It just saddened me. All he needed to do was ask, and I would have told him that I¡¯m still a fucking virgin.


    "You told him that?" I asked Troy, who gulped, hands on his waist. At this point, even Yorick started to stare at Troy.


    "Tell her what you told me." It was like Yorick was suddenly not very confident in his ims.


    Because Troy wasn¡¯t.


    "Yeah, I told him. And I told him the truth."


    And then Troy said it to my face.


    The lie.


    "I cannot fucking believe you, Troy. So this is how you punished me? Because you thought I leaked your secret and made up a scandal about you, so you decided to do the same to me? Is this what your revenge was?" I asked, tears starting to form in my eyes.


    Troy stretched his neck back and stared at the sky before looking down and saying, "Yeah, you¡¯re right. That was my revenge on you. How did it taste, Clementine? How did it feel to get tortured for rumors your own best friend spread against you?"


    The minute he confirmed those were just rumors, I watched Yorick¡¯s face start to lose its color.


    That¡¯s when I stepped forward to p Troy, but he grabbed my hand and shoved me against a tree.


    I was so hurt. My entire body was shaking. I didn¡¯t even know that, out of all the rumors I had heard about myself, being a cheater was one of them. And that¡¯s why everyone thought I was such a hypocritical bitch for wearing clothes that supposedly didn¡¯t seek attention, but in their eyes, I was doing all this stuff behind everyone¡¯s back.


    "You will not hit me," Troy hissed, his hands tightly wrapped around my wrists.


    "Fucking let go of her!"


    And then came Yorick from behind, wrapping his arms around Troy¡¯s back and pulling him off me.


    "You fucking lied to me!" Yorick screamed at him. "You made me look like a fool. All this time I thought my anger was justified. I thought I was punishing her, but it was all a lie!"


    Yorick yelled, and I began to feel my throat clog up. So I started to walk away. I felt like my world had fallen apart. Everyone around me was such a snake.

 Chapter 34-Fucked Her Over

    <h4>Chapter 34: 34-Fucked Her Over</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    "Alpha Troy, what a surprise! Why did youe to see me?"


    I watched Alpha Yorick sitfortably in his car, asking the question with a smirk on his lips.


    He knew Clementine was my best friend before he ever came into her life, and I was pretty sure she must have talked about me, because I had that kind of impact on her. And I hoped she also told him how she fucked me over. But if not, I was more than happy to fuck her over now.


    "I thought I¡¯d speak with you about something serious," I said, watching him narrow his eyes at me.


    "Sure. What¡¯s it about?" he asked, stepping out of the car. He was at Clementine¡¯s pack, the Crimson ws pack, probably here to meet her. This was the ce where we all went to school.


    "It is about Clementine," I said, and watched Yorick¡¯s body stiffen. I didn¡¯t know why he was acting so invested. They had only been dating for one month. Did he really think I had no clue? He was acting like they were so¨C so in love in just one month that his entire mood soured when I said her name.


    "Why do you have my girlfriend¡¯s name in your mouth?" he said, using a very gruff and powerful tone, but his body seemed much more rxed as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against his car.


    "That is the only thing you¡¯re concerned about?" I asked, noticing him raise his brow. "Well, I had other things of your girlfriend in my mouthst night."


    The minute I said that, I watched his face start to lose color.


    "What the fuck do you mean by that?" he asked, stepping forward. His anger wasn¡¯t from the fact that he loved her, but from the fact that an alpha was being challenged. I was an alpha myself. I knew how it worked for us. She wasn¡¯t his mate. She was just his girlfriend.


    And I was pretty shocked he was even dating her, because he was known to date girls who looked like models, acted like models, and dressed like models.


    "She must have told you we got stuck in the library the other day. Did she tell you what else happened there?" I asked, and I watched Yorick start to clench his fists.


    "Well, I went to the library to remove the footage because it would be very awkward if the librarian saw it, and I managed to get a little snippet for you," I said, watching him. His face turned even redder now.


    "You better believe it¡¯s just a joke," Yorick said, his biceps swelling with tension as he clenched the hands hidden behind his arms, which were still crossed over his chest.


    "I wish it was, but hey, I don¡¯t know you. I don¡¯t owe you any loyalty. Your girlfriend should know better."


    I noticed how he was slowly rising from his leaned state to stand up straight. His arms no longer crossed across his chest, and now they were hanging beside his body. His fists were clenched so tightly that his veins looked like they might pop at any moment.


    And then I opened my phone and showed him the screen. It was just a little snippet from yesterday, it was when I kissed Clementine.


    "Did she tell you about it?" I asked, and I noticed Yorick¡¯s eyes start to water. Wow, he was such a great actor, or maybe his alpha ego was hurt.


    "Does she know?" he asked and I shrugged.


    "Know about what? That we kissed or that we had sex afterwards?" I asked, almostughing.


    "That you¡¯re going to tell me," he corrected me.


    There was no emotion on his face. Just a nk look. Almost too scary.


    "No, of course not. She didn¡¯t tell you, but I decided to tell you because, unlike her, I don¡¯t like messy people. I thought I¡¯d be honest with you and let you know what you¡¯re dealing with," I said, watching him lose his temper as he ran his hands through his hair and paced back and forth.


    "I could just go and p her so hard right now," he said, losing his calm to his feelings, but he wasn¡¯t very amazing himself.


    "Yeah, but like¡ª that would make her look like a victim, wouldn¡¯t it? All the me would shift to you for abusing a woman. Even if you were caught cheating, she could p you and no one would say anything. They¡¯d call her a queen."


    I knew I was hitting the right spots, his ego. Our alpha egos are so inted. So once he heard that his girlfriend had gone behind his back to kiss another alpha, it made him feel insignificant. It would¡¯ve made me feel the same way.


    "You know, why did your friendship end with her?" Yorick asked.


    "What did she tell you happened?" I asked, my hands clutching tightly around my phone.


    "She told me you used her of some shit," he said, and I scoffed.


    Of course she couldn¡¯t tell him the truth.


    "So what happened?" he asked. I took a deep breath as I remembered that incident.


    "Well, let¡¯s just say she betrayed me as well. She started a rumor about me that cost me something very dear, my childhood dream. She was the reason I was taken out of the sports team I wanted to y so badly for," I said, remembering how Clementine knew exactly what my dream was, and how she hit me in the right spot, because she was just a jealous person.


    She liked gossiping. That¡¯s what I realized after that day.


    "Fine. Don¡¯t tell her that you told me. I¡¯ll deal with this bitch myself now."


    Yorick had the right kind of anger on his face. That was exactly how I wanted him to react, and that was exactly how he was acting.


    So yeah, I lied. Clementine didn¡¯t cheat on him.


    It was me who grabbed her and kissed her. I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d push me back. I honestly thought she¡¯d let me. But the way she pushed me and pped me afterward made mee up with the perfect n to sabotage her rtionship, like she sabotaged my dream.


    So I meticulously picked only the part of the clip where it looked like she entertained the idea.


    And of course, Yorick believed it all. That¡¯s how Clementine was portrayed by everyone, that anything messy said about her was easy to believe. Because this was the kind of shit she would do to someone.

 Chapter 35-Causing Jealousy

    <h4>Chapter 35: 35-Causing Jealousy</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "I¡¯m pretty sure the idea of taking Troy as your lover doesn¡¯t sound so great now."


    I had been sitting alone under the apple tree, when I saw Yorick arrive. The cheating couple had already left, so I sat therefortably, eating apples. I didn¡¯t know how many I had finished so far.


    I watched Yorick¡¯s face. It looked like they¡¯d had a bad fight. He had a split lip, blood running from his nose, and his cheek was all bruised.


    "Oh, don¡¯t look at me like that. He looks worse than me," Yorick said, trying to be funny.


    "What do you want now, Yorick?" I asked, my tone dead. Just because he found out that the reason behind punishing me, and breaking up with me was based on a lie, didn¡¯t mean it was okay with me too. He should¡¯vee to speak with me back when Troy had used me of having sex with him.


    That¡¯s what I hated about everyone around me. Nobody ever came to talk to me. They just assumed things. They would listen to everyone else and believe it. Then they¡¯d punish me. And once they found out it was a lie, they¡¯d act like everything was normal, as if my emotions, my feelings, didn¡¯t matter.


    Just because I wouldn¡¯t cry or exin how much I was hurting didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t. But of course, everybody wanted me to act like ady to cry because that¡¯s the only way people im they understand a woman¡¯s emotions.


    "I want to apologize," he said, making me scoff at him.


    "Apologize for what, Yorick? For putting me through the worst year of my life?" I asked, sniffling back tears. I wouldn¡¯t shed a tear for this fucking loser of an alpha.


    I¡¯d been through worse shit than these little boys torturing me. But yeah, I must admit, it still hurt a lot.


    "I understand, and I don¡¯t even know how to apologize," he said, one leg propped on a rock, bent slightly forward, resting his elbow on his thigh, his other hand hanging loose in his pants pocket.


    "Will you please help me know how I can make things right?" he asked, using a very gentle and sweet tone.


    I didn¡¯t even remember thest time he had spoken to me like that.


    "Yorick, just because everything¡¯s now cleared up doesn¡¯t mean everything is all right. Back then, you hated me because you thought I cheated on you. And then you punished me. Put me through the worst shit. So I started hating you. And now that I find out your anger wasn¡¯t even justified? I despise you."


    The way I said it, no shaking voice, no tears, I saw the hurt on his face. It probably told him I wasn¡¯t moved at all. That I wasn¡¯t mourning our rtionship. He wanted me to cry, so he couldfort himself with the idea that if only he had talked to me, our rtionship might¡¯ve survived.


    I wouldn¡¯t give him that satisfaction. I would never give anyone that satisfaction. Clementine is not a name born to satisfy others. If someone does me wrong? Screw them. I don¡¯t give a fuck about them.


    "Did you ever love me?" he asked. I rolled my eyes, smiling sarcastically.


    "No," I replied. His eyes dropped even lower.


    "You¡¯re right. I never loved you. You don¡¯t have any quality to be loved. You got your answer. Now leave. I don¡¯t want to see your face."


    I got up and tried to walk away when he held my hand to stop me.


    "Don¡¯t fucking touch me."


    I yanked my hand free, and he raised both his hands in surrender.


    "At least let me make it up to you," he said.


    But I walked ahead of him, not even turning around to look at him this time.


    "We should sleep. We have a lot to do in the morning," I said, reaching our main ground where the traps were ced.


    Troy was still sitting there, and like Yorick had said, he was also pretty bruised.


    The moment he saw me, he lifted his head but didn¡¯t say anything. He had already started the fire. He was sitting with his back against a tree, one knee raised, an elbow resting on it. One hand held a de of grass, and with the other, he slowly split it down the middle.


    Iy down, gave him my back, and closed my eyes. I heard Yoricke back. But I didn¡¯t hear them speak. And just like that, the night passed.


    We woke up to the rain wetting our faces. We rushed under the tree, rubbing our eyes to shed off the sleep. It was the fifth day, so we needed to make sure we got everything done if we wanted to get out of here in time.


    "We should continue to make the," I said sleepily.


    "Yeah, we¡¯ve already made two. We¡¯ll need two more," Troy suggested, but I ignored him entirely.


    "Should we do it here?" Yorick asked as he pointed at the big tree.


    "Yeah, that¡¯ll be a good ce," I said, finally responding to one of them, and I guess Troy noticed, because he scoffed. I ignored him. I hated the alphas and their scoffing nature, always scoffing to get attention.


    We grabbed the ropes that we had made and pulled them all under the table. We sat down and got to work, but this time we all sat together and started working on one at a time. Since we weren¡¯t talking and there was no conversation going on, we were able to finish one by the afternoon, and then around three, we finished all four of them.


    "So now what?" Troy asked, but none of us responded.


    "Guys, you do know that if we¡¯re going to do it, we must do it the right way. And instead of beefing over past grudges, we should focus on the matter at hand, on the mission in hand." He had the nerve to be the one to lecture us, but while Yorick noted it, I still didn¡¯t respond.


    I knew we had already nned to y the whole lover¡¯s part. I had to interact with him.


    "If you want, you can just switch him," Yorick said almost in a whisper when Troy walked away with one of the traps to set it around us.


    "Switch what?" I asked Yorick, holding the other with him.


    "Him. You can switch him to me. I can y the lover, we¡¯ve already been in a rtionship once, so it won¡¯t be that awkward," he uttered, looking me straight in the eye and saying those words with a confident face.


    "No, thank you," I replied. And the way he looked so upset was so satisfying.


    We started cing the traps around.


    It was the kind of trap where a lies hidden in the grass, tied to a rope pulled tight by a bent tree. Once triggered, the branch would snap back and toss the over whoever stepped on it, wrapping them up before they could even react. And then it was time for us to go and y the whole lover¡¯s part. We didn¡¯t start it here, in the trap area. Yorick was supposed to stay back and keep an eye on it, while Troy and I had to walk around and be seen together by the Faun at a few ces.


    "Good luck, guys," Yorick voiced, and his tone wasn¡¯t very confident. I guess he didn¡¯t like the idea that I was going with Troy, or maybe he was just confused why I was still going with Troy.


    So we started walking together.


    "We should hold hands," Troy suggested.


    I just stayed silent, dragging my lifeless body. That¡¯s when he steadily held my hand, and I noticed how warm his hands were.


    "You know, we have to act right," he stated.


    I groaned, tightening my hand around his because we had to do it. We walked around quite a few times but didn¡¯te across the Faun. At this point, my hands were getting sweaty, and I wanted to let go. I tried to pull away, but he wouldn¡¯t let go of my hand. I didn¡¯t understand what the fuck was wrong with him. He had just admittedst night that he sabotaged my rtionship and pretty much scarred my reputation as a cheater among everyone, yet he still wanted to hold hands with me.


    We finally found the Faun. He was walking with his flute, not ying it yet, quite far ahead of us, opposite to where we were. So we knew we had to somehow get his attention. I guess Troy already had a n, because before I knew it, he hugged me from behind and started kissing me all over my cheek. It came out of nowhere, so my body froze, my eyes widened, and then he took such a big smooch on my cheek that I watched the Faun stop and steadily turn to look at us. And the gaze he gave us sent goosebumps across my skin.

 Chapter 36-Too Much Intimacy

    <h4>Chapter 36: 36-Too Much Intimacy</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Put on a good act," Troy whispered in my ear as his arms tightened around my waist. I felt so weird being touched by him, so I had no clue who to focus on my best friend, who was holding me like he would eat me alive, or the faun, the monster who would literally eat me alive.


    Troy¡¯s scent was very dusky, more like the kind of scent that would make someone lose their mind. His touch was extremely warm. His hands were strong and powerful. I had always known that, but I didn¡¯t know how they would feel on someone¡¯s body.


    The way he held me close, his bottom pressed tightly against my back, was so odd. And then, the way his lips touched my skin, so soft. The kisses he ced near my ear were making me slightly shake. My shoulder would lift higher the more he kissed around my cheek and earlobe.


    I didn¡¯t understand why he had to get so intimate just for the show, but he didn¡¯t stop. He began licking my earlobe, and I was afraid of letting out a moan because that was my sensitive spot. I was beginning to feel my eyes close, and because I couldn¡¯t push him away, since it was literally our n, I had to endure it.


    Or should I say, I was kind of enjoying his touch, and I hated my body for it. The way my body was heating up, it was unlike anything I had ever felt before.


    Then he started to whisper into my ear, "We need to get away now, because it seems like he¡¯s ready toe at us."


    Troy woke me up from whatever trance I had fallen into, and once he pulled back, he said, "Come, my love, let¡¯s take a walk," he held his hand out to me, putting on a show for the faun, who was watching us with his eyes wide open.


    I could only imagine him going through the same trauma of watching his wife with the guy who was introduced as a best friend.


    "Sure," I said, my voice quite shaky. Even Troy narrowed his eyes, because he wanted to know what was wrong with me.


    That was how we knew the n was working, when the faun couldn¡¯t even follow us for a while. We had started to walk away, and after a while, we began to briskly step farther from it. At this point, we knew he could wake up at any moment and realize what was going on.


    So now we were pretty far away from him.


    "That was crazy. I can¡¯t believe it worked," Troy said, making me ufortably shift away from him.


    "What?" he asked, then began to nod his head. "Yeah, you never got to enjoy how I taste," he said, and I rolled my eyes.


    "Listen, I know you¡¯re upset about¡ª" he began to start again, just because he thought I would listen to him now. I began to shut him down.


    "I don¡¯t want to hear it," I said.


    We were now walking away, trying to find a ce where we could again be spotted together.


    "Right," he said, scoffing as always.


    After a while, we reached a beautiful water stream, and we began to wait near it. We had to create certain moments to lure him to the point that he would lose his mind and stop focusing on his environment, and more on trying to get to us.


    As we sat down, starting to wait for his arrival, I noticed how Troy was looking at me.


    "What did you say to him happened?" I said.


    "I showed him the clip of us kissing."


    As he started talking, I had to snap at him.


    "No, you kissed me! And now I know why you did it because you wanted to create a scene where I¡¯m caught cheating on him. What else did you tell him?" I asked ufortably watching his face.


    "I told him after that we had sex," he added, and I began to shake my head.


    "You¡¯re so pathetic."


    I meant it, to be honest. And surprisingly enough, he didn¡¯t argue against it, because he knew he was pathetic.


    But what I absolutely did not expect was that he suddenly got up and squatted down in front of me, which instantly weirded me out.


    He began to caress my face while I watched him with my eyes wide open.


    "He¡¯s right behind you," he uttered, not opening his mouth too much, and that was when I knew why he was suddenly acting so weird.


    I had not been touched like this by anyone, so this task was pretty terrifying for me.


    He began to run his fingers along my cheeks, touching the strands of my hair and pushing them off my face.


    "You know what?" he whispered. "I always knew you were extremely good looking," he whispered, making me clench my fist not because I was angry, but because I was trying to hold in my emotions.


    What the fuck was he talking about?


    "You don¡¯t have to speak," I uttered, reminding him that he didn¡¯t have to act like he was talking while acting.


    He leaned over and cupped my face in his hands, his eyes fixed on my lips. Since we had been arguing a lot, we hadn¡¯t even discussed how far we would go to convince the Faun that we were the same lovers he had once caught in his bed. However, I couldn¡¯t push him away, it would expose our n. So I began to let Troy take the lead, but he was doing things that made me feel strange about him. Since he had been my best friend for so long, I had never expected us to be this close. When he first kissed me in the library, I was obviously shocked. He slowly brushed his lips against mine, and my entire body shuddered. My hands moved on their own, and I gripped his wrists, almost as if for support, while he kept holding my face. Then he began to press our lips together, more firmly.

 Chapter 37-In Our Trap

    <h4>Chapter 37: 37-In Our Trap</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    My heart started beating fast. Maybe everyone was right when they said I acted more like boys. But when he started touching me like a girl, my body just softened. He still had my face gently held in his warm hands, and I was tightly holding his wrist, like I was falling and he was the only thing keeping me steady. He began to softly suck on my upper lip with his lips, and I got so nervous that I couldn¡¯t bring myself to react. My eyes just closed on their own.


    I hadn¡¯t known my best friend could be so mesmerizing. Then, with so much care, he tilted his face and, while doing that, took my lips into his and started kissing me even more deeply.


    There was a strange stir in my body. Back when I was dating Yorick, the most we ever did was kiss each other on the cheek. But we used to lie and say we were making out regrly, because I didn¡¯t want anyone to call me a nerd, or him either, for being with me. At the time, I used to think that boys were only interested in girls for their bodies or for sex. But now that I¡¯m growing older, I¡¯m starting to realize that there¡¯s a lot more to a rtionship than just sex.


    Maybe at some point in between, he realized that I was getting too nervous. My whole body had started to tense up, so he pulled back a little, creating some space between our lips so I could catch my breath. During that pause, he stared into my eyes, and for the first time, I felt something strange, even in his closeness. I was still so angry with him, for ying such a big game with me, yet I couldn¡¯t push him away.


    I med it all on acting and pretended like it was no big deal, and everything would be fine. But just then, the Faun suddenly stomped his feet hard on the ground, put his hands down too, and went on all fours. Only then did we finally pullpletely away from each other.


    I shook myself awake and got up from the rock, along with Troy. He held my hand, and we began rushing toward the other side of the woods, trying to put as much space between us and the faun as possible.


    By this point, he was also running after us, probably very angry. We could hear him grunt and make strange noises that showed he was in pain from watching us together. It was heartbreaking, but we had to do it.


    "I think he has already put two and two together, that I¡¯m cheating on him with you. So we don¡¯t need to go to different ces to keep up this act," I started toin while running, my breathing heavy. I had never been so stressed while running before. I love to run. I love to race. But this time, something had happened. Probably it was the kiss I shared with Troy that left me in a daze.


    "Are you sure?" he asked.


    "He was stunnedst time, but this time he was ready to attack us. That means he has already figured it out. He had started acting on his anger," I replied, my breaths heavy.


    So we turned to run toward our designated area, where we had set the traps. We started to sprint faster. The faun would pause every few seconds to let out a screeching, howling, painful cry. That gave us an advantage over him. We were able to put more distance between us.


    So we ran and ran. And then we finally arrived at our area. We could see Yorick in the tree.


    Once we arrived, we began to climb the tree. The faun didn¡¯t care where we were. He started rushing toward us. That was when he stepped right into our trap.


    His footnded right in the center of the trap. The ropes we had made from the tree¡¯s bark snapped tight. In an instant, the whole sprang up, pulling him off the ground and wrapping around his body. The tree bent upward, hoisting him into the air. Now he was swinging, tangled inside the, trapped and thrashing. He let out a furious, guttural scream as he fought against the cords.


    Finally, we were able to catch a break and climb down from the tree. Once we were on the ground, we all stood together and watched the faun look at us. He was trying to get out, moving a lot. Then one of his hooves slipped through the, and we could tell he was in pretty bad shape.


    "Stop, please. We are not going to hurt you."


    I was the one who began to speak, and his struggles started to slow down.


    "I caught you kissing your best friend," he hissed, sending goosebumps across my skin.


    Every time the faun spoke, I felt like something strange was happening. Hearing a monster talk wasn¡¯t something that happened every day.


    "You two kissed?" Yorick whispered, but we ignored him. I had to focus on the faun.


    "I know, I know. We shouldn¡¯t have. But that doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t care about you," I said, sounding like an idiot.


    I wondered how his wife might have exined things to him when he had caught her in bed with his friend. There was no exnation a cheater could give that would satisfy orfort the one they had betrayed.


    "Yet you have me tangled by the tree. Did you do it to make him happy? To show him that I¡¯m not powerful enough to fight back? Did you trap me so I wouldn¡¯t hurt your lover?"


    His voice was always weirdly shaky. Even though he sounded very angry, there were these little pauses he took that made me feel uneasy.


    "I don¡¯t want topare myself with you," Troy finally started speaking, thankfully, because I felt like I was the only one trying to convince the faun at this point.


    "If you don¡¯t want to, then leave her for me. I love her more than you do. You won¡¯t be able to make her happy the way I would," The faun argued with Troy in the gentlest tone, almost like he was begging him.


    "Wow, does the faun even know that it¡¯s your decision to not let anyonee close to you?" Yorick shocked me when he whispered those words right into my ear, making the faun narrow his eyes and look at him.


    "Who are you?" the faun asked Yorick, who smiled ufortably and put some distance between us.


    "I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking, who I am in this story," he said before walking away, probably to let the faun focus on the two of us and not get confused by his presence.


    I watched Yorick stand behind the tree, one hand resting against the trunk as he watched us from afar.

 Chapter 38-Love Kills.

    <h4>Chapter 38: 38-Love Kills.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Elliot, I know you think I hate you. I know you think I betrayed and belittled you. I know you also wonder if I ever thought about you."


    I started to speak in a very soft and gentle tone.


    "But that is not entirely true. You held a very sacred ce in my heart," I said, cing my hand on my chest.


    "I just could not bring myself toe back and live with you after you caught me in bed with him," I said, looking at Troy.


    "I felt like living with him was the better option, because our life would have turned so bitter from then on. You forgave me for that mistake, temporarily, but it would havee between us in the future. And that was all on me. I had made that bed for myself, so I chose to leave with a man I loved less than I loved you, all because I made one mistake. One mistake that ruined everything. It was never your fault. It was never his fault. It was all my fault. I was a coward. I couldn¡¯t tell him that I had ruined our rtionship only to realize I loved my husband more."


    I watched Elliot¡¯s face start to light up, almost like he had been waiting to hear this for so long.


    "You loved me more?" he asked.


    Sadly, this is how it is for people who are genuinely in love with someone. They will take anything and believe it. And I hated that I was doing this to him. But it was important in the moment, otherwise, he would burn everyone with him in the anger he carried. It would start in the north and escte to our regions.


    "I do. I always loved you more, Elliot. Even when I left, there was never a single day I didn¡¯t think about you," I said, watching him lower his face, and start sobbing.


    The reason he was catching fire was not because he was angry, and not because his love for me was thriving, like his horns would always turn red. It was because he was finally seeing the light. He was resuming his life from the point where it had ended. He was reliving the time of his death, and this time, he would perish for good.


    As he began to catch fire, he started to scream.


    "That is all I wanted to hear. Now my soul will be freed," he cried.


    The fire on his body started to burn the ropes around him, and that was when he fell to the ground. We stepped away, but Yorick ran toward us, just to make sure the horn wouldn¡¯t change his mind at thest moment.


    Watching him in so much pain as he was dying shattered my heart, and without realizing it, I rushed toward him to help pat the fire off his body. Even though it was absolutely necessary that he die this time, by the fire like he was supposed to, I just couldn¡¯t do it.


    "Clementine, you¡¯re hurting yourself!" Troy yelled,ing from behind me and wrapping his arm around me, trying to pull me away.


    "No!" I screamed, gently tapping the faun¡¯s face.


    The way he stopped struggling and looked at me as I ran my hand back and pushed Troy away, just so I could be with Elliot, said it all. A smile crept over his lips, and then he slowly began to close his eyes.


    I began to sob, sitting next to his body with my palms burned. The fire was gone. His body simply dropped, then turned into mist. The ashes started to drift away with the wind while I cried beside him.


    I don¡¯t know why, but I felt like this first mission had left me more emotional than ever. This was the first time I had cried in front of anyone like this, and it was because of someone else¡¯s pain.


    I sat there for one full hour. Troy and Yorick tried to speak to me, but since I didn¡¯t respond, they stepped back and stood in the shadows.


    After an hour, I steadily got up from the ground and wiped the tears from my face before turning to look at them.


    "We have finished our first mission," I announced, trying to sound as if it were just an act, as though I hadn¡¯t just cried for someone I once knew as a monster.


    "You did a good job," Yorick said. I responded with a silent nod.


    "Let¡¯s head toward the station then," Yorick added.


    "The train wille in two days," Troy said. I began to walk away because I no longer wanted to stand in the same ce.


    "We should take care of theses. I don¡¯t want any crusader stepping into them and getting caught." I grabbed a broken shard of ss we had taken from Elliot¡¯s bedside in his house and started cutting the ropes. The two of them watched as I did it.


    "Are you guys going to help or just stand there and watch me?" I grunted.


    The two finally stepped in to help.


    After we had cleared the traps, we started walking back toward where we hade from, the train station. It would be two days, but we could always wait there for the train. It was our first time, so we didn¡¯t know how it worked or how often the train arrived in one day or was it just once?


    "How are we going to tell others that we¡¯ve done it?" Yorick asked.


    "I think they¡¯lle to the station the day after tomorrow to meet up with the other crusaders and ask around if anyone has killed the Faun. If someone says they did, we¡¯ll all board the train. If no one says they did, I guess we¡¯ll stay behind and try to figure out what to do next." I exined in the best way I could.


    "But where are our teammates?" Yorick asked.


    "Here," Ian¡¯s voice came from behind us.


    I rolled my eyes. Of course he came out of whatever world he had been lost in.


    "You fucking left us alone," Troy hissed at Ian. I didn¡¯t even turn around to look at him, but I could tell Ian hadn¡¯t joined us.


    "Yeah, because you guys were talking about some stupid n of luring him in using the most unattractive person who couldn¡¯t lure in a single soul." Ian was still speaking in the same way he always did, like he was bullying me.


    "Ian, there is a time and ce for everything," Yorick said.


    "And this is not it," Troy added.


    And just like that, they were now defending me, after everything they had done to torture me.


    "You don¡¯t get to speak like that, Troy. It was you who ruined her reputation. At least in my eyes," Yorick said.


    "I did?" Troy admitted.


    That was when I knew they were serious about this conversation, and that they would argue again, just like before, or end up beating each other again.

 Chapter 39-I Was Just A Bet To Him

    <h4>Chapter 39: 39-I Was Just A Bet To Him</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Don¡¯t tell me you all are fighting over her," Ian scoffed, trying to sound cool by saying things that would grab everyone¡¯s attention.


    "You stay out of it," Yorick said, gesturing at him.


    Ian held his hands up in the air, showing that he surrendered and wouldn¡¯t speak. I hated how cocky he always looked.


    "Why did you kiss her?" Yorick asked. He was looking at Troy, his eyes fixed on his face before he turned to point at me.


    I heard Ian gasp, but far too dramatically. He was trying to make it seem like he was listening to gossip that was deeply intriguing, and I hated it.


    "I don¡¯t care what you say, Yorick, but don¡¯t viinize me. Fine, I did start that rumor so you would break things off with her, but don¡¯t act like you were ever in love with her."


    The words from Troy caused Ian to tilt his head and look at me, and this time he wasn¡¯t trying to provoke me. He was genuinely trying to understand what history we might have had before we came here.


    "I¡¯m done with this bullshit," I said, trying to walk away, but Yorick continued to argue.


    "I did. I liked her. That¡¯s why I started dating her. Are you a fool or what?" Yorick¡¯s voice was harsh this time.


    The two alphas always used the loudest tones, each wanting to prove he was superior to the other. That was nothing new. I knew that much. I knew they would always do that.


    "Hold up," Troy said, almostughing.


    So I stopped, just to look at him. What did he know?


    "That¡¯s not why you started dating her," Troy said, making me narrow my eyes at Yorick to see his reaction. He was definitely not provoking me anymore, and I could tell from the way Yorick was avoiding my gaze that there was more behind him dating me than I knew.


    "Wait, why did you date me?" I asked Yorick this time, and all eyes turned to me.


    Yorick gave his head a shake as if he were tired of me listening to Troy.


    "Why are you even giving him the importance to ask all these questions? Did you not hear that he lied to break our rtionship? No, he is not trying to cause a rift between us again," Yorick said, pointing at Troy.


    "What do you mean by again? There is nothing going on between us, so he doesn¡¯t have to do anything to cause trouble. People lie when there¡¯s something left to ruin. There is nothing here," I said, looking straight at Yorick, directly into his eyes.


    It was so easy for him to leave me, as if I meant nothing. That¡¯s why I was now curious to know why he even dated me.


    "Fine. I dated you because I liked you, because you were unique. Happy?" he said,shing out at Troy after answering our question.


    Ian gave his head one big shake, stopping it to the side, almost dramatically.


    "No, no, no, no, no," he added, giving little head shakes and wagging his finger sideways. "There¡¯s more," he said, sounding so intrigued as he pulled us back into the conversation.


    "Why are you even intervening? You don¡¯t even know anything about us. Stay out of it." The annoyance in Yorick¡¯s voice was strange. It reminded me of Troy when he was trying to get out of a conversation.


    "You know something? Then fucking say it," I turned to Troy this time, yelling at him. It was getting exhausting how they always dragged every conversation into a long argument before finally exposing the truth.


    "Fine," Troy said, smirking. "He had a bet with the cheerleader that he would date you and get you to kiss him in front of everyone. And that¡¯s when he¡¯d break things off with you," Troy said in one breath, looking at Yorick with a face that challenged him to prove he was lying.


    "You had a bet with someone about me?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.


    If looks could kill, Yorick would be dead by now.


    "That was in the beginning. I didn¡¯t know you at that time," Yorick started to exin, and at that moment, he pretty much confirmed that Troy wasn¡¯t lying.


    "It was just a harmless bet," Yorick exined, trying to step closer, but as I gave him a look, he stepped back.


    "Really? It would have been the worst for me. You were using Troy, tearing him apart for starting a rumour, while you were nning to take a kiss from me just to embarrass me in front of everyone because I don¡¯t show affection in public? You wanted to break the rules I set for myself in school days, just so you could win a bet. Were you trying to impress that cheerleader by doing that to me?" I yelled in annoyance.


    I ced a hand on my chest, realizing that all this time, these idiots had caused so many problems for me, and now they were acting like I was the one in the wrong.


    "You both were the reasons I was being shit on. You started a rumor, and you started a rtionship that didn¡¯t even mean anything to you. Then why the fuck were you so angry when someone told you I cheated on you? It wasn¡¯t even a real rtionship," I yelled at Yorick, who had his hands on his face, his eyes down, but he didn¡¯t seem guilty. He seemed angry that Troy had told me that.


    "And you?" I turned to Troy next. But before I could yell at him, he started to speak.


    "Don¡¯t yell at me. You leaked my secret. You started a rumor about me. And even when I was taking revenge on you, I was also helping you in the long run. When I found out he had a bet, I decided to free you from him. But I couldn¡¯t do it without hurting you. Because you hurt me too." Troy screamed back, as if that made any sense.


    They were all the same.


    "You¡¯re both unbelievable. Just fucking stay away from me. That¡¯s all I want from you from now on."


    I pointed at each of them before continuing to walk away.

 Chapter 40-Not Leaving My Mate Behind.

    <h4>Chapter 40: 40-Not Leaving My Mate Behind.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After we arrived at the station again, the other crusaders started to show up one dayter. That one day was difficult to get through. None of us spoke to each other. We all kept a good distance, sleeping on the benches for the rest of the day.


    Yorick would pace around his area and asionally punch the pirs or the walls. No one checked on him because we were all still angry with each other.


    Ian was the messy one. He would hum a melody, almost like he was taunting us. Then he would wander off, go missing for a few hours, and return. He was a mess.


    Eventually, the other crusaders began to arrive. The red ones came first, and I didn¡¯t see the pregnant girl among them. That¡¯s when I realized Haiden had also been missing for a while.


    The white crusaders, along with the blue and green teams, all showed up. There were five teams in total.


    Then they asked if anyone had in the monster. Ian stepped forward and told them that we had, but we didn¡¯t go into specifics. That would be discussed once we were back on the maind.


    Now the train wasing again.


    During those few hours with the other crusaders present, I noticed Joshua and Suki being very intimate. I remembered she had cheated on him, so my eyes naturally wandered. I spotted one guy from their own squad watching them a little too closely. I also noticed Suki making eye contact with him.


    I wondered if he was the guy. He had curly red hair and a lot of freckles. He was good-looking, with a fuller face, an innocent type, not someone you¡¯d expect in the bad boy group. I felt bad for him. If he got dragged into this mess, I was sure others would turn on him just to stay in Joshua¡¯s good books. Joshua had the typical appearance of a bully.


    "Let¡¯s board the train," said the Red Squad leader, who I assumed was the leader, to her crusaders, without mentioning anything about the missing girl.


    I began to look into the distance, hoping Haiden would appear with his girl.


    "Guys," I said, trying to get the attention of my crusaders and my squadmates.


    But then I noticed Troy and Yorick were bumping shoulders as they tried to get in. They kept doing it, and the other squads started to notice.


    "Hey, what¡¯s going on?" one of the guys from the Blue Squad asked, as both Troy and Yorick started putting their hands on each other.


    I guessed they were finally done with the silent treatment and had decided to take it too far again.


    "Guys, we are missing Haiden!" I screamed. But they didn¡¯t pay attention.


    By now, all the other crusaders had begun gathering around them in a circle at the entrance of the train.


    "No, you¡¯re a fucking idiot, you know that?" I heard Yorick scream at Troy.


    "Oh, really? Just because I exposed your truth?" Troy shot back.


    I shook my head. This wasn¡¯t going well. We needed to go and find Haiden, and here they were, fighting about something that didn¡¯t even deserve attention.


    There was nothing left to discuss. They both had lied. They both had yed. So what were they even angry about? Just the fact that they exposed each other?


    "Fuck it," I groaned, turning around and hastily walking away from the train.


    "Where do you think you¡¯re going?" I heard Ian yell. This was the first time he had actually intervened in anyone¡¯s business. Usually, he didn¡¯t care.


    I turned to him and gave him a look.


    "We¡¯re missing Haiden," I said.


    He shrugged. "So? If he doesn¡¯t care, why should we care?"


    So nonchnt. No care for anyone.


    "I understand, Ian, that you don¡¯t give a fuck about anyone, but I do. And I have to go and bring him back, so please don¡¯t waste my time asking questions you already know the answers to," I said, looking him straight in the eye before turning around to sprint away.


    I heard him groan, and then I heard footsteps behind me.


    I wanted to stop for a minute and ask him what he was doing, but I figured he wasing after me to find Haiden. That was strange, just one sentence from me, and suddenly his emotions were stirred.


    "Okay, Mint. Right now I need your help. Focus on the surroundings. Smell your mate¡¯s scent. Find him."


    I hated that I had to drag Mint into this because it meant acknowledging that Haiden and I were Mates, which we were.


    "Got it," she said, taking a deep breath.


    "What are you doing?" Ian continued to bother me.


    I closed my eyes and got on my knees, touching the soil. I wanted Mint to be as close to it as possible so she could catch his scent.


    "I think I smell him," she said, and I opened my eyes.


    "He¡¯s in this direction," I said to Ian.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I wanted him toe with me. I knew I couldn¡¯t do this alone.


    Then I heard voices behind me.


    "What¡¯s going on? Why did you two leave?" It was Yorick.


    I turned to give him a quick nce and noticed he had a split lip again. Troy was right beside him, his nose bleeding.


    "d you two are done with your bickering, because we¡¯re missing a crusader, and I don¡¯t want to go back without him," I hissed at them. They looked like they couldn¡¯t care less.


    "He ran off into the wild after that pregnant girl. Why should we care? He wasn¡¯t even there to help us," Troy hissed.


    I gave him a look and he began to fix his attitude.


    "Fine, fine, I¡¯m just angry. Let¡¯s go."


    Thankfully, he didn¡¯t waste any more time arguing, and we began to sprint again.


    I didn¡¯t let them know how I was able to locate his scent so quickly, because then they would start asking questions about my wolf and Haiden.


    Mint was doing a great job, though, because we soon started to hear Haiden¡¯s voice in the distance, and he didn¡¯t sound like he was doing any better. He was frantic. He sounded like he had been through something, or at least was still going through it.


    He was screaming someone¡¯s name, and after a while, I began to make it out.


    "Sadie!" he yelled again and again.


    That¡¯s when my wolf was the one who broke the news to me.


    "He¡¯s calling for his baby mama. That¡¯s her name."


    I was pretty sure she was right, because that was the girl who had gone missing.


    So Sadie was her name.


    I could see Haiden looking around, disheveled and broken, and it scared me for him.


    Had he lost her?

 Chapter 41-Better than Mates

    <h4>Chapter 41: 41-Better than Mates</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    "You don¡¯t have to keep following me. You have your own squad. Why don¡¯t you go be with them?" Sadie said after I had followed her in silence for a few minutes.


    "They can take care of themselves," I said, watching her slow down and turn around to look at me.


    "And I can¡¯t?" she asked, sounding tired. Of course she was. She was pregnant, and they had made here here. What kind of monsters do that?


    "You can, but not in this state," I said, pointing at her belly. I was trying not to be insensitive, but what could I do? I desperately wanted to give her a coat or a jacket, but I had none. Rue had decided I should flex my biceps while others got cool jackets.


    "Haiden, you¡¯re a nice guy, and I don¡¯t me you for earlier. You didn¡¯t know any better. You were just trying tofort me. It¡¯s not like I would have survived trying to cross the wires," she uttered in her sweet and gentle tone, reminding me why she was so different from the others.


    "I appreciate that you don¡¯t me me for it, but I can¡¯t leave you here by yourself," I said as I continued to walk behind her.


    "I¡¯m not by myself. I have my squad mates," she said with a smile on her lips.


    For a woman to be in a state where she couldn¡¯t rest while pregnant and still smile, it confused me. Where did these women get their courage from? They are bold and confident. Then there are men like us, who don¡¯t understand them.


    "Yeah, well, your squad mates didn¡¯t stay behind for you. They rushed ahead even when they knew you couldn¡¯t run," I said, annoyed with them.


    "Do you take care of every pregnant woman like this, or is it just me? Because I¡¯m beginning to feel very lucky," she said, shing me a smile.


    This was the first time I had seen her so rxed, even though I knew deep down she must have been scared.


    "Let¡¯s just say I think there should be betterws to protect pregnant women," I said, trying to look away to avoid eye contact, but she kept looking at me, as if trying to figure out whether I was beingpletely honest or if there was another motive behind my kindness.


    "Anyway, you can ask me a million questions to distract me, but I¡¯m not leaving your side," I said, still walking behind her.


    "And I¡¯ll find you food as well," I said with a smile, and she began to smile back at me.


    "Where would you get food from?" she asked, stopping to catch her breath. I knew she was exhausted.


    "You know, North was never another dimension. It had people living there, so I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ll be able to find some food, some supplies," I said with a smile. I didn¡¯t know why, but every time I looked at her, I felt emotional. I tried to stop myself, because I knew it would make her anxious too.


    "I didn¡¯t say it out loud, but I was scareding here. You see, I don¡¯t get along well with my squad mates because they don¡¯t understand my situation. And of course, I don¡¯t me them. They¡¯re teens, just like me. To them, I¡¯m a monster too. But I was truly scared," she said. As she began to sit down, I gently offered her my hand to support her. Once she wasfortable, I stood in front of her, hands on my waist, smiling at her.


    "And now?" I asked.


    "And now I¡¯m not," she smiled, giving me a look I knew very well. She was grateful.


    For the rest of the day, we were together. I didn¡¯t let her do anything. I built her a small nest, what she called it, so she could sleep in peace at night. I would leave her inside while I stood guard. I didn¡¯t blink during her sleep, and I didn¡¯t show that I was tired too.


    I got her fruits, but I began to realize she needed more. She needed protein. So I went out hunting. I did everything I had always thought I would do for a pregnant woman. It meant a lot to me.


    Now, we were three days in. We had encountered the Faun only once, and it was far in the distance, ying the flute. I had covered her ears because I didn¡¯t want her to feel any difort.


    In those three days, we had grown so close. I didn¡¯t think about anyone else, even when my little wolf would remind me that we had a mate somewhere, running around, probably dead by now. I hadn¡¯t felt the pain of her dying, so I guessed she was fine.


    But I didn¡¯t want to think about her.


    "Haiden, do you mind if I ask you something?" Sadie asked, snapping me out of my thoughts as we sat together around the fire.


    "Sure," I said, giving her a foot massage that she desperately wanted to avoid because she felt awkward having an alpha kneeling in front of her. But I knew her feet must have been hurting a lot. I had learned that when certain herbs are mixed together and massaged onto a pregnant woman¡¯s feet, they help relieve the pain.


    "Why are you doing this?" she asked in a softer tone.


    "What?" I replied, giving her a smile and a quick raise of my eyebrows.


    "I know you¡¯re not in love with me. So why are you doing it? It can¡¯t be out of the goodness of your heart, because the details you notice about me when I¡¯m in difort don¡¯te from someone who just wants to do good for someone. Ites from deep trauma, from a memory. Tell me, I want to know," she insisted, her voice soft and gentle.


    I had finished massaging her feet, so I pulled back and wiped my hands clean.


    And I began to wonder if I should tell her the truth or stay deceptive for a while. Because once I admitted the truth, it would be so hard to keep my emotions in check and not explode like a volcano.

 Chapter 42-They Lied.

    <h4>Chapter 42: 42-They Lied.</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    We sat on arge fallen tree trunk, our legs hanging down. Where her legs were in the air, while mine stretched out because I was tall. I ced my hands on the trunk beside my body and stared into the distance.


    "Let¡¯s just say I think pregnant women aren¡¯t treated well under our ruling," I said, trying to be vague.


    "Anyway, you need to rest, because in the next few days, I¡¯m pretty sure someone will y the monster. And if not, we¡¯ll still board the train. I¡¯m taking you back there because I¡¯m not going to let youe back here again. They should have thought this through. They can¡¯t force a pregnant woman onto a train to fight monsters. We¡¯re not criminals being punished. We are their people. We are their crusaders," I hissed, pointing into the distance.


    She gave me a reassuring look before getting up and heading into her nest. She joked that she felt like a bird sitting on her eggs.


    The day passed slowly. Then finally, it was the day we were supposed to return to the train. We hadn¡¯t heard from anyone else, hadn¡¯te across any other crusaders. So I knew I had done the right thing by following her and keeping her safe. By now, we had run into quite a few wild wolves, and they had tried to attack her more than once. I guessed we had ended up in a region where they were more abundant.


    But that morning, I woke up toplete silence.


    Usually, she¡¯d be awake, humming while watching the birds in the trees. I walked to her nest and stood outside, impatient.


    "Sadie, are you okay?" I called.


    "Sadie!" I repeated, getting more anxious.


    There was no response. I had to go in and check. The minute I stepped inside, I froze, she was gone.


    "Sadie!" I screamed, stepping out, spinning around, searching. "Sadie!" I yelled as loud as I could.


    She was just gone. It didn¡¯t make sense. Every day, she woke me up, and we spent the whole day together. But now, she was nowhere to be found, and I was losing my mind.


    "Can you track her scent?" I asked my wolf, panicking.


    "No. She¡¯s not our mate. I can¡¯t," he nearly screamed back at me. He sounded panicked too. We had be so connected with her.


    "Listen, we need to find her. She¡¯s pregnant. She can¡¯t be far. What the hell happened to her?" I said, trembling.


    Then the worst thing happened. I turned, and saw my squad mates rushing toward me.


    And there she was. That face I hated so much. The one that made me want to punch myself the moment she came near me. Clementine stopped when she saw how hostile I looked, but the others kept going.


    "We need to go," Ian said, his tone urgent.


    "No. I¡¯m staying. I have to find her," I said, pointing at the spot.


    "Are you crazy or what?" Troy shouted, clearly panicked, probably because the train was getting ready to leave.


    "She was here. She was here when I fell asleep. But now she¡¯s gone," I said, pointing at her nest.


    I saw Clementine tilt her head, stare at the nest, then nce around the little space we had made into a home over the past few days.


    "Where did she go?" she asked.


    I clenched my jaw and gave her a look, a warning to stay out of it.


    "She was here," I told Yorick.


    "But she¡¯s not. She¡¯s gone. Probably ran away. We don¡¯t know," Yorick said, trying to exin. "But we need to go. We have to go back. We can¡¯t stay here," he added, grabbing my arm.


    "No. I¡¯m not leaving without her," I protested, pushing them away.


    That¡¯s when Ian stepped forward and pointed at me.


    "Is this the pregnant girl you are talking about?" he asked and immediately nodded.


    "I saw her board the train," he said, pointing toward it. And my body began to rx.


    "What? You found her there?" I asked, confused as to why she would leave me behind and board the train alone.


    "Yeah, she was probably scared, so she left without you. Or maybe she tried to wake you, and you didn¡¯t respond or something," Ian exined.


    Although it hurt, I was suddenly just so d that she was safe.


    "Now let¡¯s go check it out," Troy said, gesturing for me with his fingers.


    I gave them a nod and started to sprint so I could go and check on her. I wouldn¡¯t ask her why she left without me. It didn¡¯t matter. She was pregnant. She needed to save herself before anyone else.


    Now, we were rushing back to the train station. We could see the train starting to move in the distance.


    "Everybody, give it your best and make it to the train! This might be our chance, otherwise, we¡¯ll have to wait another full week!" Yorick screamed as he sped up.


    So we all did the same.


    Of course, that fucking bitch was faster than us, so she was ahead. As the train started moving, she got in first. Then Yorick stepped in. Then I entered the train, with Troy and Ian behind me.


    Once we were all inside, we began huffing and puffing. The other squadmates had already shut the ss doors to their coaches. I tried looking through the window to spot Sadie, but the red squad had already moved ahead, and the white squad was in their ce this time.


    "Come on, she¡¯s fine. Just sit down, damn it," Troy hissed, rolling his eyes.


    After a few minutes, I finally sat down, defeated. Still, something didn¡¯t sit right with me. Why would she leave like that?


    I looked up at Ian, who was sitting by the window and watching me. His eyes were always so unreadable, the way he¡¯d tilt his head down, yet still hold something sharp in his gaze.


    "Ian, did you see her board the train?" I asked, my chest tightening, heat rising in my body.


    "Answer me," I said in a low, gruff voice.


    "Does it matter?" he replied. "It¡¯s not like you would¡¯ve been able to find her. If she left on her own, she left on her own. My job was only to bring my crusader."


    The moment he said that, every head turned toward him. And I realized he had fucking lied to me.

 Chapter 43-Somehow, I Am The Issue Again

    <h4>Chapter 43: 43-Somehow, I Am The Issue Again</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    When we found Haiden, he was frantically looking for his baby mama. I believed she had gone missing, or something might have happened to her, because the corner they had chosen to stay at was heavily infested with wild wolves. They were known to attack werewolves like their lives depended on it. I guessed they got the most energy from eating werewolves.


    Watching Haiden care for someone so much was actually quite surprising to me. He had built a small nest for her, almost like a male bird taking care of his pregnant mate. And the little fences he had made all around the area made it seem like he had poured his heart and soul into it. I had no idea Haiden was capable of that. Even though I had never liked him, the small part of me that had felt the mate-bond with him felt slightly bad. I was kind of jealous. I couldn¡¯t understand how someone could be so sweet to one woman and, at the same time, so bitter and full of hatred toward another, and not just any woman, but his own mate.


    Then Ian told us that he had seen Sadie board the train.


    I hadn¡¯t seen her myself, but I thought I was probably looking in the wrong coach, and I might have skipped over her. So we were happy she was safe. But the real problem started when we were on the train and Haiden began asking Ian if he had really seen Sadie taking the train.


    With his eyes staring nkly and no expression on his face, one arm bent with his index finger resting on his temple and his thumb under his chin, making a V with his fingers, Ian very casually responded once again, "We had to take you back home because the others made it clear they wouldn¡¯t return if you weren¡¯t boarding the train."


    I noticed everyone staring at him. Just a few minutes ago, he had kind of confirmed that he never saw Sadie, but then he exined why he lied.


    "Do you even realize what you¡¯re saying, Ian? It better be a joke." Haiden¡¯s voice was so loud, I felt goosebumps all over my skin.


    The way Haiden lowered his head to re at Ian through his thick eyebrows made it clear that his warning was serious. And I began to panic. I really didn¡¯t want Ian to have lied about it. If he had told us she was left behind, I would have stayed with Haiden to find her. They could have left. Nobody was asking them to stay.


    "Why would I lie now? I can only lie once. That¡¯s the kind of rule I made," Ian said, weirdly calm, as if nothing mattered to him, as if it were some kind of joke.


    That was when Haiden got up and lunged at Ian, grabbing him by the cor. He shook Ian for a minute, and Ian¡¯s long hair started falling around his face and onto his forehead, even covering his eyes. I noticed the smirk that had been on Ian¡¯s face began to fade. The finger that had rested against his temple now joined the others to form a fist.


    "Hey, back off," Yorick said, trying to step between them. Troy was already moving in to stop them if things escted.


    "She was pregnant, you fucking moron! Now she¡¯s out there on her own. I fucking promised her I would take care of her!" Haiden shouted, still shaking Ian.


    But Ian didn¡¯t do anything to defend himself. He just sat there, letting Haiden shake him violently.


    "Okay, that¡¯s it. And you were doing just fine. It was her decision to leave," Troy finally said. Both he and Yorick pushed Haiden back, their hands on his chest, making sure he couldn¡¯t go at Ian again.


    Now that Ian was free, he casually shrugged off his coat, straightened his cor, and began brushing his shirt. Then he stretched his neck and looked outside the window. We all watched him in silence, waiting for a response. But he never said a word. He just kept staring outside.


    "Is he fucking real? What kind of an asshole is he?" Haiden screamed, pointing at Ian.


    "Come on now, Haiden. He did it so that you could be safer. Don¡¯t use him like he did something evil," Yorick said, the first to take Ian¡¯s side.


    Haiden turned to look at him, his eyes full of anger.


    "Nobody asked him to do that for me! I was going to stay behind because I promised her I would. How can you make decisions for me?" Haiden yelled at Yorick, who nodded, understanding that the situation was murky.


    "Who the fuck told you toe and fetch me, huh?" Haiden shouted again. In front of him stood both Troy and Yorick. It was obvious they weren¡¯t going to let him attack Ian again. If Ian started fighting back, it could have turned into a very messy fight in such a small coach. And others would have noticed.


    "Clementine did." Then, with a very calm tone, Ian replied, not even looking back at us.


    I felt my skin crawl. Then Haiden steadily turned to look at me.


    "I noticed you weren¡¯t on the train. So I went ahead to look for you. I didn¡¯t know you were looking for your baby mama," I said, trying to defend myself, to show that my emotions and intentions were pure.


    "Oh, you fucking bitch," Haiden growled, lunging toward me. The side where I was sitting wasn¡¯t blocked by Yorick or Troy. He came at me and hunched down, his forehead pressing against mine. He tried to bump his head against me like he did with other alphas, trying to challenge them.


    "Dude," Troyined, grabbing Haiden¡¯s arm and pulling him away from me. "She did it because she cared," he said.


    Haiden startedughing, pping his hands.


    "This bitch doesn¡¯t care about anyone but herself. She did it because she knew that would hurt me," he said, confidently using me.

 Chapter 44-The RingLeaders Are Of No Help

    <h4>Chapter 44: 44-The RingLeaders Are Of No Help</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "And when have I ever done that before?" I said, standing up, ready to defend myself. "You always bullied me, so don¡¯t act like you¡¯re the victim. I get it, I was wrong. I should¡¯ve just left you there to die. How the heck was I supposed to know you¡¯d want to stay behind for her? And besides, I was told by Ian, just like you were, that Sadie boarded the train," I said, frustration bubbling inside me. I guess the reason these alphas hated me so much was because every time they used me of something, I would actually speak until they heard my side instead of staying silent and letting them drown in the misconceptions they had about me.


    Haiden clenched his fists, muttering curse words under his breath, and then walked away to stand by the closed train doors. We watched him try to force them open. Yorick and Troy rushed toward him to stop him, but once they realized the doors wouldn¡¯t budge, they let him be, letting him take his anger out for a while.


    Finally, after a few minutes of Haiden grunting and punching things around, he sat down with his head lowered and his hands hanging, almost defeated. I felt really bad for him. His child was out there. He must have been feeling so awful at that moment.


    "Maybe we should speak to our ringleader and let her know what¡¯s going on," I said. This wasn¡¯t an issue we could just sweep under the rug like we had with other matters. It was about a pregnant girl, her baby, and our crusader¡¯s child. We needed to take it seriously and do something about it.


    That was when Haiden looked up and red at me.


    "You¡¯re not a hero, Clementine. You fucking stay away from me and sleep with one eye open, because I¡¯ll make sure you suffer the worst now." He made the threat while ring at me, making me feel awful, as if I had done it all on purpose.


    We arrived at the station in what felt like just 10 minutes.


    A lot of people were cheering when the train stopped, and all the crusaders were advised to get out, except for our squad. Once the ringleader found out it was the ck Squad that had in the faun, we were asked to stay behind. For a good fifteen minutes, we werepletely alone. We just sat silently in our coach with the train stopped. Others were definitely preparing for the celebration outside, because we could hear the cheering and the music. It was going to be fun, but sadly, not all of us were happy. At least I wasn¡¯t. And I could tell Yorick and Troy weren¡¯t either. Even though they weren¡¯t Haiden¡¯s friends and we had all been brought together by circumstance, they kept stealing nces at him, clearly worried.


    Haiden hadn¡¯t raised his head since he sat down and gave me that deadlyment. He kept cracking his knuckles, his head down, and I could only imagine he was holding back tears, because he kept blinking as if trying to stop them from falling.


    "Hey, Haiden, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll do something about it. We¡¯re definitely not going to leave her out there," Yorick said, patting his shoulder.


    Haiden only nodded, not even looking at him. I guessed he didn¡¯t believe us.


    Then, suddenly, our door opened and Miss Rue stepped inside with a huge smile on her face. She looked victorious. She was holding a tray full of sweets.


    "I¡¯m so d that my squad was able to do this," she said, quickly stepping forward to hand each of us a sweet to celebrate.


    She first went to Yorick, who happily put the entire Lokum in his mouth. I just knew it was a Turkish delight, but had never tried it before. Then she fed Troy. When she moved to Ian, he didn¡¯t let her feed him, but he took the sweet out of her hand and held it in his fist.


    She then offered the sweet to Haiden, who took only a very small bite of the tiny cube. He stood up, his eyes red, the veins in his face almost visible.


    "Miss Rue, we have a request to make," I said, rising to speak. I noticed everyone looking at me except Ian, who was still sitting in his seat, staring out the window.


    "What is it?" she asked, smiling.


    "One of the Crusaders from the Red Squad was left behind," I said.


    She began nodding.


    "I heard some other Crusaders from other squads also died. I¡¯m so sorry. We couldn¡¯t bring their bodies back. Sadly, this is the rule," she said.


    That¡¯s when I realized even this supposedly easy mission had cost lives. It made me wonder how crazy things would get when the real danger started.


    "No, no, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying," I rified. "The Crusader who was left behind was pregnant. She was actually Haiden¡¯s girlfriend and pregnant with his baby. She suddenly disappeared. Haiden didn¡¯t want toe, but I guess he ended up on the train because of us."


    I was trying to use the right words¡ªsafe words¡ªbecause I didn¡¯t want anyone to feel used or get into trouble. Still, Haiden shot me a harsh, deadly re that didn¡¯t make any sense. He looked at me like he wanted to tear me apart.


    Then Yorick and Troy exchanged a look. It was like they were speaking with their eyes, and it seemed as if something was wrong. They looked guilty too, though I didn¡¯t understand why.


    "Wait! Haiden, she was your girlfriend? She was pregnant with your baby?" Rue asked him.


    That¡¯s when I realized no one had told her. So maybe I had messed up by saying it.


    Haiden kept ring at me before finally looking at her. Then he nodded.


    "She was," he said.


    I started to rx a little, my muscles loosening. But Troy and Yorick were the ones showing the most emotion. Ian didn¡¯t seem to care at all.


    "I¡¯m really sorry, Haiden. You guys should havee to us earlier. But even then, there isn¡¯t much we could have done," Miss Rue said. "You see, their ringleader isn¡¯t very lenient. Unless both ringleaders agree, we can¡¯t really do much. Besides, it¡¯s the rule, once you¡¯re a Crusader, no amount of sickness can excuse you from a mission. This isn¡¯t something you do for fun."


    "But it wasn¡¯t a sickness. She was pregnant," Haiden said, finally speaking up. "How could they make her go fight some monster when she was pregnant, when she should have been resting?"


    He was right, and I had to admit it. He really cared about his girlfriend.


    "Haiden, I sympathize with you. But the truth is, now that she is left behind, I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s dead," Miss Rue replied.

 Chapter 45-And We Celebrate

    <h4>Chapter 45: 45-And We Celebrate</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    She said it so bluntly that even my heart skipped a beat. Haiden stared at her in disbelief.


    "The train is right here. We can still go back north to look for her. And since she has been gone for maybe a few hours, we should be able to find her," I said, trying to make Miss Rue understand that it was really important and that we couldn¡¯t just keep leaving our people behind like they meant nothing. We are better than monsters.


    "I understand what you are trying to say, Clementine, but if we did it for her today, tomorrow we would have to do it for others too. And you guys said she went missing out of the blue. She must have left on her own." The way she said it made me feel pity for her brain, for how it worked.


    "A pregnant girl living on her own in a world where she wouldn¡¯t even be able to defend herself¡ªhow does that make sense to anyone?" I argued, and I noticed how upset she looked that I was the one raising questions.


    "Clementine, her own family didn¡¯t care for her. They sent her to the academy," She argued back as if that would justify sending her out to the north.


    "Yeah, just because her family didn¡¯t care doesn¡¯t mean we shouldn¡¯t either."


    At this point, I was the only one talking. I guess the others were pretty shocked that I was taking a stand for Haiden¡¯s girlfriend.


    "I know I¡¯m being insensitive," she continued, "but before someone else tells you in a worse way, I want to let you know she was probably due in a month or two. There¡¯s no way she could survive on her own out there." With those words, it became clear we had made the wrong decision by bringing Haiden back. If he had wanted to stay with her, he should have. It was his choice. And I would have stayed too. I wouldn¡¯t havee back if I knew someone was being left behind to die.


    "We can¡¯t do anything?" I asked her.


    That was when Haiden snapped.


    "You stay the fuck out of it. Don¡¯t act like you care when you¡¯re the reason this whole mess happened," he yelled at me.


    I stepped back, humiliated. Miss Rue was watching, and I didn¡¯t know where to look.


    "What is going on? How is she at fault?" she asked Haiden. I shook my head. I waspletely innocent. He was just ming me.


    "She fucking made everyonee to fetch me, even when I didn¡¯t want toe back. I wanted to stay with Sadie," Haiden hissed.


    "Oh my goddess, I can¡¯t believe he is saying that," Yorick groaned under his breath.


    At that point, I understood he was not taking Haiden¡¯s side. I guess he also believed Haiden was being ridiculous for using me, instead of understanding that I only did it out of concern, while Ian was the one who lied.


    "Actually, that¡¯s not true. Clementine was just worried that one of us was left behind," Troy said, stepping in. It was confusing. I never expected him to defend me. I always thought he was more of a foe than a friend.


    "He¡¯s right. She literally did nothing wrong," Yorick added. Of course, he left out Ian¡¯s name. That was weird. The alphas usually had each other¡¯s backs. I knew they were defending me only because I really was innocent. Ian wasn¡¯t. I truly didn¡¯t do anything wrong this time, and thankfully they were there, otherwise, they would have just believed whatever Haiden was saying. It showed me how much they hated me, that even in a situation so serious, Haiden was looking for ways to twist the narrative so he could me me.


    "Anyway, let¡¯s not talk about this right now. Others are waiting for us outside, and the headmaster is there too. Since there is nothing we can do, it isn¡¯t sensible for any of you to keep repeating the same thing. Especially when the headmaster could notice, and it won¡¯t end well for any of you. So just be your best selves and enjoy the moment. Enjoy the victory. It¡¯s a huge thing, you have no idea. Ask the ones who had to leave their crusaders behind, or who watched their crusaders die." Miss Rue said, watching all of us.


    Ian finally stood up when he heard that the headmaster was outside. Of course, he¡¯d put on a perfect show for the headmaster. That¡¯s who Ian was. He hadn¡¯t even helped us fight the faun. While Yorick, Troy, and I had tried our best, and Haiden was doing everything to protect his girlfriend, Ian had been sleeping in the trees like a damn monkey.


    "Let¡¯s go," Miss Rue said. And that was her way of telling us there was nothing we could do for Sadie anymore.


    As we stepped out, people threw confetti at us. They gave us bouquets, fed us sweets, and ced flower crowns and nes on us. It looked like something out of a fairy tale.


    But it wasn¡¯t. It was just a reminder that one of us could go missing on the next mission. There was nothing to celebrate. And nobody would care. Nobody would even mention that someone was left behind. At this point, I began to wonder if connecting with any of our other crusaders was even a smart move. Because imagine having to leave someone behind, and then carrying on with so much guilt on our chest.


    Still, for the sake of our ringleader, for our mental peace, and to keep our bond with them strong, we smiled.


    The headmaster stood alone, dressed in all ck, a long, buttoned-up longcoat. His mouth was covered by a ck mask. We could barely see his eyes. His hands were sped behind his back, and he stood at least six feet eight, the tallest person there. He didn¡¯t speak a word. He just gave us a single nod. I guessed that was his way of saying we had done a good job.


    After that, we walked around, eating food while people congratted us, until it was time to return to our dorms.

 Chapter 46-The Rapist Among Us.

    <h4>Chapter 46: 46-The Rapist Among Us.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Hey, I know we haven¡¯t had a chance to talk about it, but thanks for picking me for the task. It made me realize you were morefortable with me, and that maybe some part of our friendship was still there. I just hope you regret ever spreading lies about me." However, Troy had the nerve toe up to me and say that. Haiden was in the bathroom freshening up, Ian and Yorick were busy unpacking their clothes from their bags.


    I had actually walked out onto the patio to stare at the trees swaying in the wind when Troy approached me. I turned to look at him, my hands on the railing.


    "I didn¡¯t pick you because I was mostfortable with you," I said in a very calm tone, watching him yfully narrow his eyes as if he didn¡¯t believe me.


    "I did it because I knew that would torture you the most."


    The moment I said that, I watched his smile begin to fade.


    "You know what, Clementine? Just because you caught me spreading the lie about you doesn¡¯t make me guilty or make you any less guilty. You know what you did to me. You know what you caused me," he said, repeating the same things he had said before.


    There were moments when I would try again and again to speak to him in the past, to exin myself, but he never let me talk. Eventually, I promised I wouldn¡¯t say anything anymore. He didn¡¯t want to hear it. After everything he put me through, I was sure he was praying I was guilty because if I wasn¡¯t, he would be the one who was wrong in the friendship.


    "It¡¯s okay, Troy. You don¡¯t have to wait for me to apologize, because I won¡¯t. And I¡¯m not asking you to apologize either for spreading the rumor. You actually helped me understand that I¡¯m better on my own. So go ahead and enjoy the rest of your night. I¡¯m not going to exin myself to you," I said, watching him clench his jaw and walk back inside.


    I didn¡¯t go in even after an hour. When I finally did, once I was freezing cold, I saw that everyone had already gone to bed. I went straight into the bathroom and took a shower. I scrubbed myself hard, as if I could clean everything off my skin. I hated that we had gone a whole week without a proper shower. It was disgusting, but the adrenaline was so high we hadn¡¯t focused on hygiene.


    Still, I believed that once we got settled in the North, we would find ces to take care of ourselves.


    For now, I had changed into a ck oversized sweater and my baggy jeans. This time, I didn¡¯t wear a hat. It had lost its meaning. I wasn¡¯t going to put in the effort to keep it on.


    The moment I walked out of the bathroom, I saw the bedroom door m shut, as if someone had just left. I quickly did a head count and noticed Haiden¡¯s bed was empty.


    I could have left him alone, but my wolf was growling in pain, and I felt bad for him too.


    "Are we going after him or not?" Mint asked, letting me know she was hurting because he was hurting.


    "Fine, but you know it won¡¯t help. He won¡¯t let us do anything for him," I reminded her. "He¡¯s arrogant."


    "Well, we can at least try. It might help me with the pain too. We can¡¯t just leave our mate like that," she said, making me grunt.


    "I¡¯m pretty sure he doesn¡¯t care about his mate either. Is he not feeling the pain or what?" I groaned. "It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a lower rank. I¡¯m an alpha too."


    I was the kind of alpha who didn¡¯t get the crown. The alphas sent to the Crusader Academy were never called alphas. We were just crusaders. But back home, our rank still stood, we just wouldn¡¯t get the title. It was a fancy way of saying, "you are an alpha, but nobody sees you as one."


    "Fine, I¡¯m going after him. But if he attacks us, you¡¯re going to defend us. Okay? No feelings. No falling for emotions," I warned her, knowing there was a chance he might attack. He had tried before on the train.


    "I promise," she lied. She probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to defend herself, feeling as sorry for him.


    I began to follow him. I could see him in the distance. He was taking the same path he hadst time, when he tried to kick me out of the academy by throwing me across the barbed wires. We were only a few feet from the fence when he suddenly stopped and turned.


    "Why the fuck are you following me?" he yelled.


    I froze in my tracks. The wind was harsh. I took a deep breath and started walking toward him. I saw his fists clenched, so I prepared to defend myself, as long as Mint didn¡¯t back down. But I knew she wouldn¡¯t. The pain wasn¡¯t enough to make her just let him beat her.


    "I was justing to check on you," I said. He narrowed his eyes, not believing me.


    "You wereing to check on me? Or were youing to see how much I was hurting so you could enjoy it?" he groaned, as if stating a fact.


    "Haiden, please just tell me one thing tonight for my peace of mind. What the fuck did I do to you?" I asked, my patience thinning.


    There had been moments when I asked his friends, when I tried to research why he hated me so much. Why he bullied me. But I never got answers. This time, I hoped he would finally be serious enough to tell me what I did wrong.


    Because there had been so many rumors spread about me that I started to believe someone must have lied to him.


    "So you have no answer? You were just bullying me for fun, and now you¡¯re acting like I have some kind of agenda to hurt you?" I yelled, even though I knew it was the wrong time. He was already in pain. I should have focused on calming him down instead of bringing up my own issues with him. But I couldn¡¯t, not when he still wouldn¡¯t tell me what I had done to make him hate me so much.


    Then, he finally told me.


    "Your fucking father raped my mother right in front of my eyes."


    The way he said it made my body go numb. And the shock wasn¡¯t over. He stepped forward and pointed at me.


    "And my sister..."

 Chapter 47-My Mate Hates Me

    <h4>Chapter 47: 47-My Mate Hates Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What? Come on, defend your father," he said, as if he knew I would do that. I had no clue that my father¡¯s cruelty had extended beyond his own family and pack members to other innocent people. But I wasn¡¯t surprised that my father was such a disgusting prick. I guessed others didn¡¯t know the hate I had for my father.


    "I cannot defend that man," I said in a broken voice.


    He almost leaned forward and raised his eyebrow, as if he hadn¡¯t heard me clearly.


    "Huh?" he asked.


    I began to take slow steps, and once I was face to face with him, I uttered, "I¡¯m so sorry he did that to you. But do you think I deserve the hate for it?"


    I asked, my lips quivering.


    "I hate everyone rted to him. Clementine, every freaking person, every blood rtionship with him is my enemy," he said, pointing at his chest and hissing. His eyes were red with tears.


    "I understand your feelings, and I¡¯m not going to ask you not to hate me, but to punish me for it. Haiden, I¡¯m not on my father¡¯s side. How do you think I ended up in jail here? I didn¡¯t want toe. That man didn¡¯t even care about me. He never did. My entire life¡ª"


    As I started to exin, he began to roll his eyes.


    "Stop fucking yapping. It¡¯s not about you. It¡¯s about my family that he ruined."


    He pointed at his chest and then back at my face, almost poking me in the forehead. I had to step back to avoid it.


    "I just don¡¯t want to see your fucking face again," he muttered as he turned around and started walking away. Then he stopped briefly and looked back at me.


    "I will make your life a living hell. Because when I do that, I feel like I¡¯m hurting that man. I feel like I¡¯m hurting him directly."


    He still didn¡¯t understand that my father wouldn¡¯t be bothered even if I were dead. But I guessed, since he couldn¡¯t do anything to my father, he was taking his anger out on me.


    As he walked away, I turned around and started walking back toward the academy with tears in my eyes.


    "You wanted us to go andfort him, huh? He¡¯s fucking punishing us for someone else¡¯s crime¡ªfor my father¡¯s crime, the same man who punished me. Why is it that I used to get punished by him and now I¡¯m being punished for his sins too?" I growled at Mint, briskly making my way back into the open corridor that was called The Passageway.


    Then I tripped and fell, almost scraping my knees.


    "Ah," I groaned.


    "Hey, be careful."


    A sudden, gentle voice from the side confused me. I hadn¡¯t realized I hadpany. But who could be standing outside in our passage? This was our passage, the ck Squad¡¯s.


    I raised my head to get a good look at her features. That¡¯s when I realized she was from the Red Squad, the girl I had always noticed, who I assumed was probably the leader. I had seen others look at her and point often.


    I got up, fixed my clothes, and faced her.


    "What are you doing in our area?" I asked, pointing at my dorm. She was literally standing near our dorm room.


    "Oh, I was just taking a walk. I guess I had so much on my mind that I didn¡¯t realize where I was headed," she replied. Her voice was surprisingly sweet. I had thought she would be rude, probably very spoiled, because she seemed boujee.


    "What were youst thinking about that you didn¡¯t realize you had crossed all the way to our squad?" I asked, looking around to see if her other squadmates were with her. The Red Squad¡¯s passage was right behind ours, but the distance was significant. Even the passages were far apart. We could barely see each other. That¡¯s how far it was and how many trees stood between us. The only time the distance between the passageways shortened was when they met at the main hall.


    "It¡¯s just that one of our squadmates was left behind. She¡¯s pregnant, and I just couldn¡¯t stop thinking about her," she uttered, touching her forehead, and I noticed her blonde hair with pink highlights. I remembered this was the girl who had looked at my te the first time I ate in the main hall. She had seemed like she was judging me, but now that she was talking, I realized she was very sweet. The fact that she was worried about her squadmate made me understand we weren¡¯t the only ones who cared for Sadie.


    "Sadie?" I asked.


    She nodded, her eyes filled with disbelief.


    "You know her?" she asked.


    "No, I knew of her."


    I shut up after that because it felt like every time I spoke, I gave away secrets. Or at least that¡¯s how the others made me feel. They could tell each other things freely, but I never knew what to keep to myself and what I could say out loud.


    "Wasn¡¯t she with the guy from your squad?" And that¡¯s when I realized she already knew.


    "What guy?" I asked, trying to y innocent so I wouldn¡¯tter be med for spreading gossip.


    "The guy with the really huge biceps. He¡¯s pretty big, tall¡ªthe muscr alpha. I don¡¯t really remember his name, but I heard he used to be an MMA fighter. Gray eyes, a tough look on his face." At this point, she was clearly talking about Haiden.


    "Oh, he has a scar on his face." The minute she mentioned the scar, I had to say his name.


    "Alpha Haiden Raze of Magical Fangs Pack?" I asked.


    She nodded.


    "Oh yes, that¡¯s the name," she said, pping her forehead.


    "I had seen him walk after her when we got off the train, and I kind of put two and two together. At the time, I didn¡¯t know much, but I had a feeling something was going on between them. Do you know anything about it?" she asked sweetly. But I had learned that this kind of sweetness was often just a way to get information out of someone.

 Chapter 48-Accused Of Starting Rumors

    <h4>Chapter 48: 48-used Of Starting Rumors</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "No," I replied, shaking my head and shrugging.


    "Oh, really? Well, I was just listening to our ringleaders talk, and something reached my ears¡ªsome information. I think she was pregnant by him," she said with a look of sadness on her face.


    "Really? I didn¡¯t know." And I could tell she didn¡¯t like that I wasn¡¯t giving her anything.


    "You¡¯re Clementine, right?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest, though it felt more yful than confrontational.


    "I know you know everything, but it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to tell. I guess I should stop gossiping too. I have such a bad habit of it."


    She kept yapping, and I could tell she was a sweet pea. The more she spoke, the more I realized her entire boujee look was just a front. She was as gentle as a flower.


    "By the way, my name is Oriana Winchester. I¡¯m a royal beta¡¯s daughter back in my pack," she said, extending her hand for a handshake.


    "Clementine Stark," I said in a soft, steady voice.


    "I know you, Clementine. The one who came as an ugly duckling and turned out to be a swan," she said.


    My smile started to fade, and I guess she noticed.


    "Oops. So sorry," she said, covering her mouth. But I had to admit, I was kind of enjoying talking to her.


    "No, it¡¯s all right. You¡¯re pretty much as crazy as I am," I said with a smile to rx her a bit.


    "You know what, we can be friends. We don¡¯t have to be enemies just because we¡¯re in different squads," she eximed excitedly and I solely agreed with her.


    I was d she understood that we didn¡¯t have to be toxic toward each other. But that¡¯s when Haiden appeared. I had no idea he had overheard thest part of our conversation.


    "Make sure you don¡¯t spill your secrets to her. Ask her ex-best friends. She has a habit of spilling secrets and starting rumors," he said in a creepy, judgmental tone as he walked past us, went straight into the room, and mmed the door shut.


    Now it was just Oriana staring at me.


    "I¡¯ll go ahead and sleep," she said with an awkwardugh, quickly turning to rush away.


    I could tell Haiden had done a great job ruining my reputation and stealing my one chance to have a good friend. After she left, I walked back inside to sleep.


    That night was so hard for me to get through. The minute I would fall asleep, I had dreams of the North. I did not realize the aftereffects of being there would be so strong. Once we had taken care of the faun, we all thought that would be it. We hadn¡¯t encountered such a dangerous species. The number of lives lost was actually fewer than in the previous squads on their first missions. Maybe their monster was more deadly. Ours was mostly affected by his emotional state. So he wasn¡¯t, strictly speaking, born a monster. He was turned into one after he was wronged.


    Still, three were lost in total in the North. Two died, one by the faun, the other by a wild wolf. However, Sadie was also counted among the three because she went missing. And everybody knew that once someone goes missing there, they almost always end up dead. Their bodies would turn up inter missions. Or maybe not.


    There were some rumors that people still live in the North, but they must have adapted to it. As for Sadie, in the state she was in, it was hardly possible she survived. But that¡¯s where my nightmares came from. I would fall asleep and see her in the storm. I was so anxious, so worried. I kind of med myself. I wished we hadn¡¯t listened to Ian and stayed behind.


    Then morning arrived. It was a pretty chill day for us. The ringleaders acted like they hadn¡¯t sent us on a death mission. They were all smiles, as if they were our buddies. I¡¯m pretty sure others thought they were. As for me, I just couldn¡¯t. My first interaction with them was that Rue was great, but then again, she was following the rules of the Headmaster. And I could barely ever see her as a friend. The minute she had to enforce the rules, she became stern.


    "So, there is a storm in the North,¡¯ Troy said, walking in and rubbing his hands. We had all gotten ready for the day, but there wasn¡¯t much we could do. However, we were supposed to be in the hall for the main breakfast. That was changed. I heard that over time, they¡¯ll give us more luxuries, or a more normal living situation, at least in terms of meals. But I could be wrong. They always change the rules based on their mood.


    "Let¡¯s not tell this to Haiden," Yorick suggested to Troy, who gave him a head nod. The Alphas were so odd. They¡¯d have a full-blown fight, hit each other until they were bleeding, and the next minute, they¡¯d be sitting together, sharing biscuits.


    The loud crinkle of the biscuit wrapper opening from Yorick turned heads. Even I looked up to stare at him, and he mouthed an apology to everyone before offering Troy a biscuit. I guess he had saved some, or probably stolen them from the celebrations yesterday.


    Ian had not spoken much. I even noticed that when Rue was handing out sweets to everyone, he held his in his hand and, once he was getting off the train, tossed it onto the ground.


    "Ian, do you want some?" Yorick asked, holding his arm out so Ian could grab a biscuit. However, Ian stayed seated on his bed, head down, fingers clenched together. He only shook his head, no words, no thank you, nothing. Then Yorick moved his hand from left to right, offering the biscuit to me.


    "No, thank you," I said softly, even though I didn¡¯t want to speak to either of the two who had yed me in the past.


    "You know, we should stop thinking about the grudges we held before. The past is the past. We¡¯re in the future now, and we¡¯re crusaders, not some teenagers." As soon as Troy started his lecture on how we should deal with our emotions and treat each other, I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow. But it was someone else¡¯s reaction that caught Yorick and Troy¡¯s attention.


    I followed their gaze and saw Ian staring at them with the same expression I had on my face, his head slightly tilted.


    "You know, I¡¯m done pretending like this is normal," Ian said quietly, making us all stare at him, then at each other.

 Chapter 49-Ian’s Plan

    <h4>Chapter 49: 49-Ian¡¯s n</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What do you mean?" Yorick asked.


    "It¡¯s a pretty simple meaning, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re a crusader,e on, figure it out." Ian got up and crouched down, reaching under his bed to pull out his trunk. He opened it and took out his bag.


    "What are you doing, dude?" Troy got up instantly to block the door, because we all knew what Ian¡¯s next move was going to be.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t protest. I wanted him gone. If he wanted to leave, he could leave. I definitely wouldn¡¯t have left him behind in the North, where he could die, but here, if he wanted to go, he could. He wasn¡¯t doing anything to help us anyway.


    "I am done ying the game of Crusaders. We are not their warriors. We were never trained for it. Why won¡¯t they send their own warriors to the North to fight?" Ian pointed at his chest, likely reminding Troy, who had earlier said we weren¡¯t just teenagers that we still were.


    "Yeah, but dude, there¡¯s nothing we can do. Literally nothing. They would put a bullet in our head," Troy said, stretching his arms out to block him.


    That was when Yorick stood up too, his mouth full of biscuit he was chewing quickly so he could say something. I stayed seated, even leaned back a little to get a good view of them.


    "Well, then the bullet is what it takes for me to be free of this hell of a ce," Ian hissed, his eyes burning with defiance. He looked ready to rebel.


    I guess I was right when I said Ian never fully epted the role. While I had already given up and decided to do whatever it took to survive, he had made his choice: he would rather die than be part of their games.


    "Do you think we wanted to be crusaders?" Yorick finally swallowed thest of his biscuit and spoke up.


    "Then why are you epting it so easily, as if your life means nothing?" Ian shot back, likely pointing out that they weren¡¯t taken from cages like he and I were, we were dragged here in our sleep.


    "That¡¯s because we know that to survive, we have to adapt. And honestly, I¡¯m an Alpha. Alphas go out to war every day." Yorick had a solid reason for staying part of the Crusaders.


    But then Troy added something.


    "Why do you think I hate Clementine so much?" He turned to me and, with a hand gesture, said, "Please, don¡¯t be offended. It¡¯s just a fact." Then he looked back at Ian.


    "That¡¯s because my only chance to stay behind was taken away when she started a rumor about me. I don¡¯t want to be part of this game either. I don¡¯t want to go fight monsters in the North while everyone else gets to be the Alpha in their packs, where the crownes with perks too."


    I guess this is where Troy¡¯s mindset shed with Yorick¡¯s. Troy wanted to be an Alpha, but he also wanted the respect and privilege that came with it, not just to be thrown into war.


    "Then let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s leave and show them that we are the owners of our own lives, not them," I watched Ian step back and extend his hand, as if asking us to join the n he had in mind. I began to straighten my back because I wanted to leave too. That¡¯s when Haiden walked out of the bathroom, standing in the doorway, staring at Ian. Before anyone else could react, Haiden stepped forward and ced his hand on Ian¡¯s.


    "That girl should not have been on the train. She didn¡¯t deserve to go out and fight while pregnant. So I agree with Ian. We can all smile and pretend everything is normal, but let¡¯s not forget they are using us, and we have no control over our lives. I¡¯m done too," Haiden said, causing Troy and Yorick¡¯s bodies to tense. I could always tell because their shoulders would puff up and rise.


    "Are you two with us?" Ian asked the two alphas. Yorick looked at Troy before steadily raising his hand and cing it on the back of Haiden¡¯s. A smile crept across Ian¡¯s lips, not just a creepy smile, but one of genuine happiness that they were finally on the same team.


    "I think they¡¯re right. As long as we all protest, they¡¯ll be forced to listen," said Yorick to Troy, trying to persuade him. Troy lifted his hand and ced it instantly, as if he had been waiting for this moment. Now, they all turn to look at me.


    Under the watchful eyes of my squadmates, I felt judged for not instantly getting up and joining them. "Weren¡¯t you the one who was thrown in the cell?" Troy reminded me, pointing at me. I steadily got up and walked toward their hands, but I didn¡¯t ce mine right away.


    "You guys need to think this through, because once we go through with it, we¡¯ll pretty much be seen as the viins of this academy, even if we do manage to survive afterward." I was hushed when Ian began speaking.


    "Are you with us or not, Miss Clementine? And no, I will not think about anything but getting out of here. There is no way I¡¯m sitting here again," he hissed, making me close my eyes and ce my hand on top of Troy¡¯s. That¡¯s when the three of them started to smile, while Haiden still looked deeply upset. I guessed he was really shaken that Sadie had been left behind.


    "Now let¡¯s go. We should speak to Miss Rue," Yorick suggested, and they all started gathering their bags. I didn¡¯t know. I had this strange feeling about the whole thing. It seemed like a good idea, and it would be ideal if we were actually allowed to leave. But then again, I didn¡¯t think others hadn¡¯t tried this before, and I wondered what became of them once they protested.


    However, since everyone else was ready to leave, I had to go too. I got up and began walking behind them with my bag, my one lonely bag that barely had anything left in it. With our bags on our shoulders, we marched toward the main hall. Every few seconds, I had this strong urge to turn around and go back to my room.

 Chapter 50-Don’t Listen To The Alphas

    <h4>Chapter 50: 50-Don¡¯t Listen To The Alphas</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Guys, don¡¯t you think we should give it another thought?" I whispered, almost too timidly, which was unlike me. But they didn¡¯t listen. They kept walking forward, headed toward the main hall.


    And then we arrived. Food was being served on the tables, but the students still hadn¡¯t been let in. I noticed the four alphas looking around with determination, whereas I wasn¡¯t so sure. Like I said, I had this strange feeling that we might be doing something wrong.


    Then they pointed toward the basement door as it opened and the ringleaders walked out from below. The moment Miss Rue saw us, a huge smile spread across her face.


    "Here is my winning team," she said with a proud smile on her lips. I watched the other ringleaders nce at us before stopping behind the row. It was pretty clear we hadn¡¯te alone, we had our bags tossed over our shoulders.


    Once Miss Rue noticed the bags on our shoulders, her smile began to fade. I guessed she wasn¡¯t so na?ve that she couldn¡¯t tell what was going on, but it¡¯s customary to ask the question anyway, so she did.


    "What¡¯s going on, guys?" she asked, trying to keep the yfulness in her tone, though I could hear cracks of uncertainty in her voice.


    "We need to speak with you," Troy began, but Ian quickly took the lead.


    "We don¡¯t want to be the crusaders," he announced, not even waiting for us to step aside and speak in private. And right away, that was the problem. Miss Rue looked awkwardly stunned, and the ringleaders behind her began exchanging nces.


    It was Lenora Walter who stepped forward and patted Rue¡¯s shoulder.


    "Your winning team is certainly making you proud. Didn¡¯t you tell them there¡¯s no such option as quitting?" she asked, taking the opportunity to make Miss Rue feel small.


    "This is why it¡¯s important for everyone to keep a stern stance with the crusaders," said the ringleader of the White Squad.


    "Now tell your squadmates that the breakfast we prepared for them¡ªand the lunch we prepared for them¡ªis going to waste. And not only them, all the other crusaders will be punished because of this foolery," ringleader Rick nearly hissed, too angry even though it wasn¡¯t his ce to speak.


    We had a ringleader, and she could speak for herself.


    "I think it would be better if you only made decisions for your own squad," Haiden said. Already infuriated, he didn¡¯t hold back, and he gave it right back to Rick. The others looked at Rick in shock.


    Rue was our ringleader. Lenora was Red Squad¡¯s. Rick led White Squad. Anna was Blue Squad¡¯s ringleader, and beside her stood Mr. Brian, the Green Squad¡¯s leader. Brian and Anna looked quite simr, both with ck hair and brown eyes. Brian had a thin mustache and styled his hair with heavy gel, slicked carefully to the side. Anna wore her hair in a braid and was probably in herte forties with her big eyes hiding behind her even bigger sses.


    Miss Rue seemed to be the youngest among them.


    "Do you know it¡¯s forbidden to speak to your ringleader like that?" Rick stepped forward, trying to intimidate Haiden, but I knew his alpha ego was too inted to back down. So Haiden stepped ahead, trying to stand face to face with him.


    That¡¯s when Miss Rue had to step in, creating space between them.


    "She is our ringleader, so I can¡¯t speak to her this way. But you? There¡¯s a reason the squads are separated from each other, so it¡¯s better if you stay out of our matters," Haiden said, shocking us all. I had goosebumps on my skin. I didn¡¯t want to mess with the ringleaders.


    "And don¡¯t stand there wasting our time. Go ahead bring your squadmates and put a leash around their necks to make them follow your instructions," Ian added, his tone even harsher.


    The others just looked at Ian and clenched their jaws. I guessed it was because Haiden had already made it clear they wouldn¡¯t be listening to anyone but Miss Rue.


    "Okay, enough," Mis Rue said, her voice shaky. She seemed anxious from the confrontation.


    "I¡¯ll speak with my squadmates. Please give us a moment," she added, turning to the ringleaders and bowing slightly, showing visible remorse.


    "Now, all of you, pleasee to the side with me," she asked, trying to step away, when Ian spoke again.


    "No thank you. We¡¯ve made our decision. We are leaving."


    "And you havee here too?" Miss Rue asked, waiting for any one of us to finish her question.


    "To talk about this matter with you," Haiden said, his voice stunned but his posture confident.


    "That is why I¡¯m asking you all toe to the side so we can talk about it."


    She hit us right back with a good reason to step aside.


    However, the alphas still seemed pretty stunned. They had their arms folded over their chests, almost as if they were challenging her.


    She looked at all of their faces one by one before her eyesnded on me. I guess she could tell I was the only one who didn¡¯t have such a stern look on my face, as if I were ready to burn the world if they didn¡¯t listen to me.


    "And we know you will try to convince us to stay," Yorick stated but his voice much respectful than the others.


    Miss Rue slowly walked back toward us, her face full of embarrassment. Then she turned to look at me.


    "They don¡¯t want to listen to me, but maybe you do." The way she said it made my heart skip a beat.


    "If you think you can convince her, then you¡¯re wrong. She¡¯s more stubborn than us," Troy intervened. His arms stretched out in front of me to block my way, making it clear I wasn¡¯t allowed to go anywhere with her.


    Miss Rue noticed. She gave herself a small smile and shook her head, as if in disbelief. Then she looked up and met my eyes directly.


    "Are you really an alpha? Then I suppose you can make your own decisions and not let others lead you."


    Her words stung a little, and I guess she was right. I had every right to make a decision, and if I wanted to hear what she had to say, I would.


    But that earned me harsher gazes from all the alphas in my squad.

 Chapter 51-At The Receiving End Of Hate

    <h4>Chapter 51: 51-At The Receiving End Of Hate</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll just go and listen to what she has to say." I told my squadmates because they were now literally giving me looks. I didn¡¯t want to be so hard to reach. Since it was a very serious matter and could be extreme, I wanted to at least know what options we had.


    "Okay," Ian said, giving me a head gesture to follow Miss Rue to the side room. However, it was odd because even if he hadn¡¯t done it, I wouldn¡¯t have gone. I have a mind of my own.


    I had a brief talk with the ringleaders and was now heading back upstairs. I knew I had done a good job speaking for my squadmates and myself, but I was also aware that some of them might not understand my stance. Still, I was confident that once they heard the terms I hadid out, they would probably respect me for it.


    Even so, I had a bad feeling I¡¯d catch some heat from them.


    When I walked out, I found the main hall empty. I figured they had been sent back to the dorms. I began walking through the passage toward my room when I suddenly heard someone scream from the Red Squad hallway.


    "Clementine!"


    It was Oriana, jumping up and down and waving her arms as wide as she could. She was so silly and cute,pletely unlike how she looked. She always had this mean energy and expression on her face, but once she started talking, you¡¯d realize she was actually pretty sweet.


    I couldn¡¯t even see her face clearly from that far away, so I kept walking back to my dorm.


    Once I entered my dorm room, my squadmates, who had been sitting impatiently on their beds or standing by the windows, started moving toward me, almost forming a circle around me.


    "What did she say?" Troy asked, looking impatient. His biceps were bulging, had he been working out while I was gone?


    "Did she agree to our terms?" Haiden asked, the frown on his forehead deeply pronounced.


    "Come on, tell us, Clementine. Did she say we can leave?" Yorick asked, making me turn all the way around to face him.


    "What is it?"


    Then Ian asked, who hadn¡¯t seemed too optimistic about me talking to Miss Rue, already wearing an expression that said he didn¡¯t believe anything good hade out of the conversation.


    But before I could speak, the door behind me opened and Miss Rue walked in.


    "So, we¡¯ve decided to give you all a choice," she said, standing with her hands folded under her abdomen.


    "What choice?" Haiden asked.


    "Whatever choice says we can go home, we¡¯ll pick that one," Ian said, not even willing to hear her out.


    "You will be able to leave for home if all of you vote to go," she said, making them nce at each other with bright smiles on their faces. But I didn¡¯t share that smile.


    "Sure, then we all vote for it," Yorick said, nodding.


    That¡¯s when Lenora and Rick walked in.


    "Raise your hand if you want to go home. If all of you raise your hands, you can leave," Rick said in a tired, hushed tone. He was such a scary guy. I felt bad for the White Squad, but they weren¡¯t exactly ideal either. He was cocky too, so I guess that¡¯s where the White Squad got their arrogance from.


    "So, raise your hands if you want to go home," Lenora said, and immediately, everyone raised their hands.


    Everyone but me.


    "Clementine, what are you waiting for? Raise your hand," Troy muttered under his breath, trying to be quiet, but I was sure the others could hear him.


    I took a deep breath and lowered my head, avoiding eye contact.


    "Have you lost your mind? Didn¡¯t you want to go back home?" Ian yelled, making me close my eyes to block out their stares.


    "What the fuck, Clementine?" Haiden screamed, his anger even more intense than the others¡¯.


    "So, it¡¯s decided. There will be no going back home," Rick announced. "From this point forward, anyone who talks about going home will be punished with the death penalty. Did we make ourselves clear?"


    Everyone lowered their hands, grumbling in frustration.


    "We will not ept this! This bitch doesn¡¯t even understand what she wants from her life! Why should our lives be dictated by her opinion?" Ian yelled. It was the first time he had spoken so much, and so loudly.


    I had a very bad feeling he was going to hit me once the ringleaders left.


    "And I hope you¡¯ll learn to behave from now on. We¡¯re sparing you for your behaviorst time, but next time, you¡¯d better be careful. However, the celebratory breakfast and lunch prepared for you is still on. So please change your moods, wash your faces, ande join us and the rest of the Crusaders. Instead of being quitters, try to face your problems and be better versions of yourselves."


    Lenora had some nerve saying all that while the others were spiraling. Then, one by one, they started to leave. Rue was thest to go. She gave me a very sad smile and a reassuring nod, as if to say everything would be fine.


    I didn¡¯t know how she assumed that. She knew I was getting bullied every now and then.


    The minute she left, Ian stepped forward and mmed the door shut. Haiden came in next, pushing me against the wall and cing his hands on either side of me, blocking me in. Troy stood beside him with his hands on his hips, while Yorick was off to the side, throwing punches into the air.


    "What the fuck was that?" Haiden hissed, his eyes locked on mine so intensely that, even though I wanted to gulp so badly, I couldn¡¯t.


    "I didn¡¯t have a choice," I started to exin, but Haiden mmed his hand against the wall, and I went silent.


    "No. No more words from you. You¡¯re a fucking bitch who can¡¯t be trusted," he yelled, throwing a punch at the wall above my head, making me flinch in sudden fright.


    "I told you guys, we should¡¯ve left her in the North," Ian said, backing up whatever threats they had made against me before.

 Chapter 52-They Call Me A Monster

    <h4>Chapter 52: 52-They Call Me A Monster</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Haiden now stepped back, pacing aggressively across the room. At the same time, Ian was ring at me like he wanted to kill me. Then there were Troy and Yorick, who both looked really hurt.


    It seemed like I had a choice, but I didn¡¯t.


    "You know what they said to me back when they took me to the basement?" I started to speak, just as they began walking toward the door.


    "Shut the fuck up," Ian yelled, turning around. "You almost got us killed. If you didn¡¯t want to be part of this, you should¡¯ve stayed behind, not gone there and ditched us!"


    "And if any one of us dies in the North, our blood will be on your hands," Haiden added, reminding me that we¡¯d be going back to the North again in the future.


    "You think they would¡¯ve let us go just because you said you wanted to quit?" I tried to speak up again but then got intervened. Haiden lunged at me so suddenly that I backed into the wall and hit my head. He didn¡¯t touch me, but the way he came at me was so terrifying, I had no choice but to step back.


    I instantly grimaced and ced my hand on the back of my head, rubbing my scalp.


    "No more words," he said. "And you know what, little Miss Clementine?" He leaned down, cing his hands on his knees so he could meet me at eye level, making direct eye contact. "Since you love North so much, we will be leaving you there this time," he hissed.


    "Our mission will be ying the monster among us," Ian said, clearly calling me a monster.


    Yorick was thest one to leave, and he had to have the final word.


    In a hurt tone, he said, "One of these days, you really need to start behaving. Because Clementine, this kind of behavior will get you killed. When you talk about a squad¡ªtrust and loyalty matter."


    Then he mmed the door shut and left the room.


    I stayed in the room for a while before leaving for lunch. We were all asked to be at our tables, so I walked out, feeling defeated.


    Once I reached the hall, I realized everyone was already seated and the food had been served before anyone arrived. There wererge trays filled with steaks, sushi rolls, dumplings, and other food items. It looked like a good treat, to be honest.


    As I began walking toward my team, Haiden extended his leg, raised it, and ced it on my seat, blocking my path to sit down. I grabbed my tray of food and looked around. Everyone was now watching me. They could clearly see my squad mates didn¡¯t want me to sit with them.


    "Clementine,e sit with us," Oriana spoke up, gesturing to me. Her table was right next to ours, and they had a spare chair. So I grabbed my things and went to sit with her. I sat down and ced my food, awkwardly ying with the chilies using my fork.


    "Are you and your squadmates okay?" she asked.


    "Yeah, it¡¯s just that we have a lot of disagreements." I continued avoiding eye contact, keeping my head down.


    "Oh, I remember thement he madest night. Did you two know each other beforeing to the academy?" she asked, referring to Haiden and hisment about me not treating my friends well.


    "Yeah, he and two others used to go to the same high school as me," I said.


    Her eyes widened. "Oh wow. I mean, I know some people too, but they¡¯re from other squads. But I got to know my own squad members." She almost whispered thest part since her squadmates were sitting right beside her.


    There were usually six members in every squad, or at least there were supposed to be. Some had died during the first mission, and others, I realized, didn¡¯t survive the test with the ogre in the ruins. I had thought that our roommate was the only one who had passed away during the ogre test.


    I think the Red Squad had lost the most members. They must have lost one during the ogre test because now only four of them were sitting across the table after losing Sadie.


    "Meet Jessie and Valerie. These two are sisters," she said, pointing at two girls from her squad. It was odd that both sisters had been brought here. It made me wonder how many siblings they had, or maybe they were from the same father but different mothers, and the stepmother had probably sent them away.


    "Meet Matthias," she added, pointing at the silent guy sitting alone, even though he was at the same table. He seemed isted, having pulled his chair all the way to the back and away from the others. He had ck spiky hair. His eyes were brown, but one of them was shut, covered with a cloth that looked like a pirate¡¯s bandage.


    "What happened to his eye?" I asked her.


    She shrugged. "Nothing when he arrived here, so probably something old," she said.


    "Anyway, what about your squadmates? They¡¯re all so buff and big. You must feel so protected out there," she said, almost gushing over the arrogant alphas.


    "Oriana, it¡¯s no joke. They¡¯re not very kind. You see how inted their muscles are? Yeah, they¡¯re all alphas, so imagine their egos," I said, feeling the need to vent. But these were things I would say even in front of the alphas, so it wasn¡¯t like I was sharing a secret.


    "Oh, I see. Then it must be so scary," she said, and I nodded.


    Just then, I identally dropped my fork. I bent down to pick it up, and as I looked under the table, my eyesnded on the White Squad¡¯s table. I saw Suki touching a guy¡¯s leg with her own under the table.


    I sat back up with my fork, wiping it clean, but my eyes unintentionally returned to the White Squad. That¡¯s when I realized the guy she was rubbing legs with wasn¡¯t her boyfriend.


    "Who is he?" I asked, pointing at the guy I had noticed earlier at the station, the one with red curly hair and an innocent look on his face.


    "Oh, the guy sitting next to Joshua?" she asked. I was surprised she knew everyone¡¯s name, and probably all the gossip too.


    "Yeah," I said, nodding.


    "Oh, that¡¯s Joshua¡¯s best friend from back home. He used to be his royal warrior, the two have been together like brothers," she said with a smile, until she noticed the look on my face. Then she leaned in, almost touching my hand, trying to be discreet.


    "Do you know something too?" she asked. The sparkle in her eyes told me she knew something as well.

 Chapter 53-My Sexy Friend.

    <h4>Chapter 53: 53-My Sexy Friend.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "No, what do you mean?" I asked, pulling away.


    She held my hand and gently pulled me back toward the table, leaning slightly over her food tray.


    "Did you see the two of them look at each other weirdly?" she whispered, pointing at Suki and the guy. "His name is Jack. They are all from the same pack. Even though Suki was Joshua¡¯s royal beta, she used to spend a lot of time on the training ground." she added. "I think Jack and Suki are having an affair behind Joshua¡¯s back," she said so excitedly that I instantly pulled back and looked around, making sure nobody had heard us, especially her own squadmates.


    But it seemed like the two girls were mostly in their own world. They usually kept to themselves and spoke to each other in the calmest, softest tones, so no one could overhear.


    "I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t see anything," I said, shrugging my shoulders and trying to focus on my food. She was nice, but she talked too much, and I didn¡¯t like to talk all the time, or at least not constantly.


    "Oh, that would be so bad if he naturally finds out about it," she said, giving me a sad pout. I rolled my eyes at her, then gave her a warning look, silently telling her not to be the one to reveal the affair.


    Thankfully, we finished the rest of the meal in silence. Well, not entirely in silence, she did try to start gossip here and there, but once she realized I wasn¡¯t interested, she stopped.


    After we were done, we were asked to stand with our squadmates. I stood about two feet away from mine, because every time I tried to get closer, they would start grunting, those awful alpha grunts I hate so much. So I decided to keep my distance. And somehow, once the ringleaders arrived, they didn¡¯t ask me to stand closer either.


    I guess they knew that after I made my squad stay behind, or betrayed them, to put it inly, it was obvious I¡¯d keep my distance, or else they¡¯d make me suffer for it.


    Then we were told to return to our rooms. I rushed to the bathroom first, almost instantly, so I could shower and change before they had the chance to make my life miserable.


    While I was in the shower, I heard voices from outside. One of them sounded feminine. I knew my squadmates had deep, rough, grunty voices, like heavy malfunctioning robots talking, so the voice didn¡¯t match.


    When I finished showering and came out, I understood why it had sounded so different.


    "Oriana? What are you doing here?" I asked, confused. My hair was wet, the towel still in my hand. My grey, long, baggy shirt was damp with water droplets, and I wore loose grey pajama pants for the night.


    But it was Oriana who caught my attention. She was wearing a beautiful ck lingerie set. Her cleavage was deep and breasts were on disy, so round and perfect that even my eyesnded there.


    "Oh, I came here looking for you. I actually kept a chocte the other day and decided to hand one over to you. I thought you might like sweets," She started speaking. She was twirling some of her strands around one index finger while holding the chocte out for me with the other hand. She looked like she was ready for a very sexy runway walk. Her nightie barely covered her ass, and the panties she wore underneath were so small that half of her ass was exposed. I mean, I wouldn¡¯t judge her. She was gorgeous and had an amazing body. And with that confidence, it was a chef¡¯s kiss. But I was bothered because my dormmates were watching her like hungry beasts. It reminded me that after a while, some of the Crusaders became so desperate that they started doing it with whoever they could find, definitely with their consents.


    "Oh, that¡¯s very kind of you," I said, a little confused because my attention kept diverting to my squadmates. Ian was sitting in his study chair, writing something in his diary. As always, he liked to note everything. But then there were the three hungry beasts. Troy had left his shirt buttons open on purpose, watching her with a smirk on his lips. Yorick was sitting on his bed, staring at her with narrowed eyes. And then there was Haiden. He stood by the window, arms folded over his chest, but he wasn¡¯t smirking.


    "You did not bring us anything?" Troy asked, sounding very yful.


    "Oh, I didn¡¯t know you liked choctes. I mean, look at you. You don¡¯t seem like someone who eats sugar," sheplimented him, raising one shoulder up high, trying to sound so sexy and cute.


    "Actually, you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t really eat sweets. I have to maintain my abs," Troy said, pointing at his abs, though they were under his shirt. She bit her bottom lip and squeezed her eyes just a little to make them look even sexier.


    "Thank you so much," I told her, holding the chocte and showing it to her, signaling that I had received it and she could leave.


    "Oh yeah, I have to go before the lurkers find me here. They¡¯ll punish me," she said, finally realizing she had been standing in our room for too long.


    "Bye, boys," she added, then started waving her fingers back and forth to say goodbye. Troy blushed, while Yorick just waved his hand in a very sexy way.


    Before walking away, she paused and looked at Haiden.


    "I¡¯m sorry for your loss. I heard Sadie was pregnant with your child. Please try to move on. And if you need someone to talk to, I¡¯m always here," she said softly, but also sweetly.


    Haiden gave her a head nod, and it seemed that bringing up Sadie had spoiled his mood again. As she walked out, I followed her to the door. She turned around and started acting like herself again, not the sexy version.


    "Oh my God, they are so cool," she said, jumping up and down.


    "Oriana, you need to go before the lurkerse," I told her, because I could see one of them in the distance.


    "Oh yeah, bye bye," she said, rushing away and ducking down, almost hiding behind the railing of the passageway.


    Once she was gone, I turned around to enter the room but found my door locked.

 Chapter 54-The Sweet Talk

    <h4>Chapter 54: 54-The Sweet Talk</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Hey, open the door!" I yelled. But then I had to quiet down because I didn¡¯t want the lurker toe and punish me. They were so weird, sometimes they¡¯d just point a gun at someone. They even hadser guns, and I¡¯d heard they could shock people. There were even incidents where Crusaders had been hit by them. And I did not want that to happen.


    I guessed they wanted me to scream and draw the attention of the lurkers, to get shocked or struck by one of their weapons. So I decided not to. What they were forgetting was that I could pick locks. I grabbed a pin from my hair and opened the lock. As I stormed in and mmed the door shut, I saw them sitting in their beds separately, with Ian still at the study table, writing.


    They were so arrogant. Every fucking time something happened, they would start bullying me, as if they were looking for excuses to take their frustration out on me. And this time, they seemed like they had a valid reason to do so. So I was going to burst their bubble and make them feel guilty for their mistreatment toward me.


    "Who did that?" I asked, standing with my fists clenched.


    "Huh?" I yelled, "Come on, tell me who did that. Huh? You call yourself Alpha? Attacking me from behind? Face me. Tell me who did that!" I demanded, loud and clear. I was not going to back down. I¡¯d had enough.


    Yorick leaned back, hands on the bed behind him, supporting his body while staring at me, deadpan. Troy was leaning to the side, his elbow resting on the pillow, with his other hand gripping his wrist tightly. He was shaking one leg slightly, the knee pointed upward on the bed while he sat on his side.


    And then there was Haiden. He was still standing next to the window, eyes clenched.


    "I did," he said, not ashamed of anything.


    Ian started chuckling, probably because he found it funny. I guess Ian just liked it when others mistreated me and I got all riled up. He probablyughed because he thought I believed they¡¯d be too scared toe forward. But when they didn¡¯t, it kind of gave Ian satisfaction.


    "Really? All that because you couldn¡¯t go home?" I asked.


    Then Ian slowly threw his pen on the table and turned around. He rested one hand on the back of his seat as he turned fully to face me, almost like a warning not to bring it up because they would get angry again.


    "Now let me tell you, they were never going to send you home. You hear me?" I shouted.


    "Oh,e on. That was¡ª"


    Before Haiden could interrupt me again, I shut him down, showing him my palm. I could tell he was not happy I did that, but I did not give a fuck. I would say whatever I had to say without being interrupted. And even if they tried to cut me off, I would still keep screaming my truth.


    "When they took me down to the basement, they gave me a choice. Either die or live and be a Crusader," I hissed, watching them only move their eyes to look at each other. Ian, however, stood up, arms crossed.


    "That is not what they told us," he said.


    "Of course they didn¡¯t. They told me in brief detail what they would do to us if we didn¡¯t listen," I said, still hissing, my throat dry from so much anger.


    "Why didn¡¯t you tell us that back when they were there?" Troyined.


    "Oh yeah, and get myself in trouble? Unlike you alphas, I use my brain," I hissed. "I don¡¯t think with my dick like you all. I pick my options right. If I had said anything or tried to expose them in front of you, they would have taken the deal back." I watched as they slowly got up and stood around me.


    "What did you get from betraying us?" Troy asked.


    "I am not the only one who got blessed with the deal. I helped you all survive a death penalty," I hissed.


    And then I began to exin to them what exactly happened in the basement.


    <strong>shback:</strong>


    So Miss Rue took me to the basement and sat me down in the same spot she had before. I instantly remembered how thest time I tried to get their help, it wasn¡¯t very helpful. But I kept that in the back of my mind.


    Miss Rue sat across the table from me, staring. "Clementine, I did not expect you toe with them. I must say, that was pretty disappointing to me," she started, not in her usual cheery tone but in a very sad and disappointed one.


    "I appreciate that you have such high hopes for me, Miss Rue, but let me tell you something in case you don¡¯t know. I was not brought here of my own will. I wasn¡¯t convinced this was my only way to live. I was dragged here in my sleep, from my bedroom, from myfortable bed. I never got a chance to choose. I know others didn¡¯t either, but at some point, they convinced themselves they were okay with it. I wasn¡¯t. I was brought here, thrown in a cage, tortured with wolfsbane, and then tossed into the dorms. So you should have expected me to be on their side when ites to quitting," I said, trying to be honest with her. I wouldn¡¯t let anybody make me feel guilty about what I want to do with my life.


    "I appreciate your honesty, Clementine, and yes, I have checked your records. But the way you yed that faun made me believe maybe you realized your potential. Maybe you¡¯re finally epting this as your life. You are an alpha warrior," she said, smiling and using her hands a lot, her elbows resting on the table.

 Chapter 55-A Deal Or A Death Penalty?

    <h4>Chapter 55: 55-A Deal Or A Death Penalty?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    <strong>shback Continues:</strong>


    "There¡¯s no such thing as an alpha warrior. There is an alpha, and there are warriors. Right now we are being treated as warriors, and that would be okay if we wanted to be. There are trained warriors who could do what we¡¯re doing. I don¡¯t understand why teenagers are being dragged into¡ª" I was trying to express my thoughts when I heard footsteps. At first, I thought maybe my squadmates had realized she was trying to convince me and hade to stand beside us, but then I turned my head and saw the ringleaders walking downstairs.


    The two ringleaders lingered in the background, while Lenora and Rick came and sat beside Rue, Lenora on her right, Rick on her left.


    "I thought you would wait for me upstairs. I¡¯m kind of still talking to my squadmate," Miss Rue said, a forced smile on her lips.


    I guessed she was afraid I¡¯d disrespect her in front of them, just like Haiden and Ian had. And I was pretty sure she didn¡¯t want that.


    "We don¡¯t think you¡¯re able to handle her, or your squadmates," Rick started, addressing Miss Rue very disrespectfully. I could already see the wedge between them. She was younger than the others, and I could tell she was a new ringleader. The others seemed to be friends or at least familiar with each other, but Miss Rue was already outcast. I felt bad for her, especially now that her squadmates wanted to quit after just one mission.


    "Here¡¯s the thing, Clementine Stark. There is no quitting. And since you¡¯ve disappointed and disrespected us so badly, the punishment for all of you will be harsher," Mr. Rick said, mimicking slicing invisible food on the table while pointing out different things we might face for refusing to be part of the squads.


    "What punishment?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest.


    "Public hanging."


    As soon as he said that, my arms slowly slipped from my chest. "You¡¯re kidding me, right?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at his face.


    "No. And don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t kill you. It¡¯ll only cause pain and shame. It will be repeated every day. Like you wanted, you¡¯ll no longer be crusaders. You¡¯ll be entertainment, or maybe used to lure in monsters in the future," he said. I hated everything he was saying.


    So basically, he was telling me that we would be treated as objects. There was no way out, just punishment for us now.


    I knew we were getting into trouble back when I kept feeling like we should¡¯ve given it a second thought. But those alphas were idiots. They always thought and acted on emotions. And I was a fool to follow them, so I wasn¡¯t any better either.


    "Wait a minute. Let¡¯s not be harsh on them," Miss Rue finally intervened. He was giving me serious heebie-jeebies. All the hair on the back of my neck was standing like spikes. I didn¡¯t understand why they had toe and sit with us. What was the point of appointing separate ringleaders when they wouldn¡¯t let our ringleader lead us?


    "If you help us make them all stay, we promise to send our warriors to search the woods in the north for Sadie. However, if you don¡¯t, then sadly, I cannot help you, Clementine. Sadie will be out there all by herself. Do you think your sacrifice will bring her back?" Miss Rue said. Her body leaned forward slightly, showing how anxious she was that we had even expressed a desire to go back.


    "Why are we giving them such extra privilege?" Rick asked, clearly annoyed that Miss Rue was bending the rules for us.


    "They won the first mission, and they have great potential. Just please, let¡¯s give them a little bit of hope. It¡¯s not fair, they¡¯re just teenagers."


    I guess none of the ringleaders had ever expressed concern for any of the Crusaders the way Miss Rue did, because even Lenora snapped her head toward her, looking at her like she was a ghost.


    "What about Ian and Haiden? They misbehaved with the ringleaders. You want me to believe there will be no consequences for them?" I asked, straightening my posture and cing my elbows and forearms on the table.


    "What do you want?" Lenora asked. It was surprising, I had expected her to be harsher. But I guess she was partly agreeing with Rue about giving us another chance, or maybe she just wanted to hear my demands.


    "Spare them. You will not punish them," I said, and Rue began to nod while Rick clenched his jaw.


    "It¡¯s alright. They¡¯re kids. Kids make mistakes," Rue said to Rick, trying to calm him down.


    "Please, Clementine. If you want to quit, it¡¯s fine. But think about your life afterward. You¡¯ll be treated like an object. The punishment won¡¯t kill youpletely. They won¡¯t let you die. Do you want that kind of life? Or would you rather be a savior? At least then you can live on your own. At least you can do something good."


    She kept repeating the same things, but she didn¡¯t have to. I had already realized there was no escape. Whatever those alphas were nning, it was a suicide mission.


    "Fine, then I¡¯ll help you make them stay. But I have a few demands. First and foremost, we will not be treated as just weapons thrown at monsters. We want to feel free, not like prisoners," I started, and Miss Rue tilted her head, probably asking me to exin further.


    "We want to be able to go back to our packs during the holidays."


    As soon as I said that, I watched Rick and Rue exchange a nce, then look at Lenora.


    "Okay," Rue said.


    The moment she did, I could tell the ringleaders had lost their minds. But that was all I needed to know. Even if we couldn¡¯t leave, we had gained a small amount of freedom, to feel that while we weren¡¯t working or fighting, we could be ourselves again.


    <strong>End of shback:</strong>

 Chapter 56-Ian Thinks I Am Hot?

    <h4>Chapter 56: 56-Ian Thinks I Am Hot?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I watched all their faces after I finished telling them exactly what would happen in the basement. I noticed their bodynguage, it reeked of guilt.


    "Now, if you believe you want to die, then you should die alone. I don¡¯t want to be dragged into the death penalty with you," I said, looking straight at Ian, because he was the only one who didn¡¯t look very guilty.


    He mmed his hand on the table and left for the bathroom. I guessed he took his cigarette with him, nning to smoke there.


    Now that we were all just standing around awkwardly, Haiden stepped forward, probably to say something that had been on his mind. I could tell he was pretty bothered.


    "They are going to send warriors to look for Sadie?" he asked.


    And although I was so angry at him that I didn¡¯t want to speak nicely or even normally, the question was about an innocent girl. I could only imagine how anxious he must be, thinking his child was out there.


    "Yes. They promised we can go to the station tomorrow to watch them leave for the north," I stated calmly, in a low and respectful tone.


    "Oh," he said, nodding his head. "Then we must sleep so we can get up early. I don¡¯t know what time the train will leave," he muttered, heading to his bed.


    Watching him so lost actually made me feel bad for him. Nobody deserves to be away from their lover or their child.


    Yorick and Troy held their heads low and crawled into their beds. I sat down on my bed andy straight, staring at the ceiling with my arm resting over my forehead. That¡¯s when Ian came out and sat on his bed. I began to smell the smoke of his cigarette, which is how I knew he didn¡¯t want to smoke alone in the bathroom and hade out to give us all a headache. Usually, the others would also smoke with him, but I guess tonight nobody was really interested. Did that make Ian acknowledge that he could also go to the patio and smoke there? No. He continued to smoke.


    "Can you please not smoke right beside my head? I have a headache and the smoke is making it worse." Haiden requested rather nicely.


    Ian didn¡¯t turn to look at him, and their beds were side by side, so I could only imagine why Haiden was getting bothered.


    "Dude, I don¡¯t give a fuck. You can go and sleep anywhere else then."


    However, the way Ian dismissed his simple request got everyone¡¯s head turned to look at Ian.


    "I¡¯m not going to ask you twice." Haiden warned him. At this point, the atmosphere in the room started to grow very heavy. Of course, I understood Haiden¡¯s point, but who would actually tell Ian he was wrong? Sometimes it seemed like he wanted an altercation just to take his anger out, the kind he hid behind a smirking face.


    "Good. Don¡¯t ask me twice because the result will be the same." Ian teased him, but not in a yful way.


    "Come on, Ian. Stop doing that. You know he¡¯s hurting. Just put it out or go smoke on the patio," Troy said, siding with Haiden.


    "You stay out of it," Ian snapped at Troy. "Just because you got to be intimate with Clementine, you think you¡¯re the real deal? She¡¯s not someone to be proud of."


    As soon as Ian said that, Haiden sat up in bed, and so did I. I didn¡¯t understand why Ian was dragging me into the middle of their mess.


    "Hey, keep her name out of your mouth," Yorick said, getting up and pointing at Ian, who started chuckling.


    "What? You two suddenly realized you want your friend back? Oh, sorry. She was your girlfriend. So do you want your girlfriend back?" Ian said to Yorick in such a taunting way that Yorick¡¯s face clenched.


    At this point, I had no clue what was wrong with Ian. He knew he was getting outnumbered, but he seemedpletely unbothered. He couldn¡¯t care less what anyone thought of him.


    "You two were making out in the North?" Haiden, who had spent the entire week in the North with a pregnant woman, suddenly started pointing fingers at me and Troy.


    "It was during a task. We had made a n to fool the faun," Troy started to exin, but Yorick began to scoff.


    "Yeah, and probably me as well," Yorick said, pointing at his chest.


    "What?" I asked, confused. I didn¡¯t understand what was going on. Who was fighting with whom? What was the real issue?


    And then there was Ian. After sparking a fire, he had sat back to smoke. As my eyesnded on him, I saw him staring right back at me. That¡¯s when I straightened my spine and stepped between the three alphas.


    "Stop it!" I screamed, and they suddenly went silent. "Nobody has the right to talk about me. What I do, why I do it, and who I do it with is none of your business. And I will not tolerate you arguing over my actions or my choices." I hissed, warning the three of them one by one, the harshest look on my face.


    "It is his fault. He always starts a fire and then sits back, enjoying watching everyone¡¯s world burn." I pointed at Ian, and thankfully they all looked at him.


    "He was the one who actually lied to Haiden." Finally, Troy remembered. But I guess it wouldn¡¯t matter, because he had told Haiden before as well. So it was really Haiden¡¯s fault for grabbing onto threads just to make me look like the guilty one.


    "What? What are you looking at me for?" Ian asked Haiden. "You were the one focusing on Clementine back then. And now, because you¡¯re not getting satisfaction from arguing with her just because she looks hot, you want to argue with me?"


    Ian using that word for me was eerie. His actions never showed that he found me attractive. There were times when he¡¯d actually call me an ugly duckling or say I was the ugliest. So for him to say that now, I didn¡¯t understand what his mindset was.

 Chapter 57-His Body Is In Heat

    <h4>Chapter 57: 57-His Body Is In Heat</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "You will put the smoke out, the cigarette out, or I will do it for you." And then Haiden was back in his alpha attitude.


    "Really? I would love to watch you try," Ian said, holding the cigarette up for Haiden to grab it.


    The minute Haiden lunged to grab it, Ian lowered his hand and then moved it up, burning the cigarette on Haiden¡¯s bicep. Haiden groaned, then got on top of Ian¡¯s bed to punch him.


    He did manage to punch his pillow, though. Ian was quick to slip out from under him and push him away. Now the two were standing face to face, as Haiden had also crawled off his bed.


    "Oh my god, what are they doing?" I groaned, stepping away from them.


    "You know what, let them fight. Let them beat each other up so the lurkers cane and put a bullet through their heads," Yorick suggested, tired of them starting arguments over literally nothing.


    But the two didn¡¯t care. They grabbed at each other from the cors, hitting and shaking one another. They weren¡¯t throwing heavy punches or knock-out blows, but they were being very aggressive.


    And they were saying weird alpha-type things. One of the statements I caught from Haiden was when, in a dramatic and confident tone, he asked Ian if he had ever been punched by an MMA fighter. That was how they talked.


    Then Ian was talking about how he would rip him open and throw his body parts into different regions. There was a lot of talk, and I hated the alphas whenever they did that.


    The moment we thought the fight was over, because Troy got between them, Haiden suddenly turned to me and started staring like I had done something.


    The others sat down, but he kept watching me. It was odd for Haiden to act like that. Then he briskly walked over and grabbed my arm.


    "What are you doing?" I asked, but he didn¡¯t listen.


    "I will fucking leave with my mate. You guys fucking finish smoking or whatever you do here, because I¡¯m not going to deal with messy alphas like you all," Haiden said, loud and clear.


    And while he didn¡¯t acknowledge it, I did. I saw everyone¡¯s faces tighten when they heard Haiden¡¯s words, specifically, when he called me his mate.


    He dragged me out with him, and at that point, I let him. I didn¡¯t want to stay behind and face the questions. I wouldn¡¯t be able to answer them right now. Once we were outside, he took me to the same spot where there are no lurkers but barbed wires, which are active now.


    I pulled my arm out of his hand and slowed down. He took a few steps ahead, not expecting me to stop. Then he finally stopped too. He turned around and looked at me, hands on his waist.


    "What?" I said, rolling up my sleeves. He watched me do that. While he didn¡¯t look particrly bothered.


    "I was wrong," he uttered. I raised an eyebrow, folding my arms across my chest.


    "About what?" I asked. There were so many things he had been wrong about.


    "About using you of being the reason I had boarded the train when I wanted to stay behind," he said, his voice genuinely calm this time.


    "And what made you realize that? Just to be clear, we¡¯ve told you that before too," I said.


    He looked away and shook his head.


    "You need to understand, it¡¯s really hard for me to look at you and not imagine your father," he said.


    I understood because hearing about his mother being raped by my father was a massive, painful memory, I could only imagine how he had ovee it.


    I felt bad for him. But I felt bad for myself too, because I hadn¡¯t done anything, yet I was still being punished for it.


    "Why did you bring me here with you?" I asked, changing the subject quickly.


    When he didn¡¯t answer, I added, "You do realized you made a big mistake by exposing the truth of our mate bond to them, right?" I said this while watching him slowlye to the realization.


    He raised his head and then closed his eyes as if he were about to show disappointment. But then something changed. He opened his eyes and started to smirk, licking his teeth.


    "Yeah, let them be jealous."


    As he said that, I frowned. "What do you mean?" I asked, confusion evident on my face.


    "I heard Yorick say something. Did you make out with Troy?" he asked and I shrugged.


    "Yeah." I stood there, watching him put his hands on his waist once again. He would change moods so quickly it confused me.


    "And did you not hear what I said? I don¡¯t want anyone interfering in my business." I stated firmly, without hesitation or guilt. I was a single woman. I was allowed to do whatever I wanted. And it wasn¡¯t like I did it because of body heat or anything. I did it because we were trying to capture the fun.


    But of course, they wouldn¡¯t understand that. As he kept staring at me, I felt uneasy.


    "It was after you felt the mate bond with me. Are you seriously just as shameless as your father, or did you just want to follow in his footsteps?" It was the way he said it that made me feel so insulted. I knew what he was using my father of. For him to say I was the same made me really angry.


    "As if you haven¡¯t gotten someone pregnant." As soon as I said that, he clenched his jaw.


    "That wasn¡¯t my baby," he said, grunting angrily.


    "Oh really? As if you can lie now? Just because she¡¯s not here?" As I was about to argue, he hushed me with a hand gesture.


    "I¡¯m not lying," he said. "That wasn¡¯t my baby. I saw her trying to cross the wires one day. She was crying and said she was scared. I gave herfort, told her they wouldn¡¯t take her to the North. But when they did, I felt responsible for her." He stated this, and this time I could tell he wasn¡¯t lying.


    So all this time, those assholes back in the room lied to me when they said she was his baby mama, and he also agreed.


    "Why didn¡¯t you correct anyone?" I asked.


    "When I was with her, I got to know her a little more. She said everyone judged her because she didn¡¯t get pregnant from her mate. They were calling her names and everything. So, when it came up that it was my baby, I noticed no one being grossed out by her anymore. Because nobody would call out an alpha in this hypocritical world we live in. But it was all for nothing. My im or anything I could say couldn¡¯t bring her back."


    He started to move his arms around, stretching, but I could tell he was anxious and trying to release the tension.


    "Why did you bring me here?" I asked again.


    "Because I remembered," he said, meeting my gaze. "I¡¯m angry," he stated. "And I found a mate who¡¯s going around kissing other alphas," He said, making me roll my eyes.


    "And you brought me here to punish me?" I was confused.


    He stretched his neck, and the more he did that, the more confused I became. What was he trying to say that made him feel so embarrassed?


    "My body is feeling the heat. I want you to help me with it. And since you are my mate, it is your obligation," he stated shamelessly but with an amazing confidence.

 Chapter 58-His Missing Sister

    <h4>Chapter 58: 58-His Missing Sister</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I didn¡¯t let him finish. I began to move, stepping away from him.


    "You are crazy if you think I¡¯ll let you touch me," I said, watching him.


    "We are mates. You could make out with Troy but not me?"


    The fact that he brought me here and thought I would dly jump on him to make out was just so crazy to me.


    "Listen, Haiden. I¡¯m not going to do it, okay? You have to release your heat yourself," I stated, awkwardly looking away as the words left my lips.


    "How? How do you suggest I do that?" he asked, making me look at him with furrowed brows. I knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to talk dirty with me.


    "I don¡¯t know. Use your hand," I said, hissing as I stepped back.


    "Why don¡¯t you use yours?"


    The minute he said that, I put my hands over my ears and stepped farther away from him. It was so odd. The issue was, I had never done dirty talk with anyone. And the way he did it, it was weird. We had known each other for a while, mostly because he used to bully me. So hearing such things from his mouth felt very strange.


    "I thought you would be bold," he stated,menting on my behavior. I steadily lowered my hands and turned to look at him.


    "You and your assumptions. I can never win with you," I stated.


    "Fine, go ahead. Go back to your room. Be like your father," he said, causing the anger in my body to rise.


    "No, you are bing my father." The moment I said that, I saw him look visibly upset.


    "Don¡¯tpare me to your father," he warned.


    "Why not? If you canpare me to my father, I can do the same to you."


    The fact that my father had be a slur just proved how much he had affected our lives. As he kept watching my face, I added, "I¡¯m not very fond of my father either, okay? You are not the only one who hates him, Haiden. I hate him too. I hate him for what he put me through. I hate him for what he did to my mother and my brother. So please, don¡¯t make it seem like I¡¯m just like him, like I was there when he was hurting your family. I¡¯m just one of his other victims." I was in my feelings finally. My father had affected so many lives.


    "Your father has my sister."


    Then he broke the awkward silence to drop another bombshell on me.


    "I¡¯m sorry, what?" I asked, confused.


    "You heard me," he said. "That day when he did that to my mother, I was there. He did it right in front of me. And then he dragged my 18-year-old sister¡ª" Haiden lowered his head.


    "I was very young at the time. Only seven years old. I couldn¡¯t save them. And I still regret to this day that I couldn¡¯t."


    His voice became low. I could tell it wasn¡¯t easy for him to remember the details of that night.


    "What do you mean my father still has her?" I asked, steadily walking closer to him.


    I had no clue my father was such an animal that he made a child watch his mother and sister get raped.


    "After he was done, he left my mother there, while he put my sister on his shoulder and took her away. After that, there were no signs of her. We had tried to reach your father, but he refused to respond," Haiden uttered, recalling the horrifying days of his childhood with tears in his eyes.


    "I have lived with my father until now, and we have the back house filled with people. I know what you¡¯re saying, and Ipletely sympathize with you, because I know how blind and deaf our pack members have be in front of my father. Even if they had seen your sister around, they would not haveined¡ª" I stopped talking because I saw Haiden furrow his eyebrows.


    "How do you know that so confidently?" he asked.


    I gave him a gentle smile and then shook my head, my hands slipping into the pockets of my PJ pants.


    "Because I was dragged here in my sleep. Some men barged into my room and grabbed me from my bed while I was sleeping. They carried me out while everybody watched and stared. My father was there, holding a wine ss as if he were celebrating my departure. So I know how messy they can be," I said, looking him straight in the eyes, not looking away, because I did not feel guilty for my father¡¯s actions. He was the one who did all that. I did not. Ipletely disagreed with my father¡¯s way of ruling and living.


    "Well, I didn¡¯t know he was treating you like shit as well. I just thought in the end your stepmother convinced him to bring you here. You always seemed so arrogant, I thought you were a spoiled brat," he stated, his face showing guilt, probably for bullying? I wasn¡¯t sure. These alphas were nice one minute, and the next they were back to their messy ways.


    "I just know, Clementine, that I¡¯m going to find my sister. I¡¯m going to make her give a statement against your father, and I will be the one watching him get thrown into the North, where the monsters feed upon him," he hissed as he mentioned the North.


    I knew there was a punishment for criminals, they would be thrown into the North to survive, and most of them would die. Their bodies would turn up, because such criminals are only manly and powerful when they find their victim alone. They cannot fight someone stronger than them. They are cowards.


    "And I wish you do that," I stated, watching him look so shocked that I would wish such a punishment upon my own father.


    "And you know what? I think I have a n," I stated, a smile creeping over my lips that made him even more bewildered.

 Chapter 59-We Are Taking Revenge, Baby.

    <h4>Chapter 59: 59-We Are Taking Revenge, Baby.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "You said you have a n?" He asked me again after we both sat down on the grass. We were quite far from our passageway, but we could still see some of the lights flickering in one of them. It could have been ours; it might not have been. I couldn¡¯t tell, there were too many trees in the way.


    The ce where we were sitting was a kind of slope with no trees, but before the slope, there were quite a lot of trees. After the slope, there were the wires. It was the same area where he had tried to toss me over and where he said he had found Sadie. Now we were sitting there, and we decided to call this spot a meetup point.


    "Yeah, I have an idea. You know, when I said that the ringleaders gave me a few of the deals¡ª" I watched him nod, almost too eagerly. However, before I could continue, I heard someone emerge from behind the trees. It didn¡¯t sound like they had been hiding, more like they had just passed through. They were moving briskly and pping.


    Actually, Yorick was the one pping, while Troy followed behind him in a sleeveless shirt, his biceps bulging.


    "So all that anger and fighting was just a trick to get away from us?" Yorick made me instinctively stretch my hand behind my neck and rub it. I didn¡¯t want to argue again. We were in the middle of a very important conversation, and this mattered more than them getting upset over something.


    "What do you want?" Haiden asked, looking at Yorick, clearly irritated.


    "What did you say back there?" Yorick asked.


    "What?" Haiden responded, and I knew exactly what they were referring to. I noticed Troy looking at me, arms folded across his chest, still looking muscr. But there was something else in his eyes, almost like he was upset with me.


    "What did you say about her being your mate?" Yorick continued, unfazed by the look I was giving him. I wanted him to know it had nothing to do with him, that it wasn¡¯t his business, but he ignored me.


    Troy, however, kept one eye on me. It was odd because they were standing right behind me, and I had to turn around to look at them. Eventually, I just straightened my back to face Haiden, because Troy¡¯s gaze made me ufortable.


    "Oh, so that¡¯s what¡¯s bothering you. Why would you care? You broke up with her a long time ago. And as for you, I don¡¯t even understand why you¡¯re bothered. She was just your friend to begin with. You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m not the one tearing you apart for kissing my mate in the north," Haiden said in one breath, getting under both of their skin with just his words.


    "How dare you," Troy hissed, stepping forward. I stood up so I could face all three of them.


    "Neither of us have epted each other as mates," I told Haiden, who grunted and narrowed his eyes at me. "Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re just mates and not marked. And you felt the mate bond with me the night you tried to toss me over. You wanted to get rid of me, so don¡¯t act like we¡¯ve epted each other. We¡¯re mates for reasons I still don¡¯t understand."


    I reminded him that just because I was starting to feel bad for him or because we had the same enemies, it didn¡¯t mean I would let him go around telling everyone I belonged to him, especially when I knew he didn¡¯t want me, and I didn¡¯t want him either.


    "I don¡¯t want you either. I was just saying it to piss them off," Haiden snapped back. I rolled my eyes and rubbed my face with my hands.


    "Can we talk about the main deal?" I said, reminding him that before the two of them showed up, we were actually making progress on helping each other with our issues, more specifically, his.


    "Wait, what is going on? If you two are having a meeting, we should be informed. We¡¯re also crusaders. And since you already mentioned there¡¯s nothing going on between you two, I don¡¯t see a reason for you to be talking alone in secrecy."


    Then Troy found yet another reason to argue with us.


    "Because it¡¯s none of your business," I snapped at him.


    "What do you mean it¡¯s none of our business? We want to know. If you¡¯re making any ns for future missions, then we should be aware of them too," Yorick grunted, clearly unhappy that I told them to mind their own business.


    Haiden was silently watching until he ced his hands on his waist and groaned. "It¡¯s about my sister."


    Suddenly, everyone went silent.


    "The one that¡¯s missing," he added, and I watched both Troy and Yorick exchange a nce.


    "Are you sure you want to tell them?" I asked Haiden, avoiding eye contact with the two of them because I could tell they weren¡¯t pleased that I was reminding Haiden to be certain about sharing such a big secret.


    "You stay out of it. This is between alphas," Yorick said, gesturing at me.


    Then he pointed between himself and Haiden.


    "Excuse me, I am an alpha," I said, bobbing my head.


    "Yeah, that¡¯s where the egoes from," Troy muttered, rolling his eyes.


    The thing is, many of the alphas¡¯ children aren¡¯t even alphas, only the males are. I was the only she-wolf who managed to beat many alphas in general contests or races. That¡¯s why my father considered me a suitable alpha for the pack, until my stepmother reminded him that I was a tomboy, not traditionally feminine, and that a she-wolf shouldn¡¯t be an alpha.


    It was actually my stepmother who convinced him, though my father was also at fault. I now understood how messed up he was. I knew a lot of things, but I digress.


    As for a she-wolf being an alpha, most of the werewolf pack officials and royals agreed with my stepmother that a she-wolf could never be an alpha queen. They believed the better daughter should be alpha until she marries and brings in a male wolf who can take over with her support and she bes the Luna of the pack instead of an alpha.


    So with that reasoning, they decided I wasn¡¯t feminine enough, and no great alpha would want me. They thought the pack would suffer under me, possibly marrying some omega or someone beneath their standards. They had no real hopes for me.


    "I want to let them know, but I want to ask you first. Do you want to let them know? Because part of it rtes to you," Haiden said, almost in a whisper.


    For the first time, I was shocked that Haiden actually considered myfort. I gave him a nod.


    "Sure, go ahead. I don¡¯t want you to hold it back because of me. I am not my father, and the one who did it all, he should be shamed publicly," I said, standing my ground.


    I didn¡¯t care about my father anymore. He was a messed-up man anyway.

 Chapter 60-The Asshole Ian

    <h4>Chapter 60: 60-The Asshole Ian</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Your father did all that to his mother?" Yorick asked me, and I honestly felt so out of ce. Even though I didn¡¯t do it, the fact that such a man was my father really upset me.


    "And not only that, but to his sister too," Troy added.


    I looked down in shame. We were now sitting on the same ground. Haiden had basically told them everything he had told me.


    "Her father had significant influence, since he owned a lot of gold and wolfsbanends. Nobody dared to investigate," Yorick added, trying to make sense of why nothing had been done about it.


    "Well, I¡¯m not very proud of my father either," I finally snapped, and the two of them gave me a look that felt almost like an apology.


    "It¡¯s just too much. If someone had done that to my mother and sister, I don¡¯t think I could have moved on from it. So hats off to you, Haiden, for growing up so strong," Troy said, patting his shoulder.


    I watched Haiden look at me.


    "Anyway, before you guys came, Clementine was telling me she has a n," Haiden said, and both Yorick and Troy turned to look at me, as if to confirm whether it was true.


    "Yeah, I actually have a n," I stated.


    "Sure, tell us. We want to be a part of it too," Yorick added. Haiden looked so surprise that they wanted to help.


    "Okay, so hear me out. You know how they took me to the basement? There were some deals they presented to me. I might have already told you about all of them, but let me remind you, they¡¯re going to allow us to go back to our packs," I said, watching them watch my face.


    So much silence. This was the first time the alphas were sitting quietly and not interrupting me.


    "How about we demand to go back to our packs, but instead of returning to your own, you alle to mine? Then we can do our research. We can find records and everything¡ªpossibly get someone to slip information about your sister. I¡¯m pretty sure when something this big happens, somebody knows something."


    I watched the alphas share a look, then begin to nod, just small nods.


    "How about that?" I asked. They looked pretty happy with the idea.


    "That would work. Once we¡¯re all there, we¡¯ll outnumber them. One of us can distract them while the others do the job. Obviously, Clementine can¡¯t do it alone. His father hates her," Troy said, and both Yorick and Haiden turned to look at him.


    "What? I know this because we were friends," he added.


    "And you didn¡¯t do anything to stop the bullying of your friend?" Haiden asked him.


    Troy ced one hand on his hip, sitting on the grass with his legs crossed. With his other hand, he pointed at Haiden.


    "You were the one who was bullying her. And if you¡¯re forgetting, until we were fifteen, I defended her all the time. It was only after our friendship ended that I stopped caring for her, but not entirely."


    He said thest part under his breath. After he reminded Haiden that he was basically my bully, even Haiden¡¯s expression started to change. Because it wasn¡¯t a lie. He had messed me up pretty badly in the past.


    "Anyway, the point is, it¡¯s decided. We should use this deal very cleverly. It coulde in handy," Yorick said, stepping in.


    "But there¡¯s one problem," I said. "Who¡¯s going to make Iane with us? This has to be a mutual decision. The reason we¡¯ll give the ringleaders is that we¡¯ve decided to visit each other¡¯s packs during each visit, so we get to know one another better. We¡¯re trying to build a connection, so our stay here won¡¯t feel so difficult, and we won¡¯t be tempted to quit again."


    I remembered my conversation with the ringleaders. It was so ufortable. I didn¡¯t want to sit across the table from them again. I didn¡¯t know what it was, but even when Rue was helpful, the other two made it nearly impossible to have a proper conversation.


    "I think she¡¯s right. What can we do about Ian?" Troy asked.


    Haiden shook his head and raised his hands. "I don¡¯t trust that man, so I¡¯ll stay out of it. And I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll listen to me after tonight."


    He wasn¡¯t wrong. He was finally angry at the right person, Ian, for lying about Sadie. It was Haiden¡¯s decision, and Ian didn¡¯t even care about him in the first ce. So for Ian to lie just to get him on board was pointless.


    "I¡¯ll do something about it," Yorick finally said, and it was concluded that he would be in charge of convincing Ian toe with us.


    We all went back to our dorm room, and Ian seemed to have taken another shower. His hair was wet again as he sat on his bed, leaning back against the headboard, staring at something in his wallet.


    The moment he saw us enter, he snapped his maic wallet shut and slid it under his pillow, watching us with his head tilted.


    "So, are you guys back after a good gangbang?" he asked, making me nearly gag. What was wrong with him? Could he not say a single thing that didn¡¯t make people hate him? I instantly knew it would be difficult to convince him.


    "Actually, we¡¯re d you¡¯re awake," Yorick said, subtly pointing at us with his thumb.


    We all started to sit down on our own beds.


    "Really? Why? If you expect me to join this crazy sex thing, count me out," he said, raising one hand.


    I wanted to p him so badly for saying things like that about me, but we had to tolerate it, for Haiden¡¯s sister. So I stayed silent.


    "We were thinking¡ªif you¡¯d agree toe with us to Clementine¡¯s pack," Yorick began, his tone almost sounding like a request. The look on Ian¡¯s face told me he was going to be trouble.

 Chapter 61-Ian Has A Mate At Home

    <h4>Chapter 61: 61-Ian Has A Mate At Home</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "I will answer you as briefly as possible," Ian started off by giving us hope with a very gentle tone until he added, "No, you can take me to hell, but not to her pack," he stated. "Besides, why would I blow up my chance to return to my own pack for the sake of you guys? I¡¯m already annoyed seeing all your faces. You think I¡¯d give up the opportunity to avoid seeing your ugly faces for the next few days?" He was such a bitch, using the harshest tone he could muster to insult everyone. I watched Haiden¡¯s veins start to pop in his biceps.


    "Actually, it is kind of urgent," Haiden said, his head down, hand twisted, and fist resting on his thigh with his elbow raised.


    "What kind of urgency is it?" Ian asked, probably enjoying the fact that everyone had to request something from him. He seemed to feel like the leader.


    "I have someone back home my uncle wants me to marry, and I don¡¯t want that. So instead of going back, I want to visit Clementine¡¯s ce to meet her father."


    He was taking strange pauses, but once Haiden finished talking, I realized he hade up with the n in haste, under Ian¡¯s watchful eyes.


    "What do you mean by you want to go meet her father? What for?" Ian asked. This time, his eyes were even more narrowed at Haiden.


    And then, while he was watching Haiden, Haiden got up from his bed, came over, and sat right next to me. That wasn¡¯t decided. It was never nned. But I guess it was the best he could do at the moment.


    Then Haiden wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to his chest. He was on my left side, so I almost ced my hand on his crotch when he suddenly pulled me over. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t. I grabbed onto his shirt instead to bnce myself.


    And honestly, his smell was so good. It was a rich scent, maybe perfume, or maybe just his natural body odor. But I instantly got a whiff in my nose. And since he was also my mate, the way he sat and pulled me close just made me melt. It melted my knees.


    "What?" Ian asked.


    "You know, we¡¯re mates. I felt the mate bond with her the other night. And ever since then, I¡¯ve only thought about her. So we decided tonight that we¡¯re finally ready to give each other a chance."


    All those words came out of Haiden¡¯s mouth like a cursed melody. And even though I was so mesmerized by his scent, his words shook me awake. I looked at his face and then quickly looked down because I didn¡¯t want Ian to pick up on my behavior and think we were lying.


    "You want to ept her?" Ian asked, pointing at me.


    I only raised my eyes to look at him, and I found his face contorted in a strange way, as if he was having a hard time believing it.


    "Yeah. She¡¯s my fated mate. And she¡¯s definitely sexy and gorgeous. She¡¯s fierce too, and she thinks about everyone so much. You know, when I was in the North, she could¡¯ve just left, especially since I bother her so much. And despite us always saying she¡¯s not trustworthy, actually, she was the one who showed me I could trust her."


    I didn¡¯t know what made Haiden say all that, but I slowly turned my head and watched him speak. He was looking straight at Ian, but I was watching him. Our faces were just a few inches apart, from how close he was holding me. And since he was such a big guy, I felt so tiny in his arms.


    "Oh," I heard Ian say.


    "So do you want toe with us?" Troy asked. Ian turned his head to him.


    "We¡¯re just doing this for Haiden," Yorick instantly added, so Ian wouldn¡¯t feel like the change was happening too quickly for my sake.


    "No," Ian said, shaking his head again.


    "Why? Why can¡¯t you do just that much for us? You were the one who lied about Sadie, and now she¡¯s out there." Even Haiden controlled himself and looked down, clenching his fist.


    I hated to feel it, but I felt jealousy. And just like I expected, even Ian picked up on it because he mentioned Sadie once again.


    "Oh, so how did you fall for Clementine when you were already going after Sadie?"


    Even I looked at Haiden¡¯s face again, and since I was so close to him, I could see his jaw clench. So I guess Sadie was really a sensitive topic for him. Did he really love her?


    "I was concerned for her. She was a good friend. That¡¯s all I¡¯ll say. Are youing with us or not?" Of course, Haiden didn¡¯t admit to anything. And the fact that she wasn¡¯t pregnant by him, yet he was so invested in her life, just made me feel like there was probably more to the story. There was probably more between Haiden and Sadie.


    "I cannot. Even if I wanted to, I cannot. I have to go visit my home," Ian said. This time, he didn¡¯t sound arrogant. He sounded like he had something urgent to take care of as well.


    "Can¡¯t it wait until next time?" Haiden asked.


    Ian shook his head. "No, it cannot. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a mate here. So I have to go back home to meet mine."


    Ian¡¯s words snapped our heads at him.


    "You have a mate?" Yorick asked.


    Ian gave a nod.


    "Wait a minute. So you wanted to quit because you wanted to go home and be with your mate?" Troy asked, pointing at Ian.


    Ian, once again, bit his bottom lip. He had a habit of chewing on his lips. While doing so, he blinked once and gave a small nod.


    "So you were going to get us all in trouble for someone you left back at home?" Yorick got up, already hyped up.

 Chapter 62-Fighting For Our Mates

    <h4>Chapter 62: 62-Fighting For Our Mates</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Why do only you guys get to make decisions for your lovers? Out of all the people Haiden should know, he should be thest one toin. You were the one ready to risk your own life and stay behind in the North for someone you only met here," Ian snapped at Haiden, even though it was Yorick who was confronting him at the moment.


    "You should understand my situation," Ian said.


    I was kind of shocked and unable to even react because Ian was not the type who could love anyone but himself, so it came out of the blue. And the fact that we hadn¡¯t evenmunicated to the point that we knew whether any of us had found our mates showed how poorly we were connecting, not like we should have.


    "Then can you go next time?" Haiden asked, the urgency in his voice beginning to show. He unwrapped his arm from around my waist so he could get up and reach Ian¡¯s bed. Ian also steadily got up, probably thinking Haiden was going to confront him or maybe force him into going with us.


    "No," Ian replied, shaking his head.


    "But you do know you won¡¯t be able to go to your pack either if we don¡¯t all agree, right? Like they said, the decision has to be unanimous. If we all want to go to the same pack, we go together. If we want to go separately, then we each go our own way. But no one can go to any pack unless everyone agrees. So if even one person wants to go with someone else, no one can go to their pack until we all make the same choice. We either go together, or we all go separately."


    Troy wasn¡¯t really good at exining things. I could tell he was going in circles. But in the end, he managed to exin himself and the basic rules to us. Ian started to grunt. He took a few steps back, then a few to the side. His bodynguage showed he was anxious and probably now thinking about how he would convince us to listen to him, especially after expressing his long-term issues with our situation.


    "Okay, wait, guys. We¡¯ll be able to go and stay in our packs for a full week, right?" Troy asked, and I gave him a nod. This was what they hadter discussed with me.


    "So how about we convince them to let us stay at one pack for three days, and then go to the other for four days?" Troy asked, and I began to give it some thought. However, I wished we had thought of it earlier, because now the deal had already been made, and I could tell the ringleaders weren¡¯t very happy that we managed to get such a deal. I mean, they probably just wanted to punish us for even bringing up the idea of quitting.


    "Wait a minute¡ªyou mean to say you guys areing to stay in my pack?" Ian asked. As we began to nod, he started shaking his head.


    "No," he said, stepping back.


    "Wait, what¡¯s the problem with us staying at your pack?" Troy asked. Even Yorick was now facing Ian with his hands on his waist. None of the alphas looked very happy with how Ian was treating them, and I understood why. He was making things so difficult for all of us.


    "Why not?" Yorick also joined in.


    "I just don¡¯t want you guys in my pack. Why do I have to exin myself? Why? It¡¯s my decision, and it¡¯s final," he grunted.


    "So you¡¯d rather have us all go alone and never be in your pack then?" I snapped, finally, because I was getting so annoyed with Ian giving them all an attitude. Just because they were in need, he was now making things so difficult for them.


    Ian stared at me for a minute, then finally rolled his eyes.


    "Fine, we¡¯ll go to your pack first. But after that, there¡¯ll be no going to my pack, at least not together. Next time, when we have to go, we¡¯ll all go back to our own packs alone. I don¡¯t fucking want any of you in my pack."


    He made it very clear, in a rude and sarcastic tone. It felt like he thought he was superior to all of us, and I didn¡¯t me the others for looking so upset. I mean, of course, we weren¡¯t friends, none of us were, but it was stillmon courtesy not to act like we were enemies. Ian definitely made it clear that we could never get along with him.


    "I me you for this mess, Clementine," Troy suddenly taunted me, giving me a harsh look. But before I could ask what I had done wrong this time, he answered my questioning eyes.


    "You should have pushed him harder under the Red Squad."


    As he said that, Yorick and Haiden nodded, while Ian simply tilted his head to look at me. Every time he did that, he would close his eyes just slightly. And I hated to admit it, but he looked very sexy. But then his attitude was so terrible that I couldn¡¯t help but wonder which poor she-wolf was fated to him, the one he was so desperate to go back and see. Poor girl must¡¯ve thought she had finally escaped him, but little did she know he would being back.


    I was just being bitter. He was such a bully and such an asshole.


    "Now you guys agree?" I said to Troy, reminding them how harsh they¡¯d been when I didn¡¯t want Ian in our dorm room.


    "Fine. Cute. Keep arguing. I¡¯ll go back to my pack." As soon as Ian said that, Troy and I began stealing nces at Haiden because his harsh gaze fell on us.


    "Ignore them. They¡¯re just messing around. I appreciate you wanting toe with us, giving me a chance to be in her pack first."


    I guessed Haiden was so helpless and vulnerable that he couldn¡¯t even let his alpha ego get in the way of justice for his sister and mother. He had to act politely toward Ian, even when Ian was being such a douchebag in return.


    "Cool. It would be better if they apologized," Ian pouted, shrugging his shoulders as if it would be that easy.


    Both Troy and I clenched our jaws, shared a look, and then looked back at Ian.

 Chapter 63-He Might Betray Us

    <h4>Chapter 63: 63-He Might Betray Us</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What? I¡¯m just saying¡ªit¡¯s for you. You two want to be together so badly that you¡¯re ready to introduce him to your father. So don¡¯t put all the burden on his shoulders. You should be the one apologizing and convincing me to agree to visit your pack instead."


    Ian pointed out that Haiden was the only one who had shown genuine interest in visiting my pack for me. I, on the other hand, had just been in the background, taunting and mocking him. And for Haiden¡¯s sake, I realized we had to act right.


    "Fine, I¡¯m sorry. Please, Ian,e with us to my pack," I said dramatically, but his smirk showed he didn¡¯t mind that I was being sassy. He just wanted to hear me apologize, and he had done a great job making that happen.


    "I¡¯m sorry, Men, for being rude," Troy added in his usual alpha tone.


    "Now, we should head to bed, because I have to go and watch the Warriors leave for North." Haiden suddenly went quiet, and Ian raised his head again, squinting one eye slightly, almost like he was judging Haiden for wanting to check if the Warriors were leaving to fetch Sadie back. At the same time, Haiden was trying to convince Ian toe with us to my pack so he could introduce himself to my father as my mate.


    "Anyway, good night," I said, trying to change the subject and help Haiden escape Ian¡¯s gaze.


    We all went to bed, but Ian paced around the room for a while. He had some very annoying habits, and one of them was walking around while everyone else was trying to sleep. It made everyone ufortable. Troy had once mentioned it to him, asking him not to do that, because sometimes it felt like someone hade in to attack us. With Ian moving around every night, every few hours, it gave us a constant sense of unease. What if one of these days it wasn¡¯t him, and someone else was in the room, and we were justfortably sleeping¡ªtoo used to the sound of Ian pacing?


    But he wouldn¡¯t listen, so we just let it go.


    The morning arrived, and we all rushed back to the main hall for breakfast, where the ringleaders were announcing a new set of rules. Of course, no one mentioned that we had decided to quit, or that the rules came from the deal they made with us because then the other crusaders would object. They¡¯d want to go home too, hoping for deals of their own. So none of that was brought up. The ringleaders made it seem like they hade up with these changes on their own, just to make the crusaders feel a little more rxed, less like prisoners.


    "You may decide whether you want to visit your packs as a group or go alone," Lenora said. She gave the instructions clearly.


    Just before that, the warriors had left to look for Sadie, but we weren¡¯t allowed anywhere near the station. We all woke up together, and apart from Ian, the rest of us went to watch the train leave. It was packed with warriors, food, and supplies. This was the first time something like this had happened, and none of the other students or crusaders were informed because, like I said, then they¡¯d start questioning why they were never given such opportunities.


    "So, I would like you all toe and begin giving us your decisions. We will start with the Green Squad," Lenora said. A huge table had been ced in front of them, with all the ringleaders seated behind it. After finishing breakfast, the tes were cleared, and they now sat waiting for the crusaders toe up, team by team, and announce their decisions.


    Most chose to go back to their packs alone, probably because many hadn¡¯t formed strong enough connections. We wouldn¡¯t have done the same. I wouldn¡¯t have done it either, but I did, to help Haiden. In fact, if it were entirely up to me, I wouldn¡¯t have gone back to my pack at all. But there were some unfinished matters I needed to handle.


    Of course, Joshua, Jack, and Suki had no problem going back to theirs. The others didn¡¯t have a say, the three of them were from the same pack. Joshua had been the alpha, though not anymore, since his brother took over, from what I¡¯d heard. But they still called him an alpha, just to give us a false sense of status. They used our old titles like they still mattered, but it was all just to fool us into thinking we were still crowned.


    Suki used to be the royal beta, and Jack had been the royal gamma. Once Joshua was removed from the throne, his beta and gamma were also thrown into the academy. It was clearly done in a calcted way. Stepmothers often tried to get rid of an alpha¡¯s closest allies. Since I had none, I came alone. I¡¯m pretty sure the others didn¡¯t have any close allies either, or at least not ones who stood by them.


    And then it was our turn.


    We reached the table, and I noticed the way the ringleaders looked at me, everyone except Miss Rue. She looked disappointed, but she still managed to give us a weak smile. Of course, she avoided looking at Ian and Haiden, since they had been rude the day before.


    As we all began to sign under my pack, Ian started to smirk. He picked up the pen, bent down, and began tapping the nib under his own pack¡¯s section. We started getting anxious. What was he doing?


    But We¡¯ve decided to go to my pack.


    I felt the tension grow between us, and then Yorick uttered, "Is he seriously doing this to us right now?"


    I watched Ian ce his other hand on the table to support himself, and then his lip curled upward, forming a smirk.


    "I think he is," I added, feeling defeated.

 Chapter 64-Facing My Family

    <h4>Chapter 64: 64-Facing My Family</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Haiden looked visibly upset, and Troy and Yorick were already starting to get angry. But just as we thought Ian was going to sign under his own pack, he switched to mine and signed it there. After he was done, he put the pen down and turned to look at us.


    "Not everybody is like you," he said to me, reminding me of how I had betrayed them at thest minute.


    "Well, not everybody gets you a good deal," I muttered back, almost under my breath so the ringleaders wouldn¡¯t hear. But we were already walking away.


    "Okay, everyone, the lurkers will escort you back to your packs," Lenora said. "Our lurkers will remain stationed at the pack borders to ensure none of you try to escape. You will also wear these bands so we can track your location and confirm that you are in the designated pack you signed under."


    She held up the bands, each in a different color. For the ck Squad, the bands were ck with our names printed on them. They handed them to us, and we put them on right away. They started beeping as soon as they were fastened.


    "Now go back to your rooms and pack your bags. We¡¯ll see you in a week," Rick said, not sounding particrly excited to be sending us off.


    And we didn¡¯t even know when we¡¯d next get to return to our packs, probably after the next mission. But who knew how difficult that would be?


    Once we made it back to our rooms, we began to grab our bags. It wasn¡¯t like we had a lot of stuff. In fact, we had less than what we came with because much of it had been destroyed in the process. They also told us we wouldn¡¯t be allowed to take any luxuries from our pack when we visited them, so it was pretty much impossible for us to get new clothes from anywhere.


    But obviously, they wouldn¡¯t let us walk around naked in the future, so I was expecting some good news about getting clothes. We all waited impatiently. Others had already left before us. And then finally, it was our turn.


    They had a ck SUV parked outside for us. We all left the passage and finally made it to the road by following a lurker. As the journey began, an hour in, I started to get anxious. I began ying with my fingers, even scratching the sides of my nails.


    "Are you okay?" Troy asked, sitting in the back seat with me.


    "I¡¯m fine," I replied, quickly looking out the window again. We were in the back seat, with him beside me and Yorick next to him. Ian and Hayden were in the front seats.


    Don¡¯t ask me why Haiden contradicted himself, saying he was my mate and wanted to ept me, yet choosing not to sit with me. I didn¡¯t want to focus on that. And I guess neither did Ian, because he had been pretty quiet the entire ride.


    "I know you¡¯re anxious. Stop trying to hide it from me," Troy said, making me roll my eyes.


    I could only show him attitude for now because I didn¡¯t know how I¡¯d feel once I was back there.


    "You don¡¯t want to face them again, do you?" Troy asked, and I swallowed my tears. I didn¡¯t like crying in front of others. I believed that if someone truly cared, they would never make me cry.


    "You know what, think of it as your victory. You¡¯re finally returning to face them again and let them know that you have survived," Troy said, trying to cheer me up with his words.


    I noticed Yorick shift in his seat, almost like fixing his posture, but he did not turn to look at us.


    "You know what? Forget it. We will be there with you. I am pretty sure nobody will bully you in front of us," Troy added, as if he forgot he was the one who would bully me, along with the others.


    "Yeah, right," I said, turning my face to look out the window again.


    "I didn¡¯t know you would be so anxious going back to your pack. I mean, I get it, all of our pack members betrayed us when they pretty much kicked us out. But we¡¯re not scared of going back," Yorick finally turned to talk to me, and I guess he failed to understand that things were different for them than they were for me. They were never bullied before. They were fine, treated with respect until thest moment, and it was only then announced to them that they would be leaving. As for me, I have suffered constant pain throughout my life. So in the end, when they won after they kicked me out of the pack, it kind of made me feel like I could have never won against them.


    I did not continue to talk with them about my personal issues because I had a feeling that once we were back in the dorm room, they would bring up the issues or my behavior to mock me. So the rest of the ride was in silence. We did not make any stops. The lurkers were not allowed to offer us food or anything, so we were starving by the time we arrived at my pack¡¯s main gate. I wasn¡¯t even sure how they would treat us, to be honest. Maybe they would just stand in a line, trying to stop us from getting inside. However, I was wrong. The minute we got out of the cars and the gate opened, I saw the pack members holding bouquets, and I was shocked to see my father standing in front of everyone. My stepmother and stepsister were not around, so I guess my father was the one who had decided to wee us, only because now he could proudly say his daughter was fighting in the North.


    "Wee back home, my pride, my warrior¡ªmy fierce crusader," my father announced, making a chill run up my spine.

 Chapter 65-The Betrayal Of My Bestfriend

    <h4>Chapter 65: 65-The Betrayal Of My Bestfriend</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    <strong>Three Years Ago:</strong>


    "What did you say? Is it again to your father?" Glinda asked me, trying to tear her eyes away from my father. They were sitting peacefully at a dinner table with so much food in front of them that it broke my heart to think how much of it would go to waste.


    My stepsister sat to the side, holding a fruit bowl in her hand. She would hardly ever eat anything, because I guess she was afraid of gaining a few ponds. That was pretty scary, but I wouldn¡¯t even mention it. I was not allowed to show concern.


    "I want to leave the pack," I said, straightening my back. I was not allowed to sit and eat with them, so I had onlye to have a conversation with my father. And for that, I even had to ask my stepmother for permission.


    "Did you hear her, William?" my stepmother asked my father, because he was too busy munching on the steak, holding it with both hands instead of using a fork and knife. My father only made a noise from his mouth. He probably did not even hear me.


    "Did you not listen to your daughter?" She held his hand to shake him, and all the sauce spread across his mouth. He lifted his head, and then she let go of him.


    "I told you, you are in charge of her life. You get to make decisions for her," my father said, reminding me how easy it was for him to toss my responsibility into the hands of the woman he knew was misusing her power against him.


    "Well, since you are insisting," she smiled, because she had just gotten my father to say what she wanted me to hear.


    "No, Clementine. You just turned fifteen. You are not leaving the pack. There is no such thing as a rogue. Do you not know that?" she asked me, using her eyes to support her words. She would move around so much, dance with her shoulders, use hand gestures or roll her eyes. I hated the sight of her.


    "But why not? Not everybody has to go to the North," I mentioned, and my father stopped eating. He raised his head and passed me a deadly re.


    "Honey, you see what happens when I make a decision for her?" She turned to my father again, who grabbed the steak full of sauce and suddenly hit me with it. The bone part remained in his hand, and the steak started sliding off my face. Some of the sauce even went into my eye, so I started rubbing my eyes clean while hissing in pain.


    "Now, in case you didn¡¯t understand what your father meant, he means fuck off," Glinda said, smirking. Leysa raised her head and smiled, clearly taunting me. That¡¯s when I realized there was no escaping the packs anymore. The officials and royals had grown so corrupt that they were taking teenagers from their homes to turn them into crusaders. Most would end up dying, especially the omegas. They were never trained, and I couldn¡¯t understand what anyone was thinking, sending them to the North.


    Defeated, I returned to my room and wiped my face with a wet cloth. Sitting on my mattress, I checked my phone and saw a message from my best friend.


    Troy: I need you toe meet me behind the cinema.


    During this miserable time in my life, Troy was the only person I truly relied on. We¡¯d been friends so long, I¡¯d never made space for anyone else. I didn¡¯t need to, he was enough.


    Me: Sure, thank you so much. I was just dying at home.


    I sent the text, got up from the bed, and pulled on my oversized hoodie. I adjusted the hat over my head and slipped out the window. I could run fast. but climbing was always my weakness. Every time I went up somewhere, the moment I realized how high I was, panic would kick in.


    It was sweet of Troy to always travel from his pack to mine just to meet me, and I admired him deeply for it. Even though we went to the same school near the border of our pack, we would still make time to meetter in the day. Sometimes, Troy would even stay at a hotel or crash at a friend¡¯s ce just so we could see each other again.


    But something felt different that night. Normally, when he asked me to meet him somewhere, he would stay on a video call with me until I arrived at the location. But that night, he wasn¡¯t responding. He wasn¡¯t answering my calls. Every time I messaged him or tried to talk, all he would say was, "Am I there yet?"


    I arrived at the old gas station behind the cinema. It was destroyed and abandoned, but we had covered the walls in graffiti and little messages to make it feel like ours. We used to meet here all the time. It had always been our ce. But like I said, it wasn¡¯t the same that night.


    When I pulled up, I noticed a few other cars already there. Since other friend groups came by sometimes, I didn¡¯t think much of it. I walked toward Troy¡¯s car, which I could recognize from a distance, and watched him step out. The way he did it felt off. No smile, no greeting, no hug, just his hands stuffed in his pockets and his eyes locked straight on mine.


    "What is it?" I asked, thrown off by how cold he seemed.


    "Don¡¯t you have something to exin to me?" he said.


    I nodded instantly. I was relieved that he had asked for time before, and now that he was finally ready, so was I.


    "Oh yeah, you know what happened¡ª" I started, but he cut me off before I could finish.


    That¡¯s when the cars began to move, slowly forming a circle around us. Doors opened. People stepped out with shlights pointed straight at my face, blinding me from seeing anything clearly.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the fucking Clementine Stark," Troy hissed, and my entire body went numb.

 Chapter 66-Hungry For My Squadmates.

    <h4>Chapter 66: 66-Hungry For My Squadmates.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    <strong>Present Time:</strong>


    "Look at her, she is my daughter," my father said, pointing at me as I followed him inside the mansion. It felt strange to see him act like he cared, because I knew he didn¡¯t. But what could I do? I had to pretend I was fine, or I wouldn¡¯t be able to get any information from him or anyone else.


    "And look, she brought in so many Alphas with her," my father said as he pointed at my squadmates one by one.


    The pack members were just watching and whispering to each other. Whenever I looked at them, they would shy away. They were all treating me so differently, like they suddenly respected me.


    "Where are Glinda and Leysa?" I asked my father, watching his beta, Ross, follow him.


    My father looked around awkwardly. I guessed they hadn¡¯t followed his instructions because they didn¡¯t want to wee me.


    "They¡¯re inside. Why do you care? You¡¯ll get to meet them, don¡¯t worry," my father said in a cheerful tone. The minute he patted my back, I felt like throwing up. I didn¡¯t want him near me. After what Haiden had told me, I couldn¡¯t understand how he was acting like everything was fine. Was he not bothered by Haiden¡¯s presence, or did he not even recognize him?


    And I was right. The minute we sat down in the living room, my father pointed toward my squadmates.


    "Don¡¯t you want to introduce them to us?" he asked. Now it was just Beta Ross and my father in the living room.


    "Sure. There¡¯s Alpha Ian, Alpha Troy, you must remember him, he used to be my friend. Then there¡¯s Alpha Yorick." I stopped because my father had started chuckling. I looked at him. I knew what he wasughing at.


    "That¡¯s the one, he used to be her boyfriend. They only dated for a month," my father said to Ross, who hid his smile behind his hand like it was too funny. They were acting like teenagers gossiping.


    "And who is this young fe?" my father asked, looking at Haiden, who sat separately on the couch, his eyes fixed on my father like he might get up and poke his eyes out.


    "Alpha Haiden. He is Alpha Haiden," I said, watching my father closely for a reaction.


    He zoned out for a second, then shrugged.


    "Wee to my pack. I¡¯m so proud of you all. I did get the news that you guys performed tremendously in the North," my father said, showing no guilt, or any sign that he recognized Haiden. And I guess that upset Haiden, because after ruining his life like that, my father didn¡¯t even remember him.


    "And honestly, I was so shocked when the headmaster told me you wanted toe back to your pack," my father said, watching me with pride in his eyes.


    The fact that he thought I¡¯d forgotten how he dragged me out of the pack in the middle of the night was just insane. It only showed how little my father thought about others.


    "Actually," I didn¡¯t expect Ian to start talking here too. He looked sofortable, sitting back, one hand stretched across the back of the couch, the other resting on the armrest.


    "She came here to give you good news," he said, eyeing me to remind me that I needed to tell my father about Haiden and me. If only Ian wasn¡¯t part of our dorm, it would¡¯ve been so much easier to handle this.


    "Really?" my father said. "There¡¯s more news?"


    He looked at Ross, kind of giving him a look like, Do you see how proud my daughter is making me?


    The same daughter he had fucking gotten kidnapped.


    But before we could make any announcement, my stepmother walked in with Leysa behind her. They both looked like they were in a foul mood, until they noticed how many Alphas were in the living room. Then their eyes lit up. They had probably already heard from the warriors that all my squadmates were Alphas, and bachelors, at that.


    "Pardon me. We took a little too long getting ready. You know perfection takes hard work," my stepmother said, flipping her hair to one side as she eyed each Alpha one by one.


    It made me so ufortable.


    Then there was Leysa, wearing a short ck dress that ended above her thighs. She probably had a makeup artist and stylist booked for the day. And yes, I did notice some of my squadmates watching her a little too intently, mostly Haiden and Yorick.


    "Hi, wee to my pack," Leysa said as she stepped forward. My father immediately made eye contact with my stepmother. I guessed they were speaking with their eyes, but I couldn¡¯t understand why they¡¯d want to set her up with any of my squadmates. The Crusaders weren¡¯t taken seriously, everyone knew their lives hung by a thread. One minute they were alive, the next they might be dead in the North. So I had no idea what my parents were trying to do. But of course, Leysa was their dearest child. If she wanted to mess around with someone, they¡¯d let her. She¡¯d had multiple affairs in the past, and both my father and stepmother had actually supported her. They even helped her set up dates with Alphas and Betas, then tried to cover up the rumors afterward. All in all, she was very liked and very spoiled by my parents.


    "Nice to meet you," Yorick said, fixing his hair and crossing one leg over the other. Even when Yorick and I dated for that one month, we never introduced each other to our parents.


    "What was the other good news my sweet sister was talking about, prior to us interrupting your amazing conversation?" Leysa asked. Even though she was using a sweet tone, her words were clearly condescending.


    I straightened my back. I was about to hit Haiden where it would hurt the most¡ªcock-blocking him.


    "Oh, actually, we came here to let my father know that I¡¯ve found my fated mate," I said, watching the smile fall from Leysa¡¯s face.


    "And it¡¯s Alpha Haiden," I added, pointing at Haiden, who looked slightly disturbed.


    Was he seriously interested in her that quickly?

 Chapter 67-He Wants To Date My Stepsister

    <h4>Chapter 67: 67-He Wants To Date My Stepsister</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Why did you tell them so soon that I¡¯m your mate?" Haiden had been on my back ever since we got to the guest room. "And why are you looking around like you¡¯ve never been to your bedroom before?" he asked, frowning when he noticed how I was staring around.


    It was a beautiful room, to be honest. They had ced flowers in the pots next to our bed. There was arge window that showed a serene view of the mountains outside. It was on the third floor, the alphas¡¯ floor. I had seen this room quite a few times before, but I had never been inside it.


    "That¡¯s because it¡¯s not my bedroom," I said, watching him frown.


    "Where is your bedroom? Is it too high maintenance for us to stay in it?" Haiden asked.


    I gave him an eye roll.


    It was actually mentioned by the ringleaders to the pack alphas that the crusaders were supposed to stay in one room, like a dorm, to keep the energy alive if they were visiting any pack together. So they had this big bedroom ready for all of us, with many beds ced around, and still there was free space.


    Ian had stopped exploring the balcony, so he came back with a burned-out cigarette in his fingers.


    Yorick had gone to shower in the bathroom, while Troy stood in the corner of the room with his hands in his pants pockets, his back leaned against the wall. He was just watching me silently.


    "Did you see that broken stair leading up to the attic?" It was Troy who started speaking, and I already knew where he was headed.


    Haiden nodded. "Yeah, the only area that contrasts the whole vibe of the mansion."


    Haiden grimaced at the fact that the staircase to the attic was so broken, he could probably only imagine how messed up the attic room would be.


    "The attic, that used to be her bedroom," Troy said, and Haiden snapped his neck toward me.


    "Well, some people don¡¯t deserve luxury," Ianmented, looking unbothered, unlike Haiden.


    "That fucking asshole," Haiden said, referring to my father, but I gave him a look because I didn¡¯t want Ian to hear and think something else was going on.


    "I hope you¡¯ll remember this and not put her on the spot every time again," Troy said to Haiden, reminding him that I had already told them what my father used to be like to me.


    "I honestly forgot," Haiden said. "I¡¯m sorry," he uttered.


    I waved him off with a gesture of my hand.


    "And why are you so worried that I told my stepsister about us being mates?" I ced my hands on my waist and looked Haiden in the eye.


    He started to sulk, avoiding eye contact. That¡¯s how I knew he was hiding something.


    Ian took the bed next to the balcony, which was far from mine and Haiden¡¯s bed near the bedroom door.


    "Yeah, I was kind of thinking," Haiden muttered, scratching the back of his neck.


    At this point, I could tell Ian wasn¡¯t bothered by our conversation, and we were speaking in whispers anyway. Troy had to stroll closer just to hear us, though he never took his hands out of his pockets.


    "How is your father¡¯s rtionship with Leysa?" Haiden asked, making me turn my head to the side as if trying to find the right words to describe how much my father loved her.


    "One could say she¡¯s my father¡¯s heartbeat," I said, noticing the look on Haiden¡¯s face like he had just discovered something important.


    "What?" I asked.


    "I was thinking, what if I try to trap her instead? She must know all of your father¡¯s secrets. And then I could get closer to your father. You know, it hurts more when someone you love is in pain." It was Haiden¡¯s way of telling me he had changed the n, that he wanted to use my stepsister¡¯s emotions to break my father as part of his revenge. But I wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    "I kind of agree with Haiden, however," Troy said, finally pulling one hand from his pocket to point at Haiden with his thumb, who stood to his right.


    "So, is it your final decision or do you want my honest opinion?" I asked Haiden, folding my arms across my chest.


    "The way you¡¯re talking¡ªI¡¯d say, maybe give me your opinion," he muttered, sounding a bit skeptical about what I was going to say.


    "No," I said in a single word. "I get that your sister and mother were innocent too, but I won¡¯t let you harm another innocent person," I said, looking him directly in the eye.


    "Ohe on, Clementine. I¡¯ve seen the look on your sister¡¯s face, she¡¯s the biggest bitch ever. Why do you even care if I destroy her mental peace?" he hissed, giving me the exact reason he had been staring at her.


    "No, Haiden. Just because she¡¯s a terrible person to me doesn¡¯t mean we have the right to ruin her life. You know, finding a mate, whether fated or chosen, is a different kind of feeling. Once you get cheated on by your mate, it destroys your whole identity. You do know that, right. She is a terrible, terrible person, I get it. She¡¯s a bitch. But she hasn¡¯t hurt anyone. I¡¯m not letting you do that to my stepsister," I said, trying to make him understand how hypocritical it was to pity his own sister but want to destroy mine.


    "I agree with Clementine," Troy added, this time pointing at me with his index finger.


    "Can you please just be on one side?" Haiden asked Troy, who only shrugged.


    "So no, we¡¯ll stick to our original n," I said to Haiden, without blinking so he could look me in the eye and know I was serious.


    "Fine," he grunted. "But I really wanted to punch her in the face," he said, showing me his fist.


    "Yeah, I get it. You wanted to punch me too, so there¡¯s nothing new about it. Everyone rted to my father is your enemy, I get it," I said, reminding him that he¡¯d told me the same thing so many times before. It wasn¡¯t anything new.


    But then we were called to attend the great dinner with my family. We were all getting ready for the special night, and I found myself staring at my bag, I didn¡¯t have my clothes to wear for the special asion.

 Chapter 68-Looking Like A Princess

    <h4>Chapter 68: 68-Looking Like A Princess</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    In the next two hours, the alphas had actually left to get suits for themselves. I was with them, and honestly, I didn¡¯t know if I could even afford a dress. At this point, I realized the alphas had gotten the ess to their ounts so they could use the funds in their banks whenever they visited. My bank ount, on the other hand, was empty. I didn¡¯t even have one. So I was just looking around, wondering how I would break the news to the alphas that I¡¯d be attending the dinner in my worn-out clothes.


    "You should wear this one. You know, we need to match so it seems like we¡¯re really connected. It¡¯ll annoy your father so much," Haiden said. I noticed that everything he said was tied to my father. First, he tried to get closer to my stepsister because she was important to my father. And once that n failed, he focused on me because he knew my father hated seeing me happy. I mean, it was messed up, but it was the truth.


    Haiden kept touching the royal blue silk gown, eyeing me to pick it because he was going to wear a royal blue suit.


    "No, I don¡¯t like the color," I said, rubbing my elbow and looking around.


    "What is it?" he finally asked after I had been acting so weird and quiet. The others were just doing their thing in the other aisles, while Haiden and I had to stick together so the warriors who came with me would report back to my father, and tell him we were getting along. At the same time, the lurkers were also here, keeping an eye on us.


    "I can¡¯t buy these gowns," I said to Haiden, feeling so ashamed.


    "Why not?" Haiden asked.


    "Haiden, do you not know what conditions I was living in?" I snapped at him, hands on my waist.


    "Seriously?" He almost whispered the words, and in response, I only gave him a nod.


    "Well, then you should have told me. Come with me," he said, as he led me to the other side where the most luxurious and expensive gowns were.


    "Oh no, I can¡¯t get any of these, Haiden." I started to pull away, but he held my arm, dragging me with him.


    "Can you please show us the most beautiful and expensive gown you have?" he told the designer who had specificallye to help us with our outfits.


    I didn¡¯t know the Crusaders would get so much respect. Back when there were other squads, they were never allowed to visit their packs. They would leave, and then no one would see or hear from them again. One day, people would just get the news that one of the Crusaders had died many years ago. It was like they went into an abyss. But for us, things had changed. We were back in our packs, and everyone looked at us like heroes, fighters who were protecting theirnd by keeping the monsters out.


    The designer happily returned with a gown that hitched my breath. It was a full-length silk gown in a soft champagne-beige color. It was sleeveless, with thin straps over the shoulders and a deep neckline. The bodice was fitted and decorated with soft, gold embroidery that ran down both sides, almost like vines. The silk was smooth and shiny, and it caught the light when it was moved. The skirt flowed out gently and had a fewyers that shimmered, like there was glitter woven into the fabric. It was simple, but it felt like something out of a dream.


    "Perfect," Haiden said, smiling at the gown. Then, without even letting me object, he paid for it with his card.


    "I have to earn to return the money to you," I said to him, watching as he finally stood up. He had been sitting on the chair waiting for the gown, while I paced around anxiously. When he stood, he looked so tall that I felt small in front of him.


    "Well, then I will be the one to decide what I want," he uttered, his face showing strange emotions.


    "What are you thinking?" I asked.


    He started chuckling. "Just imagining you in this gown," he said with a wink before walking away.


    Usually, Haiden and I would always bicker, so there were never moments when he flirted with me or said anything that gave me goosebumps. This time, his simple wink and smile covered my entire body with goosebumps.


    He then went ahead and got himself an ivory suit made of fine silk. Obviously, Ian returned with a ck suit with a hint of royal blue in it. Yorick chose a grey suit, and Troy settled for all white. They all paid, and we began to walk out of the mall.


    Once we sat back in the SUV that had been sent by the academy, we started to look around awkwardly, as if trying to avoid talking.


    "I have actually hired a stylist and makeup artist for you," Haiden said, quickly looking away.


    "I¡¯m not wearing any makeup," I said, and he began to click his tongue.


    "It¡¯s not a bad thing to wear makeup. You need to learn to adjust to the environment. You can¡¯te to a funeral wearing a gown, and in the same way, you can¡¯te to a party thrown in your honor looking like someone died." He hissed, upset that I even questioned his gestures.


    I sat back. I was grateful. The only reason I said no was because he was spending too much money on me, and I knew I wouldn¡¯t even look good. I¡¯d never worn anything like this, so I wasn¡¯t even sure it would suit me.


    The makeup artist and stylist arrived, so part of the room was taken up by me while the others were getting ready in the back. They were doing a lot to my face and hair. I was starting to wonder if I looked like a joker. But then they finished and made me look in the mirror.


    My beautiful red hair was styled like a princess in the back, and in the front, they had left a few strands of bangs around my forehead, with other strands loosely resting on both sides of my face. They had applied red lipstick but smudged it so it looked natural, along with a lot of blush, in eyeliner, and mascara. Honestly, I looked so gorgeous that even I couldn¡¯t look away.


    The dress I wore, the cleavage, it shocked even me how great my boobs looked. Half of them were out. They looked like milk cartons peeking from the fabric. I knew I had huge breasts; I just didn¡¯t know they were this huge. My waist looked tiny, and with my wide hips, it gave me such a beautiful shape. I was in love with myself. I wanted to wear makeup all the time now, but I couldn¡¯t afford it.


    Still, I smiled, gave myself a good twirl, and my curly hair danced around my back.


    That¡¯s when Ian walked in, wearing a ck suit and holding his tie like he was struggling.


    "Does anybody even know how to fucking put this thing on?"


    He went silent when his eyesnded on me, and the look he gave me made me shyly tuck myself into the corner, my hand holding my elbow. He gave me a full nce from head to toe, his tie almost slipping out of his palm. I¡¯m no expert in bodynguage, and I wasn¡¯t sure if it was intentional, but he looked stunned, and Ian being stunned by anyone was almost impossible.

 Chapter 69-My Perfect Mate

    <h4>Chapter 69: 69-My Perfect Mate</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    I had received a message from the makeup artist that she had finished her job. So I transferred the money to her bank ount, not thinking too much about it. There was so much going on in my mind that I couldn¡¯t focus on anything but looking around and trying to find familiar faces in the crowd, especially among the women who might be around my sister¡¯s age now. Every woman who passed by me, I would stare at her, and I¡¯m pretty sure they thought I was a creep.


    I had actually gone to get dressed in the other guest room because it was getting crowded, and I wanted the makeup artist to work in peace. That was when I decided to go back and check if Clementine was ready so we could all head downstairs and attend the party. However, the minute I stepped in, I almost bumped into Ian¡¯s gigantic back before I noticed who he was staring at.


    Right before me stood a woman so gorgeous that my heart stopped for a second. All the thoughts and worries left my mind. I couldn¡¯t look away from her beautiful face, not even for a second. She had a little fuller cheeks but still a sleek jaw and a tiny chin. I was d they hadn¡¯t hidden her freckles because they gave her such a sexy look. Her big, beautiful eyes looked even prettier today. Her rosy cheeks, her puffy red lips, and then her hair¡ªher hair was so curly, shiny, and bouncy that the moment I first saw it, when she took off her hat, I knew she was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. But that day, she looked even more stunning.


    And then her figure, I didn¡¯t even want to focus on it, but my eyes kept drifting to her cleavage, then her waist, then to how wide her hips were in contrast to her waist and legs. It was an hourss figure, but somehow even sexier. I kept staring at her, and I¡¯m pretty sure I was drooling at that point.


    I didn¡¯t understand why she always hid herself and looked like a mess. I remembered how she used to wear torn clothes, sometimes with dirt or food stains on them. She would barely even show her fingers. Her oversized sweater sleeves were always pulled down to hide her nails. And then the way she acted, it annoyed everyone. She was just, like I used to call her, a sack of potatoes, because there was no personality to her. She wouldn¡¯t speak. She wouldn¡¯t interact. She would barely move. Her gestures were so minimal that sometimes I felt like I was bullying a sack.


    But now, watching her, I began to wonder what was going through the Moon Goddess¡¯s mind to make me feel mate bond to her. Was it a punishment? Had I punished an innocent soul? It felt like the Goddess gave me the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, but in the back of my mind, I knew I could never have her, not after everything I had done to her.


    "What the fuck?"


    I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Yorick curse from behind me. I turned to look at him and saw him staring at her with the same expression Ian had. And it gave me so much anxiety. Why the fuck were they looking at her like that?


    "That¡¯s enough staring," I finally snapped.


    Ian quickly shook his head and started to walk away, pointing at her. "You wasted a lot of makeup and money on this one," hemented, as if I was a fool. Did he not think I was an alpha and a man just like him? I could tell when someone looked at someone with desire or disgust. Of course, Clementine didn¡¯t think that. She didn¡¯t know him well, so she only rolled her eyes at him. But I knew he was fucking ogling her.


    And then there was Yorick. He shrugged, walking past me. "What? I have every right to stare at her. She was my ex. Don¡¯t forget that." He pointed at me while walking away, as if that made any sense.


    "You, why are you standing there like a statue giving them a good view of yourself?" I was wrong, I know. But the alpha ego and jealousy in me had started to erupt like a volcano. I don¡¯t know what happened to me at that moment. Even though I would never show that kind of reaction to Clementine just to satisfy her, because even then I knew she was a victim herself, I was still kind of at odds with her. We used to bicker a lot, especially after the scar she gave me on my cheek. Every time I looked at it, I hated her.


    But that day, I just lunged at her and grabbed her arm. "Come with me," I said, pulling her out of the room like I was afraid someone might steal her.


    "Hey, stop it." She yanked her hand away and red at me with her beautiful, fierce eyes. She had no clue what kind of disaster was happening inside me, and it would have been better for her not to annoy me, or else I might have grabbed her and kissed her lips. I shook my head, trying to avoid those thoughts. I couldn¡¯t even think straight.


    "You think I was showing myself to them?" she asked, hands on her waist. She started to talk like herself. But now that I could see her face and her expressions, not just hear her her sharp tone, I found it all very cute. She was such a little goblin.


    I started to smile.


    "What?" she hissed.


    "You look like a goblin," I said. But then I saw her starting to lose her confidence. "No, no, no, no, no. I meant cute, like a goblin." I tried to correct myself, but she walked past me, waving her hand.


    "I don¡¯t fucking care how I look. I told you you were wasting money," she hissed. And honestly, I wanted to smack myself, and then Ian, because those were the exact words he had said to her. I didn¡¯t know if she was really that clueless about how perfect she was, or if it was just so we¡¯d keep praising her.


    I ended up walking after her like a lost puppy. And the minute we got to the second floor, the floor where the Betas and others stayed, I noticed everyone started to look at her. As she walked past, heads turned all the way around, and I didn¡¯t like it. I sped up, wrapped my arm around her tiny waist, and felt so proud just feeling the warmth of her body.


    "We need to act right," I whispered into her ear, making it seem like that was the only reason I was touching her. Otherwise, I knew she would push me away.

 Chapter 70-Humiliation Plan Back Fired

    <h4>Chapter 70: 70-Humiliation n Back Fired</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    And then Ian exined why he had been staring at me. He thought all the money had been wasted on me. I felt so annoyed with him at that moment. But I just walked out of the room with Haiden because he had suddenly started acting possessive. Then he let me know he thought I looked funny. Now, as I walked past all the rooms, heads turned toward me. They were probablyughing, thinking I believed I looked cute. Little did they know, I was very well aware that I didn¡¯t look good.


    Once we reached the main hall on the first floor, I started to notice everyone looking at me even more strangely. This time, they didn¡¯t even look away, and I was scared someone might make ament that would make the others burst outughing. I adjusted the ne around my neck and straightened my back. Someone¡¯s eyesnded on me again.


    "What is it?" I asked Haiden, annoyed, thinking he was about to make another joke. But then I saw he was staring at my breasts. I felt a little ufortable.


    "Where did you get this ne from?" he asked me, and I was instantly shaken.


    "You left it with the gown for me," I said, remembering I had found it in the small box next to the gown. There was a note on it. It said, From Haiden. So I thought maybe he wanted me to look extra good to show others he had the perfect mate.


    "No, I did not," Haiden said, shaking his head.


    I began to feel very uneasy. I looked around, and my eyesnded on my stepmother and my stepsister, who were now walking toward me. Even though Leysa was wearing a beautiful golden gown, I could tell she wasn¡¯t happy with how I looked. Their eyes were all white. My stepmother, in particr, looked like she could throw acid on my face.


    "It seems like they gave you stic surgery," my stepmother said, referring to the stylist and makeup artist.


    "That is a weird way topliment someone¡¯s natural beauty," Haiden said, hands in his pockets.


    "Oh yeah? I didn¡¯t even do that much makeup. I don¡¯t need a makeup artist and everything," Leysa started in her weird, annoying, sexy voice.


    "Yeah, I don¡¯t care about you. I only focus on my mate." Haiden, being an asshole, for the first time used his arrogance on the right person. Even Leysa looked confused, probably because at the beginning he had acted like he was interested in her. I knew the truth, it was just for show. But once that n was rejected, I guess he no longer felt like pretending to be nice.


    "Then you should have bought her her own ne," Leysa said, this time loud enough for everyone to start gathering around us. "I don¡¯t want to be rude, but I found the ne gone from my drawer, and I was wondering where it went."


    She turned to me.


    "Clementine, you should have asked me if you wanted to wear it. You know I would never say no to you. Just don¡¯t steal it. Stealing doesn¡¯t suit a crusader." She made my heart sink. It was her ne. But how the hell had it ended up next to my gown?


    Everyone started whispering to each other.


    "But it¡¯s alright, guys. It¡¯s alright," she said, turning to the others. "I don¡¯t mind sharing my stuff with her."


    She smiled sweetly while everyone halfughed at the idea of a crusader getting caught stealing.


    I began to look around, a little too aggressively. And for the first time, I had tears in my eyes and Haiden saw them.


    By this point, the rest of my squad had arrived. Troy, however, looked far more rxed than the others. One hand was in his pocket, and with the other, he was ying with a small marble he must have found somewhere.


    "What is going on here?" my father asked as he arrived with his Beta.


    "Nothing, Dad. Clementine, being Clementine, stole my ne. But it¡¯s okay. It looks good on her," Leysa said.


    My stepmother rolled her eyes. "See, Clementine? We wee you with open arms, and you go back to your old ways."


    I felt so humiliated. Is this why they brought me here? Is this why the party was thrown for me?


    And without a shadow of a doubt, I knew it had to be one of them who left the pendant next to my gown. At this point, I felt ashamed to even say I found a note with it, because there was no proof that they had written it. And with the reputation I had, people would only say I wrote it myself.


    I felt so embarrassed that I wanted to walk away immediately. But then I wasn¡¯t sure if I could walk briskly in such high heels or if I¡¯d end up falling and embarrassing myself even more.


    "Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s enough?" Haiden muttered. I had no idea he was getting that angry until I side-eyed him and saw his clenched jaw.


    "What enough? I¡¯m just saying it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m literally saying it¡¯s okay," Leysa repeated, first looking at her parents, then giving the rest of the crowd a dramatic, pitiful look.


    That¡¯s when Troy stepped into the crowd. Ian didn¡¯t really get involved, but Yorick was right behind Troy.


    "Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but that¡¯s not your ne," Troy said.


    I looked at him and shook my head. If he was going to lie, it wouldn¡¯t work. I was sure it was Leysa¡¯s ne, her confidence said it all. She must have had proof. But then Ian gave me a small nod, as if telling me to stay quiet and let them handle it.


    "It is my ne," Leysa said, forcing a weird, awkward smile, like she was embarrassed for me.


    "No, it¡¯s not. Yours doesn¡¯t have this many diamonds. This one¡ªI bought it for her," Troy said, pointing his thumb toward me. Then he started pulling out a receipt.


    I watched the color drain from Leysa¡¯s face. A maid walked in, holding up a simr ne, though it had fewer diamonds.


    "Ma¡¯am, I found this lying around in your room. Where should I keep it?" she asked Leysa and that¡¯s when everyone gasped.

 Chapter 71-The Girl Who Dressed Like A Boy

    <h4>Chapter 71: 71-The Girl Who Dressed Like A Boy</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I watched the color drain from my stepsister¡¯s face. My shoulders started to rise again, my back erect and a confident smile on my lips.


    "We should go and speak in private," my father suggested.


    Now that the eyes had turned to my sister, suddenly my father was realizing that the conversation was too private to be mentioned in public. But he had been fine watching me get dragged and embarrassed in front of his guests before.


    "Why would we move to the private?" Haiden asked, hands on his waist before they slowly slipped into his pants pockets.


    The way he was looking at my father, I bet even my father felt the heat of his gaze. There was no way Haiden was looking at him just for this reason. He wasbining the anger in him and showing it through his bodynguage.


    "Leysa made a little mistake. So what? She thought it was her pendant." Of course my stepmother had to chime in. She couldn¡¯t stay quiet for too long, especially when her own daughter was mentioned.


    "But where was your tongue when it was about Clementine? And it wasn¡¯t just a mistake. Your daughter used Clementine of stealing. She¡¯s a crusader. Did you all bring us here just to insult us?" Yorick finally opened his mouth and everybody turned to look at him. I guess they weren¡¯t expecting my dorm mates to be so supportive of me. I understand why. We had this perception that once teenagers or a werewolf are taken to the academy, they pretty much live a lonely, mindless life. They have no friends. They have nothing else going on.


    It was once I was in the dorm room that I realized a whole new world, a whole new rtionship starts there. It isn¡¯t only about fighting the monsters in the north.


    "Well, it was a mistake on behalf of my daughter, but she did not mean ill. Did you not hear her say it was okay?" my stepmother said, looking directly into Yorick¡¯s eyes, almost like she was challenging him to say something in return.


    "She repeated herself a few too many times trying to convince us it was okay." Yorick hissed back.


    That was when I felt like we were doing too much. We needed to make it seem like we were happy here and that we weren¡¯t onto them, so we could move on to the next phase of our n.


    "It¡¯s all right. Thank you so much for standing up for me." I finally started to speak, and I guess that irked my stepmother. I had never been able to speak up for myself. Even though I wasn¡¯t the silent type and would always argue back, I was never given a chance.


    Before I could even say something, my father¡¯s warriors would drag me back to the attic and lock me in. But today, they would have to listen to me.


    "As for you, Leysa, these diamonds, gold¡ª it¡¯s temporary. I mean, it¡¯s okay for you since you have nothing else to do. So it¡¯s fine. You can stare at them, get ready, and look pretty. But it¡¯s high time you think about your life. You can¡¯t just look pretty. Learn to be a better version of yourself. You can¡¯t just take and take from Father. Make him proud like I did," I said, tilting my head and looking at my father with a smirk on my lips.


    The way he was looking at me, I could almost feel the humiliation in him. That was all it took to humiliate him, to remind him that he used to say I was never the one who would make him proud.


    "Well, our crusader has a much bigger heart, it seems." A p from the council members made us pull back and look in their direction.


    Three council members from a single family stepped up. I knew these people. They were siblings, all now around the age of fifty, but they always had pure white hair andpletely grey eyes. They wore white cloaks all the time. The three stood like angels of death.


    "Well, I live and learn," I said to them, giving a dramatic little bow.


    "And look at you. We remember you." One of the councildies stepped forward.


    I guessed she was the oldest of the two. Then there was another sister who stood to the left of their brother. In the middle stood the brother. The siblings were the council, and their family had been in the same position for so long that nobody else could even think of recing them.


    "Yeah, she was once arrested for trying to run away," the man said from between his two sisters. He was much taller than the two, and very slender too.


    "Yes, this is the one who was always mentioned in every pack and every council meeting as the girl who dresses like a boy," the council member said, and I was surprised they had been talking about me behind my back so many times.


    Kudos to my father for always gossiping about me and giving others chances to speak ill of me.


    "But I must say, some alphas don¡¯t have an eye for a diamond." Then the eldest sister stepped forward and walked straight toward me as she gently caressed my cheeks.


    "Oh my, you¡¯re so pretty," she uttered, and that was when I noticed everybody nodding and whispering. So that is why they had been looking at me. Did they really find me attractive?


    I was suddenly so proud of myself. My body was feeling so much heat. I began to look around with all smiles.


    "Anyway, we should all celebrate before the food turns cold," my father intervened. Obviously, he had to step in to stop all the appraisal for me. And just like that, everybody started to move away to try the food.


    "Thankfully, your father realized that we need to be fed," Ianmented once we were standing in one group, we crusaders sticking together.


    I rolled my eyes at him. He had a te full of food, and I wondered how he was carrying it in one hand.


    I did try some sandwiches, but then I couldn¡¯t help noticing one of the old maids standing next to a younger one. She was probably in her early twenties, and the other looked just like her, but older. So she had to be the mother.


    "What are you looking at?" Haiden elbowed me and jolted me awake from staring too hard at the mother and daughter duo.


    "They have been talking about my father," I said, pointing at them.

 Chapter 72-A Lead

    <h4>Chapter 72: 72-A Lead</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Really?" Haiden said, following my gaze.


    "Yeah, I noticed the old woman pointed at my father, and then the daughter would shake her head and hug herself. There¡¯s something going on," I whispered under my breath, trying to act casual but kept breaking my character.


    And just like that, I watched the young girl return to the kitchen. That was when I knew I had to follow her. I had to confront her and ask her what was going on.


    "Haiden, you stay here and keep an eye on everyone. Troy, youe with me. Stand next to the exit of the main hall, so that you can let me know when somebody is trying to head to the kitchen where I am," I told Troy.


    But before I could walk away, I heard Yorick utter.


    "What about me?"


    I looked at him, then didn¡¯t say anything and walked away. It was malicious, I just didn¡¯t have a task in mind for him at the moment.


    I briskly made my way through the corridor to the kitchen, which was at the back end of the mansion.


    We were on the first floor, which was the floor for the Omegas.


    As soon as I entered the kitchen, the young maid didn¡¯t realize it was me and started speaking.


    "Mom, I told you, I will not sleep with that old man. He grosses me out."


    The minute she turned around and realized it wasn¡¯t her mother but me, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.


    "It¡¯s all right. I¡¯m not going to tell anyone," I said to her, instantly moving my hands up to show her that it was all fine and that I did not mean any harm.


    "No, I was just saying¡ª" she began to stutter and couldn¡¯t even finish the whole sentence.


    "Hey, look, it¡¯s all right. You can tell me what is going on," I started to speak very softly and calmly to her, but she kept shaking and fidgeting with her fingers.


    "No, I will get punished if anybody finds out I was speaking about it," she said, looking terrified.


    "Just let me know what is going on, and I will help you," I said in a much softer tone.


    "You¡¯re a crusader. You¡¯re a fighter." It was almost as if she was reminding herself that she could trust me.


    "Exactly. I fight the monsters, no matter where they are. So tell me." I paused as I stared at her name tag.


    "Tell me, Lydia. Why is your mother asking you to sleep with my father?" The way I had already put two and two together, I guess it surprised her, because her eyes widened.


    "Tell me," I insisted, and she began to gulp.


    I quickly offered her some water so she could rx before she even spoke up. And while she was drinking, I stood in the doorway, checking if anybody was walking down the corridor. Although Troy was already waiting at the entrance, I knew I was fine.


    Once she had calmed down, I approached her again, held her hand, and started to rub the back of it.


    "Now tell me everything," I insisted.


    "I won¡¯t be the first one who is asked to sleep with your father. Every time your father¡¯s eyesnd on a woman and he wants her, he takes them to his bed, with or without their consent. And now his eyes havended on me. He has asked my mother to bring me tonight to his bedroom or else she¡ª" But she did not even have to finish it. I already knew what wasing afterward.


    "He will punish you," I said, and she nodded.


    "Well, Lydia, let me tell you something," I said, and she began to straighten her spine.


    "I don¡¯t like my father either, and I don¡¯t like his ways. So you can trust me. I will not let you sleep with that man." The minute I cut ties with him and did not mention him as my father was the exact moment a smile ced itself on her lips. A smile of hope.


    "But how? You will leave after a few days, and then what would I do?" she uttered, her eyes shining with tears.


    "I¡¯m not leaving until I deal with the monster called my father," I hissed.


    "I¡¯m going to ask you a question, Lydia, and please answer me with all your honesty. Do you know any woman that my father brought from another pack? More specifically, from the Magical Fangs pack?"


    I mentioned it, and she instantly started to shake her head.


    "I don¡¯t know much. I don¡¯t even know the names of the other packs," she replied.


    As I began to lose hope, she suddenly added,


    "But my mother does. She has been working closely with your father for a very long time. In fact, my parents used to do some dirty deeds for your father," she uttered so confidently and so boldly that I felt proud of her. She did not hide her parent¡¯s name, and I liked it.


    "Okay then, I would like to have a word with your parents," I said.


    But I noticed her smile fade.


    "My father is no more. I only have a mother. But please, can you not punish her? You see, your father used to threaten them with my life, so they had to close their eyes and do whatever he told them. But trust me, they didn¡¯t hurt anyone. They would just bring food to the victims," She insisted, and I began to nod.


    I knew how an Omega could be forced to do the dirty bidding of an old, ugly man like my father in power.


    "Lydia, you¡¯re going to bring your mother to the Royal Garden in the next few hours. I would like to have a chat with her, and then I promise you, you¡¯re not the one sleeping with my father tonight. In fact, my father is not sleeping peacefully after tonight, ever." I gave her my word before I walked out and headed straight down the corridor, where I met up with Troy.


    "What happened?" he asked me.


    I then looked over to my other squadmates, finding Ian busy in drinking, while Haiden was trying to distract the council members. However, Yorick had one hand in his pants pocket, with the other holding a wine ss, and he was looking straight at me from afar, his head down and eyes up.


    "I found a little lead. Hopefully, we will get some information tonight, in the next two hours," I said to Troy, whose face started to form a smile.


    But before we could go deeper into the topic, I added,


    "You purchased this?"


    I touched the ne, and I watched his body tense up.

 Chapter 73-The Alpha Ego

    <h4>Chapter 73: 73-The Alpha Ego</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Yeah, so?" he asked, sounding defensive.


    "I¡¯m just asking. Did you know she was going to use me of stealing?" I asked, watching him nod.


    "I was wandering around when I heard her speak to her mother about the evil n. The great evil n."


    He rolled his eyes, using his hands as quotation marks.


    "Oh," I groaned.


    "Yeah, I bought the same ne¡ªjust with a few more diamonds. After she left it by the bed, I swapped it with the new one, tossed the old one on the floor, and paid the maid to ¡¯find¡¯ it and bring it in at the perfect moment."


    He shrugged, looking proud of himself.


    "Thank you," I uttered, and his smile started to fade. Then, in a very serious tone, he mumbled,


    "I told you, I will not let anyone bully you here."


    At this point, I did not realize that Yorick had walked straight in our direction.


    "If you two are done flirting, can we talk about business?" he intervened, taking a sip from the ss.


    Even though he was trying to sound nonchnt, his tone suggested he was very tense.


    "We are not flirting," both Troy and I said in unison.


    Yorick only gave his eyes a hard roll, showing that he did not believe us.


    "Anyway, she found a lead," Troy changed the subject quickly, eyeing me when he mentioned me.


    "Good," Yorick said. Then he took another sip.


    "Am I allowed to be a part of this n, or am I going to just stand by and watch you all take turns flirting with the beauty of the night?" Yorick taunted.


    His words were twisted, and his bodynguage was so tense that even I was feeling negative around him.


    "What is up with you?" I asked him.


    "We are not flirting around, we are just working," I said, hissing at him.


    "Oh really? First, he purchases you a diamond ne. Then you assign tasks to everyone but me. And now you two are standing here, reminiscing on your old friendship. What is all that about?" he groaned, yapping in one breath.


    "Dude, what are you so pissed about? Do you want a task? Just say it. Clementine, give him some task," Troy said.


    His shoulders were wide with pride because he could tell Yorick was bothered that I was paying more attention to Troy and Haiden, which was honestly confusing to me.


    It was probably just an alpha ego wanting attention for himself.


    "You know what? Fuck you two," Yorick stated, making my eyes go wide.


    "I always knew there was something going on between the two of you. But anyways, what is the lead?"


    Just after he had stolen the world from under my feet, he hoped that we would have a normal conversation with him.


    "Yeah, Yorick, you are out of the n," I stated.


    And the minute I did, I watched his hold on the ss tighten. However, Troy quickly stole the ss from him before he broke it.


    "Clementine," Troy eyed me, telling me to not start another drama here and to focus on the main n.


    "No, it¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t want to be a part of it anymore either," Yorick hissed, turning around and walking away.


    I would have said I felt bad for him, had I not remembered how he had believed Troy¡¯s lies in the past and hurt me so much, and also that he dated me only for a bet.


    So yeah, he did not deserve my sympathy. Neither did Troy. But right now I needed his help because he knew my pack, just like I did.


    "You should have not done that. What if he causes an issue?" Troy uttered, walking behind me while I eyed Haiden toe and meet us in the corner, next to the small bar.


    "It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll deal with him," I said, watching Yorick storm towards the other bar on the other corner of the hall.


    "What is going on? Did something happen? Did you find something?" Haiden asked me, and I began to nod my head.


    "You see that woman over there? She¡¯s the oldest maid, and her daughter told me that she must know something," I said to Haiden, whose face started to brighten up.


    "Then let¡¯s go have a talk with her." As he started to walk away, I held his hand, and instantly I regretted it.


    His hands were so warm, so manly, that his touch made my body feel goosebumps.


    I quickly retrieved my hand, but it was a littlete. Haiden had already passed a full nce at his hand and then looked at me.


    "Not right now. In two hours, we will be meeting outside in the royal garden," I stated, trying topose myself.


    However, I noticed Troy had been staring at my hand, even when I was no longer holding Haiden¡¯s hand.


    The tension these alphas sometimes created was so bad, I did not understand what they wanted.


    I could only chalk it up to their alpha egos getting hurt when I paid more attention to one of them than the other.


    And then, I watched Yorick grab a whole bottle and storm out of the hall.


    "Oh my god, what now?" I groaned, feeling conflicted.


    "He should not be left all by himself. What if he drinks too much and says something to someone?" Troy said, giving me a look.


    "Wait, what is going on?" Haiden showed his annoyance towards the topic that sounded unnecessary to him.


    "Yorick was feeling some sort of way for being left out," Troy stated quickly, in one breath, giving information just enough for Haiden to understand what was going on.


    "Wait, he wants my mate¡¯s attention?" It was just the way Haiden asked that question, with a finger pointing at his chest, that both Troy and I narrowed our eyes at him.


    "Dude, you two are just mates. You¡¯re not going to ept each other."


    And then Troy shocked me even more when he confidently made that decision for us.


    "Anyway, somebody has to go and fetch him or just check on him," I said, and my eyes moved to Troy.


    "Why me?" he pointed at his chest.


    Now that it was him who was going to be left out of the direct n, he looked very offended. Well, I guess all the me goes to me. I was the one who pissed off Yorick.


    But I guess it was the collection of things, the fact that Troy had asked me to give Yorick a task as if he was some dog I would throw a bone to fetch.


    I guess it all upset Yorick.


    "Because I need to be there when we confront that woman," Haiden reminded Troy.


    Troy grunted his first grunt. "Fine, whatever."


    And just like Yorick, even Troy was now upset, as he turned around and started to briskly walk away.

 Chapter 74-We All Traumatized Her.

    <h4>Chapter 74: 74-We All Traumatized Her.</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    I felt Clementine¡¯s words against my cheek like a p when she asked me to walk away.


    I did not see it as a task to go after Yorick. I saw it as her way of wanting to be alone with her mate. That was so messed up.


    The fact that Haiden had been her bully for so long, but she was suddenly helping him with his revenge, being overly sweet with him, going out shopping and letting him choose a gown for her, just bewildered me.


    Was it that easy for someone to earn her forgiveness? Then why was I being put on a stake, especially when I was a victim of her rumor?


    I rubbed my face in my hands as I walked out of the hall, headed straight downstairs, to the garden to find Yorick. But then I heard someonee after me and call my name.


    "Alpha Troy?"


    I recognized the voice. It was Clementine¡¯s stepsister. I turned around and gave her a look, watching the way she passed me a full nce, almost too hungrily. There were some things I hadn¡¯t told Clementine, and I was afraid of them being exposed to her.


    "What is it?" I asked, groaning at her.


    "Come on, don¡¯t be a stranger," she said in her very dramatic and seductive tone.


    "Actually, you dropped your handkerchief when you were storming out," she said, batting her eyshes and holding a handkerchief up for me.


    "It¡¯s not mine," I said, keeping a distance, my hands in my pants pockets, which made the coat rise a little from the edges.


    "Alpha Troy, did something happen between the two of you? I saw you guys were having an argument," she uttered, and I was instantly taken aback.


    She had been watching us all this time. I must tell Clementine to be careful of her.


    "What?" she asked. "I was only looking at you."


    It was almost as if she read my mind.


    "Well, you shouldn¡¯t. I¡¯m not yours to look at," I reminded her, taking a step back when she walked toward me.


    "Come on, Troy, don¡¯t act like we never did it before. Do you remember that one night when you were here to meet Clementine, but then you ended up bumping into me? And that same night we had¡ª"


    She clicked her tongue as she didn¡¯t finish. She didn¡¯t have to. I had a one-night stand with her in the past, and I was not proud of it. Because I knew once Clementine found out about it, she would not be happy.


    Not because there was something going on between me and Clementine, but because there¡¯s a certain boundary you¡¯re not supposed to cross, especially when her stepsister is her bully.


    "The very one-night stand that made me realize I should really focus on getting to know the person first, because sometimes some chicks are not really good down there." The minute Imented that, I watched her smirk start to fade.


    "Does Clementine know?" Before she could finish again, I intervened.


    "You can go ahead and tell her. You think I¡¯m afraid of her? You think I¡¯m afraid of anyone here?" And then, with a hand gesture to dismiss her, I walked away. I could almost imagine her seething with anger.


    But the truth was that I did not want Clementine to find out about it. Even though she should not matter to me. We ended our friendship a long time ago.


    But still, there was some part of me that was so cautious around her. I did not want to make any mistakes.


    And I wondered why Clementine wasn¡¯t thinking the same way toward me. She would shamelessly talk to other people as if they were her best friend in her past, instead of trying toe and mend things with me.


    And then, right after I had stepped onto the big road, I found Yorick standing against one of the cars and drinking.


    "Yorick,e on dude." I reached him, grabbing the bottle out of his hand and pulling it away.


    "What does she think of herself?" Yorick started, and I already knew who he was talking about.


    "Just let it be. She is getting all the attention that she never got, I guess. She is finally gaining her confidence," I said, trying to make sense of Clementine¡¯s changing behavior.


    "No, it is not that. She had always been this way. Cold and so distant. Even when I broke things off with her, not once did she cry for me," Yorickined, pointing in the direction of the mansion as we stared at it from afar.


    "But dude, it¡¯s not like you loved her." I reminded him that it was just a bet he had with a cheerleader.


    I know I hated Clementine, and I have said it many times. But that day when I found out someone had a bet against her and they were going to ruin her character, I just couldn¡¯t help but take her out of the rtionship.


    And I did it in a way that Yorick¡¯s alpha ego could not bring enough courage to tell others that he got cheated on.


    He did not tell anyone he had seen footage of her kissing me. He just told everyone that he thinks Clementine is cheating on him. He could not go into the specifics of it.


    So he lost the bet. Because he was supposed to make her fall in love with him and make out with him, instead of cheating on him.


    "That is what you think?"


    That is when Yorick snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned to look at him. My hands in my pants pocket while the bottle rested on top of the car¡¯s roof.


    "Why, isn¡¯t it the truth?" I asked Yorick.


    "It is true that I had a bet. But it is also true, Troy, that during that one month I grew very possessive of her. And I broke that deal with that cheerleader just one week into the rtionship with Clementine." The minute he said that, I felt a heat rush from my heart to all parts of my body. I just had no words. I kept watching him.


    "So yeah buddy, you should have first asked me for the specifics of the bet instead of just ruining my rtionship with her." He patted my back almost too sarcastically.


    "But I can¡¯t even me you because the minute I confronted her, she just backed down. She did not beg me. She did not message me."


    He took a break and then reached for the bottle again before I stole it from him, hiding it behind my back and shaking my head at him as a way to tell him he already had too many drinks.


    "You know, Troy, every time I see herugh and talk to someone else, I feel this burning sensation in me. If it were me who had been used of cheating, I would have begged her until she gave me a chance to tell her. That is when I realized she was never serious about me either." As tears started to form in Yorick¡¯s eyes, he began to clean them with the back of his hand.


    "And now look at her. She is unbothered inside, having too many eyes on her. There is no way she will ever realize now how wrong she was for treating me this way." The way he was speaking, I just couldn¡¯t help but think about my own rtionship with Clementine.


    And that is when I had to break the sad news to Yorick.


    "That is because of the traumas she has," I uttered almost in too much guilt.


    "What trauma?" Yorick asked.


    "She tried to exin herself to me when I was breaking up my friendship with her," I said, my eyes slowly lowering down.


    "Then what did you do?" Yorick asked.


    "I told her in a way that she stopped trying too hard for anyone," I admitted, and then I stretched my hand out and started chugging down the rest of the wine down my throat.

 Chapter 75-The Way He Punished Me

    <h4>Chapter 75: 75-The Way He Punished Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What is going on? Why are all these people here? And what the fuck are you introducing me to them for?" I asked, confused andpletely lost. Troy had never done anything like that before, so I couldn¡¯t chalk it up to a prank.


    "Oh, don¡¯t mind them. They asked me if I¡¯d seen the biggest bitch around, and I thought I might introduce you to them," Troy said without smiling or smirking. There was just a strange look of anger on his face.


    "Troy? Mind your fuckingnguage," I hissed at him, but then I noticed everyone taking out their phones, probably turning on their cameras. At this point, I already knew something was off. There was no way he was simply joking.


    "Why? Aren¡¯t you one?" Troy asked, smirking as I tried to get past one of the people in the crowd to leave. However, the way they had parked their cars made it impossible to get out without a struggle, and I didn¡¯t want to go through that.


    "Can you please tell me what is going on? This is so unlike you," Iined, trying to understand what was going on with him. How could someone change overnight?


    "As if you don¡¯t know? Don¡¯t you remember what you did to me?"


    The minute he said that, I realized what he was referring to. I should have known he was upset. I should have known he didn¡¯t trust me when I told him I had nothing to do with the rumors.


    "Okay, Troy, I¡¯m ready to exin it to you if you just let me," I said, upset that he had brought in random people just to shame me, even though I could¡¯ve exined what actually happened, how my social media ount had turned weird.


    "No, I don¡¯t think I want to know anything from you. I¡¯ve seen and heard enough," he began.


    "So you don¡¯t even want to give me a chance to exin myself?" I asked, and he began tough.


    "Nope. I don¡¯t think you deserve it," he said.


    "Well then, I¡¯ll leave, and I¡¯ll only speak to you when you¡¯re ready to listen to me," I mumbled, gesturing for one of the girls to step aside. However, she started shoving her phone in my face.


    "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I snapped, snatching her phone and throwing it onto the ground, breaking it. Everyone gasped, and then one of the tall guys came forward, grabbing my head and trying to shake it.


    "You will not fucking touch my girl again!"


    As soon as he yelled that, Troy stepped forward and gently pushed his hand off. "Anything but physical," hemented. And honestly, it broke me right then and there. He was letting them know they were allowed to bully me. In fact, he lured me in so they could.


    "You know guys, let¡¯s talk about her today, shall we?" Then Troy jumped onto the front of one of the cars to stand above, making sure everyone could see him.


    No matter how many times I asked the others to move aside, they wouldn¡¯t. At this point, I just gave in and stood with my hands down by my sides, defeated. I wanted to know how far he was willing to go.


    "This is Clementine Stark, the one and only, the great troublemaker. Do you know why she¡¯s so fucked up?" Troy announced, and my fists clenched.


    I had heard the rumors about me, plenty of them. Some people said I was so messed up because my father abused me. It was true. He mentally and physically abused me. He would hit me with sticks and belts whenever my stepmotherined or probably out of boredom.


    "But let me tell you, there¡¯s more to the story than meets the eye," Troy said. "This bitch is the reason her mother and little brother died. So she hides her face in shame, but still doesn¡¯t forget to act like a fool."


    My heart felt like it stopped beating. I just stared at Troy as he aired out my secrets.


    "And let me tell you one more thing. Do you know who she has a crush on? Professor Sawyer."


    As soon as he said that, everyone gasped. But that wasn¡¯t the worst part. He actually pulled out my diary, the one he sometimes stole from my room when he visited.


    "Where did you get this from? Give it back to me!" I screamed, running to climb onto the car with him to snatch it from his hand. But others gathered in front of him, blocking my path.


    "Oh yes, this is the diary where she wrote all about Professor Sawyer," he smirked, waving the diary in the air while locking eyes with me.


    "Does it mean she only passed his exam because¡ª" one of the girls added, covering her mouth in shock, and I was just bbergasted.


    And then I just stopped protesting. I let Troy speak. He was smirking as he casually flipped through the pages, talking about how I felt about my stepmother, the things I said about my father, and how much I hated my stepsister to the point that everyone started saying I was jealous of her. That¡¯s how Troy skimmed over the things they had done to me and focused only on how I mocked them.


    I didn¡¯t stop him. I wanted him to break my heart and my trust so badly that even if he came backter to apologize, I wouldn¡¯t ept it.


    After an hour of pure torture, where the others only yelled at me, they finally started to walk away. Troy got down and held my diary up for me.


    "Now we are equal. You ruined my career, my character, my image. Now yours is ruined. Now let¡¯s see if you expect me to exin myself to you," he said, his hands in his pockets. "So are you ready to talk about it now? Because now we can mutually agree on something so that we understand how much pain we¡¯ve caused each other."


    "Nope. I don¡¯t think I want to exin anything. You¡¯ve already punished me, so why would I waste my time speaking up anymore?" I said as I snatched the diary back from him.


    He had the audacity to look shocked that I wasn¡¯t exining myself anymore, and then I began to walk away.


    That night, I cried. I cried so much. I discarded all the diaries I had ever written. I realized that if I wanted my secrets to stay mine, I should never share them with anyone. And I should never feel the need to exin myself. If someone trusts me, they¡¯lle and ask first, not punish me and then expect an exnation.

 Chapter 76-The Week Full Of Torture

    <h4>Chapter 76: 76-The Week Full Of Torture</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Why did you bring me here?"


    I heard Mrs. Fiona speak to her daughter, who was taking her out into the dark garden to have a conversation with us. She must have not told her the real reason why she was bringing her here.


    I guessed it was okay this way.


    It was just Haiden and me waiting for her. Troy and Yorick walked out of that hall and then never returned. And once we were leaving for the Royal Garden, I did see them briefly standing next to one of the cars and having a conversation.


    I¡¯m not sure if they saw us or not because it had been two hours now. So I didn¡¯t know what they were doing there.


    However, after two hours of great pain standing in the same hall with all the people I didn¡¯t like, Haiden and I finally walked out when the party was over.


    We made it seem like we were going after Yorick and Troy because our bracelets were indicating that they had gone too far, which was a lie. But my father didn¡¯t know the truth about the whole details of the bracelet. So he just believed it, and obviously, it must have not even urred to him that we were on to something.


    Now we were standing behind a big tree waiting for Mrs. Fiona toe into view. The minute we stepped out, she gasped and stepped back.


    "What are they doing here?"


    I guessed she already knew it was too odd for crusaders to have a confrontation with her behind a big tree.


    "Lydia, why are they here? Why did you bring me here? What did you say to them?"


    Her mother instantly turned to hold her hands and started shaking her.


    "Mom, please listen to me. They will help us, I promise."


    As soon as Lydia said that, her mother raised her hand to hit her on the back of her head.


    "You fool, did you tell her about her father¡¯s demands? Are you crazy? This is Clementine. Did you not see her grow up among us? Her father would not care about what she wants to say." As Mrs. Fiona started to exin to her daughter that it was a bad idea to trust me, Haiden began to grow impatient.


    "Excuse me, you¡¯re telling your daughter to quit trying to save her dignity? She does not want to sleep with that old filthy man and she doesn¡¯t have to," Haiden screamed at her, and she instantly went silent.


    Of course, she could not argue with someone as big of a person as Haiden.


    "Your Highness, I respect you as a crusader, but please don¡¯t expect me to believe that any of you would be able to help us," she uttered, trying to remind us what a messed-up man my father could be. And also that he had a lot of influence to control their lives.


    "Why? Is that what you told yourself when he did the same to my mother and my sister?" The minute Haiden said that, Mrs. Fiona¡¯s eyes started to narrow at his face. Almost like she was trying to grasp his words and understand what he was saying.


    "I didn¡¯t get you. Why would you say that?" Mrs. Fiona asked Haiden, who ced his hands on his waist while narrowing his eyes, still staring directly at her.


    "I¡¯m Alpha Haiden of Magical Fangs Pack," he repeated his introduction clearly this time, as if she had only now truly seen him, until her eyes grew wide. Then she put both her hands over her mouth and gasped, recognizing him.


    "I need to go." As she turned around, I grabbed her arm.


    I noticed Lydia instantly trying toe to her mother¡¯s defense, but I showed her my palm and asked her to stay back.


    "Lydia, you may go inside," I said to her, but the look on her face made me feel so bad for her. She was worried for her mother.


    "Don¡¯t worry, Lydia. I gave you my word. Nothing will happen to your mother," I said, and she began to nod and turn around to leave.


    Her mother could not even get out of my grasp. She could not move her arm. They had all underestimated my strength. Just because I looked timid, they thought I couldn¡¯t do anything for myself.


    "Now answer his questions."


    I pushed her toward Haiden and then stepped behind her, making sure she didn¡¯t try to run away again.


    "There is nothing to answer. I did not do anything," she instantly started yapping. "And it wasn¡¯t the first time your father had brought in someone. He had done it to so many women, and we could not do anything. He would have killed us. We weren¡¯t the only ones who knew about it. In fact, I tried to feed your sister food¡ª"


    The minute Mrs. Fiona admitted that she knew what Haiden¡¯s angry gaze was about, Haiden¡¯s hand slowly slipped off his waist.


    "You knew my sister?" he asked her, his eyes instantly turning red from the tears in them.


    "I remember that night vividly when he brought her in. She was all naked on his shoulder. Everybody stole eyes, but the Alpha was so shameless he did not care. She was trying her best to hide herself, but he just tossed her onto the ground and then called for me to prepare her for the night." She started exining the humiliation my father had caused this woman, and I began to hug myself, feeling disgusted. I could only imagine how Haiden was feeling.


    "I helped her cover her body, but it was Alpha¡¯s order that she should not be covered. That she should walk around the whole back housepletely naked. Only when his mate, his two daughters were around, she was not supposed toe into view. But since they were always on the top floor, your sister was..."


    She covered her mouth again as she began to sob.


    I noticed Haiden¡¯s face clenching. He looked so red from anger, and honestly, I was too. But I was also ashamed to be part of such a bloodline.


    "Where is my sister now?" he demanded.


    "After one week of immense torture and humiliation for your sister, one day the Alpha announced that she had died during the hard session. He then tossed her body away as if it was nothing," Mrs. Fiona confirmed her death, and with that, thest hope Haiden had of ever reconnecting with his family.

 Chapter 77-The Fucked Up World Of Alpha And Betas.

    <h4>Chapter 77: 77-The Fucked Up World Of Alpha And Betas.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    It had all be so awkward now, and more heartbreaking than awkward. Haiden was pacing back and forth, probably just unable to process what he had found out. As for Mrs. Fiona, she was scared now. The truth had surfaced to one of the victim¡¯s family members. She also told us there had been many other girls and women. However, the only time it was an alpha-rted case was with Haiden¡¯s mother. That saddened me deeply, because Haiden¡¯s father was my father¡¯s best friend.


    "Please, please don¡¯t tell anyone I told you all that," Mrs. Fiona began to beg, her voice trembling as she looked at Haiden, after silently watching him lose his temper for the past five minutes.


    "But you know what? We should not do anything for your daughter tonight. We should let her go through the same pain, and then I will ask you¡ªwould you want justice or not?" Haiden stopped pacing and pointed at her, hissing in her face.


    "What makes you think I will ask for justice for my daughter?" Mrs. Fiona asked. Haiden¡¯s eyes widened, shocked that a mother would say that.


    I was standing to the side. I wanted to blend in with the tree and stop existing. I could tell Haiden was avoiding looking at me, probably because I was the daughter of that man. It didn¡¯t matter whether I had done anything or not, but from his point of view, why would he treat someone else¡¯s daughter well when his own sister hadn¡¯t been?


    I guess that¡¯s how viins are born.


    "So you are okay with your daughter walking around naked in the morning?" Haiden hissed, and Mrs. Fiona¡¯s body shook.


    "He wouldn¡¯t do that. He just wants her to sleep with him, and as long as she does that, he will let her be," she began to exin, as if that made any sense.


    "Like he did to my sister? Did he allow her to be her own person after that?" Haiden was almost yelling, and I was afraid of that moment, because the minute he started screaming, I didn¡¯t know if I would be able to control him. He would see me, and he would lose his mind.


    I was silently standing to the side, making no movements so he wouldn¡¯t realize I was still there, even though I was pretty sure he knew.


    "What is going on?"


    Thankfully, Troy and Yorick showed up. Yorick looked drunk, but their presence might help calm Haiden¡¯s anger. The two walked briskly, with Yorick slightly behind. His shoulders were slouched and his eyes were on the ground.


    "She told her everything," I said to Troy, who gave me a very sad look before turning back to Haiden.


    "So what is the n now?" Troy asked.


    "The n is we will let her daughter sleep with the old man tonight, so she can walk around naked in the morning," Haiden hissed, pointing at Mrs. Fiona, who began to shake her head.


    "Wait, I don¡¯t understand," Troy said, confused.


    "I don¡¯t want my daughter to face the same humiliation that your sister did." As soon as Mrs. Fiona said that, Troy and Yorick probably realized why Haiden was suggesting it. It was such a bizarre thing to imagine that someone wasn¡¯t even allowed to cover her body.


    My father was a disgusting man.


    "I have a n," I spoke up, and they all went silent, turning to me. Although Haiden was very angry and I expected him to scream at me and tell me to stay out of it, he didn¡¯t.


    "What is it?" he asked, sounding aggressive, but not toward me, more toward the situation.


    "Let¡¯s go. We need to prepare for it," I said.


    Before walking past Yorick and Troy, I stopped and turned to look at Mrs. Fiona.


    "We need to tie her up so she doesn¡¯t go around exposing our n or the fact that we¡¯re here for this specific reason to anyone," I said, locking eyes with her.


    "What about my daughter?" she uttered, while Troy had already approached her to drag her to the nearest cabin and tie her up there.


    I began to walk away, slowing down toe level with Yorick.


    "Are you done creating a scene?" I asked him, and he grunted. Since he didn¡¯t respond, I kept walking forward. I didn¡¯t care what these men thought of me anymore, because when there was a time they were supposed to sit me down and ask if I had truly done the things I was used of, they chose to punish me instead.


    I still remembered my first night in the dorm rooms, when they flushed my family photos, when they tied me under the shower for hours. Then I was taken to the first test in a disheveled state. I could have failed because of how cold I was, or because I was starving.


    So no, I was not going to forget any of it or act like I was fine. I was only getting along for the sake of justice and survival in the North.


    Once we were in the mansion, I pointed in the direction of the second floor.


    "Usually the guests stay ording to their ranks," I said. "But I heard the guest alphas, betas, and even council members are staying on the second floor," I told Haiden.


    "Even our rooms have been shifted to the second floor, which makes me wonder why," he said.


    All the guests were staying over for the night and would leave in the morning. Our pack house was extremelyrge, and now I knew why, so that Father could do whatever he wanted on the third floor, and nobody would even know what was happening in one of the rooms.


    "Who is staying on the third floor, then?" Troy asked, while Yorick remained mostly silent.


    "My father, and I guess some other royal beta. Which makes me wonder if my father is nning tonight¡¯s session with that man," I said. They looked disgusted.


    "So what is your brilliant n?" Haiden asked, his hands on his waist.


    "I know which room they are taking her to," I said with the look of determination on my face.

 Chapter 78-The Devil Of A Man

    <h4>Chapter 78: 78-The Devil Of A Man</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    I was going through hell in the exact moments when Mrs. Fiona was telling me what Clementine¡¯s father had done to my sister.


    "I think we should stop referring to him as that," my wolf argued. "He doesn¡¯t deserve to be the father of such an amazing daughter."


    He was right. It didn¡¯t seem like Clementine took after her father. It had to be her mother, because her father¡ªhe was just a fucking monster.


    "But it¡¯s fine. Tonight will be thest night he gets to breathe open air, thinking he could be the king," my wolf added, and I began to nod.


    I had been hiding behind the curtains for a while now, probably ten minutes. Troy was under the bed, and Clementine was somewhere near the changing partition.


    It was a big room, and they had prepared quite a bit to enjoy the night. There was alcohol, some drugs were ced around, and there were other things used in bondage.


    To think that this old man had ruined so many girls¡¯ and women¡¯s lives, yet was preparing to ruin another tonight, boggled my mind.


    The fact that his own mate didn¡¯t even question why he was emptying an entire floor with just one royal beta with him was unbelievable. It made me wonder whether Clementine¡¯s stepmother and stepsister even cared what William Stark was up to, or if they were too afraid of him to ask, or maybe they were just happy to enjoy the luxuries.


    They were turning a blind eye. I had heard about her stepmother, she was a pretty controlling woman, so I couldn¡¯t stomach the idea that she had no clue and was scared of William Stark.


    Then the door to the room opened, and my thoughts were interrupted. Lydia was dragged in by the royal beta. He was an irrelevant man, but still someonemitting a crime. So he would definitely be punished. But I wasn¡¯t focusing on him much.


    "Please, I don¡¯t want to do this," she instantly started begging them to stop.


    And then I heard the voice of the devil himself.


    "Why not? Isn¡¯t your family serving me? Wouldn¡¯t you want to serve me?"


    It was the way he said it. William Stark¡ªthe man, the devil himself.


    "I¡¯m only twenty-one, and I haven¡¯t even found my mate yet," Lydia uttered, probably shaking, scared of what the night would be like for her.


    I could only think about my sister, and tears started to form in my eyes. She must have begged this old man the same way.


    "So, you¡¯re going to give your flower to some random omega? Because let¡¯s be honest, it¡¯s not like you could bag someone higher. So why not give your flower to the alpha? I¡¯m the most powerful one. I¡¯m a rich one too. If you want, I can give you so much in return for your service to me. All you need to do is be vignt and understand that what I¡¯m offering you isn¡¯t so bad," William Stark said.


    I was able to look at them because the corner where the windows were, the tall windows that reached up to the roof, was very dark. Thick curtains blocked the light froming in, and I was behind them in the corner, peeking through. My body was burning with anger, but I had to stay quiet and let the show begin.


    "But I don¡¯t want to do it. I¡¯ve only heard bad things about these night¡ª-funs," Lydia said. She mentioned all the other times this man had dragged women into the room, and then the women would never be seen again. A few were, but I guessed those were the ones who probably allowed him. I¡¯m pretty sure they had no choice but to convince themselves they were allowing it.


    "Oh, so your mother told you about my other night funs?" William Stark hissed, reaching for her and putting his hand around her neck.


    "Did she tell anyone else about it?" he asked, looking her in the eye, and she began to shake her head.


    That¡¯s when William Stark started tough and stepped back, pping her face a little too hard, though trying to act like it was yful.


    "It¡¯s not like I¡¯m scared. Nobody can ever stand up against me. You know, I¡¯ve been doing this for so long, and not a single one has had the courage toe forward and confront me for it," William Stark said.


    And I remembered what Clementine had told me. She said once her father made a decision, no one went against it.


    However, the only difference was that this time there were council members and other high-ranking alphas on the second floor. So if he got caught tonight, it would be hard for him to get out of it.


    But in order for anyone to do that, they needed to find some courage. And I guess we had the courage¡ªthe crusaders.


    For the first time, I was proud of my title.


    "I know your power, Alpha William Stark, but it hurts me to think that you believe women don¡¯t have the right to say no to anyone touching their body."


    As soon as Lydia said that, he backhanded her, and shended in the arms of the royal beta, who instantly groped her, grabbing the opportunity to touch her.


    I quickly looked down and closed my eyes. My fists were clenched. Although Lydia was nted there by us, it was also true that I didn¡¯t want her to take all the heat, to be assaulted by this asshole of a man.


    "No woman has a right over a man. And when you¡¯re living under my roof, feeding on my food, getting paid by me, you definitely have no right toin," William Stark said, hissing.


    "What about the alpha¡¯s daughters and wives?" Lydia said, a hand to her cheek, finally wriggling out of the royal beta¡¯s arms. He was chuckling, staring at her with bad intent. William Stark seemed to zone out a little.


    "Who are you talking about?" he asked.


    "I¡¯m talking about your best friend¡¯s wife."


    The minute she said that, I noticed William Stark¡¯s face turn pale, and even the royal beta looked at him. I guessed he hadn¡¯t understood that William Stark didn¡¯t just think omegas were his ves. He had actually extended his ws and touched the wives and daughters of alphas and royal betas as well.


    "His wife deserved it," he said with a cocky smirk on his face.


    And anger started to bubble inside me.

 Chapter 79-Justice Was Served Naked

    <h4>Chapter 79: 79-Justice Was Served Naked</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    "What? How can someone deserve that fate? You raped her, and then you poisoned her. A slow poison that killed her in the next few hours. And what about the daughter?" Lydia had such courage to say all that to his face. But I guess her courage came from the fact that she knew we were in the same room, and that we wouldn¡¯t let it escte to the point where she¡¯d die by William Stark¡¯s hand.


    "She deserved it because she asked for help. And she expected me to give her that help for free. Her husband was at war. She wanted me to send my warriors to save him. So what if I asked for something in return? Women are so self-centered and selfish. They want people to help them, to cater to them, but they don¡¯t want to do anything in return. That¡¯s not how it works," William Stark stated, soundingpletely tone-deaf.


    "Really? But then you didn¡¯t send her husband any help at all?"


    The way Lydia¡¯s confidence was rising was shocking. But I was slowly starting to feel proud of her. She was better than her mother.


    "Yeah, because I realized that man had nothing to return to," William Stark shrugged.


    The royal beta had stopped smiling at this point. I guess he realized that if word got out, he¡¯d be punished too. It would be hard for others to separate him from William Stark¡¯s past and present crimes.


    "What about the daughter? What did you do to her?" Lydia asked.


    My body started to shake with anger. I was waiting for him to mention my sister.


    "I don¡¯t know. I guess she wasn¡¯t very unforgettable. I brought her home. Maybe fucked her a few times. Maybe a few hundred times."


    The minute he said that, he started tough as if it were some kind of joke. As always, he expected the royal beta to join in, but he wasn¡¯tughing. Maybe this was where his boundary started.


    "Oh,e on. It was in the past. And that girl died. She couldn¡¯t even take a few whips. I tossed her body away. I don¡¯t even remember where. I¡¯ve tossed so many bodies away. And why does it matter? Are you going to keep running your mouth?" William Stark said, mimicking a hand-talking gesture.


    As Lydia stayed silent, William Starkughed again.


    "And you know why I¡¯m answering all your questions? Because when you¡¯re killing someone, you grant them onest wish. I know my secrets will be safer with your dead body." As he said that, he lunged at her.


    But this is when she did something he didn¡¯t expect, she pped him.


    The room went silent.


    The royal beta¡¯s eyes were wide open, and William Stark¡¯s face was turned to the side,pletely frozen. This was the first time a woman had taught him what true woman power was. But he and the beta were quick to lunge at her again.


    "How fucking dare you!" William Stark yelled as he grabbed her by the hair and threw her onto the bed. The royal beta was already undressing.


    "We should go out," I said to my wolf, because we were afraid they would hurt her.


    "Just a few more minutes," my wolf uttered, pleading.


    I turned my eyes to the side where Clementine was hiding. I could see her shadow move. She was already getting agitated. But we were waiting for just onest thing.


    And it happened¡ªfinally, the climax.


    The minute her father had stepped out of all his clothes, with the royal beta too, we came out.


    The moment Clementine pped, her father gasped. He was in the process of crawling onto the bed, his big belly hanging down, looking like a fucking pig. He screamed like a little bitch, and while trying to get off the bed, he rolled off,nding with his arms spread wide and his naked body facing the ceiling.


    That¡¯s when the door opened, and in came Yorick. He had brought the council members and alphas with him.


    We had told him that the moment Clementine pped was when he was supposed toe in.


    As soon as William Starks saw the audience, he began to panic and tried to rise from the floor, but he was so unfit and lost that he fell again.


    "It is such a shame," said the eldest of the council members, Sylvia. "The man who is supposed to take care of his people, the man who was crowned so they feel safe, is clowning his own people, is hurting so many women."


    She had rage in her eyes as she stormed in and pped Wiim Stark. He tried to grab his clothes, but she kicked them away. Then came the youngest council member.


    "And to think you believed women were so much less makes me feel so disgusted that all these years we never suspected anything. The fact that you even did it to a fellow Alpha¡ª"


    She stopped talking when her eyesnded on me.


    "Oh no," she gasped, as if she finally realized what was going on. So I had to step forward.


    "You fucking ruined my mother in front of me."


    It was time to pour my heart and emotions out. Everyone was now watching me, and I was suddenly the same child who had once been on disy after his mother and sister died, the one asked why he couldn¡¯t save his family. That was when they decided in the back of their heads that I would never be fit to be an Alpha and should be sent away to the academy.


    "My mother begged you so many times. You didn¡¯t listen. And then you took my sister with you, you filthy old pig."


    As I said that, I kicked him between the legs. This was the first time I had seen justice being served, and it was satisfying.


    Pack members were peeking through the doors. Some had evene in and opened the windows so others could see. It finally felt like they were happy that the Alpha they had been forced to bow to was getting what he deserved.


    He was trying his best to hide himself.


    "This is such a humiliation to an Alpha. How could you all let it happen?" William Starks yelled, trying to cover himself.


    Lydia had jumped off the bed and reached for Clementine, who gave her a hug before stepping forward.


    "You once told me that I would never be able to make you proud. You were right. You don¡¯t deserve pride. You deserve shame, William Starks," Clementine said.


    She had quite the guts to even say that out loud. I noticed that her stepmother and stepsister hadn¡¯te. They were probably sitting somewhere, hiding their faces.


    "This is all one big conspiracy against me, and it starts with this girl. Shees back, and all hell breaks loose," William Starks still had the nerve to say, trying to save face onest time.


    The minute he tried to grab a pillow to hide behind, I snatched it and threw it away.


    "No. Let everyone see what a filthy Alpha you are," I hissed, stepping toward him.


    He began to step back.


    "This is uncalled for. You all should take my side. I was under the influence. This was all nned by them. Don¡¯t you see?"


    He was making a lot of excuses, but nobody believed him. They had heard everything, and I guess he knew it. But he had gotten away with so much for so long that he probably believed he could do it again.


    "This is just the beginning, old man. You¡¯re going to live the rest of your life as a degraded, demoted Alpha. And you know what the punishment is for a criminal?"


    Finally, the male council members spoke up. Roberto stepped forward, his hands tied under his abdomen.


    "As a brother of two women who are way more powerful, intelligent, andposed than me, I demote you as an Alpha and dere you a criminal. You will face the same punishment other criminals face. You will be thrown and left in the darkest and deepest part of the North, say goodbye."

 Chapter 80-My Aim Is My Mate

    <h4>Chapter 80: 80-My Aim Is My Mate</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    The minute that was announced, I felt all the stress in my body start to release. But it was the look on William Stark¡¯s face that made me the happiest.


    He began to shake his head instantly.


    "No, no, no, no, no. I cannot go and stay there. I¡¯m an old man. How do you expect me to survive there?"


    As he began to beg, Clementine started tough.


    "Just like you sent me to survive there. Come on, you¡¯re an Alpha. You said I wasn¡¯t a fighter, yet you sent me there. So you¡¯re a fighter. Come on, you¡¯re better than any woman. Why can¡¯t you go and survive there?"


    It was the way she was speaking. I had so much confidence in her. She didn¡¯t even cry one bit while her father was being punished. That¡¯s how I knew that man never deserved to be a father or an Alpha.


    "William Stark, it seems like you are also a proud crusader."


    Iughed even while tears were forming in my eyes. I was finally getting justice. He began to clench his jaw.


    "And you know what? Maybe we¡¯lle across your body someday in the North. Don¡¯t worry. We will definitely celebrate your death in the best way possible."


    As soon as I said that, I put my hand around his neck and lowered my face into his.


    "And if I find you alive, you better believe it will be the worst for you. So just pray the minute yound there, you die," I said before I pulled back.


    I had done my part. I wanted to kill him right then and there. But the humiliation and punishment he got were perfect for him. He began to beg and sob until his eyesnded on Clementine again.


    "My daughter, you wille find me and save me right in the North."


    He had the nerve.


    Now everybody was watching Clementine, because they weren¡¯t afraid to admit that the father had been brutal to her. And then, in a very dramatic and stylish way, Clementine stepped forward and tilted her head.


    "Of course I will look for you. It is my job, remember? I¡¯m supposed to find and y the monsters," she said, clicking her tongue while her father¡¯s eyes widened.


    "How can a daughter hate her father so much?" he began to scream.


    But at this point, the council had brought in the warriors. I guess everybody was afraid I would lose my temper and end him here and now. Him being naked was just the cherry on top. He looked like such a pig.


    Then came the nail in the coffin when one of the 19-year-old girls said something.


    "The Alpha has such a tiny wee-wee."


    Everybody burst intoughter. The Alpha quickly hid his face, but then he had to hide his dick as well. It was just a mess, the way they were dragging him around, showing him to everyone before finally taking him away.


    The pack members had started to wander off. The Alphas had begun to leave. The council gave me a gentle pat on the back, but I guess there wasn¡¯t much they could do for me anymore. I was a crusader. That was my life now.


    Once everybody left, it was just us crusaders in the same dark room. The same dark room where my sister was probably tortured for days before she passed away.


    "I will leave you here with the others," Clementine said, trying to walk away.


    I held her hand. I understood why she wanted to run away. She was probably thinking I would hate her because she was the daughter of that man.


    "I was wrong," I said.


    She turned to look at me.


    "I was. You were right. I was taking my anger out on you because I couldn¡¯t take hold of your father. But thank you. Thank you for reminding me. Thank you for always fighting me back. I¡¯m so d you were here with me tonight. It all would have been impossible without you, Clementine. You know you¡¯re a true crusader, right?" I said to her, watching her smile a little, though there were still tears in her eyes. Not necessarily for her father, but because the monster was finally put away yet our lives were ruined forever.


    We were just crusaders. We could celebrate all we wanted, but at the end of the day, we will go back and face the monsters, and not live a normal life.


    "I¡¯m d justice was served, Haiden," she started. "And I think it will change a lot between us."


    The minute she said that, I watched Troy and Yorick step closer to us.


    "And by that I mean, at least we will be able to perform our missions without hating each other."


    I did not expect her to say that. I thought maybe she would talk about our mate bond. But since she didn¡¯t, I couldn¡¯t either.


    "Yeah, right. Of course," I said. "I hope you will forgive me for my past actions, the bullying and everything," I uttered.


    The way she nodded, I could tell she was lying.


    "Come on, be honest, Clementine," I insisted.


    The other two were just standing around us, awkwardly.


    "I can forgive you, but don¡¯t expect me to forget. It was a lot for me too, Haiden. And although I understand what you¡¯ve been through was way worse, I guess everyone decides for themselves what is a lot and what is not," she said and I agreed with her. Sadly, that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t say anything either.


    "Anyway, we should head back to our room. Tomorrow will be another big day. We will talk about what will be of my pack," Clementine said.


    And I guess in other situations, she would have been dered the Alpha of the pack. But she couldn¡¯t be. She was just a crusader now, just like the rest of us.


    "Okay," I said.


    She was the first one to walk out of the room. Now it was just the three of us.


    "We are d that you got justice for your sister and mother. The look on that Alpha¡¯s face was hrious," Troy started.


    "Dude, don¡¯t even get me started on how he shivered when somebody called his dick small," I noticed Yorick was clenching his jaw, almost like he was pretending tough.


    "What is it, Yorick? Speak your mind," I said. He turned to face me, and with a smile on his lips, he said,


    "Don¡¯t expect me to be okay with the fact that you can have Clementine as your mate."


    I did not expect him to say that. It came out of the blue.


    "Why not? You don¡¯t own her," I said, reminding him they had briefly dated for one month, and it ended horribly because those two messed her up.


    "Haiden, I didn¡¯t want to talk about it tonight, because it¡¯s a night of victory for you. So don¡¯t push me into saying something that would upset you. Which it shouldn¡¯t, because apart from the mate bond, there was nothing between you two. Nothing was ever supposed to happen between you two."


    I didn¡¯t understand what Yorick was trying to say before he walked out again.


    "What is up with him? Is he possessive over Clementine or what?" I asked Troy, who shrugged.


    "I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s like the minute everybody sees she¡¯s so gorgeous, they just change their views about her. I always knew her. I was the only one who befriended and treated her nicely, regardless of how she dressed." Troy¡¯sment made me raise my eyebrow at him. He was doing the same thing Yorick was doing, just in a more subtle way. And to think they were talking about my mate like that. I was not happy.


    Well, I guess they were underestimating me. My past trauma was over. I got justice, so I was supposed to move forward now. And with the Moon Goddess already gifting me a mate, and that too in the academy, it must mean something. So while I didn¡¯t respond to Troy or Yorick, I was confident in my mind about what I was going to do next.

 Chapter 81-Left Behind

    <h4>Chapter 81: 81-Left Behind</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "I hope you find the strength to go back and be the person you were before you found out about your father¡¯s crimes," the council member said, patting the back of my head. After my father was thrown into jail, he was taken to the North today. His journey had started. They didn¡¯t give him any clothes, and it was expected that they would make him step out and walk around many of the packspletely naked, while one of the warriors would exin what he was being punished for. However, sadly, the royal beta who had taken part with my father, he self-exited, so there wasn¡¯t any justice brought to his victims.


    As for my pack, my stepmother had been cleared of all usations, as if nothing had ever happened, so she and my stepsister would stay. The original n remained: my stepsister would marry someone, and he would be the Alpha. I hated that my stepmother never believed a she-wolf could be an Alpha. Now she would face the consequences, her daughter had to find a mate soon, or someone else would take over the pack.


    "Thank you so much for showing support to the victims and not giving my father a chance to lie out of this punishment," I said to the council member, my eyes quickly following my squad mates. They were now loading their bags into the car. They would be dropped off to their packs for the next three days.


    "It¡¯s okay. It was our job. It was the bare minimum we could do," the council member replied.


    He was right, honestly. There should be some investigation done about the Alphas once in a while. From what I heard, the royal beta of our pack was going to help my stepmother take over until Leysa got married. It was hypocritical, considering my stepmother never believed a she-wolf could lead a pack, yet now she wanted the throne.


    I didn¡¯t want to be left alone in the pack with them. The pack felt suffocating¡ªespecially the pack house, crowded with people I honestly didn¡¯t like. After saying goodbye to the council members, I walked over to my squad mates. Not that I could go with them either. They didn¡¯t like me, and I didn¡¯t like them. Nothing would be different in their pack. I¡¯d rather stay here and deal with the devils I already knew.


    "Have a safe journey," I said to my squad mates, who began to nod their heads.


    "Bye," I then uttered and turned around to leave. I didn¡¯t even want to look at each one of them one by one. I just sprinted back into the pack house.


    It had been pretty weird with Yorick. Ever since he came to the pack, he¡¯s been acting so strangely. Everything was a personal jab at him. Everyment I made, he would retaliate so harshly that I stopped talking to him entirely.


    Once I walked inside the mansion again, I found the omegas on the first floor, as if they had been waiting for my arrival, because my stepmother and my stepsister were already there.


    "What¡¯s going on?" I asked them.


    "We just wanted to thank you," Mrs. Fiona said, stepping forward. The guilt on her face and the regret in her eyes were heartbreaking. I knew it wasn¡¯t entirely her fault. She was as much a victim as the others. No one had spoken up, so there was no reason to single her out. Others in the mansion knew what was happening, but not one of them dared to speak. And I understood why. When I was being abused, did I go to the council? No. I was scared, what if they didn¡¯t believe me? As we all know, the rich protect their own.


    "It¡¯s all right, Mrs. Fiona. But now that you know, please understand, the council isn¡¯t made up of bad people. They¡¯ve just been misled. The spies they¡¯ve ced in the packs are also being influenced by the rich. So if you ever have issues, speak directly to the council," I said, watching her daughter smile with relief, happy to be free. I noticed others looking at her like she was a savior, and I loved that for her. But not everyone looked pleased.


    "They don¡¯t need to go to the council. They still have their Luna," my stepmother said, sounding smug. You¡¯d think she¡¯d be worried about what might happen if her own crimes came to light, because I knew for sure Glinda wasn¡¯t innocent. If not guilty of this, then of something else, I was certain of it. Still, I didn¡¯t have time to stick around and find out. Maybe on my next visit.


    "Then I hope you would act like one," I said to her, reminding her of her duties because she tends to forget quite often.


    "You don¡¯t need to think like that, Clementine. Just because you get to hold a sword now, you think you¡¯re better than the rest of us?" Glinda said, and I could already sense her hostility. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what would happen to the pack members left behind.


    "Anyway, Beta Ross," I said, turning to him and locking eyes. "I hope you¡¯ll remind the Luna of her duties, and of what happened to my father, to William Stark, try not to repeat your mistakes, because I¡¯ll be back next session. And I wonder who else will face punishment then." I smiled, though I kept one eye on Glinda and Leysa, sitting at the dining table like they didn¡¯t have a care in the world, wine sses still in their hands.


    I hated how every time something happened, they¡¯d reach for a wine ss like it was all just a show to them. And of course, my stepmother was upset, her power source, William Stark, was gone.


    "Don¡¯t worry, Clementine. Who knows if you¡¯ll evene back next time? But let me remind you of something," she said, standing and strutting over to me. "You can never catch me for my crimes," she smirked.


    And that, I took it as a challenge.


    "We¡¯ll see," I said, stepping back and walking past her, my shoulder brushing against hers. As I left, I shot Leysa one quick, sharp nce.


    Now I was in my bedroom in the attic. It was quiet. My stepmother and stepsister had gone out for dinner with Beta Ross and the other Royal Gamma and high-ranking pack members. The omegas brought up a tray of food. They had prepared a lot for me, but I felt alone in that room.


    "We should have changed our rooms. There¡¯s no father around to force us into this attic," Mint said, but I shook my head, my arms folded over my chest, my eyes looking out the window at the moon.


    "I¡¯m not here for luxuries, Mint. Don¡¯t get toofortable. Glinda is right, who knows if we¡¯ll even be able toe back next time," I reminded her. Even though I acted confident, the truth was we never knew what would be of us in the next mission, or if we would even make it back.


    That¡¯s when I heard something scratching at the window. I instantly jumped to my feet, fists clenched, because in the back of my mind, I knew I had made a lot of enemies, the bad kind.


    "It¡¯sing from that window," Mint said, pointing to the other side of the attic.


    I rushed over, grabbing an old vase from the side. The moment I opened the window, I held the vase up, ready to hit the intruder, but my hand stopped in midair.


    Then I looked straight into the eyes of my mate, Haiden Raze.

 Chapter 82-My Mate In My Bedroom

    <h4>Chapter 82: 82-My Mate In My Bedroom</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Haiden? What the fuck?" I gasped, stepping back and slowly lowering my vase. My eyes immediately looked at the band in my hand, then I began searching for his while he jumped into the attic. The outside was pretty cold, so he quickly shut the window before I froze to death. I was only wearing a very thin, white, loose shirt with loose shorts. My hair was in a messy bun, with strands hanging out and bouncing around my face.


    "I didn¡¯t want to go back to my pack," he said casually, wearing a ck button-up shirt with several buttons undone, and ck pants.


    "Haiden? How did you manage to do that? Where is your band?" I asked him, my eyes showing I was scared for him.


    "I found a way to take it off, so I put it around one of my old friend¡¯s wrists. He¡¯s staying at the pack. The council doesn¡¯t have to know, the ringleaders don¡¯t have to know, and I get to be here," he said casually and cheerfully, as if it were nothing. He began to stroll around.


    "This was your bedroom," he said, casually looking around.


    I didn¡¯t want to say it out loud because I didn¡¯t want to bring him back to that phase. But ever since my father was punished, which was only about two days ago, I had seen a positive change in Haiden. He looked more rxed, more confident, and more at ease.


    "Why would youe back here? Please don¡¯t tell me you were so bored you thought you¡¯de here to bully me," I said tiredly as he jumped on my small bed next to the window.


    "No, I was thinking I would spend time with my mate." As soon as he said that, I narrowed my eyes, my hands on my waist.


    "Okay, okay, fine. I knew you would be alone, and you¡¯d be feeling left out, because, you know¡ª" he started to speak but didn¡¯t say anything that I didn¡¯t already know.


    "Haiden, I¡¯m fine here. You can go back. I¡¯m used to being alone," I said, irritated. I didn¡¯t want him around. I didn¡¯t want anyone around me. Every time someone got too close to me, they betrayed me, and I didn¡¯t want that. I was doing fine right now.


    "Come on, Clementine," he groaned, sitting up in bed, his legs hanging down. My bed was at a good height. It was small, and I had ced it right next to the window. I didn¡¯t know how it was bearing the weight of this giant monster.


    "I couldn¡¯t go back to my pack. I didn¡¯t want to face those people who never believed me, who questioned a child¡¯s story about his mother¡¯s death and his sister¡¯s abduction," he said under his breath.


    I began to feel bad for him, so I sat down next to him.


    "Fine, then you can stay here," I growled.


    "But you¡¯re not allowed to leave this room," I warned him, turning in the bed. My legs were also hanging down, but his reached the ground while mine just dangled in the air.


    "Woah, calm down. You don¡¯t need to get so possessive," he choked out, and I wanted to hit him so bad, but I didn¡¯t. It would¡¯ve been a yful hit, but like I said, I didn¡¯t want to grow close to anyone.


    "Why don¡¯t you want to go back to your pack? I heard you have someone back there," I stated. He shook his head.


    "My uncle wants me to marry this girl. You know my father, he¡¯s a douchebag too. After my mom died, he believed the lies your father told him. He thought she was a bad woman who brought trouble on herself and my sister by having an affair with some rogue." he paused just so that he could gather his thoughts.


    "Some rogue," heughed, because we all knew there were no real rogues. They were sent North to fight monsters just to stay alive. That¡¯s how the criminals were dealt with, left to survive in the North. Who knows if any of them are even alive now? And many weren¡¯t even criminals, just teenagers or people like me who wanted to escape the pack¡¯s messed-up rules.


    "So my father and uncle ignored what I said and med my mom. They imed she picked the wrong guy and died because of it. I guess that was easier to believe, since my dad expected her to save him during the war and get him help. Poor Mom, she tried. But in the end, none of those men cared," he shrugged.


    "Sometimes I wonder if the North monsters were punishment for what our ancestors did," I said, pouting and staring ahead. He slowly turned to look at me, and I turned too. Now we were both staring at each other. I was swinging my legs, but the motion slowed when I saw how deeply he was looking into my eyes. I felt shy and awkward, so I quickly looked away.


    "What happened between you and Troy?" he asked.


    I was taken aback by the question. "Haiden, just because you¡¯re here doesn¡¯t mean you get to hear all my secrets," I stated, furrowing my eyebrows. I knew a lot of people were aware we had fallen apart, maybe even some bits about how he humiliated me, but no one really knew the full sequence of events. And once time passed, it got shoved under the rug and only the spicy rumors stuck around.


    "Anyway, you should sleep on the floor. I¡¯ll take the bed," I said, and he frowned.


    "That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard someone say that. Usually, when someone sneaks into your bedroom, they say, ¡¯Hey, you can take the bed,¡¯" he was saying when I had to cut him off.


    "No. First of all, you won¡¯t fit in my bed. So you¡¯ll be ufortable, and then I¡¯ll be ufortable on the ground. What¡¯s the point in both of us being ufortable? Why not just one?" I shrugged, smirking as I got up. Still, I pulled a mattress out of one of the closets andid it down for him.


    "Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go back to your pack?" I asked, and he shrugged.


    "Nope. I¡¯m fine here." With that, hey down on the mattress.


    I stayed in my bed for a while, afraid of falling asleep. I knew a lot had happened, and the nightmares woulde back. When that happened, I usually sweated and experienced sleep paralysis, which gave me extreme headaches in the morning. I was scared, but eventually, my eyes grew heavy, and I started to drift off.


    I didn¡¯t even know how long it was before the sleep paralysis hit. My body froze, and I tried to break out. At the same time, I was staring into the eyes of an old man who kept repeating the same thing:


    "It¡¯s okay, you¡¯re just a child yourself. You should give him to me. I¡¯ll take care of him."


    His hands extended unnaturally, almost inhumanly. Every nightmare was different. The man would shift shapes, change forms. I tried to run, holding my little brother in my arms, but an invisible barrier trapped me.


    "No! No!" I screamed, kicking at him, trying to push him away. But his hands kept growing, his head expanded. He was gettingrger. Panic and anxiety surged in me until my limbs went numb. My hands felt so heavy that I dropped my brother, and the moment that happened, I woke up.


    "Hey, hey, hey. It was just a nightmare."


    Right in front of me sat my mate, looking into my eyes, his hands gripping my arms. I nced around the room, trying to gather my thoughts. Before I could, I felt a pull toward him. He held my arm tightly and pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me.


    I didn¡¯t hug him back. I didn¡¯t ce my hands on his chest. My arms hung limp at my sides. It took a moment to realize I was in my mate¡¯s arms.

 Chapter 83-Will I?

    <h4>Chapter 83: 83-Will I?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Hey, it¡¯s okay. Calm down."


    He ran his hand through my hair and gently undid my bun, letting it fall around my shoulders.


    "You shouldn¡¯t tie your hair up while sleeping, especially with something that tight. It¡¯ll hurt your head," he added, his voice filled with genuine concern.


    My fingers twitched, as if part of me wanted to respond, to ce my hands on his chest, maybe. But the other part, the one that had been betrayed too often, reminded me not to trust so easily. So I didn¡¯t move. And eventually, he pulled away.


    "Are you okay?" he asked again. "Mind telling me what it was?" he asked, and I blinked a few times before raising my head, "The nightmare?" He paused to examine my face.


    "What was it about?" he questioned. He was still in his shirt and shorts, sitting in front of me, and I could tell he probably hadn¡¯t even blinked a sleep. That¡¯s when I checked the time and realized I had barely been asleep for five minutes.


    "Nothing in particr," I replied. "Just North and the monsters," I lied. But that was the best way I could exin the feeling.


    "Anyways, if you want, I can cuddle with you." The minute he said that, I startedughing.


    "Um, no, thank you. I¡¯m not that traumatized by the nightmares," I said, though deep down, I wasn¡¯t sure pushing him away was the right choice. A mate¡¯s embrace was supposed to be the mostforting thing. Maybe it would help. But did I truly believe that? No.


    "I¡¯ll be fine," I added.


    He nodded and returned to the mattress. I didn¡¯t lie back down right away, just turned on my side to watch him. His arm was folded over his eyes, and soon, he was asleep.


    Eventually, I drifted off too, but the night was rough. I had nightmare after nightmare. I¡¯d wake up panting, gasping for air, and most of the time, it was Haiden who woke me. For that, I was oddly grateful. I was used to handling the fear alone, but this time, he was there, bringing me water, calming me down. And then he did something so unlike him.


    "What are you doing?" I asked him as he looked through my closet for some oil. Once he got it, he sat down on the bed next to my feet. I pulled my feet back immediately.


    "Come on, I¡¯m not going to do anything weird. It¡¯s just a foot massage," he said, giving me a look that warned me not to take his gesture the wrong way.


    "No, that is odd," I said, even attempting to kick him, but he grabbed my left foot and forcefully ced it on his thigh.


    "Just lie down and try to fall asleep. I know what I¡¯m doing," he stated, and I finally started to lie down. As he began to massage my feet, I honestly felt like all the stress was leaving my body.


    "Where did you learn this from?" I asked, half asleep.


    "I used to do that to my mother when she was pregnant. Especially then..."


    And then I couldn¡¯t hear what he was saying because I had already fallen asleep. The massage was so good that I didn¡¯t wake up for the rest of the night, and I didn¡¯t even have any nightmares. But when I woke up again, I found myself covered in a nket. He was on the ground, and the oil was back in its ce. It was truly shocking, but I was grateful that he had managed to help me through the night.


    After that, I took a shower and got ready in blue baggy jeans and a ck shirt. It wasn¡¯t too baggy because it was from my old collection, so it was still loose but not overly so. Then I left my hair open. By the time he had showered, I had brought in the food. Nobody was supposed to know he was in the attic with me, because rumors spread easily, and once they reached my stepmother¡¯s ears, they would eventually reach the ringleaders. Then we would both get in trouble, at least Haiden would be.


    "And why do you care? We could take our revenge for all the bullying he did to us by getting him in trouble with the ringleaders," Mint suggested, and I began to grunt at her inwardly. "Don¡¯t put wrong ideas in my head. I don¡¯t want revenge on anyone. Besides, I kind of understand where he wasing from, although I don¡¯t condone bullying. I¡¯m still open to understanding why he did what he did," I said, hearing herugh at me.


    "Or maybe because he is your mate," shemented, and I gave her the silent treatment.


    After Haiden was done eating, he insisted we go out. We had only been locked in the room for half a day, and Haiden was going crazy.


    "Come on, nobody will see us," he insisted, standing next to the window. "And I heard you used to sneak out of your mansion a lot. So why aren¡¯t you doing it now?" heined like a child, even stomping his feet quite often.


    "Because you will get in trouble if anybody catches you," I said to him, and he rolled his eyes.


    "Well, then if I do get punished. I will tell them you had no hand in this," he replied, putting me in such a tough spot because now I couldn¡¯t even tell him why I was so agitated. If I showed more concern, he would question why I was so worried for him. So with that, I was left with no other option but to follow his lead.


    "There you go," he smiled when I reached the window. My eyes barely opened, just enough to show him I was judging him.


    "Come on, we will have fun," he said, and then we both jumped out the window. We climbed down all the way to the ground. Then we waited for the warriors to pass. I mean, we had been avoiding lurkers, so these warriors were nothingpared to them. We were able to make it to the cornfield.


    "Can you feel the fresh breath? Because if you cannot, let me tell you, it is amazing," he said, his arms spread. He was so gigantic, so when he acted like this, he looked very cute.


    "You are crazy," I said, walking past him so I could lead the way now.


    We reached a water stream. It was my go-to area whenever I was upset at home. There was a treehouse I had built here over the years, and it was still pretty much intact.


    "Well, be careful bringing me to your favorite ces," hemented. "You will fall in love with me," he added with a smirk.

 Chapter 84-A Request For A Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 84: 84-A Request For A Kiss</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I did not respond to hisment, but I must say, my body was covered in goosebumps at just the idea of it.


    "Are you sure it will be able to take my weight?" Haidenined as he climbed the tree with me. I didn¡¯t have anydder or anything, I didn¡¯t want it to be so essible.


    "Come on, you¡¯ll be fine. What¡¯s the worst that could happen?" he said, getting into the treehouse. It was just a floor and two small-sized walls, tworge-sized walls with a big roof above.


    "It could fall down," he said, as if that would hurt him.


    I rolled my eyes. Now we both sat, our legs hanging from the backside of the treehouse, looking at the water stream.


    "You were telling me something before I fell asleepst night. Tell me, I¡¯m interested," It¡¯s not like I forgot. When I woke up, I instantly remembered the conversation we had started but couldn¡¯t continue because I had dozed off.


    "Right," he uttered. "When my mother was raped and killed, she was pregnant."


    In one line, he was able to shake the world from under my feet.


    "Oh," I uttered, sitting back, and then it just hit me. I knew it was an inappropriate time for this conversation, but I couldn¡¯t help myself. "Is that why you cared for Sadie so much?" And just a single nod from him made me feel so heartbroken for him.


    "It reminded me of my mother. When she was pregnant and my father was at war, she spent her days in pain, constantly seeking help. At night, my sister and I would massage her feet until she either fell asleep or pretended to. By morning, she¡¯d be gone again¡ªout asking pack members and my father¡¯s friends for help. Eventually, she found her way to your father," he stopped talking because I already knew the rest.


    "That¡¯s when she met the devil," Ipleted it for him.


    "But don¡¯t worry. I hope he¡¯s getting torn apart in the North right now," I hissed, picturing his face. No wonder he always carried that heavy, bitter look, he was a coward. A nasty man through and through. I thought of my father.


    "Anyway, let¡¯s not talk about that. I just really hope when we go back, Sadie is there," he wished. At least I finally knew he wasn¡¯t in love with her, not that it should¡¯ve mattered. Still, I couldn¡¯t help feeling confused about why that mattered to me. He should be free to do whatever he wants.


    "Right," I said.


    "Now can I ask you a question?" he asked, and I gave him a head nod as a go.


    "Who was Professor Sawyer?" he asked, and I met his gaze.


    "I mean, I remember seeing him on campus, but then he disappeared after the rumor started," he added.


    "What exactly are you asking? Where he went? Who was he? If he was a good professor? Or¡ª" I paused, watching him smile as I caught him.


    "Did you like him?" He had asked the question I¡¯d expected.


    "He was kind. He always looked out for me. And yeah, I had family issues, so, I found him cute, but he wasn¡¯t mine. He was engaged. Just a substitute math teacher who taught us for a few months before he left," I said, remembering that man, kind, ridiculously good-looking, and, yes, sexy. But I was only fifteen. Of course I had a crush on him.


    "That is odd, Clementine having a crush on someone," Haiden said, elbowing me.


    That was so weird, sitting with him and talking. We had never done that in the past.


    "Did he run away because of the rumor?" he asked.


    "Oh no, no, no. The rumor didn¡¯t do anything to him. Everybody loved him. They knew there was no way he was involved in that kind of thing. In fact, he never even said anything to me that would now make me feel like he was a red g. He was pretty young too, so maybe he decided to explore other jobs," I exined before he thought it was the rumors that made him quit his job.


    "Do you still love Yorick?" And then Haiden hit me with another question.


    I frowned at him. "No," I groaned.


    "Did you ever love Yorick?" I didn¡¯t know what kind of questions he was asking me. It was pretty odd.


    "I would rather not respond," I said, looking away, not meeting his eyes.


    "It was not a wise thing to ask all these questions," Imented, still stealing eyes.


    And then he went silent. We both just sat there, watching the sun go down. It was the prettiest sight. But then I noticed his fingers gently touching mine on the wooden flooring of the treehouse. I noticed what he was doing. At first, I actually thought maybe it was a mistake. But the minute his index finger started to rub against mine, I felt goosebumps cover my skin, and I instantly removed my hand.


    "I... um," I uttered, not able to make a full sentence.


    "I know you don¡¯t like me because of¡ª" he paused, not finishing the sentence either. "I just want to do one thing. I just have one request," Haiden said, and I turned to look at him, although I did it mostly to create some space between us. His body was radiating a lot of heat, and I bet so was mine. In simple words, our bodies were going into heat for each other. Sitting together, having shared our past and feeling so emotional, was a badbo for mates.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "But promise me you will fulfill my request," he insisted, stretching his hand out for me to promise him.


    "Let me know first. I will see if I can," I uttered.


    "No, you will have to tell me first. Promise me. It is a very exciting thing," he said, and I began to notice a little smile on his lips, although he was trying his best not to show it too visibly.


    "No" as I continued to refuse to promise, he answered himself.


    "I want to kiss you."

 Chapter 85-Mates Kissing Under The Tree

    <h4>Chapter 85: 85-Mates Kissing Under The Tree</h4>


    <strong>Clementine;</strong>


    I was taken aback for a moment, even confused about why he would ask me such a thing. But then I managed to put a smile on my lips just to show I was ufortable but not offended, because I really wasn¡¯t.


    "What¡¯s so exciting about that?" I asked him, and after I had ovee my awkwardness and shock,


    "There is¡ªI don¡¯t know," he uttered, "I just know that I want to." This time, he wasn¡¯t even smiling to make it seem like he was joking around. I could tell he was pretty serious.


    "Haiden, I don¡¯t want to start something that would get us in trouble, because I¡¯m not ready for anything else."


    As soon as I said that, he began to nod, giving me the impression he already knew what I was talking about.


    "I know. I¡¯m not asking for a rtionship. It¡¯s just that¡ªforget it," he said, and the way he did, I was shocked. And then he just started to climb down.


    "What, you don¡¯t want to stick around?" I asked, and he began to shake his head.


    "No, I¡¯ll be going back to my pack in the early morning, because that¡¯s where the academy car will pick me up from." This time, he sounded very low in energy, no joking around, no fun talk. However, the minute I was about to climb down, I noticed him standing under the tree with his arms spread.


    "Come on, jump," he said, and Iughed.


    "No, I¡¯m not. You wouldn¡¯t catch me, and I¡¯d end up with broken ribs and bones," Iined. My legs pulled up and my body tilted to the side to look down, while my knees were now touching my chest.


    "Oh,e on, you can always transition. Don¡¯t act like your wolf isn¡¯t strong enough," he grunted, and for a moment, I gave it a thought.


    "Come on, don¡¯t be a coward." As he said that, I realized he wanted to give me a reason to think I did it out of peer pressure, not because I wanted to.


    "Fine," and I took the bait. I adjusted my body and warned him with my finger not to drop me. He gave me a reassuring look, and then I jumped. The moment I did, he held me. However, while doing so, he stepped back to regain his posture because I really had jumped at him hard. Then, instead of standing straight, he tripped on a branch behind him. And that¡¯s how hended on his back, and Inded on top of him.


    Everything went silent between us for a moment. I didn¡¯t move, as he was holding me by the back with one arm. With his free hand, he brushed my hair from my face, then ced his palm on the back of my head, gently guiding my face toward his.


    I would have protested but our bodies were pressed so tightly together that the mate bond ignited a heat between us. I leaned in under the pressure of his hand until our lips met.


    My eyes closed at the softness of his lips, my breath catching at the taste of him. He immediately began sucking on my bottom lip while his hand moved slowly up and down my back, then slid to my ass.


    The moment he grabbed my ass, I snapped out of the trance and broke the kiss. I shot up like I¡¯d been struck, instantly trying to get away from him.


    "I don¡¯t understand, who are you angry at, yourself or me?" heined as he briskly walked after me.


    "No one," I grunted, not even able to wipe my lips clean. I didn¡¯t want to give the impression that I hated it. And that was exactly what was angering me that I liked him so much, I didn¡¯t even want him to stop.


    "Clementine, don¡¯t make everything such a taboo. It was just a kiss," he said and I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around to face him.


    "And I¡¯m not someone you can use for fun or enjoyment," I grunted.


    I watched him stand there with his hands on his waist, his head tilted, almost like he was judging me.


    "And when did I say that? You¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t even want to explore anything."


    Before I could even ask him to exin, he started doing it himself.


    "I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m madly in love with you. It¡¯s just that I feel connected to you," he uttered.


    "Yeah, and that¡¯s the main point," I replied. "The obvious."


    "But it also doesn¡¯t mean I am not falling¡ª," Then it seemed like he wanted to say something else but held it in and began to pace, this time even faster than me.


    "No, tell me, what were you trying to say?" I said, briskly walking after him.


    "Forget it. You won¡¯t understand. You¡¯re someone who¡¯s not very good with your emotions, so you wouldn¡¯t understand mine either." That felt like a lot of usations being thrown around.


    Once we were in the attic, he went into the bathroom so the maid could bring in the food. I had heard the maid tell me it seemed like I¡¯d grown my appetite because I¡¯d been eating so much. Little did she know, I had a big, bad monster with me who could literally eat a whole burger in two bites. I wasn¡¯t judging, because I was a foodie myself, but that was just my response to the maid, and I couldn¡¯t say it out loud. So, once Haiden came out, he grabbed his food and sat on the mattress, giving me his back like a child who was upset.


    I didn¡¯t say anything, but after he was done, he started talking to me while heading toward the bathroom, just as the maids wereing in to take the empty dishes. But there was something he said before going into the bathroom that stuck with me.


    "And after this, I¡¯ll be sleeping in the same bed as you, to cuddle with you, to help you sleep better."


    It felt more like an order than a request or an offer, and I was stunned.

 Chapter 86-A Soft Goodbye Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 86: 86-A Soft Goodbye Kiss</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    However, once the maids left and I got into bed, I watched Haidene out and take off his shirt with one hand, pulling it over his head and tossing it onto the mattress. The way he did it while standing next to my bed and staring at me made me feel so exploited.


    "No, Haiden," Iined, instantly sliding to the side when I saw him get into the bed. I was ufortable because I was shy, and we had a lot of issues in the past. I was scared that if anything happened, he would use it against me and mock meter when we were in the North or back at the Academy.


    "Okay," he mumbled instead of arguing and sat down on the mattress. I felt bad for him.


    "What is going on with you?" I asked him. He looked away for a minute, then turned to me.


    "I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re not feeling it, but I¡¯m feeling the pain in my body, Clementine. It¡¯s from the heat," he uttered, almost as if asking me to understand that he wasn¡¯t being thirsty or horny all the time. "Do you not feel it?" he asked, his eyes fixed on my face.


    The fact that he was so good-looking and then asked me this question made it even harder for me to respond. There was no doubt that Haiden was an extremely gorgeous man. He was big, broad, muscr, with strong, beautiful facial features. And then there was the way he frowned, so many lines would appear on his forehead, making him look even more attractive. I know I was praising him a lot, but I was only stating the facts.


    However, I had to answer him. "I do feel asional pain, but nothing too extreme," I added, confused why he was the one feeling so much pain. Mine wasn¡¯t that intense, or maybe not yet.


    His grey eyes kept staring into mine, and then he sighed, "Well, okay then, I¡¯ll just rest." I watched him lie down, and then it hit me.


    "It¡¯s okay," I said awkwardly. I didn¡¯t want to exin myself because it was already awkward enough to give him permission.


    "What? What is okay?" he asked.


    "You cane to my bed," I said with so much difficulty and shyness that I couldn¡¯t even look up at his face.


    "No, Clementine, I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t be putting my burden on you, and I most certainly don¡¯t want to get in bed with you after making you feel like you must. It¡¯s fine," he stated again.


    I watched him get under the nket. I felt very wrong. I should have just allowed him, it was just one cuddle. But I guess he realized it would look awkward, since I was kind of doing it for his body heat.


    And then in the morning, when I was still asleep, I felt a very soft pair of lips touching my cheek.


    "Goodbye," I heard a whisper, but it felt like a dream, so I didn¡¯t wake up.


    I woke up around eight, and that¡¯s when I noticed the mattress was empty. I got up and looked in the bathroom, then around the room. I saw the window was open. He had closed it, but he couldn¡¯t lock it from the outside, so I knew he was gone.


    "Are you missing him already?" Mint asked.


    "No," I replied, trying to sound confident, but I really wasn¡¯t.


    "Come on. It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to shy away from me. I won¡¯t judge you."


    Mint was right. She had never judged me. We did have our moments, but we were still best friends.


    "I don¡¯t know. This stayover was so weird. I¡¯m conflicted. I mean, I want to respond to his flirting with flirtatious responses. This is a first for me. I really want to feel like myself and not force myself into a cave. I¡¯m strong enough to take a stand for myself now, even if someone bullies me for trying to pursue a man or being flirtatious with someone. But then there¡¯s another part that reminds me of how he bullied me and made my life miserable in the past. I don¡¯t want to just ept him because now his issues are resolved and suddenly he feels like he can flirt with me. I know I¡¯m rambling a lot, but it¡¯s just how I feel. I¡¯m so conflicted because his attraction towards me feels like it is mostly due to the mate bond we have felt," I stated, gently touching my cheek with my fingertips as I realized it was probably him early in the morning, giving me a kiss of goodbye.


    "Your concerns are truly valid, and I respect them too. However, I will say maybe don¡¯t push him away too hard, because he is our mate and you¡¯re bound to feel body heat for him unless you both decide to reject each other. I guess then only you can be free of the mate bond, and you both will go on to find other mates," she said, and I took a deep breath.


    "Do you not know that he doesn¡¯t have to reject me to find other mates? Men literally have so many mates. As for me, if I reject him, I might not even find a second-chance mate. Do you not know how unlucky we she-wolves are?" Iined, reminding her of the messed-up world we live in.


    "Well, then you can choose a mate. Why go for someone you¡¯re so conflicted about? You two are trapped with each other right now," she stated, and I began to stare out the window.


    "You¡¯re right. I mean, maybe it¡¯s just fine. He can find other mates. He¡¯s the one who¡¯s suffering the most with the body heat. As for me, I¡¯ll just continue to live on. It¡¯s not like I want to find a mate or anything. But before we blink again, we¡¯ll be back at the academy, so I guess there¡¯s no point thinking about life beyond fighting monsters," I stated, feeling so sad in my heart.


    When I saw the victims getting justice by watching my father humiliated and punished, I realized it wasn¡¯t so bad to be the reason others are smiling. And maybe, maybe the world does need heroes. I took a deep breath, then walked back to my bed to bring out my bag and pack it. Obviously, we weren¡¯t allowed to take anything with us, but I didn¡¯t care at this point. I grabbed a few new hoodies, a few shirts, and mostly loose tops. Then I got myself some shoes and other hygiene stuff.


    Once packed, I carried the bag over my shoulder and walked all the way downstairs. Everyone was standing around, watching me as I was leaving.


    "Ms. Clementine Stark," one of the oldest maids said while I was at the door about to leave.


    I turned around and looked at her.


    "You are right to be angry with us. We should have all stood up to stop your father from sending you to the academy by force that night. But we were such cowards, we didn¡¯t even do that for our own children and grandchildren. We never thought it was even an option," she stated.


    "It¡¯s okay. I kind of like it now," I joked, and when my eyesnded on my stepmother and stepsister walking downstairs, my face hardened.


    I remembered the promise I had made to myself: I will find out the crimes of Glinda, and she will be punished too. But right now, I was off to the academy again.

 Chapter 87-A New Mission And No Time To Rest

    <h4>Chapter 87: 87-A New Mission And No Time To Rest</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I was waiting for the car to arrive, and while doing so, I stood on the road, watching the omegas walk past me, the warriors leaving for the training ground, and the couples holding their kids and bags as they headed to drop them off at school. Life was going on normally, but then something happened. As I stood there, admiring the beautiful weather with a gentle wind blowing and the sun peeking through the clouds every now and then, I felt my entire world shake. It was the craziest earthquake I had ever experienced, to the point that I had to kneel down just to keep from falling. Others screamed, and the kids began to pray to the moon goddess for mercy. It was a terrifying moment. Then my eyes moved to the sky, and for a moment, it looked like it was turning bright red. I had a feeling it was connected to the North. Once the earthquake finally settled, the car arrived.


    "Get inside."


    It was Troy who opened the door to the back, where I was supposed to sit with him. I instantly climbed in, and the moment I did, I realized I had messed up just a little. Haiden had left a seat for me right next to him. How did I know that? Because the minute I sat in the back with Troy and Yorick, I saw Haiden turn his head, all the way back, and stare at me. Ian was in the passenger seat today. I don¡¯t know how he convinced the warrior to sit in the other car, but he did. It was odd. Being back with them felt like going back to school.


    "Did you feel it?" Troy asked.


    "The earthquake? Yeah, I did. It was crazy," I replied. At least we were able tomunicate without taunting each other, or so I thought.


    "Really? Crazier than the fact that you have zero emotions?" I heard Yorick¡¯sment before I noticed Haiden turned around from his side, almost like he was checking him.


    "What? I get to say whatever I want. Just because she¡¯s your mate doesn¡¯t mean you have to act all aggressive now. You two aren¡¯t getting together, so don¡¯t act like you own her or you¡¯re her bodyguard." Yorick was so loud with the way he started yapping, and then I heard Ianugh from the front seat. He was so annoying.


    "Don¡¯t mutter those words to me. You¡¯re not my boss. You don¡¯t get to decide if we¡¯re getting back together, or not. You don¡¯t even know that. As for your behavior, you better fix it with her," Haiden hissed, warning Yorick. I have never had anyone argue for me, so I was frozen.


    "Stop arguing you two. Let¡¯s focus on the earthquake, I wonder what¡¯s going on," Troy said, checking on Yorick before his eyes moved to Haiden, then back to me as he mouthed, "Are you okay?"


    I gave him a small nod and leaned back in my chair.


    Before we knew it, other cars joined us as the road merged toward the academy. I saw members of the Red Squad, the White Squad, and the others, all packed into cars. We were finally back where we belonged. We could pretend our lives outside were different, but they really weren¡¯t. We were still prisoners who had just been granted a few days of family visitation. That¡¯s what I¡¯d call it.


    Once we reached the academy, we were stopped at the barbed fence gate. Ms. Lenora stood at the entrance with Mr. Rick. They were checking everyone¡¯s bags, tossing new items to the side. It annoyed me.


    "Oh my," Haiden grunted. "I brought quite a lot of new stuff," heined.


    Others began nodding.


    "Me too," I said, and I watched Ian finally turn his head to look at me. He stood a few steps ahead of us, while we lined up behind him, probably so we couldn¡¯t see his facial expressions. He gave me a look, and I just shrugged, silently asking what his problem was.


    "No, I¡¯m just confused that Miss ¡¯Oh I can never do anything wrong¡¯ has broken a rule," he said, making me furrow my eyebrows.


    "When did I ever say that? I¡¯ve never imed to be a perfect student," Iined, but he never responded.


    When it was our turn, and Ms. Lenora began pulling out our clothes with a clearly irritated look on her face and that¡¯s when Ian stepped in.


    "No, put it all back," he demanded. The way he said it was so strange that even Mr. Rick gave him a look.


    "I¡¯m not afraid of your looks, and I¡¯m definitely not scared of your harsh stares. Save them for someone innocent enough to be shaken by them," Ian started.


    He was really bold. Sometimes I wondered if he wanted to get punished or something. Maybe it was his kink.


    "We¡¯re not prisoners here. At least let us keep our stuff. You won¡¯t even let us take it to the North with us. So I don¡¯t get it. Do you want us to fail?" Ian asked. "You could literally give us weapons to go fight in the North. What¡¯s the point of sending us there without anything that could help us fight the monsters? When you im you want to save the world from them? Honestly, it feels like someone is just being a sadist."


    Ian continued, and for the first time, I was impressed. He was right. Why weren¡¯t they letting us take things that could help us?


    "You know we spared youst time," Lenora said, reminding him of the deal that had been made.


    "Well, then you should have spoken to me directly. I never agreed to those terms," he hissed, standing tall.


    "I¡¯m with Ian," Haiden said as he stepped forward, hands on his waist. "You¡¯re not taking my stuff either," he added. "And not hers," he said, pointing at me.


    I was annoyed. Why was he speaking up for me? I could handle it myself. Now everyone was watching us, especially Yorick, who wasn¡¯t even trying to hide it.


    Then the other crusaders from different squads began whispering and nodding, probably agreeing with Ian.


    "Fine. You can all take your stuff back, but no one is allowed to carry anything into the North," Lenora said suddenly. But it felt like more than that. She was afraid. If people started asking why we weren¡¯t allowed weapons, the entire academy and its rules could start to crumble.


    So just like that, we were allowed to bring our belongings back to our rooms. But as we reached the passage, an announcement yed,


    "Everybody, get ready for the new mission in two hours."

 Chapter 88-The North Is Scarier This Time.

    <h4>Chapter 88: 88-The North Is Scarier This Time.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We didn¡¯t even get enough time to rest. We rushed into our rooms, dropped off our bags, took showers, and quickly changed into our uniforms. That¡¯s when I realized I had brought my own shoes for no reason, since we were supposed to wear the standard ones. They were actually prettyfortable.


    Once we were ready, we headed to Main Hall to meet the other crusaders and hear about the next mission. Ms. Lenora, Mr. Rick, and Miss Rue stood at the front with two others. They looked serious, but their faces gave away just how bad the situation was.


    "We weren¡¯t nning to send you to the North again so soon, but something¡¯se up," Ms. Lenora began. I didn¡¯t like how she always took the lead. Maybe it was because she was the oldest, or more experienced, but I still felt bad for Miss Rue. She had real potential to lead.


    "You must have felt the earthquake earlier. And then the sky turned red for a few seconds. That happened because innocent lives were taken in the North," she continued.


    As soon as Lenora said that, I looked at Haiden and saw his fists clench. He was worried about Sadie, and I could feel it.


    "No matter how many crusaders or lurkers we¡¯ve sent back to the North, we haven¡¯t found anyone alive," Miss Rue said.


    That was her way of letting us know they had searched, but hadn¡¯t found Sadie. My heart sank. Haiden lowered his head, and now that I understood why he was so concerned, it felt even worse.


    "So what¡¯s going on in the North now? What¡¯s this new mission about?" Joshua asked, leaning against the window in the corner. I had almost forgotten he existed. When I left the academy to go home, I¡¯dpletely forgotten about all the other crusaders, except for my own squad.


    "We got drone footage of a small vige that was still alive," Ms. Lenora said. "They were nning to rebuild their poption. Their mates were impregnated, and now many of the women have given birth. But the babies are being eaten alive by monsters. And the mothers, needing rest, can¡¯t defend them."


    The way she said it gave me chills. Everyone looked around, confused.


    "So there¡¯s no one specific monster this time?" I asked.


    Lenora looked straight at me with a cold stare. I could already tell she held grudges. Our own ringleader had forgiven us for wanting to quit once, but Lenora? She was a bad apple. So was Mr. Rick. I felt bad for the people on their squads.


    "This vige is right between the woods and thergest city. So I hope you can carry out this mission without failure, because failure means losing lives," Lenora added.


    I was still trying to process everything, and so was everyone else.


    "So what exactly is our mission?" Oriana asked. Then she turned to me and gave a small head nod. I nodded back to say hi.


    "Actually, you do have a mission," Lenora said. "We¡¯ve confirmed there are twenty six babies in that vige. Their mothers tied ck threads with white pearls around their wrists. That means each crusader has to carry one baby. The Red Team has only four members, Blue has five, Green has five, White has six, and ck also has five. Altogether, that¡¯s twenty-six crusaders¡ªand twenty-six babies. Each of you is responsible for one," Lenora announced, making it clear that this was a solo task.


    "And if you fail to do so, unfortunately, you¡¯ll be punished for the whole week by being sent to the North alone with no mission, just forced to survive on your own," Mr. Rick added, as if it were somehow our fault the babies were dying.


    The punishment felt far too harsh.


    I started anxiously fidgeting with my fingers and looked around at everyone¡¯s faces. Everyone seemed deeply worried about the task. The White Squad, though, had already started to huddle together and make a n.


    "It¡¯s supposed to be an individual task, and yet they¡¯re forming a group," I said, pointing out the obvious. They had a higher chance of surviving simply because of how well they worked together, and how organized they always were.


    "If you¡¯re expecting us to make a team and listen to you, then you¡¯re wrong," Ianmented. He had always been negative. He walked off to stand in line, lookingpletely unfazed, like he didn¡¯t care at all.


    "It¡¯s okay, we can all focus on each other¡¯s targets," Haiden added, referring to the mothers and their children as targets. I gave him a nod, and then we joined the other crusaders.


    Soon, we were at the train station. It felt awful. The idea of going back there, where the monsters were, was already draining. And this time, innocent lives depended on us.


    "Just remember, we¡¯re going toe face to face with even scarier monsters this time," Yorick reminded us. I was d he spoke up. At least he was taking the task seriously instead of just standing to the side, pouting like he usually did.


    We boarded the train in silence. Everyone was worried. No one wanted to be the reason a child died. But the real shock hit us once we reached the North. It was the same old station, but the weather was awful.


    "I hope they don¡¯t kill the babies before we get there," Oriana said, ncing at each squad. "Because then it¡¯ll be like fighting your own squadmates to secure the package."


    I hated that she brought it up. Now everyone was staring at each other¡¯s faces. Sometimes she could be so careless.


    "That means each to their own," Ian said, walking away as expected of him.


    "Now what? What are we supposed to do?" I asked Haiden and Troy, since Yorick didn¡¯t even look at me. He was too focused on scanning the area.


    "I think we should head this way," Troy said. And finally, Yorick spoke up, letting us know what he¡¯d been doing trying to navigate the surroundings.


    "Why? What¡¯s over there?" I asked, walking behind him.


    "Nothing. I just want you to follow me," he said, making me roll my eyes.

 Chapter 89-Stealing Chances And Death

    <h4>Chapter 89: 89-Stealing Chances And Death</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We walked around for a few minutes, but this time we didn¡¯t head toward the woods. We knew the parents wouldn¡¯t have gone there, there¡¯s no way the mothers would think to hide in such a dangerous ce. Or so we thought.


    As soon as we stepped onto a road, I noticed the other squads following us. At that point, everyone looked suspicious, just staring at each other. I didn¡¯t even know what was happening. I think they were trying to stay close so that if one of us found a baby, they could snatch it. And of course, none of us would be heartless enough to risk hurting a baby by trying to take it back.


    "In the end, it might evene down to squad mates turning on each other," Haiden said as he looked around. I saw him narrow his eyes at something in the distance. The road only goes two ways, forward or back.


    "Let¡¯s go," Haiden said, gently tapping my elbow. We started walking the opposite way while the others kept going forward. But some of them noticed and began following us. It was exhausting. And the silence as they trailed behind was even louder.


    About an hour into the walk, we finally came across the first house. It was paintedpletely yellow with red doors.


    "Isn¡¯t this the one Lenora was talking about?" Yorick said.


    They had told us during the boarding that we¡¯d know we were heading the right way if we saw this exact house. It was small but two stories tall. They said the border started with the woods, then led into this small vige. It was a sign we were getting deeper into the northern area.


    My eyes scanned the ce anxiously. Bloodstains covered the ground, doors, and yellow walls, the contrast making it even more terrifying.


    Before we could head toward the house, a Green Squad member ran past and bumped into me. I almost fell, but Yorick grabbed my arm to steady me.


    The guy ran up to the porch, then turned to smirk at us.


    "Green Squad takes over this house," he announced.


    We narrowed our eyes as more of his squad formed a circle around the house.


    "Yeah, we saw it first," one of the girls yelled to support the guy.


    We were annoyed. We had chosen this direction, but technically, it wasn¡¯t really about who saw it first since it was everyone¡¯s end destination. So, we just let them have it. They kept smirking at us as we passed by in silence. Even the sound of our footsteps felt loud in that tense moment.


    As we passed, the guy at the door struggled with it.


    "Come on, open it, Markus!" the same girl yelled.


    We¡¯d already moved past the house and spotted others farther away when a loud, screeching cry made us turn. Markus had just opened the door¡ª and stood there, headless.


    His teammates screamed, stumbling backward and running in the direction they hade from. They only stopped farther away to look back and check on him. We were panicking too. My squad mates were already bracing themselves to fight whatever had done it.


    Markus¡¯s body copsed with a thud. His head rolled down the porch steps, leaving a trail of blood behind.


    Once the silence returned, my squadmates and I began walking toward the house. "Clementine, grab that," Haiden said, pointing at something to the side of the house. Arge butcher knifey there, covered in blood. Someone might have tried to defend themselves against whatever monster had been here. The fact that Haiden told me to grab it before anyone else got to it moved me a little¡ªjust a bit. I went ahead and picked up the knife, and as I stood up, I caught a glimpse through one of the broken windows. Something was pacing around inside. It looked like a dinosaur, maybe, or some kind of creature, but I was sure it wasn¡¯t a dinosaur. It had a long neck like an ostrich and a body covered in thick, armor-like shell as of a turtle. The tail reminded me of one of those dinosaurs, specifically, a Velociraptor.


    "Hey Clementine,e back. What are you doing standing there?" Troy hissed, gesturing for me to return. But I couldn¡¯t move. I could still see the creature roaming around. Its beak looked like a parrot¡¯s, but it waspletely red. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was its natural color or if it was stained with blood. Some of its dark brown feathers around its head also looked bloodied. It was chittering as it looked around the house. That had to be the thing that bit off Markus¡¯ head.


    I raised my hand to signal my squadmates not to make any sudden moves. There was something else I noticed about the creature, it didn¡¯t have eyes. My squadmates stared back at me, confused, but at least they had stopped moving.


    That¡¯s when the creature started walking toward the front porch. The door was already open. It stepped outside, finallying into full view. I heard gasps from the green squadmates. I raised my hand and waved to get their attention, then slowly lowered it and put a finger to my lips to hush them.


    We watched as the creature approached the body. It didn¡¯t touch it. Instead, it kept its neck low to the ground, almost like it was sniffing the blood and locating its target. Then it moved toward the stairs, following the blood trail until it reached the severed head.


    That¡¯s when it started to feed.


    Seeing Markus¡¯ eyes still open while the creature ate his head made me feel like I was going to gag. I think everyone thought about running to put distance between them and this monster, but we didn¡¯t know how strong it was. It could be fast, maybe even faster than anything we¡¯d seen. There could be more of them nearby.


    Just as that thought hit me, I slowly turned to my left, and saw another creature¡¯s neck peeking out from behind the house, only a few feet away from where I stood.

 Chapter 90-They Left Him Out

    <h4>Chapter 90: 90-They Left Him Out</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I had almost stopped breathing. I watched the creaturee out the same way as the other one, head down and sniffing across the ground. This time, it was headed straight toward me. I knew I had to move, but I had a terrible feeling that the moment I did, it would know I was there.


    Carefully, I shifted my weight. My leg was half-raised, and I was bnced on the tip of my foot. I slowly ced it down, but the rough ground made a faint sound under the pressure. I held my breath. The creature lifted its head, as if trying to locate where the noise hade from.


    I began to slide my front foot back, hoping to step away as quietly as possible. But it was getting harder, because the creature was moving fast, and I was trying not to make a sound.


    That¡¯s when someone came to the rescue.


    I heard rocks hitting the ground on the other side, where the first creature had been standing. It was deliberate, and it was loud. I turned and saw Yorick throwing rocks to distract it. The creature raised its head and rushed toward the sound.


    I had only a split second to move. I dove to the side, and the creature ran past me, chasing the noise.


    Then I saw Yorick sprinting toward me.


    Chaos broke out as the two creatures began fighting over the severed head. They were making so much noise that, at this point, we knew anything we did wouldn¡¯t be heard over them.


    Yorick ran straight toward me, grabbed my hand, and shook me out of my frozen state. Then he took off in the opposite direction from where we¡¯de. I heard my other squadmates following us. But the green squad started heading back the way they hade, as if they¡¯d either given up or nned to regroupter.


    For now, we were just racing through the vige. The houses looked like they had been attacked. Their doors were wide open, and the creatures were everywhere. There were so many of them.


    We suddenly realized we couldn¡¯t go any farther. We stopped and stood in a tight circle, eyes scanning in every direction.


    "How do we defeat them?" I asked, still watching the area to make sure none of them got the jump on us.


    No one answered. Just silence. Then Yorick pointed toward one of the tallest buildings in the distance. It looked like a mansion.


    "But we can¡¯t go there," I said.


    "Clementine¡¯s right," Troy added. "What are the chances that the mansion is safe? It¡¯s bigger than the rest of the houses. That just means more of those creatures could be inside."


    Troy was with me on this, but Yorick had noticed something we hadn¡¯t.


    "There¡¯s a big lock on the outside of the door," Yorick said, pointing. "And none of the windows are broken."


    He paused, but we already understood what he meant.


    "Which means none of the creatures have been inside yet," Haiden finished for him.


    It made sense. That became our new goal.


    We formed a line, holding hands as we moved slowly forward. I was in the middle. Troy led the way, followed by Yorick, then me, with Haiden at the rear, holding my hand. Walking past the infested houses was terrifying. The sights, the sounds, we kept our eyes peeled and our steps quiet.


    Somehow, we made it to the end of the road where it curved to the right. From there, I could see more houses on the other side, but we had reached our destination. The mansion stood tall ahead.


    It would be dark soon. There was no chance of finding any kids now. Besides, we needed to first understand what kind of creatures we were dealing with, we werepletely in the dark.


    "So, how are we going to do that?" Haiden asked, nodding toward the door.


    Troy looked at me, and I knew what he meant. He pulled a thin wire from one of the bracelets on his wrist and handed it to me.


    I crouched down in front of therge, crusty old lock. It looked ancient, covered in strange engraved patterns. My squadmates stood around me, forming a circle, each of them facing outward to keep watch.


    Then I heard the click. A small smile crept onto my face. I stood and tapped Haiden on the shoulder.


    "It¡¯s open," I whispered.


    He turned, along with the others. But now came the hard part, removing the lock and opening the door. We had no idea how long it had been shut. For all we knew, the hinges could scream the moment we touched them.


    "Women are usually more gentle¡ªClementine should take off the lock," Troy said.


    I was already on it. Carefully, I slid the lock free and handed it to Troy, who gripped it tightly, almost like he was ready to use it as a weapon if something jumped out.


    Now came the big moment. We had to open the door. It was one of those old, heavy wooden doors with a manualtch, one you had to lift by hand.


    I started to lift the hatch by hand, but it made such a loud screeching noise that we all panicked. The creatures¡¯ chittering grew louder, they had heard us. They knew someone was among them now.


    "Come on, hurry up! Forget about being quiet!" Yorick shouted, grabbing my hand to help me lift the hatch.


    I had to let go, it was too heavy, too rusted. Only Yorick or one of the others could manage it.


    While the others struggled to push the heavy door open, I caught a glimpse of the creatures sprinting toward us. They were fast, but not as fast as I had expected from their long, scaly legs. They took huge strides, but their pace wasn¡¯t consistent. After a few seconds, they would slow down, then suddenly speed up again.


    Suddenly, I felt a hand grab me and toss me inside. I hit the floor first. I think it was Yorick who had thrown me in. The others began piling in behind me.


    Troy and Haiden made it through, but Yorick was still at the doorway.


    That¡¯s when I saw his expression shift. His eyes narrowed. For a split second, everything seemed to freeze.


    And then, right before my eyes, something grabbed Yorick. It was probably a hand, or whatever it was, but it pushed him back. The White Squad suddenly appeared out of nowhere, rushing in and leaving Yorick behind. It was Joshua who had tossed him out.


    "No, Yorick!" I screamed, getting up to run toward them. But the White Squad had already started the chaos. They pushed Troy and Haiden back as they came in.


    And then Joshua and Jack started to close the door while Yorick was still outside.

 Chapter 91-His Arms Felt Like Heaven

    <h4>Chapter 91: 91-His Arms Felt Like Heaven</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We reached the door when Haiden suddenly grabbed Joshua, pulling him away, while Troy held onto Jack. As they dragged them back, I realized they were giving me a chance to open the door for Yorick. I could hear a lot of screaming outside, mostly the creatures, but I was worried about Yorick. He was out there in the dark with so many of them. I panicked as I grabbed the door handle, but someone came after me and yanked me back by the waist. One of my nails even tore off. I turned and saw her holding me from behind, her arms locked tightly around my stomach. I elbowed her hard in the chest, and she let out a small scream before letting go. I ran back to the door, ignoring the yelling behind me.


    Now the white squad members were rushing at me, trying to stop me from opening it.


    "Don¡¯t let her open the door, she¡¯ll let the monsters in!" Joshua shouted as he fought Haiden. They were punching and kicking each other. Troy and Jack were doing the same, but since Jack was just a Royal Beta, Troy easily got him in a chokehold.


    "Clementine, open the door!" Troy yelled, letting me know my squad was with me. They didn¡¯t care if the creatures got in, one of ours was still outside.


    I kicked one of the girls in the stomach, and she fell to the ground, screaming in pain. It was the same girl we¡¯d hit before. She always screamed like she was the victim, even when she was the one attacking us.


    I started opening the door as Suki tried to stop me. But the second I got it open, she shoved me out.


    "Then fucking stay with him!" she screamed. As I turned back, trying to stop her from closing it, I caught a glimpse of Troy¡¯s eyes widening. He let go of Jack and rushed toward me, but the others had already mmed the door shut.


    There was no time to try and get back in. The creatures were everywhere, screeching, and one was charging straight at me. I panicked and ran toward the back of the mansion. Once I got there, I turned down the path we¡¯d never taken before and sprinted down the road, creatures pouring out from every side.


    Then I remembered the butcher knife in my belt. I pulled it out and swung it wildly. It was easy to hit their necks, they were that long and easily in the view. One dropped instantly after I cut it, writhing on the ground, its head barely hanging by a thread of skin. The others hesitated, almost scared, beforeing at me again.


    I noticed their pattern, they weren¡¯t very fast. After every action, they seemed to need a moment to recover, whether it was running, walking, or even just attacking. That could be used against them. But I couldn¡¯t think about going back anymore. I was scanning the dark for Yorick, and the fact that he had vanished made me feel sick. Tears welled up as I screamed his name.


    "Yorick!" But there was no response.


    I kept running until I saw the first house in the distance. I didn¡¯t know if there were creatures inside, I didn¡¯t care. I rushed to the door and opened it, but something grabbed me by the waist. Everything happened fast. My body was yanked and rolled to the side of the house. Since I had been holding the doorknob, it swung open, but I was no longer in front of it. Then a creature lunged out. If I hadn¡¯t been pulled away in time, I would¡¯ve ended up just like Markus from earlier.


    "Shhh, stay quiet. They can hear us," I heard Yorick whisper in my ear.


    I didn¡¯t even know what came over me. I broke free, turned around with tears in my eyes, and threw myself into his arms. I hugged him so tight while crying that it almost knocked the breath out of him.


    While I kept hugging him, I noticed he moved me to the side. I could only guess he did it because the creatures were walking past us. I didn¡¯t let go the whole time, and even after five minutes had passed and everything went quiet, I just stayed there, still hugging him.


    Then I finally snapped out of it. I started to pull away, but my arms were still around his neck.


    "You idiot!" I said, and lightly pped his face.


    "What did I do?" he asked, confused.


    "Why did you leave? We were supposed to stay in the mansion. It was the safest," I whispered in frustration.


    Yorick gestured for me to stay quiet, then pointed at his ears and around us, warning me that the creatures could hear. He took my hand, and we crouched down, moving quietly behind the houses, slipping from one to the next.


    At this point, going back wasn¡¯t an option. The creatures were all gathered around the mansion, probably drawn in by the noise, and that made me worry about Troy and Haiden. They were in there alone with the white squad, the cruelest group of all.


    Eventually, we came across a small shop, about ten houses down from the mansion, which gave us a good amount of distance. Yorick carefully opened the door, and we stepped inside. One of the windows was broken, though, so there was a chance the creatures could get in. Yorick never let go of my hand as he quietly shut the door and looked around, checking to see if we¡¯d be safe for the night.


    The other windows were intact, and the back door was locked. I wanted to explore the shop. There were only five aisles, it was small, but a creature could have been hiding behind any of them. Yorick still wouldn¡¯t let go of my hand, so I couldn¡¯t check on my own.


    Finally, we reached the end of thest aisle, and that¡¯s when something attacked us.


    Not just something. The creature. The same one. It went straight for me. My hand slipped out of Yorick¡¯s as I fell onto my back with the creaturending on top of me. I saw it pull its neck back, and then it lunged again.


    It was so fast that I didn¡¯t even have time to react, let alone defend myself.

 Chapter 92-Gentle Touch And Another Mate.

    <h4>Chapter 92: 92-Gentle Touch And Another Mate.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    However, before the monster could attack me, Yorick grabbed him by the neck and tossed him into the shelves. One shelf toppled into another, and I knew it would cause a lot of noise. Yorick quickly ran to hold the other shelf, stopping it from falling, but the products still rained down. I got up, grabbed the butcher knife I¡¯d used earlier, and swung it at the creature¡¯s neck. Its head rolled under the counter while the body copsed on the spot.


    I booked over to Yorick, who was holding the shelf, and tried to lift the one leaning on it.


    "Yorick," I said. He nodded as I reached for the tilted shelf and began forcing it upright. With most of the products spilled, it was lighter, and I managed to set it back in ce. Yorick was free. He stepped away from the shelf and stared at the creature¡¯s head and body.


    "What do you think these things are called?" he asked, examining it.


    "I don¡¯t know. Do you think we should give it a name?" I asked, feeling so weird in the presence of a dead monster.


    He nodded while I walked past him to check outside the shop, making sure more weren¡¯ting after the noise we¡¯d made. Thankfully, there weren¡¯t many creatures around, so we were safe. But, like Yorick said, we needed a name.


    "How about Fleshmingo?" he suggested and I began tough a little.


    "What do you have against mingos?" I asked, trying to pick up the head. The sight made me gag. Yorick must have noticed, because he gently pushed me aside and covered it with a brown paper bag.


    "They just look like mingos," he said with a shrug.


    "Well then, Fleshmingo it is," I agreed.


    We walked around, checking the windows and then the food on the shelves. One by one, I realized everything was expired, some as far back as 2000.


    "It¡¯s been so long," I said, showing him the date on a can.


    "I wonder what these people were eating," I added, thinking about the mothers who had just given birth.


    "I¡¯m pretty sure the fleshmingos were eating them," he said, trying to be corny.


    "I¡¯m sure I saw you go into the mansion. How did you end up outside?" he asked. Now that we¡¯d explored and knew we were safe for the night, he faced me with his hands on his waist.


    "The white squad kicked me out," I said, keeping my answer short.


    "Why? Why would they just kick you out?" he asked, looking me in the eye. I tried not to give him the satisfaction or say anything that would stroke his ego, but he was being pushy.


    "Fine. I was trying to open the door for you," I admitted, noticing a smile spread across his face. "Don¡¯t get me wrong. We only did it because we were already short on squad members." No matter what excuse I gave, he seemed happy with my answer.


    "But you shouldn¡¯t do that next time. You know it¡¯s dangerous here," he said, his tone shifting to genuine advice.


    "Don¡¯t tell me what I should or shouldn¡¯t do. You know I do whatever I want," I replied, more sharply than I intended. It was my way of coping after he made me confess something. Now I had to act bitter to bnce it out.


    "Boy, Haiden must be freaking out." Yorick rubbed his hands a little more excitedly as he mentioned that Haiden had be too aggressive and possessive about me, and worried, too.


    "They were also fighting the white squad so they could let you in." As soon as I said that, his smile faded.


    "Well, sometimes things get so messy you don¡¯t realize who¡¯s your friend and who¡¯s your enemy," he said, and I agreed. I had no idea why they had turned against each other, and I didn¡¯t like it. From the hints and arguments, most of it was about me, and I didn¡¯t want to be the reason they were fighting.


    "Anyway, I hope they¡¯re fine. There are only two of them, and there¡¯s a whole white squad in that mansion." I groaned, sitting by the window to look at the moon. The window was high enough that the Fleshmingos would only see us if we stood up. Yorick sat beside me, leaning against the wall with his back to the window, facing away from the full moon.


    "So are you really thinking about giving him a chance?" The question came out of nowhere. I didn¡¯t expect him to care so much about what I nned to do.


    "No, I haven¡¯t thought about it. I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea. We¡¯re in a ce where any of us could die at any moment, so why build a connection that will be left broken once one of us is gone?" I kept my eyes on the moon as clouds slowly filled the sky. It was going to rain again.


    North was strange and scarier. Every time I was here, it felt like a dream, but not a pleasant one, the one with nightmares and monsters.


    "You know, I did bet on you," Yorick said, finally bringing up our past. I didn¡¯t expect it, but I listened. We were stuck in a shop full of expired goods, starving, and talking was better than thinking about food.


    "But halfway through, things changed for me," he continued, catching me off guard. "That¡¯s why I reacted so aggressively when I saw that clip." His elbows rested on his knees, head down, hands sped together.


    His confession caught me by surprise. It might have mattered if he¡¯d said it earlier, but too much time had passed and things had gottenplicated between us. I¡¯d started to have mixed feelings toward him and his behavior, to the point where I saw him as a red g. Still, that didn¡¯t change the fact that I found him attractive. Maybe it was just physical. He¡¯d been good to me during the first two weeks of our rtionship, but what he did after finding that clip was insane.


    "I began to fall for you, Clementine," he said inly. My body jolted slightly, but I didn¡¯t move. I acted like I was invisible.


    "I fell hard for you, and then when I started to bully you, it was revenge for cheating on me. I hated that I was falling for you, so I tried to make you hate me. I thought if you pushed me away, I could hate you back. But it didn¡¯t make sense, every time you were in front of me, I still felt this pull toward you."


    He spoke with his head down, fists clenched, muscles tense. Whatever he was feeling, pain, anger, aggression, it was real.


    I began to feel suffocated in the moment. I didn¡¯t know why, but I did. I started to get up, and I guess he noticed, because he turned to me in haste and grabbed my arms.


    "Wait, I didn¡¯t want to freak you out."


    The moment he said that and held my arms, a strange coldness spread through my body. We were standing close, his grip having pulled me toward him. Our eyes locked, and I wasn¡¯t sure what he was feeling, but I was caught in something strange. The full moon hung high in the sky, and my body trembled under his touch. My heart skipped beats, then began to match his heartbeat, the one I wasn¡¯t supposed to hear but could hear clearly.


    And then I heard it. The haunting word my wolf spoke froze me where I stood, like a corpse.


    "Mate."

 Chapter 93-Disappointed My Mate

    <h4>Chapter 93: 93-Disappointed My Mate</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    As we kept looking into each other¡¯s eyes, I shook my head and broke the stare. He looked more shocked than upset.


    "How is that possible?" I stuttered, pulling my arms free from his hands and putting as much distance between us as I could while walking backward.


    Yorick scratched the back of his neck.


    "Yorick, you didn¡¯t hear it, right?" I tried to convince him it might have been a mistake on my part. Maybe I was the only one who heard it, but his expression told me otherwise.


    "I heard it," he said calmly. "I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s possible." He shrugged, a smile forming on his lips.


    He looked happy, but I wasn¡¯t. How is it possible? I¡¯d heard of alphas having many mates, but a she-wolf? That couldn¡¯t happen.


    "Yorick, you don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s not possible. Only men can have different mates. Alphas, betas, gammas, omegas¡ª all men ¡ª and they have five or six mates. I¡¯m just a she-wolf. I¡¯m not supposed to have more than one mate," I almost yelled, then covered my mouth so the fleshmingo wouldn¡¯t hear us.


    "Why do you look so sad?" Yorick asked, suddenly upset that my reaction was so different from his.


    "Because it¡¯s not possible, don¡¯t you see? This has to be some mistake." I was shaking as I spoke.


    I didn¡¯t want one mate, let alone two. And why would I have two? I wasn¡¯t special. What was happening? I felt like I was losing my mind, but he looked so at ease.


    "Do you want me to confirm if we felt it right?" he asked. I nodded quickly, stepping toward him with my hands sped in front of my chest like I was pleading.


    "Well, then we¡¯ll have to kiss to see if we did feel it," he said. I frowned, stepping back and letting my hands fall.


    "You think this is a joke?" I asked.


    He stretched his neck and grunted. "No, I¡¯m just not as unhappy as you. My reaction is different. If you want to be stressed and upset, fine, but you can¡¯t ruin my happiness."


    He pointed at me as he hissed the words, clearly offended by my reaction.


    "It¡¯s not just you. I reacted the same with Haiden." I realized my reaction hadn¡¯t been kind. I didn¡¯t have to be kind, but it was still a mate bond, something very sacred.


    "It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to exin. I guess you already ruined the moment. You know what, Clementine? Finding a mate is special, and thank you for ruining it, for showing me my mate is disgusted by the idea of a bond with me." He began toin instantly.


    I was calming down, but the shock wasn¡¯t gone. I was still confused, with too many questions in my head. And instead of finding out why, he seemed focused on looking happy, which confused me more.


    First, he confessed he was genuinely in love with me, which didn¡¯t change much. When we were dating, I didn¡¯t know about the bet thing, so I thought he truly liked me. The bet thing I only found out recently.


    But now, the bigger issue was that I had two mates. Our attention snapped away when something mmed hard against the window. We both jolted, and Yorick threw his arm across my waist, pulling me away. The ss didn¡¯t break, but blood smeared across it. Then, whoever it was ran to the door and began pounding.


    "Please let us in! We have babies! Please, please!" It was one of the squad mates, screaming for help.


    "There is someone outside," I said to Yorick, rushing toward the door. He grabbed me by the back and pulled me away.


    "What are you doing?" Iined.


    "Look outside," he said, dragging me toward the window and pointing.


    The squadmates asking for help were two from Blue Squad and one from Green Squad. Two of them had babies ¡ª one blue, one green. But they were already being dragged back onto the road by the fleshmingos.


    "No, no, no, no, no! The babies!" I screamed as both babies fell.


    "Clementine, we can¡¯t do anything! They¡¯re everywhere!" Yorick tried to hold me back, but I began pulling out of his arms.


    "Yorick, we won¡¯t know until we fight!" I shot back, rushing toward the door. I paused only long enough to nce over my shoulder at him.


    "Fine, I¡¯ming," he grunted, grabbing a chair to use as a weapon.


    The minute we opened the door, it was chaos. Fleshmingos were attacking and toying with our squadmates, tossing them around. It was a heartbreaking sight.


    We charged in ¡ª me with a butcher knife, Yorick with the wooden chair. He swung it hard, knocking two fleshmingos off the Blue Squad mate. Then he grabbed the boy¡¯s arm and pushed him toward the shop entrance.


    "What is it?" I asked Yorick in panic while fighting off the fleshmingosing toward us. He had knelt down to check on one of the babies.


    "Yorick, what is it?" I turned to look at him this time, still swinging the knife around.


    "This baby is barely breathing," Yorick said. My heart crumbled in my chest. He quickly picked up the baby and patted its back.


    "I need to find a hospital," he said and I began to nod with him.


    The three squadmates were badly wounded, but the fleshmingos seemed either full or distracted. They weren¡¯t killing them, and I knew they only ate the head. Instead, they had bitten into their flesh, almost as if they were ying with them, and it made me sick to my stomach. These things understood what pain was and exactly how much they could cause without killing, just to make their victims suffer.


    While I sliced through one fleshmingo¡¯s neck, I heard a baby crying on the road. I rushed over and scooped him up. He was still alive, just hurt from the fall. I hugged him instantly, then saw more fleshmingosing for me.


    I ran toward the road, away from the shop. I could hear Yorick shouting for me.


    "Save yourself, Yorick! Find a safe ce, we¡¯ll meet again!" I yelled back. The farther I ran, the fainter his voice became.


    Now I was alone, headed for the big city.

 Chapter 94-Like Mommy And Daddy

    <h4>Chapter 94: 94-Like Mommy And Daddy</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I was carrying the baby, walking straight toward nowhere. After a while, I stopped running because I was tired, and running was making the baby anxious. I calmed him down and saw he had no visible injuries. Thankfully, he was wrapped in thick clothes that had helped prevent injury from the fall. I looked back at the empty road. It was a cold night, and I hugged the baby tightly to keep him warm. But I couldn¡¯t help wondering what happened to Haiden, Troy, and Yorick. I sighed and kept walking until I saw one of the tallest buildings in the distance. I knew I had reached the biggest city yet. From here, the true north began, and the collection of monsters would start. I didn¡¯t know what to do. If I walked back, I knew there would be many fleshmingos waiting for me. That¡¯s where they had all been herded together. And now the baby was probably hungry too. I realized they hadn¡¯t given us any food for the babies. It was so messed up.


    "Well, at least they had left bags at the station for us," Mint reminded me.


    The ringleader had told us to leave the child care bags at the station, which now felt so wrong to me. Why would they do that? Did they not want us to save these babies? You¡¯d think that if you were sending your warriors on deadly missions, you¡¯d give them as many weapons and as muchfort as possible. It had been weighing on me heavily.


    "But I cannot go back. We won¡¯t survive the fleshmingos when I am tired, it is dark and the baby is starving," Iined aloud, stopping because my legs hurt. I had been running for so long, probably three hours. I couldn¡¯t run anymore. I was starving, and I was so worried about my squadmates.


    "And what makes you think moving forward will get you any food? Did you not see the food containers? They¡¯re all expired," Mint said. She was right, but it was a chance I was willing to take. I kept walking, giving her the silent treatment because she wouldn¡¯t stop telling me to go back.


    Morning began to arrive. The sky cleared a little, but it was still dark. The baby woke up again. Of course, he was so little. He needed food. I had cleaned my thumb with my clothes, and he had been sucking on it for a while. But how long could thatst? I found an abandoned bus stop and sat on the bench, holding the baby.


    "I¡¯m so sorry. I wish I could help you more," I whispered through tears, my lips quivering.


    "And how exactly would you do that?" a deep, smooth voice came from behind me, making my body jolt. I turned my head quickly. I was in such a state that I didn¡¯t even think it might be my squadmate. My first thought was that it was a monster. When I turned and stared into his gray eyes, I realized it was indeed a monster¡ªIan. He leaned his elbows on the back of the bench, hunched down, smirking. He looked fresh, too.


    "You," I grunted. "What are you doing here?" I asked him furiously. I meant on the city side.


    "Um, I thought this was the safest ce for now. I¡¯ve been here for a few hours and haven¡¯t seen a single monster. So I figured I¡¯d just waste my time here before going back home." He walked around to sit beside me. I looked at him, sizing him up before frowning.


    "You can¡¯t go back if you don¡¯t have a baby," I said, "They will send you back here for a week." I reminded him.


    He sat there casually until my words sank in. Then he shook his head, suddenly standing like he was in a panic.


    "Where did he go?" he asked himself. He ran behind a small wall and came back holding a baby¡ªa freaking baby he had left there.


    "You had a baby on the ground?" Iined.


    "I thought somebody else was here, so I hid the baby for a while," he said, looking exhausted as he ced the baby on his thighs and crossed his arms.


    "You might want to hold him close to your chest. It¡¯s freezing," I told him, annoyed at how carelessly he was holding the baby.


    "Listen, I¡¯m not really the child kind of guy. I hate kids. So the fact that I¡¯ve secured one should be enough for the day," he said, shaking his head.


    I looked at the baby and smiled. "She¡¯s so pretty."


    Ian nced down and hunched more. "How do you know it¡¯s a girl? I thought it was a boy."


    "She¡¯s in pink for a reason. Her mother must have been really connected to her," I said. She even had a little bracelet with handmade bows around her wrist.


    "Yeah, well, I don¡¯t think her mother¡¯s going to be taking care of her," he muttered, clicking his tongue.


    "How is your baby so calm?" I asked.


    Ian actually thought about it, then looked at me. "Oh, wait, I guess I have something for you." He stood, leaving the baby on the bench. I quickly pulled the baby toward me. Now I was holding two, but I could manage. Ian came back with a big bag.


    "It¡¯s okay. Leave her here. I¡¯m trying not to spoil her too much," he said, making me groan. Talking to Ian so casually felt strange, but I guess being alone together made it happen.


    "Let me show you magic," Ian said, and I was all ears. But what he brought out wasn¡¯t magic at all¡ªit was just him breaking yet another rule from the ringleaders.


    Then I saw him unzip the bag and inside was baby food and diapers.


    "Ian, we were supposed to leave this bag at the station," I groaned with a hint of frustration.


    He smirked, showing me how much was inside without a care in the world. He didn¡¯t even mind that I was staring at him with shock-filled eyes. Then, in a very soft and sexy tone, he asked, "So, what do you say? We feed them, Mommy?" and my heart skipped a beat.

 Chapter 95-Ian Can’t Change A Diaper

    <h4>Chapter 95: 95-Ian Can¡¯t Change A Diaper</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I ignored hisment and focused on the bag. "Ian, we weren¡¯t supposed to take it with us," I reminded him again.


    He rolled his eyes while continuing to stare at the stuff and then pulling out small juice boxes and offering me one.


    It was so hard to find food in the North so that juice box seemed like heaven to me.


    "And let the kids die? Aren¡¯t you the one who loves babies? I figured others were doing the same. I¡¯m pretty sure they were, except for our stupid squadmates." He was wrong. I hadn¡¯t seen anyone else carrying a bag, unless the White Squad had one. I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    "Here," he offered baby form. I was happy to take it because he was right, screw the ringleaders and their rules. The babies needed food.


    "I¡¯m holding two babies. You need to make it," I told him while he put the juice beside me. This was the first time the ringleaders had packed any kind of food with the crusaders but we weren¡¯t allowed to take it with us out of the station.


    He frowned. "Listen, I used the one some Green Squad girl helped me make. So I¡¯m not making more."


    "If someone had already shown you how, you know how to do it. So do it," I grunted, not letting him get away from such a simple task. With a sharp look at me, he started preparing a bottle for the baby in my arms.


    "What do you think their names are?" I asked, smiling at the babies.


    "Huh?" Ian looked at me like I¡¯d just asked something bizarre.


    "I said, what do you think their names are? Maybe their parents had already thought about them. It¡¯s not like they got pregnant and then gave birth the next day. The babies inside their mothers for so long," I said, feeling sentimental. I had never really held babies before, not since thest time I held my little brother. But I was a child myself back then. Maybe that¡¯s why I felt such a deep connection with these little ones.


    After my brother, I never held another baby. I wouldn¡¯t even stick around children. But today, I had two babies in my arms, and my muscles were starting to cramp. Thankfully, Ian took his baby back and handed me the bottle to feed mine. The moment I gave it to him, he started drinking like his life depended on it. I felt so bad for him.


    "Maybe his name is Baba and her name is Baby?" Ian said, shrugging, snapping me back to reality.


    "If only your name was like that," Iined at the fact that he was so rude and careless.


    "Well, my name is not. And what is up with you?" he asked, gently rocking his baby. It was strange watching him take care of a child.


    "What?" I asked, confused.


    "You look eerily sentimental, not like your usual annoying self," he questioned while mixing a rudement at the same time.


    "As if you¡¯re not different either," Iined, reminding him he was acting a bit civilized himself.


    "That¡¯s because I have zero energy left. Ever since I got my hands on this baby, she¡¯s been crying non-stop, and her voice is so loud." He put his hand near his ear, shook it, and grimaced.


    "I don¡¯t understand why people even want babies," heined.


    Then he looked at the baby, who opened her eyes and stared at him. I expected him to have a small moment of awe, but instead, he stuck his tongue out at her and wrinkled his nose, teasing her.


    "You¡¯re so evil," Imented after watching him interact with the poor child.


    "Anyway, what¡¯s the n? When will the train return?" I asked, and he looked at me.


    "We¡¯ve only been here for a day, so calm down," there was a way he would talk that would make his sexy voice sound so annoying.


    "Yeah, but didn¡¯t they say the train wille twice this time so the ones with babies can leave?" I asked, and he started zoning out.


    "Yeah, maybe. Maybe tomorrow one train will arrive. Do you want to go back, or should we just explore the city?" he asked, shocking me with his point of view.


    We weren¡¯t here for a pic, and I was pretty sure he knew that. Plus, we had babies. I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. Soon after the babies were fed, we realized they needed a diaper change.


    "I¡¯m not doing that," he said, pointing at his baby.


    "Come on, Ian, don¡¯t be a bitch. They need you," it was so hard to convince him of anything. And he was like that child who really tests your patience.


    He got up, left the baby on the bench, and started walking away.


    "You clean that and let me know," he voiced from the road.


    I didn¡¯t want to do it for him, but the baby wasn¡¯t at fault, so I grabbed the wipes and did my best to take care of it. Once I was done, I turned and yelled,


    "Come back in! I¡¯ve changed her diaper." He finally returned.


    "Ew, what are we gonna do with these?" he asked, pointing at the dirty ones.


    "Of course we¡¯ll throw them away, Ian," I grunted at him for being such an idiot.


    He was not helpful at all.


    "Well, not really." Mint reminded me he did help with the biggest problem¨Cfood¡ªbut that didn¡¯t mean much. He was still pretty annoying. We stayed around for a few more minutes before I began to get up.


    "What? We can spend time here. Nobody ising here. And look, there¡¯s a little bit of food for us too. Some biscuits and juices. Here." He offered me one, but I stayed as far away as I could.


    "Everybody is there," I said.


    He followed my eyes, turning his neck to look into the distance where I was staring. It was the same road we hade from.


    "You mean to say, your mate? So, you two are a thing now," Ian asked almost too eerily, his head down to look at the baby in his arms.


    "I have two," the minute I said that, he shot his head up and snapped his neck at me.

 Chapter 96-Finding My Mates

    <h4>Chapter 96: 96-Finding My Mates</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What do you mean by you have two?" Ian asked, making me turn my head to look at him. He stared at me with his grey eyes like they were shootingsers. I had a feeling the statement would get some harsh and quizzical res, and some might even taunt me for lying. It was strange in our world for a she-wolf to im she had two fated mates.


    "I have another mate," I said, and Ian squeezed one eye shut. I walked back to the bench and sat down, holding the baby close to my chest. The baby was starting to fall asleep again.


    "You rejected Haiden and now you have another mate? Is that what you¡¯re saying? Because then I have to tell you, you¡¯re lucky to find a second chance mate," he said. "She-wolves don¡¯t usually get second chances. They have to be picked after that or live alone."


    It was rare for a she-wolf to have even a second chance mate, let alone a fated mate.


    Before I could tell him how wrong he was, I noticed he wasn¡¯t done. He was smirking from one corner of his mouth, which made me expect a snarkyment.


    "What?" I asked, annoyed by his silent smirk.


    "No, I¡¯m just thinking about Haiden. He must be so pissed." Heughed, raising his head and jerking his eyebrows twice. His bodynguage was attractive, I must say. His facial expressions were even charming. But he was an arrogant asshole.


    "What¡¯s so funny about it?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.


    "No, it¡¯s just that he acts so superior because, you know, it¡¯s really umon for someone to fall in love at the academy, let alone find a mate. People eithere with their mates or lovers, or they don¡¯t get along well," he said, causing me to roll my eyes.


    I didn¡¯t say it out loud, but I knew why he thought that. Because it would be so hard for someone to fall in love with him, he assumed everyone was the same.


    "Well, for your information, I have not rejected Haiden."


    As soon as I said that, his smile faded. His eyebrow returned to its ce, and his face started to twist in confusion.


    "Then how do you have two mates? Are you going to choose a mate while you have a fated mate?" he asked, making it clear the idea blew his mind.


    So then I did it. I wanted to blow his mind.


    "Ian, I have two freaking fated mates, two alphas." I held up two fingers, then quickly put my hand back under the baby.


    "That¡¯s not possible," Ian said, shaking his head. He got up, put the baby back, and stretched his arms and back.


    "I know it¡¯s not possible. It¡¯s never happened before, but it¡¯s happening to me," I argued, angry he was taking it lightly. I really needed someone¡¯s opinion because Yorick didn¡¯t care to find out why.


    "Fine. Who is the second alpha?" he demanded, hands on his waist, his eyes judging me. I kept staring at his face, wondering if I should tell him. Ian was not someone I trusted. For all I knew, he could use this to taunt Yorick or Haiden. My silence made him start smirking.


    "See? I knew it. You¡¯re trying so hard to be special, Clementine, but you¡¯re not, sweetie." He hunched down, hands on his knees. When I hit him with silence, he straightened up again.


    "What about your girl? Did you meet her?" I questioned, tilting my face as I noticed an odd reaction from him. His body suddenly tensed. He didn¡¯t even look at me and hunched down to check on the baby.


    "I¡¯m not going to talk about my personal life," he muttered quietly.


    He was slowly returning to his usual arrogant and annoying self, which made me wonder if when he said he was only being nice because he was tired, it was true.


    "What about you? Where did you learn to take care of babies? You don¡¯t seem like one," he challenged, turning to look at me while straightening his back.


    "Well, I¡¯m not talking about my personal life with you either," I shot back, and he just rolled his eyes. I got up again and stared at the road.


    "Ian, we have to go back," I insisted. Finally realizing we were wasting too much time sitting here while others were still back there.


    "And do what? Get killed?" he scoffed.


    "We already secured the package. We might as well wait for the train to arrive and just board it. Who knows, maybe it wille today. It¡¯s a matter of little babies. They¡¯ll be sending the train frequently. It just sucks that none of us really focused on when the trains woulde back," I exined.


    He began tapping his chin, clearly not understanding the urgency in my tone.


    "Ian, when I was leaving that shop, Yorick was under attack. And before that, Haiden and Troy were under attack by the white squad," I told him, watching him shrug.


    "So, do you expect us to go back and fight for them? If they were under attack, then I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯d be dead by now," he said, showing no care in the world.


    It irked me so much. How could someone be so nonchnt? Did he not care about anyone in the world?


    "I have to go back. I can¡¯t waste too much time here." I finally decided that now the sun was up, I could look around carefully. I even have some baby food with me now. So I wanted to go back and see if any of my squad members needed my help. No, I didn¡¯t want to believe they were dead.


    "It¡¯s your wish. I¡¯m not going to stop you," Ian said, stretching his legs out and putting the baby down on the bench again. He held his hands behind his head in a resting position while shaking his leg.


    I took a deep breath and put my baby down just so I could grab a few things needed for the child¡¯s care. I expected Ian to stop me from taking the food, but he didn¡¯t. So once I had enough food and necessary stuff packed in the ck shopping bags that were neatly tucked in my bag for discarding the used diapers, I started moving back the way I hade.


    I was going to find my squad mates, hopeful that all of them were alive. At least two of them were, because I didn¡¯t feel my mate bond breaking.

 Chapter 97-My Mate Is Dying.

    <h4>Chapter 97: 97-My Mate Is Dying.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I knew I was taking a big risk carrying a baby as I walked back, but we had to pass this road to reach the station. I fed the baby a few times on the way, and by then, the sun was right above us. It wasn¡¯t too hot, just pleasant weather since it was usually cold here. As I got closer to the vige, I fed the baby again. I even changed his diaper so he would keep sleeping. I thought hard about what might have happenedst night when the squadmates were attacked while holding babies. The only reason I could think of was that maybe the babies were crying, which caught the fleshmingos¡¯ attention.


    When I got back to the vige, I froze. My heart pounded when I saw the squadmates fromst night, two of them torn apart and dead on the road.


    "That means Yorick couldn¡¯t keep them safe inside the shop," Mint said, making my heart skip a beat. Thest time I was here, I saw Yorick trying to get them inside and lock the door, but if they were outside now, it meant the fleshmingos had broken in. Tears ran down my face as I looked around.


    "We have to find him," I said, rushing toward the shop.


    "Be careful, Clementine," she warned, "the fleshmingos might still be inside," but I didn¡¯t listen. I just knew my mate was out there. He had to be alive since I didn¡¯t feel any pain in my heart. I looked inside, and it was a disaster, blood sttered everywhere. I sniffled and covered my mouth because I almost gagged. Somehow, the baby woke up too. I hugged him quickly and stepped outside, then hurried down the road again. There were many houses, and if I sneaked inside, I had more chances of running into the fleshmingos than my mates.


    "Do you see that?" Mint said, pointing to the sky. I looked up and saw a purple fog in the distance.


    "That means the train ising," I said, confused. They were bringing the train so quickly, probably for the crusaders who had already secured the babies.


    "Then we should go board the train, we already have the baby," Mint suggested.


    But I took a step back as I contemted her words.


    "I don¡¯t know, Mint. What about Yorick, Haiden, and Troy? They¡¯re still here," I said, swallowing hard while staring at the sky.


    "What if they¡¯re not? Remember, Yorick had a baby. What if he took him to the station to leave? What if Troy and Haiden also found babies?" she argued. Then I realized it was more likely to find someone and get information at the station than to just stand here worrying.


    "Or if someone else is at the station, we could give them the baby and stay behind to look for Yorick and the others," I suggested. I could tell she didn¡¯t like the idea much because her first priority was my safety. But after thinking it over, she seemed to agree that at least it was worth considering.


    It felt strange. I knew she cared for her mates, but she was hesitant too, just like me.


    I started walking quickly toward the train station. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the only road to get there, there was one through the woods and probably others. So, I didn¡¯t know how many people were heading to the train at the same time.


    Nearing the station, I finally began to see Crusaders. I held the baby tightly, worried someone might snatch him from my arms. Many of them had babies too, but a few were badly injured, even the Crusaders. I looked around, trying to recognize faces, but my mind stayed focused on my mates. Once I got to the station, I started getting pushed and shoved as everyone rushed forward. I heard someone shout that the baby was dying and they needed to board the train. Then I heard others say they weren¡¯t doing it for the baby but so they wouldn¡¯t have toe back. Suddenly, a hand grabbed me and pulled me aside to save me from the crowd. The blue squad was going wild, pushing people out of the way to reach the train as if it would leave without them. I figured it was less about the train leaving and more about someone grabbing the baby. My first reaction was to hug the baby closer, thinking someone might try to take him from me.


    Once I was safe on the side, my eyes grew wide in shock when I saw Yorick and Haiden in front of me.


    "You two are okay?" I asked, smiling widely.


    But it didn¡¯t seem tond well. Haiden looked at Yorick and then back at me, holding a baby girl.


    "I¡¯m d you have the baby. We can board the train now," Haiden said. I noticed Yorick was badly hurt, blood was oozing from his wounds.


    "Wait, Yorick, are you alright?" I reached out, checking him.


    "The baby is fine," he whispered, barely able to speak. I looked down at the baby in his arms and realized the baby wasn¡¯t fine. The baby was dead.


    "Yorick, the baby isn¡¯t breathing," I said, and Haiden quickly turned away.


    Yorick could barely stand. I had no idea how serious his injuries were, but the visible wounds scared me. He had arge cut on his neck like the fleshmingos had tried to slit it. Then he dropped to his knees, still holding the baby.


    "I¡¯m trying to find the hospital," he said, his voice barely audible but he seemed to be in a trauma.


    I couldn¡¯t believe he had survived such a brutal attack. While the others died, he managed to run away. His wounds showed he fought hard and barely escaped alive. He was in terrible shape. Haiden hadn¡¯t looked at him closely until now, maybe they had only met moments before they grabbed him.


    "He¡¯s not going to make it," someone said as they passed by, ncing over our shoulders at Yorick. I grimaced at thementer and looked back at Haiden.


    "They¡¯ll send him back the minute wend," Haiden mumbled.


    I watched Yorick hold onto the dead baby. I could not think about Yoricking back here. He would die. He was too stunned to talk and lost blood fast. With wounds like that, there was no way he could even transition.


    "Haiden, you need to take him to the carriage," I whispered. He nodded, and I took the baby from Haiden.


    Haiden helped Yorick put one arm over his shoulder, then silently gestured at the baby to show me that Yorick wasn¡¯t leaving him, even though the baby had turned blue.


    "Yorick, the baby is dead," he said, but Yorick shook his head. This mission had left everyone with a broken heart and we were boarding a train with one dead baby and two missing crusaders with no idea where Troy might be.

 Chapter 98-Staying In The North For Troy

    <h4>Chapter 98: 98-Staying In The North For Troy</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Still, Haiden helped him up and walked him to the carriage. Inside, I saw Ian already there.


    "Ah, you¡¯re all back," he said, but his smirk faded when he saw Yorick¡¯s condition. He looked terrible, and it hurt me deeply.


    That¡¯s when I knew Yorick was in a very bad state and heading for a deadly oue. I felt a sharp pain in my chest. With tears in my eyes, I watched Haideny Yorick down on the seat.


    "I guess we should take the baby back home. The monsters will eat him here. At least he¡¯ll get a proper memorial, a goodbye, and a grave on the maind," Haiden suggested, taking the baby from Yorick¡¯s arms.


    There were only four of us in the carriage; one was missing, it was Troy.


    "Where¡¯s Troy?" I asked Haiden.


    "I don¡¯t know. We lost track afterst night," Haiden answered shortly.


    By then, the others had boarded the train. We ced the dead baby on the seat, and Haiden took his baby from me. I kept staring at Yorick and then at the door. Then I made the hardest decision, but I think it was the right one. I put my baby beside Yorick and stepped back until I was outside the door. The door shut suddenly behind me. I moved so fast that Haiden couldn¡¯t stop me.


    "What the hell?" I heard him shout from inside.


    "He needs a baby to make sure he doesn¡¯te back. So once yound, please take him to the hospital. Get him care," I yelled.


    "I¡¯ll go find Troy," I added, watching all the squadmates look at me through the windows, shocked. I don¡¯t think anyone expected someone to do that for their squadmates.


    I couldn¡¯t face Haiden¡¯s expression. I didn¡¯t want to because I could tell he was upset that I stepped out without telling him my n. But I wanted to carry this burden alone instead of dragging anyone else into it. It was my choice.


    With that, I watched the train leave.


    Until the train vanished, I saw Haiden struggling with the door, likely trying to pry it open. I knew once those doors shut, there was no way he could open them again. Now I was on my own. As the train disappeared, I heard shouting behind me. I turned and saw Oriana and another girl from her squad running toward me, the other girl cradling a baby in her arms.


    "The train left?" Oriana asked, looking confused, shocked, and hurt. I could tell they were terrified because of the baby.


    "Yeah, it just left," I replied, worried for them.


    "How could they do this to us? We have a child with us," Oriana snapped, pointing at the baby. I recognized the other girl, Oriana had introduced her to me before. She was the twin of another squad member.


    "Valerie, hold the baby tight." Even while upset, Oriana found time to criticize how Valerie was holding the child. I realized it must have been Valerie who had rescued the baby.


    "What are we going to do now?" Valerie asked. She was usually quiet, but when she spoke, her voice was gentle.


    "We¡¯ll wait, obviously!" Oriana barked, making me narrow my eyes. I had always seen her act overly sweet to everyone. I¡¯d never seen her with her own squad, so it surprised me she could be so sharp. Or maybe they were just scared. Weren¡¯t we all?


    "It¡¯s okay, Oriana. She¡¯s holding the baby just fine," I told her with a pointed look. After that, she seemed to rx a little.


    "They took the bags with them," Oriana muttered, ncing around. I pointed toward one near the benches.


    "Oh." She sounded flustered. The bag was right in sight.


    "Give me the baby. I¡¯ll feed him," Oriana said to Valerie, who shook her head and held the child closer.


    "I saved him. I can take care of him." The way she stared at Oriana made it feel like a challenge. I guessed she¡¯d had enough. I didn¡¯t want to stick around to watch them argue, I needed to look for Troy and check if there were more babies.


    "Fine. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to steal him from you. I can alwayse back and spend a week. I¡¯m not scared," Oriana muttered as Valerie walked past her to sit on the bench with the baby.


    "The train won¡¯t be back until tomorrow," I told Oriana. She slowly nodded.


    "You didn¡¯t get the baby either?" she asked, pouting.


    "No," I answered, lying. "But I have my squad mate here, so I didn¡¯t board." Her expression told me she was already judging that choice.


    "Wow. Fine." She rolled her eyes. "I thought you said your squad mates bullied you. Why stay for him? You could¡¯ve left ande back." She sounded like she was judging me, but I didn¡¯t care. That kind of pressure had never worked on me.


    "Are you really not scared ofing back here, Oriana?" I asked, referring to what she had told Valerie earlier. She only shrugged, looking cautious.


    "I found this road between the vige and the big city. If I just have food, I¡¯ll be fine there," she said, likely talking about the same road where I¡¯d once found Ian sitting. She wasn¡¯t wrong. We¡¯d been there for hours before, and no monsters had appeared. But if they did, we¡¯d be in trouble¡ªthere weren¡¯t many ces to hide.


    "And where would you get the food from?" I pressed, genuinely curious. I half-expected to end up back here as punishment too, since I knew there weren¡¯t many babies left to save.


    "There are plenty of fruits in the woods, Clementine. Wait¡ªare you thinking abouting back? Oh my God, that would be amazing. We could actually survive if we¡¯re together." She grabbed my hand, eyes wide, a bright smile on her lips. I wasn¡¯t sure why she was always like this with me, because I¡¯d seen her be rude to Valerie.


    "Yeah, I mean, if there are no babies left¨C" I didn¡¯t have to finish, she understood.


    "Yeah, well, there are none left. I did a head count back when others were carrying babies toward the station. I only stayed behind because I was trying to help Valerie, who had an injured leg." She nced at Valerie, then rolled her eyes. "And this girl is giving me attitude. Can you believe that?" she muttered, clearly annoyed.


    "Ugh," I made a small sound, my worry for Troy growing.


    "Which of your squad mates is missing?" she asked, snapping me back to reality.


    "Troy. I haven¡¯t seen him sincest night," I answered, feeling low. We¡¯d been best friends for so long, and it hurt to think we¡¯d fallen apart because of a misunderstanding his family had caused.


    Then I caught the smile on Oriana¡¯s face like she knew something.


    "Oh, I saw him next to that big mansion early this morning. He was holding a baby girl."


    My eyes widened with joy, but the feeling faded just as quickly. Why hadn¡¯t hee back? Why hadn¡¯t he returned to the station if he had already secured a baby?

 Chapter 99-Finding Clementine

    <h4>Chapter 99: 99-Finding Clementine</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    It felt like watching a horror movie, seeing Clementine locked out of the mansion. This white squad had barged in, imed the ce we found and opened, and then did the worst thing, they threw out our squadmate. And not just anyone, but Clementine.


    I released Jack and rushed toward the door to let her back in, but before I could get far, Jack grabbed my leg, stopping me.


    "Don¡¯t let them open the door, they¡¯ll bring the monsters in!" Suki shouted.


    By now, I couldn¡¯t stand her voice. She wasn¡¯t just irritating, she was unbearable, and she was the reason Clementine wasn¡¯t safe with us anymore. I kicked Jack off and bolted for the door again. By then, even Haiden had shoved Joshua aside. He dashed over to me and pulled the door open.


    "You guys are gonna get us killed!" Jack shouted, while another annoying girl from their squad sobbed as usual. But it was toote. The door was already open, and right in front of us was a huge swarm of monsters. They were chittering and darting around with their necks stretched high.


    "Shut the door!" Suki came from behind us and mmed it closed.


    We froze. There was no sign of Clementine when the door had opened. Haiden and I stood rooted to the spot, staring at each other. Itsted only a second, but it felt like an hour.


    "I¡¯m going out," I told Haiden, refusing to stay inside now that Clementine was gone.


    "Yeah, me too," Haiden replied. I caught the look on Suki¡¯s face as she stepped in front of the door again.


    "Are you two crazy? You¡¯re gonna die, she¡¯s probably already dead." She tried to sound like she was on our side.


    "You¡¯re the reason she¡¯s out there on her own." The moment I realized she was the one who had kicked Clementine out, my hand mped around her neck, mming her head against the door.


    "Ouch!" she gasped.


    "Hey! Let her go!" Joshua yelled, rushing toward us.


    Jack lunged too, but Haiden moved behind me, shoving them away as they tried to get to me.


    "If anything¡¯s happened to her, you¡¯d better believe you won¡¯t make it home alive," I snarled at Suki, tightening my grip on her neck and staring straight into her eyes. "Now move, because we¡¯re not staying here with you."


    She looked stunned, and when I finally released her, she darted to Joshua¡¯s arms. But for a split second, I saw her nce at Jack like she had almost run to him instead. Maybe I imagined it, though, I had heard they were friends before all this.


    We shoved her aside, threw the door open, and rushed out. We knew it was a suicide mission. People from the white squad were whispering that we were making a mistake, that it was toote for Clementine. If that was true, then we had failed her.


    Now we were outside again. The door mmed shut behind us.


    "Get to the top of the mansion, quick!" Suddenly, Haiden tapped my shoulder and hissed as the monsters starteding toward us.


    We spun around and began climbing the mansion one step at a time. We were fast, faster than the monsters. Soon, we were on top, scanning the area in sheer panic. The number of monsters was overwhelming.


    "Can you spot Clementine anywhere?" Haiden asked.


    I shook my head, unable to say it aloud. We were looking for a body. But there was none either. At least none we could see.


    Unless...


    ¡¯No, no, no, no, no,¡¯ my wolf muttered inside me, refusing to believe the monsters had taken her body.


    "She¡¯s alive," Haiden told me. I raised an eyebrow at him.


    "I can feel it," he said, patting his chest. "The mate bond is stronger than ever. She¡¯s fine." He gave me a look, then turned his eyes toward the full moon. A smile curved his lips.


    "What?" I asked, wondering if he¡¯d thought of a n.


    "Nah, nothing. Every time I think about the full moon night, I think about the night I felt the mate bond with her. It¡¯s crazy how we turned out to be mates, you know."


    Haiden went on, probably wanting someone to share his mate bond story with. Normally, that was something for royal betas, but we didn¡¯t have any left.


    And I wasn¡¯t happy for him.


    ¡¯Because we are jealous,¡¯ my wolf grumbled.


    I ignored the voice. I wanted to focus on the moment.


    "Sitting on top of this mansion means nothing, Haiden. We should be out there looking for her. Otherwise, we should have stayed inside." Ipletely sidestepped his topic. I didn¡¯t want to hear him talk about Clementine being his mate. That meant nothing to me, so why waste time on it?


    "Yeah, you¡¯re right. You go this way, I¡¯ll go forward," Haiden said, pointing toward the houses we hadn¡¯t crossed yet.


    "Okay!" I agreed.


    But then he seemed to change his mind. I saw him try to leap toward a tree, then toward another house, but instead he headed toward the trees. Maybe he was looking for another route. The houses ahead were far, and he¡¯d have to get down to the road to reach them, which meant facing the monsters.


    For me, it was easier because the houses we¡¯d passed earlier were close together. I could jump from one roof to a tree and then onto the next house, like crossing a bridge.


    All this time, I hadn¡¯t spotted Clementine, and with her red hair and ck outfit, she was usually hard to miss. Once I couldn¡¯t find her, I started wondering if I should keep moving forward.


    By now, an hour had already passed, but I wasn¡¯t slowing down. I was determined to find her no matter what.


    Just then, a loud scream echoed from the backyard of one of the houses. It was the cry of a woman.


    "Somebody please save me and my baby!" the woman shouted. I jumped down from the tree and hurried toward the back of one of the houses. Once there, I turned to see a woman lying on the ground, one hand raised to stop the monster in front of her while holding her baby tightly to her chest.


    "No, please! Please don¡¯t hurt my baby!" she pleaded as the creature kept moving closer. They looked like animals, but even without eyes, I could tell this one was sensing her fear¡ªand enjoying it. Before I could rush to help her, the monster tore off her head within seconds, right in front of me.

 Chapter 100-Found A Girl In The Woods

    <h4>Chapter 100: 100-Found A Girl In The Woods</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    The moment her head came off, the monster stepped back so it could roll it around. At the same time, I saw her body copse, and the hold she¡¯d had on the baby was gone. I lunged toward her lifeless body and scooped up the baby girl. My heartbeat must have been deafening, along with my panting and footsteps, because the monster dropped the head and turned its attention to me.


    It charged, but with one arm holding the baby and the other reaching for the back of the building, I started climbing. Halfway up, something yanked at my leg. I groaned in pain, kicking at the damn creature as I tried to pull free from its beak. It mped onto my shoe with brutal force.


    "Did you not have enough?" I shouted at it. Suddenly, it released me and began searching for the head again. I hated it at that moment. It was like it could understand me.


    Once I reached the top, I cradled the crying baby. The other monsters heard her wails and began gathering around the house, some even leaping toward us. But they couldn¡¯t climb this high. It didn¡¯t matter, they had already done their damage.


    Holding her close, I gazed at the full moon, tears welling in my eyes as I rocked her gently. For an hour, she cried while the monsters screeched below. Then, silence. But inside me, a storm was building.


    "There was nothing you could have done," my wolf murmured, trying tofort me. "We were just a little toote."


    "We could have saved that woman," I replied, my body trembling with a strange sense of loss.


    "Hey, Troy, you saved the baby. And from what I¡¯m seeing here, I don¡¯t think we were meant to save the mothers. They were supposed to stay behind. Remember what the squadmates said? No matter how many times they sent warriors or lurkers, they never found any adults to rescue." My wolf¡¯s words felt like lies. If a newborn could survive and make it back to the maind, why couldn¡¯t an adult? How was it possible that none of the crusaders had evere across a civilian here? I had just found one. I was simply toote.


    "You might want to move to the house next to this one. There¡¯s a rooftop there. You¡¯d be much safer."


    I guess my wolf noticed I was nodding off. It happens often, whenever I¡¯m too upset or grieving, I get drowsy. It¡¯s my body¡¯s way of forcing me to rest, because if I stay awake, I just keep stressing. I listened to my wolf and climbed onto the rooftop of the next house. The high walls made it safer, much safer.


    Even then, I couldn¡¯t fully sleep. Screams and shouts broke the night every so often. Once, I thought I heard Clementine talking to someone, but maybe it was just part of a dream. I was still pretty out of it. When the moon began to rise, I woke up. The child with me was hungry, so I knew I had to get back to the station to feed her.


    ¡¯Then we could board the train.¡¯ It felt like my wolf wanted to hear my n.


    "No, I want to go back and find her," I muttered, and he already knew who I meant. Roy didn¡¯t seem to object.


    "We can hand the baby to someone so they can take her to the maind," he suggested. I nodded. I didn¡¯t want to return to the same house where the mother¡¯s body had been, or maybe wasn¡¯t anymore. These creatures had spent the whole night ying with corpses and severed heads. They seemed to like staying in this area for some reason.


    I climbed down from the building. By then, it seemed the creatures had either gone into hiding or fallen asleep. I spotted one near the woods, lying there peacefully, while the rest were probably inside the houses. For some reason, I walked back toward the mansion. This time, the door was open. The white squad was gone. I had hoped Clementine might be there, but she wasn¡¯t.


    "We should hand over the baby and thene back. She¡¯s going to wake up again and set off all the sleeping monsters. It¡¯ll be dangerous for us and for the others carrying babies," Roy argued, noticing that other squadmates had infants with them too. I followed the crowd heading toward the train station.


    "Troy!" A cheerful voice jolted me. How could anyone sound happy here? I turned and saw the girl from the red squad, the same one who had flirted with us in our roomst time. I didn¡¯t feel like talking to anyone. I was carrying the daughter of a woman who died because I¡¯d been too slow to help. And worried for an ex-friend that was missing. I had no time for anyone else. I quickened my pace, ignoring her.


    Halfway there, I heard a girl in pain. It wasn¡¯t the kind of pain from a monster attack, it was different. She was groaning, moaning.


    "Is anybody there?" I called out from the edge of the woods. The others had already passed me. I was too slow, my eyes constantly scanning for Clementine.


    "Help! Please help me!" The cry was faint but desperate. I followed the sound, and when I found the voice¡¯s owner, my whole body went numb.


    "Oh, you¡¯re a crusader. Please help me," the girl whispered. She had heavy bags under her eyes, like she¡¯d been crying the whole time she¡¯d been left behind. It was clear she was one of us who¡¯d been left behind, the pregnant girl Haiden had worried about. The same one the ringleaders imed they couldn¡¯t find. But how? She was right here in the woods, right next to the station. Had she been moving too much? Was that why they couldn¡¯t track her down? Questions crowded my mind, but I had no answers. In that moment, all that mattered was taking care of her.


    "Sadie?" I blurted, shocked to see her. "What is going on? How do you¡ªoh¡ªwhat¡¯s happened to you?" I stammered, moving quickly toward her.


    "Shh!!!" Her hand rested on her swollen belly. I guessed we hadn¡¯t noticed before because she was always in baggy clothes. But now she¡¯d taken off her sweater, and it was clear.


    "I¡¯m going intobor." Then, in a soft, gentle voice, she exined exactly what was happening to her.

 Chapter 101-We Keep Losing Loved Ones.

    <h4>Chapter 101: 101-We Keep Losing Loved Ones.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I had been walking in silence for a few minutes. Two faces kept shing in my mind¡ªHaiden¡¯s, looking upset that I hadn¡¯t told him about the n before leaving, and Yorick¡¯s, who seemed to have been in deep pain. I wondered if running awayst night had been the right choice.


    "I¡¯m just as much in pain as you are, Clementine," Mint said softly. "But let me tell you, it wasn¡¯t your fault. You had a baby with you. If you had stayed, you might have ended up in worse shape. While he managed to save himself and survive, he might not have if you were there, because all his attention would have been on keeping you safe." Mint¡¯s words were bold enough to make me stop in my tracks.


    "Just because we felt the mate bond doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯ll lose his mind over me," I replied.


    "Come on, Clementine, how can someone be so clueless?" she shot back. "He told youst night that he has feelings for you, and that was before he even felt the mate bond. Stop convincing yourself you wouldn¡¯t be his priority if something happened."


    Her sharp tone left me speechless. I kept walking down the road through the same vige, scanning my surroundings. The butcher knife rested in my belt, and I stayed alert. Then I heard strange noisesing from the woods.


    I followed the sound of a woman groaning, my hand resting on the butcher knife¡¯s handle. The moment I saw the people causing themotion, I couldn¡¯t help but rush forward and grab the man¡¯s arm.


    "Troy!" The instant I called his name, he turned, eyes wide.


    "Clementine!" His big smile nearly knocked me off my feet. He quickly set the baby down on the ground so he could wrap his arms around me. His biceps squeezed so tightly it forced the breath from my lungs.


    "Troy, the baby!" I reminded him sharply, hoping to be free so that I could breathe freely.


    "Oh, right." He broke the hug and picked the baby back up.


    "I¡¯m so d you¡¯re safe."


    He gave me a quick nce from head to toe. "You don¡¯t have a baby with you?"


    I shook my head and waved my hand, letting him know I needed to understand what was going on before we could talk about me.


    "Oh, by the way, look who¡¯s here," he whispered in excitement.


    It felt like we hadn¡¯t seen each other in years and had forgotten anyone else was around. And by ¡¯anyone else,¡¯ I meant the girl in pain. I looked past Troy and felt my heart flip again.


    "This is Sadie?" I asked. He nodded, though the smile on his face didn¡¯t suggest he was in pain or in a hurry to get home. He still cradled the baby, and suddenly it made sense, he hadn¡¯t boarded the train because he¡¯d run into Sadie and decided to stay with her. I could see she couldn¡¯t move.


    "Sadie," I murmured, kneeling beside her and taking her hand. "Are you okay?"


    Her skin was icy, almost blue, and her lips had turned purple. She looked even weaker than thest time I¡¯d seen her.


    "How do you know me?" she whispered.


    "I¡¯m Clementine. I¡¯m from¡ª" I didn¡¯t even finish before she started nodding.


    "Oh, I know you. He¡¯s¡ª talked about you so¡ª many times. It¡¯s like he always found a way to bring you up." Her words stunned me, but my focus stayed on her condition.


    "We need to carry her to the station. There¡¯s food and other supplies there," I told Troy as I stood. "We can take her home tomorrow when the traines back."


    But before I could move away, she gripped my hand and pulled me back down beside her.


    "I can¡¯t walk, and going to the station won¡¯t help me. I¡¯m inbor. I¡¯ll have my baby any minute." She repeated herself through quiet sobs. "I can¡¯t walk."


    It broke my heart to think she¡¯d been here all this time, alone, while we had gone back to our packs and spent time with our families. The thought just hurt.


    "How did you survive here?" I asked. She tilted her head, as if deciding where to begin.


    "You were with Haiden. Why did you leave?" Troy asked.


    "I got up to grab some food. I didn¡¯t want to wake Haiden for something so small, but I slipped, twisted my ankle, and passed out. By the time I woke, he was gone. Everyone was gone." Her voice was barely above a whisper, and tears streamed down her cheeks.


    She bit her bottom lip, her eyes squeezing shut. She was having contractions. And now it all made sense why she hadn¡¯t been there that day.


    "Just so you know, Haiden didn¡¯t want to leave you," I told her. "One of the crusaders lied, saying they saw you board the train. That¡¯s how he ended up on it. He even sent lurkers back to find you."


    Her eyes flew open at my words, sending goosebumps across my skin.


    "Nobody came, Clementine. I was right here. If anyone had arrived, they would have seen me. I stayed at the station all week, until two days ago. Every time I got hungry, I went into the woods, but the distance became too much. I stayed there for a while. But nobody came. At least¨C not for me," she whispered. I just stared at her, stunned. Then she shut her eyes and screamed in pain.


    "Oh my god, what do we do?" Troy blurted, hopping nervously in ce, fear in his voice as he watched herbor.


    "I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never seen anyone give birth," I admitted, panic tightening my chest.


    "Okay, you know what? We can do this if we just work together," I told Troy. He gave me a quick nod, and we got ready to deliver the baby and take them both home with us, the mother and her child.


    Troy set the baby he was holding down on the ground, wrapping him in a nket before running off to grab water. I stayed beside Sadie, holding her hand, trying to keep her from passing out.


    "Stay with me, Sadie," I said softly. "Do you have a name in mind for him? Do you remember who the father was?"


    Her lips moved slowly, her voice weak as uttered. "I want his name to be Hardin." She took a shaky breath. "The father¡ªhe was someone none of council members would have ever approved of. He was a criminal, a young boy sent into the North for punishment. I believe he died here." The broken smile on her lips crushed my heart.


    I squeezed her hand, watching her face, trying to keep her here with me. I held Sadie¡¯s hand and told her to breathe while she pushed. Her cries grew weaker, but atst, the baby came, a little boy.


    "You did it, Sadie," I whispered, leaning close. "He¡¯s beautiful." I waited for her to open her eyes, to smile at him, but she stayed still.


    "Sadie?" My voice cracked as I shook her gently. She didn¡¯t answer. Her lips were pale, her chest didn¡¯t move. The truth hit me hard, she was gone.

 Chapter 102-With Her On His Back

    <h4>Chapter 102: 102-With Her On His Back</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I had been holding the baby for a while. The tears on my cheek had dried, and my eyes stared nkly ahead.


    "Clementine,e on, we have to head back to the station. The baby needs food," Troy¡¯s voice finally broke through. He had been trying to reach me for some time. I heard him before, but I couldn¡¯t pull myself out of the haze. Watching Sadie die right in front of me had crushed me. It wasn¡¯t the monsters that killed her. It was the lurkers, the ringleaders, the headmaster.


    "Why didn¡¯t they help her like they promised?" I asked, turning to look at Troy.


    "I don¡¯t know. They¡¯re messed-up people, Clementine. Don¡¯t you see how they look at us? We¡¯re like clowns in uniforms, as if this is some live show. It¡¯s entertainment for them. But we have to get out of here¡ªfor these babies, for Hardin," Troy replied, sitting beside me.


    I could barely move. My gaze kept drifting to Sadie. Her body had turned a deep blue. Thest moments of her life were filled with unbearable pain.


    "She must have been terrified this whole time, Troy," I murmured, my lips trembling.


    "Clementine, please, hold yourself together." Troy set the baby down and took the one from my arms, wrapping him in a nket because I couldn¡¯t move. Then he hugged me, and I broke down, sobbing into his chest.


    "Do you think Hardin will forgive everyone for what they did to his mother?" I sniffled, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes.


    "I¡¯m not sure how he¡¯ll see the others, but he¡¯ll have far more respect for you and Haiden than for anyone else," Troy said, wiping my cheeks with the back of his hand.


    "I don¡¯t want to leave her here," I whispered.


    "Clementine, they won¡¯t let us bring her body."


    I shook my head. "No, she deserves a proper burial. She was a crusader, a fighter." My tears kept falling as Troy rubbed my shoulders to calm me.


    "I¡¯ll carry her to the train station and make sure they let us take her," he promised. The way he said it, with that steady, certain look in his eyes, made me start nodding along.


    Troy carried her on his back while I held both babies, one in each arm. It was difficult, but not as hard as carrying a body. I was at least grateful to Troy for remembering my wish.


    As we walked back to the station, I saw Oriana sitting on a bench, while Valerie was with the baby.


    "Oh my god, where have you been? Hey, you found your friend!" Oriana, always so cheerful, jumped up to rush toward me. But the moment she saw our condition, she stopped and tilted her head. "Wait, that¡¯s Sadie!" she gasped.


    I expected her to hurry over and help Troy, but instead, she stepped back. "What happened to her?" she asked, pointing at Sadie. "And wait, is that her baby?" She gestured toward the child in my arms.


    I didn¡¯t answer. Her reaction wasn¡¯t helpful. We needed action. Valerie set her baby down, hurried over, and took one of the babies from me so we could help Troy ce Sadie¡¯s body on the bench. Then she took the other baby while Oriana stood beside her.


    Once my hands were free, I helped Troyy Sadie down.


    "I need a nket to cover her," Troy said, his face heavy with sadness. I guessed he didn¡¯t want to keep looking at her.


    "I have one," Valerie replied, heading back to her bench and pulling out a nket she must have taken from one of the houses. She handed it to Troy, who immediately draped it over Sadie. Then he just stood there, watching her.


    "Oh my god, poor girl," Oriana finally murmured, as if waking from a daze.


    "Are they going to let you take her back home?" Oriana snapped out of it quickly, firing off questions.


    "They must. She was one of us," Valerie spoke firmly. She had a strong sense of loyalty but was still kind, and I felt proud of her.


    "Right, as if they¡¯ll listen to you," Oriana muttered, rolling her eyes at Valerie. Her attitude toward Valerie wasn¡¯t what I had expected. Was she not getting along with her squadmates, or was something else going on?


    Troy didn¡¯t stick around for their exchange. He fetched the baby girl from the bench and went to sit by the tracks. I picked up Hardin and joined him. Silence settled between us as we cared for the babies.


    I noticed Troy was better with a baby than most men I¡¯d seen. He changed diapers, cleaned her, even rubbed her back and sang a luby. It was surprisingly gentle of him. Valerie came to sit nearby so the baby in her arms could enjoy the luby too.


    "Where did you learn this?" I asked, remembering that he¡¯d never seemed like someone who¡¯d be so involved with children.


    "I don¡¯t know. Maybe I just did. Maybe fatherhood runs deeper in me," he said, trying to make a joke. But every time he moved, his gaze drifted behind me, and I guessed the sight of Sadie kept him quiet.


    Oriana stayed far back, probably avoiding sitting with us while Valerie was there.


    Meanwhile, Valerie told us her stepmother had been cruel enough to send both sisters away at once. She hadn¡¯t wanted either of them to stay. She wanted them out of her life so her own daughter could receive good proposals. Her stepmother also had a son who was an alpha, so the decision against the sisters had been an easy one.


    Our lives were just sad. We were all people cast aside because someone decided we were less deserving, simply because our fathers ced us second.


    The babies were fussy all night, but Hardin barely cried. It broke my heart because he was such a calm child, yet his mothery right behind him, never waking up. Every time I thought about it, the tears came again. I¡¯d think of her, start crying, and Troy would have tofort me.


    "Are you going to ept Haiden?" It was around 3 a.m., and I didn¡¯t expect Troy to ask me that.

 Chapter 103-Dear Oriana, What Have You Done?

    <h4>Chapter 103: 103-Dear Oriana, What Have You Done?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I turned to look at him, noticing Valerie had fallen asleep next to the baby on the bench, with a bag under her head as a pillow. Oriana was also sleeping peacefully on the bench. We ate a few biscuits from the bags, then Troy and I sat quietly, staring at the sky.


    "I¡¯m not sure. I haven¡¯t thought about it," I replied, trying to steer the conversation away, but he didn¡¯t let it go.


    "Do you not hate him for what he¡¯s done to you?" he asked. "All the bullying he caused?"


    "Let¡¯s not forget all of you bullied me, Troy. So Haiden isn¡¯t an exception. But it depends on who¡¯s willing to make things right," I answered without thinking much. I only wanted to stop him from bringing up Haiden¡¯s past when he had done the same to me.


    "Wow. So you just found out he¡¯s your mate and now you¡¯re forgiving him? I think you should give him a hard time. Being mates shouldn¡¯t be the reason you ept him. He was awful to you for years."


    It was strange hearing this from Troy of all people, but I stayed quiet. I didn¡¯t want an argument in a ce where it would only make things worse.


    "So you¡¯re not going to talk with me about it?" he pressed.


    His persistence annoyed me. He wasn¡¯t my best friend anymore and had no right to know about my personal life. But since he was so eager, I decided to give him more truth.


    "Well, it¡¯s not just Haiden anymore," I said firmly, then looked down at Hardin to avoid his gaze.


    "What do you mean by that?" Troy asked, turning toward me. We were sitting on the ground with our legs hanging over the track.


    "I felt the mate-bond with Yorickst night." The moment I said it, Troy went silent. After five long minutes, he scoffed.


    "Wow. First it was Haiden, now Yorick. Great. I don¡¯t even know why I cared about youst night. I should¡¯ve stayed in the mansion. I left to look for you, and then you end up feeling the mate-bond with Yorick." It wasn¡¯t just what he said, it was how he said it. He made it sound like I chose to feel that bond, as if I had any control over it.


    "You do realize I can¡¯t decide who I¡¯m bonded to. I¡¯m confused myself. How can I have two mates? So don¡¯t give me this attitude, Troy," I warned, pointing at him to make it clear there was no room for criticism.


    "Oh, really? You¡¯re upset? You¡¯re shocked because you think you¡¯re too special to have two mates. Everyone but me." The words slipped out, and we both went silent.


    "Oh, my baby is awake." Valerie stirred at the sound of her crying child and quickly calmed the baby before any nearby monsters could hear.


    Thankfully, that ended the conversation, though I knew it woulde up again. I dreaded it, especially after what Troy had let slip. Did he want to be my mate? No, that was impossible. We were just friends, friends who became enemies. There was no way he wanted that.


    Morning came, and we were ready to board the train. It was due in just a few minutes.


    "Oh my god, I can¡¯t hold it in," Valerieined, stomping her feet.


    "Well then go ahead. The woods are right there. Go take a shit ande back," Oriana said, arms folded. She didn¡¯t seem to care at all about finding a baby. She looked toofortable here, like she could stay for a week and call it a pic.


    "She doesn¡¯t have to go to the woods. There¡¯s a bathroom at the station," Troy said, correcting her and pointing to the back. Behind a wall stood a singlerge bathroom.


    "Oh my god, I¡¯ll just go quickly before the traines," Valerie said in a rush. She set her baby down on the bench. "Can you watch him?"


    Oriana nodded, while she hurried into the bathroom. The train arrived quickly.


    "Oh my god, thank goodness," Oriana muttered, rolling her eyes.


    Troy boarded first so he could return for Sadie. I followed him, and we ced both babies on the seats. I stayed between them so they wouldn¡¯t fall while Troy came back with Sadie. We had to put her in a separate seat because her body was dposing faster than we expected, and we now had newborns with us. It was awful even having to think about it.


    Then something unthinkable happened. While we were busy with Sadie, I nced toward the carriage in front of ours and saw Oriana boarding with Valerie¡¯s baby in her arms. I frowned, knocked on the window to ask what she was doing. That¡¯s when I saw Valerie rushing out of the bathroom.


    The doors closed before she could reach us, and I am pretty sure it was Oriana who had pressed the button. Our door was already closed, so when Oriana shut hers, the train registered everyone on board. No one else wasing, so it began to move.


    "Wait, one of us is still outside!" I shouted, rushing to the ss door.


    Troy saw her too and ran to help me, watching Valerie wave her hands desperately.


    "What the fuck?" he growled, trying to pry the door open. We couldn¡¯t figure out the mechanism. The doors would shut on their own, even if someone was clearly left behind. That was the frightening part, after the first few minutes, they could close at any time, either automatically or by someone else. She could have boarded another carriage, but the train didn¡¯t wait.


    "No! Wait! One of us is still out there!" I screamed, mming my hands on the ss.


    Oriana started doing the same. "Hey! There¡¯s a squadmate left behind!" she cried dramatically.


    It hit me hard because I knew I was the only one who saw it happen. I saw what she did.


    Momentster, Valerie¡¯s figure faded into the distance, and I knew the train had left her behind.

 Chapter 104-My Mate’s Wet Embrace

    <h4>Chapter 104: 104-My Mate¡¯s Wet Embrace</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Silence fell after Valerie was left behind. I didn¡¯t say it out loud, but in my head I was furious with Oriana. Still, I wasn¡¯t going to report her until I could speak to her directly.


    When we arrived at the station, the door opened and the ringleader stood waiting for us. The blue and green ringleaders nced around, then shook their heads at each other, as if realizing none of their other teammates had returned. Lenora stepped forward, smiling at Oriana.


    "I knew you wouldn¡¯t disappoint me," she told her. My fist clenched.


    "What happened to you, Clementine? Unlikest time, you didn¡¯t do very well." The nerve. I didn¡¯t like Lenora.


    "That¡¯s because we were fighting for our lives and the babies, not on some pic or chasing prizes," I shot back, watching her eyes widen.


    "Besides, she stayed behind because we were securing someone you were supposed to rescue." Troy¡¯s voice cut in, sharper this time.


    Miss Rue stepped forward and smiled at the babies. The lurkers moved in to take them from us. Troy handed over his baby, but I pulled mine back.


    "Clementine, you have to give the baby back. We¡¯ll ce them in good homes and in good care," Miss Rue said, holding out her arms.


    "Do you know whose baby this is?" I asked. Miss Rue hesitated, drawing her hands back in confusion.


    "Did you really send people to look for Sadie? Because she was right there in the woods at the entrance," I said sharply, watching them exchange nces before looking at us again.


    Mr. Rick wasn¡¯t around, which made me think the whole white squad had returned. That must have been why he didn¡¯t bothering to check on them.


    "This is Sadie¡¯s baby?" Miss Rue asked, still confused.


    "We brought her back," I said. Ms. Lenora¡¯s widened eyes didn¡¯t suggest she was happy her squadmate was back.


    "We want to give her a proper burial," Troy added. Only then did Lenora seem relieved. It made no sense.


    My questions went unanswered. The lurkers were told to take her body from the train, and we were ordered to return to our rooms. They said we¡¯d discuss itter.


    I had to give Hardin back, but I wanted to keep him for at least an hour. Maybe they knew they¡¯d been caught lying about sending lurkers to find Sadie, because they didn¡¯t object to my demands.


    "Let me hold him," Troy said. I guess he thought my arms were tired, because he reached from behind, towering over me, and took Hardin from my arms.


    With a moment to myself, I walked up to Oriana, who was behind Ms. Lenora.


    "That was crazy," Oriana said, not realizing I wasn¡¯t there to gossip.


    "Why did you do that?" I asked.


    She frowned, slowing her pace to put distance between herself and Lenora. "I grabbed the baby for safety. What do you mean, why did I do that?"


    "Don¡¯t act innocent. I saw what you did. Is that why you weren¡¯t fighting hard to find the baby¡ªbecause you knew you¡¯d end up with one? You left Valerie behind. You closed the door." I used her tantly.


    Her eyes widened. "No, Clementine, I didn¡¯t. You must have seen it wrong. I carried the baby inside so Valerie wouldn¡¯t have to fetch him, so she could get on the train quickly. I was pressing the button to open the door, even struggling with it. If I had shut the door, why would I be doing all this?"


    I shook my head. "Oriana, I know what I saw. You closed that door yourself. I am pretty sure I saw you hit the button before the door closed." My voice was mixed with irritation and disbelief.


    She pointed at herself, looking so lost that, for a moment, I almost doubted my own memory.


    "You saw it wrong. I swear I didn¡¯t close the door," she insisted.


    I guess our whispers got too loud, because Ms. Lenora spun around, hurried toward us, and pulled Oriana away from me.


    "You will not speak to my squadmates. You¡¯re a bad influence," she hissed, making my jaw drop. She dragged Oriana off while Troy, the lurkers, and Miss Rue came over.


    "What¡¯s going on? Are you okay?" Miss Rue asked.


    "Don¡¯t act like you care. You¡¯re just one of them," I snapped. I knew I was being harsh, but I was drained and didn¡¯t know who we could trust anymore.


    Stepping into the dorm room with Sadie¡¯s baby was hard. I knew Haiden would be filled with raw emotion, and I was already feeling it myself. I¡¯d been hoping to see Yorick well, maybe even healed by now. A whole day had passed, after all.


    But the moment the door opened and we stepped inside, disappointment hit me. Yorick wasn¡¯t there. Ian was scribbling something at the desk, and Haiden was nowhere in sight as well.


    "Oh, so you¡¯re back!" Ian called without turning, raising two fingers in azy greeting.


    "Where are Haiden and Yorick?" I asked.


    Ian slowly turned, then did a double take at Troy. "Oh, I thought you¡¯d be dead!" heughed. His grin faded when he noticed the baby in Troy¡¯s arms. "They let you keep those things?"


    I grunted at him.


    "Haiden¡¯s in the bathroom," Ian said, pointing his pen toward the door. "You didn¡¯t answer my question, did they let you keep the baby?"


    He tossed the pen onto his papers, got up, and walked over to Troy. Tilting his head, he stared at the baby. "That looks like you. Is it yours?"


    Ian never knew when to quit. He¡¯d prod andment until someone responded, just to feed his ego.


    "This is Sadie¡¯s baby," Troy said, still managing to sound polite.


    "Who?" Ian asked, looking clueless.


    I paced, anxious for Haiden toe out. I figured he was showering, but as soon as we arrived and started talking, I heard the water shut off. Maybe he¡¯d heard us and was hurrying. I wanted to ask about Yorick, but Ian was never one to give a straight answer.


    "Dude, the girl Haiden was taking care of," Troy said atst. "The one left behind because you lied."


    Ian rolled his eyes, then nodded. "Ah, she was alive? Well, I guess her baby came in handy. Otherwise you¡¯d have to go back."


    He spoke like it was nothing, no empathy, no reaction, before returning to his seat as if this were just another day.


    Then Haiden came out of the bathroom. His hair was wet, his white shirt soaked from not bothering to dry off. He looked at me, and in an instant, he crossed the room and pulled me into a tight embrace, something I never expected from him.

 Chapter 105-Wet And Under Scrutiny

    <h4>Chapter 105: 105-Wet And Under Scrutiny</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The scent of his shampoo was mesmerizing. I felt the dampness from his clothes, but I didn¡¯t let go. I couldn¡¯t even lift my hands because his arms were wrapped tightly around me. After a while, he pulled back and cupped my face in his cold hands, probably from the shower he had just taken.


    "Why the fuck did you stay behind without me?" he asked, his eyes scanning my face with such intimacy that I couldn¡¯t speak. His thumb brushed gently over my cheek and chin, leaving me numb.


    "Dude, do you remember Sadie? That¡¯s her baby," Troy jumped in quickly, his voice urgent, as if trying to distract Haiden, and it worked. Haiden turned to him, and his hands slowly slipped from my face. His eyesnded on the baby before looking back at Troy.


    "What do you mean? She died. Didn¡¯t they tell us?" Haiden asked, mentioning the lurkers.


    "Well, we found her in the woods," Troy exined, quickly handing over the baby. "She was inbor. She told us she¡¯d been at the station on and off, and she never saw a train stop to look for her."


    Haiden kept staring at the baby. I wanted to stay close, ready to help him if he broke down. He looked more angry than sad¡ªhis eyes held tears, but I had expected him topletely lose it. Now that I understood why he cared so much about her, his reaction seemed normal. He didn¡¯t know Sadie deeply. He was thinking of his mother while looking at her. And even though he was hurt, he wasn¡¯t throwing tantrums. Still, I could tell he nned to confront the ringleaders.


    "And that¡¯s why we couldn¡¯t find her."


    Miss Rue¡¯s arrival was unexpected. Haiden turned toward the door and watched her stand there, looking upset.


    "The train goes there and stays open for at least three minutes before leaving," she said. "We couldn¡¯t leave our lurkers behind, you know that. It¡¯s not their job. They can¡¯t fight those monsters like you all can. You¡¯re young, fresh, and know how to handle things. You have the urge to survive. These lurkers have lost their sense of living. That¡¯s why they don¡¯t speak or interact, they just follow orders. So they had to return quickly. We took the train a few times, but every time she wasn¡¯t there. I guess it was one of those times she was on and off the station."


    She spoke bitterly, probably because we had questioned their intentions toward us.


    "I didn¡¯t expect you to think we were such scum that we wouldn¡¯t want someone back alive" sheined.


    "If you care so much, why not give us weapons?" Haiden argued, while I took the baby from his hands again. Ian had finally turned around, but he only watched us.


    "Because if we give you weapons, there¡¯ll be a war between you all," she replied. "We saw how distant everyone became after returning from this task. You need to learn to survive, not kill each other the moment you step onto the station. And we¡¯re preparing you for the worst. What if one day the train couldn¡¯t retrieve you? Then what? Would you be waiting for us to send weapons and food?"


    She tried to justify why young teens were sent out to survive, insisting that teens had more desire to live than older werewolves. It didn¡¯t make sense to me, but at this point, arguing was useless.


    "We¡¯ll give her a proper burial, the respect she deserves. And her baby will be ced in a wealthy family, probably an alpha or royal household, because she was a crusader. Crusaders are worth respecting." Her tone softened as she stepped closer, smiling at the baby before taking him from my arms.


    "His name is Hardin," I said, and she smiled.


    "She seemed impressed by Haiden to choose a rtively simr name." As soon as she said that, he closed his eyes and looked away.


    "Anyway, I¡¯m d you all came back, because Clementine, there are so many others who didn¡¯t." She repeated herself softly before turning to leave, but stopped halfway.


    "Yorick is doing fine. He¡¯ll be discharged from the hospital in a few hours. He wants to transition and heal on his own. And Clementine, he¡¯s been asking about only you," she finished before walking out the door.


    "Yorick was asking only about her," Troy changed the subject as he mentioned Yorick. However, the bitterness in his tone shocked me.


    "I don¡¯t know. Back when I was taking him home, he kept saying her name in his sleep, even while unconscious," Haiden admitted, his voice tinged with sadness, almost like he wasining that someone else was saying his mate¡¯s name.


    "These two have been left alone for a while. I mean, after you guys were separated, right?" Ian spoke up, of course he had to. If something was going on, there was no way Ian wouldn¡¯t poke his nose in.


    I shot him a sharp look, and he bit his tongue before winking at me. Now both Haiden and Troy were staring. I didn¡¯t understand why Troy was acting so possessive. I have told him about my second fated mate, but I guess he wanted Haiden to know about it as well.


    "Yeah, we were left behind for a while," I admitted. "We went into a shop and stayed there." I mumbled the words, trying to figure out how to escape their questioning gazes.


    "And then? What did you two do there?" Haiden pressed.


    "We stayed in the shop for a while, talking about different things," I paused, clenching my fist as I remembered that night. It had been special, because unlike Haiden, when Yorick found out I was his mate, his reaction waspletely different, almost like he¡¯d been given the world. I knew Haiden couldn¡¯t have responded the same way, not with everything he was dealing with and the memories that reminded me of my father¡¯s cruelty. Still, thinking about my own experience, it had been different with Yorick because he made it special with his smile. Sadly, I hadn¡¯t made it special for him. I¡¯d disappointed him that night.


    After gathering my thoughts and mustering enough courage, I finally opened my eyes, met Haiden¡¯s gaze, and told him.


    "I felt the mate bond with him," I said. When I finished, he froze, and I could already tell he was going to have a hard time with this news.

 Chapter 106-On Her Knees

    <h4>Chapter 106: 106-On Her Knees</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After finding out about the mate bond, Troy, who already knew, went to take a shower. Ian seemed to be in shock, not saying a word. He just watched me silently. Then there was Haiden. He had quietly moved away, running his hands through his hair and pacing faster as he roamed the room. I felt like he was judging me because he would nce at me now and then. Finally, after seeming to process the news, he stepped closer. But before speaking, he turned toward Ian, acknowledging that he was watching us.


    "We will talk about it," Haiden said. "And since we know the lurkers are outside, we won¡¯t be allowed to go into the open field to discuss it, at least for now."


    After Troy came out, I went to take a shower. We weren¡¯t even allowed to attend Sadie¡¯s funeral. Her body was sent back to her pack, and they said her baby was too. He was handed over to her family. I just hoped they would treat him well, giving him all the love he deserved but never got from his mother.


    We were so tired we decided to rest after we had a silent dinner in our room. Naturally, Troy and I needed the rest most. While he went to bed, Ian and Haiden also decided to sleep. I headed to the bathroom instead, just to clear my head.


    Once inside, I heard them talking, almost like they¡¯d waited for me to be out of earshot.


    "Isn¡¯t it odd that she has two mates?" Ian said, bringing up the topic again. I knew why, he just wanted to keep the drama going. That kind of thing was fun for him.


    "I mean, don¡¯t we know she¡¯s special?" Haiden said.


    "How? What makes her special?" Ian argued, making me roll my eyes.


    "Back when she could have boarded the train with her baby, she handed the baby to Yorick, then stepped out just to fetch Troy. Maybe that¡¯s what you¡¯re talking about?" I didn¡¯t know why Ian had to spell everything out, but the moment he did, silence followed.


    "Wait, she had a baby, gave it to Yorick, and then left for me?" Troy asked, his voice full of confusion, shock, and maybe a little relief.


    "I mean, yeah. She didn¡¯t even tell Haiden her n," Ian went on. At this point, Haiden stayed quiet.


    "I truly feel bad for you, Haiden. It seems like she doesn¡¯t like you much. She takes care of everyone except you, even though you¡¯re a fated mate. That sucks," Ian went on, making me reach for the door. My hand rested on the handle. I wanted to confront him for stirring up so much tension, but I was afraid Haiden might ask me to choose sides in the heat of the moment.


    "Hey, don¡¯t say that. The fact that she¡¯s doing so much makes me think we were wrong about her at first," Troy said, stepping in for me, obviously because he had just found out I left the train for him.


    "And it¡¯s you we should be worried about, because you haven¡¯t proven your loyalty to the group," Haiden finally spoke, thankfully turning his fire on Ian, and for the right reasons. Ian had never shown he wasmitted to our team or that he¡¯d rescue us if it came to that.


    "Okay, I didn¡¯t know I had to prove my loyalty to you suckers. I didn¡¯te here for you. I don¡¯t need to prove my loyalty to any of you, so fuck off and get off my back." Now that he was under scrutiny, Ian was suddenly aggressive, exactly what I expected from him. Silence followed.


    After a few seconds, I opened the door and found Haiden and Troy sitting on the bed, while Ian had alreadyid down again.


    "Herees your special she-wolf," Ian said, still sprawled out with one leg bent over the other.


    "Can you stop egging us on against each other? Just because nobody likes you doesn¡¯t mean we have to hate each other too," I replied, looking straight at him. He pulled his arm away from his eyes and clenched his jaw at me.


    "You¡¯re talking a little too much. Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re not stronger than me," Ian threatened. That¡¯s when Haiden stepped forward, walking steadily to stand in front of me.


    "And what makes you say that, Ian Hunt?" His tone made it sound like a threat. Then someone moved to my left, it was Troy.


    "Maybe he doesn¡¯t understand the power a team can hold. So next time we¡¯re out there, you¡¯re not getting any advantage from us," Troy told him.


    Ianughed, pping his hands as he sat up in bed. "Since when have I asked for your help? I know not to rely on anyone. So don¡¯t worry, if you don¡¯t help me, I won¡¯t me you."


    I hated how smug he was. The truth was, he indeed hadn¡¯t needed our help during the task.


    "Leave him be. He just wants trouble," I said, giving Haiden¡¯s elbow a light shake. He nced at my fingers, and I caught a faint smile on his lips. It was so gentle that I quickly let go of his arm.


    "And I¡¯ll advise you all to do the same. Teamwork is stupidity, it¡¯s every man for himself out there," Ian said as we walked away to sit on our beds together.


    "The white squad returned. All of them," Haiden said, letting me know what happened after they got back.


    "All of them?" I asked, confused.


    When Haiden nodded, I scoffed and turned my head toward Ian. "And someone says teamwork is stupidity."


    "And then, when teams fall apart, it bes the deadliest ever," Ian said, turning his back to us. We stared at him for a moment before rolling our eyes.


    As soon as we shifted our attention back to each other, I noticed Troy and Haiden both watching me. Troy kept his head down, looking up at me through his eyebrows with a sad expression. Haiden¡¯s gaze was steady, like he had something to ask.


    "Are you going to ept¡ª" Before he could finish, a whimper outside our door caught our attention. All our heads snapped toward the sound.


    I was the first to move, but Troy quickly stepped ahead of me, gesturing for me to stay back. I didn¡¯t need protection, but I wasn¡¯t going to argue about it now. I was just grateful they weren¡¯t bullying me.


    When he opened the door, the sight before us was unsettling. Goosebumps ran down my arms as I saw Oriana, soaked to the skin, her nightie clinging and almost transparent, kneeling in front of our door with her face buried in her hands.


    "They are going to kill me," she whispered, her voice trembling. She whimpered again, leaving us frozen in shock.

 Chapter 107-My Best-friend Kisses Me.

    <h4>Chapter 107: 107-My Best-friend Kisses Me.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "She¡¯s Clementine¡¯s friend." Haiden was the first to announce it, and then Troy rushed back into the room, grabbed a nket, and handed it to me. I was hesitant, even though I didn¡¯t approve of her actions back in the North. Still, I wasn¡¯t sure if I could leave her out there like this, so I wrapped the nket around her and helped her up. She instantly hugged me.


    "They¡¯re going to kill me," she repeated, making me raise an eyebrow. She had turned around so her back was to my squadmates, who now stared at me in silence.


    "Who? Who¡¯s going to kill you?" Troy asked from behind.


    She broke the hug and turned to him, still clutching the nket around herself.


    "Get inside, it¡¯s too windy," I told her, feeling the cold dry my skin. We all went back in, and I locked the door. She sat on my bed, still crying and sniffling.


    "I¡¯ve been trying to remember exactly what happened there, and I swear I don¡¯t remember locking the door. It locked by itself, Clementine, I didn¡¯t do anything." She started rambling, while Haiden and Troy stood together, exchanging nces because they had no idea what was going on.


    "I just know I saw you hit the button to lock the door," I said.


    "Really? You saw me lock it? Like, physically? Are you sure it wasn¡¯t after the door closed that I was hitting the button to open it? I don¡¯t know how that¡¯s possible. You were behind the seats taking care of Sadie, and I was watching you. You must be mistaken," she cried, still managing to exin herself. And the way she spoke, so sure of herself, even I started to doubt my own memory. Maybe I didn¡¯t see her lock it. Maybe she was just standing there, trying to stop it, and it only looked like she was locking it.


    "Wait¡ªyou said they¡¯re trying to kill you. Who exactly?" Troy asked, circling back.


    "My squadmates. They¡¯re not happy with me. Valerie¡¯s sister yelled at me and even threatened to kill me." Oriana¡¯s words shocked me.


    "Wait, Jessie threatened you?" I asked, remembering all the times my own squadmates had done the same.


    "They did this to me." She looked down at her wet clothes. I couldn¡¯t help but sympathize. I¡¯d been treated the same way.


    "Jessie did this?" I asked again, surprised. I thought Oriana might be stronger than her, or maybe they were equal.


    "And Matthias, when they found out Valerie was left behind, they asked why I didn¡¯t save her. I told them she went to the bathroom, I took the baby, and then you saw me lock the door. I told them it wasn¡¯t true, that your memory must be wrong. But they took it as fact, and now they don¡¯t believe me."


    She didn¡¯t seem to realize how foolish it was to tell them I¡¯d used her. If she hadn¡¯t locked the door, she didn¡¯t have to bring it up at all. She started crying again, so I hugged her.


    "Maybe I saw it wrong," I admitted. She hugged me back and sobbed harder.


    "Shit was rough yesterday," Troy told Haiden. They started talking about the night after Sadie died.


    "You¡¯ve only got three members left, right?" Haiden asked. She nodded.


    "You can sit with us for meals," Troy suggested. "Might make them think twice before doing anything to you."


    Her face lit up. "You¡¯d really do that for me?" she asked, eyes full of hope.


    "I mean, you¡¯re Clementine¡¯s friend. Her friend¡¯s our friend," Haiden uttered.


    The change in their attitude was huge. They used to hate me. Even now, with Troy still thinking I¡¯d betrayed him, he acted differently, almost like revenge wasn¡¯t on his mind anymore.


    "Wow, you guys are so nice. I¡¯m so happy you¡¯ve stopped bullying her," then it slipped out, and of course, I knew she was being careless. She didn¡¯t know how to keep secrets, and I realized it that night.


    Both Haiden and Troy looked at me. "Things have been rough between our groups," I told her, trying to avoid a confrontation. "Anyway, you should head back to your room. I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t do anything stupid. Or you can talk to Miss Lenora."


    "But can one of you please walk me back? I don¡¯t know how I ended up here. I was so hysterical and crying, and now I¡¯m scared to go back. It¡¯s too windy, and the whooshing sound always scares me." Oriana nodded, then asked my squadmates. She was looking straight at Troy and Haiden, barely acknowledging me at this point. I guessed she didn¡¯t believe a she-wolf could protect her. I couldn¡¯t really me her, many people thought the same.


    Both Haiden and Troy turned to me almost confused about what they should do.


    "Either of you want to take her?" I asked, but they just kept staring at me. I hated ying the mom here. Oriana nced between us, probably wondering what was going on.


    "You know what? Forget it. I¡¯ll take her myself," I said, motioning for her to get up. Troy and Haiden immediately hit their beds while I left the room with her.


    "Are you sure you¡¯re not scared?" she asked as we walked. I shrugged, hands tucked into my pajama pockets.


    "Oriana, I don¡¯t think you should have told them I used you of locking the door. Some things are better discussed first. If you didn¡¯t do it, there was no reason to bring it up." I was still annoyed at how careless she¡¯d been.


    "I didn¡¯t know. I thought I should be honest. I¡¯ve never learned to lie. I always speak my mind and say what I know, and it always gets me in trouble," she said softly.


    "It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m sorry too. How about I talk to your squadmates? I¡¯ll tell them it was my fault, Troy saw that you didn¡¯t lock the door," I said as we reached her passage.


    "That would help so much," she replied with a wide smile. "Thank you, Clementine. You really are special. And my special friend." She smiled without a trace of bitterness about my usation. Honestly, I would¡¯ve been furious if someone had done that to me, so she was better than me for not holding a grudge.


    I walked her to the door, and she asked me to wait. She peeked inside, and once she confirmed her squadmates were asleep, she gave me the all-clear and went in.


    I headed back toward my own passage. Just before I reached my door, I noticed someone standing outside. It took me a moment to recognize him through the fog.


    "Troy? What are you doing here?" I asked.


    I barely got the words out before he stepped forward, cupped my face, and pressed his lips hard against mine.

 Chapter 108-Crushing On Bestfriend

    <h4>Chapter 108: 108-Crushing On Bestfriend</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    His lips wrapped around mine, his hands holding my face in ce. For a moment, I couldn¡¯t even respond. Instead, my hands gripped the corners of his open jacket. My eyes closed as he pressed his lips harder against mine. The way his lips moved over my mouth made my knees weak. But it wasn¡¯t long before I started to pull away once I realized what we were doing.


    "Troy," I said as I pushed him gently. Once he noticed my struggle, he let go. "What are you doing?" I asked, trying to steady my breathing. He just stared at my face silently before snapping out of it and looking around.


    "What was that?" I demanded. "You can¡¯t just kiss me and act like nothing happened. This is a huge deal, I have two fated mates, and you are my ex-best friend." I tightened my voice. "I need to know why you did that."


    "Don¡¯t you already know?" He finally looked at me and snapped, his voice loud as hell. I had to motion for him to lower his voice before anyone else heard us.


    Suddenly, he grabbed my arm and started dragging me out of the hallway toward the open ground, the ce where we always meet to talk.


    "Why? Why are we walking away? What do you want to say to me?" Iined but didn¡¯t try to pull away. I wanted to leave the room too. If Haiden or Ian saw us talking, it would cause problems.


    Once we arrived at the area next to the bars, he let go of me. One hand went to his waist while the other pinched the bridge of his nose. I noticed the anxiety in his body and felt worried, I didn¡¯t want him to do something stupid.


    "Now, will you tell me? What do I know?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest, trying to sound stern even though I was still avoiding the fact that my ex-best friend had just kissed me. I never thought he¡¯d do something like that.


    "First the professor, then Yorick, then Haiden. Why?" he asked, making me frown in confusion.


    "Professor Sawyer? Did you seriously think I had a crush on him? Like I would even pursue anything with him? Sure, I talked about him all the time because he used to take care of me, but there was nothing weird going on between us." I started to yap, as if the frustration had been building inside me for so long that I needed to exin. That rumor was disgusting to me.


    "No, Clementine, it wasn¡¯t just you being grateful. The way you spoke about him, the way you wrote about him in your diary¡ªwith all the details about how he acted, moved, and talked¡ªit did seem like a crush," he said, grunting. I sighed deeply and shook my head, zoning out.


    "Fine. Even if I was impressed with him, I was only 15, Troy. Did you seriously think I was nning to grow up, pursue him, and marry a man who was already engaged? And why are you bringing him up now? What do Yorick and Haiden have to do with you?" I asked, frustrated by his behavior.


    He put both hands on his waist, staring at me like I was some crazy creature.


    "Why is it always somebody else?" he asked. I braced myself to argue until he added, "Why not me?" Then silence fell between us.


    I couldn¡¯t even process what I¡¯d just heard. I stared at his face, and after about ten seconds, I narrowed my eyes.


    "Wait, what do you mean?" I asked, lost and confused.


    "What do I mean? Are you that naive? Don¡¯t you know? Why is it that you get to be with everyone, you¡¯ve made bonds with two alphas, but whenever ites to me, I¡¯m just a friend?"


    That night, he was bold, asking questions without hesitation or beating around the bush. He waspletely open, questioning me.


    "I don¡¯t get it. Do you want to be the one?" I asked, hoping he was just angry because he used to be my friend. Friends sometimes get jealous.


    But then he surprised me by openly dismissing my excuse with one simple word, "Yes." That¡¯s how he made clear what he wanted.


    "Troy, we¡¯ve been friends forever until you broke that friendship. I don¡¯t know where all this ising from. Is it just because of the Alpha ego?" He hushed me, pointing a finger at me.


    "Don¡¯t bring that Alpha ego to me. You know that¡¯s not the case. And that¡¯s exactly why, and the fact that you don¡¯t even know this, it hurts me so much." He pointed at his chest. His eyes started to turn red with tears.


    "All these years, you only saw me as a friend. I waited and waited for you to realize that while you were crushing on others, I was crushing on you," he said, his lips quivering slightly. His jaw clenched, and so did his fists as he confessed his feelings.


    Right then, my eyes started to get teary too. That was a loting from Troy.


    "You had a crush on me?" I asked, a lump rising in my throat.


    He nodded, smiling through the pain. "And the Moon Goddess was cruel enough to put us back in the same dorm, just to show me you¡¯d be with others¡ªeven though you¡¯re the first she-wolf in history to have two mates. I could never have that. I should¡¯ve nevere back from the North."


    His words were too heavy to swallow. He was making big ims, big usations, and big decisions, confessing his feelings to me, ming the Moon Goddess, and saying he wanted to stay in the dangerous North, all for me. It was something I never imagined.


    "And of course, you have nothing to say." He nodded, stepping back.


    "I¡¯m such an idiot. Even after you betrayed me, I kept falling for you," he said louder as he walked backward, the wind mixing with his voice. I just stared at him, watching him go.


    "Just forget it," he said, waving his hand before turning around, defeated, and heading back to the room while I stayed where I was.


    "Why don¡¯t you tell him?" Mint spoke up.


    "Tell him what?" I asked, a single tear rolling down my cheek.


    "Why not tell him that all this time, when we were friends with him, we had a crush on him, and we thought he would never fall for us?" she confessed.


    I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say it to him. I wasn¡¯t as brave as Mint, and things were about to get reallyplicated, especially with three of my squadmates openly showing interest in me.

 Chapter 109-My Trust Worthy Mate

    <h4>Chapter 109: 109-My Trust Worthy Mate</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    I fought the monsters without a weapon. Every time one of them attacked the baby, I quickly moved my arm and grabbed it by the neck before it could reach me or the baby. Only I know how I managed that. I guess the adrenaline rush was so high that night, and I was angry. I finally had a moment with Clementine. I felt the mate bond with her, only for these creatures toe and ruin it all. So yeah, I was beyond angry, but somehow I survived. The anger I channeled through my powers worked, and I secured the baby. But the rest of the night was a blur. I had wounds I couldn¡¯t even heal. Even to shift, I would need a lot of strength. I just knew I held the baby close to my chest. Although the baby was cold, I managed to drag myself out of the woods where I had been hiding and reach the station.


    There were moments when I saw Clementine looking at me, and I didn¡¯t know how that was possible. How could she be in so many ces? One time, when I was in the woods, she offered me water. I drank from her hands, but then she was gone. I don¡¯t know what was happening to me. I only knew my clothes were drenched in the blood of the fleshmingos. Then I was back on the maind. By the time I woke up, I was being taken to the hospital. I was told I had secured a baby, but there was also a dead baby in the same carriage with me. I saw the baby¡¯s face as they took it away, and somehow I felt my whole existence stop when I realized the baby I carried was the one wrapped in the ck nket ¡ª which meant it had died. So whose baby did I have with me?


    When I was in the hospital, the lurker stood outside my room, making sure no one got to me. Throughout that time, I would wake up saying Clementine¡¯s name. I knew this because when I finally woke up, Miss Rue told me I had been missing my squadmate a lot. She said it was because Clementine had been left behind in the North, and that broke my heart. I remember losing all the progress I had made in recovery until she came back and told me Clementine was back, and so was Troy, and they had babies with them. I was also told Sadie had passed away and her baby was given back to her parents. Now I was heading back after I had healed.


    "You¡¯re awfully silent," I said to my wolf, wearing my shirt after I had run around to heal in my wolf form, even though lurkers were everywhere. My wolf knew we could shift and run all we wanted, but it wouldn¡¯t get us anywhere. We couldn¡¯t escape. Bold of them to think I wanted to run anymore. My mate was here.


    "Someone was watching us in the North, Yorick," Rich said, making me frown. I was finally feeling like myself. All the ache in my bones and body was gone. I felt powerful and happy.


    "Yeah, I know. I had a feeling. Maybe it was the fleshmingos," I said, not caring much. I just wanted to get back home quickly to see Clementine again. And the fact that Haiden was already there put me in a verypetitive mood.


    "No, fleshmingos are blind, Yorick. Somebody was there. I noticed a shadow. Every time we turned around, there was a shadow on the ground, like someone was behind us," Rich said, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up.


    "Maybe it was just in our heads. Remember, we¡¯d been seeing Clementine all over the ce, too. We were badly wounded. And you know werewolves ¡ª once we lose a lot of blood, we get hallucinations," I reminded him. It wasn¡¯t far-fetched that our wounds caused those visions.


    "I don¡¯t know. Anyway, we should hurry back. I don¡¯t want Clementine, our mate, to be with Haiden or that Troy who¡¯s been acting weird around her," Rich said, and I nodded.


    "I¡¯ve noticed that too. Troy acts like Clementine belongs to him just because they were friends sometime in the past. That means nothing, especially when ites to a mate. I¡¯m Clementine¡¯s mate. Of course, my ce should be higher in her life now, or at least I hope so. If not, I¡¯ll make it happen."


    The minute I reached the dorm room, I opened the door and saw the most beautiful sight ever. Clementine was changing the sheets on my bed. I couldn¡¯t imagine her doing chores. She wasn¡¯t the type. But you know what else suited her? Taking care of my stuff.


    "Yorick!" Troy was the first to see me because he was facing me. They were all changing their bedsheets. When he mentioned my name, Clementine turned around and looked at me. I noticed her eyes widened as she sized me up, almost like checking on me and my wounds. Once she was sure I was fine, I saw a look of relief. I couldn¡¯t believe it. It meant a lot to me.


    Troy came over and hugged me,ughing. "We all made it back." I did a quick headcount. Although I wasn¡¯t pleased to see Ian back with us, he was just there. Whether he existed or not, didn¡¯t matter much.


    "Hey man, I¡¯m d you¡¯re back." Then Haiden showed up with a bit of a sour look on his face, even though I remembered him taking care of me on the train. Still, I could feel some tension between us, and I wondered when I would tell him that Clementine and I are mates.


    I gave him a side hug, and he patted my back before stepping away. Then Clementine came into view. "I¡¯m happy to have you back," she whispered, looking a little timid. That was probably the effect of the mate bond on her.


    I didn¡¯t respond, just lowered my face and stared at her through my eyebrows. The more I looked, the redder her cheeks got.


    "You should¡ª rest. You just¡ª- healed, so y¡ªou shou¡ªld be resting," she started to stutter and fumble awkwardly, trying to avoid my gaze. I liked that. The red suited her cheeks.


    "I¡¯m fine now," I said.


    "Wee, dude." Then Ian broke through. Everyone turned to look at him, which confused me. Did something happen while I was gone? I knew we all didn¡¯t like Ian, but he must have done something else for everyone to be paying so much attention to him.


    "By the way, did you thank Clementine? She was the one who handed her baby to you. Then she left Haiden standing at the door, just to go fetch a baby for herself," Ian said, making me realize the baby I had was Clementine¡¯s.


    So she gave up her baby just so I wouldn¡¯t have to go back to the North? My eyesnded on her, and all I felt was shock. How could someone be so selfless?


    With that, I didn¡¯t care who was watching us. I rushed to her, cupped her face in my hands, and crushed my lips against her soft, juicy ones.

 Chapter 110-Everybody Needs To Stop Kissing Me

    <h4>Chapter 110: 110-Everybody Needs To Stop Kissing Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Seeing Yorick back and fine was reallyforting. But what twisted the whole situation was when Ian spoke up. Like always, his version to Yorick was different. This time, he didn¡¯t mention Troy. He wanted Haiden to feel less important and Yorick to think I was prioritizing him over Haiden, as if there was nopetition. I wanted to p Ian, but I was afraid he¡¯d p me back. I could expect that from him, so I didn¡¯t. Then what Yorick did next froze mepletely. I watched him sprint toward me at full speed. He only had a few steps left, but he took them so fast I couldn¡¯t react. Before I could even breathe, I felt his breath mixing with mine.


    He crashed his lips against mine, his hands gripping my waist. His kiss was more aggressive than Troy¡¯s, and the moment his tongue pushed into my mouth, I felt him get pulled away. It was Haiden. He¡¯d pulled Yorick off me and stepped between us.


    "What the fuck, Yorick?" Haiden yelled, his body radiating heat and anger.


    "What do you mean? She¡¯s my mate," Yorick snapped back, pushing Haiden.


    They were so aggressive, they didn¡¯t realize I was right behind Haiden. When Haiden stepped back from the push, he bumped into me, and Inded on my butt. Troy rushed over and put his arm around my back to help me up.


    "Are you two fucking crazy? You almost hurt her!" Troy yelled at the two, who were still holding each other by the cors like they were about to tear each other apart. Their attention turned to me, and then they let go, rushing toward me and bumping into each other along the way.


    "Stop it!" I yelled, and thankfully, everyone stopped. I wiggled out of Troy¡¯s arm and stepped away.


    "Boy, I need popcorn," Ian said. I clenched my jaw but didn¡¯t turn to speak to him.


    "You all need to stop kissing me," I said, frustrated, not because I didn¡¯t like the kisses, but because of the mess they caused.


    "You all? Who else has been kissing you?" Yorick asked, narrowing his eyes at me.


    "Wait, I didn¡¯t get to kiss her," Haidenined, tilting his head at me.


    "I did," Troy raised his hand sneakily and gave a stern look to the other two, who were now watching him.


    "Why the heck do you have your lips on my mate?" Yorick stepped up again, this time arguing with Troy.


    I rubbed my face with my hands and stepped away. I didn¡¯t like this kind of attention. It was too messy.


    "She¡¯s not just your mate. She used to be my ex-best friend too," Troy tried to argue, but his reasoning didn¡¯t hold up. Then he said something I didn¡¯t expect, "I liked her way before you two even came into her life." Heat rushed through my body. I rubbed the back of my neck nervously and squeezed into the corner of the room.


    "Wow. Nobody saw thating," Ian added, sitting against the bed¡¯s headrest and waving his leg excitedly. The three fell silent for a moment, exchanging nces before looking back at each other.


    "You liked her? You had a crush on her?" Yorick pointed at me while asking Troy.


    "Yeah, so what?" Troy immediately got defensive.


    "Yeah, but she fucking friendzoned you, didn¡¯t she?" Haiden pointed again, mocking Troy for always staying in my friend zone and never getting out.


    "That¡¯s none of your business. You don¡¯t get to decide. You were her fucking bully," Troy fired back, almost forgetting he was my bully as well.


    "As if you didn¡¯t bully her. You started a rumor about her. You even told me she slept with you," Yorick pointed at his chest.


    All this time, Ian kept looking at them, then at me, like he was waiting for my response. I hated him sitting there.


    "You know what? I don¡¯t want to hear my name from any of you three again." I finally snapped. They went quiet, looking at me with their freaking beautiful eyes.


    "I don¡¯t want to deal with this. I don¡¯t want any of you to like me. I don¡¯t want to ept any of you as my mate. Did I make myself clear?" I pointed at my chest, watching them look at me with eyes that made me feel so guilty.


    Suddenly, the three fucking strong alphas looked like lost puppies.


    But then we were interrupted by an announcement from the speaker.


    "Everyone is expected toe for lunch, and then we will discuss the new mission with you all." It was Mr. Rick speaking. For a moment, we all just stared at the ceiling, then looked at each other.


    "Already?" Troy asked,ining that we¡¯d just finished a mission two days ago.


    "Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s eat some freaking lunch," Ian scoffed, getting out of bed. He wasn¡¯t smirking anymore. He quickly put on his shoes and started to leave, then paused and turned to smirk at me.


    "Are you sure you want to be left behind with the three? I mean, they¡¯re pretty horny for you. Your best option right now is to walk out of this room with me."


    That kind of came out of nowhere. The three alphas squared off against Ian for even suggesting I shouldn¡¯t be left alone with them. But honestly, I kind of agreed with Ian. So, without saying anything, I briskly walked after him.


    He chuckled before leaving the room, and I followed right behind him. Then the three alphas started following us out, grunting and huffing.


    I turned back just for a second and noticed them bumping into each other with their shoulders. Do they have to walk in a single line? They could just spread out or walk behind each other. But no, their alpha egos were hitting new levels. We reached the main hall, we realized how few squad members were left.


    "It¡¯s sad to announce that, although a few babies were rescued, we lost a handful of squad mates and babies in the process." Mr. Rick took the stand this time while we all stood at our designated tables. "Sadly, the blue team now has only four Crusaders left, green has four, ck has five, and red has only three. Luckily and surprisingly, my team, the white squad, returned with all members alive. So, let¡¯s give a huge round of apuse for the white squad, who alwayse through as sessors. Even if they weren¡¯t the first ones in thest mission, they¡¯re definitely picking up speed. The team that was firstst time is now among thest," Mr. Rick announced.


    When he mentioned his team, they got cocky and happy, but I didn¡¯t forget what they did in the mansion. I was ring at them, and I noticed Joshua looking back at me with a smirk on his lips. Then he winked. That¡¯s when I quickly looked away.


    "I want you all to enjoy this meal as a celebration of ying Carapamingus Rex¡ªthe creature you found this time," Mr. Rick said, finally revealing the creature¡¯s name to us. "The creatures you killed to save the babies."


    We all began to sit down when Miss Lenora stepped forward to give us more bad news.


    "Tomorrow, you will have a new mission. This time, it¡¯s in the big city. From there, you¡¯ll go deeper and deeper. I suggest you take the same route as before because it will be easier to track back to the train station. The farther north you go, the less chance you have to remember the path."


    Miss Lenora gave us all goosebumps¡ªat least I did.

 Chapter 111-It Is The Goodnight Kiss For Me

    <h4>Chapter 111: 111-It Is The Goodnight Kiss For Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "That¡¯s hectic. They¡¯re asking us to join another mission," Iined after we finished eating. As I walked ahead, I noticed Ian keeping a good distance from us, while the others stayed right beside me. We had been talking about the missions and everything, and of course Ian wasn¡¯t involved, just like he¡¯d told us he never would be.


    "Isn¡¯t it odd?" Haiden asked, pointing at Ian. "He¡¯s been awfully quiet. Usually he would argue or speak his mind."


    We all stared at Ian in silence. Haiden wasn¡¯t wrong. Ian usually had something to say, but now his silence felt deadly.


    "Aren¡¯t you guys happy he¡¯s quiet for a minute?" Troy remarked.


    I agreed. It was better for him to stay quiet, because if he started talking, all the stress we were feeling would double.


    We made it back to our room, and after changing into our nightclothes, we sat on the floor between the beds. Mr. Rick had mentioned something today about students staying awake too long. I didn¡¯t get what his problem was, but it felt like he was suggesting we were getting toofortable with our lives, which was pretty messed up, but whatever. We sat between the beds so none of our heads would be visible from the windows in case the lurker decided to peer inside.


    "The entire White Squad made it backst time," Troy began.


    "Well, we all know what messed-up people they are. Don¡¯t you remember how they screwed us overst time?" Yorick reminded us.


    He wasn¡¯t wrong. The reason we separated before was because of them. The White Squad swooped in and kicked us out of the ce we had found, even though we all could have stayed there peacefully.


    "So you two left soon after us?" I asked, even though I already knew they had left eventually.


    "Yeah, soon afterwards. Why? Did you really think I¡¯d stay there when you weren¡¯t?" Haiden was the first to answer, though I could tell Troy had something to say.


    "Hey, let¡¯s not forget I was the one who said let¡¯s go," Troy muttered under his breath.


    Yorick and Haiden both looked at him, then turned back to me.


    "Anyway, the point is we should all work as a team," I suggested, watching them nod. Thankfully, we were all on board with the idea. I felt much more at ease, knowing the initial conflict was gone. I also felt safer with them in the north than I would have with any other team. I¡¯d seen the White Squad in action, and I would never have been okay hurting others for them. That alone would have caused problems if I¡¯d been in their squad.


    As for the Red Squad, which I had once regretted not switching to, I was now d I hadn¡¯t. They seemed hostile and strange. The Blue and Green squads were just as bad. I was happy with my squad because, so far, none of us had hurt anyone just to make it out of the north alive.


    "Yeah, and for this next monster, we¡¯ll need this dude¡¯s help," Yorick whispered slowly, gesturing toward Ian with his eyes. Ian had his back to us, lying in bed, or so we thought. Because the moment Yorick said that, I noticed a slight movement in Ian¡¯s body. His arm, which he¡¯d wrapped around his head to cover his ears with his elbows, shifted as his hand bent back to hold his head.


    "But who¡¯s even going to bell the cat?" Haiden whispered, making sure Ian wouldn¡¯t hear us. They were foolish to think he couldn¡¯t, unless he was actually asleep.


    "I don¡¯t know. We can only hope he doesn¡¯t act up. Back when we met on the empty road, he was different. He offered me the bag of food and all. His tone didn¡¯t change much, but he was better than before," I even praised him for that small effort, though it barely took any from him, because it was still a noticeable change in his bodynguage between the north and the maind.


    "We¡¯ll need to talk to him before we leave. He has a lot of information on these monsters," Troy reminded us. "He¡¯s always writing things down. Maybe his pack, or he himself, got information from the north. A lot of his squad mates used to board at the academy. That could be the reason."


    "But there were never interactions between pack members and squad mates before," I pointed out. So how would he even know anything about the monsters? It¡¯s not like the ringleaders went around announcing what monsters their squad mates saw in the packs. It never happened in mine, or in Troy¡¯s, Yorick¡¯s, or Haiden¡¯s. So I doubt it happened in Yorick¡¯s and Ian¡¯s either.


    "Anyway, let¡¯s get to bed. We¡¯ll talk more in the morning," Troy suggested, and we all began to stand. But of course, they couldn¡¯t end the night without starting some small rift.


    They started heading towards the beds, and I was caught off guard when I felt soft, warm lips brush my cheek from the left.


    "Good night," Yorick said quickly. His kiss came like a bullet, and when I turned around, I felt another kiss on my right cheek. That one came from Haiden. Now I felt like a lost person, looking left then instantly turning right. But they both pulled away so quickly and were already in their beds. I nced up and saw Troy staring at me before he grunted and got into his bed as well. Iy down awkwardly, and soon the alphas fell asleep.


    I kept turning from side to side until I found something interesting outside the window next to my bed¡ªthe weather. It was beautiful. No fog, no mist, no dusty thunderstorm, just wind. I liked windy weather, especially when it was fresh. Taking a deep breath, I had just decided to close my eyes and let sleep take over when I felt a finger tap my shoulder. My eyes snapped open, and I found Ian hunched all the way over to my face.

 Chapter 112-Teaming Up With Ian

    <h4>Chapter 112: 112-Teaming Up With Ian</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Goddess, Ian, you scared me," I said, pressing a hand to my chest. But he quickly put his finger to his lips, silently telling me not to make a noise. The way he was hunched over me, I couldn¡¯t get up without our faces almost touching, so I gestured for him to move away. As soon as he straightened and stepped back into the darkness, I sat up in bed, still trying to process what had just happened.


    I kept my hand on my chest, rubbing it to calm down, then finally turned to look at him. He was standing in the dark corner of the room, as if he didn¡¯t want to be seen or heard.


    "What is it?" I whispered, since he kept gesturing for me to stay quiet, and then he pointed toward the door.


    "Now? what if the lurkers are making a round?" I mouthed, but he only shook his head. I had no idea what that meant.


    Then he started walking toward the door, and I knew he wanted me to follow.


    "But what about what I just told you? What if the lurkers are outside?" I asked, but of course, it was Ian. He gave me a gesture, expecting me to understand. As he walked away, he slowly held the door open, and in that moment, I realized how silent and unsettling he could be. The door made almost no sound as he opened it.


    I looked around at the sleeping alphas, wondering if it was even a good idea to go after someone like Ian. It¡¯s not like he was ever my friend, so for all I knew, he could be getting me in trouble. But the way he stood there with his head turned made me feel like it was something important, something I needed to hear.


    I mean, if he attacked me, which I thought he might, I could fight him back. And if a lurker found me, I¡¯d just run. I was good at running. Or maybe I was just making excuses because deep down I knew I needed to follow him. This time, he didn¡¯t wait around. He just left the room.


    I grunted and got up, quickly looking for something to wear to warm myself. Now that my father was gone, I¡¯d been able to get some money, and spend it too. I¡¯d bought myself a long brown hoodie. I pulled it on and walked out of the room. The wind that had felt fresh from inside was now biting cold, and my nose immediately began to clog.


    I closed the door as quietly as I could, fighting against the wind, then looked around for Ian. He was already heading out of the passage, so I followed, jogging after him.


    "What are you trying to show me?" I asked, but he turned and pressed his finger to his lips, shushing me.


    "Great," I muttered. But then I slowed down, because where the fuck was he leading me?


    "Okay, Ian, I¡¯m not gonna follow you anymore. Either you tell me what¡¯s going on, or I¡¯m going back," I dered, loud and clear. I expected him to ignore me and keep walking, but he shocked me when he stopped. He turned around and tilted his head, almost like he was judging me.


    "You can open the locks, right?" he asked, and I nodded. We¡¯d known that since our first meeting.


    "What do you want me to open?" I questioned, staring straight into his eyes.


    He chuckled, almost like he was amused that I already knew why he¡¯d brought me here.


    "I need to make a call to my pack," he stated.


    I shrugged and nced around.


    "And why do you think I¡¯d help you?" I challenged, crossing my arms over my chest and watching him with nothing but judgment. He had been awful to all of us, so what made him think he could just show up and ask for help? Just today, he¡¯d been cocky about not needing us in the north.


    "Clementine, I heard you guys talking about teamwork. Do you want me in your team or not?" he remarked, not sounding the least bit like he was actually asking. Of course, even when giving in, he had to make it seem like it was his idea.


    I took a deep breath, still staring at him.


    "I might even know what the monster is and how we can defeat it," he added, and the eyebrow I¡¯d raised slowly came back down.


    "How can we make a call to your pack? Are you suggesting we steal the ringleader¡¯s phone or something? Because trust me, I haven¡¯t seen any phone with them," I pointed out, almost letting him know I was ready to help as long as he told me exactly what we needed to do.


    "And just as I expected of you dumbasses, you guys haven¡¯t noticed anything beyond who is whose mate and who has a crush on who," Ian stated, hands in his pants pockets, looking so arrogant.


    "Okay, you need to quit doing that, because I¡¯m this close to returning to the room," I warned after hearing his sarcastic response.


    He stared me straight in the eye, and I could tell he was thinking, maybe something inside him was telling him to ask me to shut up and leave, that he didn¡¯t need my help. But then he gave up.


    So I knew whatever call he was making to his back was extremely important. Could it be about his girl? Has to be. He looked down and grunted.


    "Fine," was all he said.


    "So how are we going to make a call?" I repeated my initial question because he still hadn¡¯t responded to it.


    "There is a phone booth on one of these roads, but it has a lock on it. I guess in the future we might get the option to call someone, or maybe not, who knows. But I want to use it now," he said, shocking me with how much he knew about the area. Was that what he was doing when he wasn¡¯t with us? Just lurking around being a lurker?


    "And what if they ask for coins?" I asked him. We didn¡¯t have money here, so of course I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking.


    "They won¡¯t. That phone is free. All you need to do is unlock the lock outside," he said, hands on his waist, watching me, waiting for my response.


    In a confident and determined tone, I nodded my head.


    "Well, let¡¯s go see this phone, then." As soon as he heard me say that, he smirked.

 Chapter 113-Stealing Their Mate For A Few Hours

    <h4>Chapter 113: 113-Stealing Their Mate For A Few Hours</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    When the announcement came that we would be leaving for yet another mission the very next day, I felt it in my bones. My wolf writhed in pain. Anger burned through me. I wanted to rip off heads, to fight everyone in the main hall, anyone who kept eating after being told they¡¯d be taken out like animals to y monsters the next day. Even my own squad mates. They sat and ate like it was normal. Maybe it was for them.


    Haiden had just taken revenge on Clementine¡¯s father. Clementine had gotten rid of the monster¡ªher father. Yorick had found his mate in Clementine. Troy was off on some strange journey I couldn¡¯t even begin to understand. And then there was me, still needing to go back to my pack and sort things out. How was I going to do that? Weren¡¯t they supposed to let us return to our packs after every mission? It seemed they¡¯d made a deal with these idiots, and these idiots didn¡¯t even remember it.


    Once we were back in the room, I tried to sleep. Or at least I thought I could, but they kept talking in the middle of the room, going on about teamwork. Honestly, every second I wanted to turn around and tell them to fuck off. To say this wasn¡¯t normal. That I wasn¡¯t going to be one of the animals sent out just to fight other animals for them. But I held it in, because I had another idea.


    After everyone fell asleep, I went to find Clementine. I told her where we were going. The only reason I chose her was because I could trust her more than anyone else.


    That sucks," my wolf, Juan, grumbled. And I knew what he meant. The girl we¡¯d been so annoyed with was the same one we¡¯d been avoiding, and now she was the one we had to choose. Because we knew she¡¯d never tell anyone our secret. And she could unlock the phone booth.


    "Are you sure she won¡¯t tell?" my wolf muttered. "She¡¯s pretty much known among her exes for the very reason you¡¯re trusting her." He reminded me she¡¯d been used of leaking secrets. I¡¯d seen her and them. I didn¡¯t know who to pick or which side was right to be angry. But so far, I hadn¡¯t seen Clementine do anything fucked up. She did seem like she had trust issues though, like when she instantly called the Warriors the first time we met in the cage.


    She followed me quietly while I avoided the lurker, staying behind some trees for two minutes because I knew that was exactly how long it would take the lurker to cross the area. Eventually, we headed toward the road. That road came under the barbed wire area, but I had never seen anyone go that far. It led straight to the headquarters where the headmaster stayed, so we had to be careful, there were more lurkers past the phone booth.


    I signaled for her to stay low behind a bush, knowing this was where the lurkers took their longest walk. We both knelt there, and I noticed her watching me.


    "What?" I muttered, annoyed.


    "Is it about your girl?" she asked. I turned to give her a look. Did she really expect me to spill everything to her?


    "That¡¯s none of your business," I mouthed, then looked away. She shrugged and turned her gaze to the road.


    "Don¡¯t you feel ufortable?" I asked. She slowly looked back at me. "All those alphas¡ªthree of them¡ªare trying to pursue you. I hope you know that. You don¡¯t seem too stupid to not notice," I added. She seemed to take it as apliment, a smirk ying across her lips.


    "Focus on the main question, Clementine, will you?" I pressed, and her smile faded, reced by a sharp, irritated re.


    "I¡¯ve dealt with all the alphas bullying me, so trust me, being pursued isn¡¯t that bad," she shot back, reminding me how we¡¯d all taken turns bullying her before.


    "Well, then you should remember that when you¡¯re deciding to give them a chance." Myment seemed to catch her off guard; she looked at me, then drifted into thought.


    "I would expect you to have some backbone. We were all fucking rude to you. And you know what they used to say about you?" I paused,ughing quietly, but noticed she was growing more irritated.


    "What did they used to say about me?" she asked, just as I expected she would.


    "Just that you were pretty hungry for attention, and that all those clothes and the hat, you wore them so men would find you mysterious. Even your best friend had a negative impression of you. He said you had a habit of starting rumors and ruining lives." I shrugged, noticing her eyebrows crinkle slightly.


    "What did Yorick say about me?" she pressed.


    "Oh." I chuckled a little, remembering what I was going to tell her. "That you didn¡¯t know how to kiss, so he would only stick to your cheeks. And that you smell bad. That¡¯s why he never initiated anything sexual with you before." I saw her face turn pale. I could only expect her to get angry, those things were pretty messed up.


    "What about Haiden?" she asked. I knew exactly what she was doing, gathering material to use against them next time they tried to get her to spend time with them.


    "Well, isn¡¯t it obvious Haiden hated you? It¡¯s only after the mate bond that he suddenly changed. Besides, I¡¯m pretty sure he still thinks the same deep down, because he told me once that he would take revenge on your father by hurting one of his daughters."


    Her face wentpletely nk.


    "Anyway, let¡¯s go," I said, noticing the coast was clear. She took her time, probably still thinking about my words, before finally getting up and heading to the phone booth. She began opening the door silently. She was quick, witty in the way she could pick any lock. She¡¯d just stare at it, examine it, then find something from the ground or nearby to use. I¡¯d seen her do it before, and now again.


    The phone booth was unlocked. That was the craziest part. I guessed the lurkers and ring leaders didn¡¯t expect anyone to open it, which was why they¡¯d left it sitting in the middle. It was odd, but at least it worked for me.


    She stepped aside, and I went in first. When she tried to follow, I raised my palm. "I want to do it alone. You¡¯re going to wait over there." I pointed at the bench at the edge of the road, a small and broken bus stop.


    She red at me, then turned away. I closed the door and took a deep breath. I needed to know what my brother was doing behind my back with my girlfriend. With that, I dialed the number.

 Chapter 114-The Alpha Who Ran Away

    <h4>Chapter 114: 114-The Alpha Who Ran Away</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I took a deep breath and walked out of the booth, sitting on the bench and ncing around the road to make sure the lurkers weren¡¯ting back. Ian said they¡¯d take some time, so I believed him. He knew this ce like the back of his hand, and I¡¯d noticed how attentive he¡¯d been these past days, always catching details and writing them down while we were just ying mate-mate.


    "You¡¯re angry because of the things he said," Mint quickly called out my irritation.


    The moon was right above us. It was half, thankfully, because every full moon that I felt the mate bond with them annoyed me even more. The phone booth stood on the corner of the road in the strangest way. It was orange, with ss everywhere else. Small, only two or three people could fit inside. I watched Ian dial the number, focusing on him instead of my own issues.


    "Do you really trust what he said?" Mint finally pulled me back to reality.


    "What do you mean? What would he gain out of¡ª" I stopped, realizing he gained pleasure from other people¡¯s misery.


    "Listen, they must have said those things when they were angry with you. Or who knows, maybe they didn¡¯t say anything at all," Mint argued.


    I shook my head. "No. First thing in the morning, I¡¯m confronting them about this. I don¡¯t care if they question me. I don¡¯t trust them enough to let it go. Let¡¯s just say trust was never the biggest part of our rtionship, whether it was love, friendship, or even the bully thing I had with Haiden. They have to earn it. I¡¯m not going in blind. If they¡¯re honest, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem exining themselves. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m charging in guns zing. When someone tells you something, you should be able to ask your spouse or partner about it. At least that muchmunication should be there."


    I red away, in the opposite direction of the phone booth.


    "Fine, I get your point," she conceded.


    "No, seriously, Mint. Isn¡¯t that what Yorick and Troy did? They heard things and then punished me. Instead of asking, ¡¯Hey, we heard this about you, do you want to exin?¡¯ I would¡¯ve loved that. At least let me know someone¡¯s saying something, even if you don¡¯t believe it, so I can avoid the person starting rumors about me."


    I was annoyed, angry even. I kept rubbing my palms. Then I looked back at the phone booth. It was empty. Ian was nowhere in sight.


    Panic hit my nerves. I got to my feet and ran toward the booth, as if I¡¯d find him hiding inside. I could see the whole booth from far away because of how brightly it was lit. For some reason, they had a bulb glowing even when nobody was using it. I looked around. He wasn¡¯t there. My chest tightened, and I rushed back toward the main dorm rooms.


    "We should not havee with him," I muttered to Mint, gritting my teeth.


    "Or maybe we should have kept our eye on him," Mint replied, and I frowned at her. I was making sure I didn¡¯t trip and waste time.


    "You were the one distracting me¡ªtalking about our mates and that ex¨Cbest friend of ours. Or, let me correct myself, defending those assholes."


    I snapped back at her, and she grunted even louder, just to prove she could match me.


    Then I reached the door. I darted inside and started shaking the alphas.


    "Troy! Yorick! Haiden!" I grabbed Troy¡¯s arm first, shook Yorick¡¯s leg, then patted Haiden¡¯s shoulder. The way they jolted awake surprised me, they were quick and alert.


    "What is it?" Troy asked, yawning and stretching. My eyes caught his muscles. He was ripped, and since he was only in his white shorts, I got a good look. Back when we were friends, he¡¯d rarely take his shirt off, but I knew he¡¯d been hitting the gym. I hadn¡¯t realized just how buff he¡¯d gotten.


    Haiden sat up with one eye closed, the other barely open, lips pouted from sleep. He was built more solid, with thicker muscle, while Troy had sharp muscle cuts.


    Then Yorick. As soon as he tossed the nket aside, I saw his abs, just as impressive. His skin was tanned, probably from spending hours outside. The muscles popped even more when he nted his fists on the mattress, making his shoulders, biceps, and triceps look unreal.


    I shook myself back to reality. I should be focusing on the douchebag who ran away.


    "What is it? Are you okay?" Yorick asked, clearing his throat.


    "Ian ran away," I said, watching their eyes widen.


    Yorick started to grin and quickly covered his mouth to hide hisughter. Troy looked up, pretended to pray like he was thanking the moon goddess, then shrugged.


    "So, are we celebrating now? We can celebrate tomorrow," Troy said, making it clear they didn¡¯t care about him.


    "I was with him when he did."


    The moment I added that, their smiles and over-dramatic expressions vanished. They just stared at me, unblinking.


    "I mean, I helped him to the phone booth¡ª," I was talking when I got interrupted.


    "There¡¯s a phone booth?" Troy cut in.


    My stomach sank. I hadn¡¯t expected them to be happy, but I should¡¯ve known they¡¯d be pissed.


    "You went out with him," Yorick said, emphasizing the part that bothered them most.


    "Listen, can we talk about itter? I opened the booth for him, we went inside, he talked to someone, and when I looked up from the ground, he was gone." I tried to keep it simple, but they still didn¡¯t seem to care.


    "So? It doesn¡¯t matter. You didn¡¯t help him run away. And since he¡¯s gone, nobody can me you," Haiden said with a shrug.


    "Probably right. But I just don¡¯t know. Listen, can we at least look for him? He can¡¯t run from this ce. If he¡¯s trying to cross the border, he¡¯ll end up dead." I told them, my agitation growing. They didn¡¯t share it. Every time I warned them something bad could happen to Ian, they just shrugged.


    "Fine. You all sit there and be cocky like Ian, while I go find my squadmate, whether I like him or not." I was louder this time. Before they could argue, I rushed past them to the door.


    "Clementine, listen¡ª" Haiden called, but I ignored him, hitting the ground running again.


    This time I headed toward the booth¡¯s direction. I heard the others following. They must¡¯ve been quick about it, because they¡¯d only thrown on sweaters, while Troy wore just a jacket with nothing underneath. I had no idea how that flimsy, unzipped thing was supposed to keep his naked torso warm.


    "And why do you keep thinking about naked bodies?" Mint asked, calling me out.

 Chapter 115-Hurting Me

    <h4>Chapter 115: 115-Hurting Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The minute we were on the road, I noticed the alphas stepping ahead of me, looking around. Troy had his hands on his waist, and I could see how broad he was. Haiden still had sleep in his eyes, I could tell, because he kept rubbing them. Then there was Yorick, stretching and yawning. I figured they only came because of me; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have bothered looking for Ian.


    "Wow, there¡¯s a phone booth, and it¡¯s locked. You said it was open."


    Troy rushed toward the booth, but stepped back, losing enthusiasm. I pushed past him to check, and sure enough, it was locked again.


    "I unlocked it," I said, and my head started to spin. "The lurkers must havee back and locked it. That means they knew somebody opened it."


    "Isn¡¯t it weird?" I asked Yorick, who had stepped forward to check the lock this time.


    "We need to go," Yorick said, gently touching my elbow.


    "What about Ian?" I pressed.


    "He can go fuck himself," Yorick said, grabbing my arm to pull me away.


    "No!" I protested, trying to break free, but then Haiden stepped forward.


    "You know, there¡¯s just one way," Haiden muttered, grabbing my arm, pulling me closer, and tossing me over his fucking shoulder.


    "What the fuck, Haiden?" I growled, keeping my voice low so the lurkers wouldn¡¯t hear.


    "Put me down," I hissed, but he just ran toward the dorm. I felt strange being on his shoulder, the others right behind us, rushing back.


    Once we made it to the dorm, Haiden hunched so I wouldn¡¯t hit the ceiling, then set me down inside. The minute he did, I grabbed his shirt and shook him.


    "What the fuck, Haiden?" I snapped, but he smirked and wrapped his arms around me.


    "What? Getting wet for me already?" he teased.


    I shoved him away. "Ian¡¯s still out there. We need to go. I¡¯m pretty sure whatever happened on that phone call upset him, and that¡¯s why he left."


    "Hush, the lurkers will hear," Yorick warned, hunching forward and motioning for me to be quiet.


    "No," I shot back.


    "Listen, if he was upset and left, that¡¯s his decision," Troy argued, stepping closer. The look on his face told me he wasn¡¯t happy I was fighting so hard for Ian.


    "And why do you even fucking care about Ian?" Haiden asked, as if reading Troy¡¯s mind, or mine.


    "Because he¡¯s our squad mate. He told me he¡¯d act as part of the team once I helped him with the phone booth, which I did. So now we¡¯re basically a team. And no, I¡¯m not leaving him out there."


    I knew I was irritating them, maybe more than I should. They didn¡¯t say it, but I could see from their bodynguage they were struggling to persuade me, and it was making them angry.


    "That dude doesn¡¯t even like you," Haiden hissed.


    "Oh, and you do?" The words slipped out before I could stop them. I hadn¡¯t meant to confront them now, especially when my focus was on Ian. If I told them what he¡¯d said, they¡¯d give up on finding him.


    "What¡¯s that supposed to mean?" Haiden demanded, eyes narrowing, eyebrows furrowing.


    "I mean, she¡¯s not wrong," Troy muttered.


    The second Haiden looked at him, Troy nced away, as if fascinated by the ceiling. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yorick smirking, apparently amused that I was questioning Haiden¡¯s feelings for me. As if they¡¯d be spared, but of course, they didn¡¯t know it yet.


    "Let it be. I don¡¯t want to talk about it right now," I told Haiden, looking away and rubbing my palms anxiously. I shouldn¡¯t havemented, because now I could tell his full attention was on me.


    "No, I want to know why you would say that," Haiden insisted, his voice urgent.


    "I guess it¡¯s just weird that you suddenly started being nice to her." Troy intervening definitely got a reaction out of Haiden. He turned to him, then pointed at me. "Did he say something to you?"


    As soon as Haiden asked that, Troy started to look aggressive. "Hey, I¡¯m not the one who goes around starting rumors."


    When Troy said that, Yorick began to scoff. "Well, you did start a rumor. I mean, you were always kind of starting weird rumors about Clementine, about how she was stealing kisses from you when being in a rtionship with me, or that she loves starting rumors about someone else." This time it was Yorick who had inserted himself.


    "You don¡¯t get to say anything. You started a rtionship with her over a bet," Troy argued.


    "Excuse me, and you know what happened after that. I did fall for her, unlike you. You were a snake, never her friend," Yorick hissed, his voice aggressive.


    I folded my arms over my chest, watching them argue like idiots.


    "That does not exin why she made ament about me. Did any one of you do something?" Haiden was speaking when he paused just to turn and look at me. "Trust me, I don¡¯t know what they told you, but it is not true."


    Haiden didn¡¯t even know what I was upset about, and he was already insisting he had nothing to do with it.


    "If you¡¯re all done arguing and reminding me how messed up you¡¯ve been to me, can we please focus on someone who might actually need our help tonight?" I hissed, grunting through clenched teeth.


    They fell silent, staring at me. Before Haiden could say anything else, because I could tell from his bodynguage he was about to ask again why I made thatment, I held up my palm.


    "I don¡¯t want to hear anything except where we should start looking for Ian," I hissed.


    Then I heard the bathroom door open. All their heads snapped up, eyes wide, staring behind me. Slowly, I turned to look.


    It was Ian.


    And then, in a very soft and gentle tone, Troy said, "Perhaps what we¡¯re searching for has been right under our noses this whole time."

 Chapter 116-Ian! Stop Looking At Me.

    <h4>Chapter 116: 116-Ian! Stop Looking At Me.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Ian looked at the three alphas behind me before his gaze finallynded on me. His eyes were oddly red, his nose and cheeks flushed, and I was sure it wasn¡¯t just from the cold. There was sadness there, like he¡¯d been through something.


    "You fucker, you left her there and decided toe back?" Haiden pushed me aside to lunge at Ian. My body swayed, and Yorick stepped in quickly to catch me from behind, keeping me on my feet. At the same time, Troy lunged past us to grab Ian¡¯s cor from the left while Haiden took hold of the right. I expected Ian to fight back, but he didn¡¯t.


    "Guys, let him go!" I shouted, breaking free from Yorick and stepping forward to gently push Troy and Haiden away. Now I was the only one facing Ian.


    "I didn¡¯t leave her behind," Ian defended. Even though he was looking at me, his words were for all of them.


    "I left to smoke for a few seconds. By the time I came back, she was gone. I looked for her, then came back here to tell you we need to search for her. But when I found you gone, I figured you were already out there, so I went to the bathroom." His voice was heavy, tired, maybe both depressed and stressed.


    "So you didn¡¯t want to join our search, even when you were the reason she was left outside?" Troy asked, not about to thank him for the bare minimum of returning to say he¡¯d lost me.


    "She¡¯s fine. Isn¡¯t she standing right here?" Ian added, no cocky remarks, no smirk, no grin. Just a t statement as he pointed at me, then stepped back. He walked to his bed, sat down, lowered his head, and buried his face in his hands.


    "What happened?" I asked, noticing how the others nced at him but didn¡¯t speak, as if still unsure whether to ask if he was okay.


    "I want to go back home," Ian said, nodding. That¡¯s how I knew whatever information he¡¯d gotten was serious, devastating, even.


    "Okay, guys, let¡¯s head to bed. We¡¯re not gonna listen to this fucker cry about his pack issues," Haiden said, pulling off his shirt with one hand and winking at me. I always felt uneasy when he did that, especially shirtless.


    The others started heading to bed too.


    "Clementine,e on, go back to your bed," Yorick hissed, almost ordering me. I gave him a look before walking to my bed and sitting down. I didn¡¯t lie down; I stayed sitting, legs dangling over the edge like Ian¡¯s.


    "Bad news?" I asked.


    Ian, gripping the edges of his bed with his head down, only nodded. His ck hair shifted slightly with the movement.


    "Maybe if we finish this mission soon, we¡¯ll be able to head back home," I said, feeling guilty because we were supposed to be fighting for our rights. How had we just epted the mission without going back? Or maybe the mission was that important, maybe the monster really was getting stronger.


    Ian finally lifted his head, meeting my eyes with the strangest stare he¡¯d ever given me. Then, softly, he said, "Well, at least now I know there¡¯s only one person in the world I can trust, that I can rely on."


    After that, hey down again without even taking off his jacket or shoes. But his words gave me goosebumps. Did he mean me?


    We woke up early in the morning and were taken to the main hall, where breakfast was served. Everybody was busy talking about the things they would do out there in the North. Obviously, the white squad was sticking together, and this time even the other squads were grouping up for the sake of safety, apart from the red squad. Oriana was sitting alone with her arms crossed over her chest, while her squad mates sat together discussing something.


    After we finished breakfast, we were asked to leave, so we did.


    "Remember everyone, the train will visit you in a week. You are supposed to y this monster within that time. Also, don¡¯t forget the other instructions, like taking a route that will help you find your way back to the station. As much as we would like to send our train back non-stop, sadly we cannot. We cannot let those monsters board the train. I hope you understand. Now, best of luck."


    This was the first time Miss Rue made an announcement as she stood before us. I could tell the others did not like that she was allowed to speak today. Usually, Mr. Rick and Ms. Lenora handled the announcements. They act as if they are the ringleaders of the ringleaders. And then there were other squad ringleaders. I could already tell they did not care who took the lead.


    I also heard that the ringleaders of the blue and green squads were not very satisfied with their crusaders. That was saddening because we were not there to satisfy anyone. We were here to fight for our lives and save many others.


    "Now, please board the train." Miss Rue stepped away with the other ringleaders. Our squad had been very quiet sincest night. I noticed Ian did not make anyments or jabs at anyone, but he also did not eat breakfast. He didn¡¯t eat dinner either, so I wasn¡¯t sure what he was thinking. I understood he was angry and wanted to protest, but this would only be harmful for him. Going out to fight with no energy and no food in his system, I felt like he wasn¡¯t thinking very clearly, especially when he was angry.


    "I hope we all make it back home this time," Troy whispered under his breath. We all looked at him and nodded. We were running low on energy after losing so many squadmates, and now it felt more personal, knowing them better made the thought of losing them even more devastating. Then my eyesnded on Ian, and I noticed he was looking at me. It was a very odd look.

 Chapter 117-Bullies Or The Monsters

    <h4>Chapter 117: 117-Bullies Or The Monsters</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    He then looked away. Sadly, none of the announcements exined what kind of creature we were going to see. They just told us to be careful. I guess their drones had captured some activity or a monster. But why they didn¡¯t tell us what they were seeing was beyond me. I understand they wanted us to be better warriors, but they could have helped us too. It wasn¡¯t a game where we had to maximize our strength. It was literally about our lives and the safety of ournd. But I digress.


    "The creature we are going to find is Medusa," Ian said softly, almost like he heard me think it. I raised my head and turned to look at him. I noticed our squadmates were all looking at him. The doors were closed, so I was pretty sure the others couldn¡¯t hear us.


    "What? What is that?" Haiden asked, confused.


    "I heard there had been a monster with a snake head roaming around. If that¡¯s the case, then it is Medusa," Ian added. He rested his elbow on the window corner, bending his arm so his thumb was under his chin as he looked outside.


    "I had heard about her. I mean, some time ago there was a rumor that such a monster existed. I don¡¯t know where it came from, but the name was mentioned many years ago. I don¡¯t know much about it," I told Ian directly, even while he stared out the window.


    "Yeah, I guess it was when someone imed they had identally boarded the train to the North, saw this monster, and then ran back home," Haiden exined, helping me ce where I had heard the name before.


    "Then that means there is no real information on it. If it¡¯s just one monster in the deep city and the report came from someone who identally boarded and immediately rushed back, then the person must have seen it near the train station. They probably don¡¯t know what it¡¯s capable of," Troy added.


    Now we all sat in silence again, just waiting for the North to arrive. North had be such a strange and terrifying part of our lives that every time we boarded this train, it felt like some of us wouldn¡¯t make it back home safely.


    As soon as the train stopped and we started to get out, I noticed the white team forming a circle again. They were like bad news. Just as we were headed along the same route we had takenst time, I heard somemotion behind us. I turned around and saw Jack bump into the green squad girl on purpose, almost stepping on her foot. She fell and I guessed she had broken her nose because she started screaming in pain.


    "What the fuck is wrong with you?" one of the other green squad members screamed, trying to push Jack back.


    Jack grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him forward, but Joshua kicked him in the back of the knee, making him kneel. Then Jack reached down and grabbed his hair from the front, forcing him to look up.


    "Don¡¯t you fucking tell us what we can and cannot do. You don¡¯t understand, huh? We are the leading team. We get to do whatever the fuck we want. You hear me?" Jack yelled in his face.


    I looked at Suki. She was watching him with confidence and a happy smile on her lips. Now that I knew something was going on between them, their interaction seemed so awkward.


    Oriana, like a tiny, timid princess, squeezed herself to the side to get past them. I noticed Suki eyeing her, then turning her head to look at Joshua, who was checking her out. She looked back at Jack, and I guessed that because Jack wasn¡¯t paying attention to her, Suki must have convinced herself that cheating on Joshua was the right thing.


    I felt a little nudge against my elbow from Haiden. "Let¡¯s go. We shouldn¡¯t get into other people¡¯s troubles. We don¡¯t know when they¡¯ll turn around and use us of starting or escting the fight," Haiden said, pulling me along.


    This time, Ian was just walking with us. He didn¡¯t step ahead or try to leave us behind.


    "Guys, remember those fleshmingos exist," Yorick reminded us. "Even finishing thest mission doesn¡¯t mean we got rid of them. They¡¯re like tiny creatures that are everywhere."


    "Fleshmingos?" Troy asked, sounding lost.


    "Oh yeah, their original name is weird, so Clementine and I came up with our own," Yorick said. Troy turned to look at me, eyes slightly squeezed shut, like he was judging me.


    We were on the open road. It reminded me of Sadie, and honestly, I felt suddenly drained. The ones behind had stopped fighting. The green squad girl seemed fine, like she had transitioned to heal. She was moving away from the white squad. Same with the blue and red squads. The Red squad only had three members. They weren¡¯t even walking together, they were all separated, one far behind, another in the corner. Oriana had crossed ahead to walk in front of us. The white squad mates were still making a lot of noise, joking and ying with each other.


    We reached the same vige and started to move silently. Then something happened, and I realized how victory can really change someone. The same Jack who had been timid, silent, and decent at the start was now a troublemaker. I turned my head while sneaking around the vige to see what the white squad was doing. I noticed Jack hand a stone to the crying girl, the one who always cries in the white squad. She attacks someone, they fight back, and she cries. She giggled as she held the stone, and I immediately knew what they were nning.


    She tossed the stone, aiming it at the window of the same green squad girl they had been picking on. When it hit, it made a noise. I knew I was supposed to do something, but there was no way I could stop it. All I could do was shake Troy, who followed my gaze. We were pressed against the side of a house, arms spread, backs against the wall, slowly moving forward when it happened.


    Right before our eyes, the green squad girl panicked, trying to get away from the window. The ss broke, and out came the fleshmingo¡¯s beak, attacking the green squad girl. In the next moment, her neck snapped and her head was gone.

 Chapter 118-A Faded Memory

    <h4>Chapter 118: 118-A Faded Memory</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I have been sleeping in the attic since I was scalded at dinner and nobody came to check on me. The hot soup tossed at me by my stepmother burned my skin. I was a child, so I could not heal fast. I knew I was going to suffer. They would not give me any medicine. My father didn¡¯t care. It happened right in front of him and he did not object, so I knew it did not affect him.


    Glinda had been extremely bothered for two days, and her tantrums only made me suffer. She kept pacing outside my father¡¯s study, arguing with him back and forth. I did not understand what was going on between them, but being a child did not mean I was clueless like Leysa.


    For Leysa, things were different. She was special. She would not be put in ces where she could see or hear anything that would ruin her peace of mind. She was treated sacredly. Yes, sacred was the right word, because my father used to call her that. He would say she was his mental peace.


    I anxiously covered my ears when I heard grunting and yelling from the floor beneath mine. I was in the attic, so the floor below was the alpha¡¯s floor where my father, my stepmother, and my half-sister were. My body was in pain, but I had to get up to see what was going on. Themotion was too loud.


    I snuck out of bed, hoping I could rub my arms or my neck where the soup hadnded, but I knew if I did it would only cause more irritation. I silently reached the door and then the staircase. All I could see were shadows on the wall from the open bedroom door opposite it. The shadow of a man and a woman was all I could see. The woman was pushing him non-stop and screaming until I focused harder.


    "How could you do this to me? Right when I said I need your time," it was Glinda yelling at my father.


    "And I told you that I got distracted by this bitch," he yelled back.


    I did not understand what they were talking about. Maybe it was me. Father did get annoyed a lot because of me. So maybe what happened at dinner had pissed him off so much that he did not want to spend time with my stepmother. I did not understand, so I continued to look at the silhouettes.


    "Really? Is she really that good that you got distracted by her?" I squinted my eyes just a little and noticed Glinda was holding something. It seemed to be a big knife or maybe a hammer. She was swinging it around a lot while arguing with my father.


    "Come on, honey, put it down. You¡¯ll hurt me. Have you not done enough damage already?" I could easily spot my father¡¯s voice because I hated it so much.


    Then I noticed something. As I squinted my eyes a little too much, I saw something on the bed. It seemed like an arm and a leg. I wasn¡¯t sure, so I started walking downstairs to see what I was seeing. That¡¯s when I didn¡¯t realize one of the stairs creaked.


    And then all I remember is my stepmother running out of the room with the hammer in her hand, running up the stairs, and lifting it. The next thing I knew, the striking pain on my head and the blood trickling down my face and neck knocked me out of my senses. I gasped as I began to wake up.


    "Clementine, are you OK?" I heard voices saying my name, asking if I was fine. A visible contrast to what had really happened thest time. I began to see faces, specifically the ones I recognized as my mates and my ex¨Cbest friend. Their heads loomed over mine, blocking the view of the sky. I rubbed my eyes as I realized I was in the North.


    "Wait, how did I end up here?" I asked, breathing heavily, noticing that I was on the big road between the vige and the first big city. It was the same bus stop where I had found Ianst time.


    "You passed out," Ian said, and as the others stepped away from me, I began to get up, watching him exin.


    "How?" I asked, confused, until I looked at their faces and remembered what had happened before my eyes shut.


    "What happened to her?" I quickly asked, holding Troy and Haiden¡¯s hands, the ones standing on my left and right.


    "It was chaos," Yorick replied, looking disturbed. They all looked very sad.


    "Oh no, she died, didn¡¯t she?" I asked, starting to break down. I couldn¡¯t remember thest time something had affected me this badly. I would feel bad for people, but to cry like this, even I surprised myself.


    I suddenly stopped, noticing how much I was breaking down, almost like a child. Then I realized the way they were staring at my face.


    "I think I¡¯m just emotional," I said, rubbing my face in my hands.


    "I cannot believe the White Squad did that. That stupid Xenia got that innocent girl killed," Yorick said, huffing and puffing.


    It took us fifteen minutes to calm down, but I realized that when I saw the fleshmingo take her and behead her, I passed out. Yorick had put me on his shoulders and run away while the others fought the fleshmingos to make sure they didn¡¯t scratch or hurt me. They had done an amazing job, an unconscious personing out without a single scratch, even though my squad mates were badly scratched up. They did great saving me, but I felt guilty for bing a burden on them.


    "I don¡¯t know what happened or why I passed out," I said, still visibly shaken from the nightmare I had. I didn¡¯t understand why I would dream about something I didn¡¯t even remember, or was it a faded memory?


    "Did anybody find out why she did what she did?" I asked my squadmates, who shook their heads.


    "No, we all just ran away to avoid the fleshmingos. It was chaos after that. But we won¡¯t let the White Squads get away with it this time," Haiden grunted, his fists clenched in anger.


    "We¡¯ll rest here, and after you¡¯repletely okay, we¡¯ll continue our journey to the main city," Ian said, standing next to the pole at the bus stop, arms folded over his chest, staring into the distance.


    "I¡¯m ready, let¡¯s go," I started, then my eyes shifted to the side, and I saw the White Squad showing up.

 Chapter 119-Fighting The White Squad

    <h4>Chapter 119: 119-Fighting The White Squad</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    They didn¡¯t seem too affected, but they weren¡¯t making jokes anymore either. They looked rather serious, and then they saw us. I watched them look at us and squeeze together, probably to talk about us. Then they acted like they weren¡¯t seeing us and began moving forward,pletely avoiding us. I couldn¡¯t tell if they were guilty or not. All I could say was they were avoiding confrontation because they knew they had messed up badly.


    "So, do you really think you¡¯ll get out alive from here?" Haiden yelled, targeting the girl specifically, the one responsible for the Fleshmingos killing the other innocent girl.


    She slowed down and looked at her squadmates.


    "Let¡¯s keep moving," Joshua told her, sounding like we were the ones bullying her.


    Xenia started to move forward when Ian chuckled.


    "It¡¯s just that some bitches are so mad they have to do something crazy just to get attention. Did you get one, baby?" he teased more than he used.


    She suddenly stopped and turned to look at Ian.


    "I didn¡¯t know this would be the oue. I was just trying to y a prank." The way she defended herself, she sounded offended that anyone would call her out for causing the girl¡¯s death.


    "A person was killed because of your prank," I hissed from the bench.


    That was the only time Joshua stopped, and along with him, all his squadmates.


    "And did you not know there were monsters? We¡¯ve been there before, so you knew how important it was to stay silent. That¡¯s why you threw the stone. So don¡¯t act like you didn¡¯t want that oue," I said, looking straight into her eyes.


    Her jaw dropped, and tears spilled down her cheeks. She turned and hugged Jake, who was standing next to her.


    "Can you stop bullying her? She made one mistake, and you¡¯re all ganging up on her," Jake said loudly.


    "Ganging up on her? Are you kidding me? And a mistake? What kind of mistake was that? It was done on purpose. She wanted that girl dead. Mnia died because Xenia and you were being a bitch to her," I argued, getting up from the bench. "And don¡¯t think I won¡¯t tell everyone that you were the one who handed her the rock. So yeah, you two were in on it."


    I pointed at both of them, watching Suki raise her brows, fold her arms, and tap her foot like she was questioning us.


    "You guys will no longer talk to our squadmates. Have I made myself clear?" Joshua stepped forward, thinking we¡¯d be scared of him.


    "And who the fuck are you?" Yorick said.


    Now my squadmates started lining up with me.


    "Oh yeah, this is the douchebag who can¡¯t control his bitch," Troy said, making Suki¡¯s eyes go wide.


    "You¡¯re messing with the wrong squad. And now that your bitch has already seen what Jake did, let me remind you, we can do even worse to you guys," Joshua said, watching us with a threat in his eyes.


    "What did you just call Clementine?" I heard Haiden¡¯s knuckles crack.


    The next thing I knew, Haiden, Yorick, and Troy rushed onto the road.


    "Guys, no!" I screamed, but they didn¡¯t care. Haiden ran and jumped with his fist in the air. When hended, he punched Joshua to the ground. Troy headbutted Jake, pulling him away from Xenia and shoving her to the ground, where she started crying, as always.


    I noticed Yorick fighting the rest of the squadmates, the two silent puppet boys of Joshua, and Sukiing forward with a stick in her hand to attack him. That¡¯s when I knew I had to step in. I rushed forward, and before she couldnd the stick on Yorick, I grabbed her arm.


    "Huh? You think you can fight me?" she said, trying to intimidate me with her widened eyes.


    "I know I can fight you."


    The minute I said that, I headbutted her, and her nose started bleeding. She stared at her fingers, then at her nose, before screaming hysterically in my face. That didn¡¯t scare me. I grabbed the back of her head, shoved it down, and kneed her in the face.


    I watched her get up, covering her nose with her hands in shock, then step back andnd on her butt, screaming in pain. That¡¯s when I felt someone grab my arm. Joshua must havee to her aid. As he began to turn me around to hit me, Yorick grabbed him from behind, his forearm pressing against Joshua¡¯s chin, pushing him away from me.


    The chaos grew louder until we heard a strange scream in the distance, something that vibrated the surroundings. Not like an earthquake, but more than that. Suddenly everyone froze.


    Then, in the distance, we saw half of the North, where the main city began, turnpletely ck. I even heard the crier gasp at the sight. It was like half the earth had gone missing, nothing but pitch dark.


    "What is that?" I heard Suki whisper, but Joshua was quick to pull her into a hug.


    We began to separate, almost in slow motion, the Whites on one side and us on the other, all staring toward the darkness.


    And then what happened shook us all where we stood. We heard an announcement, sounding like it came from the academy¡¯s speakers.


    "So, Crusaders, we are d you¡¯ve made it this far. For the rest of the day, you can enjoy your time freely without worrying about anything. Just step towards the big city, and you will find a house ready for you. You are asked toe to the hall of the house, attend the dinners, and listen to your ringleaders. Thank you very much. You have only five minutes toe through."


    The announcement ended, and we looked at each other in confusion.


    "The ringleaders? Why would the ringleaders be here? And what did they mean by having a house for us there?" Jack asked Joshua.


    Joshua shrugged.


    "We should go. It¡¯s only five minutes. I don¡¯t want to stay behind and let the other teams win," Suki said, making us all turn to look at her.


    Our squad then nced at each other.


    "Let¡¯s go," Jake said, and the White Squad started moving forward.


    However, I noticed Ian slowly raise his arm and wave his fingers at us, almost like telling us not to go there. Then, before us, the rest of the Green Squad and the Blue Squad showed up. Oriana was missing until we looked behind them, she must have gotten lost after the Fleshmingos attacked.


    They were all rushing toward the darkness, toward the big city.


    "Have you guys lost your mind?" Ian yelled, and suddenly everybody stopped. Even the White Squad slowed down.


    "This is not our ringleaders," he said, pointing toward the darkness.

 Chapter 120-A Mark On My Forehead.

    <h4>Chapter 120: 120-A Mark On My Forehead.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "So then who is it, Mr. Genius?" Jack taunted, making only his squadugh. Even with their bloody faces, they still managed to bully someone.


    "I don¡¯t know. I just know it¡¯s not our ringleaders. Are you seriously that dumb that whoever sounds like your ringleader, you¡¯ll follow them?" Ian taunted Joshua, who suddenly straightened his shoulders.


    "I think this dude doesn¡¯t know anything. He doesn¡¯t even show interest in anyone, and here he is making rules. We should follow the voice," Jack said, gesturing at the other squad members to lead the way.


    "Why would we listen to you?" Oriana said, hands on her waist as she walked ahead of everyone. "Aren¡¯t you guys the ones who got a girl killed?"


    I was shocked she wasn¡¯t even worried that her squadmates wouldn¡¯t help her when she was messing with the White Squad.


    "That was an ident!" Xenia screamed.


    "Oh, you better not scream at me, you lousy-mouthed girl. There are no idents in the North. You did it on purpose. And let¡¯s not even talk about how you¡¯ve been bullying her for the past two days. Why? What triggered you guys so much against her, huh?" The way Oriana spoke, I could tell she knew more than we did. The White Squad just stared at her, almost like challenging her.


    "We¡¯ve seen you around, princess," Suki jumped in. "You walk around like you¡¯re such a dainty little thing, and it¡¯s fine. You¡¯re keeping yourself busy since nobody else likes you. But make sure you don¡¯t cross us. Because whoever crosses us¡ª" Suki pointed at her chest.


    "They end up dead, right, Suki?" I taunted, and she clenched her fists.


    "Anyway, I just let you guys know what I think. The rest is up to you. You want to go and follow these idiots, be my guest," Ian said with a shrug. But then suddenly, the speakers started to re again.


    "This grey-eyed boy is going to get you all punished. Unless you don¡¯t want to end up in punishment, just listen to our orders."


    The voice sounded like Ms. Lenora.


    Everybody began to look at each other, but then I guess it finally hit them, it wasn¡¯t possible for the ringleaders to be here. And the darkness ahead of us was a clear sign that something was wrong.


    Thankfully, they didn¡¯t listen to the voice. After some time, the darkness began to fade away.


    "Do you think it¡¯s safe to go to the city now?" one of the members from the blue squad asked.


    "I mean, we weren¡¯t going anywhere, it was obvious someone had tried to trick us." Now that it was clear the voice came from an imposter, Jack from the white squad was suddenly acting like a hero. We ignored him.


    Everybody started moving forward while our squad stayed back. Ian turned to us, rubbing his chin.


    "This could be Medusa. At least now we know she has the power to change her voice and imitate anyone," Ian said, sounding almost too busy trying to figure out more.


    "We should find a ce to stay, somewhere safe enough to avoid Medusa for a few hours, at least until we figure out how to fight her," Ian suggested, his eyes wandering around. I noticed a clear change in his bodynguage and behavior today. He wasn¡¯t acting like himself, more like a broken version of him. It felt strange, but I couldn¡¯t help noticing.


    "Are you okay?" Haiden asked while Yorick and Troy walked ahead, shoulder to shoulder with Ian.


    "Yeah," I replied.


    "What happened?" Haiden wondered, and I frowned, keeping pace with him.


    "What do you mean?" I asked, unsure what he was getting at.


    "Back when you passed out, you were saying some stuff in your sleep," Haiden pressed. "Something about the shadows, the hammer, and your stepmother." He kept his eyes on my face as we walked.


    "I don¡¯t know, Haiden. It was just a weird nightmare. I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s all it was," I said, trying to convince myself. I was certain, until he said something that threw me off.


    "Are you sure it was just a nightmare? Or maybe a lost memory that is triggered now?"


    His words made me go numb. I stopped when we reached the big city. Now I understood why it was called that. It was stunning in a way, yet not at all. The buildings were mostly in ruins, with clear signs of heavy damage, not from one monster, but many.


    Some buildings were brown, the next set light green, then beige, then ivory. It formed a pattern. Nowhere could I spot a lone house standing in a different color. There were always three or four houses of the same shade before the color changed, repeating over and over.


    We passed parks as we walked, but there was no way to explore the entire city, not on foot, not while starving.


    "That¡¯s the worst part about not being in the woods," Troy muttered. "At least you can find food in the woods."


    Before I could answer, Yorick pointed toward a huge mall.


    "And you think that ce will be safe?" Haiden asked, eyeing the massive building. The bigger the ce, the higher the chance monsters could be hiding inside.


    "We can at least try," Troy said. "Maybe there¡¯ll be some food or something in there."


    Next thing we knew, we were heading toward the mall.


    As soon as we entered the mall, I stopped in front of arge window. In its reflection, I could see myself clearly. I gently lifted my bangs, spotting a faint mark on my forehead. It was barely visible, but it looked like I¡¯d been struck once with something.


    "Maybe a silver hammer," my wolf murmured, reminding me of my dream and the object I¡¯d seen my stepmother holding.


    "But wouldn¡¯t it have healed?" I asked her.


    "Did Haiden¡¯s mark heal?" she replied.


    That question stayed with me. Why do some marks never heal? The thought made me more certain, and more afraid, that the dream might be true. If it really happened, did that mean my stepmother had hit me with a silver hammer, and the memory had been erased from my mind?


    "Are you okay?"


    I almost jumped when I heard Troy¡¯s voice behind me. Quickly, I lowered my bangs and gave him a small nod before walking away. Something terrible was happening to me. Ever since I¡¯d stepped into the north this time, and the closer I got to the big city, the stranger, and sadder, I felt.

 Chapter 121-Not Sleeping With Anyone

    <h4>Chapter 121: 121-Not Sleeping With Anyone</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Did you guys check the area?" Haiden asked after running around the mall, up and down.


    "No, we only checked the ground floor," Troy said, twirling his finger in a circle.


    "I don¡¯t think we can stay here for too long. This ce is way too open," Yorick suggested.


    "Look what I found," Ian said in his usual cheery, cocky voice. He walked in with a trolley full of food items.


    "They¡¯re all expired goods, Ian. You wasted your time," I said tiredly.


    "Nope, they¡¯re not." The way he said it made me freeze for a second.


    When Haiden, Troy, and Yorick rushed toward him to check the boxes, I snapped back to reality. I hurried over and watched their faces before picking up one of the cans myself.


    "Wait, how is this possible?" I asked, checking the other boxes. One after another, I saw expiration dates marked 2027, 2028. But the manufacturing dates were recent. It made no sense.


    "Well, the North used to be a living ce. There were factories making food and everything. Who knows, maybe there¡¯s a small city somewhere still operating, trying to survive," Troy suggested with a shrug, grabbing a pack of chips and tearing it open. As soon as he took a bite, he closed his eyes and smiled, savoring the taste.


    The others began eating too, but I just stood there holding the can, staring at it.


    "But then why would they deliver food to these malls?" I asked.


    They slowed down their chewing. Then I heard the loud snap of a wafer. Turning to Ian, I saw he wasn¡¯t paying attention to the question at all, he was already eating.


    "What? You guys are way too dramatic. Just enjoy the food. Who cares who left it here?" he said.


    I guess the alphas agreed, because they instantly dug back in. I did too. At this point, there was no point in arguing. The food was here, and we were starving.


    "Do you still think we can¡¯t stay here?" I joked to Troy and the others.


    "I think it¡¯ll be better if we collect as much food as we can and then move on to a smaller, more secure house." Ian wasn¡¯t wrong, though. We needed a smaller area to stay in. So much had been happening that we hadn¡¯t even realized it was already evening. Soon the darkness would consume us, and then we¡¯d be at the mercy of pretty much every monster in the North.


    By the time we walked out of the mall carrying bags, it was already dark, and the north had gonepletely silent. We¡¯d been up north before and had spent nights there, but it had never been this quiet. It felt like no living being had ever existed here. Even our footsteps sounded so loud that I felt uneasy¡ªmaybe even afraid of drawing the attention of some monster with the heavy steps I was taking. None of us spoke, not even in a whisper, because of how silent it was.


    Ian pointed toward one of the houses, and with a few silent nods, we let him know we agreed. There were no other crusaders on the road by then, so they had probably already found ces to stay for the night.


    We headed toward the house. It was brown, the first among the other three brown houses. From three houses down the mall, the packets we carried were already making too much noise. When we reached the house, we expected the doors to be unlocked, but to our surprise, there was a huge lock on the outside. Whoever had lived there must have had time to lock the ce before leaving, rather than fleeing in a panic. With just a nce from Haiden, I knew it was my job to open the door.


    Once I unlocked the door and we stepped inside, I expected a cloud of dust to hit us. Instead, the house was surprisingly clean¡ªnot spotless, but without many spiderwebs or much dust. Ian quietly closed the door, as he was good at being silent.


    We found ourselves in a spacious living room. From theyout, I could tell it was a three-story house, and the living room alone was beautiful. The furniture didn¡¯t look too old, maybe from around 2010 or 2012. I noticed many of the windows were boarded shut, which meant people must have lived here for a while. But then, who had cleaned the ce? That part didn¡¯t make sense.


    "Guys, check this out," Troy said, snapping his fingers to get our attention. We all followed him to the kitchen, where arge window faced the road outside, though it was now boarded shut. He pointed to the contents of the fridge. It looked just like the one at the mall, with the same expiration dates. On the stove, there was a pot of beans, almost as if someone had cooked them recently but left in a hurry, though not so hurried that they forgot to lock the doors. It was all confusing.


    "Anyway, we do know that people live here. Don¡¯t we know that already? What¡¯s so shocking?" Ian shrugged, clearly unbothered.


    "What are we going to do now? How are we going toe across this creature? And how are we going to y her?" I asked, walking back with them to the living room.


    A twelve-seater sofa sat in the middle of the room, and we settled into itfortably. Still, I wasn¡¯t sure we could all sleep there, maybe three alphas could fit, but the others would need to find bedrooms. I spotted one, but its door was locked. I hesitated, uneasy about opening a bedroom that might have been used recently.


    "It¡¯s the first night, Clementine. There will be even tougher monsters, and we might have to stay somewhere for a whole month before we can go back home," Ian said, his tone free of mockery or taunting. I¡¯d noticed he¡¯d been a little nicer to me sincest night, though I wasn¡¯t sure.


    "Don¡¯t worry, Clementine. Even if we have to stay for a week, we¡¯re with you." Haiden suddenly cut in, letting me know he was still there. He sat on the couch with one arm stretched out and his leg bouncing.


    "She knows she has a mate here," Yorick added, tilting his face to look Haiden in the eye, almost as if challenging him.


    "You guys are making her ufortable. You know she doesn¡¯t like attention," Troy said, making me raise an eyebrow at him. Out of all people, I would have expected him to think poorly of me, he was the one who had used me of starting gossip and all that nonsense. But I chose not to dwell on it.


    "So what, are you guys going to keep fighting for her attention all night? Oh, please, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re expecting her to sleep with one of you."


    And then Ian, being Ian, suddenly brought it up, something that had never even crossed my mind. At hisment, I gasped.

 Chapter 122-A Friend Or An Imposter

    <h4>Chapter 122: 122-A Friend Or An Imposter</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Ian, you¡¯re the only one making these weirdments and making her ufortable," Troy hissed at him. Ian just shrugged, leaning back like he was about to lie t and fall asleep. He folded his arms behind his head, eyes fixed on the ceiling.


    Yorick had been unusually silent. I felt like I was noticing everyone too much, picking up on every shift in their bodynguage. Maybe it was because, aftering to the North for the first time, I¡¯d realized how important it was for a crusader to keep their eyes, ears, and mind open at all times.


    Then Troy got up from the couch and headed into the bedroom I¡¯d been eyeing. He opened the door effortlessly, and when he stepped inside, I saw him light a candle. A minuteter, he walked out, pointing his thumb toward the room.


    "Clementine, the room is safe," he said, not looking at me as he walked away with his head down. It felt like his way of letting me know I could take it. I really needed to use the restroom, so I was grateful.


    I stood quickly, aware of the eyes on me. Haiden was watching, and Yorick was even checking me out, but I didn¡¯t stick around to argue. They could look all they wanted; I couldn¡¯t control that. I headed for the bathroom in haste.


    It was a cozy space, with a small bathtub near a boarded-up window. It must have been a beautiful house once, with a view worth having, but not everything beautiful is safe. I undressed and filled the tub, lowering myself into the cold water. Even so, it was better than nothing. Taking a bath in the North felt like being on the VIP side of a hotel. I rested my head back, and my eyes began to close. I guess I was more tired than I thought.


    "You¡¯re making too much noise," I heard someone whisper. The voice sounded like a woman¡¯s, one I hated the most.


    Glinda!


    "Why did you strike her?" a man argued. It was my father.


    "She was listening to us! And wait¡ªare you defending that daughter who¡¯s nothing but trash to you?" Glinda¡¯s voice dripped with anger and hatred.


    "No, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just asking why you¡¯d want more trouble on your hands. Don¡¯t we already have enough?" my father hissed.


    Glinda mimicked his words in a garbled, mocking tone.


    "Glinda, sometimes you¡¯re just too adorable." But somehow, my father still sounded amused.


    Wait! what was going on? How could I hear all this? I wasn¡¯t seeing anything. Everything was pitch ck. Then I felt something cold and liquid seeping into my nose.


    "AHHHH!" I gasped, jolting awake in the bathtub, and froze when I saw Haiden in the bathroom.


    "You¡¯re okay?" he asked. His arms were wet. It seemed he was the one who had woken me.


    I looked around, then quickly covered my chest. There was no light in the bathroom, so he couldn¡¯t see much, but I still felt exposed. He turned his back, grabbed a bathrobe, and held it out to me.


    "No, I don¡¯t know whose bathrobe it is," I said, frowning. He put it back, hands on his waist, still facing away.


    "You¡¯re not supposed to sleep in the bathtub. You could drown, you know that?" he said, making me realize why he was there. I must have been struggling, and he happened to be nearby.


    "Yeah, I guess I¡¯m just tired," I murmured, scratching my scalp.


    "I¡¯ll give you a minute," he said, walking out and leaving me alone.


    I sat in the water, thinking about the strange dream. It felt like a continuation of thest one. But where was I in it? How could I hear everything without seeing? Maybe it happened while I was drifting in and out of consciousness after I had been struck with a hammer. That must have been when I heard them arguing. But why that night? Why that incident? None of it made sense.


    After I got dressed, I walked out of the bathroom with my hair still wet. Haiden was pacing around the room, sneaking nces at me without really looking directly.


    "Do you want to tell me what this is all about?" he finally asked, tilting his head, hands on his waist.


    "Nothing. I just fell asleep," I lied. At this point, even I didn¡¯t know what these dreams meant. What was I supposed to say, that I¡¯d heard my stepmother and father talking about strange things? First about why I was struck, then my father suddenly admiring my stepmother? There was nothing worth discussing.


    "You seem pretty off," Haiden said.


    "I¡¯m not, but I¡¯m sure Yorick and Ian are up to something. They¡¯re the ones who are quiet," I replied.


    Haiden frowned, narrowing his eyes. "Well, I think you¡¯re acting weird."


    "What? No." I almostughed at myself. "Maybe I am, but did you notice anything about Ian and Yorick?" I asked.


    That¡¯s when Yorick walked in, hands in his pants pockets. "What are you doing in her room?" he asked.


    He looked like he had just woken up, which made me wonder how long I¡¯d been in the water, my fingers were already jelly-like.


    "Oh, he came in to save me from drowning." Iughed, as if it were even possible for me to drown in a bathtub. Imagine a crusader who¡¯s supposed to y a monster drowning in the bath.


    "Really? Well, you must have been in her bedroom to even hear her struggle in the bath," Yorick said.


    "Yeah, I came into her bedroom to see if she was awake because I wanted to talk to her," Haiden stated confidently, not shying away from his intentions.


    "By the way, I¡¯m here to talk if I have toin," I told Yorick, also reminding Haiden they weren¡¯t supposed to argue over me. I can make decisions for myself. They don¡¯t get to act like my guardians or decide who I can and can¡¯t talk to.


    "And what were you saying about me?" Yorick asked, this time more curious than aggressive.


    "Nothing. I just noticed you¡¯ve been very quiet," I said, watching him raise an eyebrow.


    "No, I noticed Troy has been acting weird," Yorick replied.


    "Wait, what?" Haiden and I said in unison. A bad feeling hit me instantly.


    Then a knock on the window pulled our attention away.


    "Yorick, you¡¯re here?" a voice called.


    As soon as he heard his name, Yorick¡¯s eyes widened. He turned instantly toward the window. Haiden and I exchanged a look as Yorick moved briskly to the boarded window, ced his hand on it, and knocked back. The voice sounded like a young boy¡¯s.


    And then, in a panicked state, Yorick uttered, "Ro?"

 Chapter 123-Ian’s Offer

    <h4>Chapter 123: 123-Ian¡¯s Offer</h4>


    Clementine:


    "I¡¯m your friend. Open the door. I need to get inside. That monster is out there. It¡¯s waiting for me to look into her eyes," the little boy said urgently, making me keep staring Haiden in the eye. We were alert at this point, but I don¡¯t think Yorick was at the same level as we were, because he spun around as if to head for the door, out of the bedroom, and who knew where else.


    The moment he took one step out of the bedroom, Haiden rushed behind him and held him from the back, dragging him into the room. But Yorick was quick. He elbowed him in the face, making Haiden let him go for a few seconds. That¡¯s when I rushed in and spread my arms in the doorway, stopping him.


    "Clementine, get out of the way," he warned me.


    "No, that¡¯s not your friend," I said, my eyes moving toward the boarded window.


    "Don¡¯t listen to her. She doesn¡¯t even care about you," the boyined from behind the window. Yorick looked at me again after giving the window a brief nce.


    "Yorick, you need to open your eyes. How can your friend be here?" I said, watching him shake his head.


    "That is him. I need to save him," he said.


    It was confusing to me. Why was a young boy friends with this grown man?


    "My friend,e on, open the door. I¡¯m scared."


    Ro¡ªthat was the name of the boy Yorick mentioned.


    "Clementine, I don¡¯t want to hurt you. Please get out of the way," Yorick said, but at that time Haiden had also returned. He was now standing in front of me, between us.


    "You¡¯re gonna get us all killed," Haiden said before pushing Yorick back.


    "Oh, really? You only care about yourself. That¡¯s the truth about you. You don¡¯t care if someone is out there dying," Yorick argued. Then he looked at me. "Of all people, I would expect you to get out of the way. And don¡¯t use your power over me, because you know I will never push you. That would be so messed up for you to use against me."


    "You don¡¯t understand, Yorick. It is not your friend. How do you expect a young boy to survive in the north ande the same night when there is a monster outside who can mimic your loved ones?" I hissed at him, frustrated because I didn¡¯t even know why that boy was so important to him. We had only dated for one month, so of course we didn¡¯t have time to ponder on each other¡¯s past.


    "What is going on?" It was Troy, probably woken up by themotion.


    "Ah, one of you is hearing the monster mimic their loved ones?" Ianined from the couch, turning around to give us his back before falling asleep again.


    We all stared at him, like we always do, and then looked back at Yorick, who was also staring at Ian. I guess realization was hitting him, because he closed his eyes and stepped back until he met the bed and sat down.


    "Go away, you¡¯re not Ro," Yorick yelled, letting the imposter know he was not falling for the tricks.


    "Ah, so I will die once again because of you?" The way the monster said it in a childish tone, and the way we all shared a nce before looking at Yorick, was creepy. What did he mean by again? Did Yorick do something in the past? Is that why he was hearing his friend¡¯s voice? But none of us spoke a word. We just stood there in silence.


    Yorick got up, walked among us, and went to lie down on the couch.


    "Okay, listen, we can¡¯t have just one person stay awake, because if the mimic gets to them, they¡¯re done. We need two people. That way, if one starts falling for it, the other can stop them," Troy exined in his usual rambling way. That was his specialty. At least we understood.


    "Then Clementine and I will stay awake."


    However, Haiden took the chance, and I guess Troy didn¡¯t like it because he instantly wagged his finger.


    "No, she¡¯s too tired. She will sleep. You and I will stay awake." Troy gently hit Haiden on the chest, letting him know to leave the room.


    "Fine." In a very grumpy tone, Haiden agreed, walking out of the room after giving me onest nce.


    I have been to the North before, and we had our nights here. Even when I spent one of those nights just walking across the road with a baby in my arms, it was never this ufortable. Lying in that bed after I had shed off the sheets, because I didn¡¯t know who slept therest, I felt so fucking weird. The room felt alive, not like someone hadn¡¯t slept there for years, and that made it so ufortable for me.


    However, whenever I opened my eyes, I saw the door half ajar with a view of Troy and Haiden walking around, talking, sitting. That gave mefort. I knew they were awake, so no danger wasing to get me or anyone else sleeping.


    Somewhere in the middle of the night they must have switched, because when I woke up early morning, I saw Ian and Yorick sitting up while the other two were sleeping.


    "Why didn¡¯t you guys wake me up? I could have done a shift too," I said, rubbing my eyes as I stood in the doorway of the bedroom.


    Ian turned to look at me while Yorick lowered his head before turning toward me.


    "We decided we wouldn¡¯t ask you to wake up for a round," Yorick said, and Ian started to chuckle while looking away. His response made me think he was making fun of the fact that the alphas were hitting on me and trying to impress me.


    I walked back to the bedroom and then to the bathroom, where I washed my face. After flossing, I walked out and sat with them on the stairs where they were sitting now.


    "There¡¯s plenty of food. You should eat something," Yorick said as he handed me a bag of chips.


    "Chips for breakfast, wow. An ideal breakfast for a kid," I said,ughing at the fact that I never had the chance to eat anything good growing up. I would sneak into the kitchen and steal whatever I could find, which exined why I was always getting in trouble.


    The maids were nice enough to me, to be honest. They would always get me food, but then my stepmother would somehow find out. The maids would take the me and get punished for me. That¡¯s why I wanted the best for my pack because I knew they weren¡¯t bad people, just scared. In fear, they couldn¡¯t help me or any other victims. I mean, they were victims themselves.


    "Do you want to explore the second and third floor?" Ian asked, pointing upward and it caught me off guard.

 Chapter 124-The Rituals In The North

    <h4>Chapter 124: 124-The Rituals In The North</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Dude, let her be. She¡¯s not Dora the Explorer." I could already hear Yorick¡¯s grunting voice warning Ian not to drag me with him.


    "I¡¯m pretty sure she can speak for herself, but fine, I¡¯ll go by myself," Ian said as he got up, holding a can of soda and walking upstairs.


    "I mean, there¡¯s nothing else, nothing better to do. We should have explored the top floors when we arrived. How did it escape our minds?" Iined to Yorick as I began to walk upstairs. It was my way of letting him know I did want to explore the second and third floors.


    Yorick started toe after me. "I don¡¯t know, you¡¯re probably right, butst night was weird, don¡¯t you think?" he said. I turned to look at him and nodded.


    Suddenly, Ian returned and spread his arms across, cing a hand on the railing to block my way.


    "Ian, step out of her way." Yorick didn¡¯t even want to know why Ian was doing it, he just came to my defense.


    "I don¡¯t think she should, or anyone should, go upstairs," Ian said, making my heartbeat slow a little.


    "Why? What¡¯s upstairs?" I asked Ian. But the way he nced at Yorick and gave a slight shake of his head made me think it was something serious. That only made me more determined to find out.


    I stepped closer, gently cing my finger on Ian¡¯s hand. That was his sign to let go. He did, but then he put his hands in his pockets and groaned, almost like he knew I was going to see something.


    Once I stepped onto the second floor, the shock hit me. There were bones everywhere.


    "What is that?" I gasped, my eyes wide as I looked around. Yorick quickly followed us, his reaction the same, but he stretched an arm out to keep me behind him before stepping ahead.


    "Ian, do you think what I¡¯m thinking?" he murmured, ncing toward the one watching silently.


    "Yep," Ian confirmed with a nod.


    Yorick scanned the room, and I snapped back to reality. There weren¡¯t just bones, there were candles, which seemed to have burned all night because now they were nothing but stubs. That exined why there were candles resting in the bedroom, the bathroom, and everywhere else.


    "But why the heck are there bones here? They look like human remains, maybe a werewolf¡¯s, a witch¡¯s, or just a human¡¯s," I uttered.


    "Could be just a pure human," Yorick remarked as he moved toward the circle.


    "Wait!" I caught his hand and pulled him back, pointing at the circle I had noticed but hadn¡¯t thought to mention until he stepped toward it. Drawings and marks covered the walls and floor.


    The second floor was huge, with a few doors¡ªbedrooms visible along the way. But each bedroom door had arge red cross painted on it and was locked with heavy chains. And the shock didn¡¯t end there. The circles on the ground were drawn in something red, probably blood.


    While we were on the second floor exploring, we heard footstepsing up. They were frantic, almost urgent. I turned toward the stairs along with Ian and Yorick, and we watched Troy and Haiden rush toward us. They didn¡¯t stop, even when they reached thending. They began tapping Ian on the back, then Yorick, urging them to follow.


    Troy came at full speed, wrapped an arm around me, and pulled me along.


    "Wait, what?" I blurted.


    Troy turned to me, pressing a finger to his lips, quietly shushing me. We hurried toward the staircase to the third floor. I had no idea what we would find there, more importantly, why we were running, or what we were running from.


    When we reached the third floor, we saw it waspletely vacant. No bedrooms, just a huge hall. Troy didn¡¯t stop, he kept pulling me toward the rooftop, the others running behind us.


    At the top, I fumbled to unlock the door. My hands shook from the panic in my body.


    "Come on,e on, quick," Troy urged softly behind me.


    "But guys, what¡¯s going on?" Yorick muttered in a low tone.


    "We¡¯ll exinter. We just need to get out of here," Haiden replied in a hushed tone.


    Finally, I managed to unlock the door, probably the longest it had ever taken me to pick such a small, simple lock. The door was heavy, and the boys gripped it carefully, trying not to make a sound. But I could already hear noises from the ground floor. Someone hade in.


    Stepping out onto the rooftop, I noticed the weather had turned bad. The storm raged, and early-morning fog was there too. When I breathed, I could see a cloud in front of me.


    The alphas shut the door again, locking it from the outside with the same lock I¡¯d picked. Then Troy faced me, clearly ready to answer my questions.


    "The house owners are back," he revealed, sending goosebumps racing up my arms. Not because it was such an odd thing to say, but because they were probably the reason for the bones and the second floor full of ritual objects.


    As silence hit us all, we were too numb to move, afraid the noises from walking on the rooftop might reach their ears. After a while, when we had just stood in the corner of the building on the rooftop, I started, "The house owners have been doing some ritual," I said, remembering the markings and everything.


    "Yeah, what was all that stuff on the second floor?" Troyined, bringing up what he had seen in passing because he and Haiden came rushing upstairs.


    "It was some blood, bones, and candles. Probably they were doing some ritual," Yorick exined.


    But it was Ian who had a more important question. "Why did you guys run? I mean, when wee across people in the north, we don¡¯t just run from them." The question from Yorick came from the fact that what made Haiden and Troy think we were in danger, especially when they didn¡¯t even know about the ritual stuff?


    Then the look that the two shared, it was so scary. I knew Troy and Haiden had seen some pretty fucked-up things, and they confirmed it when Haiden replied, "They came with severed body parts."


    As soon as he said that, I felt my body go numb. But the shocker wasn¡¯t over yet. We heard someone yell from outside the houses, down on the road, "We know you are all hiding in here. Come out."


    It was a new voice, an unfamiliar male voice, and he was speaking directly to us.

 Chapter 125-She Knows Haiden

    <h4>Chapter 125: 125-She Knows Haiden</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We gave each other a hand gesture, almost as if to say that just because they were calling for us didn¡¯t mean we had toe out.


    "Come on! It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t find you ourselves," the man called. Ian gestured toward the rooftop of the house next to ours. That¡¯s when I noticed something else, the four brown houses each had matching ones across the road, like mirrored reflections. I wondered if the color actually meant something, now that we had seen inside them.


    "Come on, let¡¯s go." Haiden tugged my arm but still led me on tiptoe toward the other rooftop. We were going to jump, which meant whoever was already down there would find out.


    "Clementine, you go first," Troy urged.


    "Why me?" I asked, my hands gripping the small wall of the house we stood on.


    "Because when yound, you¡¯ll make noise. They¡¯ll be alerted and starting up at the same time as we are moving toward the rooftop. That¡¯ll give you enough time to jump to the next one while we head for the old one where they¡¯re already gathered," Yorick exined, trying to make it as simple as possible.


    "You guys don¡¯t have to watch my back all the time. You¡¯re crusaders too. Save yourselves." I told them that making me their priority was starting to make me feel strange, even selfish. None of us had asked to feel a mate bond, so why did they always act like they had to? Maybe I was just never anyone¡¯s first, so it felt odd now.


    "Come on, stop talking. We don¡¯t have time," Ian said, motioning for me to follow their rules. We could have stood there arguing, but I knew these alphas wouldn¡¯t listen. They would only waste more time, so I jumped first.


    The next thing I knew, footsteps and screams rose from below. I rushed toward the next house as fast as I could. All I heard was my breath, my heartbeat pounding in my temples, my footsteps, and the wind mming against my face. One after another, I jumped until Inded on the first greenhouse rooftop. Suddenly, everything was quiet.


    I turned and saw my squad mates racing over to join me. At the same time, people began appearing on the rooftops of the other brown houses. On the first one, though, they couldn¡¯t get the door open. Once we were all together on the greenhouse¡¯s rooftop, we turned and watched them. Seeing the faces of the ones performing the ritual was unsettling. They looked terrifying, and giving them faces made it all the more eerie.


    There were women, kids, old people, and men, and then we looked down the road. A man with the longest hair, reaching his back, stood there staring at us.


    "Just because you¡¯re away from the brown houses, you think you¡¯re safe?" the man yelled with a chuckle. He was tough but not very tall. My squad mates would tower over him. I had never seen anyone taller than them, unless it was an ogre or a giant.


    "What are you doing to these people?" I shouted, asking about the bones I had found. He looked like he had no clue what I meant.


    "We¡¯re doing nothing. We find dead bodies, we bring them home, and we give them a proper burial. I mean, a proper goodbye, in a ritual¡¯s way," he tried to exin.


    But none of us believed him. He was lying. The way those bones were set, it wasn¡¯t a goodbye.


    "If that¡¯s the case, if you¡¯re so harmless, then why do you want us toe downstairs? Why were you trying to get your hands on us?" I shouted, and he chuckled.


    "When did I ever say we want to capture you? We asked you toe out. Don¡¯t you think we deserve that much? You spent the whole night in our home. If it were the other way around, you¡¯d be calling the cops, you¡¯d be calling warriors on us if we had slept in your bedroom," The men grunted. We all exchanged a look before turning back to them.


    "So are youing down or not?" He asked. We all shook our heads.


    "You already know it¡¯s not somewhere else, but it is north. We apologize for trespassing, but we are noting down. Do what you want," Haiden hissed.


    The man¡¯s face began to change, a creepy smirk curling onto his lips.


    "Well, well, then let me tell you this. Before evening, you all will being down."


    After that person made the threat, he went back into the brown house. I could tell he belonged to the house we were in earlier. Maybe it was the leader¡¯s house or something. I couldn¡¯t be sure, but I knew some of them were still out there, hiding behind doors, ready to grab us the second they got the chance with whatever weapons they might be hiding.


    "What are we going to do now?" I asked my squadmates.


    "We don¡¯t have anything to eat or drink here either," Troy reminded us. When they had run upstairs, they hadn¡¯t managed to grab any of the food we securedst night from the mall.


    "That¡¯s not the issue. The mall¡¯s right there. The problem is, if we leave now, who¡¯s to say these people won¡¯t follow us? It¡¯s not like they can¡¯t leave and enter the other houses, the other colors," Yorick pointed out, nodding and taking a deeper breath. "Besides, we can jump from rooftop to rooftop, but that doesn¡¯t guarantee safety. They could be moving down through the houses, waiting for us toe down."


    This time, Yorick made sense.


    "And then there¡¯s the creature out there, so we don¡¯t even know when¡ª" Haiden stopped mid-sentence.


    I felt the shift in the air before I noticed him turning his head slowly toward the rooftop door. The silence was too heavy. Then a soft knock sounded against the door. That must have caught Haiden¡¯s attention.


    And then a voice came from behind it.


    "Haiden!"

 Chapter 126-She Made Him Chose

    <h4>Chapter 126: 126-She Made Him Chose</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    It was sweet, calm, and full of emotion. We all looked at Haiden, whose eyes were stretched wide, staring at the door.


    "What is it?" I asked, trying to understand why he was reacting this way. Did he recognize the voice?


    "Haiden, open the door."


    We didn¡¯t have to think long. Whoever the voice belonged to, it was Haiden¡¯s loved one but it was also a lie. But Haiden didn¡¯t seem to believe it. He looked stunned.


    "Haiden, please open the door. I¡¯ve been so lonely here."


    We began to tense up, breaking formation and gathering behind Haiden. Ian eyed Yorick and Troy, eyeing them to stand behind Haiden just in case.


    "Sister." Then a Haiden called out, and I realized why he was listening so intently.


    "Yes, you still remember my voice?" The voice on the other side suddenly sounded so hopeful, but we knew that wasn¡¯t true. It was Medusa.


    They were the patterns we had been noticing, and one of them, we just figured out, was the one she would knock on the door to enter a closed space. I wondered if that was the case in the open as well. Did she need permission to attack someone? Or was it only for closed doors?


    I rushed to the edge of the rooftop, looking down. Nobody was there. So she was behind the door this time.


    "What are you doing here? I thought you had died." Haiden¡¯s voice shook a little as he spoke to her. As soon as he stepped closer to the door, Ian and Yorick grew tense. They almost stood in front of him.


    "I thought I had died. But I woke up here. And now I¡¯m just lonely. But what are you doing here?" she asked, still carrying on the conversation.


    She sounded so convincing. If we hadn¡¯t known there was a Medusa who could do this, or that this was one of her powers, we might have opened the door for her. But we had seen her trick people before. First, all of us, when she pretended to be the ringleaders. Then Yorick, when she pretended to be his best friend.


    So I knew this was a lie. This wasn¡¯t Haiden¡¯s sister. She was dead.


    "I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d get to hear from you again," Haiden said, a wide smile on his lips. He looked at all of us and pointed at the door, almost reminding us that his sister was here.


    "That is not your sister," Yorick said, and Haiden¡¯s smile began to fade.


    "What are you talking about? Of course it is my sister." Then the urgency in the voice broke my heart.


    "Don¡¯t listen to them. They¡¯re not telling you the truth. The truth is that I¡¯m alive, and I¡¯m outside this door. All you have to do is open it and meet me."


    It gave me such an eerie feeling. Honestly, it felt like she was right there, clinging to the door, waiting for him to open it.


    "I don¡¯t care what you guys say. I¡¯m opening this door." Haiden hissed at us, trying to push past the alphas, but now all three were ready to stop him. Ian wrapped his arms around Haiden¡¯s back, holding him down, while Yorick and Troy grabbed his arms.


    "What are you guys doing? You¡¯re my friends. Don¡¯t you know how badly I wanted to meet my sister?" Haiden struggled, fighting against them.


    I stepped toward the door and stood there, frozen. I didn¡¯t know what to do. How could I force her to drop the lie and show Haiden that she wasn¡¯t real, that she was Medusa?


    "If you¡¯re truly his sister, how have you survived here?" I asked, my heart racing. I heard her sniffle a little, then pause.


    "You¡¯re that asshole¡¯s daughter." The words made the hair on the back of my neck rise.


    "You¡¯re that asshole¡¯s daughter, aren¡¯t you?" she screamed from the other side, making my eyes widen. Yorick pulled me back, but I went numb as her screaming cut through me.


    "Haiden, throw her away from you! Her father is the reason I died!" And then she screamed again. That was when she made her mistake.


    "Am I dead?" Haiden asked. She went silent for a moment.


    "I mean, because of her father I¡¯m here," she tried to correct herself, but it was toote. Haiden was already pulling away from her words.


    "Listen, Haiden, I need revenge. This anger in me won¡¯t stop. Her father did this to me. So why don¡¯t you open the door and throw her out for me?" There it was, her carefully trying to turn Haiden into her weapon.


    "No!" Haiden yelled. "I have taken your revenge. I exposed her father. I got him punished and sent into the north. But Clementine is innocent. She is my mate. She will not suffer at anyone¡¯s hands." Tears streamed down his face as he shouted.


    At that moment, I remembered what Ian had told me about Haiden. He imed Haiden once said he would take revenge on me for my father¡¯s actions by ying with my heart. But how could I believe that now?


    "Haiden, it is the right moment for you to choose, to choose between your family and someone from the bloodline that ruined your entire family, that destroyed our happy life."


    She sounded so convincing that even I almost felt sorry for her, but I knew this was not Haiden¡¯s sister. Still, it was messed up how much Medusa could twist someone¡¯s mind just by pretending to be their loved ones. She could even sense our thoughts and grief, which was how she managed to manipte us, or at least try to do so.


    "So Haiden, tell me, who is your pick? Who would you choose, your sister or your mate?"


    She gave him a clear option, and I noticed Haiden staring at the door.


    "Haiden, tell her. What are you thinking?" Troy shook him, urging him to show that he would not choose her.


    "Haiden, don¡¯t let them get into your head. Use your own emotions and remember how much you¡¯ve missed me. You¡¯ve been fighting so hard to find me all these years, and now you finally have. All you have to do is choose¡ªbetween me and this mate of yours from that nasty bloodline. So who is your pick?"


    She pushed again, and I silently watched. I wanted to see if what Ian had said was true, because in this very moment, it would be proven.

 Chapter 127-One Of Us Is Caught

    <h4>Chapter 127: 127-One Of Us Is Caught</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We were all watching Haiden, whose face now held no emotion. Then, in a determined and confident tone, he said, "I will choose Clementine."


    I was shocked. Even Troy and Yorick exchanged a nce before looking back at him. Ian only nodded while keeping his eyes down, sneaking me a quick side nce before turning his full attention back to Haiden.


    I hadn¡¯t expected that. There was no way Haiden was pretending or ying with me. At that moment, he was too emotional. He wouldn¡¯t y such a cruel game.


    "Haiden?" she said from the other side, almost disappointed.


    "That is because you are asking me to do something wrong. She is innocent. My mate has nothing to do with what happened to you. I wish I could have been there. I would have taken all the blows meant to kill you. But I wasn¡¯t. That doesn¡¯t mean I love you any less. Choosing her only means she is equally important, and I refuse to believe she should be med for her father¡¯s actions," Haiden exined.


    "We cannot hurt Clementine¡¯s sister. That would be wrong," Haiden added, still clinging to the thought that she was his sister.


    I don¡¯t know. I could tell he was partly aware she wasn¡¯t real, yet he kept talking. It seemed like he just wanted to believe he was speaking to his sister, to have the fewst words he could never share with his real one.


    "But her father didn¡¯t care when he was punishing me," she imed from the other side.


    "Well, I¡¯m not her father, and Clementine isn¡¯t him either. You want to know how I managed to take revenge? Because of her. Because Clementine, unlike everyone else, only cares about others. And I cannot hurt her. She¡¯s the only good thing in my life right now."


    He let out a cry, pointing to his chest. His muscles suddenly tensed, and then there was only silence.


    It was the oddest thing. He reached for the door again.


    "Maya?" he called out in a broken voice.


    None of us questioned him anymore. None of us tried to stop him, because we already knew he wouldn¡¯t open the door. I guess I knew it because he would never let his sister hurt me. An open door meant putting my life in danger.


    "She¡¯s gone." He turned to us, tears rolling down his cheeks as he began to cry.


    We all reached for him. He ran into a hug. "That¡¯s okay. That¡¯s fine. She wasn¡¯t real." Troy said.


    We all exhaled as Yorick hugged Haiden, and then Troy did the same, wrapping him up. Ian only patted his back, while I stood awkwardly in front of him.


    My father had caused so many people to lose their loved ones. I took a deep breath and started walking away, toward the edge of the rooftop. But that was when I felt someone grab my hand and stop me.


    It was Troy. He gave me a shake of his head, reminding me that she could still be out there. If Medusa saw me, she would realize she had managed to weaken us by pretending to be our loved ones.


    After a while, everything calmed down. We sat under the cloudy skies, staring into the distance in silence.


    "We cannot keep sitting here," Ian said, starting to rise. But then he froze, his eyes fixed ahead.


    I stood to follow his stare, and when I saw what he was looking at, fear swept through me. My skin was covered in goosebumps.


    The brown house people. They were all on the rooftop. They had broken the lock to the other brown house as well, and now they stood there smiling. All of them wore old brown clothes, mostly a Tunic dress.


    They all had little hair except for the one I had seen on the road. The women¡¯s hair barely reached the end of their necks. But they were all smiling, with the biggest dark circles under their eyes.


    "What the fuck?" I heard Troy from behind me. He must have followed us too. Now we were just standing there, watching them.


    "Come on, you all cane here. We are cooking food." One of the young women, probably in herte twenties, called out, smiling at us. She had short ck hair, but her smile was the creepy part. They all just stared, and there were so many of them. Every rooftop of the brown houses was filled with these people.


    "Well, we certainly cannot stay here for too long," Yorick said.


    And then he noticed something else. He gently patted my shoulder, pointing toward one of the houses before the brown house across the road. On that rooftop, other people were standing, members of the blue, green, and red squads. But not all of them. The white squad was missing.


    "Hey!" I screamed, jumping up and down to get their attention.


    "Yeah, we¡¯re looking at you too!" Oriana yelled back as loud as she could.


    The problem was, we couldn¡¯t reach each other. For all of us to meet, we¡¯d have to pass through these houses. It felt like a danger zone we couldn¡¯t cross. And why weren¡¯t these people stepping onto the other houses?


    "What should we do?" Oriana yelled again. The brown house people stared at her, then at us, like they were waiting for us to reveal our n.


    "Is your friend a little dumb?" Ian muttered, annoyed at Oriana basically shouting to ask for our strategy out loud.


    "There has to be some other way for them to move forward," Yorick added, pointing at the rooftop where Oriana and the others stood.


    "And why exactly are we not leaving this house?" Ian asked. He was probably right. We had been sitting here for no reason. This wasn¡¯t how we were going to find Medusa. At this point, we weren¡¯t even fighting her, we were just hiding. Her fear was so heavy in us that we dreaded facing her.


    "We should move forward, he¡¯s right," Troy said. He was in the middle of talking when I saw Haiden¡¯s eyes suddenly widen.


    We all turned to follow his gaze. This time, the creepy people had brought someone onto the rooftop. It was one of the white squad girls¡ªXenia, the crier. She was covered in blood. Her uniform was torn in multiple ces, a sight I didn¡¯t want to see. The brown house people surrounded her as she cried hysterically.

 Chapter 128-All On The Rooftops

    <h4>Chapter 128: 128-All On The Rooftops</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Isn¡¯t this one of your friends?" the same young woman asked, as they shoved Xenia onto her knees.


    "Please, please don¡¯t hurt me. I¡¯m just¡ªI¡¯m just a teen," Xenia sobbed. I could already see they had beaten her badly.


    "What have you done to her?" I screamed at them. Their smiles only grew wider.


    "We didn¡¯t do anything, we saved her. She was attacked by some bad monsters," said a boy who looked about fifteen. But that child didn¡¯t look like a child. He looked like someone who had walked straight out of hell.


    "Let her go!" I screamed. As I turned to look at my squadmates, they gave me a hand gesture, almost like telling me not to bother too much about Xenia.


    "Guys, I understand she messed up earlier, but these people are not the ones who should be having their hands on her. If anything, we¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s punished in the academy, not here by these people doing some ritual." I hissed, swallowing fear and anger. They were terrifying. What if their ritual put us in danger?


    I kept insisting, but I could tell they weren¡¯t interested. Still, if the ritual worked, it would mean they were using Xenia to harm us. Then Haiden rolled his eyes and stood up from the ground.


    "Fine. Give her back to us," he said, making it clear he was only doing it for me.


    "Didn¡¯t you say you don¡¯t hurt anyone? Then why keep her captive?" I asked. That¡¯s when I noticed Troy moving closer, standing by my side to let me know he was also doing it for me.


    "Return her to us, she is not some sacrificial goat," Yorick yelled, almost like showing off to me that he was also standing with me.


    "We just want to meet, that¡¯s all. We want you all toe sit with us. But you act like we¡¯re insane, running away from us." The same man from before, the one with the long hair, was now standing at thest house, the brown one closest to our rooftop.


    "We don¡¯t need to meet up. Say what you have to say here." I reminded him he could still talk. But why did he want us to step inside the brown house?


    "Guys, these people are fucking crazy," Ian muttered, making us all turn and briskly follow him. With our hands gripping the low rooftop wall, we looked down to see two of their people painting the green house, the one we were standing on, brown. But do you know how? They were painting with blood.


    "What the heck," I grunted. Now we realized why it wasn¡¯t brown paint. They were covering houses with the blood of their victims, turning them into different shades of brown.


    I turned to look at my squadmates. It didn¡¯t make sense. We had no clue what these people were doing, but we knew they were dangerous.


    "You say you¡¯re not harming anyone. Then what the fuck is that?" I yelled, and their smiles began to fade. It was strange, the way all of them lost their expressions at the same time.


    "It¡¯s the blood of animals," the man said, openly lying. I had seen bones with them, and with Xenia in such a state, I could tell they were just as maniptive as Medusa.


    Thankfully, rain began to pour, and I noticed how worried they looked, as if something precious had been stolen from them. The younger ones nced at the elders, probably asking for a way to stop the rain.


    "We need to pray. Pray to the devil to stop it."


    The old woman said to the man with the long hair, and I could already tell he was the leader.


    "Sure," he said. "Everybody, back inside and start the ritual." He pointed to the door with a grunt.


    My heart raced as I watched them look at Xenia, then at us. The long-haired man suddenly grabbed her hair in his fist, dragging her back. She was too exhausted to fight. He tied her in the middle of the rooftop.


    "If you want, you cane and save her." He started walking back into the house.


    The rooftop door stayed slightly open, and we could see people waiting there, ready for us to jump down and try to save her.


    "Listen, having empathy is one thing, but risking your life for someone like her? I wouldn¡¯t rmend it," Ian said.


    "Please help me! I swear I didn¡¯t want to kill her. It was just a mistake!" Now that her own life was in danger, she was screaming for help. Every time she said it was a mistake, it seemed to anger everyone, because we all knew it wasn¡¯t. She did it on purpose. Was she really that slow? Either way, she was in a terrible state.


    "Guys, I¡¯d rmend you not let Clementine put her life in danger," Oriana yelled from across the houses, her voice carrying over. My squadmates turned to look at me.


    Seriously? Is that how they all saw me, as someone ready to sacrifice her life for others? When had I ever done that? I had no clue. I just grunted at them.


    "I¡¯m not going there to save her." I made it clear they didn¡¯t have to worry about me. I wasn¡¯t that stupid. I knew what she had done. The fact that they fought us right after getting that poor girl killed proved the white squad had no empathy in their hearts.


    "Where the fuck are her squadmates?" Ian finally said what we were all thinking.


    "Probably just bullying the monsters," Haiden shrugged, still looking down from the earlier conversation with Medusa.


    After a while, the brown house people stepped onto the rooftop and untied Xenia, dragging her away. I had to look away because I wanted so badly to fight for her, but we had no clue what kind of weapons they had.


    We slumped down on the rooftop, soaked in the rain. Hours passed. I don¡¯t know when I leaned onto Troy¡¯s shoulder, but I found myself dozing off and only waking when it was dark. Even Troy was asleep against the wall with me. The others were also sleeping the same way, except for Ian, who was pacing from one corner of the rooftop to the other.

 Chapter 129-His Ex-Girlfriend Has A Creepy Voice

    <h4>Chapter 129: 129-His Ex-Girlfriend Has A Creepy Voice</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I yawned and started getting up. The rain had stopped a long time ago, and they were no longer painting the houses with blood either. Maybe they¡¯d continue in the morning.


    "You didn¡¯t sleep?" I asked Ian. He turned to me and shrugged.


    "Somebody has to stay awake, remember?" he said, reminding me he was on watch duty.


    "Why didn¡¯t you wake someone else? What if Medusa tries to control your mind by appearing as one of your loved ones?" I asked.


    "She cannot, Clementine. If she knows us through and through, she¡¯ll know I¡¯m not the emotional type, not someone deeply connected to people. I see logic in things. And I know when to prioritize my own safety. So no, I won¡¯t open the door, no matter who she ims to be." He spoke casually, continuing his walk without stopping.


    I sighed and turned back to the wall, resting my hands on the low edge. Looking down, I couldn¡¯t see the other squad members on the rooftop. Maybe they were asleep too. The brown houses were empty as well. I wondered what happened to Xenia.


    Then my eyes wandered farther, to one of the distant walls. A few streetlights glowed in the distance. Like my squadmates said, people used to live there. They still did. Messed up as it was, they still had their homes.


    As I stared at the curve in the road, I noticed shadows forming on one of the walls. And through them, I saw her. A woman appeared, but only in shadow. Her hair looked like thick strands¡ªtoo thick to be called hair. They moved, waving around as if alive.


    She walked toward the curve, stepping out from behind the wall. I couldn¡¯t look away. First I noticed her clothes, they were red. Then my eyes rose to her face as she emerged fully. Suddenly, a hand covered my eyes and another wrapped around my stomach, yanking me back from the wall.


    "Do you have a death wish, or what?" Ian whispered beside me, making me gasp. His hand still covered my eyes, but I was too numb to respond.


    "One look at her face, and you would have weed death," he murmured in my ear.


    As the trance faded, I realized how close he was. His grip was too strong for me to pull away. But we had to break apart, because someone was waiting on the other side of the door this time.


    "Finally, my daughter. Help me. Your father, your father is here. He¡¯s going to punish me more now."


    It was my mother¡¯s voice, crying for help from the other side of the door.


    As I turned toward the door, my eyes met Ian¡¯s gray ones. Instead of looking at the door, he was watching me. When I took a step away from him, he stretched out his arm to stop me from moving closer.


    "Clementine, it shouldn¡¯t be that easy for anyone to manipte you. I know you¡¯re better than others," Ian said with confidence, reminding me that even if the others got confused, I shouldn¡¯t.


    I ced a hand over my mouth, my fingers trembling. "But that¡¯s my mother," I whispered. "And my father is here too. We sent him here, remember?" My eyes burned with tears.


    "Was your mother in the north too?" he asked.


    That¡¯s when I realized he was right. My mother wasn¡¯t in the north. I shook my head as a tear slid down my helpless face. There was no way she could speak to me anymore. No way I could hear her voice again. This was an imposter.


    I broke free from the trance, but I understood why the others were so lost. It wasn¡¯t just that they were convinced. Something in the voice itself clouded their thoughts, keeping them from thinking straight.


    "Your father ising to get me," she cried, and then I heard my father¡¯s grunting voice.


    "Oh, so you¡¯re hiding here? I¡¯ll rip you apart before I get my hands on that bitch of a daughter who didn¡¯t defend me when everyone was punishing me."


    It was my father¡¯s voice, but I knew it was a lie. I clenched my fists and closed my eyes. Then I felt a gentle nudge under my chin. I opened my eyes to see Ian standing before me, his fingers lifting my chin.


    It was bizarre. For Ian to even show concern for someone meant something strange was in the air. He quickly pulled his hand back and shoved it into his pocket.


    "Isn¡¯t Medusa just ying all the characters out there? I almost want to see how she¡¯s acting. Must be intriguing like a twisted form of entertainment," Ian said, an odd, genuine curiosity on his face.


    After a brief silence in the distance, Iughed at his words.


    "No, I¡¯m serious. Imagine her in costumes, dressing up as our loved ones. Wouldn¡¯t that be freaky?" he added, walking over to the door.


    "Oh, The gray-eyed alpha."


    The voice shifted again, this time into something deeply unsettling, nothing like my mother, Yorick¡¯s friend, Haiden¡¯s sister, or anyone Medusa had ever impersonated before.


    Which meant, this might have been her real voice.


    It was such a low, whispering undertone that goosebumps covered my whole body. I turned to Ian, who was staring at the door with a bored, exhausted look.


    "She sounds so creepy," I whispered, almost mouthing the words, his eyes still fixed on the door.


    He finally turned his head toward me, then followed my gaze. With the same bored expression, he muttered, "She¡¯s trying to impersonate my ex-girlfriend from back home."


    I instantly bit my tongue. So she was now trying to manipte him next. But¨C what did he mean by ex-girlfriend? I thought he was dating her. Did they break things off after he went back, because he could no longer be with her?


    But why wasn¡¯t he even slightly affected by her voice?


    "So you¡¯re done with me?" she asked Ian.


    He only shrugged, his facepletely emotionless. That was when I knew he had been telling the truth, there was no way she could shake him, not even a little.


    And it made me wonder, was he the strongest crusader among us? Because he had more control over his emotions and mind than anyone else, even Medusa couldn¡¯t distract, phase, or daze him for a second.

 Chapter 130-Legs Wrapped Around His Waist

    <h4>Chapter 130: 130-Legs Wrapped Around His Waist</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After she failed to control Ian¡¯s mind, she went silent, and the eerie feeling disappeared. That¡¯s how we knew she had left. Ian and I sat on the rooftop, wide awake. Then it hit me. Someone was screaming at the top of their lungs in the distance.


    Both Ian and I jumped up and rushed to the small wall of the rooftop. Haiden, Yorick, and Troy also woke up, still half asleep. Ian even had to grab Troy by the back of his shirt before he slipped down the roof.


    "What¡¯s going on?" Troy asked, rubbing his eyes.


    "Somebody¡¯s screaming," I answered.


    It was almost dawn, and we could see some light around us. When we squinted toward the sound, we were shocked to see it came from the house where all the other squadmates had gathered.


    "Wait, what¡¯s going on? How did they get there?" I asked, panicking.


    "They didn¡¯t," Ian said. "I think the crusaders tried to leave. That¡¯s when these people caught them."


    We looked down and saw an army of brown-house people dragging Jessie from Red Squad by her hair. I didn¡¯t know where the others were, but she was the only one we could see.


    "Okay, we need to do something. That¡¯s it," I said, realizing we had been afraid of these people for no reason. But soon we noticed they carried not only knives, daggers, and hammers, but also stun guns. That exined their confidence.


    "I¡¯ve got a n," I said, and everyone turned to me.


    "What is it?" they asked.


    I stayed quiet, and after a moment, I think they understood what I meant. We spent the next ten minutes discussing it while Jessie was dragged back into the first brown house, the same one we had been in. At this point, we could tell all the big people were inside that house.


    Morning arrived, and we had no clue who else was out there or how many members the brown-house people had captured. At least we had a n, we were going to wait until nighttime.


    "There are a total of eight brown houses," I said, noticing they were no longer painting ours with blood. That scared me, because it meant they were busy with the two girls they had caught.


    It felt like a terrifying situation, but we hoped we could put our n into action before it was toote. Still, they had a whole day to frighten us.


    Sometimes the brown-house people came up to the rooftop and just stood there, holding bowls of soup or pieces of meat, eating in front of us. I wasn¡¯t sure, but sometimes it felt like they were trying to tell us they were feeding on our crusaders.


    Hours passed, and we were starving. We didn¡¯t even have a single drop of water. or so I thought. After a while, Ian pulled out a small bottle. He had already sipped from it, so we each drank a little. He had been saving it for when our energy was really low, worried we¡¯d drink it too fast otherwise.


    Still, it didn¡¯t really help. At least our throats weren¡¯t scratchy anymore. Finally, night arrived, and we were ready to put our n into action.


    "We¡¯ll start with the first house," Ian whispered.


    "Yeah, and all of us should be in one house," I reminded them, stressing how important it was to stay together and have each other¡¯s backs.


    "Okay, got it," Troy said with a nod.


    "And let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll first look around to find a weapon, anything we can grab," Yorick added.


    But Ian shook his head.


    "Remember, when we¡¯re down on the road, the brown-house people aren¡¯t the only ones we need to avoid. Medusa is somewhere around here," he warned, and we all grew anxious. We had almost forgotten about her, which just showed how terrifying humans can be.


    Slowly, one by one, we began to climb down the house. The moment I was only hanging from the wall, I realized how badly I was shaking. Coming down from high ces was terrifying for me, especially when it wasn¡¯t just a quick jump. The slow process of moving down, knowing I could fall at any moment, was scary. Even if that kind of fall wouldn¡¯t kill me, the houses weren¡¯t tall enough for that. I could always heal after transitioning, but I was still afraid.


    As I was thinking about it, I felt someone behind me. Yorick had climbed down straight toward me, and now he was right there.


    "Come on, turn around and hold on to me," he whispered in my ear, making the hair on the back of my neck stand.


    I hadn¡¯t expected his voice so close to sound that sexy. The gentle wind probably blew my hair into his face. I turned slightly, ced my hand on his shoulder, then quickly spun around and hugged him. The moment I felt like I was falling, I wrapped my legs around his waist. It was so awkward, but also so intimate.


    Of course he wouldn¡¯t feel that way. He was hanging from a wall with a crusader clinging to him. He started climbing down. I heard him grunt a few times, only when my hands slipped and he made a sound to remind me to tighten them again.


    "What is up with you and heights?" he whispered, almost yfully.


    "I don¡¯t know," I murmured, the words probablying out jumbled since I didn¡¯t lift my head or speak loudly.


    "Well, good thing I¡¯ll always be around," he said, and I tightened my arms around him.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but this closeness was making me feel some type of way. His scent filled my nose, and the warmth of his body was driving me insane.


    I kept my face buried in his shoulder and neck until I finally felt him jump. While in mid-air, he pressed his hands against my back to hold me tight. The moment hended, I quickly unwrapped my legs from his waist. When I stood on my feet, I lifted my face, my hands sliding from his shoulder to his chest. Our eyes met briefly before Haiden grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

 Chapter 131-Let Her In

    <h4>Chapter 131: 131-Let Her In</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We had to find a way into the house, but Ian had already helped with that. He told us one of the back doors in the first brown house wasn¡¯t boarded up. It had a lock I could easily pick, so we went straight there. While I was working on it, we began to feel uneasy.


    "Shit, guys,e on, quick, quick, quick," Troy urged, his voice giving me goosebumps, and I knew why. The Medusa was somewhere nearby. I turned my head to the side and saw her shadow appear in the backyard of the house we were at. But before she could fully show herself, I had opened the door and we all rushed in.


    Ian took the initiative to quietly close the door, and then we began moving around. Since we had already been in this house and scanned the first floor, we knew which rooms were there and where we could hide. But as soon as we entered, we realized there weren¡¯t many people downstairs.


    One of the crusaders, Jessie, was tied next to a sofa with a rope around her neck. She was badly beaten.


    We began tiptoeing toward her when noises came from the side, making us step back again. The corridor was narrow, so we couldn¡¯t see the whole living room, which was why we missed the people inside.


    "What are we going to do with this Medusa?" a woman asked.


    "She alwayses once a year just to cry and take victims. I guess it satisfies her," The man replied, giving us more insight.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it. All of us know not to answer her door. She lures her victims in. But if she finds you in the open air, you¡¯re done. Think of her as human, she can only kill you when she¡¯s right in front of you. But she can¡¯t unlock doors. That¡¯s the one thing that makes her less human." Heughed, then fell silent, in a way that felt almost traumatic.


    "Look at this bitch. Do you think I can fuck her?" he asked, pointing at Jessie. My heart pounded louder.


    "Well, you can," the woman answered. "We¡¯re already thinking about it. We need to grow our poption, and for that, we have to impregnate the women quickly. She¡¯s just neen, so I¡¯m sure it will be an easy pregnancy." Her words made my fists clench.


    While they were talking, a sudden knock came at the door.


    "Open the door, please. I¡¯m so cold out here, mommy."


    We didn¡¯t recognize the voice, but the woman jumped up and rushed toward the door. The man quickly blocked her path.


    "Bsby, it¡¯s not our daughter," he said, reminding her that it could be Medusa impersonating her. That¡¯s when we realized these two were husband and wife, or at least a couple, and they were openly talking about impregnating other women. That was just sad.


    "No, this is our daughter," the woman argued, struggling to free herself from his grip.


    That was our cue. If they moved out of the way, we could put our n into action.


    "No, I¡¯m telling you this isn¡¯t her," the man said, dragging her aside, almost helping us without realizing it.


    "We need to untie Jessie first," Haiden whispered, his voice low so that the couple wouldn¡¯t hear him. I knelt carefully and moved toward the door.


    Outside, Medusa kept speaking, her words meant to break the woman down. The woman cried a lot in those few minutes, even protesting and swinging her arms as her husband pulled her into the kitchen and locked the door to keep her away from the maniption.


    When they were gone, we moved out. Thankfully, aside from those two, no one else was on the ground floor, which made us believe the others were upstairs doing some ritual.


    Haiden and Troy rushed forward, and Jessie began to wake up. She was on her knees, her hands tied behind her back. One of her eyes was so swollen we feared it might be permanent.


    "You take Jessie out of here," I told Troy and Haiden, who quickly untied her. They rushed away after giving me onest nce and telling me to take care of myself.


    Yorick and I stood guard while Ian reached the door.


    "Okay, guys, we¡¯re gonna turn around and fucking run out of here," Ian said,ying out exactly what to do once he opened it.


    We were ready. We could¡¯ve just left, but there was a real chance that the moment she got in, she¡¯d attack Ian. We had to stay to protect him. And if she didn¡¯t strike right away, we¡¯d all run together to the back door.


    Troy and Haiden had already carried Jessie out through the back. Then I watched Ian open the door. The second he did, he turned, and we sprinted.


    We sprinted like hell. But while running, I heard something odd, the hiss of a snake.


    Once we were down the small corridor toward the back exit, I stopped at the door and turned around. I don¡¯t know whatpelled me, maybe my curiosity had built up too much, but I had to steal one nce at her.


    When I did, I saw her turning away from us. That¡¯s when I noticed her red dress, torn and ragged. Her hair wasn¡¯t hair at all but snakes, hissing and twisting around. Her skin was gray, almost blue, like a corpse. Her eyes were bulging out, but I couldn¡¯t really see them since she was looking away.


    Then the couple who had gone into the kitchen came out. I guessed they didn¡¯t know she was there. That was when I saw her in her prime.


    The moment the man and woman came face-to-face with her, they gasped. She didn¡¯t touch them. But the instant they locked eyes with her, they froze. Their bodies stiffened, hardening into stone until they were nothing but statues.


    The snakes on her head began to hiss and thrash until one of them turned toward me. I was so stunned I forgot to move, until a hand wrapped around my waist. Yorick pulled me close.


    "Let¡¯s go," he hissed, snapping me out of it.


    Before Medusa could face us, Yorick mmed the door shut and dragged me toward the other house we had marked as our target.


    "What about Xenia? What if she was in the other house, the one we just left?" I asked my squadmates.


    Jessie was still with Troy and Haiden, and now we were on the road. But we knew Medusa was wreaking havoc, the screams from the second floor made it clear. One by one, the cries cut off, like those people had turned to stone the same way the couple had.


    "Well, then she died," Ian replied tly. He spoke about Xenia without a shred of remorse, and neither did the others. I guessed I was with them. She had made an innocent girl die. We had no reason to care for her.

 Chapter 132-Teaming Up With Ian

    <h4>Chapter 132: 132-Teaming Up With Ian</h4>


    <strong>Clementine: </strong>


    We made it to the next house and did the same thing. Since theyouts were simr, it was easy for us to get through the back doors. The real problem started when we tried to cross the road to get to the other four houses. We had been letting Medusa in at every house, but of course, it wasn¡¯t going to stay that easy. As soon as we opened the door to the first brown house on the other side, we ran into our first hurdle. It waspletely empty and silent.


    "Do you think anybody is even here?" I asked Ian.


    We had rushed into this house while the others took over the rest. I guess somewhere along the way we grew so confident that we didn¡¯t feel like sticking together anymore. Haiden had carried Jessie away.


    She had to hide in one of the other houses because she was in such a bad state she couldn¡¯t even transition, so he stayed with her. Yorick and Troy had rushed to the house next to ours. Ian gave me a hand gesture, then pressed his finger to his lips, telling me to stay quiet.


    We crouched down, moving across the corridor, and when we reached the living room we found it empty.


    "I guess nobody¡¯s here," I told Ian. I noticed him turn to give me a nod before his eyes suddenly widened. He grabbed my wrist so tightly I felt a burning sensation on my skin.


    "What is it?" I asked, trying to turn around, but he shook my body and forced me to face forward.


    "Don¡¯t turn around," he said. That was when I heard the hissing of snakes.


    "Come on, run," he said.


    The moment he dragged me toward the front, I felt something almost reach me. Then I noticed a mirror ahead. In it, I saw one of the snakes on Medusa¡¯s head lunge at me. She wasn¡¯t just turning people into statues with her gaze, the snakes on her head were ying a different game.


    We ran, avoiding the snakes and Medusa, careful not to look directly at her. After I saw her attack the couple and turn them into stone, I told my squadmates what was going on and how we¡¯d avoid the same fate. At the same time, we worried about the snakes on her head.


    Ian dragged me to the kitchen and tried to lock the door. The snakes started sliding through the half ajar door. I pushed the door with him, but the harder we tried to close it, the more she forced it open. Ian nced around and pointed at a shelf where a knife sat. I rushed over, grabbed it, and swung at the snake trying to get inside. As soon as it fell, it turned to stone, and Medusa let out a scream. She backed off for a moment, giving us just enough time to lock the door.


    We stood there, breathing heavily, when screams echoed from the second floor. Ian and I exchanged a look, realizing someone else was upstairs.


    "My crusaders will fucking teach you all a lesson."


    We recognized Xenia¡¯s voice. Ian quickly knelt and peered under the door.


    "She¡¯s gone," he said, letting me know Medusa had walked away.


    I grabbed another big knife and handed one to Ian. We waited a few seconds, then cracked the door open again. We needed to get upstairs, so we crept out carefully. From the corner of our eyes, we saw Medusa rummaging through a bedroom on the ground floor, which gave us the chance to rush upstairs to Xenia.


    Normally, we wouldn¡¯t have risked it, but we wanted to take her back and expose her. That way, the others would see what she had done. Nobody should be able to kill someone in the north ande home to live like nothing happened. That was our intention.


    As we hurried upstairs before Medusa could catch us, we found Xenia tied to the ground with candles ced around her. Right then, we knew they nned to sacrifice her tonight, but luckily we had arrived in time. Ian rushed to her, stared, then shook his head, as if telling me he didn¡¯t want to help her at all. But what choice did we have? We began untying her quickly.


    "Oh my God, you came back?" she cried, tearing up when she realized we were really standing in front of her.


    There was another reason we ran upstairs. The room Medusa was rummaging through was right next to the corridor with the exit, so we had no choice but to go up. We could have just stayed in the kitchen, to be honest. The minute I saw her face, Xenia¡¯s face, I remembered how another innocent girl had died because of her. I wasn¡¯t exactly feeling helpful either, but I still untied her.


    The awkwardness lingered as she stood up, then, in the next second, she red at me.


    "What?" I snapped, angry at the way she looked at me.


    "You guys left me there when they had me on the rooftop. None of you seemed to care," she yelled. Ian raised his finger to his lips, trying to hush her aggressively.


    "No, I¡¯m not gonna shut up. I¡¯ll tell all the ringleaders about it, how you had no empathy for your own crusader. You didn¡¯t even ask them twice to let me go. They kept me tied up on the rooftop for hours, and none of you came to help me!" sheined even louder.


    We tried to take her with us to another room, but all of them were locked. While Ian and I searched desperately for an unlocked one where we could hide from Medusa, she wouldn¡¯t stopining.


    "Okay, enough!" I shouted as I turned to her. Then I saw Medusa¡¯s shadow growingrger. She wasing upstairs.


    "Oh shit," I muttered, then turned to Xenia. "You wanna cry about it? Huh? You wanna cry that we didn¡¯t save you back then? Even after you¡¯re the reason one of the innocent crusaders died?" I hissed, and her eyes widened.


    "Why are you bringing the past into this? It was a mistake, I said it," she growled in a raspy voice. She was badly injured too. But it was at that moment that I realized we shouldn¡¯t have untied her.

 Chapter 133-Tried Killing Me

    <h4>Chapter 133: 133-Tried Killing Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    They must have beaten her up too, and it looked like she had lost a lot of blood. Healing with transition wasn¡¯t an option for her at the moment.


    "What are we going to do now?" I turned to Ian, avoiding Xenia, who grabbed my arm and shook me to face her.


    "When I¡¯m talking, you¡¯re going to answer me. Do you have no manners at all? We¡¯re having a conversation and you turn to speak with your boyfriend?" The way she said it sent goosebumps crawling over my skin.


    "That¡¯s enough. The only reason you¡¯re standing is because of this girl. So unless you stay quiet, we won¡¯t take you with us." Ian pointed his finger at her face, then grabbed my elbow. "Let¡¯s go. We need to rush to the rooftop. That¡¯s the only ce we can hide."


    He pulled me along and we ran for the rooftop.


    "Wait for me!" Xeniained, dragging her body behind us.


    "Okay, since we¡¯re already here, let¡¯s just take her with us," I told Ian, forcing myself to stop. Leaving her after we¡¯de this far felt wrong.


    "Fine, but she¡¯ll be punished on the maind," Ian reminded me.


    I nodded. Of course, that was my n. I didn¡¯t say it out loud, but I was determined to have her punished so anyone else who tried something simr would be warned, especially the White Squad. They needed to understand their actions would have consequences.


    Ian and I slung her arms over our shoulders, which made it easier to get through the second floor. The third floor was, as always,pletely empty with no rooms. But by now Medusa was sprinting fast. Even when she walked briskly, we could tell she was closing in.


    Then we reached the rooftop door. Ian slipped in first to check the area and make sure the brown people weren¡¯t hiding around, while I helped Xenia inside. The second I let her hand off my shoulder, she red at me.


    "You¡¯re the one who turned everyone against me, I can tell," she hissed.


    "What are you talking about? I fucking saved your life." I tried to push her aside so I could shut the door, but she shook her head.


    "No, you¡¯re so irritating. You told everyone I threw the stone with a smile on my lips. You¡¯re the one who said Jack handed me the stone. It was you! The idea that I did it on purpose came from you!"


    The fact that she lied so bluntly to my face, that she¡¯d even convinced herself she didn¡¯t mean to kill that girl when she threw the rock, bothered me more than I could stand. And it wasn¡¯t over. She put her hands on me.


    "So fuck off."


    It seemed like a pattern with her, hurting someone while knowing exactly what the consequences would be. As if, in the back of her mind, she wanted someone to take the hit or take the fall.


    She shoved me hard enough that I lost my bnce. If I hadn¡¯t grabbed the door handle in time, I would have fallen straight into Medusa¡¯s feet, because she was alreadying up behind me. But I held on, and I survived. That¡¯s when I locked eyes with Xenia.


    I think she realized then that her n had failed, and she was in even more trouble. So this time she pushed me with all her strength. But before her hands could hit my chest, Ian came from behind, grabbed my arm, and yanked me past her.


    As he dragged me with him, everything seemed to move in slow motion. I swung around andnded on my feet behind Xenia. I watched her go down. But then...


    She held onto the door handle, trying to save herself, but Ian lifted his leg and kicked her in the back.


    "Ah!" she screamed.


    The handle she grabbed was already loose. There was no way she could have survived, because somehow it came off with her. It hadn¡¯t held my weight earlier either, it was rusty and old. So when Ian kicked her, it was the final push. She was already falling.


    Ian rushed forward. While Xenia screamed, he grabbed the door and began to close it. As it shut, I caught sight of hernding straight at Medusa. But Medusa didn¡¯t move.


    The next moment, Xenia struggled to bnce on the stairs, staring into Medusa¡¯s eyes. Then her back turnedpletely to stone. By that time, Ian had thankfully locked the door.


    There was silence after that. Ian and I sat on the rooftop, staring into the distance.


    "I¡¯m not guilty," Ian said with a shrug.


    I looked at him, wondering why I was thinking so hard about what had just happened. Could she have survived if he hadn¡¯t kicked her? Would the handle have held if he hadn¡¯t? So many questions circled in my head, but only one answer made sense, if she had stayed alive, she would have killed many more.


    "I¡¯m not mourning her," I said with a steady look. "I just realized we have to take drastic steps in the north without feeling too bad about them."


    "Well then, let¡¯s go. We¡¯ve rested long enough. We need to make sure the others are fine." Ian stood, snapping his fingers. I nodded and got up after him.


    As soon as we stood, we spotted the rooftop of the other house. Troy and Yorick were there, looking around in panic.


    "Hey, they¡¯re there!" they shouted, waving their arms from thest brown house.


    "Did you guys do it?" I called out.


    "Yes!" Troy yelled back.


    "What now? We still have to y her," he asked, shouting across to make sure we heard.


    Before I could answer, screams echoed from another house. Medusa had gotten a taste for souls, and she wasn¡¯t stopping.


    "Do you think she killed the leader?" I asked, but the silence from the other side was my only reply. Which meant even they didn¡¯t know if Medusa had taken out all of her people.


    "Are you talking about me?"


    My blood ran cold. Ian and I turned around, and we saw the man push open the door and step behind us.

 Chapter 134-Mint Is A Red Wolf

    <h4>Chapter 134: 134-Mint Is A Red Wolf</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I don¡¯t know how he survived, but he did.


    "Funny enough, you are about to meet your first alpha wolf of the north," Heughed. Then he began turning into the biggest monster I had ever seen, and sadly, that monster was nothing but an alpha werewolf.


    The man shifted into a huge ck wolf, his fur so sharp it looked more like spikes. He stood taller than he ever had as a man. That was when I started to take off my jacket. The moment the wolf charged at us and leapt, we split apart, letting him crash between us, roll over, and grab hold of his bnce again.


    As I began to transition, I saw Ian step into the darkness. It struck me as strange because I expected him to take over and shift immediately. This was the first time we were fighting our own kind, and we had no choice but to let our wolves out.


    Before the ck wolf attacked me again, I had started my transition.


    <strong>shback:</strong>


    <i>"Happy 12th birthday,"</i> I heard a woman say to her child on the side. We were sitting in a circle in the woods, waiting for our turn to transition. I had just turned twelve as well, and I was expecting a wolf. This would be my first transition, and I was excited.


    I took a deep breath as I watched the council member walk with his two siblings, all three of them together, smiling at the girl with her mother.


    "Beautiful girl, it doesn¡¯t matter what you are. It doesn¡¯t matter what rank you have, you are equally important," the council member announced before revealing her rank. "You are a beautiful omega, and we swear to protect you against bad people."


    I could tell the little girl was disappointed, and even her parents seemed slightly upset, but the kind words from the council changed the atmosphere. Everyone cheered and sang again before it was time for the boy on my left to transition. He went into the woods with the council member. After a while, he returned, and it was announced that he was a beta. If he worked hard, they said, he could one day challenge the current royal beta of his pack and im the title himself.


    Then it was my turn. All eyes were on me, though no one looked hopeful. My stepmother kept rolling her eyes and checking her watch. My father was busy eyeing the women around, speaking to every single one except their husbands.


    I stood up and walked into the woods, the council members following behind me. Taking a deep breath, I called out for my wolf.


    "Hey, are you here?" I asked, waiting.


    "Hey," I called again. Before she could even introduce herself, I felt pressure in my bones. "Ah," I groaned, my wrist twitching as my bones cracked.


    "Did you hear your wolf speak to you?" the council leader asked. I wasn¡¯t sure why he felt the need to ask, but I only shook my head.


    "That is odd," he said, but before anything else could be discussed, I was already transitioning.


    As I ran, I realized I had red fur. Not just any red, though¡ªmy tail was different. It was slim at the base but grew fluffy at the end. In the reflection of the mirror, I saw howrge and beautifully blue my wolf¡¯s eyes were. She was stunning, the kind who could have been a model if such a thing existed for wolves.


    I returned to my spot, shifting back into my clothes while the council members discussed something.


    "What is my rank?" I asked, curious before stepping out of the woods. The council members exchanged nces before the man stepped forward and knelt in front of me.


    "What we are going to tell you may be difficult to ept, but it is for your own sake," he said, making me frown. "We will announce your rank, but try not to transition in front of people."


    His words shook me. To tell a werewolf not to transition was like telling a doctor never to practice again. It felt like judgment.


    "Nowe out." He took my hand and walked me with his sisters back to the main ground. There he stood and announced, "The girl before you is an alpha."


    While everyone else was shocked, my stepmother looked disappointed. Her daughter was also an alpha, and I guess she expected me to be an omega.


    My father looked stunned, though I couldn¡¯t tell if it was good or bad. As for me, I waspletely thrown off. Why would they tell me I was an alpha but also tell me never to transition again? Why?


    <strong>End Of shback.</strong>


    As I transitioned into my full prime, I noticed the ck wolf halt for a moment, almost like he was in shock. I had expected such a reaction because it was the same one the council members had shown me.


    The next time the ck wolf gathered all his strength and charged at me, I swung my tail and sent him flying. He howled in pain, fell back, then got to his feet again. But before he could attack, I struck first. This time, I drove my ws into his chest, forcing guttural growls out of him.


    I felt a strange energy inside me, probably because I had avoided transitioning for so long. I had always been afraid of being punished for being different, that much I knew. After my first transition, I watched many others shift, and I realized none of their wolves looked like mine. They looked like regr wolves, big, bulky, deadly, or sometimes gentle and kind. But mine looked different.


    So I knew that the moment I transitioned again, anyone who saw me would be shocked.


    I screamed and wed at him again. He swung his paw, but I ducked. Then I sank my teeth into his belly, knocking him back as I tumbled on top of him. I bit down as hard as I could, so fiercely that I felt one of his bones crack. That was when I knew I wasn¡¯t just a strange wolf, I was far more powerful than the regr wolves around me.

 Chapter 135-Taking One Back Home

    <h4>Chapter 135: 135-Taking One Back Home</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I was breathing heavily after I transitioned back. My uniform was intact, but my jackety on the ground. I picked it up and quickly put it on, buttoning it tightly. While Ian stepped out of the darkness to stare at the man, I stayed silent. I had noticed that instead of helping me, he had hidden in the shadows. I didn¡¯t understand why. He never seemed afraid of anything, so why was he afraid of transitioning? Or did he simply not want to help me?


    I had expected him to unt his wolf the first chance he got. But he shocked me when he didn¡¯t. Or maybe, just like always, he was giving me the chance to lead ande for help if I hadn¡¯t been able to fight.


    The big ck wolf had returned to human form. He whimpered on the ground, badly wounded from the scars and injuries I had given him.


    "Ian, tie him up and take him to the station," I said as I looked at him.


    The man was barely conscious now. Ian watched him with a deadpan look before kneeling, grabbing his hair, and punching him in the face, knocking the wind out of him.


    "Why? Why take him to the station? Let¡¯s throw him to the Medusa and let her feed," he said.


    I shook my head. "I think he¡¯ll be more valuable alive than dead," I replied.


    That was when I saw Yorick and Troy rushing back to our building. They must have seen the man arrive and ran out of the house toe help me. Once they got there, they looked at him, then looked up.


    "So, what¡¯s the n?" Troy asked as he stared at the man on the ground. I don¡¯t think they had seen me transition because they had run down toe here. I was in shock myself at the fact that I fought the man in just a few minutes but weirdly enough, it seemed like a huge battle.


    "Are we going to finish him?" Yorick added.


    "No. Ian will take him to the station. We¡¯ll board the train with him and hand him over to the ringleaders," I said, making the decision. Thankfully, they agreed.


    Ian didn¡¯t argue. He simply grabbed the man, threw him over his shoulder, and the next thing I knew, he was gone. He sprinted off so fast that suddenly it was just the three of us.


    "We should look for Haiden," Troy said.


    "Oh, I know. He went into that house," Yorick replied, pointing toward a distant building.


    "I think he¡¯ll be fine," I said, taking deeper breaths.


    "Unless the Medusa pretends to be us." At that, Troy¡¯s words made my skin prickle with goosebumps.


    "Or what if she pretends to be Clementine?" Yorick asked, shock clear on his face.


    "I¡¯m sure Haiden won¡¯t open it. He knows better," I insisted, though even I wasn¡¯t sure of my own words.


    "He definitely will," Yorick admitted. I think it took a lot of courage for him to confess that Haiden would open the door for me no matter what.


    "Fuck, we need to go," I said once I realized how serious this situation was. Just then, our eyes shifted toward the house where Haiden was hiding, and we saw Medusa moving toward it.


    "Shit," I muttered. "Let¡¯s go."


    I ran out of the brown house, but first we searched for weapons. We couldn¡¯t go fight the medusa without any weapons. But we didn¡¯t know how to fight her anyway.


    The people who lived there had plenty. I grabbed a sword from one of the rooms, my breathing quickening as I held it.


    "Oh my god." Having a weapon in the North meant power, so finding a room full of them felt like everything we could hope for.


    Troy quickly stuffed weapons into a bag, while Yorick pulled a mirror from the wall.


    "What are you doing?" I asked.


    He stared at me with a look of understanding, looking all set to go defend Haiden.


    "We can¡¯t look directly into Medusa¡¯s eyes. To fight her, we need an indirect method," he exined, holding up the mirror.


    "What about the snakes? They can still attack us," I pointed out. I saw him pause, realizing there might need to be another way.


    "Okay, here¡¯s the thing," he said, snapping his fingers. "All three of us will have a sword, and all three of us will carry a mirror. Something light?"


    "The small mirrors that we carry in our bags," I said.


    "Yeah. That would do. It¡¯ll be much lighter to carry." Yorick agreed.


    "So we¡¯ll stand around her. Once she faces one of us, that person will raise the mirror so the others can see her and attack. When she turns to someone else, that person will close their eyes while the others strike from behind. We can use the mirrors to watch her from a distance without looking directly at her," Troy suggested, looking anxious.


    But I had a different idea.


    "What if we make her look directly into her own eyes through the mirror?" I suggested.


    "I¡¯m not sure if that will work. We¡¯ve seen her through the mirrors, staring, and not once did she turn into stone. So our best bet is to fight her with the swords," Yorick suggested, and I nodded. I was just having crazy ideas, anything that could help us survive the night.


    "We need to fight her. We have to cut off all the snakes on her head," I said. It was the only n I coulde up with at the moment. We didn¡¯t know how things would feel once we were out there. This whole conversation happened in the two minutes we spent watching Medusa move toward Haiden¡¯s house.


    "Guys, we shouldn¡¯t waste time," I urged, sprinting out of the room. The next thing we knew, we were rushing toward the house.


    But the moment we reached the road, we heard her talking to Haiden. My chest tightened with panic. What if he had already opened the door?

 Chapter 136-Leaving Everyone Behind.

    <h4>Chapter 136: 136-Leaving Everyone Behind.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    To my surprise, she didn¡¯t pretend to be me or any of us. She kept using his sister¡¯s voice, and that made us slow down.


    "I¡¯ve missed you so much, Haiden," she cooed. She was still trying to manipte him.


    We reached her quietly and stood behind. She was outside a pink house, and we could tell Haiden was inside. She suddenly stopped speaking and began to grunt as she realized we were there. We gripped the swords and mirrors in our hands.


    The moment she spun around, her speed almost took my breath away. I held it, shut my eyes, and swung my sword blindly in case the snakes struck.


    "My turn!" Troy shouted. I opened my eyes just as she turned to him.


    That became our rhythm, whenever she turned to someone, that person would yell ¡¯my turn¡¯ so the others knew it was safe to look. Once my eyes were open, I shed at the snakes. She screamed as we kept fighting, each of us closing our eyes, then attacking again. We cut them down one by one.


    But soon disappointment hit when we realized the snakes grew back frighteningly fast.


    "We¡¯re going in circles, guys!" Troy shouted, fighting with all his strength to avoid the snakes¡¯ strikes.


    "What else can we do?" I yelled back. At this point, we were already too close to her. Running away would only cause more trouble. She¡¯de after us, and we didn¡¯t know how fast she could move, or if she would strike only when we looked at her. But that wasn¡¯t true. Even with our backs turned, she could attack us, and so could her snakes.


    "Let¡¯s not just focus on the snakes!" Yorick hissed, making it clear our n was failing.


    At this point, she started reacting erratically. Her movements were strange, more defensive than aggressive, even though she had been the one initiating most of the killings before. Now she seemed more like someone in distress. I couldn¡¯t help but feel that way about her, even as we kept fighting. Then she screamed at the top of her lungs.


    "I¡¯m not a slut! I¡¯m not a whore!"


    She wouldn¡¯t stop screaming those words. It was all happening so quickly that I couldn¡¯t really focus on her voice. Still, I felt like I had heard it before. It wasn¡¯t apletely new voice. At this point, I think Haiden had even opened the door toe out and fight her. But it was the first time he hade face-to-face with her. I don¡¯t know what happened, but he just stood there. She turned to him, and in that moment, I realized she was staring into Haiden¡¯s eyes. I couldn¡¯t let her turn him into stone, so I rushed forward and raised my sword. Her snakes had stopped moving too. They were all staring at Haiden. His eyes began to widen. It all happened in seconds. Before her gaze could fix on him any longer, I swung my sword. The next thing I knew, I had cut her neck from her body. Her head rolled away, and she let out the loudest scream.


    "No!" Haiden shouted, and I froze. I stumbled back as he rushed forward. First, he tried to hold her body, but then he reached for her head.


    "No, no, no, my sister!" he cried, his voice breaking.


    "Haiden, she is not your sister!" Yorick said, grabbing his arm as Haiden cradled her head in hisp.


    She had already turned to stone. Her eyes were red and bleeding, her mouth frozen open in a scream, but her body was now just cement. The blood pouring from her eyes was real though, and it wouldn¡¯t stop. It seeped down her face and into the cracks of the stone. Haiden clutched her, then hurried back to her body, trying to ce the head back.


    "My sister! This is my sister!" he cried.


    As I watched him, the truth hit me. This was why she always spoke differently with Haiden, and why she often used Haiden¡¯s sister¡¯s voice. And that¡¯s why, in the end, when she screamed, it was in Haiden¡¯s sister¡¯s voice, not because she was mimicking her, but because it truly was her voice. Because she really was his sister. I dropped my sword, stumbling back in panic.


    "What? What are you saying?" Troy knelt beside Haiden, who was crying harder than ever.


    "This is Maya! This is Maya!" he sobbed.


    "Troy." Yorick looked at me, realizing what I had done. He suddenly looked so concerned for me, because it truly was a moment of concern.


    What could have been a reunion, I ruined it. I killed her. I thought she was going to kill him. As Yorick knelt tofort Haiden, I stepped back. There was no way I could look Haiden in the eyes again. I had ruined everything for him.


    So I ran. I ran far, far away from them. I had killed someone who only wanted revenge, who only wanted to be free. And Haiden, after all these years, had finally found her. How could I not have realized?


    I sprinted toward the main city, deeper and deeper into the north. I didn¡¯t care where I ended up.


    "Clementine, stop! We are entering dangerous territory!" my wolf called out.


    But I shook my head. "No, Mint. I wanted so badly to be a hero that I ruined their chance." I screamed and cried. "It¡¯s better if I just stay away from him. From now on, this will be my punishment." I pushed forward, deeper into the north.


    "You¡¯re just a teen full of emotions. It wasn¡¯t your fault. You were only trying to help him." Mint kept trying to convince me it wasn¡¯t my fault. I didn¡¯t know how she could be so calm, where she found the courage to believe we had done nothing wrong, only made a genuine mistake that we would be forgiven for.


    "Mint, I¡¯ve suffered my whole life for my father¡¯s sins. But this time, I¡¯m the one who truly made a mistake. I can¡¯t even imagine how much torture I¡¯ll bear now. So it¡¯s better if I just stay here. At the end of the day, this is my home anyway," I screamed as I ran far from my squadmates.

 Chapter 137-Gone Too Soon

    <h4>Chapter 137: 137-Gone Too Soon</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    <strong>shback!</strong>


    "Haiden,e on, let¡¯s go!" my friends called as we got ready to cause some ruckus at the mate ball. It was a mate ball for those who had turned 18 this year. I was not. I was only 16 at the time, but that did not mean I didn¡¯t want to be involved. I just wanted to be part of it in the most natural way I could.


    We were holding water balloons, sitting on top of the buildings. Some of the packs had decided to throw a mate ball together, so we knew a lot of the packs would being over to celebrate. There would be many 18-year-olds dressed in fancy gowns and suits. I could not wait to ruin their night. That was my n, by the way, and my friends were listening.


    As we sat on top of the building, ready to hit anyone in front of us, my eyesnded on someone in the distance. The same hat on her head, a baggy sweater with baggy pants, a bag on her back. It was her, there was no mistaking it. I could recognize her among a billion people, and that soured my mood.


    "Dude, let her be, she¡¯s just minding her own business. Remember the n we have?" my friend nudged me, noticing I had been staring too hard. She must be heading toward the cafe where she cleaned the kitchen and everything, earning her own money. I hated how she always acted so down to earth, like she had to earn her own way. Same rich bratty attitude Alphas Stark¡¯s daughters had. They were both bratty, one just epted it, the other was more cunning.


    "You guys do it, I¡¯ll be back in a minute," I called out, hearing my friends sigh as they realized I was no longer focused on fun or ruining anyone else¡¯s night. There was only one person whose night I wanted to ruin. I rushed down the empty building, heading toward the end of the street where she was going.


    I was halfway there when I noticed someone following her. My stomach sank. She wasn¡¯t paying attention, probably had her headphones in, like always. She was the dumbest person ever. You don¡¯t just walk down a silent street in the dark with earbuds in. But of course, Clementine was the epitome of stupidity.


    I frowned as the man approached her, slipped his arm under her chin, and put her in a headlock. She screamed and tried to fight back, but there was no way she could. The man looked about 45 years old, far stronger than a timid 15- or 16-year-old girl. Part of me just watched as he dragged her to the corner. I knew what he intended. And somehow, even remembering what her father had done to my mother, I couldn¡¯t let another man do this to anyone else.


    I sprinted. I sprinted so hard that when Inded a punch on the man¡¯s face and threw him off. He fell, groaning, but before I could strike again, he was already on his feet and running away.


    Once the man ran away, I noticed Clementine adjusting her hat, even though it was stuck to her head.


    "Thank you," she uttered, taking deep, heavy breaths. I kept staring at her face before lunging, grabbing her by the cor and shaking her before tossing her against the wall, pinning her in ce. She didn¡¯t even fight back.


    "Are you done already?" she asked calmly, and that blew my mind. I hated how every time I tried to teach her a lesson, her reaction was so cold and mild that I began to feel incapable of scaring her.


    "You think you¡¯re cool?" I hissed at her, grunting as she shrugged.


    "I never said I am, but thanks for letting me know," she replied even more calmly.


    "You know what? I can fucking kill you right now and nobody will find out," I said, shaking her harder and mming her back against the wall. She didn¡¯t even try to pry my hands open; her hands stayed in her pockets.


    "Okay," she said. "What¡¯s stopping you?" Her tone was icy.


    As I stood so close, her face inches from mine, I noticed her tiny button nose. It was so adorable. Then I saw the freckles on her face, making her stand out even more. Freckles were always my weakness. I gulped, trying not to think about it again. Yes, again. Becausest time, when I confronted her, these thoughts had returned. I hated it. I hated thinking that way. And every time I did, I wanted to punch her in the face. She didn¡¯t deserve that. Not after her father had shown no mercy to my mother.


    But here I was, staring too hard. Then Clementine smirked. She quickly raised her knee, and before I could react, she hit me in the groin.


    As I groaned in pain, stepping back with my hands holding my crotch, she began to chuckle. "No man, no monster, no woman had ever been born to kill Clementine. The day I die," she said confidently, "is the day I want to stop living." Her words made me spring to my feet, trying to grab her.


    But she spun around with knuckle dusters on, and the next thing I knew, the silver from them mmed into my cheek, splitting it open. I hissed in pain, kneeling and covering my face with my hand as she sprinted away.


    Before disappearing, she shouted over her shoulder, "Fuck around and find out," letting me know it was all my fault.


    End Of shback:


    I had grown up with the memory of my mother in that state because of Mr. Stark, and then there was the memory of my sister being taken away. I wanted to find her again, to speak to her, to hug her and let her know that her useless brother was grown up now, and that nobody¡ªno one¡ªwould ever hurt her again. But it wasn¡¯t possible. She was lying in my arms in two pieces.

 Chapter 138-The Best Mate In The World

    <h4>Chapter 138: 138-The Best Mate In The World</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    Nothing can ever heal my broken heart except for one thing. I looked down at my sister¡¯s face in tears. Her face looked so contorted, and it was so hard, like I was holding a stone. Her skin had turned cement-like, and the blood was stilling from her eyes, soaking her cheeks and everywhere. I sobbed with her, cried for who knows how long. The monster haunting the big city, the first big city of the north, was none other than my sister. I had so many unanswered questions.


    Then came thest pending hug.


    "Are you okay?" After a while, Troy rubbed my back and broke me free from my stance. I nodded while still struggling with the tears on my cheeks.


    "Listen, she would never do this intentionally." Then Yorick spoke, and I raised my face to meet his eyes.


    "Clementine thought you were going to die," he said, rifying who he meant. And it hit me. "No, I¡¯m not ming her," I spoke up instantly so she could hear it before drowning herself in guilt for something she did nothing wrong with.


    "Clementine, it¡¯s fine." As I turned around to tell her it was fine, to let her know I had been expecting her toe and hug me, because her hug would heal everything, I realized she was gone.


    It was such a moment of panic for me. The North was a big ce. If I lost her, I was afraid I might never see her again, or that the next time we met it would be many, many yearster. What if never? All these thoughts scared me as I ran as fast as I could. I just did not understand why she thought running was the right choice. She did nothing wrong. In fact, she hade to save me. I was heavy with emotion because I had just lost my sister, and now my mate was gone too.


    "You guys take my sister¡¯s body to the station. I¡¯ll go look for Clementine." I let them know I wanted to be the one to find her. The two stared at me for a moment, then nodded, letting me know they would secure my sister¡¯s body.


    "Dane,e on, you gotta follow her scent," I said urgently. It had been a few days now, and the train would arrive soon. I needed to take Clementine back with me. There was no way I was going home alone. If I cannot find her, I¡¯ll stay here.


    "I¡¯m trying to search for her scent, but it is everywhere." My wolf tried to exin, and I frowned even harder.


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    "I guess her emotions are really off. Her scent is full of anxiety," Dane said, letting me know what I already knew. I could only imagine how she must be feeling. The fact that she ran away meant she took all the me onto herself.


    "But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll find her," Dane replied, more confident and determined. As we rushed through the roads and streets, I touched my cheek, the scar Clementine had once left there. I don¡¯t know why it never healed, and now I didn¡¯t want it to. It was a symbol of her existence, and I wanted it on my cheek for the rest of my life.


    And then finally, I noticed my wolf slowing down. It was at that moment I knew he had found her. He led me to one of the streets in the distance, and I already knew she was there because I began to hear her whimper. She was sitting against a wall, crying. As soon as I arrived, she sniffled and got up from the ground. She had shed so many tears that in just a few minutes, her eyes were swollen shut.


    I began to stroll toward her, cing my hand on the wall beside her and sliding one hand into my pocket. She stood with her back against the wall, constantly trying to wipe her tears.


    "You can punish me if you want," she said. "I will not resist this time," she added.


    "When have you ever resisted me punishing you?" I asked, trying to see if she remembered how confident and bold she had always been.


    "Yeah, I think I was wrong. Me and my father are cut from the same cloth."


    The minute she said that, I knew I had to ease her mind. "No, Clementine, you¡¯re nothing like your father," I said as I grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to me.


    "But I ruined your chance to be reunited with your sister," she insisted as I cupped her face in my hands. I was right about her. She was so pretty.


    "No, you did not. She wasn¡¯t my sister anymore, Clementine. Even though I would have loved to hug her, there was no way I could have. You know what happened when I was standing there staring at her?" I said, and she raised her brow, almost silently asking what happened.


    "Although it was a reunion for both of us, and I noticed the emotions in my sister¡¯s eyes, her powers were turning me into stone. So no, Clementine, there was no way I could have ever hugged her again. But you¡ªyou saved me, because I would have never broken the stare from her," the minute I said that, I pulled her closer and gently rubbed my thumb over her bottom lip.


    "I am done using you, ming you, for what happened to my family. You are just innocent, and you have proved to me so many times that you cannot even harm a fly. So no, I don¡¯t me you. It is just that I me you for one thing," I said as I began to pull away slightly.


    She looked so concerned. I guessed she was genuinely feeling guilty, but it wasn¡¯t her fault. There was no way I could have survived staring into my sister¡¯s eyes for too long.


    "I was expecting you to be the one to hug me, andfort me." I pouted. With a sad smile on her lips and quivering, she walked over and put herself in my arms. It was a gentle, friendly hug, but she had no clue it meant the whole world to me.


    As I hugged her tightly, I heard someone calling for us.


    "Hey you,e on guys, the train ising." I did not understand why Troy had to follow us. I knew the train wasing, but I guessed he did it because he didn¡¯t want us to spend time together. Even though Yorick and Troy didn¡¯t say it out loud, I knew that was the case. They were always there whenever someone was spending time with Clementine.


    We broke the hug, and I cupped her face again. Troy stopped right next to us, staring silently.


    "Thank you for saving me," I said as I pressed my lips against her forehead. I wanted to kiss her more, but I realized she was feeling guilty. If she had let me kiss her, it would only be because of that guilt, and I did not want to take advantage of her.

 Chapter 139-Always Starting A War

    <h4>Chapter 139: 139-Always Starting A War</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I did not expect him to forgive me. I thought he would be angry, and I was already upset with myself. But then he showed up, looked for me, and chose to clear up any disagreements or misunderstandings right away. Even though I had a harsh past with him, his actions made me see him differently. The way he changed so quickly, realizing we needed to talk and resolve things when he could have just waited, made me feel good. The fact that he came right away made me feel very special.


    After Troy came to fetch us, we decided to rush back to the train station. But something else caught our attention. We realized we were in one of the biggest cities. The tall buildings and high-rise apartments were empty, or maybe filled with monsters, we couldn¡¯t tell. The roads were massive too, with old cars scattered around, all in a fucked-up state. Aside from the wind, there was no sound.


    I had run deep into the city and hadn¡¯t found a single soul. Not even dead bodies. Just blood stters.


    "We should go," Haiden said.


    Right then we heard the loudest groan, almost earth-shattering. He grabbed my arm while Troy put his hand on my back to steady me, even though I didn¡¯t need it. Our heads turned to the side.


    A cluster of tall buildings loomed, and among them was a shadow. Huge, slender, stretching into the clouds. We couldn¡¯t make out its form, only its shadow. But the sound it made was like the loudest sirens we¡¯d ever heard.


    "Whatever the fuck this is, we need to get out of here," Troy said.


    We nodded and sprinted back the way we¡¯de. So fast that if any of us had tripped, we would have been seriously hurt from the sheer pressure and strength we used to get away from that monster.


    This time it felt different. We had lost quite a few people, and not just lost them. Much worse shit had happened. We couldn¡¯t retrieve any bodies except for those turned to stone by Medusa. Among them was Xenia, her stone-cold body carried by the other squads.


    At the station, everyone was there except for the white squad. That was odd. They always stuck together, which made me wonder how Xenia ended up alone and in the grasp of the brown house people. Jessie was still a mess. I figured she¡¯d need to go home first, heal a bit before she could fully recover after her transition.


    Matthias from the red squad was helping her board the train, while Oriana stood behind with her arms folded across her chest. Her eyesnded on me, and a smile spread across her lips.


    "Ooh, who is that?" she grimaced as her gaze shifted to Ian, who had the leader¡¯s arm draped over his shoulder.


    "Isn¡¯t that¡ª" She gasped as recognition hit her.


    "Yeah, somebody help us find something to tie this man up with," I called out. Almost everyone jumped to work, except for Oriana. She was usually in such shock that it took her a while to snap out of it, let alone help.


    After all the preparations were done, we boarded the train with the white squad rushing inte. The others seemed fine. It was the same people, Joshua, Jack, Suki, Nate, and Yash, but they were missing someone.


    "Where is Xenia?" Jack asked as he stepped into our carriage. The train still hadn¡¯t left.


    We just gave him a silent look, a clear hint we weren¡¯t interested in answering. He rushed past to the carriage behind us. Suki and Nate followed, searching for Xenia, while Joshua and Yash lingered in the doorway between carriages.


    Joshua leaned on the frame, elbows spread, his eyes scanning us until theynded on the man, tied and passed out.


    "Who is that?" he asked. I expected him to react like Oriana had, eventually remembering who this man was. But it seemed he¡¯d never seen him back in the North.


    "Is that a survivor? Did you guys find a survivor?" he repeated. None of us answered. We just stared out the window.


    "So, just because you got to y another monster, now you¡¯re suddenly arrogant?" he scoffed. We stayed quiet. Another fight wasn¡¯t worth it. Situations like that had already cost us too many members. Momentster, his squad returned.


    "How is it possible?" Jack muttered, shocked by what he¡¯d found.


    "What is it?" Joshua asked, pulling back from the doorframe.


    "Xenia turned into stone," Suki told them. Joshua¡¯s eyes went wide.


    "She was caught by Medusa?" he stammered.


    The looks on their faces showed real grief, though part of me knew they were also mourning the loss of someone they used for their dirty work. We didn¡¯t say anything. White Squad could get messy, and now wasn¡¯t the time.


    Just then, the doors began to close one by one.


    "We should head to our carriage," Yash uttered, but one harsh look from his squadmate shut him up. That¡¯s when the Red rm started ring, probably because they weren¡¯t in their carriage.


    "Who is this man?" Joshua demanded again, pointing at the one tied at our feet, lying on the floor.


    "Dude, you need to get back to your carriage," Haiden finally snapped, intervening in their little conversation.


    "No, tell us who he is and why he¡¯s tied up?" Joshua pressed. I guess he asked that because he had finally realized if it was a survivor, he wouldn¡¯t be tied up like that.


    "You need to get back to your carriage because the train is not moving. Before any other monster decides to board the train with us, you better fuck off," Yorick hissed as we noticed the doors opening again after the rms had red for a few minutes.


    "Not until you tell us who this man is," Jack insisted, siding with Joshua and repeating the same question again and again.


    "This is the brown house people, the people who kidnapped our people. Now you got the answer? Now fuck off," Oriana cut in. I don¡¯t know why she always had to bud in, be part of the conversation, when she never helped.


    There was a reason we weren¡¯t telling them who this man was. The look on their faces showed they weren¡¯t happy to hear it.


    "Wait, is that the man whose people were trying to fight us?" Yash asked, and the rest of them turned to look at him.


    "Oh, we better kill him right here, right now," Joshua announced, making our eyes go wide as we jumped off our seats, ready to stop whatever he was about to do.

 Chapter 140-The Monster Boarded The Train

    <h4>Chapter 140: 140-The Monster Boarded The Train</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    As soon as Jack heard Joshua, he got to his feet to follow him and attack the man. But before they could even approach, Ian and Haiden jumped in front of him.


    "Back off, you jackass," Ian grunted, shoving Jack with his hands.


    I noticed how far Jack stumbled back before Joshua caught him.


    "You cannot fucking attack your own crusaders for a man who¡¯s been capturing and torturing our innocent people," Joshua yelled.


    While they argued, my eyes shifted to the side. Something was appearing in the far corner of the station.


    "Guys," I muttered, trying to get their attention.


    "That¡¯s not up to you to decide, not after how you¡¯ve shown you only care about your own squad. So don¡¯t give us this lecture about sticking together, because we know damn well you never intended to stick with others, or stand up for them," Haiden shouted at Joshua, who straightened his shoulders, squaring himself up.


    "Why are we even taking that bastard back to the maind? Why give him a new life? We should leave him here for the monsters, after cutting off his legs so he can¡¯t defend himself," Suki said. Immediately, Joshua and Jack started nodding.


    I wondered who the real master was in their squad. At first it seemed like Joshua, but maybe he was just the face, and the others whispered in his ear. That still didn¡¯t excuse his behavior.


    "Let the ringleaders decide what to do with him," I said, anxiously nudging Haiden¡¯s arm, trying to pull his attention to what I was seeing at the station. Silhouettes were forming on the wall, but they didn¡¯t clearly define whoever or whatever was casting them. I was confused.


    "Of course, shees in and suddenly everyone melts," Joshua smirked, mentioning me in that weird tone.


    "I am sorry? Are you talking about Suki?" I shot back. His smile vanished. Jack¡¯s face went nk, almost neutral.


    "Hey, get my name out of your mouth," Suki hissed from behind Joshua. I couldn¡¯t even look at her with Joshua and Jack standing tall and broad in front of her.


    "Guys¡ª" Troy¡¯s anxious voice cut in, making me realize he had seen what I was seeing. The fucking fleshmingos had found a way into the station. Of course it wasn¡¯t a haven, it was still part of the North. Sooner orter, those creatures were bound to show up.


    "Guys, fucking¡ªfucking get off our carriage!" I yelled, with the others shouting the same thing.


    Oriana and her group tried to close the door. They managed to shut it, but it swung open again because the white squad members were still in our carriage.


    And while everyone panicked, Joshua decided to be the biggest douchebag.


    "It¡¯s either the Carapamingus rex get in here, or you throw this man out for them to feed on. The choice is yours," he told the other squads.


    And everybody started looking at us. Now he was using the others to control us, to turn them against us.


    "I think you should throw that man out," one of the Green Squad members said.


    "If you listen to him this time, they¡¯ll make you obey him at other times too. Let¡¯s not forget they¡¯re the reason Mnie died." I took the stand, climbing on top of a chair and announcing it loud. Everybody gasped. I guess some of them didn¡¯t even know what happened to Mnie


    "What? She died because of them?" someone yelled.


    I squinted, remembering Oriana had said the same thing to the White Squad before. But I guess they hadn¡¯t been paying attention then.


    "Don¡¯t listen to her. Even if she manages to bring witnesses to support her fake story, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that we¡¯re not leaving this carriage. Not until we kick this man out," Joshua added, showing he stood firm.


    "Well then, we¡¯re left with no other option." Yorick finally got up after sitting and staring at everyone in silence. Then he attacked Joshua.


    The second he lunged, my other squadmates did the same to the others. They shoved them back toward the front carriage.


    "Ow, ow, ow!" Suki screamed. She had been hiding behind their backs for a while, and now she was getting squished as they were forced out.


    Finally, once they were out of our carriage, Joshua threw a punch. He raised his fist and tried to m it into Haiden¡¯s face, but the door closed at the same time and his fist crashed straight into the hard ss.


    It had to be magical, because an alpha¡¯s punch can do wonders. But we just watched him grimace in pain, clutching his hand while the others checked on him. Then, suddenly, the doors shut tight and the train started moving.


    "Finally," I grunted, pressing a hand to my chest and taking a deep breath.


    But then we sawmotion in the carriages behind us. We couldn¡¯t hear the noises, but we saw them panicking, mming and banging on the ss doors nonstop.


    "Wait, what is going on?" I asked, reaching the red squad¡¯s carriage door.


    Oriana stepped aside, pointing behind her. The others moved out of the way too. And in thest carriage, I saw two fleshmingos boarding the train.


    Now they were trapped in a closed space, since every carriage shut separately. But I guessed while every squad had quickly tried to close the doors, thest carriage shut after the fleshmingos had already jumped in.


    So now, we were safe until the train stopped. Because when it stopped, the doors would open. That much we knew.


    "Fuck," I muttered. I heard Haiden grunt too. Yorick paced around, running his hands through his hair, clearly anxious. Troy was all tensed up.


    Even though our squad was thest one before the fleshmingos could reach us, it didn¡¯t change the fact we were worried for the others.


    Unlike the White Squad. Once they realized what was happening, I saw them smirking. Of course. Even when we managed to close the door, they still found a way to cause us more trouble.


    Now we were all waiting for the train to stop, worried about the doors opening.

 Chapter 141-The Monsters In The Mainland

    <h4>Chapter 141: 141-The Monsters In The Maind</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    What usually felt like ten minutes felt like an hour this time. We were all anxious. The squadmates right in front of the fleshmingos were losing it, and we didn¡¯t me them. We were scared too.


    "Makes me wonder what¡¯s going on in the North," Ian whispered, catching our attention.


    We stood steady by the carriage doors, ready to fight for the other squadmates if it came to that. The n was to push through the squads and reach thest one the second the doors opened, so we could kill the fleshmingos.


    Thankfully, we had weapons with us this time. The bag we¡¯d filled with weapons from one of the houses was finally going toe in handy.


    "What do you mean?" Haiden asked Ian.


    "Isn¡¯t it weird that thest two monsters we yed," Ian paused to make a hand gesture, "were once just normal werewolves?"


    I stared at his face in confusion for a while. He wasn¡¯t wrong, though. But before we could dwell on it, the train arrived at its stop.


    We panicked, knowing the squadmates near the fleshmingos were at risk. But the minute the doors opened, before we or anyone else could do anything, the lurkers barged into thest carriage. And the next thing we knew, they were shooting the fleshmingos dead.


    Screams erupted in the air. I guess the squadmates hadn¡¯t expected anyone to rescue us. Because they usually never did. It was always just us young crusaders in the North.


    "Oh, goodness," Troy sighed in relief. I did the same, finally feeling a little rxed.


    Then the doors opened again, and the ringleaders were waiting for us, or so we thought. While the lurkers collected the bodies of two squadmates who had turned to stone, one being Xenia and the other from a different squad, the ringleaders entered our carriage.


    As soon as Lenora and Miss Rue stepped in, Mr. Rick walked into the White Squad¡¯s carriage.


    "Sir, they didn¡¯t listen to us," Jack hurried to exin, trying to let his ringleader know we had messed up in the North.


    But what happened next waspletely out of sybus. Mr. Rick raised his fist and smashed it into Jack¡¯s face, knocking him down. The White Squad members had never looked so shocked and offended.


    "What was taking you so long to shift into your carriage?" Mr. Rick yelled, not even letting the other ringleaders get a word in. It was pretty clear he was angry, and rightfully so. But how the hell did he know it was the White Squad causing the dy?


    "Do you have any idea what you¡¯ve done?" Mr. Rick shouted, grabbing Jack by the cor since he was the one who had stepped forward first.


    I could tell Mr. Rick was meticulous. He knew Joshua was an alpha, and a very arrogant one at that. If he had grabbed Joshua by the cor, it would have either pushed him to retaliate, turn rebellious, or it would have crushed his confidence by humiliating him in front of the others.


    "They carried the man who was killing our people out there," Jack finally spoke, and Mr. Rick let him go with a grunt.


    "So you decided it was a wise idea to bring the monsters to the maind?" he screamed in Jack¡¯s face, making the others look down nervously. Joshua didn¡¯t look down, though. He just stared at Mr. Rick bluntly. Like I said, Mr. Rick was smart. He knew yelling at Joshua would do more damage than good.


    Then Lenara finally turned to us. "I heard you guys brought in a guest?" she said.


    Instead of responding to her, I turned to Miss Rue, because she was our ringleader. I didn¡¯t know why the other ringleaders had to be all up in our business. I guess this is what happens when you get a new teacher, the old ones get nosy.


    "This is the man who was upying one of the houses in the North. Those were all brown-colored houses, and he seemed to be the leader there. They were doing some kind of ritual, catching our squadmates, torturing them. And I even heard a couple talking about impregnating women. It just seemed like a cult to me," I exined.


    I noticed Ms. Lenara folded her arms when I didn¡¯t speak directly to her.


    "We did the right thing, right?" I asked Miss Rue, who was staring at the man.


    "What?" she asked, confused.


    "I mean, should we have killed him right there? I thought he¡¯d be able to shed some light on the North and the monsters," I asked and she started to nod.


    "You did the right thing, Clementine. It was the wisest choice. We can get a lot of information from him about the North," her confirmation made me take a deeper breath to rx.


    "And we¡¯d also like you guys toe and fill us in on whatever happened in the North," she added. It was the usual thing they made us do.


    "We¡¯re heading back home after this mission, right," Ian asked.


    But before the ringleaders could leave the train, Ian¡¯s question caught up with them. Miss Rue turned to him, then looked at me. I guess they thought we¡¯d forgotten about our deal. We weren¡¯t children. We remembered. They couldn¡¯t make promises to us, especially empty ones.


    "We¡¯ll discuss after we¡¯ve gathered all the information from this mission," Miss Rue said. "Now please step out before the train takes us back to the North." She tried to joke, but nobodyughed. We¡¯d been through a brutal week in the North, so her jokes fell t.


    We got off the train and were taken straight to the hall to record what went on. They also carried the statue of Xenia, collected by one of the squads, and another statue of a crusader from Blue Squad. With that, there were now 3 crusaders in the rest of the squads and five in ck and white.


    After recording our stressful statements with all the ringleaders, answering their burning questions, it felt different this time. usations were flying. But many squadmates, many crusaders, came to our defense when we said the White Squad was causing trouble.


    Now we stood in line, waiting for the ringleaders to announce dismissal so we could finally shower and rest. We were so fucking tired. They always dragged us straight to the hall for statements, saying if we rxed first, we might exaggerate our actions in North.

 Chapter 142-Requesting Her Head

    <h4>Chapter 142: 142-Requesting Her Head</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "We hear your concerns, and it is unfortunate that instead of being crusaders, being each other¡¯s support, you all decided to act just like monsters," Mr. Rick said, mostly speaking to his own squadmates. I guess they were surprised, because they didn¡¯t think they¡¯d actually be held ountable.


    "Clementine¡¯s recollection of events is wrong," Jack stepped forward, saying my name.


    "She¡¯s not the only one who saw it. So keep her name out of your fucking mouth," Yorick hissed at him, making the other ringleaders and squad members look at us.


    "Actually, Alpha Yorick is right. Clementine isn¡¯t the only one who saw it. I saw it too. The White Squad was messy. And Jack was the one who handed Xenia the rock, so I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s still here and not being punished," Oriana said confidently. I had to give it to her. Even though she never knew when to shut up, sometimes it worked in our favor.


    "We can attest to it," Mnie¡¯s squadmates added, raising their hands. Green Squad had three boys left, all soft-spoken. I was afraid I was sensing some Omega scent on them, which would be disastrous for them.


    "What makes you say that?" Lenora asked, folding her arms.


    But Mr. Brian, their ringleader, finally spoke up for them.


    "That is not true. We take bullying very seriously. This isn¡¯t supposed to be a high school experience. It¡¯s an academy where we train crusaders to go into the North, fight monsters, and save the rest of the world from destruction." Mr. Brian¡¯s statement was supportive and sweet, but it was all a lie.


    "Actually, that¡¯s not true," a girl from Blue Squad spoke up.


    "Excuse me," her ringleader, Anna, stepped forward, trying to stop her from arguing.


    "No. We remember when Clementine was getting bullied. You guys outed her in front of everyone. So how can you say bullying is actually being dealt with? And look at the White Squad. Everyone keeps telling you they¡¯ve been messy, but they¡¯re still standing here. All you do is say you¡¯re sorry." The girl sounded exhausted and pissed. I guess it was because her best friend, from what I¡¯d heard, had turned into a statue too. So she was grieving, and for once she didn¡¯t care about the ringleaders. She was saying all the things she¡¯d never dared to say before.


    "Who said we are not going to do anything about the bullying?" Mr. Rick finally broke the silence after being questioned by everyone. The white squad was giving everyone harsh res until Mr. Rick pped his hands to get their attention.


    "Everyone will head back to their packs like we promised, to enjoy a peaceful time, except for my squad." As soon as he said that, the celebratory smiles on the white squad¡¯s faces vanished.


    "Sir, we lost our squad mate," Yash tried to speak but went quiet after noticing the harsh look from their ringleader. It was crazy how they heard their ringleader say they were getting punished, yet he wanted leniency because a squad member died. What about the others, the ones who passed away because of them? It might be just one life for them, but it was a whole world to the others.


    "And while the others are enjoying their time, the white squad will be helping with all the chores. Cleaning, taking care of the grass and trees, mowing thewn, washing the clothes of the crusaders, everything left behind. And they might have a mini mission to the north as well." Thankfully, the punishment got harsher step by step, and everyone looked satisfied. After this, I hoped the white squad would think twice before being reckless. Their faces already said it. They had too many questions, but Mr. Rick was done with them.


    Miss Rue turned to us with her hands tied under her abdomen.


    "I¡¯m so sorry, Haiden, for what happened to your sister. And I¡¯m so sorry it came to the point where we had to call her a monster. However, as an apology for what some alpha did to her that turned her into a Medusa, we offer you her head and body so you cany her to rest with respect."


    I guess this was the first time the ringleaders were going to treat someone with respect. Usually, the monsters were treated badly. But this time it was obvious she wasn¡¯t a monster by choice. That reminded me of what Ian had said: we came across two big monsters apart from the fleshmingos. At this point, they were like little ants, ants that were deadly. But the two monsters seemed like they were normal people before.


    I had so many questions, especially how the ringleaders knew it was the white squad causing trouble in the train. I didn¡¯t see any cameras, not any visible ones.


    "Anyway, please pack your bags and let us know if you will be heading back to your pack alone or if all your squadmates will visit one of their packs," Ms. Lenora announced. Of course, this deal was for each color squad only. This time, everybody was going home on their own. I guess sticking together reminded us of what happened in the North, and we just wanted to detach from reality for a while.


    "Haiden," I called for him. The others were now in a line, moving forward to sign the documents and papers, letting them know if they would be going separately or together. Even our squad had decided to go separate ways. He stopped, turning toward me. I noticed Troy¡¯s body tense, but since I could only see his back, I guessed he was listening too.


    "Can I have a request?" I asked. Haiden instantly started nodding. Yorick turned slightly so I could see his half profile, and I knew he was listening. Ian was in front of them, standing ahead of Troy and Yorick.


    "You can ask me anything," Haiden replied, hands in his pockets.


    "Can I take your sister¡¯s head with me to my pack?" I knew I was crossing the line asking that. His face went neutral, no emotion for a moment.


    "I just want to do onest thing, but I want you to trust me," I added quickly. He began nodding again.


    "I know, I know. She will be much safer with you than anybody else." Him not questioning me once just showed the trust he had in me now. And it was odd. I was never trusted, so it felt like a huge responsibility.


    "Haiden, if it works, your sister will be back to you without any tears, and she will finally be able to rest," I said, mentioning the fact that the red tears were still running down her face. That was the strangest thing. They never spilled onto the ground. They just got absorbed into her cheeks.


    Haiden looked impressed, and I could tell he wanted to know more, but he decided to trust me like I asked him to. And then we just signed our papers.

 Chapter 143-One Last Gaze

    <h4>Chapter 143: 143-One Last Gaze</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "It is pretty shocking that you decided toe back, even after iming you were tortured and treated so badly in this pack," Glinda hissed after being silent for too long.


    I never thought I would be sitting at the same table with them again. My stepmother and Leysa seemed to be doing very well. In fact, better than when my father was alive, mainly because my stepmother had taken control of everything. She was glowing.


    "Let¡¯s not talk about me. The whole time I¡¯m in the North, it¡¯s all about me. Clementine this, Clementine that. Everyone just praises me, so I want to talk about something different. Let¡¯s talk about you, Glinda. Mom," I teased, smirking as I grabbed the ss of wine. I noticed her raising her brow, because I was never allowed to drink before. Drinking was only permitted at 18 in the pack, and I guess it also upset my half-sister that I was able to sit with them and be so confident. They had seen me suffer, so this was a new kind of sight for them.


    "What do you want to talk about me?" my stepmother asked, the nasty grin she carried whenever she spoke to me fading.


    "You seem pretty happy now that Dad is gone." As soon as I said that, I watched her tighten her grip on the ss of wine.


    "You would rather see me cry?" she asked, and I shrugged.


    "No, it¡¯s just weird, because I¡¯ve been having strange dreamstely. Especially about myst mission. Oh, by the way, did I tell you there was a monster called Medusa in the North?" I said, and she gave me a blunt look.


    "Mom, why are we talking about monsters? So not ssy," Leysa muttered, sipping her wine before setting the ss down and picking up her fork and knife to fight with her steak again. She would barely eat.


    "Actually, it is a very interesting story. You know this monster, she has hair full of snakes. And whenever you make eye contact with her, she turns you into stone," as soon as I said that, Leysa gasped, her fork slipping from her fingers and dropping onto the te.


    "Mom, what is she talking about? Those things are that deadly?" She turned to her mother, asking if the story I was spinning was true.


    Like I said before, nobody else used toe back from the academy. So none of the pack members really knew how deadly the monsters in the North were. They only knew about ogres, giants, the ones they heard about in stories.


    "They are even deadlier. But you know what? There was something strange about Medusa," I said, watching my stepmother from the corner of my eye. "She kept saying, ¡¯She¡¯s not a slut. She¡¯s not a whore.¡¯" I pretended to be speaking to Leysa, but I noticed my stepmother zoning out.


    "Have you ever called someone a slut, Glinda?" I turned to her so suddenly I almost startled her, and she spilled a little wine.


    "Oh, you and your nonsense," she grunted, setting her ss down. "Am I going to fucking send you an invitation toe and clean this mess?" she screamed at the omega maid standing nearby. Her bodynguage alone told me something was wrong.


    "Anyway, I¡¯m done. I¡¯ll go back to my bedroom now," I said as I got up, watching the maid frantically clean herp and the table. As I started walking away, I stopped briefly, only to turn around and lock eyes with Glinda. "Sometimes karmaes in a way you never imagine," I told her.


    "What do you mean?" Glinda hissed.


    "All I¡¯m saying is enjoy the luxuries while theyst," I replied, smirking as I turned back and walked toward the attic.


    Once there, I opened the bag and ced the head in myp. I gently ran my hand through the snakes, even though they were stiff now, like cement.


    "I¡¯m so sorry, Maya, that this happened to you, but I want to tell you something," I whispered, lowering my lips to her ear.


    shback:


    I was drifting in and out of sleep when I noticed my stepmother and father doing something with someone. They were dragging a body off the bed. I opened my eyes just slightly, finding myself tossed in the corner of the room, bleeding badly. Then I saw something in my line of sight. It was a woman¡¯s face, her eyes open and bleeding. Her ck hair was pulled back as they dragged her across the floor. Her body paused right in my view, and it was the strangest eye contact I ever had with someone because that someone was either long dead or dying. There was barely any movement in her chest, but the blood from her eyes came from being beaten with the hammer my stepmother was carrying.


    "Only if this slut had not enticed you, we wouldn¡¯t be dragging a fucking dead body right now," I heard Glinda hiss.


    "Well, she¡¯s not dead," my father argued.


    "Then she will be. Let¡¯s throw her into the North." Those words stayed in my memory as they dragged her out.


    End Of shback.


    Now I remembered, and I had brought Maya to the exact ce where they wronged her. What Glinda used her of was nothing like what happened. My father was forcing Maya, and my stepmother used her of enticing him. It was their way of escaping guilt and ming the victim. That was how Maya ended up in the North.


    It was brutal what happened to her. All those years she roamed the streets and roads of the North, looking for the one who, instead of helping her, called her a slut, a whore, and beat her. Then, when she was taking herst breaths, she was left in the North.


    Back then, it was easy for anyone to go to the border and toss someone over, or make the warriors carry someone deep into the North, dump them, and return. But now the monsters were spread everywhere, and there were more of them. The only way in was by train, or maybe some other ces I didn¡¯t know about.


    I held the head in myp after putting on a ck dress. Then I walked through the hallways of my mansion. I reached my stepmother¡¯s room and smiled.


    I carefully put Maya¡¯s head on the bedside table, facing the bed. Then I covered it with a thin silk cloth, stepped out of the way, and said myst goodbye as I bowed to her in respect.


    "Take your revenge, Queen, because after this night, nobody will ever be harmed in this mansion," I whispered as my lips began to quiver.


    I walked out of the room and went straight to the attic. Lying down, facing the ceiling, a hopeless tear slid from the corner of my eye. The next thing I knew, I heard screams.


    "No, no! Somebodye here! How did this get in here?" It was my stepmother¡¯s voice. She screamed for a while, and then there was silence. Just like she had silenced poor Maya.

 Chapter 144-They Say I Am Trustworthy.

    <h4>Chapter 144: 144-They Say I Am Trustworthy.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I jumped in the car that hade to pick us, all the squad mates, and then smiled at Troy and Haiden. I sat down with them in the back seat. Yorick instantly turned around to give me a head nod, while Ian stayed looking outside the window. He had one foot up, resting on the back of the driver¡¯s seat.


    "Thank you, Clementine," Haiden started.


    "When you sent the head back to me for the burial and I saw that her tears had finally stopped, it was everything I wanted to see," Haiden continued, mentioning that his sister was finally put to rest because she had gotten her revenge.


    The only reason she had still been crying after her death was because the woman who slut-shamed her, even when she was the victim, the same woman who hammered her until she took herst breaths and left her in the north, that same woman was still alive and living a life of luxury¨Cmy stepmother.


    "It¡¯s okay. Remember I told you I was having these weird nightmares? It turns out they were distant memories. They were the memories of your sister¡¯sst moments. That¡¯s how I was able to put two and two together," I said confidently, though I still felt sad for Maya. She was just an innocent soul who did not deserve what happened to her.


    "You know, when we put her head back on, she turned into flesh and bone. She was smiling. I got to see my sister with her features still intact," Haiden said, grinning ear to ear.


    I could only imagine how he must have felt during those days.


    "Haiden, I really wanted to be there for you," I told him as I showed him the bracelet I still couldn¡¯t take off, the reason we couldn¡¯t be there for the funeral.


    "Wait, but what happened to your stepmother?" Troy cut in, reminding me I still had to tell them what happened. Haiden already knew because I had a brief call with him.


    "So, after I left Maya in her room, my stepmother went in. She probably stared into her eyes after taking off the cloth. That¡¯s when she began to feel all the pain, and she turned into stone," I exined, giving them the details.


    "Oh, so who¡¯s taking care of the pack now?" Troy asked.


    "Actually, they gave Leysa a month¡¯s notice to either find herself a mate or prove herself to be a worthy alpha of the pack. So let¡¯s see what she does," I said, remembering how she was the one who found her mother¡¯s corpse. It had taken her at least four days to even open her mouth and say something. Her first words were, ¡¯Clementine is the reason this happened.¡¯


    I mean, the council did not believe it. I told them everything, and they believed me. They refused to give Glinda a proper burial, saying she deserved to be left in the north too. So after her body turned to stone, they tossed her into the north while Leysa cried her eyes out and begged them not to.


    By the time we were talking, we had arrived at the academy. As we all got off and began heading toward our room, Yorick turned around in the passage, walking backward while facing us.


    "This makes me wonder if the one person we imed not to trust in the beginning is actually the most trustworthy among us," Yorick said, hinting at me. Troy and Haiden smiled and looked at me before straightening their backs again.


    I felt kind of shy at thepliments because I had never been praised like that before. In the beginning, I thought I didn¡¯t wantpliments either, that they would make me ufortable. But now that I was being praised, and even though it was odd, I felt good.


    "Yeah, I think we can all trust Clementine. If anything goes wrong, she will be the first one to find out and also rescue us," Haiden said confidently.


    Hearing it from the alphas was actually quiteforting.


    "Really? That is so sweet."


    A girl¡¯s voice almost jolted me. We all turned back to see Orianaing after us.


    "Clementine!" She opened her arms and hugged me tightly.


    "You¡¯re not headed to your room?" I asked her, noticing her squad mates were headed to their rooms. The passage was at a far distance, but since it was afternoon and there was no wind or fog, we could see them.


    "No, I thought toe and meet you first," she said. "Hi alphas."


    Her tone turned different when speaking with my squad mates. They were half turned around because we were interrupted on our way to our room.


    "Hello," they all said in unison, except for Ian, who did not respond. I noticed him frown at me, like he was thinking about something, before he looked away.


    "Your team is doing so well, I¡¯m kind of jealous," Oriana pouted, folding her arms over her chest.


    I sneakily peeked at my squadmates, just to see their reactions to her. I don¡¯t know why I did it, but I had this inkling to look, and it seemed like they were checking her out, except for Ian, who was too eager to walk away. He kept looking around, rubbing the back of his neck, then shoving his hands in his pockets.


    Apart from checking her out, my squadmates didn¡¯t really indulge in any conversation. It was just a weird, observant look they were giving her.


    "Okay, we will meet you guys againter, bye bye," Oriana said, jumping up and down excitedly before running out of our passage to the main building to reach her own.


    "Guys, thank you!" Jessie yelled from her passage. We all gave her a head nod before walking back toward our room.


    However, the minute we arrived, we noticed the door was open. Haiden stepped forward and pointed at us to stay behind, pressing his finger to his mouth to tell us not to make a noise so he could check first before we walked in.


    We heard a weird noiseing from inside. It was groaning and moaning voices. We shared a nce, watching Haiden hunch down, his hand slowly ced on the door frame, ready to enter. We didn¡¯t have our weapons with us, but we knew they were left under our beds, in our lockers.


    I began to have all kinds of thoughts. This had never happened. Usually, when we arrived, our doors were locked.


    And then, something crazy happened.

 Chapter 145-Ians Asks For Sex?

    <h4>Chapter 145: 145-Ians Asks For Sex?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We heard something m on the floor, and that was a sign we really needed to check before going in.


    Ian didn¡¯t care. He just marched in after mming the door fully ajar. Haiden, who had been hunched over in a careful position to investigate, straightened with his hands on his waist and a very tired look on his face at Ian¡¯s actions. We all mirrored his expression.


    But since Ian was fine, we walked in to see what exactly was the reason the door had been open and the light turned on.


    "Oh," Suki groaned when she saw us. She was cleaning, mopping the floor with Yash. "Can¡¯t you see this ce is still wet? Wait outside."


    Haiden purposely walked all over the bedroom floor with his dirty shoes.


    "Oh my God, you dirty rat!" she screamed.


    "Voice," Yorick warned her, pointing a finger at her.


    She looked so offended. She was wearing a beautiful pink tracksuit while doing the cleaning.


    "Oh, I¡¯m so sorry," Troy pretended as he stepped onto the wet floor. I gave them a look of yful judgment before walking over to my bed and sitting down. I needed to rx. I had been really emotional the past few days. Everything was changing around me and for me too. People¡¯s perceptions and the way they treated me were changing, so it felt like a new world.


    "Why did you guys have toe so soon," Sukiined with a grunt.


    "If you had used your hands the way you used your mouth, you would have been done with the chores by now," Troy remarked, lying on the bed and ying with the squishy ball he brought.


    "Whatever," Suki hissed. "Yash, clean this ce and thene out. I¡¯m not doing it in their presence." She tossed her broomstick aside and walked out of the room with an attitude.


    "It must be so hard sharing a room with them, Yash," Haiden said, and Yash silently kept working. My squadmates didn¡¯t really bother him. We just watched as he finished quickly, grabbed the buckets and broomsticks, and rushed out of the room.


    "So I¡¯m going to rest. I¡¯m gonna sleep the whole day until the new mission arrives," Yorick yawned as hey down on the bed.


    I guessed we were all just tired. Every time we left our packs, the members would throw us a big goodbye, and we¡¯d have to meet everyone, talk with them. Like I said, it was all new to me. Nobody used to talk to me, but now they spoke with me, shared their issues with me, almost like they thought I was a superhero. By the time we were back at the academy, we were exhausted, so we all decided to rest.


    Wey down, and I think I was the first to fall asleep. The minute my head touched the pillow, I dozed off. There was no way anybody else beat me to it, but I was woken up by a gentle poking on my cheek.


    I jolted awake, almost like squaring up. Part of it was because we didn¡¯t have a home. We would spend a few nights somewhere in the north, then sleep in our dorm room before heading back to our pack. All that made us feel not very safe, so whenever there was an interruption in our sleep, we woke up ready to fight back.


    However, seeing Ian standing before me made me rx, then roll my eyes. "What is it?" I asked in a sleepy voice.


    "How long are you guys gonna stay sleeping?" he said, hunching down as his long hair puffed out like a cloud. They were so voluminous.


    "What do you mean?" I asked. He only nced at the big clock on the wall.


    "What? I¡¯ve been sleeping for five hours?" I asked, confused, because it didn¡¯t feel that long. It felt like I had just put my head on the pillow and woken up.


    "Yeah, you guys have been sleeping way too long," Ianined, adding that the others were still asleep too.


    "Well, did you not sleep at all?" I asked as I slowly got up and sat on the bed.


    He stepped back with his hands in his pockets. "I could barely get any sleep. There¡¯ve been some things on my mind," he admitted, sounding normal for the first time. By normal, I meant showing emotions. He actually sounded anxious.


    "What is it?" I asked. I could have taunted him or teased him for waking me just so he could talk, but I didn¡¯t. It was nice enough that he was opening up a little, warming up to us. The others were still asleep, and I wondered why he hadn¡¯t woken them. Maybe he felt morefortable with me, or maybe I was wrong.


    "Can we talk?" he asked finally, taking a straightforward approach. But he didn¡¯t look at me. He turned his face to the side, reaching for a notebook on the table.


    "Sure," I replied, getting up.


    "Put on a sweater, it¡¯s cold outside," he said as he headed for the door.


    Since we had beenining about Ian being so absent from group activities, it was important for me to know what was going on in his head. And him grabbing the notebook he always wrote in meant he wasn¡¯t asking me to go out just to talk about the weather and rainbows. There had to be something important he wanted to share with someone.


    As soon as we walked out of the room, I noticed how cloudy it had gotten. Ian started turning red from the cold almost instantly. He had on his leather jacket as he walked down the passage to the ground.


    "We have a meet-up ce. We could go there," I said, letting him know that the squad and I had been using it to hang out.


    He turned to me, gave me a brief look, and said, "Are you sure? Because I don¡¯t want anyone to hear when we¡¯re having sex."


    And that shook the world from under my feet.

 Chapter 146-He Writes Down Everything

    <h4>Chapter 146: 146-He Writes Down Everything</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Ian, what are you saying?" I blurted, ring at him for waking me from a beautiful sleep and asking for a conversation when all he wanted was a sex. He stared at my face with no emotion before a smirk crept onto his lips.


    "You¡¯re so dramatic," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "Come on, where is this ce? We need to talk about this stuff."


    It was his subtle way of letting me know he was joking about wanting sex from me. I took a deep breath, relieved, then pointed in the direction where the others and I always went.


    The weather was bad. In a moment it turned stormy. The wind was cold, but at least it was fresh, not blowing dust into our eyes.


    We reached the spot and I pointed to the ground. He stared at it for a few seconds, then turned to me.


    "Is this where he didn¡¯t try to toss you over?" He extended his arm toward the barbed wires.


    I only gave him a nod. I never knew why he brought up the harsh past or my experiences with the other squad, but it always felt intentional. Maybe he wanted me to remember how they treated me. But he forgot that he was also one of them who treated me badly.


    "Okay, what was it?" I asked, sitting down on the ground.


    He looked around with a grimace before finally giving up and lowering himself beside me. I guessed he had been searching for a chair or a bench.


    Once he sat down, he mmed the notebook he had carried between us. He opened it and flipped through a few pages in silence while I looked around awkwardly.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    When he finally finished with the book, he said, "Did you notice some stuff about the north?"


    Creeps ran up and down my spine hearing the mention of North.


    "Depends on what you mean," I replied, giving him a quick look so he¡¯d also check around and make sure no lurkers were listening to us talk about the north and the ringleaders¡¯ shadiness.


    "You go first," he said, leaning back on his hands as his body rested against the grass.


    "How did the ringleaders know what was going on inside the train?" I asked.


    Ian smiled and nodded. So this was one of the things he had noticed too.


    "Well, that and the fact they lied about sending help for Sadie," he said, pushing his body forward and wiping his hands of the grass and soil before shuffling through his pages again.


    "They said they did send help, but they couldn¡¯t find her," I reminded him, thinking maybe that was possible since Sadie did admit she had been going back to the woods for food before returning.


    "And you believe them? Clementine, you and Troy spotted her so easily. Do you think the lurkers couldn¡¯t do that? They¡¯re much more trained than us, and they have weapons. They could have done a thorough inspection. Which takes me to the next point¡ªhow does the train know when to arrive and when to leave? The ringleaders make it seem like they¡¯re controlling the train, because they always know when it¡¯sing. But when ites to taking us back, suddenly nobody can do anything." He mumbled this as he raised his hands, then shrugged, almost like asking me if I had noticed too.


    "Right! I remember how the train wouldn¡¯t leave because the white squad was in our carriage. But when we brought Sadie¡¯s dead body into our carriage, the train left," I said, putting my finger to my chin and dabbing it as I went deep into thought.


    "That could be easily argued, Clementine. Maybe they¡¯d say Sadie was no longer a crusader¡ªshe was dead. But that brings me to my next point. The ringleaders somehow knew the train was dyed because of the white squad. So how did they not know when Jessie¡¯s sister was left behind? Are they really unaware and have no say in the train¡¯s matters?"


    Ian reminded me of that one incident where we lost a crusader because the poor girl was just dyed. The train shut up, almost like it didn¡¯t even want to acknowledge that one of us was left behind.


    And of course, since Ian wasn¡¯t there with us that day, he had asked us to tell him what happened, and now I realized why. He had been making notes.


    "And let¡¯s talk about the monsters. The two of them were humans, correct?" he said, and I nodded.


    "Isn¡¯t it odd that they want us to y the monsters to clear the north, but then they don¡¯t want us to y because they don¡¯t give us weapons? Clementine, sending crusaders into the north when they could prepare an army of warriors, gammas, betas, all of them together, to invade the north and start clearing it out. Wouldn¡¯t that be a much better option?" he paused almost like to take a deep breath.


    "It just seems like they are doing great. There are monsters taking over the world, and an academy is trying so hard to stop it. But then it really is not. It just doesn¡¯t make any sense," Ian repeated himself, and I nodded with him. He was right.


    "But then I wonder if the crusaders before us ever thought the same. They must have tried to find answers. But what happened to them? Did you ever wonder what happened to the crusaders before us? There¡¯s no list of names, no appraisal charts, no medals, nothing anywhere in the academy. It seems like they just refresh the entire ce when new crusaders arrive," I said while staring at his notebook. He had written quite a lot in it.


    "Clementine, there are a few more things wrong here. We just need to be very careful. From now on we¡¯ll record everything we go through, everything that makes us feel iffy, especially about the ringleaders. And then we¡¯ll discuss it," he said, tapping the back of his pen on the pages.


    "What about the other crusaders? Don¡¯t you want them involved?" I asked, thinking of our other squad mates.


    "No, it¡¯s fine. You can share it with them," he replied.


    "Why won¡¯t you do it? Don¡¯t you want to get along with them?" I asked, curious about his mindset.


    "Clementine, I don¡¯t trust everyone so easily," he said. Still ying with his pen, he would roll it, toss it in the air, and grab it by the end.


    "What made you trust me?" I asked, watching him raise his eyes without lifting his head.

 Chapter 147-Do They Spit?

    <h4>Chapter 147: 147-Do They Spit?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I gave him a smirk because I knew he was putting a lot of trust in me.


    "Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t break trust," I said, removing the smirk from my face when he kept watching me for a little too long.


    "Why did your friends use you of it?" he asked, bringing up the fact that my childhood best friend Troy and I had drifted because of this very issue¡ªthe trust.


    "Well, let¡¯s just say we were young, and he didn¡¯t let me exin myself," I said with a shrug.


    "Why didn¡¯t you transition?" Since it was my turn to ask a question, I shot it at him quickly, so much so that he frowned, then only moved his eyes around as if trying to figure out where it came from.


    "What?" he asked.


    "Back in the north, when the ck wolf was attacking me. Why didn¡¯t you transition?" I questioned, trying to make it sound like it wasn¡¯t a big deal. But it was to me. I wanted to know why he acted a certain way at certain times.


    "Well, I wanted you to take the charge. I was hiding in the shadows, ready to attack him if you couldn¡¯t control it. But I knew you had it together," he said. I didn¡¯t respond, so he continued.


    "I would have been unrecognizable if I shifted."


    Now that was the answer. That was the truth. But somehow, it gave me goosebumps.


    "What do you mean by that? Unrecognizable? Would you be so deadly?" I questioned, my eyes fixed on his face, looking for any reaction.


    He just shrugged, not responding to the question.


    "Ian, did you lie about the things my squad mate told you about me?" As soon as I asked, he startedughing, then leaned back dramatically.


    "I¡¯m serious," I insisted, and he slowly stoppedughing. His eyesnded on me.


    "What do you think?" he asked.


    I took a deep breath, ready to give him my piece of mind, knowing it would be hard for him to take. He would probably judge me for it, but it was my truth.


    "I think, even though they hated me in the past, even though they said a lot of things about me back then, things have changed. If you had told me they said all that about me while they were still in their hating-me period, I would have believed it. But now, after they¡¯ve promised to redeem themselves, and they¡¯re actively trying to do so, I just don¡¯t feel like it¡¯s the truth. I think you made all that up. I can differentiate between their words and your own," I said, watching him look impressed for some reason. Both his eyebrows were raised high on his forehead.


    "You really are special, Clementine," he said, shocking me with his response.


    "Why did you lie?" I asked. He just looked down and started plucking grass with his fingers. A very visible pout formed on his lips.


    "Do you have a problem with them, or with me being friends with them? Do you think we¡¯ll group up and bully you or something?" I asked, trying to get something out of him. I truly believed in listening to someone instead of just shutting them down. The more youmunicate, the more you find out what they¡¯re thinking about you or what their next n is.


    "Is it true that you know, or that you can differentiate?" he asked. His hand froze in mid-air, the grass half-plucked. His eyes were on me, waiting for my response.


    "If my friend is in danger, or if someone is spreading a lie about them, I will know," I said confidently.


    He just nodded, eyebrows raised, lips down as if impressed, then finally plucked the grass.


    "Anyway, we should head back. By the way, I brought you here because I wanted to warm you up for what I¡¯m going to do next," he said smoothly as we got up, so smoothly I almost didn¡¯t catch it.


    "What?" I asked.


    "We¡¯ll leave early morning to go spy on the magical train," he said, making my eyes go wide.


    "That will be dangerous," I said.


    He started walking back toward our dorm room. "Exactly, and I love dangerous activities."


    That was all he said before I began to follow him, and he went silent.


    Once we arrived at our dorm, we both fell asleep too. We woke up to a loud rm ring from the speakers, realizing we weren¡¯t the only ones napping. Maybe the other crusaders had fallen asleep as well, because the next thing we knew, they called us to the main hall for dinner.


    We all freshened up and headed to the hall. Our group arrived first, and the others started rolling in. It was a sad sight. The hall used to be full, but now there were far fewer people left.


    Then the white squad arrived. But instead of sitting down, they were holding trays this time. Usually, the food would be served first, and then we would arrive. I guess we had new servers in town now.


    "You¡ª long-haired girl,e here," Oriana said, pointing at Suki. Suki clenched her jaw so hard I swear she might have knocked a tooth loose. But then she forced a smile, since the ringleaders were all sitting together in a huge horizontal line in front of us, a big table loaded with food before them.


    "My sd doesn¡¯t have enough dressing," Oriana said dramatically and sassy, pointing at the sd. Suki kept staring at her face, which was creepy, before taking the sd bowl and walking away.


    "Are you sure they¡¯re not spitting in our food?" I asked my squad member.


    However, what I didn¡¯t expect was the ringleaders hearing me. I thought we were at a good distance from them, but I guess because it was so silent and the only noise was from the dishes, they heard me.


    "Because we have cameras everywhere, we would know if they were doing such a thing," Ms. Lenora spoke up, causing me to awkwardly sink in my seat while everyone looked at me. Even the white squad, who wereing out with the dishes, suddenly stopped, narrowed their eyes, and looked at me.


    "Don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t spit in your food," Ms. Lenora added that just so the white squad knew what I was talking about.


    At that moment, I noticed Ian stretch his legs and pass me a nce. I remembered he had told me the ringleaders also act very sketchy.


    "I hope not, because this time we won¡¯t let you deal with them. We¡¯ll take matters into our own hands," thankfully, Yorick spoke up, loud enough to divert everyone¡¯s attention to him. Suddenly, no one cared about my concerns, and I was so grateful to Yorick for that.

 Chapter 148-The Three Omegas

    <h4>Chapter 148: 148-The Three Omegas</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After myment was made public and Yorick grabbed the attention for himself, we finished our meal and left the hall. This time I noticed the other crusaders trying to blend in with us, and our squad didn¡¯t really mind. It was actually only the green squad, the three Omega boys, approaching us as we headed for the passage.


    "Can we have a moment with you, please?" one of them asked. We all stopped in our tracks and turned to look at them. They walked straight up to Haiden.


    "It¡¯ll be quick," said the guy with the ck curly hair. He was timid and probably five foot nine, which made my squadmates tower over him as they stood around him in a loose circle. He clutched a small notepad, scribbling on it almost frantically.


    "Sure, what is it?" Haiden replied, confused as he nced at us for help. I guess he hadn¡¯t expected questions aimed only at him.


    "When was your sister ced in the north, or how did she end up there?" one of the boys asked. The moment they spoke, I noticed Haiden¡¯s muscles tense.


    "Are you trying to be funny?" Haiden snapped, already offended just at the mention of his sister.


    The boy shook his head quickly. "No, no, no. I would never offend anyone." He pointed at his chest with a sweet smile. He really did look gentle. "I¡¯m Bodhi. Bodhi Hathaway. He¡¯s Yale Locke."


    Bodhi gestured toward the guy with short brown hair and sses, about the same height as him. Yale gave us a quick smile, shing his braces.


    "And this one, he¡¯s Eben Jerome," Bodhi added, nodding at the blonde with them. Eben was six feet tall but carried himself just as gently as the others.


    I could smell the omega scent on them, like I mentioned before. They were extremely nice and kind, which exined a lot. Omegas were usually more well-educated, calm, gentle, and leaned toward good things rather than arrogance or being pricks.


    "And what do you want me to do with you guys?" Haiden hissed, still hostile.


    "We don¡¯t have to argue. We can all sit down in our room and talk about whatever¡¯s bothering you," I cut in, watching Haiden turn to me, clearly upset. "Just because they mentioned your sister doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re being sarcastic."


    I ced my hand on his chest without thinking. The moment I did, I felt his heartbeat skip. Quickly, I pulled my hand back. When I looked up, he was staring at me so deeply, shaking his head slightly before turning back to Bodhi.


    "Sure, we can do that." His tone shifted almost instantly.


    Bodhi smiled, and Yale did too, while Eben only kept a nk expression.


    "What are you writing?" Ian asked as we started walking toward our room.


    "Oh, I¡¯ve been noticing a few things. Some crazy stuff. You wouldn¡¯t believe what I¡¯ve found out," Bodhi exined, tapping his brown leather diary. It had Harry Potter characters drawn on the cover, and I could already tell he was a fan. He even carried those little fancy things only true fans had.


    "And you know what? There¡¯s so much shadiness going on. Your sister ending up there, it all points to one thing. Whoever stays there for a certain period of time¡ª"


    A loud voice cut him off.


    "You!"


    It was the loudest scream I had ever heard. We froze near our room and turned to see Mr. Brian and Mr. Rick marching toward us, with a white squad member trailing behind them.


    "Uh-oh," Bodhi muttered, quickly hiding the diary in the inner pocket of his long coat before facing his ringleader.


    "What are you doing here?" Mr. Brian yelled at him.


    "Sir, we were just talking," Bodhi replied, stepping forward.


    "Did you forget the rules? You¡¯re not supposed to be in someone else¡¯s dorm room. This isn¡¯t a college dorm. You¡¯re not here to make friends or waste time." Mr. Brian had never sounded so angry. Mr. Rick, standing beside him with a smile, looked almost proud of Brian for finally putting his squadmates in line.


    "Why? Why isn¡¯t it allowed?" Ian stepped forward, gently pushing Bodhi aside so he could face Brian, who had to crane his neck up just to meet Ian¡¯s eyes.


    "Young man, this is the third time. One of these days we won¡¯t be lenient," Mr. Rick warned, reminding Ian of how many chances he¡¯d already been given.


    "Really? And what would you do, huh? What can you do?" Ian shot back, sounding thrilled at the challenge.


    "You¡¯ll be sent to the North. Alone." Mr. Rick didn¡¯t back down.


    "Really? And you think that scares me?" Ian pressed a hand to his chest and bowed dramatically, almost at Mr. Rick¡¯s level.


    "You should be," Mr. Rick said, his smirk sending a bad feeling through me. He turned his gaze toward me. "You¡¯re the wiser one, aren¡¯t you? Why don¡¯t you tell your squadmates to follow the rules before it bes impossible to survive here¡ªand in the North?"


    It felt like a threat. A scary one.


    "Mr. Ringleader, you can¡¯t threaten us. We¡¯re Crusaders. Why act like this is a game to you?" Yorick stepped in, blocking me from his sight.


    "And you, singling out Clementine, trying to gaslight her so she¡¯ll listen to you? Wrong move, dude," Troy added, folding my arms across my chest.


    "Because you¡¯re talking to the one and only woman who can¡¯t be manipted. She¡¯s thick-skulled," Haiden said,plimenting me in his weird way.


    "Oh, Haiden." Then Lenora cut in. She and Miss Rue had been trailing behind but finally approached. "I¡¯ve heard some things about you and Clementine. You two felt a mate bond, didn¡¯t you?"


    They must have heard our announcement in my pack to my father on our first visit.


    "You seem to have quite a history. You¡¯re also the daughter of the men who used to mass-rape women and then throw their bodies in the North, including the one victim who wasn¡¯t dead and turned into a vindictive monster."


    The way Miss Lenora brought up my father gave me goosebumps. The white squad smirked as if my character was on disy, tied to his actions.


    "My father¡¯s actions have nothing to do with me. I¡¯m not like him," I said, even though I didn¡¯t have to. They already knew I was nothing like him.


    "Isn¡¯t she the one who was seen kissing Crusader Troy outside her room one night?"


    As soon as Mr. Rick said that and turned to his squadmates, who nodded whileughing and covering their mouths, I felt my body go numb. Even my squadmates tensed up. They already knew Troy had kissed me, but having it dragged up again like that felt like pure character assassination.

 Chapter 149-Standing Up For Me Like A Brick Wall

    <h4>Chapter 149: 149-Standing Up For Me Like A Brick Wall</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "And now you¡¯re all up for gossip? Didn¡¯t you say this is an academy for crusaders, not a high school for kids to gossip?" Haiden hissed, throwing their own words back at them. Mr. Rick¡¯s face hardened.


    "What does that have to do with our tasks?" I demanded, noticing the white squad exchanging looks after hearing I had a mate bond with Haiden.


    "It has nothing to do with your task, but the fact that you¡¯ve all been breaking rules makes me believe White Squad isn¡¯t the only one who should be punished." Mr. Rick shifted the attention back to himself, and we all stared at him in disbelief. Was he really trying to take revenge for us calling out his squad?


    Then his eyes dropped to Bodhi. "Where is it?" he asked.


    Bodhi swallowed hard. "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, sir."


    The next moment, Mr. Rick did something none of us expected. He grabbed Bodhi by the cor, yanking him almost out from behind Ian. "I said, where the fuck is it?" he barked, shaking him as panic spread through us.


    "Hey, let him go!" Ian mmed his hand against Mr. Rick¡¯s wrist, and silence fell. Mr. Rick lifted his gaze, locking eyes with Ian.


    "Ian, please step back." Miss Rue rushed past Mr. Rick, sensing the tension, and gently pushed Ian away. Atst, he released his grip.


    "It¡¯s not our matter. Bodhi stole something from the office, and we have to retrieve it. There are rules and regtions even in the packs, do you not know that?" Miss Rue argued, but Ian didn¡¯t even nce at her. His eyes stayed locked on Mr. Rick, who red back just as fiercely.


    "Please, Mr. Rick, I¡¯ll speak with my team members." Brian finally stepped forward, cing a hand on Rick¡¯s arm to free Bodhi. "Come, Bodhi, we need to talk. Yale, Eben,e with me."


    His voice was softer this time, almost fatherly, and the boys obeyed immediately. But before leaving, Bodhi looked back at me, giving a nce that reminded me not to forget what he had wanted to share. Then the green squad was gone.


    Left behind were the white squad, Ms. Lenora, Miss Rue, and Mr. Rick, who kept ring at Ian. Suddenly, Rick¡¯s expression broke into a smile, and then that smile twisted intoughter.


    "What¡¯s so funny?" Troy asked, looking at us before turning back to Mr. Rick.


    Rick took a deep breath, nodded, and stared into the distance. "You should really think twice before breaking rules. I¡¯m not just a helpless ringleader. I¡¯ll fuck you up so bad." His eyes locked on Ian, then shifted to me. A strange numbness spread through my body as he moved past us, staring at each of us for a few seconds before finally looking down again.


    "Anyway, we should all rest. Who knows, a new task might be waiting tomorrow." With that, he turned and left.


    We were furious. And the white squad, the way they sized me up and down like I was disgusting, only made it worse. The fact that they¡¯d been spying on us all along, even catching Troy kissing me after midnight, was insane. I guess at the start we¡¯d been so wrapped up in each other that we forgot other crusaders even existed. Our focus should have been on them too.


    As everyone left and it was just us with Miss Rue, Haiden turned to her. "So, you have no say? Literally none?"


    The way he held her ountable shocked us.


    "Haiden, don¡¯t forget I¡¯m your ringleader," she shot back, clearly offended. "But it¡¯s not a lie, is it? I try to help you as much as I can. Then you forget and do things that offend the ringleaders. Tell me, which other crusaders have you seen disrespecting ringleaders and breaking rules?" She gave us all a sharp, challenging look.


    "The white squad has been fucking up everyone this whole time," Troy said.


    "And they got punished, didn¡¯t they? They even went on a mission. They returned just a few hours before you guys arrived," she replied, throwing the North mission and punishment in our faces.


    "Well, our misbehavior has nothing to do with what they do. They¡¯re risking lives while we¡¯re just trying to stand up for ourselves," I said softly, reminding her it was unfair topare us to them.


    "I understand, but still, my squad is the only one that doesn¡¯t even talk to me. You¡¯re doing things behind my back, going out, talking to other squads, breaking the small rules. It makes you look rebellious," she said, waving her hands for emphasis.


    "So what do you want us to do? Carry a weapon on our shoulder and march North whenever we¡¯re told, like we have no free will to question anything?" Troy asked, hands on his waist, staring her down.


    "I¡¯m just asking you to at least report to me when something happens. For example, the mate bond thing¡ªdo you know how big of an issue that is?" she hissed. Before we could respond, she went on. "And then for her to get kissed by you," she pointed at Troy, pausing before continuing, "itplicates things. Because the white squad also ims they¡¯ve seen her with Yorick too. You need to understand it doesn¡¯t look good."


    Her words hit me hard, making me suddenly feel ashamed of my character.


    "There¡¯s nothing wrong with it." Ian suddenly stepped in, hand on his waist, pushing his leather jacket back. "We¡¯ll deal with whoever tries to make her feel some type of way," he said firmly.


    "Ian, you¡¯re not getting it. There have been rumors about squadmates doing things, and even those rumors led to severe punishments for everyone. If it actually happens, it¡¯ll be worse. These things aren¡¯t allowed. We already know that Alphas, Gammas, Betas, Omegas¡ªmen in particr¡ªcan have too many mates. Even that¡¯s forbidden here. If an Alpha or anyone is found with more than one mate, they¡¯re forced to reject the others. So imagine a she-wolf having a mate and boyfriends¨C" She pointed at me.


    Yorick snapped his fingers in front of her face to pull her attention back. "Like Ian said, no one will dare to point a finger at Clementine."


    Miss Rue, who had been trying so hard to make us understand, suddenly pulled back, watching our faces.


    "And if anyone does, do you think we can¡¯t handle simple werewolves after fighting monsters in the North?" Haiden asked, shaking his head slowly, his eyes fixed on her.


    Then Troy smirked. "So if there¡¯s a rule like that, it should never apply to Clementine. Because we¡¯ll turn the South into the North if anyone questions her character."

 Chapter 150-The Dinner And Our Burning Questions

    <h4>Chapter 150: 150-The Dinner And Our Burning Questions</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The stand my squadmates took for me left me stunned. I had no clue how to respond, and neither did Miss Rue. All she said was that this isn¡¯t a movie and that we better not make any mistakes and get everyone in trouble. Then she left. I could tell she was upset with us.


    We went back inside, and for a moment, we were all silent.


    "What did Bodhi say about being left in the North for a certain time?" Ian spoke up, obviously the one who had to bring it up. He was very involved with it.


    "Yeah, he kind of shocked me too," I admitted, remembering how anxious he looked talking about the North.


    "Let¡¯s just hope they deal with their issue soon so we can talk to him again," Troy suggested. Haiden and Yorick both turned to re at him.


    "What?" Troy asked, almost offended.


    "You need to stop being so clingy to Clementine. You do realize all these usations thrown at her were because of you, right?" Haiden grunted at Troy.


    "Well, are you guys forgetting that Yorick was also involved?" Then Ian jumped in, stirring things up as usual. Even when trying to stay as a team, he could be messy.


    "She¡¯s my mate. I can do whatever the fuck I want," Yorik said bluntly.


    "No, you can¡¯t. Not if she doesn¡¯t want you to," Haiden countered.


    I put my hands on my head, and thankfully, everyone went silent.


    "Are you okay?" Troy asked gently.


    "I want to focus on the North right now. Something¡¯s off. Something very bad is going on in this academy. And I have a feeling they all know. Every single one of these ringleaders knows," I hissed, pointing toward the door.


    "Yeah, we talked about it a little and decided to keep an eye on them," Ian said, which made the others look at him, then at me.


    "You guys talked about it? When? Why weren¡¯t we involved in this conversation?" Haiden argued, making me take a deep breath.


    "Anyway, the point is, we know when the train arrives, probably every morning. We also know where it arrives," Ian said. "So how about, one morning, we go there and spy on it, just to see what happens on the train when we¡¯re not boarding it?" he suggested.


    While everyone else nodded, I was still lost in thought.


    "What is it, Clementine? Are you still thinking about what Miss Rue said?" Yorick called from his bed, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes at me.


    "What did Mister Rick mean by ¡¯he would fuck with us so bad¡¯? What is going on?" I whispered, feeling lost. No matter how hard I tried to dismiss it, telling myself it was just a ringleader full of ego saying things on impulse, I kept going back to that sentence.


    "I just want to rest," I said as I suddenly felt so down. I don¡¯t know what it was, maybe a cluster of things, and the fact that somebody took a stand for me. I know I sounded like a brat, but it was just my way of coping with something very new. Iy down on the bed and turned my face to the other side.


    After a few seconds of silence, I heard footsteps nearing my bed. I felt someone fix the nket on me, and then I felt lips on my temples, a gentle kiss, a soft peck. "It¡¯s okay, rest," Yorick murmured as he pulled away, and then all of them turned off the lights andy down. I could tell because there was nothing else for us to do.


    Iy down and eventually dozed off. However, my sleep was broken that day. I could hear the whooshing of the wind and the storm hitting, vibrating the windows nonstop.


    I had fallen asleep from exhaustion and woke up to loud banging on our door. I guess none of us woke up for dinner, so the lurkers had toe fetch us. We got up, freshened quickly, and headed to the hall. We hoped to get a word with the green squad, but the moment we arrived, we realized things were different that night. The ringleaders were sitting at each table, dining with their squadmates.


    We sat with a very smiling Miss Rue, and as expected, the white squad was serving dinner before joining Mr. Rick. That was their punishment. If anyone needed something, they had to call the white squadmates even while they were eating.


    "Did you guys have a great nap?" Miss Rue asked, smiling as she took a bite of her jpeno poppers.


    I only nodded, leaning forward with my elbow on the table, my arm bent and my fist raised, my cheek resting against it. I was so tired. I still wanted to sleep.


    "Has your anger worn off?" she asked with a smile.


    "Why are you sitting with us tonight?" Ian asked, blunt as always.


    I raised my eyes, my cheek squished against my fist like a marshmallow. I noticed Miss Rue¡¯s smile fade at his question, but she managed topose herself.


    "We have decided to get along with our squadmates. I guess this year we have been very harsh. Every year, after losing so many squadmates and starting anew, it gets to these ringleaders. I am new, so I am able to smile. But Goddess forbid, if I lost my squad as many times as they have, I would turn stone cold too," she said, pouting as she nced at her ringleader friends.


    "How did you guys know what was going on in the train the other day?" Haiden asked, barely eating.


    Miss Rue took a deep breath, then cut another piece of her steak. Every time she took a bite, she closed her eyes to savor it. I wished we could do the same, but every bite was a reminder that we could be sent to the North anytime. It spoiled our mood.


    "Because we have cameras everywhere. Haven¡¯t we told you guys about the drones? We run them around to see what is happening in the North, unless some giant or ogre smashes them," she said, almost smiling painfully. Then she paused, nodded, and added like she was convincing herself, "You can ask me anything. That is why I am sitting with you. I¡¯ll be very blunt and honest."


    "Okay, then tell us something. How do you guys know when the train is arriving, but not when it is leaving?" Ian pressed, skeptical.


    "Because we have drones. We can see the training from far away and warn you. But once it leaves, there¡¯s no way to interact with you in the North. And before you ask about cell phones, they don¡¯t work in the North. We tried, but the signal always breaks. Which brings me to the next question you might have¡ªwhy don¡¯t we give you weapons?" she said, her eyes starting to tear up.


    "Because a catastrophe broke out in the past from the weapons the Academy gave to the crusaders."

 Chapter 151-The Empty Trunks

    <h4>Chapter 151: 151-The Empty Trunks</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What kind of catastrophe?" I asked, watching her take a deep breath. She seemed pretty upset about whatever she was about to say.


    "There was a time when the Academy gave a lot of weapons to the crusaders on their first day, their first mission. It was supposed to be a trial. They expected them to use the weapons wisely. But the North is different from any other ce. People do things they normally wouldn¡¯t when they are not in the North. One of them, who didn¡¯t want to be part of the squad, used those weapons to kill all their squad members. When questioned, that squad member med someone else, saying they had been influenced."


    She paused, took another deep breath, and bit into her steak so hard it sounded like she was biting the fork.


    "Anyway, I know you can find weapons in the North. But anything brought back from there can be harmful to us. Nothing from the North can be trusted," she said, making us take a deep breath. Little did she know, we had already gotten weapons from the North. I mean, she did know, but was she suggesting we shouldn¡¯t use them? Well, we were way past that point.


    "If someone wants to kill, they will kill regardless," I said. "The excuse that a weapon is all they need doesn¡¯t feel valid."


    She nodded. "True. It¡¯s just, we don¡¯t want to be the ones providing such weapons. Killing one person individually is different from killing many at once with a weapon."


    Although she tried her best to exin, it didn¡¯t make sense. The chances of someone killing us with a weapon were less than the chances of a monster killing us. Or maybe not.


    "You said it yourself the white squad was being messy, right?" she asked. "Then would you feelfortable with us giving them a weapon?"


    None of us could respond.


    "We asked them the same thing about you all, and they gave us the same answer," she added.


    I grunted. "Well, that¡¯s ironic since we¡¯ve never killed anyone."


    I hissed the words, and she nodded. "True, I agree with that. But they don¡¯t."


    "Anyway, the thing is, you have to learn to survive. Or we could send our own lurkers. But like I said, the will to survive is whatpels us to bring in young crusaders. I hope I¡¯ve answered your questions. If there¡¯s anything else, you can alwayse to me. Ask, and I¡¯ll answer to the best of my ability. I will never shut you down," she said as she finished her meal.


    She set her fork and knife down delicately and wiped her mouth clean. "Now, you should be escorted to your room by the lurkers." She pointed at the ones standing by our table.


    This was the first time. I didn¡¯t know why they were tightening the rules. Maybe because we were being resilient. I couldn¡¯t be sure. But they were clearly bothered that we were raising our heads and our concerns.


    Once we entered our dorm room, I noticed Ian smirking.


    "I hope you guys didn¡¯t let that little chick get into your head," he said, mentioning Rue with little respect.


    "I mean, she tried to answer as much as she could," Troy replied with a shrug. He always wore sleeveless shirts, which made his biceps look insanely buff.


    Meanwhile, Yorick went straight to his bed, knelt down, and opened the tin trunk. He started frantically searching for something.


    "I¡¯m just saying she only answered what they told her to. Why do you think they sat with us this time? Why the sudden change of heart and the need to know us, to be nice to us? It¡¯s because we¡¯re raising questions they don¡¯t want to answer. So now they¡¯re trying to y nice topensate," Ian argued.


    But my attention stayed on Yorick. The way he turned around, got up, clenched his jaw, and shook his head showed he was pissed.


    "Where the fuck are our weapons?" he shouted, pointing at the empty tin trunk.


    "What?" Ian muttered, instantly kneeling beside his own bed to check his trunk.


    I did the same. We had decided to distribute the weapons among ourselves, but none of us seemed to have any left. I even checked my tin trunk.


    "What the heck?" I grunted when I found nothing. Haiden and Troy said the same. There were no weapons left in our room.


    "Isn¡¯t it obvious? They took them from us," Ian growled.


    "Huh, now you believe me when I said not to trust that chick?" Ian grunted as he paced the room angrily.


    Yorick sat on the bed, looking disappointed, while Haiden stood by the window, fisting his palm. Troy leaned against the wall, shaking his head.


    "You¡¯re right," I said with a grunt, admitting they were only nice to us because they knew they were screwing us behind our backs. "Now what? Should we go andin?"


    "And what would we say, that we want our weapons back? Didn¡¯t they already give us a huge-ass lecture on weapons and why they¡¯d never give us one?" Ian shot back, reminding me how cunningly Miss Rue had told that story about weapons and crusaders dying.


    "And who knows what else they can do? They could ask one of the white crusaders to use the weapons against the others just to teach us a lesson, even if we convinced them to give us weapons," he went on.


    "And then what? We¡¯d be the ones to take the me for the deaths," Troy added, pointing out that the ringleaders could do anything, and there were too many corrupt crusaders ready to do their bidding.


    "So what are we going to do? Nothing? Just sit on our ass?" I asked, watching Ian squeeze his eyes shut, then shake his head.


    "Early morning, we¡¯re going to spy on the train. Forget whatever Miss Rue said. We don¡¯t trust them," he decided, and we all nodded in agreement.


    "Let¡¯s go to bed, Crusaders. Starting tomorrow, North isn¡¯t our only mission," Ian dered, and we all shared a look before agreeing with him.


    But a small part of me wondered what if we were making a mistake? What if the ringleaders were onto us?

 Chapter 152-Accidents Happen, And So Does Blunders

    <h4>Chapter 152: 152-idents Happen, And So Does Blunders</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Ian told us to go to sleep and said he would stay awake. We didn¡¯t have a clock or an rm, so there was a chance we wouldn¡¯t wake up. I could tell Ian didn¡¯t even want to think about that. He was stubborn and stern once he made up his mind, more like someone very determined. So while the rest of us slept, he stayed awake waiting for morning, then he began waking us up. Each of us got up whispering to grab a few things, a bag with the notebooks and a bottle of water, since we didn¡¯t know how long we would be at the station.


    It was around 3 a.m., so we could be staying until about 8, because at 9 they would wake us up for breakfast. By then, if anyone saw us, we could just lie and say we were running around. There was a lot on our minds, but spying on the train was the first thing we needed to do. We grabbed some water and even some snacks so we could sit and chill instead of stressing too much. It felt like the easiest quest after everything we had been through.


    Once we were ready, we looked at Haiden and grunted. "Haiden!" I hissed at him, trying to wake him up again. While we nned everything, he had showered, freshened up, and then gone back to sleep.


    "Are you guys ready?" he muttered sleepily. Why did he even take a shower if he was going to sleep again? But I digress.


    "Yes, let¡¯s go," I told him, and he finally dragged his body out of bed. Now we were all headed toward the station. There was silence. Someone yawned. Someone stretched. Ian walked ahead of us,pletely focused. Troy had his hands stuffed in his pockets, and I could only imagine how freezing it was for him in a sleeveless shirt and jacket. Usually it was Haiden up north who skipped a long-sleeved jacket, but I guess Troy managed fine either way.


    "Do you remember when you turned 14 and we celebrated your birthday?" Troy slowed down on purpose so he was walking beside me.


    I nodded as I recalled the distant memory. "You had prepared an abandoned road with lights, candles, and balloons. Funny thing is, I remember the wind blew out all the candles and the balloons didn¡¯t stick around either," I said,ughing a little.


    He had picked me up from my home, covered my eyes, and drove me to that road for a surprise. The minute the blindfold came off, I saw everything was a mess. I remembered how annoyed and confused he was, thinking he had nned it perfectly.


    "Yeah, it was just like this night, wasn¡¯t it?" he asked, looking around as the wind blew against our faces.


    I looked up at the stars still shining in the sky. "And then morning wille and they¡¯ll be gone," I said.


    I noticed Yorick turning around a few times, trying to catch what we were talking about. They were eavesdropping. Apart from Ian, who just kept walking ahead, determined as ever.


    Finally, after an hour¡¯s walk, we arrived at the station. We knew it well by now, but this time it was empty. Usually when we got here, the train would already be waiting.


    "Okay, so we¡¯re going to wait," Ian said, gesturing for us to hide behind the wall. There was a chance the lurkers mighte around, so we had to be careful.


    We had only been sitting for five minutes when we heard the train arrive. I don¡¯t know about the others, but my heart was jumping up and down. I took a deep breath and waited for it to stop. As soon as it did, the doors opened right away.


    Ian didn¡¯t even wait to check for lurkers or anyone else. He just jumped out from behind the wall and went straight to the first cab, the one where the driver should be. But we couldn¡¯t see past the ck windows.


    "Do you think someone¡¯s behind it?" I asked, watching Ian press his hands to the ss, lowering his head and covering his eyes to block the light so he could peek inside. He shrugged.


    "I can¡¯t see anything," he muttered, moving along to the next carriage.


    At that point, we had just stepped out, trying to catch a glimpse inside. But it was empty.


    "What if there are cameras inside?" I wondered, noticing Haiden and Yorick already inspecting for one.


    I saw Troy step into one of the carriages, and I guess he started it first, because soon after, the others jumped into different ones too. I stayed outside, looking around, worried. What if we got caught? What would the punishment be?


    "Guys, look!" Ian shouted, and Troy, Yorick, and Haiden came running out of their carriages toward him. I rushed in to see what he was pointing at.


    He showed us a tiny hole in the ceiling. It was blinking red. We all stood under it, staring up, before realizing it could be a fucking camera, watching us spy on the train.


    "What do we do?" Yorick asked, frozen in ce, probably thinking if we didn¡¯t move, nobody would know we hade in and broken a rule.


    But just when I thought our biggest problem was getting caught, something worse happened. The doors mmed shut.


    "What the fuck?" Troy spun around, mming the button to open them, but at the same time, the other doors closed too, trapping us inside. That¡¯s when we knew what wasing next. The fucking train started moving north.


    "Shit, shit, shit," Troy grunted, looking around. Even Ian was stunned. I had never seen him panic before. It wasn¡¯t exaggerated, but from his face I could tell he was in utter disbelief.


    And then there was me. Goosebumps covered my skin.


    "What does it mean? Are we going tond in the north? And when will the traine back?" I asked, realizing the train usually didn¡¯t leave for the north like this. It only came back at certain times. I started to lose my mind at the thought of being stuck there. What if there were monsters at the station?


    But the train ride was longer than usual. Five minutes passed, then ten. After twenty, we began to wonder where we were headed.


    When the train finally stopped, it wasn¡¯t the northern station. It was a station in the middle of a beautiful town, with colorful houses, grass, and flowers all around the tracks.

 Chapter 153-The Garden Of The Gnomes

    <h4>Chapter 153: 153-The Garden Of The Gnomes</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We just stood in the train, looking around in confusion. "The train will take us back if we don¡¯t get out, right?" I asked Ian, who was silently scanning the ce.


    Troy was running from one window to the other, trying to take in as much as he could. Yorick stood in the corner, scratching the back of his neck. Haiden looked anxious too.


    "I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works. We have to get off for the train to leave ande back," Haiden said, reminding us that only when all the crusaders left did the train start moving.


    "What if we just sit here?" I asked, watching Yorick shake his head.


    "Then a monster coulde in. What if the door opens at that time? We don¡¯t know how this train works. All we know is it¡¯s just transportation, not our friend. It¡¯s not on our side," Yorick exined. My fists clenched with anxiety.


    "It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ll get off here. This seems like a new ce. We¡¯ll look around, then the train will leave ande back," Troy said, trying to make sense of it. But there was no reason for us to be in the middle of this fairytale-looking town.


    "Why didn¡¯t it take us back to our own station?" I muttered, jumping anxiously. At least that area we knew well. We also knew the monsters there, the station, the woods, then the small city with the fleshmingos, then the bigger one, and more. But this ce, this waspletely new. We could be walking right into a deadly monster¡¯s den.


    "What if the train takes a long time before it returns?" I asked again. At this point, we were all just guessing. They were as clueless as me. I wasn¡¯t really looking for answers, I just wanted to throw ideas out and debate them.


    "And what if the ringleaders find out we left? There¡¯s a camera there. I think it¡¯s a camera," I said, pointing at the button, now glowing green.


    "I guess it¡¯s not a camera. It lit up before the train left. Now it¡¯s green because it reached its destination," Troy exined. I pped my forehead.


    "We could have inspected the train while we were being taken to the north," I muttered. I saw Ian close his eyes and turn away. Maybe he felt guilty. I shut up instantly.


    "Okay, there¡¯s no other choice. We have to get off. We don¡¯t have enough food, we don¡¯t have enough supplies. If a monsteres in, let¡¯s say a giant, it can kill us. We have to get off. Besides, we wanted to explore north, didn¡¯t we?" Yorick grunted.


    I could hear conflict rising in their voices, like a me game was about to start. That¡¯s what happens when people panic with no answers.


    "Do we even know if we¡¯re in the north at this point?" Haiden countered, and I started nervously rubbing my neck.


    "Listen, I think we should get off. We don¡¯t know what this ce is until we step out. Let¡¯s just do that, look around, and hope the ringleaders find out we are in the North and figure out a way to send the train back. I mean, they know when the train is arriving," I said. We didn¡¯t really have another option, because right then the doors mmed open, leaving us at the mercy of any monster that could walk in and kill us in thispact space.


    So we grabbed our bags and, one after another, stepped off the train. The sky was beautifully pink, the clouds an even brighter shade, unlike anything we had ever seen. Then, to our dismay, the train left. The doors shut before we could even turn back. I saw Ian and the others try to step back inside, testing if it would stay, but it didn¡¯t. Once we were all off, it was gone.


    Now we stood awkwardly in this beautiful town, or vige, whatever it was. There were maybe five houses, but it all felt like one giant garden. The houses looked like fairy houses, surrounded by roses so fragrant we could smell them from a distance. I took a deep breath and smiled as I exhaled.


    "This ce is so fresh," I uttered.


    "Yeah, unlike the north," Yorick added.


    I stared at one of the houses. It was all pink,the soft kind of pink, not the suffocating kind. Bows were patterned on its outer walls, and the gardens blended together like one endless yard. Even the road looked shiny and untouched, as if nobody had ever walked on it. There wasn¡¯t even a proper station, just train tracks that cut straight into the garden.


    We started moving from house to house. At first we were cautious, unsure of what we might find, but after an hour we were running around freely.


    "This is such a beautiful ce," Haiden said, tossing his bag to the ground and falling back into the soft grass with his arms spread wide.


    "I mean, I could totally live in the pink house," I said. I didn¡¯t know what it was about this ce, but suddenly none of us felt sad. I had never seen Ian smile, but now he was grinning at a blue house.


    "This could be my house," he said, pointing.


    "Right," I replied. The way he turned to look at me made me blush, even though it was just a nce. Then Yorick pointed at something.


    "What is that?" he asked, noticing figures in front of every house, standing in the gardens.


    "Aren¡¯t those gnomes? Garden gnomes?" I asked, staring at them. There were two in front of each house, and, weirdly enough, the number of houses matched exactly the number of us crusaders.


    "Oh, yeah, they are gnomes," Yorick said, while Haiden scratched the back of his head.


    "Aren¡¯t they called goblins?" he asked. As soon as he said that, we all turned to look at him.


    "No, they¡¯re gnomes," I corrected.


    "Then what are goblins?" he wondered.


    "Dude, goblins are those ugly creatures. They¡¯re small like them, but they¡¯re the evil ones, the really ugly ones," Troy exined.


    I watched Haiden¡¯s eyes lose their shine. "Oh, shit, I didn¡¯t mean to call you goblin then. I just thought of a cute little gnome," he mumbled, pointing at one of the gnomedies, pink in the cheeks and wearing a red scarf.

 Chapter 154-Turning Me Into A Seductress

    <h4>Chapter 154: 154-Turning Me Into A Seductress</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Oh, that makes sense," I said, remembering thement that had offended me so much. "Anyway, I¡¯m going to explore the house," I added, pointing at the pink one and rushing toward it.


    Suddenly, we were so upbeat. In the back of my head, I knew something wasn¡¯t right about our behavior, but that thought kept slipping away the more I breathed in the fresh, flowery air.


    "Do you want me toe?" Haiden asked, offering to stay with me to make sure it was safe.


    "No, I can take care of myself, neighbor," I shrugged, then rushed to the door.


    It opened easily. I stepped inside. It was a one-floor house with a single bedroom, a beautiful, aesthetic kitchen, and a bathroom with a tub. But the bed, it was so cozy, so big, bigger than any king-sized bed I¡¯d ever seen, and covered in flower petals. I jumped onto it, bouncing up and down. It was soft, bouncy, and almost cloudy.


    Then my eyesnded on the door. What I saw froze me. The two gnomes I thought were just statues walked in, smiling ear to ear.


    "Wee to our garden. We will be your hosts for the rest of your life, and we¡¯ll make sure you live happily ever after here." As soon as they said that, I screamed.


    "Hey, hey, calm down. I¡¯m Toby, and this is Tilly," the little gnome with a white beard and pink hat said, raising his tiny hands as he introduced the woman beside him.


    "How are you speaking?" I stammered.


    "Well, that¡¯s quite rude. We are creatures just like the rest of the ones in the world," Tilly pouted. She had pink, squishy cheeks and wore a pink scarf, just like the house I was in.


    "Are you dangerous?" I asked, strangely feelingfort in their presence.


    "Of course not. We are creatures of love and romance. Here, you will feel different, much happier. This ce is full of happiness. We help grieving souls feel better and express their hidden feelings," Toby exined, winking at me.


    I didn¡¯t know how to respond. It felt odd. "Oh, I¡¯ve never heard of a gnome talking. I¡¯m sorry for screaming at you," I mumbled, feeling like some princess from a fairy tale, talking to gnomes. What¡¯s next, I¡¯ll be talking to a bird?


    "It¡¯s all right. It happens. We don¡¯t judge anyone. In fact, we don¡¯t judge anyone here at all. We are just happy people," Tilly said.


    "Are there more of you?" I asked.


    She instantly nodded. "Your friends, they will find out. They have their own gnomes. Every house has gnomes, and they take care of their guests."


    There was something about their presence. They seemed so cute and kind, and the things they said sounded perfect. Who wouldn¡¯t want to be happy? But in the back of my mind, I felt a push, like someone whispering for me to wake up, open my eyes, and get the fuck out. Yet every time I thought too hard, the gnomes distracted me.


    "So, who are these men?" Tilly asked as Toby helped her onto the bed, since they were too small to climb up themselves. Shey on her stomach, reaching out to pull him up beside her.


    "They¡¯re my squad mates," I uttered, crawling back into the bed so I could rest against the headboard with my arms wrapped around my legs.


    "No, they¡¯re not. They¡¯re more than just that," Tilly giggled.


    "Actually, you¡¯re right. They are my mates. Not all of them, though. Just two," I admitted. I didn¡¯t know why I was oversharing with them.


    "Really? Which two?" Tilly asked.


    "Haiden and Yorick," I mumbled.


    They both nodded. "Well, we did see them look at you weirdly, like with so much emotion. It was so cute," she said, hyping me up.


    "I don¡¯t know. I never thought about them like that." I began to nervously look around.


    "Really? Then you should," she insisted, making me stare into the distance. Was she right? Should I think about them? I didn¡¯t know. Maybe I just wasn¡¯t ready to risk it all, the friendship and everything.


    For some reason, I kept talking. "I mean, I don¡¯t even know if they think the same about me."


    "You don¡¯t have to think about all that. You just need to go for it," Toby advised.


    I nodded, agreeing with him. They weren¡¯t wrong. I guess I just needed to take a step.


    "And what are you wearing? These are such ugly clothes," Tilly frowned at me. I was in baggy pants and a loose sweater.


    "Yeah, they need to go," Toby agreed.


    I pushed harder to listen to the voice in my head. "Actually, these are the clothes I feelfortable in. It¡¯s not just that I¡¯m a teenager anymore. I¡¯m also a crusader." I said it more for myself than for them.


    "You don¡¯t have to be. From now on, you¡¯re just a teenager who will live her best life. She will do whatever she wants. The good thing about this ce is you do whatever you think. You don¡¯t hold back. You don¡¯t have to be afraid," Tilly told me, staring into my eyes.


    "You¡¯re right. I¡¯m not a crusader. I¡¯m just a teenager. I¡¯ll do whatever I feel like. Show me the dresses," I said, jumping off the bed.


    "That¡¯s a good girl. Come on, carry us," Tilly requested, her arms in the air as she asked me to carry her, and I picked them both up in my hands.


    Following their directions, I ended up in a dressing room. The dresses were beautiful, more like ones from old times. One was pink and white, with intricate designs and little pearls stitched along the hem. I slipped it on quickly and stared at myself. My waist looked slim, my breasts defined, my hips wide so the dress flowed perfectly.


    "They will want to tear this dress off the minute they see you," Tilly giggled, making my cheeks turn red from blushing.


    "You better seduce them before someone elsees here and steals them from you," Toby whispered in a way that goosebumps covered my body.

 Chapter 155-Fingers And My Pussy

    <h4>Chapter 155: 155-Fingers And My Pussy</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Sit down, we¡¯ll do your hair. You have such pretty hair," Tilly said, making me blush as I sat down. She tied two pink bows in my hair, one on each side, then let it fall freely.


    I applied a pink lipstick before saying, "I¡¯m ready."


    "Nowe on, let¡¯s go outside. Let¡¯s see if the neighbors have settled in," Tilly said.


    I carried a basket with me. I had to pluck some fresh fruits too, otherwise how would I prepare dinner? I walked out daintily, almost skipping.


    Once I reached the garden, I saw my neighbors. Haiden was in a brown shirt with matching pants. Most of them were in white and brown, such a nice mix of colors. They stood in front of their houses with their own gnomes.


    Within five minutes, everyone was introducing their gnomes. Ian was at the blue house with Bernard and Bailey, both dressed in blue. That was the only difference between gnomes, the color of their clothes. Haiden had taken the green house with Gen and Genny. Yorick stood at the yellow house with Yin and Yenny, both smiling beside him. The brown house belonged to Troy, with Bush and Billy sitting on the steps next to him.


    And right away, I felt something different when I looked at them.


    "Where are you headed, neighbor?" Haiden asked with a smirk, his hands tucked into his brown pants pocket.


    "Oh, actually, I was going to collect some fruits. Do you want toe?" I replied.


    The way he measured me made me think Tilly and Toby were right. I didn¡¯t have to hold back. What was I waiting for?


    "Sure," he said, and started walking behind me. The way he gently touched his thumb against his bottom lip made my heart skip a beat.


    Haiden walked behind me, and I could hear him whistle. Never have I ever felt this way before. All my feminine energy was waking up. I reached the big apple tree and stood under it, smiling shyly as I twisted the apples and put them in my basket.


    He began to grab a few as well, helping me.


    "Well thank you," I whispered softly.


    "That is all right, you know there is more than just that I can do for you," he replied, smiling. His eyes lingered around my face before they stopped on my lips.


    "I want you to be honest with me," he suddenly said as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer.


    "Tell me, Clementine, do you not ever wish to be with your mate?" he asked as he ced my hand on his chest, making me listen to his heartbeat.


    "It is not like that," I murmured. "It is just that I am afraid of heartbreak. And so much happened in the past that¨C" I stopped when he leaned down and ced his finger against my lips.


    "Past is called the past for a reason. You must live in the present, so your future can carry memories worth cherishing, memories you shaped with your own hands," he whispered, then let go of my hand only to move behind me.


    As I tried to reach for the apple highest on the tree branch, I failed. I tried again, stretching my body even farther, when I felt his hand gently touch my waist.


    I held my breath as his hand slid up, brushing against my ribs and then my breasts before he cupped one and squeezed so hard that a little yelp escaped my lips.


    I instantly pulled away, shyly looking down. He was smirking.


    "Do you not like my touch?" he asked.


    "Tell me, Clementine, do you not like my touch?" he repeated.


    In any other situation, I would have told him that I did not want to start anything right now. However, that one percent chance of wanting his touch that I usually killed instantly started to grow. Urges I would have fought hard to stop could not be tamed this time. All I did was shyly look down and bite the bottom of my lip.


    And it did not seem like I disliked his touch. It seemed like consent.


    He moved closer again and this time, he ced his hand on my boob while I lowered my face to stare at his hand. I have never been touched like this.


    He began to press my breasts before his other hand reached over for the hem of my dress. He lifted it, staring at my panties with a smile on his lips.


    "I so badly want to eat your pussy," he said those words in such a husky tone that he made me forget to breathe. His hand moved away from my breast to reach between my legs. He gently shoved his two fingers between my tightly pressed legs and then rubbed them on my pussy lips from over my panties, causing my breath to elerate.


    I moaned and quickly bit my tongue to silence myself. He pulled closer, staring me in the eye as his rubbing got passionate. The way he was able to move his fingers from over the fabric was so impressive. My pussy was at the mercy of his touch, my body filled with goosebumps.


    "Tell me you want more," he uttered, leaning over my head and nting a kiss.


    "Say it," he demanded as he elerated the speed, causing my eyes to widen.


    "I do¡ª," I uttered.


    "You do what?" he insisted in a serious tone, nting another kiss to my head whilst his middle finger tried adjusting between my pussy lips, driving the fabric to stick to my pussy.


    "I want more," I let out a moan, even embarrassing myself but heforted me with another kiss. However, before he could act upon my request, we were interrupted.


    "She doesn¡¯t belong to you!!"


    I jumped back and away from Haiden at Yorick¡¯s arrival. He was ring at Haiden as he came at him, pushing him away.


    "How dare you!" Yorick grabbed his cors and started to shake him. And then a gentle voice cut in that gave me yet another shock.


    "Why don¡¯t you two share her?" Tilly arrived with Yenny, both smiling as they suggested something I have never even thought about.

 Chapter 156-We Share What We Like

    <h4>Chapter 156: 156-We Share What We Like</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What?" Haiden asked in disbelief.


    "Just share her. She has many holes, you can fill them all and pleasure her like no one ever," Tilly continued to convince them while I stood there like I had no say in it.


    "You must have lost your mind to think I will let anyone else touch her," Yorick hissed at the gnomes, disagreeing with her.


    "Fine then, your loss. She will get to be with no one," Tilly grunted, looking disappointed for the first time


    Usually the gnomes carried huge smiles on their faces. So when the Alpha¡¯s didn¡¯t agree with her, she clearly showed her disapproval.


    "Come on, Clementine. These are enough apples for the day," Tilly stated.


    And while Yorick and Haiden gave me a look not to follow her, I did. Because I realized that they were trying toe between me and my host.


    I mean, they were being very respectful towards their own host. As I began to walk away, I heard Yorick speak with his own gnomes and Haiden rushed over to his gnomes.


    "It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t be upset," Tilly started to speak with me once I carried her in the basket and came home.


    "They are just boys. And you know boys, they don¡¯t understand the depth of things," She stated, trying to calm me down, even when I wasn¡¯t really anxious.


    I mean, I agreed with the alphas. It was odd that Tilly suggested that I get shared. But somehow, the more she was talking and trying tofort me, the more I was realizing I was supposed to be upset.


    "I don¡¯t know, Tilly. I don¡¯t want to be shared either. It¡¯s just odd," I said. But as I was talking with Tilly and washing the apples, I heard someonee into my house.


    "Hey, I brought in mangoes," Troy said, smiling as he entered.


    "Well, bring them to me. I¡¯m washing the apples," I called from the kitchen and heard him follow me.


    "Are you making a jam?" he asked, and I nodded. I don¡¯t know why I did. I didn¡¯t even know how to make jam.


    "It¡¯s all right. I will help you," Tilly said, probably realizing I had spoken without thinking.


    "Let me help you." Then Troy suddenly appeared behind me.


    "Umm, it¡¯s alright. I can do that on my own," I awkwardly uttered, smiling while I felt him stand behind me, reaching over for the tap to wash the apples with me.


    "But I still want to help," Troy whispered, hunching down from the back. It was all just too strange but clearly I was okay with it as I didn¡¯t stop him.


    "I don¡¯t know what to say to you clementine, but I will repeat myself again," he whispered, his hand gently grazing my ass.


    I used to have a huge crush on you. I tried so hard to stop myself after our fallout, but those feelings mixed with the taste of betrayal made me be this insane version of myself," he continued to exin and talk about his feelings while his lips touched my ear and his hand ran up my dress to squeeze my ass.


    I bit onto my bottom lip but couldn¡¯t stop him. My eyesnded on Tilly, who was watching us with a big creepy smile of excitement on her face. She jumped down from the window sill and walked over to the counter, holding my neckline and pulling it down until she exposed my breasts.


    It was the most awkward thing ever, but I didn¡¯t stop either of them.


    "Drink her milk!" As soon as she said that, both Troy and I snapped out of the trance.


    But not to pull away from each other.


    Troy turned me around and watched my naked breasts with wide eyes, a look of shock and intrigue visible on his face.


    "May I?" he asked me, his eyes resting on my breasts.


    I was beyond embarrassed at this point. Being naked in front of someone, especially my ex-best friend, was not what I had expected the north to make me do.


    I shakily nodded my head, giving him permission, and he hungrily hunched down, putting his face between my breasts and squeezing them together.


    A spark ran through my whole body, causing my eyes to roll back in my head.


    I knew Tilly was watching, I knew his gnomes had also arrived and were watching us. But none of us could stop ourselves.


    Troy kissed my boobs for a while before he began to kiss my nipples, pressing them in with his lips before watching them erect again.


    His lips wrapped around my tit perfectly, sucking them while his hands grabbed my ass, pressing my ass cheeks while he moaned and groaned on my tits.


    Right at that time, I heard someone else arrive.


    Yorick and Haiden had followed me and seen me with Troy. The two stood in the doorway while I moaned, getting sucked by Troy.


    And then, instead of arguing or calling out Troy this time, the two walked into the kitchen and joined us.


    The two stood on my left and right, watching Troy go crazy on my breasts. Yorick steadily reached over and massaged my one boob while Haiden leaned down and pinched my chin, crashing his lips over mine.


    The next thing I know, both Yorick and Troy were sucking my breasts while Haiden had shifted to my legs.


    He adjusted between the two, pushing them to the side and lifted my dress, tossing it over himself while he was now in my dress and kissing my vagina from over my panties.


    I was bing breathless now. Troy and Yorick would bite onto my nipples before pulling them out and then freeing them.


    Haiden had pulled down my panties and started to tickle my pussy lips with his tongue.


    And then, someone else arrived.


    I opened my eyes to see Ian standing at the kitchen entrance, looking so shocked.


    I guess he never expected toe across us being in that situation.


    I expected him to turn around and leave, but instead, he began to walk over.

 Chapter 157-It Is Going To Be So Awkward

    <h4>Chapter 157: 157-It Is Going To Be So Awkward</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Now I was really stunned and wondering what he was about to do next. He reached my side and leaned down, his hand grabbing my neck very faintly, and then he crashed his lips against mine in a way that hitched my breath. Now my body was being touched and sucked by the Alphas, with all the gnomes standing around us watching with smiles and gossiping about everyone¡¯s actions.


    Ian¡¯s lips tasted so good that I began to hungrily suck them. And when he inserted his tongue into my mouth, I went crazy for it. But the moment Haiden¡¯s tongue tip prated my entrance, I gasped and moved my hand on the counter, identally hitting one of the gnomes. It fell off the counter, and then a loud crack pulled us all apart. I broke the kiss with Ian and gasped. Haiden swiftly came out from under my dress, looking shocked too. Everything had turned so silent and dull.


    The happy feelings from before were gone. I noticed my squadmates shaking their heads, like clearing their vision. I had quickly fixed my dress, and it did not escape my attention that I was standing in such apromised state with them. I quickly adjusted my panties and then my neckline. I just don¡¯t know. It was all hitting me at once. I suddenly realized that this was all fake, that we had been fooled by those ugly little things.


    Ugly? I asked myself as I looked at one of them. It was Toby. He did not look like Toby. His face was uglier, weird, creepy, scarier. Then I saw where Toby was looking, where all the genomes were looking. And it was at the broken pieces of one of them. I followed their gazes and looked down to see Tilly shattered in pieces. I realized what had happened. I had identally tripped her, and when she broke, all the hypnotism and the weird stuff they had filled in our heads started to fade.


    "My wife," Toby, let out a loud cry. The others started crying with him, the same dramatic, over-exaggerated cries that made me cover my ears. Their voices were so loud and harsh, almost like drilling holes through my ears.


    Then my eyes moved to the side, and my squadmates¡¯ eyes met mine. They looked as taken aback as I felt, probably because what happened was so inappropriate. I began to hyperventte, unable to hold full eye contact with them. But now that I was out of the trance, I realized what had happened. These things, these norms, were not friendly. They were as evil as they could be, and they used hypnotism to bring out the deepest, darkest desires in someone.


    It wasn¡¯t over yet. Soon the grieving gnomes stopped crying and turned to look at us. Toby took the lead.


    "You killed my wife," he grunted, hissing.


    "It¡ª-it was an ident," I stuttered, watching its eyes change color. All of them started to get these weird big pimples on their skin. Then their smiles turned creepy, more like frowns. They were not gnomes. They were something very ugly.


    "Well, then how about we identally hurt you, huh?" Toby hissed, the others standing behind him, making a little army, and clenching their fists.


    "Oh, fuck off!" Haiden grunted, kicking Toby. But the minute he did, Toby bit his leg as he clung on.


    "Ow!" Haiden grunted. He still managed to kick him off, but this time when hended, he didn¡¯t break down because he was no longer a ceramic piece of gnome. He was a fleshy thing.


    Once the earthquake started shaking the beautiful garden of gnomes, we realized we needed to get out of there. We didn¡¯t even know how many hours or days had passed. Every second felt so long. I was too stunned by what had happened here, everything from our arrival to being touched by everyone.


    Soon Haiden grabbed my hand, snapping me out of my thoughts.


    "We need to leave," he said, although he didn¡¯t make eye contact with me this time. Usually, he would speak directly to me rather than others, but this time he shifted his attention to them instead. I could only imagine why. He was probably embarrassed as well.


    It took me a while to snap out of my thoughts. While I did, I noticed Haiden holding my hand tightly. Then another gnome rushed forward, trying to lock the door. We didn¡¯t understand how powerful they could get. I mean, it had been pretty easy to get them out of the way before. But I guess they didn¡¯t want to fight one-on-one with us anyway. Their mission was to hypnotize us again.


    This time, the one stepping forward was Yen. He tried to climb on top of the shelf again to call out to anyone who looked at him for too long.


    "Listen to me. It¡¯s okay. Everything is fine." I noticed Yen beginning to change back into the ceramic thing. His fingers were shifting, and it hit me, they were trying to regain their ability to hypnotize.


    "We need to keep running and avoid making eye contact with them," Troy said, loud enough for all of us to hear. Even the gnomes heard him. Soon, Yen was back in its ugly state. I guessed that if we didn¡¯t give in to their powers, after one of them broke, they would remain as these ugly things.


    We didn¡¯t even know what else we were supposed to do. Where were we supposed to go? Once we were out of the house, I noticed the sky turning into an ugly purplish-brown mixture.


    "Come on, we know you don¡¯t want to leave. You want to wait, you want to enjoy every touch," I heard Toby say. My mind started to feel numb again. I wanted to get away from here because I knew what they were doing to me was not something I wanted.


    However, my steps began to slow down. Thankfully, Haiden was holding on to me, shaking me back to reality and reminding me that I didn¡¯t really want this.

 Chapter 158-Walk Of Shame

    <h4>Chapter 158: 158-Walk Of Shame</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The tiny creatures started attacking us from everywhere. At this point, we didn¡¯t have time to think about what happened, what we had done, or how we ended up in this mess. All we knew was that we needed to get out. The once perfectnd was crumbling. The gnomes had turned into goblins, and they looked ugly.


    I turned my head while running with Haiden, who held my hand tightly to keep me from falling behind. Then I saw their twisted faces. The one that had broken earlier had probably died, or whatever happened to it, I had no clue. But these couldn¡¯t be killed as easily. Or so I thought.


    One of them climbed onto my leg and I screamed, stopping in my tracks. Yorick rushed over, yanked it off me, mmed it to the ground, and stomped on it. The moment he did, it made a squeaky, awful sound, and gooey stuff spilled out of it. It was probably Bush.


    Then Billy screamed. I saw Billy¡¯s eyes filled with anger over Tilly¡¯s death. And then it was chaos. But now we knew how to kill them. Haiden lifted me by the waist and set me aside while the others stomped on the goblins. One jumped at me from ahead, but Ian shoved his arm in front of me, caught it, and hurled it to the ground before trying to crush it.


    Troy struggled with a few, jumping from one to another, but they wouldn¡¯t die right away. The same happened with Yorick, Haiden, and Ian. I had to join in too. For the next few minutes, we were busy squishing heads and killing them.


    When thest one died, the ground shook with the biggest earthquake yet. The ce that had cracked with just one goblin¡¯s death was now copsingpletely. And we understood why. It was the gnome¡¯s garden, and once the gnomes died, the garden couldn¡¯t exist.


    "Oh shit!" Ian grunted, pointing toward the mountains. They were copsing onto thend.


    "We need to get out of here!" Troy yelled.


    "But where?" Haiden shouted back.


    "Do you hear that?" I turned my head as a familiar sound hit my ears, the choo-choo of our train. Just as expected, the train somehow knew we had finished the mission.


    "Come on, we need to find it. We need¡ª" Haiden stopped, remembering we had to return to the ce we came from.


    We ran back, dodging bricks and falling walls. Huge stones from the mountains would have crushed us if we hadn¡¯t been alert. Still, I noticed they kept me in the middle to protect me.


    Finally, we saw the train. It stopped, and the doors slid open.


    "Come on!" Yorick shouted, charging ahead.


    But then I stepped on a rock and twisted my ankle. I fell, and Ian, who was right behind me, scooped me up before the others could even panic. Tossing me over his shoulder, he sprinted forward. From there, I saw the disaster behind us. Souls poured out of the houses, and it hit me, we were on a mission. This was an affected area of the North.


    Ian leapt, and wended inside the train. The doors shut, but before it could move, a huge rock came crashing toward our carriage.


    We all screamed in unison, Ian and I covering our eyes against the iing rocks while Haiden and Yorick hit the ground behind us. Troy stood by the door, staring outside with nothing but worry in his eyes.


    As soon as the rocks neared the window and we shut our eyes, the train lurched forward. Suddenly there was no impact. We stopped screaming and took deep breaths. Slowly, we looked around and began getting up from the floor. Troy stepped closer and offered me his hand. I took it, then noticed the look on everyone¡¯s faces.


    We paced anxiously in the small carriage, but I had to stop. Everything came rushing back¡ªthe garden of gnomes, what we did, every little action, every touch. Hugging myself, I walked over and sat down at the table, still wearing their clothes, which only made things more awkward.


    "That was weird," Yorick muttered, not even looking at me.


    Everyone kept their eyes down in shame, and I, more than anyone, felt the worst. "I don¡¯t know how it happened," I whispered after clearing my throat, but no more words came out.


    It was the most awkward twenty-minute train ride. Finally, we reached the station. The doors opened, and I stepped up with the others. My squadmates faced the exit too. Outside stood the ringleaders, the headmaster, and the lurkers.


    I drew a deep breath. We were in trouble.


    "Squad ck," the headmaster grunted, his presence even stranger in all ck with a wide round hat and a mask covering his face.


    He had his hands tied behind his back, and since we couldn¡¯t see his facial expressions, all we focused on was the tone of his voice. It was harsher than usual. With the ringleaders behind him, we could already guess they were all angry and disappointed in us.


    Miss Rue kept her head bowed so low we could barely see her face. Ms. Lenora stood with her arms crossed, a frown carved on her forehead. And Mr. Rick, he was the only one smiling, hands tucked in his pockets.


    "You are all under arrest for breaking the rule," the headmaster announced. Our bodies tensed.


    The lurkers stepped inside with silver handcuffs. I don¡¯t ever remember feeling so guilty, not just because we broke a rule and were getting arrested, but because of what happened in the North. They came straight toward us. Ian lifted his hands on his own, letting them cuff him, while the others stood in front of me as they were chained too.


    I gently tapped Haiden¡¯s shoulder to let him know I deserved to be arrested as well if they were. The lurkers came over and locked my hands behind my back.


    Now we were about to take the walk of shame, and for me, it truly was. All the squad, the ones still alive, stood and stared as we passed.

 Chapter 159-Land Of Lust

    <h4>Chapter 159: 159-Land Of Lust</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "So, we will ask you the same questions we¡¯re asking your squadmates, and we expect an honest response." Mr. Rick sat down in the chair.


    We had all been taken to small prison-like interrogation rooms, but they were less suffocating than you¡¯d expect. Each was just a small square room with one table in the center, a chair for me, and three chairs for the ringleaders across from me, right in front of the door. So I was basically facing the door.


    "We will start from the beginning. What were you doing at the train station?" he asked, tapping his fingers on the table. I was sure he knew it was making me anxious.


    "We were taking a walk and then we arrived¡ª" I stopped when he started shaking his head.


    "I told you I only need the truth. This is not how the statement with your squadmate started. They said something different."


    I took a deep breath. We hadn¡¯t even thought we¡¯d get arrested when we arrived. We should have known better, since they always take us straight in to submit statements. Why did we think this time would be different? Or maybe we were just too stunned to think clearly.


    "Well, if you already asked them, why do you need to ask me?" I muttered, sounding defensive.


    Next to him sat ringleader Anna and ringleader Lenora. They didn¡¯t let Miss Rue join them.


    "Clementine, I hope you realize you can¡¯t be sassy with us. Not after the shit you¡¯ve been caught doing," Anna said, folding her arms on the table.


    "Well, we were curious, so we went to see what was up with the train," I answered without hesitation, because we hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. We didn¡¯t trust them, that¡¯s why.


    "And don¡¯t you think it¡¯s breaking the rule?" Mr. Rick pressed.


    I smiled. "I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t remember that rule ever being mentioned."


    My words made them exchange a nce, at least Anna and Leonora did, while Rick only tightened his fist.


    "Please tell me, where does it say we¡¯re not supposed to go anywhere under the barbed wires?" I asked. I noticed Mr. Rick had no answer. They were just trying to fool us with big words, thinking we¡¯d never question the validity of their statements.


    "With that being said, the train stationes under the barbed wires. We are allowed to go there, aren¡¯t we? Now, it¡¯s not our fault we took routes where none of the lurkers spotted us. Do you expect us to go look for them and say, hey, we¡¯re moving there? That¡¯s not our job. It¡¯s their job to spot us," I said, forcing myself to regain confidence after being down for so long.


    But just because I was traumatized by what happened in the North didn¡¯t mean I should let these ringleaders get away with the shitty things they do, then punish us for something we didn¡¯t even do wrong.


    "Clever you are," Mr. Rick remarked.


    I shrugged and smirked, not realizing it wasn¡¯t over yet.


    "So, how about you start telling us what happened there? That is part of the rule, isn¡¯t it? Whenever you¡¯re in the North, youe back and let us know. Because there¡¯s no way you stayed there for four days without facing any monsters. So we want to know. Every monster or infected area you hade across. We want to hear about it," Mr. Rick said, opening his notebook.


    I started to feel strange. Four days? It only felt like a day to us.


    "Come on, start with the monster you came across," he pressed.


    I took a deep breath, wondering what my squadmates had already told them. "We came across a tiny vige," I said.


    "Be specific. What¡¯s the name of the vige?" he pushed, making me inhale deeply again.


    "What did my squadmates say?" I asked instead.


    Anna smirked and shook her head. "Why do you want to straighten your story? Why would you do that? Did you note across a monster? And if you did, why are you trying to hide it? Don¡¯t tell us four days there already turned you to the side of the monsters." Her words felt like peer pressure digging at me.


    "Clementine, you will not be filled with what your squadmates said. Stop wasting our time and tell us," Mr. Rick demanded.


    "We were at the gnomes¡¯ garden," I admitted. As soon as I said it, he started shaking his head.


    Anna¡¯s eyes widened, and even Lenora¡¯s face showed she knew something about it. I did not like their expressions


    "And your expression tells me you know something about it," I added.


    Mr. Rick tapped his finger on the page, then suddenly startedughing. The other two looked ufortable with the way heughed.


    "Oh, so you were in thend full of lust?" he said. My heart skipped beats. So that¡¯s what it was?


    He must have noticed my reaction because he added, "I mean the lust hidden inside someone, the one thates out in thatnd. Usually, people don¡¯t survive there. They get consumed by it. A few came back, but they admitted to doing things before realizing what was happening to them. So, Miss Clementine, what happened there?" His smirk was nasty.


    I took another deep breath, gulping, looking around for water. They didn¡¯t offer us anything.


    "We did nothing," I lied, staring him straight in the eye.


    "Well, your squadmates¡ª" Anna began, but I cut her off, pointing at her.


    "My squadmates must have said the same thing, because nothing happened. Nothing."


    I don¡¯t know what came over me, but my confidence in them was so strong I refused to believe they¡¯d told him otherwise. And the look on Mr. Rick¡¯s face confirmed it. He rolled his eyes, exhausted, then put his pen back down.


    "How did you guyse back?" he demanded.


    "We killed them all." As soon as I said that, he straightened his back, looking almost excited and impressed.

 Chapter 160-And The Bullying Starts

    <h4>Chapter 160: 160-And The Bullying Starts</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    So, for the next few minutes, I told them all about the gnomes, their names, the houses, the setting, everything. I also exined why I was in a new dress, though I left out the intimate stuff I didn¡¯t even want to say to myself. Then I told them how we killed the gnomes, and how their world crumbled after.


    Once it was all out, I watched Mr. Rick close his diary and stretch his neck back. "Although I don¡¯t believe you when you say nothing happened there, because it¡¯s inevitable, we have no proof, so we¡¯ll let it slide. You did clear out a big chunk of the North, you know that?"


    He mentioned the gnome garden, and all I could do was frown. It seemed like such a small area, what did he mean by a good chunk of the North?


    "That garden was nowhere near the smallest area. But that didn¡¯t mean they were the deadliest monsters, only the nastiest ones." A smirk spread across his face when he said that.


    "But I must say, I did remind you not to mess with me. Next time you climb onto that train, who knows where it will take you."


    Those words froze me. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was saying our luck messed us up after we¡¯d been rude to him, or if he was personally involved. I wasn¡¯t sure, so I just kept watching his face. Then he fixed his cor.


    "And since you didn¡¯t break the rule, and you also killed a monster, we¡¯ll let you go." He pointed at the door and stood up. The others followed him.


    "I¡¯m free to go?" I asked.


    He only nodded.


    "What about my squadmates?"


    As soon as I mentioned them, Mr. Rick¡¯s nasty look returned. It was like he wanted to say he knew we had done more than just y monsters.


    "They are free. They¡¯ll be released in the evening. But you may leave now. Go change into your own clothes and leave the North clothes outside your dorm," Lenora instructed.


    I remembered how they had stolen our weapons too. I began to walk out of the prison, where a lurker waited to escort me to one of the cars. Still, I couldn¡¯t help ncing at the other interrogation rooms, all ck from the outside. I wondered what was happening inside, why they weren¡¯t setting them free immediately.


    I sat in the car, and they drove me back to the academy.


    As soon as I got out of the car, I looked around. The only people I saw in front of the main hall were the white squad members. When they noticed me approaching, I watched them start walking toward me. I didn¡¯t want to deal with anyone at that moment.


    "So, I heard you guys were at the gnomes¡¯ garden," Suki said, trying to be messy as she walked beside me. I didn¡¯t know the news spread so fast.


    "Can you please just leave me alone?" I snapped, and her squadmates startedughing and giggling.


    "Well, it was all of you, right? And you were the only woman. How did you manage it?" Joshua asked, making me clench my fist.


    "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about," I hissed. I noticed Jack wink at Joshua, trying to egg him on, make himment more.


    "I mean, we all know what the gnomes¡¯ garden is about. At least we do now. And you know, it¡¯s all about a person¡¯s lusting out. Surely it does. And for you, it must have been¡ª odd. I mean, we know you¡¯re mates with Haiden. But we¡¯ve seen you get intimate¡ª a little too flirtatious with Troy and Yorick as well. So how was it? Was it like a gangbang kind of thing?" Joshua mocked, shutting himself up like he¡¯d said enough.


    Others startedughing with him.


    "It must have been all of them with her," Jack said, already starting a rumor.


    "I said, nothing happened. Now step out of my way." As soon as I said that and turned, I saw Suki still trying to block me. Her squadmates did the same. They circled me.


    "Oh,e on, we know what happened. Tell us, share it with us. Did they touch you here?" Joshua pointed at my thigh. I pped his hand and quickly spun around, but they kept moving in circles. Their arms were around each other¡¯s shoulders, forming a closed ring.


    "Fucking get out of my way!" I screamed, pushing one of them. They quickly broke the circle to avoid my touch, then re-formed it.


    "No, he must have touched her there," Jack said, pointing at my chest. I had already pped his hand away.


    "Or maybe everywhere," Suki whispered sneakily.


    "You know what, how about we tell everyone she¡¯s been shared by all her squadmates?" Joshua added with a nasty smirk.


    "Oh my goddess, that would be so nasty," Suki said, and finally, they stopped.


    "Hey, leave her alone."


    I heard Oriana arrive. I couldn¡¯t believe she came at the perfect moment. She quickly broke the circle, Jack¡¯s arms came off Joshua, and stepped closer to me, holding my hand.


    "She yed a monster and cleared a good chunk of the North. How about you guys be grateful instead of acting scummy?" she hissed. Joshua raised his brow and measured her up and down.


    "This red chick talks a lot, doesn¡¯t she?" Jack muttered to Joshua, who only nodded.


    The silent stares they gave her were ufortable, even for me. If it were me, I¡¯d be wondering what they were nning. But Oriana didn¡¯t care. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed them.


    "Go clean the hall. Somebody spilled coffee everywhere," she ordered.


    The white squad hissed and grunted, already knowing who had done it.


    "You will pay for this," Joshua said to Oriana.


    She shrugged. "My daddy has enough money to pay for anything. Make a bill, send it to me on my father¡¯s phone. Go ahead." She pped her hands.


    Suki had onest jab. "Well, if you¡¯re such a daddy¡¯s princess, you wouldn¡¯t be here, would you?"


    She walked away, and I noticed Oriana looked slightly sad before shrugging.


    "Anyway, let¡¯s get you out of these clothes. We have to send them to the white squad to clean."


    Oriana put me at ease. She walked me to my room so I could change, then took the clothes to the white squad. I sat on the bed, wondering when my squadmates would arrive.


    One by one, my squadmates arrived in fresh clothes. I guess that¡¯s why it took so long, they had to change right there in the interrogation rooms.

 Chapter 161-Awkward Talk With One Of Them

    <h4>Chapter 161: 161-Awkward Talk With One Of Them</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    It was so weird that none of us could even catch up. We just sat silently in our beds while they went one by one to the restroom. Once all of them were back, their hair wet, Haiden spoke first.


    "We shouldn¡¯t feel this way. I mean, it¡¯s pretty normal. Men have had too many mates over the years. So why are you upset?"


    He didn¡¯t say it directly, but he was trying to ease my mind about getting intimate with all of them in the North.


    "Haiden is right, it wasn¡¯t a bad thing. Just because the ringleadersbeled it didn¡¯t make it wrong." Troy tried tofort me too, making me feel at ease.


    "But why the heck was Ian involved?" Suddenly, Yorick shifted the attention to Ian, and I shot my head up.


    Ian, who usually looked confident, suddenly looked away. His hands clenched the edge of the bed, a visible frown on his forehead.


    "Yeah, the lust works when there¡¯s already some spark. So how did he end up getting involved?" Troy reminded us of the gnomes¡¯ rules.


    "If that¡¯s the case, then why were you involved?" Haiden asked, pointing at Troy, who squirmed in his seat.


    "Well, you already know," Troy said, taking a deep breath. "I used to have a crush on Clementine. I mean, I still do."


    He said it outright, and everyone grunted. Ian didn¡¯t move at all.


    "Wait, wait, wait. Why are you asking me this?" I hissed. "Does that mean she had urges for me?" Troy brought it up, and all eyesnded on me again. I sighed and shrugged.


    "No, I don¡¯t have feelings for any of you," I said, knowing what wasing next. When I turned to Ian, his face was turned to the side, but he was side-eyeing me. Why had I let him touch me? I didn¡¯t even know I had such weird desires.


    Silence struck for a moment.


    "It¡¯s getting too weird. Instead of looking for answers, how about we agree never to speak of it again?" Thankfully, Troy noticed I would¡¯ve died if they kept questioning me.


    "Of course you¡¯d wonder. You¡¯re just happy you got to be intimate with her, even when you and Ian have no right to. She¡¯s not your mate, she¡¯s our mate," Yorick said, causing me to cover my face with my hands.


    "Look at what you¡¯re doing. Is this what a mate does?" Troy added, using it against them.


    "Let¡¯s not talk about it," Haiden said, on board with the idea. I didn¡¯t want to either, even though the same question lingered in my mind, why did Ian get involved?


    I remembered when I first saw him, I thought he was handsome. But he always said I wasn¡¯t up to his mark, expectations, or type. So why did he get involved?


    "Don¡¯t worry, Clementine, I got you," Troy whispered from his bed, which made Yorick and Haiden look at each other before turning back to Troy, frowning with their eyebrows pressed together.


    "Hey, hey, don¡¯t act like you care for her more than we do," Yorick snapped. And then the cycle started again, until I justy down in bed and turned my face to the other side, grunting angrily.


    "Look what you guys did now," Yorick muttered, letting the two grunt at him.


    I hated how things had turned out. This was why I didn¡¯t want to start anything with them. They were all alphas, and alphas don¡¯t want to lose sight of their mates. That much I knew, because even I felt the same. But since there were still so many questions about why Ian wanted to get intimate with me, I figured it was better not to be bothered by what happened in the North. So I fell asleep.


    I heard them argue about random things, basic things like who was drinking from whose bottle. I guess it was their way of letting the anger out without saying what was really bothering them. After a while, they went silent, and I could tell they had fallen asleep, thankfully. We didn¡¯t wake up for dinner either.


    I did wake up at some time at the loud banging against the windows, and I figured it was the storm.


    But then, around 11 p.m., when the storm got worse, I woke up. I jolted awake, opened my eyes, and looked outside the window. It was just the trees and heavy wind making those scary noises.


    Slowly, I turned to look at all my squadmates. They were asleep except for Ian. He almost made me gasp in shock and fear. He was sitting up in his bed, staring at me.


    "You scared me," I whispered as low as I could. I didn¡¯t want the others to wake up, because the minute they did, they would start arguing like spoiled kids.


    "I need to speak with you," Ian murmured. With that, he slid off his bed and walked out of the room. Before leaving, he casually grabbed his sweater from the hanger and tossed it over to me.


    I didn¡¯t know why he did that. I had my own sweaters and jackets now. But since he gave it, I stupidly put it on. It was so oversized on me. He was tall and broad, and I looked like an ant in elephant¡¯s clothes.


    I walked out of the room, fumbling with the sweater, pushing the sleeves up again and again. I didn¡¯t even realize he was still there. I thought he would be waiting at our usual spot. I only noticed him when he suddenly grabbed my hand and started rolling the sleeves up for me.


    The sleeves puffed up so much that it was hard to move my arms. Once he rolled them enough to leave only my hands visible, he pulled back and shoved his hands in his pockets.


    "Are we going to our spot?" I asked. He shook his head.


    "Okay," I muttered, awkwardly looking around instead of into his eyes. I could tell he was bothered, but that didn¡¯t stop him from staring straight at me.


    "I broke things off with my girlfriend," he began. I gulped, remembering that incident in the North where the Medusa pretended to be his girlfriend, and he called her his ex.

 Chapter 162-The Gunshots

    <h4>Chapter 162: 162-The Gunshots</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Yeah, I figured. Is that what happenedst time when you were on call with her?" I asked, bringing up another time when he took me to make a call to his pack.


    "No," he said. "Not really. It was just thest straw after she asked me to give her a chance."


    Since Ian wasn¡¯t a very talkative person, I could see why it was hard for him to find the right words.


    "Why did you break things off with her? Is it because you can¡¯t be with her and live a normal life now that you¡¯re here?" I tried to help him open up, like I always did. I didn¡¯t want him to feel like I wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    But the way he shook his head and pressed his lips into a straight line told me it was more than that.


    "I caught her sleeping with my brotherst time I visited," he said bluntly. "The first time I went back to my pack after being forced into the academy."


    I didn¡¯t even know how to respond. It¡¯s already bad when your lover cheats on you, but for it to be with your own brother? I just kept staring at his face.


    "It¡¯s okay. I wasn¡¯t a very nice boyfriend either," he said with augh. Even thatugh felt heartbreakingly strange.


    "Why? Did you cheat on her?" I asked.


    He shook his head. "No, I would never. I¡¯m not a cheater," he muttered.


    "Well, then you¡¯re not a terrible boyfriend, trust me. Unless you abused her," I said, trying to keep the silence from getting too heavy so he wouldn¡¯t feel alone.


    "I never abused her either," he replied.


    I didn¡¯t understand how he could call himself a bad boyfriend then. That is, until he added, "I was kind of getting distracted by someone else. I didn¡¯t act on it, but it made me feel terrible too." He looked around, then spared me one quick nce.


    It was so brief, but it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.


    "It¡¯s not the same as cheating if you didn¡¯t act on it," I said, clearing my throat before deciding to ask, "May I know who that person is you were getting distracted with?"


    I didn¡¯t know why I asked, but it felt like I needed to. And I was right, because the second I asked, I saw how ufortable he looked. He muttered, clearing his throat.


    "It¡¯s you," he said under his breath, making me narrow my eyes before the words sank in. I tried my best not to gasp.


    "Oh," I whispered, clenching my fists around the edges of the sweater. "That is bad." I tried to joke, but no oneughed. He didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t.


    "When I first saw you, I was shocked that someone could be this beautiful. But I never nned to cheat. I just knew you were different. I never intended to act on it. So I tried to be meaner to you, because that made it easier to hold on to my urges."


    I noticed his body tense up at the confession.


    "That¡¯s why whatever happened in the North happened. I was never going to say it because I figured you had your own problems. Too many suitors. And obviously, I¡¯m not the type to be anyone¡¯s boyfriend." He looked down, rubbing the bridge of his nose.


    "Anyway, it shouldn¡¯t change anything between us. That was just my thought process. I looked at you and thought you were cute, you were beautiful. That¡¯s it. Other than that, nothing should ever happen between us again."


    I didn¡¯t know why he had to turn so harsh at the end. But I guess it helped. It would bring us back to normal with each other. Because he was right. I had two mates. One best friend I used to have a crush on, who still admitted he had a crush on me. Yet so much had happened that we couldn¡¯t be together, even if we wanted to. So I didn¡¯t want another guy added to the list.


    But it still made me feel weird. I didn¡¯t want to tell him that, or even admit it to myself. But it made me feel ¡ª


    "Special?" "Mint-asked, snickering.


    I didn¡¯t respond to her and kept staring at Ian.


    "You¡¯re right. Nothing will ever happen. We should forget about what happened in the North," I agreed, and I noticed he began to nod. Almost like he hadn¡¯t expected me to say that.


    I didn¡¯t understand. Did he want me to convince him there was a chance? Or what was going on? Or maybe I was just overthinking.


    We stood there awkwardly. And then everything went silent, just for a split second.


    No noise, nothing. Even the storm stopped before one gunshot stole our attention. My eyes opened and I gasped, but my body was still numb. We rushed into our dorm room just to see the others were waking up. Then another gunshot. I jumped up in bed, watching my squadmates get up as well.


    None of them had their shirts on, so they started quickly looking for them. Troy didn¡¯t care. He rushed ahead toward the exit door without a shirt. I followed him, with the othersing behind us. Yorick slipped into a sweater, while Haiden was putting on a white t-shirt.


    Once we were all outside our room, the weather hit me again. It was so fucking bad. Windy, dusty, chaotic. Then another gunshot. We shared a look. We couldn¡¯t even tell where it came from because the noise was so loud and the wind was suppressing the direction. We ran toward the main hall. While doing so, we saw the red squad doing the same. We sprinted like our lives depended on it.


    After a while, we saw the white squad meeting at the entrance of the hall from their passage. The passage got extremely narrow near the hall, and we stormed inside from our door, stopping to look around, watching the ringleaders rush upstairs. But Mr. Rick and Mr. Brian were absent. It was only the threedies here. The other squads had also arrived, except one.


    "Where is the green squad?" I asked, eyes widening. The looks on Miss Lenora and Miss Rue¡¯s faces told me something bad had happened.

 Chapter 163-Wiped Out

    <h4>Chapter 163: 163-Wiped Out</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We looked toward the green squad¡¯s door from the hall and saw that Mr. Brian and Mr. Rick were right at the exit, just leaving.


    "Come on, what are you waiting for?" Mr. Rick yelled at the other ringleaders. It was pretty clear to us that he and Mr. Brian had run faster than thedies, so they were about to leave but were waiting for them to catch up.


    "Did something happen?" Oriana asked, her face pale.


    "What was the gunshot about?" someone from the blue squad questioned.


    There were no answers. Everyone was panicking while the ringleaders started to leave, joining Mr. Rick and Mr. Brian.


    "You guys stay behind. Nobodyes out. Let us deal with it first and see if everything is fine," Ms. Lenora warned, keeping us from stepping forward.


    As she rushed out, I saw Ian and Haiden trying to follow, but suddenly lurkers appeared with guns in their hands, almost as if reminding us we were supposed to obey the rules. We had no choice but to stay behind.


    Now we were just anxiously waiting for the arrival of the ringleader so they could tell us what exactly happened. What had turned things so scary? The storm just got worse.


    "Why don¡¯t you sit down," Troy asked as he came over to me. He had probably noticed how anxiously I¡¯d been rubbing my palms until my knuckles turned red.


    "I¡¯m fine," I said, though I felt a lot dizzier than before. I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but I had a very bad feeling.


    "Come on, sit down." Troy held my hand and made me sit.


    Somehow my eyes moved to the white squad. I didn¡¯t know why I was getting so self-conscious, but I noticed them staring at me, then scoffing and looking away like they were judging. Troy followed my gaze and then looked at them.


    "Don¡¯t worry about them. The more you give in to that, the more you¡¯ll feel trapped. Don¡¯t let them embarrass you," Troy whispered, rubbing my hands between his.


    This was the first time in so long that we spoke like this, without any animosity. At least not from my side, maybe because I was too stunned and wanted to focus on what was happening instead of my own problems. But it didn¡¯t change the fact that I was scared. I was scared for the green squad. Had the lurkers gotten angry at them? Were they trying something and got caught? I didn¡¯t know.


    "Clementine, please calm down," Troy said, staring into my eyes.


    I noticed Haiden and Yorick pull closer, whispering to each other. I guessed because Troy had already taken the ce in front of me, kneeling and holding my hands, they couldn¡¯te closer. Maybe they thought the others would mock them, and I wouldn¡¯t befortable with it. That was true, at least for now. I didn¡¯t want any attention on us.


    And then the ringleaders began to arrive back. I instantly straightened, standing with my squadmates.


    "Everybody, take your ces, please," Mr. Rick announced, his voice low.


    But it was Mr. Brian¡¯s face that told me the news wasn¡¯t good. He looked like he wasn¡¯t even in his senses. I could feel the anxiety radiating from him, and I bet I wasn¡¯t the only one. Others were staring at Mr. Brian too.


    "We have to announce with the deepest regret that a whole squad has been wiped out of the academy," Mr. Rick said, using the most unhinged words.


    Everybody began to panic, staring anxiously into each other¡¯s eyes, then looking back at their ringleaders for more exnation, while my breath hitched.


    "A very sad event happened," Mr. Rick continued as he wrapped his arm around Brian, who sighed and lowered his head. "The green squad is sadly no longer with us."


    And then Mr. Rick repeated it, this time with more rity.


    "What?" Haiden grunted, shocked. "How is it possible?"


    As Haiden kept asking, Mr. Rick continued exining.


    "The green squad had been heavily involved in trying to figure out what the academy was about, what the North was about. These were questions that didn¡¯t need to be dwelt upon. There are no secrets, no mysteries. The North was invaded by monsters that grew, and their poison, their negativity, started to bring other monsters back alive. A few wealthy alphas then decided to start an academy, just to stop it, to stop the monsters from spreading across the world and taking over everything. That is what the academy stands for. Of course, there are things you don¡¯t need to know, just like in schools where principals never tell their students everything, or the meetings teachers have. That¡¯s all there is to the mystery. But the green squad didn¡¯t believe it. I guess they were following someone¡¯s footsteps."


    Mr. Rick paused, ncing toward our squad, and all eyes turned to us. I noticed the looks on their faces. Most seemed upset with us, except Oriana and Jessie, who looked worried for us. Then they turned back to Mr. Rick as he continued.


    "And sadly, it got to them," Mr. Rick finished, before Miss Lenora took over.


    "The green squad had been acting strangely ever since they returned from the North the first time. Omegas are the weakest in our hierarchy. But they also have the strongest will to survive, because they know their strength is limited. They try their best to live. But in the green squad¡¯s case, it was different. They didn¡¯t want to go back to the North. They scared themselves too much when they starteding up with conspiracies."


    Ms. Lenora paused, ncing at Mr. Brian to take over.


    "In simple words, when you are in the North, you¡¯re supposed to worry about it, try to figure out how to fight a monster, how to win. But once you return, you¡¯re not supposed to think too much about the North. You¡¯re not supposed to bring its worries back to the maind, especially not any weapon you carry with you," Mister Brian took a deep breath.


    "With that being said, Bodhi had stolen one of the weapons from the office earlier, the weapons the ck Squad brought with them. Bodhi not only stole them, but he also refused to hand them over. And then, sadly, the madness got to him, the madness of the North, and he ended up killing two of his squadmates and then himself," he continued and I felt my heart losing its beats.

 Chapter 164-Scandalous

    <h4>Chapter 164: 164-Scandalous</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    As Mr. Brian announced thest part, we all gasped, and our squad lost it. We rushed toward the hall to go see the scene. There was no way Bodhi would do it. He seemed so sweet and so normal, but he was anxious, I remembered.


    And then I heard the other squadmates running after us, heading to the Green Squad¡¯s dorm room.


    We arrived at the room full of blood. It looked like a bloodbath had taken ce here. Three bodiesy on the ground. Two were on the bed, while one was right beside them, holding a gun we recognized from the north. That was the only gun we found from the man¡¯s pocket who we bought with us. Other than that, there were some daggers, knives, and swords. Each of them had one gunshot wound to the head before thest one shot himself in the temple.


    I began to lose my footing, and Haiden wrapped his arm around my waist to steady me. Joshua quickly hugged Suki, keeping her head and face away from the sight. The blue squad, I could already tell, was failing topose themselves as well. Then silence filled the room before Oriana started crying.


    "This is so scary." She was right. It was scary.


    "I cannot," she muttered, turning around and running out. She was the first to leave. Then the two girls and one boy from the blue squad sprinted out crying. Jessie and Mathias left, and then the white squad followed. We turned to leave too, but Ian stayed behind.


    "Ian,e on," Yorick urged as we noticed the ringleaders arrive. Haiden was still holding me close, not letting me look back at the scene.


    "He had a diary," Ian said and Yorick grunted.


    "Dude,e on, they¡¯re dead. Let¡¯s not think about it right now. Did you not hear what the ringleader said?"


    Yorick reminded him that it all happened because we got too consumed by the mysteries. Looking at the other teams, they were doing fine. We tried to find answers, and what happened? We ended up in the north and came back with our heads down in shame. We could not even tell anyone what exactly happened there. Then there was the green squad. They got too involved as well, and look what happened to them. So I didn¡¯t argue with Yorick. At the same time, the ringleaders hade to clean the scene.


    "We will be sending their bodies to their packs. However, there will be different approaches from now on, since an entire squad is gone," Mr. Rick announced, gesturing for us to leave.


    Reluctantly, Ian had to leave because Troy grabbed his arm and pulled him out. Once we were in the passage, we noticed the white squad slowing down.


    "Are you guys happy now?" Jack hissed.


    "I remember how condescending they were when one of our girls made a mistake and killed someone," Suki remarked in her usual sassy tone, referring to Mnie¡¯s death as an ident.


    "It was not an ident," Ian muttered with a shrug.


    "You don¡¯t even look a bit guilty," Joshua shot back.


    Ian stopped, and we had to stop with him. "Because I¡¯m not guilty. I feel bad for them, but I¡¯m not guilty. We didn¡¯t do anything wrong. In fact, it was the ringleaders¡¯ fault. If they had taken care of the weapons, the green squad would still be alive. The weapons weren¡¯t stolen from us, they were stolen from the ringleader¡¯s care."


    His words made the white squad gasp, while Joshua kept staring him in the eye.


    "Now we know what¡¯s going on, and which squad is behind all the trouble," Yash said, of course siding with his white squad. He looked at the blue squad, and they were staring at us with the same judgmental eyes.


    "A whole squad is gone, but they aren¡¯t even guilty. Even when the ringleader said it was their fault," Joshua said, looking at the blue squad and the red one.


    "And let¡¯s not forget they were in the gnomes¡¯ garden. Do you know what happens there? They probably did it together and came back shamelessly confident," Suki snapped, making everyone gasp and cover their mouths.


    "Is it true? Did you guys do it?" one of the girls from the blue squad asked, ignoring the fact that something far worse had just happened.


    "What is going on here?" the ringleader of the white squad demanded as the lurkers went into the room to clean and take care of the dead bodies.


    "Sir, aren¡¯t there strict rules for those who go beyond decency? We know Clementine is mated to Haiden, but we¡¯ve seen her kiss Troy and get too emotionally attached to Yorick and Ian. And we don¡¯t even know what happened in the gnomes¡¯ world. But there¡¯s no way they came out untouched, unharmed by the lust. So why aren¡¯t they punished for these kinds of crimes?"


    Jack took the stand, making us stare at each other before looking at him in disbelief. Three of the crusaders were dead, and yet they were focusing on us.


    "Yeah, I¡¯ve been worrying about that myself. It¡¯s hical for one girl to be involved with so many," Mr. Rick said, shocking us. I noticed my squad mates¡¯ muscles tense up. Of course, I knew they wouldn¡¯t let the ringleaders punish me. At least, they would put up some fight. But by the end of the day, my character, along with theirs, would be scarred.


    We had forgotten someone existed who didn¡¯t know when to speak up, and sometimes that worked in our favor.


    "If that¡¯s the case, then you better punish Suki," Oriana said, one arm folded over her chest, the elbow resting on the fist of that hand, while her other hand bent to point at Suki.


    Suki, who was hugging and standing right next to Joshua, had no clue a finger would soon be pointed at her.


    "I¡¯m not doing anything immoral. I came here with my mate, and I¡¯m sticking with him. Since we were together beforeing here, I don¡¯t think we did anything wrong. We wouldn¡¯t have asked Clementine to be shamed, she stayed with her mate only."


    Suki tried to sound understanding, making it seem like we just had to ept punishment. There was no animosity, only that we broke the rules.


    "Oh really? So you¡¯re telling me you¡¯re not fucking Jack on the side?"


    Then Oriana stole the ground from under everyone, but yanking it right from Joshua.

 Chapter 165-Merging

    <h4>Chapter 165: 165-Merging</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The way Joshua stepped back just to look at Suki and then at Jack on his left was the highlight of the day. We were no longer the center of attention.


    "What are they saying, Suki?" Mr. Rick asked, his jaw clenched.


    "I¡¯m pretty sure you heard it loud and clear."


    Then Miss Rue arrived and finally took a stand for us. The way she faced Mr. Rick, now that should be the highlight.


    Yorick ced his hand on my waist and pulled me away to stand on the side, diverting all attention to the White Squad.


    "They are lying," Suki said.


    "Babe, there¡¯s no way," she then turned to Joshua. "Just because they see me being friendly with Jack, they are using me of bulshit? We¡¯ve been friends since we were kids." Suki¡¯s voice held so much confidence, not once did she stutter.


    "Right, we¡¯ve been friends a long time. Of course, she¡¯s friendly with him." Joshua instantly nodded,ing for her defense.


    I noticed a little gulp run down Jack¡¯s throat. I had caught them too, but of course, I stayed silent.


    "That¡¯s not true. If by friendly you mean putting his charging device in her portal, sure," Oriana mumbled. The others behind herughed at her choice of words.


    The fact that everyone forgot about the Green Squad so quickly shook me to my core.


    "Miss Oriana, you need to choose your words wisely," Mr. Rick warned. Miss Lenora squeezed past everyone and stood beside Oriana.


    "I think she did. She could have used far worse words," Miss Lenora said. Oriana started to smirk.


    "Actually, you said you have cameras everywhere. So you definitely have cameras near the kitchen. That¡¯s where I caught them sneaking in and fucking each other behind Joshua¡¯s and everyone¡¯s back. So while we¡¯re talking about immorality, let¡¯s focus on the ones we know did something wrong. And don¡¯t use Clementine as she¡¯s single, and there¡¯s no proof she did anything wrong," Oriana stated.


    I stared at her with a small, broken smile of appreciation. I would never have been able to prove I saw Jack and Suki together, and I wouldn¡¯t have said it out of guilt for what would happen to them. Even when Oriana looked like the viin to some ringleaders and the White Squad, she was a hero to everyone else.


    When Oriana spoke with such certainty, Suki¡¯s eyes widened. She turned to Jack, who looked like he had met his death. The one person standing between them noticed it.


    "Well, we¡¯ll look into this matter and deal with it. For now, everyone should return to their rooms. Three lives were lost, so let¡¯s not divert attention from the main subject," Mr. Rick said.


    Now that Mr. Rick¡¯s squad was under scrutiny again, he remembered it wasn¡¯t fair to shift attention from the deaths to a scandalous topic.


    "Right, now that your squad is under attack, suddenly you remember the rules, Mr. Rick?" Miss Rue said, folding her arms.


    "Of course, he always does that," Ms. Lenora sided with her. I didn¡¯t understand how the ringleaders suddenly turned against each other. Mr. Brian and Ms. Anna didn¡¯t look very confident anymore.


    "We¡¯ll talk about it. Let¡¯s just finish for now. We have to deal with the dead bodies, face the headmaster, and prepare a report," Mr. Rick said firmly, not letting anyone hold him ountable.


    With that, we were all sent back to our rooms with broken hearts and so many questions in our minds.


    We returned to our dorm room feeling very low. For the next two hours, we tried tofort each other. Ian kept reminding us that the Green Squad¡¯s deaths had nothing to do with us.


    Still, we wondered if what the ringleader said about the North, about there being no mysteries and the ones paying too much attention not dying, was true. It made me think about the time all the Crusaders died on the first mission.


    We went to bed before being woken for dinner. I remember when we first arrived, we had such different energy. Midway through, we were full of energy because we had yed some monsters. And now we were defeated.


    We all went to the hall where the ringleaders stood in a line. They wore the capes of their squad colors like always, but they didn¡¯t start eating immediately. We knew an announcement wasing.


    "Everyone, after this meal, things will change," Mr. Rick said.


    I noticed Ms. Anna looked very emotional. Mr. Brian looked defeated too, but I didn¡¯t understand why Ms. Anna was so upset, her squad still had three members.


    "Anyway, let¡¯s begin the food, and then we¡¯ll make the announcement that will change the dynamic of the squad mates and the ringleaders," Mr. Rick added.


    Hearing that made it hard to swallow our food. Everyone else seemed the same, except the White Squad. Their punishment had ended, so they could eat, but they were distant.


    Suki seemed emotional, her eyes heavy with bags. Joshua¡¯s face was red, and he grabbed his te and sat at a table alone. Jack looked guilty. The other two members were just there, and I¡¯m sure they felt awkward.


    After we finished the meal, we waited curiously for the announcement.


    "As you all know, we have lost many Crusaders. The ck Squad now has five members, after losing one in the initial testing stage. The White Squad has five members, having recently lost one. The Red Squad has three members, and the Blue Squad has three members. The headmaster has reached out and said we need to merge the squads."


    As soon as that announcement was made, heads snapped up. I already knew what would happen now.


    "With sadness and grief, we have to say goodbye to Mr. Brian, whose squad mates had all been wiped out. He would be heading back home until the next Crusaders arrived," Miss Lenora said goodbye, and everyone watched silently. They all hugged Brian. Anna sniffled and straightened her back.


    "And we will also say goodbye to Ms. Anna, because her team will now be shifting to the Red Squad, making them six in number," the announcement continued.


    The Blue Squad looked up, staring at the Red Squad, then at Lenora, who had delivered the announcement with a smile. Now it all made sense why Anna and Brian were the only ones upset.

 Chapter 166-She Wants To Be A Part Of Our Squad

    <h4>Chapter 166: 166-She Wants To Be A Part Of Our Squad</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We were sent back to our room after the rules were made that the two squads were now going to be a red squad, and Ms. Lenora, since she had more control over her squad, was going to stay while Ms. Anna was asked to leave. We took it as her being kicked out. Once we were back in our room, we started thinking about everything that had happened, including the fact that Mr. Rick very cunningly put all the me on us for what happened to the green squad.


    "At least Oriana did the right thing by calling out Sukie," Troy said, shrugging.


    "Yeah, did you see Joshua? He looked so pumped. Dude had way too much confidence." Yorickughed. "I guess his cockiness is finally squashed."


    Ian still couldn¡¯t make eye contact with me. None of us really could. We were all just trying to avoid each other¡¯s eyes, and I hated that feeling. Then a little knock on the door made us all stare at each other before turning to the door. Haiden, since he was already walking around the room, reached it and opened it.


    Oriana rushed in, upset and teary.


    "What is going on?" Haiden asked, watching her hyperventte.


    She looked around, and even when her eyesnded on me, she turned back to Haiden and instantly wrapped her arms around him. He froze like he had been stung by a starfish.


    I got up from my bed at the same time, a little too aggressively.


    "I don¡¯t want to be a part of that squad anymore." She started crying.


    Haiden wrinkled his nose, then ced his hands on her shoulders, pulling himself away like someone would if an insect was crawling on them.


    "What happened?" he asked, giving us all a look, almost begging for someone to rescue him.


    I finally took the lead, reaching over to her and gently holding her arm. This time she turned and wrapped her arms around my shoulders so tight I thought she would break my bones.


    "I don¡¯t want to be a part of that squad. Did you not hear me?" she repeated, almost likeining that we were making her say it again.


    "Yeah, we heard that the first time. But why?" Yorick asked.


    The minute she broke the hug with me and turned toward him, I saw Yorick¡¯s face shift with realization. His eyes widened, and he slowly turned to the side, almost like he was trying to escape the hug she was about to give him next.


    "Because they are bullying me. And now it¡¯s freaking five of them," sheined, grunting as she pointed toward the door.


    "They¡¯re bullying you?" Troy asked, but he quickly stepped behind Yorick.


    I hated how they were acting. She was visibly distraught, and they treated her like she was some maniac who only came in to hug everyone.


    "As soon as they all came into the room, Jessie filled them in on the dynamics of the dorm. She also told them that I was the reason her sister was left behind and that Valerie died because of her." She started to cry. I could not believe that Oriana was so confident in public, while she was getting bullied behind the scenes. But in public, she knew nobody would harm her. So there was that.


    "But where is she? She¡¯s not dead," Ianmented, finally lifting his head from the notebook he was holding.


    "What?" Oriana asked, turning toward Ian, who was now standing by the window looking outside. "From all I know, you guys left her behind. She wasn¡¯t dead. So how are you so sure she¡¯s dead? And why isn¡¯t her sister trying to find her when she¡¯s in the North? Why is she just epting that her sister is dead?"


    As Ian nodded, we all turned to look at Oriana. Even she seemed slightly confused.


    "Right. Oh my goddess. Why didn¡¯t I think about it? Next time, when she bullies me, I¡¯ll remind her that her sister isn¡¯t even dead." She had stopped crying suddenly.


    "Anyway, do you want us to drop you at your dorm? Because if Ms. Lenora found you here, you¡¯d be in trouble." I reminded her that things weren¡¯t looking good for our squad, and anyone spending time with us would be under the radar of Mr. Rick and Ms. Lenora, especially after what happened to the Green Squad. The ringleaders thought they were inspired by us, and that¡¯s why they got in trouble, they were looking for mysteries to solve when there were none.


    "Oh, I¡¯m not afraid of that. Ms. Lenora knows me. I¡¯m her favorite." Oriana ced a hand on her shoulder, making me smile and shake my head.


    "Anyway, when can I join your club?" she pouted, hands on her waist.


    "What club?" Troy asked, stepping out from behind Yorick.


    "I mean, you guys are such cool friends. The way you all stood up for Clementine was so satisfying. I bet I¡¯ll never find friends like that." She pouted again, trying to look cute, and honestly, she did look cute.


    "There¡¯s no such group, we¡¯re all squad mates. And if you¡¯d be kind enough to leave for now, we need to rest, we¡¯re really tired," Ian stated while grinding his teeth.


    However, one of us didn¡¯t really care about anyone¡¯s feelings. It was shocking that Ian had been defending me, and also about the other things he¡¯d confessed, like being attracted to me. Other than that, his behavior was still the same.


    Oriana started lowering her hands from her waist, looking awkward.


    "Dude!" Haiden groaned. The others gave her a look as well, not a look of attraction, but a friendly one, because she was my friend and they didn¡¯t want to offend her.


    "It¡¯s alright. I think today was rough. I¡¯ll head back to my room. I¡¯ll be fine," Oriana said, steadily reaching for the door. I rushed behind her.


    "No, it¡¯s alright, Clementine. I¡¯ll take care of myself." Suddenly, she was in such low spirits that I couldn¡¯t help groaning and turning to look at Ian, who shrugged, not caring that he had upset someone.


    "Good night," Oriana said before turning to us. But just as she was leaving, she turned back onest time.


    "You guys do know there¡¯s a new task, right? Some areas next to the north in the maind are getting affected, so they might send us early in the morning. I just wanted to fill you in because Lenora found out and spilled the beans, telling us not to tell anyone else." That was kind of her, filling us in.


    We were surprised and shocked they were sending us back into the north so soon after her whole squad died. But it was also important to remember what Oriana said, some of the maind was getting affected. I wondered what kind of task it would be.

 Chapter 167-The Magical Net

    <h4>Chapter 167: 167-The Magical Net</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Early in the morning, we were asked to gather in the hall, and we kind of had a feeling this was where Oriana¡¯s ims came true, that we would be given a new task. But the way the ringleaders showed up with a bag full of equipment made us believe it was going to be a difficult or risky one. Once we were all lined up, the ringleader stood in front of us, Mr. Rick taking the lead as always.


    "As you all know, the North is not a ce where normal people can live or where normal life can survive. It has been infested with monsters of all kinds for years now. We have seen many crusaderse and go. Many squads died, and some did well at first but eventually perished." He paused, looking at us. "But there is one question that nobody really asks, even though we all think about it. How are the monsters noting to the maind? What keeps them in the North?"


    I mean, it was a fair question. We thought we were the ones stopping them, that whenever they tried toe closer, we were sent to fight. But obviously, that wasn¡¯t true, because by the time we were sent, the monsters would have already crossed.


    Ian raised his hand, as expected of him. "Because there is an electric fence reaching high into the sky, stopping them, a border of some sort," he exined, and everyone just stared at him. Then they began nodding, speaking with their eyes, especially the crusaders. Ian always had the knowledge others didn¡¯t.


    "Yes, Ian, that is very much true," Mr. Rick said, almost admiring him. "But we know the North is not only filled with monsters that walk on earth. There might be some that fly, even little dragons, the wild kind, the ones that are not creatures but pure monsters. How have they not flown high into the sky, crossed the border, and reached the maind? Wouldn¡¯t it be easy for them to pick up a monster, fly with it, and drop it here?" Mr. Rick chuckled a little, but his words were terrifying. If that were to happen, every life would be in danger. Imagine waking up to a monster sitting on your rooftop, waiting for you toe outside so it could attack.


    When nobody answered, Miss Lenora spoke. "That is because the North is sealed by a barrier, a of lightning and magic held up by five great towers ced by our ancestors at the beginning of the catastrophe. It keeps the monsters trapped where they are."


    Her words hit us hard. None of us had known about it. It seemed to be information only the ringleaders were given.


    "You must be wondering why you were woken up so early in the morning just to hear about the towers, something we could have discussed at any other time, and why it would be rted to any mission," Miss Rue finally said. She was holding some papers. Maybe they had already decided who would cover which part, but they probably asked Miss Rue to write hers down so she wouldn¡¯t mess it up. It was kind of sad, because she didn¡¯t even look at the papers. Still, it felt like their way of telling her that, since she was new, she was more likely to make mistakes. Which was odd. This wasn¡¯t some event or award ceremony where she had to perfect her speech. Even if she messed up, who cared? She could correct herself. Or maybe they just didn¡¯t want more revealed than what was nned. It could have been anything.


    "Because recently, one of the towers has been breached," she continued. "Each of the five towers has a stone at its heart. The stones send power into the sky, weaving the together, but one of them is damaged now, and the is tearing."


    Ms. Lenora spoke in a shaky tone, as if she was trying to hold back her emotions over the news. But it was so devastating that a few slip-ups were expected, especially with the way her voice wavered.


    We all started to ufortably share nces. That was indeed bad news. The look of concern was written on almost every crusader¡¯s face.


    "Hence, your task is to reach that tower, repair the stone, and restore the flow of power. If the falls, the monsters will flood into our maind. And then from there, it will be just like the North. And we don¡¯t want that, do we?" Mr. Rick asked.


    Everybody shook their heads. But me and my crusaders only exchanged nces.


    "We have, and how do you expect us to do that?" Haiden spoke up.


    I noticed the way Mr. Rick grunted, almost like a dog watching someone touch its food while he was eating, before turning around to grab a bag they had brought. He opened it and pulled out a piece of cloth. At first, it looked like a regr ck cloth, maybe the size of a handkerchief. But the moment he unfolded it, a strong wind burst out, pushing through the hall so hard our clothes whipped and our hair flew.


    "This is a magical cloth. Our ancestors kept it with the help of witches at that time. It was gifted to us, and it was advised to be used to clean the stone," he exined.


    He paused, and I didn¡¯t understand. That was it? We just clean the stone?


    "You will clean the stone, and it will remove the sacred carvings from it. Then you will take this tool," Lenora said, turning around to grab a tool. It was a small silver knife with a strange snake carved into its handle. "And you will redraw the carvings. Remember, you cannot make mistakes. Once it is drawn again, you will put it back in ce, and the will be restored."


    Lenora finished and let out a deep breath, as if saying it lifted the pressure off her shoulders.


    But then Miss Rue added, "Remember, you will not be given much time. Once you remove the stone, the North bes like a ticking bomb. Any monster waiting for the chance can cross into our maind. So be mindful, be careful, and be as quick as possible."


    She finished, giving us a shock that felt like an earthquake.

 Chapter 168-Break A Leg

    <h4>Chapter 168: 168-Break A Leg</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We were briskly walking back to our rooms to put on the uniforms that had been cleaned and returned to us.


    "They said it will be a joint task. There will be no winning or losing team. We need to work together because we¡¯ll be entering the most infested part of the North," I reminded my squadmates. I didn¡¯t want us to bepetitive with anyone, especially since I had noticed the white squad and ours exchanging harsh res. I didn¡¯t want that animosity to get in the way.


    "Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t do that," Yorick said with a hand gesture, trying tofort me with the thought that he didn¡¯t n to ruin anything for the mainders.


    "And also, they¡¯re giving us maps this time, even food, so I imagine this task is really sacred," Troy added, pointing out the extra help we were being given.


    "But you do realize that eventually we¡¯ll have to decide who will be the one in charge of quickly noting down the pattern. Then another will need to be ready with the cloth in hand, wipe it clean fast, and pass it to the one carving again. We can¡¯t leave it to just one person. Even the second wasted when the one with the handkerchief puts it down and grabs the weapon could be critical," Haiden exined, making it clear how important time would be.


    "Right. Who¡¯s good at carving or remembering? Someone who will carve without a mistake?" I asked, and our eyes all shifted to Ian walking in front of us. His broad shoulders swung left to right as he walked, held a little too high. I could almost see him rolling his eyes before he raised his hand.


    "Of course me," he grunted.


    "Then we¡¯ll speak to the other squadmates. Let¡¯s see if they have someone who can be quick in cleaning the stone," I said. Of course, one of us could do it too, but we didn¡¯t want them thinking we were trying to steal all the spotlight. We wanted to let others be involved, so there would be no moreints and no more animosity.


    After we slipped into our uniforms, we met at the hall again, and by then we could tell the white squad had something to say. Joshua stepped forward before the ringleaders came back to hand us the maps.


    "Is there anyone who is good at carving? Our squad is just good at little things like hiding things, betraying, fucking someone near the kitchen door, stabbing someone, maybe even their best friend in the back," he started. The way he began his lecture was so ufortable.


    Our eyes went to Suki, who looked flushed with temper, and then to Jack. He looked shameless. I mean, betraying your friend like this, going behind his back and sleeping with his mate, that was beyond disgusting. And the fact that they kept it hidden from him for so long, while he foolishly supported Suki.


    "Ian can do that," I said, pointing at him. Joshua stared at me a little too long before nodding.


    "I can remember it, I can quickly draw the pattern," Joshua said, pointing at his own chest. "Who is quick at cleaning?"


    I think even Joshuaughed when he said that. Maybe it came out wrong. Everyone just looked around awkwardly because nobody wanted that job. Was it too easy? Or was it too sacred? Whoever had to clean it would need to press hard. It wasn¡¯t like cleaning a floor. Even if it was, why the hell was it so funny to them?


    I noticed Troy, Yorick, and even Haiden didn¡¯t want to raise their hands. But Matthias stepped forward confidently from the red squad and raised his.


    "Uh, dude, you¡ª I mean, no hard feelings, but don¡¯t you have one eye?" Joshua blurted out, then quickly shut up before going further.


    That was when the ringleaders came in, and he stepped back. They brought three maps, and each handed one to their own squad.


    "Now go break a leg ande back alive," Mr. Rick said, pping his hands for us to turn around and head to the train station where we¡¯d find our bags, food, and the rest of the supplies.


    Once we left the hall, we noticed the air growing thicker. That had never happened on the maind. Sure, the sky would turn red whenever someone died, but this wasn¡¯t even that. The sky was murky now, and we could only imagine why. The towers had truly been breached. The was tearing.


    "Break a leg doesn¡¯t mean literally, okay?" Troy teased the white squad, pointing out how hostile they were and how they always relied on violence. But ever since Joshua had found out about the betrayal from his mate and best friend, they hadn¡¯t really been interested in fighting back, at least for now.


    Everyone looked anxious because of the state of the clouds, the sky itself. This was a huge responsibility on us, and we were worried that if we fucked up, we¡¯d cost the lives of so many people. After a deep breath, we boarded the train and were brought to the station. We all got on and sat down in our own carriages, with the green squad gone and the blue squad ringleader kicked out since they had been merged into red.


    I just felt so lonely now. We never got the chance tomunicate with the others or mix with them. I know that wasn¡¯t the purpose of our journey, but still, it would¡¯ve been nice if we all knew each other and worked together.


    I was in the middle of thinking about that when suddenly I felt a harsh push against my back and almost fell off my seat. Haiden, sitting across from me, had spread his legs to steady himself and grabbed my shoulders to keep me in ce. I held on to his wrist as our carriage shook. The others were holding tight too, and after a while it stopped moving. But then we began to hear mechanical voices.


    Our eyes turned to each other, our heads snapping around. Troy got up, trying to look through the ss door into the other carriages. The others lookedpletely fine. The white squad in front of us seemed calm, just sitting there, discussing and going through the map. Yorick rushed to the back door to check on the red squad, but they sat still like nothing was happening. So what the hell was wrong with our carriage?


    Then we heard it. A mechanical, robotic sound, almost like the wiring of the train catching a signal from somewhere, like a distorted call when your phone picks up someone else¡¯s line.


    "Was it really necessary?" It was a woman¡¯s voice. The way she pronounced her words sounded familiar, but the distortion made it impossible to recognize her. The real question was, why the hell were we even hearing voices?

 Chapter 169-The Distortion

    <h4>Chapter 169: 169-The Distortion</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We were still looking around, trying to figure out what was happening. The carriage wasn¡¯t shaking much, but it felt like riding in a car on a rough path. We just stared at each other in silence, fixated on the voice.


    "The others are happy and the tips are rolling in, so what is your problem?" came the voice of a man. His mannerisms felt familiar, like we might have heard him before, but the distortion made it impossible to recognize.


    "But they are only kids. What happened was really bashful," the woman hissed, her voice sharp now, like she wasn¡¯t happy about something.


    "No, they are not children, they are subjects, and let¡¯s not forget they are troublemakers." The man used a loud tone this time.


    "Still¡ª," the woman¡¯s voice was interrupted when the man started to speak up again.


    "And what do you suggest we do, M¡ª?"


    Then the voice cut off. The carriage went back to normal. No shaking, no distortion, no flickering lights. Just silence. We sat there, staring at each other, waiting for the next disaster, but nothing else happened. Soon the train reached its destination. The doors opened, and we got up quickly, rushing out.


    As we stepped out to breathe, the other crusaders who hade from their carriages looked at us strangely.


    "Did you guys¡ª did you guys feel it?" Troy asked Oriana. She frowned, hands on her waist, and only moved her eyes side to side like she was trying to figure out what he meant.


    "Your carriage didn¡¯t feel any disturbance?" Yorick asked. This time she shook her head.


    "No. Why? Yours did?" she questioned.


    Yorick nced at Troy, then at all of us, scanning our faces. Ian stood with his head tilted, hands on his waist, eyes down. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he looked so deep in thought that I swore when he broke from it, he¡¯d have the answer. That¡¯s how serious he looked.


    "What is it? You guys look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost. Or maybe a monster," Joshua said as he walked toward us, hands on his waist, looking tall and broad. Not taller than my squadmates, obviously, but not short either.


    "Nothing." Troy waved him off.


    This was the first time the white squad had interacted with us normally since the time they saved me. Probably because they weren¡¯t getting along too well themselves, so now they were acting more mature, realizing that when someone fucks you over, it hurts.


    "Did you guys notice the timing was weird?" Joshua asked. That made us turn to him, giving him attention we hadn¡¯t before.


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    "Usually we arrive in ten minutes. This time it took half an hour," he muttered, pouting. His squadmates stood behind him with the map still open, though I noticed Suki wasn¡¯t even looking at it. She was staring straight at Joshua, probably annoyed that he was talking to us.


    "We didn¡¯t notice that," I murmured, and my squadmates nced at me too.


    "Anyway, we examined the map. Looks like we¡¯ll take the same roads as always until the big city. From there, there¡¯s a caf¨¦ called Mushrooms, then we take a left, pass a cinema, then a right, and go straight until we see the tower. Obviously, there¡¯ll be more twists and turns since we¡¯ll be avoiding monsters, but that¡¯s the route," Joshua exined, helping both our squad and the one behind us.


    "Are we all going together to this tower? Would that be necessary?" Ian asked, and I didn¡¯t understand why he said that. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if we all stuck together? But I let him lead, since he was the one who¡¯d be doing the carving.


    "We¡¯ll discuss itter. First, we need shelter for the night. There¡¯s no way we can reach the tower today. The weather¡¯s already bad," Joshua said, shrugging as he pointed at the sky. Dark clouds had covered everything, turning the earth into a ck ball. I couldn¡¯t even imagine how deadly the hailstorm here could be. The wind was so loud we could barely hear each other. So I guessed he was right. That day wasn¡¯t the right time.


    "Then we need to find shelter, right?" Yorick asked, and Joshua gave him a nod.


    "We have that one ce, remember? The big mansion, the safest one, the one we were kicked out of," Haiden muttered, ncing at us, then at the white squad as he grunted.


    I guess alphas really don¡¯t let go of grudges so easily, because Yorick and Troy started grunting and nodding too.


    "Well, technically, we didn¡¯t kick you two out. You wanted to leave to find your girl. Now, it¡¯s not our fault you¡¯re regretting it," Joshua said with a shrug. As my squadmates started to square up, he added, "And if you stayed here, we¡¯d do it again. So how about we drop the grudges and just focus on this task?" He hissed thest part before turning and gesturing for his squadmates to keep walking before the hailstorm hit us.


    "One of these days, I¡¯ll fucking leave him in a monster¡¯s mouth," Ian grunted.


    As we walked through the woods, I noticed something odd about the North. Maybe it was the tearing apart, but this time it just felt different. Was it because I was thinking about thest time I was here?


    ¡¯Or maybe it is the touch of my mates and the other squadmates, ¡¯Mint said, bringing up something I didn¡¯t even want to repeat to myself. But she was right. That¡¯s what was making me feel iffy.


    Last time, all of them somehow got caught up in their feelings, their emotions, and couldn¡¯t control their lust for me, the kind that had always been hidden deep inside. But what about me? Why did I allow Ian? Fine, Haiden and Yorick were my mates, and we had some kind of rtionship in the past. Even if it was a love-hate mess, there was still something there. And there were moments when I found them extremely hot.


    ¡¯Like that incident with Haiden in the cinema hall,¡¯ As soon as Mint mentioned that, I grunted at her, shutting her up almost instantly.


    ¡¯But what about¨CTroy?¡¯ she pressed.


    ¡¯It is obvious I used to have a crush on him, so maybe that exins it. But Ian? It couldn¡¯t just be that I saw him and thought he was attractive. Did I really fantasize about him?¡¯ I asked Mint.


    When I looked up, I saw Ian walking ahead, but he had turned just slightly, and our eyes met for a few seconds. I looked away instantly. He smiled, almost in awe, then looked forward again.


    This was the first time all the squadmates, all the crusaders, were walking together as one group, heading toward their mission.

 Chapter 170-All The Drama

    <h4>Chapter 170: 170-All The Drama</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    When we passed the house where the chaos had happened, where the Fleshmingos killed Mnie, we began to feel heavy. The wind wasn¡¯t helping either, but it was helping us escape the Fleshmingos. As we walked on the road, the wind was so loud that they couldn¡¯t hear our footsteps. They had huddled together in corners, probably confused by all the noise and unsure where it wasing from.


    "Maybe you should pray for forgiveness." Although the wind was too heavy, I still managed to hear Joshua say that to Jack, who was walking right behind him. I was on Joshua¡¯s right side with Yorick on my right, and that¡¯s how I caught it.


    "Are you fucking kidding me? I said I was sorry," Jackined. Maybe he knew the anger Joshua was suddenly throwing at him over Mnie was really because he¡¯d been caught sleeping with his girlfriend. Before this, Joshua hadn¡¯t cared much. But now he was demanding forgiveness, and that was probably why Jack said he was sorry.


    "Really? You were sorry? I don¡¯t think so. You¡¯re only sorry now because you got caught. Otherwise you two would¡¯ve kept going." Joshua was getting more aggressive, but he was in the right.


    "Can you guys not fucking do this right now? We¡¯re walking through a heavily infested area of Fleshmingos. Unless you want to end up like Mnie, and that¡¯s how you want to prove you¡¯re sorry. Just shut the fuck up." Ian¡¯s words made them grunt, but at least they didn¡¯t push it after that. Thankfully.


    We silently continued walking until we reached the house, the one that had been secured evenst time. This time, I noticed a big lock on the door, and the red squad started looking anxious.


    "What are we going to do now?" Jessie asked.


    I was already prepared to open the lock, but one thing bothered me. Who had put it there? Could it be other people, like the brown house group? Maybe that¡¯s how the lock ended up.


    "Don¡¯t worry, Clementine can open the locks," Joshua said as I was already checking everyone¡¯s hair for a pin. I rolled my eyes. Oriana was quick to hand me her hairpin.


    Everyone stood around me, my squad, the red squad, Joshua, and even Jack¡¯s group, except Suki. She stood off at a distance, arms folded over her chest. I could already tell she wasn¡¯t happy. Who would be, after being caught cheating on their mate with their best friend?


    The group¡¯s whole dynamic was ruined because of Jack and Suki¡¯s actions. And the fact that even after what happened at the pack house, they still continued here? In that sense, Joshua was right to be angry. They were never going to stop. Even if they did, the betrayal was enough for him to stay angry. He had the right.


    I opened the lock, and everyone moved forward to quietly push the door open. It was a heavy metal door, and it always made noise. Once it swung open, we all stepped inside. But when the red squad was thest to enter.


    "Guys, get in quickly before the white squad kicks you out. They love to do that." Haiden smirked, taunting the white squad.


    His taunt made the white squad grunt, and then he shut the door. My squadmates weren¡¯t any less like bullies either. Now that the white squad wasn¡¯t cracking jokes or makingments, my squad was doing it for them.


    We were d we made it in time, because the minute we shut the door, hail started mming the ground and the road. It was so fucking loud. The white squad instantly sat down, while the rest of us, who hadn¡¯t been able to explore this ce before, wandered around, checking theyout before getting toofortable.


    The mansion stood tall, the tallest among the houses. It was probably more than four floors. We couldn¡¯t go through all of them, so we decided to take turns. Not because we¡¯d get tired from walking, but because it was pretty dark upstairs, and with no one really trusting each other, that was the issue. Plus, everyone wanted to be involved.


    The red squad took the fourth and fifth floors. Our squad took the ground, first, and second. The white squad got the third. I guess nobody really trusted them, and they were bickering too much anyway.


    Once we were all back on the ground floor, we sat down. Most of the furniture was covered with white sheets. We turned to the white squad, trying to figure out what they¡¯d donest time they were here.


    "We took the sheet off the furniture, so there are definitely other beings here that came and covered it up," Jack exined when he noticed us looking at them.


    "That makes sense," Troy said with a shrug. He swept the white cloth off one of the biggest couches and jumped onto it.


    "Clementine,e sit here," Haiden said as he pulled the sheet off another sofa. It was afortable one. "You can put your legs here." He then slid the table in front of me.


    I didn¡¯t like how silently everyone was watching them take care of me. Troy had already started mixing a protein shake.


    "This will help you get in the mood, you know," he uttered. Yorick opened a bag of chips, biscuits, and protein bars for me. It was strange.


    Ian stood by the window, looking outside.


    "Look how they care for her," Suki said, almost upset that Joshua wasn¡¯t giving her attention anymore.


    "Maybe because she¡¯s worth it. How about that?" Joshua replied, making Suki turn to him.


    They were sitting on the other couches. The red squad stuck to the rooms, opening them one by one. Even the rest of the white squad, except Jack, Joshua, and Suki, had gone inside. Jack just lingered around.


    "It was a mistake, Joshua. Just a mistake," she hissed at him. It was so awkward sitting there while they argued, especially when Troy, Yorick, and Haiden were half-watching what they were doing and half-focused on the fight, not even trying to hide it. I guess they wanted to make them ufortable, since Joshua and Suki would¡¯ve done the same to others.


    "Really, it was a mistake? How long have you two been cheating on me? Didn¡¯t you admit you¡¯d been going behind my back for almost a year now? And tell me, exactly, how was it a mistake when it wasn¡¯t just physical but emotional and mental too? You were making full-fledged promises to him."


    As Joshua started hissing back at her, Suki turned her re on us, almost warning us not to listen in.


    "No. And if you im it was a mistake, say it to his face. Jack,e on, get over here," Joshua called out, waving his hand to pull him closer. That¡¯s when I noticed the look on Suki¡¯s face. He was right. There was more to it than just that.

 Chapter 171-The Unknown Threat

    <h4>Chapter 171: 171-The Unknown Threat</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Come on, say it. Tell him it was just a mistake," Joshua insisted. I don¡¯t know how Suki managed to stand so straight, because I could feel my own knees going weak.


    Why wasn¡¯t she saying it? She could just say it and let Jack know she would choose Joshua. But I remembered that one conversation I overheard behind a tree. And it seemed Joshua was right, she had made real promises to Jack.


    And Jack? I expected him to at least back up his friend, to confirm it was just a mistake like he¡¯d said before. But now, with Suki caught under both their gazes, he didn¡¯t step forward to defend her. He just watched her face, almost like he was waiting for her to decide.


    Suki took a deep breath and raised her head to look at Joshua. "It¡¯s true. He was just a mistake."


    As soon as she said it, I watched Jack¡¯s face harden.


    "You were dealing with a lot at that time, and you couldn¡¯t give me attention, so out of spite and anger, I decided to screw your best friend. I know what I did was wrong. I know I ruined friendships. But trust me, if I have to pick, it will always be you," she finished.


    The two guys just stared at her for a moment before Joshua started pping.


    "So you betrayed me for someone who used you as a tool to vent her anger? Good luck, dude. You screwed up," he said, making fun of Jack, who watched her in disbelief, tears forming in his eyes.


    "I need to go," Suki said, moving quickly to get to one of the rooms before Jack could confront her in front of us.


    As expected, Jack tried to follow, but Joshua grabbed his hand.


    "Seriously, dude. While I¡¯m still here, you¡¯re not going to the same room as her. You¡¯ll go to the room on the other side." It was a clear alpha warning his beta to stay away. Jack had no choice but to nod and walk in the opposite direction.


    Once their drama ended, I noticed Yorick and Haiden exchange a nce and then stifle theirughter.


    "I really thought she would pick Jack," Yorickined, making me frown at them.


    "No, she didn¡¯t, so you lost. You¡¯ll take care of our clothes when we get back to the maind," Haiden said. That¡¯s when I realized they had made bets.


    After a while, we finished dinner and just wanted to sleep. Ian seemed really tense, this was a lot of responsibility for him, especially not messing up the carving. I wanted to go talk to him and let him know we trusted him, but he went straight to the second floor to sleep, and I didn¡¯t get the chance.


    Every member of the team had decided to stay awake as a guard for the night. I took that role for our team because I honestly wasn¡¯t sleepy at all. The others insisted, but I could tell they were tired, so they went ahead and slept on the couches.


    Joshua stayed awake from his team, and I noticed Jack wandering around in his room. Oriana was supposed to be on guard for her team, but she was already nodding off.


    Suddenly a loud noise interrupted our peace. I made direct eye contact with Joshua. It felt like something had hit the mansion wall and then started climbing it. At least, that¡¯s how it seemed.


    We stared at each other in silence before I got up from the couch and walked toward the wall. At the same time, Jack came out of his room, giving us a look as if to ask whether we¡¯d heard the same thing. I was the only one who nodded.


    The three of us reached the wall, and then we heard it together, something crawling on top of the mansion. It felt odd. We hadn¡¯t realized other monsters could get here. This was definitely not Fleshmingos. Fleshmingos couldn¡¯t climb. This thing was snarling, making a weird gargling noise, so we knew it was a monster.


    Joshua quickly ran over and blew out the candles. It was entirely silent, and we followed suit. Then we heard the creature crawl to another floor. At that point, we debated whether to go to the second floor or if that would make too much noise.


    After a tense, silent moment, we began walking toward the staircase together.


    We reached the third floor instead of the second and finally stopped to look out the window. It was dark, and the rain made it hard to see.


    Suddenly, something mmed against the ss. I almost shrieked, but Joshua was quick, cing his hand over my mouth and holding me from behind. I just stared as a big, scary tail swayed across the window in a strange, jerky way before moving away, as the creature kept climbing over the mansion. Even Jack looked shocked.


    "Well, thanks to the monster, I can figure out you smell extremely good," Joshua whispered from behind me, right in my ear, jolting me back to reality. I pulled away swiftly and stared at him in shock. He just smirked and pointed outside, indicating the monster.


    It was so odd, he somehow found a way to flirt while we were paralyzed with fear of whatever was outside.


    We noticed that when the tail mmed against the windows, they didn¡¯t even crack, even though it was a pretty hard hit. It confused me, and I¡¯m pretty sure the others noticed too, because Jack was quickly inspecting the ss.


    After a few seconds, we heard a knock on the main door. It was frantic, and we all jolted, staring at each other. We rushed downstairs to see who it was.


    But before we could reach the door, a loud, guttural scream shattered the air, followed by a girl¡¯s scream. There was just one name she managed to scream before everything went silent.


    "Jessie!"


    I recognized the voice. It was Valerie¡¯s. I lunged for the door, but Joshua grabbed me from behind, covering my mouth to stop me from opening it. Jack ran to the window, peering outside. He gestured at me, then pointed to his lips.


    "She ran away. She¡¯s fine."


    That was all he said, and I stopped protesting.

 Chapter 172-Something Terrifying

    <h4>Chapter 172: 172-Something Terrifying</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The night was so hard to pass. After we heard Valerie call for help, every few seconds I would rush to the window to look outside and see if I could spot her. I knew going out at this hour, with all the darkness and an unknown monster lurking around, would not only put my life in danger but others too. I didn¡¯t want to be the reason anyone died. Besides, I didn¡¯t even know where Valerie went. North was a huge unknown territory for me.


    After that, I fell asleep and Ian took over. When we woke up in the morning, everybody decided to ration the food, sincest night everyone had quite a splurge. I don¡¯t know what it was, maybe there was something in the air.


    "No, you¡¯re supposed to put it first," Oriana told me as I was trying to make an omelette. I had never worked at home, so I didn¡¯t even know how to cook or boil an egg. We had a small gas cylinder and were cooking in the living room. The others were wandering around, discussing how they would go about the day. My squadmates were sitting on the couch in front of me, staring. It was so ufortable.


    Haiden was on the single couch, sitting with his legs hanging off the armrest. His head was lowered, eyes lifted, just watching me tantly. Then there was Yorick. He was leaning against the long seven-seater couch, his elbow bent, fingers making an L-shape, with one finger on his temple and his thumb near his cheek. He watched me with the same look Haiden had. Then there was Troy. He paced around with his hands in his pants pockets behind Yorick¡¯s couch. But his eyes stayed on me. Even when he walked away, his head turned back toward me, and when he walked forward, his eyes were still on me. I guess they were just shocked at how ipetent I was at chores.


    Oriana was good though. She knew what she was doing.


    "Clementine, may I have a word with you?" I heard Joshua say from a little afar. He was walking toward me with his hands in his pants pockets. He was tall, but he always had this weird posture whenever he was onto something. He would just hunch over randomly.


    "Can you please take over?" I asked Oriana, who gave me a look because she knew she was already doing the most. I stood and walked toward Joshua. That¡¯s when I noticed my squadmates frown.


    "What is it?" I asked as I met him in the middle of the living room. The minute Joshua and I started talking, all the squadmates turned their eyes on us.


    "Listen, I was thinking it would be better if you don¡¯t mention anything fromst night to anybody else," Joshua whispered, almost leaning over me. He was always this way, but I didn¡¯t like when someone hunches over me, especially someone as tall as him, and then reaches to my ear to whisper. It felt a little intimate, especially when he kepting closer.


    "Why?" I asked, pulling back slightly and pointing at him to let him know he could talk from a good distance. Still, I could tell it was a very private conversation. So he stepped closer, and this time I didn¡¯t move away.


    "I think even Jack agrees," he mumbled. My eyes shifted behind him to Jack, who was staring at us. Then I noticed Suki looking from Jack to Joshua. They were by the dining table, filling juice sses for everyone.


    This was the first time we had so much food in the North, so it kind of felt like a party. But I noticed nobody was thinking about rationing until my squad brought it up, and then Oriana took over, because like I said, she was really good at it.


    "But why though?" I asked Joshua again.


    "Because it will freak everyone out. We don¡¯t know what that thing outside is. They won¡¯t even want to leave the house," he whispered, reminding me how it had crawled all the way up, and how its tail was so powerful it could smash the ss doors. Still, I didn¡¯t understand why the mansion windows hadn¡¯t broken. Anywhere else, this thing could crawl, it could run, it could break things. Which meant we had no idea how to defend ourselves.


    "And then there¡¯s Valerie. If they find out, it¡¯ll be a distraction. We need to fix the first. But you know what will happen when we tell Jessie that Valerie is alive? She¡¯ll want to go after her, and she¡¯ll take some squadmates with her. She has friends, and they¡¯ll follow her," Joshua exined.


    Honestly, the more he spoke, the more reasons he gave not to tell, the more I felt like we should.


    "Don¡¯t you think we should let them know there¡¯s a monster they need to watch out for? And as for Jessie, it¡¯s her right to know about her sister. We can¡¯t just expect the world to disappear when we close our eyes, Joshua," I whispered.


    I noticed him slowly cracking his neck. And because he was still so close, I could hear it clearly.


    "You really don¡¯t listen to anybody else, do you?" Joshua muttered, finally pulling away from me.


    "What is going on?" I guessed my squadmates had finally had enough. They gave me as much privacy as they thought I deserved, and then Haiden got up from the couch and walked over.


    "Is there a problem?" he asked Joshua, his tone almost threatening.


    "Your squadmate herself is a problem," Joshua snapped, angry because I disagreed with his n of hiding things when we should be telling everyone what to watch out for.


    Haiden turned to me, like he was asking what was going on.


    "There is something you guys need to know." I stepped up. There was no way I would let this man bully me into silence. I could tell it was already on.


    Joshua shook his head in disbelief and walked away. He reached Jack and swiftly whispered something in his ear before pulling back.

 Chapter 173-Divided We Fall

    <h4>Chapter 173: 173-Divided We Fall</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Now everybody was watching my face, waiting for the announcement I was about to make. I took a deep breath, avoiding Joshua and Jack¡¯s harsh res. They kept trying to make eye contact, reminding me of what Joshua told me not to share aboutst night.


    "Last night, when Joshua, Jack, and I were awake for the round, we heard something." I inhaled deeply, exhaling as everyone watched closely. "It was a monster, an unknown one." I tried to clear my throat before I got too distracted by Yash speaking up.


    "And are we surprised that there are monsters in the North?" he said. But as soon as he spoke, I noticed my squadmates ring at him.


    "I¡¯m just saying, there are monsters, so what? We all know those ostrich looking things are everywhere here," he continued, making it clear he had no idea what kind of danger we were talking about.


    "Well, it wasn¡¯t a fleshmingo," I replied sharply, just to shut him up.


    "Oh," Yash grunted. Now he was paying attention too, because everyone wanted to know what kind of monsters we were up against.


    "It was somethingpletely different. We didn¡¯t get to see it, but we noticed it climbing up the rooftop. It was powerful, but not in a way I can exin. It tried to¡ª" I stumbled a bit. "It hit the window. It was loud. But the windows didn¡¯t break." I pointed upward, and my squadmates exchanged nces. Ian was listening carefully.


    "Then maybe its tail was weak," Suki suggested.


    I shook my head. "No, no, no. All I¡¯m saying is this mansion is special. The way it closes up after we open it, it feels like one of the headquarters. You know how in games there are safe spots, where you can save your game? Maybe like that, but not exactly." I muttered, realizing I was losing everyone¡¯s attention.


    "Now, back to the monster." As soon as I said that, they looked attentive again.


    "So you didn¡¯t see anything. Then how are we going to know what we¡¯re up against?" Jessie asked.


    Looking at her reminded me of her sister, and I knew I had to tell her.


    "Actually, there was something else. Last night, when the monster was on the rooftop, somebody knocked on the door. And that somebody called your name. It was Valerie." I whispered, my voice lowering as I watched her eyes widen twice their size.


    That was all I said when I noticed Joshua dropping his hands in exhaustion, and then Jack shared the same reaction. Jessie seemed intrigued but also worried.


    "Wait, it was my sister?" She pointed at her chest, looking around to confirm with Joshua and Jack. They only shrugged, showing they didn¡¯t want to be involved.


    "It was," I said, and I caught the smile on her face.


    "Wait, did you guys not open the door for her?" It suddenly struck her.


    I shook my head quickly. "No, no, no. By the time we reached the door, we heard a scream and the monster attack." I shut up when I saw how wide her eyes grew.


    "Then Jack saw your sister survive and get away from the door," I added quickly, before she thought her sister had died.


    She turned to Jack, who now had to respond.


    "It is true. She was fine. She ran away," he said.


    I watched Jessie let out a deep breath before straightening her shoulders again. "I need to go and find her."


    Just like Joshua had predicted, she expressed her desire to find her sister. And honestly, I didn¡¯t see anything wrong with it.


    "I mean, I would do the same if it was someone I cared about. It¡¯s up to you, Jessie," I said, raising my hands to my shoulders and showing her my palms, letting her know we wouldn¡¯t stop her if she wanted to go after her sister.


    "Thank you," she said with a weak smile on her lips.


    "Wait a minute, what about the task at hand?" Of course Joshua spoke up. He was against the idea already, so it was bound to happen.


    "Isn¡¯t it already obvious that Ian, Joshua, and Matthias are going to do that task?" she asked, reminding us who else was involved. But everyone looked around.


    "Isn¡¯t he Matthew?" the girl from Blue Squad spoke up, pointing at the guy with the eye patch.


    "I am Matthias Matthew." Matthias gave us a very bored look.


    I mean, we had all been calling him Matthew for a while. He was so quiet sometimes we forgot he was even on our team.


    "Right," Jack said, nodding. "So what should we call you, Matthew or Matthias?" He pressed, making Matthias clench his jaw.


    "Whatever you want," he muttered. I could tell he didn¡¯t like to interact much.


    "Anyway, the point is she¡¯s right. If Jessie wants to go look for her sister, she can. And she can also ask her friends to join her," Troy mumbled, ncing at the Blue Team who had joined the red squad. They had been hanging around her a lot.


    Mira, a former Blue Squad member but now Red Squad, was a beta. Then there was Sebastian and Renee, both gammas from different packs, who had been ced together in Blue Squad before moving to Red.


    The moment Jessie turned to them, I noticed them stealing nces at her.


    "I¡¯lle with you," Oriana said, getting up from the little stool where she¡¯d been cooking eggs and omelettes. I could tell she wanted to help because of her guilt, sincest time she was used of being the reason Valerie got left behind.


    Jessie studied her face, then nodded.


    "I¡¯ll go with her."


    And then, to shock us all, Matthias suddenly raised his hand. Everyone stared at him.


    "Matthias, you¡¯re supposed to go and clean the stone," Suki said, folding her arms across her chest.


    "That anyone can do as well. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be needed," he grunted, hissing at the fact that Jack and Joshua didn¡¯t want Jessie to even try to look for her sister.


    I knew Jessie and Matthias were getting along well, so it was obvious he wanted to go with her.


    But suddenly Jessie turned to him and shook her head.


    "No, Matthias, I want you to go and do this task. It¡¯s important for someone from the Red Squad to also be helpful. Please, I¡¯m asking you, do that."


    The way her voice cracked made me feel bad for them, and also made me think they were more than just squadmates. And I was right, because the moment she said that, Matthias briskly reached her, cupped her face, and kissed her on the lips without hesitation.

 Chapter 174-Cocky Much?

    <h4>Chapter 174: 174-Cocky Much?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Everybody stood around them, watching awkwardly. But the way Matthias kissed her didn¡¯t seem like it was just out of emotion. It looked like they were deeply connected. She wasn¡¯t fazed. She gently held his wrist and deepened the kiss.


    "Wow, and some people call me a slut."


    As soon as Suki said that, both Joshua and Jack turned toward her. The side-eye they gave made her shrug, grunt, and pout in frustration.


    "I mean, I guess her definition of slut ispletely broken. It¡¯s called love." But Ian speaking up was something I did not expect. Everybody slowly turned to look at him while he searched through his bag. He just made ament without even checking who reacted or if anyone heard him. Then Matthias pulled back from Jessie.


    "I am going with you. They can find their own cleaner," Matthias said, hinting that we had been looking down on cleaning. I hadn¡¯t, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that he felt some type of way about it.


    After a few seconds of thought, Jessie nodded. "Then we can go together." She wanted him with her.


    "Just great," Joshua muttered.


    "But anyway, we don¡¯t even need a cleaner. It¡¯s not really a tough job. Anybody can do it," Jack spoke up, letting everyone know why Matthias even picked the job in the first ce. Joshua and Jack had been so condescending and full of themselves, they thought anything that didn¡¯t involve extreme mental or physical strength was stupidity.


    "So we¡¯ll pick Jack," Joshua said, pointing at him. That even shocked Jack, because just a day ago, hell! just hours ago, they had been fighting nonstop.


    "Really, you want me toe?" Jack asked, pointing at his chest.


    "Do I have to repeat myself?" Joshua snapped.


    Jack raised his hand quickly, showing him there was no need to be so hostile. "Fine then, we¡¯ll go."


    "Take this with you." Then Ian shocked us all when he set a bag full of supplies on the table.


    "Hey, hey, hey, that wasn¡¯t in the n. They¡¯re going out on their own mission. This is for the rest of us who are doing something meaningful," Jack cut in, disagreeing with them taking supplies like food and water bottles.


    But Ian had already separated the stuff for them. He didn¡¯t stick around for arguments. He just walked away.


    "You don¡¯t get to make the decision. And just because it¡¯s her own mission doesn¡¯t make it less important. There¡¯s a crusader out there, and if she gets found, we¡¯ll be there. It¡¯ll be the happiest moment, a win-win situation," Yorick said, pointing into the air.


    I was just d my squadmates weren¡¯t so tone-deaf.


    "Fine, fuck it, do whatever you want. Don¡¯te crying to me when you run out of supplies and these assholes won¡¯t share," Joshua hissed, waving his hand to show he was done arguing. Honestly, we all appreciated that.


    After that, it was decided that Oriana, Matthias, Jessie, and even the three members from Blue Team would go with Jessie to find her sister. That left just the White Squad and ck Squad together to do the mission. I think the rest of the new Red Squad realized that if they came with us, they¡¯d be outnumbered and we¡¯d prioritize our own members. So they changed their minds and went with Oriana instead.


    "Just make sure you¡¯re careful of the monster we talked about," I told Jessie before giving her a hug and saying goodbye. Then I turned to Oriana.


    "Are you sure you want to go with them? I mean, they¡¯ve been bullying you. I wouldn¡¯t befortable going with people who hold grudges against you." I whispered, holding her hand.


    "Oh, it¡¯ll be fine. I see this as the only chance to escape their bullying and maybe make them realize I¡¯m not that bad of a person. This could be my way out," Oriana said, making me proud of her. It really meant something for someone to recognize the truth and try to be a better version of themselves. In this case, she had made it clear she hadn¡¯t even done anything to harm Valerie. But it was her decision, so I let her go.


    It was clear outside, so they were all set to leave. One by one, they began walking away. I was still curious about what happenedst night, so I left the mansion with them, taking just a few steps ahead before returning so we could n our own way. But when I got outside, I couldn¡¯t help looking down at the road. Fresh blood splotches were everywhere. Then I looked around and saw the fleshmingos¡¯ heads severed. And not just severed, some were brutally torn apart.


    Oriana and her team froze when they noticed the chaos, likely caused by the monster I mentioned. The hesitation in their bodies was clear, but Jessie looked more determined than ever to find her sister. That left everyone with no choice but to follow them.


    "Did you see what happened outside?" I asked as I walked back in, letting my squadmates know. Troy shook his head, then rushed out to check. He came back with a shocked look on his face.


    "Well, we don¡¯t have time to cry about that, do we? We should get going. We don¡¯t know how fast the is being severed or tampered with. So let¡¯s go." Of course, it was Joshua, saying it with little to no concern for anyone. But I guessed he was also right. It was just fleshmingos, and who really cared about them?


    We quickly packed our bags and before long we were all heading out. We walked toward the big city, the same one I had run into and Haiden had found me. But it didn¡¯t leave my mind that thest time we were there, we heard deadly screams. Could it be this monster?


    We were all walking together, White Squad mostly sticking together and ck Squad on the left side of the road. I quickly picked up my pace to reach Ian, who was walking ahead of everyone.


    "It was very nice what you did back there," I said, referring to the bag he prepared for them.


    "Well, I didn¡¯t do it to impress you," he replied with a shrug.

 Chapter 175-They Are Not Crows

    <h4>Chapter 175: 175-They Are Not Crows</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I frowned, pouting at hisment. He didn¡¯t have to say that.


    "Who told you I¡¯d get impressed with something that simple? I don¡¯t get impressed that easily," I groaned at him. He had to ruin everything. I was justplimenting him because it really was nice of him.


    He nodded, and as I began to slow down to walk behind him, I noticed he slowed too, turning his head just slightly to look at me.


    "So, just out of curiosity, what does impress you?" he asked, making me feel a little better about his earlierment.


    "You wouldn¡¯t want to know. It¡¯s not like you or anyone here can reach that level of understanding ormitment." I shrugged, almost sticking my tongue out before falling back again, leaving him to walk ahead.


    "Would ying a monster work?" I suddenly heard Yorick whisper in my ear from behind. I turned to look at him, watching him smirk as he walked past me on my right side.


    We kept walking, and once we reached the abandoned road, the one where we felt safe, we decided to take a break. We sat down at the bus station and pulled out the maps.


    "So listen, just three of us will climb the tower, okay?" Joshua reminded Jack and Ian, making sure the others agreed to their part. "You¡¯ll all stay down by the tower, making sure no monster tries to climb after us, because we¡¯ll be in a very vulnerable state. And we won¡¯t have much time to fight them."


    He repeated what we had already discussed, and honestly, nobody argued. It was better to keep our roles clear. Once that was settled, we ate a little before starting our journey again.


    The weather was cloudy, not a single ray of sunshine. As we kept moving and finally reached the big city, I felt a chill creep in. The dark clouds had covered the sky like a nket, the world around was beginning to darker as if it was night.


    "Dude, are you okay?" I heard Yash ask Nate.


    "I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just¡ª it¡¯s really cold," Nate said, shivering.


    I nced at him and noticed how blue his lips had turned.


    "Haiden, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s okay." I nudged Haiden, who followed my gaze toward Nate.


    "We can feed him something if you want," Haiden suggested with no intention to be cocky. But the way Joshua turned to pass him a re said he didn¡¯t see it as that.


    "You all don¡¯t need to be so dramatic. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s dying. It¡¯s just cold," Joshua grunted, already giving Nate a look that told him not to act like he was struggling.


    "Yeah, I¡¯m fine," Nate muttered, hugging himself and rubbing his arms as his lips began to quiver.


    "Just because somebody needs help doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re weak," Ian snapped, finally standing up to Joshua, who had been bossy toward his squadmates for a while. I guessed he was taking out his anger of Jack and Suki on the other two, who werepletely innocent in all this. I mean, they were bullies too, but it¡¯s not like they had personally hurt anyone.


    "Really? So now you¡¯ll tell me how I should run my pack?" Joshua shot back. And right then, I realized he was missing his leadership days back in the pack.


    "Oh, Mr. Joshua wants to treat his squadmates like his pack members," Haiden taunted, making him clench his jaw.


    "But how will he run a squad when he couldn¡¯t even satisfy his mate?" Troy added, pouting and tilting his head.


    "Hey, stay out of my personal business," Joshua barked, pointing at Troy and Haiden, who onlyughed and gave each other a high five.


    "You guys are so immature," Yorick muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and turning away. He started scanning the area until I noticed him suddenly lift his head and briskly step ahead of us.


    "What is that?" he asked, pointing up at the sky. Everybody followed his eyes, staring at the swarm of crows circling above.


    "Have you never seen a crow before?" Suki joked, trying to be funny.


    But I noticed something was off. The longer I looked, the more I realized they weren¡¯t small birds, they were huge, much bigger than any crow should be.


    "These are not crows," I growled.


    "So what? They¡¯re something else, eagles or whatever. Why does it matter?" Jack hissed.


    The more they circled above us, the louder their screeching got, until it was so sharp we had to cover our ears. I noticed Nate shivering harder than before, his body almost freezing.


    "Okay, they¡¯reing after Nate!" I shouted, and the second I did, everybody panicked.


    "What do you mean?" Sukiined.


    I narrowed my eyes at the creatures, staring harder until it finally clicked.


    "These aren¡¯t birds. They¡¯re something else. They look like humans¨C but with wings," I said, rushing a little closer before stumbling back.


    "Okay, we need to find shelter," Ian ordered, and we quickly searched around. But there wasn¡¯t much time. The things started diving at us, and we all pulled out our swords and daggers.


    The things were specifically targeting Nate, and he wasn¡¯t even fighting back. He was just screaming and waving his arms around. We started swinging our swords at them. I shed one of the things and noticed how scary it looked. Ian, Haiden, Yorick, everybody else was fighting with power. But then Suki screamed when one of them wed her back, making her fall. Joshua and Jack both rushed over, but I caught a little hesitation in Joshua¡¯s eyes, since Jack reached her first, and she instantly hugged him.


    We didn¡¯t have time to watch the drama. We needed to save Nate. Then I saw the White Squad retreating, running away from the spot.


    "Hey! What about Nate?" I screamed.


    Joshua stopped for a moment, turned, and said, "If you care so much, save him."


    That was all he said before speeding away.


    Not a single White Squad member stayed behind for Nate, and I guess he noticed, because he briefly looked up at me with a broken look on his face and then smiled. It was such a meek, sad smile that I felt like I would do anything to save him now.

 Chapter 176-The Sluaghs

    <h4>Chapter 176: 176-The Sluaghs</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The White Squad had run away, saving themselves and not caring about their own squad mate, who was still shaking and screaming under the attack of the things.


    "Come on, Clementine!" I felt a grip around my wrist, Haiden trying to pull me away.


    "No, wait!" I pulled free and ran to Nate, swinging my sword and cutting down a few of the things right above his head. Seeing me struggle and not give up made my squad mates return. They surrounded Nate, striking at anything that tried toe closer.


    Slowly, in minutes, the things began to retreat. One by one, they left and gathered up in the sky like a swarm before screeching and flying away. We were breathing heavily, sweating in the cold, and not only that but we were also badly wounded, scratched, and wed everywhere.


    "Are you okay?" Yorick rushed to me, his hand on my shoulder as he pointed at my arm where I¡¯d been wed.


    "It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s not that bad," I said, looking at him. He barely had any scratches though.


    "Are you guys okay?" I asked Troy, who was shaking his arm because he had been wed on the back of his hand. Haiden looked fine, just one bite mark on his bicep. And then there was Ian. He wasn¡¯t scratched at all, but that didn¡¯t mean he hadn¡¯t helped. He fought with us. He stood beside us. It was safe to say Ian hade a long way, from someone who didn¡¯t care for his squadmates to someone who stood with them through thick and thin and even cared about others. He had really shown improvement.


    But then there was Nate. He sat on the road, eyes down. He was badly wounded, with scratch marks and bite marks all over his body.


    "Are you okay?" I ced my hand on his shoulder. He raised his head, looking so teary-eyed that I felt bad for him.


    "They left me behind," he muttered, smiling and shaking his head.


    "It¡¯s okay. They were worried about Suki. She got attacked." I didn¡¯t want him to think his squadmates were so selfish that not even one stayed behind for him.


    "Come on, Clementine, how can someone be so good at heart? We always bully you, and you¡¯re still trying to save their reputation," Nate said as he tried to get up, only to fall again. He groaned, shaking his head and blinking his eyes repeatedly.


    Yorick quickly came over, steadying him by cing Nate¡¯s arm around his own shoulder. "I¡¯ll take him to the shelter. We don¡¯t know when those things wille back," Yorick said, and Troy moved to support Nate from the other side, lifting his arm over his shoulder as well.


    Now that it was just Haiden, Ian, and me left, we looked around at the dead bodies of the things.


    "What are these things?" I asked, staring at their skeletal bodies. If I had to exin their appearance in the easiest way possible, I¡¯d say they looked like corpses that had grown wings. The space between their arms and underarms was filled with wings, almost like a bat. They looked like dead bodies, gray with thick skulls.


    "What are they?" Even Haiden grunted, staring at them too long.


    "They are sluagh," Ian pronounced, giving them identity.


    Haiden and I shared a nce before looking back at him, waiting for more because it seemed like he knew about these things.


    "They are the desperate souls that were once tortured and killed. Theye out in swamps and they attack." Ian paused, his jaw clenching a little as he sighed, then added, "the weak ones."


    He finished, and I began to think of Nate. Maybe he was the weakest among the others. I turned back to Ian for more exnation.


    "The cold Nate felt was the effect of their closeness. When they are near, they send chills down their victim¡¯s spine. They mostly pick a weak one, but once that target is gone, they move to another. They will attack anyone who gets in their way, but their main target stays the same," Ian exined.


    Honestly, I couldn¡¯t be more impressed with this guy. How the heck did he have so much knowledge? It was beyond me.


    "How do you know?" Haiden asked.


    Ian took a deep breath and sighed. "I¡¯ve read a lot of books, like every single book around. Anyway, that¡¯s not the point. The point is that the bite on your bicep, that¡¯s going to be a problem." His tone shifted as he pointed at Haiden¡¯s bicep, tilting his head and wagging his finger at it.


    Haiden quickly looked at his arm, checking the bite.


    "What do you mean? How is it going to be trouble?" I asked, worried for him.


    "Their bite can cause hallucinations, to the point that some people don¡¯t realize who to attack or who to trust," Ian exined, and I was already freaking out for Haiden.


    "Then what are we going to do now?" I pressed.


    "It¡¯s okay. We can take Haiden to any building and make him sleep. Once they¡¯re asleep, they¡¯re fine. But that guy Nate, he¡¯s the problem. They¡¯lle after him again, and he¡¯s been bitten way more times than Haiden. I¡¯m not sure sleep will help him," Ian admitted, making me nce toward Yorick and Troy, who were carrying Nate away.


    "Clementine, was it the thing you sawst night? Are these the same monsters?" Haiden turned to me, asking about what I¡¯d witnessed.


    I stared at the dead bodies of the things and searched for tails. They didn¡¯t have any. They looked like human corpses with wings.


    "No, that thing had a huge scaly tail," I argued, already terrified. It wasn¡¯t some game where we faced one monster at a time, we could be attacked by many at once.


    "Anyway, let¡¯s find Haiden a ce to sleep before he starts hallucinating and it bes harder for us to handle him," Ian muttered, grabbing his bag and picking up my sword I had dropped before checking on Nate.


    I watched him carefully clean the de and hold it for me, not even looking my way. His nonchnce sometimes made him look so sexy.

 Chapter 177-I Confront The Cheaters

    <h4>Chapter 177: 177-I Confront The Cheaters</h4>


    <strong>Joshua</strong>:


    I had decided to leave the useless piece of trash behind. I could tell he was being attacked, and those things were only focusing on him. Early on, I guessed he was the one luring them somehow, but why, I had no idea. I had never seen these things before. They were weird, like ugly dead bodies flying around.


    We managed to get into a small vintage shop and stayed there until we noticed the things finally leaving. We had no clue if they were able to save Nate or not. I came out from behind the counter and saw Yorick and Troy carrying Nate away.


    "Is it safe to go outside now?" Yash asked, stepping out from behind a big shelf of vintage goods.


    "Argh! It hurts so bad," Then I heard Sukiin. She was still sitting on the ground, unable to get up. I rushed over, but once again noticed Jack trying to reach her before me. This time, I wouldn¡¯t let it happen. When the things were attacking us earlier, I couldn¡¯t argue with him, so I let himfort her. But not anymore.


    "Back off!" I yelled at Jack, giving him a look.


    The fact that they betrayed me so badly for so long, and still didn¡¯t stop making mistakes, only proved to me they weren¡¯t guilty at all. It just angered me more. I had seen Jack as my brother. And Suki? I had rejected so many proposals for her because I felt a mate bond with her.


    A lot of people told me that if I dropped Suki, I could stay in the pack. My father gave me that condition, and I didn¡¯t ept it. I chose Suki. So when I found out they had betrayed me, it felt like my entire life had been ruined.


    But did it make me love her any less? No. No.


    "I was just worried for her, Joshua. Come on, she¡¯s been my friend too," Jack went on,pletely ignorant.


    The betrayal from these two would affect me for the rest of my life. And the fact that I still couldn¡¯t hit either of them, because I loved them so much, made me feel pathetic. But I wasn¡¯t going to let go of Suki. That wasn¡¯t an option. I just wished she realized it and mended her ways.


    I gave him a look, then before walking over to Suki, I stopped and faced Jack.


    "I¡¯m here for her, Jack," I said, hoping he realized that getting close to Suki was making me ufortable. He wasn¡¯t a child. He knew what had happened. He just needed to back off and let me handle my own mate. Once Jack realized I was not going to let him get any closer to Suki, he stepped back.


    "Anyway, are you okay?" I ignored Jack¡¯s grunting and focused on Suki, who was grimacing in pain.


    "That fucking thing wed me all over my back," sheined softly, making me shake my head at her.


    "Of course it did. Everybody wants a piece of you," I teased, and she managed a small smile.


    "Let me take care of it," I said, opening the bag the ringleaders had given us. It was specifically so we could take care of each other¡¯s wounds if it came down to that.


    "Thank you," Suki whispered in her soft, gentle tone. She started to take off her shirt, and I sat in a way that kept the others from watching her. I didn¡¯t want anyone¡¯s eyes on her.


    When I was applying balm on her body, I couldn¡¯t help but think of her naked in front of Jack, and I had to clench my fists to stop myself from imagining their intimate sessions. I knew they told me they had done it so many times they couldn¡¯t even remember the number. I didn¡¯t want to leave her now. I hade here for her. I had to make it work, even if it meant forgiving her this one time.


    shback:


    "What the heck was that?" I shouted the minute I shut the door and faced the two cheaters. They had no idea how they made me feel back there with everyone watching. I even caught the blue squad smiling. Oriana seemed to enjoy letting everyone know I wasn¡¯t a suitable alpha, since I didn¡¯t even know what was happening behind my back.


    Suki opened her mouth, then closed it when she nced at Yash and Nate. I could tell she wanted privacy.


    "Oh, screw that," I snapped at her. "You didn¡¯t need privacy when you were doing Jack all over the academy, and now suddenly you want it? You¡¯ll say everything in front of them."


    I groaned, pointing at the two. Yash and Nate sat down, but when I red, they quickly stood again, giving me their full attention because I demanded it. The cheaters looked shamelessly clueless. Suki seemed upset that I was questioning her. And Jack? His face showed nothing.


    "I want to know why. Why did you two do this to me, and how long has it been going on?" I shouted, ring at their faces one by one.


    "Just for a year," Suki said, closing her eyes. Finally, some guilt showed on Jack¡¯s face.


    "A year?" I asked. They had no idea how badly they¡¯d broken me. If I hadn¡¯t been so worried about my reputation, I would have cried. But I couldn¡¯t. An Alpha never cries. That would make me look weak.


    "Do you have any idea what kind of betrayal this is?" I yelled at Suki, then turned to Jack. "And you? You have nothing to say?" I pressed.


    Jack closed his eyes and muttered, "I¡¯m sorry." That was all. No excuse. Nothing.


    "I need a minute," Suki said as she rushed past me to the door. I wanted to stop her, to scream at her, to remind her how much I had done for her. For that ungrateful bitch. But I couldn¡¯t. I let her go.


    Jack studied my face for a moment before heading to the bathroom. I felt like I deserved an apology, a real one. Not just because they got caught. But they both ran, avoiding my eyes, because they couldn¡¯t face the truth anymore.


    End Of shback:

 Chapter 178-The Cream Of The Academy

    <h4>Chapter 178: 178-The Cream Of The Academy</h4>


    <strong>Joshua:</strong>


    "All set," I told her with a smile as I got up, but she instantly held my hand. Her touch would ignite mes in my body. And she knew that too. All my life, I have only loved Suki. So it really suck that she betrayed me.


    "Please forgive me," she whispered.


    I gave her a small nod. I guess even she realized that whenever I tried to be close to her, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking of her with Jack, and it just made me so ufortable.


    "I will, with time," I told her.


    "I will wait. I will wait forever for you," she said, making me give her a broken smile.


    "That is all I want to hear. I want to be your special too, Suki, like you are special to me." I knelt beside her again, holding her hand. She had put her clothes back on. She was so pretty. Honestly, she had no clue what she meant to me.


    "I am so sorry. When I first cheated on you, I felt like if I kept doing it, it would be fine. I was trying to ease my guilt, and I was afraid if I stopped, Jack would get angry," she admitted, making me frown and scrunch my eyebrows.


    "Did he force you?" I asked, and she quickly shook her head.


    "No, no, no, that¡¯s not what I mean. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m really sorry. Please, let¡¯s make it work," she pleaded, and I gave her a gentle pat on the back of her hand.


    "I was thinking about that too. It¡¯ll take me some time to be my regr self, but I really want it to work," I murmured with all honesty. Somewhere along the line, I knew I loved her more than she loved me. That I wouldn¡¯t be able to live without her if she rejected me.


    She instantly threw herself at me, hugging me tightly. I couldn¡¯t hug her back because of the bandages on her back, but I cupped her face and kissed her lips. The sweet taste of her tongue could turn me on during a war with a monster. She held that much power over me. I deepened the kiss, moaning as I slipped my tongue into her mouth. She hungrily started to suck my tongue.


    Once we broke off the kiss, I finally smiled with all my heart.


    "I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d be without you, Sukie. And somewhere along the line, I know you know this too." I smiled.


    A tear slid down my cheek while she nodded. She knew what she meant to me.


    "Guys, we can¡¯t stay hiding, we have to go and speak with Ian as well. Those things, those flying creatures, if they somehow pass through the, the maind will be in danger," Jack suddenly spoke up, probably thinking he was too clever to be sneaky. But I knew he couldn¡¯t stand the sight of me with Sukie.


    On the other hand, he was also telling the truth. We had to get to work. These things were dangerous. So we all got up and headed toward the door again.


    But as soon as we reached the door, I saw Ian, Clementine, and Haiden heading after Yorick and Troy. And it was Clementine who gave us such a nasty nce.


    "Where are you heading? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gonna go after her wherever she takes you. We have a mission in hand!" I shouted at Ian, who shrugged without even turning around to respond. I hated that guy. He thought he was too superior to us, so he wouldn¡¯t even get involved in conversations. But once in a while, he¡¯d speak up just to say something so outrageous and it made our blood boil.


    "Where are you heading?" I yelled again, but they just kept walking silently, as if they couldn¡¯t even hear us.


    At this point, Yash had to be the one to go after them. He hastily approached them to have a word while Jack cleared his throat beside me.


    "Don¡¯t you think that Ian guy is a little too rxed to be in the North?" Jack said. Suki stepped to the side, probably to put some distance so I wouldn¡¯t feel ufortable. She didn¡¯t respond to him. But I had to agree with Jack.


    "I¡¯ve noticed it myself," I said, staring at Ian¡¯s back. "There¡¯s something off about him." I nodded as I spoke.


    I watched Yash speak to them and then return.


    "They¡¯re taking care of the ones that got bitten, because the hallucinations will start. Ian will join you and Jack in a few minutes, while the others stay back with the ones that will be sleeping," Yash exined, making me look around in disbelief.


    They were seriously leaving other crusaders behind. First they let the red squad separate, now this. Who the heck would take care of us when we reached the tower?


    "Who the heck put them in charge of everything?" I groaned, wondering if someone in their group was calling the shots.


    "Maybe it¡¯s that girl, Clementine. She acts too clever and tough," Jack said. I started to nod, because I¡¯d noticed it too. At times I thought she¡¯d back away from the monsters, but she always went headfirst into trouble, and came out on top. Our ringleader also hated the side of her for being too cocky at times.


    "And then that Ian guy, he¡¯s odd too," Jack added.


    "To be honest, I don¡¯t see anyone leading that group. They¡¯re all alphas. Maybe they just share the same kind of energy," Yash said.


    It was the only thing that made sense, but we all shot him a sharp look. He shrank back, and that made me realize he might be right. When alphas or betas are together, they hardly let others speak. And in their case, they were all alphas, the cream of the academy.


    Then my eyes moved to my squad.


    "It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll be there with you," Suki said, stepping forward and holding my hand. And that was all I needed.

 Chapter 179-His Confession Of Love

    <h4>Chapter 179: 179-His Confession Of Love</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Are you sure you will be okay? There is no one else going from our team, so I think one of us shoulde with you," I asked Ian after we hadid Haiden and Nate in two separate rooms of one of the buildings. It was an apartmentplex, and we chose the rooms on the fourth floor. Troy was sitting with Nate and Yorick was with Haiden.


    "I will be fine. Besides, we don¡¯t know how Nate will act once he wakes up. His hallucinations could be wild. A third person is a must to take care of him and this whole setup," Ian replied while dividing the stuff from the bags.


    I kept watching his face. I didn¡¯t know why I was worried for him. I did not trust that white squad. For them, the only thing that mattered was their ownfort. They wouldn¡¯t even think twice about their own squadmate.


    "Come on Clementine, I¡¯ll be fine." I don¡¯t know how Ian noticed that I was too worried, but he tried tofort me.


    Yorick held my arm and pulled me away from Ian toward Nate¡¯s room. "Go sit with Troy, make sure you keep an eye on Nate." Yorick almost pushed me into the room before leaving for Haiden¡¯s.


    I sat down, then wandered around, watching Troy on the couch with his elbow bent, fist under his chin. He stared at me in silence. I moved to the window and stood next to it, watching the white squad leave with Ian.


    Ian could take care of himself, and he didn¡¯t really care about being in a group or if others weren¡¯t speaking with him. But that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t need help.


    "They will be fine though," Troy said, making me turn to look at him.


    "No, I was just wondering, what if it is toote and the has beenpletely broken?" I lied. That wasn¡¯t what I was really worried about. I was, but most of my worry was about how the white squad would treat Ian.


    "The tower is just a few minutes away. They¡¯ll reach there in no time and we¡¯ll find out what is going on. Don¡¯t worry," Troy answered. I nodded and sat down again by the window.


    The next few minutes were really hard to pass. I felt odd under Troy¡¯s gaze. He hadn¡¯t looked away from me once.


    "Why did you let Ian touch you?" he finally asked, breaking the silence.


    I smiled and nodded. "So, this is your question about that day?" As soon as I said it, I noticed him looking a little too worried.


    I guess in that moment, not only I but he realized too, that they had been so caught up inpetition that they focused more on who was going to hurt, who was going to drag the other down to look bad in my eyes, instead of trying to look good in my eyes for themselves. I had expected Troy to ask why I got intimate with him, but his jealousy had peaked so much that he focused more on Ian.


    "No, I mean, I, why did you let me touch you?" he corrected himself, but it was toote.


    I didn¡¯t want to deal with it. I had seen what happened with the white squad and I didn¡¯t want my squad treating each other the same way.


    "I guess we have decided we will not talk about it," I said a bit harshly so he wouldn¡¯t take it as a sign to keep bothering me.


    "Did I mess up?" he asked softly. "Would it have been different if I had asked you about me instead of Ian?"


    I folded my arms over my chest and kept looking outside the window.


    "Troy, did you not see what happened to the white squad?" I muttered. "These kinds ofpetitions will break us apart, and it¡¯s not like there is any future. There is no future for any of us. We will keeping to the north until we are dead. So it¡¯s better we don¡¯t get attached to each other like that."


    My heart felt so heavy saying that to Troy. All my life I wanted to run away from everyone. To have no attention on me. To live a life where I didn¡¯t have to rely on anyone. And now that I was in a ce where I wouldn¡¯t be asked to be someone¡¯s first, second, or third mate, I was worried. I wanted a normal life. I wanted a family. I don¡¯t know how, but it just suddenly happened to me.


    I guess now that I was confident, saving myself was no longer my priority. Running away was no longer my only option. But wasn¡¯t it my only option? I couldn¡¯t even think about life in a normal way anymore. And to think I wasn¡¯t someone¡¯s second or third mate but had two mates, it was even crazier.


    "Why are you thinking like that? Everybody¡¯s life is going to end one day," Troy said, sounding upset. He hunched down, hands on his thighs, rubbing his face in his palms. Then he leaned back, crossing one leg over the other.


    "I like you," he admitted, and my posture copsed. After a brief pause he added, "No, I love you, Clementine."


    My head snapped toward him. My eyes widened. My heart could sink at any moment. His confession came out of nowhere.


    "What are you saying?" I muttered. It was one thing to tell someone they had a crush, but saying those three words made a huge difference.


    "You heard me. I don¡¯t fucking care who is fated to you. I just know that I love you," he said, almost dered, staring right into my eyes. It felt almost like a threat. I had just told him I didn¡¯t wantpetition, but here he was making it clear he wouldn¡¯t back down.


    "I don¡¯t understand why I have two mates." I mean, it was the right way to divert attention, but also to something that was really, really important for us to understand. I wasn¡¯t that special, and we hadn¡¯t told anyone, not even the ringleaders, about it yet. So there was no exnation for us, and the ones who had felt the mate bond with me didn¡¯t seem to care at all. It seemed like they were just happy that they felt it.


    "Or we can ask ourselves, why didn¡¯t I feel the mate bond with you?" Troy pouted, making it about himself once again. A little grunt from Nate then broke our attention from him.

 Chapter 180-I Am The Bigger Monster In North

    <h4>Chapter 180: 180-I Am The Bigger Monster In North</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    My journey began, this time with the white squad. They were a pretty unusual kind of people for me. I noticed they had this weird dynamic where Joshua was the leader and nobody really respected him, especially his girlfriend, his fated mate, and his best friend.


    I couldn¡¯t help but see myself in Joshua, in the sense that I was also betrayed by two close people in my life. However, I didn¡¯t feel anxious anymore.


    "Is that because of Clem?" my wolf asked, and I shook my head.


    "I knew you would mention her. You desperately want me to move on, and I have. Honestly, I¡¯m no longer in love with my ex," I said, shrugging.


    "And what changed? I mean, the Ian I know would hold on to it for so long, be angry, try to punish everyone who hurt him before he even moves on. And I¡¯m not even talking about just stop loving someone. That I could expect from you. But to let it go like that, that is not like you," he replied, making me roll my eyes again.


    I didn¡¯t want to talk about it, because my attention had shifted to the white squad.


    "So remember your roles, right? You two will stand on guard. Make sure no monster climbs up to catch our asses while we go up there and do the important stuff," Joshua ordered, making me roll my eyes again.


    Every few minutes he spoke up, reminding everyone how important our task was, more his than theirs.


    Suki and Yash had no choice but to bob their heads.


    "Oi, Ian, you understand we need to be quick, right?" he called, but I didn¡¯t turn around to answer. I didn¡¯t have the energy for it.


    But here we were at the tower, and just like I expected, this thing was a fucking climb. We all stopped, and Yash even gasped at how tall the tower was.


    ""Okay, we need to fucking hurry up, because I don¡¯t know why they didn¡¯t tell us it was going to be so high up in the sky," Jackined, walking around the tower.


    The tower was a huge metal structure, tall and wide, with many spots to climb up even though it wasn¡¯t like adder.


    In the middle of the tower, a magical stone was attached, and the energy around it was very strong.


    "Fine, don¡¯t say anything, but make sure you don¡¯t dy in climbing. We need to climb fast," Joshu hissed at me, trying to control me as if I didn¡¯t already know that.


    But while he was busy repeating himself, I started climbing the tower.


    I grabbed onto the metal bars sticking out from the side and pulled myself up, one hand after another. My boots pressed against the rough edges, giving me just enough grip to push higher.


    Jack and Joshua were behind me, slower, but I was already ahead of them. I knew I could climb faster, and I wasn¡¯t nning on waiting for them.


    "Good lord, you¡¯re fast," I heard Jack say to me. But before I could blink again, I was already standing on the big metal bar, staring at the stone hanging from the bar above me with a metal chain.


    It was fixed in a way that we could open it, but not too easily. We were given weapons and enough tools to open these things.


    There were specific tools for it. But I didn¡¯t take it off yet, because I needed Jack and Joshua with me before we could start.


    My job camest. First, Joshua would climb up, he would quickly learn the carving pattern, then Jack would take it off and wipe it clean, and then I would start carving.


    Once Joshua and Jack were finally there, Joshua started to draw the pattern. It wasn¡¯t easy.


    There were certain marks I didn¡¯t think I could copy quickly. It would take me some time, but Joshua was fast, and I knew why he had picked this job.


    He knew the symbols too, so it was much easier for him. He finished within seconds, making no mistakes.


    Then he grabbed the tool, a small broken piece of metal given to us. It had carvings on it to open the stone from the pendant-like thing.


    He used it, opened the stone, and pulled it out. The moment he did, a strong gust of wind hit us, and we knew we didn¡¯t have much time.


    He handed it to Jack, who started rubbing it. But after a few seconds, panic hit.


    "It¡¯s noting off," Jack said, freaking out.


    "What do you mean it¡¯s noting off? Are you cleaning it with the right side of the cloth?" Joshua asked, panicking.


    "Turn the cloth around," I told him.


    Jack did what I said, but nothing worked.


    "What the fuck?" Jack stopped, eyes wide.


    I knew it wasn¡¯t just the shock that it wasn¡¯t working. There was more. It was confirmed when Suki screamed from the ground. Joshua and I turned, following Jack¡¯s stare.


    It was the most terrifying thing I¡¯d ever seen. Wrapped in ck flesh like old cloth, a woman with a long tail and wide white eyes with no pupils was staring at us.


    Her mouth stretched unnaturally wide, teeth growing inside it. She hissed, screeched, and climbed the building next to the tower. Then her movements sped up. Her long ck hair made her look like something out of a Ring movie, but worse.


    "Put it back, put it back," Joshua shouted.


    I snatched the stone from him, shoved it back, and closed the metal box.


    "But it will be weak," Joshua warned.


    "I know, but we need to get to Matthias," I said.


    Before they could argue, we were already rushing down, because that thing had jumped onto our tower. We climbed back down as she came at us full speed.


    I had let Joshua and Jack climb before me, so I was the one in direct eye contact with this thing. It had a wide grin, but everything about her was dark.


    Even her teeth were ck, and it sent a strange fright through my skin.


    Behind me, Jack and Joshua were panicking. Jack startedining he couldn¡¯t climb down faster if he was being chased.


    Then he pulled the stupidest move. He jumped from halfway down the tower. I heard him scream as his knee cracked.


    "I¡¯ming, don¡¯t try to put force on your knee," Joshua shouted.


    But I didn¡¯t understand why they weren¡¯t transitioning. They could literally shift into their werewolf form and fight this thing off.


    "You can transition too," my wolf muttered, but I shook my head. I didn¡¯t want the bigger monster to be born in the North.

 Chapter 181-The Monster Called Wendigo

    <h4>Chapter 181: 181-The Monster Called Wendigo</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    As I reached the road, that thing sped up, getting so close that she opened her mouth wide, but I pulled the sword from my back and swung it.


    The de cut across the lower part of her face, slicing the space between her nose and lip. She was huge, her face four times the size of ours. It was creepy as hell, and I knew what it was.


    She screamed, ck blood spilling out, then retreated only to lunge again. She jumped at me, and I dodged to the side, grabbed a metal rod, and swung myself down to the road. Because I moved, shended hard, rolled, and came right back at me.


    She stayed low on all fours, hissing, her body wrapped in ck flesh that looked like clothes. I couldn¡¯t tell where her skin ended and the covering began. She was just a mess of something ugly.


    Joshua had Jack¡¯s arm slung over his shoulder, trying to get him out. Suki and Yash had already run away.


    I didn¡¯t get why Joshua had put those two on lookout duty. First sign of trouble, and they were the first ones to run. I couldn¡¯t even me them. Nobody knew how to fight this thing.


    Jack was slowing Joshua down, and now the monster¡¯s attention shifted toward them. I had to pull her focus.


    "Hey,e here!" I yelled, swinging my sword through the air.


    She turned to me, grinned, then kept moving toward Joshua. She knew what she was doing. She wasn¡¯t some dumb monster.


    "Joshua, fucking let Jack go and transition!" I screamed at him, reminding that the idiot had a wolf he could use against this thing.


    When I yelled, the creature let out a furious groan, turning her head to re at me with rage-filled eyes.


    That was when Joshua shoved Jack toward the shop¡¯s entrance and turned back around.


    He began his transition, finally realizing we weren¡¯t as weak as we had pretended to be in the North.


    Joshua grew ws, his canines lengthened, and fur spread across his body.


    I saw his wolf, dark grey, massive, with eyes glowing full red. It hit me hard. His appearance wasn¡¯t what I expected, and the way he transitioned without hesitation made me think he didn¡¯t know the consequences of revealing himself. Something about his wolf felt wrong.


    He turned, then lunged at the creature. His ws tore into her, but she wrapped her huge arms around him and hurled him into a building. His scream echoed, a loud, agonizing groan.


    I rushed onto her from behind, jumped onto her back, and drove my sword down. She was huge, taller than an elephant, and her skin was thick, nothing like the flesh on her face. No wonder when I struck her there earlier with full force, it barely sliced.


    She wailed, iling her arms until one reached back, grabbed me, and ripped me off her. She threw me onto the road, my body rolling across the hard surface.


    Before she could recover, Joshua came at her again. This time he stabbed deep into the spot between her neck and shoulder, making her screech and m herself backward, crushing him beneath her weight.


    "Guys!" I heard Suki scream from one of the houses. "There¡¯s more!" She pointed to the side.


    I turned and saw more of those thingsing toward us. "Joshua, retreat!" I yelled, letting him know we couldn¡¯t fight them like this. Then I pointed at Suki. "Come out, it¡¯s not safe in there."


    "What? We¡¯ll lock the doors!" she shouted back.


    "No, it doesn¡¯t matter! They can break doors. We need an underground space!" I yelled, watching her eyes widen as she realized we weren¡¯t safe.


    She rushed back, probably to warn Yash, and the two of them came running onto the road.


    "Where are we gonna go? Where are we gonna find an underground space?" Suki panicked so much it made me grunt.


    By then, Joshua had returned to his human form. Our transitions didn¡¯t tear our clothes, it was a magical thing. So if these things expected a naked Joshua running around, they were dead wrong.


    "Let¡¯s go," I said, running with my hand pressed to my chest. I was holding the bag strap tight, the same bag where I¡¯d stuffed the cloth I had snatched from Jack. As Joshua caught up, we pushed forward.


    "I¡¯ve seen an underground subway," I told them. "That¡¯s where we¡¯re heading."


    We weren¡¯t moving fast enough, but once we reached the ce, I knew it was safe. Big metal doors sealed the subway station, and it made me wonder if people had already known something disastrous wasing to the North, or if these doors were built afterward.


    Either way, the carvings were the same as the mansion in Fleshmingo vige. That told me it was safe.


    We rushed downstairs. I let them go first. One of the things lunged at us, but I mmed the door shut.


    Its neck snapped in the frame, and it wailed. Then we kept running until we finally stopped, standing there awkwardly, staring at each other.


    "What are those things?" Suki asked, pointing up.


    I still didn¡¯t feel safe. The subway was massive. If other monsters were here, we were screwed. We had to stay ready.


    "That is called a Wendigo," I said, watching her eyes widen.


    "Oh yes, that is a Wendigo," Yash added. Everyone in the maind knew of them. They were always discussed among pack members.


    I guessed it was because one had escaped many years ago to the borders of the maind and was chased out with much fight and struggle. That was when the towers were built.


    "How are we going to defeat her?" Jack asked.


    "You mean them. There¡¯s not just one, it¡¯s like the fleshmingos, but deadlier," I said, pulling a water bottle from my bag and chugging.


    "So you don¡¯t know how we¡¯re going to fight one?" Suki pressed, hands on her hips.


    I shot her a side-eye while drinking, then capped the bottle and faced them.


    "Fire. We need to burn them. They¡¯re afraid of heat, extreme heat. And they onlye out when it¡¯s dark or so cloudy the sun can¡¯t hit them. As you can tell, they¡¯re afraid of the sun." I finished.


    "So if the sunes out, we¡¯re safe to go?" Jack asked.


    I shook my head.


    "We can¡¯t wait for that." As soon as I said it, Joshua narrowed his eyes.


    "It¡¯s not like we have somewhere else to be. We can make sure everything¡¯s safe and then leave," he said. I shook my head again and wagged my finger no.


    "Why? Why are you so stubborn about going out?" Suki asked.


    I didn¡¯t answer. I just looked at her while strolling around, scanning the subway, ears open for any sound underground.


    "Tell them. Tell them you¡¯re worried someone out there doesn¡¯t know about the Wendigo," my wolf teased, more like instigating me about the fact that I was worried about Clem.

 Chapter 182-A Little Close To Me

    <h4>Chapter 182: 182-A Little Close To Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I had been staring out the window, anxiously looking around, shifting my weight from one leg to the other.


    "What the heck is taking them so long?" I finallyined out loud, and I noticed Troy still staring at me. It had been thirty minutes, and he hadn¡¯t looked away once.


    He finally got up from the couch, breaking his deadly stare. He came to the window and hunched down to look outside. The way he did it, he almost sniffed my hair, then took a deep breath before lowering his face to look me directly in the eye.


    "Do you want me to go and look out for them?" he asked in a slow, soft tone.


    "I mean, I¡¯m just worried. What if they¡¯re not able to do it, and the monsters escape?" I said, trying to make it sound like I wasn¡¯t only worried because Ian was there. But I knew that was the case. I was worried for Ian. I didn¡¯t trust the white squad.


    "No, I don¡¯t want you to go. I think I should go," I said softly, and I noticed his muscles tense. His hands were on the window frame, his biceps bulging. He stood so close, one hand behind me and the other in front, almost caging me in.


    "I would rather go myself than watch you go there. Do you want me to feel the same anxiety you¡¯re feeling?" he paused, "For the," he mumbled, probably not realizing I was worried about Ian.


    "But then I¡¯ll be worried if you go out," I blurted.


    I watched a small, satisfied smile tug at his lips. He stretched his neck but didn¡¯t break eye contact.


    "That will make me happy," he said, sending a chill up my spine.


    "No, no, no! That is not, that is not happening."


    A panicked, anxious voice from Nate broke our stare, and we both turned to him. He was sweating heavily in the bed, now even sleep-talking.


    "Do you think Haiden is going through the same thing?" I asked Troy as we both stepped to the bed to check on Nate.


    "I hope not, but he has Yorick. He¡¯ll take care of him," Troy said, watching Nate.


    Suddenly Nate jolted upright in the bed, making us both gasp and pull away.


    "I¡¯m going to fucking kill you too," he hissed in a loud, deep voice. His eyes were almost ck now, his pupils so dted he looked terrifying. He had a forced grin, the kind that looked like he was in pain.


    "Dude, you better not," Troy warned him, making me nce at him in disbelief. Was he really saying that to someone so far gone he didn¡¯t even know what was happening? Did Troy really think telling him not to attack would stop him?


    "Okay, we need to do something. We need to tie him up," I told Troy, snapping my fingers.


    "Oh, you want to tie me up?" Nate barked, jumping up from the bed. Before I could react, he was alreadying at me.


    When Nate lunged, Troy stretched his arm out and grabbed him by the neck. He mmed him back onto the bed, climbing on top of him and holding him down by the throat. With his other hand, he pinned him. Nate fought back, scratching at Troy¡¯s arm with his free hand.


    "Go get a rope or something!" he yelled at me.


    I rushed out, realizing we¡¯d wasted too much time already. We should¡¯ve had rope ready by now. I started tearing through rooms in the apartmentplex, searching for anything we could use.


    At the very end, closer to the backyard, I came across one apartment. I opened the door, and the fresh smell of baked goods hit me hard. It was so strong, I thought someone was still cooking inside. But the ce was empty.


    I headed into one of the bedrooms and dug through the closet until I found some ropes. As I gathered them up, I noticed a few eerie things about the room. The first was the bed¡ªit looked like someone had just been sitting there, an imprint pressed into the mattress. And the second was the wet shoe prints.


    I looked around while folding the rope.


    "Come on, where are you?" Troy¡¯s yell from down the hall snapped my attention back to him.


    I handed the ropes back to Troy. Then I moved to the other side where Nate¡¯s free hand was, held it tightly, and pulled his other arm over his head, pinning him to the bed while he struggled against the restraints.


    We were stronger than him, so he couldn¡¯t fight us off. Troy tied him to the bed so securely there was no chance of escape. Once finished, we stepped off the bed.


    "We need to go check on Haiden," I said, breathing heavily.


    "Okay, I¡¯ll stay with him," Troy replied, and I gave him a quick nod.


    The moment I stepped outside his room, I heard a strange screeching noiseing from the hallways inside the apartments. I turned right and looked at the curve leading into the other hall. Arge shadow appeared there.


    I started walking toward it to investigate, but halfway through I caught its reflection in the big mirror. It was the biggest, scariest, ghostliest monster I had ever seen.


    It was the same thing I had seen the other night, but I hadn¡¯t realized how big she could be. She blocked most of the hallway, making my breath catch in my throat. I took slow, steady steps back, retreating so I could warn my squad mates that we were in danger.


    But I was terrified, because I knew nothing about this thing. Before I could get away, Nate¡¯s loud, agonizing scream drew her attention straight to the hallway where I stood.


    I watched her react to us in the mirror, and then our eyes met through the reflection. Her huge white eyes froze me in ce with fear. But I knew I had no time. I had to warn the others about these monsters, or I could distract her by making her chase me.


    I chose thetter. Instead of reaching for any doors, I sprinted toward the curve on the opposite side of her, luring her away from the rooms where Haiden and Troy were.

 Chapter 183-Lost My Mind For A Bit

    <h4>Chapter 183: 183-Lost My Mind For A Bit</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    My heart was pounding in my chest as I sped up toward the window. I could hear iting after me, and it wasn¡¯t just following me, she was jumping from one side of the wall to the other. Every time she did that, the whole building shook.


    As she began to speed up, I heard her vicious growls. She was terrifying, and her presence filled me with fear, but I kept going. I knew that if I stopped or got out of her sight to save myself, my squadmates would be in danger.


    I made sure to stay in her sight and rushed toward the big window. Speeding up with all my strength, I felt her try to graze my back with her w as she jumped from one side of the wall to the other. I reached the window first, and without pausing, I mmed it open.


    It all happened in a second. She had already jumped on top of me. When I opened the window and moved to the side, she growled, wailing as she leapt straight out. I was breathing heavily before I shut the window and looked down at her falling onto the road.


    She hit the ground, her neck snapping, and began to wail. I noticed she was going to heal quickly. She steadily got up, wagging her tail and preparing for another attack. I had only a few minutes to warn the others that we needed to get out.


    "What was all thatmotion? Did you feel the earthquake too?" I heard Troy ask from behind. I guessed he had heard the loud grunting and came out.


    "It¡¯s the monster," I said, pointing toward the window. He rushed over, and I noticed his eyes widened. I guessed he was realizing how deadly it was.


    "Wait, there are more!" he said, making me rush back toward the window, staring in the direction he was pointing. It was at the end of the street. Another monster was crawling onto the building.


    "What the fuck?" I grunted. I was so panicked that even if I wanted to move, I couldn¡¯t. There weren¡¯t just two, there were so many, all rushing toward our building.


    "What the heck are we going to do now?" Troy asked, stepping away from the window. One by one, I noticed them crawling toward the big window. Only a few could fit, but I knew there were more. They began hitting the window with their tails.


    At that moment, even one of their tails was strong enough to crack the window. Troy and I just stared at it. As we started to step back and closed our eyes for a second, one of the Wendigos raised its tail so high I thought it was about to shatter the ss. We covered our faces. But no sound came. No crack, no breaking ss, no Wendigos rushing in.


    I knew it was stupid to hide our eyes instead of running, but if they had alle inside, there was no way we could outrun them. I had already seen what they were capable of. Even one of them had managed to chase me through a tight space as if it belonged there.


    When we uncovered our eyes, we looked at each other, then back at the window. Suddenly, they were all gone. Arge crack ran across the ss, so it wasn¡¯t just our imagination. But where did they go?


    We slowly approached the window again to look outside. All we saw were clouds parting, and suddenly the sky was sunny. We couldn¡¯t understand how everything had changed so quickly. Where had they gone? Why would they leave? We searched the road, thinking maybe they had found another victim, another target, but nothing. It was silent outside.


    "I don¡¯t understand," I told Troy, turning to him.


    "Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is we need to get out of here. And now we know where to go if we want to survive these things," Troy said, making it clear he knew that mansion in Fleshmingo Vige was monster-proof. That was why it was always locked.


    So were there more people securing that mansion? Were there other safe ces like it?


    "Yeah, let¡¯s go," I told Troy. But as soon as we turned around, we saw someone standing behind us. It was Nate. He stared at us, his ws out, letting his wolf take over.


    "I¡¯m going to kill everyone," he growled, hissing. It was clear he was losing his mind quickly. And because he wasn¡¯t as strong as an alpha, he couldn¡¯t resist the bite marks, he had been bitten too many times.


    "Nate, we are crusaders, just like you. We didn¡¯t do this to you." I spoke slowly, trying to reach him, my hand brushing the small dagger I had hidden at my back just in case.


    If he attacked, I would defend myself. Just because he was one of us didn¡¯t mean I would let him kill us. If he became a monster, we¡¯d have to fight back.


    "Clementine, what are you doing?" Troy asked. I turned slightly to look at him.


    "Don¡¯t you see? He¡¯s ready to kill us," I muttered, and Troy frowned.


    "Are you going to kill him?" Before I could answer, Nate let out a grunt. Troy looked past me and shouted, "Clementine, get out of the way!" He rushed at me, pulled me aside, and leapt with me to the other side as Nate crashed to the floor, missing his attack.


    Nate snarled and lunged again, but this time Troy caught him first. He grabbed him by the neck and mmed him against the wall.


    "Not her. You¡¯re not going to touch her, you hear me?" Troy roared.


    Suddenly, Nate stopped struggling. I don¡¯t know what came over me, why I thought about fighting him to the death. Because right then, in front of me, he started breaking free from the trance. He looked around and began to cry quietly. Troy released him.


    "Did I hurt someone?" Nate stammered.


    "No. You¡¯re Nate. You can¡¯t hurt us." Then Troy gave the kind of response only an alpha could. Even in a moment like this, he reminded Nate he was too strong to be harmed by him. At least Nate was awake again.


    "We need to check on Haiden," I told Troy. As soon as we turned the corner to the room where he was sleeping, we found Yorick and Haiden stepping out. Haiden didn¡¯t look like he was under any trance. He looked fine, just a guy who¡¯d had a very good nap.

 Chapter 184-Mission Failed

    <h4>Chapter 184: 184-Mission Failed</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What the heck were those noises?" Yorick asked first. I noticed Haiden giving me a quick once-over with his eyes before finally rxing.


    "It was those things. Remember I told you about a monster I saw outside the mansionst night? Well, those things are real, and they¡¯re deadly," I said, taking deep breaths.


    "Are you feeling okay?" I turned to Nate, who nodded. I could tell he was finally back to his senses.


    "Shit, so where did they go? Did you kill them?" Haiden asked, shoulders tense. The bite mark on his arm had vanished.


    "No. I don¡¯t know. There were so many, but then suddenly they were gone." I tried to exin as best I could, but there really wasn¡¯t another exnation.


    "Anyway, what are we gonna do now?" Yorick asked, sounding anxious but confident, like he was ready to show no mercy if the monsters came back. Alphas always got riled up. I was one too, and honestly, I knew it because I got riled up just the same.


    "I don¡¯t know. All I know is that the mansion back in the vige is one of the safe spots. It¡¯s monster-proof somehow. I don¡¯t know how, but it is," I said firmly. Troy nodded along, even though he didn¡¯t know for sure. He was just backing me up.


    "But what about Ian and the others?" Haiden asked. "Are they back already?"


    I bit my bottom lip. This was where I had to share my next n.


    "So I was thinking, how about you guys go back to them¡ª"


    I stopped when noises echoed down the hall. I recognized them. Our squadmates and the white squad were returning.


    "They¡¯re back," Yorick said with a smile. "So if they¡¯re done with the job, we can just go home."


    We all felt relieved until the others came into view. They didn¡¯t look confident. In fact, the way they rushed toward us gave me a very bad feeling. The first person I saw was Ian, and honestly, I was relieved he was fine. But as soon as he met my eyes, he shook his head.


    "We couldn¡¯t do it. Somehow this cloth wasn¡¯t able to clean that thing," Ian exined once he reached us.


    I noticed some of the others were slightly injured. Jack looked like he had just transformed. He kept stretching his limbs. Even Joshua seemed like he¡¯d had to let his wolf out.


    "What happened back there?" I asked, curiosity overwhelming me. We had too many questions and didn¡¯t know which one to focus on.


    "Some things attacked us, and we had to transition to heal," Jack said, sounding meek and upset.


    Then I saw Suki. There were bloodstains on her back, wounds from those things that came from the sky. There had been too many monsters. Honestly, it was getting really hard to keep track of them all.


    "Why couldn¡¯t this thing clean it?" Haiden asked, changing the subject again. The conversation was getting chaotic.


    "Listen, one thing at a time," Ian said. "You all have too many questions. Calm the fuck down." He grunted.


    I already knew Ian wasn¡¯t the type to handle things nicely. If he was in a bad mood, everyone knew it. Suddenly, he pointed at me.


    "What did you ask first?"


    I felt all eyes turn to me. Him singling me out and giving me the chance to speak felt strange to the others, and I could tell why.


    "The same thing. Why didn¡¯t it clean the rock?" I asked, speaking for the others so they wouldn¡¯t feel awkward about their questions being dismissed. We weren¡¯t kids here, we were crusaders. Grown-ups.


    "I fucking don¡¯t know. All I know is that the first one who was picked should be the one to do this job," Ian said, holding the cloth.


    "So, Matthias?" I asked, and Ian nodded.


    "I guess that¡¯s why the ringleaders wanted us to decide who would do which job first. Once you give that thing to someone, they¡¯re in charge of it," Joshua exined. It was all getting messier.


    "So wait. How do these things know who to allow, who to let touch them?" Haiden grunted, pointing at the objects.


    "I don¡¯t know. Maybe it¡¯s the towers. Maybe the towers report back to the ringleaders, and they already put the names in," I said, looking around at everyone¡¯s faces. They were clueless, and Suki looked annoyed that we were going in circles.


    "So are we going to find Matthias or not?" she shouted.


    Everyone red at her, everyone but Joshua. I couldn¡¯t understand how foolishly in love you had to be to still defend someone who betrayed you like that.


    "All I know is that once it¡¯s taken out of the box for the first time, it¡¯s initiated. So back when Mr. Rick and Ms. Lenora took it out, it initiated. Then they put it back. Then they let Matthias touch it in the maind. And now it¡¯s only going to work if fucking Matthiases and helps us with it," Ian grunted, finally exining how things worked.


    But how did he know? How was he so confident? I didn¡¯t ask in front of everyone, because that would have put him on the spot. But I noticed.


    I nced around at the others and caught Yorick¡¯s face hardening. He was staring straight at Ian, tapping his foot gently on the floor. I could tell he was thinking the same thing I was.


    "Where are we going to find them? Because Miss Clementine over here asked them to leave and go wander around, do whatever the fuck they want. Do you know there¡¯s a deadly monster out there? What if that thing ate Matthias?" Suki almost screamed at me.


    We didn¡¯t have the box with us, since the ringleaders didn¡¯t want it disced. Going back home and trying to initiate it with someone else would be a disaster. I knew the ringleaders wouldn¡¯t let us live in peace after that.


    "What exactly was that thing? Did you guys encounter it too?" I asked, finally moving on from the cloth. I only asked Ian, because I knew the white squad was being hostile again. I ignored Suki¡¯s outburst, even when Troy grunted at her for yelling at me. I guess it bothered her whenever my squadmates stood up for me.


    "Those things are called Wendigos. Theye out when it¡¯s dark, mostly at night. But even if the sun is out, they¡¯re scared of fire and heat," Ian exined in just a few sentences. Troy and I looked at each other, realizing why they had suddenly vanished.


    "Then it means we need to find the others before the clouds cover the sky again?" I asked, still watching Ian.


    "Yeah, pretty much," Joshua replied this time.

 Chapter 185-I Chose Love

    <h4>Chapter 185: 185-I Chose Love</h4>


    <strong>Matthias:</strong>


    I held on to Jessie¡¯s hand as tightly as I could, pulling her with me to the mansion. I had caught a few things from Clementine¡¯s talk. She mentioned that the mansion was very hard to break into. I paid attention to her conversations because, sometimes, she actually said important things. Whenever she spoke, I knew I had to listen carefully. And this information was probably going to save us.


    Once we reached the mansion, we rushed inside and I mmed the door shut. Strangely, halfway through, those things hadpletely stopped chasing us. Inside, I looked at everyone¡¯s faces, they were terrified.


    "What the fuck were those things?" the new member, Mira, cried, clutching her chest. She was badly bruised, and blood poured from her shoulder. One of those things had bitten her, and I even heard her bone crack.


    "Can¡¯t you just transition to heal?" Oriana asked, her face pale with fear.


    There were too many questions and no real answers. What were those things? Where did theye from? Why were there so many of them? And why did they suddenly leave?


    "I don¡¯t know. Whatever the case, we¡¯re safe here," I told them. But my eyes kept drifting to Jessie. I was worried about her. She looked devastated. When she turned to me, I saw tears in her eyes.


    "My sister is out there. How will she survive this?" she asked, her voice breaking with urgency.


    "Your sister is as strong as you. Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯ll be fine," I tried to reassure her, though I wasn¡¯t even sure I believed it myself. Clementine had said her sister was running from one of those thingsst night, and Jack imed he saw her survive. But how much longer could shest?


    "We need to go out there," Jessie whispered. "The things disappeared, so that means we¡¯re safe. We should find my sister."


    Beforeing to the academy, I never imagined I¡¯d fall in love with anyone. I was usually alone. I didn¡¯t trust anyone. I didn¡¯t like anyone. I hated every human being. But here I was, deeply in love with the one person who was truly different from the rest.


    "She¡¯s right. We should go," I said. As soon as the words left my mouth, the others shook their heads in disagreement.


    "Of course you¡¯ll say that, because you¡¯re in love with her. But why the hell are we getting dragged into this mess?" Sebastian grumbled.


    The three new squad members from the blue team were Beta, Mira, and Sebastian, who didn¡¯t seem to connect too well with the others. They mostly only cared about themselves.


    The reason they came with us in the first ce was because they thought our job would be easier than fighting in the big city to protect the people in the tower. But once they realized the monsters were here and the mansion was the safest ce, they didn¡¯t want to leave.


    "Then you guys can stay back. Nobody¡¯s forcing you toe. We¡¯ll go, because I promised to find her sister, and I won¡¯t step back from my word," I shot back at the ones who refused to help.


    "I¡¯lle too," Oriana said suddenly, surprising us. She was far more willing to help than the others. I had noticed she was skilled at fighting and finding ways to protect both herself and the group.


    "Fine, you guys can go if you want to die so badly. Those things will just chase you back again, but we¡¯ll stay inside. We¡¯re not stupid enough to risk our lives for someone we don¡¯t even know survived," Mira snapped.


    As soon as she opened her mouth again, I shot her a sharp look, warning her to shut up. If she made Jessie cry one more time, she wouldn¡¯t hear the end of it. I was certain of that, and she finally seemed to realize it.


    I took Jessie¡¯s hand and started to lead her away. Just as we were about to head out, we opened the door and came across something unexpected. The Crusaders were returning.


    "Wait, they¡¯re back already? What if they want to go home? I don¡¯t want to leave yet," Jessie whispered.


    Oriana, standing beside her, stepped forward to speak with them. But the Crusaders didn¡¯t look like they had good news. Their faces were heavy with disappointment until their eyesnded on me. Suddenly, they looked hopeful. I couldn¡¯t understand why. People usually didn¡¯t react that way to seeing me.


    "What is it, you guys? Did you do it?" I asked as they approached. Ian stepped forward, shaking his head.


    "No. We need you. You initiated this cloth," he said, holding up the same piece of fabric meant for cleaning that he swung it around.


    They patted my shoulder as they passed me and went inside, and I already knew why. They must have run into that thing too.


    Once we were all inside, Ian pointed at the door.


    "Close it. Those things are called Wendigos. They¡¯re afraid of sunlight and fire. As long as there¡¯s bright light outside, we¡¯re safe. But the moment the clouds cover the sky, we won¡¯t be." He exined everything in one quick breath, making sure we knew what to expect.


    Everyone rushed in and shut the door, just as the clouds began to gather and block out the sun once more.


    "So that means Matthias has to go with you guys this time?" Oriana asked. We had already heard this question before, but I guessed she just wanted to see how I¡¯d react. My ns were different from what they were now suggesting.


    "Yeah. He has toe with us," Joshua added, the same guy who once acted like cleaning a stone was such an easy job. And now he had the nerve to ask me to go with them.


    I noticed Jessie nce at me, sadness in her eyes. She must have realized that if I went with them, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stay by her side. The choice was mine now. I gave them a small smile and said, "I¡¯m not going anywhere with you guys. I¡¯ll stay with Jessie."


    As soon as the words left my mouth, everyone stared at me in shock.

 Chapter 186-I Am Trustworthy Now?

    <h4>Chapter 186: 186-I Am Trustworthy Now?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Everyone was staring at Matthias, wondering what we would do if he refused to help. At that moment, I noticed Joshua ring at me, probably ming me for the divisions in the group.


    He had wanted me not to tell Jessie about her sister, but I could never have lived with myself if I had kept that secret. By the end of the day, at least I could sleep peacefully, without feeling guilty about betraying the girl.


    I looked away from Joshua, and when I turned back, I noticed Yorick had stepped between us, probably to block me from Joshua¡¯s side.


    "No, Matthias, you have to go help them. It¡¯s not just about me, it¡¯s about the entire maind. We have loved ones out there, the ones who didn¡¯t take part in sending us here. You have to do it for them, please." Of course, Jessie was different.


    She was like her sister, Valerie. I hadn¡¯t spent much time with Valerie, but the one night I did, I realized she was calm and decent, unlike most of the other crusaders we had met.


    "But I don¡¯t want to leave you alone, Jessie," Matthias said.


    I took a deep breath and added, "I will go with her."


    Matthias turned to look at me and I noticed a hope covering his face.


    "No, she¡¯sing with us," Jack argued, pointing at me as he spoke directly to Matthias.


    "You don¡¯t get to decide who I go with," I countered, stepping past Yorick to face Jack, who shook his head vigorously.


    "Yeah, Clementine wille with us. Why do you have to take the best yers with you?" Joshua said, pointing at Matthias. I clenched my fists.


    Then my eyesnded on Ian. He had been staring at me, but when I looked at him, he quickly looked away.


    "Clementine will make the decision. Nobody else will have a say," Haiden added, giving me ownership of the choice.


    "Okay, fine. Then somebody else will go with Jessie, maybe Oriana, her own team, and some of the ck squad. Even Nate and Yash," Joshua said dismissively, pointing at everyone to be sent away.


    Nate and Yash, especially Nate, looked offended. He had been left behind previously, and even now, he stayed distant, showing subtle microaggression. The white squad didn¡¯t seem to care, just Jack, Suki, and Joshua.


    "No, only Clementine. Others cane and go, but I only trust her," Matthias said, pointing at me. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.


    It was hard to believe that people were putting so much faith in me. My entire life, I had been disregarded, seen as untrustworthy. It affected me deeply. At one point, I even believed I might be a terrible person, not a good friend at all.


    But here I was, being trusted left and right. I had never been in such demand before, and it was apletely new feeling.


    "It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t want them to feel like they have toe with us," Jessie stated, probably talking about me.


    Matthias and Jessie then held hands, and he turned his attention back to her. I could tell he was very worried about her. It was such a weird situation. The white squad wasn¡¯t helping either.


    As silence fell over everyone once again, Ian cleared his throat. Before he could even speak, everybody was already looking at him, waiting for his ideas.


    "Actually, we don¡¯t even need many people there. It¡¯s not like anybody could help us," Ian said, making my body stiff. "When we were in the big city and the Wendigos attacked, nobody stayed. In fact, it was a burden for us to carry Yash, take care of Suki, take care of Jack. It¡¯s better if it¡¯s just the three of us. We¡¯ll get there quickly, and it will be much easier to save ourselves instead of worrying about the others, because there¡¯s not just one Wendigo, but many. Less distraction will help us."


    Others stared at each other before slowly nodding in agreement. I didn¡¯t like it, but since everyone seemed on board, what could I say?


    "Fine then, everybody else can either go with Jessie and Clementine or stay here, while the three of us go and quickly repair the stone," Mattthias stated, finally agreeing to the n.


    Even Joshua nodded, but I noticed his eyes lingering on Jack and Suki. They would be left behind without him.


    Atst, the decision was made. We had packed our bags. I heard that the rest of the red squad didn¡¯t want to go with Jessie.


    It was just going to be me, my squad, Oriana, and Jessie. Suki and Jack chose to stay behind with Yash and Nate, wanting to take care of Nate, who was still running a fever.


    I could tell, with a heavy heart, that Joshua had to leave without them.


    "Take care of yourself," I said to Ian, awkwardly rubbing my hands on my pants. He nodded. While his face was down, he briefly raised his eyes to nce at me.


    It was a quick look before he looked away, tossed the bag over his shoulder, and started walking. He spoke so few words, and sometimes that annoyed me so much.


    "Okay, guys, let¡¯s go. We need to find Valerie," I stated, and Jessie began moving toward me. My squadmates followed, but I wasn¡¯t sure if all of us going together was a good idea.


    When Jessie and Oriana were out of the house, I turned to look at my squadmates.


    "What?" Troy asked, hands on his waist. I could already tell he suspected I was going to say something that might divide us.


    "Do you guys trust the white squad to be left behind with the red squad?" I whispered softly.


    "They¡¯re not our responsibility. We shouldn¡¯t worry about it," Yorick hissed.


    "I understand that, but what if Ian¡ªif they get news about Ian and the others, they only decide to save their own squadmates. What about Ian? Wouldn¡¯t he need help?" I mumbled. I noticed my squadmates looking at me before their faces softened. I expected harsh questions, like why I cared, but they didn¡¯t do that. Instead, slowly, one by one, they nodded slightly.

 Chapter 187-Rock-Paper-Scissors

    <h4>Chapter 187: 187-Rock-Paper-Scissors</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "She¡¯s right. So who¡¯s gonna stay behind?" Yorick asked first.


    "How about we do rock-paper-scissors?" Troy suggested. Haiden shook his head.


    "I¡¯m really bad at that game. I never have good luck," heined. The others just watched him.


    "So what exactly do you mean by losing? Do you want to go or stay?" Yorick asked, giving him a knowing look.


    "Isn¡¯t it obvious? I want to go after my mate," Haiden admitted confidently and shamelessly, preferring toe with me. I noticed Troy and Yorick nce at me, and I instantly felt shy. I didn¡¯t want them saying things like that out loud.


    "Fine then. We have to do something." Yorick suggested, "Let¡¯s do this, whoever calls for the index finger when Clementine holds it up gets to go with her. The other two will stay behind." It was a good idea. The two staying behind wouldn¡¯t be alone, since I didn¡¯t trust the white squad.


    The three of us turned around. I lifted my small finger, and both Haiden and Troy lifted theirs. "Okay, for this," I said, holding up the index finger. I watched as Yorick raised his hand, and it was decided.


    "Damn it! We should have stuck with rock-paper-scissors. This was such a stupid game," Troyined, ring at Haiden.


    "And you said you were only bad at rock-paper-scissors," Troy continued bothering him. Haiden had his hands on his hips, staring at me as if I were lying. However, Yorick wore a very satisfied look on his face.


    "Okay, kids, you all go back inside while we continue our journey. We don¡¯t know when those guys wille back, so we need to find Valerie before the train returns and we are ready to leave. I don¡¯t want another dy once one task is over and Valerie is still missing," Yorick exined, detailing how things could go wrong if we didn¡¯t hurry and finish all the tasks together.


    "Whatever," Troy hissed, dismissing Yorick with a wave of his hand.


    "Please take care of yourself," he said to me before turning around and leaving. He sounded so upset.


    And then there was Haiden, who kept staring at me before he suddenly stepped closer and kissed me on the cheek. My hands were awkwardly clutched between our chests. Once he pulled away and walked back inside, I turned and saw the wide-eyed Oriana.


    "He¡¯s gonna get you in a lot of trouble one day," Yorickmented, hissing as he started walking with me. We began walking together. It was just Oriana, Jessie, me, and Yorick at this point.


    "Where are we going to find her?" Yorick asked.


    "We¡¯ve looked through the woods and didn¡¯t find her, so probably the vige, maybe near the station area. Or we can move forward," Oriana suggested, letting us know they had already cleared the area.


    "Did you notice the fleshmingos aren¡¯t everywhere anymore?" Imented, looking around. At this point, we had also realized it was better to move forward than go back.


    "Well we should have left with the others," Yorickined, rolling his eyes. I had to constantly remind him, and Oriana to not toin too much. Jessie was heavily emotional, left behind by Matthias in the hope that we would take care of her. I wanted to do a good job because I knew how much it meant when someone trusts you.


    Soon, we were on the abandoned road. Suddenly, the sky filled with clouds, and we instantly knew it was bad news. We exchanged a look. It was the most horrifying moment, because the minute the world started to darken, we began hearing those screeching noises.


    I gulped as I nced at Yorick, who nodded and rested his hand on the dagger at his belt. I pulled out my sword. Oriana did the same, while Jessie held two daggers, one in each hand.


    "I think those things are near us," Yorickmented.


    "You¡¯re right," I said.


    "Or maybe we can turn around, go back to the mansion, and wait for the sky to clear again?" Oriana suggested, and honestly, both Yorick and I were silent. The decision fell on Jessie, and she immediately turned around to make it clear she wasn¡¯t epting it.


    "No! My sister might be out there! So no, we¡¯re not going back. We¡¯ll only move forward, and maybe we¡¯ll find another safe ce," she shouted.


    As she was talking, all three of us looked behind her. A huge Wendigo leaped from a tree onto the road, and even Jessie shrank her shoulders before terrifyingly turning to make eye contact with it. The creature was still a fair distance away, but it meant we were in grave danger.


    "How about going back to the mansion now?" Oriana asked. The next thing I knew, the Wendigo began sprinting toward us. We all turned and ran toward the mansion, sprinting as fast as we could, swinging our arms because the creature wasn¡¯t moving straight.


    It leapt from tree to tree, sometimes crossing to the other side of the road, making these erratic movements that filled us with anxiety.


    "Don¡¯t go straight, go in a zigzag line!" I yelled, and they all started to follow me. As we did, I noticed the Wendigo beginning to get confused.


    However, she was still able to jump right in front of me. I swung my arm, trying to slice her with my sword, but it would take a lot more force to harm her. Her skin was incredibly thick.


    That¡¯s when Yorick jumped on her back, trying to stab her, but she tossed him aside. I lunged forward, stabbing her in the eye, and she squealed.


    As she thrashed, she threw me onto the road, my sword slipping from my hand. I began crawling toward it, but Yorick grabbed me, lifted me up, and together we ran for my sword.


    At this point, I noticed Jessie had run in another direction, as some fleshmingos were emerging from the houses. Oriana had gone straight toward the mansion, and Yorick was guiding me back there. When we arrived, I saw Jessie heading for the backyard of one of the houses.


    "No, I can¡¯t let her go alone!" I yelled, freeing myself from Yorick and sprinting toward the back of the house.


    "Clementine!" I heard Yorick scream. I turned briefly and saw Oriana pushing him inside the mansion.

 Chapter 188-All They Do Is Lie

    <h4>Chapter 188: 188-All They Do Is Lie</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Bring her back! We¡¯ll open the door for you!" Oriana yelled, closing the door quickly. I didn¡¯t think she had done anything wrong.


    I wouldn¡¯t have beenfortable leaving everyone outside because I chose to go after Jessie, but I was able to catch up with her as she ran forward.


    The Wendigo was now leaping from roof to roof, side by side with Jessie. As she sprinted ahead, I rushed up and grabbed her arm, pulling her back.


    The Wendigo jumped down, hissing and snarling. The moment shended, I grabbed Jessie and leapt to the left, escaping the Wendigo¡¯s attack andnding in the space between two houses. The Wendigo screamed as she hit the ground.


    Now I grabbed Jessie¡¯s hand and began dragging her back toward the mansion, jumping through front yards and small gardens. The weather was worsening.


    Suddenly, Jessie tripped over something in the overgrown bushes of one yard. She grimaced, and I helped her up, but she started to protest, noticing what she had fallen over.


    "Come on, Jessie, go. Get up!" I pulled her harder.


    She snapped at me, shrugging my hand off and almost crawling back into the bushes. That was the weirdest thing she had done.


    Then my eyesnded on the Wendigo. It was right in front of me. The way she hissed and snarled, her smile widening, it was like she was mocking me.


    The next thing I knew, she was jumping on top of me. I fell back, but suddenly she screamed when something burning hit her.


    I turned my head to the left, following the fire arrows, and saw three of my squad mates running toward her, attacking.


    She squealed louder, trying to step away, but her skin seemed almost like a ck cloth, a little tough, but catching fire. She suddenly ignited and began thrashing wildly.


    "Yorick!" I shouted. He rushed forward, cing his hands under my armpits to lift me away before she couldnd on me.


    She screamed in pain for a while, then fell to the road, taking herst breaths. Soon, she began turning to ashes. We watched everything unfold.


    The others had alsoe out of the mansion. The Wendigo¡¯s screams had scared the fleshmingos away. I guessed it was because they relied on their hearing.


    The deadly noises from the Wendigo scared them off, but we knew they wouldn¡¯t stay scared for long, so we had to retreat.


    We were still concerned about Jessie. Now that the Wendigo was dead and my squad mates were present, Oriana returned to see what had happened.


    We turned to look at Jessie. She was behind arge bush. Haiden stepped forward, pulled the bush aside, and we found her sitting on the ground, sobbing.


    "What is going on?" I asked, moving closer, and then I saw what she had tripped over. I gasped, covering my mouth, almost gagging at the sight.


    I turned away to take a deep breath, trying not to inhale through the corpse. Both Troy and Yorick grunted when they saw it.


    "What is it?" Troy questioned, reaching closer, and then he fell silent.


    "Oh no," he whispered. "How is this possible?"


    Jessie began to cry, staring at Valerie¡¯s dead body, almost rotting. It didn¡¯t seem like she had died today, maybe a few hours ago.


    I noticed a blood trail dragged from outside the mansion¡¯s door all the way to this spot. Jessie got up, inspecting it hysterically, her gaze shifting to Oriana.


    "It happened because of you," Jessie suddenly pointed at her. "You are the reason my sister died. If you hadn¡¯t left her behind on the train that day, she would be with us right now."


    Jessie began screaming, drawing the attention of the fleshmingos. I grabbed her arm to pull her away, but she struggled violently.


    "I¡¯m not leaving her alone!" she shouted, pointing at her sister. "She must have been so scared, so lonely all these days. And now she¡¯s dead. She¡¯s gone. And you want me to leave again?" she huped, sobbing.


    "Okay, Jessie, we are all with you on this, but you need to get inside. Oriana will be in the mansion too. You can scream all you want at her." Haiden didn¡¯t try to reason with her, because I could tell the fleshmingos had started toe out.


    They were only afraid of the Wendigo¡¯s cries, not ours. They were attracted to us.


    "No, I¡¯m not leaving my sister alone. She needs me," Jessie cried, turning toward her.


    At this point, I had to nce at Haiden, because Jessie could get herself into a lot of danger, and I wasn¡¯t going to leave without her.


    They had no other option but for Haiden to grunt and suddenly rush at Jessie. She was shocked when he lifted her over his shoulder, holding her tight as he began running toward the mansion. I followed with Oriana and the others.


    Once we were inside, we set her down, and she began fighting Haiden, hitting him on the chest with her fists. I could tell he was barely affected.


    "What is going on?" Suki came out of the room. I noticed she had been in the room with Jack, and when he came out, he was fixing his pants.


    "Seriously?" I grunted at her, and she turned pale, like she had been caught off guard.


    "What? We were just resting," she instantly tried to make up an excuse, but our attention shifted back to Jessie.


    "My sister is dead. She¡¯s dead," Jessie cried, huping loudly. This time she turned to look at Jack.


    "You?" she pointed at him.


    "What about me?" Jack asked, grunting.


    "You said you watched my sister run away alive, but the blood trail shows she was dragged from this very door into the bushes and killed there."


    Jessie had put two and two together after I had. When I saw the blood trail, I realized Jack had lied.


    He proved that they would never change. The White Squad was such a messy group of people. None of them seemed able to stop making the same mistakes or being careless.


    I had just caught them together in the bed. It was obvious he lied.


    Jack noticed all the eyes on him and was left with nothing but to grunt.


    "Yeah, so what? I did it so that this kind of shock is prevented," he yelled, causing my squad mates to crack their knuckles.

 Chapter 189-Trouble At Hand

    <h4>Chapter 189: 189-Trouble At Hand</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Now, Jack was under scrutinizing eyes. Even Suki stepped away from him, giving him a look with her arms folded across her chest. At this point, it was clear that Suki was only using him. She never stood up for him, but he was too blindly in love with her to notice. That was the scariest part.


    "What made you think it was the right thing to lie about it?" Haiden stepped forward, questioning Jack, who looked like he needed some support. He turned to his right, staring at Yash and Nate, who began cracking their knuckles and ring at him.


    I could tell Jack wanted to confront them, but he had to face my squadmates. The red squad didn¡¯t really care. They were just sitting at the dining table, watching the whole drama unfold. Jessie was crying hysterically. Oriana tried tofort her, but she pped her hand away.


    "If I had told her earlier, she would have started pointing fingers at everyone and causing trouble." Jack hissed, still not admitting that he was the reason for the division in the group in the first ce.


    "So you decided to lie just to send them on a wild chase for nothing?" Yorick questioned him, putting it in words that argued against Jack¡¯s excuse.


    "That was her decision. And look what¡¯s happening now. If I had told her the truth, she would have started crying and pointing fingers at us for being toote to open the door. And then Matthias would have never gone to save the entire maind." Jack grimaced as he yelled.


    "I would have never asked Matthias not to go and save the maind. I just needed the truth. You sent me out, giving me so much hope, you moron!" Jessie screamed at him, and I noticed Jack clenching his fist. As he took a few steps forward, Yorick, Troy, and Haiden stepped in front of Jessie, blocking her behind their backs.


    "Dude, you cannot bully anyone here," Troy said, warning Jack with his eyes. Suki started to step back, putting herself away from the chaos.


    "Fine, so I lied. Now what?" Jack grunted, his hands on his waist.


    "I say we kick him out of the mansion."


    However, in a very meek voice, Mira yelled from the back. I noticed everyone¡¯s eyes widen. Even Jack turned to re at her.


    "There should be some consequences for actions so that in the future the others don¡¯t repeat the same mistakes."


    Being a beta, Mira wasn¡¯t that scared of Jack. I mean, Jack was a gamma and she was a beta of her pack, so she was slightly higher in rank than him.


    "And we should also kick Oriana out." Yash yelled from White Squad, making Oriana¡¯s mouth drop open.


    "Where did Ie from?" Oriana pointed at herself, questioning Yash.


    "Why, if you¡¯re going to punish our squad, she should be the first to get punished. She was the one who left Valerie out in the first ce."


    Yash finally got up to stand beside Jack. I guessed he realized that after this whole thing was over, they were going to go back and share a room together. When he defended Jack in his twisted way, I noticed the satisfied look on Jack¡¯s face. He was already happy that someone had spoken up.


    "Yeah, that should be a good idea," Nate said, just to let Jack know that they still had his support.


    Jessie began to look at Oriana.


    "Come on, guys, you¡¯re not serious?" I questioned. I was shocked that they knew there were such deadly monsters outside, yet they were sending their own crusaders out.


    "Why is it a bad idea, Clementine? Valerie was left behind by this bitch." Now Jessie had shifted her entire focus from Jack to Oriana, who looked shocked. The hostility was building because the Red Squad had finallye out from behind the dining table.


    "No, why would our squad get punished for it? She didn¡¯t do it on purpose," Mira said.


    As soon as Mira spoke, I turned to stare at Oriana in confusion. I remembered she had told me she was being bullied, but now they were siding with her instead of Jessie. Or had they changed their minds recently?


    "Guys, I did not do it. Ask Clementine, she was there that day," Oriana spoke out. "Clementine, let them know."


    Oriana dragged me into the situation, and my heart sank as all eyes shifted to me.


    "Of course it is Clementine. She would never speak against her friend, so her testimony means nothing," Sukimented with a cheesy smirk, now that I was under scrutiny.


    "Nobody will question Clementine. You can¡¯t just trust her one minute and then use her of something the next when she¡¯s taking a stand that doesn¡¯t favor you." Troy growled, reminding them all that they couldn¡¯t just use me whenever they wanted.


    "Aren¡¯t you the one who used to say she wasn¡¯t trustworthy? So let¡¯s not talk about how we change sides so quickly." Suki hinted at Troy and my past.


    Troy turned to look at me. It was always reminders like that that made me upset.


    In the next few minutes, everybody was just yelling and screaming at each other. The Red Squad argued that Jack should be pushed out of the mansion, while Jessie had started crying again, missing her sister. Jack was arguing with the Red Squad. Yash and Nate kept insisting that Oriana should be kicked out.


    My squad was all over the ce too. They taunted Suki and kept taunting Jack as well.


    That¡¯s when Suki turned her back to us and moved toward the window. She began to chuckle.


    "While you guys are arguing, her dead sister is getting eaten by Carapamingus rex."


    I didn¡¯t know why she said that. We already knew Valerie was dead and that the monsters would get to her again. She was already in a terrible state. But her words triggered something terrifying in Jessie. She lifted her face from her hands and rushed toward the door.


    "Fucking Suki!" I yelled at her.


    Suki shrugged, arms folded across her chest. I guessed that was her way of redirecting attention back to Jessie. She knew Jessie was emotional and would react like that. She did it on purpose.

 Chapter 190-It’s Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 190: 190-It¡¯s Chaos</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After Suki cleverly diverted attention to Valerie¡¯s body, Jessie could no longer stand it. She opened the door and ran out again, trying to fight the fleshmingos off her sister¡¯s corpse.


    Before, it had been hidden in the bushes, but because Jessie had found her and dragged her out, she nowy on the side of the road. The fleshmingos heard Jessieing and rushed toward her. There were six of them. Jessie had no chance of fighting them alone.


    I grabbed my sword and ran for the door.


    "Clementine!" Troy shouted after me, but I didn¡¯t stop or look back. Even if Matthias hadn¡¯t asked me to take care of Jessie, I still would have gone after her.


    One life might not mean much to the others, but I knew how much it meant to the people who loved her, to those who truly knew her. I sprinted faster than Jessie, trying to overtake her so I could reach the fleshmingos first.


    Behind me, I heard more footsteps. Troy, Haiden, Yorick, and even Oriana were rushing out. We formed a line between Jessie and the fleshmingos, swords out, swinging at them.


    One by one, we fought. They managed to bite us here and there, but their long, unwieldy beaks made them dangerous even when we faced them head-on.


    They raised them high and tried to strike from behind, forcing us to stay cautious as we fought with everything we had.


    I nced back at Jessie. She was sitting beside her sister¡¯s body, holding her in herp and sobbing. Of course, it was a twin bond. The two had always been deeply connected.


    I only wished I had paid more attention earlier. When we identally left her behind, I should have stopped the train and made sure she boarded with me.


    That guilt weighed on me now, and I fought with all my strength. Every fleshmingo that tried to get close to her, I struck down, cutting off their heads. I would not let them touch Jessie.


    As we kept fighting, I realized the sky was filling with darkness until it covered the world again. We all knew what that meant.


    Screeches and screams echoed from every direction, rushing toward us. We stood in a line, swords ready, staring at the danger ahead.


    I began to notice the Wendigos¡¯ patterns. I recognized a few of them by the marks left when I had tried to cut their skin, or when the others had attacked them.


    It seemed there weren¡¯t infinite Wendigos, but there were still far too many. And if we didn¡¯t stop them, they would keep multiplying.


    I counted four at that moment. They darted from tree to tree, leaping unpredictably. They never ran in a straight line, and that made them even more frightening.


    One of them ran faster than the rest. She leapt high into the air, and as she began to descend, I realized she wouldnd on all of us. That was how massive she was.


    "Hold up your swords!" I shouted, and we all raised our des. She couldn¡¯t react in time. The moment she crashed onto our swords, she screeched, and the force of her weight knocked us down as she twisted above our heads.


    Shended behind us, even behind Jessie. I could tell we had only pierced her skin.


    "We need fire!" I yelled, warning those in the mansion that we needed help. We hade out with the wrong weapons.


    I didn¡¯t expect much support from inside, but I was shocked when everyone started to show up carrying burning wood or anything else they could set on fire.


    "Come on, Jessie, we need to go." At that point, I realized we would keep fighting endless waves of monsters until she returned to the mansion.


    I slipped my hands under her arms to drag her up, but she refused to let go of her sister¡¯s body.


    "Jessie, please, it¡¯s dangerous here!" I shouted as I pried her hands loose. She screamed and struggled, refusing to move, but I pulled her from behind, dragging her with me.


    My squadmates were quick to shield us. They surrounded me on all sides, fighting both fleshmingos and Wendigos.


    But once the Wendigos¡¯ screeches grew louder, the fleshmingos began to retreat. Even they feared these creatures.


    Mira, Sebastian, and Renee were setting the Wendigos on fire. Jessie, however, forced herself free by sliding out from under my arms.


    She rushed back toward the fight, and we all stopped, chasing after her again.


    While Oriana fought one of the Wendigos with a burning piece of wood, I ran over, grabbed another from her, lit it, and struck a Wendigo on the back. I wanted to show the others that they didn¡¯t just have to scare them.


    If they hit them directly, they would ignite. That was how easily they burned. One by one, three Wendigos went up in mes.


    I grabbed Jessie again. At this point, we had to retreat. Screeching noises echoed all around, and I feared more Wendigos were on their way.


    "We need to go!" I shouted.


    We were running out of fire, so we started running back toward the mansion. Haiden held Jessie¡¯s hand on one side, and I held the other. We were practically dragging her. Then, as he often did, Haiden pulled her over his shoulder. But this time, she bit him. She sank her teeth into him so hard, using all the strength of her wolf, that he dropped her.


    "Damn it!" he yelled.


    Even as an alpha, he was badly hurt. She had bitten him in a vulnerable spot on the neck. He tried to grab her again, but she wed at him with her werewolf strength. Then she began to transition, and I froze in disbelief.


    She turned on us. When Troy tried to calm her and pull her inside, she bit him on the arm. The fleshmingos had returned, charging in our direction. I saw one of them sink its beak into Sebastian¡¯s back, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there.

 Chapter 191-We Keep Losing Crusaders

    <h4>Chapter 191: 191-We Keep Losing Crusaders</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Yorick! Go to Sebastian!" I screamed.


    Yorick, who had been helping everyone get inside the mansion, dashed toward the fleshmingo. As it pulled its neck back, ready to strike and behead Sebastian, Yorick dove to the ground. The moment its head swung forward, he cut it clean off. The head flew onto the road. Yorick grabbed Sebastian, lifted him over his shoulder, and sprinted toward the mansion.


    That left just me, Oriana, Haiden, and Troy struggling to control Jessie. We might have handled her if she hadn¡¯t begun her transition. Her ws and canines were already out, and her focus locked onto Oriana. She hissed, growled, and lunged at her.


    I threw my arms around her, dragging her down, when I noticed fur spreading quickly across her body.


    "No, Jessie, listen to me! You don¡¯t want to do this. You have to save yourself for Matthias. Your sister is already gone!" I shouted. But she shoved me away.


    We held back, afraid that using our full strength would kill her.


    "Okay, guys, there¡¯s no other choice. She¡¯ll heal. It¡¯s fine if she gets hurt," Haiden decided. And he was right.


    But Jessie lunged again. This time, she bit Oriana so hard in the stomach that I saw Oriana spit blood. Then Jessie shed her neck with her ws. It all happened in an instant. Oriana kicked her away, staggering back, and began to transition as well. It was the only way to survive.


    Jessie rose from the ground, hissing, fists clenched, ready to attack again. But before she could move, a Wendigo came crashing down on her. Its mouth opened so wide, and it happened so fast that before we could react, it had swallowed half of Jessie¡¯s body, leaving only her torso hanging out.


    I screamed louder than I ever had. I didn¡¯t remember being this hysterical before. I¡¯d had my moments, but nothing like this. I ran as fast as I could. Even when someone tried to grab me, I broke free and kept going. I sprinted toward the road where the Wendigo stood, sword in hand, and raised it high.


    But the Wendigo, still holding Jessie in its mouth, swung its head sideways. Jessie¡¯s body struck me, knocking me down and sending me rolling across the ground. Before anyone could reach me, the creature pounced. Its paw mmed onto my left arm, and pain exploded through me as bones shattered. My arm waspletely crushed. I screamed, and then the others arrived.


    Troy leapt onto the Wendigo, stabbing it again and again, trying to tear its skin open. Yorick and Haiden attacked its legs with their des. The creature finally lifted its foot off me, and Yorick and Haiden hooked their arms under mine, dragging me back.


    "Ah!" I cried out as pain shot through me.


    Haiden let go of my left side, shifted behind me, and half-carried me as we stumbled backward. He held me from behind as we all watched the Wendigo raise its head and swallow Jessie. Her legs dropped onto the road, blood spraying everywhere.


    "Come on, let¡¯s go!" Troy shouted, but I was too stunned to move or speak. Jessie was gone, just like that. Yorick and Haiden dragged me toward the mansion. I didn¡¯t move a muscle.


    I looked back and saw the Wendigo retreating. After a piercing scream, it charged again, faster and stronger than before. We were all drenched in blood, in our own or our crusader¡¯s blood. Haiden shoved me through the mansion doors first. He barely made it inside, a secondter and he would have been caught. Yorick and Troy were already bracing the door.


    The Wendigo forced its arm through the gap, wing for someone as the others pushed against the door with everything they had. Suki and Jack rushed in to help, straining to close it. Finally, Mira lit a torch and hurled it onto the creature¡¯s arm. mes caught instantly, and the Wendigo yanked its arm out, shrieking.


    We heard squeals and screams outside. Haiden and the others mmed the door shut atst. Then silence fell, heavy and unnerving.


    "Yorick, get me a piece of wood! We need to splint her arm before she moves it and makes it worse," Haiden shouted. His voice snapped me out of my daze.


    I turned toward the door, pressing my hand against it as reality sank in. We had lost Jessie in the worst way possible. No one should have to go like that. I closed my eyes, rested my forehead against the wood, and tears slipped down my face. The room was silent.


    "If she transitions, she¡¯ll heal quickly," Troy suggested.


    I felt a gentle hand on my right arm. Turning around, I instantly buried myself in the embrace of whoever it was. From the scent, I knew it was Yorick.


    "You did everything you could, Clementine," Yorick murmured.


    I shook my head against his chest weakily.. I didn¡¯t believe it. If I had done everything right, Jessie would still be alive.


    "We all fought for her," Yorick said. I lifted my head, meeting his eyes. His hand brushed my cheek, then slid through my hair in an attempt tofort me.


    Meanwhile, Haiden appeared at my side. He had found a thick piece of wood and some cloth strips. Carefully, he slid the wood under my crushed arm and started tying it in ce, binding it tight to keep the bones from shifting. Every pull made me wince, but I knew why he was doing it.


    "I¡¯m telling you, if she transitions, she¡¯ll be fine. This is just causing her more pain," Troy argued from across the room.


    Haiden paused, ncing at me. I wasn¡¯t ready to shift in front of them, and for reasons I couldn¡¯t exin. The thought made me uneasy. He seemed to understand, so he kept working, wrapping the cloth around the wood until the arm was fully immobilized.


    "For now, she can¡¯t heal," Haiden said firmly to Troy, who only stared back at me with pained eyes.


    I looked around at the others, realizing they were all suffering too. Oriana hadn¡¯t managed a full transition and was still gasping for breath. When she coughed blood and copsed to her knees, everyone¡¯s attention went to her. Her squad mates rushed in. Mira dropped beside her, checking for a pulse and the extent of the wounds.

 Chapter 192-Ambushed

    <h4>Chapter 192: 192-Ambushed</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "She¡¯s losing blood fast. She needs to transition," Mira urged, looking up at us.


    It was true. At this point, the only real way for any of us to survive was to shift and let our bodies repair themselves. But no one moved. We were all still shaken, haunted by what had just happened outside.


    And then there was Sebastian, pale and grimacing. Renee hovered over him, doing what she could, though the pain in his face was clear.


    It was a moment of great loss for us. We did not just lose to the Wendigos. We managed to kill quite a few, at least four from what I could count. All the ones that hade toward us in the first fight, we killed them. But then the others came, and they escaped. So there were probably a few more left behind, unless they reproduced quickly.


    I sighed, staring at the ground. I still could not believe Jessie was gone. We tried so hard. If only she had not lost control of her emotions like that. And then there were all the injured ones.


    I began to worry about Ian. He was all alone out there. What if the others were also hurt, and there was no one to help him? A sharp headache started building in my head.


    Then I heard Mira¡¯s little whisper.


    "I think it wasn¡¯t Oriana¡¯s fault what happened to Valerie. Jessie was a mess."


    Silence filled the room. One by one, we looked at her. Some were even judging her for changing her stance so quickly now that Jessie was gone.


    "I¡¯m just saying, I thought maybe Jessie was right, that Oriana had made a mistake by purposely leaving Valerie behind. But now, after how Jessie reacted and everything, I think this ce gets to us. It¡¯s easy to put me on others. I mean, look at Clementine. She¡¯s putting all the me on herself. Look at her face. It¡¯s obvious, even though she did nothing wrong." Mira pointed at me, and everybody turned to look.


    Troy quickly held the juice box he had opened for me earlier. I shook my head, but he stepped closer.


    "You need to take pain medication. If you¡¯re not going to transition, then we need to use other means to help you, Clementine," he said, almost sounding upset that I was doing nothing to heal myself.


    "I think Mira is right. Clementine isn¡¯t even trying to heal herself. That¡¯s how guilty she feels. But if you think about it, we all could have been dead by now, even when we tried fighting for Jessie. So in other words, Jessie put us all in danger," Renee said with a hiss. But it wasn¡¯t hateful. It was full of concern for the safety of others.


    Of course I was guilty, but that wasn¡¯t why I wasn¡¯t transitioning. There was a deeper reason. Even though I knew my wolf was extremely beautiful and powerful, I still remembered the words of the council, and I didn¡¯t want to transition and have everyone look at me differently. At least not until I found out why my wolf was different from everyone else¡¯s.


    I sighed again, having no response for them, and epted the tiny juice box from Troy just so they would shut up about me being guilty. I was a fucking loser. I couldn¡¯t even save the one person Matthias had trusted me with.


    It was hard to drink the juice with everyone staring at me, and I had to act like I wasn¡¯t that guilty, even though I was for not bringing Jessie back to the mansion alive.


    As I drank from the straw and my squadmates helped Sebastian with his injuries while the girls crowded around Oriana, I noticed something on the ground. I pouted. How the fuck did we not see it?


    There was a blood trail running upstairs from the edge of the bottom step. It wasn¡¯t that far from us, but the blood caught the light. I frowned, then narrowed my eyes. I hurried toward the stairs, hearing Orianain behind me.


    "All I need is my friend and I¡¯ll be fine," she hissed, letting everyone know that even in pain she wanted my attention, and I would have given it if I hadn¡¯t seen such a devastating sight.


    "What the fuck?" I growled. I didn¡¯t even have to step closer. It was fresh blood.


    I stepped back, then turned around. I guess the others noticed the panic in my voice when I groaned, because they all began to rise from the ground.


    "What is it?" Yorick rushed toward me, following my eyes to the blood trail. I saw the same shock on his face.


    "This wasn¡¯t here before," Troy said.


    I turned and nced at everyone. Suki and Jack looked shocked too, but then we realized someone was missing.


    "Where the fuck is Yash?" I asked and Nate gasped.


    "Nate, he was with you, right?" Suki pressed him in a concerned tone. I suddenly panicked as he shrugged.


    "I don¡¯t know. I mean, he was here, but then I ran with a sword to help everyone on the road. I don¡¯t know what happened afterward. I came in and forgot about him," Nate blurted, words tumbling over each other as he clenched his hair with his left hand.


    Our attention turned back to the second floor where the blood trail led, and we began to hear faint groaning and wheezing. We all stared in that direction, watching someone crawl out of the shadows.


    Yash was covered in blood, barely holding on as he tried to reach the stairs. He raised his hand, shaky and dripping with blood, before being yanked back with a single brutal pull.


    We all gasped as the realization hit us. The second time Wendigos attacked, nobody saw where they went. Now, one by one, three of them started to appear.


    One jumped onto the ceiling of the first floor, snarling and running in circles. The others rushed down too, still holding what was left of Yash in their jaws.


    "Fucking run out of the mansion!" Yorick screamed.


    But many of our crusaders were injured, so we did not have the strength like before.

 Chapter 193-Teamed Up With The Mean Girl

    <h4>Chapter 193: 193-Teamed Up With The Mean Girl</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We all rushed to grab our bags, but there was no way to gather everything. Stuff was scattered everywhere, and the space was crampedpared to the outside. So whenever a Wendigo attacked, we just jumped over furniture, getting hit and hurt.


    I was in excruciating pain, biting down hard on my tongue, when Yorick finally reached the door and flung it open. At that moment, everybody ran toward the exit. But the injured ones needed to be carried. Mira was trying to help Oriana. I wanted to help her too, but I couldn¡¯t because of my arm.


    "Yorick, help her!" I yelled. He nodded, rushing back and carrying Oriana in his arms.


    "Come on, Clementine!" Haiden called while holding Sebastian.


    Nate was drenched in sweat, and for the first time, I saw Jack actually care for someone. He carried Nate over, and we just grabbed whatever else we could. With only a few bags packed, we ran toward the exit.


    Troy and Haiden ran with me, but outside we ran into a swarm of fresh Wendigos. Drawn by the blood, they hade out again. We turned back and saw even more spilling out, snarling and hissing viciously. Then they jumped.


    We ducked, but somended right on us while others crashed into the Wendigos already swarming the ce. Whenever onended on someone, it was so heavy it felt like bones were breaking under the weight. One¡¯s tail whipped my head as itnded on me, though at least it blocked others from getting crushed.


    At this point, it was impossible to tell where everyone was going. All I knew was I had to crawl out from under the Wendigo and run toward the abandoned road.


    It only got harder to find each other. The storm was brutal, and I couldn¡¯t tell who was with me or who had headed the other way. I even saw some running back toward the station. My arm throbbed as I pushed forward, and then I felt someone close by.


    I turned to my right and saw Suki running beside me. When I nced back, no one else was there. We had broken off from the group, and now it was just the two of us, side by side.


    Once we reached the abandoned road, we slowed down, only because there were no clouds in that area. The sky was clear. Of course it was supposed to be, it was the north, and the north was crazy.


    We stopped, gasping for air. We were wheezing from how hard we¡¯d been running,pletely out of breath. Suki hunched down with her hands on her knees but lifted her head to stare into the distance. The vige was so dark, and I could see lightning shing in the clouds.


    "They all should havee here," I told Suki.


    She shook her head, still hunched, raising her left hand while steadying herself with the other. She pointed far away.


    "The woods don¡¯t have clouds," she said.


    I squeezed my eyes shut. Only that one part of the vige was full of clouds.


    "Right," I muttered, ncing around. The abandoned road had woods on one side, which were dark and could be hiding wendigos. That¡¯s how these things traveled to reach us.


    "How many are there?" she asked, tiredly walking over to the bus station and sitting down.


    I followed her and sat beside her.


    "I don¡¯t know," I admitted.


    "Are we going to face these crazy things every time wee north?" she pressed. I was too stunned to answer.


    "Did you know Yash?" I asked, turning to her. She leaned back on the bench, arms spread across the backrest.


    "I mean, just a little," she mumbled with a shrug. I looked forward again, lowering my face, breathing slow and steady.


    "If you¡¯re going to cry about everyone we lose, Clementine, you¡¯ll lose your mind," she said, standing and stretching.


    Her white uniform was soaked red with blood. Since ours were ck, the stains weren¡¯t as obvious, but the white ones werepletely covered. The red uniforms blended better, but our bodies were still drenched. Blood speckled our faces, blood from our fallen crusaders.


    I quickly and frantically wiped my face with the back of my hand.


    "Calm down, Clementine. Things like this happen. Have you never lost anyone you loved?" she asked, hands on her waist. I looked up at her, silently with no response.


    "Well, I¡¯ve lost many people," she said. "I¡¯m just used to it now." Her tone was harsh as she revealed a little about herself.


    "We should start moving again," I suggested, getting up from the bench and heading forward.


    "Why? We should rest. We¡¯ve been fighting nonstop," sheined. But I had to tell her we couldn¡¯t rest anymore.


    "Look at the clouds. They¡¯re headed toward us," I mumbled, pointing at the vige.


    These weren¡¯t normal clouds, they were big and dark, covering specific areas in shadow, making it easier for the Wendigos to attack. I began to wonder if the clouds and Wendigos were working together. Once they started moving our way, the ones who¡¯d gone in the other direction were probably safer than us.


    "Oh no," Suki sighed, groaning in exhaustion. Her hands hung low, her shoulders slouched.


    "The fuck?" she groaned again.


    "Let¡¯s go. We can cry about itter," I muttered, starting to walk forward.


    Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t have gone back either. They were all together and fine. But someone waspletely alone, and these things were dangerous. I just wanted to see if Ian had done the job.


    We moved together, keeping one eye on the clouds behind us to make sure they were staying back. Then we entered the city. At this point, we were exhausted, and for me, it was the worst. My arm was killing me, and I could feel a fever burning inside me.


    "Imagine if those sluaghe around," she said. "They attack the weak ones, right? The weak ones. Right now, you¡¯re the weak one. Who¡¯s going to save you?"


    Suki was such a bitch, half joking, half demeaning me, as she clicked her tongue and raised her eyebrow.


    "I¡¯ll save myself, Suki. I always do," I hissed back, refusing to give her the satisfaction.


    "Sure," she said, all dramatic. "Says the one surrounded by squadmates who make her their first preference. Yeah, you save yourself." Her tone carried mean energy. Even now, even after we¡¯d lost so many crusaders, she still managed to be messy.

 Chapter 194-I Won’t Run Away

    <h4>Chapter 194: 194-I Won¡¯t Run Away</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Thankfully, she shut up once I didn¡¯t argue back. I could tell she got her energy from pissing people off and arguing.


    Once we moved forward, we realized the clouds were closing in fast.


    "We need to find a safe ce, like that mansion," she suggested.


    I looked around, but honestly, nothing stood out.


    "I think there will be more ces like that. It seems like the people of the North built headquarters like safe houses in every area. So with that in mind, we should be able to find something here too, in the big city," she kept going.


    But my priority wasn¡¯t to find a safe ce to hide. I was heading in the direction of the tower, where I could find my squadmate.


    "Sure, you¡¯re just being a nice squadmate," Mintmented. I groaned at her. She had been so helpful, honestly. She always gave her best whenever we were in danger, and she neverined that I did not let her out. That was the best thing about her.


    "I only care for him because he¡¯s our squadmate, and also because I think he¡¯s a friend," I muttered, trying to shut her down.


    "You think? You¡¯re not even sure if he wants to be your friend," she groaned. I rolled my eyes, focusing on responding to Suki.


    "I think underground ces," I said and she raised a brow.


    "What was that?" she asked, wanting me to confirm.


    "I think underground ces will be safer. If you think about it, the Wendigos can¡¯t break underground. Small ones might slip in, but not the bigger ones," I exined, noticing how impressed she looked.


    "Yeah, right. So what could there be, like underground? Where would we find it?" she asked.


    "Maybe in a house with a basement," I muttered, then noticed the tower.


    And then I heard someone grunting and screaming. I already knew what was happening.


    "Suki, it¡¯s Ian," I said.


    She frowned, scowling at me as she began to hear it too.


    "How could you tell from just growls?" sheined, hurrying after me.


    I rushed forward and saw another massive cloud overhead. If we went a few steps further, we¡¯d enter the dark zone. The problem was we didn¡¯t know how many Wendigos were waiting out there. At this point, we knew at least three were behind us.


    "Oh my god, there¡¯s a fucking cloud. Do you not see it?" Suki yelled, grabbing my right arm and pulling me back when she noticed I was heading forward.


    "I can see that very clearly, Suki. Do you think I¡¯m blind?" I hissed, shrugging my arm free and ring at her.


    There were cloudsing from behind us, but they had slowed down. Another was already in front of us. It was so odd that the small space we stood in, just a few feet, was the only area lit by the sun.


    "Then why are you headed in there?" she yelled.


    "Because I can fucking hear Ian scream," I snapped, already stepping forward, but she grabbed my arm once again.


    "Don¡¯t go in there. We don¡¯t know what they¡¯re screaming about," she argued, putting all her weight into stopping me.


    "Suki, you do realize that the other voice groaning could be Joshua, right?" I hissed. She began to slowly loosen her grip.


    "Come on, Suki, you won¡¯t go save him?" I asked, shocked that she didn¡¯t immediately respond to me.


    She gulped, then looked back. The clouds behind us had started to drift away.


    "Jack is there," she muttered, ncing over her shoulder. And I was in shock.


    "Suki, Joshua needs help. He¡¯s screaming right now. We don¡¯t know where Jack is. He¡¯s probably fine hiding. But we know who¡¯s in danger right now." I tried to remind her of the groaning and grunting we¡¯d just heard. It all happened in seconds, but it felt like a long, drawn-out argument.


    Suki gave me a strange look, and I couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Who would you rather save, Joshua or Jack?"


    I watched her hesitate over such a simple question. Finally, she tilted her head and whispered the name.


    "Jack. It will always be Jack."


    It felt like she¡¯d set my whole body on fire. I just stared at her, then shook my head in disbelief. She could have been honest with herself and the others before, but she never was, until now, when panic forced her to choose. And she still picked Jack, even though he wasn¡¯t in danger.


    "Ipel you to stay back," Suddenly, I heard someone scream. The voice was strange, not one of our crusaders, but it jolted me awake.


    "Well, then go find Jack, because I¡¯m not leaving my crusader behind." With that, I lunged forward into the darkness. When I looked back, I saw her following, probably because the cloud that had started drifting away was now racing toward us, swallowing thest patch of light.


    So she came only to save herself, not because she chose Joshua.


    We had reached the spot quickly, and right off the bat it looked bad. An entire shop had copsed, and I could hear Ian and Joshua screaming and growling from underneath the debris.


    One Wendigo was there. She was wing at the wreckage, trying to rip it apart so she could get to the crusaders.


    "You fucking bitch!" I screamed, lunging at her with one arm tied to a stick. I yanked my sword from my belt and swung. This time, I left a deep scar across her face.


    It proved how much energy and anger I had in that moment. If she thought she was going to get her mouth on Ian, she was fucking wrong.


    I don¡¯t even know what happened to me, I just started swinging, leaping up and down over the debris, shing at her until she began to retreat, shrieking.


    "Help!" Then Joshua screamed. I saw him right next to the road, while Suki stood on the other side. She held a dagger in her hand, debating whether toe forward, but she didn¡¯t.


    The Wendigo spun and whipped her tail into my stomach,unching me onto the road. My arm mmed hard against the ground, and the pain was indescribable.


    I forced myself up and spotted Ian trapped beneath the debris. The only reason he and Joshua hadn¡¯t moved was because they were already horribly injured. Blood covered both of them, they must¡¯ve fought hard before this.


    Ian¡¯s eyes met mine. There were emotions spilling through his eyes.


    "Clementine, run!" he mouthed.


    I stared back, and shook my head. "No!"

 Chapter 195-Saving The Pink Wolf

    <h4>Chapter 195: 195-Saving The Pink Wolf</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    We ran with our heads snapping around, constantly checking to make sure no one wasing after us. I carried Oriana, who was bleeding from her mouth like she might die. I had never seen her in such a terrible state before. At one point, she even passed out.


    I rushed into the woods, realizing they were probably the safest ce at the moment. The forest stretched out endlessly. The problem was, even if we found a dry area, we could only start a fire if it wasn¡¯t too damp. Or maybe there was a better n.


    "Jack, right over there!" I yelled as I looked around and saw only Jack with me. Oriana had passed out, so I carried her while running, desperate to find a safe ce. That¡¯s when I spotted a narrow ravine hidden between the trees. The opening was tight, no wider than the space between two boulders pressed against each other, and it dropped into a dark, rocky passage.


    "We can fit through!" I shouted, already pushing toward it. Jack followed as I squeezed inside, pressing Oriana against me to keep her safe. The stone walls scraped against my shoulders, but the space was just wide enough for us to slide in.


    We were stuck together in a standing position, the space so tight it pressed us on all sides. The sun was still out, but a single patch of cloud drifted overhead, and when it reached us, everything turned darker.


    Then we heard them. At least two Wendigos. They crept closer, their ws scraping at the edges of the ravine, but the gap was too narrow for them to enter. Their snarls echoed outside as we pushed ourselves deeper into the crevice, the walls closing in around us but keeping us safe.


    Our breathing grew heavy. We had no idea where the others had gone, and I could only hope Clementine was safe. She was a fighter, but that didn¡¯t stop me from worrying about her.


    "The fuck are these things?" Jack grunted, gently tapping his forehead against the wall.


    We could barely breathe. The space was crushingly tight.


    However, the Wendigos didn¡¯t linger for long. The clouds disappeared, and so did the Wendigos. We were left standing there, waiting for the right moment toe out.


    "Your chick was left outside. You must be worried," Jackmented, making me roll my eyes.


    "She¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s a fighter," I replied. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure it was true. She was a fighter, yes, but she wasn¡¯t with me, and every part of me ached because of that.


    "What about you? Your chick talks more than she acts," I hissed, mentioning Suki.


    However, Jack¡¯s response was cold as he rolled his eyes and scoffed.


    "Why? Are you not worried for her?" I asked, confused. I had seen the two of them together even after Joshua left, so I knew they were actively cheating on him. I didn¡¯t understand why they wouldn¡¯t just let him know they weren¡¯t pretending Suki was happier with Joshua.


    "Well, to be honest, I¡¯m more worried about Joshua," as Jack confessed, I blinked in disbelief.


    "More than Suki?" I questioned meticulously, curious to know the truth.


    He only nodded to respond and I sighed in disbelief.


    "Then why did you hurt your best friend by going behind his back with his mate?" I murmured, confused.


    "Well, it started as me trying to save my stupid friend, toe here for her. That¡¯s all I¡¯ll say for now." he shut up, grunting at the memory of whatever he just mentioned.


    I blinked again, struggling to process it. How could Joshua have prevented froming here? It wasn¡¯t like the choice was in his hands.


    As I pondered that, a low growl made me tense. I looked down at Oriana, still held tightly in my arms, keeping her steady and upright. Even Jack¡¯s eyes widened at her sight.


    "Oh my goddess! she¡¯s transitioning," he realized, and I understood it too. She was barely awake now but her wolf was taking over to heal her before she lost too much blood.


    "We need to get out," Jack said, reminding me that if she stayed inside, she would be stuck and it would cause her more pain. Jack started squeezing through the crevice almost hastily, and I followed, dragging Oriana with me, even as she fought to stay behind.


    Once Jack was out, he dropped to the ground, taking deep breaths. I pushed Oriana out next, and then followed myself. She howled as her wolf fully took over, but her human self was still disoriented. When she transformed into a pinkish wolf, we realized we would need to follow her closely to make sure she didn¡¯t wander too far.


    We ran after her, worried she might get too close to either the Fleshmingos or the Wendigos. Just as we feared, she rushed onto the road, heading straight toward the abandoned highway.


    "Oh shit!" I screamed, realizing where it led. Straight to the big city. But part of me wasn¡¯t entirely worried, because I knew what awaited in the city. I would somehowe across Clementine, this was exactly where she had gone.


    As we ran, the Fleshmingos started chasing us. I fought them off while Oriana attacked a few as well. Her wolf fought fiercely, too. At this point, we lost sight of Jack, but I had to stick with Oriana for Clementine¡¯s sake. She had trusted me when she yelled for me to carry her.


    We ran and ran, and eventually arrived in the city, where Oriana finally began to transition back into her human form. Once she did, she faced me, a scared look on her face.


    "Shit, the clouds are approaching," she said, ncing behind us. I turned my head and realized we needed to find a safe ce and we needed to do it fast.


    We began running forward, but arge cloud rolled in, trapping us in its shadow. We froze, ncing at each other, then at the two roads ahead, one leading left, the other right. We had to make the right choice quickly.


    Then I heard it, the loud rolling of wheels and a honk from the left. I turned just in time to see a massive school bus barreling straight toward us.

 Chapter 196-Fallen Out Of Love

    <h4>Chapter 196: 196-Fallen Out Of Love</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Ian¡¯s eyes widened in shock as I charged the Wendigo again. She flung me back once more, and this time my arm twistedpletely. My left arm was useless now.


    There was only one option left. I ripped the stick free from my arm and dug in my pocket for a match.


    "Here!" Suki¡¯s voice rang out as she tossed one to me from across the road.


    I caught it, panic flooding me as I tried to light it on fire. The Wendigo thrashed toward Ian, frantic to reach him. I lit the stick, fire sparking in my hand, and red at her.


    "You¡¯re not gonna hurt him, you bitch!" With that, I bolted straight at her.


    She screamed as I charged her with the burning stick. I swung and smacked it across her face, mes catching on her skin. I shoved at her with the stick, forcing her away from the debris so the fire wouldn¡¯t spread to Ian.


    When I finally pushed her off and she copsed onto the road, I nced left and saw three more Wendigos lying dead. That¡¯s when it hit me, we had killed quite a few already. Almost all of them were female, which meant they wouldn¡¯t be able to reproduce alone. If we managed to clear most of them out, maybe next time we came back, we wouldn¡¯t have to deal with these ugly, dangerous things. They were the most destructive ones.


    Once she burned out on the road, I scrambled back onto the debris, frantically trying to free Ian. By then, Suki finally started running toward us again. Now that she saw there were no more Wendigos and the sky was clearing, she helped Joshua crawl out from under the rubble.


    It took us a while to clear the debris and free them both. Ian was the first to get up, and I saw he waspletely covered in blood. The second he stood, he grabbed my right hand and pulled me in so fast it stunned me. His massive frame wrapped around me as he embraced me, and I felt small in his arms.


    I didn¡¯t move. I didn¡¯t even react, and I regret not hugging him back. I just couldn¡¯t process it. Ian wasn¡¯t the type to show emotion like this.


    "Thank you so much," he whispered.


    He finally broke the hug awkwardly, and we both looked away, almost like it hadn¡¯t happened. Our eyesnded on Suki and Joshua. She wrapped her arms around him, but I noticed Joshua didn¡¯t hug her back. He looked confused, probably lost.


    "We need to find a way to hide before theye back," Ian suggested, and Suki finally let go of Joshua.


    "But where would we go? The safe mansion is too far, and we don¡¯t know if the Fleshmingos or the Wendigos have invaded it again." She was very deliberate with her words. In just a few sentences, she informed the two that it had already happened once, that one of the monsters had gotten inside the mansion.


    "There is another safe area here," Ian said, and I could tell that was all Suki wanted to hear. Within minutes, we were rushing toward the underground subway.


    Thankfully, Ian never lost his sense of direction. He led us straight to the subway, and before the clouds gathered above us again, we were already inside.


    Once we were in the subway and Ian and Joshua had made sure everything was safe, we sat down near the entrance. The door was locked, so we knew we were fine. I looked around while my arm rested awkwardly across my stomach.


    Ian came over, knelt down, and pulled a roll of tubr stic bandage from the bag he was carrying. Thankfully, they had managed to keep the bags with them, though there were only enough medical supplies for three people. Still, it would be fine.


    He began wrapping the stic around my arm and body, making sure my arm was secured tightly against me so it wouldn¡¯t move. He wound it around my chest and stomach until my arm felt like half my body was trapped in a cocoon.


    Honestly, it felt much better. When he finished, he put the supplies back in the bag, still kneeling in front of me, then gently poked the tip of my nose, making me frown yfully. But I wasn¡¯t anywhere near my best, since the pain was excruciating.


    By then, night had fallen. It had been the longest day ever.


    "Why the fuck did you think so much beforeing to help me?" Joshua shouted at Suki, stealing our attention. We both turned to watch them argue.


    "I was scared, okay?" Suki yelled back.


    "But Suki, I was gonna die out there! If Clementine could go and save her crusader, who she doesn¡¯t even care about, why couldn¡¯t youe for me?" Joshua hissed, louder than ever. I could tell he was running out of patience with the way she treated him.


    It wasn¡¯t the way he loved her. He seemed ready to forgive her for everything, but after she had told me clearly that she would always choose Jack, it was obvious she was with Joshua for his rank and power, knowing he could protect her.


    "Well, he didn¡¯t have to make thatment," Ian muttered, and I looked at him. He meant Joshua¡¯s im that I had no feelings for Ian, even though I hade here to save him. As Ian straightened and got to his feet, I followed, standing beside him.


    "Listen, this is too much pressure on me. Why do you always expect me to prove my love? Isn¡¯t it enough that I love you? Besides, I was traumatized, okay?" Suki shouted, rushing her words. And maybe she was telling the truth.


    Maybe she realized Joshua loved her far more than she would ever love him. That pressure might have been pushing her to betray him, to keep someone else waiting as a backup in case things fell apart.


    Maybe Jack was that backup n. And the way she had kept both of them tied to her, I could tell Jack would take her back easily, even after she told him to his face that he wasn¡¯t her priority, only because Joshua had been standing beside her.


    The reality was different. She loved Jack more than Joshua. But that didn¡¯t mean she would do anything for him either.


    "Tell me, Suki, do you even still love me?" Joshua asked her the tough question that could change everything. We weren¡¯t in a state to handle another outburst from one of the Crusaders.

 Chapter 197-Another Mate?

    <h4>Chapter 197: 197-Another Mate?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Of course, Ian had no idea why I was staring at Suki like that. I was trying to understand her state of mind. I hoped she would tell Joshua the truth and let him go.


    And Joshua had been staring at Suki¡¯s face for a while. Even we were confused about what she was going to say. Then, in a harsh tone, she snapped at him.


    "Of course I love you. Why would you ask me that? See, this is the problem. I don¡¯t think youpletely forgive me," sheined.


    It was honestly quite malicious of her to make such a mistake and then question him when he doubted her loyalty and love.


    "I was just a little scared, that¡¯s all. Is it a crime to be scared? Not everyone is like Clementine, whose reflexes don¡¯t work," she imed, making it sound like the only reason I went to help Ian was because my reflexes failed and I didn¡¯t know I was supposed to save myself instead of fight those things.


    "Okay, fine. Let¡¯s just calm down." Finally, when she began to scream, Joshua had to give in. I¡¯ve noticed that about him. She knew how to control him.


    "No, seriously, I¡¯m so annoyed. You always do that," Suki continued. "You need to understand, you¡¯re an alpha. I¡¯m not. Of course I¡¯m not going to be as powerful as you. Of course I¡¯m going to act differently than you."


    She kept rambling, then suddenly moved quickly toward the deeper parts of the station. Probably because she didn¡¯t want us to hear more of their conversation, he swiftly followed her, and now it was just Ian and me.


    It was getting darker outside, which meant more trouble since we had no idea where the others were. I had lost them hours ago. What if they were still out there and hadn¡¯t found a safe ce? What then?


    "So, did you guys do it?" Once I noticed Ian had been staring at me oddly for a while, I decided to shift the topic to something serious.


    "Yes, we did it," he replied.


    "Then that means we can go home," I asked.


    He slipped his hands into his pockets, looking around.


    "Sure, but I¡¯m afraid if the traines tonight, we won¡¯t be able to make it to the train." As soon as he said that, my smile started to fade.


    "Oh no, does that mean one more week in this fucking crazy ce," I asked, and he shrugged.


    "There¡¯s nothing else we can do though," he mumbled so casually that I began to wonder if he was even scared about those things outside.


    "No, Ian, we cannot stay here. You don¡¯t know what happened back in the mansion," I muttered, watching him frown.


    "And what happened," he asked. "Is our squad okay?"


    He never really showed others that he cared, but the way he quickly asked about them made me believe he truly did, deep down.


    "We lost quite a few other crusaders," I muttered, noticing Ian frowning. Then I began to look around.


    "Where is Matthias?" I asked, confused.


    "The crazy one? The minute he was done with his job, wiping it clean, he didn¡¯t even wait for the rest and left to go find Jessie. We didn¡¯t call for him either. We understood the guy was freshly in love." As soon as he said that, I felt a strange guilt gnaw at me.


    "What is it, Clementine? You don¡¯t look very happy," he pointed out, frowning at me. "Is there something I should know?"


    I took a deep breath to correct my posture before I responded to him.


    "I tried." That was all I said before I broke down, and Ian instantly held me by my arm, trying to steady me. I guess it was unusual for me to cry like that.


    "Clementine, what happened?" His voice told me he was extremely worried. I sniffled and shook my head. I had no idea how to tell him what had happened.


    "Jessie." I could only mention her name and noticed his eyes narrowing in my face.


    "What happened to Jessie?" he asked. I covered my mouth with my hands.


    "Did she?" he asked, and I nodded. He took a deep breath and ced a hand on his forehead.


    "I tried everything, I swear. She just lost it when she found her sister¡¯s dead body."


    As soon as I admitted that, I noticed he closed his eyes, showing even more concern.


    "It¡¯s not your fault. She was not your responsibility. You were being nice enough to take care of her when there were missions and your own life on the line."


    Ian still held my arms, trying tofort me, but how could I not feel guilty? I was the only one Matthias trusted. That¡¯s why he left her with us. And now I was telling Ian that I didn¡¯t do my job.


    "Hey, look at me." He cupped my face in his hands gently, unlike anything he had ever done.


    "It was not your fault," he repeated. "You had your own life to worry about. It was unfair of them to ce all the responsibility on you. And you will not feel guilty in front of anyone either. Promise me," he said. I shook my head, refusing.


    "I took the responsibility myself, Ian," I reminded him that I was the one who agreed to stay with Jessie.


    "Exactly. That was the first mistake you made. But it¡¯s okay. This is a risky ce. Nobody is going to question you," he said as his thumb brushed my cheek.


    I looked into his eyes, noticing how my breath started to slow down. I couldn¡¯t understand why it was happening. There was this subtlefort. Suddenly, I forgot about my worries, and all I could do was stare into his eyes, deeper and deeper.


    Then, in a heavy moment, I felt our eyes lock, our heartbeats sinking together.


    And then I heard it, the voice of my wolf I did not expect to hear tonight.


    ¡¯Mate!¡¯


    We both gasped, and I could tell he had heard it too. It didn¡¯t make sense at the moment. I thought I was just losing my mind, confused. How could that have happened? I had already found two fucking mates, not one¡ªtwo. And it seemed like Ian was just as shocked.


    But while I stepped back, he swiftly grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, almost like he was trying to confirm something. He kept staring into my eyes, and then his look softened. He gently lowered his face, and I didn¡¯t expect him to go for a kiss.

 Chapter 198-Not Forgiving Them Too Soon

    <h4>Chapter 198: 198-Not Forgiving Them Too Soon</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    As soon as he leaned in, something flipped inside me, and it wasn¡¯t just the shock of feeling a mate bond with yet another alpha. A distant memory hit me hard. That was how my cursed brain worked. I remembered the way he had flushed out the pictures of my family, and suddenly I found myself cing my hands on his chest and gently pushing him away.


    "Whoa," he said in a shocked tone, almost like he had no clue what just happened.


    "I¡¯m so sorry," I said instantly, stepping back and rubbing my face with my hands.


    "No, it¡¯s fine. I shouldn¡¯t have done that. I was just confused," he exined and I shook my head, letting him know with a hand gesture that I didn¡¯t me him.


    "It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t stop thinking about the past." The minute I said that, I noticed him frowning, then narrowing his eyes at me.


    "Wait, what do you mean by that?" he asked, "the past? What past?" he asked, tilting his head. "Wait, are you talking about our history?"


    He hunched down even more, one hand out of his pocket as he waved it sideways between the two of us, his fingers sticking out in the gesture. I covered my face with my hands and rubbed it.


    "I¡¯m just confused how it¡¯s possible for me to feel a mate bond with three alphas," I muttered, stealing nces at him.


    "No, Clementine, wait." He grabbed my arm, stopping me from walking away. "You said something about the past. Are you referring to the bullying?" he asked.


    At this point, I felt like I was going through too many emotions. I faced him and smiled sarcastically.


    "One of you exposed my family, my weakness. Another grabbed the pictures and tore them apart. And then you flushed them out."


    The moment I said that, I saw realization hit him, and he slowly loosened his grip on my arm.


    "I..." he stuttered, because of course he had no response to it.


    "I¡¯m sorry, Ian, but I don¡¯t care what the moon goddess thinks or why she believes I should be mated to you all. I¡¯m nice enough to still be on talking terms with you. Don¡¯t expect anything more than that."


    My voice even cracked when I said it, the wordsing straight from deep inside me. It was true that I cared for my squad mates, but I cared about everyone. And even though I was concerned about them, and there were moments when I felt very attracted to them, I knew what a fool I¡¯d be to forget everything they had done to me and just give in.


    Just because now we were mated, just because now they thought they were treating me better.


    As I spoke, as I told him how I felt, I turned my face away and clenched my fists, trying to calm my nerves.


    I expected him to say something, but he stayed silent. Then we began to hearmotion outside. I looked to my side and saw Joshua and Suki returning to the same spot. I figured they heard it too.


    "Fucking get away from me!" someone screamed outside. Not just anyone, it was obvious who it was.


    Jack!


    The moment we heard him, we all exchanged a nce. We knew it was nighttime. Those things were going to be everywhere, and they would stick around until morning.


    "Did you hear that? It was Jack¡¯s scream, wasn¡¯t it?" Suki stepped forward, asking us. The look on her face made it clear this was the man she truly loved. She was panicking, disbelief written all over her face.


    She kept trying to clear her throat, like it was clogging up, and then she lunged toward the exit. Neither Ian nor I said a word, but Joshua rushed after her, trying to stop her.


    "What are you doing? You¡¯re not thinking about going outside right now. It¡¯spletely dark. Those things will be everywhere," Joshua hissed, grabbing her arm.


    "Are you kidding me? Jack is out there. How can you suggest we stay here when our friend is there?" she screamed. The way she said it made my heart sink.


    "But you were too scared to help me when I was under the rubble," Joshua shot back, making Ian nce at me.


    "Are you seriously suggesting we argue about who I care about the most right now? Are you fucking kidding me? Clementine was already helping you, but we don¡¯t know what condition Jack is in. And I¡¯m not going to sit here and let him die!" she shouted, louder than ever.


    She pinched Josh¡¯s arm, freeing herself and stepping away. It all happened in seconds. As she ran for the door, Joshua rushed from behind, scooping her up and pulling her back.


    She instantly turned and smacked him across the face. I guess the fight she was putting up was enough for Joshua to realize the difference between her love for him and Jack.


    This time when Suki rushed toward the door, I don¡¯t think Joshua could bring himself to go after her. But Ian and I had to. We needed to stop her from opening the door and letting those things in, but she was too quick. She had already opened it and jumped out. Joshua went right after her, trying to save her.


    It was chaos. As she ran outside, we finally saw what was happening. Jack was fighting three Wendigos at once. He was badly wounded and didn¡¯t look like he had a chance to survive. Ian and I exchanged a nce.


    We had to jump in, because if we didn¡¯t, we feared our squadmates would be lost too. So we rushed forward, swords in hand.


    We fought with everything we had. At the same time, I noticed there were only four Wendigos in sight. Maybe there were others scattered around, but they usually came in groups and huddled together to attack.


    Even if they split up, they would just find each other and strike as one. I was really hoping that was it. After these four, the North would finally be free of Wendigos, since they were the deadliest monsters of all.


    Suki hoisted Jack over her shoulder but stumbled and fell while trying to carry him to safety. That was when Joshua appeared beside her. While Ian and I kept the Wendigos back, they carried Jack together.


    But as we rushed toward the subway, we saw one of the Wendigos slip inside, and we knew they were nning the same attack they had used at the mansion. We had to find another way to survive the night.

 Chapter 199-I Want To Be A Main Lead

    <h4>Chapter 199: 199-I Want To Be A Main Lead</h4>


    <strong>Suki:</strong>


    "What do we do now?" I asked, looking toward Ian and Clementine. Since they always had some n, they bettere up with one to help us survive the night. Ian gave me a blunt look, and I didn¡¯t understand why. Thankfully, Joshua was helping carry Jack with me.


    "We need to distract them. Let¡¯s find a ce where we can hide without them noticing. That¡¯s the only way for now," Clementine yelled. As always, the bitch had a n.


    Then I remembered the conversation I¡¯d had with Joshua just a few minutes earlier, right before we heard Jack screaming.


    <strong>shback:</strong>


    "Okay, calm down." Joshua had finally caught up with me, realizing that asking me to help him when he was under the rubble was unfair. I slowed my pace. We were far from Clementine and Ian.


    "Promise me you won¡¯t do that again," I told Joshua. I hated answering his questions, especially the ones about love, because I knew deep down he wasn¡¯t my choice anymore. I wanted someone like Jack.


    "Okay, I won¡¯t," he said, smiling softly.


    "What are we going to do about these wendigos? The task is done. We should be going back home now, and I don¡¯t ever want toe back to the North," I mumbled, genuinely tearing up.


    I hated the North more than ever now. Losing so many people made me wonder how long before I was gone too.


    "Come here, I told you, I will never let anything happen to you," Joshua whispered as he pulled me closer to his chest. The minute I hugged him, my wolf foundfort.


    That was crazy. Even when I cheated on him, I didn¡¯t forget that I loved Josh. It was just that he was always so supportive and ready to die for me that I felt pressured to return the sentiment. I felt like I had to do the same for him, and I wasn¡¯t the courageous type.


    I wanted to live a timid princess life, someone cherished and loved by everyone, someone who was the lead in other people¡¯s lives too.


    I know it was a crazy thought, but it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible. I had seen Clementine do that. She came into the academy and even when she wasn¡¯t very presentable most of the time, she still drew attention. She was a lead, everyone always brought her up in conversation.


    "Hey, look at me." As Josh broke the hug and cupped my face in his hands, I began to shed tears.


    He was my first love, but I had been afraid of loving him fully. He wanted me to be his only one and for him to be my only one. But I knew he might find other mates someday, and then what? Would he love them the same?


    I did not want to stay for the day when Josh loved someone more or loved someone the same way he loved me. Maybe that¡¯s why I had fallen out of love with him, the crazy kind. I was ready to be betrayed and move on if that happened.


    "I will not let anything happen to you," Josh confirmed while still holding my face in his hands.


    "If you truly love me, promise me after this we will never return to the North," I asked, and I noticed his jaw clench. What I was asking was a lot, even though I knew that. But I knew only he could make it happen, make me never return here.


    "I promise." He eased me so much when he kissed my forehead and made that promise. Then we heard screams from outside, and the voice I recognized as Jack¡¯s.


    I would not leave the North with him left behind. If Josh helped me out of the academy, he had to help Jack too.


    <strong>End of shback.</strong>


    "Where to?" I asked. Clementine began to sprint in a zig-zag pattern, trying to divert the wendigos¡¯ attention.


    But there were four of them, and it was hard to lose them when we were running in groups. That¡¯s when Ian stepped ahead and ran in the opposite direction.


    "Clementine, find yourself a shelter while I distract them," he yelled, making me briefly pause to look at Ian. The way he only had eyes for Clementine, only a fool wouldn¡¯t notice.


    "What? No! What the fuck are you doing?" Clementine screamed back at him, but he had already sprinted away. I watched Clementine follow him, turning away from us, so I let go of Jack and ran after her, grabbing her arm.


    I knew Josh was carrying Jack, so he was fine.


    "Where are you going? He cleared the wendigos so we could all survive. You are not going after him and leaving us without shelter," I hissed as I dug my nails deeper into her skin. Her eyes widened.


    "Let me go," she grunted, freeing herself and facing me. Thankfully, we could no longer hear the wendigos¡¯ screams. They had run after Ian.


    What was so special about Clementine anyway? Why would Ian take out the wendigos for her?


    "You don¡¯t know where he went, so why not help us find shelter?" I yelled at her, watching her grimace.


    "I am not your mother and I am not your guard. Go fucking find your own shelter," she screamed back with so much hostility. I was stunned to see this side of her.


    Whenever people were around her, she would act concerned and like she¡¯d give her life for others. But once it was just the two of us, she proved she did not care at all. It was all an act so she looked better.


    She started to rush back and I groaned, grabbing her arm again.


    "Jack is in a very bad state, and you must have heard something from your lookout about safe areas. So fucking help us find shelter," I groaned.


    "We are safe. Ian is the one the wendigos are going after. So why don¡¯t you find shelter while I go after my squadmate?" she hissed and pushed me back, booking forward, but I noticed her steps slow once she probably realized she had no clue where her friend went.

 Chapter 200-The Secret Cellar

    <h4>Chapter 200: 200-The Secret Cer</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    As I tried to run away again, she gripped my hand even tighter, so I spun around and red at her. She instantly let go and raised her hands at her sides to show she was surrendering.


    "Fine, go ahead and waste the chance he gave you. He made those things follow him so you could find a safe ce, so he could return to safety," she hissed, slowing me down. I turned and stared at her.


    "Come on, isn¡¯t that why he asked those things to follow him? Just find a safe ce and then you can look for him," she grunted.


    As we stared at each other, I noticed Jack coughing hard.


    "Suki, freaking get here," Joshua yelled. "You don¡¯t need to beg her for help. What the fuck? Are you crazy? Don¡¯t you trust me?" he snapped. Suki rolled her eyes at his voice.


    She kept staring at me, then slowly backed away and turned to her squadmates.


    I looked into the distance for Ian, but I couldn¡¯t spot those things anymore, so I realized they were right. By the time Ian returns, I¡¯ll have a safe ce. I retraced my steps and watched Suki acknowledge me.


    However, Instead of immediately going back to join her, I sprinted to a dark street and let my wolf take over. It was always quick for me. I needed to heal and once I did, I returned to my human form and came out.


    "Ah, she is back," I heard Suki say to Joshua as they have not gone far. They were looking for a safe ce while carrying Jack.


    Then I rushed ahead of them, searching for a house that might have a basement with a tight door that wouldn¡¯t let a Wendigo slide through.


    We started walking, and I noticed one of the houses looked unusually small. I motioned for the two of them to stay back because Joshua was carrying Jack, and Jack didn¡¯t want to shift, that would attract a lot of attention from different kinds of monsters. I guessed that was why none of them wanted to shift into their wolf forms.


    Which is what scared me. I had transitioned so the energy might have shifted in the air.


    When a wolfes out, it gives off an energy and a scent that other creatures can pick up as danger. I reached the house, turned the doorknob, and pushed inside with a sword in my hand. It was a tiny house, and everything was kind of a mess.


    Someone had already rummaged through it, maybe a monster got here first and smashed a lot of the stuff. At the entrance there was a very narrow corridor with a closet on the side that had tilted over, creating a barrier. I squeezed through the small triangr opening in the closet and forced it upright with my hands. After I cleared the way, I walked in.


    Suki gave me a quick nce and then stared at my arm. I had already unbandaged it.


    "When did you transition?" she asked, probably wondering how someone could transition so fast and so quietly.


    I tried to divert her attention and began inspecting what was in front of us.


    The stench was odd, like something dead was lying here. When I got closer to the living room I saw a ck tail. I stepped back because of what it might be, then touched it with my sword and realized it was dead.


    It didn¡¯t look like the tail of a wendigo. It was huge, a long, wide ck tail that shone, almost like a snake¡¯s tail but far too wide. I followed it into the living room and realized it was a snake, but not one you see every day. It had six feet and a very short body, maybe three feet long, and a huge head. The head could open wide enough to swallow a whole person.


    "What the fuck is this thing?" I said. Suki came in, clearly shocked at what I was staring at.


    "Maybe it¡¯s something we¡¯re gonna face soon," I said, shaking my head in disbelief.


    I noticed a sharp piece of wood, like something sharpened into a weapon, stuck in the creature¡¯s open mouth. I figured that was the cause of its death. After examining it for a moment, I shifted my attention back to finding the basement.


    I reached the basement door and found the opening extremely narrow. It was a very small house.


    "I think this will be good enough," I said, gently touching the door. The minute I touched it and we started talking, something rustled upstairs as ifing up, then a weird thud hit the other side of the door and we both jumped back.


    "What is it?" Suki asked. I don¡¯t know why every time something happens she asks me that. I was here just like her, it¡¯s not like I knew everything or had been here before.


    "I think something is trapped behind it. Let¡¯s go. We don¡¯t need to unlock the door and find out what it is," I said, patting her shoulder to let her know we needed to leave.


    The thing started attacking the door from the other side, but we rushed out. Before leaving, I dropped the closet back into ce the way it was supposed to be. Whoever had done this had done it meticulously, they were trying to keep something inside.


    Once we were out, I checked another house that had a decent backyard. Instead of going straight inside, I went into the backyard because I could see a pole sticking out. Some grass had been cut in a square shape, it was atch.


    "Okay, perfect," I said with a small smile. Suki watched me with amusement.


    "What?" she asked, and I rolled my eyes. "This will be a perfect ce to hide from those things," I said, grabbing thetch and opening it. I had to go down and check first. Although the opening was very narrow, other monsters might still fit through.


    Even the snake thing had a huge head, so it probably couldn¡¯t get in, but other monsters could. We hadn¡¯t explored the entire north, so we didn¡¯t know how many more monsters were out there.


    I was the first to go down. Inside I was shocked to see stockpiles of food. I grabbed one of the cans from the shelves and checked the date, it wasn¡¯t expired. Someone had been using this ce to save supplies, but the owner didn¡¯t seem to be around.


    It was a small basement, but it looked safe enough for the night.


    "Okay, it¡¯s safe," I said, pointing at the cer. Joshua went ahead first. I jumped out at that point while Joshua carried Jack into the cer, and I could already hear him gasp.


    "They have some medical supplies too," I heard Joshua say, and Suki instantly jumped down, happy. But I had to make a decision, did I really want to go down there and hide till morning?

 Chapter 201-The Bitch

    <h4>Chapter 201: 201-The Bitch</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "You¡¯re noting?" she asked, watching my face as I shook my head.


    "No, I¡¯ll go find Ian and the others and try to bring them here to stay for the night," I said, and she shrugged.


    I heard Jack and Joshua calling from downstairs, asking both of us toe up quickly because they were afraid the Wendigos would get us.


    "What am I supposed to tell them?" she asked, and I frowned.


    I didn¡¯t understand why she had to worry about me or answer them about where I was.


    "You don¡¯t need to worry about it. Just let them know I¡¯m going after Ian," I told her and she raised an eyebrow.


    "Seriously? You wanna do that? Why would you risk your life for someone who¡¯s just a crusader?" she asked, shrugging. Of course she wouldn¡¯t do that, so she was confused why I would.


    "It¡¯s not just about one crusader. We¡¯re friends too, Suki," I said, "I don¡¯t know how you get along with your squadmates, but we are very close." I hissed as she rolled her eyes.


    "Whatever!" she then uttered with a dramatic hard eye roll.


    "Make sure you stay close to thetch. I will knock three times and call your name, only then open it," I told her. She nodded and rolled her eyes at my strict instructions. Sometimes she could be pretty dumb, so I had to.


    I watched her close thetch and I stepped back.


    "Even she realized it was odd that you were trying so hard to go after your squadmate," Mintmented.


    "I don¡¯t know what to do with my heart, Mint. I know for a fact that I¡¯m not ready to forgive them so quickly. But this pain I feel whenever I¡¯m worried for them is crazy," I replied with a sigh.


    "I understand. Since they are our mates, I feel the same," she sighed. "Do you think he¡¯spletely over his ex?" she asked.


    I slowed down a little.


    "Who? Who are you talking about?" I asked, because I knew we didn¡¯t just have one mate, but three.


    "I¡¯m talking about Ian. You know Ian was in a rtionship when he came to the academy," she said.


    I rubbed my face with my hands.


    "I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t want to think about it. He told me he was over it. I mean, it would be weird for him to go for a kiss if he was still in a rtionship. And don¡¯t you remember he said she was cheating on him with his own brother? So I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re over," I said, confused.


    After only a few minutes on the road, I heard the screeches and growls of the Wendigos. Every time they appeared and screamed, I felt a weird tension through my body.


    Seeing them kill so many of our crusaders had put me in a ce where their voices could ignite anger in me.


    Then I watched the thingse from both sides of the road, running toward me. At that point I had only one option, go back and hide in thetch for a while. I turned and reached for thetch, knocking on it.


    "Suki, open it,e on, quick," I said, waiting and biting my nails.


    "Suki,e on, open the door!" I knocked hard. But maybe they couldn¡¯t hear me. I stopped knocking so I wouldn¡¯t confuse her and used my voice instead.


    "Suki, open it!" I shouted, making it clear. Still, she didn¡¯t open.


    I could hear the things screeching around, probably searching for me. I grabbed the handle and tried to pry it open. I wasn¡¯t going to let her leave me outside.


    There were too many of them, and I was alone. I started opening thetch and managed to get it. As soon as I was about to run downstairs, I felt a shove from below.


    "Ah!" I groaned,nding on my butt. Out came Suki with an angry look and her dagger in hand.


    "What are you doing? Get out of my way. Those things are closing in on us, they¡¯re looking for us," I hissed, keeping my voice low.


    But she came at me with more anger than I expected.


    "No. They¡¯ve already seen you. If youe down there, they¡¯ll know you¡¯re hiding here. You have to go out and lure them away," she snapped, pushing me back as I tried to rush for thetch again.


    "Have you lost your mind? Those things can¡¯t get down there. Come on, let me go!" I protested, feeling her grip on my arm holding me back.


    "No," she grunted, shoving me again.


    At this point, I had no idea what else she was willing to do. But as soon as I lunged for thetch again, a piercing pain ripped through my back.


    I groaned, almost spitting blood as I coughed. When I turned, I saw her dagger was gone. Because the dagger was in my fucking back. I froze in shock, eyes wide.


    "What have you done?" I asked, confused, lost. I couldn¡¯t understand why she had done it.


    "You¡¯ll heal, but you¡¯re not allowed here. This is our ce. I don¡¯t want you going around telling everyone you found it like some hero. I was the one who convinced you to find a ce. You weren¡¯t ready to do it, so why should you go in there?" she hissed, rambling while pushing me back even more.


    Inded on my butt again, my back hitting the ground, and the dagger sank deeper. I winced, my hands shaking violently. It was a silver fucking dagger.


    "You want to be a hero so badly, Clementine, that you¡¯re ruining everyone else¡¯s chance to be seen as individual crusaders. This is what you get for poking your nose around and trying to be a hero.


    "Now fucking die here," she hissed, standing at my feet, knowing very well I could no longer defend myself.

 Chapter 202-Anti-Hero

    <h4>Chapter 202: 202-Anti-Hero</h4>


    <strong>Suki:</strong>


    I had somehow managed to convince that selfish bitch to find us a safe ce, and thankfully she didn¡¯t stick around for the night. I would never have let her stay and act like a hero.


    The minute I closed thetch and walked down, I noticed the way Joshua and Jack were looking at me.


    "What happened?" I asked, confused.


    "Do you ever wonder if that girl outside is the hero in everybody¡¯s life?" Jack asked, his hand pressed against his wounds. I frowned.


    "Well, she might be. She didn¡¯t care that there was a fucking Wendigo when she came to save her crusader Ian. She fought like hell alone and even saved me from the Wendigo," Joshua said. I stood there watching them in disbelief, I didn¡¯t know why they talked about her so much.


    "Really? Wow, this one is crazy," Jack said, and I felt a weird ache in my veins, almost like jealousy. There was no need for them to talk about her in front of me.


    "Yeah, or maybe don¡¯t you think she¡¯s trying to trap all the guys? That¡¯s why she¡¯s trying to save them all," I suggested, and I watched the little smirk on Jack¡¯s face.


    "Not everyone is an attention seeker like you, Suki," Jack said. Those words hit me hard.


    "That¡¯s not true, she¡¯s not an attention seeker," Joshua defended, but I was so upset with Jack I ignored him.


    There was only one person I truly cared about in that moment, and that was Jack. If only I could tell him I was willing to go after him to save him and not Joshua, then he¡¯d see how big of a fool he sounded making thosements about me.


    "So you do think Clementine is a hero?" I said, folding my arms across my chest. "Isn¡¯t she? You stood on the other side of the road watching me almost get crushed by the Wendigo and buried under the debris. Suki, you didn¡¯te closer, she fought alone." That was all Joshua said as Jack started to shake his head.


    "You know, when I was with her squadmates, I noticed how they respect her. Now I know why. They truly found a gem, those lucky bastards," Jack said, shaking his head.


    I watched their faces in disbelief. They were already putting me down so much. At that moment I realized it was true, Clementine was everywhere.


    She gave everyone the impression that if anyone wanted to be safe, they shoulde to her. I remembered Matthias and how he trusted her with Jessie.


    No one was going to bring up that she failed to save Jessie, they only remembered her aplishments. That irritated me so much.


    There was a knock at the door. It was Clementine,ing back to remind us she existed. I was so fucking annoyed when I heard her voice.


    "Suki, open the fucking door!" Joshua hissed at me. I turned and gave him a look of disbelief.


    "Why the heck are you so eager to open the door? It¡¯s not like you have a chance with her," I said, watching Joshua frown.


    "I don¡¯t want a chance with her. What the fuck is wrong with you? You know I only love you, but you need to open the door. She¡¯s out there," he blurted in one breath, giving me a disbelieving look.


    "Come on, why are you looking at us? Fucking open the door." Jack hissed, and that was the part I hated most, the way he defended her.


    I gave them a blunt look, letting them know I wasn¡¯t going to open the door. She was going to stand there and get killed.


    "I cannot believe you, Suki," Joshua grunted, and Jack gave me a quizzical look. At that moment I realized, if anything happened to that bitch outside, they¡¯d me me.


    At the same time, Clementine managed to pry thetch open. Before she could get in, I pretended I was the one opening it. But before they could see, I ran upstairs and shoved her back.


    "What is going on? What is taking so long?" Joshua yelled from downstairs. Thetch had a very narrow opening, and after that there were stairs.


    Half the stairs were hidden by a wall, so they couldn¡¯t really see what was happening upstairs or outside.


    I stabbed her quickly, and I med the two downstairs for it. They had made me so angry by calling her a hero andparing me to her, that broke me. It pushed me to do something I would never have done otherwise.


    Once I stabbed her, I started to turn away, nning to tell them I had opened the door for her. But she had been snatched.


    The Wendigos took her. Of course I wouldn¡¯t admit I was the one who got someone killed out of jealousy. Clementine was doing what everyone expected me to do.


    As I moved to leave, Clementine crawled and grabbed my leg, trying to hold on. I was going to stop her no matter what.


    I saw a Wendigo arriving, so I grabbed Clementine, pulled her up by the arms, and pushed her toward the Wendigo.


    I stood at the entrance, ready to run, when something else came at us with brutal speed. A massive wolf exploded into view. It was enormous, two-toned, half ck, half white underneath.


    It was terrifying. Its ws were huge and its canines were massive, almost jaguar-like. I couldn¡¯t figure out exactly what it was. Its eyes were all white with a single dark dot in each.


    The wolf rushed in and scooped Clementine up, holding her so gently it confused me. Itid her on the ground, howled, and the whole ce shook. Then it sprang to its feet and charged at me.


    I couldn¡¯t move. It mmed into my back, then swung, striking the side of my stomach.


    I felt my bones break. Pain exploded through my body and I was thrown to the side. The next thing I knew, Inded at the feet of a Wendigo.

 Chapter 203-One More Done and Dusted

    <h4>Chapter 203: 203-One More Done and Dusted</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Everything happened so quickly. Before I knew it, I was holding on to Suki¡¯s leg, trying to get inside through the cer doors. I felt the Wendigos closing in.


    They were going to have fun. The way they didn¡¯t attack right away told me they knew I was at their mercy.


    Just when I thought Suki would finally realize how wrong she was, she grabbed my arm, yanked me up, and shoved me back.


    Pain shot through me, and I closed my eyes. I had a bad feeling this was the end.


    Still, I ced my hand on my back, pulled the dagger out, and prepared to fight until myst breath.


    But before I could, something flew in, and my body rolled across the ground. Then there was this strange, cushion-like feeling, something wrapped around me.


    All I could see was white fur. I had no idea what it was. It just set me down, and everything went dark.


    I was losing blood fast. My eyes shut, my breathing slowed. I let my wolf at least stop the bleeding. When I opened my eyes again, I saw Suki at the feet of the Wendigo.


    I grimaced and tried to push myself up. Not to save her¡ªfuck her, she tried to kill me. I wasn¡¯t that good of a person. I was ready to run back to the cer doors and save my own ass.


    But then another Wendigo appeared. It didn¡¯t attack me. It couldn¡¯t. Someone else had jumped in. Out of nowhere, Ian was there.


    I didn¡¯t even know when he came. I didn¡¯t see what tossed me earlier, but I¡¯d heard the howl, the ground shaking.


    It had to have been some kind of monster. Maybe it was going to attack me. Maybe it ran off when the Wendigos came. I didn¡¯t know. But Ian was here now.


    He swung his sword, shing the Wendigo until it retreated. Then he knelt beside me, grabbed my arms, and helped me up.


    "I can¡¯t walk," I muttered. He only nodded. His eyes looked strange, shining white, almost too light. But as I focused, they looked normal again.


    Maybe it was just blood loss making me see things. Stars danced in my vision as he carried me in his arms.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d done that. He ran toward the cer doors, and as we got closer, we saw Suki.


    "Guys, help me!" she screamed.


    Ian put me down so I could go through the narrow entrance of the cer myself. But I couldn¡¯t move. I just stared at Suki.


    It all happened in seconds. Instead of saving herself, she was staring at us. Then the Wendigo screeched. Ian pulled me close, making me bury my face in his chest.


    The Wendigo shoved its head down and bit into Suki¡¯s skull, right in front of us. Her screams were full of agony.


    "Let¡¯s go," Ian said, patting my back.


    As we turned to leave, I saw Joshua and Jack at the top of the cer stairs, watching everything.


    "No!" Joshua yelled. He ran past us, sword in hand.


    "Joshua, what the fuck?" Jack shouted. He was still wounded, but he chased after his friend. He didn¡¯t seem too concerned for Suki, but he was for Joshua.


    The way he ran made it clear that he cared more about saving his friend than the girl he¡¯d been sleeping with.


    The Wendigo was still chewing on Suki¡¯s head when Joshua swung his sword. It made the creature back off, but it didn¡¯t let go of her skull.


    Her body dropped to the ground while the Wendigo kept her head mped in its jaws. I grimaced, and Ian held me tighter.


    Her body slumped lifelessly to the side.


    "No, no, no, no, no," Joshua cried. He dropped to his knees, staring at her in disbelief. "No, Suki, no, no, no."


    He broke down. And honestly, it was too much for even me.


    Joshua whispered, "She¡¯s gone."


    But Jack spoke coldly, his eyes on his friend. "She¡¯s gone but you are here. Focus on yourself."


    And then Jack started trying to drag Joshua away to fight the Wendigos. I noticed Ian didn¡¯t move to help.


    "Ian, go help them," I called, and he shook his head.


    "That bitch stabbed you, Clementine. I¡¯m not helping anyone," he hissed, his eyes boring into mine.


    "She did, they didn¡¯t," I said, but he wouldn¡¯t budge. As he was about to head down, a Wendigo lunged at Joshua. Suddenly a loud honk cut through the chaos, and headlights shed.


    The Wendigo recoiled, looking for the new threat. A huge school bus pulled up, its torches and lights zing. I could tell it was a setup by the Crusaders.


    Ian held me tight and pulled me out of the bus¡¯s path. The bus didn¡¯t target us. Then the rest of the Crusaders who were alive jumped out, holding torches and sticks.


    I scanned the area and spotted a small house and a n came to me. There were only a few Wendigos left, maybe four.


    "I have an idea," I said.


    Someone shouted from behind the bus, hidden by the wheels.


    "Come on, what are you waiting for?" Troy hissed


    "Haiden found the bus and got it running, "Troy added as he jumped off and rushed over. He nearly pushed Ian aside and scooped me up.


    "No, wait! we can get rid of these things. We can¡¯t leave them ande back to suffer by their ws," I said, and Troy¡¯s eyes flicked to Suki¡¯s body on the ground. "Oh shit," he hissed.


    "What¡¯s the n?" Troy asked.


    "That house. Someone needs to lure the Wendigos there and set it on fire," I suggested


    Before Troy could answer, Yorick came running from the bus with a burning nk. Oriana looked okay, the others seemed unhurt and, thankfully, healed.


    Instead of hiding in the cer, getting rid of the Wendigos now would stop this from happening again.


    But Ian took it too far. He snatched the burning nk from Yorick and sprinted toward the house.


    "Ian!" I screamed, but Troy held me back.


    "Come on, let¡¯s take her to the bus. She¡¯s wounded, she¡¯s been stabbed," Troy told Yorick, realizing I¡¯d been stabbed in the back.


    The way he said it made everyone confused. Monsters didn¡¯t usually stab people like that, it looked like someone on our side had. I saw the looks on their faces.

 Chapter 204-On Fire

    <h4>Chapter 204: 204-On Fire</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Leaving Ian behind didn¡¯t feel like a good idea to me. I started to protest as they tried to take me, but Troy and Yorick were forceful, and because I was sick, exhausted, and wounded, I couldn¡¯t fight much.


    "He¡¯s not a fucking baby, you don¡¯t have to always go after him, dammit," Troy almost chewed upon the words.


    That made me stop resisting so hard. He was right. There was no point in chasing Ian, I was wounded and would only be a burden. Why was I acting like his mother?


    Why was I so worried he¡¯d get hurt? I¡¯m pretty sure he was stronger than me, at least at that moment. I didn¡¯t like how Troy said it, but he wasn¡¯t wrong. It was weird that he noticed.


    They took me to the bus, and as soon as they put me inside, Haiden turned around.


    "Are you stabbed?" he asked.


    I gave him a hand gesture, my arm wrapped around my stomach. Oriana, Mira, and the others were trying to drag Joshua away from Suki¡¯s dead body. They did a good job. Jack was on board with the idea, so they all dragged him back.


    "Okay, we¡¯re gonna drive around, but we¡¯ll keep an eye on Ian," Haiden uttered. Thankfully he didn¡¯t wait for me to remind them that we weren¡¯t going to leave Ian behind.


    Once we started to drive around, we saw the wendigos rush toward the house and start sniffing around because Ian kept calling for them. We didn¡¯t leave, we were watching him from the bus.


    "What if they didn¡¯t follow him?" Troy asked.


    We had no answer, but Ian made a sudden noise to get their attention. He¡¯d probably noticed the pattern in those things and how we could lure them. When he made those noises, all the wendigos left. Ian was inside the house now.


    "I am worried for Ian," Yorick mumbled under his breath.


    I didn¡¯t say anything, I felt they¡¯d judge me. Oriana sat next to me, holding my hand and supporting my body.


    We all watched the house catch fire. The screeches grew louder. The pain the wendigos were feeling rose high in the air in the form of their screams.


    Joshua sat at the back of the bus, unable to move, almost too stunned. Jack was right next to him, keeping an eye on his friend.


    My eyes stayed on the house. Anxiety rose in me.


    "What are we supposed to do? Are we gonna wait? I don¡¯t think he¡¯sing out," Mira said.


    I turned to give her a harsh re. In response, she shrugged and sank back in her seat.


    "I¡¯m just saying, what if other monsterse? We are not safe here," she muttered,ining because I was ring at her.


    "He took one for all of us. Soe on, show some decency," Oriana hissed at her. Thankfully it wasn¡¯t me saying it, or the others would think I was obsessed with Ian, always talking about him and never letting him do anything alone.


    But at that point, I couldn¡¯t think about anything else. I just stared at the house, and I could tell Haiden was anxious. His hands clutched the steering wheel, probably wondering if he should go or wait.


    "I think we should check it out," Yorick finally broke the silence, and Troy reluctantly gave him a nod.


    I didn¡¯t expect Yorick to show such decency, but I was impressed. Before he could even reach the bus door, someone jumped out of one of the house¡¯s windows. He was unharmed, though his jacket was slightly on fire.


    It was Ian. He ran toward us, pulled off his jacket, and threw it away. A wide smile spread across my face, and even when I tried to hide it, I couldn¡¯t. I kept smiling, watching him.


    Yorick and Troy, who were about to go after him, stepped aside so he could get inside. Ian boarded the bus, and everyone started cheering because all the wendigos were gone. The boys gave him quick hugs or nods while the girls cheered louder.


    "Okay, now we really gotta go," Haiden said, telling everyone to sit down.


    As Ian walked past me, he gave me a brief nod, different from the others. I returned it, and he went to sit by the window in the back row. He looked outside while I kept ncing back at him.


    Then I noticed something. Matthias. He sat with his head down. I turned to Oriana.


    "Does he know?" I asked.


    She gave me a gentle nod and closed her eyes, letting me know he did. I sat straight again.


    While Haiden drove wildly toward the station, Troy appeared and gestured for Oriana to move from my side. When she stepped away, he sat next to me, watching.


    "Are you okay? You¡¯re bleeding a lot," he said in a soft tone.


    "I¡¯m fine," I answered softly.


    Yorick also came over and stood in front of me. We were in the front seat, right behind Haiden. He hunched down, one hand on the window and the other on my seat.


    "Tell me again, who stabbed you?" His voice was more like an order than a question.


    I took a deep breath and looked back at Joshua, his head resting against the seat, his face numb. Then I looked back at my squad.


    "It was Suki," I whispered.


    The two of them frowned in confusion.


    "I¡¯ll tell youter," I added, letting them know now wasn¡¯t the time. They finally stepped away.


    Haiden drove us straight to the station and we all started to get off. I was really impressed because I¡¯d heard from everyone that Haiden was the one who found the bus and drove around to find all the crusaders, helping them board while also looking for me.


    They said he was hysterically asking everyone for me, and I was truly grateful.


    Once we got to the station, I knelt down, wrapped my arm around my stomach, and tried to press the wound to stop the pain.


    Haiden urged for me to transition to heal and I nearly fainted as I shook my head at him.

 Chapter 205-And When Full Moon Rises

    <h4>Chapter 205: 205-And When Full Moon Rises</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I noticed Troy watching my face a little too anxiously. Meanwhile, the others were already walking toward the station, entering through the broken area and sitting on the benches. I was still a little behind, near the big wall where the station stood. Before I could take more steps, Troy grabbed my hand and pulled me back.


    "What are you doing?" Iined.


    Since everyone was focused onforting those who had lost loved ones, I guess they didn¡¯t see us. My squad mates probably noticed, but it was toote. Troy had already dragged me back into the woods.


    "Ouch, what are you doing?" I groaned, pping his hand off my arm.


    "Transition,e on," he insisted once he let me go.


    "No," I groaned, ring at him.


    "You¡¯re gonna fucking lose your wolf if you don¡¯t. Wait, you already transitioned once," he said, pointing at my arm.


    My arm was healed because I¡¯d briefly let Mint out to fix it when I tried going after Ian.


    "So that means you can transition," Troy added.


    I shifted ufortably, not knowing how to tell him I couldn¡¯t transition in front of him.


    "What¡¯s the matter? If you can transition once, you can transition again. It¡¯ll help you. We don¡¯t know how far the train is before ites back. And why would you even want to go to the hospital when you can just transition and be fine?" he pressed.


    His veins stood out as he spoke. I sighed and met his eyes.


    "Why the hell do you even care, Troy? Am I not the one who spread rumors about you? Why don¡¯t you just call me a bad friend and stop caring?" I said. He looked almost upset that I suggested it.


    "Well, let¡¯s just say I care, okay?" he muttered.


    I shook my head again. I wasn¡¯t going to let him act like he cared when I knew the truth. He didn¡¯t care about me. He thought I betrayed him. So why was he suddenly changing and showing so much concern? It didn¡¯t make sense.


    "I¡¯m not gonna transition, okay?" I said, stepping back and almost turning to leave. But the pain stopped me.


    "And you can¡¯t even fucking take a few steps without falling to your knees," he growled, grabbing my arm and turning me around.


    "If you lose too much blood, you won¡¯t be able to transition and heal. So just do it now before it gets worse." He tried to make me understand, but once again I shook my head.


    He held my arms, gave me a small shake, and stared into my eyes. I put my hands on his chest for support. As I was about to protest and remind him I didn¡¯t want his care or anyone else¡¯s, I felt a sharp pain in my chest.


    He went silent too, no longer insisting. At the same time, pain spread through my chest, and my heartbeat began to match his. I knew what was happening.


    "No," I gasped, trying to break free, but he held me tight, eyes wide, still staring at my face.


    "No, no, no, no, no," I cried, struggling to get out of his arms, but he was too strong.


    I looked up and saw the full moon above us, glowing red. Then, in a soft and helpless tone, my wolf whispered,


    ¡¯Mate.¡¯


    I instantly stepped back from Troy, shook my head, and pressed my hands to my head. It was devastating and made no sense. When I looked up, Troy looked more happy than upset, and I could tell my reaction was what bothered him. I narrowed my eyes at him, almost as if I were judging him, and he shrugged.


    "I don¡¯t understand why you look like this is the worst news you could ever get," he asked politely, not shocked or worried.


    "Do you not understand what that means, Troy?" I asked, almost in disbelief. Did none of them care enough to be worried? Shouldn¡¯t they at least look for answers instead of wearing those weird smiles? It made no sense. For me to be mated to all four of them should have made them feel something at least.


    "I don¡¯t understand what is so upsetting to you," he repeated, and I dug my fingers into my hair.


    "Okay, calm down, Clementine. It¡¯s not the worst thing that could happen to someone," he said, grunting because I didn¡¯t mirror his reaction.


    "Is that how you reacted when you felt the mate bond with Yorick and Haiden, or is it just me?" he asked, almost in disbelief.


    I took a deep breath to steady myself, faced him, and nodded while breathing slowly.


    "Really? You¡¯re going to ask me that?" I hissed. "Why don¡¯t you tell me why you¡¯re suddenly feeling some sort of way? Am I not the one you betrayed? Am I not the girl who loved gossip, and then you made her life a living hell? Have you forgotten everything?" Iined.


    "Why are we talking about the past? I thought we¡¯d grown up. The fact that you ask why I¡¯m not angry makes me think you wanted our friendship to be scarred," he began to ramble when he had no answer.


    "Okay, fine. Let¡¯s just say I did it all to scar our friendship," I retorted. "What makes you think we have a hope now? Why are you suddenly not affected by our past beef?" I asked, hands on my waist. If it was honestly that easy for him to get past it, why didn¡¯t he? Why did he put me through so much stress? It didn¡¯t make sense.


    I waited for him to tell me what exactly was going through his head.


    "All I know is that I have forgiven you," he said. "That proves more about how I care about you than how you cared about me. Even after everything, when we were put in the same room again, I remembered I had a crush on you. So please don¡¯t ask why I¡¯m not angry with you. I can¡¯t help myself."


    His voice broke as he exined his feelings, and I began to calm down. He looked away, hands on his waist, then added, "It is weird that you are mated to all three of us, but I¡¯m not going to cry about it. You already know my feelings for you." He looked back at me with more confidence.


    It didn¡¯t take long before we realized we were not alone. A heavy breath and a sigh from the side drew our attention, and we watched Yorick and Haiden standing there with their eyes wide open.

 Chapter 206-Worse Than A Monster

    <h4>Chapter 206: 206-Worse Than A Monster</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "She is what?" Yorick asked, closing one eye as he tried to finish the sentence.


    "Great, you guys are already here. You must have heard it. I felt a mate bond with her just now," Troy said in a confident tone, as if that should guarantee he had more im to me.


    "Wait, wait, she has three alpha mates?" Haiden stepped forward, questioning.


    I noticed Ian walking behind them, probably checking what was going on. He slowed, tilted his head, and then sighed deeply.


    "These two just felt the mate bond. How is that possible? How can she have three mates?" Yorick asked Ian, since Ian usually had answers. Ian looked at me and then back at Yorick. I honestly expected him to announce that I didn¡¯t just feel a mate bond with three, but with four of them. But he only shrugged.


    At that moment I realized he didn¡¯t want anyone to know we were mates, and I felt disappointed. It was odd that I had told others not to make a deal out of it, not to worry, and yet I was the one who was upset.


    "So what are we gonna do now? I¡¯m not gonna back down." Haiden shrugged.


    "Well, I¡¯m not gonna back down either," Yorick said harshly.


    "And what makes you guys think I will back down? I¡¯ve had a crush on her for a long time, so when I¡¯m finally given a chance, I¡¯m not gonna let it go," Troy hissed.


    I just stood there watching them, disbelief on my face.


    "Whatever you decide, do it quickly. The train wille and you won¡¯t have time unless you want to stay over and already inspect the next monster we¡¯re gonna meet," Ian said casually, shrugging, showing he didn¡¯t care about winning my heart. I was d I stopped him earlier.


    Once he walked away, the others kept talking.


    "How about the three of us give it a try and then decide who should back down?" Haiden suggested.


    I started to p my hand and shake my head in disbelief. The three turned to me as I stood in front of them, all bloodied up and ready to make my decision clear.


    "What exactly makes you think I want to end up with any one of you?" I asked sharply, watching them squint.


    "We¡¯re your mates," Yorick announced as if I didn¡¯t know that. He sounded bothered.


    "And now that we¡¯re mates, I¡¯m supposed to forgive you for your bullying and everything you¡¯ve put me through," I said, watching their proud shoulders slump. "I know we¡¯re mated and I don¡¯t know why. Maybe I¡¯m just cursed," I added, pausing to watch their reaction. They looked hurt when I called our bond a curse.


    "Here¡¯s a thought," I said with a smile. "There is a thing called rejection. And trust me, I won¡¯t hesitate to pick rejection over someone who¡¯s been abusive to me in the past." I hissed as their eyes widened.


    "If anyone tries to drag me around without my permission next time, it¡¯ll be bad. So when you want to talk, fucking ask and wait for my permission," I hissed, looking at Troy.


    The others looked at him and nodded, trying to put him down but clearly missing my point. I wanted them to stop and leave me alone for now. Was that too much to ask?


    "I didn¡¯t drag you around to have a conversation. I dragged you around because I wanted you to transition and be free of the pain," Troy defended himself, folding his muscr arms over his chest.


    I didn¡¯t answer. I gave them a judgmental, angry re before stepping away. I was so hurt I didn¡¯t know what to do. I walked back toward the station and they followed me closely. Thankfully, no one argued anymore. There was nothing left to argue about anyway. My decision was mine alone.


    When I stopped at the station, Oriana rushed over to check me. Everyone was so silent it felt uneasy.


    "Are you okay? When you left for the woods with your squad, I thought you were going to transition," she asked, trying to see if my wound had healed.


    "Why didn¡¯t you transition?" she asked again. I gently freed my arm from hers. She folded her arms and stood in front of me like a stubborn child, waiting for an exnation.


    "You told me you were getting bullied by everyone," I said to Oriana, who began lowering her hands.


    "Yeah, I was," she admitted.


    "None of your squad mates bullied you," I said.


    "Did you not see Jessie use me in front of everyone?" she almost whispered so Matthias wouldn¡¯t hear. I watched her in silence.


    Our conversation was interrupted when the train arrived. Oriana turned quickly and walked away to stand with her squad.


    The red squad boarded the train quickly, except for Matthias, he just sat from the bench, staring at the ground. Jack had to drag Joshua on board because he sat there lifelessly, and then it was time for us to board.


    My squadmates let me get up first, and then they stood as well. As we waited in our carriage, we all stared at Matthias in silence.


    He finally sighed and casually put his hands in his pant¡¯s pocket. He walked closer to the entrance, nced at his squadmates, then turned and looked at all of us. His eyesnded on me, and at that moment I knew something was wrong.


    "You were supposed to take care of her," heined. I took a deep breath as I knew he would speak about it.


    "And I did," As I began to exin, he chuckled.


    "And what did you do? You pushed her out of the house, pushed her right into the mouth of the wendigo, because she was bing too much for you." His words were haunting.


    At that, I frowned and shook my head. "That is not true," I said, but he was already done.


    "Next time you visit the North, monsters will be thest thing you worry about," he threatened in a monotone. His words gave me chills, and then he started to back away.


    "Matthias!" Sebastian called, and he moved toward the door to stop him, but the door shut on us. Matthias had taken too long to board.


    "No, Matthias!" Everyone screamed except my squadmates, who looked stunned by hisst words.


    Matthias didn¡¯t stay to argue, he never intended to board the train. He turned and walked back into the North.

 Chapter 207-He Came To Kiss Me.

    <h4>Chapter 207: 207-He Came To Kiss Me.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Silence hit us harder than anything before. Our team, in particr, was even quieter. I noticed Ian counting something on his fingers, but I couldn¡¯t tell what until he lowered his hands and turned to look at all of us. He gave everyone a quick nce before his eyesnded on me, and I saw a very slight narrowing of one eye, like he was trying to figure me out.


    "Are you guys seriously going to mourn over a moron who stayed behind and med someone else for his girlfriend¡¯s breakdown?" Ian asked, and heads turned toward him.


    "Ian¡¯s right." Troy snapped, shaking his head.


    "Matthias had a fucking nerve, making Clementine look guilty. Forget about him. I hope something gets to him before he tries anything else." Haiden added that Matthias had threatened me. As if dealing with the crazies wasn¡¯t enough, now our own crusaders might punish us. It was so exhausting.


    "She was kind enough to agree to take care of Jessie. Dude, you should¡¯ve been there to see how she acted. I get that everyone grieves differently, but she was going to drag everyone down with her," Yorickined, fisting his palm.


    I appreciated their support, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that Matthias had stayed behind, and used me.


    "Anyway, why are we even talking about it? It¡¯s not like he can do anything. Before he even tries something, I¡¯ll get my hands on him. He¡¯ll be caught and tortured in a million different ways before heys a finger on Clementine," Ianmented, clenching his jaw.


    What Ian didn¡¯t expect was that others were watching him too intently. I could tell questions were forming in their heads. Mine included. Because it was odd. When there was a chance for him toe forward and say he was my mate, he stayed silent.


    He even told the others to sort it out, as if it didn¡¯t matter whether I picked someone else. That hypocrisy hit me, since I was the one who told him I didn¡¯t feel anything and didn¡¯t want to pursue anything because of the past. I sighed and looked out the window.


    The best excuse I could use was, I¡¯m a girl, I¡¯m emotional, like they always im women are, until they mess up and suddenly want us to be strong. The silence after that felt heavy. I noticed movement in the front carriage with the white squad. Joshua was basically throwing a tantrum, probably finally shaking out of his frozen state.


    There was something else we¡¯d noticed. Initially the train ride had only been ten minutes, but now it stretched to twenty, and those twenty felt like ages. When we arrived and the train stopped, the doors opened and there was silence from every carrier.


    No one jumped out excitedly to tell the ringleaders they¡¯d finished the task, or to loudly describe what had happened there and how many monsters we¡¯d yed. The ringleaders were there with bouquets, looking thrilled to announce that we¡¯d saved the maind, but none of the students shared that feeling. We were all too quiet and too upset.


    As others began to leave, my squad let me go out first. The first step I took onto the ground made me dizzy. I¡¯d lost a lot of blood on the train, and I was bound to feel it the minute I moved.


    Before I could understand what was happening, everything went ck. I felt my body fall, but it didn¡¯t meet the ground. Someone had helped me. Someone had carried me. I heardmotion around me, but I had no strength to open my eyes and see what it was about. It was about me, and more specifically from my squadmates.


    I¡¯d fallen into a deep sleep and woke up in the hospital two fucking dayster. The nurse told me that when I arrived I¡¯d been in a very bad state. I¡¯d lost too much blood and my body had been weak.


    I guessed it was from all the stress and hurt, and from finding out that I¡¯d found two more mates. Everything hit me hard. We were just teenagers watching our friends die. It was honestly too much. Others would never understand that.


    Nobody was allowed to see me while I stayed in the hospital and healed. The nurse asked if I wanted to transition and I said no. The only lie I could give them was that I was mourning the Crusaders and wanted to feel the pain. I felt bad using that excuse, but it was important to keep my wolf in hiding for now.


    I would have happily gone into the woods to heal, but I could tell they were going to stay with me. The ringleaders and headquarters had strictly told the nurses that if I wanted to go out, I¡¯d have to do it in front of them because they were afraid I might hurt myself or not reach the woods in time.


    It was myst day in the hospital before they would finally let me go alone into the woods and transition, because I was well enough to stand, go into the woods, and transition by myself.


    The minute I closed my eyes to spend thest two hours in peace and let them pass, I heard someone chuckle. I opened my eyes instantly and turned to see someone standing in the corner of the room.


    "Wow. And I thought you¡¯de early to check on your squadmate," I said, teasing him, even though it was odd he was there.


    He stepped out from the shadows and tilted his face.


    "They were keeping us under heavy suspicion," Ian said.


    "Then how did you sneak into the hospital?" I asked.


    He came closer, hunched with one hand on the wall and the other on the side of my mattress. It looked almost cozy how he leaned over me.


    "I don¡¯t know. I just know I did, and I¡¯d do it again and again." With every ¡¯again¡¯ he drew closer until he lowered himself enough to crash his lips against mine. This time I didn¡¯t stop him or push him away.

 Chapter 208-No Respect For The Dead.

    <h4>Chapter 208: 208-No Respect For The Dead.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I closed my eyes to deepen the kiss, but the moment he bit my bottom lip I woke myself up.


    "What the fuck?" I muttered as I stared around and realized it had just been a dream. He hadn¡¯te to see me.


    He hadn¡¯t kissed me. So why the heck had I imagined him? What was wrong with me? I¡¯d told him I wasn¡¯t going to pursue anything with anyone, so why had I dreamed about him?


    Those questions stayed unanswered when the nurse came in and told me I was finally discharged. It waste at night. The ones who would transition were usually let out at night. They asked if I was fine going alone into the woods and I said I was more than happy to.


    I left the hospital room and went straight into the woods. I was going to transition quickly and heal quickly. If only they had let me go sooner, I¡¯d have been back in my dorm.


    But while I was transitioning, I heard a loud click, almost like a camera shutter. That pushed me back into my human form. When I looked around, I found nothing. It was the oddest thing.


    Maybe it felt stranger because being in the north had sharpened my senses from constant fighting. It could be anything, but it was scary. I chalked it up to my mind ying games and decided not to transition again. I¡¯d already healed, so it was fine.


    I wondered what had been going on in the academy building. As I walked back toward the academy, still under the barbed perimeter, a lurker appeared out of nowhere, snapped his fingers to get my attention, and pointed at himself.


    It was his way of asking me to follow. I didn¡¯t understand why, but I followed him. Once I reached the main hall, I realized they were holding a meeting. As soon as I stepped inside, my squadmates looked at me and rushed over.


    "Thank goodness you¡¯re back," Troy said, hugging me without hesitation.


    Yorick pinched Troy¡¯s arm to make him step back, then stepped forward and gently ced his hand under my cheek.


    "We missed you," Yorick said. His hand slipped off my cheek, but I felt the touch like warmth and affection.


    "It was so hard for us to sleep without you," Haiden said, then his eyes widened as he realized how that sounded. "I mean, seeing your bed empty was really hard for us," he added.


    I could tell why. It gave them a small sense of what the Crusaders went through when returning while one of their squadmates didn¡¯t. That feeling was terrifying, and I didn¡¯t want it either.


    Ian only stood in his spot and gave me a head nod. I reluctantly nodded back. I wasn¡¯t happy with how he acted. He¡¯d shown so much care back in the north, but on the maind he was distant.


    Finally I stood with them while everyone looked at me except Joshua. He stared at the ground. He looked like he hadn¡¯t eaten in days since we came home. He seemed weak.


    Our attention shifted to the ringleaders, who were ready to speak. The three stood wearing their long hoodie capes with colors representing their squads, as always. One by one they took off their hoodies, tied their hands under their abdomens, and looked down.


    "It¡¯s sad to announce that even though the task was sessful, we lost too many squadmates," Mr. Rick began, his voice was thick with grief. "Yash was a young boy with a lot of charm. He followed orders well. As for Suki, she was the best at lifting squad spirits and being a good mate. Even when she was recently used of a bad affair with her squadmate, it didn¡¯t change the fact that her mate forgave her, and the punishment was dropped because of it. Beyond her personal affairs, she was strong and full of spirit. We will take a minute of silence to remember Yash and Suki and pray for them."


    Everyone bowed their heads. I followed, clutching my hands under my abdomen and lowering my head. I noticed Ian didn¡¯t bow. Mr. Rick noticed him too, but they said nothing at the moment.


    After he finished the announcement and made his statement, it was time for Ms. Lenora to take the lead. She cleared her throat and started.


    "Jessie and her sister have been very supportive and kind since the beginning," she said. "They were always the understanding ones. I remember when they were on my team and I gave them a task to clear their dorm room in just a few minutes. Those two worked hard so the other squadmates wouldn¡¯t have to. I remember them for many things. The sleepless nights and Jessie¡¯s cries every time I spoke with her, when she told me she missed her sister." Ms. Lenora paused.


    "And then there was Matthias," Ms. Lenora continued. "He was quiet, but mentally the strongest member of our squad. He wasn¡¯t talkative or shy, but he got his job done, impably. It breaks my heart that he stayed behind after he lost the love of his life. He thought the maind was worse than the north."


    She sighed, and when she exhaled her eyes snapped to me. I felt like she was judging me.


    "He stayed behind on his own after he ced all the me on one innocent girl who had been running around saving lives."


    Before anyone could fall silent for the Red Squad losses, Ian spoke loudly enough to make everyone look at him, except Joshua. He wasn¡¯t looking at anyone. He was simply detached from the world.


    "Sorry, Ian,e again?" Ms. Lenora asked, hands on her hips.


    "It¡¯s okay, they¡¯re emotional," Miss Rue intervened, turning to make a calming gesture toward Ms. Lenora.


    "No, I¡¯m not emotional. Why would I be emotional about a sucker?" Ian snapped. "That fucker first put all the responsibility of Jessie on Clementine¡¯s shoulders like she was a babysitter. And then left on his own, not even realizing how many lives could have been lost because of Jessie that day," Ian continued to hiss.


    "You weren¡¯t there, ringleaders. We were. She did her best to save Jessie. How do you think Yash died? Jessie left the door open. We get it, she was traumatized, she was hurting. But that didn¡¯t mean others deserved to die." Yorick hissed as he remembered that night.

 Chapter 209-Nobody Trusts No One Anymore.

    <h4>Chapter 209: 209-Nobody Trusts No One Anymore.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We were never given counseling for it. They expected us toe here and act like the north was just the past or some game show. It wasn¡¯t. It meant more to us.


    Miss Lenora looked shocked and disgusted by my squadmate¡¯s reaction.


    "If anything, ask the others why it was Clementine who was constantly targeted. She did her best. And then Suki stabbed her in the back," Ian said, and gasps erupted through the hall.


    "Clementine found a cer and helped them get in," Ian continued. "But Suki stabbed her when she wanted to get in herself. Why? Did she not deserve to save herself? Did she not deserve one night of safety? The Wendigos were attacking, and Suki was attacking Clementine, not the Wendigos."


    Ian¡¯s veins began to stand out as he raised his voice, his tone thundered through the hall.


    "Before you point your finger at Suki, let me tell you, I watched her look at you two begging to be saved. What did you two do? Nothing," Joshua finally snapped out to reality and yelled at Ian.


    "Oh, fuck, I did not want to save her. She was constantlying at Clementine, trying to kill her. Clementine was stabbed. If I had to choose between the two, I would save my squadmate. My..." He trailed off.


    After a deep breath, Ian finished, "¡ªmy friend."


    I didn¡¯t know whether to be d he stood up for me or annoyed he hadn¡¯t said ¡¯mate.¡¯


    "Wait a minute," Ms. Lenora snapped. "Suki was the one who stabbed Clementine?" She pointed at me and then at Joshua.


    "I did not see anything," Joshua excused.


    "Exactly. You didn¡¯t, because you were hiding in the cer like a coward while you sent your bitch to attack the one who saved you that night," Ian growled.


    "Suki is fucking gone forever and you are calling her slurs?" Joshua started to pace toward Ian, but Ian straightened, squared his shoulders, and didn¡¯t back down.


    "Wait, wait, wait, step back, everyone," Ms. Lenora rushed in between them, standing in the middle with her arms wide and palms ready to push them apart if they got closer.


    Mr. Rick rushed forward and grabbed Joshua, pushing him back. Miss Rue walked up and stood in front of Ian, giving him a look and shaking her head to stop any violence.


    "If Suki truly stabbed Clementine, which would exin the wound on her back because a Wendigo wouldn¡¯t do that, it¡¯s sad none of you mentioned it in your initial statements," Ms. Lenora said sharply.


    "We weren¡¯t there," Mira quickly defended herself.


    "What about you?" Ms. Lenora asked Jack. "You two didn¡¯t know Suki stabbed Clementine?" she continued to point out Jack and Joshua.


    Mr. Rick turned to his team, mostly Jack and Joshua. "Did you hear about this?"


    "We overheard it," Joshua hissed, looking away.


    "I mentioned it," Ian said to Miss Rue, who nodded.


    "He did. I should have told you all," Miss Rue said. "Actually, I decided to go to the headmaster instead."


    As soon as Miss Rue that, both Mr. Rick and Ms. Lenora turned to look at him.


    "You should have told us," Mr. Rick argued. "If you go straight to the headmaster, it can get the whole squad punished or dismissed." He took a deep breath and paused for a second.


    "But thankfully Suki isn¡¯t here," Mr. Rick added. "She already received her punishment." Heined to Miss Rue about backstabbing them by not sharing the initial report and by pushing for a harsher punishment.


    "I just had to say it, because this is getting crazy. Why are the squadmates fighting each other?" Miss Rue demanded of Mr. Rick and Ms. Lenora. "If you notice, most deaths happen because of their own mistakes," she pointed out the reality.


    "So you¡¯re saying the squadmates are the reason others are dying? I think what you are saying is true. If everyone worked together instead of focusing on trauma and teenage stuff, it would¡¯ve been better," Ms. Lenora hissed.


    "I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s unfair," Troy shot back, hissing in return.


    She turned to him with a re that scanned him from head to toe.


    "We¡¯re teenagers. We¡¯ll do teenage stuff. What about counseling? Don¡¯t you think you should¡¯ve helped us better when we came back from every trip? You take interviews, every single statement. But then what? Just hang them on the wall and stare at them? Or toss some money,ugh, and eat popcorn while watching everything we went through? Don¡¯t just use the squadmates. We¡¯re all traumatized. And as ringleaders, you sit on your asses doing nothing."


    Troy was on fire. The red squad even covered their mouths to not let out loud gasps as a reaction to his outburst.


    "There were plenty of times we mentioned the White Squad being messy. We talked about people being left behind. And what do you do? Nothing. You don¡¯t go back for them. You just lie to us," Haiden said, cutting in. He was reminding them of an earlier incident, when they promised to look for a squadmate we lost very early on; Sadie.


    "That will be enough," Mr. Rick roared, silencing everyone. "We know what you¡¯re going through. That¡¯s why we offer you the chance to stay with your packs. This is the first time that¡¯s been arranged. We¡¯re doing everything we can. Unless you want us to cuddle with you," he hissed.


    Before my squadmates could fire back, the ringleaders returned to their stands.


    "There¡¯s something we didn¡¯t tell you," they said. "We acknowledge your hard work, especially on this task. But this wasn¡¯t the first time it happened. The stone hasn¡¯t stopped working just once. It¡¯s happened before, sometimes in the early days of squads going on missions, sometimes muchter." His words snapped heads, meeting gazes.


    "But one thing was always the same whenever this task came up. Not once did any crusaders manage to fight the Wendigos, reach the stone, clear it, ande back alive. They could clear it, but then the Wendigos attacked and wiped out the entire squad. If the Wendigos didn¡¯t get them, some other monster did."


    Mr. Rick¡¯s words filled my body with goosebumps. It seemed the Wendigos came out for this exact reason, whenever the stone¡¯s energy ran low. That¡¯s why they were shocked when most of us came back alive, and the only ones lost were because of our own mistakes.

 Chapter 210-Medals

    <h4>Chapter 210: 210-Medals</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Once we were told about the intensity of the task and how many other crusaders had died trying to finish it, we just went silent. I could tell everyone was grateful we hade back alive at all.


    But there was more. The door opened again, and this time the headmaster walked in. He wore a big round ck hat. His face was covered with a ck surgical mask. His hands were sped behind his back, his long ck overcoat buttoned tight down to his pants.


    The coat trailed behind him even though there was no breeze. He almost floated across the floor. His upper body barely moved when he walked.


    He reached the podium, stepped onto the main stage, and stood between the ringleaders. They instantly moved back to let him take the lead.


    Behind him came lurkers carrying bouquets, medals, and baskets filled with food items like coffee and snacks.


    "We acknowledge that some of you have been working hard. It¡¯s a new milestone. The Wendigos were gotten rid of thanks to none other than Ian Hunt. Ian not only carved the stone but also found a secure subway and killed all the Wendigos," Miss Rue announced, pping excitedly.


    The others pped too, and I couldn¡¯t help but nce at the Red Squad and the White Squad. Except for Joshua, they were cheering. Even our squad pped, but it was mild. How were we supposed to celebrate when so many had died?


    I expected Ian to refuse like he usually did. But this time, I watched him reluctantly walk toward the headmaster. He stood tall, hands behind his back, and looked up.


    I didn¡¯t know if he could see the headmaster¡¯s eyes that close, but we couldn¡¯t. They stared at each other before the headmaster signaled a lurker forward.


    The lurker slipped a gold medal around Ian¡¯s neck and handed him a bouquet. Ian released his hands from behind his back, grabbed the flowers with one hand, and let them hang low, the petals brushing the ground.


    Then he was given a basket full of goodies. He held it in his other hand, arms heavy at his sides, before walking back without a word. He set the gifts on the table, folded his arms across his chest, then dropped them back behind him.


    "Then we also want to acknowledge Joshua," Mr. Rick announced. "He took care of his squad, saved Jack, and carried him for a while. He also yed a big role in remembering the markings, quickly learning the message in them, and delivering it to Ian."


    Joshua walked up and epted his gifts. He was given a silver medal. When he returned, Miss Lenora let out a deep breath. I could tell she was disappointed her squad hadn¡¯t done better.


    "We would have given Matthias a medal, but he chose to stay behind. However, there¡¯s someone else we must admire. ck Squad," she said, before stepping aside for Miss Rue, who wore a wide, happy smile.


    "We want to acknowledge all of ck Squad for doing your best to help everyone in tough situations. You¡¯re the only squad that¡¯s beening back without losing a single member. That¡¯s incredibly impressive. No other squad has done that before, to always return alive after great achievements. So congrattions, ck Squad." Everyone cheered for us.


    "We will also present medals to Haiden, Yorick, and Troy, especially Haiden, for finding a bus in the North where no technology works. He managed to get the bus running, drive it around, gather all the crusaders, and bring them back to the station safely."


    The room admired Haiden, who only nodded, showing little happiness.


    Lurkers stepped forward with baskets of food and snacks. I didn¡¯t know what we were supposed to do with them. Eat and cry about the ones we¡¯d lost?


    "But there¡¯s one more member who stands out," Miss Rue added. "Clementine Stark, pleasee here and ept this silver medal for all the great things you¡¯ve done. You not only found a secret cer, but you yed a faun. You brought justice to Medusa. You also aplished great things in the North. So please,e here and ept it."


    As my name was called, everyone turned to look at me. I stayed in ce, my lips trembling as I shook my head.


    "Come on, Clementine, ept the medal. The Headmaster himself asked for it," Miss Rue urged, her voice panicked. She kept eyeing me quickly while she spoke, forcing a smile and sneaking eye gestures behind the Headmaster¡¯s back.


    "No, I don¡¯t think I deserve it. Others have done the same thing. They¡¯ve all been in the North. They¡¯ve all suffered. They¡¯ve all watched their loved ones die. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m special enough to deserve it. Just give it to someone else who actuallypleted a task. I don¡¯t deserve it," I said, shaking my head.


    Emotions built up inside me as I thought of Jessie, Matthias, Sadie, Yash, and so many others.


    "I¡¯m so sorry, Mr. Headmaster, for declining it. I hope you understand," I murmured, lowering my head. I hid my eyes because they were wet with tears, while my leg shook anxiously, tapping the floor.


    My squadmates quickly gathered around me. Then Mr. Headmaster¡¯s voice thundered.


    "And that is what makes you different from the others."


    Our attention snapped back to him. He unsped his hands from behind his back and pped for me.


    "I hope you stay like that, Miss Clementine Stark. You prove every day that you are nothing like your father. You are better than and different from all the crusaders we¡¯ve had in the past. I hope it stays that way, and the negativity of the North does not affect you in the future."


    The Headmaster took it gracefully. I had expected punishment or harsh words for disrespecting him, for refusing the medal he had personally ordered for me. But I was grateful he realized I was overwhelmed with emotion.


    "I¡¯ll leave this medal here for you. One day, when you look back at your journey and realize how great you¡¯ve been, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll think you deserve it," he said, stepping back and sping his hands behind him again.


    After that, he gave a nod to the ringleaders, and then he left the hall.


    Silence hung heavy until I turned around and broke down, not even realizing whose chest I had copsed against. It was Yorick¡¯s.


    I covered my face with both hands so no one could see me and sniffled. He quickly pulled me tight, hugging me.


    And I felt Yorick¡¯s heart skip, just once.

 Chapter 211-So Many Unanswered Queries

    <h4>Chapter 211: 211-So Many Unanswered Queries</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After that, we all went back to our dorms, and I¡¯d finally stopped crying. It was just an outburst, and I felt guilty about it. Once inside the room, I paced around anxiously, clenching my fist. My hair was still wet from the shower I¡¯d just taken. The others were finishing theirs one by one, taking turns in the bathroom. Ian was thest one still in there.


    "Clementine, you need to rest. It¡¯s been so stressful up North," Troy reminded me, bringing back memories of the sleepless nights we had every time we went there. But this time had been worse.


    "No. I have a few questions," I told the three of them.


    Yorick was sitting on his bed, hunched over, fiddling with his shoe. It had brokenst time, and even though Miss Rue promised to design him a new pair, he was still determined to fix the busted one himself. That¡¯s what we¡¯d all be. Every time something broke, we¡¯d just start looking for ways to fix it.


    "Shoot us with your questions," Haiden urged, lying on his stomach with his pillow rolled under his chest, his face tilted up.


    "How the hell did the ringleaders know about Wendigos? And before you say it was from our statements, why did they im they already knew those things were killing crusaders before us? They said they¡¯d be able to finish the task, but before they could return, the Wendigos would tear them apart and eat them alive. So how did they know?" I asked, waiting for a response.


    "Maybe someone must have told them from the previous squads," Troy replied.


    The disbelief on Yorick¡¯s and Haiden¡¯s faces matched mine.


    "Alright, I get it. They were dead. They couldn¡¯t give statements." Troy pped his forehead, sitting back against the wall with one knee up and his arm resting on it.


    "Exactly. And that¡¯s not even the concerning part. Okay, fine, maybe they figured out the monster was a Wendigo. But why didn¡¯t they warn us when they sent us there? Shouldn¡¯t they have given us a heads-up that something that dangerous was out there? At this point, I don¡¯t believe they actually want us to clear the North. It feels like they¡¯re just sending us to die." I muttered.


    That¡¯s when the door opened and Ian stepped out, wearing only ck pants. His body was ripped with broad shoulders, narrow waist, abs so prominent. I instantly looked away, trying to refocus on the conversation, while he walked between me and Yorick¡¯s bed to reach his own. He grabbed a towel and rubbed his hair, then tossed it down just to shake his head, sending water flying everywhere.


    "Dude," Yorick and Haidenined together, while I stayed quiet.


    "What were you guys talking about?" Ian asked.


    I just nced at the towel on the floor, and Haiden rushed to pick it up. After that, Haiden sat down this time, hugging the pillow in hisp, legs hanging off the bed.


    "Clementine was just telling us how awkward it was that the ringleaders never mentioned any monsters to us," Haiden mentioned, eyes on me beforending back on Ian.


    "And now you guys are surprised?" Ian questioned with a scoff.


    "I¡¯ve been saying this for a while. These people are sketchy as fuck," he added as he returned to his bed and sat down.


    He spread his legs and leaned forward, slid the trunk out from under the bed with his body hunched down and opened his trunk. He pulled out a diary and a pen. Then he pushed the trunk closed and went to sit at the table, giving us his back.


    "What do you guys think they did with the leader of the brown house?" Ian asked from his seat without even looking at us.


    "Oh right, we almost forgot about him," Haiden said, snapping his fingers.


    "They never mentioned anything. They never do." Iined, grunting.


    "Well, I¡¯m telling you, there¡¯s something sketchy going on," Ian mumbled.


    I had questions for him too, but I stayed quiet. I tapped my foot on the floor and looked up, Yorick was staring at me. It was like he had questions too. Not for me, but for Ian, yet somehow he seemed to know I had questions as well.


    "Anyway, we should rest. The ringleaders said they have something for us tomorrow," Troy said as he began to lie down.


    "Hope not," Haiden muttered. "If they send us on another mission, that would just confirm they want to get rid of us." He flipped onto his stomach and hugged his pillow under his chin, then closed his eyes.


    Yorick got up and snapped his fingers at me almost silently. As he walked past, he leaned close and whispered, "Come outside. I want to have a word with you." Then he left the room.


    Ian only turned his face sideways to acknowledge that someone had left. Troy nced over his shoulder, while Haiden opened his eyes for a beat before shutting them again.


    I drew a deep breath and stood to follow. That¡¯s when I felt Haiden¡¯s and Troy¡¯s attention lock on me. They didn¡¯t say anything, but as I stepped out and turned to close the door, I watched them, each in a different position in his bed, share a quick nce, like they were talking with their eyes.


    I closed the door and went after Yorick. I already knew what he was going to say.


    He had been waiting for me in the corridor, and once he saw me, he started walking toward the spot where we always met to talk. Our meet-up point.


    I followed him silently, and as I quickened my pace, the distance between us closed until we were almost shoulder to shoulder. When we arrived, he turned around and pulled something out of his pocket.


    It was a piece of chocte. I stared at it without saying anything.


    "It came in the basket they gave our squad for doing a good job. I realized you hadn¡¯t touched any of it. Come on, have it," he mumbled, holding it out to me.


    It was true, I hadn¡¯t touched anything either. I just couldn¡¯t eat.


    "I¡¯m not really hungry."


    As soon as I said it, he unwrapped the chocte himself and held it out again.

 Chapter 212-The Arrogant Mate Of Mine

    <h4>Chapter 212: 212-The Arrogant Mate Of Mine</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Come on. A little sugar is good for you. It¡¯ll keep you upbeat," he murmured, smiling at his own words.


    He wasn¡¯t wrong. I needed the energy. I raised my hand, took it from him, and bit into it.


    "I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t bring me here just for this," I said, tilting my head. He nodded in those small, almost secret movements of his, like he was appreciating that I was always aware of my surroundings and the eyes others gave me.


    "Are we going to talk about it or not?" he asked.


    The way he clicked his tongue and squinted one eye shut made him look cute, but what he meant was heavy for me.


    "Are you talking about the mate issue?" I asked, trying to dodge the real subject. He shook his head.


    "How is it that every time we go North, we¡¯ve got a walking encyclopedia with us? How can Ian know everything about the monsters while the rest of us are clueless?"


    Finally, he brought it up. The topic I¡¯d been avoiding. I cleared my throat and finished the chocte, fiddling with the wrapper he¡¯d held out to me at the end.


    "I don¡¯t know," I uttered awkwardly.


    "Then are we going to talk with him about it or not?" he pressed. My breathing grew heavy at his question.


    "I don¡¯t know, Yorick. So much is happening. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready to find out that one of us knows more than the rest and refuses to share it." I finally admitted, meeting his eyes.


    "But not talking about it isn¡¯t going to get us any answers. We¡¯ll just stay anxious. And what if he has a good reason, something that might actually help us?" Yorick countered.


    He had a point, but I just looked away and stared at the sky.


    "Yorick, you realize the other squads already hate us, right? Joshua thinks Ian and I didn¡¯t help the love of his life. Matthias is probably out there waiting to sabotage us the next time we head North. I don¡¯t know if I can handle Ian turning against us too, if questioning him makes him walk away." I spoke honestly, though I hid one part of it, I didn¡¯t want Ian to be the one lying to us.


    "Then I¡¯ll have a talk with him. I just wanted to run the idea by you first," Yorick offered.


    "No, no, no. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. You speaking with him might just offend him," I said quickly, trying to shut it down.


    "Then are you going to do it?" he shot back, eyes half open as he stared at me.


    We were exhausted. All we wanted was one night of sleep without fearing Wendigos, without worrying about crusaders turning on us. The dorm was the only ce that ever felt safe now.


    "Okay, fine. I¡¯ll speak with him," I sighed.


    "Then let me know. Because honestly, I feel like something else is going on. If we know as much as possible, about the academy, about the North, it¡¯ll be better. We¡¯ve lost too many people already. Who knows if we¡¯ll even make it back next time?" Yorick said, hands stuffed in his shorts pockets. He looked so sad.


    Yorick was usually serious, unlike Haiden and Troy, but never this serious. I realized how much all of us were changing.


    "Okay," I nodded. "Do you want me to talk to him now?" I wasn¡¯t even sure why I asked, maybe I just wanted to speak with Ian at the moment.


    "If you feel like it," he replied. "Do you want me to fetch him for you?" he asked, tilting his head.


    "No, that¡¯ll just make it seem like we plotted this. He¡¯d know we talked first. Forget it," I disagreed with his idea and I rubbed my hands together nervously.


    So we decided that when we got back, Yorick would just lie down in bed, and I¡¯d stay awake and pull Ian aside when I had the chance.


    By the time we returned, Troy and Haiden were already asleep. But Ian wasn¡¯t in the room. He wasn¡¯t in the bathroom either.


    "I¡¯m gonna lie down. I think he went out for a walk," Yorick whispered, pointing at Ian¡¯s empty bed before heading to his own.


    "Then I¡¯ll go look for him," I said. And before Yorick could suggest anything, I was already at the door.


    The moment I opened it, I bumped right into Ian. He was justing back.


    "We need to talk."


    I didn¡¯t even look at him. I sidestepped, rushed out, and waited for him to follow.


    He followed me instantly, and before long, we were outside on the grass.


    "So, did you have a talk with Yorick about mates and all?" Ian started right away, hands shoved in his pockets as he kicked at the ground.


    "Hm. I wanted to talk to you about something else," I said, ignoring the subject and keeping my posture steady.


    "What is it?" he asked. Theck of eye contact told me he already knew what wasing.


    "I¡¯m just curious, Ian. How do you always know¡ªevery time we go North¡ª what monsters we¡¯ll face? Their names, how to kill them, everything?" I asked, watching him nod slowly.


    He let out a long sigh, then finally stopped and faced me.


    "Is that what Yorick told you? Did he pump you up toe question me?" His voice had dropped low, rough, almost cold. The way he said it, without even a trace of a smile, sent a chill down my spine.


    "He didn¡¯t pump me up, Ian. We have questions, and we want answers. We were just trying not to offend you by asking." I shot back quickly, defending myself and Yorick. I needed him to know this wasn¡¯t some scheme against him. "Yorick wanted to talk to you himself. I was the one who suggested I¡¯d be the one to ask."


    "Right. Then how about we have this discussion when Yorick¡¯s around? That way he, and the others, get their answers too. What do you say?" Ian asked, almost taunting.


    "Ian¡ª" I started, but he just shrugged.


    "I think we should rest. We¡¯ll talk in the morning," he cut me off, turning back toward the dorm.


    "Seriously? I¡¯m not done talking," Iined.


    "Well, I am. If that¡¯s all you wanted to talk about." He stopped dramatically and turned, his beautiful eyes locking on me. His voice softened, almost tempting, "Is there anything else you want to talk about with me?"


    "You had your moment in the North. You could¡¯ve talked about it then. You didn¡¯t. So don¡¯t act hurt now." I let it out, grunting at the fact that he was so open in secrecy but the minute he was around others, he chickened out.


    I didn¡¯t hold back this time. He needed to hear it. Then I walked past him, faster than he had been leaving.


    And before I waspletely clear of him, I added, "We¡¯ll talk in the morning, in front of everyone like you said."


    This time, it was my decision. I left him there and headed back toward the room.

 Chapter 213-The Old Crazy Man

    <h4>Chapter 213: 213-The Old Crazy Man</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I watched Ian get up in the morning and get ready in silence. The others were quiet too. It was getting to be a little too much for all of us. The upbeat energy we used to have at the start was suddenly gone.


    I couldn¡¯t help but think about the crusaders before us and wonder at what point in their journey they were told to go fix the rock in the towers.


    Mr. Rick said the task came at different steps for everyone. For some, it was maybe as early as the first or second task, and they were wiped out right after. For others, probably muchter.


    I wondered if the snake I saw in the north had been killed by one of the earlier crusaders. Or maybe other people lived up there, like the brown house people, and they killed it.


    The thing was dposing, so it wasn¡¯t going to just stay there forever. That meant it had been killed either recently or not too long ago. At least not by a crusader, since the group before us must have been months back.


    "So what were you two doing outsidest night?" Troy finally broke his silence after staring at me and Yorick for a few seconds.


    Yorick was sitting on his bed, head leaned back against the headrest, eyes closed. The headrests weren¡¯t that big, so he was tilted back awkwardly. He straightened up, pressing his back against the wall behind him.


    "We talked about some stuff," Yorick replied, shooting Troy a challenging look, like he was asking why Troy even cared what we talked about.


    "And we¡¯re not gonna know about it?" Haiden asked, clicking his tongue. He sat on his bed, carving his name into the wooden side.


    "It¡¯s not like that. We didn¡¯t talk about anything too personal," I added quickly before Troy and Haiden could start specting.


    "So you two didn¡¯t talk about the mate bond? Or better yet, did he not ask you to ept him instead of us?" Troy pressed, always straight forward.


    Back when we were best friends, I honestly thought he was nice to me just because we were friends. I never once thought he had a crush on me. If I had known, maybe I would have approached him too, because I used to like him. But he didn¡¯t know that, so I kept my silence.


    "No," I replied.


    That was when the bathroom door opened and Ian came out, fixing his pants before walking over to the bed to grab a belt. He was wearing a white shirt, buttoning it up but leaving it untucked.


    "They were talking about me," Ian answered Troy¡¯s question without looking at any of us. His attention was on his belt.


    Troy instantly shared a nce with Haiden, then looked at me. After I gave him a small nod, he realized we weren¡¯t lying when we said we hadn¡¯t been talking about mate bond.


    "So, what were you two gossiping about Ian?" Haiden asked, looking at Yorick, who rolled his eyes at Haiden¡¯s choice of words.


    "They want to know how I know about the monsters when we step into the North," Ian answered, fixing his belt and shrugging his shirt before he turned to face us, head tilted, arms folded across his chest.


    "Oh yeah, that is kind of sketchy. Even I agree with them," Troy said, quick to point out that he found it odd too.


    Ian didn¡¯t look disappointed or hurt by their words. If anything, he seemed used to it, like he didn¡¯t expect much from anyone.


    "So, you know about our concerns. Are you going to answer them?" Haiden pressed, almost missing the knife and cutting his thumb. He grunted and adjusted his grip.


    "Sure. You guys want to know how I always know about the monsters?" Ian asked, looking directly at me.


    I had the sense he wasn¡¯t mad that the others suspected him. He was more annoyed that I had questions and hadn¡¯t asked him straight to his face.


    Instead I¡¯d been talking with Yorick behind his back.


    "Growing up, I was sent to stay at an old man¡¯s house that everybody called crazy," Ian said softly, his voice low and confidential.


    "He lived mostly in the basement. I worked with him on different things, mostly bookmaking. He would write novels but never publish them. I made the hardcovers. He taught me everything about the craft." He paused, almost like remembering those days.


    "Then every night after dinner, after I¡¯d cleaned up and done the dishes, he¡¯d sit me down and tell me stories¡ªthe stories of these monsters, the fictional things he called them," Ian continued. "But the minute I arrived in the North and started seeing those creatures, it felt less like fiction. He somehow knew about them but couldn¡¯t say it aloud, so he wrote them up as novels."


    Every word Ian spoke sounded like it belonged in a strange fantasy, like the old man everyone called crazy knew more than he let on.


    "Who was this old man?" I asked.


    Ian stretched his neck and looked away.


    "I guess that¡¯s all for today. That should answer your questions. No, I¡¯ve never been to the North before, if that¡¯s what you were wondering." He sounded a little bitter when he said that, and his eyes flicked back to me.


    When he turned to Troy, his voice smoothed out.


    "Is there anything else you want to ask me?" he asked.


    Troy shook his head slowly.


    "I mean, we¡¯d love to know more about the old man, he seems to have answers," Haiden uttered sneakily, stealing eyes from us while ying with the knife in his hand.


    Ian took his time, then turned his face to Haiden, moving from right to left with a deliberate, dramatic motion as he considered what to say next.


    "Maybe you¡¯ve never been attached to someone, Haiden, but I¡¯ll never do that to him. So forget about it. I¡¯m not letting any of you sneak into his safe space and ruin years of work," Ian stated.


    I watched Yorick, Troy, and Haiden nce at each other before turning back to Ian, their faces full of disappointment and disapproval at the way he handled it.

 Chapter 214-Dangerous Monsters Ahead.

    <h4>Chapter 214: 214-Dangerous Monsters Ahead.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    As the awkward silence dragged on, I decided to pull the attention away from Ian refusing to tell us about this ce, even though it could literally help us in so many ways.


    Instead, I shifted to something else that had just hit me hard.


    "I¡¯d seen another monster in the north."


    As soon as I said that, heads snapped toward me. Ian only folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.


    "I guess that the area we were lost in was crawling with these things, but they never came near because they were afraid of the Wendigers," I exined what I thought, at least. That was all I had to offer, to be honest.


    Wendigos were terrifying. Even the Fleshmingos stayed away from them. So maybe that was why these things never came out.


    "What kind of a monster?" Haiden asked, setting down the knife on the side table.


    He slid his hands into his pockets, walking past Ian and giving him a brief nce, just to remind him their conversation wasn¡¯t over.


    That he¡¯d hold a grudge if Ian didn¡¯t tell us about the man and his so-called basement where all the answers might be.


    "It looked like a snake, but it wasn¡¯t," I exined. "It had six legs, its body was only a few feet tall, but its face and tail were thick and heavy. It had a wooden stick jammed in its mouth, which I¡¯m pretty sure was what killed it." I watched Haiden pacing past Ian again.


    Now he was just wandering from one side of the room to the other, right in front of him.


    "Where did you see this thing?" Troy asked, his face showing how badly he wanted to know.


    It could be a huge lead for us. If we already knew about the monster, next time we went in, we¡¯d be prepared.


    "In one of the houses, when we were looking for a safe ce," I replied, remembering the small house and its basement.


    "There was a basement we wanted to use, but it had a big lock on it. And there was something behind it, behind that basement door." I added it quickly before I forgot, because it might turn out to be vital.


    "Wait, something was there?" Yorick asked and I quickly nodded.


    "I heard something run upstairs and m into the door, but then we just left, so I can¡¯t be sure what it was." I tried to recall everything as clearly as possible, every detail etched in my memory.


    "So are you going to tell us what this might be? Or do you want us to go in blind and get killed? Maybe it¡¯s nothing to you since you don¡¯t give a fuck," Haiden snapped at Ian, angry over his silence about the old man¡¯s basement full of answers.


    The truth was, all of us were terrified of going back into the North.


    After what happened there, it felt like death was waiting right outside our doors. The ringleaders knew thest task was brutal.


    No wonder they¡¯d given us so many weapons, food, everything. But why give us so much? Did they not care if we killed each other this time?


    I had too many questions.


    "Be a man and talk normally. Conversations like that only sound gooding from those gossiping aunties in the Packs." Ian was sharp and sassy too. Of course he wasn¡¯t going to let Haiden¡¯sment slide.


    He snapped back instantly, then turned around and pulled another locked diary from his trunk.


    They all had those strange locks, like you couldn¡¯t open them unless he did it himself.


    The covers were metal, with pages inside covered in messy scribbles.


    "No need to chase after the old man. I¡¯ve written down everything about the monsters he mentioned in his novels. I got too fascinated when he used to tell me stories about them," Ian exined, holding the diary steady with one giant hand while flipping through pages with the other.


    Then he raised his head suddenly, like something had just shocked him.


    "What is it?" Haiden, who had been taunting him for a while, suddenly changed his tone.


    I guess he could tell too that whatever this was, it was dangerous.


    Honestly, just the look Ian gave us was enough to cover our bodies in goosebumps.


    "What are those things?" I asked quietly.


    "They¡¯re called earth eaters," Ian muttered, staring straight into my eyes.


    Then he turned the page toward me. There was a rough drawing he¡¯d made of the creatures, and it looked exactly like what I¡¯d seen.


    "Yes, this is it," I said. Ian shook his head slowly while sucking his lips inside.


    "It¡¯s a crocodile-snake-looking thing." He turned the book back to himself, reading again.


    "When it ms its tail on the ground, it shakes everything around it. The vibration makes people dizzy, making it easy for the monster to attack and kill them."


    A loud gasp slipped from my lips.


    "And to kill those things, we have to drive a wooden stake through their mouth, pushing it deep enough to reach the heart," Ian said, showing us a diagram of the transparent earth eater he¡¯d drawn.


    It looks like the heart sits right after the head, a big mass at the entrance to the body.


    "Can¡¯t we attack it through the skin? Do we have to shove the stake through its mouth? Could there be another way?" Troy fired off questions, all the right ones. Ian just shook his head.


    "These magical creatures have their own weaknesses. The skin is insanely hard. I don¡¯t think anything can pierce it. You have to use the mouth to kill it. And yes, a wooden weapon only." Ian mmed the book shut and sighed.


    "How dangerous is this thing?" I asked. Ian stared at me, then muttered,


    "Worse. Probably worse than Wendigos."


    That was all he said, and I already knew, if not before, we were going to die this time.


    "It¡¯s okay. If we fought the Wendigos, we can fight these things too. But this time, we won¡¯t let the other crusaders mess it up."


    Troy must have seen the look on my face, because he quickly got up from the bed, waving his hands around as he tried to exin, to calm us down, to give us strength. But Ian clearly had more to say.


    "The thing is, this doesn¡¯te alone. Ites with the shadows," Ian finished.


    We all turned to look at him, our bodies showing just how drained we were of these monsters by now.


    "Now what the fuck are these shadows?" Troy, who had just been trying to calm us down, lost all his strength as he threw the question at Ian.

 Chapter 215-No Happy Endings For Anyone

    <h4>Chapter 215: 215-No Happy Endings For Anyone</h4>


    <strong>Joshua:</strong>


    "I can¡¯t believe Suki stabbed another Crusader, and none of you said a word to me." Mr. Rick had been pacing the room, throwing tantrums. I hadn¡¯t argued with him, because I honestly had no idea how to. But that didn¡¯t change the fact that Suki was gone now.


    "Maybe the negativity and all the stress from the North got to her." Jack tried to clear her name a little but that idiot Ian ruined her reputation after he didn¡¯t even save her.


    "It doesn¡¯t matter. It makes things worse. Was she really that weak, that she got influenced so easily?" Mr. Rick hissed.


    Now it was just the three of us¡ªme, Jack, and Nate. And honestly, I didn¡¯t even want to do it anymore. I didn¡¯t care anymore. I had onlye here for Suki, and now she is gone. It felt like I¡¯d wasted my time. That was the sad reality.


    I didn¡¯t say it out loud, but I felt like Jack and I had fucked it up. We shouldn¡¯t have pushed her so far. Maybe it was our words that broke her, because on her own Suki was really innocent.


    "What? You¡¯re gonna sit here and say nothing?" Mr. Rick snapped me out of my thoughts.


    "If you¡¯re gonna call someone out, call me and Jack out. We were being way too harsh on her," I finally admitted. Even when I could see Jake didn¡¯t agree with me and didn¡¯t want to take any me for her guilt, I didn¡¯t give a fuck.


    "Really? And how is that?" Of course, Mr. Rick wanted to know how we had fucked up.


    "We were praising Clementine," I muttered, staring out the window and taking deep breaths.


    "And? How does that exin anything? That just proves she was weak." Mr. Rick scoffed at her mention, and I clenched my fists. I turned my face from the window to re at Mr. Rick, but then my eyesnded on Jack behind him, signaling me not to lose it.


    "Anyway, we don¡¯t have many people left. I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll once again ask to merge the squads. So from now on, you will listen to me carefully," Mr. Rick said while rubbing his chin in his fingers.


    So that was what was bothering Mr. Rick. Once he exined it, it all made sense. He only cared about his position.


    Once Mr. Rick was ready to leave, he turned back and told us onest thing.


    "Enjoy these few weeks for now. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be sending you back to the North for a while."


    I closed my eyes as Nate cheered and Jack smiled almost too happily. But to me, it felt like he¡¯d stabbed me right in the chest.


    "Did you hear that, man? We¡¯re not going back there for a while. Oh my god, that¡¯s such good news," Jack said, walking over and patting my back.


    But I shook my head, and I knew he saw that I didn¡¯t think it was good news at all.


    "Why aren¡¯t you happy?" Nate asked from his bed.


    "You know what Suki¡¯sst wish was?" I asked, staring out the window as tears stung my eyes. "She never wanted to return to the North. She told me she had a feeling that next time she went back, she wouldn¡¯te home. And look, she was right. This vacation they¡¯re giving us, she¡¯s not here to enjoy it. Otherwise, she would¡¯ve been so happy."


    I mumbled thest words, rubbing my face with my hands. "And you¡¯re asking why I¡¯m not happy? I don¡¯t feel at home here anymore."


    As soon as I said it, I saw Jack and Nate¡¯s eyes widen before they nced at each other. I slowly got up from my bed and started walking toward the door.


    "Hey man, it¡¯s reallyte. I think you should rest," Jack called after me, but I waved him off, letting him know I wanted to be alone.


    I walked out the door, through the corridor, and into the open ground. I had too much going on. Too many emotions. Too many feelings.


    shback


    "Do you have any idea what you¡¯re saying, Joshua?" My father looked me straight in the eye, his jaw clenched.


    "Yeah. I¡¯ve told you this once, and I¡¯ll tell you again. I warned you about this. I don¡¯t want you sending Suki to the academy. But you didn¡¯t listen. You thought I was joking. You thought it would be easy to send her off, get your work done, and then tell me it¡¯s not your fault. That you never nned to send her away."


    Iughed, almost manically, the anger boiling in me.


    "So it¡¯s really not our fault," my stepmother cut in. "We had to send someone. We were going to send that useless friend of yours anyway. So what if we send her too?"


    I grunted at her, biting back the rage. I had never told anyone about what went on in my house. My father had given me a choice. He didn¡¯t want Suki with me. He wanted me to marry some alpha¡¯s daughter. And he knew my friends were everything to me, both Suki and Jack.


    " warned you, Father. I¡¯ll never step back from Suki. So fine. Take my crown. Give it to your wife¡¯s kids. I¡¯m done here. I¡¯m moving to the North. I¡¯ll go where Suki goes," I said it because deep down I knew Suki would be too scared in the North without me. With that, I made up my mind. I left everything behind just to be with her, just to take care of her.


    End of shback


    As I stood staring at the sky, I turned my head and watched Yorick lead Clementine away, and it hit me. I was going to make their lives miserable. If I didn¡¯t get to be with my woman, they never would.


    She was the only one holding the group together. I saw how everyone looked at her. They were waiting for their turns, waiting to win her. sh news! they were about to lose her in the most horrific way.

 Chapter 216-Everyone Has Family, I Don’t.

    <h4>Chapter 216: 216-Everyone Has Family, I Don¡¯t.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    As soon as Ian started going through the pages to tell us about the shadow people, he suddenly stopped. The rest of us exchanged nces, more like sneaky nces, wondering what had just happened. We watched Ian as he lifted his head, closed his eyes, and then frowned.


    It was so clear and so strong that we understood he was sensing something in the air. We copied his actions to figure out what he was feeling. However, even though we were the same alphas as him, we could not sense anything.


    I looked at Troy, tried to see if he noticed something, and he shrank. Haiden didn¡¯t react either, and Yorick just raised his hands as if he had no clue what Ian was feeling, and then Ian suddenly reacted.


    He opened his eyes, closed the book as quickly as possible, shoved it in his trunk, and slid the trunk back. He did it really fast. That was not how Ian usually reacted.


    He always took care of his stuff very carefully, like it was something of high respect. After that, he sat down on the bed, acting like he was doing nothing, while we watched him in silence.


    That was when the door opened, and a Lurker walked in. He snapped his fingers at us, all of us, and then turned around. He didn¡¯t stop walking until we joined him, and one by one we did. We stood behind him.


    Even though we were ready to follow the Lurker, it didn¡¯t change the fact that I noticed the others were also ufortable, probably wondering the same thing I was. How the heck did Ian sense it? Or maybe he heard footsteps in that moment, and we didn¡¯t? Regardless of what it was, we were taken to the hall in a line behind the Lurker.


    I noticed the other passages, white and red squad, were also apanying us, which meant there was bad news. We were going to be taken straight to the North again, and I began to get anxious.


    Once we were in the hall, we stood in our ces. Our team was nervous and anxious this time, mainly because we were this close to finding out what we were going to face in the North, and we were not given a chance to read the rest.


    It was exhausting.


    It reminded me of that one feeling when I was taking exams, and right when the exam was starting, my friend told me that the following question was really important, that it was going to be part of the exam, and I was this close to opening it and reading it when I was taken to the exam center.


    It reminded me of that feeling. It was one of the worst feelings. The ringleaders showed up, standing in front of us. Miss Rue gave us a very smiley face and a head nod.


    "Does this bitch think it¡¯s funny to send us to the North?" Ian muttered under his breath.


    I had mixed feelings about Miss Rue. She didn¡¯t seem as bad as the other ringleaders, but how much could I really trust her? At the end of the day, she was still working for them, and it¡¯s not like she had a choice to go against their will. I sighed and straightened my back.


    "You¡¯re probably wondering if we gathered you here to take you back to the North, right?" Miss Rue began. The way she spoke felt lighter, like there was some good news.


    "Are you not?" Ian intervened, and she gave him a pleasant smile before shaking her head.


    "We listen to you, and we try our best to give you what¡¯s best, especially when ites tofort," Ms. Lenora spoke up, ncing at her squadmates.


    My eyesnded on Oriana, and I noticed she was looking back at me. I quickly looked away.


    After what happenedst time in the North, I found myself thinking about her too. She hadn¡¯t done anything to me, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that she had made huge ims about her squadmates bullying her so badly she would show up at our dorm crying hysterically, terrified for her life.


    Yet in the North, I never saw her flinch once at the sight of them. It made me wonder what she was really like.


    "With that being said, we¡¯vee to a decision. There¡¯s a new change we¡¯re introducing this year, specifically because of you. Just like we let you stay in your packs for a few days, this time we¡¯ve changed it a little more. Your parents, your families, are invited toe here and spend time with you."


    The moment Miss Rue said that, wide smiles spread across everyone¡¯s faces, and cheers erupted from the Red Squad, Jack, and Nate. The rest of us just stood in silence.


    "We¡¯ve prepared suites, cabins and guestrooms in different areas. If someone doesn¡¯t want to face their crusaders or squad members because it would stir up harsh memories of the North, that will be the perfect time to refresh your mind away from each other. That way, you can enjoy time with your families, which will help you forget the cruelty and the deaths of your squadmates, at least for a few days." This time it was Mr. Rick making the announcement, and it felt like the ones who had passed away would have truly cherished these changes.


    I sighed and looked down at my fingers. That was my way of avoiding everyone else.


    "Also, remember, running away won¡¯t help. This is just us being nice. And since you all recently cleaned the rock, we¡¯re not too worried about any monsters breaking through the magic barriers and entering the maind for now. So enjoy these moments, because who knows when they¡¯ll end." He finished, and the others started pping. I kept a sad look on my face, and I could tell my ringleader noticed.


    As the other two approached their teams, Miss Rue came toward us, her smile fading as her eyes locked on me. She stopped in front of me and gave me a very sad look.


    "I almost forgot about you, Clementine," she murmured. "None of your family came to see you, nobody¡¯s left back home anyway." Her words made it painfully clear that my stepsister would nevere and that I had no one left there.

 Chapter 217-He Likes Me, He Likes Me Not

    <h4>Chapter 217: 217-He Likes Me, He Likes Me Not</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I grew up pretty much alone, so it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal for me. Still, it didn¡¯t help that I was feeling so much. Maybe it was because after arriving at the academy and spending time in the North, I started to miss being a child.


    I remembered living with my stepmother and father. They were horrible people, but at least it felt like I had a home. That small attic bedroom of mine was nice. The mansion I wandered through was full of memories. But now, I had no home.


    "It¡¯s alright, I understand," I said with a smile. Of course, it was a bright, fake one.


    "Or, I have a suggestion. Don¡¯t think I wasn¡¯t thinking about you," Miss Rue quickly added, shing me a bright smile to show I was on her mind.


    "What is it?" I asked, confused.


    "How about your squadmates introduce you to their families? I can pitch the idea to the ringleaders, even the headmaster, and get permission for it," she suggested. Instantly, I noticed my squadmates shifting in their spots.


    "Is it alright with you guys?" she asked them.


    "Yeah, sure." Yorick nodded softly. We had a history, and I knew his family didn¡¯t like me. Troy stayed silent, knowing his mother would go ballistic if I showed up at their home. Haiden was the same. I could only imagine his father¡¯s anger, and I knew his stepmother and stepsiblings wouldn¡¯t like me either.


    That left only one person whose family had no real objections, someone I¡¯d never met. And I wanted to spend this time without anyone hating me. My eyes drifted to Ian. The others looked at him too, knowing their families would only cause me trouble.


    "What?" Ian shrugged, hands stuffed in his pockets.


    "So we were thinking, how about you introduce Clementine to your family? She¡¯ll stay in a separate room. There¡¯s more than one guest room. There¡¯s a whole set booked for the crusaders and their families. How about it, Ian?" Miss Rue asked excitedly. She seemed thrilled toe up with a solution to my loneliness.


    But the way Ian scrunched his eyebrows and shook his head so hard made it feel like the harshest rejection.


    "No. Not with my family. I want to spend this time alone with them. What¡¯s the point of introducing her and starting some new rtionship they¡¯d have to waste time on when they could spend that time with me? And didn¡¯t you all say we should step away from each other so we¡¯re not reminded of the trauma from the North?" Ian snapped.


    I felt like my heart had stopped beating from his cold response. Even the others looked at him, then shared sneaky nces before looking back at me.


    Honestly, it was the worst way he could have reacted. I wished it had never been mentioned. He could have been gentle about it, but no! He chose to be brutal, showing how desperately he was against the idea of his family meeting me.


    "It¡¯s alright, he¡¯s right. Even I want to stay alone," I said, pointing at the small envelope in her hand. Each crusader had one, with the address of their guestrooms, kept private so nobody else could find them.


    The awkward silence was almost too heavy to swallow.


    "Um, I¡ªokay, I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t know you¡ª guys weren¡¯t that close. I thought you¡¯d be happy to take her with you," Miss Rue stammered, confused.


    I was low. Honestly, it really upset me this time. I didn¡¯t know he was so against the idea, and I was ashamed he hadn¡¯t even introduced me as his mate, let alone to his family. I forced a big smile, trying to lighten the environment.


    "It¡¯s not about us being close or not. It¡¯s about our families. They don¡¯t know her. In my family, they take some time before epting someone. So it will be very awkward for both of us, and for my family too. And I don¡¯t want that. I want to spend these days peacefully," Ian defended himself and his family.


    The more he spoke, the more Miss Rue looked ufortable, because none of us knew how to react. He kept talking, only making things worse.


    "All right, I understand. It¡¯s okay." Miss Rue gave him a quick nod, and with a hand gesture, she let him know he didn¡¯t need to keep going. That we understood.


    "It¡¯s okay. Which one is my envelope?" I asked, trying to sound chatty to cover the awkwardness.


    Miss Rue handed me an envelope and stepped back toward the others. The leaders began to leave, and the crusaders walked back to their rooms.


    "Guys!" We turned to the side and saw Oriana waving her hand with her envelope in it, jumping up and down excitedly.


    "We¡¯re not going back to the North for a while," she added, doing little dance moves.


    "Is she always that happy?" Haiden wondered, hands on his waist as he stared at her in confusion.


    "Sometimes I feel like there¡¯s something wrong in her head," Troy remarked, and I rolled my eyes.


    I hadn¡¯t spoken to her because I had a strong feeling she had lied. And if it was true, she was a really good liar, and good liars are very scary people.


    But her smile started to fade when I rolled my eyes and turned away, waiting to leave with my squad mates.


    I remembered Oriana talking about being a daddy¡¯s princess. But it felt odd. If she was so loved by her father, why was she sent here? Or was she not really an alpha¡¯s daughter, but a beta¡¯s? I wasn¡¯t sure. I couldn¡¯t remember if I had ever asked her. It was confusing.


    We lived together, but none of us truly knew much about each other¡¯s backstory unless it came up one way or another.


    We walked silently to our dorm room. It had be so awkward because of what happened back in the hall.


    "So, I remember you said your father passed and your uncle took over the pack. Is your uncleing to see you?" I asked and he shrugged.


    "Maybe. When my father died, we hid it for a long time because the pack was in shambles. My uncle was trying to take control. He¡¯s not very trusting." He fell silent, like he was still holding back parts of the truth, so I didn¡¯t press him. I started to walk ahead of them.


    "So, he must being or else it would have been mentioned. If things are not good between you and your uncle, will you be spending time alone in your room?" I asked as we entered the room.


    "Yeah, I guess I¡¯ll have the most fun," Haiden joked, pulling his bag from under the bed. Ian didn¡¯t speak, he rushed into the bathroom, probably to shower and get ready. We¡¯d been told everyone would leave at different times and cars would pick them up.


    "I wish I could take you with me, but you¡¯d be ufortable. I can fight for you, Clementine, I can fight very well, but you know my family. They¡¯d ruin your peace," Troy whispered, not saying outright that his family hated me especially his elder stepbrother.


    "Clementine! If you can share your address¡ª" Haiden¡¯s words cut off when the door opened and a lurker appeared. He was probably just checking to make sure we weren¡¯t sharing information, especially about the envelopes.


    "Great." Haiden scoffed.


    "It¡¯s all right. I don¡¯t want to know either, and I don¡¯t want you to know. I want you guys to go to the guest rooms, and spend time with your loved ones. I honestly enjoy being alone," I reassured them.


    But I could tell the three of them were upset. Still, there was nothing they could do. Their families would fucking lose it, and I didn¡¯t have the strength to fight another battle after the North.


    Time finally came. Within minutes, Ian stepped out and Haiden rushed into the shower. Nobody was talking to Ian anymore. But I didn¡¯t want things to be too serious. I refused to let his actions affect me any longer.


    Enough was enough.


    He¡¯d shown me over and over that I meant little to nothing to him. So I decided I¡¯d go back to beingpletely ignorant of my feelings for him.


    "Ian, you didn¡¯t tell us about those things. The books, the novels." I spoke in code, ncing at the lurker. My words seemed to shock him. He lifted his head and stared at me, like he had to make sure he¡¯d heard me right, like he couldn¡¯t believe I was speaking to him after he¡¯d refused to take me to the guest room with him.


    "I think we still have time to discuss them. I¡¯ll let you know," Ian replied in a soft, guilty tone. I could tell he wanted to hold eye contact with me, but I quickly looked away and turned to Troy.


    "Do you need help with packing?" I asked. Troy had all his stuff scattered around the room. I didn¡¯t know why.


    "Yeah, can you please?" Troy insisted.


    As I got up, I noticed Ian staring at me, his fists clenched and his jaw grinding. Was he upset that I was spending time with Troy, helping him pack, after he had rejected introducing me to his parents, even just as a crusader?

 Chapter 218-The Desperate Fauna

    <h4>Chapter 218: 218-The Desperate Fauna</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    Watching Clementine stand in the doorway, waiting to say goodbye, was so hard for me. Every part of me wanted to take her with me, but I couldn¡¯t. There were things going on that I knew would hurt her badly. And it was tied more to my life, to how I lived it now.


    After my shower, I threw on a white shirt and gray pants, then slung my bag over my shoulder. The envelope sat snug in my pocket.


    "Okay guys, take care of yourselves. We¡¯ll meet again," I told them, giving Yorick a side hug and trading a tight fist bump with Troy before pulling him into a hug. Then I walked over to Ian¡¯s bed and patted his shoulder. "Take care, man," I uttered.


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t upset that Clementine wasn¡¯t going with him. Although we all looked upset with Ian in the beginning, in the long run I realized it was better this way. She would be much safer away from him. Or maybe I would be less jealous if she wasn¡¯t staying with anyone else either.


    I would¡¯ve been so ufortable. It was better she stayed behind. I knew it was selfish, but at least she wouldn¡¯t be somewhere her life was in danger. She¡¯d probably enjoy it more on her own anyway. That was who she¡¯d always been, a loner.


    After saying goodbye to everyone else, I turned to the door and looked at Clementine. Every part of me wanted to hold her, to kiss her. But after what happened up North, when she made it clear none of us could touch her without her permission, I knew I had to keep my hands to myself. Just because she was my mate didn¡¯t mean she¡¯d automatically ept my touch, or that it was okay for me to reach for her whenever I wanted.


    I stepped up in front of her, staring at her innocent little face. Her curly red hair was perfect. I loved its color, its texture, and its smell. She carried this natural sandalwood scent. Everything about her felt special.


    "Take care of yourself, okay?" I told her. She raised her head and gave a small, uneasy nod, fidgeting with her fingers. She was nervous.


    "You too. Have fun with your family," she replied quickly, looking away.


    "Goodbye," I said, holding my hand out for a shake. She gave it right away, probably scared that if she didn¡¯t, I¡¯d try to kiss her. I smiled at that.


    Still, I leaned down toward her hand, watching her eyes. I waited to see if she¡¯d pull away. When she didn¡¯t, I pressed a kiss to the back of it. It felt like the right kind of goodbye. And I knew it didn¡¯t make her ufortable, because she smiled softly.


    "Take care," she whispered.


    Then I walked out, following the second lurker who hade to fetch me.


    "Haiden, you¡¯re the first one getting picked from your squad." I heard Oriana¡¯s voice behind me.


    I turned to my side and watched her run toward me on the road. I didn¡¯t know she was out there just wandering around. We were always so busy in our own selves that we barely paid attention to the other squads.


    "Yeah, why? Is there a problem?" I asked, confused.


    "Oh no, there¡¯s no problem. I just wanted to talk to you." she smiled.


    "Okay, goodbye," I said, shrugging.


    "Are you excited?" she pressed again.


    I slowed down after a few steps and turned to her.


    "Yeah," I replied. I wasn¡¯t excited, but I didn¡¯t want to stand here and talk with her about my personal issues.


    "Me too. I¡¯m so excited. You know, my father, he loves me so much," she said, pping her hands happily.


    "Your father is an alpha?" I asked, and she nodded.


    "Oh, I didn¡¯t know," I mumbled. "So, why did he send you to the academy?"


    As soon as I asked, I noticed her smile start to fade.


    "Well, he had to send someone, and it¡¯s not like it was his fault. The council decided it," she answered hesitantly, almost as if she was offended or didn¡¯t want to talk about it.


    "Okay, rx, I just asked. Not that you should be so frustrated," I muttered with an eye roll and noticed how she started to calm down.


    "I¡¯m not frustrated or anything. I was just responding. Everybody thinks my father doesn¡¯t like me, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here. That¡¯s not the truth. We didn¡¯t have a choice. Circumstances made him send me here." Now that she realized I was calling her out for her agitation, she began to change her tone.


    "Anyway, have fun," she uttered softly.


    "Yeah, bye," I said, walking away.


    "Listen, is it true that you and Clementine are mates?" she whispered, and I turned around just to give her a head nod before walking away again.


    I didn¡¯t understand why Clementine was friends with her. Maybe because Oriana was desperate for a friend, and Clementine was the type who felt bad for people and just took care of them.


    Once we reached the road, I noticed Joshua standing by the roadside, waiting for his own car. He acknowledged me but stayed silent. I knew he was still angry about losing Suki. But that wasn¡¯t on us. Suki made that bed for herself.


    My car arrived before Joshua¡¯s, so I took a deep breath and got in. Sitting inside, I opened the envelope and found details about an outdoor retreat, a cabin high up in the mountains. It was a full retreat, a beautiful lodge with cabin-style rooms.


    I noticed several cabins were booked for me and my family, which made me wonder if they had alle just to ruin my peace. I would have much preferred to be alone, like Clementine, but I wasn¡¯t that lucky. I had to endure it.


    Once I reached the mountains, I got out and walked across the wide grounds, taking in the signs. The ce had a beautiful trail. Other visitors, the kind who usually came to spend their vacations there, weren¡¯t allowed this time.


    It was just me, my family, and the staff. That was the strangest part. With my hands shoved into my pockets, I looked around. It seemed to be a Chinese-style retreat, and honestly, it was stunning.


    I just wished the others weren¡¯t here. There was a sauna, everything was perfect until I saw my family.


    My uncle, who wasn¡¯t really my uncle but my father¡¯s old best friend, stood there with a huge grin. He¡¯d once been the royal beta of our pack, for a short time, until my father figured things out.


    He was useless, but when my father died, guess what? This man somehow took over, because in his final days my father had given him the crown out of all people. It made no sense. I hadn¡¯t had much choice either, since soon after I was told to marry his daughter or leave for the academy. I chose the academy.


    "Haiden, my son." Uncle Patrick stepped forward, pulled me into a hug, and patted my back. I didn¡¯t return it.


    "How are you? Look at you. Have you been working out?" He gripped my arms and pinched my biceps. I clenched my fists. My jaw tightened. He noticed and let go quickly.


    "You¡¯ve gotten broader, more manly than I remember," hemented before turning to his daughter, who he¡¯d of course brought along to ruin my mood.


    She stood there, smiling meekly. She looked like Snow White came to life¡ªshort ck hair, blue eyes, pale skin. She was tiny. Then there was her twin, who had long hair and brown eyes, just like her mother.


    "Wee back home, Haiden," Fauna said shyly, ncing away.


    "Thank you. I¡¯ll be heading to my room. I want to rest," I replied, hurrying past them.


    Where Fauna had greeted me, Mariana didn¡¯t even bother saying hello. I¡¯d heard she was getting married soon, so at least one of them would finally be off starting her own family. Together, that family was toxic for anyone to be around.


    Once in my room, I locked the door quickly and took deep breaths. Facing them was unbearable.


    No matter how hard I tried to avoid them, I had to face them eventually. They asked me to join them for lunch. The food was served hot, the kind of dishes I¡¯d only imagined eating up North, but sitting with this family, I couldn¡¯t stomach it.


    My uncle¡¯s wife, who I called Aunt, was always distant, glued to her phone like her daughters. And Fauna kept fussing over me more than I liked.


    "Anyway, Haiden, do you know who Mariana is getting married to?" he asked, grinning. I already knew it wasn¡¯t good news.


    "One of your crusader¡¯s brothers. She¡¯s marrying Troy¡¯s brother," he announced.


    I rolled my eyes. They were merging packs now? I couldn¡¯t believe it. What would happen to our pack¡¯s future? It was going straight into the hands of Troy¡¯s older stepbrother.

 Chapter 219-Watching Them All Go

    <h4>Chapter 219: 219-Watching Them All Go</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Take care, okay?" Troy said, brushing his finger gently across my cheek before pulling his hand back. He remembered I¡¯d told them not to touch me again. I was d they respected that. I didn¡¯t want to keep reminding them.


    "You too," I told Troy as he left the room.


    The more people walked out, the more I realized how hard it would be staying behind with no one but Ian. Now it was just Ian, Yorick, and me.


    I wished my number was next, but it wasn¡¯t. We hadn¡¯t opened our envelopes yet, so none of us knew where we were headed or what number we¡¯d get.


    After a few more minutes of silence, Yorick was finally called. He stood, clutching his bag in his fist before swinging it over his shoulder. Wearing a ck jacket, he walked toward me.


    "We will meet again," he murmured, his voice low.


    The thing about Yorick was that, unlike the others who were sent away by stepmothers or stepfathers, he was sent by his own parents.


    Deep down, I think that really broke him. He would tell people it was his step-parents, switching up his stories, because maybe the truth was too painful to admit.


    "You too." I gave the same reply I¡¯d given everyone else.


    He nodded, then nced at Ian, who kept his head down, busy with his bag. Yorick left, and suddenly it was just Ian and me, with the lurker still standing in the doorway.


    I sat down on my bed. I wasn¡¯t going to greet Ian unless he did it first.


    "You need to understand," Ian finally said, "we both need space so we can clear our heads and think."


    I had expected him to speak up now, he only ever did when no one else was around.


    "It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to exin anything to me," I cut him off almost instantly. He shook his head.


    "I know you¡¯re upset, but you need to understand I did it for you. You wouldn¡¯t be okay living with strangers." He was trying to fix the careless words he¡¯d thrown out in front of the others, the way he¡¯d snapped so fast to reject introducing me to his family.


    "Ian, I said it¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to exin now, not when you wouldn¡¯t before the others." My voice was loud and clear. I hated his hypocrisy.


    He went quiet.


    "I don¡¯t get it," he said atst. Then he added, slowly, "Back in the North, when we felt the mate bond..."


    He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper, almost afraid the lurker would overhear. The lurkers already knew Haiden had felt a mate bond with me, so it would seem strange if they found out Ian had too.


    "You made it clear you weren¡¯t interested in me, that you didn¡¯t want to pursue anything. But every time I let it go, every time I stay silent, I see your face and know you¡¯re upset with me. I don¡¯t know what to do. What do you want me to do?"


    For the first time, he used his hands as he spoke. I had never seen Ian so anxious before.


    "When did I say I have expectations from you?" I hissed, pausing a little before continuing, "You know what? Just forget it. I don¡¯t want to talk about this."


    "Clementine, either tell me what you expect from me, or I don¡¯t know what to say," he snapped.


    "I¡¯m not like your other mates who¡¯ll be all over you all the time. I¡¯m not some hopeless romantic. This is it. Don¡¯t expect what others do. If you have a problem,e to me directly and say what you want. This hide-and-seek¡ªwhere you tell me you don¡¯t want anything, you won¡¯t pursue anything, yet you expect me to chase you¡ªthis won¡¯t work. I¡¯m not that person."


    His words were harsh, and so was his tone. I would have appreciated it if he hadn¡¯t unloaded like that right before leaving, because now I¡¯d be alone in the guest room, thinking on his cruel words and how pursuing his mate felt like a chore for him.


    I took a deep breath and nodded, staying silent.


    "Now, are you going to say anything?" he asked, and I felt my jaw clench.


    "No. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything left to say." I lifted my head and said it, watching him roll his eyes and throw his head back in frustration.


    "Fine, then we won¡¯t talk about it," he muttered, flopping back on the bed.


    After a while, it was his time finally. The lurker stepped in and snapped his fingers to get his attention. He rose, grabbed three bags, mostly books, and walked up to my bed, stopping in front of me. He stood there for a long moment, like he was waiting for me to react. I stared at his boots without looking up.


    Then, after the silence stretched, he suddenly bent down and kissed the top of my head. It felt strange. I wanted to shove him away, but I was frozen and too upset to move.


    He must have expected a reaction, because he waited a while, and when I didn¡¯t respond, he finally left. I watched him go from the corner of my eye. Once he was gone, I was alone. I sniffed and wiped the hopeless tear from my cheek.


    I sat on my bed waiting for my call, but the lurker who¡¯d been watching us was gone.


    There was no one else to talk to, so I just sat and waited. When no one came to collect me for hours, I opened my envelope out of curiosity, and what I found really, really triggered me.


    Sadly, it was the address of my dorm room.


    I was going to be alone at the academy, stuck in my dorm while everyone else went off to enjoy themselves.


    I bit my bottom lip and started to shiver, hugging myself. I didn¡¯t know if it was a joke or some kind of mockery, but it broke me.


    I wanted to get away like everyone else, but I had no family and I couldn¡¯t leave. Now I was trapped in a silence full of memories.


    I mmed the door and flopped onto the bed, burying my face in the pillow and crying softly.

 Chapter 220-Night Alone In The Academy.

    <h4>Chapter 220: 220-Night Alone In The Academy.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I fell asleep while lying there, crying about my miserable life.


    When I woke up, I realized the sun had already gone down. There wasn¡¯t much left for me to do here. I could only stare at the walls and remember the awful time I had spent in the north.


    It bothered me that Miss Rue said she had nned something for me, only for it to end with them leaving me alone here. I sighed as I dragged myself out of bed. I needed to wash my hands and face quickly before dinner was served.


    The envelope said I would be eating in the hallway as always, but this time I would be alone.


    As I went into the bathroom and stood at the sink, I bent down and had just sshed water on my face once when I noticed something sticking out from behind the mirror.


    I was confused because I¡¯m usually aware of my surroundings. I had never seen this piece of paper before, so it was definitely left there recently. Maybe one of my squadmates had put it there, I thought, so I quickly snatched it.


    When I opened it, I didn¡¯t even need to read the letter. I smelled it and realized it was from Ian. His scent was strong.


    "I¡¯ve been anxious, so if I say anything, please don¡¯t take it to heart. I don¡¯t mean it. Just understand I can¡¯t take you home. It will mess you up. I¡¯m really sorry for being harsh on you. Truly, I was just put on the spot and was scared. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯d want to call me and cuss at me, or you¡¯d want to say hurtful things to me just to bnce it out. If that¡¯s what you¡¯re looking for, you know where to find a phone to call me. I¡¯ll wait for your call, Clementine. Please call me."


    I stared at the letter for a while, confused by his behavior. The same guy who so brutally rejected the idea of taking me to his family was now asking me to call him.


    Then I remembered, isn¡¯t this what he always does? When he¡¯s not around the others, he actspletely differently. And I always fall for it. He always has excuses.


    So I decided, no. I wouldn¡¯t call him.


    But I put the letter in my pocket and walked out of the bathroom, feeling at least a little better. Just a simple apology made me realize he wasn¡¯t that cold, heartless idiot after all. At least he had some sense of regret, even if it was fake. I just wanted to hold on to that for now.


    I was soon called on the speaker for dinner, like always.


    I left my room, looking around and hugging myself. It was always empty, but for some reason it seemed even emptier.


    I remembered when we had first arrived. All the corridors, even from far away, were filled with squad members. One by one, the squads were wiped out. Now only three squads were left, with just a few members in the white and red ones.


    I sighed as I reached the hall and sat down. Our table had only my portion of food. Still, I noticed new dishes, so I guessed this was what Miss Rue meant when she said she nned something special for me.


    I started to eat but had taken only a few bites when I heard voices from downstairs, where the ringleaders stayed. Then I noticed Rueing upstairs.


    "Yeah, anything else you want?" She called someone downstairs. She was probably talking to someone while holding a tray in her hand.


    "Okay," she replied to whoever it was. But as she walked through the hallway, she stopped, looked at me, and frowned.


    "Clementine, what are you doing here?" she eximed, looking so shocked that even I was confused for a moment.


    "I was asked to stay here," I answered, mentioning the envelope.


    "What? No, you weren¡¯t. You were supposed to..." She paused, then nodded before pping her forehead. "What the fuck? They told me they were sending you away to some luxury hotel suite," sheined.


    It became clear she had no idea about the change. Whoever altered the n was the reason I was left so lonely here.


    "I mean, it¡¯s fine. It doesn¡¯t make much difference to me," I lied, awkwardly picking at the beans with my fork, stabbing them so they wouldn¡¯t slip away.


    "No, Clementine, that¡¯s really sad. This retreat was meant to refresh your mind, to keep you away from the things that remind you of the North. Not to leave you here alone and traumatize you even more," she said, moving her hands so the empty tray shifted with them.


    "No, but it¡¯s okay," I replied. I didn¡¯t want to dwell on it because the more she talked, the more I missed the others.


    "You know what? Pick up your food and go downstairs. We¡¯ll eat together in my office today. I just have to grab some more sushi rolls," she joked, showing me the tray. "Do you want anything?" she asked.


    I shook my head.


    "Are you sure I should go down?" I asked and she nodded.


    It was fine to eat alone, but it would be much better to sit with her. I had heard other ringleaders were close with their crusaders. Maybe if I got close to Miss Rue, I could learn more about the North and this academy.


    I quickly grabbed my tray and started walking away. I knew she had to go through all the corridors to reach the kitchen, which was quite far from here, so I¡¯d have some time alone downstairs.


    "Take my pass," she said, handing me a ck card.


    That was her way of letting others know I hadn¡¯t stormed downstairs on my own, that she had asked me toe. I epted it, bnced my tray with all the dishes, and began walking downstairs.


    I had been downstairs before, but this time it felt different. The other ringleaders didn¡¯t know I wasing, and I had no idea what I was about to witness.

 Chapter 221-Don’t Trust The Ringleaders

    <h4>Chapter 221: 221-Don¡¯t Trust The Ringleaders</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I just had a feeling something wasn¡¯t right, but I kept walking until I reached thest step of the stairs.


    I noticed the silence downstairs except for one room that was lit. I could tell it was Mr. Rick¡¯s room because the door and its frame were white, unlike the other rooms. The ck one came before the red one, so the first room was Miss Rue¡¯s office, as she called it. I guessed those rooms were also their bedrooms, which they called offices.


    I started walking toward Miss Rue¡¯s room. The door was open, so all I had to do was turn on the light, but curiosity got the better of me. I stepped ahead, reaching the red room and then the white door that stood fully open.


    "And what about the ones that are dead?" I heard Ms. Lenora ask.


    They were having a casual chat, but it wasn¡¯t casual for any of the Crusaders to hear, because it was about us.


    "Well, they¡¯re gone. What can we do about them?" Mr. Rick replied, sounding casual and nonchnt.


    "I never thought we¡¯d live to see the day the Crusaders came back from the cleaning task. They were supposed to die." Lenora¡¯s words made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.


    "Yeah, I kind of expected it too. I was disappointed when I watched theme back, but it is what it is. They¡¯re pretty strong, and it¡¯s good for us, so who cares," Mr. Rick responded, making me close my eyes for a moment.


    Were they really upset that the Crusaders came back?


    "It¡¯s just that there are so few left. Until all of these are gone, we won¡¯t get new ones. I kind of miss the whole crowded vibe," Ms. Lenora said, confirming they were pure evil.


    For them, this was just a game. They sat behind closed doors, safe and secure. We were the ones going out into the north, watching our friends fall.


    "What do you say about that girl?" Then Mr. Rick mentioned something that made my ears perk up even more.


    "Clementine?" she asked, and I clenched my fist.


    "She¡¯s sharp. She seems to have some hidden talent, but let¡¯s not forget we haven¡¯t seen her wolf yet. I was thinking about it the other day too," Ms. Lenora said, making the ground feel like it shook under my feet.


    "Well, whatever it is, just remember there are a few we need to make sure are safe," Mr. Rickmented, causing my eyes to narrow again as I focused on their words. They were sharing so much information that it was hard for me to keep up. If only I had one of those books Ian used to scribble everything down.


    "Most importantly, that Yorick kid. He¡¯s getting himself into trouble here and there."


    I was stunned when Ms. Lenora mentioned Yorick. Why? He wasn¡¯t the one causing issues with them. Why single him out?


    "Oh yeah, and that Ian. Sometimes I just wish I¡¯d leave him in the north." As soon as Mr. Rick said that, my fist clenched.


    "Oh, you better not. If you don¡¯t want to end up dead, just leave that kid alone," Ms. Lenora warned, and I began to hear my heartbeat rise.


    What the fuck was going on?


    "Anyway, I was thinking we should ask them to transition. I just want to see their wolves. I did catch a glimpse of Joshua¡¯s wolf, and let me tell you something. There¡¯s something we need to discuss," Ms. Lenora remarked, and I scratched the back of my neck.


    When had Joshua transitioned? I didn¡¯t really remember. Maybe he did when I was in the hospital, or maybe it happened during regr times, because it¡¯s not like our squad kept an eye on the others. But why was she so concerned about the wolves? And what about Joshua¡¯s wolf?


    I had so much on my mind that I started to back away. I didn¡¯t want them to catch me eavesdropping, especially now that their conversation had shifted to something random.


    "Are you gonna buy that expensive watch you always had your eyes on?" Ms. Lenora asked, changing the topic nonchntly to luxuries, brands, and stuff.


    Of course, they were heartless.


    I carefully stepped back and slipped into Miss Rue¡¯s office. When I turned on the light, I noticed there was an office in the front and a bedroom in the back. She had some food items ced around, but I could tell she was more fond of sushi rolls.


    I set my tray down and had just turned when I identally knocked some books off her shelf.


    "Oh shit," I muttered, quickly picking them up until my eyesnded on something that made my heart skip a beat. The biggest beat ever. Almost like my heart had stopped.


    I froze, staring at it, and then swallowed hard. I recognized it immediately. The images of the Harry Potter characters. I had seen it. I remembered it.


    It was Bodhi¡¯s diary.


    I covered my mouth in shock. Why the hell would they keep his diary? The same leather-brown diary he once held in his hand, wanting to show us something.


    I instantly grabbed it and opened it. Something was scribbled all over the pages.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t trust the ringleaders. They are watching us every minute we spend in the north. They are the ones who¡ª¡¯


    I frowned as I noticed the rest was cut out, and panic began to rise.


    Someone had meticulously scribbled over the words, but that wasn¡¯t all. There was so much more going on. He had written a lot about the North and what he had noticed.


    I just had a feeling I was in the wrong ce. I needed to get out, to inform my squadmates before it was toote, or before something happened to me.


    But before I could do anything else, I heard Miss Rueing back, and I had to leave the diary behind. I quickly slid it under the other books, and as soon as the door opened, I saw Miss Rue looking at me, her eyes filled with shock.

 Chapter 222-The Family Of Crazies.

    <h4>Chapter 222: 222-The Family Of Crazies.</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    It was always a task to go visit my parents when I was at the academy. I felt like I had finally escaped it. I was so happy to be there.


    Then I found out Clementine was there. I thought maybe that was another task I had to bear, watching someone who had cheated on me, right in front of me. I had mixed emotions, but soon they faded. My mind felt clear, and I realized it was all a lie. She was innocent.


    Regardless, I was never going to go back home. But sadly, they created this messed-up system where they sent us back to meet our families.


    And just as I had expected, the retreat they chose for me was nothing but a tiny cabin where I could feel suffocated with my family.


    I sighed as I walked along the trail, reaching the cabin. It was small, but very pretty. I mean small because not many people would being to stay with us. My parents would never allow that.


    And just as always, as if they had heard me arrive, the door swung open and my mother came out wearing her white overalls she was so proud of. Opening her arms as wide as possible, she wore the white hairband she always wore, with her ck hair tossed to the side.


    "My pride," she said, rushing over for a hug.


    However, I never returned the hug. I never did. She hugged me tight and patted my back while I just held my bag. I felt like my throat was going to close and I was going to die. That¡¯s how I felt around them.


    "Babe,e over. See, our proud little boy is here," she called to my father, making me clench my fist at the way she referred to me. This was their way of reminding me. I was still bound to them. And forever I would be.


    "Look, Yorick looks even more handsome now," she said proudly, blinking her green eyes at me.


    My father rushed out, bald and wearing ab coat just like my mother¡¯s, looking so proud of himself. The dark circles and bags under his eyes were even more prominent now. If I had topare, I would say he looked like he belonged to the Addams family. More specifically, Uncle Fester.


    And then there was my mother. She was a beautiful woman, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that she was just as crazy as my father.


    "Come on,e inside." My father patted my back, making me walk into the cabin. Just like I had expected, it smelled like a hospital, like their research facility, and I hated it.


    "You guys have turned it into¡ªoh my gosh," Iined, not even finishing my words as I threw my bag onto the ground.


    "Don¡¯t be rude. Your father was just trying to finish his work. What¡¯s wrong with that?" My mother defended him.


    "I just need to take a shower. Can I please have a moment for myself?" I excused myself, almost begging them. It didn¡¯t look like they were happy that I wasn¡¯t sharing their excitement, but they had no choice. They stepped aside so I could go into my room and take a quick shower.


    I closed the door, washed up, and when I came out, my mother was already outside, knocking.


    "Rimi, tell him the food is ready," my father called, and I rolled my eyes. I hated it. Why didn¡¯t they send me to the north?


    "Okay," my mom replied cheerfully, like always, but it sounded so fake. Jill, that was my father, always had the tendency to ruin everything, and my mother would stand by him no matter what, following him in his crazy ideas.


    Once I sat with them at the dining table, I noticed the foodid out.


    "So, how is it there?" my mother asked, happily reaching for my hand. But I quickly pulled mine back.


    "It¡¯s good," I replied, focusing on my food.


    "What about her? Tell us more about her."


    The moment those words escaped my mother¡¯s mouth, I felt like my entire existence faded. I lifted my head and saw her smiling, but there was a sharp difference between her being excited and her being creepy, and I knew it well. I had grown up with them.


    As I stared at her, my mother added, "What¡¯s her name? Clementine. I heard she¡¯s very pretty. Is she?"


    Even though her lips kept smiling, her forehead and eyes showed something else. She was frowning, scowling.


    "Why would you go back to someone who cheated on you once?" she pressed. That same smile stayed fixed on her lips.


    "Well, because that¡¯s none of your business, and because she never cheated," I exined almost harshly. I noticed the way she pulled back, ced her hand on her chest, and then nced at my father before the two of them startedughing.


    "Oh, our son is genuinely in love," my mother continued, while my father hunched over the food, eating like a barbarian.


    "Okay, seriously, you need to get your heart out of this little girl¡¯s chest. You cannot be with her. You need to find your mate, and remember, when you do find a mate, what will you do?" my mother asked in the same creepy tone she always used. "You wille to Mommy and let her know, okay?"


    My mother gave my shoulder such a hard pat that the loud thud from the p echoed in the living room.


    "Ohe on, Rimi, let him eat in peace. Of course he will let us know. Our son is not stupid. He knows what it means for us," my father mumbled, taking a moment to lift his head from his food and spill poison into the air.


    "Now that you are here, you will tell us all about the North," my mother uttered, blinking her eyes several times.


    Little did they know, I had already found a mate, and there was no way I was ever going to let them know about her.


    And then I heard a little scrambling in one of the rooms I didn¡¯t even know had someone behind it. I should have known.


    "Oh! We brought him in. He¡¯s excited to hear about the North."


    It turned even creepier when my mother, in a slow whisper, said those words to me. All I could do was gulp.

 Chapter 223-Alone On A Mission

    <h4>Chapter 223: 223-Alone On A Mission</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Miss Rue had her eyes wide open as she watched me until she ced a hand on her chest and smiled, holding sushi rolls in her other hand.


    "Oh my god, I almost forgot I had asked you toe," sheughed, walking inside and taking her seat. "Do you want this?" she asked, pointing at the sushi rolls.


    I forced a smile onto my lips and shook my head.


    "No, I actually already ate. I¡¯m not even sure how I¡¯ll finish what¡¯s left on my te." Iughed, trying to sound casual.


    But whatever I heard and whatever I read in Bodhi¡¯s diary just made me so bitter.


    "As everybody left, I thought about all the squadmates we had lost," I uttered, watching her reaction closely.


    "Oh yeah, it must be so hard. Were you guys close?" she asked, not particrly mentioning anyone.


    "Me and Bodhi were." As soon as I said that, I watched her slow down, even taking extra time to swallow the bite already in her mouth.


    Once she did, she cleared her throat, but she didn¡¯t eat again right away. Instead, she took a drink first, probably to clear her throat well and buy some time to gather her thoughts.


    "You two shared a lot of talks then?" she asked, pretending to stay busy with her food. But she wasn¡¯t.


    "Yeah, he was really anxious in thest few days, speaking about weird things," I mumbled, pouting and looking around.


    "About what? If you let me know, I¡¯ll help you with it. I mean, I told you, you can alwayse to your ringleader when you need something sorted out." She asked me so lovingly, as if she was honestly going to help.


    "Yeah, he was talking about the North and weird stuff, like the same questions we had, but he said he had some proof," I mumbled, watching her raise her eyebrow and take a big bite of her roll.


    "What proof?" she asked, barely able to speak with her mouth full. I guessed that was her trick, masking her emotions behind a bite too big for words toe out clearly.


    "He said he had a small diary. Not like the big one. He used to carry many, but then he had this one yellow diary. He said he had buried it somewhere around the academy, where he had hidden all the answers. And now that I¡¯m here, I¡¯ve been wondering what to do, where to start." I pouted and rolled my eyes, because it was going to be a hassle to find something that probably didn¡¯t exist, especially on property this big.


    "Did he give you any direction? Like anything? He couldn¡¯t just possibly tell you to find it on the property. It¡¯s a bignd," Miss Rue asked, full ofpassion and interest. She wasn¡¯t even focused on her food anymore. She was all ears.


    "He said he would, but before that he self-exited. So I¡¯m not sure," I sighed, looking down.


    "Well, I would suggest you leave it alone. Given his condition, he was acting weird," she said instantly, eager to tell me not to focus on it.


    I began to shake my head, giving her a very sad look. The silence hung between us, with both of us just staring.


    "Of course, I¡¯m not going to dig out every area, but maybe someday I will find it. I mean, it was hisst wish that I read that small notebook." I shrugged, mumbling the rest under my breath.


    "Well, thank you so much for letting me know. If I could get my hands on it, I will definitely let you know." As soon as she said that, I shook my head.


    "No, he said not to tell anybody else. He said only I should find it. Please, promise me, Miss Rue. You will not tell anyone." I purposely put force into my words, demanding the promise.


    And the look on her face told me the promise she was about to make was going to be fake.


    "Sure," she uttered. Then she looked down, appearing confused.


    "Anyway, I¡¯ll leave for my room now. I¡¯m tired. I¡¯ll just go to bed," I excused myself, getting up. "Thank you so much for asking me to sit with you. It really uplifted my mood. Good night, Miss Rue." I gave her a smile.


    "Good night, Clementine," she voiced.


    I paused only to turn around and give her a smile of appreciation before walking out of her room.


    When I walked out of her office, I noticed that Ms. Lenora and Mr. Rick were already leaving their office, carrying empty food trays, when they came upon me.


    "What are you doing here?" Mr. Rick¡¯s voice was harsh when he questioned me.


    "Miss. Rue had asked me to dine with her," I stated with a smile.


    I could only guess that the looks on their faces came from the fact that they¡¯d been having a very juicy conversation. They were probably wondering if I¡¯d heard anything or not. And then they had some registers on the big table and I read the headline of one in passing.


    "Good night," I said without stopping for any more discussion, and I could tell they didn¡¯t want to discuss anything with me either.


    They always gave me weird looks, almost like I was the crazy one.


    Once I was upstairs again and running through the hall, I made it to the corridor and then to my dorm room. I closed the door and sat down on my bed, already tapping my finger on my chin.


    I knew what to do. I had to call my squadmates.


    But how?


    I only knew that there was a phone booth. But I didn¡¯t know the numbers for their suites and cabins.


    For that, I¡¯d have to go back into the basement where the ringleaders slept one more time.


    I vaguely remembered a big register with ¡¯Vacations¡¯ written on it when I left Miss Rue¡¯s main office. There had been a big table and a few chairs for the ringleaders, where they probably discussed things. It was right in the hall of the basement.


    That must be it.


    So now, I have another task in hand.

 Chapter 224-Caught Red-Handed

    <h4>Chapter 224: 224-Caught Red-Handed</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I had been waiting for a while just to make sure the ringleaders would be asleep before I went to sneak downstairs.


    Then I remembered Bodhi¡¯s words written in the diary. He had mentioned something about the ringleaders always watching. I recalled Ms. Lenora and Mr. Rick¡¯s conversation about watching Joshua¡¯s wolf, and it made me wonder, were they able to watch us in the North?


    If so, they must have seen other Crusaders before us as well, which would mean they already knew about the monsters that were there.


    And then the whole thing about them wanting us dead, it just made me so uneasy.


    ¡¯And they want us to transition,¡¯ Mint spoke up, reminding me that our identity wasn¡¯t safe either.


    ¡¯Oh, about that. I need to figure it out. There¡¯s something about us that we should have figured out a long time ago,¡¯ I said to Mint.


    I didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with her, to be honest. She wasn¡¯t evil. I had never noticed it. But the way others spoke about it time and time again left me confused.


    First, the way Ian reacted to our wolf. Then the brown house leader. Then the council members. I remembered vividly how they had asked me not to show my wolf to anyone.


    ¡¯Why would they do that? But if I was dangerous, wouldn¡¯t they want me gone?¡¯


    I had to get answers to all these questions as soon as possible.


    But the first thing I needed to do was find the number to my squadmates¡¯ hotel rooms so we could have a conversation.


    After a few minutes of silence and standing at the window, I decided it was time. I snuck out of the room, crouched down, and started to walk. I noticed there were no cameras in the corridors.


    ¡¯Of course there aren¡¯t. They don¡¯t want cameras in locations where they would only get gossip. And also, these locations are always essible to us. Anyone could have spotted them," Mint exined, and it made sense.


    We weren¡¯t on any mission here, so there was a high possibility we would see the cameras and start questioning them.


    I started to walk toward the main hall. But before I could get inside, I noticed the door open and the three squad ringleadersing out.


    They were wearing their colored hoodies. I instantly crouched down, hiding behind the small wall of the corridor.


    They were walking in the same direction as the road, the road we took when heading to the main road for the cars. So they were probably going somewhere, which was honestly the best thing that could happen to me.


    Once they were out of sight, I sped up.


    It was easy for me to open the lock to the main hall. I opened it and walked into the darkness of the hall, heading downstairs.


    And there it was. They had collected the register and ced it among the shelves. It was just lying there.


    I could tell these registers weren¡¯t really important. I picked up a few and noticed it was just attendance records and names of the previous Crusaders or other Crusaders, mostly about us. What time we clocked in, what time we left for different tasks.


    So it wasn¡¯t much.


    The only thing I needed was the phone numbers.


    I began to go through the register and noticed they had indeed written the locations, hotel names, and phone numbers there.


    I started to look for a pen. It wasn¡¯t very hard to find one. I grabbed one from the table and started to jot down the numbers on my palm.


    Although I didn¡¯t want to contact Ian, I still wrote his number.


    After getting the number, I started briskly walking in the direction where Ian had once led me, the same ce where the phone booth was. I remembered there were no coins needed. All I had to do was go in and make a call.


    The first person on my mind was Haiden, because I¡¯d written his number first. I was going to start with him, because I knew with the state of mind I was in, I¡¯d mess it up and call someone twice. So I was going to go line by line.


    The weather was pretty calm, unlike all the other nights. It was way too silent, and that gave off some creepy vibes.


    Once I was outside the booth, I instantly unlocked it and rushed inside. I held the phone close to my ear, waiting for someone to pick up.


    "Hello?" It was a girl.


    I frowned, but then remembered that of course he had his family over. But who in his family was a girl? Was it his stepsister? Did he even have a stepsister? I began to wonder what was going on.


    "Can I please speak with Haiden?" I asked, waiting for her to respond. "Haiden Raze, from Magical Fangs Pack?" I exined.


    I heard the girl scoff from the other side. It was a little too loud of a scoff.


    "And who might be calling for him?" she asked, her voice gentle but also high-pitched and babyish.


    "I¡¯m from the academy. I¡¯m his ringleader. Miss Rue," I stated, biting my bottom lip.


    "Oh, okay. Well, I¡¯ll bring him on the call," she said, her tone changing. However, before she left, she decided to have onest word.


    "You know, I¡¯m his fianc¨¦e."


    That was all she said before she sped away. And my smile started to fade, just a little.


    I gulped hard, debating if I should m the phone down.


    He has a fianc¨¦e? All this time? Then why the fuck was he pursuing me? And what about the mate bond that we felt? I began to have so many questions.


    Before I realized, I needed to wait.


    There was a more important issue at hand than my jealousy. So I waited for Haiden to pick up the call, and he did.


    "Hello, Miss Rue?" he asked.


    I had to first focus on my breathing before responding. But before I could even exin, he spoke again.


    "Clementine?"


    I instantly opened my eyes in shock. He recognized me from just my breathing. What about his fianc¨¦e then? I sucked in a breath.


    "I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re calling me. Is everything okay?" he started to ask.


    "Yeah, I was just¡ªoh yes. I was in the basement with Miss Rue and the others, and I heard something. Also, Bodhi¡¯s diary. Do you remember Bodhi¡¯s diary? He wrote about some stuff. I read it."


    I instantly started to yap. My mind was all jumbled with thoughts, and I didn¡¯t know how to gather them or put them into a straight one good sentence.


    When I finally spoke up, I felt like I must havepletely confused him.


    "Wait, why were you in the basement? And why are you still at the academy?" Haiden questioned.


    I took a deep breath because I knew I had to at least deliver as much to him as possible.


    "Haiden, we are not supposed to trust the ringleaders. Bodhi knew something. I have called you to tell you that and I guess I missed¡ª"


    I paused when I heard someone clear their throat.


    "Missed what?" The voice came right from behind me.


    I clenched my fist in fear.

 Chapter 225-I Made Up A Lie And Caught Punished.

    <h4>Chapter 225: 225-I Made Up A Lie And Caught Punished.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Please step out of the phone booth." I heard a heavy,manding voice and began to turn around. I feared it was him.


    He stood there watching me, his eyes locked beneath his ck, round head.


    "Mr. Headmaster¡ª" I started to exin, but he silenced me with his own question.


    "You missed what?" he demanded, urging me to finish the words still caught in my throat when he found me.


    I began to wonder if he had seen me before or overheard anything else.


    I stuttered, staring at my hand, the receiver still clutched in it.


    "I missed my mate," I finished, realizing Haiden would hear it. If they asked him the same question, he could just lie.


    "Put the receiver back," the headmaster ordered, and I instantly obeyed, cutting the call.


    I felt terrified under his harsh, hidden gaze.


    He stepped back, and I understood it as his way of telling me toe out.


    There were many lurkers behind him. They had finally gathered, guns raised, as if ordered to shoot someone. That was the scariest part.


    I gulped and stepped out of the phone booth, watching a lurker rush behind me and m the door shut, locking it.


    "There will be no need. I think we already know. This one here can open the locks," the headmaster dered. Yet the lurker went ahead and locked it.


    "What were you doing here, Miss Clementine?" the headmaster questioned. His voice was heavy and deep.


    His hands were sped behind his back, and somehow his overcoat always flowed with the wind, even when there was none. It made everything creepier.


    "I was missing my mate, so I called him," I repeated. I already knew everyone in the academy knew Haiden was my mate.


    "So you broke the rule?" he pressed.


    I looked down, acting ashamed.


    "Throw her into the prison, and we willter decide what to do with her," he told the lurker, and my head snapped up.


    "I¡¯m really sorry. I was just lonely¡ªleft alone in the academy," I tried to exin, but he was already done.


    He began to walk away, moving to the left side of the road near the phone booth, while the lurkers gathered around me, one of them holding silver handcuffs.


    I felt humiliated.


    After doing their job in the north, what harm could one single call do? Why were they treating me like a criminal, handcuffing me and putting me behind prison walls?


    But he was already long gone for me to question him.


    In the next few minutes, I was taken into a car heading to the prison, and I instantly recognized it. It was the same prison where we had first been kept during the transition state.


    It was the same big area, the same bars where I was pushed inside, reminding me of my first night waking up after being abducted from my home.


    This was the exact ce where I had seen and unintentionally betrayed Ian. It brought back memories.


    The lurkers, of course, weren¡¯t going to answer anything. They just locked me in and left after uncuffing my hands.


    But I was in the cell, and this time there wasn¡¯t a regr lock on it. There was actually a lock code.


    I grunted and sighed.


    I began tossing stones around. The ground was rough and sandy, not somewhere I could really rest.


    I wandered around for a few more minutes before sitting down to think. I literally had nothing else to do but take a break.


    Tonight had been a failure. I didn¡¯t even know if I¡¯d be able to go back and tell Haiden and the others about everything. Hopefully, yes. Maybe the headmaster did believe my lie.


    As soon as I sat down, I started piecing everything together, everything I knew so far, and then I just fell asleep. I had nothing else to do.


    By the time I woke up, it was already morning, and one of the lurkers was opening the door for me.


    He snapped his fingers and pointed at himself. I knew I had to follow him, so I silently walked behind him.


    I had only spent the night in prison, so I thought I¡¯d possibly be brought in front of the ringleaders, which I didn¡¯t want.


    However, instead of taking me back to the hall, the lurker walked in theplete opposite direction.


    I looked around, wondering if I should keep following him or if this would end up being something very dangerous for me.


    Halfway through, I saw a small ck office building. The walls were ck. Even the door was ck.


    The lurker reached the door, knocked, and then opened it for me.


    I walked past him and entered the room, only to find the headmaster sitting there, tapping his fingers on the table.


    "You were missing your mate a lot, weren¡¯t you?" he asked, and I awkwardly shifted my weight to one leg.


    But before I could respond, he spoke again.


    "We have nned a car for you. You won¡¯t stay here. Instead, you¡¯ll go and spend these vacations with your mate, where he¡¯s staying with his family," he finished.


    I felt my heart sink. I didn¡¯t want to go anywhere near his family or people who thought my father was the reason their previous Alpha and their Luna had suffered so badly. But now I had no choice.


    "What if I don¡¯t want to go? I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m trying to disobey you, but his family¡ª" I started to exin my side, but he grunted and slid an envelope to me. I already knew it contained the location and all the details.


    I wondered how angry Haiden would be to see me there, because he clearly didn¡¯t want his vacation ruined.


    I sighed and grabbed the envelope, walking out of the office and seeing a car already waiting for me.


    "I have to get my clothes," I told the lurker, but he didn¡¯t respond. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t. He just pointed at the car.


    I sat inside awkwardly, opening the letter to find out Haiden was staying at a beautiful retreat with many of his pack members and family there as well.

 Chapter 226-His Rude Fiancée

    <h4>Chapter 226: 226-His Rude Fianc¨¦e</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I sat in the car, and throughout the journey, I wondered how I would exin it to Haiden. He would be so upset with the idea that I had ruined his peace by showing up in front of his family. Even though he lived with his uncle now, it didn¡¯t change the fact that every single one of his family members hated me.


    They used me and held me responsible for what my father had done. I guessed they just believed that an apple never falls far from the tree, and sadly, I had to tolerate it.


    I sighed and pped my forehead at the thought of ending up at one of my mate¡¯s houses even when they didn¡¯t want me there. The car finally came to a halt.


    The door on my side opened, signaling me to leave. I had nothing with me except an envelope. I didn¡¯t even need to read it again anymore because I already knew where I was being taken. I got out of the car and sighed again, my shoulders slumping.


    I started walking toward the retreat, which looked like a beautiful traditional setting. It was stunning. It would have been a perfect holiday if only I wasn¡¯t punished to be here. I walked along the trail, noticing all the lights around.


    There were some guests, and I believed they were Haiden¡¯s pack members. They had prepared rooms for everyone who wanted toe and see their alpha turned crusader.


    However, they all stopped, their heads snapping toward me. I noticed some of them whispering. Onedy pointed at me and gasped, covering her mouth.


    "Hey, you, what are you doing here?" her husband demanded, stepping forward and pointing at me.


    I rolled my eyes, looked down, and shook my head. I hated such reactions to my existence. I kept walking while he briskly made his way toward me.


    "Don¡¯t go near her. You don¡¯t know what she¡¯s capable of," his wife warned.


    I heard her but didn¡¯t stop to react. I kept walking until I reached the open ground. There was a sauna, and so much was happening there, beautiful huts, and a big river behind them. All in all, it looked like something out of a fairy tale. But the more I stepped forward, the more I noticed everyone¡¯s eyes on me.


    "Excuse me, where do you think you¡¯re headed?" a voice called out.


    I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at her. I thought I had heard her voice before but couldn¡¯t be sure. She seemed around our age, maybe a year older. She had short ck hair in a bob cut, her blue eyes and pale skin shining under the sun.


    "I¡¯m here to meet my squad mate," I stated carefully.


    Everyone around had started to move closer, almost gathering around me at this point.


    The girl folded her arms across her chest, lowering her head so she could re at me through her thick ck eyebrows.


    "Um, Haiden Raze. He¡¯s my squadmate. I¡¯ve been sent by the headmaster to stay here for a while," I exined, awkwardly looking around before straightening my back and shoving my hands into my pants¡¯ pockets.


    Sure, my father was a scumbag, but he was punished. I didn¡¯t have to feel guilty for his crimes. Besides, I could take down anyone if they tried to hurt me. So why the hell was I so scared before? I guessed I was just upset that it might ruin Haiden¡¯s vacation.


    "He has a girl in his squad?" the girl questioned, looking defensive, almost like she knew Haiden personally and wasn¡¯t just a member of the pack.


    "And who might you be?" I asked, and she blinked as if to confirm I was addressing her.


    "Um, I¡¯m his fianc¨¦e, Fauna." She dramatically slid her finger from her chin outward and then snapped her fingers.


    But it was her words that shocked me.


    "You¡¯re his fianc¨¦e?" I asked in disbelief.


    She nodded.


    "Yes, I am. Now be gone. Nobody informed us you wereing. So leave. Go find yourself somece else," she demanded, waving her hand.


    The other pack members started nodding along with her. So they all knew she was his fianc¨¦e?


    I didn¡¯t want to stay here either. I decided to go and find a lurker, tell him I didn¡¯t want to stay, and let him deliver the information back to the headmaster however he wanted or however he could. I didn¡¯t care.


    But as soon as I turned around, I heard someone call my name, and I recognized the voice,


    "Clementine!"


    Everyone went silent, their heads snapping toward the person who had arrived. I turned around and saw Haiden standing before me, wearing gray pants and a white shirt. He studied my face before briskly walking my way.


    "What are you doing here?" he asked, not harshly but with concern.


    I looked at Fauna and then back at him. I noticed how upset she seemed that he had even spoken my name.


    "What are you doing here?" he asked again, snapping my attention back to him.


    "I was asked toe here and stay," I muttered under my breath, not mentioning the punishment because the girl looked hostile. "But then your fianc¨¦e told me I¡¯m not wee here," I added in a sassy tone, looking at Haiden and challenging him.


    He raised his eyebrows and pointed at Fauna.


    "My fianc¨¦e?" he repeated, still pointing at her.


    "She would wish," he remarked, cing his hands on his waist and turning to her. "Stop calling yourself my fianc¨¦e. You know it pisses me off. You¡¯re not my fianc¨¦e, and I¡¯m never going to marry you. Now go and do something better."


    He didn¡¯t hold back. He exposed her lie in front of me so hastily, almost like he couldn¡¯t stand me believing it for another minute. She started to look guilty and embarrassed.


    "But Daddy said it¡¯s possible," sheined, clenching her fists as she stomped her feet, then turned and left. She walked like a child throwing a tantrum.


    Haiden then turned to me and held my hand in front of all his pack members, or at least whoever was there.


    "I need to make an announcement," he dered, and my eyes widened.


    I thought he would kick me out. What was he doing? He was actingpletely differently. And what announcement was he going to make?

 Chapter 227-Sharing A Room

    <h4>Chapter 227: 227-Sharing A Room</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Everyone, may I have your attention, please?" Haiden walked me toward the big hut. I guessed this was where he was staying with his uncle, while the rest of the pack members were in separate huts. This hut was muchrger. It had an open area built over the river with a dining table on it. It was beautiful.


    As soon as he walked me inside, I met the gaze of an old man sitting with a woman who looked royal, though her vibe felt off. I could already tell these were the uncle and aunt he always talked about.


    The pack members started to enter the hut, swarming the ce because Haiden had an announcement to make. Then came Fauna. She had stormed off earlier, but now she returned, and seeing me inside only made her more upset. She grunted and rolled her eyes repeatedly.


    Another girl entered who looked somewhat like Fauna, but not exactly the same.


    "This is Clementine Stark, as you all know," Haiden began, making everyone shift ufortably in their seats, almost like my presence alone unsettled them.


    "And before anyone disrespects her or says anything to her, I must remind you, she is the reason justice was served for my mother and my sister. Not only did she help me punish her father, but she also put my sister at ease when she punished her stepmother."


    His introduction made everyone gasp.


    "I am sure her aplishments had been buried because a certain narrative was spread about her. But the truth is that she is a hero, and I am not going to let anyone disrespect her," he spoke loudly, watching everyone one by one.


    At that point, almost everyone started nodding. He had just told them outright that I was innocent. Not just innocent, but the one who helped him punish my father, the man they hated so much.


    "We apologize. We didn¡¯t know," the same woman who had called me out earlier stepped forward with her husband to apologize.


    Fauna, however, didn¡¯t look like she cared. And I already knew why. She had imed to be Haiden¡¯s fianc¨¦e almost twice now, so it was safe to say she had a crush on him.


    "Well, I¡¯m d that¡¯s out of the way. Now she¡¯s also my crusader and my dorm mate. We¡¯re both from the ck Squad. And Clementine is really, really good at her job," Haiden added with a smile.


    Then he turned around, pointing at the old man.


    "That¡¯s my uncle I¡¯ve told you about, Patrick. And right next to him is my aunt, Hida. This is Fauna, and this is her twin, Mariana."


    He pointed at everyone, and suddenly things began to make sense. I remembered he had told me that his uncle wanted to marry someone, so I guessed this was the woman. And Patrick wasn¡¯t really his uncle, just his father¡¯s friend.


    "Anyway, Clementine will be staying here, and since we¡¯re dorm mates, she¡¯ll be staying in my room," Haiden said casually, making jaws drop.


    And by that, I meant only the jaws of his uncle Patrick, Mrs. Patrick, and Fauna. Mariana seemed more interested in her phone than anything else.


    "Now, Clementine, let¡¯s take you to the room so you can get freshened up. Where¡¯s your stuff?" Haiden asked.


    I eyed him, and he instantly understood he wasn¡¯t supposed to ask me more questions, at least not in public.


    Haiden grabbed my hand and immediately dragged me toward his room. Once we were inside, he mmed the door shut.


    There were others getting ready to question us, mostly his uncle and Fauna. They were going toin about us staying in the same room. But now we were here, and Haiden faced me with his hands on his waist.


    "I¡¯m so sorry, Haiden. I didn¡¯t want to ruin your vacation."


    As soon as I pouted and said that, he walked over, wrapped his arm around me, and hugged me.


    "I¡¯m so d you¡¯re here. I was losing my mind being with them," he confessed, then broke the hug, making me tilt my head back to look at him.


    "Really? I thought you¡¯d be having fun. I mean, Fauna is cute," I teased, walking away. I sped my hands behind my back, then brought them forward, repeating the same movement as I strolled around and reached the windows.


    His room was beautiful. It had threerge windows, one on each wall. From there, I could see the mountains, the river, and the trees. It was breathtaking. But there was only one queen-sized bed in the room. That was going to be a problemter.


    "Yeah, I¡¯m not interested in her. Anyway, you didn¡¯te here with any of your belongings?" he asked, almost reminding me I needed to tell him what happened after our call ended in disaster.


    I turned to look at him and folded my arms over my chest.


    "Tell me, I¡¯m curious. Did they punish you?" he asked and I shrugged.


    "This is my punishmenting here," I replied, and he frowned.


    "No, I¡¯m serious. It was the Headmaster who caught me. I told him I was missing my mate, so he threw me in prison for the night. In the morning, he pulled me out and sent me here."


    I watched him raise an eyebrow.


    "So you were missing your mate?" he teased, even though he knew it was a cover-up I had made.


    "Don¡¯t tter yourself. It was just a lie," I said, every word exaggerated in a dramatic tone.


    He rolled his eyes in response to my teasing.


    "Anyway,st night when you called, you were anxious. I couldn¡¯t even rest after your call. So tell me, what happened?" he pressed as he walked over and sat on the bed, patting the empty spot beside him.


    "Can I go to the restroom first, please? I¡¯ve been holding my pee the entire night, and even now, all these hours," I said.


    He burst outughing and pointed toward the bathroom door.


    "I¡¯ll find some pack member who can lend you clothes. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get only the good ones," he promised as I stepped into the room and he walked out.


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of clothes he would choose for me. I liked very baggy,fortable clothes. But beggars can¡¯t be choosers, and mine were really dusty after a night in prison.

 Chapter 228-His Toxic Family

    <h4>Chapter 228: 228-His Toxic Family</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Where did the ringleaders leave in the middle of the night?" Haiden asked me. It was the first thing he asked after I told him the whole saga of what happened that night and how I had to stay behind at the academy instead of being sent somewhere to get away from all the stress.


    "I don¡¯t know. I just know they left, so I¡¯m not even sure if they know I was caught using a phone booth," I exined, fixing my dress.


    He had gotten me a baby pink dress with pink bows. Could he get me anything more feminine? I loved it, but I didn¡¯t think I could carry it.


    Besides, I hated when my figure was so defined in a dress. Yet, whenever I looked at myself in the mirror, I liked it.


    "Okay, leave it alone," heined as he pped my hand away from my hair.


    He made me wear little bows on both sides of my hair, just twisting the strands a bit and leaving the rest open. Those bows looked really cute. The ribbons looked cute too.


    "I¡¯m so sorry. Why are they so cruel? How could they leave you behind? I refuse to believe they had no idea it would cause you stress, because their whole reason for sending us on a vacation was to help us with our stress," Haiden exined, upset about the fact that they sent everyone away, and kept me here.


    "Yeah, and then they kind of yed themselves because I got to hear so much," I mumbled, anxiously waiting for his reaction about the other important stuff.


    "I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t wrap my head around the fact that they¡¯ve been watching us in the north," Haiden stated almost instantly, letting me know he also picked up this specific thing from what I had heard.


    "But how will we ever exin it to anyone?" he wondered. I shrugged because, honestly, even I had no clue.


    "All I know is that, Haiden, something really bad is going on. Why the heck did they confiscate Bodhi¡¯s diary when they said all their belongings had been sent back home?" Iined.


    "They could always make up an excuse that he lost his mind and whatever he wrote about the academy would ruin its reputation," Haiden countered.


    Sure, he wasn¡¯t wrong either. But still, there was so much happening around us. And then the fact that the ringleaders wanted us dead.


    "I¡¯m honestly just so worried because next time we go into the north, I¡¯ll have it in the back of my mind that these ringleaders might be waiting for us to die," he murmured, making me agree with him.


    "So after finding all that, can we do anything at all?" I questioned, watching him shrug.


    "Only once we get to be with the others," he replied.


    "There was one more thing they said that I found extremely weird," I spoke softly, ncing at him. I didn¡¯t want to put anyone on st, but that one thing had been living in my mind rent-free.


    "What is it?" he asked.


    I began to crack my knuckles.


    "Tell me, don¡¯t hide it from me," he insisted once he noticed I had been anxiously rubbing my palms.


    "Haiden it is. I don¡¯t know how to tell you," I shut up, clenching my jaw because I didn¡¯t want him to bombard the other two with questions.


    "If you don¡¯t trust me, fine," he said, and I took a deep breath.


    There was a part of me that wanted to tell him about Yorick and Ian, the way the ringleaders were talking about the two. However, I bit my tongue and decided to stay quiet for now. I knew how things could escte if the information went into the wrong hands.


    It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t trust Haiden. I knew he was our squadmate, and I had never seen him do anything that wasn¡¯t in our squad¡¯s favor.


    But sometimes an aggressive person can spill secrets, or, in order to help, they do things that turn out to be more damaging than helpful.


    "It¡¯s just that now that I¡¯ve told the headmaster about you, I have a feeling the news will reach your pack soon. And that girl Fauna, I don¡¯t know how she¡¯ll react." I instantly changed the subject.


    However, I noticed him staring at me, almost calling me out for it, before he nodded. I guessed he realized he couldn¡¯t force me. Maybe.


    "Anyway, we have to go out. They must be waiting for us," Haiden uttered tiredly.


    The way he talked about his family was always so exhausting. I mean, they weren¡¯t really his family though. It was cruel of Patrick to take his father¡¯s spot, act like he was nominated to be the alpha, and then kick the alpha¡¯s biological heir out and send him to the academy.


    I don¡¯t know how he managed to do it. How did he make his father sign those papers? I had no clue, but I could say I smelled something foul.


    Even Haiden admitted he was skeptical, but then his stepmother was also in prison for the murder of his father, I heard.


    I remember Haiden mentioning that his father had kind of used him of not being able to protect his mother and sister, which was wrong of him to do to a child.


    "Okay, let¡¯s go," I stated, getting up from the bed.


    However, I noticed he was staring at me a little too hard.


    "Stop," Iined, and he looked away.


    "What? I wasn¡¯t looking," he excused, scratching the back of his neck sneakily and awkwardly.


    But as soon as we opened the door, we found Fauna leaning over with her ear pressed hard against the doorframe. She instantly pulled back and grunted.


    "I just came over to ask you guys toe join us," she uttered hesitantly, stealing nces after getting caught eavesdropping.


    I was pretty sure she couldn¡¯t hear anything because we were speaking very softly.


    "Don¡¯t do that again," Haiden hissed at her, and she pouted.


    She was so annoying, honestly. He was clearly telling her he wasn¡¯t interested, but she didn¡¯t care and kept chasing after him.


    We both walked together to the dining area, which had a beautiful view. The river was running underneath the floor, and it was so pretty. It was an open dining area with a little roof on top and just a floor beneath us.


    We sat together, and this time I noticed the girl Mariana had finally put her phone down.


    "So, you two caught up, I can tell. But did you tell her that we¡¯ve nned Mariana¡¯s wedding to Troy¡¯s elder brother?"


    The minute Patrick said that, I almost choked on my saliva. This was thest thing I wanted to deal with here.

 Chapter 229-It Is Much Better Being Alone

    <h4>Chapter 229: 229-It Is Much Better Being Alone</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    "You haven¡¯t said a word to me since you returned," my mother scolded, pping the back of my hand.


    The entire family seemed determined to ruin my day. We were in a luxurious hotel on its top floor, while the rest of the floors were upied by our pack members.


    I didn¡¯t even know why they had alle. It wasn¡¯t like anyone actually cared about me. If they did, they wouldn¡¯t have sent me to the academy to die in the North.


    "I wanted to rest, not deal with all these shenanigans," I muttered. As I tried to lean back, my mother smacked the back of my neck, forcing me to sit up again. I shook my head angrily. I was so annoyed at this point.


    Ever since I¡¯d arrived, my mother had been on my back. It has been two full days now.


    "As a mother, I want to know everything about your life. If you¡¯re not going to tell me, who will, huh? You know you¡¯re my only one. Troy, don¡¯t hurt me like your father did," she pleaded, and I started to feel bad.


    She wasn¡¯t wrong, though. My mother had been wronged by my father so badly that I didn¡¯t know how I would ever fix her broken heart. My father, on the other hand, didn¡¯t care or understand anything. He had just happily tossed her aside.


    "I¡¯m so sorry. I should have been more considerate," I replied, feeling guilty now.


    "Anyway, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m doing well there," I added, trying to reassure her.


    Ever since I¡¯d returned, I had noticed how my older brother had been acting. Messi was a weirdo. I never got along with him. There were many reasons for that, apart from the fact he was my half-brother. The main reason was his interest in Clementine.


    "Anything else? I heard that girl is in your dorm room," my mother finally said, voicing what had been bothering her.


    I knew she meant Clementine. My mother didn¡¯t like her. After everything that happened and how Clementine betrayed me, my mother openly told me she didn¡¯t like her.


    "Yeah, she¡¯s a good one though," I said, noticing my mother trying to meet my eyes.


    I kept looking away, not because I felt guilty about being friends with Clementine, but because I hated every time my mother started talking about her.


    "Anyway, I¡¯d suggest you stay away from her. She¡¯s gotten you in trouble once before. This time it will be deadlier because the consequences will be harsh," my mother tried to exin, but I raised a finger to silence her.


    "Please, Mom, can you not? It¡¯s been years now. She was fifteen for heaven¡¯s sake. We were both children. Children make mistakes," I tried to excuse Clementine¡¯s past behavior, which made my mother grab my hand and pull me forward to get my attention.


    I instantly gave her eye contact because of how hard she pulled.


    "No, I will not let you forget her betrayal. She was your friend. She was supposed to stay on your side. All this could have been avoided. But no, she¡¯s the reason you were sent to the academy. She doomed you years before you were finally sent away," she hissed, and I began to nod my head.


    "Fine, Mom. I just don¡¯t want you to keep talking about her," I urged, freeing my hand from hers and rubbing my face in my hands.


    It was a constant battle at home. ¡¯Messi is better than you. Messi is doing this. Messi is doing that. Messi will have an alpha mate. Messi will be an alpha.¡¯ I was so tired of theparison. I didn¡¯t want to be like Messi. I didn¡¯t care who he mated with.


    My mother didn¡¯t even know I was mated to the best crusader and alpha. But of course, that meant nothing to her because my aplishments, or anything dear to me, were always overlooked.


    "Anyway, get ready ande downstairs. Your father has an announcement to make," my mother whispered as she kissed my head.


    I hated how my mother had suffered so much at the hands of my father. I didn¡¯t understand the concept of a man having so many mates. And then it hit me, why did Clementine have so many mates?


    It was the first case, and we hadn¡¯t even thought about discovering it yet. But I was determined to do my research while I was here.


    If only I was allowed to go around and find the library here. I sighed and got up, grabbing the suit my mom had brought for me because my father wanted me to wear it.


    This was my vacation. This was supposed to be a special celebration for me. But Messi had overtaken it as well. It was always about Messi. The food they were preparing was for Messi. If they liked him so much and felt so little about me, why the hell did theye here? They should have just let my mothere. I would have been fine.


    After I was ready, I walked out of the bathroom, gave my head a good shake, and instead of using gel, I just ran my hand through my hair before leaving the room with my mother.


    It was a set of luxury suites, but the main one was given to Messi as always, even though it had been booked for me. I didn¡¯t care and avoided an argument. As long as I had a bed and a closed door, I was fine.


    I reached the big hall where the dining table was set for us and noticed everyone was dressed very perfectly. It looked like they were headed somewhere.


    Messi was wearing a white suit. His hair was perfectly gelled and slicked back. I wore a ck suit, all ck.


    I sat with my mother, noticing my father nce at me, then at her, before he stretched out his hand and held my stepmother¡¯s hand, making sure my mother saw it.


    I clenched my fist because I hated those actions from my father, but I could tell there was more toe.


    "I know you wanted to rest, but we¡¯ve decided to let you know that your half-brother is getting married soon. So, we¡¯re taking you with us to meet his fianc¨¦e¡¯s family," my father stated, making me frown. Since when did they include me in their personal celebrations? That was sketchy. Something was off, but I couldn¡¯t tell what.


    Even if I wanted to stay behind, I wasn¡¯t allowed. So I agreed to go and meet his fianc¨¦e¡¯s family.

 Chapter 230-So Messi

    <h4>Chapter 230: 230-So Messi</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "And exactly when were you going to tell me about it?" I confronted Haiden, tapping my foot on the ground while my hands rested on my waist. My eyes judged him hard, which was why he couldn¡¯t make eye contact with me.


    "Come on, I just found out myself. It¡¯s not like I knew days ago," heined, trying to defend himself.


    I hade back to the room, unable to enjoy lunch anymore.


    "Messi? Seriously, Haiden? Messi? Do you not know what that guy is like?" I hissed, jumping from one issue to the other. First, I was annoyed he hadn¡¯t told me right away. Second, it was Messi.


    I didn¡¯t care how stupid, stern, or rude Mariana was, she still didn¡¯t deserve someone like Messi. He was the worst of the worst.


    "You¡¯re talking like I¡¯m the one who fixed their marriage. I only found out after they had everything nned, so let¡¯s just stop it. And why do we care if they get married? I don¡¯t fucking care," he snapped, his tone much harsher.


    "I mean, do you even realize what kind of trouble everyone is thrusting Mariana into? Do you know what kind of a guy he is?" I pressed, tilting my head.


    "I don¡¯t know. Maybe he¡¯s a bad guy? A yboy? A fuckboy? I don¡¯t care," he replied with a shrug. "These women and their father already made my life hell. I don¡¯t fucking care. I¡¯m not gonna y hero in their eyes," he grunted, making his point clear.


    "Fine, then I won¡¯t tell you what he¡¯s capable of." As soon as I said that, he shrugged again.


    "Yeah, I don¡¯t really care. I don¡¯t wanna listen to it either," he retorted, leaving me stunned.


    I kept staring at his face until he noticed. At some point, he turned to me and sighed, his hands dropping to his sides.


    "What is it?" he finally asked, probably getting curious.


    Once again, I prepared myself to tell him when the door opened and Fauna barged in. She had no sense of knocking or basic manners. I had never seen anyone so arrogantly stupid and ill-mannered before.


    "Seriously, Fauna?" Haiden turned to her, yelling. At this point, I knew Haiden was doing his best to tell her to fuck off. He was rude, inconsistent, andpletely ignorant of her feelings. But she didn¡¯t care. She just kepting back to him, like a ma.


    "They are here. Father wants you toe and wee them. Come on now," she replied,pletely ignoring the fact that he had just yelled at her.


    If it were me, I would have yelled back at him for mistreating me or raising his voice. But she deserved it. Because once someone tells you no, it¡¯s a no. And he had said it way too many times already. But she still didn¡¯t care.


    He kept staring at her face.


    "Come on," she insisted.


    "Let¡¯s go," I told him, and I noticed the way he turned and rxed his muscles.


    "Okay, fine," he replied, much calmer.


    "Oh wow. You know, I deserve some respect as well," shemented, but at this point none of us cared.


    We started walking away. She kept murmuring and saying weird things behind us, but neither of us bothered to listen anymore.


    I saw Mariana standing next to her father, who wore a beautiful golden gown. And then there was the family that had just arrived.


    I felt so annoyed watching Messi. He was leading the pack, right in front. Troy was next to him. It was saddening, the way everyone treated Messi when it should have been Troy¡¯s time to shine.


    These vacations were specifically nned for us. Why the fuck was their father using it to celebrate Messi¡¯s engagement?


    As soon as Troy¡¯s eyesnded on me, I noticed the way they narrowed, almost in shock. Then I realized, of course he didn¡¯t know I was here.


    Right next to him was his mother, who mirrored her son¡¯s expression, staring at me before gasping, then clenching her jaw and grabbing his arm, trying to pull him behind her. What did she think I would do, jump him in front of everyone?


    I stepped back so Haiden was in front, and he noticed. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t force me forward. I didn¡¯t want to.


    There was a whole scene where they weed that evil man. Mariana looked so happy. I could tell they had already met before when they felt the mate bond. He was going to find more mates and toss her aside, that is how he was.


    After a while, I decided to go back to the room. There was no need for me to stay. I was just standing in the corner, catching asional nces from people, more specifically, Troy.


    Ever since he arrived and saw me, his mother had pulled him away. He was briefly introduced to Patrick, but then his mother dragged him off again.


    I also saw his stepmother, and my mood soured at the sight of her. So I went back to the room.


    I had just entered the room and taken a breath of relief when the door mmed open and then shut. I jumped on the bed, turning around to see Troye in. He locked the bedroom door, making sure nobody else could enter, then ran toward me.


    "So what is it, huh? Did you choose him?" He was instantly ready to jump at me.


    The way he muttered those words under his breath, the way his eyes filled with tears almost instantly, was so shocking I couldn¡¯t even respond. I just kept staring at his face.


    "Is that it? You really chose him? Is that why you¡¯re here?" he pressed, reaching for my elbow and pulling me closer. That¡¯s when he snapped me back to reality.


    "I did not choose him," I responded instantly, trying to free my arm.


    "Then why the fuck are you here? You were supposed to be somewhere else. And he acted like he didn¡¯t even want to bring you here either. Then suddenly, what changed? Why am Iing here to find my mate with Haiden?" he hissed, and a big tear rolled down his cheek.


    At that point, I realized there was more to the story, more reason for why he was so upset than he was letting me know. It was a cry for help.

 Chapter 231-Locked In A Room With My Mate.

    <h4>Chapter 231: 231-Locked In A Room With My Mate.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The way he looked at me so anxiously, I decided to help him instead of throwing a tantrum like he was. The moment I held his hand between mine, I noticed him suddenly taking a deep breath of relief. Just one touch, and he seemed like an entirely different person. His body rxed, and even the frown on his brow disappeared.


    "I didn¡¯t pick him, okay? I was sent here as a punishment by the headmaster to stay with apletely different set of people and suffer because of my dad¡¯s actions," I uttered, finally realizing myself why the headmaster thought sending me here would be a punishment.


    "So you didn¡¯te here by choice?" he asked, and I shook my head. I also startedughing.


    "I guess it sounds weird that I think spending time with Haiden is a punishment, but trust me, the headmaster just wanted to punish me for using the phone booth," I added, and his frown started to reappear again.


    That¡¯s when a little knock on the door started to bother us.


    "Guys, open the door. It¡¯s me," Haiden¡¯s voice came from the other side. I tried to go, but Troy held my arms, forcing me back.


    "Come backter. We¡¯re talking," he responded to Haiden.


    I gave Troy a look, but he gestured at me with his hand to let him deal with him.


    "But why? What are you guys doing in there?" There was urgency in Haiden¡¯s voice, and his knocking started to turn anxious too.


    "Troy! He¡¯ll create a whole mess with so many people out there if we don¡¯t let him in," I hissed at Troy, trying to make him understand that not opening the door was making Haiden raise his voice.


    Somebody would see him, and then the rumors would start. And I wanted to stay away from rumors. The big reason I was okay with my mates not taking me with them was that somehow their families would start a rumor, like they always do, and I would hate to hear all these things about myself.


    "Well, then you tell him to stop making noise. He can¡¯t act like a child. He does all these things and then gets away with it. Now he¡¯s acting like a stubborn kid. And because of that, you want to open the door for him. But I guess today he¡¯ll learn that he can¡¯t get whatever he wants by acting ignorant and being loud," Troy hissed in one breath, making me snap my head back tiredly and p my forehead.


    I was so tired of them not focusing on the main issues and always making it about who had to spend more time with me.


    "Then how about you two get inside, quarrel all you want, while I go out and call either Yorick or Ian to discuss the main matters with them. Huh? What do you say?" I asked Troy, finally getting annoyed.


    I noticed how he started to calm down. This was the thing about these mates of mine, when I raised my voice, they started to lower theirs.


    "Fine," he grunted, his fists clenched. "But when I¡¯m leaving, I¡¯m taking you with me," he hissed.


    And I started to shake my head no.


    "I came here making up a lie that I was missing my mate. And before youin¡ª" I instantly put my hand forward because I noticed he didn¡¯t even like me hypothetically saying I was missing Haiden.


    "It was a cover-up, so I don¡¯t get punished harshly. And I was sent here by the headmaster. I can¡¯t just get up and go anywhere I want," I grunted at him, hands on my waist.


    "Fine. We¡¯ll talk about itter," he grunted before stepping away. It was his way of letting me know I could let Haiden inside now.


    As soon as I opened the door, Haiden rushed in, like he was here to catch a monster.


    He walked straight to Troy, even putting his hands on him and pushing him. Troy retaliated, instantly regaining his bnce and pushing him back.


    I strolled casually to the side, standing next to them before sitting down in the bed.


    "Can we get some popcorn here?" As soon as I said that, the two, who had been holding each other by their cors, stopped and looked at me.


    "No, please continue. Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯ll just sit here silently," I uttered, putting one leg over the other.


    The two awkwardly stared at me for a brief moment before they looked back at each other and let go.


    "What happened? Why did you two stop? We were having fun, weren¡¯t we?" I teased, pouting sarcastically.


    "Fine, you made your point," Haiden said, lowering his eyes.


    "No, I didn¡¯t. I was literally having fun. Why did you two stop? Come on, give me some," I insisted again, but this time my jaw was clenching so hard that the two started to look around.


    "If you two are done acting like children, can we talk about business?" I muttered, ring at them like a teacher would at a student.


    They awkwardly looked away, scratched the backs of their necks, and then walked in and sat on the bed in front of me.


    "The ringleaders are doing something sketchy," I started.


    "We need to find out where they go every once in a while at night and where theye from¡ªhow they know about the monsters that were never even mentioned to them before." I suggested, watching the two nod their heads determinedly.


    We would have never been so confused if we¡¯d thought they knew about the monsters but didn¡¯t tell us because, for whatever reason, they wanted to put pressure on us.


    But the minute I realized they knew about the Wendigos, I was certain they knew about North more than they were telling us because no other squad has ever returned to tell the story of the Wendigos before.


    "There¡¯s only one way we can find out the truth, and it¡¯s by staying in the Academy longer without going to the North. You know how we can do it?" Troy asked, snapping his fingers.


    "By doing something so reckless that our vacations end and they¡¯re forced to take us back to the Academy, while the others, like they promised them, get to enjoy their vacations."


    He finished, and honestly, it could be the best idea.

 Chapter 232-Too Much Alcohol

    <h4>Chapter 232: 232-Too Much Alcohol</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We had a great discussion in our room, where the three of us decided we would do our best to be sent back to the academy.


    After that, we had to leave because we knew there would be a lurker somewhere around, keeping an eye on us, and then he would report back and let the headmaster know we were all gathered in one room together.


    If it led to him sending us back to the academy, we would have been fine with it. But that wasn¡¯t how it would go.


    The punishment for this specific action would be being sent to different ces. That wasn¡¯t what we wanted anymore.


    However, if we caused enough trouble that one or two families decided it was better for us to go back, they would send us. We knew the rules well enough. They were written on the envelope very clearly.


    So with that in mind, we walked out of the room together. I took a deep breath because I knew I was about to face so many people who didn¡¯t like me¡ªTroy¡¯s older brother, Troy¡¯s mother, and Troy¡¯s stepmother.


    As I wandered around, I noticed Troy and Haiden were pretending to just have fun at the party, the little celebration for the marriage of Messi and Mariana.


    I caught the way Messi kept looking around. He had a smug face. I absolutely hated his smug face. But could I do anything? If they wanted to get married, they would get married.


    I walked over to the counter and stared at the drinks being served.


    "Is there anything very light?" I asked the person behind the counter.


    He nodded and began preparing a drink for me.


    I knew whose attention I was about to get. There was no way he would see me and note over to bother me.


    "Ah, Clementine¡¯s Stark. What an amazing day to be alive, right?" Messi appeared,menting from behind me.


    I smiled and turned around, giving him a hard re from head to toe, then looked forward again as I epted the drink.


    "What happened? You¡¯re not very happy to see me?" he pressed, obviously taunting me. He just wanted to get under my skin.


    "What is there to like about you?" I shot back, pouting and shrugging.


    "I didn¡¯t know you were still so sassy," he chuckled.


    "I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t know I was supposed to act a certain way when I see you. But how is everything?" I asked, smiling as I took sips from the alcohol. It was very light, but I already knew how I was going to act.


    Seeing us talk probably caught Mariana¡¯s eye, and she started walking toward us.


    "Everything is perfect. I am the crowned alpha of my pack, and I¡¯m getting married. Never had a good life," he chuckled, shaking his head.


    "Oh! I hope you didn¡¯t abduct your mate to marry you?" I taunted.


    As soon as the words left my mouth, I watched his face harden. Some guests standing nearby suddenly turned to look at us. Messi shot them a look before turning back to me.


    "Stop saying what you cannot prove," he hissed under his breath.


    "I¡¯m not here to prove anything. I was just saying. I mean, I was a victim of it, so all I can do is tell my truth, right? Please don¡¯t mind me. Sometimes with alcohol, I just lose my mind," I replied while shaking my head to steady my thoughts.


    I made it seem like it was the alcohol messing with me. They didn¡¯t know what counted as a big quantity for me. I had nned to put all the me on the alcohol from the start.


    "Well then, you should stop drinking. And also learn to act a certain way. It¡¯s not like you can live a teenager¡¯s life. Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re going to the North. Do you think that kind of sassy attitude would work there?" he asked, shaking his head aggressively.


    At the same time, Mariana arrived, but she didn¡¯t say anything. She just stood next to us, especially near her new mate.


    "Ah, the North. Yeah, those monsters. Sometimes I wonder if some of them escaped to this ce as well," Imented, giving him a side-eye.


    "Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean?" Mariana finally spoke up.


    As she stepped forward to question me, I noticed the concern on Messi¡¯s face. I had given him the impression I was dizzy and losing my mind from alcohol, so he didn¡¯t want her speaking with me while I was drunk.


    "Let¡¯s go. She always says the stupidest things. She used to be Troy¡¯s friend and woulde over. I remember she always behaved this way," he whispered to her, trying to take away my credibility.


    "What? No, that¡¯s not true. Don¡¯t say that. I mean, I was pretty nice. Even when he tried to abduct me, I was still nice to him," I purposely let that slip.


    The way Mariana¡¯s eyes widened told me it had worked.


    "What? What is she saying? You tried to abduct her?" Mariana demanded, her eyes warning him to be honest.


    "Oh, sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to say it. You know, it¡¯s just that..." I pped my forehead, pretending to be worried.


    "I want to know the truth. What is going on? Why is she making these ims, and why are you standing there silently listening to her?" she raised her voice.


    He gestured at her and gave her a warning look to keep her voice down.


    "No, I want to know. What is she saying?" she insisted.


    That was when his mother somehow got a whiff of it. I knew she would. She arrived and started hushing us with a hand gesture.


    "What are you three doing? This isn¡¯t the ce to have this kind of conversation. And you? Do you have nothing better to do? It¡¯s his celebratory dinner for heaven¡¯s sake!" she hissed at me.


    I shrugged and stepped away.


    "Sure, I was just saying," I muttered, rolling my eyes, acting unhinged.


    "She said he tried to¡ªhe tried to kidnap her," I heard Mariana whisper to his mother, trying to exin our argument.


    Messi was ring at me now. If he really thought he could do the same to me again, he was dead wrong.


    "She¡¯s a liar. She always does that,"dy Gracie snapped.


    "Am I though? I mean, I¡¯m not the one who stole someone¡¯s phone and started rumors about her best friend on her social media," I snapped, because it had been in my heart for too long to stay silent.


    As soon as I brought up that one big turning event that destroyed my friendship with Troy, even Troy gasped.

 Chapter 233-The Vacations Are Over For Us

    <h4>Chapter 233: 233-The Vacations Are Over For Us</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "How fucking dare you?" I didn¡¯t even say anything specific, and Lady Gracie started to freak out."


    Of course, she wouldn¡¯t get questioned for it. But maybe it would ruin her n. Or if Troy¡¯s father was decent enough to put things together, he would realize that this evil woman wanted Troy gone. She had used me to take him down.


    If only Troy had been mature enough to listen to me at that time, things might have been different now. But I guess I couldn¡¯t expect a sixteen-year-old to have it all figured out, just like I hadn¡¯t.


    I noticed the crowd had already started to gather around us, and among them stood the Lurker. Mrs. Patrick rushed over, trying to diffuse the situation so the happy reunion wouldn¡¯t be ruined.


    "I think we will take Clementine away. It seems like she cannot handle alcohol," Mrs. Patrick hissed, eyeing me to apologize and leave.


    "No, I can. Look, I can put it on my head." I ced a ss on my head, making a fool of myself just for the sake of our n.


    "Let¡¯s go, Mom. Lady Hilda is right. Clementine is not able to hold herself up," Messimented, and here I was, about to take a final blow.


    "Really? I think I can handle it better than you. At least I don¡¯t lose my shit and try to abduct someone and sell them to someone creepy."


    As soon as I made the usation of trafficking, everybody gasped, and Messi lunged at me. He came at me aggressively, almost as if he was about to attack. That¡¯s when I grabbed the ss I was bncing on my head and doused him with it, throwing it so hard in his face that alcohol sttered everywhere, even on his mother and Mariana¡¯s dresses.


    Another gasp erupted.


    "Oh my God, what is wrong with you?" Lady Gracie yelled, cing a hand on her son¡¯s chest. He was ring me down at this point.


    I noticed my mates getting anxious in the distance. I had told them not to intervene, because if they did, things would spread wider. We only wanted all the hatred toward one person.


    "Why is this girl even here? She should have stayed in the academy!" Lady Hilda was the first to yell.


    The Lurker, who had been watching everything, suddenly began to record us. And now, Haiden and Troy came along.


    "If she would have stayed, we would have stayed too!" Haiden yelled at his aunt, making her clench her jaw.


    Troy stepped forward as well. "Yeah, then we would have nevere either."


    As soon as he said that, Lady Gracie turned to look at him.


    "Well, then you should have nevere. You three should have stayed in the academy and been punished. So that next time, when you do get a chance to visit your loved ones, you behave."


    Lady Gracie had done an amazing job falling for our tricks.


    We three suddenly went calm. None of us responded. I bet they even noticed the smiles on our faces as we gave each other head nods like idiots.


    "What? Did you want to ruin this night for me?" Mariana picked up, questioning us.


    But the Lurker was already making his way through the crowd. As soon as he reached us, he held his phone forward and yed something on it.


    It was an audio message: Everyone, we are sorry to announce that our crusaders have caused trouble. We will be retreating them. Two cars wille to pick them up. Hopefully, the rest will enjoy their stay while the crusaders return to the academy.


    He yed the announcement, then turned to us, snapping his fingers three times to let us know we were supposed to gather our things.


    As he started to walk away with Haiden, who was going to pack his bags, only Troy and I were left behind.


    Messi started to smirk. He probably thought they had done a great job ruining our vacation.


    "Let¡¯s go," Troy gently touched my elbow. "We need to leave. There are two cars. Once we take Haiden with us, we¡¯ll briefly stop at my ce to get my bags, then head over to Yorick and Ian. The two cars will be filled with us."


    I was pretty excited to go back to the academy. We still had a lot of days left in the vacation before the others would return and we¡¯d be sent back to the north. During that time, we would spend a good amount of time exposing the academy secrets.


    I could also tell that maybe this was why they always sent us away. They noticed the crusaders were very curious this time, so whenever we were at the academy, they would send us off to stop us from investigating.


    As we began to walk past Messi, I muttered, "Thank you for reacting."


    I said it in a steady tone, and his smile started to fade. I guess it finally dawned on him that I wanted his reaction, that I wanted to ruin his night.


    Before he could mutter anything, his fist clenched, and he stepped forward, but his mother pushed him back, stopping him from responding to me.


    Troy and I had already left and were sitting in the car. Haiden arrived only five minutester, all set to leave.


    Once we were in the car, we began our journey to grab Troy¡¯s bags. But now I was sitting between the two, wondering why none of us had taken the seats behind. The other empty car followed right behind us as well.


    "I wanted to ask you something," The two turned to me and spoke in unison, even confusing each other.


    "You go ahead," Haiden said to Troy.


    Troy gave him a hand gesture. "No, you go ahead."


    I sat in the middle, staring awkwardly straight.


    "Okay, I¡¯ll go first," Haiden stated, shifting in his seat so his body arched toward us, giving him a better view of both of us. "I want you to tell me, what is your n about our mate bond?"


    As soon as Haiden said that, Troy almost jumped in his seat, turning toward us.


    "I was going to ask her the same thing," he blurted, rushing the words so he wouldn¡¯t be left out.


    "Well, tell us," Haiden pressed, sitting with one leg folded slightly and the other dangling under the seat. It was so cramped for both of them that I was squeezed into the tiniest space between them.


    "Yeah, Clementine, we want to know what¡¯s going on in your mind. You can¡¯t just keep running away from that topic. We felt the mate bond, and now we want to know, what do you want? Or who do you want?"


    Troy agreed with Haiden, but he whispered thest part, his eyes filled with dark emotions.

 Chapter 234-His Half Brother Almost Sold Me

    <h4>Chapter 234: 234-His Half Brother Almost Sold Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I kept the awkward silence on my lips before I finally uttered, "I just need a few minutes, I mean some time, just a few hours to rx, and then we can talk about it."


    I excused myself, closing my eyes and leaning back, resting my head on the seat¡¯s headrest. I could already feel them looking at me, but I never opened my eyes so I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with their stares.


    Soon, the car reached Troy¡¯s ce, and he jumped out to grab his bags. It seemed like he hadn¡¯t even unpacked, because he came back out in just two minutes.


    He rushed into the back seat, then stood in the doorway and gestured for me to join him.


    "Hey, you cannot do that," Haidenined, and even I was shocked by what Troy was doing.


    "Haiden, please. There¡¯s something I need to speak with her about," Troy requested. I guess he sounded so helpless that even Haiden gave up on arguing.


    By the end of the day, it was going to be my decision, and I realized what Troy wanted to talk about. I could have been stubborn and told him no, that I didn¡¯t want to talk now, but I¡¯d learned a lot in the academy.


    We never know when our past or any of our actions wille back to bite us, so it¡¯s better to clear our side when we have the chance.


    So I slipped out of my seat and moved into the back with Troy.


    The car started, and we sat in silence for the first few minutes before Troy shifted in his seat and turned to look at me.


    "I wanna know," he uttered, and the minute I made eye contact, he looked away. His bodynguage screamed guilt, like he felt foolish for never letting me exin myself before.


    "What happened to you never wanting to know my truth?" I asked, using the same words he had thrown at me whenever I tried to exin myself to him.


    He lowered his head. His fingers kept squeezing his right hand into a fist and then letting it go, while his other hand rested on the seat, bncing his body with a fist made of his left hand.


    "I was an idiot. A sixteen-year-old, emotional little bitch, dealing with a lot at home. But I want to know now," he requested, lifting his eyes to stare at me. I guessed only the truth would set him free now.


    I sighed and looked out the window. "Well, for starters, your stepmother was the one who used my ount to leak those pictures and make up rumors."


    I paused and turned to look at him. His eyes were wide open, but I knew there was more to tell him than just that small piece.


    Previously, when I was only fifteen, I¡¯d been scared to tell him this, scared even to mention his stepmother¡¯s name. I was already dealing with hateful people and fighting my battle every day with my family.


    I didn¡¯t want to include another name that woulde after me. I wanted to take him into confidence first, make him sit down alone with me, because I knew how angry he was. He would have just gone around telling everyone I was using his stepmother. But that chance never came. We never sat together and talked about it.


    "What about Messi? What the hell happened between you two, or more specifically, what the fuck did he do to you?" he asked, his jaw clenching so visibly that a sigh heaved from my lips.


    "Well, I came to see you one evening. Your stepmother and your brother told me you were going toe soon. They asked me to sit down and wait for you. I did. Then Messi came around and said you were at the council¡¯s office and he would drop me off to be on your side. Not thinking too much because,e on, I was only fifteen, I decided to go with him. If he was headed to where you were, he would just drop me off as well. But then he missed a few turns and it turned into chaos. I realized he was trying to kidnap me, to take me to someone, almost like to sell me off, maybe even traffic me. I don¡¯t know. I know it¡¯s a big im, but that is my truth."


    I finished, and the way his eyes kept growing was horrifying. He suddenly mmed his fist against the empty seat in front of us, catching Haiden¡¯s attention. He turned around and looked at Troy.


    "Why the fuck did you not tell me this before?" he screamed.


    "Because that same night, the whole social media thing happened. And you wouldn¡¯t even listen to me!" I argued back with the same intensity, but I noticed his arms swelling, almost like his wolf wasing out.


    "What is going on?" Haiden asked. It was confusing that he hadn¡¯t heard anything, or maybe he was just waiting for us to tell him so it wouldn¡¯t look like he was eavesdropping.


    "That fucking Messi tried to traffic her and she told no one!" Troy yelled, pointing at me.


    "Why are you ming me?" I asked, confused.


    "He¡¯s not ming you, Clementine, for the abduction. He¡¯s ming you for never bringing it up. Do you know when people do shit like this, they don¡¯t stop at one victim? There might be other victims too," Haiden turned around, arguing with me.


    At this point, I began to realize they weren¡¯t really wrong.


    "It wasn¡¯t as simple as two people arguing or beefing with each other," Troy hissed, covering his face with his hands.


    "I thought nobody would believe me." As soon as I uttered those words, the two stopped talking and looked at me.


    "Nobody believed me about anything. I wasn¡¯t even allowed to speak up to exin myself, not even when I was asked to. Not even with something as simple as exining the whole social media rumor," I mumbled.


    When I looked at Troy, I saw guilt wash over his face.

 Chapter 235-He Almost Became An Alpha

    <h4>Chapter 235: 235-He Almost Became An Alpha</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    <strong>Few Years Ago:</strong>


    "He went out to discuss a few things with his father and the council, but if you want, you can stay here in the guest room and wait for his return, Troy¡¯s stepmother offered, handing me a ss of water.


    "Um, it¡¯s alright, thank you," I replied, stepping back, ready to head home.


    I hade to speak with him. He told me a few hours ago that his father had called a meeting and said he was going to make him the Alpha.


    I knew what it meant for Troy. He must be overjoyed with excitement. So I wanted to meet him personally and congratte him.


    I even brought him a cake and cupcakes. I baked them myself for the first time, though I knew they weren¡¯t shaped well.


    I wasn¡¯t really a good cook. This was actually the first time I had even stepped into a kitchen.


    Even though almost everyone in the pack had told me to go work, I never worked for anyone.


    Even when they cursed at me or punished me in different ways, they could noty their hands on me, they still couldn¡¯t make me do chores for them. Except for my father, he was a different case.


    All they could do was bully me or re harshly, because I always fought back.


    I would give them such a hard time.


    "Are you sure you don¡¯t want to wait for him? I can tell you baked him something. Did you?" Troy¡¯s stepmother asked, carrying a sweetness in her voice.


    Gracie was an impable woman. I had heard all sorts of things about her, but more specifically, that she was not at all what she appeared to be.


    Troy had told me about her, about the things she did to him and the way she acted with him. It was brutal, and I did not like it.


    So I didn¡¯t fall for her sweet manner. I didn¡¯t even ept a single ss of water from her hands, because Troy had warned me not to.


    I looked down at the box, then looked up, biting my bottom lip. It was true. These things would spoil. I didn¡¯t even have a refrigerator at home.


    And if I ced it in the pack¡¯s refrigerator, where the alphas and betas kept their things, they would probably just eat it or throw it out.


    "Okay, do you have any idea what time he¡¯ll arrive?" I inquired, not really wanting to.


    I didn¡¯t want tomunicate with her. I would rather speak with Lydia, Troy¡¯s mother. She was kind and gentle to me.


    I wondered what really happened to these men. Why would they go for second or third mates? I understood that they were given too many mates by the moon goddess.


    But if they were going to ept that, wouldn¡¯t they have to ask their first mate¡¯s permission, whether she was okay with it or not?


    And then came the part that upset many people, after they found their second mate, they wouldpletely discard the first one.


    Many women felt belittled once their mates found another. Their mates would stop caring for them, leaving them in so much agony.


    Because men had too many mates, the pain of losing one barely affected them. But all the suffering fell on the women.


    "I don¡¯t know. They have turned their phones off, you know, they¡¯re having sacred conversations. But if you wait for him, I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ll be arriving soon," Lady Gracie remarked, offering me a seat once again.


    At this point, I realized that Lady Lydia had left with Troy. Obviously, she must have been so happy. Finally, her son was going to earn her the kind of respect she deserved.


    I stared at her and then slowly strolled over to the guest room. I sat down on the bed, looking around awkwardly.


    "I would have asked you to wait for him in the living room, but we¡¯re renovating it, so it¡¯s kind of busy and there are a lot of men there," Lady Gracie exined as she walked in, holding a ss of juice for me.


    "Oh, you don¡¯t have to do all that. I¡¯m really not thirsty," I uttered awkwardly, realizing it came out wrong.


    "Well, of course. It¡¯s just the way we Royals greet special friends," she replied with a smile.


    But I knew her. It wasn¡¯t like this was my first time interacting with her. I had faced her before, and it was safe to say she was just acting nice.


    Previously, when I came to her ce, she didn¡¯t like me. She didn¡¯t even want to look at my face. So I refused to believe she was suddenly being kind. She was up to something.


    "It¡¯s okay, you know what, I¡¯ll just leave. I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll arrive, and I have to return home before curfew," I said awkwardly, instantly getting up. But she stepped in my way.


    "Maybe you can wait. I think I know when Troy ising back," she added.


    I stepped back, watching her leave the room. I slipped a note inside the cake box, realizing that even if she didn¡¯t hand it to Troy, I¡¯d let him knowter that I left a cake for him. I figured it was the thought that counted.


    As I ced the box down on the bed and turned around, I saw Gracie standing in the doorway, smiling, holding her phone.


    "Actually, Messi came home, and he said his father asked him toe to the council¡¯s office as well. So why don¡¯t you go there with him?" Her suggestion sounded odd.


    I didn¡¯t understand why she was suddenly so nice. Maybe it was because Troy was about to be alpha of his pack, and she realized she had to act nice if she didn¡¯t want to step on his toes.


    "No, that¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll just head home," I responded, not feelingfortable about it.


    "Oh,e on. I¡¯m sure Troy would appreciate his friend being on his side," she pressed, shing the same awkward, almost insane smile as before.


    "Well,e on, don¡¯t dy. I already told Messi that you want to be beside Troy when he gets his official confirmation as the alpha of the pack," Lady Gracie stated, stepping aside and gesturing toward the door.


    At this point, I just wanted to get away from there. It wasn¡¯t like I hadn¡¯t traveled with Messi before, and since he was going to take me to the council office, I decided it was fine.


    So I walked out of the room to sit in the car with Messi. That was the biggest mistake, the first mistake I made that night.

 Chapter 236-Abduction Failed.

    <h4>Chapter 236: 236-Abduction Failed.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We sat in the car together and began to drive. I had met Messi before, but we¡¯d never really had a meaningful conversation. I kept my distance from Troy¡¯s stepfamily, mostly because they were usually involved in things that hurt him. But whenever I ran into Messi, he¡¯d greet me kindly with a warm smile.


    "So your best friend is about to get crowned. How you wish you¡¯d been an Alpha too. Imagine, two Alpha best friends," Messi joked, trying to lighten the mood, since it was already stressful for me to sit in the passenger seat with him.


    We took loyalty seriously. It was simple, Troy wouldn¡¯t talk to my enemies, and I wouldn¡¯t befriend his. Yeah, we were crazy like that.


    "Yeah, I¡¯m really proud of him," I murmured.


    "You know, I ordered a gift for him as well." The moment he said that, a sharp frown creased my forehead, and even he went speechless. He nced at me, still keeping an eye on the road, then started tough.


    "Come on, don¡¯t be like that. I¡¯m not that evil. Of course, he¡¯s my half-brother. I got him some stuff. Yeah, I did," he chuckled.


    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was because they were finally realizing they needed to be in his good books.


    "Really? What did you get him?" I asked, mostly because I¡¯d been quiet for too long, and the silence was starting to feel awkward.


    "Oh, I ordered it but haven¡¯t picked it yet. If you don¡¯t mind, can I take a turn and grab it real quick?" he asked. Before I could even respond, he was already turning the car.


    "Yeah, sure," I replied awkwardly. I didn¡¯t know why he asked if he wasn¡¯t going to listen anyway.


    The road ahead was dark. He told me there was a small antique watch shop where he¡¯d ordered one for Troy, and I could only imagine how much Troy would love it, he had a thing for watches. Still, I couldn¡¯t shake the uneasiness creeping in.


    I shifted in my seat, fidgeting a little.


    "It¡¯s pretty empty," I joked. Night had settled in, and there wasn¡¯t much traffic around anymore.


    "Oh yeah, there¡¯s a reason why," he muttered, taking another turn. At that point, I noticed the shoping into view. It was lit with an orange glow, but there were no other lights outside. The narrow road was surrounded by woods. The shop stood alone, as if waiting for a buyer to show up and purchase an antique piece.


    I took a deep breath when he parked in front of the shop.


    "I¡¯ll get out and quickly grab the watch, okay?" he said, jumping out of the car and heading toward the door.


    While I sat there, my instincts told me within the next two minutes to get out of the car. I didn¡¯t know why, but the urge was too strong, so I jumped out.


    The moment I stepped out, two cars rushed toward ours. Panic hit me. Whoever had arrived meant trouble. The cars were full of men, and as soon as they stopped, I bolted toward the woods.


    "Hey, catch her!" one of the men shouted, and my heart sank into my chest.


    While running, I tried to unlock my phone and call for help, but it slipped out of my hands and fell to the ground. I raced into the woods, the men still chasing me. There was no way they could catch me if I ran fast enough, I¡¯d been a good runner since I was a kid. But at the back of my mind was Messi.


    What if they¡¯d been hired to abduct us both? Or harm us? Or what if they¡¯de for Messi? Questions swirled in my head as I ran through the woods, dodging big trees and branches in the darkness.


    Then it hit me. I had to go back. I had to go back for Messi.


    I turned, careful not to cross paths with any of the men searching for me. As I neared the shop from the back, I saw the cars still parked there, but not much activity. The men, dressed in all ck, were just lingering around.


    And then I heard Messi.


    "What? You want me to pay double? But you only did one job. If you had done both, I would have been paid for both and would have paid you for both tasks as well," Messi snapped, and my heart pounded in my chest.


    I crouched behind the back of the building, listening to their conversation.


    "It¡¯s not our fault she ran away. Before we could even arrive, she jumped out of the car. It wasn¡¯t easy chasing her down in the dark either," one of the menined.


    At that point, it wasn¡¯t a mystery anymore, these men weren¡¯t hired by someone else. They were hired by Messi himself. But why?


    "Well, I have one package, but we failed to secure the other package. That man is going to ask me where she is. What am I supposed to say then?" Messi grumbled, making my eyes widen in fear and shock.


    "We did our best. We were going to get paid our cut for selling her to the buyer too. But what can be done now?" the man said bitterly.


    I crept backward until I was once again swallowed by the bushes.


    I took off on my feet and ran back to my pack and my home. I had to take a few buses here and there, but soon enough I was already back. I rushed upstairs to my attic without telling anyone what had happened. They wouldn¡¯t care.


    My father wouldn¡¯t care. And my stepmother would only use the chance to stop me from ever going out, disguising her animosity toward me as a sense of care. I couldn¡¯t let my freedom slip away.


    Once in my room, I went through a storm of emotions, including confusion, fear, worry, anger, but that was all. I couldn¡¯t act on any of it. That was my life. I would just sit in my room, worrying for three or four hours before finally falling asleep.


    I woke up early in the morning to the door opening. A maid walked in. I watched her with half-closed eyes as she ced something next to my pillow before she left.

 Chapter 237-I Did Not Post It

    <h4>Chapter 237: 237-I Did Not Post It</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I was so tired that I didn¡¯t immediately wake up. I kept sleeping because it was a regr urrence, a maid woulde and leave either a note from my father beside my pillow or some food. Sometimes maids would sneak in to leave a fruit next to my pillow. It was their way of showing affection without getting caught by my stepmother, and I appreciated it.


    So I didn¡¯t think much of it when a maid came that day. That¡¯s why it didn¡¯t worry me, and I kept sleeping.


    I woke up about two hourster than usual because I¡¯d been so stressed the night before, to something ringing right next to my ear. At first, I thought it was a nightmare. Then I began to wonder, why wasn¡¯t it ending? Why did it seem so real?


    I reached toward the sound and felt something solid beside my pillow. It was my phone. As soon as I touched it and held it, I sat up, my eyes wide open.


    "What the heck?" I groaned, checking my phone.


    It was indeed my phone, with the same scribbles I¡¯d done on the back of it. But I remembered I¡¯d dropped it. Then how had it appeared right next to my pillow? Did someone give it to the maid to leave it here?


    I had too many questions, but first, I had to answer the phone call I was receiving. It was Troy calling me. Anxiety hit me as I remembered what happenedst night. I decided to tell him everything. I immediately picked up his call.


    "Troy, you know¡ª" I had only started speaking when he hushed me with a loud grunt.


    "How could you fucking do this to me?" he screamed.


    The way he yelled made me fall silent, trying to gather my thoughts. I had just woken up, so I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect or how to put everything together.


    "Troy, listen. Last night I came to your ce¡ª" I began to speak again, but he grunted even louder.


    "I know you fucking came to my ce and tricked me. You fucking yed me!" he shouted.


    I gasped, confused and shocked.


    "Wait! Tell me what happened. What are you using me of?" I blurted, panic flooding me.


    There was no way his anger came from anything other than some very clever act of deception by someone else.


    "Oh, you have no idea what you¡¯ve done?" he screamed into the phone.


    "I thought of you as my friend, Clementine. Why would you do that? Why now? Why, when I was this close to getting crowned?" His words shook the ground beneath my feet. I instantly jumped off my bed, panicking.


    "What do you mean by ¡¯about to¡¯? You got crowned, right?" I asked, my voice trembling. I wished he could hear the shakiness in my tone and realize I was genuinely worried for him.


    "Oh, cut the crap. After the stunt you pulled, I¡¯m not even sure they¡¯ll let me stay in sports, let alone get crowned as an Alpha. You ruined me, Clementine. Why would you do that?" he shouted, his voice breaking.


    "Troy, I need to understand what happened. What did I do?" I pleaded,pletely lost and blindsided by his usations.


    That was when his voice began to fade as his mother snatched the phone from his hands.


    "I saw you as my own daughter. I didn¡¯t know you were so maniptive. Just because you couldn¡¯t get crowned, you decided to ruin my son¡¯s chances too," Lady Lydia cried.


    "Aunt Lydia, I need to know what I¡¯m being used of, because trust me, I haven¡¯t done anything wrong," I cried back, tears streaming down my face. They wouldn¡¯t even let me understand what my supposed crime was.


    "Just so you know, this wille back to bite you. You¡¯ll never be at peace again," she screamed, cursing me with all sorts of illnesses, sadness, and misfortune.


    For about five minutes, she continued crying and yelling before Troy snatched the phone back from her.


    "Our friendship is over," he hissed, cutting the call.


    I stared at my phone, consumed by confusion, shock, and grief. Something terrible must have happened. Then I noticed all the notifications flooding my social media ount, it was the first time I had ever received so many.


    Already anxious, I opened my ount to see what was going on. The moment I did, I realized why Troy was so angry.


    The cake and cupcakes I¡¯d made for him¡ªthere was a picture of them posted on my profile with a caption: Came to see my best friend, and look what I found.


    One of the cupcakes was cut open, revealing some kind of colored powder inside. Another caption read: He fucking tried to drug me. What a so-called Alpha.


    Then there were more posts where I¡¯d supposedly used Troy of taking drugs. There was even a video from a day we¡¯d been fooling around, pretending to be drunk. That clip was uploaded too, but cropped to make it look like Troy was actually drunk. And it had been posted from my ount with the caption: How can someone drink at such a young age? Is it even legal?


    I began to tear up as I scrolled through more and more posts. They were all made from my ount, each one crafted to destroy Troy¡¯s character.


    In one of them, I had even tagged a council member, asking how they could allow such an Alpha to be crowned. The caption used him of using drugs, while every yful picture or video we had ever taken together had been twisted and posted out of context.


    Even old screenshots where Troy had joked about something silly were edited to make him look terrible.


    And all of it had been done from my ount.


    I started deleting the posts one after another, my hands shaking as I wiped away tears with the back of my palms. My sobs made it hard to breathe. That was also when I finally realized what Messi had meant when he talked about "securing the package." He had been talking about my phone.


    They had nned to kidnap me, force me to unlock my phone, use it to y their sick game, and then sell me off. I could only piece together part of their n. I still didn¡¯t know who they intended to sell me to, or why. Maybe it was just to make sure I couldn¡¯t expose the truth.


    But who would even listen to me now? How could I ever prove what really happened?


    I didn¡¯t even know which maid hade into my room to leave my phone, or if it had been a maid at all. Maybe someone had snuck in, disguised as one.


    For all I knew, the only thing I still had was my phone.


    Tears streamed down my face again when I saw a new notification from the council member. It said that Troy¡¯s fate had been decided. He would never be a crowned Alpha.


    However, they wouldn¡¯t strip his current rank from him. Instead, they had nned something "messy" for him.


    And at that moment, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, was it something rted to the North?


    Unintentionally, I had ruined him.


    I tried making a new post to rify everything but noticed my ount suddenly got deleted for sending hate.

 Chapter 238-The Stolen Crown

    <h4>Chapter 238: 238-The Stolen Crown</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Silence settled over us after I told them everything about that night. Troy slid away, staring out the window. I knew he was going through a lot, and I truly felt bad for him. He had been so close to bing a crowned Alpha, and they had stolen that chance from him.


    It just showed how unfair it was having too many mates meant some were bound to be neglected, and then things like this happened with the stepmothers. It was heartbreaking.


    "Hey man, are you okay?" Haiden finally broke the silence, reaching out to touch Troy¡¯s elbow. Troy turned to look at us. His cheeks were clean now, but it was clear he had shed some serious tears.


    "I know they took your chance of bing Alpha from you that night," Haiden murmured, giving him a sad look.


    "No, that¡¯s not the only thing they took from me, Haiden.


    "They took my friend from me," Troy finally spoke, his voice shaky.


    I stared at his face in disbelief. He was really upset about that. After all that had been done to him, I thought he¡¯d focus on how wrong everyone had treated him.


    "When I was upset, I couldn¡¯t even share my worries with my best friend back then," Troyined as he remembered the aftermath of that night.


    "Why didn¡¯t you let her exin herself to you?" Haiden asked.


    "Because I was sixteen. I was fucking manipted by everyone. My mother was crying hysterically, telling me I made a mistake by trusting Clementine. Then the crown was taken away from me. I knew I was going to be sent away to the North. So imagine, all these years when I acted like it was a surprise, I knew it wasn¡¯t. I knew my life ended that day. There could have been no exnation at that time. I just thought maybe she got angry. I had no clue why. I just didn¡¯t want anyone to exin anything to me. I wanted to feel as much pain as possible. I wanted to be alone," Troy exined.


    And at that moment, I understood. Our friendship had been used to ruin him. Of course, he couldn¡¯t juste back and act like my friend anymore.


    "I know I¡¯m being insensitive," Haiden said, "but one package means the phone. Who were they going to sell Clementine to? Who was this buyer?"


    Kudos to Haiden for changing the topic. Suddenly Troy didn¡¯t look as sad. He looked worried. He nced at me, then back at Haiden.


    "Maybe they were just trying to get rid of me so I couldn¡¯t exin myself," I offered, trying to give Haiden a reason. But he shook his head and wagged his finger.


    "That couldn¡¯t be. They knew there was nothing you could do to tell anyone anything. They knew nobody would believe you. They were targeting two birds with one stone, but why? Who would want to buy a freaking fifteen-year-old, and for what?" Haiden pressed, making me sink back into my seat, confused.


    "And more importantly, who would make such a deal with a seventeen-year-old Messi," Troy added.


    And suddenly I started to feel so odd about it.


    "I don¡¯t know," I whispered.


    Now, we had way too many things to cover. First, the mystery behind Messi and the buyer. Second, why did I have so many mates? And third, what was the deal with the North and the Academy? What were the ringleaders hiding?


    With all that in mind, we finally reached Yorick¡¯s ce. It was a small cabin, and what confused me more was that none of his pack members seemed to be around. There was nobody outside, and the other cabins were locked.


    The weather was turning bad too. As we followed the lurker toward the cabin, we noticed the sky darkening, looking like a storm was about to settle in. It made me wonder if we were going to stay here longer than nned.


    I stepped ahead and knocked on the door, waiting for someone to respond. When it opened, I straightened immediately. It was none other than Lady Rimi.


    Lady Rimi was a scientist and doctor, well known for her brilliant work alongside her husband, Jill. But all I remembered about her was how creepy she¡¯d always seemed.


    She had a smile on her face when she opened the door, but it faded almost instantly. The look in her eyes was nothing but disdain.


    "What are you doing here?" she demanded, not even noticing the lurker or the others behind me.


    "I was sent by the Headmaster to fetch Yorick. We have to go back to the Academy," I exined.


    Her eyebrows scrunched together, and her face darkened with anger.


    "What? Who are you to decide when he should return? Doesn¡¯t he have two weeks before he¡¯s called back?" she snapped, cing her hands on her waist. Her eyes narrowed at me.


    I froze, awkward and unsure how to respond under her sharp gaze.


    "Actually, there¡¯s been an issue, which is why our squad was called back," Haiden intervened quickly, stepping forward with Troy. They positioned themselves slightly in front of me, shielding me from her re, and I was grateful they did.


    "Oh, you must be Alpha Haiden and Alpha Troy," she said, her tone changing immediately. "I¡¯ve heard so many things about you two."


    "Hello, Miss!" Haiden greeted awkwardly.


    "Yes, congrattions on taking revenge for your mother¡¯s and sister¡¯s killers," Rimi said before turning to Troy. "And all that nonsense spread on social media about you, I feel sorry for you. You were just a child. Children make mistakes."


    I clenched my fists and closed my eyes. She couldn¡¯t see me behind them, but I felt deeply embarrassed for Troy. I noticed the way he pinched his fingers together, trying to stay calm.


    "It¡¯s alright. It was in the past," Troy said confidently.


    Peering over Haiden¡¯s shoulder, I noticed her smile waver. I guess she wanted Troy to look broken and defeated, but when he stood tall instead, she didn¡¯t like it.


    "Anyway,e in. He¡¯ll be so excited to see you. And my mate will be thrilled to see Clementine," she said, her tone shifting as Troy and Haiden walked in. Then she looked at me, and it gave me goosebumps.


    What the fuck did she mean by that?

 Chapter 239-The Scientist Couple

    <h4>Chapter 239: 239-The Scientist Couple</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    As we were let in, I noticed it was much calmer here, unlike at Troy¡¯s or Haiden¡¯s ce. Those people were really enjoying themselves. But for Yorick, it was just his mother in view, and I could tell she was preparing a home-cooked meal.


    I guess that¡¯s what real vacations should be like, spending time with your loved ones instead of the ones who make your life miserable.


    "Yorick,e out, see who¡¯s here to see you," his mother called, rubbing her palms anxiously. "Jill,e out, see who we have here."


    As soon as she called her mate, I began to worry. I remembered she said her husband would be excited to see me, and I could only assume she was being sarcastic.


    They didn¡¯t like me before, probably because of my father¡¯s actions and the fact that I had hurt their son by cheating on him.


    The door opened, and before Yorick coulde out, his father did.


    "Who is it?" he asked, tucking in his shirt with his head down, focusing on the buttons.


    "See for yourself." As soon as she said that, she stepped aside. Haiden, Troy, and I stood in line. Lord Jill raised his head and did a double take, staring straight at me.


    "Isn¡¯t this the girl who broke my son¡¯s heart?" He immediately pointed at me, calling me out.


    "Actually, it was me." Troy stepped forward, stopping the old man froming at me.


    "What? Our son was sleeping with you?" Lady Rimi asked, exchanging a look with her husband.


    The excitement in his father¡¯s eyes faded when Troy quickly shook his head.


    "Ew, no," he said loudly. "I¡¯m straight. I meant she didn¡¯t cheat on him. The rumor was started by me."


    Troy added that quickly, avoiding both my eyes and his parents¡¯. His parents beganmunicating silently. They weren¡¯t bad people, but I never liked how they spoke with just their eyes when guests were around. It always made others ufortable.


    "Why did you do that? Is it because you have feelings for our son?" Lady Rimi asked.


    "No," Troy groaned, scratching the back of his neck while trying to think of an excuse. "I had a crush on Clementine."


    He finally said it, dropping his hand and looking away. Silence filled the room.


    "Awkward," Haiden muttered.


    I guess it wasn¡¯t just that, but he had used something that was partly true.


    "I don¡¯t know what to say. Does Yorick know about it?" Lady Rimi asked Troy.


    They didn¡¯t show the same aggression toward him for breaking their son¡¯s heart as they had shown toward me in the past.


    "Yes, he knows, and they¡¯ve talked about it. It¡¯s all fine. There¡¯s no issue anymore," Haiden joined in again, trying to sort things out since it was getting awkward.


    "Oh, well then, it¡¯s fine," Lady Rimi said, her eyesnding on me once more. "So, one girl with so many Alphas in a room. You must feel so protected," she teased, smirking.


    "Actually, it¡¯s the other way around. Clementine¡¯s a hard-ass," Haidenmented, making me give him a nod of appreciation for standing up for me, while Lady Rimi and Uncle Jill exchanged another silent look.


    I could tell they either knew a lot about us or just loved gossip. That¡¯s what I used to do with Troy. Whenever we were with a third person, we¡¯d make gestures like that.


    "Anyway, if we can get Yorick, we¡¯ll be on our way," Troy said softly, rubbing his palms together, showing how anxious he was in their presence.


    "All right, but I don¡¯t think you guys can go right now. It¡¯ll start hailing soon. You should stay for dinner," Lady Rimi suggested, pointing toward the window to hint at the bad weather we¡¯d be facing in a few hours.


    "I¡¯m not sure. We¡¯ll have to see what the headmaster says," Haiden replied, pointing at the lurker standing in the corner of the room. He was already texting someone, probably letting the headmaster know that the weather was getting worse here.


    "Anyway, Yorick!" his mother continued to call out, and finally, the door opened.


    Yorick walked out in a gray T-shirt and gray pants, rubbing his eyes as he yawned and barely opened them enough to notice me.


    The moment he did, he dropped his hands and narrowed his eyes, confirming that he was really seeing me standing in his cabin.


    At first, his eyes widened, and a big smile spread across his lips. I began to wonder if he was truly happy to see me. It looked like he was.


    But after taking only a few steps toward me, his expression started to change, almost like he¡¯d just realized something. What kind of realization, I had no clue. He just looked really bothered and uneasy.


    "What are you guys doing here?" he suddenly asked, his eyes mostly focused on me, as if he was more upset that I was here than anyone else. Or maybe he thought his parents would yell at me.


    "Um, the headmaster told us to fetch you. We¡¯re going back to the academy," Haiden exined, giving him a look that told him not to ask more questions in front of his parents.


    "Well, then you all didn¡¯t have toe to get me. Either one of you two would¡¯ve been fine," Yorick said, pointing at Troy and Haiden, clearly singling me out.


    He really didn¡¯t want me inside his cabin, but I guessed he was just worried about me and the bullying I¡¯d face.


    "It¡¯s alright. We had a talk with your parents," Haiden spoke again, giving him another look.


    It was so awkward. On top of that, his parents were extremely observant. They noticed every small gesture or bit of bodynguage.


    "Still, anyway, you guys should go and wait for me in the car. I¡¯ll go grab my bag," Yorick said.


    He didn¡¯t even greet me, and that bothered me more than I wanted to admit. Haiden had literally told him everything was fine, and he could see his parents weren¡¯t mad at me. They were just standing there, smiling, yet Yorick kept acting dismissive.


    My mood soured, and I was ready to leave. But the minute I turned around, I noticed a lurker walking toward us, and I immediately had a bad feeling about it.


    He showed a message to Haiden, who read it out loud. The headmaster wanted us to stay here until the rain stopped and the weather cleared up. It was mainly because storms in the maind could get so bad that hail would start and cause serious damage.


    "Really?" Yorick groaned, throwing a fit as he raised his hands and then dropped them down.

 Chapter 240-All My Mates Are Horny

    <h4>Chapter 240: 240-All My Mates Are Horny</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "It¡¯s fine, son. They¡¯re your friends. Don¡¯t act like that," his mother finally snapped at Yorick, reminding him it wasn¡¯t a big deal and that they were okay with it.


    I thought maybe after that he¡¯d act right, but he only shook his head in disbelief.


    "You guys can stay in my room then. No need to wander around," he hissed, sounding bitter.


    I stared at him for a moment before heading toward the door again.


    "It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll wait in the car. It¡¯s in the shelter, right?" I asked Haiden, who gave me a nod but then began to follow me.


    As I started to walk away, his mother rushed over, almost stopping me at the door.


    "It¡¯s okay, please. We don¡¯t want to upset a guest. Yorick, apologize," his mother said, turning to her son and shocking me with their reversed behavior. She had no problem with me, so what the hell was wrong with him now?


    "It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to go, I guess," Yorick muttered bitterly. "Anyway, you guys can wait in my room," he added.


    Still, in that spoiled mood, I didn¡¯t want to go into his room. But his mother insisted so much that I finally gave in.


    At the same time, Troy and Haiden mentioned there was a small hut in the backyard, and said it would be fine if we left the cabin and stayed there for a while. They added that they wanted to burn off energy by splitting wood under the shelter so they could keep the fire running.


    I noticed the fire in the cabin had burned out, and neither of his parents seemed concerned about it, so we had to take matters into our own hands.


    "Okay, don¡¯t tire yourselves out too much. I¡¯m preparing a great feast. We¡¯ll have dinner together," Lady Rimi said as she walked away, letting us out to the backyard.


    Once we reached the hut and the open shelter, I saw Troy, Haiden, and Yorick grab an axe to split the wood. I wanted to help, but not that desperately.


    The moment we were alone with Yorick, Haiden immediately started to bombard him about his behavior.


    "You¡¯re such an asshole." As soon as Haiden said that, Yorick grunted, stopping his axe mid-air.


    "Well, I didn¡¯t do it because I have a problem with Clementine," he said quickly. He even looked at me, but I looked away.


    "Come on, Clementine, I didn¡¯t want to upset you. It¡¯s just that my parents aren¡¯t as sweet as they seem. They n things ahead, and that¡¯s why¡ª"


    I cut him off with a hand gesture.


    "Stop making excuses. It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t care," I hissed.


    "See? She¡¯s just taking her anger out on me without even listening," Yorick said, hands on his waist as he dropped the axe to the ground.


    "Fine, exin. Exin why you were so reluctant to let me stay here," I demanded, arms crossed and tapping my foot.


    He stared at me for a while, then said, "Well, because my body¡¯s going into heat and my mate doesn¡¯t give a damn about it!" he finally snapped, raising his voice.


    I noticed Troy and Haiden slowly lowering their axes as they turned toward me.


    "He¡¯s not wrong. We¡¯re feeling it too," Haiden admitted, while Troy scratched his neck, avoiding my eyes.


    "Well, it¡¯s not my fault you¡¯re all horny all the time," Iined, raising my voice and stomping my foot.


    But really, I was just trying to avoid their gaze. It was awkward, the three of them were watching me like they¡¯d eat me alive.


    "No, seriously, when are you going to pick one of us?" Yorick demanded, bringing up the topic I hadn¡¯t discussed with the others before.


    I¡¯d told them I needed time, but I could tell now they wanted to bring it up again.


    "I don¡¯t get it either. What do you want? Do you not ever want your mate at all? None of us?" Troyined too, joining Yorick with his grunting and huffing.


    "Tell us," they insisted. At this point, I had to give them some kind of answer.


    "Well, there is no future." As soon as I said that, Troy raised his hand to silence me.


    "You think we don¡¯t know that? But we¡¯re still alive, and we have time. We can be together as much as we can. We don¡¯t have to act like we¡¯re dead when we¡¯re not," he argued.


    He wasn¡¯t wrong, and I knew that too. Then I took a deep breath and finally revealed the truth.


    "Well, there are three of you, and I don¡¯t know which one to go with, okay?" I snapped, turning my face away stubbornly, scratching my arms as I secretly pinched myself.


    "Oh," Haiden muttered, finally realizing it wasn¡¯t that easy for me.


    "Maybe go with the one who¡¯s hurt you less," Yorick suggested, and I turned to look at him.


    "Wait, or maybe go with the one you¡¯ve also hurt unintentionally," Troy added.


    "Or go with the one your father hurt," Haiden cut in, spreading his arms wide to push the other two away.


    "See? This is why I can¡¯t decide," I groaned, stomping my foot again.


    "Okay, wait¡ªhow about you pick the one you actually feel for?" Yorick murmured, his body showing slight tension.


    "Who do you like?" Troy pressed,tching onto Yorick¡¯s suggestion. I started biting my nail.


    "Tell us," Haiden insisted.


    The weather was so bad I could barely hear them. We had to shout just to talk.


    "I don¡¯t know. I mean, I don¡¯t know," I sighed, dropping my hands at my sides.


    "Or is there anyone you like even a little? Do you even like us at all?" Yorick asked, watching me, his eyes widening with anticipation.


    When I stayed silent, he stepped back and scoffed.


    "You know what? I need a run," he muttered.


    I noticed the shift in his body, the veins popping under his skin. I knew he was about to shift soon, but the weather was so bad I didn¡¯t want him going out like that.


    He didn¡¯t listen and sprinted away. We all turned away from the cabin, watching Yorick disappear into the storm.


    "I¡¯ll go join him," Haiden said and started running after him along with Troy. I stood there frozen, staring at them.


    "Ugh, I like all of you¡ªall of my mates," I groaned. But it was toote. They were gone.


    Or maybe I was just too scared for them to hear me.


    I sighed, and as soon as I turned around, I saw Lady Rimi standing behind me, holding a tray full of food. Her eyes were wide as saucers, staring right at me.


    And all I could think was-did she hear me confess that I have three mates?

 Chapter 241-Next Stop, Ian’s Place

    <h4>Chapter 241: 241-Next Stop, Ian¡¯s ce</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Oh, uh, Lady Rimi," I muttered awkwardly, ncing at her and then back again.


    "Where are they?" she questioned, her tone exining why she looked so shocked.


    "They, uh, they went out for a run," I exined, still watching her face, wondering if she had heard anything beyond that.


    "Oh no, why would they leave in such weather? What happened? Did you guys fight?" she asked, stepping forward to look into the distance. There was no sign of them.


    "No, um, we didn¡¯t. They¡¯re¨C alphas. They just¡ª wanted to¨C take a run," I replied, my voice stuttering.


    "Oh no, they¡¯re so childish," she groaned before looking back at me with a smile. "It¡¯s okay. You can eat, and they¡¯ll join you once they¡¯re back, alright?" she said, cing the food on the big pic table. "Have fun. I made it especially for all of you," she added, stepping away.


    I sat down, staring at all the sandwiches and cookies. I remembered she used to cook really well, but Yorick never let me eat her food.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I had only visited them a few times when I was dating Yorick, and every time I was in their home, he wouldn¡¯t leave me with his parents for a second.


    While I was thinking about that, I heard rustling behind me and noticed Yorick had returned, along with the others.


    "What happened to taking a run?" I asked, watching them as they came in soaked. I noticed a little bump on Troy¡¯s forehead.


    "The stupid hail!" Troyined, rubbing his head.


    "Oh, did you guys not know it was going to happen?" I muttered, rolling my eyes as they sat down.


    I guessed they just wanted to get away for a moment because things were getting heated, and even a short break was enough to bring them back to their senses.


    The hail had been huge, so I agreed with their decision to return.


    "My mother brought this?Did you eat any of it?" Yorick asked, and I shook my head.


    "Good. You guys shouldn¡¯t eat either. We¡¯ll eat something once we¡¯re at Ian¡¯s," Yorick said as he grabbed the food and started throwing it away, confusing us. We exchanged nces.


    "Okay, Yorick, what¡¯s going on? Do you not like your mother¡¯s cooking, or are you just so possessive that you don¡¯t want anyone else to try it?" Haiden asked, adding a yful tone.


    "It¡¯s not just that. You know my parents. They¡¯re scientists. They experiment with things," Yorick said, making us all ufortable.


    "I mean, they can¡¯t possibly give us something¡ª we¡¯re not their guinea pigs, are we?" Haiden asked, and Yorick turned to give him a look while emptying the tray.


    "Who knows? Maybe you are. That¡¯s why I just want you guys to stay vignt. I want to get out of here," he replied hesitantly.


    The anxiety in Yorick¡¯s bodynguage upset me. I began to realize it wasn¡¯t just the heat. It was that he didn¡¯t trust his own parents. I appreciated him for looking out for us, to be honest.


    Thankfully, within five minutes, the hail stopped. It was only raining lightly now, and Yorick decided we wouldn¡¯t stay any longer.


    None of usined, even when his parents were clearly upset about us leaving. The more his mother tried to stop us, insisting she was preparing a grand meal, the more determined we became to go.


    After Yorick expressed his fear that his parents might mix something into the food, none of us wanted to stay. We were starving, but it felt safer to leave.


    Part of me also wanted to fetch Ian as quickly as possible. I had a few things to discuss with him, not just about what I¡¯d heard from the ringleaders but about our mate bond too.


    I wanted to know why he had reacted so aggressively when it was said he should take me home. After hearing Yorick¡¯s concerns, I started to think maybe Ian¡¯s worries were just as intense.


    Maybe that was why he panicked at the thought of taking me with him.


    "It¡¯s such a shame you guys only came for an hour," Lady Rimiined, watching us take Yorick¡¯s bag out. It was just Haiden and Troy taking his bags though.


    "It¡¯s okay, Mom, we¡¯lleter," Yorick told her, giving her azy hug. But she held on to him and even closed her eyes. I noticed how his parents looked so sad watching him go.


    "You guys should¡¯ve stayed over. Look, now you¡¯re taking our son from us," Lord Jillined, making Yorick break the hug with his mother and turn to give his father one instead.


    "It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll take care of him," Troy added, giving us a shrug because he didn¡¯t know what else to say. None of us did. They were so emotional.


    "Yeah, I¡¯lle back again. Don¡¯t worry," Yorick assured them, even though none of us knew if we¡¯de back alive next time. Just the thought of it was traumatizing.


    "Anyway, take care of yourself, okay? And don¡¯t have crazy thoughts," Yorick murmured to his mother in a near whisper.


    As he said goodbye and we were about to leave, a loud thud came from one of the rooms. Troy, Haiden, and I stopped in our tracks, turning to look at the door.


    "Is there somebody else here?" Haiden asked.


    The look on everyone¡¯s faces¡ªYorick¡¯s, his mother¡¯s, and his father¡¯s¡ªwas strange. They looked both shocked and worried.


    "Oh, no. I had stacked some things on top of each other, and I guess one of them fell and caused the noise. Anyway, have fun and please take care of each other, okay? I want you all back from the North," Lady Rimi said quickly as she almost pushed us out the door and mmed it shut.


    "Yorick, what was that?" Troy questioned, watching Yorick, who had started walking ahead of us.


    "My mom told you it was nothing. Stop being delusional," Yorick replied without even turning around to look at us.


    That was odd. He sounded almost defensive.


    Silence took over as we reached the car.


    "Next stop, Ian¡¯s location," I said with a deep sigh.

 Chapter 242-Hard To Pick One

    <h4>Chapter 242: 242-Hard To Pick One</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "We don¡¯t have to climb up in one car, guys. I hope you know that," Haidenined.


    As we sat together, I guessed the problem was that I was in the backseat with Yorick. Troy and Haiden kept turning their heads around to look at us.


    "Well, then you should have sat in the other car," Yorickmented, smirking because he knew what they were upset about.


    "Well, you should have sat in the other car. You were the one who joinedte," Troyined, turning around to face us.


    "Well, you can cry all you want. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m gonna listen to you, so stop it," Yorick hissed, giving them a shut-up call.


    When I was getting in the car, Yorick rushed before me because his bags were with Haiden and Troy.


    For a brief moment, they threatened him that they would leave his bags behind, but then the lurker grabbed the bags and put them in the car.


    I guessed that upset Troy and Haiden because their n backfired due to the lurker¡¯s intervention.


    Now we were headed to Ian¡¯s ce. I was going through all sorts of emotions. At the same time, I noticed that my mates were kind of anxious about something.


    "Clementine, we really want to talk about that stuff we spoke about earlier," Troy stated, not using clear words to hide it from the driver and the lurker in the front seats.


    I nodded my head and then leaned back, staring outside the window.


    "So, what are you gonna tell them?" Mint asked me. I¡¯d been waiting to have a conversation with her because I knew they weren¡¯t wrong.


    I did feel for them. But there was another part of me that was stopping me from moving on or picking any one of them.


    "Listen, is it because you don¡¯t like any one of us?" Even when they said they were giving me time, Troy couldn¡¯t hold back.


    He was always the anxious type, along with Haiden. They both turned back again, facing me.


    Yorick steadily shifted in his seat, fixing his posture as he also turned around, staring at me, waiting for my reaction.


    "It¡¯s not just that," I uttered.


    "Then, do you at least like us?" Haiden asked.


    I watched their faces and then finally nodded my head.


    "I like the three of you very much, okay? I do feel things for you three, but I don¡¯t know which one I like more," I mumbled, feeling so guilty.


    Up until now, I used to think alphas were lucky to have so many mates. And not because I thought that having many mates was a good thing, but because I thought they were privileged.


    But now that the burden hade on me, I realized it wasn¡¯t a privilege. It was such a hard decision to make. And unlike the other alphas, I couldn¡¯t ept one, kick out the others, or ept all of them but then treat the rest like shit.


    Alphas couldn¡¯t do equality. They would love one mate, the newest one, so much, while punishing the others just for existing and to please the new one.


    It was all a messed-up system, and now I was part of it, sadly against my will.


    "Oh," Troy stated, smiling just a little.


    "What are you smiling at? I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s just saying your name because she feels bad for you," Haiden said to Troy, teasing and mocking him.


    "Don¡¯t say that. I¨C I was going through a lot. And I apologize, Clementine. I¡¯m really sorry for never giving you a chance to talk to me again. I¡¯m sorry. Please don¡¯t hold that over my head. I¡¯m a much more mature guy now."


    The way he spoke so softly andined, I honestly felt bad for him.


    "Don¡¯t listen to them, especially Haiden. He¡¯s just trying to mess with your head," I told Troy, and when I did, he started to smile at thefort I gave him.


    It was just a small thing, but it meant a lot to him.


    "So then, how will you ever pick one of us if you don¡¯t know which one you like the most?" Yorick asked, cracking his knuckles.


    I guessed he was trying his best to sound reasonable, but the anxiety was clear from the way he kept cracking his knuckles.


    "I don¡¯t know. I guess I will never know, because I¡¯m not gonna pick one of you and upset the others. You are all my mates, and it will hurt me," I mumbled, turning away.


    Then silence struck us again. I mean, it was true, I would feel bad for them, but there was one big part that I was silently hiding from everyone.


    "And that is Ian, isn¡¯t it?" Mint spoke up, and I closed my eyes.


    He wasn¡¯t as persistent as them, but there was something about him, and I agreed with my wolf that it was because of him.


    Although Ian didn¡¯t chase me around like he said he wouldn¡¯t, my heart still beat faster when he was near.


    Maybe because we didn¡¯t have a long history of bullying or betrayal. Just a bit of it, and it ended quickly.


    But then he had discarded the pictures of my family. Even when the others had participated as well, they were things I could have gotten back.


    But Ian ruined that chance when he flushed them out. Those images were the only things I had left.


    They took away my phone, discarded it when sending me to the academy with my lonely bag.


    My father hadpletely wiped all the pictures of my mother. So yeah, there was a part of me that wanted Ian, but another part reminded me that he took someone very beloved from me.


    Still, I wanted to have a word with him, because I went through hell whenever he was around me.


    And now, with the others too, it wasn¡¯t like I liked them any less. Having too many mates wasn¡¯t a privilege. It felt like a curse.


    Finally, we arrived, and we weren¡¯t even allowed to go past the main gate of the hotel.


    "Sorry, but you can¡¯t go inside."


    The minute we all stepped out of the car, a warrior approached us, letting us know they weren¡¯t going to let us in.

 Chapter 243-My Mate Loves To Cheat On Me

    <h4>Chapter 243: 243-My Mate Loves To Cheat On Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    It seemed like his pack alpha, his father, was really strict about the rules.


    "We are here to collect Ian Hunt," I told the warrior at the door.


    There were many of them, and I could see several pack members roaming around, so it was clear he came with a lot of people.


    They stared at my face and then looked at each other again.


    "Did you not hear us? You are not allowed in here. Go back," the warrior continued, arms folded across his chest.


    "Hey, don¡¯t speak to her like that. She¡¯s being nice enough to let you know. These are the orders that we take Ian Hunt with us," Haiden stepped up, joined by Yorick and Troy, who also looked upset with the way he was speaking to me.


    "And you heard us too. He came here on vacation, and he will leave once the vacation is over," the warrior stated.


    They were tall and bulky men, obviously not taller than my mates, but their presence was dark.


    The way they were all tanned and muscr, it seemed like they were ready to attack whoever disobeyed them.


    "Now what do we do?" Troy asked me.


    "We cannot just start a war here. It¡¯s not our problem," I stated, eyeing them to step back and not argue with the warriors anymore.


    They had weapons on them, and the way one of them had his hand on his pistol, I could tell he was not afraid to use it.


    I walked to the car and knocked on the window of the lurker, maybe a little too aggressively. He rolled it down and stared at me.


    This was the first time I was at that level with a lurker, and I noticed his eyes. This one, in particr, stood out.


    There was a small mole under his left eye, and his eyes were gray with a sparkle of blue. He looked odd.


    "Why are you just sitting here? Do you not see they¡¯re not letting us in?" Iined, hands on my waist.


    The lurker kept staring at me. From his physique, I could tell he wasn¡¯t old, but his face was covered, so I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    "The warriors aren¡¯t letting us in to fetch Ian. Can you please do something about it?" I changed my tone to a milder one, stepping away from the door as he got out.


    I wondered if he had fallen asleep or something. He finally walked to the main gate.


    I watched him talk to them for a while, but not directly, he was using his phone to type something. That was the oddest thing ever.


    After a while, he returned, pointing toward the gate, asking us to go and speak with the warriors again.


    I reached the door and saw the guards smiling, probably because the lurker couldn¡¯t even speak.


    "Only one of you can go inside," the warrior spoke up.


    "Fine, I¡¯ll go," Yorick said, but as he stepped forward, the warrior showed him his palm.


    I could tell they had already informed someone inside that we were there to fetch Ian.


    "The girl will go," the warrior said, pointing at me.


    "Well, that¡¯s the weirdest thing. Why would you only want her to go?" Troy objected, and the warrior started to smirk again.


    It was strange. They had been angry moments ago, and now they were acting oddly calm and specific.


    "We said what we said. If someone is going to fetch him, it will be her," the warrior repeated, his finger pointed sharply at me.


    "It¡¯s okay, guys. I¡¯ll go and get him. You guys wait in the car," I mumbled, stepping forward. I wasn¡¯t afraid of any pack or their members. I just had to go, grab Ian, and walk out.


    Which I didn¡¯t understand, to be honest, because all they had to do was inform Ian on the call toe with his bags. But I guess they were just being dramatic and problematic.


    I entered the hotel and noticed it had a long driveway with many cars parked around.


    However, one of the warriors walked on my left and another on my right, almost like they were trying to block my view from seeing anyone else.


    I went up to the first floor and noticed some people who were instantly gestured back into their rooms.


    "He is in room 121," the warrior grunted, handing me the key.


    I shrugged and reached for the elevator. However, the other warrior ced his hand on it.


    "It¡¯s only for pack members," he said sharply, making me step back and raise my hands.


    "Calm down. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t climb the stairs," I hissed,ining about their behavior.


    Honestly, I was starting to realize why Ian didn¡¯t want me toe here. His pack was the craziest.


    Not a single person had a reason to be bitter toward me, yet they were all hostile. I didn¡¯t like his pack members at all.


    As I walked upstairs, I noticed that all the pack members had gone back to their rooms, probably waiting for me to leave.


    I kept taking the stairs, and once I finally reached the floor where Ian¡¯s room was, I took a deep breath. I was going to see him andin about his pack members.


    As I got closer to room 121, I started to feel awkward and uneasy. Something told me there was something very strange going on inside.


    I noticed the door was slightly ajar. I took another deep breath and reached for it. The minute I did, I realized why I was feeling so anxious.


    The voicesing from inside were the reason. They weren¡¯t just regr noises of people talking. There were loud moans and grunts, the kind someone lets out when being pleasured.


    I clenched my jaw and, instead of retreating, slowly opened the door and stepped into therge suite.


    There was a big lounge, and beyond it, a bedroom. The noises were so loud they carried through the half-open bedroom door.


    But the traces of what was happening were already traumatizing. I could tell what I was about to witness.


    There were women¡¯s shoes and clothes scattered everywhere, along with men¡¯s clothes.


    I quickly reached the bedroom door and stopped there, staring at the horrifying scene.


    On the bed was a girl,pletely unclothed, her legs spread, and between them was none other than Ian Hunt. His eyes, his face, his hair, his entire focus, even his body, were all on that girl at that moment.

 Chapter 244-The Pain Of Betrayal Or The Heat Of Mate Bond?

    <h4>Chapter 244: 244-The Pain Of Betrayal Or The Heat Of Mate Bond?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The girl moaned louder as she arched her back. Ian was furiously fucking her whole being on top of her.


    "Say, you love me," the girl pleaded, taking deep breaths.


    "I love you, and only you," Ian confessed, and my face tightened. I stood there watching him with her. Every second felt like hours, and I couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    Then I began to hear Ian speak to her.


    "I will even reject my fated mate for you, but the only reason I can¡¯t, the only reason I won¡¯t, is because of the power a fated mate can hold after eptance," he said as he pped her breast hard and she groaned in pleasure.


    "I will do the same for you and as for your brother," the girl replied, but she stopped when he ced a finger on her lips, silencing her gently.


    "It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s in the past. You owe me loyalty now, and I¡¯m giving you another chance. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t break my heart this time," he stated, sounding so different from how he acted with me.


    "I will always stay loyal to you as long as you chase me," she giggled, purring like a cat.


    "Oh, you have no idea how far I¡¯m willing to chase you. Even if I never rest, I¡¯ll still chase you like crazy, like a madman," he growled yfully.


    I was in shock. It felt humiliating. But I had to leave. I wasn¡¯t going to just stand there and let him y me.


    Now that I knew his truth, I was going to make sure I hurt him so much he¡¯d never think about ying with anyone else.


    With that, I turned around and sped away, rushing off the floor. As soon as I entered the elevator, I broke down.


    I knew those were the only few seconds I had to let my emotions out, because once I left here, I¡¯d act like I didn¡¯t even know him.


    Slowly, when I reached the ground floor and stepped out of the elevator, I saw the same warrior frantically looking around for me. Once his eyes met mine, he rushed over.


    "Did you¡ª find¡ª him?" he stammered.


    I stared at his face in silence before shaking my head.


    "Great. Can I have the keys back? I just found out he¡¯s busy. He¡¯s with his family. Maybe you can wait in the lounge and speak with him once he¡¯s done," the warrior said, stretching his hand out for the keys.


    I guessed he¡¯d figured out Ian was having fun and didn¡¯t want to disturb him.


    "You know what? We¡¯ll leave the car behind. Once he¡¯s done with his special work, ask him to take the car and reach the academy. It¡¯s the headmaster¡¯s orders," I hissed, delivering the order.


    At that point, even the warrior looked shocked by my tone.


    "You don¡¯t want to wait for your friend?" the warrior asked.


    "He¡¯s not my friend. And no, we¡¯re not going to wait for him. We¡¯re leaving a car behind. Tell him toe by himself," I hissed again, walking out of the building.


    That short walk from the building to the car was so difficult for me. I made sure not to show any emotion.


    At the same time, I felt like I was running, trying to avoid Ian catching up with me.


    It was stupid of me to think he would chase after me. He wouldn¡¯t even know I was here.


    Once I reached the car, I opened the door and jumped in. The lurker turned to look at me, wondering why I came back without him. Even my squadmates were watching my face.


    "He was busy with something. He¡¯lle in the other car," I stated, noticing there was a warrior and another lurker in the second car. The lurker gestured for the driver to start the car.


    "Did you get to meet him?" Troy asked, and I shook my head.


    "No, he was busy. They didn¡¯t let me in," I lied. "Anyway, I don¡¯t care. We have our own issues. We can¡¯t just focus on him and his pack members. They were odd anyway," I added bitterly.


    The three of them watched me in silence. Even if they noticed something was off, they didn¡¯t ask. I bet they saw my wet eyshes too.


    After a while, Yorick slid closer to me.


    "Are you okay?" he asked.


    "Yeah. His pack members were really rude," I answered.


    I had to make up an excuse because my pride was too high to admit that the real reason I didn¡¯t want anything to do with Ian anymore was that I finally realized he had been ying me.


    "Oh yeah, some pack members are just weird, especially toward the Crusaders. I guess since we¡¯re already the ones kicked out, they don¡¯t care enough to treat us nicely," Troy exined as he turned around.


    I nodded as if that was really the case. After the trip, we finally arrived at the academy. But I was feeling worse than before.


    Thankfully, none of the ringleaders were at the starting point, so we were taken directly to our dorm room.


    I stayed silent, but I kept rubbing my arms and massaging my elbows. I was in excruciating pain for some reason, and I noticed the others whispering about it.


    They had their bags with them, but I didn¡¯t have anything.


    As soon as I reached the dorm room, I stormed in and rushed to the bathroom.


    "Are you okay?" I heard one of them call out, but the voice was so blurred in my mind that I couldn¡¯t focus.


    I mmed the door shut and started sshing water over my face again and again. The pain was confusing to me.


    After a while, I came out, after wearing a blue shirt and baggy jeans. The three stared at me, shocked.


    They were just about to put their bags away when I came out looking like a mess.


    "Clementine?" the three said my name together before darkness began to hit me, and I felt my body dropping. I never met the ground, so I suppose one of them caught me in his arms.

 Chapter 245-It Got Too Heated

    <h4>Chapter 245: 245-It Got Too Heated</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After a few minutes of silence, I began to wake up. I realized I had only been out for about ten minutes. They had wrapped me in a nket andid me down on the bed.


    All of them were sitting around me. One of them was rubbing my feet, and another was rubbing my hand. They were taking care of me.


    Waking up to my mates around me really changed things for me. I suddenly felt much better, though still in pain.


    "What happened to you, Clementine?" Troy asked, holding my hand tightly.


    "I don¡¯t know. I just had this weird coldness hit my body," I muttered, my lips still quivering. I was still so cold.


    "Okay, I must intervene and ask you this," Yorick started softly.


    "Ask me what?" I replied, confused.


    "Did you feel any sort of pain in your body, like the transition pain, but then it never happened?" Troy questioned, and Yorick added with a head nod.


    I began to nod because it really was like that. I did feel the pain.


    "Okay, so here is the issue. Remember when we told you we were feeling heat?" Troy began.


    "Yeah, you are in heat too," Yorick finished, and my eyes shyly dropped down, unable to make eye contact with any of them.


    "That¡¯s a normal thing. You don¡¯t need to feel like that," Troy murmured and then quickly pped Yorick¡¯s chest for saying it so confidently and openly that it embarrassed me.


    "No, I¡¯m not trying to make her feel some sort of way. I¡¯m just letting her know that it is normal. We felt it too, so maybe that is why you did too," Yorick exined.


    I began to think about Ian. If all my mates were in pain along with me because we hadn¡¯t done anything about our mate bond, then that meant Ian felt the same.


    And he thought the best way to take care of his body heat was to just sleep with that girl. And it seemed like that girl was none other than his ex, the one he told me he had moved on from.


    It was a lie. He gave her another chance even after she yed him so badly. So she must be someone really special.


    "Are you guys still in pain?" I asked them, realizing they were being so considerate and here I was, thinking about someone who didn¡¯t even think twice before taking somebody else to his bed.


    "Even if we are, it¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t need to worry about us. But we are worried about you," Haiden stated, and I kept staring at them.


    I honestly felt like I had been too cruel to them. The emotions were so high, along with the fact that Ian was ying me, that I began to soften a little towards my other mates.


    And I bet they noticed, because Yorick started to gently run his hand up my leg. Haiden and Troy watched, but I didn¡¯t stop him, even when his hand reached my thigh and parted my legs.


    I was sitting with my legs hanging down at this point. He got up on his knees, adjusted his body back, and then cupped my face in his hands.


    Haiden and Troy snapped their heads toward each other. However, I focused on Yorick. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips against mine.


    His lips tasted like honey, soft and sweet. My eyes closed to feel the pleasure and the sudden pain in my body started to ease up a little.


    Yorick¡¯s hands caressed my cheeks before moving back to my hair and then to my face again while his lips sucked mine in deep passion.


    His tongue flickered through his lips, showing a hint of mischief. I let it slide into my mouth and down my throat.


    As we began to moan into each other¡¯s mouths, I felt Haiden ce his hand on my back. His fingers curled and started to run over my skin.


    Troy¡¯s fingers grazed my hair behind my ear, causing a little tickle in my body.


    Yorick¡¯s tongue rubbed around my mouth for a few desperate minutes before he finally broke the kiss, and I gasped for air.


    My quickened breath caused their eyes to linger on my chest. Troy reached over for my shirt and pulled it over my head, leaving me in only a bra.


    I heard gasps and felt eyes watching me intently.


    "You have a body worth fighting for," Haiden leaned into my ear and whispered, his fingers touching the hooks of my bra. My spine tingled as his touch made me lose my mind.


    Haiden pressed his lips against my cheek, smooching my skin without lifting his lips, while his fingers started to y with my bra hooks, unbuckling them.


    The wings of my bra snapped open, leaving a sensation of freedom for my breasts.


    I always had big breasts, so when the bra opened, the cups could barely keep them in. Troy came to my left, licking my other cheek while his hand joined Haiden¡¯s hand in rubbing my back.


    Yorick knelt in front of me, his finger ying around my belly button before it traveled to my bra.


    I could barely keep my moans silent as Haiden and Troy started to kiss and lick me all over my cheeks and earlobes, leaving kisses all over my neck and shoulders.


    At the same time, Yorick hooked his finger between my bra and gently started to pull it off me.


    Once I felt the cold air touching my breasts directly, I gasped, and the two on my sides pulled back, only to enjoy the sight of naked breasts, just like Yorick.


    I shyly wrapped my arms under my breasts, which made the sight even more exciting for them. I noticed the bulges in their pants erging too.


    Yorick leaned in and gently ced his lips on my nipple, giving it a big smooch while the other two watched in silence.


    Yorick pulled back, so Haiden quickly got off the bed and adjusted himself on my knees, his eyes engulfing the sight of my breasts before he started to touch them.

 Chapter 246-So Hot But Interrupted

    <h4>Chapter 246: 246-So Hot But Interrupted</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Troy and Haiden devoured my breasts for minutes, their tongues tickling my nipples into erection. Yorick sat behind me with his arm stretched forward from under my waist and into my panties.


    His fingers knew how to y, and my back pressed hard against his chest as he rubbed and massaged my clean-shaven vagina.


    I kept arching my back and biting my bottom lip. Once the smell of my arousal hit them all, Troy and Haiden lifted their heads from my breasts and started to rub my thighs. Troy slipped my pants down, Haiden grabbed my panties and took them off. Now I waspletely naked before their hungry eyes.


    The way Haiden¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple moved with the gulp was so sexy that I began to shyly shut my legs, but Troy forced them open again, watching Yorick have fun with my pussy.


    "She has such soft pussy lips," Yorick whispered, showing them the lips by parting them with his fingers.


    The dirty talk mixed with actions was going to kill me. Troy leaned down, and while Yorick kept the lips parted, he licked my insides aggressively.


    "Ahhhhh! ¨CWhat are¡ª you doing?" I stammered, yelping and moaning. The pleasure was a new kind.


    "Come on, step aside," Haiden patted Troy¡¯s head, making his lip meet with my pussy lips more aggressively by ident, and a yelp escaped my lips.


    I watched Haiden get up and take off his shirt, throwing it away. In no time, he had taken off his pants too. Troy pulled away, and Haiden walked over to me, grabbing me by my elbows and making me stand naked with him.


    He began to roam his hands around my naked body while kissing my lips. I felt Yorick¡¯s hand touch my ass from behind.


    Yorick¡¯s lips touched my shoulders, kisses wetting my skin.


    My hands touched Haiden¡¯s naked chest, running down to his crotch area, and the minute I touched his cock, I gasped. It was standing erect.


    As the kiss ended, I noticed that the three of them had already removed their clothes. Troy approached me, kissed my lips, and guided me to the bed, where heid me down gently.


    "I don¡¯t think we should be too rough, it¡¯s her first time," Haiden remarked, reminding Troy to be gentle.


    "But who will have the honor of being her first?" Yorick interjected as he observed Troy kneeling between my legs. I quickly closed my legs and turned to the side, watching them exchange nces.


    When they looked at me and saw my hesitation, they realized I didn¡¯t want to make that decision.


    "Let¡¯s make it a challenge. Whoever goes out and brings back a ck rose will have the privilege," Haiden proposed, surprising me.


    ck roses were rare and grew on the other side of the border, where one had to endure electric shocks to reach them. It was a risky task.


    Without hesitation, the three of them grabbed their shorts and rushed out of the room.


    Iy on the bed, contemting whether I was truly worth the effort they were willing to put in for me. After about ten minutes, someone returned.


    I opened my eyes to see Yorick entering with a ck rose in hand and a mischievous grin on his face. He climbed onto the bed, kissed my lips, and ced the rose behind my ear.


    "Did you get shocked?" I asked with concern as he continued to shower me with kisses, making his way down my body.


    "I can die ande back to life for you, a little shock is nothingpared to that," hemented, kissing my vagina before adjusting his body between my legs.


    "I¡¯m d they are not here. I really didn¡¯t want you to have your first time under watchful eyes," Yorick added as he slipped on a condom.


    My heart skipped a beat at the sight of it. That¡¯s when I knew it was real and happening.


    He rubbed the head of his cock on my vagina, and I started to arch my back already. Heid on top of me and gently kissed me before inserting the tip of his head halfway into my pussy.


    "Hmm!" I moaned in pain and closed my eyes tightly as he began to go deeper and deeper.


    "After tonight, you will not feel pain," he whispered on my lips before the entire head went in, and I shot my eyes open.


    It was so painful.


    The size of his cock didn¡¯t help either. I felt like something tore my insides open.


    Once his entire cock went inside me, he began to slide it in and out, taking his time. It was slow and passionate, and I loved every second of it.


    His thrusts were gentle but fulfilling, his hands massaged my boobs so lovingly as if he feared he would hurt me.


    My eyes snapped open when the other two arrived. I heard the defeat in their groans, but they soon joined the bed. I felt shy.


    Haiden ran his hand through my hair before kneeling on the side of the bed over my face, kissing my lips.


    Troy managed to get to the other side and started sucking my boobs. After Yorick finished, he pulled away, and Troy quickly took his ce. I felt incredibly well taken care of when Troy cleaned my pussy with a tissue before rubbing his dick over it.


    His cock slipped in with some difficulty. They not only had big biceps but also big dicks. I could tell they had agreed to be gentle with me. While Troy thrust inside me, Yorick sat behind me, wrapping his arms around me and gently massaging my breasts.


    After Troy finished, Haiden took over. I was already in pain, but the pleasure was so intense that I couldn¡¯t resist.


    However, I could tell this was just the beginning, and they didn¡¯t want to be too aggressive on the first night.


    "I¡¯m losing my mind," Haiden groaned as he came in the condom, and I moaned loudly.


    As the three finally finished, wey in bed. Suddenly, the door opened, and Ian walked in. I guess he never expected to see this, and I certainly didn¡¯t expect him to find us like this.


    I was shocked when he casually entered, his eyes meeting mine as he saw me in bed with the three naked Alphas.

 Chapter 247-Trick Or Trap

    <h4>Chapter 247: 247-Trick Or Trap</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The door opened, and Ian walked in. It was the most awkward moment ever. What happened between me and the others wasn¡¯t some kind of lifestyle choice, it just happened. Ian gave us a weird look for a few seconds before throwing his bag onto the bed from afar, then turned around and sprinted out the door.


    "Ugh, I think it was a little awkward for him," Haiden muttered, getting up from my side and quickly looking for his shorts.


    "Well then, it¡¯s better he left. Once we¡¯ve settled, he cane back," Yorickmented, getting off me and searching for his clothes.


    "I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t care about him or what he saw. I¡¯m just happy," Troy murmured as he cupped my face and pressed his lips against mine again, giving me a big smooch before pulling away and getting out of bed too.


    I¡¯d been too frozen to react or respond. All I remember is my body needingfort, and they gave it. Once they¡¯d dressed, I snuck out with a sheet wrapped around me and went to the bathroom.


    Thankfully, none of them made it awkward for me. But once I¡¯d showered, it took me a good half hour to gather the courage to leave.


    When I finally came out, I didn¡¯t expect Troy to still be in the room. He was smiling from ear to ear as he held his hand out to me.


    I¡¯d expected them to be jerks after sleeping with me, because that¡¯s what I¡¯d always heard men do. But there he was, smiling like a child, so innocently and sweetly.


    "Come on, hold my hand. I want to take you somewhere," he urged, making me slowly raise my hand and ce it in his.


    He held it tightly and started leading me out of the room.


    "Where are we going?" I asked.


    "The others were nning something for you, so I decided to steal the chance and n something first," he told me.


    Just because they¡¯d slept with me didn¡¯t mean they were going to stop chasing after me. The way he hurried me out of the dorm made it clear, the realpetition had just begun.


    We began running toward the woods, the area still under the academy.


    "But where are we going?" Iined, looking around. "I¡¯ve never been here before, actually."


    "You thought you were the only one who found unique ces?" Troy slowed down just to mention the phone booth before continuing to walk again.


    "Okay, I¡¯m gonna cover your eyes, but don¡¯t trip," he muttered, and I gave him a yful yet sharp look. The ce was messy. Even if I closed my eyes and tried to be careful, I¡¯d still trip over something. Thankfully, Troy realized it soon.


    He snapped his fingers and walked over to me.


    "Close your eyes," he said, still insisting I y along, so I did. As soon as I did, he lifted me into his arms. A little yelp escaped my lips, but it was drowned out by how tightly he held me. He carried me somewhere, and after about five minutes of walking, he finally set me down.


    "Open them," he murmured. I slowly opened my eyes, and what I saw left my jaw hanging. "What is this?" I asked, confused and stunned. It looked like something straight out of a fairy tale.


    This part of the woods was filled with fresh fruit trees. In the middle stood a small table and bench, almost like a pic spot. The overgrown vines had covered the bench, but they weren¡¯t dirty or old, they were fresh, with flowers blooming on top. Flowers with no thorns.


    "So I was thinking, how about we have a little feast here?" Troy suggested as he began picking fruit from the trees. There were different kinds of fruits, and seeing how excited he was to share them with me, I just sat down happily on the bench.


    Once he¡¯d collected enough, he sat on a half-cut tree trunk that looked like a bench.


    "Here," he said, rolling a mango gently in his hands to soften it before we shared it. After two mangoes, he handed one to me and kept one for himself.


    "You know, I¡¯ve been thinking about some things," he began, and after sitting with him like this for so long, with all the misconceptions finally cleared, it felt strange. It was like sitting with my best friend, but now we¡¯d taken a step forward in our rtionship.


    "About what?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation going, because every time silence filled the air, I was reminded of our intimate moment fromst night.


    "Do you remember that one night when you were at my ce and nobody knew? My stepmother came in, and I had to hide you under the bed."


    He reminded me of a distant memory though not too far from the day our friendship fell apart.


    "Yeah, it was around the same time, right?" I asked, and he nodded, sucking the juice from the mango before starting to eat what was left of it.


    "There was something that happened the next day," he continued.


    "After I dropped you off and went back home, I overheard my stepmother talking to someone on the phone. She kept going on about this girl. I didn¡¯t know who she meant, but after hearing your story about the kidnapping, all I could picture was you. Still, one thing she said stuck with me, and now it makes me feel uneasy. She mentioned something like, ¡¯She needs to be in the North, along with Troy.¡¯"


    As soon as he said my name and the North in the same sentence, my heart sank in my chest.


    And suddenly, we heard rustling around us. Both Troy and I jumped to our feet, scanning the area carefully.


    Troy and I exchanged a hand signal, letting each other know we were ready to fight whoever was here.


    However, it was getting hard to tell where the noise came from as one moment there was rustling behind one set of bushes, then a weird tapping on the other.


    Then we heard loud cackling from both sides. Honestly, it was the scariest cackling ever.


    "Good job bringing her here, Troy. Now we can get our hands on her easily," a voice said.

 Chapter 248-He Looks Shattered

    <h4>Chapter 248: 248-He Looks Shattered</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I rolled my eyes at the voices and stared at Troy, who grunted as well. That¡¯s when Yorick and Haiden burst out from behind the bushes, looking pissed.


    "What the heck?" Haiden barked, ring at Troy.


    "What? And who even shows up like that?" Troy shot back, irritated by how they appeared so suddenly.


    "I was about to attack you," Troy joked, though he wasn¡¯t entirely kidding. Even after North, we¡¯d be hyper-aware of our surroundings.


    "Well, then you shouldn¡¯t have stolen her from us," Yorick snapped, finally drawing the attention to himself.


    "I didn¡¯t steal her. Since you guys were nning something, I decided to n too. What¡¯s wrong with that?" Troy defended himself, giving a shrug.


    I sighed as I watched them argue again.


    "Hey, guys, let¡¯s not forget she hasn¡¯t picked anyone yet. She¡¯s given all three of us a chance, and we have to win her heart. Let¡¯s focus on the real issue," Haiden finally said, snapping out of it as he realized I didn¡¯t like their constant back and forth.


    "What main issue? Did something else happen?" I asked, and the three of them gave me a puzzled look.


    "Weren¡¯t we supposed to talk to Ian about what you heard? And the ringleaders asked us to meet them in the hall. I¡¯m guessing they¡¯ve returned and found out we caused some trouble," Yorick exined, reminding me that just because we¡¯de back didn¡¯t mean our mission was over.


    Still, I didn¡¯t know how I was going to talk to Ian. At the same time, I reasoned with myself: I hadn¡¯t given him a chance, and I hadn¡¯t let him fool me, so I guessed I was fine.


    I just wouldn¡¯t pay much attention to him for trying to start a rtionship with me, only to hurt me by sleeping with his ex.


    "Okay, let¡¯s go," I sighed tiredly. I really didn¡¯t want to deal with the ringleaders right now, but that was our life, we had to.


    We started walking together, and once we reached the main hall, I realized Ian was already there. There was a brief, awkward nce between us before we both looked away.


    I knew the state he¡¯d found me in. But he had no idea I¡¯d caught him in the same situation, even worse, actually. I hadn¡¯t fooled him, and I hadn¡¯t gloated about it after sleeping with my mates.


    The three ringleaders stood in their usual attire, but Miss Rue was missing the beautiful smile she always carried. She looked disappointed and upset.


    "Seeing you all here really makes me upset," she began with an obvious announcement. "First, Clementine was caught using the phone booth."


    As she paused, I noticed Ian turn slightly to nce at me.


    "And then she was sent to the mate she was missing and trying to call¡ªHaiden¡¯s vacation ce," she added.


    I saw the tension in Ian¡¯s shoulders. He always rolled them back and straightened his posture whenever something like this, or something that caught his attention, was brought up.


    "And then, when the three of you were together at the vacation spot, you caused such a ruckus that not one but two packs decided it was better you weren¡¯t there with them," she continued, shaking her head in disbelief.


    I guessed it was the first time Ian had heard what happened.


    "And sadly, because of you three, Ian and Yorick¡¯s vacations were cut short too," she added, taking long pauses between her words.


    "I understand, Clementine, you¡¯re feeling lonely. You should¡¯ve asked me. I would¡¯ve spoken with the headmaster to grant you a phone call or a visit to your mate." At that point, she looked straight at me, shaking her head to show how disappointed she was in me.


    "But that doesn¡¯t change anything, does it? Of course not," Mr. Rick cut in. He¡¯d never miss a chance to make me feel small. It seemed like he¡¯d been waiting for the moment he could call me out for what I¡¯d done.


    "I think Rick is right. Even if you¡¯d managed to get her on the call or send her away to Haiden, it wouldn¡¯t have changed anything. The oue would¡¯ve been the same. She¡¯d have gotten drunk and caused enough ruckus to ruin the vacation for even Haiden," Ms. Lenora muttered with a grunt.


    Sometimes she acted so strangely that I couldn¡¯t help but think she and Mr. Rick were either mates or twins but I knew they weren¡¯t rted.


    "I understand. Anyway, stress can do that to you. And she was drunk too."


    However, Miss Rue instantly defended me, and I felt bad for her. Whatever she was asked to do at the academy, she did it. And I could tell she also got a hard time from them for being so nice to everyone.


    "Anyway, it¡¯s very sad that all your vacations ended when you should¡¯ve been resting. However, it¡¯s going to get a little harder from here on," Miss Rue said. "Due to the mistakes made, it¡¯s been decided that all five of you will be punished in the hardest way until the others return."


    She finished her words and stepped back as Mr. Rick came forward.


    I sneakily exchanged nces with my three mates, the ones who knew why we hade back.


    We already had a feeling they¡¯d punish us in a way that would drag us away from spending too much time in the academy, which made us even more suspicious of them.


    Just as we expected, that¡¯s exactly what happened.


    "You¡¯ll be splitting woods and doing different kinds of chores around the woods and in the academy for the next fourteen days," Mr. Rick announced.


    "It¡¯ll start early in the morning and finish by evening. I hope no mistakes are made this time," Ms. Lenora added, gesturing for us to take our seats, eat, and then leave so we could wake up early for the hard chores.


    As soon as they sat down for their food and we sat down for ours, I noticed my mates giving me a nod, signaling me to talk to Ian.


    Their insistence was getting too much, and if I protested any further, they¡¯d probably realize something was wrong.


    So, I turned to speak with Ian. However, the moment I reluctantly shifted in my seat, Ian put his fork down and stood up.


    "I¡¯m not really hungry. I¡¯ll go to my room and rest," he announced to the ringleaders, and before they could ask him anything else, he walked out of the hall.

 Chapter 249-After Seeing Me With My Mates

    <h4>Chapter 249: 249-After Seeing Me With My Mates</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    That night, when we returned to our room, Ian had already fallen asleep, so there was no reason for us to talk about anything. Besides, we were exhausted from the journey and everything we¡¯d done, so we all went to bed.


    We were woken up as early as seven in the morning for breakfast. Our meals were packed into lunch boxes, and we were sent off to the woods. It felt like every time they got caught with some information, they came up with crazy tasks to divert attention, but this time, we were stubborn.


    Once we reached the woods, we noticed today¡¯s task written on a piece of paper hanging from one of the tree branches. Haiden grabbed the paper and started reading it.


    "Okay, we have to find fruits," he muttered, looking confused. He checked to see if it was a prank, then sighed. "Seriously, they just want to keep us away from the academy," he grumbled under his breath, eyeing the lurker standing in the distance.


    "Anyway, grab baskets. Everyone has a little slip inside that tells you which fruit you¡¯re supposed to pick," he exined.


    Honestly, it felt useless. We hadn¡¯t even eaten yet. We were just carrying our lunch boxes with us. When I picked up my basket, I saw that my fruit was strawberries. I hadn¡¯te across a strawberry tree in ages, so I had no clue where to go.


    The others had apples, bananas, and mixed ones. The apple ones were lucky, they¡¯d find theirs quickly. But we didn¡¯t know how many to collect because there were big buckets lined up for us to fill.


    "Hey, I have apples too," Troy told Haiden, giving him a high five.


    We started to spread out when Yorick turned to me and motioned for me to go after Ian.


    "His is strawberries too. You two have a reason to stick together, and let him know about the conversation you heard," he said.


    He probably suggested that because they knew Ian wouldn¡¯t talk nicely with them. They had no idea how to approach him, and they wanted me to exin what I¡¯d found out in my own words.


    I had a few more things to tell them too, especially about why the heck did the ringleaders talk about saving Ian and Yorick?


    I started walking behind Ian awkwardly and reluctantly. After a few minutes of silence, I noticed he began to slow down. He eventually stopped and turned around to face me, staring straight into my eyes.


    "Mine¡¯s strawberries too."


    I tried to divert the topic and break his intense gaze by showing him the small slip of paper that said I had to pick strawberries as well. But he didn¡¯t budge or start walking again, even when I passed him. Eventually, I slowed down, stopped, and turned back to face him.


    "What? If you don¡¯t want me toe with you, I¡¯ll just leave," I mumbled, walking back in the opposite direction from where I¡¯d started.


    But this time, he reached out and stopped me with the bucket in his hand.


    "So you¡¯ve decided to give them all a chance?" That was the first thing he said, and I gulped.


    "So?" I questioned, trying to sound nonchnt and find a reason why not.


    "All three of them? So what is it? They¡¯re sharing you?" he asked, his fist clenching around his basket nonstop.


    "No. I was in heatst night. But yes, I¡¯m open to letting them win my heart," I replied.


    The way he stepped back, scoffed, andughed made me feel so small, but I didn¡¯t react. I wanted to know what was bothering him. Why it was bothering him.


    "Right. Was it because¡ª" he paused, looking above my head, toward the trees, anywhere but at me.


    "Because of you?" I asked, and he finally lowered his gaze. He always had such a deadpan look, beautiful and scary at the same time.


    "You weren¡¯t ready to give me a chance," he said quietly. I smiled a little and nodded.


    "And I told you, you ruined the only thing that meant something to me," I reminded him.


    I could¡¯ve told him that I¡¯d seen him sleep with his ex, but I didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t want to look weak or let him think that my decision to sleep with my mates came from emotion¨Cthat I¡¯d done it because he got back with his ex. That would¡¯ve been unfair to the others, making it seem like I only gave them a chance after things with Ian fell apart.


    "Wasn¡¯t it Troy who brought your weakness, and then the others tore those pictures?" he asked, trying to drag me back into old memories.


    "Yeah, and I could¡¯ve fixed them too. They messed up, but they¡¯ve redeemed themselves, haven¡¯t they?" I asked. He tilted his head slightly while examining my face.


    "And I haven¡¯t?" he questioned, looking genuinely hurt.


    I wanted so badly to tell him no, that he was the biggest scum on earth who wanted to use me, but I stopped myself.


    "Ian, what do you want from me? You¡¯re the one who said you wouldn¡¯t chase after me. You¡¯re the one who told me you didn¡¯t want me. You¡¯re the one who hurt me. And I¡¯ve moved past that. I¡¯d really appreciate it if we didn¡¯t talk about me, my mates, or my bond, and instead focused on what¡¯s actually happening around us," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.


    I watched him clutch the basket tightly. Then, in one swift motion, he threw it. He tossed it so hard that the air whooshed as his arm moved.


    "Ian!" I snapped, grunting in frustration.


    He stepped closer, leaned down just slightly, and pointed a finger at my face.


    "You fucking don¡¯t understand," he hissed before straightening his back and walking away.


    "You¡¯re supposed to collect the strawberries!" I shouted after him, especially since a few lurkers had started to gather around.


    But Ian just raised his hand and flipped them all off before walking away. I had no idea where the hell he went.

 Chapter 250-Slut Shaming Me Now?

    <h4>Chapter 250: 250-Slut Shaming Me Now?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    It took me a while, but I managed to find the strawberries. I filled my first basket, ran back to the main ground, and tossed them into the bucket. I noticed the others had already filled theirs.


    However, they had found out that Ian had angrily stormed off, and we didn¡¯t have much time since we were supposed to head back to the academy by 1 p.m.


    They said we had more tasks to do there. I guess they realized they couldn¡¯t just leave us out in the open for too long. I don¡¯t know, something was up.


    My mates didn¡¯t ask what had happened between Ian and me. Thest time they checked, I was supposed to tell him about the mystery behind Bodhi¡¯s diary and what I¡¯d heard from the ringleaders.


    But they silently grabbed their baskets and ran after me, filling theirs with strawberries to help fill mine and Ian¡¯s buckets.


    I didn¡¯t put a single strawberry in Ian¡¯s bucket. I was done ying nice with him. I couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that he had tried to fool me, and thankfully, I caught him in the act.


    After a while, around 12:30, when we started gathering around the buckets again, we noticed Ian wasn¡¯t in sight.


    "Did you two argue?" Yorick asked softly.


    "He stormed off. He was in a bad mood," I replied, skipping over the argument we had.


    "Well, we have to go and fetch him," Yorick added.


    "Why? I mean, we helped him with the buckets. If he¡¯s gonna act like a child, he should be the one getting punished for it," Haiden disagreed, and Troy sided with him.


    "Besides, that guy¡¯s an asshole. We never know when he¡¯ll throw tantrums. He keeps himself at arm¡¯s length from us. Why do we need to get so close to him anyway?" Troy remarked with little bodynguage, shrugging and rolling his eyes.


    Yorick and I kept staring at each other. I¡¯d noticed Yorick was usually quiet but more capable of acting like me than the others.


    "He is sometimes a fool. Then I¡¯ll go and find him. It¡¯s okay, you guys stay here," Yorick said, making me clench my fists and look away.


    He waited a moment, taking slow steps away. I guess he suspected I¡¯d follow, because usually, I would.


    If anyone was in danger, I¡¯d be right beside whoever went to rescue them. This time, I wasn¡¯t. It¡¯s not like Ian was a child who didn¡¯t know where to go.


    The next fifteen minutes were hard to get through because I was worried about Yorick. He was supposed to be near his bucket when the clock struck 1 p.m., and I didn¡¯t want him to get punished for Ian.


    Thankfully, before time ran out, Ian and Yorick walked back. I noticed the two were whispering awkwardly before they came into view. Suddenly, Ian gestured at him, and Yorick stopped talking.


    I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one who caught it, because Troy instantly turned to look at me, making sure one of us had seen it too. From the way I looked back at him, I could tell he realized I¡¯d noticed just as much.


    As the clock struck 1 p.m., we started walking back to the academy. None of us had eaten breakfast. By the time we reached the room, Troy and Haiden were tearing into their lunch boxes.


    Yorick sat by the window, eating quietly, while Ian had left his lunch box on the side table, empty. I guessed he¡¯d already eaten beforeing back.


    I opened mine but could barely stomach anything. There were too many thoughts in my head.


    "Okay, guys, we have to clean the entire academy," Yorick sighed, handing us another piece of paper that had been left in our rooms.


    However, I noticed one more thing. Once again, I was paired with Ian to clean all the passages. I didn¡¯t know if it was done deliberately or without thought.


    Maybe they realized that when I was with the others, I caused trouble, and when I was with Ian, we were silent.


    Ian came out of the bathroom, already showered. After that, we took our turns, then grabbed our mops to start cleaning the passages.


    The others were assigned to the main hall and then to separate rooms to clean under the ringleaders¡¯ supervision.


    We started from my hall, and I noticed Ian wasn¡¯t doing anything. He had put his mop down and leaned against the pir, staring outside at the trees.


    "Ian, a little help would be nice," I remarked after having enough of his attitude.


    He only shrugged, not even responding to me.


    "I¡¯m gonna go and file aint against you," I threatened, watching himugh without looking back at me.


    "You¡¯re so stubborn, Ian, and then you ask why I gave my other mates a chance and not you." I stomped my foot angrily. He was so unbearable at times that I wanted to w at his face, his back, his chest, everywhere.


    He looked at me, breaking his stare from the trees, and smirked.


    "So if I behaved, would you have given me a chance? Is that what you¡¯re saying?" he asked.


    Before I could deny it or say something more hurtful, he raised his palm.


    "Don¡¯t answer. I¡¯m not the one who stands in line andpetes with others. I¡¯m not the one who enjoys watching his mate get fucked by others while he waits for his turn. So go on, enjoy whatever you¡¯re doing with them. I¡¯m out of the equation, and I¡¯m walking myself out."


    He spoke harshly, his wordsced with insult. I stared at his face in silence before I began to blink hard to get rid of the tears.


    "What? You¡¯re gonna cry about it because I told you the truth? Somebody has to tell you. Do you think these guys respect you after what you didst night?" he continued, making me clench my fists.


    "All the respect I felt for you, Clementine¨C it¡¯s gone now. You¡¯re just like the others." His words caused so much agony that it became hard for me to breathe.

 Chapter 251-The Bite Mark

    <h4>Chapter 251: 251-The Bite Mark</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    As soon as he said that, I threw the mop and ran off, trying to get as far away from him as possible. I ended up in the woods, but I didn¡¯t stop. I didn¡¯t know why it hurt so much. Probably because he was the one talking about respect.


    Did he ever respect me? So just because his chances were gone, now he wanted to hurt me?


    And I wished I hadn¡¯t been so full of emotion. I should¡¯ve stayed and reminded him that I¡¯d seen him with the same woman he had broken up with. I should¡¯ve put him in his ce too.


    "But you didn¡¯t. You just ran away like a coward," Mint grunted at me.


    "I know. I wish I could¡¯ve told him, ¡¯You asshole, it¡¯s not like you wanted anyone different. You were reluctant to chase me, but you were so happily chasing the woman you¡¯re nowparing me to, the ones who cheat and sleep with whoever they want.¡¯" I hissed, finally saying the right things, but only in front of my wolf, so they didn¡¯t hold much power.


    "And why the fuck are you crying? It¡¯s not like you did anything wrong. There¡¯s a difference between you sleeping with others. It¡¯s not others ¡ª they¡¯re your mates. He is your mate. They all are," Mint tried to reassure me.


    And I guess somewhere along the line, afterst night, I had been so shaken that I just fell into my emotions.


    I should¡¯ve been happy. I was with my mates. But I was scared¡ª scared of giving them a chance and ending up like Ian.


    "I did wrong. I didn¡¯t fight him back. I didn¡¯t tell him the truth that would make him realize I knew he wasn¡¯t such a great person," I argued with my wolf as I fell to my knees and grunted.


    I was tired¡ªso tired of people trying to manipte me. But more than anything, I was hurt that Ian turned out to bepletely different from what I¡¯d expected him to be.


    All this time, he¡¯d kept himself hidden from everyone. The truth about him, about his character was hidden from me too. Kudos to him for being clever enough to hide everything and y me so well.


    "So now you¡¯re going toe here and cry, just so anyone who sees us thinks I¡¯m the bad guy?" Ian snapped.


    I was stunned when Ian followed me. Thankfully, he did, because I was finally going to tell him what a scumbag he really was.


    I jumped to my feet and faced him, not like a culprit, but like the confident woman I am.


    "I¡¯m d you came, because you escaped my wrath before," I hissed.


    The wind suddenly grew worse, but I was determined to speak my mind. He, however, looked calm with his hands in his parents¡¯ pockets, a wide smile on his lips. That smile was both taunting and creepy.


    "Really? I¡¯m all ears," he taunted, tapping his foot on the ground.


    "I caught you with her." That was all I said before I noticed his smile starting to fade. "I came to your hotel and saw you in the room with her. You were with her, saying all the things you promised you¡¯d never say to me."


    I hissed, clenching my fists and locking eyes with him, demanding he not dare to break the contact. He didn¡¯t look confident anymore. The smile on his lips was long gone.


    "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about," he muttered quickly, shaking his head and breaking eye contact like the coward he was.


    "I don¡¯t care what you say. I saw you. You fucking yed me, Ian. And no, I¡¯m not ashamed of sleeping with my mates. I¡¯m not a man-whore like you, someone who sleeps with a person who isn¡¯t even their mate. So no, if there¡¯s anyone characterless here, it¡¯s you."


    I hissed, pointing at his chest, watching as he slowly lowered his head to my finger, then looked back into my eyes.


    "And I¡¯m going to be very happy with my mates, because they¡¯re nothing like you. They¡¯re not cowards or spineless creatures. Didn¡¯t your girlfriend sleep with your brother? Now I know why, maybe once in a while she wanted a real man in bed."


    As soon as I said it, I watched a smirk spread across his lips. I couldn¡¯t understand what he found so funny.


    "You¡¯re hurt," he stated coldly. "And now I know why you slept with your mates. Because you were hurt by me. You only picked them because of me."


    That victorious smile on his lips knocked the world out from under my feet. I stumbled back, grunting, then clenched my fists and lunged at him again. This time, I shoved him.


    "No, I didn¡¯t! You¡¯re fucking scum! I never felt anything for you, you asshole!" I hissed, pushing him again and again as tears burned my eyes.


    I knew confronting him was a mistake. He¡¯d twist it against me. That¡¯s how much he¡¯d broken my trust, I knew he¡¯d do anything to destroy my peace.


    But what he did nextpletely stunned me. He suddenly rushed at me, grabbing my arms and pulling me against him. It happened so fast I couldn¡¯t fight back.


    Before I knew it, he had dragged me close enough to look straight into his eyes. His grip was rough, his touch was so harsh.


    He leaned toward my face and muttered, "If you¡¯re not mine, you¡¯ll never be theirs."


    That was all he said before he grabbed the back of my hair and yanked my head back. He did it effortlessly, with brutal strength. My ws shot out, my nails digging into his chest as I let Mint take over to fight him off.


    But the way he grabbed my wrist, pushed me to the ground, and came on top of me. I had never faced anything this strong before.


    "What the fuck are you doing? Have you lost your mind?"


    I fought to push him off me, trying my best to break free, but he pinned my hands above my head.


    For a moment, I didn¡¯t know whether to fight him with words or let Mint out, because Mint kept getting pushed further down. His aura had turned so dark.


    Then, within seconds, he buried his face into my neck. Before I knew it, a sharp pain tore through my skin.


    Realization hit me. He was marking me¡ªby force.

 Chapter 252-The Mark Hurts

    <h4>Chapter 252: 252-The Mark Hurts</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    My neck started to tingle, and my senses went numb. My wolf couldn¡¯t transition during the marking. I grimaced in pain; I never thought a mark could hurt so much.


    I¡¯d heard stories, everyone said a mate¡¯s mark felt like heaven. But I guess because I was reluctant, it didn¡¯t feel pleasant at all.


    In fact, I wanted to throw him off, rip him away, and beat the hell out of him. But he clung to me, making sure I couldn¡¯t move until he¡¯d finished marking me. Then he pulled back, snapped his head up, and startedughing, his canines still showing.


    That¡¯s when I shoved him away. But the damage was already done. I slid back, touching my neck and feeling the blood. The realization hit hard.


    "What the fuck?" I screamed at him as loud as I could. "What the fuck have you done?"


    I screamed again, and only then did he realize it wasn¡¯t a joke. He stopped acting strange and dropped to his knees, staring at me.


    "You fucking marked me against my will!" I yelled, getting up and lunging at him.


    This time, he didn¡¯t fight back. He fell onto his back, his arms wrapping around me as I sat on top of him. My legs straddled his waist. I hit him once, twice, three times, but every time he lifted his upper body, still clutching my back.


    I hated his touch. I pped his hands away, but he kept grabbing me, refusing to let go. I cried, hitting him over and over until my knuckles were bruised and smeared with his blood.


    "What the fuck is going on here?"


    A voice snapped me back to reality, but it didn¡¯t stop me. I kept going at Ian until two strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me off him.


    "What¡¯s going on?"


    Troy stepped into view, ncing at Ian, who nowy on the ground, one knee bent, the other leg stretched out casually. His body was propped up on his elbows, and he stared at me with a bloody face.


    "What the fuck did you do?"


    Yorick rushed in, grabbing Ian by the cor. But Ian pped his hand away, warning him with his eyes not to try anything.


    "But what happened? Weren¡¯t you two supposed to clean the passage? How did you end up here? And what¡¯s going on?" Troy questioned Ian, who now sat up and wiped his finger under his lip, checking the blood before shaking his head.


    Haiden stood behind me, while I was still struggling in his grip, trying to break free.


    "I will fucking murder you, you asshole!" I screamed, still fighting to reach Ian. But Haiden held me tight.


    "What the fuck is going on? Would you say something?" Yorick hissed at Ian, stepping forward and shoving him to get his attention.


    "Let me tell you what this fucker did," I snapped.


    That¡¯s when Haiden finally let me go. Maybe he realized holding me back was only making me angrier. As soon as he released me, I turned to him and motioned with my hand that it was fine, he didn¡¯t have to stop me, that I wouldn¡¯t attack again.


    "He marked me."


    The moment I said it, I wasn¡¯t the one Ian needed to worry about anymore. My three mates unleashed on him.


    Thunder rolled above us. I looked up. Red clouds filled the sky.


    Then I looked down, and saw my mates fighting Ian.


    Troy lunged from the side, wing at Ian¡¯s chest. But Ian swung his arm and threw him off. Yorick came next, striking from behind and biting his shoulder.


    Ian twisted his arm back, grabbed the back of Yorick¡¯s neck, and hunched down, flipping him over his shoulder and mming him to the ground.


    He stomped on Yorick¡¯s chest, then dodged to the side, narrowly missing Haiden¡¯s punch.


    Everything turned chaotic. I stood frozen, until I noticed movement in the distance, lurkers were beginning to appear.


    I rushed to Haiden and pulled him back, then pushed Yorick away before stepping in to stop Troy from attacking Ian again.


    "Stop it. Let it go. He¡¯s an asshole," I hissed. But my eyes must have told them I was more worried about the lurkers showing up and causing trouble than anything else.


    Ian started to chuckle, and we all turned to him. I was shocked he could stillugh.


    "You guys should listen to her since she¡¯s your master," he taunted my mates.


    Haiden lunged at him again, but I pressed my hands against his chest, stopping Ian once more.


    "This is what he wants. He wants you to attack him so the lurkers can punish you," I reminded him that Ian only meant trouble.


    "How can you be so calm about it? You fucking marked our mate! Do you not understand what you¡¯ve done?" Yorick shouted, his voice shaking with emotion.


    "Even the thought of it makes me go crazy," Troy added, backing Yorick up.


    "You know what? Let¡¯s tell the headmaster. Let¡¯s see how they respond to his arrogance. Everyone knows she¡¯s my mate. Once they find out he marked her, it¡¯ll change how they see this asshole," Haiden hissed.


    I clenched my jaw. I agreed with them, but something inside told me it wouldn¡¯t go that smoothly. And the way Ian started to chuckle confirmed it.


    "What would you tell them? That she¡¯s your mate? That she¡¯s only mated with you?" he asked.


    The moment those words left his mouth, my spine stiffened. Ian caught the look of fear on my face and smirked.


    "Yes. I¡¯ll tell them she¡¯s just my mate," Haiden replied, not recognizing the threat behind Ian¡¯s tone.


    "And if you think we¡¯ll be scared of you, we won¡¯t. We¡¯ll deny it. When you use us of being her mates, we¡¯ll simply say it¡¯s not true."


    Yorick thought he had everything under control, but that wasn¡¯t what Ian was hinting at.


    Because then Ian smirked and softly said, "What about me? I won¡¯t lie to them."


    As soon as he said that, my mates turned toward me, while I stood frozen, staring at Ian in disbelief.


    "Why? You didn¡¯t tell your mates that I¡¯m also your mate?" Ian asked, locking his gaze with mine.


    Gasps filled the air.

 Chapter 253-The Mate That Broke My Faith

    <h4>Chapter 253: 253-The Mate That Broke My Faith</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    All eyes were on me now, and I felt judged. It was wrong of Ian to tell them when it should have been me. I wished I had. I was respecting Ian¡¯s decision not to tell, and this is how he repaid me.


    "Is it true?" Troy asked from the side while I kept ring at Ian.


    Ian made a casual hand gesture, reminding me that my mate had asked a question and I should answer him.


    "What do you mean by ¡¯is it true¡¯? Obviously, Ian is lying," Haiden growled, stepping up beside me and moving into my view.


    As soon as he demanded eye contact, I looked down and clenched my fists.


    "Why didn¡¯t you tell us?" Yorick asked. I guessed he took my silence as an admission of guilt.


    I took a deep breath and turned to face them all.


    "Because it was Ian¡¯s decision. When he didn¡¯t tell any of you, I didn¡¯t either. I¡¯m not going to talk about my mate bond with him when it means nothing to either of us," I hissed, finally admitting it happened, but not because I was ashamed or being secretive.


    "That¡¯s not the only reason she didn¡¯t tell you," Ian said, rubbing his palms together.


    All eyes shifted to him again. I had no clue what was wrong with him. How far was he willing to go before I finally concluded he was a scumbag?


    "What do you mean?" Yorick questioned him.


    "You must think she epted you and left me out," Ian said. "But that¡¯s not the truth. She didn¡¯t ept you until she was sure I was no longer an option."


    He rubbed the blood from under his nose with his fingers, then shook his hand to the side, wiping his finger clean.


    "Now you¡¯re taking it too far," Troy hissed, stepping forward to attack again, but Ian grunted at him.


    "And why don¡¯t you ask her why she picked the same day to sleep with you all when she came to my pack and saw me with my ex?" Ian taunted.


    My eyes shut. I knew the others were watching me now.


    "Clementine, what is he talking about?" Troy asked gently, touching my elbow to turn me toward him. But I pulled my arm away, my fists clenching.


    "But you said you never met him," Yorick reminded me.


    I opened my eyes to see Haiden standing to the side, his back to Ian, his eyes fixed on me. He just stood there, silently watching.


    "That¡¯s because she was heartbroken," Ian continued. "She was never going to ept you. She slept with you out of anger. Otherwise, do you think she couldn¡¯t control a little body heat?" he sneered.


    He kept going. There was no stopping him. He didn¡¯t understand he was making me ufortable. That after cheating on me, he had no right to punish me for sleeping with my mates. But the way he was exposing everything, it felt exactly like that.


    "Clementine, is it true? Were you not epting us because of him?" Haiden finally spoke.


    My eyes shifted from Ian to Haiden. As much as I wanted to lie, I realized it had gone too far.


    "Please, tell me," he pressed, his tone softening. "Was there a part of you holding back because of Ian?"


    I felt strange, hurt and angry at myself, that I couldn¡¯t even respond to my mates. But my silence gave it away, revealing the answer I dreaded to give them.


    "Well, you shouldn¡¯t have marked her by force," Yorick said, his voice heavy with emotion. It seemed like he had to convince himself to defend me after everything he¡¯d just heard.


    At that point, I didn¡¯t want them to suffer because of me, so I took a deep breath and nned to walk away.


    "You don¡¯t need to stick up for me," I said softly, reminding my mates they had every reason to be upset with me.


    "Reject him."


    That¡¯s when Troy demanded, and I turned to look at him.


    "What?" Ian barked, his voice too loud.


    "I said, reject him," Troy repeated. "So that he suffers the same way he made you suffer by marking you without your permission." He red straight into Ian¡¯s eyes.


    Even Haiden turned around, his back now to me.


    "He¡¯s right. Reject him," Haiden ordered, and even Yorick stepped forward.


    The three of them now stood in front of me, side by side, facing Ian.


    Ian looked at them one by one before he started to shake his head and chuckle.


    "And you think I¡¯ll let that happen? She can reject me, but I¡¯ll never reject her. And you know what will happen then?" He smirked. "She¡¯s marked by me. I¡¯ll go and tell the ringleaders what you¡¯ve all been up to. I¡¯ll tell them everything even about the mate bond and the mark I left on her neck. Everything."


    Ian¡¯s threat made everyone tense up. Even I knew what it meant. If I rejected him while he refused to ept it, nothing would change. The bond would still stand.


    With that, Ian turned around and started to walk away.


    Once he walked away, I straightened my back, took a few steps forward, and turned to face my mates.


    "I¡¯m sorry," I said.


    "It¡¯s of no use now. What¡¯s done is done. It¡¯s like we¡¯re being punished for mistreating you in the past¨Cin a way that makes us feel used," Yorick said, his voice shaky.


    His tone revealed how much pain he was in, and I honestly hated it.


    "I didn¡¯t use you. I was in body heat, and I didn¡¯t initiate anything out of anger," I said, trying to exin myself now that Ian was gone.


    However, my silence had already given it away because it was also true. I hadn¡¯t epted any of them because I was waiting to talk to Ian. I didn¡¯t even know what kind of talk, but I was waiting.


    "And it¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t like you guys," I continued. "I was just waiting to talk about the mate bond with Ian. Because if I¡¯m going to pick one, it¡¯s only logical for all of them to have a discussion with me first."


    I tried to exin, but I could tell they felt awkward, sad, and, like Haiden and Yorick said, used.


    "It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll find a way to free you from that mark," Haiden said, not even making eye contact with me.


    "Let¡¯s go back to the room. It¡¯s getting cold. The storm will settle in a few minutes," Troy added, gesturing for me to walk ahead of them.


    Everything had turned into a mess within a matter of hours. And I med Ian and partly myself for it.

 Chapter 254-Fighting The Lurkers

    <h4>Chapter 254: 254-Fighting The Lurkers</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After we returned to the room, I went straight to the bathroom to take a shower. The mark on my neck looked strange. The bite was huge, and even the canine marks were so big they¡¯d turned blue and red.


    I thought about Ian¡¯s wolf. In that moment, his wolf radiated such a negative vibe, something dark and unsettling, that it scared me. It was something different, something I might have felt in the North before, though I couldn¡¯t recall when.


    After I showered and changed into a ck shirt and loose ck pants, I walked out of the bathroom, my hair still wet. Everyone else looked anxious and upset, while Ianyfortably on the bed, his arm draped over his eyes, shaking his leg like he¡¯d done nothing wrong, and it angered me.


    I stood there, ring at him. From the corner of my eye, I saw Troy watching me, then the others too.


    "Clementine, go back to your bed and rest," Haiden whispered from the side, reminding me not to do anything stupid.


    But I kept staring at Ian, unable to get over the fact that not only had he hurt me, but he¡¯d also forced his mark on me.


    "Clementine," Troy called, trying to break my re from Ian.


    At that point, Ian moved his arm from his eyes, ncing toward Troy to see what was going on. Then he followed Troy¡¯s gaze and saw me standing at the foot of his bed.


    Before Ian could react, I jumped on the bed, climbed on top of him, and wrapped my fingers around his neck.


    "Hey, hey, knock it off!" Haiden shouted, rushing over to pull me off Ian.


    But Ian caught my arms and flipped me over before anyone could reach us, pinning me beneath him.


    "Let her fucking go!" Troy hissed, trying to pry Ian¡¯s hands away as Ian forcefully tightened his grip around my fists, pinning them above my head. He pressed down on me, making sure I couldn¡¯t move.


    The others tried to pull him off, but he wouldn¡¯t budge. His eyes stayed locked on mine, his face so close I could feel his breath against my skin.


    "What do you think you¡¯re doing, huh? You think you can wrap those fragile little fingers around my neck and kill me? You have no idea who you¡¯re messing with, Clementine. So ept my love and be grateful that I¡¯m willing to give you affection instead of hatred," he muttered, his voice low and sharp.


    I struggled beneath him, but he had me pinned like a brick wall. Even the others couldn¡¯t pull him away.


    "You heard me?" he hissed.


    "I¡¯d rather take your hatred and be your enemy than your lover and your mate," I shot back in the same tone, my voice full of anger and disgust.


    He didn¡¯t look pleased with my response.


    "Well then, bring it on. I think it¡¯ll be fun watching you crumble and cry in front of me," heughed, while the others kept trying to pull him off me.


    They finally managed to free his arm and drag him away. That¡¯s when Yorick slipped beside me. Ian yanked me out of his bed and forced me to stand on my feet.


    That¡¯s when Troy attacked Ian. The two started punching each other nonstop. Things got heated and ugly in the dorm room, and I should¡¯ve known this would happen one day because of Ian.


    As Troy and Haiden joined in, we suddenly heard a loud scream that froze everyone. The raised fists hung in midair, and the heavy breaths turned silent. I bet everyone even stopped breathing, and their hearts must have skipped a beat like mine did. That¡¯s how agonizing and full of pain the scream was.


    "Let me go!" the voice shouted again. "You think you can fucking bring me here and everything will be over? No!" She kept screaming and crying.


    I recognized the voice. Shocked and confused, I rushed toward the door. As soon as I opened it, we all ran out. Ian took a little longer to follow, though I didn¡¯t know why.


    We stood in the passage, staring at the lurkers dragging one of our crusaders back in the most heart-wrenching way.


    "Let me go!" Oriana screamed even louder. Her legs gave out beneath her, she wasn¡¯t even trying to walk. She pressed all her weight down, resisting as hard as she could to stop them from bringing her back to the academy.


    We immediately ran toward them, trying to see what was happening and why they were bringing Oriana in such a state. It looked not only disrespectful but also confusing.


    If she had the same kind of punishment as us where her vacation ended abruptly shouldn¡¯t they have brought in her other group members too? Why was she the only one being dragged like that?


    As soon as we reached the red passageway, we watched the lurkers drag Oriana along the ground by her arms. We stood in a line, blocking them from moving forward. Ian didn¡¯t join us. It was just the rest of us, the sane ones.


    "Let her go!" Haiden yelled.


    Oriana looked at us, but it seemed she¡¯d been crying for a while. Her eyes were swollen shut. She managed to get on her knees but didn¡¯t stand, still crying in a heartbreaking way. It didn¡¯t seem like she was crying because they¡¯d brought her here, it felt like the cry of loss, of mourning.


    The lurkers didn¡¯t respond. One of them pulled out a gun.


    "If you think that will scare us¡ª" As soon as Troy said that, the lurker shot him in the shoulder, and his body jerked back.


    "What the fuck!" Yorick screamed, leaping at the lurker.


    The lurker started to pull out another weapon, aiming at Yorick. But Yorick shifted into his wolf so fast that he was already on top of the lurker.


    The others dropped Oriana and went for Yorick, trying to pull him off. At that point, I jumped in, kicking one of the lurkers and shoving another away from Yorick.


    It turned into chaos quickly where Haiden and Troy joined as well.

 Chapter 255-The Broken Hopes And Wishes

    <h4>Chapter 255: 255-The Broken Hopes And Wishes</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    "And my pride is back home again," my father said, pointing at me as a tear formed in his eyes. I knew why. He had to send me away because there was a call for me, specifically for me. I knew that if it were up to him, he would have chosen my stepbrother instead.


    Ronin was the son of my father¡¯s elder brother and his mate. When his father passed away, my father married his mate, having felt a mate bond with her.


    He adopted Ronin and took him under his wing. We grew up together, and I soon realized Ronin was just a mischievous piece of shit. We had so many disagreements, and I honestly hated him.


    There wasn¡¯t a single day Ronin didn¡¯t make my life miserable. That¡¯s how I started making mistakes, one after another. My anger knew no limits. Even when my father warned me not to mess up or do anything that would cost me everything, I didn¡¯t listen, until the orders came that the council wanted me at the academy.


    I realized that had been Ronin and his mother¡¯s n all along. But it was toote. I was sent away, stripped of the love, appreciation, and royal titles I¡¯d always had when living in my pack.


    "Thank you, Father," I said with a smile. But my smile faded quickly because I knew this dinner in the prestigious suite would onlyst a few days. Then I¡¯d be back in the North, and who knew if I¡¯d ever return.


    It wasn¡¯t like I had good friends there, no one who¡¯d ride or die for me except Clementine. I tried to be worthy of her friendship, but she always looked at me with judgment, always trying to prove me wrong, even about Valerie¡¯s situation.


    I was scared of being left behind if I didn¡¯t have a baby, so I took one and left her there. She should have waited. She was a crusader. When the bus came back, she should¡¯ve been able to save herself. But no. She died and got me in trouble.


    Although I lied about the bullying and everything, I only did it because I wanted someone to love me, to care for me. Even when I didn¡¯t show it, I was terrified deep down.


    Then I saw what happened to Suki. It was horrifying. I wondered why. She had two people with her, Joshua and Jack. The point was to stay with Clementine¡¯s group. None of their squadmates had died yet, so maybe they were the strongest. But for how long? How long could we survive? Others had died before us.


    "Oriana, you aren¡¯t eating," my father said softly, cing his hand on mine. I started to sniffle.


    "It¡¯s nothing," I said, trying to hold back my tears. I took a bite of pasta, forcing a small smile. But my father kept smiling at me, watching my face. Everyone noticed.


    So I stopped eating and looked back at him, wondering why he was staring at me with so much love in his eyes.


    "I know my daughter is worried about going back there," he began. "But don¡¯t you worry. You¡¯re not going back."


    The moment he said that, the sadness, grief, pain, and fear started to fade. But then I noticed Ronin quickly turning to his mother, Lady Amelia, the most toxic, poisonous woman ever.


    "I¡¯m not?" I asked in confusion. Suddenly, I stopped thinking about the North. If my father could keep me home, I¡¯d be so happy. My worries wouldn¡¯t be about monsters, the North, or weapons but about what to wear next, which brand was trending.


    I kept watching my father¡¯s face with excitement.


    "Yeah, although they asked me to pay a heavy price, I¡¯m ready to do it. I won¡¯t let my daughter go there and die in the North," my father said firmly.


    My eyes widened, and a huge smile spread across my face. I couldn¡¯t wait to go onest time, to fetch my stuff, meet the crusaders, and remind them that whenever I said my father loved me and theyughed, I was never wrong. My father did love me¡ªa lot.


    "What are you saying, Victor? What did you offer them?" Lady Amelia looked so upset that she began questioning my father¨Cher mate, though they barely got along.


    I guessed my father married her just so he could have a mate and give his brother¡¯s wife a ce to stay. Usually, fallen Beta, Gamma, or omega mates didn¡¯t get much respect or a proper home.


    "It doesn¡¯t concern you, and it doesn¡¯t matter what I offered them. No amount of money, jewels, diamonds, property, or titles is worth sending my daughter back to that hell," my father dered, mming his hand on the table to silence everyone.


    I knew my father loved me, but I didn¡¯t know he loved me that much. I instantly stood up and rushed to hug him, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. He hugged me back.


    "Oh, my child, I had great dreams for you. I want you to get married, to have children. I can¡¯t tolerate you going back to the North to suffer," my father said, breaking the hug so he could cup my face and kiss my forehead before pulling me close again.


    Honestly, my life was nothing without my dad, and once again, he had proven he could do anything he wanted. I wondered what he had given them in exchange for my freedom.


    "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the right decision. She¡¯s been to the North. Her mind and heart must have been corrupted," Lady Amelia said, still having the nerve to try and convince my father to stop me.


    My smile began to fade, and I turned to look at my father, wondering if he would listen to her. However, he raised his hand to silence her.


    "Nobody will fucking talk about my daughter again. And no, nothing will make me send my daughter back to the North," my father snapped.


    I said nothing. My father had decided, and my smile returned. I was never going back to the North. Never.


    Present time.


    I was being dragged mercilessly by the lurkers back to the academy.

 Chapter 256-I Demanded Rejection

    <h4>Chapter 256: 256-I Demanded Rejection</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "So we give you a little bit of respect, and this is what you do, attack our lurkers?" The headmaster muttered, tapping his fingers on the hard surface of the table as he sat across from us.


    The four of us had been arrested and brought before the headmaster, while Ian stayed behind, of course, since he hadn¡¯t participated in anything.


    "I¡¯m so sorry, but it was a nerve impulse," I started, noticing how the headmaster turned to give me a full head-to-toe nce.


    "I¡¯m sorry if that upset them, but all we saw was our crusader getting attacked, and it took us back to the north," I mumbled, partly honest, partly lying only because they weren¡¯t honest either.


    And of course, with a statement like that, it¡¯s not as if they could attack us for it. They wanted us to be present for our crusaders. How could they expect us to close our eyes when one of us was being dragged around like that?


    "We¡¯d like to know what happened. Why was she disrespected this way?" Haiden spoke up, questioning the headmaster, who had been watching us intently.


    "Well, just like you, she broke the rules," he replied. "She was returned to the academy, and she even refused toe back. That¡¯s why she was being¡ª" His voice wavered oddly, as if something was off. This was how he always spoke, but I could never get used to it.


    "Why weren¡¯t her other squadmates returned like we were?" Yorick questioned.


    "Because no family said she deserved to leave. She just had no reason to stay there anymore," the headmaster said before straightening his back in the seat.


    "Anyway, since you¡¯ve all been so eager to fight, I¡¯ve decided that while the others return, we¡¯ll arrange another task for you up north."


    Those words from the headmaster scared me deeply. They reminded me of the things the ringleaders had said about us, especially that they thought it would¡¯ve been better if we had died, since we were causing trouble.


    And now that we truly were causing trouble, I wondered what would be of it.


    "But why? That¡¯s unfair," Troy stuttered, trying to reason with the man hiding behind arge hat and a mask covering his mouth.


    "You should¡¯ve thought about that before. The way you were acting, it seemed like you weren¡¯t afraid of anything¡ªthat no amount of punishment was scary enough for you. So, since you¡¯ve been retaliating so much, we¡¯ve decided to do the same to show you. If you want, we can punish you even harder. Now, dismiss."


    As the headmaster waved his hand at us, the lurkers barged in, almost as if they had been on call with him the whole time, listening to the conversation and waiting for his signal. They stood around us, a clear sign that it was time for us to go.


    Once we left his office, we were taken back to the academy, where we found Ian waiting for us at the doorstep of our dorm room.


    "I heard what you guys did, and I heard about the punishment," he muttered, probably because he had juste back from the hall, where Miss Rue must have told him that we¡¯d be returning to the North soon.


    "So you guys couldn¡¯t control yourselves and got me in trouble too. Not only did you cut my vacation short, but now, because of you, I¡¯ll be going back to the north," he almost screamed, so angry that we were all taken aback by his reaction.


    "Oh please, if that worries you, then we¡¯re so d we¡¯re going back to the North," Troymented, brushing past his shoulder and stepping into the dorm room, but he made sure to get Ian¡¯s attention as he did.


    Yorick blocked me as we walked inside, making sure I was on the other side with him between Ian and me. He did it casually, not trying to make it obvious.


    "And this time, we¡¯ll make sure you never return from the North. This is what you get for forcibly marking my mate," Haiden added, grunting angrily as he followed us into the room.


    "Don¡¯t give me ideas," Ianmented, suddenly sounding rxed. But his words made all of us turn and re at him.


    While everyone was settling down, I faced Ian again, looking him straight in the eye.


    "Reject me," I demanded.


    He paused dramatically, almost like he was about to bump into me, but I knew I¡¯d been cautious.


    "Step aside, Redhead. I¡¯m not in the mood to argue with anyone. First, you guys ruined my vacation, then nned a trip to the North, and now you want me to reject you. What, you want me to suffer all at once?" hemented, purposely trying to annoy me, knowing full well that I was aware he didn¡¯t give a damn about our mate bond.


    He dodged past me and went to the bathroom. I stood there for a few seconds before turning around to face Yorick.


    "What were you two talking about back when you left to find him?" I asked Yorick about the strawberry collection task. He probably didn¡¯t expect me to ask that because he froze for a few seconds, then pouted.


    "Yeah, dude, we saw you talking to him. What was it about?" Troy joined in, making sure he couldn¡¯t escape our questions.


    "Okay, fine. He asked me not to tell you guys before, but now that he¡¯s fucking marked my mate by force, I¡¯m not keeping his secrets anymore," Yorick admitted, making it clear why he was finally ready to expose him.


    And we were all ears.


    "Actually, I found him passed out near the border."


    As soon as Yorick said that, something clicked in my mind, something that made me want to dig deeper. But I didn¡¯t know what it was or why it made me so uneasy. Because I remembered, after he passed out was when we met again, and he was being really rude to me. Why?

 Chapter 257-They Watch Us In North

    <h4>Chapter 257: 257-They Watch Us In North</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Since others will return in some time, Oriana will be staying in your room," Miss Rue informed us as she let Oriana in.


    We had just woken up when we were told that Oriana would be staying with us. She looked dull as she entered, with bags under her eyes, swollen lids, and a red nose. She seemed timid, not the Oriana we knew. No branded clothes, just an old sweater and a worn tracksuit.


    She walked in with her arms stiff, hands clenched into fists, shoulders tucked in, and head down. Then she stepped aside, finding a ce to stand.


    "There is an empty bed that hadn¡¯t been used since one of the members had died in the early phase," Miss Rue paused to take a deep breath as she mentioned Riv¡ªthe one who had died during the ogre test.


    She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, her face showing the sadness of having lost a crusader. I guessed she wasn¡¯t used to losing anyone, since she hadn¡¯t lost another crusader after that.


    "You can take over that bed for now," she added gently, patting Oriana¡¯s back.


    We silently watched her. Ian grunted, got up, and left for the bathroom. Of course, he didn¡¯t care about anyone.


    After Miss Rue left, I got up from my bed and rushed to Oriana¡¯s side. The moment I sat down beside her, she hugged me and broke down. I already knew whatever had happened was bad.


    "Hey, calm down. We¡¯re here with you," I told her, trying tofort her.


    "No, nobody¡¯s here anymore," she cried softly, shaking her head and sniffling.


    "But what happened? How did you end up like this?" Troy asked, reaching for a bottle of water, but she refused it. She just clung to me, head on my shoulder, arms wrapped around me, refusing to even speak to the others.


    After she cried a little more, she finally seemed to regain her senses. She sat up while rubbing her eyes but kept holding onto my sweater with two fingers.


    "So, what exactly happened?" Haiden asked again.


    She lifted her head, looked at him, then turned to answer me instead.


    "My father promised that he was going to make me stay, that I would never return again," she murmured, her lips quivering. I figured she must¡¯ve gotten too hopeful, and when those hopes broke, she couldn¡¯t handle it. But I was wrong.


    Before any of us could ask what really happened, or why her father said that, or even if he was just trying tofort her, she exined why she was back.


    "And then I woke up to my father being dead."


    A gasp escaped my lips as soon as she said that. She shrugged and hugged herself, her lips trembling again, tears streaming down her face.


    "My father was my whole world, Clementine. He cared for me, he took care of me. I know they killed him. I know they killed him because he was not going to let me stay in this stupid, fucking academy."


    She suddenly started cursing the academy, while we exchanged nces with each other.


    "You know, Clementine, they¡¯re fucking lying to us. They have so many fucking secrets."


    It was the first time Oriana admitted that she¡¯d noticed something was wrong with the academy. That caught not only my attention but my mates¡¯ as well.


    "What do you mean? Do you know anything?" I asked quietly, and she nced at me again.


    "It¡¯s okay, you can talk in front of them," I told her, realizing she was waiting for my permission before speaking to the guys.


    "I heard a few things in thest two days," she sniffled, wiping her cheeks clean.


    "What did you hear, Oriana?" I asked, watching my mates grow excited as well.


    "I heard them talk about the Lurkers, about how they¡¯re orphans. And I began to wonder, why are there no orphanages? Where do all the orphans go?" she murmured softly, watching our faces.


    That¡¯s when I felt my heartbeat start to race.


    "Actually, I¡¯m a bit convinced that you¡¯re up to something," Haiden spoke suddenly, pointing at Oriana.


    "I remember when I became an orphan. One night, some people came to take me away. I was only seventeen at the time. There was always some dispute about my birthday. And I remember¡ªpeople in ck used to collect the crusaders, but that time it was people in white. They took me away, almost like an abduction. Then they brought me to some ce. It was all white¡ªwhite walls, wires everywhere. There were chemicals, medicines and weird stuff going on. I remember waking up briefly. And when I passed out again, I found myself back in bed. I swear I saw the Lurkers¡¯ outfits when I woke up briefly."


    Haiden snapped his fingers, as if a distant memory had just hit him.


    "Wait, so do they take the orphans as Lurkers? Maybe they chose you as one and then changed their minds because you¡¯re an alpha or something? Or maybe because you were not of age?" Troy wondered, trying to make sense of it, while Yorick stared hard at the floor, piecing things together.


    But this theory made the most sense.


    "And my family knew something about the North," Oriana spoke up. "When I was little, my stepmother used to get so excited about certain days. She¡¯d bring popcorn, lots of food, and say they were going to watch a movie. But this time, my stepbrother said some things to me¡ªthings only I should¡¯ve known. Things I never even confessed to during the interview with the ringleaders after I returned from North," Oriana exined, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up.


    "What stuff? What was it that you didn¡¯t share with the ringleaders?" Haiden asked her.


    I noticed she turned to me, almost as if asking me to stop them from pushing that question.


    "It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re not gonna judge you," I told her, trying to reassure her that it was fine.


    But she shook her head.


    "It was just little things, nothing important. But it proved to me that maybe¨C maybe they¡¯re watching us."


    In a soft, gentle tone, Oriana gave us exactly what we¡¯d been suspecting but couldn¡¯t confirm before without proof. We all exchanged nces and nodded.


    "But how, and why? Why would they be watching us suffer?"


    There was a lot to unpack, and it felt like we needed to hurry before it was toote. Only a few of us were left now. It would be easy for them to get rid of us and bring in new crusaders.

 Chapter 258-The Dead Alpha’s Forgotten Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 258: 258-The Dead Alpha¡¯s Forgotten Daughter</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    I had been so happy ever since my father told me I was never returning to the North. But there was one worry in my mind.


    "Clementine," I whispered as Iy in bed, staring out the window. It was such a pretty sight, and I was finally going to be able to enjoy it. But then I started worrying about her again.


    I really enjoyed her friendship. I wanted to be her best friend. But she was always surrounded by those alphas and idiots. I didn¡¯t understand why she needed to be friends with any guy. I mean, yeah, sure, we all want Mates, but are mates even that good for us?


    I needed to find a way to get her out of the academy too. I sighed as I sat up in bed, pouting. The only thing that upset me about leaving the academy was worrying about Clementine. Other than that, I didn¡¯t care about anything. I was just happy.


    A little knock on the door in the middle of the night was quite a shock, but I was too happy to care or worry about any danger. I got up and walked over. The moment I opened the door, I thought maybe my father had asked one of the maids to send me snacks, he used to do that back when I was at the mansion.


    But the person at the door was someone I despised.


    "What the fuck," I groaned as Ronan stepped in, pushing me out of the way.


    As I stumbled back, he reached behind him and locked the door.


    "I see you¡¯ve changed a lot," he whispered, smirking while watching me with those filthy eyes.


    I hated his eyes and the way he looked at me. It had always been an issue, the reason I would flip out and do things others didn¡¯t like. It was all his fault.


    "Ronan, you¡¯re not supposed to be in my room at this time," I hissed angrily.


    He chuckled, shaking his head.


    "I¡¯¡¯m gonna be the alpha soon. Why would I listen to you?" he hissed.


    "Well, we¡¯ll see about that. Because if I tell Father what you¡¯re doing, harassing me into obeying you, you can say goodbye to the crown. And I mean it." This time, I wanted to sound even sterner.


    Ronan was supposed to be my stepbrother. When my father epted his mother, he was already very distraught. I was a child back then, and Ronan was only a year older than me. When my father epted them, he was around five or six, and I was just a year younger.


    My mother had passed away, so my father finally gave his second chance mate a chance for the sake of his brother, to give Ronan and his mother a roof over their heads.


    But the minute Ronan turned fourteen, and I was thirteen, he started acting aggressively toward me. He used to remind me that his friend, an alpha from a very powerful pack, was someone I was supposed to grow feelings for.


    So, in short, he didn¡¯t want to be my brother, or even my stepbrother. He wanted to be my pimp. He wanted to use me to gain favors from other packs. He made it clear time and time again that if I didn¡¯t listen, he would not only beat me but force his friend to im me.


    "Really? You think you¡¯ll do that? Just because your father fooled you into thinking he wanted you back, you actually believe that?" he sneered.


    "I¡¯ll never let that happen unless you ept the deal I¡¯ve always offered you. ept my friend, and everything will be fine for you."


    He smirked, but this time he had no idea who he was dealing with. I wasn¡¯t the Oriana he could abuse or hit anymore. I was a crusader.


    "Really? You want to try that?" I whispered, smiling. I could tell my smile rubbed him the wrong way because he instantly reached for the back of my head.


    I knew what would happen next, he would p me around and remind me I was supposed to be his friend¡¯s wife.


    But this time, the moment heid his hand on me, I grabbed his shoulders, lifted my knee, and mmed it into his stomach. Then I headbutted him and shoved him back.


    He stumbled and fell on his butt, staring at me with wide eyes, fear and shock written all over his face.


    I rushed toward the door, trying to escape the room, but he blocked my way. This time, he managed to stop me, grabbing my wrists and trying to pin my hands down.


    I fought hard until he said something that froze me in ce.


    "Huh, so you¡¯re gonna act like you¡¯re a fighter now, huh? Leaving another miserable girl behind while stealing the baby from her and boarding the train¡ªis that what you call yourself a hero for?"


    It was as if someone had struck me with a silver bullet. This was something I wasn¡¯t proud of, but how the fuck did he know about it?


    I went emotionless for a hot minute. I stared at his face in silence. He started to smirk, realizing he¡¯d caught me off guard.


    "What¡¯s wrong, huh? How about you behave and tell your father you¡¯ll marry my friend, or else," he hissed.


    I refused to let him bully me. I refused to let him manipte or threaten me.


    "Go ahead, tell the world whatever you want. I don¡¯t care. I didn¡¯t do it. As for telling my father anything, I¡¯m going toe back, and I¡¯m going to tell him that I am fighting for the crown this time," I stated, ring straight at him.


    He pressed his lips into a tight line, ring back before turning around and walking out of the room.


    Once he was gone, I broke down. There were so many questions racing through my head. I cried myself to sleep, telling myself I¡¯d speak to my father in the morning and finally tell him everything.


    But before that could happen, I woke up to agonizing screams, heart-wrenching cries.


    I rushed out of my room like crazy. The maids were gathered outside my father¡¯s room, and I pushed past them, forcing my way inside.


    What I saw made my body go numb, my father¡¯s lifeless bodyy on the bed.


    "No, no, no!!!! ." I broke down.


    Everything around me blurred into chaos. My stepmother was crying, but I couldn¡¯t find any sincerity in her tears.


    I ran to my father¡¯s side, sat on the bed with him, and cried as loud as I could. My sobs were so loud I swear I deafened not only everyone around me but myself.


    Then I heard a faint whisper from the side.


    "So what¡¯s going to happen to her now? Is he going to make her a Lurker? Because¡ª aren¡¯t Lurkers orphans?"


    That was all I heard from my stepbrother through his fake sniffles before his mother hushed him.

 Chapter 259-Can I Trust My Squadmates?

    <h4>Chapter 259: 259-Can I Trust My Squadmates?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "They said my father had a heart attack," Oriana murmured as we stood in line, ready to leave for the North. We had been called in pretty early that morning.


    Soon after we spoke with Oriana, Ian came out, and somehow none of us really wanted to talk in front of him. Besides, I could tell Oriana didn¡¯t speak much with the others. She clung to me instead, and I wanted to help her.


    "I can only imagine how you feel. I never had a very loving father, but I wish I had. And seeing your desperation and the way you mourned, I can only say your father must have been a very nice man."


    I gave her aforting nod, and she smiled, shaking her head. I could see her eyes getting teary every once in a while.


    She had been promised to stay at home and never return to the North, and yet here she was, one dayter, not even allowed to attend her father¡¯s funeral.


    That was uneptable. And not only that, they were sending us to the North. Sending her to the North. She looked lifeless, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel so much concern for her.


    "Hey, Oriana, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re safe," I told her.


    It was as if she had been waiting for someone to say that because the minute I did, she turned around in the line and hugged me tightly.


    "Thank you," she whispered, letting out a few small hups.


    Then we began loading into the cars to take us to the station. While the male members of my squad left, it was just Oriana and me getting into a car together when Miss Rue stopped us.


    "Be careful out there," she told both of us, making me stare at her for a moment. I noticed a little mud on her coat, and it hit me, they were going to dig around while we were away, trying to find Bodhi¡¯s diary.


    The one that doesn¡¯t exist. I could tell they wanted to send us away because they were worried we¡¯d uncover some truth.


    "And Clementine, please keep an eye on her. She¡¯s dealing with a lot. I don¡¯t want her to get lost in the North, because this time you¡¯re not going to be in the open air. You¡¯ll be staying underground," she added, making me frown as she handed us some papers.


    They gave them to the others too, so I wondered what exactly they were. Were they finally going to tell us something about the monsters we¡¯d be dealing with? Or was there a serious mission behind this task as well?


    We boarded the car and soon reached the train station, where we were let inside. However, Oriana had to be alone in her carriage. Even though she was part of our group, she still wore a red uniform, which meant she had to stay in the red carriage.


    I kept checking on her every few seconds, even though the journey had only just begun and wouldst for about twenty minutes.


    It was strange how time seemed to change so suddenly. Still, I couldn¡¯t stop worrying about her. Twenty minutes could do a lot to someone who had just lost her father.


    "Okay, so it seems like we¡¯re going to be facing the monster youst saw," Haiden stated.


    "So, ording to these papers, we¡¯ll be in the underground passageway this time," Troy added, staring at the papers in front of him.


    "So, what exactly are we going to do this time?" I asked, noticing how Ian was only looking out the window. He had opened his paper, but it was crumpled in his hand, and he kept shaking his leg.


    I had never seen Ian this anxious before. During our first trip there, he had been reluctant to fight, but this time he looked truly scared. That was unusual for him, but as long as he stayed away from me, I didn¡¯t mind.


    I just wanted him to calm down first, and then we could talk about the rejection, hopefully, he¡¯d agree. That was the n.


    Then, finally, I noticed Troy and Yorick discussing something as they inspected their papers.


    "So, there¡¯s a certain kind of coal used in jewelry, but it also gives off enough energy to help someone survive a monster¡¯s attack," Yorick muttered, sounding confused himself.


    "For us, it¡¯s important to know that we just need to collect this coal that looks and shines like a diamond, and bring it back," he exined simply. "And we have to fill at least these ck bags with it."


    Troy showed us the ck bags that had been given to us this time. They¡¯d also given us water bottles and a little food, since we¡¯d be in an underground passage.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if we¡¯d get lucky with anything else, and honestly, I didn¡¯t know what to expect down there.


    Once we reached the North, it started to hit me. I looked back at Oriana stepping out of her carriage, and I could tell she hadn¡¯t even opened her paper yet. It was all the same information, but still, she looked so defeated. It really upset me. I was sure she missed her father.


    "Oriana,e with us," I called out, reminding her that we were here for her.


    She gave me a broken smile and then rushed over, wrapping her fingers tightly around mine.


    "Okay, so we¡¯ll be heading toward the area of Fleshmingos. One of the houses has an underground passage, and from there we¡¯ll continue our journey," Troy exined, making my heart jump.


    Why would there be an underground passage in one of the houses? Then again, we were all strange creatures. Someone must have started storing those coals many years ago, or maybe the houses were built on top of those underground passages.


    We started walking, but I noticed Ian keeping his distance from all of us. Then I felt Oriana tug at my hand to get my attention. She spoke very softly.


    "Do you trust them?" she asked, referring to my squadmates. We had fallen behind a bit since she was walking slowly.


    "Yeah, I do," I replied confidently. "Why? You don¡¯t trust my squadmates?" I asked, noticing how tightly she was holding my hand.


    "I don¡¯t know. I¡¯d rather trust you," she murmured, making me stare at her silently before we left the woods and entered the Fleshmingo town.

 Chapter 260-She Locked Him Out

    <h4>Chapter 260: 260-She Locked Him Out</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Once we reached the house, Haiden stepped ahead and opened the door for us. The energy in the north felt strange. Maybe it was because we hadn¡¯t been here for a few days, but I wasn¡¯t sure. There was something different. I noticed there weren¡¯t many fleshmingos around either.


    Maybe we arrived when they were off somewhere else. Whatever the case, we rushed inside to avoid attracting their attention, since we had no idea how narrow this underground space was going to be. Was it a clear passage, like a highway, or more like a mine? We had no clue. If any monster got in there with us and it was too narrow, we¡¯d be trapped.


    Once we all stepped inside, Troy locked the door. Then we began walking toward the basement.


    The moment we reached the small area leading to the basement door, I noticed a closet had been knocked over. A distant memory from my previous time in the north hit me hard.


    "Oh," I gasped.


    "what is going on?" Yorick asked, probably after noticing the look on my face.


    "Remember I told you guys about the house where a closet was knocked over and something was in the basement? And then I found those monsters," I snapped my fingers, trying to recall more details.


    "Earth Eaters," Haiden added, helping me remember what we¡¯d learned from Ianst time.


    "I feel like there are many houses with these tunnels, and they all connect at one point. Those things must¡¯vee from there," I agreed with Haiden.


    I remembered that was exactly thest time things were right between us and Ian, especially between me and him. After that, everything went downhill.


    "Alright," Yorick said, turning to Ian almost reluctantly. "He also said they don¡¯te alone," Yorick recalled, still watching Ian, waiting for him to add something.


    But Ian didn¡¯t seem the least bit interested.


    "Do you think those thingse from basements?" Troy asked, ncing at me.


    I looked around and noticed Oriana holding my hand too tightly, refusing to let go. It was hard to explore while she clung to me, and I had to practically drag her along.


    I guess all of us were expecting a little bit of information from Ian, but after how he had acted, it was clear he¡¯d rather avoid us.


    "Okay, you know what, guys? Let¡¯s just go. We¡¯ll see once we¡¯re there," I said, feeling a little defeated. I just hoped this underground passage wasn¡¯t as closed off as we imagined. Maybe it would be more like a proper tunnel, well-structured ones, maybe.


    Troy and Haiden stepped ahead while Yorick moved the closet out of the way. Soon, they were all standing in front of the door. I joined Oriana and tried to free my hand, because if we wanted to survive, we¡¯d need both hands to fight. She reluctantly let go, but the back of her hand still brushed against mine, as if ready to hold it again.


    "Okay, keep yourself steady, just in case something attacks us," Troy said, ready to open the door.


    "Wait a minute," Haiden called out suddenly, stopping us again. "How about we get the weapons ready first? We already know we¡¯re going to run into these things, right?"


    "Let¡¯s go and prepare some weapons before we go downstairs," Oriana finally spoke up, offering advice instead of just being scared.


    Honestly, I was proud of her at that moment. I knew it wasn¡¯t easy for her. She¡¯d told me early this morning that she had no idea when her family would finally ask her toe attend her father¡¯s funeral.


    As nned, we started using all the wooden furniture around to build weapons, mainly spears. We made sure to keep them sharp and not too short, since we didn¡¯t know how long these things were or how far the point would need to go to reach their hearts.


    While we were struggling with it, I noticed Ian was barely doing anything. He sat by the window, staring outside. When the fles mingos¡¯ sounds started echoing through the air, I saw him watching their movements curiously. I wondered why he wasn¡¯t trying to make himself a weapon.


    "Is Ian not gonna get a weapon?" Oriana asked, someone who was the least aware of his actions.


    Oriana was staring at Ian. I bet he heard her because I noticed his body move slightly, just a small shift. None of us responded, and that made her stare at me for a bit too long, probably waiting for an exnation. But our group only shared drama among ourselves, so no one replied, and the topic was dropped.


    Once we had enough spears, we walked toward the basement door again. I don¡¯t know why, but even though I was furious with that idiot, I still left a few spears on the ground. I knew I¡¯d be mad about itter, but maybe it was because he was my mate. I was slightly worried for him, and with how calm he was acting, I was scared he¡¯d get himself killed.


    We opened the door, and surprisingly, nothing came up either. So we just kept going down. I noticed Ian didn¡¯t immediately follow us.


    In the basement, there was another door. Everything felt like a surprise, we hadn¡¯t been informed about anything. The door opened and led us into a dark tunnel, but at least it was a tunnel and not a mine and the more we walked, the wider it became. At least we knew we wouldn¡¯t be cramped if a monster attacked us.


    There were turns to the left and right, and while we kept moving forward, probably all thinking the same thing, the ground beneath us shook, the tunnel trembled, and a loud hissing sound echoed through the space. I could only imagine it was the earth eater. Then came frantic, heavy steps racing toward us, filled with anger and aggression.


    We all started sprinting, and none of us could tell who was going in which direction. But I knew someone wasing with me because I could hear footsteps behind me. Then, when someone tried to grab my hand, I realized it was Oriana.


    I held her hand tightly, and we reached one of the corners where we took a turn. There was some kind of a barred door. I rushed inside to close it and save us from whatever was chasing us.


    When I turned around, I finally saw who was with us. Oriana had gotten in first, and then there was Troy running toward us.


    "Come on, Troy! Quick!" I yelled as I saw the thing racing behind him. The earth eater looked even more terrifying alive, its head shaking wildly as it chased Troy.


    "Clementine, close the fucking gate!"


    Then Oriana did somethingpletely unexpected. Instead of waiting for Troy to reach us, she rushed forward and started shutting the door.

 Chapter 261-A Threat Or A Warning?

    <h4>Chapter 261: 261-A Threat Or A Warning?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Oriana, stop it!" I yelled once she tried to push the door shut. I was sure Troy saw everything, because instead of running toward us, he went the other way.


    "Troy,e over here!" I shouted, trying to get his attention.


    "I can¡¯t take the risk!" he yelled back as he ran off.


    Honestly, I felt awful. I had always been able to rely on my mates, but today he couldn¡¯t do the same. He had to take another route because he wasn¡¯t sure if we would let him in since Oriana and I were both struggling over the gate. The thought made me feel sick.


    Oriana mmed the door shut, and while one of the monsters chased Troy, another earth eater came straight for our gate, crashing against it. We both stepped back, Oriana even fell on her butt, scrambling away from it.


    The thing was massive. Its mouth could open wide enough to swallow a person whole. It tried to pry the gate open, ramming itself against it again and again before finally giving up and charging off in another direction.


    When it was gone, I turned to Oriana. She didn¡¯t even seem to notice the look I gave her. Instead, she offered me her hand, as if that was why I was staring at her. But I didn¡¯t take it. I was too fucking pissed at her.


    "What the fuck did you do, Oriana?" I screamed, anger and fear crashing through me. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about whether Troy had made it or not.


    "What? I saved us both," she muttered, intensifying my anger. "He was being slow. Those things were fast. Didn¡¯t you see how close it was behind him? We wouldn¡¯t have had time to fight it if we¡¯d let Troy inside and we wouldn¡¯t have been able to close the door."


    She hissed the words, and I clenched my jaw hard.


    "Oriana, if that was the case, I would¡¯ve fucking fought the monster instead of leaving Troy outside!" I yelled back at her. The more I spoke, the more she looked shocked, gasping and staring at me in disbelief.


    "You would jeopardize your own life for him? He¡¯s just your squadmate! Come on, Clementine, it¡¯s your life above others!" she shouted, standing up and brushing the dust off her skirt.


    "There¡¯s something called friendship, loyalty, and humanity," I muttered through clenched teeth, refusing to tell her the real reason. Not only that, but he was also my mate.


    While saying that, I grabbed my weapon and decided to go after Troy, at least to look for him. But she quickly grabbed my hand, stopping me before I could reach the door.


    "You must¡¯ve lost your mind to go out there when this ce is swarming with those things!" she argued, making me stare at her in disbelief. One might think she acted that way out of fear or hesitation, but the fact that she still stood by it proved she only cared about herself.


    "Don¡¯t look at me like that! I¡¯m being honest with you, Clementine. Why do you need to care for them? What if it¡¯s just the two of us? If we stick together, we¡¯ll be stronger and can save ourselves. We don¡¯t need to expand the group or take responsibility for others. You know, the more people there are, the greater the responsibility bes," she said, still hoping to convince me that leaving him behind was the right thing to do.


    "What the heck are you even talking about, Oriana?" I screamed, watching her step away and straighten her posture.


    "Well, I¡¯m just saying, you¡¯re a little too trusting of these men," she said, then added, "and I know there¡¯s something going on between you and them."


    My spine stiffened, but I didn¡¯t feel awkward or ashamed. I folded my arms across my chest and tapped my foot, not denying the usation. Her eyes widened at me.


    "How can you trust men, Clementine? Your own father was a cheater. Your own father was a killer. How could you even trust someone else now? And not just anyone, alphas who were cast aside by their own families and packs. The same men who bullied you at the start. How could you even trust them now?" she began to say all sorts of nonsense.


    "I¡¯m just saying, I can make them turn against you in a day," she said, and her words left me slightly stunned. I shook my head and blinked several times, trying to make sure I¡¯d heard her right.


    "Are you threatening me?" I asked, and she waved her hand as if to deny it.


    "I¡¯m not threatening you. I¡¯m just letting you know how easy it is for me, or anyone, to turn these men against you," she exined, though I couldn¡¯t understand why she was doing it. Why would she purposefully try to drive a wedge between me and my squadmates?


    "You know I¡¯m the new meat right now," she went on. "If it came down to it, they¡¯d choose me. They¡¯re only passing time with you in the dorm. You¡¯re not even their type of girl. Come on, they¡¯re only with you because you¡¯re the only one. They¡¯re only with you because it seems like you¡¯re entertaining them all."


    She kept going, and my jaw dropped.


    "I¡¯m not judging you. I¡¯m just telling you to be careful," she added.


    At this point, I began to wonder if I knew her at all. I understood she was dealing with a lot. She had her own troubles, but what she was saying felt pure malice.


    "I hope you think about it and don¡¯t trust them too blindly," she said. "These men just want fresh meat. If you think they¡¯ll respect someone they know is entertaining everyone, you¡¯re wrong. They¡¯re just in it for fun."


    She gestured at the gate, letting me know I could leave if I wanted. I kept watching her face, then headed for the door. I heard her grunt defeatedly, probably upset that I wouldn¡¯t stay with her after the way she tried to poison my mind and talked about my character. Still, her reaction didn¡¯t stop me. I walked out of the gate with a spear in my hand, ready to fight anything or anyone who tried to harm my mates.

 Chapter 262-The Little Jealous Friend.

    <h4>Chapter 262: 262-The Little Jealous Friend.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I began to run toward the area Troy had sped off to. However, after a few more steps, I noticed there were several paths ahead, and I didn¡¯t know which one to take.


    "Troy!" I shouted, standing in the middle of three paths, one forward, one to the left, and one to the right. My voice echoed loudly, and then I heard faint grunting from afar.


    "Don¡¯te here! Ah, there are two of them!" I heard Troy yell, warning me to stay back. I guessed he realized I was going after him, but it didn¡¯t matter what he said. I wasn¡¯t going to stay behind.


    When he shouted at me, I had already figured out where his voice wasing from, it was straight ahead. So I started running that way, the spear held high in my hand.


    After a few more steps, I came upon a devastating sight. Troy and Yorick were pressed against a wall, trying to hold the creatures back by jabbing at their eyes and skin with their spears.


    But every time they struck at their eyes, the earth eaters were quick to close them, and their eyelids seemed so thick that the spears couldn¡¯t pierce through.


    That¡¯s when I rushed forward and jumped onto the back of one of the earth eaters. I saw the fear and worry in Troy¡¯s eyes.


    "What the fuck, Clementine? Get off it!" he yelled.


    As I started stabbing the creature to get its attention, it wentpletely wild. It swung its head around furiously. It reminded me more of a crocodile than anything else, though its face looked a bit like a snake¡¯s.


    I held on tightly until I noticed the other earth eater charging toward me. It rushed forward on its six legs, then leapt to attack. I rolled off the first creature just in time, and the second one sank its teeth into its own kind.


    Both creatures screamed loudly, and as they did, Troy seized the chance to drive his spear straight through the mouth of the first one, the one I had been on top of.


    The one that had identally bitten its own kind squealed and stepped back, watching his friend die. Then it rushed at me, charging over from its fallen friend.


    I watched the other one squeal and copse when Troy struck it. I was ready to spear this one, but the moment I tried, it kept moving around. My heart was pounding hard. The whole scene was chaos.


    The others jumped around it, trying to draw its attention away from me, but its focus stayed fixed on me. The earth eater took a few steps back before lunging. I had seen iting from the way it stepped back and tilted its head. I knew what was about to happen.


    So when it charged, I let ite close enough to the point that it opened its mouth wide apart for me.


    "Clementine, now!" Yorick shouted, and I drove the spear deep into its throat. Its mouth never closed after that, and I was d it didn¡¯t. Half my body would¡¯ve been inside it if it had managed to bite down. That¡¯s how close I¡¯d let it get before fighting back.


    Yorick and Troy grabbed its tail and pulled it away from me. My back had been pressed against the wall, and once they dragged it off, I could finally step forward again. I looked at them and gave an awkward smile.


    Troy was the first to rush toward me. He grabbed my arms and leaned in to kiss me. Honestly, thatfort meant a lot in the moment.


    Then came Yorick. He smiled, gently lifted my chin with his fingers, and gave me a small peck on the lips.


    "You¡¯re such a badass. If it were anyone else, they never would¡¯vee to rescue us," Yorick said.


    As he spoke, I heard Troy grunt. I followed his gaze and saw Oriana standing there. The moment felt painfully awkward. She walked closer and looked at Troy.


    "I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, I was just scared," she said, apologizing directly to him.


    "I mean, it¡¯s alright. I wasn¡¯t expecting anything from you anyway, so I guess it¡¯s okay," Troy replied.


    His words made me nce at Oriana. She didn¡¯t look pleased with what he said, but she shouldn¡¯t have expected anything else from him. She did try to lock him out.


    "I¡¯m actually d you locked me out, " However, Troy continued, and I noticed a faint smile forming on Oriana¡¯s face.


    "Because I want you to keep Clementine as your first priority. Even if you protect her unintentionally, I¡¯ll be happy. Clementine tends to think more about others than herself."


    But as he went on and made it about me, her smile started to fade again. It was subtle, but I saw it.


    Even so, I was still upset with her. I couldn¡¯t ignore the things she¡¯d told me before. My mates didn¡¯t know what she had said to me, so they didn¡¯t see her actions as too aggressive. That was all.


    "I guess I¡¯ve just never seen people who truly care for each other. That¡¯s why I..." Oriana stopped, taking a deep breath.


    "I just want to finish this task and go home so I can attend my father¡¯s funeral," she said.


    I noticed Troy and Yorick staring awkwardly at each other. I understood what she was saying. I felt empathy for her, but I didn¡¯t believe her excuse. From the conversation we¡¯d had, nothing she said seemed to include her father at all.


    She had been trying to form a group with me, clearly speaking as if she wanted us to sacrifice others if it came to that point, or at least refuse to help them while expecting help for ourselves.


    "Anyway, don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t let anything happen to you," Yorick said, his voice low but carrying a hint offort.


    "Really? You wouldn¡¯t?" she asked, almost surprised.


    "Of course not. You¡¯re Clementine¡¯s friend. If we didn¡¯t help you, she¡¯d be upset, and we can¡¯t stand to see her upset," Troy replied.


    Still, every time Troy or Yorick made something about me, her smile began to fade. And that made me very cautious of her.

 Chapter 263-Offering His Diamonds To Me

    <h4>Chapter 263: 263-Offering His Diamonds To Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    At this point, we had been walking for about an hour, and my attention hadpletely shifted to Haiden. I had no clue where he could be, and it was only after we¡¯de this far that we realized we¡¯d made a big mistake.


    How the heck were we supposed to go back? We hadn¡¯t left any markings¡ªnothing.


    Although we had a map, I didn¡¯t think it mattered much if we didn¡¯t even know where we were on it.


    "Clementine is silent," Troy said finally, ncing at me.


    I shook my head to let him know I was fine. I kept the same phony smile, one meant only for theirfort, because I didn¡¯t want them worrying about me instead of focusing on where to find the coal.


    "I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s upset with me," Oriana said, making the others slow down and darken their expressions.


    "Why would she be upset with you? You know she doesn¡¯t get upset with anyone," Troy said firmly, defending me.


    "Well, she got upset because I locked the door and left you out," Oriana exined.


    As she said that, I noticed Troy side-eyeing me with a faint smirk on his lips.


    "Really? Did she argue with you?" he asked.


    At this point, those two had fallen behind us while Yorick and I walked shoulder to shoulder, ready to attack or defend ourselves if anything came at us. The two behind were keeping an eye on our backs, and Troy was still trying to question Oriana about me.


    "Yeah, she was really angry. I thought she was going to kick me out for you," Oriana told him.


    I turned slightly and saw Troy smirking, wide and unrestrained.


    After Ian told them the whole bizarre thing about me only letting them touch me because I was upset with him, my mates had been distant. It bothered me because I knew I was in the wrong. So I guessed they were now trying to figure out how I truly felt about them.


    "Can I ask you a question?" Oriana went on, turning to Troy.


    "Sure, go ahead," he replied, sounding a little too cheerful to think about anything else in that moment.


    "Isn¡¯t she Haiden¡¯s mate?"


    As soon as she asked, I noticed Yorick slow down.


    "I¡¯m just saying because I saw you two showing affection to her," Oriana continued, referring to the kisses they¡¯d given me. "I was wondering if that would cause trouble between you all. I¡¯ve seen groups fall apart. For instance, Joshua and Jack."


    She was still speaking when Yorick cut her off.


    "It¡¯s different," Yorick said loudly. "She¡¯s not cheating on anyone, so you don¡¯t need to worry about her. As for Haiden, he knows."


    That was all Yorick said before speeding up again to walk beside me.


    Once more, awkward silence settled over us.


    Then we heard loud steps, something approaching.


    At that point, it wasn¡¯t much of a mystery. It didn¡¯t sound human. The steps belonged to a creature with three pairs of feet.


    But it was wailing so loudly that it became hard to tell where it wasing from. We couldn¡¯t tell if it was behind us, ahead of us, or to the right. The only side closed off at that point was the left.


    "Run, run, run!" Troy screamed from behind us, and we realized the thing wasing from right behind.


    At that point, Yorick ran straight ahead, while Troy, Oriana, and I took the right turn.


    That was the problem. There was such an adrenaline rush that we didn¡¯t even realize who was supposed to go where. It ended with us getting separated again, this time from Yorick once again.


    We kept running forward as the Earth Eater followed. Oriana was huffing and puffing, and I could tell she was even whimpering while she ran. She had been so confident before, but now I noticed how afraid she¡¯d be.


    I guessed somewhere along the way, her father¡¯s death had really shaken her or maybe her sense of self-worth had grown. She¡¯d mentioned that she believed they¡¯d killed her father, so maybe it was about justice for him, and that drive for justice was what pushed her to survive.


    I stepped aside to let her rush ahead and stay safe, and she did. She took the chance and sprinted past us.


    After we¡¯d put some distance between ourselves and the creature, we stopped. I watched Oriana slow down too.


    Troy and I both gripped our spears, ready for the attack.


    "I¡¯m going to stand here. You attack it," Troy instructed, reminding me how quickly we needed to act when they came at us.


    He¡¯d exined that when we were farther from them, they barely opened their mouths but when they were close and thought they had won, that¡¯s when they¡¯d shut their eyes and open their mouths wide. So we had to let them get close to kill them.


    I was ready.


    Troy stood his ground, letting the Earth Eater approach. I saw it open its mouth wide like an anaconda and lunge at him, but before it could reach his head, I squared up and drove the spear as deep as I could.


    At the same time, Oriana stepped forward and grabbed Troy from behind, pulling him back to make sure he didn¡¯t get a single scratch. That was new.


    I guessed she¡¯d realized that if she wanted us to fight for her, she needed to show a little appreciation and support too.


    As the thing died in front of us, we noticed how silent their deaths were. They weren¡¯t as loud as the other creatures we¡¯d killed so far.


    "We lost Yorick," I uttered, finally snapping out of it and looking at Troy.


    "It¡¯s alright, he¡¯ll be fine," he said, giving me a reassuring nod and a quick hug. But I knew he could tell from my expression that I was extremely worried.


    "Did somebody say my name?"


    I turned around suddenly and saw Yorick appear, a very cheeky smile on his face. His eyes made it clear he was pleased to hear I¡¯d been worried about him.


    And it didn¡¯t stop there. His hands were tied behind his back, and when he pulled them forward, he showed me his bag.


    He had a few coals in his bag, shining like diamonds. But shock struck me when he offered them to me.

 Chapter 264-The Hunger In Her Eyes

    <h4>Chapter 264: 264-The Hunger In Her Eyes</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Oh wow! Where did you find these?" I asked excitedly, staring at the coals. They were coals by name only¡ªck diamonds, even shaped like them.


    "When I left you guys and ran ahead, I noticed something shining in the corner. Usually, these things are very well hidden, but at a certain angle, they start to shine. That¡¯s how I saw them. They were in a small cluster in the corner, and if I¡¯m not wrong, these earth eaters are usually gathered around ces where these coals are," Yorick exined, while Troy held one in his hand, staring at its beauty.


    Even Oriana was shocked. But they were even more surprised when Yorick suddenly grabbed my bag and started filling it with the coals he¡¯d found.


    "No, Yorick! What are you doing?" I protested, instantly trying to pull my bag away from him.


    But he insisted, holding onto mine by force and trying to transfer his coals into it.


    "No, Yorick, stop it! You¡¯re going to find yours for yourself, all of you, and we¡¯ll find ours. Fine, we can help each other, but not like this," Iined as I snatched my bag back again.


    However, the look on Yorick¡¯s face melted my heart.


    "Well, then I¡¯m not going to find mine," he muttered, suddenly dropping his bag and sitting down like a child, his arms wrapped around his legs.


    "Yorick, don¡¯t be a child," I said, stomping my feet.


    "Well, then ept my gift." He looked up at me angrily, daring me to take it or else he wouldn¡¯t get up.


    "Come on, Clementine, don¡¯t upset him. If he¡¯s doing something for you, he¡¯s doing it with all his heart. So, rejecting it is kind of painful," Troy jumped in, taking Yorick¡¯s side. I knew why. Because he was probably going to do the same thing.


    "It¡¯s not about doing something with love. I know you guys care for me. You don¡¯t have to prove it. But I¡¯m not going to let him empty his bag, then go out to find coal for himself and get in trouble. You¡¯re not understanding me. I don¡¯t need saving. If you want tofort me, then make sure you stay safe. That¡¯s what willfort me the most," I finally spoke up, letting them know that my own safety wasn¡¯t what worried me.


    Every time they were out of my sight or in danger, that¡¯s when I began to panic. I managed fine on my own, but they were bing my weak spot instead of my strength.


    "Fine, then just ept it this once, and next time I¡¯ll find one for myself," Yorick said with a cute pout. At that point, I realized there was nothing I could do to change his mind. He sat stubbornly on the ground, and Troy sided with him.


    "Fine, but just this once and we¡¯ll distribute them among us" I told him, warning him with my eyes not to argue.


    "No, this is your gift. We¡¯ll distribute the next ones," Troy replied, wrapping his arm around me and giving me a small peck on the cheek. The fact that they forgave me so quickly really made me feel much better.


    After many arguments, I finally epted the coals, and we decided to move forward and find more. The more we found, the easier it would be for us to finish this mission and return home. We wanted to go back before the vacation ended so we could continue exploring the Academy without getting into trouble this time.


    However, during that time, I noticed something else. Oriana¡¯s mood had worsened, even. She looked down, almost pale. I noticed that when Yorick handed me his coals, she just stood there, silently watching us. The look in her eyes scared me.


    As we kept walking, I heard her small footsteps beside me, and I realized she wasing closer.


    "I¡¯m sorry," was all she murmured before I turned to give her my attention. But I kept walking.


    "For what?" I asked. I knew exactly what she should be sorry for; I just wanted to hear it from her.


    "I shouldn¡¯t have said those things about your squad mates. I didn¡¯t know how close you were to them. I thought you were just trusting the wrong people," she mumbled softly.


    "Oriana, friendship goes both ways. In friendship, you don¡¯t be a toxic person who doesn¡¯t care about others¡¯ safety. Friendship with the right people makes you the best version of yourself, not a toxic one. You remember what happened with Joshua, Jack, and Suki, right? Those two were ready to die for her. The problem was, she was ready to kill others for her own safety. That¡¯s how she ended up dead. If she had just opened thetch for me, we all would¡¯ve survived that night easily," I exined, reminding her that it was Suki¡¯s own fault she died that night.


    It would¡¯ve been much easier for her toe back from the north if she hadn¡¯t turned into such a toxic version of herself.


    "I¡¯ll keep that in mind and nevere between you and your squadmates. Please ept my apology, Clementine. I can see everyone upset, but not you," she murmured softly, holding my hand with a gentle touch.


    "I hope you¡¯ll stick to your promise," I replied before noticing her nce around again.


    "Did anyone see that other guy from your squad in the tunnels?" she asked suddenly, making me narrow my eyes at her in confusion.


    "Ian?" I asked, and she nodded.


    "I haven¡¯t seen him since we stepped into the basement. I never saw him follow us into the tunnel either. What¡¯s his deal, anyway?" she questioned, making me take a deep breath and look ahead.


    "I don¡¯t know. I guess he¡¯s upset with us for ruining his vacation," was all I coulde up with.


    There was no other exnation I could give her.


    "Guys!" Troy¡¯s shaky voice broke our conversation. The way he gasped out the word made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.


    I turned to him, followed his gaze, and saw something shining in the distance. It was a huge cluster of coal glowing on the right, but with that much of it came many earth eaters paroling around the area.

 Chapter 265-Lost Her In The Tunnel

    <h4>Chapter 265: 265-Lost Her In The Tunnel</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Guys, aren¡¯t there too many of them? Can¡¯t we just skip this area and find coal somewhere else?" Oriana asked, beginning to second-guess the n of heading toward those things.


    "I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the right idea," Troy replied. "At this point, it¡¯s pretty clear these things are patrolling around the coal. Which means, no matter where we go, we¡¯ll still run into them for the same reason. So why waste time looking somewhere else when the result will be the same?"


    Troy disagreed with her openly, and so did I. Even Yorick seemed to agree that we needed to take this chance and fight as many of those things as possible to get our hands on thisrge cluster of coal.


    We were all ready, staring at the earth-eaters in the distance. Then we each held two spears, one in each hand, and began walking toward the coals.


    Soon, the earth-eaters noticed us, and they started rushing toward us. I ran forward, jumped onto the wall, took a few steps, and then leapt behind the earth-eater. The others behind me didn¡¯t let ite after me.


    I dodged one of the earth-eaters and rolled under the swinging tail of the other,nding on my feet and striking an earth-eater in the eye with my spear. It wasn¡¯t as fast as I expected, and my spear went through its eye. A loud screech escaped its mouth as it hit the ground with its tail. The ground started shaking, the stones dragging under the earth. I gripped my spear tightly, my breathing out in short, shaky hisses.


    "Clementine, watch out!" Troy shouted, running beside me while Yorick fought the other earth-eater. Oriana was behind all of us. Every now and then, I turned around to nce at her and saw how scared she looked. Her eyes were wide, and even the hands holding her spear were shaking.


    As the creature charging at me lifted its tail again and mmed it against the tunnel floor, the ground trembled hard enough to throw me off bnce. I stumbled, my knees scraping against the dirt. Then I felt someone¡¯s arms catch me.


    I turned slightly and looked into Troy¡¯s beautiful eyes. He watched me with such intent, and I saw his jaw clench when he noticed the small scratches on my body, especially on my palms, from falling. He looked away at the one that had swung its tail, almost angry that I¡¯d been hurt because of it.


    Then he lunged forward, gripping his spear and shouting. The earth-eater thrashed its head and opened its mouth to swallow Troy, but he charged straight into half of its mouth with his spear. As he stabbed it, my heart stopped for a moment. He didn¡¯t even realize one of his feet was inside its jaw.


    "Troy!" I screamed at him, furious at how careless he was.


    "Don¡¯t stop!" Troy shouted, warning me that we needed to keep moving before they overpowered us.


    I nodded shakily and rushed forward again when the earth-eater in front of me opened its mouth and roared. I threw my spear from a distance, straight into it. It was the first time any of us had done that. Usually, we made sure to get close before striking, probably because we were afraid the spear wouldn¡¯tnd right. Besides, they would often shut their mouths quickly and shake their heads.


    This time, though, the spear went straight into its mouth, the tip disappearing. The creature screamed and mmed its tail again. The force was so strong I wondered if it would crack the walls or bring the ceiling down on us.


    Yorick rushed forward to help me, stabbing another one in the eye. But it closed its eyes, so he had to keep striking nonstop until he finally hit his mark. That one crawled back and tried to swing its tail at him, but he dodged just in time.


    At this point, all our faces were covered in sweat and dirt.


    "Oriana, stay back!" Yorick suddenly yelled.


    When I turned, I saw Oriana on the ground, crawling backward while an earth-eater lunged toward her. Troy bolted in her direction, grabbed the creature by the tail, and pulled it away. His biceps tensed, veins standing out with effort. Oriana scrambled to her feet and ran in the same direction we hade from instead of helping fight the earth-eater.


    "Oriana, no!" I screamed, knowing the mental state she was in. She couldn¡¯t defend herself.


    At this point, I really began to wonder if our conversation came from her deep need to be someone¡¯s priority. But she didn¡¯t realize that instead of being someone¡¯s priority, she could simply be our friend.


    I saw how Yorick and Troy tried to save her. They would¡¯ve done the same for anyone in danger. They didn¡¯t need to be tied to one person to prove their loyalty or to fight for them.


    But I guess she didn¡¯t understand that. For some reason, in her mind, there could only be two people together, and if a third came in, everything became unstable. Maybe it was her traumas or her childhood. Maybe somewhere along the way, she¡¯d seen that a person couldn¡¯t handle two rtionships at once.


    Troy didn¡¯t stop fighting. He lunged at the next earth-eater, driving his spear down its throat. The creature thrashed, shaking the ground onest time before going still. Yorick killed the other one.


    I turned toward thest one. Its long body crawled over the others, eyes glowing faintly. It looked straight at me before opening its mouth wide. My heart hammered in my chest, my pulse throbbing in my temples.


    "Clementine! Together now!" Yorick called out.


    I ran beside him, jumping over broken rocks and the dead bodies of the earth-eaters. As thest creature lifted its tail, I shoved my spear with all my strength into its mouth. Yorick pushed my spear from the back to drive it deeper, and I heard the squishing sound of its heart being pierced.


    The creature writhed, its tail striking the tunnel floor onest time before copsing. It convulsed silently, then went still. Dust filled the air, and the foul stench of the bodies hit our noses.


    I sighed, steadying myself against the wall before sliding down to sit. My knees bent and parted as I took deep breaths.


    I watched Troy and Yorick stare tiredly at the dead bodies before grabbing my bag and theirs to fill them with coal. My head turned toward the empty space Oriana had left.


    "Guys, we need to find her. I don¡¯t think she can save herself," I said, feeling awful for her.


    There was one thing I¡¯d learned from the North, the one who lets fear take over dies the next moment.

 Chapter 266-My Wishes Matter

    <h4>Chapter 266: 266-My Wishes Matter</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    I watched the three of them fight those creatures like they were born to do it.


    There was no hesitation in them whenever they struck the monsters. Clementine was impable, just as I¡¯d imagined her to be.


    She was perfect in every way.


    Her squadmates weren¡¯t bad either, but my eyes stayed on Clementine.


    I wished she could see me, and only me. as her friend. But that wasn¡¯t going to happen. I had seen how she cherished their touch.


    Then I remembered the way Yorick gave her his coal, the way Troy kissed her. They treated her like a queen.


    There was no way any monster could even scratch her. The alphas with her would tear them apart.


    Then fear took over, and I ran in the opposite direction. Even when I saw her friends trying to save me, I was terrified.


    "How far can we go?" my wolf uttered shakily.


    At some point, I felt like my wolf woulde out, but that would draw the monsters¡¯ attention, and they¡¯d all gather around me.


    I didn¡¯t want that. I was too scared.


    "Ria, I don¡¯t think we can survive like this," I told her, little whimpers escaping my lips.


    "But we must. We have to go back home. We have to get justice for our father. Remember how Clementine got justice for Haiden¡¯s mother? She¡¯ll help us. We just need to go back."


    Ria tried to push me, giving me courage, but I felt broken,pletely shattered.


    My father was my whole world. Even if I got justice for him, what then? My life was over.


    "Get justice for my father and then go where? Even when Clementine managed to have her father arrested, she was left with no home. Now she can¡¯t even return to her pack or take a vacation. I don¡¯t want to live like that."


    A small cry escaped me as I remembered how important the pack had been to me.


    It was my father¡¯s hard work that made our pack flourish. But now, he was gone.


    My steps began to slow down. I was clutching the bag by its strap, dragging it along the ground.


    With every few steps, my body hunched lower and lower. I no longer had the strength to keep going.


    Eventually, I dropped to my knees, my head hanging low. I didn¡¯t even see where I was.


    I just gave up.


    "I can¡¯t," I whispered, letting go of the strap and cing my hands on the ground.


    "Did you see how they were treating her? She¡¯ll never leave them and be our friend alone. Who in their right mind would let that kind of love and affection go?" Ria pointed out, referring to the care her squadmates showed her.


    I remembered that even Haiden seemed fine with it.


    "Of course Clementine is special. No wonder her own mate doesn¡¯t want to restrict her. He must be afraid of giving her an option and her leaving him, so he¡¯s willing to share her," I murmured after carefully observing her dynamic with everyone.


    "What about us now?" Ria questioned.


    My wolf wasn¡¯t weak, but we were emotional. We were pink. Pinks were always sensitive and deeply emotional wolves.


    "I can help you," a soft, gentle voice whispered, and my head snapped up.


    "Who said that?" I asked in fear. My eyes darted around anxiously, big tears still streaming down my cheeks.


    But I couldn¡¯t see anyone nearby. The voice seemed toe from nowhere.


    "I heard it too," my wolf spoke before I could convince myself it was just my imagination, confirming the voice was real.


    "Don¡¯t look around. I¡¯m right here," the voice continued, and I looked up, noticing something moving within the shadows.


    It was frightening how soft that female voice was. It sounded motherly.


    "Who are you? Why won¡¯t youe into the light?" I demanded, rising to my feet and tightening my grip around the spear.


    "Don¡¯t hold that evil thing. You¡¯re not like the others, so drop it," the woman urged, humming softly at the end.


    Her voice echoed from all directions.


    I could tell she was crawling along the walls and ceiling in the dark, but every time I tried to spot her, she disappeared.


    "You don¡¯t know me. I¡¯m worse than the others. I¡¯m a coward and a selfish person who¡¯s let others die before and I¡¯ll probably do the same again," I cried, clenching my fists and biting my bottom lip at the realization of my own nature.


    I was the worst crusader, worse than Suki.


    "I don¡¯t believe that. I can sense a soft and innocent aura around you," she murmured, her voice echoing faintly against the walls.


    My grip on the spear loosened.


    "I¡¯m innocent?" I asked, still straining to catch a glimpse of her.


    "Why do you think you¡¯re not? I haven¡¯t seen you kill anyone here, unlike the others," she replied, making me feel slightly better about myself.


    "They all have each other. I¡¯m alone. And yet, I can¡¯t fight to protect myself as if I¡¯m waiting for someone else to protect me," I muttered, shaking my head at my own delusions.


    But her soft tsk, tsk, tsk stopped me.


    "You¡¯re not wrong to be hopeful. Let me tell you something," she said as she started crawling down the wall in front of me.


    There were open paths to my left and right, but she came from the closed wall ahead.


    I stepped back slowly, but she kept moving toward me until she came into the light.


    My eyes widened, and a silent gasp escaped my lips. I was so terrified I couldn¡¯t move or look away.


    I just stared at her, frozen, my jaw ck.


    "I prepare jewels from coal. They¡¯re special¡ªjust like you. And special people like you deserve to have their wishes granted. You don¡¯t want to be alone, and you won¡¯t be. But you¡¯ll need to work hard for it. Are you willing to do that?" she asked, her eyes, mouth, and skin sending shivers down my spine.


    When the fear of her appearance faded a little, I focused on her words.


    She was right. It wasn¡¯t wise to give up. I had to keep fighting.


    "I¡¯m willing to do anything to survive," I dered, and she smiled.

 Chapter 267-Finding Our Missing Friends.

    <h4>Chapter 267: 267-Finding Our Missing Friends.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Okay, so another corner checked, and she¡¯s not there. Neither is Haiden or Ian," Troy muttered, stretching his neck back and rubbing his nape tiredly.


    We had been running around anxiously, looking for our missing crusaders, and so far hadn¡¯te across a single one of them.


    It was worrying, especially because of the state Oriana had run away in, and I had a bad feeling she wouldn¡¯t be able to survive.


    However, I had strong suspicions that Haiden was fine.


    I knew I wasn¡¯t supposed to feel his pain until we had marked each other, or at least one of us had, but still, I could sense he was okay.


    "Now what?" Yorick wondered, facing me tiredly.


    We had thankfully collected whole bags of coal, and there was more we could hand over to the missing three.


    While we stood there talking, a squeaking voice echoed, warning us of another danger approaching.


    I remembered Ian telling her that these things never came alone, that a shadow followed them.


    But honestly, I hadn¡¯t seen any of it.


    I began to wonder if Ian had nted all that fear in us before he passed out and woke up as a different person, or maybe he had just been misinformed.


    Anxiety hit me as the voices grew louder.


    Yorick got ready to attack the Earth Eater while Troy and I stood behind him, tiredly holding our spears.


    We hadn¡¯t rested all day, we hadn¡¯t slept or sat down once, and we were tired as fuck.


    So tired I felt like my back was going to break.


    Something was wrong with the oxygen, too. The tunnels felt suffocating now.


    The longer we stayed, the more exhausted we became.


    I took a deep breath, gripped the spear with both hands, and readied myself to throw at whatever wasing.


    Suddenly the first person to appear in view was someone who made my eyes go wide.


    Haiden!


    I dropped the spear and rushed from ahead of Yorick toward Haiden, who held a fire torch and wore a bag slung across his shoulder.


    He rushed forward and hugged me tightly, while Troy and Yorick moved back to fight whatever was chasing him.


    "I¡¯d been so worried for you. I almost broke down. I don¡¯t know why I suddenly felt so weak," I said, as he rubbed my back.


    "Hey, I¡¯m here. Of course I was going toe and survive for you. I¡¯m not going to give those assholes a chance to steal you from me," Haiden joked, still hugging me tightly.


    I heard the Earth Eater¡¯s screams and realized Troy and Yorick had taken care of it.


    When I broke the hug, I grabbed the strap of his bag to lift it and see if it was full.


    Thankfully, it seemed he had already found the coal.


    "Where are Ian and Oriana?" Haiden asked after we told him we¡¯d found all the coal.


    "We didn¡¯t see Ian from the start, but Oriana was with us until one of the biggest attacks. Then we just lost her," Yorick exined, shifting in his spot and turning his head around to make sure we weren¡¯t about to face another attack.


    All of us were taking deep breaths now. None of us said it out loud, but breathing was bing a real problem.


    "So not only do we have to find her, but we also need to find a way out. And I don¡¯t know how. We never thought about marking the areas we passed through, and this ce honestly feels like a maze," I admitted, voicing what scared me the most.


    "Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. Your prince is here to help with all your worries," he teased, lowering himself, tying his hands behind his back, and leaning close to my face with a smirk.


    I awkwardly shifted my eyes to the left to nce at Yorick, then to the right at Troy, both of them standing with their hands on their hips, staring at him.


    "I¡¯ve been leaving marks, and I know the way out. Is that enough to ease the worries of my beautiful mate?" Haiden dered, untying his hands from behind his back so he could rest it on one of his knee while still crouched, and with the other, gently flicked my chin with his fingers.


    It was a soft touch.


    "You know the way out?" I blurted, instantly grabbing his fingers, moving them away from my face but still holding them tightly.


    I saw the way his eyes lowered to our joined hands, acknowledging and maybe even cherishing the touch from the small smile spreading on his face.


    "And since I know the path, we can also track Ian and Oriana," he added, making me nce happily at the other two, who rolled their eyes.


    "Yeah, Mr. Hero knows it all," Troy scoffed.


    "Such a show-off," Yorick muttered, smirking at Haiden, whose grin only widened.


    "See? They¡¯re just jealous of me," he quipped.


    "We can argueter. Right now, getting out of here should be our priority."


    I told them we should move, though I was sure they noticed how often I had to clear my throat.


    I honestly wasn¡¯t feeling well, my throat kept itching, and it was getting harder to breathe.


    "Yeah, Mr. Hero, should we leave, or are you waiting for us to die fromck of oxygen?" Troy teased, using the chance to jab at him for not doing a great job.


    "Yeah, right. Let¡¯s go," Haiden replied, thankfully not staying behind to argue.


    We started walking through the passages he led us down. Halfway through, we began to hear footsteps.


    They were slow, rxed ones, like someone was just strolling around.


    We turned a corner and saw her.


    Oriana.


    She walked with her bag slung crossbody, one hand brushing along the tunnel wall as she moved.


    "Oriana!" As soon as I called out, she froze, then snapped her head back, eyes wide, staring at us.


    Then she came sprinting straight into me.


    The sudden force caught me off guard as she threw her arms around me, hugging so tightly it almost knocked the air out of my lungs.

 Chapter 268-The Odd Ian

    <h4>Chapter 268: 268-The Odd Ian</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I was honestly surprised to see Oriana this calm, but at the same time, I was more shocked that she had actually found the coal. The way she had run off earlier made me worry for her safety, but at least now I felt some peace.


    But we still had to find Ian, and there was no sign of him anywhere.


    "Guys, it¡¯s been two hours since we started looking for Ian. Don¡¯t you think we should just leave now? Maybe we¡¯ll find him on the way," Haiden suggested, cing a hand on his chest and rubbing it slightly.


    I noticed all of us feeling strange. Oriana stood silently, lost in thought, but every now and then, she¡¯d start heaving, taking deep breaths like the rest of us.


    "Yeah, we should leave now," I finally said after staying quiet for a while. "Once we rest a bit, we cane back."


    I only suggested that because it didn¡¯t make sense to stay in the tunnels when we were already running out of oxygen. I had a feeling I knew why, the Earth Eaters weren¡¯t just attacking us, they were also breathing in most of the oxygen and releasing toxic gas into the air.


    "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Troy agreed, nodding. "Haiden, you know the way, right? Come on, lead us out of here. I can¡¯t take it anymore."


    Troy grabbed Haiden¡¯s bicep, shaking him slightly. The urgency in his tone made me worry for him. He had been the most active one, jumping around nonstop, so I figured he was suffering the most.


    "Yeah, let¡¯s go," Haiden agreed. But even he didn¡¯t seem fine, maybe because he¡¯d been alone for so long.


    We started following his marks. It was clever of him. He¡¯d used the one piece of chalk the Ringleaders had given us to mark the map, and he¡¯d used it wisely.


    Because of that, he managed to guide us out in no time.


    Once we were outside, we all took deep breaths. Honestly, even the cold northern air of the house felt better than whatever we¡¯d been breathing in those tunnels.


    "Guys, we still have some food, right?" Oriana asked, taking deep breaths as she knelt down, her hands resting on her knees.


    "Yeah, we can take a short break, then keep looking for Ian," I said, grabbing the bags we had left behind earlier.


    We didn¡¯t want to carry too much, so we¡¯d only taken one bag with two bottles of water and a bit of food. But we dropped it the moment we ran into the first Earth Eater, that¡¯s how scary it got down there.


    Thankfully, the rest of the bags still had food.


    We sat down in the living room of the house and opened one of the bags. I noticed that the Earth Eaters didn¡¯t seem toe out here, maybe the air outside was too pure for them. That would exin why thest one died so quickly after leaving the tunnels.


    We didn¡¯t lock the door, worried that Ian mighte out and need to reach us, but we did move a closet in front of it at a nt. We figured if Ian came out, he¡¯d be able to crawl under it or at least call out for us.


    "That was so hectic," Oriana said after drinking some water and eating a few biscuits.


    "Yeah, it was scary," Troy agreed, still munching on wafers.


    "Oriana, where did you go? And where did you find all that coal?" I asked, a little curious, mostly because I wanted her to tell her story, to realize that she could handle things on her own.


    She didn¡¯t need to be afraid or wait for someone to save her.


    "I remember running away," she started, sounding a little too lost. I mean, it happened just recently, so why was she so forgetful?


    "And then I remember feeling so defeated, thinking I couldn¡¯t survive anymore. I dropped to my knees and gave up."


    But then she paused, her eyes staring into the distance.


    "Then I¡ª" she stopped, scratching the back of her neck. "I think I spoke to someone."


    The way she said it, so confused yet so certain, made my mates nce at each other, then at me, just to make sure we were on the same page.


    "Who? Who did you speak to? Was it Ian?" Haiden asked since we¡¯d told him that we¡¯d all been together and the only person we hadn¡¯t found was Ian. Maybe she hade across him.


    But she quickly started shaking her head.


    "No, no, no, it wasn¡¯t Ian. It was some woman," she muttered, turning her face to the side before trailing off. "She was... I... she was... I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s¡ªwow¡ªI don¡¯t know. I think... I think I passed out and had a dream. Yeah, that¡¯s it. Maybe I dreamed it, because I woke up in the same spot, and the coals¨Cthey were right next to my bag, just lying there."


    She grabbed her bag as she spoke, still looking puzzled.


    "Maybe you were having trouble breathing, passed out, and didn¡¯t realize you were already next to the coals," Yorick suggested, trying to make sense of it.


    But she shook her head before slowly starting to nod.


    "Maybe. I don¡¯t know," she murmured.


    Still, there was one problem. If she had been next to the coals, there had to be Earth Eaters nearby. Since she said she didn¡¯t remember, there was nothing we could do about it. But she did say she spoke to someone. It couldn¡¯t just be a dream, right? Or maybe it was. Who knows? Otherwise, she would¡¯ve remembered.


    None of us had experienced anything like that, and she was clearly shaken, so maybe she was just delusional.


    "Anyway, we shouldn¡¯t dy. Let¡¯s go look for Ian, but this time, how about we¡ª" I stopped mid-sentence as my eyes drifted to the side. What I saw stole the ground from under my feet.


    Right in front of me, someone was walking down the stairs, freshly showered with a bag in his hand. He moved it slightly, making the sound of coals rattle inside.


    "Ian?" Oriana was the first to call out, looking as shocked as the rest of us.

 Chapter 269-She Sticks With Us Now

    <h4>Chapter 269: 269-She Sticks With Us Now</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We were all watching as Ian came downstairs and stared at us.


    "What took you all so long?" he asked casually, acting like he wasn¡¯t aware of our res.


    We had all been secretlymunicating with our eyes, wondering how he hade from upstairs. It didn¡¯t look like he had been in the tunnels with us.


    He was perfectly showered, not hyperventting, and definitely on the second floor.


    "What?" he asked, finally reacting to our silent stares.


    "Were you in the tunnels? We didn¡¯t see you." Oriana went ahead and questioned him for all of us.


    The way he looked at her and secretly clenched his jaw was bizarre. The Ian I knew was cocky. He used to act weirdly and be mysterious, sometimes rude.


    But now he haspletely changed. He was mostly annoyed, angry, and arrogant. Even so, his silent res were terrifying.


    "It¡¯s not my fault you guys were slow. I went inside yesterday after you and, in about an hour, found the coals and came out," he shrugged, making my mates look at me and then at each other.


    Those silent stares were mostly directed at Yorick, because he always waited for Ian. Even I did. But right now, I had my own agenda with Ian.


    The fact that he went in, took the coals, left, and spent the whole night upstairs just resting, without worrying about anyone else, proved that he was right when he said he wasn¡¯t like the others.


    That he didn¡¯t care about anyone.


    I don¡¯t know why it hurt so much. I should have stopped thinking about him or relying on him the minute he forced marked me.


    But I guess I was hoping he¡¯d have an exnation, maybe that his wolf had acted up, but no. Even that excuse wasn¡¯t going to hold up in my court anymore.


    "So we¡¯ve all collected the coal. Does that mean we can leave?" Oriana smiled, sighing in relief. I could only imagine how she felt.


    After the way she had been dragged back and how her father died, she was probably thinking, like the rest of us, that maybe someone would be left behind this time.


    "Yeah, there¡¯s no need to stay behind anymore," Haiden stated, getting up. I noticed his bag.


    "I am so d we are all fine," Oriana shared as we escaped the house. The fleshmingo started toe after us, but we already knew we didn¡¯t have to fight because we were leaving.


    So we began moving through the woods. It reminded me of our first task, which was also in the woods.


    It was odd. There was some chittering of little monsters here and there, so we began sprinting quickly toward the station.


    Once we arrived, we knew we still had to wait for the train. It was already evening, and I was worried the train might note until the next day.


    We sat on the benches. Oriana was the only one walking around, staring at the benches a little too hard.


    Then she turned around, scratching her stomach, and looked at Haiden.


    "Haiden, do you have anything to eat?" The way she asked and the way he instantly got up somehow caught my attention.


    I don¡¯t know why, but it just hit me. I know it wasn¡¯t unusual, but I just noticed it.


    "Sorry, what?" Haiden asked, already standing. He was busy throwing away the empty stic food containers from his bag.


    "I asked, is there any food left?" she asked again, hands on her waist.


    "Yeah, I have a chocte, if that¡¯s okay," he said, bringing it out of his pocket and handing it to her.


    "Thank you, you are always a savior." Haiden shifted into a rather sweet, dainty little thing as she thanked him.


    She was smiling strangely, but I decided not to look at them too hard, it was getting a little creepy. She walked away, but now and then she would turn to look at Haiden.


    Haiden was busy with the others. Troy was doing his thing, and Ian sat alone on a bench far away.


    Finally, my heart revived when I heard the train arriving. Everybody got up instantly, especially Ian. He almost jumped off the bench, too excited to head home.


    We boarded the train, and while we were in the same carriage, as per the rules, Oriana stayed on her own.


    The train ride was awkwardly silent, not because something disastrous had happened, but because we were going back to find out why they had shunned us.


    I had a feeling something must have happened for them to suddenly send us on this journey.


    When we arrived, we immediately noticed that the ringleaders were not there. This time, only the lurkers and the headmaster were present.


    He gestured for the lurkers to take our bags and check if we hadpleted our mission. I wondered if they realized how cruel it was to threaten us with being sent back if we didn¡¯t collect enough.


    But that was it. This was what they were known for.


    One thing stayed prominent in my mind, where the heck were the ringleaders?


    "Take them straight to their dorm rooms," the headmaster told the lurkers, and they began to make us follow. We all sat in one suv, whereas Oriana stayed in the other.


    The silent journey began once again, mostly because we didn¡¯t want to speak in front of Ian. Lately, he had been acting weird, and it didn¡¯t feel like we were on the same page anymore.


    When we reached the academy, the lurkers made sure to surround us so we wouldn¡¯t wander off. Immediately, I knew something was up.


    While walking toward the main hall to go through the passage, I noticed something from the corner of my eye.


    For a split second, when two lurkers identally put a little distance between them, I caught a glimpse of the ground. I noticed one of the ringleaders doing something there.


    But the lurkers quickly stepped back into my view, and we were led into the room. Silence filled the space until Ian went into the bathroom to take another shower, like always.


    The minute he was out of earshot, we all faced each other.


    "They¡¯re looking for Bodhi¡¯s diary," I said first, remembering that I had given Miss Rue the idea that maybe Bodhi had hidden a diary somewhere with the truth about the academy.

 Chapter 270-They Are In Her Bed Now

    <h4>Chapter 270: 270-They Are In Her Bed Now</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We all stood, staring at each other as we recalled the moments when I had read part of Bodhi¡¯s diary and then lied to Miss Rue just to see what they were going to do next.


    "That makes sense, but why would they be so scared of anyone finding that diary, unless there¡¯s a part of them that knows the truth will be so horrific that their perfect persona will fall apart?" Yorick suggested, and we all began to nod.


    Before we could discuss any further, the door opened, and Oriana came in. I had almost forgotten about her, but now I remembered she was going to stay with us for a while.


    "What are we discussing?" she asked as she stood with us. I wasn¡¯tfortable talking in front of her.


    "We ¨C," As Troy started to speak with her, I quickly shifted everyone¡¯s attention.


    "Did you speak with the headmaster about attending the funeral?" That question was on my mind, and I knew she had asked me not to mention it.


    She had told me she would speak with the headmaster and would need us to back her up. Slowly, I managed to shift the topic.


    "I tried, but he didn¡¯t listen," She replied, looking dull


    "But I knew this would happen. When they dragged me back, my pack members and everyone else told the headmaster that they didn¡¯t want to do anything with me." she sighed.


    I instantly felt bad for bringing it up. I was just trying to change the subject. I didn¡¯t know I would strike such a nerve, and now I felt guilty.


    She touched her stomach and then asked, "Is anybody else hungry?" As soon as she said that, the others began nodding.


    "By the way, wee to the room and our squad. As long as we are staying together, we will stay as friends," Yorick weed her, making me smile a little too hard.


    I wasn¡¯t being toxic, but I had some suspicions and didn¡¯t know how to voice them. She had lost her father and was probably feeling lonely, so if I intervened now, I would look like a really bad person.


    I was afraid of doing that for now.


    "Yeah, wee to our room," I finally spoke up, forcing a smile. She happily walked over and sat on the empty bed that had never been filled before.


    Ian walked out after his shower, and I decided to go next. Once I finished, I walked out to find Ian sleeping on his bed,pletely silent.


    His corner was dark, but it was the other corner that caught my eye. All three of my mates were huddled on Oriana¡¯s bed. She was sitting between them, and they were talking,ughing, and sharing giggles.


    It¡¯s not that they were being flirtatious or anything. They were justughing. And they weren¡¯t even sitting that close to her. Yet my heart skipped a beat at the sight. I guess I just wasn¡¯t expecting it.


    "Oh! Clementine,e join us. We¡¯re ying a game, whoever says the funniest joke gets to do a dare in the morning," Oriana said, gesturing for me toe over.


    I approached them but slowed down.


    "When are they serving the food? Did they make an announcement?" I asked the guys instead. I hated acting bitter, but could anyone me me?


    After everything that had happened, I had begun to suspect Oriana¡¯s state of mind, her intentions, and especially the way she tried to convince me to be on her team, alone with her, and not trust the others.


    Yet here she was, getting along so well with them. It all just rubbed me the wrong way.


    "No, I think they¡¯re not going to feed us today," Yorick said, pouting.


    "Oh, I¡¯m so hungry," I muttered, walking over to my bed and sitting down.


    I expected them to leave her bed, but instead, they just looked at me, heard me, and then went right back to their game with her, while I watched in disbelief.


    "Okay, I am feeling this burning sensation in me. Are you feeling it too?" Mintmented, hinting and taunting, her tone dripping with sarcasm.


    "I am feeling such heat in my body that I could burn the entire maind," I replied to Mint, rifying that I did not enjoy watching them with her either.


    "Well, then let them know, because I don¡¯t think they understand the severity of hanging around with Oriana," she told me. As she said that, I began to lie down on the bed.


    "What do you mean?" I asked her.


    "Oh,e on, Clementine, you know it in your gut that she is not a loyal person or friend. She has tried to break you apart from your friends, from your mates in the North. And when she couldn¡¯t do it, now she is back, acting sweet and giggly with them. And don¡¯t forget, she left Valerie behind," Mint argued.


    "I don¡¯t care what you say. I remember what we saw, and I am sticking to it," she said firmly.


    Mint surprised me with her stern stance. She usually did not involve herself in gossip or speak negatively about others.


    But recently, I noticed she was opening up a bit. I guessed it was because we were no longer children.


    We had crossed the age of eighteen, and she was growing up with me, bing more mature and vignt.


    "And let¡¯s not forget about the whole bullying lie. She lied, Clementine. She lied so she could join our group, enter our room, and be part of our squad. And look at her now. You introduced her to them, so don¡¯t expect them to immediately know you don¡¯t like her hanging around when you are the one who introduced her," Mint responded harshly, making me nod in understanding.


    "Fine, I will speak with them about her," I uttered.


    It was time for her to take a shower and freshen up. As she got up and walked to the bathroom, the others began to scatter, returning to their beds after having a goodugh with her.


    Once she closed the bathroom door, I sat up in bed. I guessed my mates noticed because they all looked at me in confusion.


    "I don¡¯t want you guys to freak out, but Oriana is a liar," I said. That was all I managed before they exchanged nces and started to gather around my bed.

 Chapter 271-They Are Slipping Away

    <h4>Chapter 271: 271-They Are Slipping Away</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What?" they all said almost in unison.


    "I need to speak with you guys about her. Can we please leave this ce? I know she¡¯lle out, and it¡¯ll be so awkward that our conversation will die in a few seconds," I said, asking them to talk about it somewhere she wouldn¡¯t be around.


    "Okay," Troy replied, scratching the back of his head.


    "I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but we¡¯re with you, okay?" Haiden added as he gently ced his hand on my shoulder, giving it a light pat.


    I was d they understood. By the time she walked out, we had all gone back to our beds.


    The next day, when we woke up, I immediately checked on Oriana. She was acting normally, though I didn¡¯t know why I felt so cautious about her.


    After everyone had showered, we were called to breakfast. We expected them to send us into the woods, but they didn¡¯t.


    It was a rainy day, and we were told to wear our sweaters and warm clothes.


    As we sat together for breakfast, we couldn¡¯t help but exchange nces. Ian sat apart, which didn¡¯t surprise us. But it was Oriana clinging so close that I began to wonder how I would even talk to my friends about her.


    "Haiden, can you please pass me that?" Oriana asked, pouting as she extended her hand, trying to look cute while wiggling her fingers, her shoulder raised so high it almost touched her ear.


    Her other hand rested in herp.


    "Sure," Haiden replied in the same yful tone, handing her the salt and pepper.


    Whenever she spoke with him, he didn¡¯t look at me, and I felt slightly ufortable. With others, I could excuse it, thinking she didn¡¯t know what was going on between me and them, but with Haiden, she did.


    Almost everyone knew he was my mate. So for her to flirt with him bothered me. You can¡¯t just call yourself someone¡¯s friend and then flirt with their mate right in front of them.


    "You know, Haiden, I love your biceps. You¡¯re going to help me work out," she said, giggling with him.


    "Really? You don¡¯t know how to work out?" he teased, raising an eyebrow.


    "No, I don¡¯t. Why don¡¯t you teach me?" she insisted, pouting.


    I stabbed the omelette a little too hard, hoping Haiden would finally notice my difort. But it seemed like I was invisible. He carried on.


    "I can teach you. Doesn¡¯t my bicep show that I work out too?" Troy teased, rolling up his sleeves to disy his muscles.


    And she started giggling.


    "Of course, anyone can do it," she replied in her cheery little tone, then turned to me.


    "Clementine, you have the best squad mates. Thank you so much for introducing me to them and letting me join your friend group." She smiled brightly, happily flirting with my mates.


    I didn¡¯t me her. She was just taking an opportunity. My mates were at fault for encouraging her.


    "Anyway, I¡¯m done," I said, finally sliding the te away. And finally, my squad mates noticed.


    "Why, you barely ate anything?" Yorickined.


    Instead of answering, I gave him a look of disappointment, hoping he would understand why I was leaving so early.


    "Is it because of me?" Oriana asked. She had the nerve to do that.


    However, I refused to act bitter in front of her or give her the satisfaction. I had a bad feeling about what wasing.


    I remembered exactly what she had told me back in the North, that if it ever came down to choosing between her and me, they would choose her.


    And I had a feeling this was her way of proving it. I could see it in her eyes.


    "No, of course not. Why would she leave because of you? She¡¯s the one who made us really befriend you," Troy said before I could respond and I just shrugged.


    "See? You have them to answer for me." It was clearly a sarcastic remark, but they didn¡¯t notice.


    I stood up and walked out, moving quickly toward my dorm room, grumbling under my breath the whole way.


    "Clementine!" I heard someone call. It was Oriana. I turned briefly, expecting the others to be with her, but she hade out alone.


    She stopped in front of me, breathing heavily, her mouth still full of food. She must have run halfway through breakfast just to bother me.


    "You saw that?" That was the first thing she said, and I clenched my fists.


    "So that¡¯s what you were doing, ying with their emotions, making them think you¡¯re their friend," I shot back, reminding her that this wasn¡¯t eptable.


    "I¡¯m just trying to show you," she hissed.


    "Please, Oriana, you need to stop doing this. I told you I¡¯m not leaving my friends for you. I hope you understand that. And if you try to y them, or me, you¡¯ll have to face me," I warned, anger slipping through my voice before I realized it.


    Maybe it was time she saw I wasn¡¯t blind to her games.


    "Fine then. You¡¯re right. We can all be friends instead of just you and me," she hissed, though there was a challenge in her tone. "I¡¯ll finish my breakfast with my friends then."


    With a smirk and a bitter tone, she made it clear she wasn¡¯t going to stop.


    And as I stood there watching, she walked away, swaying her hips, heading back to sit and eat with my mates.


    This time, when I was in the room, my squadmates were the first toe in.


    "I need to speak with you about Oriana," I said, instantly getting up from my bed and drawing their attention.


    They looked at me and then smiled, almost as if confused by my impatience.


    "I¡¯m serious." As soon as I said that, their smiles faded. They finally looked serious.


    "Okay, fine. Let¡¯s go have a talk," Troy added, gesturing toward the door.


    We began to walk out, and I noticed Oriana heading toward us. Her forehead was furrowed as I led my mates away from her toward the ground.


    I saw her trying to follow us, but once we stood in a circle, she stopped and started to walk away. She didn¡¯tpletely leave, she just went around the corner. There was no way she could hear us from there.


    "What¡¯s going on?" Haiden asked, arms folded over his chest.


    "I need you three to stop acting like you don¡¯t know. I¡¯m ufortable with all of you acting strangely around her," I said, watching them pout.


    Oriana still stood in the distance, hands loosely tied around her stomach, watching us.


    "Clementine, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too harsh on her?" Yorick asked gently, the first to disagree.

 Chapter 272-A Talk About Oriana

    <h4>Chapter 272: 272-A Talk About Oriana</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re overreacting?" Haiden said, doubling down on his statement.


    "You were the one who introduced her to us. And honestly, after her father passed away, I think she really needs a friend. Her squadmates aren¡¯t around, and it seems like she really, really likes you," Troy added, making me secretly clench my fists behind my back.


    "Well, it doesn¡¯t matter, because she doesn¡¯t like any of you," the moment I said that, I watched the three of them step back slightly in confusion, frowns visible on their faces.


    "What makes you say that?" Troy asked, his eyes lingering on Oriana, who stood at the edge of the passage, watching us talk about her. I bet she understood that we were having a conversation about her.


    "She told me herself back in the North. She was trying to convince me to cut ties with all of you and befriend her so it would just be the two of us, keeping each other as a priority. She asked me why I trusted all of you, even after everything you had done to bully me during the earlier stages of our stay in the North," I finally let it out, telling them everything I knew and about her being bullied as well.


    "Shhe was never bullied. I had a conversation with her squadmate, they were confused. She lied, and she continues to lie about everything. She even tried toe between us, trying to steal me from you guys," I tried exining, watching them study my face in silence.


    I noticed Oriana starting to follow us. I guessed she was a little anxious, but halfway through, she stopped and began acting like she was only stretching.


    She rubbed her neck, her stomach, and her arms, as if she were cold. I guessed she was just curious and wanted to listen to our conversation.


    At this point, I didn¡¯t want to drag them away to continue this conversation somece alone because if she was going to join, I would dly remind her that I wasn¡¯t lying.


    "She did say all those things. And if you don¡¯t remember, Troy, she even closed the door on you," I hissed, watching the other two look at Troy.


    "Honestly, we men don¡¯t really care about this kind of drama," Finally, Haiden began to speak, but it wasn¡¯t what I expected.


    It didn¡¯t even seem like they were bothered by the fact that she tried to create a division between us. That was the part that hurt me the most.


    "What about you two? Do you think the same?" I turned to Troy and Yorick after being disappointed with Haiden.


    "I mean, Clementine, it¡¯s nothing. She¡¯s going through a lot. Her father passed away. And I guess she was talking to you about all this stuff believing you¡¯d keep it to yourself. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right for you to share it with us, especially if she said those things out of fear and sadness." Troy shook his head, his tone low and disappointed.


    But I was the one who felt truly disappointed in them.


    I turned to Yorick next. He had the same pout and disappointed look as the others.


    "Think about it, Clementine. She¡¯s lost the only family she had. And it¡¯s not just that, she¡¯s certain he was murdered. I think she really needs us right now. And sure, we¡¯ll talk to her about the things she lied about. Bute on, that¡¯s just how she is. She lies because she wants attention. And she¡¯s our friend. Don¡¯t friends overlook each other¡¯s mistakes?" Yorick continued, making me stare at their faces in disbelief.


    What happened to them? How did they get so attached to her so quickly?


    "I mean, you forgave us for bullying you. We lied too when we were doing that. So let¡¯s not put her on trial, especially when she¡¯s suffering this much. Let¡¯s just see her as our friend and actually be one to her," Haiden added, his tone firm but calm.


    At that point, I felt like I was the one being judged. I had already said everything I needed to say about her. Now it was up to them to believe me, or not.


    And it seemed like they chose not to.


    I didn¡¯t know what the right reaction could have been. I could argue, but that would only make me look bad.


    On paper, she was doing everything right now. She was apologetic. She would apologize in front of them whenever they called her out.


    She even apologized to Troy for locking the door.


    I felt like there was nothing I could do.


    "Guys," a soft voice called out. It was Oriana, trying to catch our attention.


    "What is that?" she asked, pointing toward something in the distance.


    We shared a quick nce before walking toward where her finger was pointing. As we reached the area, we saw several dug-up holes being filled roughly. And it hit me.


    "What is it? Do you guys know anything about it?" Oriana asked.


    Despite knowing the answer, I decided to stay silent and talk to my squadmatester, when she wasn¡¯t around.


    But I guess it was already toote. They had built their trust in her.


    "I think the ringleaders are digging up these ces to look for Bodhi¡¯s diary," Troy said, even though he knew I didn¡¯t want to talk about it in front of Oriana.


    "Right. Remember, Clementine gave them a little bait, and they took it. It means they¡¯re scared of some truthing out," Haiden added.


    At that point, I was so annoyed.


    "Guys, what the hell?" I raised my voice and stomped my foot. They turned to me, eyebrows raised.


    I knew I had made a mistake. I shouldn¡¯t have done that. It was wrong of me to get loud when they had already spoken in front of her.


    "Can I please have a moment with you?" Yorick asked softly as he touched my elbow, leading me away.


    We stopped a few feet from the others. I could still see them. Oriana had her arms wrapped around her stomach, her shoulders slouched, looking defeated.


    The others stood in silence, watching us but saying nothing.


    "What¡¯s going on with you, Clementine?" Yorick asked.


    "Why are you guys talking in front of her?" I asked quietly.


    "Because we¡¯ve already talked about this before, even in front of her," Yorick exined.


    "Remember when she came from her pack and was introduced to our room? She said they¡¯re watching us in the North. Remember that conversation? Please, Clementine, you¡¯re better than this. This kind of jealousy doesn¡¯t suit you. You¡¯re not only hurting her, you¡¯re hurting us too. You¡¯re making us feel like we¡¯re doing something wrong."


    His tone was soft, but his words stayed with me.

 Chapter 273-Caught Her Riding My Mate

    <h4>Chapter 273: 273-Caught Her Riding My Mate</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After Yorick spoke with me, the others came around and told me the same thing. They said there was nothing else going on, that I was overreacting, and it didn¡¯t look good on me.


    At that point, I didn¡¯t want to keep looking like a jealous person. I told them about her, but they didn¡¯t believe me.


    The rest wasn¡¯t my problem. So, I decided to leave for my room. If she caused trouble for them or for us, that would be their responsibility.


    "So, what exactly do you think is going on?" Oriana asked as we sat together.


    I knew this would happen. No matter how many times we told her not to bring it up again, she always did.


    And the others made it seem like she only did it because she was adorably naive.


    Haiden quickly nced at her, signaling not to speak in front of Ian. Oriana nodded while I sat on the bed, clipping and filing my nails.


    The rest of the time, we stayed quietly in our rooms until we were called to the hall again.


    Dinner had been served, and honestly, we rushed out in haste, leaving Ian behind. I guessed everyone was just tired because they immediately sat down to eat.


    "Oriana! Can you please go and check on Ian?" Miss Lenora called out, making me frown.


    I was sure the others noticed too, but it was probably because she wanted to include her own students in some kind of task.


    Ever since Oriana had joined our group, we¡¯d forgotten that she wasn¡¯t supposed to listen to Miss Rue but to Miss Lenora.


    And since Ian had been a messtely, I didn¡¯t bother, and neither did the others.


    Oriana got up and timidly walked out of the hall. I guessed she would have preferred it if it were anyone else, but Ian could be harsh and brutal.


    Ian was usually gone. Maybe he was just around, as always, checking on the lurkers and everything.


    Speaking of the lurkers, I remembered Oriana¡¯sments about them being orphans. If that was true, I doubted they had any say in what happened to them.


    But why were they so empty of emotion, like they didn¡¯t feel anything at all?


    After a few minutes, I noticed the ringleader beginning to wonder what was taking Oriana so long.


    Maybe she couldn¡¯t find him. Miss Rue grunted, annoyed that we had to wait for Ian before starting dinner.


    "Clementine, why don¡¯t you go and fetch them both?" Miss Rue called out this time, smiling proudly.


    I guessed she was trying to show that I could handle the task better than Oriana, but in my mind, I kept asking, why?


    Why would she ask me? Still, she had, and I had no choice but to follow her orders.


    I stood up from my seat and started walking out of the hall. I nced around quickly and saw no sign of either of them in any of the passageways.


    As I walked toward our dorm room, I began hearing strange noises, like some sort ofmotion was going on.


    The first thought that came to my mind was that Oriana must have said something to Ian, and he didn¡¯t like it and started throwing a tantrum.


    I hurried, picking up my pace to save her from his temper.


    But when I pushed the door open, the sight in front of me froze me in ce. I couldn¡¯t react at first. My body just stopped.


    It took me several seconds, maybe longer, to process what I was seeing. I stepped back from the doorway, my throat tightening.


    They were together.


    Ian was lying on his back, naked while Oriana was on top of him,pletely naked. I could see his rod go in and out of her as she moaned in pleasure.


    I¡¯m sure they heard me approach because Oriana turned around and locked eyes with me.


    There was a meaningful gaze, and I noticed a slight smile on her lips before she continued riding Ian.


    It took Ian a moment to realize I was there, and when he did, he quickly pushed her away.


    That¡¯s when I turned and backed out of the room, my heartbeat loud in my ears. I stood outside, trying to think of the right way to respond.


    Of course, I had no reason to be angry, I¡¯d already made it clear to Ian that I didn¡¯t want him. So why was I upset?


    Because I knew Oriana had done it on purpose. There was no other exnation.


    Because he fucking marked me just so that he could go around and sleep.


    Momentster, Ian came out, moving fast as if expecting me to be gone. He stopped short when he nearly ran into me. At least he had thrown on some clothes.


    "Clementine, we were just talking and then¡ª" he started, but stopped, realizing he had no excuse.


    "It¡¯s all right," I replied, clenching my fist. "It was just a little awkward for me." I paused, my voice steady but sharp.


    "Of all the ces, you two had to choose my bed." Even though I tried to hold back, a trace of anger slipped through, and for once, I thought it was justified.


    The anxiety he had shown earlier started to fade, reced by something almost satisfying.


    "So, you¡¯re jealous?" he asked with a small smile.


    Oriana rushed out from behind him, finally dressed.


    "No one has started eating because they¡¯re all waiting for you," I said sharply.


    I turned to walk away, but soon heard quick footsteps behind me. I knew it was Oriana following, while Ian stayed back to finish getting dressed.


    As soon as she caught up, I heard her giggle. I stopped in my tracks and turned to face her.


    "I guess I¡¯ll have a boyfriend," she said, and my heart skipped a beat.


    "What?" I asked, my voice full of shock.


    "Yeah," she replied.


    "When I went to his room, I found him sitting on your bed. And you know what he told me? He said he¡¯d actually been thinking about me. He said that ever since he first saw me, he thought I was really cute. So, I guess I¡¯m going to give it a try. He¡¯s very protective and strong too. What do you think?"


    I couldn¡¯t tell if she was truly that clueless. Maybe she was, since she didn¡¯t know that Ian and I were also mates.


    But the way she spoke so cheerfully, almost like she was sharing some fun gossip, made me wonder if she even realized what she was saying.

 Chapter 274-Not Allowed To Complain

    <h4>Chapter 274: 274-Not Allowed To Comin</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I didn¡¯t entertain her and told her that everyone was waiting for us, and we shouldn¡¯t dy.


    Thankfully, we made it back to the hall before Ian coulde out of his room again. Of course, I was going to see him in the hall, and that¡¯s exactly what happened.


    When we were waiting for him, he arrived wearing a ck shirt and ck pants, looking rather cocky. My eyes immediately went to Oriana, noticing how she shyly shifted in her seat.


    Ian gave her a cheesy smile before his eyesnded on me, pretending to be worried that I had caught them. I hated it¨Cevery second of it.


    I had no idea how everything got this messy. I thought things were finally going well¨Cthat the Crusaders were on the same page, or at least our squadmates were.


    But I should¡¯ve known we couldn¡¯t trust Ian or Oriana.


    When did I ever say she was my best friend?


    Sure, I might¡¯ve introduced her as a friend, but when did they think I¡¯d let her walk all over me like that?


    I sat there, pissed off, feeling like I was about to lose my mind. Somehow, my mates must¡¯ve noticed because they finally decided to speak up.


    "You seem really upset," Troy said first. I scoffed and shook my head.


    "You guys were talking about how nice and sweet she is, right?" I whispered.


    Oriana wasn¡¯t sitting with us this time. I guessed Miss Lenora wanted her to remember she belonged to the red squad, so she made her sit at her own table, even if it was lonely.


    It didn¡¯t matter anyway, since Ian was sitting apart from us too.


    "Okay, what happened now?" Yorick asked.


    "I found her in bed with Ian."


    The moment I said that, the three of them exchanged nces and pulled their chairs closer to the table.


    "Wait, wait, tell us again, what did you see?" Troy asked.


    "Did you not hear me the first time, or are you too shocked to realize what I just said?" I snapped at him, noticing how hurt he looked. I guess I really had lost my mind then.


    "I went back to get them, like the ringleaders asked, and I found them fucking in my bed," I exined. This time, there was no room left for doubt or excuses.


    The three of them leaned back in their seats, ncing at Oriana, who was busy eating without lifting her head. Her arms were crossed over the table.


    "So, what exactly is wrong here? Are you angry because she slept with Ian?" Troy asked, sounding slightly irritated.


    "You¡¯re not getting it. It¡¯s about code. If she¡¯s really my friend, why would she go and sleep with my mate?" I argued.


    "Thest time we checked, she didn¡¯t even know there¡¯s anything going on between you and Ian. So how exactly is she in the wrong? And why the hell are you so mad about it? It seems more like your problem than hers. Besides, didn¡¯t he mark you by force? Shouldn¡¯t you hate him?" Haiden shot back bitterly.


    I didn¡¯t expect them to start calling me out. All three of them stared at me, looking upset. This time, it was Haiden who spoke up, pointing out my fault.


    "They were doing it on my bed." I guess that was the only excuse I could use, because somehow I wasn¡¯t even allowed to show irritation without getting questioned about everything.


    I couldn¡¯t be upset with Oriana for lying so bluntly before. I couldn¡¯t be upset with Ian for marking me and then cheating on me.


    And then, I just didn¡¯t know what to do. What were my options? So I went silent. But from the looks of it, the three of them were the ones upset now.


    When dinner ended, everyone started getting up and collecting their dishes. Miss Rue tapped the back of her spoon on the table to get our attention.


    "Clementine, can you pleasee see me for a minute?" she asked, making me leave my te behind with a sigh.


    I walked over to her, where she stood in the corner of the hall. The other ringleaders had already left.


    "What¡¯s going on?" she asked softly.


    "Nothing," I replied with an awkward smile.


    "No, that¡¯s not nothing. You look pale. This isn¡¯t like you," she said. At least my ringleader knew this wasn¡¯t me being myself.


    "It¡¯s really nothing," I tried to brush her off. It wasn¡¯t like I could tell her anything anyway.


    "Okay," she said slowly. "I think I know what¡¯s going on, though I¡¯m notpletely sure."


    I frowned in confusion, watching her face. What did she mean by that?


    "Oriana came to me earlier today," she continued. The moment she said her name, my heart skipped a beat. So she noticed. That¡¯s why she called me.


    "Okay," I said, pretending not to understand.


    "She was asking if it was possible for her to transfer to our squad."


    The moment Miss Rue said that, my whole body froze. I stared at her with wide eyes, unable to hide how much it bothered me anymore.


    "She also said that since she couldn¡¯t attend her father¡¯s funeral, she wanted to use that as a reason to request a transfer, to get at least something in return," Miss Rue exined.


    I clenched my jaw, then lowered my head and nodded.


    "Anyway, I just wanted to give you a heads-up," she said.


    "Is Ms. Lenora going to let her go?" I asked, swallowing hard and keeping my tone neutral.


    "I¡¯m not sure what she¡¯ll do, but if she finds out that Oriana wants to leave her troop, I think she¡¯ll either let her go out of pride and anger, or keep her in the troop even if she doesn¡¯t want to stay."


    Miss Rue was being honest, and honestly, I didn¡¯t even know what I wanted.


    Orianaing to my room had opened my eyes to many things, especially to how fragile my friendship with my squadmates really was.

 Chapter 275-Ian Strikes Again

    <h4>Chapter 275: 275-Ian Strikes Again</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After I finished speaking with Miss Rue, I decided to return to my dorm room. But as I turned away, something caught my attention, and it unsettled me.


    Usually, whenever one of us was called out or had to go somewhere, the others would pick up their dishes. It had be a small ritual of ours.


    But this was the first time my dishes were left behind.


    I wasn¡¯t the kind of person who expected others to clean up after her, yet the fact that this happened bothered me deeply. I had a bad feeling about it.


    I picked up my dishes, took them to the kitchen, washed them, and then headed back.


    As I walked through the passage toward my dorm room, I could already hear chatter andughter from inside.


    When I reached the half-open door, I saw Oriana standing in the middle of the room, acting on a scene as she told some silly story that made everyoneugh.


    She used big gestures and lively expressions. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves.


    "And then I was trying to hide from my father after I did it. But I got caught, and everyone was like, ¡¯She¡¯s the trouble! She¡¯s the trouble!¡¯" Oriana eximed,ughing as she told the story.


    The othersughed with her loudly. At that moment, I realized they were having too much fun for it to be fake. And I also understood that maybe I wasn¡¯t needed there anymore.


    Instead of walking back inside and possibly ruining their mood with my arrival, I walked away down the passage.


    The weather was cold and windy. I went all the way to the ground where we used to hold our group meetings and sat on the grass.


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t feeling confident in myself anymore or in my squad. I couldn¡¯t say they had let me down, but I should have known better.


    All men were the same. It had been that way for years. Men always had too many mates, and they enjoyed tasting them all.


    I might have been fine if it had only been about mates. The problem was that she wasn¡¯t their mate. And of course, they didn¡¯t understand what equality meant.


    There I was, trying too hard to be understanding of everyone, until I began struggling with my own feelings.


    "And something tells me you took it to heart," a voice said.


    I turned slightly, raising an eyebrow at him. I should have known Ian would be nearby, since he wasn¡¯t in the room.


    "I¡¯m not bothered by you or whatever you did," I replied sharply.


    "Really? So then what exactly is bothering you? Is it that your other mates are also entertaining her?" he asked, stepping in front of me and dropping down onto the grass, leaning back on his hands.


    "I¡¯m not bothered by anyone. I just needed some time to be with myself," I replied harshly, since he wouldn¡¯t take the hint and leave me alone.


    "Ah, okay. My bad then," he said quietly.


    I had no idea why he was so interested in my miserable life.


    "You know, I wouldn¡¯t do it if you marked me back," he suddenly said.


    That snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned my head toward him, questioning his state of mind.


    "You seriously think that after you hurt me with your behavior, then slept with your ex, forcefully marked me, andter slept with Oriana in my own bed, you think after all that, I would desperately ask you to be with me? And that I should be the one to mark you?"


    I tried to understand what he was thinking at that moment. He was clearly trying to make it seem like I should be the one chasing after him, as if I needed to earn his love.


    The thought made me shake my head in disbelief. It was absurd.


    "Well, you don¡¯t have to make it so difficult," he said.


    "All I¡¯m saying is, you don¡¯t have much going on in your life anyway. Your mates have already turned their attention to Oriana. It¡¯s only a matter of time before she reces you. They¡¯ll chase after her, then someone else, and again after that. So your best option is to make amends with me, apologize for the damage you caused, mark me, and be happy. Have someone who will protect you."


    The more he spoke, the more confused I became.


    Had he always been this way? So arrogant¡ªso sure that he was the only one who could save me? I couldn¡¯t help but let out a smallugh.


    "What¡¯s so funny?" he asked in a stern tone.


    "Ian, you lost your chance when you cheated on me. And trust me, I¡¯d rather stay single than be with someone like you," I said firmly and started to stand up.


    But then I heard something that made me turn to look at Ian. He straightened his back and stared at me.


    "Are you sure she told you the truth? We¡¯ve been digging for days, and we still haven¡¯t found anything. We sent them north, and they returned already and we still haven¡¯t found anything."


    I recognized the voice, it was Mr. Rick. He sounded frantic, probably talking about Bodhi¡¯s diary.


    "She told me he hid the diary somewhere around here," Miss Rue replied.


    I started walking toward the bushes where the voice wasing from. When I hid behind them, I could hear the rest of their conversation. It seemed they had just arrived.


    "Well, then we should keep digging. We need to find this diary before Clementine gets her hands on it. Trust me, once she does, we¡¯ll never see it again. And you better believe she¡¯ll turn it into a huge scene," Mr. Rick continued, speaking about me in a way that made me realize how little they thought of me.


    It was demeaning.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I know she didn¡¯t lie to me. I have her trust," Miss Rue said.


    As soon as she spoke, I closed my eyes and lowered my head, feeling awful.


    "You know what? It¡¯s times like these when I can¡¯t stop myself from being mischievous," I heard Ian whisper behind me, crouching down and watching the ringleaders just as I was.


    Before I could understand what he meant, I felt his hands on my back and then a shove toward the ringleaders.


    The next thing I knew, I tumbled out of the bushes andnded face-down at their feet.

 Chapter 276-The Blast In Trust

    <h4>Chapter 276: 276-The st In Trust</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The wind blew my hair across my face, and a chill ran through my body as I pressed my hands against the ground and forced myself up.


    I stared at Miss Rue and Mr. Rick, who watched me with mixed expressions. Mr. Rick looked furious, while Miss Rue seemed guilty.


    I slowly got to my feet, brushed the dry leaves off my clothes, and turned toward the bushes, gritting my teeth under my breath.


    Ian had crossed every line now.


    Not only was he being disgusting, but he had also proven he couldn¡¯t be trusted. He had exposed me and everything I¡¯d been nning.


    "Clementine," Miss Rue began after hesitating for a moment and stealing awkward nces at me. "What are you doing here?" she asked with an uneasyugh.


    There was no point lying anymore. We both knew exactly why we were here.


    "I was taking a walk. Sorry, I didn¡¯t realize I was interrupting your digging party," I said bitterly.


    I was upset because, honestly, I had thought Miss Rue wasn¡¯t a bad person. But I had been naive. The way she and Mr. Rick talked, it seemed she wanted to gain my trust only to extract the truth from me.


    "Yeah, it¡¯s our duty to keep an eye on the crusaders and make sure they¡¯re not plotting against the academy," Mr. Rick replied shamelessly.


    He clearly didn¡¯t care. Breaking someone¡¯s trust meant nothing to him.


    "No, that¡¯s not it," Miss Rue tried to exin, but she went silent when Mr. Rick shot her a harsh re.


    "Why do we even need to exin ourselves to her? And yes, we¡¯re looking for that diary. It seems like all of you are acting foolish, and we¡¯re worried that if Bodhi, the same boy who killed his dorm mates, wrote something ridiculous in it, you¡¯ll all believe him and run with it without asking us anything," he continued harshly, throwing insults to cover his fear of any truthing out.


    "Now, if you¡¯re done listening to us, you can go back to your room and let us do our job," Mr. Rick ordered.


    I straightened my posture, sped my hands behind my back, and met his re.


    "Why wasn¡¯t Bodhi¡¯s diary returned to his family? And if you already know we¡¯re suspicious, then you must also know I read the diary. Isn¡¯t it strange that he wrote that the ringleaders are always watching us?" I asked, finally confronting them.


    Somewhere along the line, I had lost faith in everyone else. It felt like I had to face this on my own now.


    "It¡¯s funny you asked," Mr. Rick said. "Yes, we are watching you. Every time you do something, we¡¯re there, keeping an eye on you. What else do you want to know?"


    Of course, he didn¡¯t flinch. Mr. Rick had skin like steel. Talking to him any longer was pointless, he was too cold, too dismissive.


    "Now go back to your room," he demanded.


    I finally turned and walked away.


    As I headed toward the dorm and started down the passage, Miss Rue began following me. She hurried behind, calling out, "Clementine, listen!"


    I didn¡¯t stop. I kept walking. Lately, it felt like one defeat after another, and I was starting to sink under it.


    My confidence was shaking, from the way my mates were behaving to how Ian had treated me, and now this. I didn¡¯t want to give her a chance, so I kept moving forward.


    "Clementine, please, just listen to me!" she called again.


    She finally caught up, ran ahead, and stopped in front of me with her arms spread to block my way.


    "Miss Rue, there¡¯s nothing you can say that will change my mind about you now," I told her, refusing to meet her eyes.


    It felt awkward, considering she was still my ringleader and senior.


    "I understand how you feel, and I¡¯mpletely responsible for it. No apology can fix it, but I feel like I deserve a chance," she said.


    I rolled my eyes. I was surprised she could still talk so freely.


    "A chance so you can gain my trust again and then run back to Mr. Rick with whatever I tell you?" I asked sharply. "Miss Rue, I trusted you because I believed we were being treated unfairly, and this is what you did to me."


    She rubbed her arms anxiously and looked guilty, but it didn¡¯t matter anymore. I knew how well they could act, so she was probably acting too.


    "Clementine, I was actually looking for the diary myself, but they caught me. I should have told you I was supposed to report anything you discovered about the academy. And this wasn¡¯t even a secret. Bodhi had lost his mind and was writing nonsense. We were afraid that if you all believed what he wrote, it would affect your focus in the North. I don¡¯t want any of you to lose your lives," she exined quickly.


    Even though she didn¡¯t owe me an exnation, I could tell why she was doing it for the same reason as before. She still wanted to earn my trust so she could fool me again next time.


    "I promise you, I won¡¯t betray you. I won¡¯t break your trust again," she urged, her voice filled with desperation that caught me off guard.


    She wasn¡¯t loyal at all. How could she expect me to give her another chance after already hurting me once?


    And now, even Mr. Rick knew we had been trying to uncover what was happening in the academy.


    "It¡¯s just onest chance," she pleaded again.


    Before I could answer, a loud st echoed through the air. Both of us stumbled, reaching for the pirs and walls to steady ourselves. We turned toward the direction of the noise, then looked at each other in shock.


    The door to my dorm room burst open, and the others rushed out, trying to see what had happened.


    "It seems the st came from inside the academy grounds," Miss Rue stated.


    And in that moment, I swear, it felt like my soul left my body.

 Chapter 277-They Are Playing Dirty

    <h4>Chapter 277: 277-They Are ying Dirty</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I anxiously paced around therge hall, waiting for the ringleaders to arrive and tell us about the st that had happened an hour ago.


    It had been a full hour since we were told to stay inside and not leave.


    Lurkers were everywhere, making sure none of us stepped out while the ringleaders continued their investigation.


    And while all that was happening, I couldn¡¯t stop worrying about what we might find out.


    At the same time, new worries had surfaced because of Ian and Oriana.


    Oriana was sitting between my mates, cracking jokes, while Oriana¡¯s new boyfriend, whom I thought she¡¯d finally go official with, paced around the corners of the hall.


    He kept close to the wall, hands shoved in his pockets, his head lowered.


    "Come on, Clementine, sit with us," Oriana called out, watching me take another round around the hall.


    "No, I can¡¯t sit right now. I¡¯m too anxious," I replied without turning toward them.


    "Okay, as you wish," she said, staying seated at the table, watching the others and sharing jokes with them.


    At this point, my mates weren¡¯t even responding to me.


    They would asionally gesture to ask if I was okay, but they didn¡¯t bother to actually check on me.


    "Guys, what were you two doing outside though? You must have noticed something."


    After a short silence, Oriana spoke again, stirring up more conflict as she pointed out that both Ian and I weren¡¯t in the dorm when the st happened.


    "Oh yeah, you guys must know something." As Haiden¡¯s voice reached my ears, I turned to look at him.


    His arm was stretched out, almost brushing against Oriana¡¯s ass she sat on the table.


    Her legs were draped over the handles of Troy and Haiden¡¯s chairs. Her feet rested there like she owned the space.


    It looked a little too intimate to me.


    Yorick sat beside her, leaning forward on the table, his elbows pressed down as he inched closer.


    I turned to face him, then noticed how Ian didn¡¯t even bother to stop what he was doing.


    "Well, I was spying on the ringleaders," I said loudly, because at this point, there was no one left to hide it from.


    The ringleaders already knew. Ian knew too, so of course he was going to spread it around. It seemed to be his new favorite pastime.


    "What? And what did you find out?" Oriana asked.


    Watching the four of them from afar made me feel like an outsider. She really had reced me.


    But my pride was too strong to let me show it. I refused to let my mates see that I was hurting.


    This feeling had been with me for as long as I could remember. I¡¯d always feared being reced.


    Now that it had finally happened, I didn¡¯t even know how to react.


    "They were looking for Bodhi¡¯s diary, the one I lied about." I paused.


    "And guess what else happened?" I added, my tone sharp and taunting as I noticed Ian freeze, lift his head stiffly, and tilt his face.


    He already knew I was about to expose him.


    "Ian pushed me until I fell at the feet of the ringleader," I said through clenched fists.


    Oriana instantly started rubbing her stomach, as if she found it funny. She burst outughing, and the others joined her.


    I hadn¡¯t expected that reaction.


    "It¡¯s not a joke, guys," I snapped, using a tone of disbelief.


    Having to remind them how serious it was only made me feel worse. I immediately regretted telling them anything.


    I didn¡¯t even know what kind of response I¡¯d been hoping for.


    "Right, it¡¯s serious," Haiden muttered, looking down while Yorick frowned beside him.


    "It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t feel guilty. We probably imagined it and it just looked funny in our heads," Oriana quickly said, brushing off their guilt as if it meant nothing.


    "Yeah, Ian, that was a dick move. What were you even thinking?" Then Troy spoke up, probably because he could tell from my face that I was offended by their reaction.


    "You wanna fight about it?" Ian challenged, cing his hands on his waist.


    "No, nobody¡¯s fighting. It was a mistake. He shouldn¡¯t have done that, but it happened. Now let¡¯s not divide," Oriana cut in quickly.


    The confrontation my mates were about to have with Ian was instantly shut down by her.


    She made sure that not only had she reced me, but now she also decided when they should take a stand and when they shouldn¡¯t.


    I¡¯d expected the alphas to have a mind of their own, to not get swayed by someone who wasn¡¯t even an alpha, but that didn¡¯t happen.


    They just listened to her.


    "Come on, what happened next?" Yorick called out as I stared at all of them in silence.


    By now, I was standing on the far side of the hall, feelingpletely left out and alone.


    I no longer felt the need to respond to them.


    I realized Oriana had stolen everything she once try to turn me against.


    She stole my mates, my group, reced me with herself and now I was the lonely one.


    I probably deserved it for turning a blind eye to her actions over and over again.


    Before I could think any further, the door mmed open, and the ringleaders walked in, looking devastated.


    "Everyone, please pay attention," Mr. Rick said, stepping ahead of Miss Rue and Ms. Lenora.


    "In a devastating turn of events, it seems one of the cages exploded. A greaser was the cause," he announced.


    His tone suggested there was more sad news.


    "Was there any damage? Any casualties?" Troy asked.


    Mr. Rick shifted uneasily before answering softly, "Yeah... the leader of the Brown House has passed away."


    At that, everyone fell silent, their faces nk and pouting.


    I looked around at all of them, confused and frustrated.


    Why weren¡¯t they immediately worried?


    Did they not remember that man was our only link to understanding the North and that him being gone meant no answers for years?


    It didn¡¯t seem like anyone cared. To them, it was just another life lost, not a potential conspiracy unfolding.


    But I was shocked that it happened during such a crucial time.


    It felt nned, deliberate even.


    Sadly, there was nothing I could do to prove it, because it seemed like no one else cared anymore.

 Chapter 278-Caught Sneaking Out Of His Bed

    <h4>Chapter 278: 278-Caught Sneaking Out Of His Bed</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We were told to return to our rooms without any exnation. I tried to ask how something like this could have happened.


    How they had let such an important person die, but they silenced me.


    Since no one else stood with me, the ringleaders simply walked away.


    Iy on my bed, listening to Oriana and Haiden whispering. Their beds were close together, so she positioned herself so their heads were next to each other.


    They kept talking and whispering, annoying me until I wanted to yell at them to be quiet.


    I hugged my pillow and turned to the other side, trying to hold back my tears.


    Everything was happening so fast, and I had no one to ask or anyone who could tell me what was going on.


    Eventually, I fell asleep, only to wake up in the middle of the night at a soft yelp.


    I jolted upright, my chest tight with worry, already fearing what I might find. But what I saw was nothing like what I expected.


    "Let go," Oriana whispered to Haiden, pinching his arm.


    I turned my head in their direction instantly. She was in bed with Haiden, and it looked like they were y-fighting, but she was under him.


    The moment she saw me, she pushed him off.


    "Dude, she¡¯s awake," she uttered nervously, climbing out of the bed.


    What I saw next froze me. Her shirt was lifted so high that even her bra was loose and one of her breasts was out.


    Oriana was lying under him, her shorts barely staying on and her belly chain hanging low.


    What were they doing? I watched her return to her bed and lie down.


    "We were just ying," she said quickly, turning her back to me.


    I looked at Haiden. He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding my eyes.


    "She was annoying me. She¡¯s so annoying, right?" he mumbled.


    My lips trembled. I nced at Troy and Yorick, both asleep. But it didn¡¯t matter. Even if I told them what I had seen, they wouldn¡¯t believe me.


    "Did you need anything?" Haiden finally looked up at me, trying to save face.


    "No, nothing from you." Iy back down, clenching my fists around the pillow.


    Silent tears ran down my face. I feltpletely hopeless and alone.


    "Why don¡¯t you give him a piece of your mind?" Mint grunted at me.


    "Don¡¯t hiss at me for not confronting him. And what should I even say?" I muttered to my wolf. "I know what he¡¯ll say, that I haven¡¯t picked him yet, so I have no right to call him out."


    He didn¡¯tfort me. He just let me lie there, sniffling in pain and loneliness.


    "So that¡¯s it? You¡¯re not going to do anything?" Mint argued.


    "Who said I¡¯m not going to do anything? All I can do is not give him a chance," I replied, realizing how helpless that sounded.


    They used me, and now I couldn¡¯t evenin because I hadn¡¯t chosen one of them. As if that made anything alright.


    I woke up with a heavy headache and realized the others were already awake and had showered. I dragged myself to the bathroom.


    After showering and changing into my casual, baggy clothes, I came out and saw Troy standing next to Oriana¡¯s bed while she sat showing him some dresses.


    At that moment, I felt such pride that I didn¡¯t even want to call out to my mates for their actions.


    I already knew they would irritate me, judging by how they were always hovering around her.


    "What should I wear?" she asked him.


    "This top. It will look good. I want to see your abs," Troy teased.


    The minute he noticed I hade out, he quickly cleared his throat.


    "I mean, I want to see if the workout is even working," he added, making up an excuse. Oriana giggled, covering her mouth.


    "No, I don¡¯t want to show my tummy," she said meekly.


    "How about this one?" she then pointed to another dress.


    "Um, just pick anything. You¡¯ll look good, Oriana. Everybody is waiting outside. Come on," Troy urged, shoving his hands into his pockets.


    "Oh, I need to look perfect. Oh my God, Clementine is so lucky she doesn¡¯t have to worry about it," shemented. I raised my brow at her for being such a scum.


    "Leave it to her. She would wear a trash bag if she could. She just doesn¡¯t want to work really hard," Troy muttered under his breath.


    "You don¡¯t care about anyone else. You have Miss Perfect with you. Go ahead. Dress her up like a doll," I snapped at Troy.


    He turned around, hands still in his pants pockets, looking confused by my outburst.


    "What happened to you?" he asked.


    I didn¡¯t respond. I walked out the door toward the hall where breakfast was being served.


    When I entered the hall, I noticed Haiden and Yorick talking. There was a seat between them, the seat I usually took. Without thinking, I started to sit down.


    "Uh, why don¡¯t you sit over there? Oriana already picked this one," Yorick said, cing his hand on the seat.


    I stared at his face in disbelief.


    I was furious. Were they so blind that they couldn¡¯t see they were hurting me, or did it not matter to them?


    In a fit of anger, I decided to punish them the way they had hurt me.


    I grabbed my tray and went to sit with Ian instead.


    Even though I didn¡¯t like Ian, I could use him.


    The minute I pulled my chair back, Ian stood, picked up his food, and moved to a different table, leaving me embarrassed in front of everyone.


    Laughter filled the hall.


    I hesitated to turn and see my squadmatesughing at me.


    Then Oriana arrived, happily skipping and holding hands with Troy.


    At that moment, I realized I needed to talk to my squadmates.


    Things had gotten out of hand.


    I needed to give them an ultimatum, to let them know I no longer wanted to pick any of them and that I wanted our mate bonds severed.


    That was it.


    I was hurt, betrayed, and disrespected in the harshest way.


    All for a woman who had wanted me to leave them. But I hadn¡¯t.


    They were the ones who left me when she told them to.

 Chapter 279-We Should Reject Each Other

    <h4>Chapter 279: 279-We Should Reject Each Other</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I could not stomach any food, but I still forced it down.


    During the time I was ignored, Ian, as expected, was focused on his own te.


    I was slightly confused as to why he had not shown any jealousy toward the others getting close to Oriana.


    Or was he just telling the truth? Maybe he did it to annoy me. I didn¡¯t care.


    After thest bit of food was finished and we were ready to clear our dishes, I tried to speak to the ringleaders, but none of them stopped.


    Even Miss Rue was not allowed to speak with me. We were told to leave, and I was more annoyed than ever this time.


    As soon as we walked out of the hall and I began pacing down the passage, I sped up to get the attention of my mates.


    "All of you, I want to speak with you," I said as I turned around, pointing at Oriana. "Except you." I moved ahead of them, walking briskly.


    "What is it about? It¡¯s okay, we trust her," Troy called from behind me. I raised my hand and shook it, signaling that I didn¡¯t want an argument.


    "If you want me to discuss something, it will be in private," I muttered under my clenched jaw.


    "And by all of us, you mean Ian included? but somehow Oriana is not part of it," Yorickined as he hurried to catch up.


    "Yes, do you have a problem with that?" I hissed, finally turning to snap at him.


    "Whoa, rx. What¡¯s going on with you? Is North catching up with you?" Haiden asked, and I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw before turning and speeding down the passage toward the ground.


    I watched Oriana slow down while the others followed behind me.


    "Why is Ian included and she¡¯s not?" Troy¡¯s voice was even more aggressive this time, showing how much they cared about her.


    In such a short time, she had be the center of their attention.


    "Ugh! Enough with it," I finally turned around to snap at them.


    At this point, I could still see Oriana in the distance. I didn¡¯t know why she couldn¡¯t just leave us alone.


    She kept hovering nearby, watching us from afar.


    "Because Ian is my mate, and she is not. Is that enough of an answer?" I barked, watching them all wear the same expression except for Ian.


    The others looked angry, hands on their hips, while Ian smirked teasingly.


    "What is it about? We get it. It¡¯s about the mate bond, right?" Hidden asked. As I started to nod, it seemed they already had their own thoughts about it.


    "About that, I think it¡¯s better if we forget all the terms we made about trying to chase you, about making you ept one of us," Yorick said, as expected.


    They had made up their minds not to pursue me. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t greedy for their attention either.


    The problem was that they never told me about their ns, and that hurt me.


    All they had to do wase and tell me first. Instead, they waited until I confronted them.


    I wondered if they would have kept going had I not asked them directly.


    "Good," I replied, nodding.


    I was disappointed and hurt because I had expected them to fight for me, to fight hard when I told them I didn¡¯t want to continue.


    It really broke my heart.


    "Okay, so it¡¯s decided," Troy said, checking the others¡¯ faces. "That deal is off. We¡¯re no longer chasing you, and we won¡¯t be held ountable if we flirt with someone else, right?" The others instantly started to nod to him.


    My eyes blurred.


    It felt like I could never win with them. They were always one step ahead, always the ones hurting me. At this point, Ian had walked away, showing he was not interested in this conversation.


    "Yeah, right," I replied, forcing a smile.


    As they started to grin and high-five each other, celebrating what they saw as a victory, I added, "And I want rejection."


    The moment those words left my mouth, their bodynguage changed.


    "What the heck did you just say?" Yorick¡¯s tone changed, aggression clear in his voice.


    "Since we¡¯re not going to pursue each other and you¡¯re all free to flirt with someone who isn¡¯t even your mate, I guess it makes sense if we just reject each other," I said, repeating myself more clearly this time.


    "You¡¯re asking for rejection. Have you lost your mind, Clementine?" Haiden snapped, taking over.


    I couldn¡¯t help feeling satisfied as Yorick covered his face in anger.


    So this is what it feels like to be hurt, huh? And why were they even hurt?


    It wasn¡¯t like they cared.


    They were so happy, high-fiving each other, moving on. But the minute I mentioned moving on, suddenly it was a problem.


    "Yeah, I know what I¡¯m saying," I stated in a hissing tone.


    "Get a rejection from us and go where? It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll find another mate. You got lucky having too many mates, but there¡¯s a limit to everything."


    Yorick hissed, trying to manipte me now that I had asked for rejection.


    I began to wonder if they were thinking they could go have fun with Oriana and then return to a desperate mate waiting for them.


    Well, that¡¯s not me. That could never be me.


    "Wait. Are you thinking of going to Ian?" Troy asked. "Because if so, I don¡¯t think he wants you. If he did, he wouldn¡¯t have slept with Oriana."


    Troy¡¯sment made it clear they knew Oriana had been with Ian.


    That pushed a memory to the surface, something I¡¯d noticed the first day I arrived at the academy.


    I remembered them with a girl named Riv in the bathroom. Was that true? Did they only want someone to amuse them?


    Now that Oriana had been with Ian, they weren¡¯t even jealous.


    "For your information, Ian gave me an optionst night. He said if I mark him, he would stay loyal. If I refused, to spite me he would keep sleeping with Oriana," I mumbled with a smirk.


    "Yeah, your best friend," I added in a taunting voice, mimicking them as I watched their eyes widen in shock.


    "You¡¯re going to mark him?" Yorick hissed.


    That was when I realized there was a way to hurt them back.

 Chapter 280-The Death Threat

    <h4>Chapter 280: 280-The Death Threat</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "I guess I might just go for Ian," I replied, watching Yorick hiss at me.


    He took a step closer, but Troy ced a hand on his chest, pushing him back.


    "We are not going to reject her, so you don¡¯t need to get yourself all hyped up," Haidenmented, causing my jaw to clench.


    "When the heck did you have this conversation with Ian? And why didn¡¯t you tell us?" Haiden pressed, firing questions at me. I knew exactly how to respond.


    Ian had followed us at first, but then continued down the passage to avoid being a part of conversation.


    I was so embarrassed by my mates that I didn¡¯t ask him to stay for our talk.


    But now, Oriana was walking toward us.


    "Maybe because you were too busy sucking her titsst night?" I said, and Oriana gasped from afar. She had already reached us at this point.


    Even the others were shocked, Haiden¡¯s eyes widening.


    "What did you just say?" Before anyone else could speak, Oriana stepped forward and asked.


    "You heard me. I caught you two in bed togetherst night," I hissed, noticing Troy and Yorick¡¯s expressions.


    They didn¡¯t seem angry at her, but at me for embarrassing her.


    "That¡¯s not true. We were just having a good time," her voice shook, and tears began to appear in her eyes.


    What a bitch. Suddenly, she was hurt over me talking about her own actions.


    "Seriously, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re the one starting rumors about someone¡¯s character," Troy snapped, making meugh at his attempt to manipte me.


    "I saw it," I hissed at him, my face hardening.


    "Well, you didn¡¯t see shit. The only thing you saw was her top out of ce and her bra lifted. That¡¯s it," Haiden yelled, making me clench my jaw as I stared back at him.


    "It¡¯s so low of you, seriously, Clementine. Is that what you¡¯ve be? Jealous out of your mind?" Troy kept going. "All that because we gave you a little attention, and now you think you own us?"


    "I can¡¯t believe this," Yorick added as he stepped closer to Oriana, who was now reduced to tears.


    She buried her face in her hands, crying and shaking her head.


    "I can¡¯t believe this, Clementine. I thought you were a girl¡¯s girl. How could you start a rumor like that?" Oriana looked up at me with hurt in her eyes, but I knew it was fake.


    "Well, then why don¡¯t you all go ahead andfort her after you¡¯ve rejected me?" I argued, stomping my foot because none of it made sense.


    "Well, we told you what it is. And since you think you¡¯re such a big deal, maybe you should just sit and cry a little, because we¡¯re not going to reject you. Mend your ways and apologize if you¡¯ve hurt anyone," Yorick hissed at me.


    Then Troy stepped forward, patting Oriana¡¯s back right in front of me.


    "For heaven¡¯s sake, stop acting up. We didn¡¯t expect this from you," he said to me, shaking his head in disappointment.


    "To think I was so certain you¡¯d never start rumors, and you did this to me. I¡¯m really hurt," Haiden added, cing a hand on his chest.


    "Oh, please, shut up¡ªall of you. I¡¯ll find a way to reject every one of you and make you ept it. That¡¯s my new goal," I shot back, refusing to fall for their emotional drama.


    They looked upset that I was speaking to them like this, but before they could respond, I turned and walked away.


    My job here was done. I wasn¡¯t going to talk to Ian. I wanted to find Miss Rue. I had questions for her.


    Everyone might think I was losing my mind, or maybe I was. I was just tired of losing. I wanted to win at least one battle.


    As soon as I reached the hall, I spotted Miss Rue walking upstairs with a file. The moment she saw me, she turned and tried to hurry away.


    "Miss Rue, I need answers," I called out loudly from across the hall.


    She stopped, then slowly walked back, realizing running wouldn¡¯t help, at least not with me.


    "Clementine, please. I told you, they¡¯re just worried about the academy," she said softly, walking toward me.


    It looked like she¡¯d been heading somewhere important when I stopped her.


    "To save the academy so badly that you decided to kill the leader of the Brown House?" I used.


    She gasped, but her reaction sounded fake. I knew I was right, they had done something to her.


    "No, Clementine. What ¨Cma¡ªde you think that?" she stammered, her voice trembling with panic.


    "That¡¯s the truth, isn¡¯t it? You were afraid he¡¯d say something that would make it harder for you to hide whatever you¡¯re covering up," I pressed, tapping my foot as I remembered how hard I¡¯d fought to capture him.


    They just let him die like that. What were they doing?


    Were they even taking care of him? He was an important piece, and they didn¡¯t seem to care.


    "Clementine, these usations can get you in trouble. Please, just stop," Miss Rue warned, trying to silence me.


    But I didn¡¯t stop. I knew I was asking the right questions.


    "Miss Rue, do you even care about the North at all? None of you ever talk about helping, or cleaning it, or shutting down the monsters there. These tasks feel more like entertainment," I said.


    As the words left my mouth, I realized how ridiculous these tasks had been.


    Except for the first one, none had asked us to clean the areas or take care of the fleshmingos or the flying monsters that had attacked us once.


    "All I can tell you about the questions you¡¯re asking is this, Clementine, if you don¡¯t stop, you¡¯ll end up dead," Miss Rue said, answering in a way I hadn¡¯t expected.


    I was stunned, even shocked.


    Could that be an admission of guilt? Was this forced silence proof?

 Chapter 281-Stole My Uniform

    <h4>Chapter 281: 281-Stole My Uniform</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Miss Rue didn¡¯t talk to me after that. Mr. Rick arrived and pulled her away from me. I was told to leave the hall because they were preparing it for the next meal.


    Instead of going back to my room, I stayed outside, wandering through the woods. I wondered how the others were doing in their pack, Joshua, Jack, and the rest of them.


    It hadn¡¯t been that long, but every day here felt like years. Each minute seemed to create so many memories.


    Now that I was alone, I couldn¡¯t tell if the North was any better. At least there, I had a mission and goals.


    I didn¡¯t have time to think about myself or feel sorry for myself. But here, it was getting worse.


    I sat on the open ground, arms wrapped around my knees, staring at the sky. I¡¯d been there for at least four hours in silence, seeing only bugs and birds.


    Every once in a while, a lurker woulde to check on me, circling to make sure I wasn¡¯t doing anything reckless.


    It was strange because the lurkers seemed like the only ones who still cared.


    As expected, after a few minutes, another lurker appeared, taking a slow round. I lifted my head for the first time and looked at him.


    This time, our eyes met in a deep, steady stare. I watched him silently, narrowing my eyes slightly.


    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to end my life," I said, smiling a little too hard, probably to hide the pain inside.


    There was something familiar about this lurker, maybe even something captivating. I looked closer and noticed a mole under his left eye.


    His gray eyes were narrowed at me, and in that moment, I recognized him.


    "You¡¯re the one who went with me to Ian¡¯s pack," I said, smiling.


    Just as I expected, he stood there watching me, adding nothing of his own.


    "It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m not expecting you to say much. I know you¡¯re just as much a ve to this academy as I am," I said tiredly, feeling sorry for myself for the first time.


    I was so lonely that I found myself talking to someone I knew would never answer.


    "You know, it¡¯s tiring, finding yourself and then losing yourself again. This has been my fear for a long time, and look what happened." I continued.


    "I just know I did nothing wrong," I said, raising a brow at him. "You¡¯re going to type this to the headmaster, aren¡¯t you?" I asked,ughing, thinking he¡¯d be foolish enough to waste his time on some teen drama.


    "I¡¯m just curious about something. Are you really an orphan?"


    As soon as I asked that, I noticed a slight reaction from him, just a faint frown, barely there, but enough for me to know he was still in there, alive.


    "So it¡¯s true? The lurkers are orphans?" I murmured, standing up.


    As I stepped toward him, he moved one step back. It was the first time he had done that, maybe because I was staring too deeply into his eyes.


    I reached him and leaned forward, staring into his eyes. I noticed his pupils tightening and dting, and that was all I could read from him.


    Every expression was in his eyes, and for the first time, I saw a lurker who didn¡¯t seempletely void of emotion.


    "Huh, that¡¯s strange."


    As soon as I said that, he turned around and started walking away.


    "Hey, you can¡¯t hide from me! I¡¯ll find you!" I called out,ughing as he walked off. Slowly, myughter faded.


    Once I realized it, I was alone. There was no one left to focus on the task or the mission.


    The ambition we once had to uncover the Academy¡¯s secrets was gone.


    "You know what, you don¡¯t need anyone. You have me."


    As soon as Mint said that, I smiled and nodded, realizing I really didn¡¯t need anyone else. I was fine with Mint by my side, that was all I needed.


    I was going to uncover the secrets of the Academy, even if I had to do it alone.


    As I turned around, I almost jumped when I saw Troy standing there, arms folded across his chest, staring at me.


    I rolled my eyes and tried to walk past him, but he stepped back, then blocked my path again.


    "So you¡¯d rather talk to the lurkers than to any of us?" heined. I stopped trying to move past him. He finally had my attention.


    "Please say that again. I guess I didn¡¯t catch your expression while asking that question, looking so dumb," I said with a forced grin, taunting him for thinking I was the reason we weren¡¯t talking.


    "I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, and I have no idea what upset you so much, but at least talk to us," Troy said, making me lean forward, trying to read his thoughts.


    "Did the conversation about us not chasing after each other happen only in my dreams?" I asked. It was a genuine question because I was lost.


    He frowned at me, lowering his arms from his chest.


    "Clementine."


    As soon as he said my name, someone¡¯s arrival caught his attention.


    "Troy, what are you doing over there?" Oriana called out, making me roll my eyes.


    Of course, she couldn¡¯t let us talk without interrupting.


    She had be such an important part of this whole mess that nothing seemed possible without her.


    She was always nearby, making sure everything revolved around her.


    Troy turned around, stared at her, then looked back at me.


    "Right, I¡¯ming," he said. His attitude shifted the moment she appeared. He started walking away, leaving me behind, feelingpletely frustrated.


    After a few minutes of pacing around, I decided to go back to my room and rest for a bit. I couldn¡¯t keep running away from it forever.


    I guess the thought of seeing them act so casual with Oriana, and feeling so defeated in front of her, was what kept me from facing them.


    But I finally gave in. How long could I really stay outside? I¡¯d have to go back to the dorm eventually.


    However, when I walked in, I realized I hade at the perfect time because Oriana was wearing my uniform and posing seductively for my mates.

 Chapter 282-Posing Me As Slut

    <h4>Chapter 282: 282-Posing Me As Slut</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Oh, look at me, I¡¯m Clementine Stark. I¡¯m such a sassy biatch who doesn¡¯t give an F about anyone¡¯s feelings," Oriana mocked, turning her hair messy and posing seductively, something I never did.


    "Oh, and by the way, I¡¯ll sleep with everyone, and I¡¯d love to be shared, but I won¡¯t share anyone, even when I have a mate," she continued, spinning around and twerking.


    I stood in the doorway. My mates were sitting with their full attention on her, except for Ian. As expected, he wasn¡¯t around.


    I kept watching as tears blurred my vision and my fists clenched.


    "Oh, and by the way, I¡¯ll also get myself in danger and then ask everyone to save me," she added, pulling her top lower so her chest was half exposed.


    "Oops, sorry, I guess I¡¯m just naturally very seductive," she teased.


    She could see me, I was sure of it. She was facing me, while the others faced her. Troy was on his bed, leaning on one elbow.


    Heughed, along with Yorick and Haiden, who gave each other a high-five.


    The sight shattered me. I never thought that was how they saw me. Because why else would they let her mimic me and say all that?


    "Oh, oh! And that whole argument we had, the one you saw," Haiden said, urging her to keep going. "Please, mention some incident from earlier you witnessed."


    "Oh, yes, I¡¯m so jealous of Oriana. Can you guys please pay attention to me? If not, I¡¯ll threaten you with rejection, Haiden," she whined in a fake voice, touching her chest and sliding her hand between her legs.


    I let her act like a fool for a few minutes, waiting to see if anyone would defend me. I didn¡¯t want to react too fast and be toldter that I¡¯d overreacted.


    When it became clear none of them would stand up for me, I had to do it myself. I stormed inside, catching the crooked smile she gave Yorick.


    I could tell she was side-eyeing me. She knew I was there.


    I rushed at her, grabbed her by the hair, and yanked her off the bed.


    She screamed, probably not expecting me to go that far.


    "What the fuck?!" Troy shouted.


    I dragged her and started punching her in the face. I knew violence wasn¡¯t the answer, but I couldn¡¯t stop myself.


    The first hitnded hard against her cheek, making her yelp.


    I raised my hand again, but Yorick caught my arm, and Haiden grabbed me from behind, lifting me off the ground as I kicked wildly, still gripping a handful of her hair.


    "You fucking bitch! After everything I¡¯ve done for you, this is how you repay me?" I screamed, thrashing in Haiden¡¯s hold, trying to get to her.


    "Get that bitch off me!" Oriana yelled.


    Troy grabbed my wrist and squeezed until I let go of her hair. Haiden dragged me away.


    "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Yorick shouted, rushing to Oriana¡¯s side.


    While Haiden pulled me back, I watched Oriana hug Yorick. From the corner of her eye, she looked right at me and then grinned.


    Fire burned through my chest. As she clung to Yorick, he held her tightly, ring at me with anger.


    Troy stood behind her, running his hand through her hair, his other hand on her back.


    Both of them stared at me like they could tear me apart, while Oriana stood between them, smiling.


    Haiden carried me into the bathroom and threw me inside before rushing out and locking the door.


    I lunged at the door and banged on it hard.


    "Open the fucking door!" I shouted, hitting it with all my strength.


    "No! We¡¯re not opening this door until you realize what you did was wrong and youe out to apologize¡ªto Oriana," Troy yelled from the other side.


    His words made me clench my fists, and I punched the door again. I couldn¡¯t understand what had blinded them so much.


    Was it because I was acting out while she was ying the victim? Still, they had no right to humiliate me like that.


    "Fucking open the door!" I screamed again, kicking it. The door finally swung open.


    This time, I stood there breathing heavily, trying to stay calm.


    I walked out and saw Troy tending to Oriana¡¯s wound. A dark bruise was forming around her eye.


    "Are you going to exin yourself, Clementine?" Yorick demanded, his muscles tense as if he were facing a threat.


    "How about you all exin to me?" I snapped. "Why was she mocking me while you just sat there watching?"


    "It was just a joke, Clementine," Haiden argued, stepping closer like he wanted to stop me if I tried to go near her.


    "A joke? No, it wasn¡¯t," I shot back. "She¡¯s wearing my uniform. She¡¯s sexualizing me¡ªover-sexualizing me.


    She called me a slut, and you all went along with it. How was that a joke when I wasn¡¯t even part of it? Why was I being mocked behind my back?"


    Iid out my points clearly, and after that, none of them seemed to have an answer.


    That was when the door mmed open, and the lurkers walked in. Behind them came Mr. Rick instead of Miss Rue.


    He red at everyone before turning to me.


    "What the fuck happened here?" he demanded, clearly aware of themotion and ready to confront us.


    Before anyone could answer, Oriana pointed straight at me and sniffled.


    "She attacked me."


    At that moment, I noticed the look on Mr. Rick¡¯s face. It was the look of someone who had finally found a reason to punish someone.


    "Don¡¯t you see her wearing my uniform? She was poking fun at me. And I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not allowed to wear someone¡¯s uniform," I yelled, defending my actions.


    Even if I get punished, I¡¯ll make sure she faces it too.


    From the amused look on Oriana¡¯s face, I could tell she was surprised at how quickly I had gotten her into trouble.


    "Miss Clementine Stark and Miss Oriana Winchester, you are under arrest for violence," Mr. Rick announced, as his lurkers stepped forward and put us in handcuffs.

 Chapter 283-Punished Yet Again

    <h4>Chapter 283: 283-Punished Yet Again</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Ah, be careful!" Oriana almost squeaked when the lurker snatched the uniform out of her hands after making her change back into her own clothes.


    The lurker walked away, leaving us in our separate cells. These were the same cells I had been thrown into countless times before.


    I satfortably in my cell, watching Oriana go through all sorts of emotions.


    "Ew! What is that?" she screamed, pointing toward another cell where blood stains covered the wall.


    It wasn¡¯t anything new to me. When I was kept here in the beginning, the others and I were tortured into submission. But this spoiled princess clearly hadn¡¯t seen a ce like this before, so she reacted to everything with panic.


    "How can you sit there so calmly, as if you belong in these cells?" she hissed, speaking directly to me.


    I turned my face away, ignoring her.


    "Come on, Clementine, you can¡¯t keep giving me this silent treatment," sheined, stepping closer and gripping the cell bars with both hands.


    "Do you still not see it? they wereughing at you with me," she continued.


    I rolled my eyes at her attempts to still stir pot when there was nothing left.


    "What do you want from me?" I finally asked.


    "You wanted a team of your own. You got it. Now leave me alone, because I don¡¯t fucking care what you or the others are doing anymore," I said bluntly, watching her shake her head, almost in disapproval.


    "I¡¯m not nearly done, Clementine," she said, her voice sharp. "Because I just realized, after getting your squadmate¡¯s support, that I want to be the center of attention. I want to be Clementine."


    There was a strange spark in her eyes as she spoke, one that gave me goosebumps.


    "I want to be the only one they care about," she went on, her eyes gleaming with greed. "And for that, I have to make them let you go. I mean, Haiden will reject you, right? If you ask him."


    As soon as she said that, I realized she didn¡¯t know the truth¡ªthat the others were my mates. They must have told her I was only asking Haiden to reject me. Maybe that was the story they fed her, since she had been too far away to hear us.


    "I think once you¡¯re back in the North, your mind will open up again," I said calmly. "You¡¯ll realize that these kinds of games don¡¯t suit someone who constantly has to fight to survive."


    I leaned back, watching her ck eye as a reminder of the damage I had already done.


    "Next time I go to the North, I won¡¯t have to worry about anything, Clementine," she dered with a wide smirk. "Those three strong, beastly alphas will take care of me. Worry about yourself. Because remember Matthew? We almost forgot about him, didn¡¯t we? That will be fun. Not only will you have no one on your side, but someone will be fighting against you."


    Sheughed, shaking her head and clicking her tongue. "Ah," she groaned. "And they had to put us in these filthy cages. Couldn¡¯t they have locked us in a luxury suite instead?"


    She keptining, touching everything and grimacing as if she might vomit. I looked up at her, realizing again how untouched by reality she really was.


    "Can you please bring me something to sit on? I¡¯m not going to sit on the ground!" sheined, shouting for the lurkers.


    "Ugh, I have never been disrespected like this," she hissed, kicking the bars.


    "Don¡¯t lie. We all saw you getting dragged to the academy like a trash bagst time," I taunted.


    She turned her head and red at me.


    "Don¡¯t say things that¡¯ll get you in trouble," she warned. "Because next time we¡¯re out of here, I¡¯ll make my squadmates attack you."


    Sheughed, mocking me as if to remind me, in her twisted way, that my squadmates were now hers.


    I didn¡¯t understand why she was so obsessed with needing people to take care of her¡ªor with teams in general.


    "You must be very insecure to think you need someone else to survive. I don¡¯t," I said. "I¡¯ve survived my whole life without anyone. So if you think you¡¯re hurting me, you¡¯re wrong. I¡¯ll be fine, honey. I can survive even on my own."


    As she narrowed her eyes at me, the lurkers arrived and opened the cages. I guessed it was time for us to be taken before the headmaster.


    Seeing me again would probably remind him that I was still a troublemaker.


    We were led out and told to follow the lurkers, two of them, one for me and one for her. They took us to the headmaster¡¯s office.


    Once we sat down, the headmaster turned his chair around and sighed.


    "You again?" His tone was cold as he looked at me.


    "She attacked me! I was just joking," Orianained right away, pointing her finger at me while I sat silently.


    The headmaster¡¯s gaze shifted to her, and he mmed his hand on the desk. She instantly stopped.


    "Speak when you¡¯re asked to," he hissed. Oriana went quiet.


    "I thought you were the best crusader ever, Clementine. What happened?" he asked in his usual cold tone.


    "I never imagined myself as the best one. I didn¡¯t even ept the medal, did I?" I reminded him of that day when he handed out awards. "And I don¡¯t want to be the best crusader. I¡¯d rather be out there in the maind, living my life. I¡¯ve realized that no one in this world is worth fighting for."


    I leaned back in the chair, speaking softly but firmly.


    The headmaster nodded slightly.


    "She¡¯s crazy," Oriana muttered in her usual annoying tone, but the moment the headmaster turned his head toward her, she mouthed an apology and looked down.


    "Somebody hurt you?" the headmaster asked.


    I shrugged, refusing to answer. Why would he care? He never did. All they cared about was sending us into the North.


    "Attacking each other on academy grounds, especially after so many incidents of crusaders killing one another, has led me to believe that there must be strict consequences," the headmaster continued, sounding like he was inventing rules on the spot.


    Every time, their rules were different, sometimes they¡¯d forgive someone for bullying or abandoning a teammate in the North, and other times they¡¯d punish a person just for ring too hard.


    "With that being said," he concluded, "your punishment will be a task in the North. Alone."


    Oriana gasped loudly.

 Chapter 284-The Bullies Of The Academy

    <h4>Chapter 284: 284-The Bullies Of The Academy</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What?" Orianained. "Sir, please, I¡¯m really sorry. I was just wearing her uniform, that¡¯s all I did. How is that violence?"


    She started to cry almost instantly. I guessed the fear of being alone was getting to her. I knew how terrified she was of being left without anyone. She always needed someone to fight for her, so the thought of going there alone was probably too much.


    However, the headmaster was quick to exin the punishment in detail.


    "Not you," he said. "You didn¡¯t hit her. You didn¡¯t raise a finger against her. If you had, you¡¯d be facing the same punishment."


    As soon as he said that, Oriana ced both hands on her chest and sighed in relief.


    Then I noticed her smile, her expression bright with satisfaction.


    But when realization struck her, that the punishment was only for me, her smile vanished.


    "Clementine Stark, you will be going to the North alone for a task. However, it will be scheduledter," the headmaster dered.


    Instead of immediately pleading and crying before the headmaster, I simply nodded and stayed seated.


    It was obvious they wouldn¡¯t change their minds just because someone cried, so what was the point?


    I wasn¡¯t going to beg them to let me stay when I knew I hadmitted violence. I epted it.


    Maybe I¡¯d be better off alone in the north than staying here.


    "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" the headmaster asked, and I shook my head.


    "Are you crazy? Apologize to him," Oriana hissed, ring at me. I didn¡¯t understand what was wrong with her.


    Why was she acting like she cared now, when she was the reason I was being sent to the north in the first ce?


    "Well then, you may return to your room now. Your punishment will begin in theing months," the headmaster announced, gesturing toward the door. We both stood up and headed out of the office.


    That was when I started to feel uneasy.


    ¡¯Why in theing months?¡¯


    The thought hit me hard. What if they nned to assign me the toughest task possible, something I might nevere back from? Still, I didn¡¯t let the worry show on my face.


    The moment we stepped outside, Oriana started questioning me.


    "Are you crazy? You should have apologized right away."


    As soon as she said that, I turned to look at her, giving her a slow head-to-toe nce and a judgmental stare.


    "What? I¡¯m not a monster. I just don¡¯t want you in this squad anymore. If you¡¯re around, I¡¯ll always fear that the others might fall into your trap again," she snapped.


    Her words made meugh at her audacity to call my actions a trap when she was the one manipting them.


    I didn¡¯t argue. I just kept walking until we reached the dorm room. As soon as we entered, the heavy tension in the air told me something was wrong.


    I could see it from the looks everyone gave me.


    "Oh goodness, what have I done now?" I asked as I reached my bed and dropped onto it, lying downfortably.


    "Do you have no shame at all?" Yorick¡¯s shout startled me.


    "No, I guess not," I replied. Since they were being reckless, I decided to be disrespectful too. The moment I snapped back at them, I noticed the look on their faces.


    "Why would you do all that?" Haiden yelled, standing up from his bed.


    The three of them began moving toward me, stopping beside my bed and towering over me, while Oriana stood next to them with her arms folded across her chest.


    Honestly, it looked like she had really reced me. I could see her in my spot, and myself in Ian¡¯s position. It was funny but also sad.


    "What¡¯s bothering you guys? It¡¯s not like you were punished. I¡¯ll be the only one sent to the north, so what¡¯s the problem now?" I snapped, tired of how they acted like they were the ones in trouble.


    The moment I mentioned the north, I saw their expressions change.


    "You¡¯re being sent to the north?" Troy asked, his voice shifting slightly.


    "Yeah. The headmaster said that¡¯s her punishment but not right away. It¡¯ll happen in theing months. I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ll just sweep it under the rug," Oriana chimed in, once again drawing the attention to herself.


    As soon as she spoke, my squadmates¡¯ eyes turned to the bruise on her face, the ck eye.


    "Oh, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯ll heal," Yorick said, and I noticed how he tried to hide it from me while gently touching her cheek.


    The moment he realized I was watching, he pulled his hand back quickly, as if there was some space left for me to question anything.


    I already knew where this was heading. They would only grow closer from here, and I had no intention of stopping them.


    We¡¯d already had our talk, they made it clear what I meant to them.


    So no, it wasn¡¯t up to them to ept or reject me anymore. I was the one choosing to walk away.


    "Anyway, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that we also got punished," Haiden added, breaking the silence with his sharp tone.


    "Wait, how did we get punished?" Oriana asked, her voice almost panicking.


    I was surprised to see how afraid she still was of the word punishment ever since her father¡¯s death.


    "We will be watering the top of the mountain with goddamn buckets," Troyined, describing the punishment given to all of us for causing amotion.


    At that point, I was honestly just wishing the rest of the squads would return so we could go back to the north. I missed the north and that was the craziest thing.


    "Oh no, another hardbor. What¡¯s going to happen to my hands?" Oriana pouted, showing our squadmates her hands.


    "It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll help you, alright?" Haiden told her, gently cing his hand over hers.


    Even though I tried my best to hide my reaction, it was hard. These were my squadmates and I had shared a bed with them.


    That was the biggest mistake I¡¯d ever made. I fought back tears, especially when she pointed to her ck eye and murmured while sneaking a nce at Yorick.


    "And this hurts too,"


    He looked at me, then leaned in and kissed her eye.


    That was it. They were long gone.

 Chapter 285-The Mates Who Wandered Away Returned

    <h4>Chapter 285: 285-The Mates Who Wandered Away Returned</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    That night, when Iy down to sleep, my entire body ached.


    The pain seemed toe from one ce, my neck. I rubbed the spot over and over, trying to soothe it, but the ache only grew worse.


    It itched and burned, spreading through my body.


    It was strange. I hadn¡¯t even felt this much pain during my first transition, and those are supposed to be the worst.


    Still, I stayed in bed, squirming in sweat even though the room was cold. My lips were dry, and I needed water, but I knew I was alone.


    There was no one to take care of me.


    I shifted from side to side, realizing I probably had a high fever.


    All I could think about was my mother and my little brother. If they were here, they would have cared for me.


    My brother would be grown by now.


    "But they aren¡¯t here and I missed them, " as soon as those words slipped from my lips, I realized the fever had gone to my head.


    I was talking out loud. Then a cold hand took mine, and another touched my forehead.


    For a moment, it feltforting. But the second I remembered I had no one who would touch me so gently, panic set in.


    "Get away from me!" I hissed, trying to pull back as I stared into the eyes of my mate. Yorick was hunched over my bed.


    "Wait, Clementine, what¡¯s wrong?" he said, grabbing my arms and guiding me back down so my head rested on the pillow.


    I felt miserable.


    "You¡¯re burning with fever," Yorick said, his eyes full of concern.


    "Probably a fake concern," I muttered. I remembered everything, their behavior, their words. They all tried to break me.


    Everyone around me seemed to hate me for reasons I couldn¡¯t understand.


    "I said, let me go!" I snapped, holding back tears. Even with the fever twisting my mind, making me hear voices and see shadows, I refused to fall into his arms.


    I would rather die than let him fool me again.


    "Troy!" Yorick suddenly called. "Haiden!" he continued, making me clench my jaw and frown.


    I tried to free myself, but he held my wrists down beside my head, keeping me pinned.


    "What is going on?" Oriana¡¯s voice cut through the air, the same cursed, grating voice I despised.


    "She has a high fever," Yorick told her.


    "Are you sure she¡¯s not acting?" Oriana asked sharply. "After what she¡¯s done, maybe she thinks pretending to be sick will melt our hearts and make us forget she still owes me an apology."


    "Let me go!" I cried, my voice cracking. "Go sit with her, just leave me alone!" I grunted, tears burning my eyes.


    She was only saying those things because he was sitting with me. If he went to her, she¡¯d stop tormenting me.


    "What did you just say?" Yorick asked, still focused on Oriana.


    Of course he was.


    Her words always mattered more than my pain.


    I thrashed weakly in bed, my legs trembling, but each movement made something in my body crack.


    I bit my tongue to stop myself from screaming.


    "Come here, sit with me," Oriana said softly. "My cheek hurts too. She punched me. I have a reason to be sick, but she¡¯s faking it to get your attention."


    Her tone was sweet, but her intent was malicious. As soon as she sat up, I noticed how short her nightdress was.


    Her chest was barely covered, and when she pressed her hands together on her knees, she pushed her breasts up even more.


    "She¡¯s not like you. She doesn¡¯t make things up for attention," Yorick snapped.


    His sudden outburst didn¡¯t just shock her, it made me fall silent.


    I tilted my head back to look at Oriana and saw the same look of surprise on her face that I must have had.


    "Now stay away from her," Yorick hissed at her.


    Oriana narrowed her eyes. Then she wrapped her arms around her stomach and whimpered like she was hurt, but Yorick was already turning away.


    "What¡¯s going on?" Haiden got up from his bed and walked over to me. "Hey, man, what the hell? Let go of her!" He immediately started arguing with Yorick for pinning me down.


    "She has a fever, and she¡¯s trying to leave the bed," Yorick exined.


    As soon as he spoke, Haiden ced his hand on my ankle and gasped.


    "Her body feels like it¡¯s on fire!"


    The concern in his eyes made me feel sick with shame.


    "Who¡¯s got the fever?" Troy called out as he rushed over to my bed.


    He ced his hand on my forehead, checking my temperature.


    "We need ice," Yorick said quickly.


    Haiden and Troy hurried off in different directions, trying to find anything to help me.


    I was too lost and confused to say a word. None of it made sense.


    Without saying anything, Oriana quietlyy back down. Every now and then, when I lifted my head, I caught her peeking from under her nket, only one eye showing.


    It looked eerie.


    Still, the three of them, people who had treated me like I was nothing, were suddenly running around, bringing me ice and cold sponges.


    Haiden even left the room to gather herbs, and when he returned, he mixed them and rubbed the paste under my feet.


    Each time I tried to sit up, they gently pushed me back down. I hated to admit it, but the way they cared for me made me feel better.


    Not mentally, but the physical pain began to fade.


    It was as if they had made a silent promise not to leave my side until every trace of pain was gone.


    Just moments ago, I¡¯d thought I was about to lose my mind from the fever.


    But now, I was already falling asleep,forted by the warmth of their care.


    While drifting off to sleep, I began to hear the others talking.


    "I¡¯m going to get her food first thing in the morning," Yorick said to Haiden, or maybe to someone else. I wasn¡¯t sure.


    "What about me? None of you have even looked at me all night," Orianained in a small, whimpering voice.


    "Just shut up and stay down. You really let us down tonight by acting like you don¡¯t care about Clementine," Troy snapped.


    The way he spoke to her left me confused. It was one thing to be upset with someone, but to be that harsh?


    It felt like something in them had switched off.

 Chapter 286-They All Stand Up For Me

    <h4>Chapter 286: 286-They All Stand Up For Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I fell asleep peacefully, and that was the surprising part. I knew that when I woke up, the chaos would begin again.


    Until then, I wanted at least one night of peace.


    When I started to wake up, I realized I had been right. Oriana was the reason my peace and sleep would be ruined once more.


    "What is going on with you two? You¡¯re so rude to me," she demanded.


    She was speaking to someone, but I hadn¡¯t opened my eyes yet, so I didn¡¯t know who.


    "Because you keep fucking getting in our way! Don¡¯t you see? She¡¯s sick and needs care!" It was Haiden, snapping at her, not in the usual tone he used before with her.


    The gentle and teasing one.


    "I¡¯m hurt too, by the way, and I have a more visible injury," Oriana retorted.


    Her sassy tone was hard to listen to. It sounded like she truly believed what she was saying.


    "Oriana, you got punched in the face because you were doing somethingpletely disrespectful to her. And who told you her sickness isn¡¯t visible? She was burning with feverst night. Instead of being a good friend, sitting beside her and taking care of her, you decided to lie down, snort, and cry because you weren¡¯t getting attention?" Troy hissed at her, surprising me.


    I hadn¡¯t expected them to hold her ountable. I thought they had be her little puppets, or maybe they actually believed she was innocent.


    Either way, it reminded me that the moment I woke up and Oriana did something stupid again, they¡¯d probably turn their backs on me.


    Still, I was grateful they had taken care of mest night when I was miserable.


    I remember having so many scattered thoughts, probably because of the fever.


    It could have been a horrible night if they hadn¡¯t remembered, even for a split second, that I was their mate and decided to care for me.


    "So how long is she going to stay asleep while you guys take care of her?" Oriana kept pressing them, ignoring their tone and the irritation in their voices.


    "Oriana, if you just stay quiet, maybe we can all avoid getting sick," Haiden argued.


    He spoke to her the way he used to before he lost his mind over her, which made me a little skeptical of him again.


    "So you¡¯re doing this because you don¡¯t want to disappoint her too? Hoping you can take us both for a ride?" As soon as she said that, the door swung open and someone barged in.


    The others couldn¡¯t respond, but her words made me wonder if she was right.


    They had shifted quickly when she started giving them attention, especially when she agreed to that ridiculous sharing arrangement.


    But my focus turned to the person who had just walked in.


    "What¡¯s going on here?" It was Mr. Rick¡¯s voice.


    I slowly opened my eyes. I had already heard enough of the conversation to know I didn¡¯t want to be part of it, but with Mr. Rick, I needed to speak for myself if necessary.


    "She was extremely sickst night," Haiden stated.


    As I opened my eyes, I saw Mr. Rick standing beside my bed, next to Troy, staring at me with a displeased look on his face.


    "Where are the other two?" he asked, referring to Ian and Yorick. His eyes stayed fixed on me.


    "I¡¯m not sure about Ian, but Yorick went out to grab her some food," Haiden replied.


    Troy nced at me, giving me a quick once-over. He even smiled a little, but I turned my eyes away. I noticed the way he frowned at that.


    "Where is he possibly getting food from?" Mr. Rick questioned.


    Not once did he ask what had happened. That showed how little they cared about their crusaders.


    We were seen only as tools for fighting. Nothing more.


    "Yorick went out to meet Miss Rue," Troy exined.


    "Are you okay, Clementine?" Mr. Rick finally asked.


    I started to get up, but Haiden immediately tried to help me. I gently pushed his hand away and sat up in bed, giving him a small nod.


    "Well, good then, because I remember the other day you had a punishment pending. I¡¯m not talking about the Northern one. All of you are supposed to collect water in the buckets, fifty each. You¡¯ll have to carry them to the top of the mountain," Mr. Rick stated, his hands sped behind his back.


    "Are you kidding me? What are we supposed to do there with the water?" Haiden questioned, sounding irritated.


    I could tell Mr. Rick didn¡¯t appreciate his tone.


    "There hasn¡¯t been any rain, and we have some herbs nted up there that need water, a lot of it," Mr. Rick exined.


    He was talking about one of those rare herbs they always seemed to find.


    That was their usual practice, discover something magical, nt it high on the mountain, and then demand endless buckets of water for it.


    They couldn¡¯t wait for the rain, and they refused to use easier methods. Why would they? They already had freebor.


    "Well then, we¡¯ll divide Clementine¡¯s buckets. What do you say?" Haiden turned to Troy, asking him directly. Troy nodded.


    "Sure, we can," he agreed.


    The confidence in their voices didn¡¯t just surprise me, it seemed to shock Oriana and Mr. Rick too.


    "Why wouldn¡¯t she do it? It¡¯s her punishment," Mr. Rick snapped, and I noticed Oriana nodding vigorously behind him in support.


    To think I would have done the same for her in the past, it made me furious with myself, with how blindly I had trusted her.


    "Well, for starters, because she¡¯s sick. And I hope you¡¯re not suggesting that she goes out there and suffers when she needs to rest."


    That was when real shock hit me, Troy had decided to stand up for me against Mr. Rick.


    "Well, in that case, we¡¯ll see," Mr. Rick said.


    As soon as he spoke, Yorick walked in with Miss Rue leading the way.


    "Clementine will not be doing any punishment today," Miss Rue announced.


    For the first time, I heard real confidence in her voice, and it stunned me.


    "She will rest, and that is my decision," she stated firmly, making Mr. Rick stare at her in shock.

 Chapter 287-The Scary Truth About The Academy

    <h4>Chapter 287: 287-The Scary Truth About The Academy</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Miss Rue, I appreciate you caring for your squadmate, but maybe you¡¯re forgetting that these are the principal¡¯s orders. And from what I can tell, they took very good care of herst night. I¡¯m sure she can manage a few buckets of water. Wouldn¡¯t it be unfair for the others to do her part when it¡¯s her punishment?"


    This time, Ms. Lenora entered, siding with Mr. Rick. He smirked slightly, looking pleased.


    "Not really. Her uniform was used against her without consent, which is punishment enough. Clementine just did what any crusader would do when theirnd, property, or anything belonging to them is touched without permission," Miss Rue argued, surprising me again.


    Even the others seemed taken aback. Mr. Rick and Ms. Lenora looked disappointed by her response.


    "Well, whatever the case may be¡ª" Ms. Lenora began, but Miss Rue stepped closer, cutting her off.


    "And all of this happened because of your careless crusader. We were never nning to wee her into our squad. We were doing just fine, in fact. But somehow, her arrival caused so much tension among my crusaders that I¡¯m beginning to question if letting her in was even a good idea."


    The sharpness in Miss Rue¡¯s tone made even Oriana gasp.


    "Miss Rue," Ms. Lenora said, turning toward Oriana with a raised brow, clearly unhappy that she now had to listen to Miss Rue.


    "Well, it seems we have no say in this matter. You¡¯ll have to report to the principal yourself," Ms. Lenora admitted, swallowing hard as she ended the argument.


    "But why should we do the hard work? We weren¡¯t the ones who caused the fight. It¡¯s not our punishment," Oriana said softly.


    I noticed my squadmates straighten, clearly angry at her.


    "Well, for starters, this punishment wasn¡¯t assigned by the principal. It was decided among the ringleaders. So now, you¡¯ll still have to go and water the nts," Miss Rue continued, making Ms. Lenora clench her jaw and nce at Mr. Rick.


    In silence, Mr. Rick and Ms. Lenora walked out of the room, while Miss Rue turned to me.


    "Clementine, you¡¯lle stay in the basement with me tonight. I¡¯ll check your fever and figure out what happened to youst night," she exined.


    My squadmates exchanged strange looks with one another, their expressions uneasy as they nced at me.


    It was the kind of look that showed they were thinking something through.


    Miss Rue stepped out of the room to give us a moment so I could get ready to leave with her, my squadmates waited outside while I rushed into the bathroom to change into clean clothes.


    When I came out, they were still waiting, and Oriana sat on the bed with her legs hanging down, a pout on her face.


    The moment I stepped into view, she let out a quiet grunt at my presence.


    "Please take care of yourself, okay?" Yorick said. He stood looking at me with those soft eyes, trying to show that he cared.


    It didn¡¯t make any sense.


    Then there was Troy, staring at me with a pout of his own.


    "You don¡¯t need to act like you care," I hissed.


    The three of them shared a nce, then awkwardly looked down. Of course they knew what they¡¯d done was wrong. But for what?


    Just to taste something new for a few days? They hurt me this bad for that?


    "Listen, we¡¯ll talk about all thatter. For now, I just want to tell you this is a big chance for you to get close to Miss Rue. Maybe you¡¯ll find out the academy¡¯s secrets. You¡¯ll be staying in the basement, that¡¯s where all the information is," Haiden said.


    I was stunned. When they had the chance to question the ringleaders, especially after the Brown House leader died, they said nothing.


    They were too busy with Oriana. But now that I was sick and going to stay with Miss Rue, they suddenly wanted answers.


    It honestly surprised me.


    I didn¡¯t respond. I just left the room.


    My body felt weak again, maybe sick was the wrong word. I felt drained.


    They followed me out, and even as Miss Rue walked beside me toward the hall, I saw my squadmates trailing behind.


    They kept following until we reached the hall, where they were told to stay behind.


    Miss Rue walked me downstairs. There, I saw Ms. Lenora and Mr. Rick sitting across from each other at a table, busy with their paperwork.


    When their eyesnded on me, I noticed Miss Rue elbow Mr. Rick before both of them pretended to be busy again.


    I quietly followed her into her room. She gestured toward the bed.


    "You should getfortable. I¡¯ll bring you food, and then we¡¯ll give you some medicine. In no time, you¡¯ll feel fresh again," Miss Rue said with a small smile as she patted the nket over me.


    "I¡¯m not a bad person, Clementine," she began, straightening her back with a sigh.


    She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, then turned to the side and grabbed something from the bookshelf.


    When she returned, she ced it right beside my pillow.


    "I¡¯ll go get you some food, but make sure nobody sees you with this," she said.


    As she walked away, I sat up in the bed. Her bed was incrediblyfortable, the pillow soft, the nket like a cloud.


    Once I¡¯d settled my back against the headboard, I reached for the book she had left next to me and held it in my hands.


    A rush of emotions hit me, confusion, shock, disbelief, especially when I realized I was holding Bodhi¡¯s diary.


    The problem was, I had already read a few pages from it before. But now, something was sticking out of the diary.


    /I pulled it out and saw that it was the missing pages I hadn¡¯t been able to find earlier.


    For a moment, it felt like a trap. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should read it while she was gone. What if the door opened and Mr. Rick or Ms. Lenora walked in?


    What would happen then?


    The fear of getting caught made me hold the diary close before I finally opened it, just enough to slip the pages into my hands.


    That was when my entire body broke out in goosebumps.


    It was Bodhi¡¯s handwriting, identical to the rest of the entries in his diary. But these pages carried something far more important.


    They read,


    ¡¯Why would our family send us to the North, then sit in a hall, watch us suffer while they feast on fine food and bet on us?¡¯

 Chapter 288-Manipulation Works On Her Men

    <h4>Chapter 288: 288-Maniption Works On Her Men</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    Not only was I angry, but I was disappointed in the boys too. Still, that was expected of them. I knew they would soon go back to giving her all their attention.


    That¡¯s what they always did.


    That¡¯s why I told Clementine to choose her friends better. If she had chosen me, we could have helped each other survive the North.


    But she didn¡¯t. She rejected my friendship, bruised my pride, and hurt my ego. So I decided I would ruin her and her squad.


    I would take them from her, use them, and turn them into my shield.


    But afterst night, I started to feel afraid. I didn¡¯t know what would happen to me if I didn¡¯t fix things now.


    "AHhhhhhhhh!" I screamed onest time, and when I looked at my reflection in the river, I could barely recognize myself.


    I washed my face, then put my clothes back on after swimming for a bit. After that, I began walking back toward the academy.


    We were taking a short break from the bucket work, and it annoyed me that they had chosen to do Clementine¡¯s chores.


    It broke me inside but I kept going.


    By then, I had only filled fifteen buckets. When the break came, I walked away from them.


    Things would go back to normal, surely now they will.


    I smiled to myself as I started climbing back up the mountain with my bucket.


    When I reached the top, I saw the way the three of them looked at me.


    I could already sense it from the hunger in their eyes for my wet hair, my shaken state.


    I was stirring something in them.


    And then there was Ian. I didn¡¯t understand him. He was strange. He didn¡¯t act the way I expected.


    He had filled more buckets than anyone else, forty-seven in total. That didn¡¯t make sense.


    Even the strongest alphas struggled here because the herbs nted around the area weakened their wolves.


    So how was Ian unaffected? How was his wolf still strong enough to help him work in these fields for so long?


    "Oriana, are you okay?" Haiden finally asked, snapping out of Clementine¡¯s spell long enough to notice me.


    But I was still upset with them for how they had treated me, so I just shrugged. I kept staring at Ian.


    He didn¡¯t even look tired.


    Not a drop of sweat on him. Something about him felt wrong. Was he really doing all this himself, or was someone helping him?


    I looked around at the lurkers nearby. It didn¡¯t make sense. If anyone had been helping him, the lurkers would have seen and punished him already.


    I finally walked back toward Clementine¡¯s group because I did not want to push them too far and make them snap.


    They were unstable, so I had to be careful.


    "I¡¯m really upset with all of you," I said.


    Yorick looked lost while Haiden scratched the back of his neck. Troy stared at my face, head tilted in confusion.


    "You were being inconsiderate," Troy said with effort. He sounded like he was trying to force himself to be clear.


    He needed to speak inly and not get stuck on Clementine.


    "I wasn¡¯t," I replied. "After she hit me so hard, I did not expect you to forgive her so quickly.


    The right thing would have been to go fetch Miss Rue, not take care of her."


    I watched their faces one by one and saw the expression I wanted. So maybe it was true. If I worked hard, I could have them under my control.


    I just needed to keep making Clementine look like the viin.


    "And Haiden," I asked, "didn¡¯t she ask you for rejection? Doesn¡¯t it bother you that she sleeps around with others even though she is your mate?"


    Haiden looked down, embarrassed. His silence said everything.


    "We were just trying to be good people," Yorick said quickly, trying to cover for them.


    "I know," I said, "but this will only raise her hopes. It would have been one thing to care for her if you felt that way, but the way you treated me hurt."


    I pouted and sniffled a little even though there were no tears.


    "Fine. What do you want us to do?" Troy faced me, finally acting like he should when Clementine was not around.


    They were always dull when she was not there, and that made them easy to manipte.


    The real test was when she was in front of them. I wanted them to be consistent. To not flip between me and Clementine.


    "Don¡¯t give her so much attention. Don¡¯t make her think she is important. After how she pushed your hands away, she discarded your feelings, how could you not feel insulted. Grow a spine. You are alphas."


    I hissed and threw a small tantrum, folding my arms over my chest.


    "And yet you went to fill her buckets. That is so upsetting," I grunted.


    "Okay, don¡¯t be upset. We¡¯ll fill your buckets too. You don¡¯t need to do anything. Go sit over there and rest," Haiden said quickly, taking the bucket from my hand.


    He did not show much emotion, though. That was what I meant. They were always dull when she was not around.


    But at least they were listening to me now. I could work with that for the moment.


    I pretended to still be upset and walked away. Sitting on the ground, I watched them talk among themselves.


    "You really have them wrapped around your finger, don¡¯t you?"


    I nearly jumped when I heard Ian¡¯s voice from the side. I turned and saw him smirking.


    "I guess I¡¯m not the only one with someone else doing the dirty work," I taunted.


    Ian let out a shortugh, and that alone felt like an admission of guilt.


    "Don¡¯t worry about me, Oriana. And stay out of my business. You don¡¯t want my attention on you, trust me," he warned, his eyes narrowing.


    He looked so frightening that I instantly started to nod. I would never dare to get in his way.


    I guessed staying away from Ian was the best choice for now.

 Chapter 289-Another Gate To North

    <h4>Chapter 289: 289-Another Gate To North</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What is this ce?" I asked Miss Rue as I followed her in silence. I knew we had stepped beyond the academy¡¯s border.


    There was arge gate, and Miss Rue used her key card to let us out.


    "This is part of the woods you¡¯ve probably never visited," she replied instantly. "Let¡¯s be honest, it isn¡¯t part of the academy you know."


    After she returned, we didn¡¯t talk much about the diary.


    She only gave me food and medicine, telling me to finish them so we could discuss realityter.


    Everyone else, including the two ring leaders, was busy with the bucket task.


    Even the ringleaders had to make sure the exact number of buckets was poured over the herbs.


    The principal and the others were so cautious about the academy, they had asked Miss Rue to stay behind with me.


    That gave us both a chance to have this conversation.


    She had let me out, saying she wanted to show me something.


    After a while, we reached our destination, and I could already feel the negative energy in the air.


    Barbed wires stretched as far as I could see, and a tall metal gate stood ahead.


    "It¡¯s filled with energy, vibrations that protect the maind," Miss Rue exined as I inspected the area.


    "What do you mean, protect the maind? What is this ce?" I asked her.


    "Thend beyond that gate is not maind," Miss Rue said, pointing toward the other side. "It¡¯s worse there, simr, but twisted."


    Suddenly, something appeared that made me gasp and step back in fear.


    "A fleshmingo," I whispered. "This is a fleshmingo." Seeing a monster here on the maind was shocking.


    "That other side of the door is part of the North, Clementine," Miss Rue said and My eyes widened.


    "I thought the only way to reach the North was through the train station," I muttered in heavy breaths.


    Miss Rueughed softly, almost uneasily.


    "That¡¯s what they want you to believe," she replied.


    I stood and walked toward the main gate, noticing how the Fleshmingo stared at me.


    It suddenly lunged at the gate, but the towers released energy that threw it back.


    "They can never cross this line," Miss Rue exined. "Remember the towers you helped secure? That¡¯s what they¡¯re for, keeping the maind protected."


    And it made sense. The North was part of our world. Of course, its borders are connected to ours.


    "I¡¯m guessing it must mean a lot. Otherwise, why would you show me this ce?" I asked, stating the obvious.


    I figured it wasn¡¯t much of a secret that the North connected to the maind through different borders.


    "That¡¯s what I like about you, Clementine," she said. "You¡¯re intelligent and always straight to the point." She touched the gate as if remembering something. "And yes, there¡¯s a big significance to this particr gate."


    "This is what we used to sneak through into the North," she continued, her tone softening. "We had meetings at the headquarters there."


    And then, in the calmest way, she pulled the ground out from under my feet.


    "A headquarters in the North?" I asked.


    "I thought you all might have figured it out," Miss Rue remarked, her hands tucked into her pockets.


    "I mean, I knew something was wrong," I said. "When we were in one of the apartmentplexes, I noticed a warm bed, like someone had just been there. That¡¯s when the Wendigos attacked us for the first time."


    She pursed her lips and nodded slightly.


    "Yeah, maybe the lurkers were there doing some work," she replied, giving me goosebumps again.


    "So everyone just goes there like it¡¯s another normal ce to visit, while we¡¯re told the North is too dangerous for anyone but us?" I asked, watching her shake her head.


    "The North is dangerous, Clementine," she told me. "But we go there to control the narrative, to oversee most of the operations and the tasks we assign you. You didn¡¯t ask what the headquarters is for." She raised a brow and smiled faintly.


    "And I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re not going to tell me," Imented.


    Sheughed quietly, not mockingly.


    "It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t know how to exin it," she uttered. "We go there to decide which taskes next, which areas have monsters gaining too much control, where we need the Crusaders to step in and calm them down."


    Her words exined our missions to the North and the monster hunts. That part didn¡¯t surprise me, it was what they always told us.


    Sometimes, they¡¯d warn us that a monster was growing too strong, and we¡¯d be sent to y it.


    But the fact that there was a headquarters in the North itself was frightening.


    "I have a better question," I said, and she looked at me with sharper interest. "Why are you telling me all this? Aren¡¯t you part of the Academy?"


    Her eyes softened as she looked at me. She wasn¡¯t angry. There was sadness instead.


    She drew in a sharp breath, exhaled, and smiled faintly, though her eyes darkened.


    Her posture told me there was a deeper reason, one she wanted to share.


    "I¡¯m new here, as you know," she began quietly. "I only came here for my sister, to find out what really happened to her."


    Her confession left my jaw hanging open.


    "Your sister? Your sister used to be part of the academy?" I asked, confused andpletely lost.


    She nodded slowly, a faint smile forming as tears gathered in her eyes.


    "She was part of the Crusaders as she was younger than me," she said softly. "But I only received parts of her body."


    She held my gaze, her expression tightening.


    "So I came here to find out the truth about the academy," she added quietly. "And it seems they don¡¯t n to let me in until I¡¯ve earned their trust."


    That was when I finally understood why she had given away my secrets.


    She wanted to earn their trust, to be part of their inner circle.


    It felt clear she was never truly on the academy¡¯s side.

 Chapter 290-He Speaks

    <h4>Chapter 290: 290-He Speaks</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After my conversation with Miss Rue, I asked her about Bodhi¡¯s diary and what he meant by ¡¯the loved ones watching and betting on us.


    Just as she was about to answer, her phone buzzed with a notification saying everyone was returning to the main hall.


    We didn¡¯t have time to talk about it, so we rushed back.


    By the time I had justin down on her bed, I heard footsteps approaching her office.


    The door swung open, and Mr. Rick stood there, looking as if he had tried to sneak in and catch me doing something wrong.


    "What happened, Mr. Rick?" I asked, giving him a small smile.


    "Nothing," he replied wryly, probably disappointed he hadn¡¯t caught me.


    "I think I¡¯m feeling much better," I said, getting off the bed.


    "Now? Now you¡¯re feeling better? After everyone¡¯s done doing your task?" he remarked with a hint of sarcasm.


    I knew I could have said plenty to argue with him, but instead, I chose to smirk.


    I knew that one silent smirk would be enough to give him sleepless nights.


    As soon as I walked upstairs, I noticed that everyone had already showered and was waiting for lunch.


    I walked steadily toward them, feeling their eyes on me, then decided to grab my tray and sit at a separate table.


    "See? She¡¯s so arrogant. She didn¡¯t even thank you guys," Oriana remarked.


    At that point, I knew she was filling their ears with poison. I didn¡¯t care. They could think whatever they wanted.


    I knew I had a big ego, but I was fine with that. It wasn¡¯t like they deserved an exnation.


    As for Ian, he sat alone at another table, tapping his foot against the floor.


    "Let¡¯s enjoy the lunch. Some of you worked really hard today," Mr. Rick taunted.


    "Indeed," Miss Lenora added, giving me a judgmental re.


    I focused on my food, ignoring herment.


    There was a part of me that felt broken, but another part, curious and alert, had started to piece things together.


    I had learned a lot about the academy today, and a few things had genuinely unsettled me, especially the revtion about the headquarters in the North.


    Why hadn¡¯t they told us about it? Why hadn¡¯t they mentioned the other doors that could be used to return from the North?


    It would have helped the Crusaders who were left behind when the train departed.


    That thought led me back to Bodhi¡¯s words, his im about ¡¯the loved ones watching and enjoying as they bet on us.¡¯


    "She¡¯s right," Troy muttered under his breath, his voice pulling me out of my thoughts.


    "You should at least be grateful to us. Thank us for taking care of you all night and filling the buckets for you," he said, staring straight at me.


    I could feel everyone¡¯s eyes on my face. They had already irritated me enough, so I decided to return the favor.


    "Well, I¡¯m not grateful," I replied tly. "I didn¡¯t ask you to take care of me. I would have survived anyway. I always do."


    I watched their expressions twist in disbelief.


    "See? Now do you believe me?" Oriana chimed in.


    I ignored her. They had let her manipte them, and I¡¯d had enough.


    I wasn¡¯t going to try to convince them she was lying about me.


    If they couldn¡¯t figure that out themselves, they didn¡¯t deserve an exnation.


    They all kept ring at me, waiting for me to say thank you, but I finished my meal and stood up from the chair.


    I carried my dishes to the sink, washed them, and walked out of the hall, heading back to my room.


    I didn¡¯t know they were nning to take things even further, but the moment I neared the room, Haiden stormed toward me, forcing me to stop.


    Then came Troy and Yorick, stepping inside, andst was Oriana, a strange smirk curling on her lips.


    I could already tell they were up to something.


    As soon as I entered, the four of them stood in a line, staring at me. Oriana looked like their leader.


    "You know what? I don¡¯t have time for this," I remarked, watching their faces fall, almost like they were disappointed I said that.


    I turned to leave.


    "Hey, you! Who do you think you are?" Haiden shouted after me.


    I raised my middle finger in response and kept walking.


    I headed outside toward the field, needing some space to think about the secrets I had uncovered with Miss Rue¡¯s help.


    There were still things we needed to discuss, especially whether there was a way topletely clear out the North.


    If that were possible, maybe the suffering of so many young Crusaders would finally end.


    Then my eyes caught a Lurker in the distance, and I wondered if they had been taken from their families and changed somehow, stripped of their feelings. A bad thought began to form in my mind, maybe the real monster wasn¡¯t the North. Maybe it was the academy itself.


    As I wandered quietly through the grounds, I noticed something.


    It was Ian.


    He was moving suspiciously, ncing back at the academy while heading deeper into the woods.


    Something in me said I should follow him, so I did. I trailed behind until I froze in ce.


    Ian had stopped in front of a Lurker, standing face to face with him.


    "What is it?" Ian demanded, his hands on his face, looking tense.


    I couldn¡¯t understand why he was talking to a Lurker. Didn¡¯t he know they couldn¡¯t speak?


    But then, to my shock, the Lurker started to chuckle.


    In that moment, I swear my soul left my body.


    "Let¡¯s not act like you wouldn¡¯t want to hear what I found out," the Lurker hissed at him.


    That was the second time I felt shivers run through me. The shock was so strong that I just stood there, staring, my mouth going dry.


    "What do you want?" Ian snapped, sounding irritated.


    "A lurker¡ª" the Lurker suddenly stopped talking.


    This time, when he turned around, his eyes went straight toward me, right behind the tree where I was hiding. Ian followed his gaze, and our eyes met.

 Chapter 291-Oh My Ian, Where Are You?

    <h4>Chapter 291: 291-Oh My Ian, Where Are You?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Oh, you!" Ian yelled as he started sprinting in my direction. I knew I had to get away from here, to get away from him.


    But where could I go? Running back into the dorm would only mean facing the others who made my life miserable.


    I had nowhere else to be, no one I could share this news with but I needed to be around people, anywhere I¡¯d be safe from Ian and that lurker.


    I started running, and, surprisingly, I was faster than both Ian and the lurker. But they knew the path too well.


    Soon, I noticed the lurker cutting across the trail, then disappearing from sight.


    He must have taken a different route, likely a shortcut.


    I turned right, trying to throw them off, but Ian stayed close, forcing me farther from the main academy grounds.


    I groaned as I leaped over a fallen tree. When I looked back, Ian was grunting, his body beginning to shift.


    It wasn¡¯t a full werewolf transformation, just a partial one, but he didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    I wanted to shift too, to show him what my wolf could do, but I couldn¡¯t risk revealing her on academy grounds.


    So, I called for Mint¡¯s help quietly while keeping my human form intact.


    I pushed myself to run faster, almost reaching the edge of the academy when the lurker suddenly came out of nowhere and tackled me to the ground.


    A hand mped over my mouth, silencing me.


    We rolled across the dirt until I steadied myself, pressing a foot to the ground to stop our momentum.


    I managed to pin him beneath me, my fingers gripping his throat, fist ready to strike.


    That¡¯s when I saw it, the small mole under his eye. It was the same lurker I¡¯d suspected before.


    But before I could hit him, Ian lunged forward, knocking me off.


    His arms locked tightly around me.


    I swiftly turned around to punch Ian, but he pulled away from me,ughing and cackling, teasing me while sticking his tongue out.


    "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I grunted.


    He stopped moving, making no effort to grab me.


    "I wasn¡¯t going to hurt you. I was just chasing you for fun," he replied with a smirk.


    The lurker stood up, acting as if nothing had happened.


    "No, you were attacking me because you were afraid. I¡¯ll tell everyone that I found you talking to the lurker," I warned, my breath catching in my throat.


    Ian stared at me for a moment, then startedughing again.


    "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. He wasn¡¯t talking to me, I was talking to him. Just a heart-to-heart. You do that too, don¡¯t you?" hemented, still smirking.


    He mentioned that the lurker had told him all about me and what I¡¯d said the other day.


    I couldn¡¯t understand why this lurker was so different or how he could speak at all.


    "Can you prove it? Can you prove that he was speaking?" Ian continued.


    Even though I should have focused on the fact that the lurker spoke, my attention stayed on Ian, his eyes, the way he moved, the way he talked.


    I had to do something, if only to calm my nerves.


    I lunged forward and grabbed his cor. He made a surprised sound but didn¡¯t react fast enough to stop me.


    I leaned in and sniffed his neck, hearing him giggle.


    As I held his shirt, I noticed his heartbeat stutter the moment I got too close.


    That sudden pause caught my attention, and I jerked back, gasping as I pushed him away.


    Even the way his heart missed a beat caught my attention.


    I studied him closely, staring at his face while my hands covered my mouth to suppress the shock I felt.


    "What? Surprised by how handsome I am?" Ianmented, cing a finger on his chest as he leaned down.


    But I had to do one more thing.


    "Take off your clothes," I said to him.


    He tilted his head, ncing back at the lurker to make sure he¡¯d heard me right, then looked back at me.


    "Whoa. I didn¡¯t know I was that sexy. One sniff from me and you¡¯re already demanding so much," he remarked.


    "Don¡¯t fucking change the subject. Take off your shirt," I demanded again.


    He chuckled loudly, throwing a quick nce at the lurker, who started walking to the side, almost like he wasn¡¯t part of the conversation anymore.


    "What if I don¡¯t want to?" Ian replied, the yfulness still in his eyes.


    I moved closer to him, staring right into his eyes, then clenched my jaw.


    "You¡¯re not Ian."


    As soon as I said that, I watched the taunting smile fade from his lips.


    "What?" he asked, sounding confused and lost.


    "Huh?" Ian asked, pointing at me, but the Lurker had already started to walk away.


    So it was just the two of us now.


    "Have you lost your mind? What are you talking about? Or is this how you n to convince yourself that I didn¡¯t cheat on you?" he continued while I shook my head hard, showing him that he couldn¡¯t fool me anymore.


    I wasn¡¯t stupid.


    I might have been too emotional during thest few days to notice the change in him.


    But now that I was back in my own energy and finally doing something right by finding out the truth about the academy, I felt confident and proud of myself.


    I had found my spark again, and now I could see the difference in him that I had missed before.


    And I was so sure of what I was saying.


    "No, you¡¯re not Ian. Who the fuck are you?" I shouted, lunging at him. I grabbed his cor and shoved him until his back hit a tree trunk.


    He lifted his hands in the air, pretending to be startled, but his act faded when he noticed the determination in my eyes.


    Then, a small crack of a smile appeared on his face.


    "Fine, you got me," he whispered with a smirk. His words alone sent a chill down my spine.


    "You know what? He told me you¡¯d figure it out. Wow. I wish I hadn¡¯t ced that bet," he added, giving me one more reason to know I was right.


    And it gave me goosebumps.

 Chapter 292-I Threaten Him.

    <h4>Chapter 292: 292-I Threaten Him.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "So you¡¯re his twin brother. That was you I saw that day in the hotel with his ex-girlfriend," I said loudly, pointing a finger at him.


    Everything started to make sense, and guilt hit me hard.


    For days, I hadn¡¯t figured it out, probably because no one ever told me about his brother.


    If only I had known, I would¡¯ve found a way to reach Ian sooner.


    "Right, I¡¯m Zian. People call me his evil twin," Zian said, sliding his hands into his pockets with a smirk.


    I pressed a hand to my forehead, taking deep, steady breaths.


    "I heard he was having quite a bit of fun, so I decided to rece him and see what was going on. And boy, he really was having fun, what a sight," Zian remarked, licking his bottom lip as his eyes moved over me.


    "I could kill you right here. Tell me, where¡¯s Ian?" I growled, my breath catching as my fists clenched.


    "Boy, you¡¯re sassy, huh? You know what? When I met him, he told me there¡¯d be one person who¡¯d know when her friend had been reced and he was right. I¡¯m impressed," Zianmented.


    His words stirred a faint memory of Ian once asking me if I¡¯d always notice when a friend started acting differently.


    Knowing now that his brother had taken his girlfriend before and realizing he was even worse than I imagined, it made my skin crawl.


    "Well, for your information, he¡¯s fine. He¡¯s resting," Zian said as he strolled around, his hands still in his pockets, trying to show how careless he was.


    "What do you mean by that? When did you take him? Did he evere back?" I asked, my eyes drifting into the distance.


    Zian leaned closer, lowering his head as if trying to read my thoughts.


    "He was here. And then you took him away. That day when Yorick found him passed out, it was you. You reced him, and Yorick found you!" I hissed.


    Zian burst intoughter, nodding with excitement.


    "You¡¯re so good. Oh my God, that¡¯s exciting," hemented, pulling his hands out of his pockets and rubbing them together. "And by the way, after you saw me in the hotel, I wasn¡¯t the one who returned, he was. And then I reced him the next day."


    His words made my jaw drop. It was then that the pieces fell into ce, I realized the man who walked in on me with my mates had been Ian, the real one.


    The person who was hurt was Ian. But the one who insulted me was Zian.


    It all made sense now. All this time, I thought my mates were scumbags, but I had unknowingly hurt Ian.


    "Where the fuck is Ian? If you don¡¯t tell me now, I¡¯ll go to the principal. You better believe he¡¯ll find out what you did and where Ian is," I hissed, stepping closer, my fists clenched as I locked eyes with him.


    "Easy," he warned. "The day you do that will be Ian¡¯sst. You don¡¯t know where he is, and you have no idea what I¡¯m capable of. You saw the Lurker talking to me, right? I can make the dead talk. Doesn¡¯t that scare you?"


    His voice changedpletely, no more joking, no more ying around.


    He suddenly meant business, and the threat in his tone was real.


    "I came here to enjoy myself, to rx for the vacations. But you and your squadmates, you¡¯re all so messy, dragging me to the North. I don¡¯t want to be in the North. The fuck!" he snapped, waving his arms around to emphasize his words.


    Ian never used to move like that.


    "So that¡¯s it. You¡¯re scared of the North, aren¡¯t you?" I remarked, watching him grunt and narrow his eyes at me.


    "Why the fuck did you mark me? Don¡¯t you know that when a man marks someone who isn¡¯t his mate, and they don¡¯t dere each other as chosen mates, it can make the marked person sick?" I shouted, shoving him hard. He tripped and fell back onto the ground.


    But he justughed, clutching his stomach as if he found it all amusing.


    "I know that¡¯s why you were so sickst night. God, that was fun," he taunted.


    Nothing worried this demon of a man.


    I strode toward him, crouched down, and pointed a finger in his face. His smirk began to fade at my boldness.


    He looked from my finger to my eyes, waiting for me to make a threat.


    "I¡¯ll make you release Ian, and you better believe I will. Even if I have to do the most horrible things," I growled. "Ian trusted me, Zian, and I¡¯ll prove myself to him. I¡¯ll find him, even if you hide him in the darkest corners of the North. Mark my words."


    I red at him onest time before straightening up, turning away, and walking off.


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t resist getting in thest word.


    "You were willing to risk everything for your other mates too. Look what happened, they reced you," he muttered.


    I didn¡¯t turn back. I couldn¡¯t waste another second on him.


    I had to find a way to bring Ian back before the vacations ended.


    I wouldn¡¯t let Zian win. If he thought he could control Ian and keep him locked away until this was over, he was dead wrong.


    Maybe before this, Ian didn¡¯t have anyone to fight for him.


    But now he had me.


    It seemed like the opportunity had been waiting for me, because the minute I stepped into the dorm room, someone was already ready to stir things up.


    As I headed toward the bathroom, Oriana rushed in front of me so suddenly that she mmed into my shoulder, nearly sending me into the wall.


    Pathetic! But that was her thing, doing little power ys to show she could take even the smallest things from me, like using the bathroom first.


    I wasn¡¯t any more mature than she was, so I sprinted after her and slipped inside before she could get in.


    Her shocked gasp when I mmed the door shut said it all.


    Then she lost it.


    "Fucking get out! I need to go to the bathroom!" she screamed.


    "Well, then you¡¯ll have to break down the door," I called back. "But I guess you¡¯re too weak for that."


    I didn¡¯t even think about my words. I turned toward the sink, started washing my face, then froze when I heard a loud crack from the other side of the door.


    Or rather, I heard them break it.


    "Come on, Haiden! Yorick! Troy! Break this door and pull her out!" Oriana shouted.


    And to my shock, they actually followed her orders.

 Chapter 293-She Is Unhinged

    <h4>Chapter 293: 293-She Is Unhinged</h4>


    <strong>Zian:</strong>


    I kept watching her as she walked away. Once she had finally left, I grunted angrily.


    ¡¯Such a timid little thing, yet so much courage.¡¯ My wolf groaned and hissed loudly.


    I knew he didn¡¯t like her actions. She was rude and cocky. Threatening us over Ian was enough reason to keep her on our target list.


    But that wasn¡¯t all. There were bigger issues. Clementine seemed the type to ruin everyone¡¯s journey.


    Today, she caught me with the Lurker. It was only a matter of time before she started unraveling more secrets and I couldn¡¯t let that happen.


    "So, are we ready to go back home?" my wolf asked, reminding me of her threat.


    "You think she can do something?" Iughed. "No. She¡¯s emotional, probably on her period."


    "But we can visit our brother," I added. "Let¡¯s see how he reacts when I tell him what¡¯s happening with his favorite person." I grinned at the thought, too excited to see Ian¡¯s expression as I exined Clementine¡¯s condition to him.


    Of course, I needed the Lurker¡¯s help. As always, he obliged, helping me out of the academy.


    Soon, I was sprinting toward Ian. He wasn¡¯t far, right within arm¡¯s reach.


    I hummed a melody as I reached the basement, where he was tied up in a small cage.


    He rose from the corner bed, shackles on his ankles preventing escape.


    "Ah, Ian, Ian, Ian," I said, seating myself and pping my hands.


    He gave me that blunt, cocky look of his. Of course, he was the only one in the room.


    Father had put him there or else I wouldn¡¯t have been able to overpower Ian.


    "You know what just happened?" I asked, reaching the edge of his cage, hands in my parents¡¯ pockets.


    Even after so many days of torture, Ian remained irritating. By ¡¯torture,¡¯ I meant him staying away from Clementine, his favorite little thing.


    "Your clementine was feeling sick from the effects of me marking her,"


    The moment I reminded him of that incident, he lunged. I pulled away instantly, but he still grabbed a fistful of my shirt.


    When I wrenched free, he ripped it apart.


    "What the fuck, Ian? I liked this shirt," I muttered, noticing I was now half-naked.


    I shrugged, removing the rest of it and tossing it aside.


    "She asked me to take off my shirt too. She probably wanted to see the scars you have," I said with augh, remembering herst conversation with me.


    She had tried to be sassy, but the poor little girl didn¡¯t know she could never get me to bow or stop me from winning from Ian over and over again.


    "She figured it out, didn¡¯t she?" Ian asked, his voice firm but heavy with frustration.


    "Well, she did, and she started to threaten me," I mumbled, noticing how Ian¡¯s expression turned defeated.


    He didn¡¯t want this secret out. Maybe he was embarrassed of me and what I¡¯d done.


    "Anyway," I continued, "I just wanted to let you know what¡¯s going on with the others. Your squadmates are treating her so poorly."


    At that, Ian snapped his head up.


    "What do you mean? Are they bullying her again?" he questioned, his shoulders already tense.


    I remembered how scared he had been to bring her into our pack. He was afraid I would steal her or hurt her.


    Little did he know, the moment she stepped out of the car in front of that hotel, I was already fascinated by her.


    "Bullying her? That¡¯s an understatement," I replied. "They¡¯re making her life hell. She sleeps alone while they y around with that bitch Oriana. And whenever Clementine reacts to Oriana picking on her, they just turn on her instead."


    Iughed like it was the funniest thing I¡¯d ever seen, but Ian didn¡¯t share the amusement.


    He looked furious, his jaw clenched.


    "Let me out," he hissed, gripping the bars tightly.


    "Um, sorry, No puedo," I teased. "Father¡¯s the one who made this decision. I only asked for the vacations to be spent at the academy. But when you¡¯re back, just remember, she¡¯s marked by me. Even if that mark fades, it¡¯ll still be enough to make her sick every now and then. Who knows, maybe she¡¯ll fall sick in the North. Imagine that, surrounded by monsters, lying there in pain."


    Ian grunted, throwing his punches at the gate. The sound of metal rattling echoed through the room.


    All these years, I had tried to beat Ian, to make him lose control. But every time I took something from him, he never seemed bothered, not even when I took his ex-girlfriend.


    But Clementine! She changed everything. The moment she entered his life, I saw my brother lose his calm.


    He finally reacted.


    "What they say about you is right," Ian said, grabbing the bars and ring straight at me. His fists tightened until his knuckles turned white. "You belong among the monsters."


    My smile faded. Those words always haunted me.


    "Well," I muttered coldly, "it seems your beautiful Clementine will be alone with this monster tonight."


    Since he hurt me, I hurt him even worse. The moment I said it, Ian started to grunt angrily, throwing a fit.


    And I couldn¡¯t help it, Iughed at him.


    I left Ian restless and headed back to the academy. The minute I entered the dorm room, I realized I was supposed to be in the main hall.


    Something had clearly happened.


    When I stepped into the hall, my eyesnded on Clementine first. She was waiting for me, her gaze fixed on the main door.


    The look in her eyes waspletely unhinged. A wide, taunting smile stretched across her lips, and I frowned in confusion, wondering what she had done now.


    Then I heard the announcement, and heat rushed through my body.


    This bitch.


    She had figured out my weakness from a single conversation and used it against me. In that moment, I realized I wasn¡¯t the only monster.


    She was like me, probably even worse.


    She was the only one with a satisfied smile on her lips, while everyone else looked scared and worried.

 Chapter 294-Fighting My Own Mates

    <h4>Chapter 294: 294-Fighting My Own Mates</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What the fuck is wrong with you guys? You¡¯re going to break the door!" I screamed from inside.


    Thankfully, I hadn¡¯t taken off my clothes.


    "Get out. Get out of there. She needs to use the restroom first," Yorick shouted from the other side.


    My eyes widened at his demand.


    "What the fuck?" I screamed back.


    I waspletely shocked and moved by their actions. Then they finally broke the door.


    As it opened, Oriana rushed in to pull me out, but she froze when she saw the look on my face.


    She knew exactly what would happen if sheid a finger on me.


    "Now you know I¡¯m not alone," she hissed, looking me straight in the eye with a clear threat.


    "Get out of the bathroom, Oriana," I threatened, meeting her gaze.


    Her confident posture began to waver. She nced left and right, checking the others to make sure they had her back.


    "No," she replied, after confirming they would defend her if it came to that.


    "Well then, how about we all stand here and watch you shower or use the restroom, since you idiots already broke down the door," Imented, turning to the side and leaning against the wall, arms folded across my chest.


    "Did you just call us idiots?" Yorick demanded, pointing at his chest.


    I rolled my eyes, furious and feeling betrayed. Why the fuck did they act like they cared about mest night? I would never know.


    "What are you guys doing just standing here and not reacting to her?" Oriana turned to the three, urging them to respond by pointing out that they weren¡¯t doing anything.


    She watched their faces as they continued to stare at me.


    "Clementine, if you don¡¯t want us to do something that will upset you, then please leave," Haiden spoke, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white and the veins on his hands became visible.


    "Really? Do you think there¡¯s still something you can do that would make me feel like you¡¯re the worst?" I asked Haiden, chuckling slightly at the fact that he believed there was still anything left for me to say that could make them seem worse as mates.


    "Clementine, just go," Troy muttered through his clenched teeth, closing his eyes.


    It was almost funny how obsessed they were with her.


    They knew they were wrong, yet they still couldn¡¯t help being rude to me just to please her.


    "Okay, if you guys aren¡¯t going toy a hand on her, then just tell me you¡¯re all on board, and I¡¯ll do something crazy," Oriana said, as expected of her, she always needed backup before starting a fight.


    When the others stayed silent, she took it as an agreement and started walking toward me.


    Oh, I was so ready for it.


    The minute she closed in and put her hand in my hair, trying to grab a fistful, I reacted and caught her wrist, squeezing until her face grimaced and her fingers loosened from my hair.


    "Ow, ow, ow!" she cried, snapping her head toward the alphas to see why they had not reacted to me.


    "Don¡¯t just stand there, do something!" she demanded as I pulled her hand down.


    In one swift move I twisted it behind her back and forced her face against the bathroom wall.


    She cried out and turned her head to look at my mates.


    "Let her go!" Yorick shouted and stepped forward, wrapping his arm around me to pull me away from her.


    That was a big mistake. I elbowed backward, striking him in the nose and leaving it bleeding.


    While I still held Oriana against the wall with her arm twisted, a gasp went up because I had attacked Yorick.


    I moved to the side, released Oriana¡¯s hand, and immediately grabbed a fistful of hair at the back of her head.


    With my left hand still in her hair, I pulled her aside and kicked Troy in the shin, making him squeal and hop on one leg.


    Haiden stared at me in shock for a moment, confused by why I was suddenly attacking everyone.


    When he moved toe at me to try to save Oriana, who had her back to me and both hands tangled in her hair as she scratched at my arm, I grabbed the shampoo bottle from the shelf and tossed it at Haiden, hitting him on the forehead.


    He still didn¡¯t back down. As he stepped in to grab my wrist, I raised my free arm and elbowed him under the chin, making him bite his tongue and bleed into his mouth.


    "Fucking hell," he groaned, clutching his mouth.


    I grabbed Oriana and began yanking her hair back and forth.


    "What the fuck?" she screamed.


    By the time the other three were back on their feet, I directed Oriana so that when I kicked her in the back shended on top of them.


    They managed to hold her and didn¡¯t fall because they were very strong.


    "Enough!"


    As I stepped forward, ready to pounce on anyone who moved closer, a loud scream cut through the room.


    We all turned toward the bathroom doorway and saw the ringleaders standing in our room, Mr. Rick looking very angry.


    I could tell the others had seen me holding on to her by her hair.


    The moment eyesnded on her, she acted as if she¡¯d been beaten to a pulp. She dropped to her knees, crying and shaking like she was terrified.


    The instant she groaned, I rolled my eyes. I could already tell that the so-called ringleaders wereying on their empathy a bit too thick.


    At least, Mr. Rick and Miss Lenora were.


    "Ms. Lenora, she attacked me. She attacked me again. She wouldn¡¯t stop hurting me."


    Oriana started to cry, making everyone¡¯s eyes shift toward her. The problem was that I couldn¡¯t stoop to her level.


    I couldn¡¯t pretend to be scared or weak when I wasn¡¯t, at least, not because of her.


    So I might have been the one who looked like the evil individual to them. I could tell that very much.

 Chapter 295-Welcome To The Academy Of Hell

    <h4>Chapter 295: 295-Wee To The Academy Of Hell</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Oriana, are you okay?" Ms. Lenora rushed in and moved to hold Oriana and help her out of the bathroom.


    Mr. Rick snapped his fingers and gestured for all of us toe out. One by one, we left the bathroom.


    The others had bloody faces, especially Yorick and Haiden. They red at me for a moment before turning their attention back to Mr. Rick.


    We stood in a line, shoulder to shoulder, facing the ringleaders.


    "Are you still going to say that Oriana is the problem?" Ms. Lenora yelled at Miss Rue.


    Miss Rue watched my face with a sad expression, then straightened and snapped her head at Ms. Lenora.


    She was standing in the middle this time.


    "More than before, I believe Oriana is the problem," Miss Rue answered.


    "Actually, Miss Rue is right. I was in the bathroom when Oriana and the others broke down the door. Oriana wanted them to assault me, so before she could attack again I tackled her down," As I began to exin, Mr. Rick raised his hand to silence me.


    "We are not talking to you," he yelled at me. I felt my fists clench, I knew he could see in my eyes that, if I could, I would have punched him too.


    "Why not? Why isn¡¯t she allowed to say her side?" Miss Rue demanded.


    "It is her truth. If you do not let her exin her side, how will you determine who is at fault?" Miss Rue snapped loudly, arms folded across her chest.


    Her look was the kind people give when they think someone else is the problem.


    "Continue, please, Clementine," Miss Rue said in a soft tone, different from how she had just spoken to Mr. Rick.


    "I defended myself. Oriana tried to attack me. The only reason she looks like a victim is that she never wins her attacks," I said, scoffing as Mr. Rick red and Ms. Lenora looked at me in disbelief.


    A warrior walked in and held a phone to Mr. Rick¡¯s ear.


    He listened, nodded, and made small noises like "hmm" and "got it."


    After he hung up, he gave the phone back to the warrior and faced us.


    "Well, congrattions. It seems the headmaster has heard about this. You are all asked to join us in the hall. There¡¯s a new punishment for all of you," Mr. Rick announced, and everyone¡¯s posture changed.


    We walked behind the ringleaders and entered the hall. Oriana kept trying to draw the attention of my squadmates, hinting that her neck was hurting.


    There weren¡¯t many visible injuries on her face except for the redness on her cheek from when I mmed her against the bathroom wall.


    She was doing her best to make it look like she was hurt through her shaky bodynguage.


    As for the Alphas, even though they had bled, it didn¡¯t seem to have affected their strength at all.


    We stood and waited for thest of the Crusaders to join us. It seemed like not a single person would be spared.


    I knew that because they either sent one of us north, or all of us. Leaving one behind while the rest were in the north wasn¡¯t something they did.


    As soon as Zian walked into the hall and his eyesnded on me, I could already see fear in them.


    He knew.


    I was sure he did. The Lurker pointed toward our group, telling him to stand with us. Zian hesitated but came anyway.


    "What did you do this time?" he hissed in my ear, his hands tied behind his back.


    I looked at him briefly and smiled in satisfaction.


    "Actually, the opportunity presented itself. I¡¯m innocent, my lord," I joked.


    I could hear him grinding his teeth. I might have felt bad if I had started this fight and, because of me, we had to go north.


    But now the me couldn¡¯t be on me. They started it.


    It was clear that the one person who would be coteral damage was Zian.


    "We are really disappointed in how you all are acting. Ever since the vacation started, it seems like you¡¯ve all spiraled down. Mr. Rick began acting as if this academy, or anything in it, was normal to begin with.


    "Since the other squads left, you¡¯ve decided to argue among yourselves, making us believe that the best thing for all of you is to keep you busy with good work," Ms. Lenora said.


    She mentioned the north as that good work, saving lives and protecting the maind from being exploited by the monsters.


    The towers were built to protect the maind so I don¡¯t know why we were needed?


    After having a deep and meaningful conversation with Miss. Rue, I also realized they didn¡¯t care about the north, the maind, or the monsters.


    Still, the real intention behind the academy was what I had to figure out.


    "Hence, the Headmaster has decided to send you all on a mission to the north," Miss Rue announced.


    Her voicecked the anger and hatred the other two carried.


    I could tell she wasn¡¯t happy that we were being sent back, but it wasn¡¯t something she could control anymore.


    "What the fuck did you guys do?" Zian hissed in my ear again, making me shrug without turning around to respond.


    "What kind of mission?" Zian asked out of curiosity, drawing the attention to himself.


    Oriana hadn¡¯t moved a muscle since hearing that we were being sent back to the academy.


    "You are being sent to the city of ogres," Mr. Rick exined, probably stealing the ground from under everyone¡¯s feet, especially Zian¡¯s.


    Ogres might be deadly, but we had fought Wendigos before, he hadn¡¯t though.


    "Zian," I turned to him and smiled. "Well, you can¡¯t have only the good perks. Wee to the academy, Zian," I said with a smirk, watching his eyes widen.


    But before we were dismissed, we saw a Lurker rush in and grab the attention of the ringleaders.


    He had a phone in his hand. He showed the screen to them, and the look on their faces told me something truly terrible must have happened.


    There wasn¡¯t just shock in their eyes but fear too.

 Chapter 296-A Lurker’s Dead Body

    <h4>Chapter 296: 296-A Lurker¡¯s Dead Body</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What do you think happened? Why did they send us back to our room so suddenly?" Troy asked Yorick as we entered our dorm room.


    "I mean, it kind of took me by surprise too. I don¡¯t understand why they would be so scared. Do you think it¡¯s rted to the monsters?" Yorick replied.


    They all sat down on their beds. Zian, however, caught my attention. He looked anxious, almost as if regret weighed on his face.


    He avoided my eyes and went into the bathroom.


    "And someone can¡¯t stop staring at the man who forced a mark on her," Haiden remarked, making me turn toward him with a frown.


    "And someone should stop observing me. I¡¯m a free woman. I can stare at whoever I want for as long as I want," I replied, noticing how it bothered them.


    If they really thought I would sit and cry over them, they werepletely wrong.


    I would cry, definitely. I¡¯d flood the maind if my loyal mate was hurt.


    But the moment I found out my mate was disloyal, my tears would dry.


    "Because of her, we¡¯re now heading north to fight the ogres," Oriana muttered, pouting.


    The small wrinkles on her chin showed she was genuinely about to cry.


    "You shouldn¡¯t have started it," Troy muttered, making Oriana snap her head toward him in shock.


    She got up and folded her arms over her stomach, stepping in front of him to face him.


    "Okay, fine. Yeah, it was her fault," Troy quickly corrected himself when she red at him.


    I watched them with a smile. At this point, it wasn¡¯t even sad, it was funny.


    "And what are you worried about, Oriana? We¡¯ll stick together, and we¡¯ll be fine," Yorick called out from his bed, lying downfortably.


    "Yeah, we four will stick together," Oriana mumbled happily, shing me a cheeky grin that reminded me of what she had said the other day about never being alone in the North again.


    "Not four¡ªI mean, our squadmates should stick together," Yorick muttered, sneaking a nce at me before quickly looking up at the ceiling.


    "You mean her?" Oriana asked, pretending to be shocked as she pointed at me.


    I didn¡¯t argue. In the North, no one knows when someone might need help, and I wanted to stay professional.


    If they needed me, I¡¯d be there. Killing someone isn¡¯t an answer.


    But not epting them, that¡¯s my choice, and their punishment.


    After a while, we were called to dinner.


    Zian, surprisingly, still hadn¡¯t left the bathroom.


    They knocked on his door, telling him they needed to use it, but he didn¡¯te out.


    It made us wonder why. At one point, we even thought he might have escaped through the window, but that didn¡¯t happen.


    When the dinner announcement was made, he finally came out.


    His face was pale, and his fingers were white and wrinkled.


    It was clear he had been under the shower for a long time.


    His eyes looked empty as he stared at me before joining us in the hall.


    But things had changed. The ringleaders were barely eating.


    Their eyes kept wandering around the room.


    The lurkers were standing in strange groups, six in each.


    Even when I left the dorm, I didn¡¯t see a single lurker alone.


    "What¡¯s going on?" I murmured to myself, sitting alone beside a table of four.


    After dinner, when everyone began clearing their dishes, I noticed Troy lingering near the ringleaders.


    I guessed he needed to talk about his uniform¡¯s boots. When he returned, it seemed like he had news to share.


    We were already back in our dorm room. We weren¡¯t allowed to leave either.


    Six lurkers were standing right outside our door, and that had never happened before.


    Once inside, I was sure everyone had their own thoughts about why the rules had suddenly be stricter, but one of us seemed to know more.


    "Shh, Haiden,e here," Troy whispered, gesturing for him toe closer to his bed.


    I had just taken a shower and was lying on my bed, feeling left out.


    I wanted to be part of the conversation if it was about the academy, but they were acting like children.


    I hadn¡¯t told them anything I¡¯d learned either, so maybe it was tit for tat.


    Soon, Troy asked both Oriana and Yorick to join them. Zian seemed to be asleep, or maybe pretending, whatever helped him cope.


    I watched the four of them whispering, and then Troy¡¯s eyes shifted from Haiden to me for a brief moment. I quickly shut my eyes, pretending not to notice.


    A momentter, I heard them returning to their beds. As Iy there facing their side, I felt a presence close to my bed.


    I didn¡¯t open my eyes, but I was ready to defend myself if they tried anything strange.


    Then I felt someone breathing near my ear, and I knew one of them had leaned over me. I could sense who it was.


    It was Haiden.


    "Troy found out from the ringleaders that one of the lurkers was found dead in the woods today," he whispered.


    That was all he said before straightening up.


    My eyes flew open, but Haiden had already walked back to his bed andy down.


    I saw Troy and Yorick lying in theirs, watching me for a moment before closing their eyes.


    Then my gaze went to Oriana, who had a deep frown on her face, clearly unhappy that they had told me.


    I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Haiden¡¯s words that a lurker was found dead.


    At this point, my wolf was my only confidant, so I included her.


    "That¡¯s odd," Mint said quietly in my mind. "From the way the ringleaders are acting and not letting the lurkers be alone, it doesn¡¯t seem like he died of sickness, illness, or ident. It sounds like murder."


    Her thought sent a chill through me.


    Something wasing, something big. But who would attack a lurker?


    Maybe the one with the mole under his eye? He was the only one who seemed alert.


    Or maybe the others were too, but had been told not to respond to anyone. So many questions, and so few answers.


    And tomorrow, we were heading to the North.

 Chapter 297-When In North, We Act Professional

    <h4>Chapter 297: 297-When In North, We Act Professional</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Okay, everyone, be careful. Make sure you don¡¯t fight with each other. Just remember your main goal is to defeat the ogres and clear that area. They¡¯ve overrun the city so badly that if they reach the station, it¡¯ll be difficult for us to send trains or crusaders there in the future," Mr. Rick announced as we headed toward the train station.


    I was excited, to be honest. At least once I was in action, I¡¯d feel like I wasn¡¯tpletely useless.


    When everyone boarded the train, I noticed Zian hesitating to get on. He lingered until thest moment, and then, with no other choice, climbed aboard.


    Once seated, he sped his hands between his knees, head lowered. When he finally lifted his eyes to meet mine, I saw the tight clench in his jaw.


    I smiled at him, trying to appear innocent, but my smile faded when my mates began to gather around me.


    It felt strange. I thought they¡¯d remember what happened yesterday, how they had tried to attack me for Oriana.


    Haiden sat beside me on the same bench, while Yorick and Troy took the seats across.


    "Listen, we know things aren¡¯t really going well between us," Yorick began, his hands sped together, elbows resting on his knees as he leaned forward. "But since we¡¯re headed north, we wanted to say that we should act professionally."


    I was taken aback. If anything, they were the ones who had been childish.


    I leaned back, crossed one leg over the other, and noticed how closely they watched every movement I made.


    "Yeah? So Oriana¡¯s not around, and now you decide to say that?" I replied. "Because you¡¯d never dare say anything like that in front of her."


    I wanted to remind them that the only reason they could even talk to me now was because Oriana was in another carriage.


    She had them so tightly bound that they wouldn¡¯t even speak to me in her presence.


    "That¡¯s not it. She¡¯s not controlling us, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re trying to say," Troy said, his tone calm but defensive.


    "Anyway, that¡¯s not the point. Let¡¯s not start another argument," Haiden cut in, gesturing with his hand for us to settle down. "The point is, the North is unpredictable, and we should stick together. We¡¯re not asking for your help, but if you ever need it, we¡¯ll be there."


    That was all he said before standing up and moving to another bench, his gaze fixed on the window.


    Yorick followed, while Troy stayed seated.


    He rested his elbow against the window and pressed a finger to his lip, his eyes still locked on me.


    I tried to ignore it for the first few minutes, but eventually it became too much, and I stared right back at him.


    He smiled slightly, shaking his head in disbelief before speaking.


    "You¡¯ll be our priority. At least, you¡¯ll be mine."


    That was all he said before turning away. I could have reminded him that it wasn¡¯t true, that I didn¡¯t even care anymore, but I stayed quiet.


    The closer we got to the North, the more anxious I felt.


    The minute the station arrived, I noticed Zian sprinting away, so I rushed after him.


    "Where the fuck is she going? Why is she so obsessed with Zian all of a sudden?" I heard Troyin as the three of them stood in a circle, expecting me to stay with them.


    But I couldn¡¯t. I had to go after Zian. I knew he was up to no good.


    "Why do you guys care where she¡¯s headed? Isn¡¯t it better if she¡¯s not around us? She¡¯s unpredictable."


    Of course, the moment Oriana jumped out of her carriage, she started spreading her usual hatred toward me.


    But I was already gone, pacing after Zian.


    "What the fuck is wrong with you? Leave me alone!" He finally stopped, turned around, and yelled.


    I shook my head.


    "I¡¯m really scared in the North, so I decided to stick around with you," I teased, smirking as he narrowed his eyes at me.


    "You know we¡¯re supposed to kill the ogres, right? And we each need at least six gs from their skin¡ªfrom their arms. I don¡¯t know if I can do it, but it seems like you always find a way when you¡¯re in the North," I said, taunting him and hinting at the fact thatst time, he hadn¡¯t exactly followed the rules.


    I knew something was off. Ever since Miss Rue showed me the other door and exined that lurkers were usually stationed up North, it all made sense.


    Someone had helped Zian get the coal that time, and my bet was on the lurker with the mole under his eye.


    "And what makes you think I¡¯ll help you?" he asked, hands resting on his hips.


    "Wow, you¡¯re so rude. I¡¯m your mate. Come on, you marked me," I shot back, watching his fists tighten.


    "Stay away from me, Clementine, or I won¡¯t hesitate to throw you to the ogres. You hear me?" He jabbed a finger at me, warning me to back off.


    I pretended to look scared and hurt as he turned and started walking away again.


    "Besides, if you think you can chase after me, then be it. I¡¯m going for a walk in the North. Let¡¯s just say you won¡¯t be getting your share of gs if you stick with me," he said, striding ahead briskly.


    I slowed down, realizing he wasn¡¯t wrong. I needed my gs first. I could torture himter.


    I could follow him for a while, but eventually, I had to focus on my own task.


    Before long, he was gone, disappearing into the distance.


    When I finally slowed, the others caught up. We had arrived in the town of Fleshmingos.


    Each of us had been given a small slip of paper with directions to the ogre city.


    "Oh my god, why is she here?" Oriana groaned as they reached me.


    "Ignore her. We should focus on the mission," Troy said.


    Once we entered the North, the three looked massive. And it seemed Oriana hadn¡¯t been wrong.


    The others were weirdly gathered around her, moving as if they were a wall, guarding her every step.

 Chapter 298-She Is The Weakest Now

    <h4>Chapter 298: 298-She Is The Weakest Now</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The rest of the walk was silent. Oriana kept doing what she always did, tripping over things, letting out small moans, then asking for someone¡¯s help.


    She did this all the time. Even when we fought the fleshmingos, she never lifted a finger.


    She seemed to be enjoying thepany of my squadmates far too much.


    We finally reached the small city filled with ogres.


    It stood right beside therger one where the towers were.


    At the entrance, there was a gate with a narrow opening.


    I began to wonder if it was designed that way because the ogres couldn¡¯t pass through it.


    But that only made me question who had built it.


    Who would make a barrier small enough for humans and werewolves while keeping ogres out?


    Were there others like the brown house member?


    That question always lingered in the back of my mind.


    And then I thought of the lurkers, they might be behind most of the stuff too.


    "This looks very scary," Oriana muttered.


    I noticed the others pause at the entrance, hesitating.


    Without thinking twice, I stepped through the gate. After I did, the others followed.


    "Is she crazy? She has no fear, no emotions," Orianained again.


    "Oriana, can you please be quiet for a minute?" Troy snapped.


    I heard some grunting and guessed she had turned to face him again, just like she always did.


    And, as usual, he softened. I didn¡¯t understand what was happening between them.


    It was strange, but I kept noticing the odd signs.


    As we walked through the narrow roads and small streets, I came across a confusing sight.


    "What is that?" Oriana called out.


    I rushed ahead of her, crouching to examine the mess. Tomatoes were scattered on the ground.


    They looked fresh, as if someone had just dropped them while carrying them somewhere.


    "They¡¯re fresh," I said, turning to look at my squadmates.


    "So?" Oriana, always quick to miss the point, took the chance to sound foolish again.


    Maybe ever since she realized someone would look after her, she¡¯d stopped using her brain entirely.


    "That means someone was here, someone who isn¡¯t a monster," Yorick exined in a gentler tone than I would have used.


    "Oh, that¡¯s creepy," Oriana said,pletely oblivious.


    "This ce is so dark and weird, right?" Orianained again.


    It had been happening far too muchtely. Ever since her father died, Oriana had changed, and this was the worst.


    She kept clinging to one of them without letting go.


    At times they even asked her to let go because it made it hard to fight a fleshmingo with one arm held back by Oriana.


    "Oriana, you need to calm down," I said, finally straightening and voicing my opinion.


    She did not seem to like it and immediately frowned.


    "Did you hear her? She¡¯s trying to control me," Oriana told my squadmates as I rolled my eyes. "She¡¯s jealous that I¡¯m your priority."


    "Oriana, she¡¯s just asking you to calm down because you¡¯re panicking," Haiden said, speaking up in a way that showed he understood my point.


    Oriana looked shocked and angry that Haiden had sided with me.


    We shared a few words, and then I began to speak, but my words were cut off when my head snapped up.


    For a moment I felt chills down my spine.


    The minute I recognized them, I pushed the fear away because I knew what they were.


    They were searching for a perfect, scared and weak victim.


    Everyone followed my gaze and looked at the circle forming in the sky.


    "These are sluaghs," I said, turning to look at Oriana.


    "What are those things? They look scary," sheined, clutching Haiden¡¯s arm. I felt her touch with him and looked back up.


    "These are the things that attack the weakest," I told her, watching her eyes widen.


    She looked around at everyone, and then her eyesnded back on me.


    "You should be the weak one," she hissed, shaking so visibly that anyone watching would notice.


    "Oriana! Clementine is an alpha," Troy said to defend me. "She¡¯s not the weakest. That¡¯s why she told you to calm down."


    Troy pulled out a metal rod he had grabbed earlier, and the others did the same, drawing whatever weapons they could find.


    I had a bloody knife. I could use it, but I would have to let the sluaghs get close for such a small de to help.


    While we watched, those things began to descend. Their voices grew sharper and more haunting.


    We stood our ground, arms stretched out, ready to fight.


    As expected, one of them dove down in a fiery strike, aiming to w Oriana.


    The moment it touched her shoulder, she screamed and dropped to the ground.


    We formed a circle around her so she couldn¡¯t be reached without the creatures attacking us first.


    We fought back, even though part of me wanted to step away and let them handle it.


    The only reason I stayed was because of those fools who had fallen into her trap.


    I wouldn¡¯t have lifted a finger to save her otherwise, but I still shared a bond with them, and too many memories.


    I could reject them, but watching them die felt like too cruel a punishment.


    We kept fighting and took our share of scratches.


    The creatures were wild. They were all going for her, and she kept screaming, making things worse.


    After fighting for about half an hour, I realized there was only one option left.


    I reached for Oriana among the others.


    Still on the ground and screaming, she didn¡¯t notice me until I grabbed her wrist, pulled her up, and pped her across the face.


    Suddenly she stopped shaking. Her eyes burned with anger, her fists tightening.


    "How dare you, bitch?" she shouted, lunging at me.


    I sidestepped, and she hit the ground again, even angrier.


    I was covered in my own blood, and in the ck blood of the sluaghs. Either way, the pain barely mattered.


    The moment Oriana¡¯s anger grew, the creatures began to retreat, flying back into the sky.


    "Look," Yorick called, pointing for Oriana, who was still fuming.


    She looked up and saw them leaving. A small smile crept onto her lips before her eyes narrowed again.


    I followed her gaze and noticed a few of them starting to descend once more.


    It was because she wasn¡¯t angry anymore.


    Then Oriana did what she always did, ran off in the wrong direction.


    Down one of the side streets, still crying, she shouted onestint.


    "Why can¡¯t these things attack Clementine? Why me? Why always me?"


    That was thest thing I heard before she disappeared.


    Now that the creatures were gone, it was just the four of us again, me and my squadmates, like before.


    The air turned heavy with silence.

 Chapter 299-No One’s Girl

    <h4>Chapter 299: 299-No One¡¯s Girl</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Clementine, wake up."


    I heard a soft whisper and opened my eyes, rubbing them hard to clear the sleep away.


    My focus settled on something dangling in front of me, a red, glittering cherry pendant hanging from the neck of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.


    My mother.


    "Mother?" I sat up in bed, staring at her face.


    "I brought you this," my mother said softly, smiling weakly as she held out half a cupcake.


    It didn¡¯t matter that it was only half. What mattered was that she remembered my birthday.


    "You remembered it?" I asked in a small voice.


    "Of course. You¡¯re my little angel. Of course I did," she replied, making me take a bite of the cupcake.


    Earlier that day, I had asked my father about my birthday, and he got upset.


    He punished me by sending me to sleep in the basement.


    My mother argued, cried, and tried to stop him, but he dragged me there anyway.


    Now she was here. She had found a way to be with me again.


    "One of these days, when you celebrate your birthday, I¡¯ll have a gift for you," my mother said, smiling.


    A tear formed in the corner of her eye before she quickly wiped it away, pretending to itch her eye.


    Then I thought, I¡¯ll wear that pendant one day.


    She must have known what I was thinking because she noticed my eyes on the pendant andughed.


    "It¡¯s a little big for you right now, but one day I¡¯ll give it to you as a gift," my mother promised.


    "Clementine, Clementine, wake up."


    I heard the whisper again and jolted awake.


    I was still sitting in one of the streets, crouched down, waiting for the others to return.


    "Clementine, wake up," Yorick said softly.


    He was sitting beside me, watching me with wide eyes.


    I remembered that we had stopped in the street to catch our breath while Haiden and Troy went off to look for Oriana.


    I refused to go with them, so I stayed here. I wasn¡¯t sure why Yorick chose to stay behind.


    I had seen the three of them whispering earlier, and then one of them came back to sit with me.


    "You were having a dream, probably a nightmare. I couldn¡¯t tell. You seemed upset, but then there were moments when a smile crossed your lips," Yorick exined.


    I turned my head away.


    "So you¡¯re not going to talk to me now?" he asked.


    Once again, I answered with silence, and I could tell it bothered him. He shifted ufortably, clearly affected.


    "I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. What am I doing wrong, Clementine?"


    The audacity of him to still ask that made me snap my head toward him and re.


    "You really don¡¯t know?" I asked, watching him shake his head slowly. Something about it felt off.


    "You all betrayed me. That¡¯s what¡¯s happening," I said, watching him nce away.


    And there it was. He knew what he had done.


    "I know we did, but I just don¡¯t know why. It¡¯s as if Oriana is¡ª irresistible," he admitted.


    His words didn¡¯t help. I got to my feet immediately.


    "Wait, what are you doing? We¡¯re supposed to wait for them," he said when he noticed me walking away.


    "So they can bring back their beloved Oriana, my bully and your seductress?" I hissed, the words spilling out in anger.


    "That¡¯s not true. She¡¯s not that bad," he said.


    As soon as he said that, Ipletely lost it.


    "Okay, wait. Stop it," he called out again, but I was already walking away.


    "Guys, she¡¯s leaving!" he yelled, and the other two came back.


    "We couldn¡¯t find Oriana," Troy stated.


    Soon after, I heard them following me.


    I slowed down to tell them that we didn¡¯t have to stick together anymore, but they refused to leave my side.


    So, we kept wandering together.


    Then the weather got worse. Of course it did, it was the North. We had to find a ce to stay.


    We finally came across a small house that looked like a decent ce to stay for the night, or at least until the rain stopped.


    The temperature had dropped suddenly, and it was freezing.


    "I wonder where Oriana is," Yorick muttered, but went silent the moment I gave him a side nce.


    I wasn¡¯t jealous. At least, I hoped I wasn¡¯t. I was just angry.


    Why was I given three such useless mates?


    We entered the house, and as soon as we reached the living room, they said something that made my blood boil.


    "You shouldn¡¯t have pped her. You could have politely told her not to panic," Haiden said.


    That was it. I turned to face him, ring.


    "Because of her, those things came down. And it wasn¡¯t just a one-time thing. She was scared the entire time. Somebody had to knock some sense into her," I hissed, standing against the three of them, my fists clenched.


    The three exchanged serious looks.


    "And you think pping her was a good idea?" Yorick asked, his tone sharp.


    "As if telling her to calm down would¡¯ve worked," I shot back. "That was the only thing I could do. You should thank me for saving your girl¡¯s life."


    As soon as I yelled that, I saw the frowns fade from their faces, reced by a strange, almost sad expression.


    "She¡¯s my girl?" he asked, stepping closer and pointing at his chest.


    In response, I folded my arms over my chest and rolled my eyes. That should have been enough for him to understand what I really thought.


    "How could you say that? If she¡¯s my girl, then whose girl are you?" Haiden asked again, and I stared at him in disbelief.


    Then the others stepped closer, staring at me the same way.


    "Tell us, whose girl are you?" Troy demanded, his tone sharp enough to catch me off guard.


    The way they were all watching my face shocked me.


    "I¡¯m no one¡¯s girl," I said calmly and firmly, letting them know they had lost the chance for me to even think twice or ask for time to decide whose girl I was.

 Chapter 300-In An Ogre’s Arm

    <h4>Chapter 300: 300-In An Ogre¡¯s Arm</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    It wasn¡¯t as if I had insulted them, but that was exactly how they reacted.


    The three looked like they might pass out from shock any second.


    When they didn¡¯t, they decided to go on with the attack.


    "Is it because of Ian?" Troy suddenly brought him up, making me stare at his face, my eyebrows tightening.


    "What is it again?" I asked, just to make sure I¡¯d heard him right.


    It seemed they had forgotten they could be the reason too.


    "It has to be Ian. She¡¯s been wandering around and spending time alone with him a lot," Troy hissed, forcing me to take a step back as I watched their faces.


    "Did you guys forget Oriana?" I snapped.


    The three of them shrugged, sharing a quick nce before straightening again.


    "Don¡¯t use her as an excuse to defend yourself," Yorick hissed, and honestly, I couldn¡¯t have been more shocked.


    "Are you seriously going for Ian? After what he¡¯s done? After how we tried to mark you and stole you from us?" Haiden started to rant,pletely ignoring the part about Oriana, as if she didn¡¯t exist now that she wasn¡¯t here.


    "Really? That¡¯s because you all cheated on me! What is wrong with you?" I shouted, my voice breaking as I stomped my foot on the ground.


    "And let¡¯s talk about Ian. No, I¡¯m not chasing after him, because that¡¯s not even Ian. That¡¯s his evil twin, Zian!" I yelled, finally revealing the truth that had been stuck in my mind, hoping they¡¯d understand.


    They froze, staring at me like I had lost itpletely.


    "Look at her, making up stories just to hide that she¡¯s the one who cheated," Troy muttered, and my jaw nearly hit the floor.


    That was it. I lost it. I lunged at him, grabbed his cor, and shook him hard.


    "You idiot! I¡¯m not lying! Every word I said is true, including the part where you all cheated!" I screamed.


    They just stared at me, half in shock and halfpletely lost.


    Then everything went still. The air turned cold.


    A low growl echoed from the side hall. Slowly, we all turned our heads toward the sound.


    At the entrance stood a massive ogre, grunting and rubbing his eyes as if our shouting had woken him up.


    "Where did hee from?" Troy hissed, pointing at the ogre who was just waking up.


    The moment he heard Troy¡¯s voice, the ogre¡¯s eyes shot open.


    He growled and stumbled toward us like a child learning to walk.


    We scattered, but I suddenly felt a grip on my arm.


    Yorick was dragging me back, trying to keep me behind him even though I didn¡¯t need his protection.


    "Where did hee from?" I shouted back.


    "There¡¯s a massive door in the backyard! Whoever built this house clearly didn¡¯t know the north would be crawling with ugly ogres!" Troy yelled, dramatically jumping as he pointed toward the end of the hall where the creature hade from.


    "And this ugly beast was sleeping here the whole time!"


    Before he could finish, the ogre turned, swung his arm, and threw Troy against the wall.


    We exchanged a quick look, then panicked and began to run in different directions.


    "We should head out!" Haiden shouted.


    "But not without me," Troy groaned, and Haiden rushed over to help him.


    The ogre, though, looked half-asleep, slow, heavy, and grunting as he waved his arm around. He was huge, ugly, and terrifying.


    I¡¯d never seen anything like him before.


    We¡¯d seen one once during testing, but it had been too dark to make out its features.


    Here, the lights were bright, and every grotesque detail on his face was clear.


    After swinging his arms for a while, his eyes finallynded on me. It was like he¡¯d picked me as his next target.


    He lunged.


    "Not her!" Yorick shouted, pushing me out of the way to block him. "Take me if you must!"


    Before he could even finish, the ogre swatted him aside, throwing him against the wall like he weighed nothing.


    And then his focus returned to me.


    "No!" I screamed, bolting toward the staircase.


    But a huge arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back. I felt like an insect trapped in his grip.


    He lifted me with one arm and started strolling toward the hall while I scratched at his thick skin, but there was no spot soft enough to pierce.


    I couldn¡¯t even pinch him.


    Then I noticed something on his arm, a symbol, like a g, embedded into his skin.


    It wasn¡¯t cloth at all. It was a tattoo.


    Soon the ogre took me back to the hall where he had been sleeping.


    Hey down with a heavy thud, and my whole body jolted from the impact.


    Then he pulled me under his arm like a pillow and fell asleep.


    I stared into the distance awkwardly, noticing the bones scattered around.


    It seemed he had eaten quite a lot.


    For what it was worth, at least he wasn¡¯t eating me right away.


    I guessed he valued his sleep more than his food.


    "Okay, Mint, do you think it¡¯s time we should transition?" I asked my wolf, watching anxiously as the alphas tiptoed toward us.


    They looked as shocked as I was to see the ogre holding me while sleeping.


    "I can transition and fight him, or try to," she replied. "But do you feel his skin? A) It¡¯s too hot for my ws or canines to bite into. B) The moment I transition, all the monsters will sense it ande after you from every corner."


    She finished, reminding me how toxic the northern air was for a wolf.


    "So, should I just wait for him to wake up?" I asked her, but the alphas already seemed to have their own answers.


    "What the fuck are we going to do now?" I asked them, watching their eyes burn into the ogre.


    "Fuck, I¡¯m going to cut his arm into pieces for touching my mate," Troy groaned, hands on his waist, eyes narrowing.

 Chapter 301-Ready To Switch Places With Me

    <h4>Chapter 301: 301-Ready To Switch ces With Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "There¡¯s already so muchpetition, and now he wants to join in?" Haiden argued, making me roll my eyes at him.


    "Yeah, not my mate. He has to let her go," Yorick added, gripping the knife in his hand, ready to lunge at the ogre.


    "Hey, wait. Before you three do anything stupid, first of all, I belong to none of you," I told them.


    As soon as I said that, they red at me for being stern.


    They seemed upset with me for focusing more on our differences than on the fact that they were ready to risk everything to save me.


    "And second, what if you stab him and he squeezes me? What if he crushes me so hard that all my organs spill out?" I warned them, not wanting them to make a mistake.


    Ogres didn¡¯t rely on brains, they depended on brute strength.


    If they stabbed him, his reflex could crush me in an instant.


    "Then what? Just stand here and watch you cuddle with someone else?" Haiden hissed, folding his arms across his chest and turning away, clearly upset that an ogre was holding me close.


    "How about we wake him up for a fight?" Haiden suggested.


    I kept staring at his face in disbelief.


    I had just told him that waking the ogre suddenly could be dangerous, and we didn¡¯t even know if our knives could pierce his skin.


    "At least this one¡¯s skin is really rough," I added, "and I can tell why." He seemed old but still strong, there were plenty of bones scattered around.


    "Before that, we need to switch Clementine with someone else," Troy proposed. That seemed like a usible idea.


    "I¡¯ll go and get a pillow," Yorick offered, then everyone shook their heads so he stopped and returned to his spot.


    "We need to switch Clementine with a body warm enough to fool him into thinking he still holds her," Haiden exined, telling them why we had to switch ces instead of using a non-living item.


    "Fine then, I will switch with her," Yorick dered.


    His words shocked the others and me. I watched his face in disbelief.


    It didn¡¯t make sense, how could they care enough to sacrifice themselves for me, yet still cheat on me with Oriana?


    Or was it that, as alphas, they could entertain more than one woman?


    "You don¡¯t have to sacrifice yourself for me," I said. Yorick¡¯s face started to drain. "I¡¯m serious. Don¡¯t expect me to ept a sacrifice for anything else. There will never be anything else between us. Ever."


    "Will, it¡¯s a shame you think I will only switch ces with you if you promise to ept me," Yorickmented, breaking the silence. He stepped forward, closer to the ogre and me. "I¡¯ll switch ces with you, even if you¡¯re someone else¡¯s girl."


    The hair at the back of my neck rose. A chill ran down my spine.


    As I deepened my stare and realized he was serious, Haiden snapped, stepping forward and pointing at his chest.


    "Oh great, now he¡¯s trying to be a hero. I can do the same." Haiden groaned.


    "Heck, I¡¯ll do that too," Troyined, feeling left out.


    At that point, I knew none of them would help.


    My eyes lingered on the g tattoo on the ogre¡¯s arm, and an idea came to me.


    "The tattoo," I said, cing my finger on the g inked on his arm. "This area is soft." The three of them edged closer to look.


    "Anyone have a very sharp knife?" I asked, watching their des.


    I had dropped mine by ident. Yorick handed me his knife, still watching my face with confusion.


    "Be careful. Don¡¯t make a mistake," Haiden warned as soon as he saw me holding the knife.


    "It¡¯s okay. I think I know what I can do," I said, gripping the knife and aiming at the tattoo. It was about three inches across. We had to take that mark with us.


    It was a red g and a circle in the middle. Not just a circle, it looked like a target.


    I followed my instinct. I raised the knife higher, and in one smooth motion I stabbed the tattoo.


    The de pierced right through the circle.


    The moment I stabbed the tattoo, he began to grunt and growl and wake up.


    My squadmates quickly grabbed his arm on the opposite side of me and began to pull it away.


    He let out an even louder howl.


    When they pulled his arm away, I jumped free.


    The ogre tried to get up, but I saw blood pouring from his eyes, nose, and mouth.


    The three of us ran as he iled, kicked, and mmed his head against the walls.


    The whole house shook when he did that.


    We ran back to the living room and watched the ogre copse to his knees and then to the floor.


    Once we were certain he was dead, we returned to him.


    "Wow, he¡¯s so ugly," Haidenmented, examining him.


    I went straight to his arm, knelt down, and picked up the knife.


    "So we have to attack them on the g," Yorick mumbled, hands on his waist. I stared at the mark.


    The mark that had looked like a tattoo was now a small brown stick with a red cloth g.


    I picked it up, feeling strange because a minute ago it had been a tattoo.


    I put the g in my pocket because I did deserve it.


    "Maybe the ogres, when they¡¯re full, decide to sleep. After their nap, they wake up, eat the food, and attack the rest," Troy suggested. It made sense.


    "So, are we going to rest now, or are we still on the mission?" Yorick questioned.


    They followed me as we left the house.


    "I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I¡¯m on a mission," I said calmly, stepping out into the open air.


    "By the way, I wasn¡¯t attacking you in the bathroom the other day."


    My steps stopped when Haiden let out a quietint, mentioning the fight in the bathroom.

 Chapter 302-They Found Their Princess Again

    <h4>Chapter 302: 302-They Found Their Princess Again</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "It¡¯s true. We weren¡¯t trying to attack you," Troy exined. "We were just trying to separate the two of you. But then you started attacking us."


    "I didn¡¯t even do anything," Yorick replied. "I wasn¡¯t even trying to split you two. I just saw the tap open and reached for it. But then you hit me too."


    They had already startedining. I wasn¡¯t sure how I felt about it, to be honest.


    I didn¡¯t pay much attention to the attack itself. I guess that shows how distant we¡¯ve be.


    So much had happened that I didn¡¯t think much about them attacking me.


    It felt normal, like something they would do.


    After falling for Oriana, maybe that¡¯s what I expected of them.


    "It doesn¡¯t really matter anymore. I¡¯m at peace," I replied, walking ahead of them while scanning the area for any ce an ogre might be hiding.


    It was getting frustrating because we still didn¡¯t know where they were.


    The thought of them appearing out of nowhere was the frightening part.


    When we were first assigned this mission, I thought we¡¯d be stepping into a city full of ogres.


    I assumed it would be easy to kill them with their massive size.


    Hitting them with a knife or sword seemed simple back then.


    But now, we had to find a way to strike the tiny circle on their arm.


    The only real chance of killing them was if we caught them sleeping.


    I sighed as I kept walking, with the three following behind me.


    "Listen, we don¡¯t know what the problem is, okay? The thing is, I can only speak for myself then," Troy said, quickly changing his words from including the others to referring only to himself.


    "As for me, I just know I want to focus on everything. I want to focus on my missions, on you, and on finding the truth about the academy like before."


    As he paused, I slowed down too, then stoppedpletely in the middle of the road.


    When I turned around, I saw him standing there, looking lost.


    Haiden and Yorick stood on either side of him, slightly behind.


    "I just can¡¯t seem to focus on all that important stuff when Oriana¡¯s around me," Troy admitted softly, his voice filled with guilt.


    "So you¡¯re admitting to having feelings for her?" I asked, staring him down.


    He looked away awkwardly.


    "I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know what these feelings are," he mumbled.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for me to confront them and realize they truly loved her.


    "The same thing is wrong with me," Haiden admitted quietly. "I don¡¯t know what it is, but ever since she came into our room, all I want to do is focus on her."


    He didn¡¯t show his feelings either. He looked away while I clenched my jaw.


    I couldn¡¯t me them for being scum.


    That¡¯s just who they were, falling in love with one and already falling for another.


    "But that doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t love you," Troy told me.


    I rolled my eyes and started walking ahead.


    I was so annoyed at this point. I quickened my pace, trying to get away.


    That¡¯s when I heard Haiden trying to catch up with me.


    "What did you say about Ian? He has an evil brother?" he asked, his question making me stop and turn around to look at him.


    The nerve of them to think that saying a few nice things would make me start talking.


    The truth was confusing, and it only irritated me more.


    "Well, I would rather¡ª" I began, but Troy stepped forward, concern on his face.


    "Please, we¡¯re just trying to focus on what¡¯s important," he said earnestly. "Let us do it. Please. We really want to know what¡¯s going on so we can uncover the truth about the academy."


    As he spoke, I realized that being stubborn and letting personal fights take over would only get us into more trouble.


    "Fine. Yes¡ª" I started to speak again, but a loud scream cut through the air.


    Their attention shifted away from me as fast as it had turned to me before.


    "Isn¡¯t that Oriana¡¯s voice?" Haiden was the first to point out.


    The others nodded, and without even looking at me, they sprinted toward the direction of the scream.


    I followed behind them out of curiosity, wondering what kind of game she was ying this time.


    We reached a narrow street where she was on her knees, crying.


    The moment she heard us approach, she looked up from her hands.


    "My friends," she yelled and then lunged forward, hugging each of them one by one while crying hysterically.


    "What happened? Are you okay?" Haiden asked, his voice full of worry.


    "I was being chased by some monsters," she exined. "I think it was those things in the sky." She pointed upward, but when I looked, the sky was clear and she didn¡¯t have a single scratch on her.


    "Really? They¡¯reing out at night too?" I asked, noticing her attention shift toward me.


    She looked at me in silence, then turned her gaze to the others.


    "Were you all together?" she asked, sounding hurt, as if she had caught her mates with me.


    "No," Troy began, trying to lie. But when she narrowed her eyes at him, he changed his tone, focusing on the ogres instead, "we actually yed an ogre."


    "How did you do it?" she asked. "And where¡¯s the g? Did you keep it for me?" she added excitedly.


    "No. Why would they give you the g? I yed the ogre, so I get to keep it," I replied with a sharp edge.


    "What? You guys didn¡¯t save the g for me?" she eximed, pointing at herself.


    She looked so surprised and offended that I almost started to wonder if I¡¯d done something wrong by taking the g.


    "Oriana, did you not hear her? She said she yed the ogre, and it¡¯s true. She was the one who figured out how to kill it," Yorick began exining, but Oriana started shaking her head furiously.


    "I¡¯m so disappointed in you. The minute I¡¯m out of your sight, you forget about me. Is that how little I mean to you?" she demanded, making them all look guilty in front of her.


    I hated it. I hated how things had turned out.

 Chapter 303-Her Arm Around His

    <h4>Chapter 303: 303-Her Arm Around His</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Anyway, this is what you are worried about? She¡¯s more concerned about the g. She didn¡¯t even ask if you¡¯re all okay," I retorted, unable to stay quiet any longer.


    That got to her. She red at me in anger.


    "Don¡¯t try to poison their ears," she snapped, but Haiden raised a hand to calm her down.


    "She¡¯s not poisoning our ears. Calm down, will you?" he replied, leaving her stunned.


    "Come on. It¡¯ll help if you two act like friends, at least for this task," Troy suggested, then started humming some random tune, confusing me with whatever was going through his head.


    "Yeah, I think it¡¯d be nice if you two hugged it out," Yorick added, making both Oriana and me stare at each other in disbelief.


    What were they thinking? Just trying to get us both into bed? Was that their new goal?


    "No!" Before I could deny it, Oriana had already snapped at them.


    "I wouldn¡¯t hug her or even shake her hand. What made you think you could suggest something and I¡¯d agree to it?" she scolded, her tone sharp.


    I folded my arms across my chest, tired and annoyed that they even brought up such an idea.


    "Maybe Clementine wants to make things right too," Troy said as he took another step forward. I watched his face in disbelief and disapproval.


    Why would he drag me into this?


    They were the ones who wanted her in their bed, they should be the ones trying hard, not me.


    "I don¡¯t want to make amends with her," I snapped, but Oriana seemed too pleased to care.


    She made it look like I did, even though she probably didn¡¯t believe it herself.


    The fact that the others were willing to put me down in front of her might have felt like a victory to her.


    "Well, whatever it is, I¡¯m not ready for it, okay? And you shouldn¡¯t even say that," she told them. "You weren¡¯t the one she bullied. I was. She hit me. I was the one who tolerated her cruelty, so I should be the one to decide when I¡¯m ready to forgive her. And she needs to apologize properly."


    Oriana, who moments ago had acted like a victim, suddenly looked fine.


    She stood, folded her arms, and shifted her weight to one leg.


    The idiots followed, standing up and turning to look at me.


    "Seriously? You want me to apologize to her?" I asked, just to make sure I was seeing them right.


    "Somebody has to start it if we want to restore the friendship," Troy muttered under his breath.


    "Then that somebody will be a monster, because I¡¯m not doing it," I hissed, deciding that walking away was the better choice.


    "See? This is what I meant when I said she would never want the friendship restored. She¡¯s too toxic for it," Oriana remarked as I turned to leave.


    "Where are you going, Clementine?" Yorick called after me, sounding like he didn¡¯t want me going alone.


    "To hell," I replied. "You guys can y games with her. For me, finishing the task matters more than hanging around this bitch." I shouted back at her.


    Her gasp was loud, but I had already walked away, so there was no point in turning around and repeating the same argument.


    After checking the area for a while, I finally caught sight of the four again.


    We¡¯ve been wandering around searching for the ogres.


    "We¡¯ll go to the left side," I heard Oriana say when she noticed me heading to the right.


    "Oriana, Clementine knows her way," Haiden replied in a calmer tone. "If she¡¯s walking to the right, then there must be something there."


    I realized then that they were following me.


    Still, they weren¡¯t wrong, I did have a ce in mind that could be where the ogres were.


    They followed me in silence until I reached a high school.


    The doors wererge enough for an ogre to walk through.


    I rushed inside, noticing that the ssroom doors were smaller, but the hallway was wide.


    At the start of it stood arge gate with a heavy lock.


    "Here, maybe this will do," Haiden said, offering me the small knife. I looked at his hand before taking it.


    "Sometimes I wonder if she used to pick locks as a hobby to steal things." Of course, Oriana had to make ament about my ability to open any lock, trying to turn it into something bad.


    "I don¡¯t know. I just think it¡¯s cool that she can do that."


    Troy stepped in to defend me but was met with a quick grunt from her.


    As I unlocked the door and stepped inside, I saw an indoor yground in the distance with a massive door.


    I had a feeling ogres might be there because bones were scattered around the area.


    With every step, we slowed down as the smell grew stronger, that same muddy, musty, crusty scent.


    "What is this smell?" Oriana asked, making me turn around to look at her.


    She had her arm wrapped around Haiden¡¯s, holding onto him, and he didn¡¯t seem bothered.


    He was keeping her close too.


    Gosh, it was going to be hard watching them grow even closer and eventually forget about me.


    "This is the smell of the ogres," Haiden replied.


    "Then we should leave," she said softly.


    I expected that from her. I don¡¯t know what she was thinking.


    Was she even nning to get the gs, or just keep running from the ogres?


    "Well, we can¡¯t leave," Haiden told her.


    As soon as he said that, she turned to look at him.


    "Is it because she wants you to stay?" And as expected, she dragged me into the middle of it.


    "I think they¡¯re in there," I said, pointing toward the y area and watching their eyes widen at how certain I looked.


    "Be careful, Clementine," Haiden called out as I reached the door.


    Oriana immediately threw a tantrum.


    "Why would you say that to her? She¡¯s not a child. Besides, she won¡¯t even listen to you. If she wants to check it out, she¡¯ll do it."


    Her reaction was strange. Even Haiden grunted at her, giving her arm a small nudge as he steadied his breath.

 Chapter 304-She Won’t Help Anyone.

    <h4>Chapter 304: 304-She Won¡¯t Help Anyone.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Ignoring Oriana, we focused on the mission.


    "Do you see any more ogres in there?" Yorick yelled as I reached the window again.


    There was a narrow opening into the inner hall.


    I dragged a stool over and climbed on top, peeking through the gap.


    The moment I saw what was inside, my heart stopped for a second.


    "Oh, fuck!" I groaned, stepping down quickly and backing away from the hall.


    It looked like someone had gathered every ogre inside.


    "There are too many in there!" I shouted, watching my squadmates rush toward me.


    "Then we should leave!" Oriana cried again, panic rising in her voice as she tried once again to pull them away.


    Something about her wasn¡¯t right.


    She was far too afraid of everything now, and because of her fear, we couldn¡¯t fight properly.


    I remembered the Oriana who had firste to the academy, confident, proud, even a little deceitful, but never this scared.


    Somewhere along the way, she had lost her confidence, thinking that depending on others was the right thing to do.


    "Okay, so I guess that¡¯s why we didn¡¯t find more ogres outside. Most of them are in there," Troy said, climbing onto the stool to take a look for himself.


    Sure enough, the hall was packed with sleeping ogres.


    "We each need six gs, so we have to go in there," Yorick reminded us, ncing toward Oriana.


    His tone made it clear that refusing wasn¡¯t an option.


    Without enough gs, we couldn¡¯t return to the maind.


    At this point, we were doing well.


    ording to the rules we¡¯d set, each of us had to gather 6 gs, so we still had a long way to go.


    "Well, then how are we going to get in there? It looks like the door¡¯s locked with heavy chains," Troy said, pointing toward therge metal door secured tightly.


    I climbed back onto the stool, scanning the area as much as I could.


    That¡¯s when I noticed a small door at the back.


    It seemed to be locked from the inside, but it was narrow enough that the ogres could never squeeze through.


    We could, though.


    "Okay, here¡¯s the n," I said, jumping down from the stool again. "We¡¯ll go inside through the small window and unlock the small door for the others."


    We turned to Oriana. She was the smallest among us, but she quickly shook her head.


    "I¡¯m not going in there," she said firmly. "It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re sleeping or not. They¡¯ll wake up, and no, I¡¯m not going in there."


    Her refusal made it clear there was nothing we could do to convince her.


    I was next in line. Though I was a bit thick in certain parts of my body, I decided to squeeze through.


    The others stood below, beside the stool, ready to lift my legs and feet and help me through the small window.


    As soon as I got to the other side, I began to sniff around.


    The smell hit me. It was awful and heavy. At times, I almost gagged, ready to throw up.


    I carefully stepped away from the ogres. They were sleeping so closely together that hardly any floor was visible beneath them.


    Still, I managed to move past and reach the small door.


    I turned back toward the window and gestured for the others, who were watching me, toe toward the small door.


    I unlocked it and stepped aside.


    They all walked in, and within a few minutes, we whispered among ourselves and decided to go one by one.


    Each of us would stand beside an ogre, line up, and stab the mark on its arm to kill it.


    Then we would repeat the process.


    We each needed six gs. The entire hall was packed with ogres lying over one another.


    If we had counted correctly, no one would be left without gs.


    Apart from the one who would refuse to fight. And I didn¡¯t want that to be me.


    Oriana stayed near the door, then moved to the small opening nearby and sat down, hugging her knees.


    I guessed she¡¯d be the one to end up without any gs.


    If the others were foolish enough to give her theirs, that was their choice.


    As soon as we stabbed the first five ogres, they began thrashing and waking up, just as we expected.


    That caused the rest to stir too. Chaos spread.


    As their arms swung wildly, we jumped and ducked to avoid them.


    Sometimes one of us got hit, but we kept moving toward the waking ogres.


    I clung to one of their arms, trying to aim at the small mark, but he kept moving, half awake.


    When he finally noticed me, I struck before he could fully rise.


    I stabbed him right in the spot, and the cycle began again.


    Every time we stabbed one, it went wild, moving like it had lost control of its body.


    It was surprising because all of us had been doing well until only six were left.


    We had killed many of them and taken as many gs as we could.


    "Retreat! Retreat!" Haiden shouted, motioning toward the small door.


    There were too many dead bodies, and whenever they tried to reach someone, they tripped over one another and fell.


    We, on the other hand, used our heads and managed to stay on our feet better than the brainless ogres.


    Whatever I had collected, I set aside next to one of the tables in the hall while backing away, rushing toward the small door at the back.


    "How many have you collected?" Troy asked as we stepped outside the door.


    The ogres tried toe out, but they couldn¡¯t.


    Their arms swung through the opening, reaching for us.


    Oriana was panicking, her handspletely empty.


    "I guess I got all six," I said, but their eyes showed they didn¡¯t believe me.


    "But you don¡¯t have any on you. Did you drop them?" Yorick asked, looking confused.


    "No, I ced them right in there. They¡¯re fine. Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re safe," I replied.


    "All we have to do is go back and finish the rest of them, then we¡¯re good," Troy said, noticing that almost everyone had six except for Oriana.


    "What about me?" she asked, speaking up just as I expected.

 Chapter 305-Betrayal Tasted Bitter Until My Savior Arrived

    <h4>Chapter 305: 305-Betrayal Tasted Bitter Until My Savior Arrived</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "It¡¯s really none of my business, but you should¡¯ve at least moved an arm or two," I yelled at her, watching her eyes widen.


    She instantly turned toward the others, probably asking with her wide eyes why they were letting me talk to her that way.


    " I mean, she isn¡¯t wrong. But it is fine. There are more inside. We¡¯d be able to get the gs for you," Troy stood beside me for a moment before stepping away tofort her.


    But I saw something in her eyes, something dangerous. She stayed silent, saying nothing.


    Suddenly, the ogres began to move away from the door.


    "Okay, we¡¯ll go back in there¡ª" Troy was in the middle of exining when Oriana suddenly sprinted inside.


    "Oriana!" Haiden shouted, his voice filled with worry as he almost panicked for her.


    "What the fuck is she doing?" I yelled when I saw she was heading straight for my gs.


    "We don¡¯t need to fight these ogres! If I get these gs, we can all leave! Then it¡¯ll be Clementine¡¯s problem to find the gs!" she shouted, leaping over the dead bodies and leaving me stunned.


    "Oriana, it¡¯s too dangerous!" Haiden yelled.


    Before I knew it, the three of them were running through the small door, trying to draw the monsters¡¯ attention to themselves.


    "What the fuck are you guys doing?" I screamed.


    I didn¡¯t know why I panicked.


    The moment I realized they weren¡¯t focused on saving themselves but on saving Oriana, something in me pulled forward, pushing me to help them.


    I ran into the hall again, attacking the ogres so they wouldn¡¯t reach those idiots.


    Then chaos hit. Oriana had taken my gs and was sprinting in the opposite direction.


    One of the ogres swung his arm, and I saw all my mates, along with her, get tossed around.


    I ran straight for the ogre.


    He clenched his fist, ready to m them to the ground, Troy, Yorick, Haiden, and Oriana, whoever he could crush.


    I rushed in and jumped, hanging onto his arm.


    Sweat gathered on my temple as he shook me violently, and I saw his other handing toward me.


    That¡¯s when I stabbed him in the small circle. He screamed and threw me across the room.


    I hit the ground hard,nding among broken toys and yground furniture.


    My eyes caught something that froze me, a pendant. Not just any pendant, but a red cherry pendant, glinting under one of the tables.


    Everything went silent, and all I could hear was my mother¡¯s voice.


    Tears filled my eyes as I crawled under the table and grabbed the pendant.


    When I turned it over, I saw the initials, and my whole body froze. I knew this was my mother¡¯s pendant.


    "Clementine, go!" Haiden shouted, snapping me back to reality.


    The moment I tried to crawl out from under the table, another ogre fell on top of it, trapping me underneath.


    I groaned in pain and screamed.


    I tried to wiggle free, but I was already hurt, and too many thoughts were clouding my mind to focus on my movements.


    Then another ogre swung its arm and hit me so hard I felt my bones crack as I mmed against the wall.


    "Troy! Over here!" I yelled, raising my hand for help.


    I was under attack by a monster.


    If I had not entered the hall to save my mates, I wouldn¡¯t have been in this state. But I did not regret it.


    I would do it again to save them. Even when I will never ept them, I will never leave them to die.


    The four of them heard me cry out as the creature wed me and mmed me against the wall.


    "Help me!" I gasped, but their attention shifted when a soft cry came from the other side.


    It was Oriana, the gentle princess and a warrior, abination most men lusted after.


    At that point, I still had hope.


    They could see she was fine. All they had to do was spare a few seconds for me, maybe a minute, maybe two.


    At least two of them could havee to help.


    I couldn¡¯t remember thest time I felt so miserable.


    Maybe when I was a child and had no one to care for me.


    But now, my friends were staring at me.


    For a split second, my lips even trembled downward, and I swear they saw it.


    I wriggled my fingers as the monsters came at me again.


    If they didn¡¯t help, I would be dead in minutes. They would crush me under them.


    It all happened in seconds, but time slowed for me.


    Then Oriana screamed, "My lovers, listen to me only!"


    And something in them seemed to snap.


    "Ohhh! I¡¯m going to die," she whimpered again, though she could have stood up easily.


    The monster¡¯s focus was on me.


    "Yorick!" I screamed, reaching for another of my mates, struggling to escape, my leg tangled in silver chains.


    My mates looked at me and then at her and I saw it. The shine of love in their eyes.


    In a heartbeat, they ran to her. My heart slowed. Tears welled up.


    Oriana had warned me: when it came down to it, they would choose her.


    She told me they only used me to pass time in the dorm room because I agreed for gangbang while other she-wolves did not.


    And now, right before my eyes, they were leaping into battle for her.


    "We¡¯lle back for you, don¡¯t worry," Haiden shouted, as if that erased the betrayal.


    At that moment, the monster turned back to me.


    And I knew there would be no saving me.


    So I prayed they¡¯d live long enough to regret their choice.


    "No!" I screamed, closing my eyes as I turned over and saw the big ogre charging at me, his hands clenched together and raised high in the air.


    He brought them down, ready to crush me, and I clutched the pendant tightly, bracing for death.


    Before he could strike, a gust of ck shadow and wind tore through the hall.


    The others were gone by now, so I couldn¡¯t tell who it was, until something mmed into the ogre, throwing him against the wall and breaking it apart.


    Then it rose. A wolf.


    A wolf I had never seen before, bigger, darker, and more terrifying than any monster I¡¯d faced.


    My eyes went wide, and panic crept over me as the wolf turned its re toward me.


    For a moment, I thought two monsters were fighting over who would eat me.


    But then I met the wolf¡¯s eyes.


    I couldn¡¯t look away. My heart pounded so hard it hurt.


    It was a two-toned wolf, ck on top and white underneath.


    Its pale eyes, each marked with a single ck dot, stared straight at me.


    And slowly, the fear started to leave my body.


    And I uttered, "Ian!"

 Chapter 306-He Did It All For Me

    <h4>Chapter 306: 306-He Did It All For Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I wasn¡¯t sure what came over me or what made me call him that name, but the moment I did, it felt like a small shock ran through him.


    As if my voice had triggered something inside him.


    That¡¯s when I knew it was him. My mate.


    "Ian, watch out!" I screamed as the ogre charged from behind him.


    Ian broke away from me and swung his massive w, grabbing the ogre by the neck.


    He mmed it to the ground, tearing the earth open beneath it.


    I panicked even more watching him. He didn¡¯t look like a wolf anymore, more like a mix of a wolf and a jaguar.


    The way he moved, the way he tore the ogres apart, limb by limb, was terrifying.


    He was too strong, so strong that the entire building started to shake and crumble around us.


    I closed my eyes and let him finish.


    He was more violent than all of usbined when we fought the monsters.


    Then silence hit.


    Before I could open my eyes, I felt arms, thick, furry arms, wrapping around me.


    I gasped and opened my eyes to see Ian holding me close.


    The debris from the copsing roof was falling on him instead of me.


    He kept me safe, shielding mepletely as he carried me through the ruins and out of the school.


    Once we were outside, he kept running until we were far away.


    I could feel his heartbeat slowing, his body shifting back.


    When he finally stopped, he set me down and dropped to his knees.


    His wolf form began to fade, his human side breaking through.


    He coughed hard as his body changed, until the crawling beast turned into a crawling man, wearing nothing but ck shorts.


    "Ian," I breathed, not even giving him a moment to rest before throwing myself at him.


    He turned to me, bracing himself with one hand on the ground.


    With the other, he pulled me close.


    I held him so tightly he fell onto his back,ughing under his breath.


    "I guess you missed me," Ian said. His voice was calm and gentle.


    I pulled away from the hug and looked at him.


    I was still lying on top of him while he rested on his elbows, keeping his upper body lifted from the ground.


    He was looking at me with those beautiful eyes of his.


    "So simr, yet so different," I murmured, gently running my finger along his cheek, touching his face as if to make sure he was really there.


    "From the beginning, I knew you¡¯d be the one to notice when I am reced," he replied, his tone serious but full of emotion.


    I cupped his face in my hands and leaned in to kiss him softly.


    I felt his body freeze for a second. When I pulled back, I saw the shock in his eyes.


    I had never touched someone and seen that kind of look before, a mix of happiness and disbelief, like he¡¯d finally gotten something he¡¯d wanted for a long time.


    Seeing that look made me feel special again, after being treated like nothing for days.


    "Wow. If I knew you¡¯d kiss me, I would¡¯ve given myself up to my brother a long time ago," he joked.


    As soon as he said that, I frowned.


    "No. You¡¯re never handing yourself over to anyone again. I won¡¯t allow it," I said firmly.


    He smiled and ced his hand over my elbow, sliding it down to hold my wrist.


    I opened my hand, and he took the pendant from it.


    "This is my mother¡¯s pendant," I said, still lying on top of him.


    He didn¡¯t seem to want me to move, either.


    He lifted the pendant into the air, theny back with his arms spread out.


    I sat on his stomach, my legs apart, hands resting on him, just watching.


    I hadn¡¯t realized having him back would feel this good.


    Hey there like a giant beast for a few seconds before sitting up.


    His sharp features made me blush and climb off him.


    He turned around and crawled on all fours toward a nearby tree where his uniform was lying.


    He sat beside it, searching through the pockets until he pulled something out.


    I tilted my head, confused.


    The world seemed to stop when he turned around and crawled back to me, stopping right in front of me.


    His abs looked incredible, but it was the thing in his hand that caught my attention.


    "What¡¯s this?" I asked as he held out an album.


    I snatched it from his hands and opened it quickly, flipping through the pages as tears filled my eyes.


    "How did you get these?" I whispered, crying as I looked at photo after photo of my mother and little brother.


    "I got them for you," he exined softly. "They¡¯re from different times, one from the hospital when your mother gave birth, and others from events throughout her life. It turns out everyone lied to you. Every pack member who had ever crossed paths with your mother, or attended an event where she was present, had her in the background of their photos. I just had them enhanced, and here you go. I¡¯m sorry for tearing up the pictures of your family."


    My body froze. My hands started to tremble, and he reached out to steady them.


    "That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t give me a chance," he said quietly. "I tore and ruined a few of your family¡¯s photos, and now I¡¯ve brought you a whole album. Will you forgive me?"


    I looked up at him, then set the pendant and the album aside.


    "All is forgiven, Ian. I forgave you the day I found out your brother had taken you from me," I said.


    My lips trembled as I saw the shock on his face.


    I hadn¡¯t believed him when he said he wouldn¡¯t chase after me.


    What he had done was something even the others hadn¡¯t done.


    They thought a simple apology would be enough for me to ept them back into my life and give them another chance.


    But Ian had actually redeemed himself and proved he was the only one who deserved a chance.


    I threw my arms around him again, hugging him tightly.


    I held him so hard I thought one of us might break.


    He hugged me back just as tightly, then rolled us over and pressed his lips against mine.

 Chapter 307-We Fuck In North

    <h4>Chapter 307: 307-We Fuck In North</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    His hand grazed my thigh, reaching up to my sensitive zone as he deepened the kiss.


    My hips squeezed, moving up and down, rubbing against his crotch.


    The warmth between us made me wet.


    He unzipped my pants and pulled them down as I stuck my tongue down his throat.


    I leaned back as he held me, putting pressure on my body.


    My hand shifted to the ground behind me, pushing my body up, while the other ran through his hair.


    My lips moved sideways, sucking on his like a hungry beast.


    His arm wrapped around my back as his fingers grazed my tight vagina, eliciting little whimpers from me.


    His fingers aggressively teased, parting my pussy lips and caressing my sensitive area.


    He focused on my clit, applying gentle pressure and creating a pleasurable sensation.


    I couldn¡¯t help but moan softly, breaking our kiss as my body responded to his touch.


    My back arched, my neck arched back, and my breasts rose with each movement.


    His fingers continued their expert movements, circling my clit with precision.


    Then, he inserted his middle finger deep inside me, causing me to gasp and look up at the cloudy sky as a raindropnded on my face.


    He thrust his finger in and out, hitting all the right spots and sending waves of ecstasy through me.


    As he fingered me with increasing intensity, Iy back on the grass, my hands clutching the des tightly.


    I bit my lip, feeling the rain adding to the sensual experience.


    The rain also helped to lubricate his fingers, allowing him to smoothly add another finger.


    His lips trailed down my back, rxing me further as I ran my hands through his hair and scratched his back.


    I pulled him closer, moaning in the pleasure of his touch.


    He sucked on my neck before withdrawing his fingers.


    His hands moved to my breasts, massaging them through my uniform.


    He decided to remove the barrier, stripping off my uniform and leaving mepletely exposed on the rain-soaked ground.


    I looked around and saw only trees, no cameras or prying eyes.


    The ringleaders could go suck a dick or watch us, I no longer cared.


    His lips sucked and pulled on my tits, his tongue running around my ares.


    As he took off his pants, he sucked the rain from my nipples, making smooching noises.


    His knee kept rubbing against my vagina, deliberately driving me crazy.


    He kissed my lips again and positioned his body between my legs.


    I felt his thick cock head touch my vagina, and an urge to suck and y with his dick coursed through my veins.


    Maybe some other time.


    My pussy was too hungry to let his cock go.


    I was so wet down there, and not just from the rain.


    Ian stared into my eyes, silently asking me to steady my breath, and rubbed his cock¡¯s head over my vagina.


    "I¡¯m ¡ªsorry," I whispered as we deepened our eye contact.


    "Shhhh! Nothing ¡ªwas your f¡ªault," he whispered onto my lips, nting gentle kisses on my mouth.


    "I shouldn¡¯t have slept with the others¡ª," I managed to utter through heavy breaths and loud moans.


    "You thought you saw me¡ª," he uttered, his tongue brushing against my lips.


    As his cock began to enter my pussy, I closed my eyes to savor the pleasure.


    "My mate!" Ian¡¯s sexy voice made me open my eyes, and he gently pushed his cock inside me.


    The head barely entered, causing me pain as if it were my first time.


    More than ever, I craved to touch and hold his cock now.


    He pushed it further in, leaving kisses on my lips, chin, cheeks, and forehead.


    Finally, the entire head went in, and my pussy flinched.


    "Ah!" a moan escaped my lips as he groaned.


    My pussy squeezed tightly around his shaft, causing resistance.


    I moaned harder as he shoved his dick in and out of me.


    Every thrust was filled with love and passion.


    My insides burned as his dick rubbed against my inner walls.


    Our naked bodies pressed tightly together, his cock sliding in and out of me, leaving my pussy craving more.


    Ian pressed his lips against mine, his tongue battling with mine as his thrusts intensified. Breaking the kiss, we breathed into each other¡¯s mouths, our foreheads touching as he fucked me hard and rough.


    His hands pinned my wrists above my head as he increased the pace even more.


    "Ah fuck, Ian!" Every time I said his name through moans, I watched a smile cover his lips.


    After hours of passionate thrusts, he finally began to slow down and groan.


    "Ahhhh!" he grunted as he pulled out and released it over my stomach.


    We both breathed heavily, trying to catch our breath as the air filled with the scent of sex.


    "I need to find a ce where we can shower," he whispered with a satisfied smile on his face.


    I was equally satisfied. I had no idea that having sex with him would be so fulfilling.


    "ept me!" I urged, watching his eyes light up with happiness.


    "Are you sure?" he asked in shock and bewilderment.


    "I know what I want and who I want, Ian. I am sure," I answered truthfully, causing him to smile ear to ear.


    "Not like this. Someone as special as you deserves a special evening for eptance," he said, cupping my face in his hands and kissing me passionately.


    "I will make you mine in front of everyone, and I¡¯ll see how anyone can steal you from me ever again," he whispered, continuing to kiss me.


    Every moment with him felt special. He found a ce for us to shower, and as the water ran, I began to feel sleepy.


    I had been restless for so many days that finally being in Ian¡¯s arms felt like the mostforting thing I had ever experienced.


    I dozed off, not caring about the monsters in the north anymore, because Ian, my savior, my hero, was right beside me.

 Chapter 308-The Love Poison

    <h4>Chapter 308: 308-The Love Poison</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I woke up in his arms, feelingpletely content, a bright smile on my face.


    I rested my chin on the back of my hands as theyy on his chest, watching his beautiful face.


    He was sleeping peacefully, his breathing steady.


    I felt shy thinking about our night together.


    After getting dressedst night, we had decided to just cuddle and sleep.


    I looked around and smiled.


    I remembered noticing it while falling asleep, when he carried me away.


    I hadn¡¯t opened my eyes. For some reason, because it was Ian, I knew I was safe.


    I hadn¡¯t bothered to check if he was taking me somewhere dangerous.


    Sure enough, he had brought me to the mansion, the safe house in Fleshmingo Town.


    I remembered him mumbling something about not wanting to wake up to a monster staring at me.


    "Are you going to keep looking at me?" he asked, nudging me gently and I giggled.


    "I knew you were awake," I said, pushing myself up from his chest.


    But he grabbed my elbows and pulled me down again, refusing to let me go.


    "There¡¯s something else for you," he said softly. "In my pocket."


    He kept surprising me with the things he did.


    At this point, I thought he had already done more than enough to show he cared.


    "What is it this time?" I asked, sliding my hand into his pocket. The moment I touched it, I realized what it was¡ªthe gs.


    "Ian, you didn¡¯t have to¡ª but when did you?" I asked, confused.


    He opened his eyes and sat up on the couch beside me.


    "When I killed the ogres, I took the gs from their arms," he replied, giving me a warm, genuine smile.


    I kept looking at his face until I had to turn away, not because I was upset, but because tears were filling my eyes.


    "Hey," he whispered, "I heard what¡¯s been going on. Zian told me. I¡¯ll deal with them when I return."


    He brushed the hair away from my neck, his fingers touching the mark Zian had left.


    "I¡¯ll punish them myself, Clementine. Just let me return once."


    When he repeated that phrase, something in his words didn¡¯t sound right.


    "What do you mean, when you return?" I asked, staring into his eyes. "You¡¯re back."


    I paused. "Wait¡ªwhere are your gs?"


    Confusion hit me hard as I snapped out of the calm haze of his arms.


    We were still in the north. We weren¡¯t alone.


    The main door opened and I jolted upright, but Ian didn¡¯t react.


    His head was lowered, his eyes fixed on the ground.


    Watching Zian and the Lurker walk in felt like seeing dead men speak for the first time.


    The Lurker didn¡¯t even try to hide that he wasn¡¯t supposed to be in the north.


    Things were changing. Truths were being revealed.


    But the biggest question was, why were they here, and why did Zian have the gs in his hands?


    "Good morning, lovebirds," Zian said, walking in with a smile.


    I noticed how different they were. Maybe they shared the same flesh, but they spoke and moved in very different ways.


    Ian carried himself with quiet confidence, Zian behaved like a clown.


    "Thank you for getting my gs, and you can thank me for reuniting you with your lover," Zian continued.


    I stepped in front of Ian to block Zian¡¯s view of him.


    "Someone¡¯s really sassy, huh? And protective too," Zian joked, and the Lurker standing beside him nodded.


    "Why are you here now? Ian is back. You should leave before I tell everyone what you¡¯ve been doing to him," I hissed, meeting Zian¡¯s eyes.


    Ian rose from behind me and gently took my arm, trying to make me turn to face him.


    "Did you not tell her? Aww, what a lover," Zian mocked.


    I turned my head toward Zian and then looked back at Ian.


    "What is he talking about? What were you supposed to tell me?" I demanded, trying to read Ian¡¯s face, but his eyes were distant.


    "Well, I don¡¯t think he can say it, so I¡¯ll speak for him," Zian said. "The thing is, I couldn¡¯t go and y an ogre myself. I¡¯m more like a charming prince who needs protection. So I went to ask my dear brother for help." He pointed at Ian.


    I stepped to the side so both of them were in view. Ian looked defeated and ashamed, as if he had done something he couldn¡¯t exin.


    I listened closely, trying to understand why Zian hade back and was acting so smug.


    "My brother, who was most disappointed, refused to help me," Zian said. "Instead, he asked something of me. And you want to know what it was?" He leaned closer.


    Ian mmed his hand forward and pushed his brother back.


    Zianughed and exchanged a look with the Lurker, then pointed at us, probably mocking Ian¡¯s sudden aggression.


    "He asked me to collect every photo of your mother and brother from across the werewolfnd," Zian said. "I delivered. He did my job, and he grabbed me the gs. He collected them for you too." He nced at the gs on the table and sighed.


    "Well, okay. He did his part, you did yours," I almost yelled at him.


    "Now fuck off," I hissed at Zian.


    I was shocked that Ian hade here and fought monsters to earn my forgiveness.


    But why would he y monsters for Zian?


    If Ian was back, he could have taken the gs and gone home instead of handing them to Zian so Zian could keep a ce at the academy like an unwanted crusader.


    "It¡¯s not that simple," Zian said, clicking his tongue. "I always ask for more. I offered him two tasks in return for getting this album for you." His voice made my heart skip a beat.


    "What was the other task?" I asked.


    "It was a punishment," Zian said, and his tone turned cold. "I poisoned Ian. That was the deal. I was going to let him meet you, let him save you in the north, and get the album. But if he didn¡¯t return to the cage where he was tied, he wouldn¡¯t get the antidote. He would die in front of you."


    As soon as Zian finished, I couldn¡¯t hold myself. I struck him so hard I knocked him off his feet.

 Chapter 309-The Last Touch

    <h4>Chapter 309: 309-The Last Touch</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    As soon as he hit the ground, the Lurker stepped forward with a stun gun in his hand.


    I was quick to grab it and shocked him in the leg, watching him scream in pain.


    "You like to stay silent, huh? Then shut up now!" I shouted, punching him in the face and pushing him back as he tried to scream in pain.


    I turned to look at Ian, and that was when I froze.


    He had his fists clenched, his body hunched over, and blood dripping from his mouth.


    "Ah, what an animal!" Zian mocked.


    Ian stood up, wiping the blood from his lips, breathing hard as he realized how much he was bleeding.


    Then Zian pointed at him and said, "Look what you did to him. He¡¯s dying from the poison, and you¡¯re just wasting time."


    I ignored Zian¡¯s words. My focus was on Ian.


    I rushed to him, holding his face in my hands. His skin was cold to the touch.


    "It¡¯s okay. It was all worth it," he whispered.


    "No, it wasn¡¯t! Why would you let him poison you?" I cried, my voice breaking.


    It was the first time I had cried in front of a mate¡ªfor him.


    "That one night was worth it," he murmured, making me shake my head stubbornly.


    Then I saw he wanted to say something else.


    "I was lying," he breathed.


    I frowned and wiped the blood from his mouth with my sleeve.


    "About what?" I asked softly, only waiting to hear him out.


    "I was lying when I said I wouldn¡¯t chase you," he whispered weakly. "It¡¯s the only thing I want to do now. I¡¯ll chase you through the maind, the north, the monsters, the storms. I don¡¯t care about the missions anymore. My mission is you."


    A tear rolled down his face as he dropped to his knees.


    "Help him! Please, give him the antidote," I begged Zian, hating how smug he looked.


    "All you had to do was let him walk away. But no, you had to be dramatic. Now look, he¡¯s suffering. Who knows if he¡¯ll even make it back alive?" Zian sighed like he was bored.


    "Then take him! Please, take him!" I begged again, unable to believe I was asking this monster for mercy.


    "Fine. Lurk,e on. Take my brother away," Zian ordered.


    The Lurker stepped forward, ring at me but obeyed.


    He passed me, his eyes locked on mine, before lifting Ian onto his shoulder.


    His knees trembled under Ian¡¯s weight.


    I reached for Ian¡¯s hand as they started to leave, but his fingers slipped from mine.


    I broke down, sitting on the couch, covering my face as tears ran freely.


    My heart felt hollow.


    "He was going to return after the break, but you had to provoke me, Clementine. Why would you do that?" Zian said.


    I lifted my head, my hands curled into fists, my eyes narrowing at him.


    "Fine. Sorry," he muttered, ncing away. "Anyway, let¡¯s go. The train will be here soon."


    I picked up the gs, the album, and the pendant.


    I tucked the pendant and album inside my uniform and held the gs in my hands as I walked out of the mansion, heavy-hearted, leaving without my Ian.


    "It rained a lotst night, didn¡¯t it?" Zian kept talking the whole way, while I walked silently toward the station.


    There was a storm inside me, too many thoughts upying my mind.


    Ian¡¯sst words had left me numb. All I could think about was Ian.


    I wanted to see him again.


    More than anything, I didn¡¯t want to be anyone¡¯s hero anymore. I just wanted to be with him.


    "Oh, look, the train," Zian said.


    I finally lifted my head. I hadn¡¯t looked around once during the walk, not even cared if a monster attacked me.


    And now we were here, at the station. The train was already waiting to leave.


    I started walking faster toward my carriage, though I wasn¡¯t sure I was ready to face my ex-mates.


    Yes, that¡¯s what I was going to call them now.


    I didn¡¯t care anymore. After they left me behind, it was clear they had chosen her.


    And honestly, after one night with Ian, I knew exactly who I wanted.


    I¡¯d always leaned toward him, maybe too much.


    But when I reached the carriage, Oriana was there.


    "Guys,e on. It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s not your fault she¡¯s dead."


    She was already giving a speech about my death, while the three sat with their heads down, looking defeated.


    Her back was to me. I rushed in, grabbed her by the hair, and yanked her out of the carriage.


    "Ah!" she screamed, hitting the ground.


    "This is my carriage, you bitch," I yelled, watching her lie there wide-eyed.


    Zian jumped over her,ughing, then stormed inside, throwing himself into a seat and watching us like it was a show.


    "You¡¯re alive?" she asked, lookingpletely shocked.


    "Well, that must be bad news for you, Oriana," I said.


    The moment I turned around, my three ex-mates stood up, smiling in disbelief.


    Oriana scrambled into her own carriage before she got left behind, and the train started moving.


    "Move," I said, pushing Haiden and Yorick aside as I made my way to my usual seat by the window.


    "You survived? Oh my god, you have no idea how happy that makes me!" Haiden started rambling.


    I lifted my palm, signaling him to stop. I didn¡¯t want to hear their voices.


    My thoughts were still stuck on Ian. He had taken poison, just to get that album for me.


    That idiot.


    What was he thinking? Dying for an album?


    "Guys, she doesn¡¯t want to talk right now," Zian said, and I heard the three of them grunt.


    "Did you save her?" Troy asked.


    "I mean, we¡¯re happy you did. Thank you," Troy added quickly.


    I rolled my eyes. The nerve of them, honestly.


    "Clementine, are you angry with us? We didn¡¯t know what happened that time. We were honestlying to help you," Yorick said.


    I didn¡¯t respond. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, arms folded across my chest, my leg shaking anxiously.


    I couldn¡¯t focus on their words.


    My thoughts were breaking apart, all circling around Ian, whether the Lurker had managed to give him the antidote in time.

 Chapter 310-Stole Her Scary Mates

    <h4>Chapter 310: 310-Stole Her Scary Mates</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    After those ugly-ass things attacked me from the sky, I ran back to the fleshmingo town, straight to the tunnel.


    She had promised me that her earth-eaters would not touch me, so I knew I was safe here.


    Still, facing them directly was going to be frightening. I sprinted far ahead.


    "Where are you?" I yelled for her desperately.


    It was confusing.


    Why did those thingse straight from the sky to attack me?


    Why not Clementine?


    Why wouldn¡¯t any of these monsters just kill her for once?


    "It isn¡¯t like they hadn¡¯t tried."


    It was as if she heard me.


    I jumped when she appeared, then turned to look at her.


    She was hiding in the shadows before stepping out, an earth-eater, but shaped like a woman.


    Her body was both of the earth-eater. She had a tail, and her form was unusual.


    Hiding in the shadows seemed right for her.


    "That¡¯s mean," shemented with a smirk, letting me know that after I gave her ess to my mind, she could read my thoughts.


    "I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m exhausted. I don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s working," I said, annoyed. "The other day itpletely stopped working. And then you told me to¡ª" I paused, turning away. "For a sacrifice."


    "You did kill a lurker for me," she retorted, her tone sterner this time. "I told you, for it to keep working, you have to feed it blood. Besides, are they not listening to you? Are they not betraying their mate for you?"


    I rolled my eyes.


    "Weren¡¯t they supposed topletely forget about her?" I asked, watching her confident expression.


    "Well, it¡¯s not working. It¡¯s getting harder for me to make them listen," I added.


    I hissed as I lifted my dress to my stomach to show her the chain, the jewelry she had made for me.


    I was still wearing it. Every time I thought it stopped working, I scratched my stomach, trying to fix the chain around my belly.


    "The jewelry makes them listen. It was one wish you had asked for, for her squad mates to be madly in love with you," she said.


    "I did what you told me. The problem is, this is the first case where my jewelry is having such a hard time. It seems like the boys really love her. You¡¯re evil toe between them, though." Sheughed in her usual unsettling tone.


    "Why must she get all the love alone?" I asked, trying to defend myself.


    "Well, for what it¡¯s worth, whenever you¡¯re around them, they remember you. Although they were supposed to remember you even when you weren¡¯t near, they¡¯re fighting the magic too hard for this girl. But fear not. Even if they don¡¯t forget her, she will," the shadow said, dancing from wall to wall.


    I slouched my shoulders, feeling tired.


    "The other day, I tried so hard to get Haiden to touch me in the bed with him, but he fought it so much," I groaned, frustrated.


    "Why does it bother you? It did cause a rift between him and his mate, didn¡¯t it?" the shadow replied.


    It felt like nothing I said made sense to her.


    She kepting back with the sameebacks.


    "I want them topletely forget about her, to hate her. I¡¯m so annoyed," I groaned, stomping my foot.


    Hearing that this was the first case where the magic wasn¡¯t working fully on someone was already infuriating.


    There was nothing special about Clementine.


    Why were these men trying so hard to fight for her?


    Then the shadow stopped right in front of me, leaning closer to my face.


    "Remember your promises?" she reminded me.


    "Well, I¡¯ll fulfill them once you fulfill yours. I want thempletely wrapped around my finger and for her to be away from them," I told her. "It won¡¯t work like this. I can¡¯t keep working this hard for their attention. I want them to chase me."


    "Oriana, don¡¯t y games with me. Because trust me, I¡¯m doing the best I can. Like I said, this is the first time I¡¯m using all my power. These men really love her. So if I stop, and they realize what you¡¯ve done to separate them from her, you have no idea what they¡¯ll do to you. These men will be worse than the North. So you¡¯d better stay on my good side," she warned.


    Goosebumps ran up my spine.


    "They will not hurt me, will they?" I asked, and she began to cackle out loud.


    "These men have a dark future. The only thing holding their sanity is their fated mate. They fight every day with their demons for her. Once you take away that hope, and when they wake from the trance, their demons will take over. Then, they will go after everyone who came between them and their mate. And must I remind you, that includes you," she said in her cold, eerie tone, making my body stiffen.


    "Now go back. Try to win their hearts. And stopining. Next time I ask for a sacrifice, do it quickly," she reminded me.


    Those were the terms under which she had granted me this jewel.


    I was now afraid of them.


    There seemed to be only one way to make sure they wouldn¡¯t remember Clementine, if she waspletely gone from their lives.


    I had to do something to get rid of her.


    With that, I returned and found them. The night was chaotic.


    Thankfully, I didn¡¯t have to lift a finger to grab the gs.


    I grabbed Clementine¡¯s.


    Then I watched her squad mates take me out and leave her behind.


    As soon as we were out, I held their hands to make sure they kept running with me.


    There were moments when I noticed Haiden turning around, and then Yorick did the same.


    Troy would stop and look lost.


    I had to work hard to get them to the train station.


    But once we arrived, theypletely stopped functioning.

 Chapter 311-The Devil Joins The Room

    <h4>Chapter 311: 311-The Devil Joins The Room</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I didn¡¯t talk to any of them, and eventually, they realized I wasn¡¯t in the mood for it.


    I was holding back tears, wishing I could go back and see if Ian had made it to the maind and found the antidote in time.


    I guess I was finally done with the others, and it was time they knew it.


    The fact that they still tried to talk to me, without realizing they should back off and stop pressuring me after everything they¡¯d done, made me see how giving them chances before, without letting them redeem themselves or even taking the time to understand what they wanted, had made them believe it was easy to reach me whenever they messed up.


    The minute we arrived at the train station, I saw the three ringleaders standing with the headmaster beside them.


    The door to our carriage opened first, and Zian jumped out, stretching and yawning, obnoxiously handing over the six gs Ian had collected for him.


    He was such a loser. He couldn¡¯t even fight a single monster and let his brother take the fall for him.


    After him, the others started getting off, handing over their gs.


    I was thest one in my carriage.


    My head was lowered when I stepped down, and instead of giving my gs to Mr. Rick, like everyone else, handed mine to Miss Rue.


    "Are you okay?" she whispered.


    I lifted my head briefly, and it seemed like she saw right through me because her eyes widened at the sight of me.


    All I could do was give her a weak nod.


    I wanted to tell her what was going on with Ian, but Zian had eyes everywhere, and one of the lurkers already worked for him.


    I worried there might be more.


    What if he found out I¡¯d been running my mouth and telling others about him and his secrets?


    Ian was still in his custody, and I didn¡¯t want to risk it.


    "Everybody go back to your rooms and rest," Miss Rue said.


    I had already started walking away.


    I knew Oriana had given her gs to Ms. Lenora and was ready to head to our room, but right before we could move any further, I heard Miss Rue call out.


    "Oriana, you¡¯ll be going back to your own room."


    Everybody stopped, and I turned to look at her.


    She gave me a reassuring nod, but I didn¡¯t want her to stop Oriana from going into our room.


    I didn¡¯t want to be in that room.


    Ian wasn¡¯t there, and I didn¡¯t know if he ever would be.


    With the way Zian was acting, he could use Ian for the academy¡¯s northern tasks while enjoying the rest of the drama here himself.


    As long as I stayed in my room, I knew I wasn¡¯t safe.


    "Why not? I can¡¯t stay alone in my room," Oriana said softly, her voice small.


    "The ck squads want me in their room." She pointed toward my squad mates, and I rolled my eyes.


    "The other crusaders are returning today, so you won¡¯t be alone in your room," Miss Rue replied.


    The headmaster had already started walking away, showing no empathy for the sadness on our faces.


    He simply didn¡¯t care.


    "But I want to be in the ck squad now," Oriana said loudly, making everyone turn to watch her in silence for a few seconds.


    "Well, you can¡¯t change your room like this," Miss Rue replied, not letting her do whatever she wanted.


    Oriana started looking around at my squadmates, trying to get them to speak up for her.


    "But why not? We have no problem with her being here."


    As expected, Haiden spoke up after Oriana touched his arm, pushing him to say something.


    He did it like he was our puppet. Troy and Yorick began nodding along.


    I figured it was best to stop paying attention to them for now.


    Nothing surprised me anymore.


    Then I noticed Ms. Lenora looking at me before leaning toward Mr. Rick to whisper something.


    He quickly turned his head in my direction, making it obvious they were talking about me


    The two nodded, and then Ms. Lenora stepped forward.


    "I have no problem with Oriana joining the ck squad either."


    The minute she said it, the matter was settled.


    But what they didn¡¯t realize was that I had already stopped caring about any of them.


    Everybody smiled widely. By everybody, I meant Oriana and her puppets.


    "Now you all can return to your rooms," Mr. Rick announced, smiling as if he¡¯d won something.


    Just because they noticed I was ufortable, they decided to keep her in my squad.


    Shouldn¡¯t they be giving us a calm environment so we could keep fighting the monsters in the north?


    What I didn¡¯t understand was why they didn¡¯t treat it as something important.


    They¡¯d said many times that this was the first time the crusaders were performing so well in their tasks.


    So why wouldn¡¯t they want to give us some relief?


    We all silently started walking back to the dorm, but my eyes stayed on Zian.


    I knew he was going to leave soon to find out what had happened to Ian, so I was waiting for him, desperate to know.


    But as soon as we stepped into the dorm room, the others began walking toward me.


    I had fallen behind because I was walking slowly, and when I entered, they jumped up to rush toward me.


    Oriana had her arms open, probably asking for a group hug since she¡¯d managed to stay in the ck squad, but they pushed past her to reach me.


    "Clementine, listen to me. I don¡¯t know what happened out there, but I swear I would¡¯ve never left you there," Haiden said quickly, reaching for my hands.


    I pulled them back.


    "Stay away from me!" I shouted.


    The moment I yelled, I saw the look on their faces.


    They seemed shocked and hurt, full of nerves to still think I¡¯d let them touch me.


    "I was there, Haiden, ready to be crushed under that monster! And you all left me there!" I screamed.


    This was thest time I would speak to them, thest time I¡¯d remind them of the pain they¡¯d caused me because after this, I was going to reject them.

 Chapter 312-Ian Died?

    <h4>Chapter 312: 312-Ian Died?</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Clementine, we understand what you¡¯re feeling, and honestly, we have no clue," Troy began, stepping closer again.


    This time, Oriana started to cough, and I noticed how quickly he reacted.


    "No, you don¡¯t understand. If you did, you wouldn¡¯t even show me your face!" I yelled at him. "You know what, she told me that if it came down to me or her, you¡¯d pick her and you proved it."


    As soon as I said that, the three of them shared a nce and then turned to look at Oriana.


    Her posture trembled slightly.


    "And it¡¯s not even her fault. She actually helped me see that the people I relied on so much would never make me their priority. Let¡¯s not even talk about priority, I¡¯m not that selfish. But the fact that you knew she was fine and I was the one who needed help, yet you still chose to save her just to impress her, shows how little I mean to you. You¡¯re only hovering around me because I¡¯m your mate," I shouted, noticing Oriana frown.


    So, they hadn¡¯t told her that all of them were my mates.


    I saw the way she began scratching her scalp, probably wondering why I was saying this while looking at Troy and Yorick instead of Haiden.


    "Look, all we know is that we¡¯re guilty, but we have no excuse. We don¡¯t even know why we left you there," he tried to exin, though he did nothing to help me.


    It was frustrating to hear them keep saying they didn¡¯t know why they did it, when they clearly did.


    They wanted Oriana and me both.


    I took a deep breath and gestured at them with my hand. "I¡¯m going to take the big step here and let you know that I¡¯ll be rejecting you. I¡¯ll go to the headmaster and tell him officially."


    As I said it, I remembered one of the biggest rules, if a mate bond was formed on the academy grounds, the eptance or rejection had to happen in front of everyone.


    "No. I won¡¯t allow this," Haiden said quickly, stepping forward.


    He knew he would be the first one I¡¯d reject since everyone already knew he was my mate.


    I¡¯d take care of him first, then probably lie about the others being second or third mates, enough to avoid trouble for having too many at once.


    "And I¡¯m not going to be part of this room anymore," I announced, watching as their eyes widened.


    That¡¯s when the door opened, and one of the crusaders, who didn¡¯t even look like a crusader walked in.


    Zian!


    My eyesnded on him, and an urge to ask if he¡¯d found out about Ian rose in my chest.


    "What¡¯s going on?" he asked, smirking.


    "She¡¯s talking about¡ª" Troy started, then stopped suddenly. His eyes flicked toward Zian, then back at me, then at him again. "You¡¯re not Ian, right? She said you¡¯re his evil twin," he said loudly.


    The other two turned to face him immediately.


    I could tell Zian hadn¡¯t expected that, he lookedpletely taken aback, his eyes locked on me, questioning why I had told them about him.


    "What? What the heck? Why would you say that, Clementine?" Zian stared at me, his jaw tightening, a silent warning for me to take back my words.


    "I¡¯m not going to respond to any of you anymore. You can deal with this yourselves. And as for you three, don¡¯t try to change the subject. I know what I said, and I¡¯m leaving this dorm room and this squad," I hissed, making up my mind as I walked toward the bed to grab my things from underneath it.


    "No, Clementine, please, let¡¯s talk! You¡¯re making a decision in haste," Troy pleaded, reaching out to grab my hand.


    I pushed his hand away and pointed a warning finger at his face.


    Oriana tried to pull him back, but he kept shoving her off, still trying toe after me.


    "Guys, stop going after her! It¡¯s my order!" Oriana finally screamed at the top of her lungs.


    Her hands pressed against her stomach, rubbing it anxiously as if trying to calm herself down.


    I watched as all three of them wore the same neutral expression, their eyes resting on me before they stepped back in perfect sync.


    It was strange, I noticed it, but I had too much going on to care.


    I didn¡¯t care if they were afraid of her, afraid of her leaving them, or whatever else was happening.


    I wasn¡¯t going tofort them.


    They had left me there to die, knowing exactly what my fate would have been if they had chosen Oriana over me.


    So, I was done too.


    I grabbed my trunk, stuffed everything into my bag, and left while the others just stood there like statues facing Oriana.


    There was no movement, no words, nothing.


    The room was silent.


    But I stayed focused on what I was doing, packing my things and heading toward the door.


    Still, I kept one eye on Zian.


    It seemed like he was waiting to confront me, but I didn¡¯t care. I wasn¡¯t afraid of him.


    I needed to ask him about Ian myself.


    The moment I stepped out of the door, Zian followed me.


    "So you decided to tell on me?" Zian grunted, pping his hand against the wall to stop me from moving forward.


    "Step away, Zian, or I won¡¯t hesitate to fight you like I would a monster," I warned, looking him straight in the eye without flinching.


    He stared back for a moment before letting out augh, chuckling as he ced both hands on the wall beside my head.


    "Go ahead, tell everyone. You¡¯ll just look like someone starting rumors, because no one¡¯s ever going to find out the truth. How are you even supposed to prove it?" he asked, tapping his fingers against the wall.


    "It¡¯s easy."


    Before I could say anything more or give him a sharp response, he cut me off.


    "I¡¯m sure it will be. But it is not like all that ruckus will bring back Ian to life?" he asked.


    The second he said that, goosebumps rose on my skin.

 Chapter 313-I Go Back To Red

    <h4>Chapter 313: 313-I Go Back To Red</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes and my heart pounded in my chest.


    "What the heck do you mean by ¡¯he¡¯s no more¡¯?" I grabbed his cor and my bag dropped to the floor.


    "It was toote for the lurker to take him to get the antidote," he snapped, looking offended that I was even asking.


    "You fucking asshole." I grabbed him, turned him toward the wall, and started shaking him.I was ready to punch him when he began tough.


    "He¡¯s fine, he¡¯s fine," he said.


    As he spoke and my hands loosened on his jacket, he grabbed my arm and turned me around.


    Before he could say another word, a group of lurkers hurried toward us.


    I let him go, thinking they would break this up and call us out for causing violence again.


    That was not what happened.


    One of the lurkers stunned him right in front of me.


    I gasped and turned away.


    Usually I would have fought the lurkers if it had been Ian, but I wouldn¡¯t do it for anyone else anymore.


    Right in front of me, they stunned Zian until he passed out.


    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder why they had stunned him.


    The only thing that came to mind was that maybe the ringleaders, or someone else, had figured out he wasn¡¯t Ian.


    I didn¡¯t know.


    I just watched as they ignored mepletely, grabbed Zian, who had passed out on the floor, and dragged him away.


    The way they did it reminded me of when they dragged Oriana.


    Maybe they had found out about Ian and were nning to rescue him now.


    I said a silent prayer for that because I had noticed how uneasy I had been since Ian was taken away from us.


    I looked down, took the album out from my jacket, and ced it back in my bag along with the pendant from my mother.


    I put the pendant around my neck, slung the bag over my shoulder, and headed toward the hall.


    I went straight inside and waited for one of the ringleaders toe out so I could talk to Miss Rue.


    Thankfully, she was the first to appear.


    She was speaking with Ms. Lenora about something as they walked upstairs, but their conversation stopped when she saw me.


    It didn¡¯t seem like it had been an urgent discussion anyway.


    "Clementine, what are you doing here? And why do you have your bag with you?" Miss Rue asked, sounding surprised and a little worried.


    "I need to speak with you," I told her, ncing toward Ms. Lenora to make it clear that I didn¡¯t want to talk in front of her.


    Miss Rue noticed.


    "Sure, Ms. Lenora, we¡¯ll talkter," she said quickly.


    Thankfully, I didn¡¯t need to exin myself further.


    Miss Rue always understood me from small hints.


    Ms. Lenora reluctantly walked past me as I followed Miss Rue downstairs to her office.


    By now, I¡¯d been in her office and quarters so many times that the basement no longer felt strange to me.


    "What¡¯s going on, Clementine? Seeing you with your bag doesn¡¯t give me a good feeling." Miss Rue spoke the moment we were alone in the room.


    "I wanted to talk to you about it first before I even suggested anything," I said quietly, feeling awkward.


    She had always been the best ringleader among the three, the one I could actually talk to, someone I couldmunicate with.


    I knew what I was getting myself into by asking to change my room.


    "Can you please move me to the red squad?" I asked after taking a deep breath.


    The moment I made that request, I saw the hurt on Miss Rue¡¯s face.


    It wasn¡¯t because I disliked her.


    I simply couldn¡¯t go to the white squad, they were dangerous.


    The red squad was the only one where I might feel safe, with people who didn¡¯t hate me for any reason.


    "I had a feeling you were having trouble with your squadmates ever since Oriana joined the room," Miss Rue said softly. "But is it that bad that you¡¯re willingly going to Ms. Lenora¡¯s squad? You know you can¡¯t fit well with her."


    She said exactly what I had been thinking.


    But I was sure Ms. Lenora wouldn¡¯t be careless with her own crusaders.


    She¡¯d probably be happy to have someone under her wing who could bring pride to her squad.


    Staying with my squad now just wasn¡¯t something I could do.


    "I¡¯m so sorry, Miss Rue. I would have loved to stay in your squad, but I just can¡¯t. Can you please help me get into the red squad?" I asked again, watching her eyes fill with sadness.


    "Can you give me a minute? Maybe I can try to take Oriana out of the room," she suggested.


    I shook my head.


    "It¡¯s not just Oriana. I can¡¯t stay with my squadmates either."


    As soon as I said that, I saw the sadness deepen on her face.


    I guess that was bound to happen. Groups fall apart, it¡¯s how things work here.


    "I¡¯m really, really sorry you have to go through this," she said softly. "I would have never let you go, but since it¡¯s something you want, I¡¯ll speak with Ms. Lenora. But remember, the final decision will be hers."


    I nodded, ready to wait a few hours while she spoke to Ms. Lenora.


    I didn¡¯t n on going back to the room, I¡¯d rather sleep in the passage.


    "I will happily have Clementine in my squad."


    Ms. Lenora¡¯s voice cut through the air like a de.


    Her sudden arrival startled both of us.


    The door had been open, and she must have been listening because she walked in with a smile that reached her eyes.


    "Wee to my squad Clementine Stark, the best crusader so far."


    Ms. Lenora walked in with a proud smile.


    The shine in her eyes was almost unsettling, like she had been waiting for this moment.


    With a sad look, I lowered my head in a small bow.


    "Huh, Miss Rue, you must be really sad to see your best crusader go," Ms. Lenora remarked with a smirk. "But don¡¯t worry, you still have others. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get them to work while I take the best one with me."


    Proudly, Ms. Lenora grabbed my arm and started to drag me out almost immediately.

 Chapter 314-New Team, New Squadmates

    <h4>Chapter 314: 314-New Team, New Squadmates</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I had walked out of Miss Rue¡¯s office and followed Ms. Lenora to her dorm room.


    Even walking through that passage felt strange to me.


    Memories of my squad filled my mind. We had all yed a part in making that ce our home.


    And now, here I was, leaving everything behind, walking away from the only ce I could truly call home.


    The dorm room reminded me of how I used to feel as a child, lonely and lost. Now I was once again without a family or a home.


    "Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be much happier in my squad," Ms. Lenora said, snapping me out of my thoughts.


    I didn¡¯t respond. I just kept walking, my hands tied in front of me, resting against my abdomen.


    "I don¡¯t think Miss Rue knows what she¡¯s doing. But don¡¯t worry, I know how to take care of my squad," Ms. Lenora continued, making me nod slightly.


    I felt defeated, but I knew I had to gather my strength eventually.


    With the Lurker¡¯s stunning Zian, I was hopeful Ian would be back soon.


    They must have found out by now.


    "But you¡¯ll have to make sure you don¡¯t speak to the other squadmates or interact with them," she added.


    The moment she said that, I stopped right at the door and frowned at her.


    "Did you say the same thing to Oriana? Because it doesn¡¯t seem like she followed your orders very well," I taunted, referring to how her squadmate had been involved in unnecessary drama.


    She started tough.


    "Well, I¡¯m learning from that, let¡¯s just say," she replied, shrugging her shoulders with a wide smile.


    "Anyway," she paused and opened the door, letting me walk inside. "Red members, meet your new team leader, Clementine."


    The way she introduced me, with such a wide smile, already felt like a powerful statement.


    "Leader?" I asked, turning to her.


    "Yeah. I¡¯ve assigned roles. Oriana used to be the leader, but now you¡¯ll take over and I believe you¡¯ll be a better fit," Ms. Lenora stated, gesturing for Sebastian toe pick up my bag.


    I had no idea this was happening in the Red Squad.


    As soon as Sebastian bent down to grab my bag, I waved him off with my hand.


    I could pick up my own things. I took the bag myself and gave him a small smile.


    "Well, Clementine, you need to learn from your mistakes. When you¡¯re in power, use it," Ms. Lenora said before walking away.


    Mira and Renee smiled at me, gesturing toward the bed that had once belonged to Oriana.


    I groaned, staring at it.


    They must have noticed, because Mira quickly grabbed her pillows, ced them on Oriana¡¯s bed, and left her own for me.


    "You don¡¯t have to," I said.


    She smiled, walked over to me, and took my bag from my hands.


    "We must. We really wee you to our squad. I don¡¯t know what happened that made you switch squads, but I guess it was a gift from Goddess to us," Mira replied, making me feel awful for how high their expectations already were.


    "You don¡¯t have to say that. I think we¡¯re all doing a great job," I responded, sitting down on the bed and looking around.


    There were only four beds in the room. The others had been taken out after the passing of squadmates.


    It was a big space, but it felt empty and lonely.


    "Hey, I know Oriana must have done something. I mean, it¡¯s not a secret. She goes into her dorm, and Clementine has to leave," Renee remarked, folding her arms across her chest with a scowl.


    "Hey, we don¡¯t know that. What if they¡¯re still friends? You¡¯ll upset Clementine by talking about her friend like that," Mira interjected quickly.


    "No, it¡¯s okay. She¡¯s not my friend, and she¡¯s right. I left my squad because of Oriana," I admitted, throwing her under the bus for all the right reasons.


    "Well, I know you must miss your old squadmates, but we¡¯ll make your stay better. Besides, we¡¯re really happy you¡¯re with us now. She used to be such a bully," Miramented, rolling her eyes at the mention of Oriana.


    "She used to bully you guys? She told me you bullied her for leaving one of the twins behind," I said, recalling her ims, how she woulde into our dorm crying and scared.


    "What? Hell no. She was the one who bullied us. She¡¯s such a dramatic liar," Renee scoffed.


    Just as I suspected, Oriana had been lying all along. I wasn¡¯t surprised anymore.


    "Anyway, we¡¯re all back, and they¡¯ll be sending us north again," Mira said with a sigh at the mention of the north.


    I felt like a failure because these vacations were supposed to be our chance to uncover the truth about the academy.


    I guess we had aimed too high.


    Soon after, we were called to the hall for dinner.


    Walking with my squadmates this time felt different. Mira, Sebastian, and Renee were genuinely kind and present.


    They joked around most of the time, asking if I wasfortable, nothing like the way Oriana had described them.


    But the moment I saw my old squadmates walking through the passage toward the hall, I pulled my sleeves down to cover my fists.


    I had to hide the way they tightened.


    Then I saw Ian at the back of the group. A smile had already formed on my lips before I realized it wasn¡¯t Ian. It was Zian.


    It was strange how I could recognize him just by the way he walked or breathed. But what didn¡¯t make sense was why he was back.


    Why had the Lurkers stunned him if they hadn¡¯t realized he wasn¡¯t the squadmate he had brought from the pack?


    The moment we entered the hall, I saw all the faces that had been gone for the vacations, including Joshua, Jack, and Nate from the White Squad.


    I could tell they were curious about the recent switch between squadmates.


    Joshua had a new haircut. He looked stronger and more focused, as if he had moved on from Suki.


    I couldn¡¯t be sure, but one thing was certain, I now had to be more alert, because there were more enemies around me now.

 Chapter 315-Troy Doesn’t Like Oriana

    <h4>Chapter 315: 315-Troy Doesn¡¯t Like Oriana</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "After a long vacation, Let¡¯s all start our dinner," Mr. Rick announced as he stood up, and everyone began smiling at one another.


    However, not everyone was smiling.


    The White Squad and most of the Red Squad were, but Oriana was pping loudly.


    I had no idea what she was cheering for, maybe celebrating the fact that she¡¯d found new puppets.


    "Oh, and before that, I¡¯d like to give my squadmate her new uniform," Ms. Lenora said, sounding unusually excited as she walked toward me with a folded uniform in her hands.


    The White Squad members perked up, exchanging nces.


    Joshua, however, was staring at me a little too intensely, his eyebrows pulled together.


    "Ms. Lenora!" Mira called, quickly standing from her seat and rushing to grab the uniform for me.


    I noticed my squadmates turning to look at me, all except Zian and Oriana, who both seemed tense, as if ready to get up at any moment.


    "Oriana, this is your uniform," Miss Rue said tly as she walked over, tossed the uniform onto the table, and returned to the ringleaders¡¯ table.


    "Now, happy feast," Mr. Rick said cheerfully, sounding as if he was enjoying the drama unfolding in front of him.


    Suddenly, Troy got up from his seat, walked over, and ced a hand on Sebastian¡¯s shoulder.


    Sebastian looked at him for a moment, then awkwardly stood and gave up his seat. Troy sat down across from me.


    It was the most awkward moment of the evening.


    Everyone started watching us.


    "Why did you leave the dorm room?" Troy demanded, one hand on his waist and the other resting on the table.


    I pretended not to hear him and focused on my mac and cheese instead.


    But he swiftly grabbed the bowl and pulled it away from me.


    "I¡¯m asking you something. Why did you leave the squad?" he pressed, his tone growing harsher.


    I finally looked up at him, realizing that if he wanted to make a scene, I would give him one.


    "As if you don¡¯t know," I said, reaching for the bowl again.


    He pushed it farther out of reach.


    "No, I don¡¯t know. And I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. All I know is that it¡¯s not my fault. I don¡¯t want chaos. I¡¯m not going after Oriana!" he shouted, mming his hand on the table.


    Everyone who had been quietly eating and eavesdropping now turned their full attention to us.


    He had managed to draw the entire hall¡¯s focus.


    "What the fuck is wrong with you, Troy? Behave yourself. You¡¯ve made enough fun of me when you left me there to die in the North. Now I want you to fucking leave me the fuck alone. You got it?" I yelled, mming my hand even harder this time.


    "What is going on over there? You, ck Squad, get off my squadmate¡¯s table!" Ms. Lenora was, as always, louder.


    She got up from her seat, shouting at Troy.


    Troy raised his hand, stretching it all the way toward her as if to tell her to step back.


    "You¡¯reing back to our squad. I don¡¯t care," Troy said, looking me in the eye.


    I noticed his pupils dting nonstop, expanding, then returning to normal.


    There was also a slight shakiness in the lens of his eye.


    "No," I stated. I noticed Oriana get up from the corner of my eye and reach over to Troy.


    "Come on, Troy. She doesn¡¯t deserve your friendship. Let¡¯s go." The minute she ced her hand on his shoulder, I expected two things, for Troy to join her and insult me, or for him to just go after her like a lost puppy.


    However, he did neither. What he did left mepletely stunned.


    Not just me, everyone gasped when Troy got up from his seat and swung his arm, pping Oriana so hard that she dropped to the floor.


    Due to the floor being slippery, she slid about two feet away.


    The small yelp that left her lips was loud enough for everyone to hear.


    Gasps erupted. The ringleaders got up from their seats, yelling at Troy, while he stood frozen, staring at his hand.


    His hand was shaking.


    "I said, don¡¯t fucking touch me," he uttered to himself, still looking at his hand.


    I started to get up, watching him closely.


    It didn¡¯t look like a normal reaction, none of it made any sense.


    Suddenly, Troy began to gag, almost like he was about to throw up, and the sound itself was terrifying.


    Neither Haiden nor Yorick got up to yell at Troy for hurting Oriana.


    Oriana hid her face in her hands, her lip bleeding, staring at him with a traumatized expression.


    "What did you just do?" I asked softly.


    Troy, despite being called out by everyone, turned to look at me. He looked helpless.


    "I said she shouldn¡¯t touch me without my permission," he spoke in a soft whisper. His voice was so low that it was hard to even understand him.


    I probably missed part of what he said because of how quiet he was.


    Then the Lurkers stormed in.


    That was the only time Yorick and Haiden got up to defend Troy, seeing how the Lurkers were marching toward him.


    But there were too many of them.


    Chaos erupted, and I watched one of the Lurkers stun Troy.


    He didn¡¯t fight back, he just dropped to his knees.


    Thest thing he did before passing out was look at me.


    My heart was pounding so hard that I could feel it in my chest.


    Even the sight of him in pain gave me goosebumps, even though I knew I was supposed to hate him for leaving me behind.


    This entire incident changed how I saw things. Something was wrong.


    Then my eyes moved to Oriana. She began to scratch her stomach like crazy.


    "Why doesn¡¯t it work?" she screamed, throwing a tantrum, kicking her legs and pulling at her shirt.


    Her hair was messy, and she scratched her stomach so hard that one of her nails started toe off.


    "Oriana, calm down!" Jack from the White Squad rushed over to help her since no one else did.


    Being the neutral one, he grabbed her hands to stop her from hurting herself more.

 Chapter 316-Unwanted Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 316: 316-Unwanted Kiss</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The dinner ended with everyone leaving the dining table. We were told to stay in our rooms, and that food would be brought to us there.


    Everyone ate, but I couldn¡¯t. Sebastian finished mine. He said he was always hungry.


    They tried to make meugh and distract me, but there was a sadness inside me that I couldn¡¯t shake off.


    The way Troy responded to Oriana, and the way she behaved, didn¡¯t seem normal.


    No matter how many times we tried to convince ourselves it was, it simply wasn¡¯t.


    The weather had grown warmer now, better for us and our movements, but the atmosphere had be darker.


    I noticed that many of the squad members were restless after dinner.


    My squad didn¡¯t bother me with questions.


    They made sure I wasfortable before going to bed. But I had to check on something.


    I needed to stay alert, watch my surroundings, and most importantly, follow Zian if I could.


    Night was the only time he could sneak out now that everyone had returned.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what I was thinking, maybe I truly believed I¡¯d discover something, or at least see Zian. But I was wrong.


    A strong hand suddenly grabbed my wrist, yanked me behind a tree, and mmed me against the bark.


    I knew right then it wasn¡¯t Zian.


    "You know I can easily get out of your grasp, right?" I told Joshua calmly, even though my heart was beating fast.


    "I know, I know you can and the fact that you¡¯re not trying makes me wonder why," he stated, releasing my hands the moment I moved as if I were about to pounce on him.


    He stepped back slightly, then startedughing at himself.


    "You are one naughty girl," he uttered, his eyes lingering on my face as he studied my features.


    He ced one hand on the tree bark behind me and leaned closer while I folded my arms across my chest, trying to appear at ease.


    "I want to know what your problem is. Is this how you n to move on from Suki? By ming someone else for her death instead of her own actions, her jealousy?" I asked, keeping my voice low, trying to show him that I was unshaken despite everything happening around us.


    He puckered his lips and nodded slowly, watching me as if questioning my nerve.


    "I just know that you¡¯re the reason she died," he repeated, making me roll my eyes.


    "No, she was the reason I was going to die," I replied firmly. "I was badly injured. Ian had two options, either to save her or to save me. The rest was her fault. If you don¡¯t want to believe it, I can¡¯t convince you otherwise."


    I kept calm, hoping he¡¯d understand.


    "I didn¡¯t n her death. She attacked me, and the oue was her own doing. I had no reason to save her after she tried to kill me. It would¡¯ve been like saving your killer so they could finish the jobter." I kept my tone confident, not lying for the sake of his ego.


    "Well, you still had enough time to fight for her," he muttered. "And as for you to say, ¡¯Why would you save someone who tried to kill you?¡¯ ¡ªmaybe she was scared. Maybe she acted out of emotion."


    As he began to make excuses for her, I rolled my eyes again, already sensing his irritation.


    "You know what? Go ahead. Try to live your life the best you can. Because soon, I¡¯ll have my chance to take back what was stolen from me," he leaned in and whispered those words against my face.


    "You know, I didn¡¯t deserve to have my maid stolen from me. I¡¯ll make sure everyone knows what it feels like to lose the one person they love most," Joshua imed, making me frown. It hinted that he had truly lost his mind.


    I guessed he either wasn¡¯t at dinner or hadn¡¯t been paying attention, so I reminded him.


    If he was hinting at my squadmates, he was so wrong. They didn¡¯t love me the most.


    "The one person they left in the north to die, do you really think you¡¯re doing something, huh?" I asked, watching him furrow his eyebrows at my words. "Oh, right, you don¡¯t know. We were in the north, and they left me there to die, to be crushed by the ogres. Now go ahead, make your ns and convince yourself you¡¯re doing something vengeful, when all you¡¯re really doing is cleaning up others¡¯ messes."


    I hissed, watching him tilt his head. His eyes focused on my face, and he began to chuckle.


    "You¡¯re really a fascinating one, Clementine and even more confusing, since you didn¡¯t notice the way Troy behaved," he said.


    The next thing he did caught mepletely off guard. He leaned in and suddenly brushed his lips against mine.


    My eyes widened, and it took me three full seconds to push him away. I had been too stunned to react at first.


    The moment I did, I lunged to p him, but he dodged, making me fall to the ground.


    That unwanted kiss left me furious.


    "Oh," I grunted, pushing myself up, my fists clenched.


    "I deserve at least a kiss for the loss you¡¯ve caused me," he replied, smacking his lips. "And you taste so damn good."


    His so-calledpliment made my skin crawl. He chuckled and walked away, disappearing from my sight.


    Right behind him stood Zian, his mouth slightly open and a venomous smile on his face.


    "Wow, Ian would be so happy to find out his lover has moved on, after he took poison for her," Zian stated, making my jaw tighten.


    "Bold of you to assume Ian would think negatively of me," I stated confidently. "Ian knows me. We¡¯re much stronger than you think we are."


    I wasn¡¯t even worried and that surprised me for a moment.


    Was this what it felt like to be in a secure rtionship?


    Somehow, I just knew Ian would never hurt me. He would never believe anything bad about me.


    "Now tell me, when are you letting Ian walk back into the academy? Because, Zian, my patience is wearing thin and you know me. Once I feel cornered, I go above and beyond for my mission. And Ian isn¡¯t just my mission; he¡¯s my reason to live," I dered, ring him in the eye.


    He stood there, staring back at me with almost no intrigue in his eyes.


    It was clear he wasn¡¯t happy, and that was confirmed once he started speaking.


    "I wonder what Ian has done to deserve so much respect and love," he grunted, rolling his eyes at me.

 Chapter 317-The Scandalous Outfit

    <h4>Chapter 317: 317-The Scandalous Outfit</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After my brief argument with Zian, I returned to my dorm room andy down to sleep.


    It was true that I tossed and turned for a few minutes before sleep finally took over.


    When we woke up in the morning, we were told not to attend the hall for breakfast.


    Instead, breakfast was brought to our rooms.


    The ringleader exined that yesterday¡¯s incident had caused trauma among the group.


    They said they had never seen crusaders treat each other that way before.


    I couldn¡¯t help but think it wouldn¡¯t be long before they pointed fingers at me and med me for it.


    Thankfully, they didn¡¯t, at least not yet. But with them, anything could be expected.


    Once we finished breakfast, we were asked to return to the hall.


    I guessed they thought it was the food that had made us behave the way we did.


    "We¡¯re not going to talk about what happened here yesterday," Mr. Rick announced, making me roll my eyes. "It seems the more we discuss it, the more it gives you all reasons to act up and seek attention."


    He really thought we were doing all that just to be noticed. We were young, just teenagers.


    All we wanted was a little time to feel like ourselves again, to be free from the constant thoughts of ying monsters or being crushed by them.


    "However, we have a task for you all," he continued.


    And there it was, the moment they prepared to send us back into that hell.


    I noticed the ck Squad looking at me, everyone except Zian. He kept his eyes on the ringleaders, his hands covering his face as if asking them silently, ¡¯Really? You¡¯re sending me back to the north again?¡¯


    That made me smile a little, because once we were sent there, Ian would appear.


    "Just like some of the previous tasks, this task is not about teams, but teamwork instead. This task will need all of you to stop talking, stop being messy, stop thinking about your personal drama or issues, and go in there with a very strong mindset because this task will screw you up," Miss Rue continued, and the shakiness in her voice told me she was really worried for everyone.


    "What is the task about?" Zian questioned.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t Ian.


    Ian would have silently listened and then given his own ideas about the monsters we would face there.


    "You have to go and finish the Whisperer," Mr. Rick said, a very serious look on his face.


    Everyone started to look at each other, whispering about the monster called the Whisperer.


    "It¡¯s not a monster. It¡¯s a wizard. He has been given the ability to cause chaos, to cause guilt in the hearts of people when he is around. When he starts whispering, he makes the people nearby remember the mistakes they have made and speak them out loud," Mr. Rick finished.


    Instantly, everyone¡¯s stance shifted. Previously, those who looked scared were now overjoyed.


    Joshua looked at me and then said something to Jack in his ear, who nodded, following his gaze to me.


    "And then the person who speaks out loud about their guilt ends their life."


    The minute that part was spoken out loud, the look on Joshua and Jack¡¯s faces changed, and they began to stare at Mr. Rick.


    "This person being a human is what makes it scarier. He carries a brain, so he cane near thend and even try to get into one of the trains, or even somehow hold anyone hostage to make the crusaders mess up. These are just possibilities we are speaking about," Ms. Lenora exined, causing Yorick to finally pay attention to the squad instead of just running around Oriana like her puppet.


    "Wait a minute, how do you know that? You said that most of the tasks done by the crusaders were the easiest ones, and thest one that nobody returns from is the tower one. So you¡¯re telling me that someone has passed this task?" Yorick questioned.


    Yorick¡¯s question was really good. Now everybody was watching the leader¡¯s faces.


    The three only side-eyed each other, not turning their headspletely toward one another.


    "Yeah, sure," was the most vague answer Ms. Lenora gave.


    I squeezed my eyes a little and then moved them to Zian, who sneakily, while fixing his belt, gave me a look.


    We both knew what it was about. Even Miss Rue was staring at me.


    Some of the lurkers might havee across this Whisperer.


    But then lurkers cannot talk. How would they have spoken up about their guilt?


    Or maybe the people who were left behind, the criminals they sent out to the north.


    It just proved that the ringleaders were really watching everything happening in the north, or at least in some ces.


    "Thankfully, we did not have sex in the most crowded ce," Mint spoke up, making me almost giggle at the thought of Ian and me together.


    If anybody saw us, they would be traumatized. Ian really went north with his thrusts.


    "Is there something funny, Ms. Clementine?" Mr. Rick snapped, making me look up and see everyone¡¯s eyes on me, not very happy that I was taking it so lightly.


    "No," I responded shamelessly.


    "Give her a break, she is just trying to show everyone that they got it. Her smile is innocent, don¡¯t worry," Ms. Lenora didn¡¯t sound very happy with Mr. Rick for calling me out.


    "Well then, everybody get ready because you will now be sent off to the North," Mr. Rick added, and everyone started to make a line.


    I noticed my squadmates trying toe speak with me, but I sped up, and thankfully Mira and Renee noticed.


    One of them stood in front of me and the other behind me while we made a line.


    Then there was Sebastian standing behind them, just so the ck Squad could not get a word with me.


    I had noticed that Oriana still had a pretty visible handprint on her face.


    She probably did not transition to heal it in hopes of making them feel guilty, maybe.


    I don¡¯t know. It would be odd for her to still be hovering around Troy after what he did to her, but it seemed like she was.


    I noticed her trying to get his attention, but he was quite distant from her, more like a statue of some sort.


    So there we were, first leaving for the room to change into our uniforms.


    And right off the bat, I was having trouble with mine because Ms. Lenora seemed to have focused more on showing my assets than making mefortable, giving me the deepest neckline and the tiniest bottom ever.

 Chapter 318-Everybody Stares At My Body

    <h4>Chapter 318: 318-Everybody Stares At My Body</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I had to wear the costume because when I tried toin, Ms. Lenora told me the train was about to arrive and they could not make a new one for me. As for my old one, it had already been torn to shreds.


    Once I put on the costume, I felt like I was not going on a mission to y the monsters, but a mission to do something reckless. As soon as I stepped out, I noticed Sebastian¡¯s eyes widen in surprise. Mira and Renee also whistled.


    "Come on, guys," I groaned tiredly.


    "You got a banging body," Renee said, patting my back.


    When I arrived at the train station, I realized the others hade in a separate car this time. Because of the constant arguing and fighting between crusaders, I guessed it had been decided that for now all the squads would be kept separate.


    That was when I stepped onto the tform and my eyesnded on Oriana. She wore an all-ck bodysuit with ck leather pants. She did not look happy about it, especially when her gaze met mine. She was easy to read at this point. She liked my outfit more.


    However, the men around us gasped loudly.


    "So the hot one goes to the red team?" Jack joked, high-fiving Nate, while Joshua¡¯s eyes swept over me from head to toe.


    I did not even want to look at my crusaders, but my eyesnded on them anyway. Zian had his eyebrows raised, his body leaned to the side, arms crossed over his chest as he chuckled and examined me.


    Then there were my mates, ex-mates. Their expressions were serious and their eyes were fixed on my face instead of my body like the others. Troy looked uneasy.


    The train arrived, and I mistakenly tried to step into the ck squad¡¯s carriage until Mira pulled me back.


    "Watch out, you¡¯re entering the wrong squad," Oriana hissed, trying to hit me with her shoulder. But Mira was quick to shove her instead, making Oriana trip and fall on her butt.


    "What is wrong with you?" Orianained.


    "Well, someone would think that after getting pped and humiliated so badly, you¡¯d stay quiet. But I guess you¡¯re just shameless like that," Renee remarked, taking me to the red carriage.


    "What did you just say?" I heard Oriana shout from her carriage, but the voices soon faded.


    Once I entered our carriage, I was surprised. Something felt different about it, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what until the doors closed. Renee pointed at me to check under the bench.


    I reached down and touched the bottom. There was a bag. I pulled it out and noticed there were weapons inside.


    "What is that?" I asked Renee.


    "Ms. Lenora usually leaves something for us under there," she exined. "Sometimes there are refreshments, and this time, I guess it¡¯s the weapons."


    "Nice," Mira said. "It¡¯s good not to go rushing around trying to look for weapons right away."


    I was lost.


    "Does Miss Rue know about it?" I asked. The three of them shook their heads.


    "Maybe not. Ms. Lenora abuses her power sometimes, but I guess it¡¯s for the better. It¡¯s not like it hurts us," Sebastian added.


    "Anyway, we can share it with the rest of the squads," Mira suggested.


    I kept staring at the five knives, and a smile spread across my lips.


    "If it¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll keep two¡ªwell, one for me and one for someone else. Is that alright?" I asked, hoping they¡¯d agree. I already knew I¡¯d give one to Ian in a heartbeat.


    "Yeah, sure," they replied casually. They seemed so rxed about everything that it actually worried me for them.


    We arrived at the station, and it seemed like the train was already about to leave because it started making a loud noise. We had to get out immediately.


    Once we were outside, I caught the smell of something burning in the air. The atmosphere felt darker that day before my eyesnded on Zian. I noticed he was sneaking away, and I really didn¡¯t want anyone to notice him. I wanted him gone so that Ian coulde back. Once he left, I was sure Ian would return.


    However, at this point, we had to go find the man. The problem was, the man could be anywhere.


    "We¡¯re not supposed to find him. He¡¯ll find us. Don¡¯t worry," Yorick called as I rushed off with my squadmates.


    However, I didn¡¯t stop to respond.


    "I¡¯m pretty sure the red team will win this time," Jack remarked tiredly, probably hinting that I was in their team now.


    The confidence everyone had in me made me feel stronger again. So much had happened since the vacations began that my confidence had drained, but thankfully, I was starting to feel like myself again or even more than before.


    Whenever I was in the North, I felt like myself. I tried not to tell anyone because they would freak out, but part of me wanted to stay in the North now.


    "No, no, no, we don¡¯t," I muttered, shaking my head and reminding myself not to think about it. That was what I was doing, fighting against my own awareness.


    We wandered around all day and fought a few fleshmingos. By the time we returned to the safe ce, the mansion in Fleshmingo Town, it seemed everyone else was already there.


    When I stepped inside, my eyes immediately searched for for Ian, but he wasn¡¯t there. I knew if Zian had let him in, Ian would havee to find me. He was capable of it. So where was he?


    "Can I have a word with you?" Haiden¡¯s voice startled me when he appeared suddenly from behind. I turned to him and noticed my squadmates quietly leaving the room.


    This time, we had decided to let each squad stay in one room together. But once he arrived, my squadmates were kind enough to give us a moment alone.


    In a soft and calm tone, Haiden urged, "I need your help."

 Chapter 319-He Found Us.

    <h4>Chapter 319: 319-He Found Us.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Help you?" I asked Haiden, frowning. He looked serious. "With what? What do you want?" I repeated, my tone showing my annoyance.


    "It¡¯s not something I want. It¡¯s just that..." He paused, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously while his other hand rested on his waist.


    As much as I wanted to dismiss him, I reminded myself that we were in the North. If anyone needed help, I would offer it, except for Oriana. I knew I should have been harsh with them too, because at the end of the day, they were the ones who had left me to die. The mate bond was the only reason I couldn¡¯t bepletely cold toward them.


    "What is going on?" I asked, watching his bodynguage a little too carefully.


    "I know you¡¯re going to say the same things again and not believe me, but I need to say it. Something¡¯s going on. I don¡¯t want to be around Oriana. I don¡¯t want to talk to her. I don¡¯t even want to listen to her. I can¡¯t stand being near her."


    He wasn¡¯t finished yet, but he paused, waiting for my reaction.


    "Well, that¡¯s what it¡¯s called when you use someone and throw them away," I said, folding my arms over my chest.


    "No, that¡¯s not what it is. I didn¡¯t use her. I didn¡¯t touch her. We never got intimate, for your information." His tone sharpened when he realized I wasn¡¯t listening.


    "What do you want to say, Haiden? And what kind of help do you want from me? Please don¡¯t tell me you want me to help you break up with her," I replied, watching him grow restless because I wasn¡¯t understanding his point.


    "Clementine, listen carefully. I don¡¯t want her in my life. I don¡¯t want her near me. But every time I try to stay away, I feel cold shivers on my body, like something¡¯s pulling me toward her. And before you call it lust or anything else, it¡¯s not. It¡¯s resistance. I start hearing whispers. I can¡¯t exin it."


    Haiden suddenly ced his hands on his head, closing his eyes and grabbing a handful of his hair.


    "Wait, what do you mean?" For once, I wasn¡¯t taunting him.


    He noticed, because he opened his eyes and lowered his hand.


    "There¡¯s something wrong, Clementine," he muttered, giving me goosebumps with the way he was staring at me.


    "What kind of wrong?" I asked. Even my posture began to shake.


    "The kind of wrong where you¡¯re living with a monster¡ªand he¡¯s taking over your mind," he said quietly.


    Before anything else could be said, Oriana stormed in, scratching her stomach.


    "Haiden, what are you doing here?" she demanded.


    I noticed the way he closed his eyes, as if trying to fight against something. Like he had said, his mouth seemed locked in her presence.


    "I came here to talk with her about the task, to ask if she has any idea how we¡¯re going to find the man," Haiden exined.


    He didn¡¯t respond to her like a puppet right away, even when the veins on his temple started twitching as if he were under heavy pressure.


    "Okay, you don¡¯t need toe to her. She¡¯s not your boss. We¡¯re all equal here. Some of us will discuss this together. The others are sitting very obediently, and you¡¯re the only one wandering around," Oriana stated, tapping her foot against the floor.


    I no longer felt like any of this was normal. The shock was strong enough that I couldn¡¯t say anything or defend him, even when he stared at me like he was hoping I¡¯d speak up.


    "Come on, Haiden," she insisted again.


    At that point, Haiden started to follow her.


    As soon as they left, my squadmates came in.


    "Is there something wrong with the three of them?" Mira asked, referring to Troy, Yorick, and Haiden.


    "Why? What happened? What did you notice?" I asked, a bit too curiously.


    "I don¡¯t know. Do they sound normal to you? From what I remember, they didn¡¯t use to act like this. Now, they¡¯re not very active," Mira replied.


    "Yeah, even their bodynguage is different," Sebastianmented.


    "I swear I noticed it too. I¡¯ve been thinking about what¡¯s different about them, but you exined it perfectly," I said. "They seem like robots following Oriana, but sometimes they look around helplessly."


    "This is what happens when someone bes friends with Oriana. She can really drain your energy," Renee sighed, walking toward the couch.


    "Hey, I can sleep there. How about you and Mira take the bed with Clementine?" Sebastian offered as he moved toward the small couch, requesting Renee to not make herself ufortable by lying on the couch.


    Before anyone could say more, there was a loud knock on the door that echoed through our room.


    When we first entered the mansion, we had looked around. I noticed that much of the blood from before had been cleaned, though the others thought some people, maybe locals from Brown House, had done it.


    I disagreed. I didn¡¯t say it aloud, but why would anyonee into a random mansion during a life-threatening situation, with fleshmingos still out there, just to clean and leave?


    It had to be the work of the lurkers. I was sure of it, but I didn¡¯t yet know how to expose them.


    Our attention shifted back to the knock. My squad and I stepped out of our rooms and found everyone gathered in the living room.


    We all stood silently, waiting for the person to knock on the door again.


    "I know you all want to hear what I have to say."


    When the voice came from the other side, I noticed everyone¡¯s face lose its color. It was as if we all knew who it was.


    The man sounded like he was speaking normally. But was he? No. Even though his tone was calm, his voice came through as a whisper.


    And just like we had been told, he had found us.


    "Open the door, or at least listen to me," the man said. Then he began to whisper, his words unclear and barely understandable.

 Chapter 320-They Are Under Her Spell

    <h4>Chapter 320: 320-They Are Under Her Spell</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Okay, everyone, get to the second floor!" I shouted, pping my hands to pull their attention away from the man.


    But no one moved. Everyone stood frozen, staring toward the door, except for my three mates.


    As for Oriana, she started to panic. I watched her stumble to the floor while rushing upstairs.


    "You three, Yorick, Troy, Haiden,e with me!" she called, and they turned around, walking away easily as if the whispers didn¡¯t affect them.


    I covered my ears and looked at my squadmates.


    "I have a confession to make."


    After a brief silence, Mira spoke, and my heart stopped.


    "I¡¯m guilty of sleeping with Sebastian, even when I knew Renee liked him too," she confessed.


    Gasps filled the air. But that wasn¡¯t the worst part.


    The worst part was realizing ¡¯why¡¯ she was saying it. It was the game the whisperer yed.


    "No," I muttered under my breath, just as Mira pulled out the knife Miss Lenora had given us.


    The moment she did, I lunged at her.


    The others hesitated, they all seemed too shocked to react.


    I grabbed the knife from her hand.


    "No! I must die. I must sacrifice myself for the truth!" she screamed, her eyes rolling back.


    She fought me hard, refusing to let go of the de.


    "No, Mira, you don¡¯t have to sacrifice yourself!" I shouted, forcing her back against the wall.


    I grabbed her wrist, prying her fingers open.


    She scratched me as I tried to disarm her.


    Every time I pulled the knife away, she came at me again like a madwoman.


    When she realized I wouldn¡¯t let her end her life, she bolted toward the kitchen.


    I ran after her, grabbing her around the waist.


    She elbowed me in the face, but I dodged the next blow, spun her around, and mmed her to the floor.


    I pinned her hands down.


    "No! I have to die!" she screamed again.


    "Somebody get that man away from the door!" I yelled to the others.


    I knew the whisperer had already found one victim.


    For now, he wouldn¡¯t attack anyone else. That much I was sure of.


    The others didn¡¯t seem affected by the whispers, neither did I.


    The victim was Mira. Maybe her guilt had made her vulnerable.


    That¡¯s when Ranee and Sebastian rushed in. Ranee grabbed Mira¡¯s hands to help me hold her down.


    She was strong, stronger than I had ever seen before.


    "Mira, stop this! I already know you slept with Sebastian. He told me, and I¡¯ve forgiven him. You were both scared and stressed, it¡¯s okay. I wasn¡¯t even that serious about him back then and I knew that you liked him too," Ranee said gently, pressing her hand to Mira¡¯s forehead to calm her.


    Meanwhile, Joshua and Jack opened the door to attack the man outside.


    I heard shouts and a loud scuffle before they mmed the door shut again.


    Mira¡¯s eyes slowly lost their wild look. Instead of fighting back, she went limp and then she passed out.


    Sebastian carried Mira to the side room, and Renee went with him.


    I was honestly surprised and impressed by Renee¡¯s maturity.


    All this time, I had seen the red squad through Oriana¡¯s eyes, and now I was realizing she was the only one at fault.


    I felt bad for the twin sisters who had be her victims.


    She¡¯s the type who¡¯ll kill anyone just to survive.


    "That¡¯s scary," Nate remarked, breaking the silence.


    "Well, all we have to do is scare away the guy whenever he shows up and someone starts confessing their guilt, right?" Jack asked.


    I nodded. At this point, it was just me with the white squad.


    That¡¯s when I noticed Joshua staring at me a little too hard.


    "Tell me something, Clementine. Why do you think Mira was targeted?" he asked, his hands resting on his waist.


    I didn¡¯t understand why he was asking me, but I answered anyway.


    "Because she felt the most guilty."


    As soon as I said that, heughed, shaking his head in disbelief.


    "And why aren¡¯t you feeling guilty?"


    The question caught me off guard. I knew he had issues with me, but that one stung.


    "You want me to kill myself?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. "And exactly why would I do that?"


    He didn¡¯t answer. He just scoffed, patted Jack on the shoulder, and walked away.


    "I can¡¯t believe this," I muttered. "Does he seriously think I killed Suki? Does he not remember what Suki did to me?"


    I turned to Jack, since he was still there. He just shrugged.


    "What do you think?" I asked.


    "To be honest, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the reason she¡¯s dead," he replied, sounding certain.


    "Really?" I asked.


    "Yeah," he said. "Suki was a terrible person. Self-centered and selfish. I don¡¯t know why Joshua won¡¯t admit that she caused her own demise, but at this point, there¡¯s nothing I can do."


    He shrugged again and walked off toward the kitchen, following Joshua.


    "So, how long before you crack the code on how to kill the man?" Nate asked, stepping closer.


    "What?" I questioned, stepping back to give him a full look. "What makes you think I¡¯ll be the one to do that?"


    "Isn¡¯t that how it always goes?" he said with a shrug. "You show up to save everyone and kill the monster."


    Once I was the only one left in the living room, my attention returned to my mates.


    I looked up at the second floor and finally decided to sneak upstairs.


    I was afraid of what I might see, but I was far past worrying about catching them being intimate with her.


    From the way Troy hit her to the way Haidenined, I no longer believed it was about lust.


    As I reached thest step, I heard Oriana¡¯s voice.


    She spoke to them the way a mother might speak to a child, trying to shape them for the world.


    "How many times have I told you that you¡¯re not allowed near Clementine, huh? Haiden, listen to me and repeat after me. You will not speak to Clementine again. Come on, repeat after me," she demanded.


    "I will not speak to Clementine again," Haiden repeated, his voice empty and lifeless.


    At that moment, I realized it wasn¡¯t just their fault, it was mine too.


    I had let emotions guide me instead of my mind.


    How could someone change so much, lose every trace of themselves, and be nothing more than a ball being tossed between her and me?


    I should have known from the beginning that something was wrong.

 Chapter 321-Decoding Oriana’s Game

    <h4>Chapter 321: 321-Decoding Oriana¡¯s Game</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I walked upstairs and saw Oriana visibly shaking with fear.


    "What are you doing here?" she almost yelled.


    "Don¡¯t fucking raise your voice at me," I shot back. "That monstrous man is gone. Why are you keeping them here like you¡¯re their mother and they have to obey you?"


    I was finally stepping up, realizing that all this time, she had been up to something, and my mates needed saving.


    A lot had happened, and even though I knew who I¡¯d chosen, there was no reason not to help my mates.


    The least I could do was free them from her ws.


    "What? They don¡¯t need you siding with them. They¡¯re perfectly happy here," she said, sitting upright with her spine stiff and proud.


    The three of them just stared at her, motionless.


    "Well, you need toe downstairs," I told her, folding my arms. "Everyone¡¯s eating dinner and then resting. There¡¯ll be three people, one from each squad, staying up for night rounds. Unless you want to piss everyone off and have no one show up when you need help."


    "I don¡¯t really need anyone else anymore," Oriana replied with a smirk. "But I am hungry. So, we¡¯lle."


    Of course she wouldn¡¯t skip dinner. She¡¯d bagged herself three strong alphas to use as shields and was proud of it.


    "Come on, boys. Get up," she said, and they obeyed without question.


    I was beyond annoyed watching them follow her, especially now that I knew something was wrong.


    Once we all sat down, Mira woke up and came out with Renee.


    It seemed the two had already talked and cleared things up.


    "You¡¯re so silly for feeling bad about it," I heard Renee say, holding Mira¡¯s hand.


    As we ate, some on the couch, others at the dining table, I noticed Joshua ring at me again.


    His reasoning was ridiculous, he wanted me to feel guilty enough to hurt myself.


    And then there was Oriana. As expected, she made the three sitpletely apart.


    Even Jack kept ncing at them, leaning over to whisper something to Joshua.


    "Red squad,e sit with us at the dining table," Jack finally called out.


    I noticed Oriana looked over at us, then at the white squad, before returning to her food like nothing mattered.


    I got up and joined the white squad. I would¡¯ve preferred to stay quiet, but it was obvious they wanted to talk.


    As soon as we sat down, Jack leaned closer and whispered, "That girl is up to no good."


    He pointed subtly toward Oriana.


    We all turned our heads before Joshua grunted.


    "Come on, guys. Don¡¯t be so obvious," heined.


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    "One of them is your mate, isn¡¯t he?" Jack pressed.


    I nodded. "Yeah, sure, Haiden is."


    "Well, aren¡¯t you worried he¡¯s dancing around her like he¡¯s possessed?" Jack asked. He wasn¡¯t mocking me this time, he sounded genuinely concerned.


    "Yeah," I said quietly. "I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on." I wanted them to share what they¡¯d noticed, to confirm what I already suspected.


    "She keeps touching her stomach all the time," Joshua muttered, watching her from across the room.


    "What did you guys do while we were gone for vacation?" he asked, turning his gaze to me.


    Even though we weren¡¯t talking about Suki, the way he looked at me made it clear, his eyes still held the same silent usation every time we met.


    I took a deep breath, trying to gather everything that had happened during those fifteen days of vacation when the others weren¡¯t with us.


    All I could think about was how messy it had been.


    "A lot happened. Oriana and I fought most of the time. The others got involved, and then we were punished. Oriana and I were sent to jail."


    I paused, trying to recall the exact details, but I could tell everyone looked confused by how chaotic things had gotten.


    I hesitated again when I noticed Jack watching me.


    "What kind of punishment?" he asked.


    "Well," I shifted in my seat, "that punishment was mostly for me. Anyway, after that, we got into another fight, and then we were punished again, this time sent to the north toplete a task."


    I stopped speaking, waiting for their questions before continuing.


    "So all of you returned from this task?" Joshua questioned.


    "Yeah. Sad news for you, right? You¡¯d have been thrilled if I hadn¡¯te back." Bitterness slipped into my voice as I said it, and Joshua rolled his eyes.


    "Did they start acting strange before or after the task? Did something happen during it that made your squadmates behave differently? Maybe they were upset with you for not being there?" Joshua pressed.


    His questions were good ones, but he was drawing the wrong conclusion.


    I stared at him, momentarily lost in thought.


    "The task took ce in the underground tunnels," I murmured, "where we had to collect a bag of diamond coals and fight the Earth Eaters." I drifted off every few sentences, feeling as if I were back there again, something about it clicked in my head, but I couldn¡¯t quite grasp it.


    "Earth Eaters? That sounds terrifying," Miramented, swallowing hard.


    "Yeah, they were tough to defeat. We had to make our own weapons from wood. But that¡¯s not the point." I paused, my eyes searching the ground. "Oriana went missing for a while, and when we found her, she already had her coals, but she wouldn¡¯t say where she got them."


    I blurted the rest quickly, noticing how confused everyone looked except for Joshua.


    His narrowed eyes told me we were the only ones sensing how odd the situation really was.


    "What do you mean she already had the coals? Didn¡¯t she fight any Earth Eaters?" Jack asked.


    "That¡¯s the thing I forgot to mention," I replied. "Her father passed away, not sure if all of you knew. After that, she was terrified during the mission in the north, but suddenly she was found with the coals. Normally, to get them, you had to fight the Earth Eaters because they guarded them. But she had them without a weapon, without any sign of a struggle. After that, everything changed. My squadmates stopped listening to me. Whenever she¡¯s around, they act like she¡¯s controlling them."


    I ran my hand through my hair, confused.


    "Yeah, something definitely happened," Joshua muttered, clicking his tongue. "Can you tell me where this underground tunnel is?"


    "It¡¯s under one of the Fleshmingo Houses," I told him. "If you look out the window, you¡¯ll see a house with a big tree, that¡¯s the one."


    We were still in Fleshmingo Town, and Joshua¡¯s growing interest in the tunnel made me uneasy.

 Chapter 322-I Want Something Magical Too

    <h4>Chapter 322: 322-I Want Something Magical Too</h4>


    <strong>Joshua:</strong>


    It wasn¡¯t easy being in the North and realizing that Suki wasn¡¯t here.


    When I heard Clementine say they went on a mission, a dangerous mission, and returned with the coals, I felt really disappointed.


    They all came back, even Oriana, who was terrified of the North.


    She survived, so why? Then why was Suki the only one who didn¡¯t return?


    It made no sense, and it affected my mental health deeply.


    "Joshua, are youing too? You should take a nap first. I¡¯ll be on guard duty with Mira. The ck Squad refuses to work with us," Jack said as he came up behind me.


    I was staring out the small window.


    The windows had been boarded up, but I found a tiny opening.


    I needed to see the house Clementine had mentioned.


    "It¡¯s okay. Let them be," Imented. "I don¡¯t think they know what they¡¯re doing right now, so it¡¯s better if they aren¡¯t involved in anything. I can stay awake though," The three of them acted like Oriana¡¯s puppets, so involving them in anything important, or rted to safety, was pointless.


    "Are you sure you want to stay awake first?" Jack asked again.


    "Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine. Go ahead, take a nap," I replied, ncing at Mira, who was patrolling the living room.


    I was fine sitting alone, lost in my thoughts.


    "Why are you so interested in the underground tunnel?" my wolf asked.


    "Do you feel lonely? Ever since she¡¯s gone, nothing seems interesting enough," I said, staring out the window.


    "I know Clementine and her squad have trouble, but that doesn¡¯t seem enough," my wolf added. I nodded, he was right.


    It wouldn¡¯t be too much of a punishment.


    "Do you think Oriana got her hands on something magical?" I whispered, knowing no one else could hear me.


    "What if she did? What does it mean for us?" my wolf asked.


    "If she can control someone, why can¡¯t we do something magical to bring Suki back?" I asked, my hands shaking as I remembered that night.


    Losing her had been the hardest thing I¡¯d ever experienced.


    I tried to move on.


    During the vacation, I did everything I had enjoyed beforeing to the North, partying, ying golf, running around, boxing, but nothing worked.


    At one point, I even stopped trying.


    My eyes were fixed on the house. Soon it began to rain, but even the downpour couldn¡¯t blur my vision.


    The house with the underground tunnel.


    I turned around and wandered through the living room, passing the ck Squad¡¯s bedroom.


    This time they had taken two rooms.


    The men refused to share one with Oriana.


    In fact, the three of them crammed into a single bed, lying stiffly as if afraid that any open space would be imed by her.


    Furious, Oriana stormed off and took the other room for herself.


    Now she was alone in the bedroom, but there was something about her that held my attention.


    I stared at her, wondering if she was the only way I could bring Suki back.


    After a while, there was a change in the night duty.


    The others were supposed to wake up, but I stayed where I was while they took turns through the night.


    Clementine¡¯s squad mates didn¡¯t wake her.


    They said that since she used more of her strength than the others, she deserved to rest. That struck me as strange.


    She had left her old squad, joined a new one, and yet they respected her even more than before.


    Still, what puzzled me most was why any of her former squad mates would turn away from someone like Clementine.


    "I must admit, she has quite a spark. Her red outfit looked like something worn for revenge." My wolf stirred, but I shook my head.


    "I¡¯m not interested in talking about anyone else. You know that. You can¡¯t tempt me," I told him, refusing to let him think he could distract me with someone else just to make me move on.


    When Suki died, our bond shattered.


    My wolf might not have felt much pain anymore, but I did. I was still hurting. I couldn¡¯t move on from her.


    By morning, I already had ns. Everyone was awake and eating breakfast.


    Clementine sat with her squad mates, her eyes asionally on her former ones, probably discussing what we¡¯d talked about the previous night.


    Everyone was suspicious of Oriana, and I could tell she sensed it.


    She had already called out several people for staring at her since dawn.


    "Clementine, a word."


    I reached her table and gestured for her to follow me.


    The moment I did, I noticed the male members of her old squad nce up at me.


    If looks could kill, I¡¯d have been dead.


    Even the blind could have sensed their jealousy, their wish to be the one calling Clementine over.


    But none of them dared speak, Oriana sat right beside them.


    "Boys, pay attention."


    She pped her hands once, and all three jolted, turning their eyes back to her.


    Clementine rose from her squad mates and walked over to me.


    We went to the kitchen, and I signaled Jack to make sure no one else came in or lingered nearby to overhear us.


    "What is it?" she asked, her tone sharp and confident.


    The way she dressed now, paired with that attitude, made her look like walking fire, and I didn¡¯t mean that in a lustful way, just being honest.


    "We need to get Oriana alone, away from those three."


    I watched her raise an eyebrow while washing her hands at the sink.


    "Why are you so interested in freeing my squad mates from whatever magic Oriana has on them?" she questioned.


    As expected, convincing Clementine wouldn¡¯t be easy. She was unpredictable.


    "When I tried talking to you earlier, your squad mates red at me. I realized one whistle from her, and they could attack me. Besides, we need them in their right mind."


    Before I could continue exining, Clementine raised her palm to silence me.


    "You seriously think I believe you when you say you want to help them? I remember your threat from that night. You said, clear as day, that you¡¯d make them suffer. So tell me, what is it?" she asked.


    She made it nearly impossible for me to lie to her.


    Why did she have to be so difficult? Why couldn¡¯t she just listen and believe me?


    "Okay, fine. I want them free of her influence so they can go back to caring about you. So that when I punish you, they¡¯ll feel the pain I felt when I lost Suki."


    That sounded like the perfect excuse, or so I thought, because Clementine immediately shook her head andughed.


    "Come back when you have a good excuse, Joshua," she remarked with a tired look before walking out of the kitchen.


    I clenched my jaw and grunted under my breath. She was so damn annoying.


    "What is it? What¡¯s going on?" Jack appeared, asking why I¡¯d shifted my tone with Clementine.


    "We need to get our hands on Oriana. We have to find out how she¡¯s managed to gain so much power and control over those three alphas," I told him, resting my hand on his shoulder.


    It was my way of reminding him that we could still be friends.


    And I knew he wanted to be. He¡¯d said it more than once.


    After a while, we joined Clementine¡¯s squad.


    Oriana still sat alone, keeping the three alphas¡¯ strength away from us.


    "So next time, when the Whisperer arrives, before he starts whispering, we¡¯ll be ready," Clementine repeated what she¡¯d already told the others. "There will be two groups. One will take care of those who fall victim to his whispers, and the other will kill the men." she paused.


    "Now, we only have a few weapons, all knives. Let¡¯s put them in one ce. Once we realize who the victim is, during the statement of guilt, the other group will grab the weapons to make sure the victim doesn¡¯t get any. Then it¡¯ll be quick and done. I hope this time, when everyone¡¯s ready to jump out the windows or doors, we¡¯ll finally catch that man."


    Clementine exined it well. It was a solid n, a good strategy to keep the victim safe and the Whisperer within our reach.


    It was going to work. But I didn¡¯t want it to. I stayed silent, letting them believe I was fully on their side.


    Everyone got distracted. There were no signs of the Whisperer.


    The door was quiet, and everyone gathered in the living room.


    Just the living room. I needed enough distraction to make them leave so I could unlock the door.


    The Fleshmingos were outside. I could already hear them.


    That was the only way to get Oriana alone and others distracted. I would let the fleshmingos in.


    As evening settled and still nothing had happened, everyone started getting tired.


    "Jack and Nate should take the watch while the rest of us rest," I said, assigning the duty to my two men.


    "I¡¯ll stay awake too," Clementine offered, raising her hand.


    As expected, she had to make things harder.

 Chapter 323-Abducted Our Own Crusader

    <h4>Chapter 323: 323-Abducted Our Own Crusader</h4>


    <strong>Joshua:</strong>


    "Well, you should stay awake at night. That¡¯s when we¡¯re most vulnerable, and we need the strongest yers up," I said to Clementine, avoiding her eyes.


    Every time I looked at her, she could tell if I was hiding something.


    "It¡¯s fine. I can stay awake at night too," she argued, making my jaw tighten.


    Hours passed with nothing happening and night arrived.


    After dinner, Oriana led the three alphas upstairs, probably because she didn¡¯t feel safe with Clementine awake.


    Everyone watched them leave. We all had the same thought, what kind of power did she have?


    Clementine looked restless, more so anxious.


    Then it happened.


    As everyone drifted to sleep and I pretended to be asleep on the couch, I saw Clementine lose control.


    She marched upstairs to check on her squad mates. And that was my moment, the course was clear.


    I gestured for Jack to keep an eye on Nate, since we weren¡¯t going to involve him either.


    However, instead of taking Nate to the side, like into the kitchen, as we had agreed, Jack walked over to me.


    He hunched down on the couch where I was lying, whispering.


    "Are you sure? Everybody¡¯s kind of sleeping. What if the Fleshmingose in and attack them? Shouldn¡¯t we have someone here to warn them so they can defend themselves?"


    As expected, Jack was starting to chicken out.


    I didn¡¯t understand why he couldn¡¯t grasp a single thing. We needed to consider ourselves first.


    "Jack, just do what I say, okay? I¡¯m not going to let anyone die, trust me. As soon as the door opens, you just start screaming that you¡¯ve seen a Fleshmingoe in and rush into one of the rooms."


    I tried to convince him by agreeing with me, but he still didn¡¯t seemfortable.


    That was when Oriana briskly walked downstairs, and it seemed the opportunity had finally presented itself.


    When Oriana came downstairs, I could tell she¡¯d had quite a sh with Clementine, or maybe it was one-sided, since only Oriana appeared.


    She looked panicked. Her zipper was half-open, and strands of her hair were caught in it.


    The front section of her hair looked tugged, as if someone had really yanked it.


    And I didn¡¯t need to guess who, it had to be Clementine.


    I sat up instantly when Oriana ran down the stairs.


    Jack and I exchanged a quick look, both of us hiding our smiles when she almost tripped on thest step before catching her bnce.


    She fixed her suit, tried to smooth her hair back to look presentable, but the piece stuck in her zipper made her wince.


    Her eyes darted upward, and I knew if I didn¡¯t act now, she¡¯d slip away again.


    She began pacing nervously, ncing toward the ceiling, listening for sounds, probably expecting the others to be fighting Clementine, since that¡¯s what she¡¯d been yelling about when she came down.


    But the silence upstairs told a different story.


    "Okay, Jack. Now¡¯s the time," I whispered.


    Jack¡¯s eyes widened. He was still hunched on the couch, his arm resting across the backrest.


    "Are you sure, Joshua?" he asked.


    "Yeah. It¡¯s just Nate downstairs, and I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t sell me out. Right now¡¯s our chance," I said, watching Jack run a hand through his hair nervously.


    "Listen, that¡¯s even better. Remember how you worried the Fleshmingos would get in while the others were asleep and unable to fight? Well, now she¡¯s awake. I can grab her, and you open the door. I¡¯ll run out with her, iming she left it unlocked. You¡¯ll tell everyone she came downstairs, scared of Clementine, and ran out. Then I went after her to make sure she didn¡¯t get herself in trouble."


    Iid out the n for Jack. This time, it actually sounded believable.


    "So, this way you¡¯ll be able to call everyone. Nobody will suspect we opened the door, and nobody will listen to her or believe her. Besides, you can close the door afterward to make sure everyone¡¯s safe," I told Jack, giving him a reassuring look and patting his elbow to push him into action.


    He started walking toward the door while I got up from the couch and walked straight over to Oriana, who immediately noticed me.


    "If you¡¯re going to advise me or suggest something, save it," she snapped, flipping me off and tilting her head until she realized I didn¡¯t want to talk.


    Her eyebrows drew together the moment I grabbed her arm.


    "What are you doing? Let me go!" she panicked.


    "Tell me the truth," I demanded, watching her eyes widen.


    "What do you mean? What truth? What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind? Let me go!" she yelled, raising her voice.


    I had to silence her. I covered her mouth with my hand, her pupils grew wide.


    "What are you doing?" Nate yelled, arriving at my side, confusion on his face.


    At the same time Jack opened the door.


    When Nate moved to lock it again, Jack held him back and whispered something.


    I turned Oriana, keeping my hand mped over her mouth, and began to drag her toward the exit.


    I had to get her out of there.


    She kicked and twisted, and when we reached the threshold she finally wriggled free, she¡¯d been thrashing so hard, and there were Fleshmingos right outside like we hadn¡¯t expected.


    I finally let go, and she bolted for the road.


    "Shit!" I grunted, sprinting after her. Jack lunged after me to help restrain her.


    "We need to get to her before she goes back and tells everyone we opened the door!" Jack yelled, shooting me a fierce look as we chased.


    At that point we didn¡¯t know the full damage inside the mansion, but I knew in my bones we¡¯d let Fleshmingos in.


    I reached Oriana and grabbed a handful of her hair.


    When I nced back, Nate was already running away from the mansion, but it was toote.


    Oriana was iling and fighting like a cornered animal, I wrapped my arm around her and mped my hand over her mouth again while Jack grabbed her legs and carried her.


    "Where to now?" Jack asked, panting.


    "To the underground station," I said, remembering it was another safe ce. Together we dragged her away.

 Chapter 324-It Is Like Taking Care Of Babies

    <h4>Chapter 324: 324-It Is Like Taking Care Of Babies</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What are you up to now," I whispered, more to steady myself than to call her.


    I had been sitting silently, watching Oriana with my mates, and everything was suddenly, painfully clear.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if that rity made me feel better or worse.


    It only reminded me how many times they had tried to exin themselves, and how I had refused to see it.


    Guilt wed its way up my chest.


    Ian was nowhere to be found.


    After briefing both the White Squad and my own on the n to kill the Whisperer, everyone had gone to rest.


    Everyone except me.


    I couldn¡¯t rest. Not while Oriana was still toying with them.


    When she led them upstairs, I felt something twist inside me.


    Exhausted but driven, I followed. I was halfway up the stairs inplete darkness when I heard her voice.


    "Come on, touch me here."


    The sound of it made my skin crawl.


    "Okay, wait¨C let me take off all my clothes. See? Then you¡¯ll feel it."


    That was it. I stepped out from behind the wall, my heart hammering in my chest.


    The scene before me froze me in ce.


    Yorick was pacing, running a hand through his hair, too tense to even look at her.


    Haiden sat on the floor, elbows on his knees, face buried in his palms.


    Troy stood stiffly in the corner, staring at the ceiling instead of at Oriana.


    And Oriana, that shameless witch, had already stripped down to almost nothing.


    She was reaching for herst piece of clothing when I burst in.


    "Hey!" she gasped, snatching a hand to her chest and fumbling to buckle her bra again.


    My rage was instant.


    The men¡¯s reaction said it all, the shock, the quick jerk of their heads toward me, the relief shing across their faces like they¡¯d just been freed from something suffocating.


    Oriana started zipping herself back into her bodysuit, her movements were so frantic that she kept messing up the zipper.


    I noticed something when I initially spotted her with her body suit down her stomach.


    But I didn¡¯t say anything at the moment as she was going to use my mates as her shield.


    They were still under her control.


    I couldn¡¯t confront her outright yet, if she gave themand, they¡¯d attack.


    And I wouldn¡¯t let them bear that guilt.


    "What¡¯s going on here?" I hissed, stepping closer.


    She frowned, fumbling with her zipper until she caught Yorick¡¯s reflection watching me instead of her.


    "Come on, help me with the rest," she snapped at him, like he was her servant.


    He didn¡¯t move.


    "Yorick!" she barked. "Pull the zipper up!"


    His jaw clenched. I could see the veins in his wrists straining, his fists tightening, his face turning red.


    He was fighting her, fighting whatever magic she had on him.


    I couldn¡¯t stand it any longer.


    "You bitch," I spat, storming forward. I grabbed her by the hair and yanked her away from them.


    "Ow! What the fuck!" she shrieked.


    I threw her off bnce, sending her sprawling onto the polished floor.


    She slid, hitting the ground hard beside the staircase.


    "Attack her!" Oriana screamed at my mates, panic twisting in her voice.


    But even as she barked themand, her hands were trembling, fumbling to finish zipping up her outfit.


    Her hair caught in the zipper, and she shrieked in pain.


    For the first time that night, she looked afraid.


    "What are you doing standing there? Attack her!" Oriana screamed again.


    This time she must have known I was going to attack, because I was ready to pounce. She didn¡¯t turn to face me, she bolted down the stairs.


    "When Ie back I want her beaten up," she shouted as she fled.


    I drew a deep breath and turned, expecting my mates to obey.


    Instead, they stood broken and in pain. Haiden bit his fist.


    Yorick clutched his hair in his hand. Troy was punching the wall, wincing with each hit.


    "It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll apologize to Oriana," I said, trying to steady my voice. "You don¡¯t need to hurt yourselves. You have defended her like she ordered you to."


    Slowly, they began to calm. Haiden pushed himself up, his voice rough.


    "So you¡ªyou¡¯re not going to mess with her anymore?" he asked.


    "Yes, Haiden. I¡¯ll apologize, and I¡¯ll make sure she knows you did an amazing job," I answered.


    Relief flowed through him like a visibly.


    Troy turned, and I saw bruises starting to form across his knuckles.


    Yorick stared at me with hollow eyes, but he was still looking. Tears threatened his eyes.


    "I¡¯m so sorry I didn¡¯t realize sooner," I told Yorick, meeting his gaze. "Now I see. I¡¯ll help you all."


    A faint, grateful smile flickered across Yorick¡¯s lips.


    Then a loud scream ripped from the second floor, Oriana¡¯s scream, and everything snapped.


    The three of them surged past me, instincts kicking in as they rushed to her aid.


    They left me standing alone, guilt rising in my chest for what she had done to them.


    I rushed after them. Part of me believed Oriana was being dramatic again, trying to pull their attention and drag them away from me.


    But another part whispered that it was something else, something darker.


    The moment I reached the bottom of the stairs, I understood.


    Fleshmingos were charging into the mansion, the door was wide open too.


    I ran downstairs, scanning the chaos around me. Everyone was panicking.


    Jack was nowhere to be seen. Nate was missing too, the two people who were supposed to be on lookout.


    Oriana was gone as well.


    I rushed to the couch where Joshua had been sleeping, but he wasn¡¯t there either.


    My mates were already fighting off the Fleshmingos, thankfully without waiting for Oriana¡¯s approval, but their blowscked strength.


    They weren¡¯t fighting hard enough.


    Grabbing a knife in each hand, I swung wildly, forcing the creatures back and protecting the mates who barely seemed interested in saving themselves.


    "Go upstairs!" I shouted. "Open the window and jump out, save yourselves! Or get on the rooftop, anything!"


    But they didn¡¯t listen. Of course they didn¡¯t. They would only listen to Oriana.


    And then I saw it, the Fleshmingos rushing toward the bedroom where my three innocent Red Squad members were sleeping.

 Chapter 325-Someone Got Us In Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 325: 325-Someone Got Us In Trouble</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I fought off as many fleshmingos as I could, cutting through the chaos while trying to save my mates, who had suddenly stopped fighting.


    They looked around nkly, lost.


    They were defending themselves, thankfully, but not killing any of the creatures.


    They¡¯d dodge, step aside, and freeze again.


    I had no choice but to charge forward, slicing down every Fleshmingo that lunged their way.


    When I saw a cluster of them heading toward my squadmates¡¯ room, something inside me snapped.


    I didn¡¯t care if I died, I would protect them.


    I sprinted to the door, mmed it shut, and stood in front of it, blocking the way.


    One Fleshmingo¡¯s neck met my de, another I stabbed straight through the eye just as it leapt for me.


    "Guys, wake up!" I shouted, pounding on the door.


    More of the creatures poured in, wing and shrieking.


    My only option left was to move my mates.


    I shoved Troy, Haiden, and Yorick toward the room, cutting down the monsters that got too close.


    Thankfully, they didn¡¯t resist.


    I kicked the door open and pushed them inside while still swinging both des.


    Mira and the others had woken up, but their faces were frozen in shock, too stunned to process what was happening.


    Just as I was about to follow them in, excruciating pain tore through my back.


    AFleshmingo had bitten me.


    Its beak mped down so hard that my whole body trembled.


    I spun around, shing at its neck, then stabbed it through the eye.


    It screeched as the others howled in response.


    Suddenly, a strong hand gripped the back of my neck and yanked me inside, mming the door shut behind me.


    It was Sebastian, finally awake, and just in time.


    Now all of us were trapped in the room.


    Mira, Sebastian, and Renee pressed their bodies against the door to hold it shut while I rushed to pry the window open.


    The mansion was suffocating with danger, we needed to get out if we wanted to live.


    "Come on, help me!" I yelled at Yorick, Haiden, and Troy. They looked around in confusion.


    "Where¡¯s Oriana?" Yorick asked.


    I rolled my eyes, tearing at the nailed nks on the window.


    "We can¡¯t hold it much longer!" Renee cried.


    The door shuddered under the weight of the monsters. I could see my squadmates¡¯ bodies lurch forward each time the creatures mmed into it.


    "Just a second!" I shouted. Finally, the windows were open.


    "Everyone out!" I screamed. My mates jumped first, and dread twisted in my chest¡ªthey were going after Oriana.


    I threw myself against the door, using my full weight to brace it.


    "Go after them!" I ordered my squadmates. "They¡¯re not in their senses¡ªprotect them!"


    "What about you?" Mira shouted.


    "I¡¯ll be fine! As soon as you¡¯re out, I¡¯ll follow!" I yelled back, forcing a reassuring tone.


    Thankfully, they didn¡¯t hesitate.


    One by one, they jumped out into the night while I pressed harder against the shaking door, fighting to hold it closed as the growls on the other side grew louder.


    Once I stepped out of the mansion, I realized how many Fleshmingos were already storming inside.


    The lurkers were going to have a hard time cleaning this ce up.


    At the same time, I had no idea how this had happened in the first ce.


    Two people were on guard duty, and I was with my squadmates.


    Did Oriana open the door? But why would she?


    She had run downstairs in a panic, almost frantic with worry, but it made no sense that she would go so far as to leave through the main door without her shields.


    Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense that she felt safer inside the mansion, surrounded by the ones under her spell?


    So many questions spun in my head as I stood on the open road, staring around in confusion, wondering where to go next.


    Then I heard someone yelling, waving her arms. I looked up and saw Mira holding Haiden from behind.


    "I¡¯m securing him! I¡¯m securing him!" she repeated, making meugh softly before I ran over to help.


    I grabbed Haiden by his cor and shook him.


    "You need to snap out of it!" I yelled in his face. I noticed his eyes wandering.


    "She¡¯s calling for us," he uttered.


    I frowned, ncing at Mira.


    "Oriana¡¯s calling for you? You can hear her?" I asked, because none of us could hear a thing.


    "I can hear her," he repeated, and Mira and I exchanged a look.


    We both realized this could be our way to find out what had actually happened.


    Maybe we could reach Oriana and ask if she was the one who left the door open and if she was, where the hell the White Squad had gone.


    Had they run off to save themselves, or had one of them been attacked?


    So many questions crowded my mind.


    "Okay, how about wee with you and save her?" I suggested.


    As soon as I said that, Haiden nodded quickly.


    "Okay, let¡¯s go," I told him, giving Mira a look to keep quiet about any doubts.


    We began following Haiden, almost in a hurry.


    Every time a Fleshmingo attacked, we fought them off together.


    Mira was a great fighter too¡ªunlike Oriana, who waspletely useless.


    No, Mira was strong, and she was honest and straightforward. I really enjoyed herpany.


    Haiden led us down the road between Fleshmingo Town and the big city. That¡¯s where we came across the others.


    "Oh my God, you guys are here? Thank goodness!" Renee eximed as soon as she saw us.


    She rushed over, gave me a quick hug, then hugged Mira too.


    Troy was walking straight ahead, just like Haiden, following the same unseen voice.


    "It¡¯s okay, you did great," I told Renee, patting her shoulder as she smiled faintly.


    As we continued walking briskly, we saw Sebastian moving beside Yorick.


    He turned toward us and gestured at him.


    "He¡¯s walking like a zombie," Sebastian remarked. "He kept fighting me to follow some voice, so I just let him go. I wanted to save him from the monsters, but I couldn¡¯t stop him from moving forward."


    I gestured to him that he had done well and didn¡¯t need to stop him.


    We just needed to follow the three of them now.


    The three walked in a straight line while we trailed behind.


    All of us were thinking the same thing, what the hell had happened?


    How had so many squad members gone missing?


    And who had left the damn door open?


    Then, my heart stopped when my three mates suddenly halted.


    I knew they could sense her nearby now.

 Chapter 326-I Got The Magical Lamp

    <h4>Chapter 326: 326-I Got The Magical Lamp</h4>


    <strong>Joshua:</strong>


    "Isn¡¯t this ce weirdly cold today?" Jack asked me as we looked around the empty station.


    "Well, that¡¯s because we have a problem with us," Imented, ncing at Oriana.


    "A cold one, a cold-hearted slut." I hissed at Oriana.


    She was tied up, her hands behind her back, her feet bound together and then secured to the back.


    Even her mouth had a piece of cloth in it.


    Jack had managed to find some material to restrain her.


    Her eyes were wide, staring in my direction. I could tell she was worried about what we were going to do.


    "Don¡¯t look at me like that. If you think I¡¯m going to go easy on you, you¡¯re wrong," I said, chuckling.


    "What exactly are we going to do with her?" Jack asked.


    I noticed the way Oriana¡¯s eyes widened, as if she wanted to know that herself.


    "Well, let¡¯s open her mouth so I can start questioning her," I said, gesturing at Jack to remove the cloth.


    He went ahead, pulled it out, and stepped back. The minute he did, she screamed at the top of her lungs.


    "Help! Help!"


    We both stayed in our spots, watching her.


    "Do you want any monster to find you here?" I asked.


    Her voice started to lose strength immediately.


    I knew enough about her, she was scared. Scared of the monsters.


    "Now, I have literally no interest in you," I said, leaning in slightly. "Seriously, I don¡¯t care what you did to Clementine or her squadmates, or how you possessed them. I don¡¯t care. The problem is, I want you to tell me exactly how you managed to do it. That¡¯s it." I raised my hands to show her that¡¯s all I wanted.


    Her eyes widened even more. She looked like she was panicking.


    "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about," she said instantly, making me roll my eyes and p my forehead.


    "You¡¯re going to make it hard for yourself then. I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll go crazy on you," Imented, pressing my lips tightly together to show her that either she tells the truth or she stays here indefinitely.


    "I¡¯m telling the truth! They just saw me, they fell for me, and that¡¯s it," she said, ncing between me and Jack.


    "Seriously, you want us to believe that they had Clementine in their squad and Haiden, her mate, decided to pick you over her? Do you think I¡¯m a fool?" I remarked, clenching my jaw as her resistance started to annoy me.


    She shook her head vigorously.


    "Just untie my hands. I really, really need to use the restroom."


    Her request came out of nowhere. I shared a nce with Jack and shook my head.


    "Not until you tell me. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to soil yourself," I said, pointing at her. Her eyes widened in disgust and disbelief.


    "How could you do this to me? I¡¯m just like you. I¡¯m one of you¡ªa crusader. How can you do this to a fellow crusader?" she cried, stomping her feet, which were tied tightly. She could only slide them back and forth.


    "You could go on a tangent, but I know for a fact that you have some kind of magical power, and I want to know what it is," I said in a in, cold tone.


    "So what are you going to do? Keep me tied up here? I didn¡¯t use any magic. If you want to make me stay here for the rest of your life, go on, you¡¯ll just be wasting your time," she replied, trying to sound clever like she always did.


    I knew the truth, just like the others.


    "Fine then. How about I throw you out in the open, tie you up somewhere miserable? How about that?" I asked, giving her a smile.


    Her face began to lose color.


    "You wouldn¡¯t do that. They wouldn¡¯t let you," she stammered in fear.


    "Who? Who wouldn¡¯t let me?" I questioned, squatting in front of her.


    "My squadmates. They¡¯ll be looking for me," she admitted hesitantly. I narrowed my eyes.


    "Yeah, well, if they¡¯re looking for you, where the fuck are they?" I remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Either you¡¯re using a spell, saying something, or you¡¯ve got a magicalmp. So tell me, what is it? If you tell me, I¡¯ll keep your secret. I just want to know how you acquired it and how I can," I added, my voice steady.


    As I pointed at my chest, her face grew paler, and her eyes widened.


    "Come on, Jack. Put that cloth back in her mouth. She¡¯s useless. We¡¯re going to toss her into the deeper parts of the North for a monster to take her," I said, gesturing for him to grab the cloth from the ground.


    She began shaking her head, protesting immediately. "No, no, no, no! Please, wait, wait, wait! Don¡¯t do that! How can you do this to your own crusader? Please, just listen!" she cried, struggling to get herself freed.


    The minute Jack approached to put the cloth in her mouth again, she finally yelled,


    "There¡¯s a piece of jewelry that I got from the Shadow Earth Eater!"


    I gestured for Jack to stop. Silence fell for a few seconds before I began to chuckle.


    "And where is that piece of jewelry?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    She shook her head again.


    "No, I won¡¯t let you know. You said you just wanted to know if I used magic," she reminded me.


    "Yes! There is something down in those tunnels that can help you with your request. All you need to do is ask her to make you a piece of jewelry, that¡¯s it. And in return, you¡¯ll have to make a sacrifice," she exined, her voice trembling.


    Suddenly, a thud echoed against the door. Then I heard the most cursed voice ever, "Oriana, are you in there?" Clementine screamed from the other side.


    I looked at Jack in disbelief. Why the hell would shee here to rescue Oriana?


    Then I noticed the sheer panic in Jack¡¯s eyes while Oriana seemed hopeful as she nced at me.


    "I... I am here," Oriana managed, before I jumped on her and mped my hand over her mouth.


    "She is in there!" Clementine yelled again from the other side, her voice full of fury.

 Chapter 327-Tension Between The Crusaders

    <h4>Chapter 327: 327-Tension Between The Crusaders</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    It was pretty crazy that the three of my mates led us straight to the ce where I knew Oriana was.


    But it didn¡¯t make sense to me why she would go out of her way to hide in a subway station.


    For a brief moment, I wondered if it was her way of trying to portray me as a danger.


    But when I arrived, it didn¡¯t seem like she was alone there.


    As soon as I realized she was either being held captive or something else was going on, I decided to get inside.


    However, these safe ces were built so securely that not even a monster could enter unless the door or windows were left open.


    Getting inside was going to be a difficult task.


    We began to ponder what to do next. The three alphas, for some reason, were agitated to save her, but they weren¡¯t acting recklessly.


    That honestly upset me, because knowing them, if they¡¯d known one of the crusaders needed help, they would¡¯ve gone crazy for it.


    But the fact that they couldn¡¯t, it made me realize they were probably under some sort of spell, maybe one cast by Oriana herself.


    And since she was held captive, she wasn¡¯t able to get help.


    "Okay, whoever¡¯s inside, open the fucking door, because we¡¯re not leaving this ce! We¡¯ll stand outside and wait for you to get tired and open it, even if it takes twenty years, or eternity!" I yelled in desperation, my fists clenched.


    Everyone else went silent.


    Then I banged on the door again, angrily.


    "And if you think I¡¯ll give up, you¡¯re so fucking wrong! You don¡¯t know me yet! So either open the fucking door, or just die in there!" I threatened and sat down in front of the door, cross-legged.


    Everyone there knew how stubborn I was. If I sat in front of the door, no one would be able to move me.


    After a minute or two, I heard the door unlock.


    My body tensed, and I stood up straight, my fingers tightening around my knife. When the door opened, well, what do you know, it was Joshua on the other side.


    "Joshua?" I blurted.


    The boys instantly tried to rush past him, but Joshua spread his arms, stopping them.


    "Joshua, what¡¯s going on? Do you have Oriana in there with you?" I asked in disbelief.


    He started nodding, and everyone gasped.


    "Did you kidnap one of us?" Mira wondered.


    The way Joshua turned to re at her made me snap my fingers in front of his face.


    "Hey, talk to me," I told him, not wanting him to throw a tantrum at my squadmates.


    Mira immediately ced her hand on my back to show her support, silently acknowledging the small things I did for the team.


    "Yes, I have her with me," Joshua began, "but before you all attack me, just listen to why I had her with me."


    He hurried to exin himself after realizing how everyone reacted to the fact that Oriana was with him.


    "What exnation could you possibly give," I challenged, "other than being interested in whatever power she has to control my squadmates?"


    I didn¡¯t stutter once as I used him directly. I knew that was the reason he had her.


    Why else would he abduct her?


    I had seen the glint in his eyes ever since he discovered that she possessed some kind of power and now she was controlling the alphas.


    "Okay, you guys are all pushing a narrative against me," Joshuained. "She came downstairs, scared of Clementine, and opened the door, running outside. I, being a decent person, went after her, not only to help her, but also because my squadmates were trying to keep the fleshmingos from getting in. That¡¯s how we ended up out there. Then I grabbed her because I realized she had put everyone¡¯s life in danger, and she was going to control the alphas to kill the rest of you."


    Joshua¡¯s voice rose as he tried to take control of the narrative.


    "So yeah, if anyone should be med for it, it¡¯s Clementine. Why did you attack her? You made her open the door! What if someone had died?"


    He paused briefly, scanning the room to make sure everyone was still there, then went onining.


    "Oh, shut the fuck up. Clementine didn¡¯t do any of that, it was you. You were the one interested in that magical thing," Renee snapped, letting him know that everyone was done being manipted.


    "Well, fine, maybe she didn¡¯t do anything if that¡¯s what you believe," Joshua retorted. "But Oriana left the door open, and we went after her." He took a deep breath before continuing.


    "Well, all you had to do was shut the door," I countered. "If you knew she could control alphas and had that kind of power, you should¡¯ve let her be. Or at least one of you could¡¯ve gone after her while the others locked the door. Don¡¯t you think so?"


    "What the fuck is wrong with you guys?" he yelled. "Fine, we made a mistake, but it was Oriana. And yes, I captured her so we could finally find out what she¡¯s up to. And let me tell you something, she confessed to having some kind of magical jewelry she¡¯s been using to control these three idiots!"


    Joshua pointed at the three, and for the first time during the conversation, I felt my heartbeat falter. Everyone else seemed just as stunned.


    "What?" Renee whispered from behind me, her shock evident.


    "That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!" Joshua shouted. "And you all thought I did this because I wanted power. But yes! it¡¯s true. I don¡¯t think we are safe with that magical thing being in her control."


    At this point, it was frustrating. Everyone started exchanging nces, and I could tell some of them were beginning to agree with him.


    "Where is she now?" I demanded.


    He finally stepped aside and pointed inside. The three alphas rushed past him immediately.


    "Who else is with you? Do you have Jack and Nate?" I pressed.


    Joshua sighed and pointed toward the back again.


    "Jack¡¯s there, but we lost our friend on the way." He hesitated before adding quickly, "I mean, he took off. I¡¯m not sure where he is."


    We stood there in silence as the other three untied Oriana. When she walked out, she instantly grabbed Joshua by the cor.


    "You fucking kidnapped me!" she shouted furiously.


    By now, we already knew he had confessed to it.


    "And you fucking used some magical jewelry to control my squadmates!" I yelled at her, grabbing her by the back of the head and forcing her to face me.


    My squadmates flinched and squared up against me, ready to fight me for her.

 Chapter 328-The Whispering Man Caught Us.

    <h4>Chapter 328: 328-The Whispering Man Caught Us.</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Good, my boys. Stay alert. Look what they¡¯re doing to me." Oriana started speaking to Yorick, Troy, and Haiden, who had their fists clenched as they advanced toward me.


    The way they stood around her was a warning in itself, I needed to let go of her hair.


    "How about we take her inside and question her?" Mira suggested. Joshua shot her a judgmental nce, but she only shrugged in confusion, not understanding the meaning behind his harsh stare.


    "When we were doing it, you guys came in and ruined everything," Joshuained.


    "Well, we didn¡¯t know what was going on inside, did we?" I replied. "But Mira¡¯s right. We should take her inside."


    As soon as I said that, I think Oriana realized that once she was alone in there with us, she would have to talk.


    I mean, this piece of jewelry, where else could she be hiding it?


    We would pat her down and take it off her, and none of her excuses would work then.


    Maybe that¡¯s why she began to resist.


    "Attack them!" she shouted, shocking us with how little she understood about the dangers of the North, that we were outside, surrounded by darkness, with monsters lurking all around.


    The moment she yelled, chaos erupted. The air turned dusty, so heavy it became suffocating.


    I didn¡¯t notice at first that when they freed her, she had grabbed a piece of rope.


    Before I knew it, she looped it around my neck while I was still clutching her hair.


    She tried to shove me back, pulling at the rope, but I forced my fingers inside the knot and tore it loose, then punched her in the face.


    She stumbled backward, and Joshua caught her from behind. But Yorick charged at him, knocking him off her and throwing him to the ground.


    The others, Troy, Haiden, and Yorick, kept fighting, though it seemed they were just trying to restrain us rather than hurt us.


    "Keep them busy! Don¡¯t hurt them! I¡¯ll take Oriana into the station!" I shouted.


    Jack and the others immediately jumped to their feet, surrounding Troy, Haiden, and Yorick.


    But the moment the three felt cornered, they let their wolves out, and I feared for my squadmates and Jack, they couldn¡¯t possibly overpower three Alphas.


    Oriana got to her feet and sprinted toward the road, trying to escape, but I wrapped my arms around her waist to stop her. She tried to elbow me, but I turned my head aside just in time.


    Joshua and I sprinted after her once again as she darted down the road toward the deeper part of the North.


    I picked up my speed and reached her, but Oriana stopped instantly.


    She crouched and grabbed a handful of dust from the debris of a broken house I remembered from before, when Ian and Joshua had been trapped under it, and she threw the dust at me.


    I quickly crossed my arms over my eyes to shield myself. Joshua caught up and grabbed her shoulder. She spun and drove her elbow into his ribs.


    If she¡¯d worked this hard to defend herself against monsters, she probably didn¡¯t even need that magical thing.


    But it¡¯s true, when fear gnaws at you and you lose your confidence, you make mistakes, and that¡¯s exactly what happened to her.


    Still, he didn¡¯t let go of her shoulder. She twisted, hooked her leg behind his knee, and yanked. He hit the ground hard.


    We were trying not to hurt her but to restrain her while she attacked us.


    That was the problem. I rushed in, knowing she was going to get hurt in the process.


    Oriana caught my wrist when I tried to grab her hair, but I was stronger.


    I twisted her, rolling her behind me, she tried to free my wrist, but it was toote.


    I held on, squatted, and rolled her over my shoulder, mming her onto the road.


    "Oh, you bitch!" she screamed in pain.


    "Joshua, carry her to the subway," I ordered, staggering to the side.


    Joshua was up immediately, he grabbed her, lifted her, and secured her arms behind her back.


    My eyesnded on the other side of the road with all the chaos going on.


    "Guys, it¡¯s okay, just let go!" I screamed at my squadmates. It looked like the three Alphas had taken their anger out on them.


    Because Oriana was too busy tomand them, the Alphas faltered for a moment, which let my squadmates and Jack survive the worst of it.


    Once they loosened their grip, Oriana started screaming,


    "Come on, help me! Help me!" She wriggled free from Joshua because he and I had to brace for Troy, Haiden, and Yorick lunging at us.


    Then the three suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, and I noticed a flicker of hesitation in Oriana.


    She tried to run but tripped and fell.


    "Ah! Why aren¡¯t you doing anything? I¡¯m telling you to attack the two! Just fucking kill them!" she screamed.


    Then she did something that caught both my and Joshua¡¯s attention, she began scratching her belly.


    "Why isn¡¯t it working?" she cried. The world seemed to freeze.


    My eyes met Joshua¡¯s and then I looked at the others. It was like a film rewinding, and I remembered the belly chain.


    She¡¯d never had it before.


    I remembered seeing it when she was y-fighting under Haiden, there were times I¡¯d glimpsed that thing on her, and when she refused to show her belly while asking Troy which dress to wear.


    Suddenly everything made sense. Before I could fully register it, Joshua lunged shoulder-first and threw her onto the road.


    As soon as shended, he started strangling her. It all happened in a split second.


    Jack rushed toward him, but neither of the alphas moved.


    I noticed them staring at me instead. It was the most unsettling, desperate kind of stare, a silent cry for help.


    Then my heart skipped a beat when I heard a voice in the distance.


    "Do you guys want to hear something exciting? Just focus on my whispers, then," it said.


    It was the Whisperer, and he had found us all in the middle of the road, in the middle of the night, with no n left.

 Chapter 329-Lost A Soldier From Guilt

    <h4>Chapter 329: 329-Lost A Soldier From Guilt</h4>


    <strong>Joshua:</strong>


    Everybody was silent for a second before panic settled in.


    "Come on, Mira, everyone, push the three into the subway station! Make sure you lock the door from the inside," Clementine yelled at her red squadmates, ordering them to get the three to safety.


    However, it wouldn¡¯t be easy because the three alphas were starting to pick up on what was happening to Oriana.


    And once that happened, they would go back into their protective phase.


    "But wait, I don¡¯t think they can even hear the whispers," Renee pointed out.


    As soon as she said that, I noticed the three alphas looking around in confusion,pletely unbothered by the whispers.


    "They haven¡¯t even looked in the direction of the whisperer anymore because she¡¯s already in their heads!" I shouted, making everyone realize they were unaffected.


    Somewhere along the line, it struck me that the magical force was far more powerful than I had imagined.


    It became even more important for me to get that piece of jewelry from her stomach.


    She had a belly chain, I could feel it through her bodysuit. That had to be it.


    She was using that belly chain to control the three alphas.


    "What the hell are you doing?" Oriana screamed as I turned her around and pulled her zipper down.


    "No! You guys don¡¯t see? He¡¯s sexually assaulting me!" she shouted, trying to twist the situation into something it wasn¡¯t.


    I wasn¡¯t interested in her.


    The moment I unzipped the suit, I grabbed the chain from the back, not even wanting to turn her around or look at her.


    I didn¡¯t pull her suit down, I just reached for the chain.


    "What are you doing? Come on, everybody, we need to get into the subway!" Clementine yelled, running over when she noticed what I was doing.


    Finally, I yanked the chain from Oriana¡¯s back and it snapped free.


    I didn¡¯t need to check whether it was broken, it didn¡¯t matter. I had the chain.


    I pulled it out of her body and let her go.


    But before I could get to my feet, she spun around and tried to grab my cor to reach for the chain.


    I caught her by the back of her hair.


    At that moment, the whisperer stepped too close forfort.


    It was a man, tall, broad, wearing arge ck hood that hid his facepletely.


    None of us could see any of his features; the darkness beneath the hood swallowed his identity.


    Gasps erupted at his scary presence.


    "Are you all ready to listen to my whispers? I can tell you some words full of wisdom," he began to speak.


    There was no barrier anymore. Even though he was whispering, his voice came crystal clear.


    Even when others were terrified, I didn¡¯t have to be. I held the ultimate power in my hand.


    I raised the chain so everyone could see it and stared at the man who stood just a few feet away.


    We were still on the road, the four of us, Oriana, Clementine, Jack, and me.


    The others were across the street near the subway station.


    "You will obey me from now on," I dered, channeling the power of the chain. "I order you to listen to me!" I shouted again, gripping the pendant tightly and ring straight into the darkness in the whisperer¡¯s hood.


    Everyone around me had been panicking until they noticed how confident I looked.


    They stopped trying to run. Now they just watched with intrigue, ready to celebrate the whisperer¡¯s downfall.


    "Come on, get on your knees and beg for my forgiveness!" I yelled, still clutching the pendant with one hand while holding Oriana tightly with the other.


    She kept struggling to break free, but I wouldn¡¯t let her go.


    She was so foolish. This was her magical chain. She should have known she¡¯d be safe with it.


    The whisperer stared at me, then slowly began to kneel before me. Everyone watched in disbelief.


    With this chain, I was going to control all the monsters, everyone who dared disobey me. I was going to change everything.


    But before the man could bowpletely, he startedughing, one hand pressed against his chest.


    My eyes darted to Oriana. She was swallowing hard, fear was written all over her face as she stared at me.


    "What¡¯s going on? Is it not working?" I demanded.


    "Do you not understand such a simple thing? it was meant for me! It was crafted especially for me, for those three helpers, and nobody else!" she screamed.


    It felt as if my soul had left my body.


    My gaze shifted. Panic erupted once again among everyone, but one person stood in greater danger than all the rest.


    "I¡¯m guilty," Jack said suddenly.


    Cold shivers ran up and down my spine.


    "What?" I muttered, turning toward Jack, who stood a few paces away now.


    "I¡¯m guilty of sleeping with your mate," he continued, "It is my fault that you are so troubled now. It is all my fault that you and her fought and you praised Clementine before her. If I hadn¡¯t done that, you would have still seen her as the best among everyone and she wouldn¡¯t have be so jealous enough to risk everyone¡¯s life and hers too."


    His words crushed me whole.


    All this time I was running after a mate who had died and ignoring a friend who was suffering beside me, guilty and needing a conversation.


    "He¡¯s under the power of the Whisperer!" Clementine was the first to realize it and scream.


    Before she could reach him, Jack raised a silver knife to his neck and shed it open.


    The cut was so deep his head was nearly severed.


    "No!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, trembling miserably, the chain still clutched in my hand.


    "You idiot!" Oriana yelled, shoving me aside as she snatched the chain from my grasp.


    She sprinted in the opposite direction, toward the station, while Clementine charged at the Whisperer in fury.


    My body went numb for a few seconds before I rushed toward Jack and dropped to my knees beside him.


    Blood gushed from his neck like a fountain.

 Chapter 330-Finally Awake

    <h4>Chapter 330: 330-Finally Awake</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    For a moment, everything blurred, and then it felt as if I had just woken from a long sleep.


    But my body still wouldn¡¯t respond to me. It was as if I were trapped inside it while someone else controlled it.


    Even as I regained consciousness, my movements were sluggish and dyed.


    I found myself standing beside two other broad, muscr men.


    For a moment, I couldn¡¯t tell who was who. There were people scattered around, some standing on the road.


    One of them held a piece of jewelry and a woman by her hair, while another woman, dressed entirely in red, caught my eye.


    My heart skipped a beat at the sight of her. Her beauty stunned me.


    I didn¡¯t know who she was, but her gorgeous, curly red hair had my full attention, until one of the men slit his own throat and blood spurted out.


    I tried to focus on him, but the red-haired woman kept stealing my attention.


    Before I was fully awake, I noticed the woman who had been held captive being released.


    She snatched the chain from the man and ran toward me.


    Halfway through, she raised the chain and held it high for me to see.


    "Come with me to the subway! We¡¯ll be safe there!" she shouted.


    My body moved on its own, obeying her voice. I followed her instinctively.


    Before I realized it, there were four of us inside the subway. She locked the door from the inside.


    "Come on, follow me deeper in. You don¡¯t want to hear those whispers. Trust me," she said.


    I looked around in confusion.


    What whispers?


    I couldn¡¯t hear anything except her voice.


    As she walked further into the dark tunnel, the two men followed beside me.


    "My God, this is devastating. What are we going to do now? They already know everything. How will we go back to the maind?" she muttered in frustration, her words more like gibberish.


    Then she tugged her suit down from the front, revealing her bra, but nothing in me stirred.


    She began wrapping the belly chain around her waist.


    "Okay, guys, you will listen to me," she said, realizing the chain was broken.


    "Oh," she groaned, unwrapping it again and lifting it to her side, trying to mend it. I kept watching her.


    "Of course we will," I finally said, breaking the silence.


    She lifted her head and gave me a small smile, as if to show how much she appreciated my words.


    "Now, you three are going to use your brains ande up with a n to survive the night, and a way to go back to the tunnel. I¡¯ll ask her to get me another piece of jewelry, something less noticeable."


    Oriana tapped her finger against her chin, thinking hard.


    "This one seems broken," she murmured, "but I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll still work. The problem is that others already know. So I¡¯ll just wear it like an essory. When they go to the ringleaders to expose me, I¡¯ll hand them the jewelry. Then the ringleaders will think Joshua was lying, or maybe that he just lost his mind after his mate¡¯s death."


    Oriana spoke with a smirk, and I began to nod slowly, ncing at Yorick and then Haiden.


    The two of them watched her in silence, just as I did.


    "So now, we won¡¯t go out and let them deal with whatever trauma they¡¯re going through. At the same time, we need to find another end to this subway, because of course it must open somewhere," Oriana continued, pouting as she looked around.


    "Gosh, it¡¯s such a scary night," she remarked.


    "Of course it is," I replied, and once again she turned to give me a smile for agreeing with her.


    "Okay, you three need to find me a way out of this subway. I don¡¯t know why, but I can¡¯t even hear the shadow woman whisper in my ear anymore," sheined, shaking the jewelry. "Maybe Joshua broke it," she grunted under her breath. "Come on, lead the way."


    "Yeah he did," Yorick whispered but she didn¡¯t pick it.


    She finally put her suit back on, holding the jewelry in her hand, and gestured for us to follow her orders.


    The three of us immediately sprang into action, stepping in front of her because why not? We had to get her out of this ¡¯safe subway.¡¯


    We began to walk, just following the route. I couldn¡¯t tell how far we had gone when we finally started to see a faint light ahead.


    It was the other end of the subway station.


    She was the first to gasp and then rushed past us, almost skipping with excitement.


    "Okay, see? I knew it. Now we need to make sure this ce opens somewhere safe," she said, smirking happily. "Come on, open it," she told Yorick, stepping aside.


    Yorick turned to look at us, then followed hermand and reached for the door.


    As soon as he opened it, it felt as though everything we knew came crashing down. This was the real horror.


    It seemed to be the base of the North, massive, towering buildings looming over us. But what frightened me most was the air itself. As soon as we stepped outside, we could feel strange dust swirling around.


    "Okay, this is nasty. This air is disgusting. Oh my God, where are we?" Oriana muttered, coughing softly.


    She adjusted our positions, arranging us so we stood around her like a triangle. She clung to the back of Haiden¡¯s shirt and to Yorick¡¯s, walking between us while I took the lead.


    "What is this ce?" she asked.


    Then we heard chittering, strange, insect-like noises echoing from above and all around.


    It was still night, but it felt darker, heavier, more terrifying than before.


    "Where are we? Are you boys going to find out or not? Am I supposed to do everything?" she snapped.


    I turned my head over my shoulder to look at her.


    "What? Why are you looking at me?" she hissed, rolling her eyes as she pulled out the chain and shook it.


    "Fine, listen to me. Okay? Just listen to my orders," she repeated, trying to regain control by showing the broken piece of jewelry to us.


    "I think this is the most dangerous part of the North, Oriana" I remarked, saying her name out loud through my clenched teeth and I saw her eyes widen.

 Chapter 331-We Lost A Big War

    <h4>Chapter 331: 331-We Lost A Big War</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    "How are we going to reach Fleshmingo Town from here?" she asked, ncing around.


    Both Yorick and Troy turned toward her and I caught the look of panic spreading across her face.


    "Why aren¡¯t you listening to me? How are we going to find the way?" she almost screamed before quickly silencing herself, afraid some monster might hear.


    That¡¯s when I spoke.


    "Didn¡¯t you say Joshua might have broken the chain? Then why do you still insist on us listening to you?"


    As soon as the words left my mouth, I saw the color drain from her face.


    "Wait, I don¡¯t understand. What is going on? How are you talking to me?" She began to stutter, taking small steps backward.


    "Why? How do you want us to speak with you, huh?" Yorick asked, his eyes turning red.


    It was the kind of anger that I don¡¯t think any of the three of us had ever felt before.


    Memories began returning to me, and I could tell they wereing back to the others as well.


    Everything that had happened over time pressed down on me like repeated blows to the gut.


    The red-haired girl I had, until now, remembered as a monster because of Oriana was my Clementine.


    There were moments when I had fought hard to be with her, to tell her that my tongue was tied, that I was slowly losing my grip on everything, reality and her love, but I couldn¡¯t.


    Now it was clear to me that I hadn¡¯t really been living all these days.


    I didn¡¯t remember feeling anything.


    I had memories of doing things, but they felt like scenes from a movie I had watched, not events I had actually lived.


    "Listen, look at this chain." Oriana raised her hand and dangled the chain in mid-air.


    As soon as Troy clenched his fists and his knuckles cracked, she began lowering the chain in fear.


    "You three are¡ª" She stuttered again, took a heavy breath, and tried to look around, but I knew she was too scared to move her eyes from us.


    "You made us hurt Clementine," Troy hissed.


    We stepped closer, and she couldn¡¯t even back away. She knew the moment she turned her back to us, we would strike.


    "We became friends. I took care of you guys, so you wanted to help me. Clementine was rude to you. She was rude to me. Remember how she acted so skeptical of your character?" Oriana tried to make excuses, thinking they would work.


    Then she raised the chain again, hoping it might help this time. She dangled it more aggressively.


    "Why the fuck isn¡¯t it working?" There was a shake in her voice as tears rolled down her cheeks.


    I pped the back of her hand, making her wince in pain and drop the chain.


    Before it hit the ground, Yorick grabbed it and tossed it to Troy, who positioned himself behind her.


    She noticed him and then turned to us with wide eyes. "What are you three nning to do? Don¡¯t forget I¡¯m a woman and a crusader. I¡¯m not a monster," she said.


    I wasn¡¯t sure about the others, but I was scared. I was scared of what the magic had done to my rtionship with Clementine.


    Thest time I remembered, I had been trying hard to make her choose me.


    But so much had happened since then that I wondered if the small love in her heart had been reced with anger and hatred.


    Even if she now learned that we had been under a magic spell, it wouldn¡¯t automatically turn the emptiness in her heart back into love for me.


    Then I remembered that the three of us had been together, making mistakes.


    She was still single. I could try harder this time to win her heart, and I intended to do so. I couldn¡¯t wait to go back and hug her.


    "You stopped being anything to us the day you decided you would use magic on us to hurt the most cherished person we had ever known," I hissed.


    I noticed the way her face tightened at the mention of Clementine being held in such high regard, even now when she knew we were no longer under the spell and that her life was in danger, facing a confrontation she could not avoid, she still looked bitter toward Clementine.


    "You don¡¯t¡ª you have no right to punish me for it. If you want, you can just stop speaking with me," she pleaded, her shoulders rising as her hands curled into small fists, trying to find a way to fight us if it came to that.


    "Oh, you won¡¯t tell us what we are going to do now," Yorick hissed.


    Troy stepped forward and wrapped the chain around her neck.


    "Oh, what are you doing? It is hurting!" she shouted as he tightened the chain and pulled hard enough that it snapped.


    She realized she was free and tried to run to the side to escape, but she didn¡¯t know we wereing after her as she stumbled into a narrow alleyway.


    Troy, Yorick and I chased her, not very fast, because we wanted her to believe she was getting away before we crushed her hope and caught her.


    Troy rushed toward the wall, took a few steps up it, jumped over to the other side and grabbed her by the back of her hair.


    He mmed her against the wall, and she fell to the ground.


    Her hand reached for her forehead, and her eyes widened when she saw the blood on her palm.


    "Oh, you guys are the worst. Why would a man act like this toward a woman?" she cried.


    "Isn¡¯t that what you wanted us to do to Clementine?" I asked as I lowered myself on one knee in front of her and then squatted down. She looked terrified.


    "I did not. I don¡¯t know what you guys are talking about," she replied. Of course she would not admit she had done something wrong.


    "You know what?" Yorick remarked as he pped the back of her head.


    Every time one of us bullied her, she took a lot of offense.


    "You made us leave her behind among those ogres," he added, speaking about the one incident that might have made her stop loving us altogether.


    I was sure even Troy felt the same at the reminder, because we exchanged a nce and then looked back at Oriana. Our faces hardened.


    "Well, she¡ª survived," Oriana stuttered in a broken voice.


    Troy squatted behind her and brought his face close to her neck to whisper, "But you wouldn¡¯t."


    The moment he said that, he wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her up.


    She began scratching his arm and tried to fight him.


    We took her back to the main road.


    When we looked at the sky and the things flying above, it seemed like the moment those monstersnded on the ground, they would be terrifying.


    There were strange winged creatures soaring high, making sharp screeching noises.


    Then we heard something small but monstrous snickering as it ran from one street to another.


    All of us went silent for a moment. Too many noises, too many monsters.


    Then something in the distance stood slender and tall in the sky, only a silhouette but clearly present.


    "Please let me go," Oriana whispered softly, probably looking at the same creature as us.


    "Tie her to a pole. We are leaving her here," I told Troy, who nodded and dragged her toward the pole.


    "No, you cannot do this!" she cried almost instantly.


    Yorick had carried the rope from the subway station when we entered, probably the same one Joshua had used to tie her before.


    We now tied her hands behind her back around the pole.


    "No, please, please, please," she begged instantly, but it was toote.


    "You were scared of the North, weren¡¯t you? How about you stay here and figure out a way?" I said in a deep, velvety voice as I stepped back from her.


    She began trembling right in front of us.


    "Goodbye, Oriana," Yorick hissed at her.


    "You better hope you die here, because we will be bigger monsters than whatever is out there for you," he added.


    Troy, meanwhile, flipped her off with his middle finger. She could not even scream, too afraid the monsters would hear her.


    We turned and sprinted back into the subway, mmed the door, and locked it from the inside, leaving her outside to deal with the monsters.


    At the same time, we began rushing back.


    Now that the memories were returning, we realized there was a whisperer whose whispers hadn¡¯t affected us before.


    But now, freed from the trance, we could hear them and react.


    It did not matter. In my head, all I could think about was Clementine.


    I remembered thest time I had seen her attack the whisperer. I had to go and save her.


    We sprinted with all our speed, and in no time we were back at the subway station.


    As soon as we opened the door and rushed out, expecting chaos, and knowing Clementine would likely handle herself, we saw a sight that changed everything for me.


    The rest of the world and the crusaders disappeared from my vision.


    There were only two people, Ian standing in front of Clementine.


    Both had bruises and blood on different parts of their bodies, as if they had been fighting monsters.


    But what happened next shook the ground from beneath me.


    Their stares alone told me something was happening, something beyond just fighting monsters.


    Clementine rushed at him, and he wrapped his arms around her, crashing his lips against hers.


    It was not a sudden kiss, it seemed urgent and full of emotion.

 Chapter 332-Back Into My Arms, My Mate

    <h4>Chapter 332: 332-Back Into My Arms, My Mate</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Through Joshua¡¯s wailing, I hadnded on top of the Whisperer. Before I could throw a single punch, he grabbed my fist and twisted it. I heard my wrist break. I screamed as he tossed me away.


    Mira and Renee came from behind, attacking the Whisperer, but he dodged them effortlessly.


    Sebastian ran and jumped on top of him. The Whisperer seemed so alert that he turned instantly and raised his hand, stopping Sebastian midair. For a few seconds, we just watched in horror before he moved his hand, and the wind flung Sebastian far from us.


    As hended on the road, we realized the men didn¡¯t only hold the power to whisper deadly suicidal thoughts, he had magic.


    With that done, I forced myself to get up and attack again. I grabbed my fist and twisted it back into ce. My wolf, however, was struggling to stay contained.


    When I rushed at him again, he repeated the same motion and tossed me aside. Renee managed to rush at him from behind and climb on top, wrapping her arm around his neck. But he grabbed her from the back and hurled her to the ground, the sound of her bones cracking echoing in my ears.


    I leapt at him again. For the first time, Inded a punch on the dark hoodie, but it felt like my hand passed through nothing. Did he have no face at all? I stared in confusion. Shock rooted me in ce before he pushed me back, and Inded on the road again.


    This time, it seemed he wasn¡¯t just trying to throw me off¡ªhe was attacking. He raised his fist, but it never reached my face. Someone had arrived and stopped him. I looked behind the Whisperer and saw him clutch his wrist. His beautiful eyes shone even in the darkness. His presence was somanding that I almost forgot we were fighting. Others might have been fooled, but I wasn¡¯t. I knew who it was. It was Ian.


    Ian snatched the man away and dragged him onto the road before the two stood face to face. Ian released his hand when the wind began to blow harder, and the Whisperer punched him, but Ian caught his fist and forced him back.


    The rain started suddenly, making everything darker and harder to see. They began to strike and counter each other, but the Whisperer had far more power. Still, I noticed that Ian was incredibly strong as well.


    After a while, the Whisperer began to retreat. He shoved Ian and sprinted into one of the dark streets. Ian started to chase him, but I pushed myself to my feet and, without realizing what I was doing, I shouted,


    "Ian,e back, please,"


    I cried out before I even understood what I had done. I saw Ian stop at the entrance of the street.


    "I cannot lose you again. Just don¡¯t go," I pleaded, my voice loud enough for everyone around to hear.


    He turned and looked at me.


    "Don¡¯t go away again," I uttered, finally breaking down. I had held myself together for so long, but the moment Ian came into view, I fell apart. I showed him the side of me I had been hiding because he was the only one I trusted with it.


    As my knees gave out, Ian sprinted toward me. Before I could hit the ground, he had already grabbed my arms and held me upright. My hands rested on his chest, his hands were under my elbows, and our eyes stayed locked on each other. The rain prickled my skin with cold, and his cheeks had turned red, but the intensity of our stare made everything else fade.


    "I¡¯m here to stay now," he told me.


    As soon as he said it, a smile spread across my lips.


    "I was so scaredst time when your brother..." I began, but he ced his finger on my lips and shook his head.


    "You don¡¯t have to worry anymore. I¡¯m here," he reassured, gently brushing his fingers along my cheek.


    I could not stop myself any longer, and I pressed my lips against his. I knew eyes were watching. I knew there were people who believed I was mated to Haiden, but none of it mattered. Ian was here, and I wanted to cherish having him back. Kissing him felt like the best thing I had experienced in so long.


    But then Mira called out to us.


    "Guys, it¡¯s Joshua," she warned.


    We broke apart and looked in her direction. Joshua was gone, and so was Jack¡¯s body.


    "What happened? Where did he go?" I asked my squadmates.


    Before they could respond, I noticed figures on the side. It wasn¡¯t just anyone. The three alphas hade out from the subway, but Oriana was not with them this time.


    The three began to move toward me. Their eyes held so many emotions that I quickly understood they were finally free from Oriana¡¯s spell. I rushed toward them as well, closing the distance.


    The moment I reached them, Haiden stepped forward and lifted me, tossing me into the air and catching me while Iughed. The others grabbed my hands and pulled me down so they could all wrap their arms around me.


    "Hey, I¡¯m so sorry. My memories areing back now and I swear..."


    Troy cupped my face and stuttered. There was so much pain in his expression, and even his palms felt warm.


    "It¡¯s okay. You were under her influence. It wasn¡¯t your fault," I replied.


    Haiden turned me toward him.


    "Please ept my apology. We¡¯ll fix everything. All the trauma we caused you, I swear we will work on it. We will help you get through it. I¨C I promise," he told me, tucking my hair behind my ear.


    "Clementine."


    Yorick wrapped his arm around me and turned me toward him.


    "I don¡¯t know how she managed to pull it off, but it won¡¯t happen again. I would rather end my life the moment I realize she can control me than disappoint you and hurt you,"


    he whispered with absolute conviction, as if he meant every word.

 Chapter 333-Shaking Hands With The Devil

    <h4>Chapter 333: 333-Shaking Hands With The Devil</h4>


    <strong>Joshua:</strong>


    Everything had shattered for me. I was sitting on the road holding my friend¡¯s dead body. He was gone. My mate was gone. I sat there feeling useless. I could not do anything for them.


    Then I saw the curly hair Clementine. The crusader who not only saved herself and her squad mates but everyone she had ever been surrounded with. I began to wonder if I was ever going to be better than her.


    It struck me when I watched Yorick, Haiden, and Troy step out of the subway station. It hit me hard, but I realized they had Oriana with them. Since she was not with them now, I suspected she was hiding in the subway. The Alphas seemed like they were back in their bodies. Their emotions looked raw.


    I already carried Jack by then, and I slipped away from their sight. Once Mira and the others started to scream that I was gone, I went back into the subway station and locked the door from inside.


    However, when I looked around, I did not see Oriana. She was supposed to be here.


    "Oriana," I shouted, clenching my jaw.


    "Come out. I will not hurt you. I need your help," I told her, taking deep breaths.


    "Listen, I am not one of those, I just wanted power," I exined, but she was nowhere around.


    Then I realized that if she was not here, she must have gone ahead in the subway because I had not seen her walk out. I began to carry Jack¡¯s body again and followed the empty area, moving as fast as I could. His body had be stiff, cold, and heavy.


    After about ten minutes, I reached the end. When I reached the door, I saw it was locked from inside.


    So where was Oriana? Had shee out? Had they left her here? Had they killed her? What had those three Alphas done to her?


    These questions burned inside me until I heard blood?curdling screams from the other side of the door, and I realized it was Oriana. They had locked her out.


    Without thinking twice, without even considering what I might find on the other side or what kind of creature had terrified her enough to scream like that, I put Jack down and opened the door.


    As soon as I stepped out, I saw strange winged creatures dropping from above and attacking her. They were only scratching her for now, but they had hollow eyes and long beaks, almost like bats but human?sized.


    "Get away from her!" I yelled, pulling out a knife as I rushed toward them, shing at them and making them squeal. As they did, they flew away.


    I looked around briefly and noticed the area was far darker than the north we knew. This side of the north looked burned down. Everything was charcoal ck, or maybe it was just the effect of the night. There were no lights, nothing. This part looked like a ce struck by disaster, unlike the other part.


    "Joshua, please untie me. Please. It is unfair how they left me here tied to this pole," she cried. She was scratched up and bleeding, and patches of her hair were missing from her scalp.


    I took a deep breath, looked around anxiously, and then moved toward her. I untied her, and the moment I did, she copsed to her knees.


    "Take me away from here. This ce is real hell. This is the real north they talked about," she sobbed. Her words began to unsettle me.


    "Come on,e with me," I urged, but she shook her head.


    "I cannot. They have bitten my feet," she cried. I noticed that parts of the flesh on her feet were gone. Those things had chewed into them and eaten the skin.


    I turned around and offered my hands so she could climb onto my back. While I ran, I saw the creaturesing out, chittering and moving with quick, skipping steps. As they sprinted toward us, I reached the subway station just in time and mmed the door shut.


    Once the door closed, they began to squeal and scream. Oriana dropped to the ground, crying.


    "The fact that we were once friends, yet they did this to me," she whispered with a small whimper.


    I had a response for her. I could have reminded her that what she did was not very friendly either, but I held myself back. I did not care about what she had done to the Alphas.


    "Wait. What is this? Is Jack dead?" she asked when she saw Jack¡¯s body lying to the side. She began to gag.


    "That is why I need your help," I told her as I crouched in front of her. She immediately looked at me. She frowned and pointed at herself as if asking how anyone could want her help.


    "I am just a useless piece of shit. I could not even do anything with such a big power in my hands," she replied, insulting herself under the weight of guilt.


    "Exactly. That is because you were not careful enough. If you take me to that shadow thing, I can get power, and then we both can use it." As soon as I said that, her eyes brightened.


    "And this time, I will ask for Clementine¡¯s death," she remarked.


    The moment she said it, my muscles tightened. I did not know why. I had not expected that reaction.


    "Yeah, definitely," I replied, but the first reaction my body gave drew my attention. Maybe it was because Clementine had be such a well?known name that the thought of her dying sounded like major news.


    "But I cannot take you this time. I cannot walk and everyone¡¯s eyes are on us," she murmured. I began to think about it, and she was not wrong. If I went ahead now and stayed away from the others for too long, they would suspect we did something, because Clementine was already one step ahead of us and knew I had taken a lot of interest in the magical thing.


    "You are right. Let¡¯s take you back to safety," I told her, and the moment I held her hand to help her stand, she shook her head. I noticed how badly shaken she was.


    "No, they will kill me," she pleaded, asking me not to take her back.


    "Then what, do you want to stay here?" I asked, and she shook her head again. I realized she was frightened.


    "Do not worry. I will keep you safe. You have my word," I reassured her. The moment I said it, I saw her eyes rx.

 Chapter 334-He Likes Keeping The Enemies Close

    <h4>Chapter 334: 334-He Likes Keeping The Enemies Close</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Wait, so what exactly happened?" Mira asked Yorick after we met up and began searching for a safe shelter.


    Joshua had run into the subway and locked the door.


    We were worried about him for a while because we feared he might hurt himself, but then we epted that he was not there with us for the Whisperer to attack him.


    As long as he did not hear the whispers, I believed he would be fine.


    We were now sitting outside the subway with no idea where to go. Some of us suggested returning to Fleshmingo Town, but we were exhausted.


    "We left her on the other side of the North," Troy repeated, and once again we all frowned at him.


    "The other side of the North? What is that? Why have we never been told about it?" Reneeined, and Yorick lifted his shoulders in a shrug.


    "Well, from what we saw, that part is the real deal. There were no signs of any living being, not even anything normal. There were no street lights, no night lights, nothing at all. There was no electricity in any of the buildings," Haiden exined, sending shivers through us.


    Ian had been sitting quietly, and every so often I looked at him just to appreciate him.


    I had never felt this way about anyone, but being near him made me want to keep him safe.


    I did not want him out of my sight, and I was sure he noticed me staring at him dreamily from time to time.


    "So now the effect is gone, right? Now that the chain is broken. What makes you think she will not go get another one?" Sebastianined, reminding us that we should not be sitting here doing nothing.


    "Well, unless a monster unties her," Troy remarked, pointing out that he had not simply left her there. They had tied her on the other side.


    "You might think we are cruel for it, but we could not take a risk. She jeopardized our safety, our rtionships, and she had no shame in trying to sleep with us without our permission," Yorick exined, insisting that just because they were men, we should not ignore how serious it was.


    "Anyway, I do not think they have done anything wrong. She has brought it on herself," I finally spoke in anger.


    She had be a danger to everyone.


    The fact that she went ahead and shook hands with a monster to attack her own crusaders proved she had be one of them.


    "It is nice to see you again, however," Yorick told Ian as he extended his hand and ced it on Ian¡¯s shoulder, giving him a small nudge.


    I noticed the silence between them. I remembered that I had told them Ian had been reced by his evil twin.


    I was not sure if they believed me, but thankfully they did not mention it in front of the others.


    "Yeah, same. It is nice to see you all," Ian replied, although I knew it was partly because we still had things to discuss.


    They had seen me kiss him, so of course some conversations were waiting.


    "Should we go back to the safe ce? I am still freaked out ever since I heard about the other monsters," Renee whispered, and I caught her words.


    I gave her a quick nod to let her know I agreed she was saying the right thing.


    "Yeah, let¡¯s go. It¡¯s not like we can get to the station for now," Mira stated, hinting that we still had not gotten rid of the Whisperer, so our journey was far from over.


    As soon as we began to rise from the road, the subway door opened, and we all stopped in our steps, turning toward it with anxiety.


    Joshua stood in the doorway with his hands in his pockets, looking defeated.


    "Come inside. You will be safe here," he told us calmly.


    "Oh my God, Joshua, are you okay?" Sebastian and Mira rushed toward him, trying to check on him after the loss of his friend.


    We stepped closer, noticing the dead body behind him, and everyone froze.


    "It¡¯s okay, everyone. If he wants to take his friend back to the maind, we should understand," I whispered quickly so they would not panic about a dead body being with us.


    We had dealt with that before, but inside a closed space it was frightening them.


    They began entering the subway, and I soon heard gasps from inside.


    I assumed it was because the body was in terrible condition, but I paused briefly to speak with Joshua.


    "I am really sorry for what happened. I know you don¡¯t like me, but if you need someone to talk to, I can lend you my ear. Just don¡¯t bite it," I remarked, and he let out a smallugh.


    His smile faded quickly, and he seemed to drift off for a moment.


    "Really? You would listen to my yapping?" he wondered, lifting an eyebrow.


    "Of course, Joshua. We are all crusaders, a kind of family," I told him, giving his shoulder a gentle pat before walking inside.


    The moment I stepped in, I saw what the others had been gasping at.


    Oriana was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest, hugging them while staring at us faintly.


    "What the fuck?" I screamed.


    My mates entered after offering Joshua a few quiet words offort.


    They heard me and hurried in.


    Joshua followed, sprinting like a bullet, and positioned himself in front of us.


    "He got Oriana over here," Mira shouted, her fists clenched in anger.


    "What?" Troy asked, the taste of betrayal clear on his face.


    None of us expected a crusader to bring back someone who had caused so much damage and left me in the North to die.


    "What is she doing here?" I yelled at Joshua, trying to rush past him to get my hands on Oriana, but she began crying so loudly that Renee and Mira had to cover their ears and step away.


    "I¡¯m sorry. I said I¡¯m sorry!" she cried through her wailing.


    Oriana apologized again and again while Joshua tried to keep everyone away from her.

 Chapter 335-Not My Mate, Please

    <h4>Chapter 335: 335-Not My Mate, Please</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Troy stepped forward and struck Oriana, and Joshua moved into the way.


    Troy pushed him, making him fall, but Joshua got up quickly and spread his arms again.


    "Open the door. Please open the door," someone shouted, breaking the chaos.


    We heard a voice crying from the entrance.


    "What is taking so long?" the person screamed, and we realized that while the noise we had been causing, one of us was still outside.


    "That is Nate," Joshua remarked.


    The same Joshua who had never cared much about the other crusaders suddenly looked anxious, probably because he understood he was the only one left from his own group.


    He began to run toward the entrance, but a voice spoke.


    "I am so guilty."


    As soon as Nate said that, our bodies froze. He had fallen victim to the Whisperer.


    "I¡¯m guilty!" Nate screamed again, and we rushed toward the door.


    As soon as Joshua unlocked it and stepped out, we saw Nate standing there, stepping back from us.


    He held a silver knife to his chest.


    "Nate, please put it down," Joshua urged while I looked around for any sign of the Whisperer.


    "I shouldn¡¯t have left Yash behind." When Nate said that, everyone paused before we began moving toward him, trying to get him to lower the knife, but he kept stepping back.


    "I am guilty of watching the Wendigos enter the mansion, but I was so scared I left Yash behind when he fell. Thest time I saw him, he reached out his hand for help. I am guilty because I knew that Wendigo took him, yet I told no one and even brought everyone back into the same deadly mansion with Wendigos," Nate announced.


    At that point we needed to reach him because he was going to stab himself.


    As soon as we ran toward him, it happened. He stabbed himself.


    "No!" Joshua cried, but he did not reach him in time.


    Joshua copsed to his knees, and stayed in ce, silently staring at the falling body of Nate.


    Everyone screamed and rushed to Nate, trying to pull out the knife.


    Joshua did not move. He stayed on his knees as if he had gone still.


    Nate was gone. We had lost him, and the Whisperer seemed to have grown bloodthirsty because the moment Nate died, I lifted my head and saw the Whisperer in the distance.


    I guessed our attack had made him angrier.


    "Come on, everybody, we need to get back inside!" I yelled, pointing toward the door.


    But right then I noticed Oriana barely standing near the entrance.


    For a moment everyone stared at her. We all knew how vindictive she could be.


    She might have used this moment to shut the door on us.


    "Come on, guys,e back inside, quick!" she screamed, gesturing toward the station, and everyone began to sprint.


    As expected from Yorick, he quickly lifted Nate¡¯s dead body.


    Then we all ran toward the subway station, trying to get away from the Whisperer.


    As we rushed toward the station, a violent force mmed into us and flung everyone backward.


    It wasn¡¯t wind, nothing natural moved like that. The Whisperer was advancing with his arms lifted, shoving us away with an invisible pressure.


    Yorick and Haiden had already made it inside with Nate¡¯s body, and they were reaching out, trying to pull others in.


    But the push hit again, too strong, and it threw the rest of us far from the door.


    Mira struck the pavement hard. Blood streamed from a deep cut on her forehead, and her eyes fluttered as she swayed.


    "I... I don¡¯t think I can stay awake," she whispered.


    She tried to rise, but her knees buckled. She copsed again, tilting her head back like she was fighting to stay conscious.


    "No. Stay with me." I wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her up.


    Ian appeared beside us, he always found a way to be near me, especially when things were falling apart.


    His arm brushed mine as he lifted Mira¡¯s other side, guiding her arm over his shoulder.


    We started moving again, but the Whisperer struck with another brutal wave.


    Ian and I braced Mira as we were thrown back.


    Renee and Sebastian clung to each other, focused only onnding without shattering bones.


    Joshua stood motionless, letting the force toss him wherever it wanted.


    Mira groaned, barely aware of her surroundings. "I¡¯m... I¡¯m passing out..."


    I scanned the chaos, searching for Troy.


    "It¡¯s okay! I¡¯m fine!" he shouted from a distance. Somehow, he¡¯d seen my concern just from a nce.


    "We need to form a circle!" I yelled.


    The idea barely left my mouth before another st knocked us off our feet.


    I would¡¯ve hit the ground hard if Ian hadn¡¯t hooked an arm around my shoulders.


    He stayed upright, one leg braced behind him like his feet were glued to the road.


    When he looked past me at the Whisperer, there was fire in his eyes.


    Troy rushed to grab Mira from us, securing her more tightly.


    The Whisperer was closing in.


    "Everyone¡ªforget the station!" I shouted. "We¡¯re running straight into his path like idiots. Move toward Fleshmingo Town! There¡¯s a safe ce there. We can lock ourselves in or at least buy distance!"


    The group didn¡¯t hesitate. They turned and sprinted away from the monster. I held Ian¡¯s hand as we ran.


    Then a heavy thud sounded behind us.


    I stopped sharply and whipped around, Ian¡¯s hand still in mine.


    And I heard the most cursed words spill out behind me:


    "I am guilty."


    A sharp gasp escaped everyone at the same time while my eyes kept widening.


    In all the chaos, I had forgotten that any one of us could be affected too.


    When it turned out to be my mate speaking, my breath caught in my throat.


    "What are you saying?" I uttered.


    "I am guilty," he repeated.


    "No. You are not." I stepped toward him, but then I saw what he had grabbed.


    During themotion, he had picked up a silver rod that the wind had knocked loose.

 Chapter 336-He Won’t Stop Until We Stop Him

    <h4>Chapter 336: 336-He Won¡¯t Stop Until We Stop Him</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Troy stood with the rod pointed at his own chest.


    "Troy, please," I requested, trying to reach him. He kept forcing the rod inward, pushing it closer and closer, and my worry grew.


    "I am guilty of hurting Clementine," he remarked.


    The moment he said it, he tried to drive the rod into himself. The tip pierced his skin, and the life in his eyes started to fade.


    I rushed forward before he could push it deeper and grabbed the rod, stopping it from going any further.


    "No. Stop." I tried to pull it back, but the strength he was using felt unreal.


    Ian and the others gathered around us, each trying to keep him from pushing the rod inpletely.


    With my hands shaking, I did the only thing I could. I let out a small cry and yelled, "I forgive you."


    He froze. His arms stopped straining against the rod, and he looked at me directly.


    "It is true. I forgive you," I told him. "It wasn¡¯t your fault. You didn¡¯t know what was happening. You were innocent. He used a spell on you."


    He stared back at me. A strong gust came, trying to shove us backward, but the force barely moved us, almost as if the Whisperer¡¯s power had weakened.


    "You truly forgive me?" Troy wondered. His voice no longer sounded dazed.


    It felt like he hade back to himself without us even fighting the Whisperer.


    "It¡¯s true. I don¡¯t hold you responsible. It wasn¡¯t your fault," I repeated.


    He exhaled, then looked down at the rod.


    "Ow. Can anybody help me? It stings," he muttered, and then gave a shortugh.


    "I¡¯ll do it," Ian replied.


    He grabbed the rod and pulled it free. Troy let out another small cry, thenughed with him.


    The others exchanged looks, hopeful for the first time in a while. That was when it hit me.


    "I know how to defeat the Whisperer," I announced. As soon as I said it, they all nodded.


    "All we have to do is forgive the ones who are guilty," I stated.


    I could see the frustration across their faces, because the truth had always been within reach.


    If we had figured it out sooner instead of fighting among ourselves, we might have saved so many.


    By the time our focus returned to the Whisperer, he was gone. There was no sign of him anywhere.


    "I think we should still go into the station," Mira suggested.


    Renee looked at her and agreed.


    "You all go ahead. I will help her transition and thene back," I stated, knowing that shifting would help her heal faster.


    "No. I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t want to draw any monster¡¯s attention anymore. I just want the pain to pass quietly," Mira requested, speaking softly.


    "I¡¯ll go bring Joshua," Troy replied.


    He nced over his shoulder at Joshua, who was still on his knees, staring at the sky.


    I had no idea what was going through his mind, but I knew it wasn¡¯t good.


    We had to stay close to him, even after he had saved the one person none of us cared about.


    We headed toward the station. Troy gently patted Joshua on the back, urging him to stand and follow. Joshua rose without resistance.


    Inside the station, we were met with chaos again. Oriana was on the ground, and Haiden and Yorick stood in front of her, shouting.


    "What did you think?" Yorick demanded. "That you would control us and then walk back in like nothing happened?"


    I had never seen Yorick yell that loudly. He was shouting at her with all his anger, and I understood why.


    She had tried to force them into something they did not want.


    Oriana kept crying. When she looked at me, she pushed herself up and rushed toward me, but I held up my palm to stop her.


    "Please, just listen to me," she requested shakily.


    "What is there to listen to? What could you possibly say to defend yourself?" I asked, clenching my jaw.


    "The fact that I don¡¯t know how it happened. The fact that I was in the underground tunnel when that thing controlled me too," she cried, making me roll my eyes.


    "What do you mean?" Sebastian asked in confusion.


    "I swear, I¡¯m beginning to remember what I did. I had no memory of it before. It was all because of that monster. I found her, and she said she would help me. All I had to do was tell her I needed help. I did, but I didn¡¯t realise this was what she meant," she exined, breaking down.


    My eyes widened. Either she was an incredible liar, or she had been controlled as well.


    And if even a small part of what she said was true, then what?


    "Do you trust her?" Renee asked, pointing at Oriana.


    All eyes turned to me, as if they were waiting for a verdict.


    I slowly shook my head.


    "No. I don¡¯t."


    Oriana¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief.


    "This isn¡¯t the first time you have caused damage. You have put many lives at risk. Even before this, you acted on your own and left Crusaders behind. You fooled me for a moment, but now I remember clearly. It was you. You left Valerie behind," I announced.


    Everyone gasped at how certain I sounded.


    Even Oriana looked stunned. Her gaze shifted to Joshua, who was too disconnected to defend her.


    So she did what she always did. She ran. She sprinted toward the door. Yorick lunged after her and caught her in the doorway.


    "I swear I¡¯m not lying. I¡¯m only running because I know now that none of you care," she begged.


    As Yorick pulled her back inside, I saw someone standing behind her in the doorway.


    Not just someone.


    The Whisperer.


    "So one defeat was not enough for you," I said to the Whisperer as I walked toward him.


    Ian lifted his hand and inhaled sharply, shaking his head to warn me not to get any closer.


    "It¡¯s fine. We cannot go home until we deal with him anyway," I whispered to Ian before shifting my attention back to the Whisperer.

 Chapter 337-He Became A Bigger Monster

    <h4>Chapter 337: 337-He Became A Bigger Monster</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    He stood with his fists clenched. His face was hidden behind the darkness inside his hood.


    He began to walk toward us, taking slow steps. Oriana ran until she reached the space behind us.


    Ian, Yorick, Haiden, and I stepped forward, forming a wall to keep him from reaching the others.


    The Whisperer began whispering again, speaking in tongues. We waited for someone to break under his control.


    "I am guilty," a voice said beside me.


    I turned and saw Ian looking my way.


    "I am guilty of tearing your family¡¯s pictures. I am guilty of bullying you," he whispered.


    Then he closed his eyes and chuckled. He turned to the Whisperer.


    "That is all you are getting from me. You cannot force more than that," he said, showing he had broken the hypnotism.


    None of us understood how, but there was no time to question it.


    Another voice spoke.


    "I am guilty of leaving Clementine with the ogres," Troy yelled.


    My heart skipped because the Whisperer seemed to be targeting people I loved, likely to punish me for exposing his curse.


    "Everyone stay alert," I stated.


    "I am guilty," Haiden said. I turned to him.


    "I forgive you," I replied.


    "I am guilty," Yorick said from behind me.


    I turned, confused because I thought the Whisperer worked on one person at a time.


    "I am guilty of hurting you," Yorick uttered.


    "I forgive you. I forgive you all," I told them. Panic started rising.


    "What is going on?" I whispered.


    "Ian, get them out of here. All of them," I yelled, because everyone began speaking at once.


    "I am guilty."


    "I am guilty."


    "I am guilty."


    Their voices ovepped until it was impossible to make sense of anything.


    No one could forgive anyone, because they were all too busy speaking their guilt.


    "Ian," I muttered, right before a sharp pain hit my chest.


    It spread toward my head. I kept looking at Ian, and the realization hit me.


    To escape the Whisperer¡¯s magic, we needed to stand in front of the person we had wronged, so they could either forgive us or watch us die.


    But with everyone trapped in their confession, there was no one avable to forgive anyone.


    Then it reached me.


    "I am guilty of making you feel so bad, Ian, that you took the poison for me," I said.


    Ian¡¯s eyes widened. My hand moved on its own. I took the knife from my pocket, but Ian lunged forward and tore it out of my grip.


    My body still pushed to reach for it. I needed the de. I needed to drive it into my throat.


    "I forgive you. I was never angry with you about that. You had every right to be upset with me, Clementine," Ian said, holding both my wrists and shaking me back to awareness.


    My eyes turned toward the others. Every single one of them was now scrambling for knives or anything sharp.


    Yorick began banging his head against the wall. Others bit each other or grabbed whatever they could use.


    Ian sprinted forward. He mmed his shoulder into the Whisperer¡¯s stomach.


    The Whisperer fell, and Ian climbed on top, punching him, but every hit sank into the empty darkness of the hood where a face should have been.


    The Whisperer shoved Ian off with one sharp push.


    Iannded on the hard ground, but the moment he hit it, he pushed himself back up.


    As soon as he stood, he ran toward the Whisperer again.


    I rushed in at the same time. I grabbed the Whisperer¡¯s arm and pulled it back to give Ian a clear hit. His arm was solid.


    The darkness inside his hood did not react. There was no face to read and no eyes to meet.


    He swung his hand at me. The hit threw me against the wall.


    My breath left my chest for a moment, but I forced myself up before he could turn back to me.


    Ian had hooked both his arms under the Whisperer¡¯s arms from behind, trying to lock him in ce.


    The Whisperer twisted his body with sudden strength and broke out of Ian¡¯s hold even while fighting both of us.


    He lunged at me. I punched him before he could reach me.


    I aimed for his ribs instead of his hood. The hitnded clean.


    He staggered but stayed on his feet. I punched him again, this time at his side, and felt the force run up my arm.


    He grabbed my wrist and tried to hurl me away. Ian charged in and mmed his shoulder into the Whisperer¡¯s side.


    All three of us hit the floor together. For a second, I saw the others around us begin to wake up from the Whisperer¡¯s hold.


    They were wounded and unsteady, and the knife I had almost used on myselfy a few feet away.


    Ian rolled fast and pinned the Whisperer¡¯s legs. I knew I could go for the knife, but I chose Ian instead.


    The Whisperer was the real danger, and if we controlled him, the others had a chance.


    I climbed up and pressed my knee to the Whisperer¡¯s chest. That was when I saw it.


    The darkness under his hood shifted, almost like something inside turned toward me.


    I froze for a second. He lifted both hands and aimed at me.


    A burst of wind hit me and pushed me back, but Ian grabbed my arm and pulled me down before I could fly across the floor.


    He steadied me on my feet.


    I punched the Whisperer again. Ian punched him too. We hit him again and again to keep him from whispering or moving.


    He threw both arms outward. The st of wind knocked us back, but Ian grabbed my waist before I slid far.


    We got up at the same time he did.


    The Whisperer aimed his hand at Ian. I ran in and struck his wrist before he could release another blow.


    Ian took the chance and punched him in the chest. The Whisperer stumbled.


    I followed with a kick to his knee. His leg bent, and he dropped down a little.


    While he was on his knees, Ian grabbed his hoodie and pulled it back.


    Both of us gasped. His face began to form out of the darkness.


    His eyes moved until they locked on mine. Heat rushed up my throat, making it hard for me to breathe.


    I stared at him, unable to look away.


    "Father," I whispered.

 Chapter 338-I Forgive You

    <h4>Chapter 338: 338-I Forgive You</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I stood frozen and unable to speak as my father stared me in the eye before pulling the hoodie back on.


    I stepped back, unsteady, until Ian grabbed me and held me still.


    My father began to whisper again. I could not understand what he was doing or why the sound felt so heavy.


    Behind me, the others began to repeat the same whispering.


    Ian shook me, trying to bring me back, reminding me that if we did not take him down now, he would cause more chaos.


    I threw a weak punch at the Whisperer. He caught my wrist, but Ian stepped in and struck the side of his head.


    There was no face to hit, but the force pushed his body to one side.


    The Whisperer released another wave of wind at both of us.


    We nted our feet and leaned forward. Something about him felt weaker now.


    His attacks were slower. His movementscked the force he had used earlier.


    I kept punching him to stop him from whispering again because the others had already begun to fall into it once more.


    I could not stop myself from thinking about his missing face. It felt like shame.


    The kind people talk about when they say they cannot show their face anywhere.


    It crossed my mind that it could have been guilt or disgrace. Then it clicked.


    The others had spoken their guilt and waited for forgiveness. Maybe that had weakened him.


    Ian hit him in the stomach, snapping me out of my thoughts.


    I grabbed the Whisperer¡¯s hoodie again and pulled it back.


    His face appeared, and I hit his knee. He fell to the side and hit the ground with a hard thud.


    I moved toward his legs and knelt down so I could look at him.


    I swallowed hard.


    "What are you guilty of?" I asked.


    His cold expression softened. Tears formed in his eyes.


    "Tell me. What are you guilty of?" I shouted, feeling Ian step behind me.


    He ced his hands on my elbows to show me he was there.


    Haiden broke free from the whispering and ran toward my father.


    My father raised his hand and sent a st of wind that threw Haiden across the floor.


    He did not do the same to me. I wondered if it had something to do with me. If the only guilt he carried was tied to me.


    "Tell me what you are guilty of," I said, my voice shaking. "Are you guilty of hurting all those women and taking them from their families? Are you guilty of treating me the wrong way? Of watching everyone bully me? Of sending me here to die? Of wishing I had died in the north? Tell me something. Tell me you are guilty of anything."


    I kicked his legs and knees. I felt small again. I felt like the child who had wanted a father who did not drag bodies across the floor while I watched.


    He finally answered.


    "I am guilty of not killing you when you were born."


    Everything around me went silent. I stared at his face, unable to breathe. That was what he felt guilty for. Of Not ending me sooner.


    "If I had, I would not have to deal with such shame. I wish I had killed you sooner," my father repeated, louder, as if he thought I had not heard him.


    It made sense in the worst way. I had expected too much. I had believed he might regret his crimes.


    He began to whisper again, making it clear he would never feel guilt. Nothing would change him.


    The others shouted in unison behind me.


    "I am guilty."


    The sound grew louder, but I refused to let him win.


    I inhaled slowly and looked him in the eye.


    "I forgive you," I said.


    His eyes widened for the first time.


    He tried to get up, but he fell again when my words seemed to sink in.


    "Yeah, you are guilty of not killing me. Well, I forgive you because that is the only thing I will ever forgive you for," I stated clearly.


    I noticed the way his face tightened, almost as if he was dealing with sharp pain.


    "No, take it back," he spoke, almost pleading as he ced his hand on his chest.


    "They are alling out of his hypnotism again," Ian announced from the side, letting me know what was happening to the others.


    I continued to watch my father.


    "Say you take your words back," my father screamed.


    I did not move. I stood my ground.


    "It is not surprising that you became a monster. You already were one," I added, watching him clutch his chest.


    "No, you cannot kill me twice," he hissed.


    The anger in his eyes no longer affected me. I could not believe he would ever feel guilty.


    If anything, keeping him alive would only let him hurt more people.


    "You have been a problem in the maind and you continue to be the worst in the north too," I replied as I remembered how many members we had lost because of him.


    "Oh, I see you have grown more confident. I was doing fine. I should not havee across you," he spat on the ground.


    I began to walk away. My body felt stiff, my voice stuck, but I kept moving. I reached for the silver knife.


    I saw the reflection of his face on the de and watched his expression twist.


    "No, you will never kill your father, because even now, when I looked into your eyes, I saw that you are still that little girl who wants her father¡¯s affection, her father¡¯s consideration and her father¡¯s approval," he spoke quickly.


    I marched toward him faster, and when I knelt beside him, I pushed the knife straight into his chest.


    Even then, his body refused to react at first. His eyes lowered to the de and then lifted again.


    His mouth filled with blood as he stared at me.


    "Well, you are wrong. I am your daughter, Father. I can be cruel too," I hissed while I twisted the knife, watching the pain spread across his face.


    For some reason, it made me feel good.


    "This is for all the women you harmed. They were special. You were not," I muttered as I pulled the de out and drove it into his chest once, twice, and then again, striking him repeatedly until my face and body were covered in his blood.


    Finally, Ian came from behind me and stopped me.


    "It is okay. He is gone," he told me.


    I turned and hugged him, crying into his chest.

 Chapter 339-Sneaking In

    <h4>Chapter 339: 339-Sneaking In</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Killing my father felt as if I had finally freed myself from the burden of the past.


    The guilt I carried from lying there and watching him drag Haiden¡¯s sister who had not even died yet into the north, while Iter forgot the memory of it, had vanished.


    I felt better now.


    However, while all of this was happening, one person had gone missing.


    Oriana!


    I guessed she believed we would tie her up in the north and leave her behind, which, to be honest, we had been leaning toward.


    She kept repeating that she had been influenced by the monster, but there were many other things she had done that made it impossible for me to trust her.


    Yet I noticed hesitation in the others. The red teams and Joshua seemed to lean toward letting the ringleaders deal with her because they did not want to make the wrong decision.


    My mates and I, however, were certain we did not want her anywhere near our train.


    Now that she had disappeared, none of us had the strength to go after her.


    We did not want to miss the train, especially now that I had so many questions for the ringleaders after discovering my father here with different powers and bing a monster.


    We finally reached the train station in silence.


    While passing through Fleshmingo town and the woods, I remembered every monster we had in, and I began to wonder if they had once been loved by someone.


    I remembered the faun had once been a normal werewolf. What was happening in the north?


    Once we arrived at the station, everyone took seats on the benches. Joshua ced Jack¡¯s body on one of them.


    The others waited anxiously for the train, while I sat near the tracks with my legs hanging down, staring into the distance.


    "Hey," Ian approached me before the others could.


    I turned to look at him and noticed the other three stopping midway when they had nned toe toward me.


    I guessed Ian had won again. He stepped down beside me and elbowed me lightly.


    "Are you okay?" he asked.


    He probably had no idea, but his voice alone made me feel better.


    "I am now that you are back," I replied, wrapping my arm around his and resting my head on his shoulder.


    I no longer cared what anyone thought unless he felt insecure being seen with me.


    That thought made me begin to lift my head, remembering how he had not wanted me to return to his packst time.


    Before I could fully move, he raised his hand, ced it over my ear, and guided my head back to his shoulder.


    I giggled at the way he made his choice clear.


    "There was a reason I did not want you in my pack, and I guess you know that now," he remarked.


    "Your brother. Why did you never tell me about him?" I asked softly, keeping my voice low.


    "There was nothing to tell. And I know it sounds wrong to call him evil, but that is who he is, Clementine.


    He is evil. We never got along," he replied.


    "Then why are you in the north and not him? Do you not think they were sending unwanted, dangerous people here?" I wondered, watching him turn toward me.


    "While looking at you, I do not think that was the case," he replied, making me frown again. "They were. They simply did not have a choice.


    These pack members once signed a pact in blood that they would send their children to the north when their time came.


    They are required to follow it. And as for why I was sent here and not him, they cannot send a monster to fight monsters.


    There has to be some goodness in someone¡¯s heart to survive in the north."


    Ian remarked, giving me goosebumps with the way he spoke about his brother and the way he called him evil.


    It seemed something else had happened between them.


    "So tell me, my squadmate, what have you uncovered while I was gone?" Ian asked.


    As soon as he spoke, I smiled brightly. It already felt like before.


    "A lot of things. You will be stunned," I replied. "I will fill you in on everything."


    However, I noticed the way he nced at my uniform.


    "So you are in a different squad now?" he wondered, pouting.


    "Well, sadly, yes," I replied, turning my head to the other side.


    "I think it is time we have a conversation with the ringleaders. We do not need toe back here until everything is cleared," Ian remarked with a heavy tone.


    I stared into his eyes and noticed a fire in them. He was ready to stand for what was right. He always had been.


    I turned my head toward the back and noticed Joshua, who had ced Nate¡¯s body on one of the benches as well.


    It was saddening. The white squad had been nearly wiped out, with Joshua being the only one left.


    "Do you think he will be in my squad now?" I uttered, a wave of terror running through me when Joshua lifted his head and made eye contact.


    It seemed he was thinking the same thing.


    And I did not know about the others, but being on the same team as him made me feel like we would be deadlier than ever.


    Finally, the train arrived and our eye contact broke.


    Everyone stood up. Yorick and Haiden helped Joshua with the bodies of the white squad members and loaded them into the white squad carriage, while we went into our own.


    The ck squad rushed inside as well, not paying attention to Oriana for understandable reasons, while I entered the red carriage.


    Just before the doors locked, Oriana burst in out of nowhere, throwing herself into the carriage.


    I rose from my seat and hurried to the window, trying to see what was happening.


    Yorick, Troy, and the others groaned and stood to toss her out, but the door closed before they could reach her.


    That was when I realized she had slipped in perfectly again.


    She was like a leech. Now she faced the hard, scrutinizing stares of the men she had once tried to control.


    Then Ian said something that sent a chill through me.


    "Oh, so that is what it was. I kept hearing whispers in my headst time during the ogre fight. Were you trying to control me too?" he grunted, narrowing his eyes at her.


    It made sense. She had asked for the power to control all my squadmates, which meant Ian had been part of it, not Zian.


    That also meant that when Ian arrived at the ogre station, he had been able to break free from her influence, probably because he had not stayed near her for long.

 Chapter 340-Train Back Home

    <h4>Chapter 340: 340-Train Back Home</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Throughout the time we were in the train, I could not step away from the ss window because I could tell the alphas were getting worked up, ready to punish her.


    They were bullying her, saying things until she had restricted herself to the corner with her hands tied in front of her body, her neck lowered and her eyes down.


    She never spoke up. Troy pointed at her and yelled slurs. Yorick did the same.


    Haiden even cursed at her and flipped her off with his middle finger.


    And then there was Ian. He sat on the opposite side of the bench near the window in a position where he could look directly at me.


    He kept his elbow on the window, his fist under his temple, and his eyes on me.


    A flirtatious smile stayed on his lips, and it became difficult for me to focus on the others because every time I looked over, I found him watching me.


    Finally, the train arrived, and Oriana raised her head for the first time.


    The first thing she did was squeeze her stare through the alphas¡¯rge shoulders to look straight at me.


    She pouted sadly and mouthed,


    "I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m innocent," she pleaded. I rolled my eyes. I stepped away from the window and waited for the doors to open.


    As the doors opened, everyone started toe out.


    Yorick, who was always the more emotional type, rushed toward the white squad carriage to help Joshua pick up his squad mate¡¯s body.


    However, the lurkers gestured for both Joshua and Yorick to step back from the dead bodies.


    They went inside and carried the two out, returning with their bodies.


    It was such an awful sight, and Mr. Rick looked as if he was done with his life.


    His fists kept clenching, his eyes on the dead bodies before they shifted to Joshua.


    The way he rushed at Joshua, I expected him to give him a hug orfort him and tell him that things would be okay, that everything would be fine from now on, or something like that.


    Instead, he grabbed him by his cor and shook him. I was stunned when he did that.


    "Why could you not save your two friends? They were part of you. You were an alpha. Could you ever save anyone at all?" Mr. Rick yelled.


    As soon as he said that, something inside me snapped. I rushed forward, grabbed Mr. Rick¡¯s hands, and freed Joshua from his grasp.


    "Back off," I screamed, cing myself between them.


    I know I should mind my business, I always tell myself, but then I forget it and end up losing my temperament and standing up for people I think deserve a voice.


    The way Mr. Rick looked at me and the way his body flinched suggested he could p me right there.


    But he would not dare, not when he knew that if I fought him, I would tear him apart just like I do to the monsters out there.


    "How dare you. Tase her!" he ordered.


    I thought I had it under control, but of course his ego was bruised.


    As soon as he said that, my squad mates rushed toward me, and so did my mates.


    "Lay a finger on her," Ian warned him, but someone else stepped in front of me first. Her scent hit my nostrils sharply.


    "What did you say? You will tase my best crusader?" Ms. Lenora hissed, shocking everyone with how she charged toward him, almost ready to punch him.


    "Your crusader put her hands on me," Mr. Rick retorted, pointing out what I had done.


    "So what? You put your hands on another mourning crusader, and even though he is from your team, I do not care. Do not expect my Clementine to stay silent when ites to what is right," she replied in one breath, shocking me and everyone else.


    Everyone stared at each other, and then Miss Rue walked in.


    "Let us respect the deceased and not argue," Miss Rue told us.


    "Please, Mr. Rick. Clementine did not do anything wrong. You were at fault for attacking someone who had lost his friends."


    Miss Rue stepped beside Ms. Lenora. There was a clear division between the ringleaders this time.


    The silencested for a few minutes before Mr. Rick finally stepped back.


    Then the dead bodies were taken away, and we began to head back to our rooms.


    I guessed there would be a new announcement soon, because Joshua no longer had anyone else in his room.


    They did not let us speak with each other and took us all to our separate rooms until we were in our passages, and I heard amotion from the ck Squad team.


    My squadmates and I rushed ahead toward the hall to move to the ck Passage, and while doing so, we were joined by the ringleaders. More specifically, Ms. Lenora and Miss Rue.


    "Do you know what is going on?" Miss Rue asked me as we briskly made our way toward the end where the dorm room was.


    "I think it is Oriana," I replied. That was all I said before we reached the room and saw what was happening.


    The alphas had taken her bags out, thrown them aside, and she was standing in the passage crying with her face in her hands.


    "What is going on?" Ms. Lenora grunted tiredly, rolling her eyes, her hands on her waist.


    "We do not want her in our room," Troy yelled, pointing at her.


    "Did something happen in the North? If so, we will conduct your interview. We will ask you to give us a full description of what happened there, like we always do. But this time we were stuck with the dead bodies," Miss Rue remarked, starting to exin when Yorick began to step forward.


    "There is no exnation left anymore. She was working for a monster," Yorick stated.


    The impact of his words was strong, because the moment he pointed at her, I noticed the ringleaders share a nce and then look at Oriana.


    She realized that crying silently was not going to help her anymore.


    She would have to give some kind of justification or exnation for what she was being used of.

 Chapter 341-North Is Not A Place To Go

    <h4>Chapter 341: 341-North Is Not A ce To Go</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "No, that is not true. I was also under the monster¡¯s control," she replied quickly.


    "Wait, what is even going on?" Miss Rue questioned in confusion.


    "What monster? And what do you mean by she was working for the monster? What kind of monster? We want to know everything," Miss Rue continued.


    We all nodded because it was time to tell them about this monster that should have been dealt with already, since it seemed able to control a lot and cause serious damage.


    "I will tell you all about it," Oriana spoke up, and Yorick shook his head.


    "No, you will not. Your version will be faulty. We will talk about it," he replied, pointing at himself.


    "But the monster was in contact with her," Ms. Lenora pointed out.


    "And we were the victims of their alliance." Haiden snapped, and once again the ringleaders shared a nce.


    "Fine then. All of youe together. I want to know everything about this monster," Ms. Lenora decided, and I guessed it was a long-awaited discussion.


    So we sat down and had a full conversation with the ringleaders where we gave a brief interview and answered their questions for the next three hours.


    They first began asking us when it started, how it ended, who noticed what first, every detail, because it seemed like this was something they had never witnessed before.


    Then it came down to Oriana finally adding that she had also been under the influence.


    However, when they asked me what I had to say about it, I stated clearly that I did not believe her.


    If I remembered everything correctly, she had been in her senses.


    Even after the chain broke, and as the others confirmed, the alphas said Oriana had shown them the broken chain, asking why it was not working too many times, and everyone had witnessed it.


    Oriana kept repeating that it had been a part of what the Shadow Earth Eater had made of her.


    After the entire conversation ended, the ringleaders asked us to gather in the hall so they coulde and make an announcement.


    My heart was thumping in my chest. We had too many ideas running in our heads, and I still had not spoken one-on-one with my mates after their return.


    That was still pending because I needed to talk to them about something rted to my rtionship with Ian.


    For now, we gathered in the hall, waiting for the ringleaders to arrive.


    Renee, Sebastian and Mira, as expected, were taking a stroll together. Renee and Mira always held hands, looking like cute little sisters.


    Ian stood next to therge window door, staring outside. Oriana sat alone in one corner of the hall.


    Joshua sat on his white squat table by himself, his hands clutched together on the surface.


    Yorick and Haiden were discussing something, pointing at Oriana most of the time.


    Troy had been wandering until he met me in the middle of the hallway.


    "I have something to talk about. It has been weighing on my mind," he told me.


    Right away, I could sense it was something important because of the way he kept sneaking nces at me.


    "Sure, what is it?" I asked, giving him my full attention.


    "When we found you, after we returned from the other side of the North," he began, and I started to recall what he was talking about.


    It hit me quickly. I remembered exactly what he meant.


    "I found you in the arms of Ian. Was it because of the mate thing? I mean, you two are mates and his brother had forcibly tried to mark you and all that. Is that whatpelled a reaction out of you?" he questioned, his voice steady.


    The urgency to know the truth was tense, and I could already tell the reaction would be tense as well.


    "Actually, I wanted to speak about that too¨C," I replied but then the interruption happened.


    The ringleaders marched inside the hall, holding papers in their hands.


    They all looked extremely worried, almost anxious in the way they held the papers and looked around, keeping the same pace as each other.


    Everyone gathered on one side of the hallway while the ringleaders stood on the tform, staring at each other before one of them stepped forward.


    "Everyone, we have a problem," Ms. Lenora announced. Her eyes drifted down to the paper once before she lifted her head again.


    "This monster seems to be something we have never thought of or heard of. We are not sure how dangerous it could be, but we know that if we do not stop it now, it will cause a lot of damage."


    As she spoke, I noticed Oriana lift her head and look at her, then move her eyes toward Joshua.


    I instantly snapped my head toward him to check his reaction, but he appeared unfazed. He had not moved from the chair.


    His eyes were still on his clutched hands.


    "We will be sending you on an urgent trip to the North to kill this monster so it cannot control any of the uing squads or crusaders," Mr. Rick announced.


    The moment he said it, everyone went silent for a few seconds.


    I guessed it was the kind of realization they had never imagined, that a time woulde when new crusaders would be weed.


    But the way they already spoke as if they were preparing to say goodbye to us made everyone¡¯s stomach churn.


    "So with that being said, we request you not to get involved in any personal altercations so your health and energies are secured for the next few days. You will return to the North urgently and y this monster for us," Mr. Rick continued.


    "As for the ongoing issues among the crusaders, we will talk to you during dinner. Until then, please refrain from putting hands on each other," he finished, then gestured for us to leave.


    However, I was the one who stepped forward first.


    "We are not going back to the North," I stated. For a moment, everyone seemed surprised before Ian began to chuckle.

 Chapter 342-Demanding Freedom For Everyone

    <h4>Chapter 342: 342-Demanding Freedom For Everyone</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "That is right. Somebody had to say it," Ian remarked, showing he stood with me.


    The look on the crusaders¡¯ faces was worth watching.


    "We are sorry,e again?" Ms. Lenora stepped ahead, gesturing for Mr. Rick and Miss Rue to stand back since it was a matter concerning her squad mate.


    "I said we are not going back into the North," I repeated loudly, making sure they heard me.


    She stared at me in silence before clearing her throat and looking away with a smile that revealed her disbelief and disappointment toward everyone present.


    "I expected you to be thest one to be scared of the North," she replied, choosing her words very carefully.


    The way Ms. Lenora responded felt like her attempt to provoke my ego into surrendering to them again.


    "No, she is not the only one. We will not go either," the Red Squad replied in unison.


    I did not even need to speak with them privately. They were already standing with me.


    "Really? What about the others? Are you all scared too?" Mr. Rick questioned, trying to provoke them.


    "Yeah, we are not going back," the ck Squadmates yelled, and then the three ringleaders turned to Oriana.


    We did not expect much from her, but she was still one person.


    "I do not want to go either."


    She shocked us when she instantly jumped off the stool and shook her head.


    There seemed to be a small spark of hope in her eyes, and for a moment I thought all the messy things she had done were because she had been scared of the North.


    Now that she had been given a chance not to return, she was trying to seize it quickly.


    "And I think it is the right thing to do. There is another part of the North and it is very scary," Oriana began to exin when Mr. Rick pointed at her to silence her.


    "Do you think it is a game? Do you think we are sending you there because we want to have fun with teenagers? It is because the North is a dangerous ce. If you do not go and y those monsters, they will eventually return here and take over the maind," Mr. Rick yelled, repeating the same warning about how frightening it would be once the monsters broke loose.


    "But there are towers that are securing us," Renee from my Squad replied, giving me a nod to let me know my squad stood with me.


    "And who went there to secure them? You did. Because you have been fighting these monsters, those towers remain secured. Do you not think the monsters with a brain can figure out a way to take those towers down?" Ms. Lenora yelled.


    Her reasoning sounded sensible, but it did not change the question of why they kept sending teenagers.


    Why not prepare arge army, train them, give them weapons and send them into the North?


    "Having a brain, you mean like my father did?" I stepped forward, bringing up my father. The three ringleaders went silent.


    "Oh, please do not act like you do not know. That whisperer, he was my father. How did he end up in the North with so much power?" I yelled.


    My veins throbbed in my temples every time I thought about my father having so many abilities in that ce.


    "Did you not know he was going to be sent to the North? All criminals are sent to the North," Ms. Lenora snapped quickly, trying to settle the rumors.


    "Really? How did he end up having powers?" I shouted again.


    I noticed everyone looking at each other because it was terrifying to realize criminals were being sent there and gaining powers.


    Why were they being sent there, given a chance to turn into monsters, and then kill the rest of the poption?


    "We told you that anyone who stays in the North too long starts to twist," Mr. Rick hissed, as if he were reminding a child of something obvious.


    "I can attest to that," Oriana inserted quickly, the first chance she had to justify herself.


    Her voice was soft, timid, rehearsed.


    "Really?" I fired back. "If you already know that, why send the worst criminals there? You¡¯re the ones filling the North with monsters."


    The words left my mouth before I could second-guess them, and the first person to stand up and apud was Ian.


    He pushed away from the window, pping loudly. Haiden joined him. Then Troy.


    Yorick. One by one, nearly everyone rose except Oriana and Joshua.


    "You all are being ridiculous," Ms. Lenora snapped. "You¡¯re pointing fingers at us without any understanding of how this academy works." Her voice cracked as she stomped her foot, fists balled at her sides.


    For the first time, shepletely lost herposure.


    "No," Haiden cut in, steady and calm. "Clementine¡¯s right. Why flood the North with criminals just for us to go back and clean it up? Why not build prisons? Why not deal with them here? It feels like a game to you."


    The room shifted. I watched their faces, saw their postures slump. Only Miss Rue seemed unaffected, if anything, she looked relieved.


    A faint smile ghosted across her lips. She was here for justice, and watching us stand our ground seemed to breathe life into her.


    "Well, we¡¯re dismissing this," Mr. Rick barked. "We aren¡¯t paid enough to sit here and entertain your usations."


    "Of course," Yorick muttered. "Money. That¡¯s all it is to you."


    Ms. Lenora and Mr. Rick exchanged a sharp, rmed look, one that made even Yorick blink in confusion.


    "Enough," Ms. Lenora snapped. "We¡¯re done tolerating insults. Specte all you want, but you will go back to the North, willingly or dragged. And if any of youy a hand on each other again, the punishment will be severe."


    Her voice shook. Her eyes locked onto me like she wanted them to burn through my skull.


    "No," I said, stepping forward. "We¡¯re not leaving until we speak to the headmaster."


    Her stare sharpened. Every time I spoke, their expressions shifted into something murderous like my voice itself was a threat.

 Chapter 343-Hard Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 343: 343-Hard Confrontation</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "You want to speak to the headmaster?" she asked slowly as she descended from the tform.


    "Fine. The headmaster is exactly who you¡¯ll be dealing with from now on."


    She stopped right in front of me. Fury bled from her eyes.


    Then she spun around and stormed out with the others.


    I knew where they were going. They¡¯d call him here, thinking they could intimidate us into silence.


    But we weren¡¯t leaving, not until answers were given.


    "Alright," Troy said, facing all of us. "Keep calm. Every question you¡¯ve been holding in, we¡¯re taking them straight to the headmaster."


    We paced anxiously, rehearsing everything we needed to ask:


    Why were criminals being sent North?


    How were we being watched?


    What else were they hiding?


    And then there was my question, the one about the lurkers I¡¯d seen there.


    Suddenly the doors burst open. A wave of lurkers poured in.


    The Red Squad instinctively shifted behind us. Oriana tried to cross the room to join us, but a lurker turned his head toward her.


    She shrieked and immediately retreated to the corner she came from, frozen by fear.


    They surrounded us in a loose circle before the headmaster finally appeared, emerging from behind them with the ringleaders trailing after him.


    He stood on the tform, hands folded behind his back.


    "You," he barked into the mic, pointing at Oriana. "Stand with the others."


    She yelped again and scrambled forward. The lurkers parted just enough for her to reach us.


    When she stopped right in front of me, I saw pure terror in her eyes.


    She dropped her gaze and quickly hid behind us.


    "I hear there areints," the headmaster said.


    "Yes," Haiden began. "We want to know why you¡¯re sending criminals¡ª"


    The headmaster raised a hand, silencing him. "I already know."


    "Good," I cut in. "Then you also know that I¡¯ve seen lurkers in the North."


    Every head snapped toward me except Ian¡¯s. He already knew.


    "So?" the headmaster asked, casual, almost bored.


    "So? You told us lurkers couldn¡¯t go there. You said they weren¡¯t strong enough. You said they¡¯d die." My voice rose. "So which part was the lie?"


    "Yes, lurkers go to the North." The headmaster sounded entirely unbothered. "Along with the ringleaders. They observe. They intervene. They handle things you teenagers can¡¯t."


    "Really?" I stepped forward. "What can you handle that we can¡¯t, when we¡¯re the ones killing the monsters?"


    He smirked.


    "If you want to clean dead bodies and maintain the safe zones, go right ahead. We¡¯ll send you to do that too."


    He had an answer ready for everything, or an excuse. At this point, they were the same thing.


    "About the criminals being sent to the north," I reminded him, returning to the main question after noticing that the headmaster had avoided it earlier.


    "You do realize that the monsters are the ones you are sending from here," I added.


    "This has been the way for years. We are not going to change it because you do not want it that way," the headmaster replied.


    His reasoning felt vague, to the point that even the others seemed confused.


    "But that is not right. You do realize that the criminals you are sending there are being given a second chance," Mira remarked.


    The headmaster nodded.


    "Exactly. We are giving them a second chance at life, in a tougher situation. Some of them choose to be monsters. The others might be somewhere in the north doing better things."


    As soon as he said that, Yorick began to grunt and chuckle, and I could tell the others, along with the headmaster, found it disrespectful.


    "You are giving them a chance to continue hurting people on arger scale and with more power," Yorick replied.


    The headmaster tilted his head, almost as if warning him. "


    Yorick Bane. You should ask your parents if they agree with it or not."


    The moment the headmaster mentioned his parents, Yorick¡¯s entire demeanor shifted. He looked tense.


    "Why are you speaking about my parents? What do they have to do with any of this?" he questioned in a harsh, stern tone.


    "I am just saying, your parents sent you here. They must have had some vision," the headmaster responded.


    It was clear he thought he could fool us with an excuse that made no sense.


    "As if they had a choice. You said yourself that all families must oblige and send the crusaders when they are asked to. Why single out my parents?" Yorick continued to grunt.


    I noticed a short cackle from the headmaster. It was the first time I had seen him do it, and it looked frightening.


    "Because I am certain your parents do not believe in keeping criminals from being sent to the north," he exined.


    But just when we thought he was finished, he added, "Do you remember Ro?"


    That was all he said before I noticed the way Yorick¡¯s body twitched visibly.


    Everybody was watching Yorick, waiting for him to counter the headmaster.


    I assumed everyone expected him to have a response ready, but he suddenly went silent and did not say a word.


    "What is the story of Ro?" I heard Haiden ask Troy.


    That was the thing. I had begun to remember that when Medusa attacked everyone, she imed to be Ro once.


    And I started to recognize a pattern. Did she only follow or mimic the criminals who had been sent to the north?


    Could it be that, or was it something else?


    For now, I needed to regain my posture and continue arguing with the headmaster.


    He was here today, but he would not be here every day, so we had to make sure we asked him the right questions.


    "So you are not going to stop sending the criminals to the north and then using us to go and clean the north?" I asked.


    The man I believed knew so much simply shrugged, showing he no longer cared.


    "What if the world finds out about it?" Haiden wondered.


    There was a brief moment when nobody moved before the headmaster responded.


    "Who will tell them?"

 Chapter 344-A Chance To Never Go Back To The North

    <h4>Chapter 344: 344-A Chance To Never Go Back To The North</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    It was the most threatening way he had questioned Haiden. As the tension grew, the headmaster started to rx.


    "What I am trying to say is that it is an adult matter. We adults know how to take care of things. Sending criminals to the north does not mean we want them to gain powers. Do you think we thought of that? No. We send them there for longsting torture. After that, they decide what they want to be. I could say that we will stop sending them, but I doubt it will matter. Many people want them sent there to suffer," he exined.


    But it was all nonsense, because he knew that people wanted the criminals sent to the north simply because they did not understand the impact those criminals had on the north.


    For anyone who had never been there, sending a criminal to the north meant giving them severe punishment, which was why they agreed to it.


    But of course, he would not understand. Or he was too clever to admit he was wrong.


    "Well then, since we are eighteen and belong to no one, we will decide if we want to go anywhere. You cannot throw us in there, and we are not going back to the North," I stated. Since he was being stubborn, I chose to be stubborn too.


    The headmaster tilted his head.


    "She is right. We will not go either," the Red Squad repeated, and he seemed to acknowledge it.


    Mr. Rick and Ms. Lenora stood behind him, whispering to each other and pointing at different people.


    "Well, that is not how this works. But I will give you a chance. With that chance, you will be allowed to decide if you want to return or not. If you choose not to, you will be free to go back to your packs and live a normal life," the headmaster informed us.


    Those words stunned me. My posture dropped. I could not even process what he was saying.


    I had expected an argument because that was my instinct. I did not expect him to give in so easily.


    "Really? We can go back home?" Oriana asked as she jumped and hugged herself.


    Then her excitement faded.


    "But I do not have a family left behind," she muttered.


    For a moment, I truly felt bad for her. I knew I should not, but watching someone fall apart like that was upsetting.


    Still, it was a good offer for us.


    "Anyway, What is the catch?" Ian questioned, making everyone look at him and then at the headmaster, who shrugged.


    "It will be your decision. We will give each of you a paper and you will write your answer on it. Then we will read them out loud. If the decision is unanimous, you will be spared. We will bring in new crusaders and you will have no say in it. You will sign documents agreeing not to discuss what happened in the North, and you will be free to go," the headmaster exined.


    Everyone began to hug each other and celebrate.


    "What do you mean by new crusaders? Why?" I asked. The moment I spoke, people reacted with disagreement.


    "Why does it matter? Clementine, we will be free," Renee whispered behind me.


    "Mr. Rick, hand them the papers. We will conduct the vote. Remember, all of you must say you will not go back to the North. Only then you will be spared. And you will get only two chances. This is your first chance," the headmaster stated.


    I still did not understand what he meant by chances.


    We all sat down immediately. We were ordered not to speak to each other.


    They were clearly holding out hope that one of us would choose to return. Only a fool would do that.


    We wrote our answers and then stood in a line.


    One by one, we stepped onto the tform, ced our paper on the table in front of the ringleaders and the headmaster, and then stepped down from the other side to sit again.


    When it was my turn, I ced my answer face down. Ms. Lenora gave me a disapproving nce.


    "I was proud of you," she remarked, leaning back with her arms folded to show her disappointment.


    "So was I," I replied. Her posture copsed instantly.


    She did not expect me to refuse to feel guilty for denying her entertainment.


    I returned to the others, and now we all sat down for a talk.


    "When I go back home, I will finally have a good sleep for once, and then I will eat at all the restaurants. And I will be grateful for my life," Mira remarked to Renee, sharing what she had nned.


    "You know, I will try to reim my throne and take back what belongs to me. I will also get justice for my dad," Oriana added, but Mira and Renee gave her a look that made it clear they did not want her input.


    "It will be amazing, right? I honestly cannot wait," Sebastian stated.


    "Are you going to keep dating me when we are in the open?" Renee wondered.


    He began to chuckle. "Of course I will."


    It was sad because it felt like we had such small dreams, and we had to work so hard and lose so many crusaders before we could earn our freedom.


    Yet it felt nice. Even I started to wonder what I would do once I was free. I did not have a home to return to, but I had Ian.


    As I thought of him, my head snapped toward him, and I found him smiling at me.


    And then it was finally time for the decision and the headmaster stood before us with the votes in his hands.


    As he flipped through the pages, the headmaster stopped at one and set it aside. All of us grew nervous.


    "Well, the result is here," he announced. He paused, and I noticed the smiles on the two ringleaders.


    But Miss Rue looked upset. Something felt wrong.


    "It seems all of you will be going back to the North," the headmaster concluded.


    Everyone gasped.

 Chapter 345-We Lost Our Chance

    <h4>Chapter 345: 345-We Lost Our Chance</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We were in shock. Everyone thought we woulde out of this nonsense now that we had been given a chance.


    But when the headmaster announced that there had been one vote against the surrender, we all started looking around.


    Our eyesnded on Oriana first. She was the only one who hadn¡¯t been honest in a way that suggested she cared about anyone.


    She could be vindictive, and she might also want to go back, probably to see this monster and seek its help.


    "It has to be Oriana," Renee muttered from behind me.


    Although I believed it, a part of me wasn¡¯t sure I could truly ept it.


    While everyone red at Oriana, my eyes briefly shifted to Joshua.


    "This is not fair. We don¡¯t want to go back to North," Renee spoke.


    "You were given a chance, and it¡¯s ruined. If you want to reboot, you can use your second chance," the headmaster replied, and almost everyone started nodding.


    "There will be no need," Ian interrupted.


    As soon as he said that, I could already see that the others were beginning to stir trouble with him.


    "Very well done. Then we will end this conversation here. Dinner will be served, you will eat, and then you will head to separate rooms," the headmaster announced,ying down rules as if nothing had happened, as if we hadn¡¯t nearly reached the door before being pulled back.


    Everyone looked defeated. Some red at Ian for agreeing too quickly, while others had teary eyes.


    And then there was Oriana, anxiously scanning everyone¡¯s expressions, likely aware she would bear the me for that one vote.


    "Now, since there is a monster, Shadow Earth Eater, who controls minds and people, we don¡¯t know if it has controlled anyone else," the headmaster said, his eyes locking on me.


    I noticed the way others nced at me and then back at him, trying to understand what he was implying.


    "But it¡¯s better if all of you sleep in separate rooms for your safety until we eliminate this threat. Have your dinner and thene to the main road. We will take you to different areas with separate rooms for each of you," the headmaster announced briefly before walking away.


    Things were changing rapidly.


    I began to wonder if we had made a mistake by openly dering war against the ringleaders and the headmaster before gathering all the evidence ourselves.


    Once he left, the ringleaders returned to their basement.


    We were told to stay in the hall because one of us might be controlled by the monster.


    The headmaster tried to make it seem like I was causing trouble, making others fear going north, but the others knew the truth, they wanted to go back themselves.


    "Who could have done it?" Mira snapped angrily.


    Everyone immediately turned toward Oriana.


    "I swear I didn¡¯t. Why would I want to go back there?" she protested.


    I didn¡¯t use her. I had my own suspicions.


    "Clementine, you tell me. Do you think Oriana is telling the truth?" Sebastian asked, already shifting the responsibility onto me.


    My eyes moved to the side, straight to Joshua, and the others followed my gaze.


    "What did you vote for, Joshua?" I asked.


    He lifted his head steadily and scoffed. "You already know. Why waste time asking?"


    As soon as he said that, yelps and gasps filled the hall for at least a minute. That was how disappointed and upset everyone was with him.


    "You voted against the idea? Why would you do that?" Renee questioned, disappointment and anger mixed in her voice.


    It was saddening because we lost such a great opportunity to be released from this torture of going back and forth with the north and the monsters.


    "Did you not lose the love of your life in the north? So why would you do that?" Mira almost screamed at him. But he looked unaffected.


    I was disgusted and disappointed in Joshua. For an alpha, he truly had a stone for a brain.


    "Exactly. I lost the love of my life there. I have no desire to stay alive. And in the north, I feel more connected to her," he exined, showing that he was still grieving.


    He did not understand what he was wishing for, and sadly, none of us had considered helping him through his trauma.


    If we had helped him earlier, he would not have jeopardized all our lives. But now he was the one who had taken the chance from us.


    I was surprised when Troy suddenly spoke against Ian.


    "And then Ian decided that we do not want the second chance," Troy stated, and the others began to hiss at Ian, giving him looks that clearly showed their disappointment.


    I watched Ian, and it was obvious he had no intention of exining himself.


    It irritated me because I knew why he had done it. He had a solid reason.


    So when he settled back into his usual state of not caring, I chose to speak up.


    "We would have lost the second chance as well," I voiced, and everyone went silent, their eyes turning to me for an exnation.


    "Do you not see? Joshua does not believe in surrendering from the north. If Ian had asked for an immediate second round, we would have lost our second chance too."


    Once I exined, everyone started to nod and look at Ian with gratitude, except for my three mates.


    They were still hostile toward him, and I could tell it was because of what had happened in the north, or what they had seen.


    "And as long as I am alive, I am not surrendering," Joshua spoke. "You all have to suffer like I have suffered." He lifted his head, and I noticed a strangelyforting smile on his lips.


    "I cannot believe I am finally free from the pain. The more you suffer, the happier I will be," he finished.


    At this point, it felt like we were deep. Far too deep in all of it.

 Chapter 346-A Few Hours Of ‘Quick’ Session

    <h4>Chapter 346: 346-A Few Hours Of ¡®Quick¡¯ Session</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After dinner ended, the ringleaders told us they were going to take us to the side hostel.


    The new dorm rooms were aligned in a straight row. Everyone stayed unusually quiet.


    Joshua¡¯s betrayal cut deep because it had seemed like the only way for us to survive, yet he had dragged us into this with him.


    Still, there was a small sense of enthusiasm left in us, a bit of hope that we might find a second chanceter.


    Maybe we could convince Joshua that hurting others just because he had been hurt was unreasonable.


    We arrived at the side hostel. The dorms were built like small cabins with a single bedroom and a bathroom inside.


    A wide road stretched between the two sides. It was a new setting for us, at least for now.


    I did not believe that any of us were still under the influence of the shadow earth eater, though the others suggested Joshua might be. I doubted it.


    He had stepped away for only a brief moment, and I did not believe he could have rushed down the tunnel, confronted the shadow eater, taken a piece of jewelry, and returned so quickly.


    "Okay, everyone, go back to your dorm rooms and don¡¯te out to the main hall until there are lurkers knocking on your door," Miss Rue announced, looking sad.


    I could see in her eyes that she genuinely wanted us to survive this ce, but we had been dragged back because of our own crusader.


    Everyone wandered inside. My dorm was the first one along the road.


    The others followed behind me. Mira¡¯s room came next, then Renee¡¯s, then Sebastian¡¯s.


    It started with the red squad and continued down to the white and ck squads at the end.


    There was still no announcement about Joshua¡¯s fate.


    Having only one white crusader left in a squad was unheard of, unless they nned to let Mr. Rick stay.


    I could tell he and Miss Lenora were the ones who followed the headmaster¡¯s rules most strictly. I worried for Miss Rue.


    If it came to merging squads, I feared they would ce us with the white squad.


    We stepped into our rooms, and I immediately noticed the difference.


    It was a small brown room with a single, very puffy bed in the center and one window facing the woods in the back.


    The view outside was so dark, and I assumed it was the same for everyone else.


    The bedroom was a small square, and opposite the bed was a single door with two windows on each side.


    I sat on the bed, noticing how springy it felt, then slowly slipped under the nket and stared at the ceiling.


    "Do you miss your squad mates?" my wolf asked, and I let out a sigh.


    "Yeah, but I miss Ian more," I admitted, and she chuckled.


    "Me too," she replied.


    I already knew that. We had grown far too close to him over time, and it was not only because of the distance created between us because of Oriana¡¯s games with my other mates.


    I guessed it had simply be an excuse for me to make a choice openly, otherwise, I would have felt guilty.


    Then a gentle knock on the door began to unsettle me. I instantly sat up in bed and turned around to see who was trying to mess with me.


    If it was a lurker, they were going to get my hands, and if it was something more dangerous, I was prepared.


    I noticed someone peeking in, their hands cupped around their eyes with only their face showing.


    For a moment I jumped, but then a smile spread across my lips when I recognized him.


    It was Ian. He pulled back, and I could tell he wasughing at scaring me. I hurried to unlock the window to let him in.


    He jumped straight into the bed,nding on top of me. He was applying everything he had learned in the north on me, like tackling a monster.


    Iughed beneath him, but he had pinned me down at this point.


    His lips touched my chin and then sucked on my lips, silencing myughter.


    My eyes closed on their own, savoring his touch.


    He started to suck on my bottom lip while his cock pressed hard against my lower body.


    I noticed how hard he was.


    "I love you!" he finally said as he broke the kiss.


    I smiled, my hand reaching down to unbuckle his pants in a hurry.


    "Aren¡¯t we a little thirsty already?" hemented with a beautiful eyebrow raise.


    As I didn¡¯t respond and focused on spreading my legs after somehow managing to take off my pants, he pressed his lips against mine once again.


    He moved his body up and then ran his hand down, helping me as I let go.


    He took charge as he began to rub his dick over my vagina.


    I moaned into his mouth, but he shoved his tongue down my throat happily.


    His head prated my vagina and my back arched.


    Our bodies were closely sticking together, with no space for even air to breathe between us.


    His entire rod went inside as he started to run his hand up to lift my shirt and expose my breasts.


    His thrusts started off soft and gentle, but quickly escted into something wild.


    As our tongues battled outside our mouths, his hand massaged my breast while he fucked me.


    I lost track of time as he finally climaxed all over me.


    We were in a rush because we could hear lurkers walking around outside, and if anyone hade by my window, they would have seen more than they bargained for.


    After our encounter, we snuck into the bathroom in the dark to shower before I pushed him out of the window to return to his room.


    He lingered outside my window, pretending to cry, while I teased him before he eventually left.


    That night, I fell asleep feeling content.

 Chapter 347-They Look Disappointed In Me

    <h4>Chapter 347: 347-They Look Disappointed In Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I took a shower and got ready for the day. I was expecting a knock on the door from the lurkers, but it never came.


    I checked the time, and it was around 11 AM. This had never happened before.


    They usually woke us up pretty early, so this was new.


    I opened the door and stepped out to look around. Everyone else was wandering along the road.


    "What is going on?" I asked them as I joined the group.


    My mates stepped toward me while Joshua sat on the other side of the road in istion.


    Oriana did the same. She kept kicking the rocks and trying to stay away from the others because we had been judging her often, and rightfully so.


    Mira, Sebastian, and Renee gave me a nod, greeted me good morning, and let me speak with my friends.


    "The lurkers arrived and told us that we would be having breakfast in our rooms, and that if we wanted to sit together, we can," Troy informed it in a way that confused me, making me wonder what the lurkers, or more specifically the ringleaders and the headmaster, were trying to do.


    "What do you think they are trying to do?" I asked the four of them, trying not to look at Ian too much because the smirk on his face made me feel shy around him.


    I wondered if they were trying to offer us small breadcrumbs, trying to make us feel like we had freedom because they did not know the state of mind Joshua was in and if we could convince him to vote in our favor next time.


    "Anyway, let¡¯s get together for breakfast then," I said, because I had been feeling very hungry.


    However, it seemed like they had other ns.


    The moment I said it, I noticed Yorick gently nudge Troy, and Haiden shared a nce with him.


    The only one who seemed unaware was Ian, because he stood one step away from them, and none of them included him in the conversation.


    "What is going on?" I asked, frowning at the three for acting strange.


    "We need to have a talk with you," Troy replied as he stepped forward, and I remembered he had told me the same thing before.


    We had not gotten the time to discuss it, so I could already guess what it was about.


    "Okay," I replied, shrugging my shoulders to loosen them.


    "Ian, you wait here," Troy told him. Yorick gently patted Ian¡¯s shoulder to show he was not weed.


    "Sure," Ian remarked while staring at me a little too hard before he stepped away.


    I followed the three into the woods while keeping an eye on Ian for as long as I could see him, until he disappeared from my sight.


    We had wandered several steps deeper when I finally stopped.


    "What is it?" I asked, refusing to go any farther.


    Whatever the conflict was, it could be discussed from here. No one would hear us anyway.


    The three turned around to face me.


    "We want an exnation," Haiden stated.


    "An exnation to what?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest and shifting my weight to my left leg while keeping my eyes on them.


    "For what we saw in the north," Yorick replied, sounding exhausted that they had to rify it to me.


    I began to think about whether to be fully honest with them or hold back because it might be too much for now.


    Still, honesty seemed like the better choice.


    "It is exactly what you think it is," I uttered, and the shift in their energy was rming.


    I had expected an explosive response, but the way Haiden stepped back, Yorick clenched his fists, and Troy narrowed his eyes at me was not something I had prepared for.


    "Exin it to us," Yorick demanded.


    "I have been having feelings for Ian for some time, but mistaking his brother for him in his pack made me step back from him," I exined.


    I paused because I noticed the way their bodies flinched.


    Their gazes sharpened on me in a way that made my heart feel unsettled.


    "Carry on," Haiden told me as he pointed at me with his fingers, speaking with heavy breaths.


    "And then when you left me among the ogres, it was Ian who came to save me. After that, we slept together, and I realized I loved him."


    As soon as I said that, Haiden stepped back while Yorick turned away, and Troy kept ring at me.


    "So you did want to pick him until you mistook his brother for him, and then you decided toe and sleep with us out of anger," Troy remarked, instantly cing the me on me.


    I prepared to defend myself because that was not how I remembered it.


    "Troy, I wasn¡¯t the one who initiated it. If I had been sleeping with you out of anger, it would have been meing to you and demanding intimacy. If you are forgetting, let me remind you."


    I paused when I noticed Haiden trying to speak.


    "No, wait," I warned, raising my finger.


    "The truth is that I was in heat and suffering, and so were you three. You came to me and convinced me that it was okay for us to sleep together. It isn¡¯t as if I manipted anyone."


    It finally felt good to say it out loud after feeling at fault for so long.


    As I exined everything clearly and told them they should not ce all the me on me, I noticed their expressions shift.


    They looked a little sad instead of angry.


    "So you¡¯re picking him?" Haiden asked.


    I looked into their eyes and nodded.


    "I have already picked him," I finished.


    The three stared at me for a while before they began leaving one by one.


    "I don¡¯t want to hurt you," I tried to say, but Haiden rushed past me on my right, almost brushing my shoulder.


    Before I could straighten myself, Troy struck my left side as he walked away. Yorick stared at me for a moment before he also began to depart.

 Chapter 348-Something Is About To Happen

    <h4>Chapter 348: 348-Something Is About To Happen</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Yorick, please. I would have chosen one person after all," I shouted as I turned around.


    I noticed all three of them stop. Yorick was the first to turn back, and the others followed.


    "It was going to be among us because we were the ones who tried our best to win your heart. But you chose Ian, who had done the worst things to you," Yorick told me.


    "Well, he redeemed himself in ways you do not know," I replied, standing up for Ian.


    At that point, I guessed they realized the conversation had reached its limit.


    "Let¡¯s go, guys," Troy told them, making it clear there was nothing more to discuss.


    The three of them turned away and wandered off.


    I remained standing in the same spot for a moment before I stepped forward, heading after them so I could be with everyone too.


    Once I reached the road again, I noticed Joshua looking at me and then at the three alphas who had stormed out angrily.


    His eyes then shifted to Ian, who had been waiting for us, and the moment he saw me, he stepped toward me.


    "All okay?" he asked as he gently touched my cheek, not concerned about how the others might react to his closeness.


    The moment he did it, I saw members of the red squad frowning.


    "I told them," I replied, and he began to nod.


    "Well, then I understand why they looked so angry. But do not worry. Everything will be fine as long as you feel okay," Ian remarked, and I held his hand, taking deep and steady breaths.


    That was when the lurkers arrived with trays of food.


    "Guys, there is a little bench and sitting area on this side of the woods. We can try here," Mira called out, pointing toward the trees on the opposite side.


    We let the lurkers follow us to the spot where we wanted them to ce the food.


    As soon as they set everything down, the three alphas who used to be my closest friends picked up their meals but did not wait for us.


    Each grabbed their food and wandered off to different ces, not even sitting together anymore.


    I felt guilty, but Ian sat beside me and filled my te with pancakes and scrambled eggs.


    "You need to eat," Ian told me, snapping me out of my thoughts. "And take no stress," he added as he leaned back and picked up a sandwich for himself.


    "I do not want to be that person, but can I ask something?" Renee questioned from across the table.


    And then there were Joshua and Oriana.


    Oriana took her food and went to sit under arge tree, while Joshua did note to eat at all.


    At this point, he seemed to be drifting even farther from us instead of rebuilding any kind of friendship or connection so we could convince him for the second round of voting.


    "What is it?" I asked Renee.


    "Please do not take it wrong. I am just curious, okay?" Renee replied, adjusting in her seat. "Is everything okay between you and Haiden? I mean,st we remembered, you two were mates." She finally said what everyone had probably been wondering.


    "Well, she is not his mate," Ianmented, and my body stiffened.


    "Wait, what do you mean? So was it a lie?" Renee asked.


    "The truth is that she was my mate from the start," Ian stated, shocking not just them but me as well.


    I did not expect him to announce it so boldly, but it was necessary.


    If he had not said it, the others would have thought I was the kind of mate who cheated on her partner.


    We finished our breakfast, and only then did Joshua arrive.


    We were about to leave when he sat down. Everyone slowed their steps.


    Each of us looked at one another, waiting for someone to try convincing him or at least attempt to speak with him.


    "Go away, guys. I am not going to crack," hemented, already aware of what we were thinking.


    With the way he had been acting, we had no real way to convince him, so we left him alone and wandered off.


    After about an hour of us doing our own things, some of them returned to their rooms to take a nap, while Ian and I held hands and wandered into the woods.


    "Do you think we will ever be able to stay here in the maind and not go back to the north?" I asked, feeling his fingers tangled with mine.


    It felt so fulfilling that I pulled myself closer and clung to his arm, almost as if reminding him not to let me go.


    "We will. We have convinced them to give us a chance. Very soon, we will convince them never to send us back," Ian replied, and I took deep breaths.


    "But is it not strange?" I asked, and he suddenly stopped.


    He turned around to look at me, wanting to know what had been troubling me.


    "What is?" he questioned.


    "Do you think others before us neverined about the same thing? Then why are they giving us opportunities? Have the others never figured anything out?" I asked.


    I noticed the way he zoned out for a moment.


    "What is it?" I demanded.


    "Let us not talk about it for now. Soon we will have to talk about it anyway," he said as he held my hand again and kissed the back of it.


    "But Ian, soon they will send us back to kill that monster. I do not know how many people we will lose this time," I told him, watching him take deep breaths and look around, avoiding my eyes.


    "Do you know anything or suspect anything?" I asked, hoping he would tell me if something had been on his mind.


    "All I know is that we will get out of here. But yes, I am not sure how many more we will lose," he mumbled under his breath.

 Chapter 349-The Headmaster’s Son

    <h4>Chapter 349: 349-The Headmaster¡¯s Son</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "You know what I fear?" I asked. "I am afraid Joshua wants to go back because he has shown a lot of interest in the shadow earth eater. I wonder what he wants, who he wants to control, what he hopes for." I exined why I believed Joshua¡¯s intentions were not simply to hurt us.


    "In that case, if he asks for something destructive or for power, we will have to stop him with all our strength," Ian stated, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.


    "Ian, what are you suggesting?" I asked as I watched his face.


    "Clementine, I believe in killing monsters, whether it is my brother or Joshua," he stated.


    As soon as he said that, cold shivers ran through me. Ian could sometimes be very brutal.


    "Anyway, did you speak with Yorick about Ro?" Ian asked, and I shrugged.


    We both sat under a tree, with Ian leaning back against the bark, one knee raised.


    I had my arm wrapped around that knee, almost sitting on his torso and leaning against him, while he held my other hand.


    "Before I could, we talked about you and me, so they were not in the mood," I replied.


    "If you want, I can speak with him," Ian offered.


    His hand stretched toward his raised knee so he could easily touch my face with his fingertips, brushing my hair away.


    "I am not sure why it felt like the headmaster was hinting at something," I uttered. "But do you think they will sit quietly and let us do whatever we want after we had caused so much chaos to them?" I asked Ian, noticing him zone out again.


    This did not seem right. He had been drifting off a lot.


    There were moments when I wanted him to talk about the North theories, but he would change the subject.


    This time, he remained distant for too long, and I had to snap my fingers in front of his face to get his attention.


    "Ian, something is bothering you, and I have questions for you too." I straightened my back, leaning away from him.


    "What questions?" he stuttered, causing me to narrow my eyes at him.


    "First of all, how do you know so much about the monsters? I know you told me you lived with some old man and all that. I want to know who he was, and this time do not make up stories. Tell me honestly," I demanded.


    I noticed his body grow warmer because he was still holding my hand.


    He straightened his back, stepped forward from the tree bark.


    "He was my grandfather," he replied, and this time it did not seem like an excuse.


    "Okay. And how does he know about the monsters? Has he been to the north?" I asked, watching him close his eyes, take a deep breath, and open them again.


    "No," he replied, and once again he seemed honest.


    "Okay. Who is the lurker? How did Zian manage to control a lurker or introduce one of his own men as a lurker? How did they get away from the eyes of the headmaster, the ringleaders, and the other lurkers? Where is that shady lurker?" I bombarded him with questions as my anxiety rose.


    I remembered how difficult it had been to stop Zian from appearing here and controlling Ian.


    I wanted to know how he had managed it so that nothing like that would happen again.


    "Clementine, what I am going to tell you might upset you, but just know that¡ª" Ian began.


    His tone shifted. I had never heard him sound so guilty, and it did not feel reassuring.


    I swallowed hard and moved closer, giving him my full attention, but before he could say another word, lurkers appeared around us.


    We pulled away and stood up from the ground. The lurkers snapped their fingers in front of us, their signal for us to follow them.


    "What is going on?" I asked Ian, confused.


    "It is okay. I guess they want to take us to the hall. The ringleaders might have announced something about room changes, squad merges, or maybe the north," Ian replied, trying tofort me while keeping my hand in his as we walked behind the lurkers.


    As we reached the academy again, I saw the lurkers bringing in the other crusaders as well, which rxed me a little because it meant we were not the only ones being taken to the hallway as if in an emergency.


    The minute we entered the hall, I began to feel stressed.


    My three mates were standingpletely apart from one another, not even together.


    Joshua and Oriana were already cast aside. Ian and I stood together, with Mira, Renee, and Sebastian on my right.


    Once again, the headmaster stood on the tform, and it did not seem like good news.


    "I know you are all a little shocked and surprised to see me again so soon. But I have been thinking about it, and I decided to be a little honest with you all," he began.


    I must admit, I did not feel good about it. The way he spoke made Ian step away from me.


    I nced at him briefly, then looked forward again, keeping my attention on the headmaster and whatever he nned to say.


    "Since you have used me of snatching children from their homes and sending them to the north, making it seem like I enjoyed it or treated it as some kind of game, I want you to know that it is not true. I am a very fair person. So fair that among you stands my son as a crusader."


    As he finished, everyone reacted at once, but for me it was the worst.


    Everything turned so cold and loud inside my head that I struggled to control my breathing.


    He had not said much, but it was already too much.


    I could hear Renee and Oriana whispering, all of them asking each other who it could be, who the son of the headmaster was.


    My head lifted sharply. I waited for him to say the name.


    "Ian Hunt, step forward, my son," He said his name and the world beneath me shook.

 Chapter 350-Exposed And In Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 350: 350-Exposed And In Trouble</h4>


    <strong>Clementine: </strong>


    "Let them know that I am not a heartless man who enjoys sending others¡¯ children to war. My own son is part of the crusader team, and he has been sent to the north just as many times as the rest of you."


    After he said Ian¡¯s name, chaos erupted. Everyone started to gossip, gasp, and turn toward Ian. But I stopped hearing anything the headmaster said after he introduced Ian as his son.


    "Anyway, that was my truth. I hoped it exined a lot for you. You were not the only ones being dragged here. I had to follow the rules as well."


    The headmaster continued while I felt my heartbeat settle in my chest.


    When a brief silence halted him, I lifted my head to see what was happening and found him listening closely to Ms. Lenora, nodding along.


    She stepped back, and the headmaster looked up again. I could tell he was looking straight at me.


    "Now that we have decided to be transparent, I want to talk about someone who is not being very transparent," he stated.


    My heart thumped even louder.


    "There is someone who has been breaking rules left and right. And the same someone who has been calling others out for lying and being a hypocrite," he remarked.


    Another gasp rose around me, and an uneasy feeling settled in my stomach.


    "Clementine, please step forward," he ordered.


    The moment he said that, I swallowed hard.


    "What have you said about your mate?" he questioned.


    My fist clenched.


    "You previously said Haiden was your mate, correct?" he asked, and I neither nodded nor shook my head.


    "But rumors say you are mated with four alphas, four of your crusaders. Yorick, Haiden, Troy, and my son, Ian," he announced.


    Yelps erupted. I even felt a small nudge at my elbow from one of the red squads trying to ask whether it was true.


    "How is that even possible?" Oriana uttered.


    I shifted in my spot and sent her a re. She was attempting to stir everyone up, but confusion and shock had already taken over the room.


    "It is not normal. It has never happened before, so we will be conducting thorough research on you and your wolf," the headmaster dered, making sweat gather at my temples.


    "That is not fair," Ian voiced.


    I turned to him. He stopped speaking when he caught my eyes, and I assumed he understood what I truly felt.


    I was not only shocked but disappointed in him.


    He mumbled something under his breath as if trying tofort me, but I looked away again.


    "With that being said, a week from now and Clementine will transition in front of the entire council, the crusaders, and the other pack alphas because we suspect there is something wrong with her wolf," he finished.


    Once again,motion erupted behind me.


    "Now, onest thing. Since there are no crusaders left in the white squad, we have decided to merge the packs after Clementine¡¯s wolf transitions. I believe it will also reveal whether she will remain in the academy, or be deemed a monster," the headmaster stated.


    At this point, I had grown numb to his words. My world had fallen apart, and there was only one person I could me for now¡ªmyself, for trusting too easily.


    "That is unfair. She has been here since the beginning. She has yed monsters like nobody else," Renee yelled.


    For the first time in minutes, I pulled myself back to reality.


    I turned toward her and noticed she did not look at me with anger for hiding the truth about my wolf or about having too many mates.


    "Yeah, that is unfair. Just because her wolf is different does not mean she is a monster," Mira screamed, and Sebastian stepped forward, showing they were with her.


    "I think we all agree with that," Troy voiced.


    I could not bring myself to turn toward him. I was embarrassed.


    "Well, that will be decided once she transitions. For now, enjoy the rest of your day. The white squad will turn into the red squad. However, this time Miss Rue will be reced by Mr. Rick."


    Then he struck onest time, and this time it was not only directed at the Crusaders, he dragged his own ringleader into it as well.


    I lifted my head and saw Miss Rue release a deep sigh, looking disappointed and upset that she was the one being let go, even though her Crusaders were still alive.


    "But wait, what does that have to do with anything? Our squad is fine, so why is Miss Rue being let go?" Yorickined.


    The headmaster raised his palm toward him.


    "She is the newest one, and I am not going to let go of Mr. Rick or Ms. Lenora. So Mr. Rick will be the new ringleader of the ck Squad. Joshua will be part of the Red Squad. For now, I will end things here."


    The headmaster¡¯s tone carried authority with a touch of agitation.


    "Now dismissed." The headmaster stepped back.


    It felt as if this entire meeting existed only to bring me down. And he seeded.


    Even if he had only spoken about me being mates with the others or given me a week to transition, I would not have felt this defeated.


    But knowing Ian was his son and that he never allowed me even a hint of it, I felt broken. I felt wronged by him.


    Everyone began to step out of the hall. I noticed Miss Rue took a few seconds before moving away from her spot.


    Ms. Lenora and Mr. Rick looked pleased, clearly satisfied because everything had gone their way.


    And on top of that, I was now the one being punished.


    The moment I stepped out of the hall, I saw everyone gathering on the open ground.


    Ian stood a few steps ahead of them, cracking his knuckles until his eyes found me.


    He started to stride toward me.


    "Not right now," I hissed, refusing to look at him as I lifted my palm in front of me to stop him from approaching.

 Chapter 351-Seems Like A Long Distance Relationship

    <h4>Chapter 351: 351-Seems Like A Long Distance Rtionship</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Then I met up with everyone else.


    "What does all that mean?" Mira asked. "Does that mean the headmaster¡¯s son has told him everything we have been talking about? Does that mean we should have taken the second chance?" she continued.


    It felt as if, in a matter of minutes, their trust in Ian hadpletely shaken.


    Every choice he had made so far was suddenly under scrutiny, even though not using the second chance had actually worked in our favor.


    "I need to speak with you." Ian arrived from behind me, not caring that I was still in the middle of a conversation.


    "Back off, Ian!" Yorick yelled.


    And I already knew things were going to change now.


    "You should not intervene in our matters," Ian warned Yorick.


    I noticed the eyes on Ian, filled with questions and anger.


    "If you are the headmaster¡¯s son, does that mean you get to decide which monster we want to y? Is that how you knew about all the monsters?" Haiden questioned.


    He did not sound rude or aggressive, but I could tell everyone was curious now.


    "What makes you think I will answer any of your questions? I will only speak to Clementine." Instead of looking guilty, Ian acted as if he were throwing a tantrum.


    "Well, you are not speaking with her." Troy walked forward, blocking him from reaching me. Haiden joined him.


    "To think she trusted you so much, to think we trusted you so much, and you turned out to be such a snake," Haidenmented.


    "Clementine, are we talking or not?" Ian ignored the three and addressed me from the other side.


    The three stood in front of me like a solid wall.


    "I told you I will speak with youter," I replied harshly.


    "No, it will be now," Ian demanded.


    It felt as though he cared more about them stopping him than about how I felt.


    I would have appreciated it if he had shown any guilt or respected that I needed a moment to breathe.


    "Fine, I will note to you to speak now. You will have toe to me." And just like always, once Ian grew angry, he seemed ready to burn the world.


    His words hurt me more than he realized.


    I turned my head to the side. Even though the three were still in front of me, I could see Ian walk away.


    Then the three faced me again.


    "Seriously? Him?" Troy pointed toward where Ian had gone, almost calling me out for choosing him over them.


    "So all our secrets are with the headmaster now. And you all thought you were shits that knew everything," Joshuamented, chuckling.


    All the eyes shifted to him.


    "You should be thest one to speak. You are the reason we are still stuck here," I hissed at Joshua.


    "Oh,e on. Do you really think they would have let us go even if we had voted for it?" Joshua questioned, and I continued ring at him.


    "Okay, Crusaders, listen to us." Mr. Rick¡¯s voice cut in, making us stand in a line again.


    Every time they appeared now, I worried they had some new n or ulterior motive.


    "Since things are pretty rough, I have decided something," he continued. "Previously, we were going to send you to the shadow earth eater mission soon, but with everything going on, and the way your mental health is unstable, we have decided to give you a few days off, at least until Clementine¡¯s transition."


    As soon as he mentioned my wolf again, my body stiffened.


    "Until then, there will be two squad teams. I want you all to adjust before going back out there, and I want you to put aside your differences. With that being said, Joshua, being the only one not intermingling with the red squad, will now stay in the red squad¡¯s bedroom. Meanwhile, the ck squad having their own issues will be spending time together as a ck squad," Mr. Rick stated, and I noticed a smirk on his lips.


    It was as if he was genuinely enjoying himself.


    "And with that being said, you are all dismissed." He no longer seemed interested in hiding how cruel he was.


    But as if it were not enough, Ms. Lenora walked out.


    "Oh, and by the way, for the next three days, you will all be in separate rooms, with the red squad staying together in one room and the ck squad in another. The passages will be right across from each other so you do not meet. Anymunication between the red squad and the ck squad is forbidden for the next three days, until you are all sent back to the other dorm rooms. This arrangement is important to give you some space tomunicate within your own groups," Ms. Lenora announced.


    Honestly, it seemed like they were grasping at straws, trying to find ways to create trouble.


    I began to wonder if this was where they nned to end it all.


    Defeated, we were sent back to our red room, and I found myself worrying about the ck squad.


    As soon as we entered the dorm room, I sat on my bed and pressed my face into my hands.


    "You should have spoken to Ian when you had the time. Now it will be three days," Mira said as she sat on the bed with me.


    "How can I, Mira? I gave him my heart, and this is how he yed me," I said tiredly.


    "I understand but¨C" she replied, trying to pat my back, but I cut her off.


    "But what, Mira? Do you not think he was demanding my time instead of requesting it? After what he did, the least he could do was be kind and considerate." I sighed and lowered my face again.


    "I am not sure if this is his personality, but it seems to be his defense mechanism. And sometimes, when you spend too much time apart, more misunderstandings appear," she mumbled, making me turn toward her.

 Chapter 352-Sharing A Dorm Room With Fucking Joshua

    <h4>Chapter 352: 352-Sharing A Dorm Room With Fucking Joshua</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "It is true, Clementine. If some matters are not discussed right away, third parties start getting into your ears. I guess this is what Ian was scared of. And look what happened, it turns out he was right, because the ringleaders decided none of us can speak with the ck squad anymore. At least for a few days," she finished.


    And honestly, I agreed with her now. But it still did not matter because I was not ready to speak with Ian.


    Three days felt long enough. Yet I was worried.


    Even after he betrayed me so badly, kept secrets from me while I always told him everything, I still worried about how the others would treat him.


    Knowing Ian, he would be fine, but still.


    "So this is my room now," Joshua hissed as he walked in with a bag on his shoulder and another in his hand, staring at the empty bed they had ced beside the window.


    "Oh Jesus, not these crying faces of women," Joshuamented as he passed me and shoved his bag under the bed, not even putting it in the trunk, just kicking it inside.


    Then he threw himself onto the bed andy down.


    "He is such an asshole," Mira muttered.


    "Say it out loud and see what I do to you," Joshua warned her.


    "Okay, guys, they are keeping us inside for the next three days because a bad storm is settling in. There will be heavy rain and a chance of flooding as well," Sebastian said as he walked in, rubbing his hands together and ncing at the sky.


    "How do you know that?" I asked him.


    "Well, Sebastian is really good at predicting the weather," hemented.


    "And also at eavesdropping on ringleaders," Mira added, and the three of themughed, making me smile too.


    "Come on, everything will be fine," Mira said, wrapping her arm around me and shaking me gently.


    "What fine? Are we talking about the fact she has four mates? Was that not a shocker? I mean, I have so many questions. How does it work? You please one guy one night and sleep in the bed of another? And now that all of them are in one squad, are you feeling dry?" Joshua turned on the bed, resting his palm under his cheek with his elbow propping him up.


    A cocky grin spread across his face.


    "Avoid him. He is just an asshole," Sebastian remarked.


    "Oh,e on, Sebastian. I am just being a nice fe. If she feels too dry, she knows which dick tond on now." As he said that, he lowered his eyes to point toward his own crotch.


    And that was when I lost it.


    I did not even know what happened to me. I instantly got up to attack him.


    That was what I used to do back when I was with my ck squad.


    The moment I moved toward his bed and bent down to punch him, he grabbed my fist and pulled me over him.


    It was the most awkward fall I had ever experienced.


    My bodynded t on his, and he quickly rolled over to pin me beneath him.


    It all happened within seconds, and now I was stuck under him.


    "Let me go, I will kill you," I screamed, and he started to chuckle loudly.


    "Anger is not your best pursuit. The minute you get angry, you cannot fight," he remarked as he examined my condition.


    "Get off her." Sebastian rushed forward, grabbing Joshua¡¯s arm while Mira and Renee helped pull him away from me.


    The three of them managed to drag him from the bed, but he still refused to let me go.


    He kept holding my arm and pulled me along with him off the bed.


    Once again, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pushed me against the wall before kicking Sebastian away.


    He elbowed Mira, and that was when I shoved him, though only for a brief second.


    He grabbed me again by the waist and dragged me into the bathroom.


    Before I could react, he locked the door behind us.


    This time, when he pressed me against the wall and tried to pin my hands above me, our heavy breathing mixed.


    He suddenly stopped, and so did I. I watched him pull back from me immediately.


    "I was just ying around," he grunted.


    "ying around or assaulting me?" I hissed.


    "Ohe on, you were the one ready to punch me. But if I fight back, it bes assault?" he grunted, shifting away until he was no longer facing me.


    "Whatever. Do it again and I will¡ª" I began to warn him, but my eyes dropped to his crotch.


    He was hard in his pants.


    "Fuck you, Joshua. You are disgusting."


    As soon as I said it, he looked down and then up at me.


    "It is normally this size," heined.


    Then he rushed to unlock the bathroom door, grabbed my arm, and shoved me out.


    The others were already outside, trying to get in, but they stepped back the moment the door opened.


    He mmed it shut after forcing me out.


    "Did he do something?" Mira asked, checking me.


    "No. That loser had an erection," Sebastian replied for me.


    "Ew, he is so gross," Miramented, folding her arms. "Doesn¡¯t he cry about Suki all the time? I bet he looks at Clementine and wants to create some hate-love storyline with her."


    I went to sit on my bed. Within seconds, the wind began to intensify, and the banging on the windows made it obvious.


    "Just like you said, Sebastian, the storm is setting in," Renee told Sebastian as she hugged him.


    He wrapped his arm around her and smiled at her.


    I noticed them from the corner of my eye, and all I could think about was Ian.


    I got up from the bed and reached the door.


    "You are not thinking about leaving in this storm, right?" Mira asked as I ced my hand on the door.


    "I miss him," I admitted.


    As I turned around, I saw Joshua standing in the bathroom doorway, staring at me.

 Chapter 353-They Want Me To Cheat On Her

    <h4>Chapter 353: 353-They Want Me To Cheat On Her</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    "They gave us permission to work out in one of the empty rooms from the blue or green squad." Troy barged in to let Haiden and Yorick know, since they had been asking to work out.


    "Did they put some weights for us there?" Yorick asked him, and Troy nodded.


    "Yeah. They said in five minutes they will have everything set up. But after that, we are not allowed to wander around because the storm will get worse," Troy exined, giving me a quick re.


    The room felt empty without Clementine being here.


    I knew what happened earlier was unfortunate, and it meant she was extremely upset with me.


    I had seen disappointment in people¡¯s eyes throughout my life, especially because they would look at me and think of my brother.


    I was used to those looks, but one re from Clementine felt different.


    And then I remembered how foolishly I reacted to her.


    Instead of giving her time, I demanded it. I knew she hated it when anyone tried to control her.


    "But you were doing it because you were afraid they would twist her mind against you," My wolf woke up again, and I sighed, sitting against the wall while staring into the distance, receiving harsh looks from the three alphas.


    "So how does it feel to have someone you cannot have and then lose them at the same time? Because you are a liar," Haiden taunted.


    Of course he was not going to stay quiet. He kept throwing remarks at me, and when I would not respond, he would get tired and turn to Oriana and bother her.


    She had been so frightened that she took her nket and crawled under the bed to hide, trying to avoid their attention.


    "You were the headmaster¡¯s son. You knew so much, yet you kept it from us," Troyined.


    "You know what would help? You at least saying one word. Anything. Any excuse. But the way you stay silent makes it seem like you are not even ashamed," Yorick remarked.


    "Well, that is because I am not," I replied.


    As soon as I said that, I saw the three of them tense up.


    They had been waiting for a chance to release their anger.


    That was why they asked for heavy equipment to work out.


    They could not go outside to run during the storm.


    It was amusing. They had finally found out about me, but if they tried to mess with me, it would be dangerous.


    I knew they would not, because now they knew I was the headmaster¡¯s son.


    Nobody wanted to deal with the possibility of being sent back to the North, as if I could actually do that.


    "You are not, oh my goodness, you are such an asshole. And we thought your brother was a scumbag. Where is he, by the way? Did you bring him here to forcefully mark Clementine so you two can y games with her?" Haiden pressed.


    As soon as he dragged Clementine into it, my face tightened.


    He wanted a reaction. He would get one now.


    "Do not bring her into this matter," I warned him, looking straight at him.


    "Oh really? Or else what? So you can mess with her, but I cannot even call you out for it?" he retorted, and I red at him silently.


    He was testing my patience, and I felt the pressure rising in my temples.


    "Let him go. He will cry to his father about it, and then he will send you to the North," Troy said to Haiden, patting his back.


    "Did you tell your father to get rid of Clementine too? Because you are done with her?" Yorick asked from his bed.


    "If I had that power, I would have gotten rid of the three of you first," I responded.


    As soon as I said that, Haiden tried toe at me, but Troy stopped him like always.


    What a bunch of losers.


    "If you three are done wasting my time and your time, go ahead and do some exercise," Imented, provoking them just to get under their nerves, as if I had not already done that.


    "Come on, let us go, guys. Of course he would want to stay around someone who is just like him," Haiden stated, mentioning Oriana.


    I could tell what they were trying to do.


    They wanted to create a situation where I would cheat on Clementine, simply because I had lied to her.


    I did not know how their minds worked, but I would never do that.


    As soon as they left, Oriana shifted from under the bed, crawled out, looked toward the door, and let out a long breath of relief.


    "They are scary. I am afraid if Clementine does not leave you now and continues to be with you, they might even hurt her," she uttered, pouting.


    "And I am afraid if you do not stop talking, Oriana, I will be the one to finally put you to rest," I warned.


    The moment I said it, I watched her face lose its color. "And do not think of me as the three of them." I hissed.


    "You tried to control me. I remember that. But you could not. Even during the ogre fight when I was rushing in, you saw me from the distance when the others did not, and you made that brief eye contact with me," I told her, recalling the day I came for Clementine¡¯s protection in the North.


    I had been in my human form, and Oriana had seen me.


    She had scratched her stomach and tried to whisper something toward me from afar.


    "I told you I was under the influence myself," she uttered, still pouting.


    "Forget it, Oriana. If you think you can seduce me now, you are wrong," I dered, closing my eyes to rest.


    I noticed she sat down on her bed, showing she feared them but not me, because she believed I would not hurt her.


    That was where she waspletely wrong.


    "We are both in pain. You know what helps pain?" she asked.


    I opened my eyes to look at her.


    "Yeah, one person killing the other?" I replied.


    As soon as I said it, the seductive smile she had been giving me faded away.

 Chapter 354-South Needs Us

    <h4>Chapter 354: 354-South Needs Us</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The storm was quite bad. We could barely see past the passage, and beyond that there were only dust particles.


    I spent the rest of my day sitting at the window, looking outside and thinking about what my old squad mates might be doing.


    When the dinner was served by the lurkers, who struggled to keep themselves steady in the strong wind, everyone began returning to their beds.


    After about an hour of lying down with my eyes closed and trying to sleep, I shifted in my bed and tossed around, feeling a strange void inside me.


    I knew I was missing Ian. When I snapped my eyes open, realizing I could not fall asleep, I noticed someone else who was awake as well.


    Joshua. He was sitting up in his bed, positioned so he could look out the window beside him.


    I sat up and watched him.


    I wore an oversized sweater with shorts, and my curly hair was messily falling around my shoulders and back.


    Pushing a few strands behind me, I got up from my bed and wandered to Joshua¡¯s, my arms folded over my chest.


    "Do you needpany?" I asked.


    "Oh fuck off," he replied with a wave of his hand.


    I sighed, and as I turned to step away, a hand caught mine.


    I had not really noticed until then, but his grasp was rough around my wrist.


    I looked down at how perfectly his fingers wrapped around it.


    He let go after that, and I understood he did wantpany.


    I climbed into his bed and sat on the opposite side of him, looking out the window.


    "Do you think there will be another storm after this one?" I wondered, staring into nothing.


    "I think the storm will never end," he remarked.


    He released a deep breath before adding, "You miss him," he murmured.


    I had not expected him to remember what I had said a few hours earlier.


    "So he is the one you like most?" he asked, and I nodded.


    "So you chose him?" he questioned again, and I nodded once more.


    "Is he the one who left the mark on your neck?" he pointed out, gesturing toward the faded spot.


    I touched it and groaned.


    "No," I replied. I noticed Joshua starting to frown, likely waiting for an exnation.


    The marks don¡¯t really go away, especially marks from your mates.


    But since this one was from Zian, who wasn¡¯t my mate, it had begun to fade away.


    "You miss Suki?" I asked, changing the subject.


    "Well, you miss someone when you forget about them, and I never forgot about her," he replied, making me feel genuinely bad for him.


    I had watched his life spiral after she died and then one by one, his squadmates were dead too.


    "You know, I was never asked toe to the North," He continued to share, and I listened quietly.


    "I volunteered," he exined. As soon as he said that, I realized what he was going to say next.


    "For Suki?" I asked, and he nodded.


    "Well, yeah. My father had written her name down, and my best friend¡¯s name as well, so they could control me. They did not want Suki with me. So, to defeat them and still stay with my lover, my mate, I volunteered. But it is all in the past now." Joshua released a shortugh.


    I noticed how he avoided meeting my eyes, and I could tell why. Maybe he was hiding his pain or the tears.


    "So after you lost your friend and everyone else, especially Suki, did you expect your father to take you back?" I wondered, watching him frown at me.


    "I mean, Oriana said that before her father died, he told her he offered something to the academy and managed to convince them to release her. Unless that was a lie," I added, remembering her words.


    "Oh, that," Joshua replied.


    "Well, I did not know her father was going to do that, but of course it was far-fetched. Even the universe would not let it happen." He let out a briefugh before continuing.


    "First of all, it is not easy for them to let us go, Clementine. We know far too much. And second, if someone wants to take their child back, they have to give up the entire pack. They have to give up their crown, and someonepletely new takes over by the academy¡¯s orders, a hired alpha. And I do not think anyone is foolish enough to do that. No one would lose their crown for one child."


    Joshua finished, and I was shocked. I had not known there were terms involved to be able to take a crusader out of the academy.


    "You know the lurkers are orphans, right?" I mentioned. Once again, I watched him narrow his eyes at me.


    "How many things do you know, Clementine?" he asked in a more yful way. "So I was right about you. All this time, while you were going to the north and back and forth, you were also doing your investigations. How did you do it?" he wondered, his tone almostplimentary.


    "Well, I am not sure. But why do you want to go back?" I questioned.


    "I am just wondering what power the shadow earth eater holds."


    As soon as he changed the subject to the shadow eater, I realized that was why he wanted to go back.


    "Joshua, that is suicide. You cannot expect anything good toe from something evil like a shadow earth eater. You saw what happened to Oriana," I told him, trying to convince him out of any reckless ns he might be forming.


    "I am not talking about going there for the shadow eater. I am just curious. What did you think? What do you think Oriana wished for?" he asked.


    I was confused myself. Why did he want to know what she wished for in front of the shadow earth eater?


    "Whatever she did, it did not end well," I replied, and he nodded.


    "Maybe she said she wanted all your mates to fall for her," he suggested.


    I shook my head.


    "That cannot be. She did not know I was mated to all of them at that time," I replied.


    "I am not a genius, but," I began, noticing him raise an eyebrow. "Fine, I am a little genius," I corrected, and heughed under his breath.


    "But I think she asked for the male members of the ck squad to fall for her. Something like that."


    When I said that, Joshua clicked his tongue and nodded.


    We were still sitting near the window when we saw a group of lurkers rush past it toward our dorm room. Joshua and I shifted upright in the bed, looking at each other before turning toward the door.


    The door mmed open and the lurkers barged in, causing both of us to jump to our feet to defend the sleeping squad members.


    The way they rushed in with guns in their hands gave us a very bad feeling about what they nned to do.


    The first thought that crossed my mind was that maybe they were going to end us.


    Maybe this was their way of wiping out the troublesome crusaders and bringing in a new batch.


    Maybe it was an execution. All of these possibilities ran through my head.


    And I could tell Joshua felt the same because he looked ready to fight back.


    Just as we stood there, confused, the arrival of Ms. Lenora startled us even more.


    She hurried inside looking anxious, and after ncing at us, she focused on the sleeping members.


    "Wake them up," she instructed.


    Her voice sounded more worried than threatening.


    "But why?" I asked.


    "Just wake them up. We need the crusaders right now," she urged, and I realized they were not here to kill us.


    At least not now.


    One by one, we started waking the crusaders.


    Joshua stepped over and woke Sebastian.


    The three of them sat up, rubbing their eyes in confusion, and the moment they noticed the lurkers, I could already tell their mood had soured.


    "I know it is your resting time, but there is an emergency and we need our crusaders to help us," she repeated, this time directing it toward the red squad members.


    "What emergency?" I asked.


    "The storm and the rain have gotten out of hand. Some of the smaller packs in the south are facing a serious flooding threat. We need you to go there and help," Ms. Lenora exined.


    Joshua and I exchanged a nce before he scratched the back of his neck.


    "What do you want us to do? Go and swallow all the water?" he questioned.


    The way Ms. Lenora rubbed her hands together told me it was bad news.


    "We want you to kill the water monster."


    The moment she said it, I felt as if she had struck me with a silver bullet.

 Chapter 355-The Mainland Monster

    <h4>Chapter 355: 355-The Maind Monster</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We had been asked to follow the ringleaders without wearing uniforms this time.


    We were told to wear anythingfortable so it would be easier for us to stand in front of the South people and also to fight the monster.


    I decided to wear simple ck pants and a white shirt. I tied my hair into a high ponytail.


    The others chose simr clothing. It had suddenly be extremely cold.


    I wondered when summer would arrive. Every time we believed summer was close, we ended up disappointed.


    I could tell the world was changing, but only for the worse.


    As soon as we stepped toward the road withrge umbres over our heads that could barely withstand the pressure of the wind, I noticed another car appear and wondered if the ck squad was also being taken to the location.


    "Come on, step inside," Ms. Lenora urged as she pushed me from behind when she noticed I had been taking too much time and focusing on the ck squad instead.


    Once we all settled in the car, I saw through the mirror that the ck squad had arrived.


    They started to climb inside their vehicle, and Ian turned his face toward our car briefly before he stepped in as well.


    "So now we are going to fight the monsters and criminals here in the maind too?" Mirained as we sat together in the SUV.


    "Clementine, you always take a stand for right and wrong. Why did you not say anything this time?" Renee asked me, sounding curious rather than judgmental.


    "Because I want to know what is going on," I replied, letting them know I would have never agreed so easily.


    It had never been our job to fight the monsters of the maind as well.


    But I epted because I wanted to understand how a monster had appeared in the maind.


    I also knew Ms. Lenora would use the excuse that everyone from the crusader team was expected to fight monsters wherever they were found.


    The drive to the South felt longer than usual. Of course it did, because we were stuck in a storm and hail several times.


    When we finally arrived near the border, our SUV stopped. I struggled to open the door against the wind before stepping outside.


    The others followed me. The cold wind hit my face at once. The umbres we carried flew away the moment we tried to hold them.


    The sky looked dark with heavy clouds forming above us.


    I took a slow breath while observing the weather and looking around.


    The rain had already made the ground very wet, and the smell of damp soil filled the air.


    People were still running out of their houses. Some held their children while others dragged bags across the muddy road.


    They were probably trying to save whatever they could before leaving the houses they had lived in for years, afraid that the flood would strike them.


    Their voices filled the area as they shouted for help and called for the council to send someone.


    The water near the edge of the vige had risen enough to touch the wooden steps of the lower homes. Many women ran around with panic clear on their faces.


    "I do not want to imagine leaving my home like that someday," Reneeined, sadness covering her voice.


    "Well, we did leave our home once in the worst way," Joshua remarked, and I took a deep breath.


    The pack members running from their homes suddenly stopped when their eyesnded on me. One of the women pointed straight at me.


    "Is this the group from the academy? What are they called?" she wondered while looking around.


    A little girl with two ponytails yelled,


    "Crusaders! They are the Crusaders! They are here! They will save us!"


    Everyone began to look hopeful, and the pressure on us grew heavier. The rain was getting stronger too.


    "Look, there is that red haired girl with curly hair. She knows how to fight the monsters. She will save us!" another woman shouted, pointing at me.


    There was relief in her voice, almost as if she believed everything would be fine now.


    So far we had fought monsters that came from the sky or lived on the earth.


    However, I had never fought a monster that came from a water body like this.


    We all began to walk forward, Joshua beside me while the other three followed behind us.


    He kept his arms close to his body as he stepped over the muddy ground.


    He looked very focused, and I was d he was trying to be helpful instead of being his usual cocky self.


    He also seemed more stern toward me than anyone else. Our rtionship had always stayed somewhere between irritation and cooperation.


    Even so, we worked well together, at least in the way I saw it.


    "We need to find the source," Joshua remarked while scanning the area. We were now drenched from the rain.


    "I know," I replied while adjusting my grip on the sword the ringleaders had given us.


    This time they had provided plenty of weapons, but we chose sharp objects instead of guns because we were not sure if we would be able to aim into the water with a gun.


    The alpha of the pack noticed us and approached, pointing toward the far side of the vige.


    "There is a river that runs along the outer border. It is not usually this strong, but today it has turned loud and violent. The water is smashing against the rocks and spilling onto thend," he exined, looking so worried that the frown on his face looked fixed.


    "Got it. We will go there then," I responded while gesturing for my squad to turn around and move.


    Another car appeared, and I noticed the ck squad stepping out of it.


    Before I could think about walking toward them, Joshua wagged his finger at me.


    "There is no time for such interaction, Clementine," he hissed, making me clench my jaw.

 Chapter 356-Taken Against Will

    <h4>Chapter 356: 356-Taken Against Will</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Lurkers stood near the cars, watching us and making sure we did notmunicate with the ck squad.


    It felt childish to me because we were in the middle of a war with a monster, yet they still would not let us interact.


    We walked in a line toward the river. The mud slowed us down.


    Cold water seeped into the edges of my boots, and I hated the sensation, but there were more important things to worry about than wet socks.


    When we reached the river, I understood what the vigers had meant.


    The river was overflowing in an unnatural way. Its surface shook as if something underneath moved back and forth.


    I stared at the water for a long moment before my heartbeat began to rise.


    I already knew what was happening.


    "That is the monster," I said. "Something inside is forcing the water out. The monster is right there." I pointed toward the middle of the river.


    Joshua shifted his weight and narrowed his eyes at the surface.


    "So we have to deal with it before the water reaches the houses," he replied.


    "Yes, we do. And we do not have much time," I answered.


    My hands felt cold with tension, but I was ready to fight.


    It was different from usual because the monsters we fought had always been in the North.


    Now, somehow, one has managed to enter the maind.


    The others gathered around us, and by now the ck squad had also arrived.


    We all watched the river continue to rise behind us, crashing against the edges as if warning us that we were alreadyte.


    I pushed down the fear inside me. I needed to focus. People needed saving.


    The river shook again, and this time it was louder and more aggressive.


    I stepped forward to get a clearer view, and that was when the water split apart.


    A huge shape formed and came out, lifting the river upward with it. In seconds, the monster rose to the surface.


    It was extremely big,rger than anything I had expected.


    The front of its body looked bulky like a shark, but its shape narrowed into a t body like a stingray.


    The tail behind it was long and thick, covered in sharp scales.


    The monster lifted itself high enough for all of us to see it.


    Gasps spread across the area. Before any of us could react, the monster threw the water at us with so much force that everyone fell back.


    We hit the ground hard. Before we could get up, the monster swung its tail across thend. It lifted the tail a few feet above the ground before striking downward.


    "Everybody, duck!" I screamed, warning them not to get up too quickly.


    All of them dropped t on the ground. I already knew how frightened they must have felt.


    "Watch out for the tail!" I shouted after the monster pulled its tail back into the river.


    It paused for a few seconds before diving again.


    I watched it disappear beneath the water and then start pushing the current outward to force the flood toward us.


    "You need to be careful with the scales. You saw how sharp those were. When it swung the tail, the scales pointed toward us. If it hits anyone, the tail will drag them into the water," I exined quickly while standing up.


    My handnded on my sword at once.


    "I am going back to the car. I do not think this sword will work alone," I told everyone who could hear me.


    Oriana and the others stood near me, but once Oriana noticed the tail, she stepped back.


    Even Renee looked unsure, and no one told the others to stay. It was a terrifying monster.


    I began to run toward the car, but the muddy ground slowed me down.


    I heard shouting and sshing behind me as I reached the SUV. I opened the back door and pulled out a bow and a set of arrows.


    The rain made everything slippery, but I held them tight in one hand while keeping the sword in the other.


    When I returned, I saw Mira fall to her knees.


    The monster¡¯s tail had struck her directly in the thigh. Arge scale had cut deep into her leg, and blood spread down her skin quickly.


    She lifted her head, and our eyes met. I saw the helplessness in her expression.


    "Am I going to die?" she whispered.


    Before I could answer, the monster dragged its tail back.


    Mira was pulled forward at once, snatched from us and taken into the water.


    Her screams echoed for a brief moment before she disappeared beneath the surface with the monster.


    We all stood frozen. It felt strange that we had fought in the North for so long and survived, yet one monster appeared in the South and took one of our crusaders.


    I moved slightly to my right and then to my left, and that was when I saw Ian looking at me.


    His eyes met mine for a brief moment before Renee started to shout at him.


    "You are the headmaster¡¯s son. Did you know there was a monster like this?" she demanded, her voice rising.


    Ian gave her a sharp, annoyed look.


    They continued to argue back and forth, but I rushed toward the river before their voices could distract me. I sprinted as fast as I could.


    "Clementine, what are you doing?" Troy yelled, trying to stop me, but I ignored him and kept running.


    I reached the edge and jumped straight into the river.


    The cold hit me at once, and I began to swim downward to search for the tail. It was difficult because the monster kept moving.


    The current pushed me back and forth, making it hard to stay steady.


    The monster rose to the surface again, and I knew this would be the only moment when I could look for Mira.


    The tail was still underwater during the short pause the monster took each time.


    It would lift itself, throw water, pause again, make strange noises, and during that pause the tail stayed resting in the water.


    I swam toward the direction of the tail and saw Mira in a state that shocked me.

 Chapter 357-I Found The Ringleaders Theater

    <h4>Chapter 357: 357-I Found The Ringleaders Theater</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    She was moving her arms in panic, trying to reach the surface, but the scale remained stuck in her thigh.


    The moment she saw me, a small sh of hope appeared in her eyes. I reached her and pressed my sword against the scale, trying to cut it free.


    But the force of the water pushed against me without stopping.


    Mira¡¯s breathing started to weaken. Panic grew inside me because she did not seem to have much time left.


    Then I heard another ssh in the water. I turned quickly and saw Ian swimming toward us.


    He grabbed my arm first and pushed me upward, pointing toward the surface to show that I needed air.


    In his other hand he held a dagger. The de shone clearly in the water.


    It was a golden dagger with a silver carving on it.


    I swam up to breathe and filled my lungs before diving back down.


    When I reached them again, I saw Ian cutting the scale as fast as he could.


    Even though I had stopped myself from questioning him about his wolf, I could not ignore how powerful he looked while cutting through the scale.


    The monster began to shake hard. It threw another burst of water upward, but I stayed under this time and held my ce.


    Ian sliced the scale free, but it started to grow back immediately. At least Mira was free now.


    She cried out in pain. Ian pulled her upward, trying to get her to the surface.


    I swam close behind him. Once we were a little farther from the monster, I saw it dive down and swing its tail again outside the water.


    This time it did not hit anyone, but Mira was still trapped in the water with us.


    "Take her there," I urged him, pointing toward a far and safer area.


    I knew the monster would rise again and start thrashing the water.


    "What about you?" Ian asked.


    His voice held tension that made the moment even harder. We were still surrounded by the monster¡¯s movements.


    "She is dying. Save her first. I will be fine," I replied, trying to reassure him.


    He nodded and wrapped an arm around Mira.


    Her head rested weakly on his shoulder. Her skin had turned pale. The scale had poisoned her.


    As Ian began to swim away with her, I turned back toward the monster once again.


    I watched Ian reach the safer ce with Mira¡¯s head resting on his shoulder.


    As soon as he stepped out of the water, the ck squad and the rest of the red squad rushed toward him.


    Once I noticed that they had lifted her and started to run off to take a brief break before returning, I turned my attention to the monster and lifted my sword again.


    The crusaders probably expected me to join them, but I could not waste more time.


    My arms felt heavy, yet I forced myself to swim forward.


    Before I reached the middle of the river, the monster dove down again.


    The water around me shook. A strong burst came from underneath, followed by another ssh that struck my body.


    The force pushed me back without warning. I tried to swim against it, but the pressure grew stronger with each second.


    The current carried me far from the main bank, and I could not control my direction anymore.


    At that point, I let the water move me, but I knew I needed to take hold of something.


    The river dragged me toward a rocky side area I had never explored.


    We had never been to this pack, so it was clear that we were fighting without any sense of direction or safe ces.


    The sound of the waterfall grew louder as the water pushed me closer to it.


    I did not have time to think. My body moved wherever the current threw me.


    I had to grab anything I could.


    I reached out and caught arge rock near the edge to stop myself.


    The water hit my back repeatedly, but I held on tightly and took deep breaths whenever the water allowed it.


    When I lifted my head, I saw the waterfall only a few feet away.


    The water poured down in a heavy stream, covering the rocks under it.


    I pulled myself up slowly, trying to catch my breath. I needed a short moment to think ande up with a n.


    I also needed everyone to stop standing around the monster like fools and treat it seriously.


    When I stepped closer to the waterfall, I noticed something unusual behind it.


    There was an empty space hidden behind the falling water.


    At first I thought it was only a shadow, but when I moved nearer, I realized it was the entrance to a cave.


    No one would have ever found this ce unless the river pushed them here.


    It waspletely hidden behind the waterfall, almost sealed by the heavy stream.


    I stepped inside carefully, still breathing hard from the swim.


    I needed to hide there for a few seconds because the monster seemed to be picking up on anyone moving in the water.


    It would start searching for its next target.


    The moment I entered, the air changed. It was colder and much quieter.


    I ced my hands against my ears, trying to push out the extra water.


    Then I looked around the cave and froze when I sawnterns ced neatly against the wall.


    My entire posture shifted. The step I had nned to take stopped.


    This was not an empty cave. It looked like a ce used by someone, someone specific.


    "Maybe we should explore," my wolf whispered, and I swallowed hard. A small road stretched deeper inside.


    I moved forward with silent steps. When I reached the next open space, the sight in front of me hit harder than anything the monster had done with its water.


    I stood at the entrance of the big hall and stared at the luxurious interior in front of me.


    The tunnel from the cave had led into arge, fancy room with big screens and manyfortable chairs arranged across the floor.


    The sight made me freeze for a moment.


    The worst part was the picture frames. They were huge, almost the size of doors, hanging on the wide walls of the gigantic hall.


    The entire interior was covered in ck tiles, and several orange lights were turned on above the frames.


    The rest of the lights were switched off, leaving only the orange ones glowing.


    Each frame held a picture of a crusader who had died.


    The lights above those frames were off, and arge red cross mark covered the pictures.


    Only the frames of the crusaders who were still alive had lights shining on them.


    It was clear that this was the ce where they had been watching us.


    But it did not look like a room for CCTV footage. It looked like an entertainment center.

 Chapter 358-They Watched The Crusaders Get Intimate

    <h4>Chapter 358: 358-They Watched The Crusaders Get Intimate</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I stepped farther into the hall and looked around slowly. This ce felt unreal.


    Now that I could see the full room, I understood howrge it was.


    This was not a simple viewing area. It looked simr to an opera hall.


    The screens, the chairs, the lights, the frames. Everything had been arranged with care.


    It seemed as if someone expected an audience to sit here and watch us.


    I stood near the stage where the tunnel had brought me.


    From there, the hall stretched downward with long rows of seats arranged in a wide shape.


    "Let¡¯s see what else we can get from here," Mint whispered, and I nodded.


    I stepped off the stage and moved toward the stairs.


    They curved down in clean lines, simr to the ones I had seen in theaters.


    Each row had a metal te attached in front of it. I leaned closer to read the first one, and my stomach tightened.


    It was a pack name.


    Crimson ws Pack.


    My pack from the South.


    I swallowed hard and walked to the next row. Another pack name.


    Then another. Row after row carried the names of packs on the same polished panels.


    My throat felt tight, and I cleared it. Tears formed in the corners of my eyes.


    It seemed like it was not only the ringleaders who came here.


    The packs, the royals, and possibly the parents too. They could sit here and watch.


    I counted the seats. It did not look like the full pack could fit. Maybe it was only the ones involved in the system.


    The Alpha and his family. And the crusaders¡¯ families, depending on their rank.


    One question repeated in my mind.


    Did they watch us fight?


    Did they sit here while we risked our lives in the North?


    Did they cheer?


    Did theyin?


    Did they judge every move we made?


    Did their hearts not tighten when their children died in the North?


    I could not make sense of the feeling inside my chest. I walked all the way to the back of the hall.


    On the other side stood arge door. It looked like it led to another important ce.


    Maybe it was part of a pack. Or maybe it was another hidden area inside the mountain. I had no idea.


    My steps grew quicker as I moved back to the main stage.


    My eyes stung, and I blinked to stop myself from crying. The stage held the big frames.


    The pictures of every crusader. The lights above them were off now.


    Almost all of them. Even the ones that had been on earlier were now dark.


    Maybe the storm had damaged the power.


    This was the perfect chance to leave. I needed to go back to the river before the others came searching for me.


    Cameras hung along the walls, but they were all off. Not a single sound came from them.


    I turned to leave, but something on the stage pulled my attention.


    Metal trunks.


    Each trunk had the name of a crusader group carved on the front.


    My heart pounded hard. Curiosity pushed at me even though I knew I needed to leave.


    "Do it," Mint urged, and I nodded again.


    I walked to the trunk marked ck Squad, my squad. I knelt and picked the lock.


    It opened with a soft click. Inside were dozens of tapes, lined neatly like they had been ced with care.


    They were the old style tapes used for televisions. Each one had a title written on top.


    One read: The Ogre Fight


    Another: Clementine ying the Faun


    Another: Clementine and Squad Feeling Mate Bond


    My hands trembled. These tapes held everything. Every moment.


    Even things that were private and safe between us. There were tapes about my squad mates too.


    A full pile was about Haiden and the pregnant girl, Sadie.


    Some titles mentioned Sadie¡¯s life after she was left behind.


    They knew where she was. They watched her. They never brought her back.


    I closed the trunk quickly because the pressure in my chest grew too strong.


    But I still reached in and took the tape with my name on it.


    The onebeled Clementine and the mate bond one. I did not want to know what it meant, but I could not leave it behind.


    I moved to the trunk marked Red Squad. I picked its lock as well.


    The moment it opened, my eyes widened. The titles on these tapes made my stomach twist.


    One tape read Threesome.


    Another read Oriana Leaving a Crusader Behind.


    The next tape showed the full story of the crusader who had been abandoned. Another one read Mira, Renee and Sebastian Did It Again.


    There were more titles like these, all arranged as if someone had used them for enjoyment.


    These were private moments. I wondered if they had shown these to the parents as well.


    A wave of disgust formed in my stomach.


    I struggled to breathe when my eyesnded on another tape.


    Oriana Orders the ck Squad, the Three Alphas, to Leave Clementine Behind.


    Oriana was stillbeled under the red squad for some reason, and I noticed I was still marked in the ck squad. I stared at the title without moving.


    They knew.


    They knew everything from the beginning.


    They watched it all, and they never helped us.


    The truth hit me harder than the river¡¯s pressure. We thought we were alone in the North, but we were never alone.


    They watched every moment. Even the intimate ones.


    My thoughts drifted, and I wondered if they had asked Ian toe to me that night to have an intimate session.


    Did they watch that too?


    The question came from the broken trust that had lived inside me for years.


    "Right now, we need to leave, Clementine. We have a monster to y.


    This ce is not going anywhere. It is too big to destroy," Mint stated.


    I shook my head.


    "No. That is not true. They can destroy everything," I replied. "But if we make it seem like we were never here, it will be fine."


    I realized that even if I tried to tell someone about this ce, nobody woulde.


    No one would cross the monster. We did not even know how far the creature would drag us or how fast it could kill us.


    No one would risk it.


    "So we have to y the monster first?" Mint asked.


    "Yes. We have to," I answered. "But we are taking a few tapes. We need something to show if they destroy this ce."


    I reached back into the trunk and picked the most damaging tapes, as if they did not have other copies.


    But I could not take them into the river. The water would ruin them.


    I had to hide them somewhere inside the cave instead.

 Chapter 359-It Goes Way Back In Time

    <h4>Chapter 359: 359-It Goes Way Back In Time</h4>


    <strong>Author¡¯s POV:</strong>


    <strong>Many Years Ago</strong>


    The weather had turned cold without a warning.


    Winter was arriving earlier than expected, and the alphas nned to celebrate it in the way they preferred.


    The ground sat in the center of the open field.


    Rows of cushioned seats circled it, rising upward in wide curves.


    These seats were restricted to the alphas, royal betas, higher-ranked gammas, their families, and the council members.


    The sky was cloudy, but daylight still fell across the field in pale patches.


    Every alpha and luna from the North, South, East, and West had taken their ces in the front rows.


    Behind them sat the royal betas with their families, and behind them were the royal gammas with theirs.


    On the far side, the warriors¡¯ gate opened. A line of orphans walked out.


    Their clothes were loose and old.


    They tried to keep their pace steady, but their legs trembled as they stepped onto the dirt.


    Each carried a sword. The months of training showed in their tired faces.


    Their sunken eyes revealed they had not slept properly, likely thinking about this day.


    Their bodies looked thin from long hours of practice and poor meals.


    Some spectators leaned forward, stretching their necks to see the orphans more clearly.


    On the opposite side, another gate rose. Screeches and sharp howls echoed from within the tunnel.


    This sound earned a louder response from the crowd.


    People began to cheer as if they supported the creatures still hidden in the dark.


    Lord William Stark, alpha of one of the South packs, stood near the railing.


    He wore a clean coat with the symbol of his pack stitched near the cor.


    His eyes moved across the other alphas with a satisfied expression.


    Alpha Raze of the Magical Fangs Pack approached him in a white coat.


    He gave Lord William a wide smile.


    The two shared a brief hug, pleased with the match they had arranged.


    They were the ones responsible for nning the entire event this time.


    Lord William stepped forward and took hold of the microphone.


    "I hope everyone has their food and theirforts," he announced through the speakers. "I hope you have been served well."


    Murmurs rose from the crowd as people settled into their seats.


    "Today we have new creatures," Lord William continued. "They will fight the orphans we trained over the past few months."


    Cheers erupted from the spectators.


    The orphans exchanged nervous nces and took small steps closer to one another, as if the closeness could offer protection.


    Then the creatures were released.


    Everyone gasped at the sight of them. This was their first introduction to the audience.


    Alpha Raze raised his chin and called out, "We will call them Carapamingus Rex."


    The name spread through the seats quickly.


    The creatures stepped into the light. Their bodies looked strange and uneven.


    Their backs were shaped like turtle shells. Their legs were scaled like crocodile limbs.


    Their necks stretched long, resembling those of ostriches.


    Their heads ended in sharp parrot-like beaks.


    Their movements were jerky, and they screeched in a way that echoed across the field.


    They had no eyes at all.


    The audience watched them with surprise and excitement.


    The orphans gripped their swords harder, but their hands remained unsteady as the creatures advanced.


    "Let the match begin," Lord William announced before walking back to his seat.


    Alpha Raze also returned to his ce.


    The monsters moved first. They charged across the dirt with fast.


    One raised its beak high and lunged at the nearest orphan.


    The boy tried to strike, but the creature caught him by the shoulder and bit down.


    Blood sttered across the ground.


    A collective gasp spread through the seats, but the crowd¡¯s shock turned intoughter.


    A few people pointed at the boy as if the sight entertained them.


    Another monster rushed forward and struck the same boy on the head.


    His body hit the dirt and stayed still.


    An orphan standing nearby stepped back.


    His fingers curled around his sword tightly, but his hand trembled too hard to lift it.


    The monster caught him by the front of his shirt with its beak and dragged him forward.


    The crowd cheered. Someughed louder and even mimicked the boy¡¯s fall.


    There was nopassion in their faces.


    They watched the orphans as if they were watching a performance.


    A girl tried to slip behind one of the creatures, but the creature turned and drove its beak into her back.


    The sharp beak came out through the front of her shirt.


    She fell to the ground and looked toward the crowd.


    They continued to cheer and eat their food while blood spread around her.


    A quiet cry slipped from her lips. No one moved to help her.


    The match continued. More orphans fell.


    Their bodies dropped one after another until none were left standing.


    Lord William lifted his hand.


    "Finish the Rex," he instructed the guards.


    His expression showed disappointment.


    Even though the spectators had enjoyed the fall of the orphans, many still looked irritated that the orphans had failed to kill the creatures.


    The guards entered the field and killed the monsters quickly with advanced weapons.


    As the creatures copsed, the crowd grew upset again.


    "Are we going to have another match with these creatures and new orphans?" a woman from the West asked.


    She wore fine clothes and carried herself like the wife of a royal gamma.


    "We will have more matches," one of the alphas replied. "But we will need to prepare the orphans better next time."


    Several alphas nodded in agreement.


    It was not only Lord William who controlled these events.


    Many shared the responsibility. Today the attention stayed on William and Raze.


    The next time it would be on the other two alphas.


    As the guards cleaned the ground and the creaturesy dead, the alphas prepared to close the event.


    Lord William stepped forward and opened his mouth to announce that everyone should head back.


    But before he could speak, a firm voice echoed through the arena.


    "This is brutality!"


    The shout was loud enough to cut through the crowdpletely.


    The entire field fell silent. The cheering stopped.


    The people in the seats turned slowly and stared toward the direction of the voice.


    Several alphas exchanged surprised nces, asking each other with their eyes what he thought he was doing.


    The man who had stood up was the new Alpha of the North.


    He kept his back straight as he looked down at the ground filled with blood.


    The expressions of every alpha and luna shifted from surprise to confusion.


    It was the first time someone had spoken against the tradition.


    It was the first time someone had objected at all.

 Chapter 360-Even My Enemy Is Saving Me

    <h4>Chapter 360: 360-Even My Enemy Is Saving Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I had a lot running through my head, but I knew that in that moment I had to get out and face the monster.


    ying it was as important as keeping the tapes safe.


    It felt like a huge discovery to me. I moved fast through the passage and found a spot under a heavy rock.


    It seemed like the right ce to hide the tapes or maybe the only spot where I could hide them.


    I set the tapes there and pushed smaller stones over them to make sure they were covered.


    My hands were shaking terribly, but I forced myself to leave and hurry back toward the entrance of the cave.


    Once I stepped out from behind the waterfall, the cold hit my face again.


    There was no time to think about what I had discovered.


    I jumped into the water and swam hard toward the center of the river.


    However, the moment I reached the open space, I saw several crusaders already in the water.


    "Clementine!" Haiden lifted his head to take a deep breath and also called for me.


    I realized they had been searching for me.


    Their faces held visible fear until his eyesnded on me.


    "I¡¯m fine," I called out, trying to keep my voice steady.


    "I was only taking a short break," I added as I waved my hand in the water.


    Haiden swam toward me.


    "What is going on? Where were you? You had us so worried," he questioned.


    We were both in the water now.


    "I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry," I repeated, giving him a reassuring look.


    "But where is Mira?" I asked as the memory of what had happened to her returned.


    "We had to rush her to the car. Ian, Renee, Sebastian and Troy are giving her aid," he exined, and I began to think about who was left behind.


    That meant Yorick, Joshua, Oriana, Haiden and I were the ones still here to fight the monster.


    "And where is the monster?" I asked in confusion because it had kept moving in and out of the water, causing the flood to form, yet the water seemed strangely calm now.


    "No idea," Haiden responded.


    There was tension in his voice.


    His cheeks were turning red from the cold, and I felt as if I was going to lose my limbs.


    "It went deep into the water, probably a little too deep this time," Haiden exined.


    "Oh God. When ites out now, it is going to drag a lot of water with it," I remarked, and Haiden began to nod.


    However, I suddenly remembered the hall, the tapes, the cameras, everything.


    My eyes moved on their own as I searched for any cameras around.


    I even looked along the cliffs and up at the sky. Maybe they were watching us here too.


    "What are you looking up there?" Haiden interrupted my thoughts, making me turn to him.


    "The monster is in the water," he remarked with a strained smile.


    "No, I was just checking the storm," I replied, giving him the simplest excuse I could think of.


    "Let¡¯s get out of the water first," Haiden suggested, and I began to follow him.


    We swam together to the bank.


    Haiden climbed out first, then turned and offered me his hand.


    I moved toward the same spot behind him and took it.


    However, the moment I reached the shallow edge, the water erupted behind me.


    This time the monster changed its pattern. It did not make a sound or wait.


    Instead, it swung its tail across the surface in a strong arc.


    Before I could get away from it, the tail struck me. My body flew backward into the water.


    In those few moments of being thrown back, my eyes met Haiden¡¯s, then Yorick¡¯s, and then Joshua¡¯s.


    Shock spread across their faces, and I could already tell they feared what was about to happen to me.


    In the next second, the monster dragged me under.


    Everything went dark around me for a moment.


    Water rushed into my ears.


    As I sank and drifted downward with my face turned up, I saw three people jump into the water after me.


    The monster swung its tail again under the surface, trying to reach Haiden and Yorick.


    However, the two grabbed hold of the tail instantly.


    The monster then waved its tail up and down, trying to shake them off.


    This time it was reacting too much to our actions and not simply following a pattern.


    However, there was someone else who reached me faster. It was Joshua.


    I tried to move toward him, but pain stabbed through my stomach.


    I looked down and saw a deep cut. The scale from the tail had sliced across my abdomen.


    Blood spread through the water, turning it darker in color.


    The scale had failed to lodge inside me as it had lodged in Mira, which was why I was free falling in the water.


    But I could not swim. My legs felt weak. I assumed I was losing blood too quickly, and the cold water was numbing my body.


    That was when I felt an arm wrap around my waist.


    Joshua dragged me upward, kicking his legs faster and harder.


    As soon as we broke the surface, I sucked in air and held onto Joshua¡¯s shoulder to steady myself.


    He kept his arm around me, making sure I remained above the water.


    He pulled me toward the edge and made sure I climbed onto the ground first.


    The moment my knees touched the ground, I reached for the bow and arrow I had dropped earlier.


    I grabbed an arrow, lifted it, turned around and aimed straight at the monster¡¯s eye.


    Water dripped from my body, my hair and my arms.


    My hands were freezing, yet they were steady.


    "Everyone duck!" I screamed, because the monster was only a few inches out of the water and Haiden and Yorick were too close to its face.


    They lowered their heads into the water, and I released the arrow, striking the monster in the eye.

 Chapter 361-The Surprise Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 361: 361-The Surprise Kiss</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The creature threw its head back and shrieked. The sound was extremely loud.


    I kept staring at it, and then it hit me again, the north, the tapes, everything.


    Rage built inside me as I remembered all the crusaders we had lost and the terrible deaths the ringleaders and pack members had watched.


    They could have sent help, but they did not. And now they were asking us to save them.


    Something snapped in me. If they wanted a show, I would give them a show.


    I grabbed my sword and ran.


    "What are you doing, Clementine?" Joshua yelled after me, but I had already jumped into the water again.


    I did hear him jump in after me.


    This time I swam straight toward the monster.


    The creature roared when it saw meing. It moved around, then opened its mouth wide to swallow me.


    If it thought that would stop me, it was wrong. I reached the opening, and Joshua came right behind me.


    That was when we entered the monster¡¯s mouth.


    Inded with a thud, feeling a wave of disgust. The inside was huge.


    If it closed its jaws, we would be swallowed whole.


    The monster began to shut its mouth. Too much was happening at once.


    Panic rose inside me. Joshua tried to grab my arm to stay steady.


    I raised my sword and stepped upward into the top of its jaw.


    Without hesitating, Joshua held my arm from behind. Together we pushed the de deeper.


    Blood spilled down around us. The monster shook even more violently this time.


    Joshua dragged me upward and helped me pull at the wound.


    The monster tried to close its mouth, but our weight forced the jaw farther apart.


    We tore the top area open.


    And when we pierced through the skin of the monster, I heard Yorick screaming my name and Haiden shouting that the creature had swallowed me.


    Panic filled their voices. Then everything shifted. The monster¡¯s body split open from the head area.


    It fell apart slowly, almost sliding away from the center.


    As its mouth copsed around us and the water rushed inside the opening, Joshua wrapped his arms around me and swam us both out of the torn body.


    "Clementine!" I heard Yorick shout excitedly.


    As soon as Joshua helped me reach the surface, we turned around and watched the monster¡¯s dead body floating behind us.


    It was broken from the middle now. Joshua held me tightly, guiding me toward the shore.


    The others started to swim toward us as well. The ones giving Mira aid were also visible, moving in our direction.


    I could barely stand when Joshua pulled me in without warning.


    I had been so happy and excited to celebrate that none of my reactions wereing out the right way. I was too stunned.


    My stomach ached, and the cold water and weather had numbed my limbs so much that I hardly realized when Joshua grabbed my face and pressed his lips against mine.


    It was brief, just a quick peck before he pulled back.


    "We did it!" he shouted, not even thinking about what he had done. That was how excited he was.


    Renee reached him, hugging him, and they began celebrating.


    I was still stunned as I turned my head to the side. That was when I realized another disaster had been waiting for me.


    Ian stood behind everyone. He had likely stopped in his tracks when he saw Joshua kiss me.


    The expression on his face carried more hurt than anger.


    "Ian," I whispered his name, but Renee reached me first.


    She threw her arms around me and jumped up and down with me, shouting in excitement.


    I hugged her back lightly and gave her a tap on the back before my eyes drifted to Ian again.


    The others were dancing around in the light rain.


    The storm had eased for a moment. The flood hadpletely stopped.


    Pack members who had left their homes were returning, hugging each other, thanking us and praising us.


    One woman even reached me and pulled me away from the others.


    "We have heard about you. We knew the minute you arrived, everything would be fine," she told me as she gave a peck to the back of my hands, but my head kept snapping toward Ian.


    Haiden and Yorick were talking loudly with the pack members, surrounded by them.


    Even Troy was gathered by a group of young women who were touching his biceps and looking him up and down, and he seemed confused, almost shocked by all the attention.


    We had not expected such respect, but there was no moment for me to enjoy the ying of the monster.


    My eyes fixed on Ian again, and I saw him start to walk away.


    I pulled free from everyone and began to run after him.


    "Ian," I called out, breathing hard, trying to catch my breath.


    "I want to speak with you."


    I stopped, taking a heavy breath, my arm wrapped around my stomach.


    He paused for a moment, and I noticed the way his muscles tensed.


    He turned around and gave me a hard stare.


    "I came here to speak with you too,"


    he replied.


    "But it seems like you are a little too busy with your new friends," he remarked.


    "That is not what it is. He is not my friend," I told him, trying to reassure him that nothing was happening between me and Joshua.


    "We killed the monster. It was just the heat of the moment. Nothing else. It meant nothing," I said, feeling terrible that he had seen me like that.


    If I had seen him in the same situation, I knew I would have been upset too.


    "And killing a monster earns him a kiss from you?" Ian questioned, stepping closer before stopping and stepping back.


    That alone told me he was debating whether he should evene near me now.


    "That is not what it was. I do not even know if he knew what he was doing," I mumbled, trying to smile to show him how ridiculous the situation was.


    "Well, you did not p or push him either," he remarked.


    His tone made my chest tighten.


    I wanted to exin that I had been frozen, but the words were noting fast enough.

 Chapter 362-Kept Messing Up

    <h4>Chapter 362: 362-Kept Messing Up</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "I am telling you, Joshua will never do that again," I told Ian.


    "That is not the point," he shot back.


    "Why was he so close to you anyway? Do you not remember that he was the one who voted against us leaving the north and the academy? Why is he the one getting kisses while you are angry with me because I am the son of the headmaster?" His voice rose, and the tension in it intensified.


    "How is it fair that you forgave him so easily, but you were furious with me to the point that you did not even want to speak with me?" he continued.


    "Because I had expectations from you!" I yelled back, and he stared at me without blinking.


    "That does not exin anything," he answered.


    "So the one you have expectations from gets no advantage, not even a minute to speak with you? Should I expect you to expect nothing from me so that I could at least get a kiss from you?"


    His words cut deeper than a stab.


    "Ian," I tried to speak, but I knew his anger had no limit.


    He was hurt because someone had kissed his girlfriend, his mate, but he was taking it out on the wrong person.


    He stepped toward the car and opened the door.


    "I have nothing to say to you anymore, at least not right now," he stated, refusing to look at me.


    His words hit my ears like a dagger falling on butter.


    He climbed into the car and shut the door.


    I heard the othersing from behind me while my eyes stayed fixed on Ian sitting in the car.


    He kept rubbing his face with his hands, then leaned back with his finger resting beside his lips as he looked out the window on the other side of the car.


    Within a few seconds, the red squad and the rest of the ck squad began to arrive.


    However, the lurkers stepped forward immediately to stop Haiden, Yorick and Troy from approaching me.


    I could see they had intended toe toward me, but they were stopped halfway.


    The lurkers rushed ahead and snapped their fingers at me, gesturing for me to walk toward my own car.


    One of them guided me to the door.


    Everyone else had already gotten inside. I was the only one still outside.


    But I did not step in right away. I watched the rest of the ck squad enter their car.


    Oriana, who had been absent the entire fight, suddenly appeared from nowhere.


    I could already tell she had been hiding.


    I was not surprised, and I doubted anyone cared, because it was better she stayed out of it than interfered.


    At this point she was more of a burden and responsibility in any battle.


    Then Haiden approached the car. As he stepped inside, he paused and gave me a nce.


    Yorick was next, and he did the same, watching me with a sad look before disappearing inside.


    Troy was thest. He stared at me briefly before getting in.


    Once everyone was inside and the ck squad¡¯s car pulled away, I dropped to my knees.


    I did not know what happened to me in that moment.


    The minute I went down, everyone gasped, and I broke downpletely.


    I could not swallow the tears anymore.


    Trying to be strong all the time was clearly not a good idea, because once you finally break, it bes extremely hard to stay steady.


    That was what was happening to me right then.


    "Hey, what is wrong with you? What is wrong?"


    Renee jumped out of the car and wrapped her arm around me to pull me up.


    Sebastian was beside her, holding my body and helping me rise.


    The two of them guided me into the car and seated me between them before Sebastian moved to the back to help Renee take care of Mira, who was sleeping peacefully.


    "Do not tell me you are crying for the monster," Joshua remarked, which made me lift my head to look at him.


    "You should not have done that." I do not know why, but the words slipped out quickly.


    He frowned.


    "Done what? Kill the monster?" he asked.


    I did not know if he was truly that clueless or if he was pretending, but it was bing irritating.


    "You should not have kissed me." The moment I said it, I could tell even Sebastian and Renee were listening.


    I had a feeling Joshua was offended that I was bringing it up.


    "Hey, it was nothing. Just a little peck out of excitement. Do not make a big deal out of it. I do not want any scandal with you," he snapped, making it clear how offended he was that I even mentioned it.


    "Well, then you should not have done it," I hissed at him.


    "Well, I am telling you it was nothing!" he almost shouted, and it made my anger rise.


    He acted like nothing mattered to him, but that was the reason my rtionship was being affected.


    "Then go ahead and tell this to Ian," I shouted, and the entire car fell silent.


    Joshua gave me a hard look from the opposite side of the car, where the seating was arranged.


    "Well, if he is so bothered by such a little peck, then I do not think he should be with you. You deserve someone better. Do you not have three more mates? Pick one of them," he remarked, making me clench my jaw.


    "Stay out of my rtionship. I am not like you," I replied sharply.


    The moment I said that, he rose from his seat.


    "Say that again. Are you suggesting my love for Suki was not real?" he demanded, his eyes daring me to repeat it.


    "You are just a selfish person, Joshua. You only care about yourself. If you had ever thought about what Suki wanted, you would have known she wanted Jack, not you," I said.


    I did not know what came over me, but the words spilled out.


    I watched his face lose color.


    "Remember how she did not want toe fight the monster for you because she was scared? Well, she was not scared enough to fight for Jack. She told me she would risk her life for him, not you," I finished.


    I expected him to react aggressively, but he did not. He needed a reality check.


    Yet he still did not respond. He leaned back silently and stared out the window.


    His silence was more unsettling than the storm outside.

 Chapter 363-They Want Her Like A Trophy

    <h4>Chapter 363: 363-They Want Her Like A Trophy</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    The scene of Joshua kissing her kept repeating in my head. The problem was not my ego.


    It was my wolf. Seeing my mate being kissed by someone who was not her mate sent me through a rush of emotions, one of them being abandonment.


    I felt as if she was going to leave me.


    Things were already getting rough between us, and if someone else tried to get in the way, I felt like I would lose her.


    In thest few days she had found out I was the headmaster¡¯s son, something I had nned to tell her, but she discovered it another way.


    And then, as always, my anger and my pride got in the way. Instead of showing guilt, I chose anger because that was how it worked for me.


    Every time I made a mistake, I got angry so I would not have to admit it or face the consequences.


    But she had been so upset with me for something I had no control over, yet she stood sofortably with Joshua so close to her.


    The same person who was the reason we were all still in the academy.


    My jaw stayed tight as I stepped into the car. I shook my leg anxiously and aggressively.


    I waited for the other crusaders toe in while my mind refused to work properly.


    I knew I should not have acted this way.


    This was the moment I should have stepped out of the car and spoken with Clementine, apologized for not telling her sooner, and exined everything I knew.


    But I was so angry that I kept telling myself to wait a few more seconds, maybe two more, maybe one more.


    And then it was toote. All the other crusaders had gotten inside.


    The moment the car began to move, I told myself that once we returned to the academy, I would go talk to her.


    But when I saw Clementine fall to the ground and cry in the mud, her face buried in her hands, my heart dropped faster than it ever had.


    "Stop the car," I ordered, making several heads snap toward me.


    "I said stop the car!" I yelled at the driver.


    He did not respond at first, then answered calmly,


    "Those are not the orders. Once we start the car, we are not supposed to stop," he replied calmly, his words making my blood pressure rise.


    "Are you serious?" I shouted, then leaned back and turned as far as I could to look at Clementine.


    She looked so broken, all because of me. I had never seen her cry like that.


    Not even a monster had ever affected her the way I had.


    And the guilt hit me harder than ever.


    "You are so full of yourself," Yorick scoffed from the backseat,menting at me.


    "She was there for you," he remarked, "every time, no matter what. And now you walked away like that? You have the nerve to look angry at her?"


    He leaned forward and tapped my shoulder, making my fist clench instantly.


    "We were jealous too when Joshua kissed her. Anyone would be. But it was nothing, just a peck. And that was because they had both almost died. They came out of the monster¡¯s mouth. That kiss meant nothing," he continued.


    "If shees to me after all this, I will still ept her," Haiden added, making my heartbeat slow in my chest.


    I did not know she had been inside the monster¡¯s mouth.


    "You do not even deserve her. You are only ying with her because she is beautiful and powerful. You are fascinated with her, that is all," Troy remarked with his arms crossed, acting superior.


    "You should be thest one to speak. All of you were under Oriana¡¯s control too easily," I shot back, finally speaking because they kept reminding me that I did not deserve Clementine.


    "Well, it was a powerful spell, was it not?" Haiden answered quickly, trying to defend himself.


    "That is not the truth," I replied. "I did not fall for her spell because I love Clementine more than you all do."


    The moment they heard that, Yorick began tough.


    "No, you did not fall because you were never there to spend time with Oriana. You were not in the room. It was Zian, and he was not going to get affected," Yorick tried to exin.


    "That is not the case," I retorted. "In the long run, yes, maybe I would have been affected if I had stayed longer. But whenever she looked at her targets and touched her chain on her stomach, there would be a dyed response. It was not the same for me. I was able to break from it easily."


    As soon as I said that, I saw Troy narrow his eyes. He looked genuinely upset.


    "You are going to use that excuse again to turn Clementine against me, are you not?" Troy pointed at himself, singling his own name out.


    He sat on the opposite side of the car, facing me.


    "If you do not stop going after her, I will have to eliminate thepetition," Troy added.


    "Is that a threat?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.


    "Yes," Troy replied. "This trophy is too important for me to let go."


    Hearing him call her that made something inside me snap.


    I could have attacked him, but I had already caused enough problems.


    I needed to return to the academy, find a way to speak to her, apologize and exin why it had taken me so long to tell her I was the headmaster¡¯s son.


    As we reached the academy, the storm grew stronger again.


    It was going to stay for three days. The monster had nothing to do with it.


    That creature had been a separate problem we had just dealt with.


    Still, I wondered why it hade out at all. My grandfather had told me about it.


    It was called the Water Bride, but I had never known it truly existed until now.


    That was something I needed to tell Clementine. She would be the only one who understood.

 Chapter 364-Forced Under The Shower With Me

    <h4>Chapter 364: 364-Forced Under The Shower With Me</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    However, my mind refused to focus on the north, the academy or the mysteries.


    It kept returning to Clementine.


    Once we arrived, we were taken straight to our rooms because of the weather.


    Everyone had taken a shower, and afterward they decided to go to the green squad room to work out.


    Oriana was somewhere in the hall, trying to get food with a lurker beside her to ensure she did not speak to any red squad members.


    That was another problem. I could not go speak to Clementine, and I med myself for it.


    Whenever we had time, something happened and we lost the chance.


    After the bathroom emptied, I stepped inside and turned on the water.


    I rested my forehead against the tile as the warm water fell down my back while I thought about Clementine.


    Before long, the door mmed open and someone pushed a body inside with me, straight into the shower.


    Her fingers wrapped around my stomach. I quickly removed her hands and turned around to look.


    It was Oriana. Her hair fell over her shoulders as the water soaked her clothes.


    I reached for a towel and wrapped it around my waist before grabbing her arms and pinning her against the wall angrily, trying to figure out what she was nning and who had pushed her inside.


    The moment I focused my eyes on her, trying to show how angry she had made me, I saw her panic.


    "Who pushed you in? What do you think you were doing?" I yelled at her over the sound of the water, shaking her miserably.


    I had been so angry with her because of all the trouble she kept causing that I decided I had to show her my anger, show her what I was capable of so she would stay away from me.


    But the truth was, I wanted to kill her.


    "I just thought you needed a hug," she uttered weakly, and my fingers tightened against her skin.


    I could tell she was in pain, but then the door opened, and everything happened too fast.


    Before I could turn around, she pushed herself against me and kissed me on the lips.


    I shoved her back, but it was toote. Someone had already seen it.


    "Oh, so sorry, Clementine. Did you need anything?" Oriana began to say, and my body froze when I saw Clementine standing in the doorway.


    "We were not doing anything," Oriana added.


    I wanted to m her head against the tiles, but my focus stayed on Clementine, her eyes filled with tears.


    "So that is how you want to punish me now?" Clementine hissed.


    She turned and began to walk away quickly.


    I had a feeling she might have listened to me before, but because I had acted like this with her, she was reacting the same way.


    It felt like I was tasting my own medicine for never letting her speak and always walking away.


    "Clementine!" I ran toward her, but I could not go past the doorway because I was still only wrapped in a towel.


    I stopped and turned toward Oriana as she rushed out.


    I grabbed her before she could escape and pushed her back inside the bathroom, making her fall under the shower.


    "You wanted to take a shower? Then stay in there," I shouted as I mmed the door shut.


    I heard her knocking and begging me to open it, but I stepped back into the room.


    That was when my eyesnded on someone sitting on his bed with a smirk on his face.


    "The game has only begun," Haiden remarked.


    "Clementine is going to reject you soon. You are giving her too much to deal with," hemented, making it clear this was his n.


    "Do you know how much this will hurt her?" I hissed at him.


    "Oh no. It is just a little pain before she rejects you and finds her happiness," Haiden said, pointing at his chest.


    "Haiden, you are making a huge mistakeing between us," I warned him.


    Instead of taking me seriously, he chuckled.


    "I am also an alpha, Ian," Haiden replied. "I am not scared of your threats."


    His confidence only made the storm inside me worse.


    "You must have taken advantage of our state in the past. But now we are back. We are in our senses, and we are eager have our mate back," Haiden exined as he rose from the bed, stepped toward the bathroom door, and opened it.


    "Come out," he told Oriana in a threatening tone.


    I realized what he was doing.


    After what Oriana had done to ruin their chances, or what he believed she had done, he nned to use her to turn Clementine against me.


    "Do you really think those little hups would separate me from Clementine?" I asked Haiden, staring into his eyes.


    "Oh no, not really. This is just the beginning. It is only a small crack. When the big earthquake hits, your rtionship will fall apart," Haiden remarked with a smirk on his lips. "Besides, it is unfortunate that you turned out to be the headmaster¡¯s son. I mean, have you not kept too many secrets from Clementine all this time while she was trying to find answers? You had them. You let her chase after them and risk her life."


    As soon as Haiden said that, my muscles tightened.


    "That is not what I did," I hissed, but he clicked his tongue.


    "Well, I will convince her otherwise," he replied, gesturing for Oriana to step out from between us.


    As she started to leave, I caught her arm and pulled her back, making sure our bodies did not touch.


    "If you y any more games with them, they will be thest ones to kill you before I cut you limb to limb," I warned her before looking at Haiden.


    If he were wiser, he would already sense the threat.


    Oriana looked between the two of us and then added, "I am not even sure what I am doing. I am just trying to survive. Tell them not to force me, and I will note between you and Clementine," she murmured softly, appearing guilty for what she had already done, but it did not matter.


    My anger had no limits. She was going to be crushed under my ego and anger as well foring between me and Clementine.

 Chapter 365-We Lost The Spark

    <h4>Chapter 365: 365-We Lost The Spark</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After I reached the academy, I met up with Ms. Lenora in our dorm room.


    I had cried all the way back to the academy but had not cried loudly after my argument with Joshua, so when Ms. Lenora came to see us, I was already not in a good mood.


    "One of you should go and bring me the headmaster¡¯s son. The headmaster wants to see him," Ms. Lenora informed me, and all the eyes shifted to me.


    Renee gestured for me to go ahead and bring Ian, kind of hinting that this might be my chance to speak with him.


    I had to go because I wanted to exin to him that what he saw was not what it seemed, and that we should not keep arguing back and forth since it was ruining our rtionship.


    So I agreed.


    When I went there and saw him, I did not know what came over me.


    After seeing the mates cheat on me before, I reacted in a way that was explosive.


    My ego probably got between us.


    I remembered how he had not given me a chance to exin myself, how hurt I had been from his lies, and then finding him in the bathroom with her.


    It felt like maybe he had been taking revenge on me.


    Whatever it was, I found myself unable to stop and argue with him.


    This was the first time I was acting unreasonably, and honestly, I was not mad at myself.


    I guessed I just needed a little break from everything.


    I began to walk quickly out when I heard someone call for me.


    "Clementine," someone called.


    It was Troy¡¯s voice.


    I quickly wiped the tears with the back of my hands and took a deep breath before turning around to look at him with confidence on my face.


    He was shirtless, probably stepping out of one of the rooms after working out.


    "Yeah?" I replied.


    "I wanted to speak with you about the monster," he remarked, and for a change, the topic felt better than the others.


    He ced his hands on his waist, breathing heavily, showing he had been working out hard.


    "Really? What about it?" I asked, trying to focus on the monster because it helped distract me from the pain.


    "How can a monstere out to the maind? Isn¡¯t that why we are sent to the north?" he wondered, making me suddenly remember the cave.


    "Actually, I want to speak with you guys about something myself," I started, when I noticed a lurker beginning to wander toward us.


    Troy noticed too, so he held back.


    "But I must say, you need to look more into the pendant," he added.


    As soon as his eyesnded on my neck, I frowned at him.


    "I have seen this pendant. I recognize it. It was your mother¡¯s, right? You have spoken about it to me. You have shown it to me in the pictures too. Where did you get it? You never had it with you," he asked.


    I bit the inside of my cheek.


    "I found it in the north during the ogre fight," I exined, and I watched the shock spread across his face.


    "But your mother was¡ª- but your mother died, right?" he asked me and I nodded.


    "And so did my little brother," I exined.


    "I also wanted to tell you about your half-sister," Troy uttered, though his voice was quite low.


    "What happened? I haven¡¯t heard from her in a long time," I stated, smiling in disbelief.


    I had honestly forgotten about her.


    "I heard that she¡¯s getting engaged," he replied, and I began to pout and raised my eyebrows.


    "Well, as long as she¡¯s happy," I uttered, and Troy nodded. "I just wish her the best of luck, I guess," I added.


    I guessed I was slightly disappointed because she had been a horrible person.


    For her to go on and have the best life while good people were suffering felt unfair, but then again, I was d she got a second chance.


    Maybe she would act differently now.


    We were in the middle of the conversation when Ian suddenly appeared.


    He wore a shirt and pants, looking fairly decent instead of being wrapped in a nket.


    "We need to speak," he stated as he approached.


    Troy looked at him and then at me, almost as if he realized something must have happened besides whatever took ce in the South.


    "Okay," As soon as I agreed, I watched Ian look shocked.


    I realized that being angry with each other was one thing, but not letting each other speak was the next level of stupidity.


    What we needed was to at least talk and discuss things. He looked hopeful, and so did I.


    But before we could step away, Ms. Lenora appeared.


    "Ian! Thankfully you havee. I sent Clementine to fetch you," she stated from behind me, and we both stopped.


    I noticed the way Ian rolled his eyes, probably showing how annoyed he was that she was interrupting us.


    "Clementine, go back to your dorm room," she ordered, letting me know we were not allowed to speak.


    I looked at Ian, and honestly, we had never looked at each other so miserably before I walked away.


    I sprinted back to the room, and when I stepped inside, I saw that everyone was waiting for me.


    At least Renee and Sebastian were. They looked at me with excitement.


    "I couldn¡¯t have a talk with him," I said, instead of exining more.


    Mira was sleeping, and Joshua was sitting on his bed, watching me. I noticed a smirk spread across his lips.


    "I can tell there is more trouble in paradise. At this rate, I would suggest you just break up already. It¡¯s not working out for you two," he remarked.


    As soon as he spoke, Renee and Sebastian stood in front of me, warning him not to say another word.


    "Fine, go ahead and try to shelter her. The truth is that they have lost the spark. I don¡¯t see them getting back together anytime soon," he added.


    His words shook my courage, but I refused to believe it. I knew my heart. I knew Ian too.


    We would work through it no matter what.

 Chapter 366-Clever Games

    <h4>Chapter 366: 366-Clever Games</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    Once Ms. Lenora took Clementine away and Ian was asked to briefly speak with the headmaster, I was left behind.


    I had noticed the tension between Ian and Clementine when they were talking, and I began to form my own thoughts.


    Before stepping away, Ian decided to have onest word. That was the biggest mistake he ever made.


    "What were you speaking with her about?" he asked me sternly.


    "We were talking about our rtionship," I replied, trying to sound as casual as possible, because I knew that would bother Ian, and it would look more usible.


    It would look more real.


    "What rtionship? You have no rtionship with her," Ian grunted.


    I had never seen Ian so anxious before.


    Since the beginning, when we first met him, he had been calm,posed, collected, and also mysterious.


    There was one more word for him, cunning. But ever since he got into a rtionship with Clementine, he began to act agitated.


    His eyes were everywhere Clementine was. Love is supposed to make someone strong, not weak like he was.


    I guessed he was constantly afraid of losing her. I recognized the look in his eyes whenever she was talking with someone else or not interacting with him.


    "You¡¯re forgetting that we are still mates," I told him, and he rolled his eyes. I had to give him another taste of reality.


    "Well, you should ask her why she hasn¡¯t talked to me about rejection, and why she was here instead to speak to me about my feelings for her."


    The moment I said it, I watched Ian snap his head toward me.


    His hands moved to his waist, and his body went still, as if he was trying to figure out what he was going to do next.


    "That is not possible," Ian muttered.


    "Well, you can keep telling yourself that, anything that will help you sleep better. But the truth is that she is mates with me, and that she had one night with me and the others, and maybe that made her want to explore more ideas."


    As soon as I said it, he grabbed my cor, and I warned him with my eyes to let go.


    When he didn¡¯t, I held his hand and pushed him back.


    "She was telling me about the crush she had on me," I exined, and I noticed Ian clench his jaw.


    "But I remember it was the other way around," he remarked. I knew he would say that.


    "Well, you are very wrong then. She definitely did not update you on recent events. Do you two not even talk at all?" I teased, watching his muscles tense even more.


    There were some weaknesses in Ian, one of them being anger.


    It was the same with Clementine. Her weakness was her ego.


    I thought she had been mistreated so much in the past that she began to fight back whenever someone tried to control her.


    It was easy to anger her. Just try to control her, and she would make a mistake.


    But for now my target was Ian.


    "I recently found out that not only I, but she also used to have a crush on me. And that crush lingered for a long time."


    I sat and watched him shake his head, trying once again to convince himself it was not believable.


    "If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll show you the diary. You will recognize her handwriting."


    When I mentioned the diary, I watched him stare at me in silence, probably trying to decide whether to believe me or not.


    "What is in this diary that I need to see?" he muttered, but he showed no sign of refusing to read it.


    "She told you all how I stole her diary to mock her and everything else. I was angry, and I could not read it further. This time when I went back home, there was something my mother had put in my bag. All my old stuff she thought would be important. One of them was this diary, tucked away among the other books. And guess what? I decided to read it thoroughly. Because now I am in a better ce."


    I smirked at him, and it was the truth. Previously, I could not finish the diary.


    Every time I started reading, I felt pain in my chest, an urge to be with her.


    So I decided to keep her out of my sight. Out of sight, out of mind.


    But I no longer had to worry about that. She was right in front of me.


    And I had to read her diary to understand her better so I could understand her apart from everyone else.


    "In that diary, she had written in great detail how she had a crush on me and how she wanted to start a life with me. She had spoken about how many kids she wanted and what kind of house she wanted," As I began to speak, Ian started to stroll away.


    He took a few steps back and forth, looking around and scratching the back of his neck, trying to make it seem like he was listening, although I could tell he wanted to stick his fingers in his ears to stop hearing any of it.


    "What? The truth hits harder?" I remarked. "I think she settled for you out of desperation because she needed someone at the moment. To think about it, it was so easy for her to move on from you when she thought she saw you with someone else. She came in, forgot about you, cut you out of her life. Not once did she ask you why you did that to her." I spoke with a grin forming inside as I watched him look so flushed.


    "Well, that is because I was not here," Ian replied, sounding more confident this time. "And I do not care what she did or what she did not. I don¡¯t care what she wrote in her diary years ago when she hadn¡¯t met me. You just need to understand one thing. These little games are not going to affect my rtionship with her."


    He said it in a way that disappointed me a little for a man with so many anger issues.


    I thought he would react explosively, maybe confront Clementine and do something so reckless that she would leave him.


    Sadly, he proved that he was not much of a man.

 Chapter 367-Pretending To Kiss Her

    <h4>Chapter 367: 367-Pretending To Kiss Her</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    "Well, good luck with that. Do not get upset if you find us hugging around the corner. I mean, she has done that before, has she not?" I mumbled, reminding him that there had been other times too, and people had caught us hugging or kissing here.


    This time Ian grabbed my cor with one hand and pulled himself close, staring right into my eyes.


    I noticed the way his body shook from anger.


    "You do that and I will cut your hands off," he told me, pushing me back and then stepping away because the lurker was now waiting for him behind him.


    As he walked away, my smirk grew. He had already given me an idea of what I was going to do next.


    As soon as I finished celebrating by smiling at his absence, I turned around to leave when I saw someone standing behind me.


    I could already tell he had listened to the whole thing about her having a crush on me.


    "Yorick," I said, trying to remain calm. "Did youe here to fetch me for exercising? Sorry, I had toe here and speak with Clementine." I made it seem like I had no clue he had heard anything.


    "Is it true?" Yorick asked, his muscles pumped because he had juste out of the room after working out on the machines.


    "What is?" I replied, trying to appearpletely clueless.


    "Troy, is it true that she used to have a crush on you and that she wrote about you in her diary?" Yorick confronted me.


    I began to pout sadly.


    "Listen, I do not want to..." As I tried to make it seem like I felt guilty about talking about the diary, Yorick scoffed.


    "Oh,e on, cut it out. Tell me the truth," he hissed, already angry with me over Clementine, because she had a crush on me, because I was her favorite man.


    "It is true. Come with me," I told him as I started to step toward the room.


    The moment we went inside, I noticed Oriana hiding under the bed again.


    We both stared at each other, then at her, and rolled our eyes.


    Haiden was probably in the bathroom taking a shower or doing something else.


    I used the moment to grab Clementine¡¯s diary, tuck it into my jacket, grab a jacket from the side, put it on my shirtless body, and hide the diary inside it.


    I brought Yorick out with me again and stood in the passageway where the cold wind was blowing hard.


    It was a little difficult for us to focus on the diary pages because they kept shifting with the wind.


    But I managed to pull out the page where she had spoken about having a crush on me.


    "Look," I showed it to Yorick.


    He had his hands on his waist and tried to read it from afar.


    Once he noticed everything she had said about me, he grabbed the diary from my hands and started to read through it almost hastily.


    I noticed the way his body tensed, his muscles clenching.


    He read the whole page and then mmed the diary shut, shoving it into my chest.


    "Yorick, what happened?" I asked, calling after him. But he began to step away, probably to work out more.


    My eyes shifted to someoneing out of her dorm room.


    Clementine was walking in her passage. Maybe she was not getting along with her squad mates.


    They were nice, but Joshua was in the squad. I remembered he kissed her, and it bothered me.


    The man who had openly talked about not liking her, even hating her, kissing her was something I did not expect.


    The same man who had said he would kill Clementine to make others feel the way he felt when his mate died.


    Once again, his actions, like jumping into the water to save her, contradicted everything he said.


    "We need to do something about him as well," my wolf uttered, and I nodded.


    "We need to do something about all of Clementine¡¯s mates," I corrected him.


    I began to move down the passage, making sure nobody was watching.


    It seemed Ms. Lenora and Mr. Rick had also gone to speak with Miss Rue because they were preparing for her departure.


    So only the two toxic ones were going to be left behind.


    As soon as I stepped down the red squad passage, Clementine noticed me.


    "Hey," she spoke softly, looking really distraught.


    "Are you okay?" I asked as I reached her, gently touching her arm.


    "Not really," she replied, hugging herself. "I think I should speak with Ian." She said it, and I gave her a nod, even though her words crushed me.


    "He must have gone through something with Oriana ending up in the bathroom. There is no way he did it to make me angry. I do not know why I said it." She sounded so understanding and reasonable.


    "Hey, look at me," I told her, touching her cheeks and cupping her face in my hand. "As your ex-best friend..." Iughed a little, because we did have good memories together. "I suggest you are right. You should speak with him. But do not worry, everything will be fine. It is just that in anger, he does some things. If you look past that, he really cares for you."


    I noticed Clementine¡¯s eyes shine with a spark.


    "You think so?" she asked, and I nodded.


    "Besides, you are right. Maybe someone else nted Oriana in the bathroom with him."


    As soon as I said that, I saw her face show interest in what I had to tell her.


    "But first, I think you need a hug. A friend¡¯s hug," I said, gently pulling her toward me.


    I knew exactly why I was getting so close to her.


    I could tell she did not even hug me back.


    She kept her hands near her chest to avoid direct body contact.


    But I pulled her in a way that would not make it obvious. Then I broke the hug but kept her face in my hands.


    Behind me, I saw Ian walking down the passage. I guessed he hade to see her.


    But when he saw us together, his steps slowed, then he began to hurry.


    That was when I tilted my face in front of hers, giving the impression that we were kissing.


    "Oh my God, you have an eysh on your cheek." I lied, leaning closer just to blow the air near her face.


    The moment I did, Ian arrived and pushed me back from her so quickly that Clementine gasped.

 Chapter 368-Everything Falls Apart And The Ringleaders Strike

    <h4>Chapter 368: 368-Everything Falls Apart And The Ringleaders Strike</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Troy speaking to me nicely had actually helped me a lot, and then he said he could spot an eysh on my cheek. It used to be a small ritual. Whenever he saw an eysh on my cheek, he would blow on it. He drew closer and blew, but then my body felt light with a sudden push. When I opened my eyes, I saw Ian on top of Troy.


    "What the fuck, Ian?" I grunted, rushing toward him and stopping his raised fist. I held him and pushed him back. Hended a little behind me because I had used my power to stop them. There were lurkers around. If anyone spotted them, Ian would get in trouble, and Troy did not deserve that. He had only been trying to help me feel better.


    Ian stood up while I checked on Troy.


    "Are you okay?" I asked Troy, giving him my hand to help him stand. When I turned around, I watched Ian on his feet, pping.


    "Wonderful," he hissed, making me clench my jaw.


    "Ian, what the fuck were you doing?" I hissed at him. It was my automatic reaction to the chaos he had created.


    "This is why you did not want my exnation," he began again, letting his anger take control.


    "Calm down first, and then we will talk," I told him, reminding him that if he did not calm down, he would say something that would cause even more trouble.


    "Calm down? Calm down after watching my girlfriend, my mate, kiss her ex bestfriend. The one she had a crush on. The one she wanted to create babies with."


    As soon as Ian said those words out loud, my heart sank. It felt like an old distant memory, something I had not even thought about in so long.


    "Oh, so you have started to investigate me now?" I snapped at him, hurt that he would bring up my past. My crush should not define my character now. "And what did you say? You caught me kissing him?" I continued, shocked by his words.


    "I saw you with my own eyes, Clementine. How can you lie?" he screamed, making my jaw drop. Either he was lying, or I had been too dumb to realize I had kissed Troy without noticing.


    "Okay, Ian, you need to leave. Go back to your room, calm down, and think about the whole thing. There was no kiss," I almost screamed back at him.


    Ian clicked his tongue and pped again.


    "Wonderful. I am so d I saw this version of you," he said through heavy breaths.


    "While you were in the bathroom with Oriana," I screamed at him, even though I already knew it myself, and Troy had also confirmed that someone had nted her in there.


    "It was not my fault. I was taking a shower, she barged in, and I..." Ian stepped back, taking deep and heavy breaths again, one hand on his chest and the other in his hair.


    Seeing him like that broke my confidence. Troy was not doing anything, and I was not doing anything either.


    "He came here to tell me how much you love me," I said.


    As soon as the words left my mouth, Ian pulled his hands down, tilted his head, and stared at me in disbelief. I could tell his eyes were questioning my judgement.


    "Why do you not believe me?" I asked him. I watched his muscles start to tense.


    "I want you to stop being friends with him," Ian demanded, and I narrowed my eyes.


    "What?" I gasped.


    "I want you to stay away from Troy. Could you do that for me?" he asked, pointing at his chest.


    The right answer should have been yes. He had somehow found out that I used to have a crush on Troy. Of course he was supposed to be jealous. It made sense. But at that moment, after he had used me of kissing Troy just to make me look bad, I could not ept his order.


    "We need to speak first," I told him, reaching for his hand, but he slipped his hand away and stepped back, gesturing for me to stay where I was.


    "You will tell him that you want rejection," he demanded.


    I snapped my head up.


    "First, we need to talk about everything that has been happening," I warned him, but he began to shake his head.


    "No. First you will tell me that you will leave him. Just say the word," he demanded, almost like he was begging.


    I wished I had said yes. But anger and misunderstanding were piling up, and I could not.


    "No. First we will talk. We will resolve this matter." I tried to exin, but Ian lifted his hand again, gesturing sharply.


    "We are not ready to talk. You are not ready to leave this sucker behind. You cheated on me. I saw you with him." His words came out broken, and that was when I realized we were not just arguing. Something was wrong. Something was happening to him. He did not feel right.


    He started stepping back.


    "You are going to reject him," he said, mostly to himself, touching his chest again and again.


    "Ian," I tried stepping toward him, but he kept stepping away.


    "No. You are not speaking with him." He turned around, pointing at the air as if he could not even see me anymore.


    I froze for a moment.


    "And you will reject him. You will not kiss him again," he said, pointing in the other direction while briskly walking away.


    "Ian," I called, moving to go after him, but Troy held my hand.


    "Why? Let me go. I need to speak with him," I hissed at Troy.


    "No, he is angry right now, and seeing you is making him anxious," Troy told me, but I was certain that leaving Ian by himself would hurt him even more. I tried to free myself, and suddenly Ms. Lenora showed up.


    "Clementine, I would like to have a word with you. It is urgent. And why is a ck Squad member standing next to you? Do you not follow rules at all?" she screamed, looking at me angrily.


    "I was just leaving. No need to yell at her," Troy said, as he walked past her. He hissed at her, warning her not to treat me badly.


    "We will take care of him. Do not worry," he reassured me as he turned around, stepping back a few steps while keeping eye contact with me, hinting that the three alphas would take care of Ian.


    "Yes, please, if you care for me," I said, and Troy ced a hand on his chest, confirming that he would not let me down.


    "Well, you should worry about yourself and not them," Ms. Lenora remarked, turning my attention back to her. I had no idea what she meant by that.

 Chapter 369-Only One Kind Hearted Alpha

    <h4>Chapter 369: 369-Only One Kind Hearted Alpha</h4>


    <strong>Author¡¯s POV:</strong>


    <strong>Many years ago.</strong>


    "Sorry, what are you trying to say?" one of the alphas asked after the Alpha of North had objected to the whole entertainment.


    "This is brutality. Sitting there watching young kids fight for our entertainment and die in the most horrific way. This is uneptable," Alpha King Gabriel spoke up, hands tied behind his back.


    After he made the objection, the alphas decided to go into a separate room to have a conversation while their families returned to their packs.


    Now the room was only filled with the alphas.


    "Gabriel, you are just assigned as the alpha. We have been here for years. Our ancestors have also ruled as alphas, so do not take this crown too seriously. You cannot be a hero while everyone else stands against you," Lord Raze hissed at him, making Gabriel shake his head.


    "I am not trying to be a hero. I am an Alpha King. Unlike you all, North has not detached themselves from the rules. We still choose an Alpha King, and the alphas respond to him. While you all have taken away their seats because you do not want anyone to remind you that you are doing something wrong," Gabriel snapped at them.


    The alphas started to share a nce.


    "The thing is, no one in their right mind would think this is the right thing to do," Gabriel exined.


    "Those kids. Do you not think of your own kids when you watch them cry and try to hold a weapon? How would you feel if it was your children?" Gabriel exined.


    "Well, that could not be our children," Lord George Dusk spoke up, sitting with his mate Lydia, who was the only one who hade to attend the meeting.


    He had dragged her along because he knew she hated the torture of the orphans.


    He wanted to show her how others would treat her if she objected, by showing her how they were going to treat even an Alpha King.


    Lydia kept her fingers tangled in herp. Her eyes kept filling with tears.


    She hated the torture of innocent beings.


    And then there was this new rumour she had heard, that her mate had already been wanting to go back to his first mate.


    She knew she had a shared mate. Her man had already found two mates.


    Lydia ced a hand on her belly as she remembered she was pregnant with her first son, whom she wanted to name Troy.


    "Our children are not orphans, and those orphans have no reason to live. How will they survive in such a tough world without a parent?" Alpha George tried to exin to Gabriel, who looked even more upset with the kind of words he was hearing from the alphas.


    "Well, I will be sticking to my point. I want this entertainment to end, and end very soon. If not, the North will not be staying silent. I have spoken to all the royal betas and royal gammas and the other alphas of my territory, and they have all agreed with me," Alpha King Gabriel dered.


    The others started to share nces. They realized the North was going to be a problem.


    "Anyway, we shall finish this. But next time when we meet, we wille to an agreement to end this torture and start an orphanage instead, where these orphans will be given a better life to be worthy members of the packs. And if you all have trouble aiding them, the North will provide the money, the housing, and everything," Alpha King Gabriel remarked.


    He smiled at his own words. He thought that would make others feel light-hearted and not feel the burden of the poor orphans.


    He was ready to take responsibility for all of them, every single one of the orphans.


    However, he could tell from the looks the others were giving him that they were slightly conflicted.


    But then some of the alphas started to nod, and then the whole room followed with nods.


    Alpha King Gabriel stepped down, met everyone as a goodbye, and walked out of the door thinking he had achieved it.


    He believed he had filled their hearts with consideration.


    But the minute he stepped out, one of the alphas turned.


    "Are we really going to do that?"


    The others started to shake their heads. "No."


    Then all the alphas started to chant together.


    "But what are we going to do to the North and Gabriel?" another alpha asked.


    "I think we should really sit together and make a n to silence him," Alpha Raze spoke.


    Alpha George and the others started to nod with him, and it was decided.


    That was the day they made the decision that they would do something about the North.


    As Alpha King Gabriel returned to the North, he was weed at home by his beautiful wife.


    "Hey, how are you?" he asked her, sitting beside her and gently running his hand through her hair.


    She had been sitting next to the firece, waiting for his arrival.


    "I have been missing you," she uttered. "My baby has been missing you too." She smiled as she touched her belly.


    Gabriel gave her a wide smile, caressing her cheeks and then lowering down to kiss her on the forehead.


    "You know, your father has been really keeping me busy these days," sheughed.


    Gabriel started to frown.


    "Why, what did he do now?" he asked his beautiful mate.


    "He was meeting the people again, and I heard a little bit of their conversation. It sounded so scary."


    As soon as she said that, Gabriel groaned angrily.


    "They came to see him."


    His wife noticed the pattern on his face. It seemed like he was not happy about something.


    "Yeah, they always do," she replied.


    "No, you do not understand. They were not supposed toe here. We had a conversation, and it was decided that we will stop the entertainment."


    As soon as Gabriel said that to his mate, her face brightened up.


    "Really, they are doing it?" she smiled.


    She hated the idea of poor kids being ughtered and orphans being treated as if their lives meant nothing if their parents died.


    "Yeah, it has been decided. So do not worry. All this is going to stop, and this will be my gift to you at the birth of our child," Gabriel remarked, giving her a hug.


    She began to smile brightly.


    What they did not know was that the alphas of the South, West, and East had already nted their people to poison the North, especially Gabriel¡¯s wife.

 Chapter 370-Finally Addressing My Feelings

    <h4>Chapter 370: 370-Finally Addressing My Feelings</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    My head had been pounding in my temples. I did not realize when I came back to the room until I lifted my head and looked around.


    I noticed I was no longer in the passage.


    There was no Clementine and nobody else, except for Yorick, Haiden, and Oriana, who was, as always, hiding under the bed.


    I scratched the back of my neck, trying to think hard about whether what happened had truly happened or if I had imagined it.


    I was stuck in these thoughts when the door suddenly opened and Troy stepped in.


    That was when everything returned to me, and I could not hold my anger anymore.


    The way he had kissed her and the way she had lied hit me at once, and I could not stop myself from unleashing everything on Troy.


    The way I rushed at him was something I could not even understand myself.


    Before long, I had thrown him onto the ground and started striking him.


    An alpha like him tried to stop me. He was strong.


    I felt it in the way he held my hands to pull me back. But there was another issue.


    He forgot that I was not like the others.


    As I began to punch him, he finally put all his strength into it and pushed me away.


    He got up, wiping the blood from his lip. Then he pushed himself off the floor and rushed toward me with a loud breath.


    I steadied my steps, feeling the pressure in my veins, and I knew I was ready to strike him again.


    My vision was blurry at this point. All I could see was blood.


    He swung at me, but I blocked his hit and pushed him back with one hand.


    The force sent him tumbling into the bed, and the bed moved with him.


    Oriana screamed from under it, possibly crawling farther away.


    He looked shocked by how easily I had handled him.


    He got up again, but the moment he grabbed my shirt, I shoved my shoulder into him and sent him to the ground once more.


    Before I could reach him again, Haiden and Yorick jumped out of their beds and rushed toward us.


    They had been too shocked to react earlier and had only watched us.


    "Stop it, Ian," Haiden yelled at me, stepping between us.


    I began to feel a strange agitation build inside me.


    "Have you lost your mind? Do you have a death wish?" Troy yelled while Yorick held him back. Haiden adjusted his stance, ready to stop me if I tried to fight again.


    I felt a sharp noise in my ears. I covered them and began to grunt, slowly crouching down before lifting my head again.


    "You are going to stay away from Clementine. If I see you manipte her against me, Troy, I will lose it. I will kill you," I warned through clenched teeth.


    My body hurt so much that I could barely control myself.


    "Wait, what is going on?" Yorick asked, turning away from Troy.


    "He is sabotaging Clementine¡¯s rtionships. He is making himself look like a hero," I yelled.


    The pain kept spreading through my body. It was the same pain I felt before a transition, and I knew it.


    I needed to get away from them, but part of me wanted to stay so I could hurt Troy.


    "Well, it is not my fault that you all are scumbags to her," Troy finally remarked in front of Yorick and Haiden.


    The two looked at him, realizing their friend was not loyal to them.


    He wanted Clementine for himself.


    Haiden, who had been warning me that he would take her from me, finally understood there was anotherpetitor, and it was Troy.


    The fact that there was apetition hurt me deeply.


    I did not understand under what conditions Clementine had kissed him, but I felt truly defeated.


    "You are such an asshole," Yorick yelled at Troy, but I could no longer listen to them.


    At this point, I felt like I needed to get away from there. Besides, I had been asked to go and see my father.


    A lurker hade by again.


    Everybody looked at me because they had to stay quiet in front of the lurker, waiting for me to leave so they could continue arguing.


    I sped past them and even rushed past the lurker, moving briskly toward the phone booth.


    A few steps away from it stood the dark mansion, my father¡¯s ce.


    ¡¯Not right now, not right now,¡¯ I kept repeating to myself, letting my wolf know he was not supposed to transition. I needed to speak with my father.


    As soon as I entered the mansion, I dropped to my knees and ced my hands on the ground to steady myself.


    "My son," my father¡¯s thunderous voice called, and I looked up at him.


    He rushed down the stairs, quickly taking off his mask, tossing it aside, and gesturing for the lurkers to leave.


    The moment the door was locked and it was just the two of us in therge dark mansion, he crouched down to help me get up, but I could not move.


    All I could do was sit on my knees and look at him.


    "Why? Why did you send me to the North? Why not Zian?" I asked him.


    This question had been buried inside me for a long time. I had been a good kid, so why did I get punished?


    After everything that happened, after Troy, Joshua, and everyone else got a chance to speak with Clementine while I was seen as the bad one, everyone tried to take the only happiness I had, Clementine, away from me.


    I could not hold it in anymore. I finally voiced my emotions to my father.


    My father ced his hand on my head, and I noticed a tear roll down his cheek.


    "Because I promised your mother that I would keep you two safe. If I sent him there, he would turn into a full monster, but you¨C you would fight the monsters and return," he replied.


    There was pain in his voice as he spoke those words.

 Chapter 371-All My Alphas

    <h4>Chapter 371: 371-All My Alphas</h4>


    <strong>Author¡¯s POV:</strong>


    <strong>Many Years Ago:</strong>


    "When you leave me like this and go to work, I feel really empty," Marilyn remarked as she shyly fixed Gabriel¡¯s cor, standing next to the door.


    The morning light fell across the open corridor in soft lines. The birds chirped outside.


    It seemed like a pleasant morning.


    "I am heading to the south, my love. They are finally ready to stop this nonsensical brutality that they call entertainment," Gabriel told her while he gently touched her cheek, making her blush even more. "We will sign the agreement, and they want the North Helpers to join hands to organize campaigns to make orphanages everywhere."


    As soon as Gabriel let his beloved wife and mate know what was happening, her eyes brightened.


    There was a look of relief on her face.


    "That is wonderful," she replied cheerfully, touching his arm with affection.


    "I told you, when I return, I wille with the good news," he told her, cupping her face and kissing her forehead.


    "I really do not like seeing those poor children being shoved into the arena. It is not fair. When they lose their parents, all the werewolfmunities shoulde together to be their parents, not throw them to animals or monsters to be fed upon," Marilyn expressed.


    Her kind gesture made her husband adore her even more.


    She knew her husband was special. A powerful wolf, more powerful than any other wolf born ever.


    She always called him special.


    The fact that both of them carried love and empathy for others made them a perfect match.


    Gabriel gave her a small smile before stepping out of the house with his two warriors beside him.


    Marilyn stood at the door, watching him leave until he waspletely out of her sight.


    She then let out a quiet breath and wandered around the corridor toward the dining room.


    Her hand brushed her hair in her gentle movements. She was calm and fragile.


    Everybody knew her as a perfect Luna. A perfect Luna to a very powerful werewolf.


    "Luna, your food is ready," a maid told her, informing her that it was time for breakfast.


    Marilyn noticed all the food being served. She sat down and picked a piece of toast.


    She was not a great eater, especially these days.


    She took a bite and then reached for a ss of milk. The first sip made her stop.


    "It is so bitter," she remarked quietly.


    She stared at the cup for a moment and then took another sip. The same taste returned.


    "There is a little bit of turmeric in it," the maid replied.


    Marilyn frowned. She knew how turmeric tasted.


    She tried to continue eating until her hand began to shake.


    A strange feeling of warmth spread across her forehead.


    Sweat gathered around her temples. She felt like she could not breathe.


    Two maids stepped closer. More of them entered the dining room, making Marilyn frown harder.


    "Call Gabriel," she requested, cing her hand on her neck and rubbing it to show difort. "Please call him, I am not feeling well."


    She pushed her chair back and gripped the edge of the table, but her legs failed to support her body. She dropped to the floor.


    Panic hit her as she raised her head to look at her maids. All of them had bleak looks on their faces.


    Their necks bent down until their chins met their chests. It was a look of guilt.


    "What is going on?" she asked, looking around in disbelief. Then it hit her. "Did you do something? Did you mix something in my food?" she inquired shakily.


    "Call my husband, please!" she shouted, unable to contain her emotions. "How can you do this to an alpha king¡¯s wife?"


    She raised her voice even louder, tears streaming down her face. The maids still gave no answer.


    Her vision blurred. Her hands reached out weakly before she copsed again on the ground, passing out.


    On the other side of the territory, Gabriel had arrived in the south along with the alphas of the packs that belonged to the north.


    He sat inside the council office. Arge table stood in the center of the room.


    Papers were expected to arrive soon for signatures.


    He waited with his arms resting on the sides of the chair.


    Several north alphas who sat with him were chattering about pleasant things.


    They already had ns for the future, especially for the orphans.


    Suddenly Gabriel¡¯s eyes moved to the empty chairs, and he began to wonder why the chairs of every other alpha were empty.


    There was only him and his alphas. That was when he heard a click at the door, and his eyes lifted.


    He looked around, focusing on the surroundings while the others were still chattering.


    He smelled something sharp, like a chemical or a medicine, filling the room.


    "We need to get out of here," he told them.


    A thin mist slipped out of the vents near the top of the walls, and Gabriel stiffened in his seat.


    He mmed his hand on the table to silence his alphas.


    Their attention snapped to him.


    Gabriel was powerful enough to quickly notice the change in the environment and figure out that something was wrong before anyone else could.


    Through the ss window, he noticed something disturbing. None of the south, east, or west alphas had entered the building.


    As the gas grew thicker, Gabriel started to feel a strange familiarity with it.


    "No, no, no," he muttered, shaking his head as he tried to get up.


    When he pushed himself to stand, his knees weakened.


    His head snapped toward his alphas, who did not even have time to react.


    They started to drop, almost like they had died, but they passed out quicker than a heartbeat.


    Gabriel¡¯s heartbeat began to grow faint. It hit him that this was not a meeting. It was an execution.


    Figures entered the room. Their bodies were covered in white protective gear.


    Their faces were hidden behind oxygen masks. They held long needles filled with a green shining liquid.


    That was when he recognized the faint smell. It was a gas form of wolfsbane mixed with a heavy amount of silver.


    The green liquid was what scared him.


    Gabriel¡¯s hands curled into fists as two of the suited figures approached the other north alphas, pushing the needles into their arms.


    They were already passed out, so he wondered what they were being injected with.


    He tried to step back, but the floor felt unstable. His memory stayed foggy.


    He remembered something. His mother. It had happened to her too.


    She had written in her diary about the gas, the suits, and the green liquid.


    Before he could get up again, he fell down and everything around him turned dark.

 Chapter 372-This Is How A Monster Is Born

    <h4>Chapter 372: 372-This Is How A Monster Is Born</h4>


    <strong>Author¡¯s POV:</strong>


    <strong>Many Years Ago:</strong>


    Sometimes evil believes there is no stopping them. The brutality of people increases after their first win.


    Later victories make an abuser believe they are invincible, until they are struck with the reality that even a rising sun has to go down every evening.


    Poor Gabriel only wanted to do the right thing. He cared for the welfare of the orphans, but the others saw him as a threat.


    When he began to open his eyes, Gabriel felt his head was heavy.


    The room around him was dim, lit by a fewnterns on the walls.


    His arms were pulled back. Thick ropes tied him to a chair.


    The floor felt cold under his feet. He had to blink several times in order to clear his vision, and as he did, he wished he had not.


    In front of him sat his mate, Marilyn. She was tied to a chair the same way.


    Her head leaned forward, and her breathing was soft to the point that he had to focus hard to make sure she was still breathing.


    "Marilyn," Gabriel whispered.


    His voice carried urgency and guilt. He did not want his wife to suffer.


    He did not want to see her like this. She did not deserve it.


    She was too kind to be treated this way.


    "Marilyn, look at me," he voiced again, pulling against the ropes, but they did not move.


    Footsteps echoed from the hallway, and he could tell that several people were arriving.


    He adjusted his posture.


    "Marilyn, please wake up," he voiced, trying to wake her so she could defend herself if they were nning something.


    From what he could tell, there was nothing strange in his body anymore apart from the wolfsbane and silver mixture he had inhaled earlier.


    He could still feel it, but very faintly.


    "Marilyn," he voiced again, but then the door opened, and several alphas entered.


    They came from the south, west, and east. There were no alphas from the north anymore.


    "What is this? Why are we here?" Gabriel demanded, clenching his jaw.


    His eyes moved to his wife. He was upset that they had tied her like that.


    "You should have not objected," one of the alphas from the west replied as he stepped forward.


    There was no concern on any of their faces about taking the entire north alphas hostage.


    "You caused a problem for all of us," another alpha remarked, crossing his arms across his chest.


    Lord William entered the room next. He wore a white suit, almost like he hade to attend an event.


    He stood beside the other alphas.


    "You ruined everything for us," William remarked. "We will never stop this entertainment. This has been going on for years. Many orphans have already died. If we stop it now, people will start questioning."


    For a moment, he looked irritated, as if Gabriel had disappointed him.


    "For such a tall, powerful alpha king, we thought you would enjoy some violence. Violence is in our blood. We are werewolves, for damn¡¯s sake," Lord Razemented, nudging William lightly while standing beside him.


    "Entertainment? That is cruelty," Gabriel replied, shaking his head, refusing to let them call it that. "And what did you do to me?" he added.


    "Nothing. We never did anything to you," Williamughed softly, and the othersughed with him.


    "Then why is she here? What did you do to her?" Gabriel pressed, his heartbeat slowing as he looked at his mate.


    Marilyn¡¯s eyshes trembled. She tried to open her eyes, and it seemed like she was using all her strength to lift her head.


    When she finally managed to do it, Gabriel¡¯s heart dropped. She looked the same way his mother had looked before she died.


    Her skin was pale, sweat covered her forehead, and her lips had turned a faint green.


    "What did you do to her?" he shouted. His voice filled the room.


    A few of the alphas flinched before they tried to regain their stances.


    "They gave me something in my food," Marilyn whispered with difficulty, swallowing hard.


    There was something odd about her posture, and Gabriel could not stop himself from remembering the old pictures in his mother¡¯s diary.


    "You injected us," Gabriel uttered. "You injected my wife." His voice cracked.


    "We did not inject you. We only injected your alphas. But your wife..." William paused and nced at Marilyn. "Yes, she received it."


    As soon as he said it, the other alphas began to nod, almost mocking the couple.


    "But she is pregnant," Gabriel whispered, almost hopelessly.


    Lord Raze shrugged.


    "We know. And we also know how your family only creates twins. So let us see how you will feel about the monsters when your own childrene out as monsters."


    As those words reached Gabriel¡¯s ears, his entire body shook. His worst fear returned.


    The alphas began to leave, but before stepping out, they told him one thing.


    "We will give you some time to speak, but we will return. And I hope you are in your best behavior by then," one of the alphas remarked as he walked out, leaving the two of them behind with nothing but shattered hopes.


    "Gabriel, what is happening? What did they mean? What did they do to me?" Marilyn¡¯s eyes shifted to her husband.


    She could tell he knew exactly what they had done. Tears fell one after another as she demanded that he tell her the truth.


    "I know what they did, because this has happened before," Gabriel mumbled, swallowing hard. His voice felt stuck in his throat.


    Marilyn stared at him, confused and frightened. Was it that serious that a man like Alpha King Gabriel was close to tears?


    Gabriel continued softly.


    "My mother was pregnant with twins when my father objected to the entertainment. The alphas of that time were not united against him. The alphas of the north were not standing with him, so he was the only one objecting. The damage stayed short. They punished no one but my mother to force my father to surrender."


    Marilyn listened quietly before her lips parted.


    "And your mother..." She could notplete the sentence.


    "They injected her with the same thing," Gabriel exined, his voice trembling. "And then she fell sick. She became so sick that there was no other way to save the babies but to take the antidote they offered."


    "What does the antidote do?" Marilyn asked, realizing her husband did not have a twin.


    "When my mother gave birth, one came out healthy." He paused.


    "And the other?" Marilyn asked quietly.


    Gabriel closed his eyes and uttered, "A monster."

 Chapter 373-Forced To Perform A Mission

    <h4>Chapter 373: 373-Forced To Perform A Mission</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I was taken to the hall. There was still noise from the storm hitting the windows.


    One day the storm would end, and then we would probably be asked to go back to the North to y the shadow earth eater.


    So much had happened in such a short time that I felt conflicted about my emotions.


    I knew I wanted Ian more than ever. After every fight, I realized I could not live without him.


    However, I did not understand why he thought I was kissing Troy until I started to think about the situation, the ce he was standing in, and the way Troy had blown air on my face.


    Of course he saw it as me kissing him.


    "How would you feel if you have a problem with someone and Ian doesn¡¯t distance himself from her?" My wolf snapped at me, upset that I had gotten myself into that situation and that I had gotten too close to Troy for Ian to see it and react.


    I would have never liked it if I had seen Ian with Oriana.


    I had been hurt even when the others talked to Oriana. Even small jokes made me annoyed when sheughed.


    Yet I thought it was fine for me to hug others, to let them kiss me, to let them blow air on my face, to stand so close.


    It all felt wrong, and I felt like a terrible girlfriend.


    I told myself that once I finished whatever conversation I was called here for, I would go back and speak with Ian no matter what.


    I would exin everything, and we would fix this. I wanted to be in his arms again.


    When Miss Lenora took me to the basement, I became worried.


    I wondered what they wanted. When I reached the lower floor, I saw Miss Rue and Mr. Rick standing across a big table waiting for me.


    Miss Lenora took her seat before I could. I sat down and gave Miss Rue a nod.


    She looked upset. They were letting her go until the new crusaders arrived, and the thought was horrible because it meant I was agreeing that I would die soon.


    "Clementine, you already know that you will be asked to transition in a few days, right?" Mr. Rick remarked, almost like he wanted to get the words out quickly.


    I nodded.


    "Well, before that, remember there was a pending punishment," he continued and I frowned.


    "Oh, please do not tell me you forgot about it. I am talking about the one where you were going to be sent alone to the North," Mr. Rick told me.


    As soon as he said it, I felt something tighten in my chest. I had almost forgotten about it.


    "And if I say no?" I asked, leaning back in the chair.


    "Well then, you will face the punishment. You will be thrown into the North anyway. We gave you all a fair chance to choose whether to stay in the maind forever, be released from the North, or go back. The decision went against you. So now you want to back down, just because you are scared to return to the North?" Mr. Rick remarked, leaning further back in his seat and giving me a smug look.


    "What is the task?" I replied, realizing it was true.


    They had given us a fair chance, and because of Joshua, we lost it.


    "There is a watch hidden from the North people and from everyone¡¯s eyes. The watch has a golden pattern, and it is ced among four more watches. We want you to retrieve it for us. We will give you more detailster," Ms. Lenora exined, showing me a piece of paper with a picture of the watch on it.


    It looked like one of those old pocket watches with a silver chain hanging from it.


    The watch seemed embedded in some kind of stone wall.


    "Okay, so I can go back to my room for now," I stated, but as soon as I started to stand, Ms. Lenora shook her head and gestured for me to sit again.


    "You will not return to your room, because in the next few minutes we will exin the task. It is important, because there have been rumors that the watch can reverse time once and change everything before returning to their real time. It depends on the person holding it. They can choose what time, year, or ce they want to go to, and that can cause a lot of trouble if it goes into the wrong hands," Mr. Rick exined.


    "You think a monster would retrieve it?" I questioned, folding my arms across my chest.


    "No, not really. The rumors are getting out. We do not believe the watch works, but the others do. If the rumors spread, pack members from the South, West, and even East will try to go to the North. They will do it by boarding the train or trying to enter through other secured routes, and in the process they will leave openings for monsters toe out. We need to stop the disaster before it grows, and we need your help," Ms. Lenora rified.


    I began to nod.


    "Okay, wait here. We will get more details about the watch," Mr. Rick told me.


    I wondered if the task would be simple, because they had not mentioned any monster.


    Ms. Lenora stepped out and left. The silence that followed was ufortable.


    I wished Mr. Rick would leave too so I could speak with Miss Rue. I needed to talk to her.


    I did not want to return after she was gone.


    Ms. Lenora returned holding a piece of paper.


    "Here are the directions. It is an easy route. There is no monster protecting the watch, so you will just go in and out," she told me, cing a map in front of me.


    The area looked new, but if there was no monster, I could slip in and out.


    "This task will not take more than an hour if you are fast, which we know you are," Mr. Rick added.


    At this point, it seemed like a simple task.


    I started to rise again.


    "So now can I go back to my room?"


    Mr. Rick and Ms. Lenora shared a nce.


    "Not really. We are taking you to the North right now," Ms. Lenora replied.

 Chapter 374-A Murder Mission

    <h4>Chapter 374: 374-A Murder Mission</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Wait, we are not going to tell the crusaders I am leaving?" I wondered.


    The lurkers entered the basement.


    "What for? Do you want them to panic? Or do you need moral support?" Ms. Lenora questioned.


    Miss Rue had stayed quiet the entire time, tapping her fingertips on the table.


    "What is the emergency?" I asked in bewilderment, watching Miss Rue¡¯s hands and then turning to Ms. Lenora, who straightened her back and folded her arms across her chest.


    "Because the storm willst for three days," she replied, "and this storm is not only here. It hits South, East, North, and West. I told you about it. Ites once every few years, four or five. Tomorrow is thest day, and something happens in the North on that day."


    I stared at her in confusion. I noticed that her tone felt strange.


    "There is a ce in the North that appears only on the third day of the storm. It is a castle. It stays invisible for the rest of the time, but tomorrow, at midnight, it will appear, and once it does, we can reach the watch," she exined.


    Mr. Rick slid the paper toward me once again, the one that I had already seen.


    I remembered it was embedded in a wall, but now I realized that it was a wall somewhere in the castle.


    It looked like an old castle, very dingy type, like from probably many years ago. But there were five identical watches.


    "Why is there five?" I asked.


    Ms. Lenora replied with a shrug.


    "The wall holds five watches, but only one is real," she replied, "and if you choose the wrong one, the castle will shake," she exined. "It will not copse immediately. You will have one more chance, only one. If you choose the wrong one the second chance, the castle will fall, and you will have to escape before it copses on you."


    "And if I fail both times, then?" I asked her.


    "Then we wait for another four years," Mr. Rick grunted tiredly.


    "Why do you even want it? What is there to go back in time?" I questioned.


    "The rumor says that because there are some dangerous people in the North that would probably want it too," Ms. Lenora snapped, almost like she was upset that I was asking that question.


    "Huh, so you are scared the criminals will get it, the same criminals that you have sent to the North," I remarked, pulling my arms over my chest and shaking my leg, watching their faces as they dulled.


    "If you want to phrase it that way, fine, but you understand we cannot let that happen," Mr. Rick exined.


    I rolled my eyes.


    They then told me that since the North was hit with something, with a curse, and all the monsters started to form, there was a monster who was able to hide this castle.


    The monster is long dead now, but the curse, the magic, stays, and it hides the castle.


    "So you are going to the North tonight. Just get it and be back," Ms. Lenora mumbled.


    I began to click my tongue.


    "It will be tomorrow at midnight. Why do I have to go now?" I asked, almostughing at them for taking me so soon.


    "Because we do not know if you will be able to find it even. In order for you to even find the missing location, to follow the map, it will take some time," Mr. Rick exined.


    I began to click my tongue once again.


    "You previously told me I will be able to find it in an hour or so," I mumbled at their discrepancy.


    "Yes, if you know, if you have been there once. If you have not, it will take some time," Mr. Rick replied.


    At this point, it was not something new.


    They were known to contradict themselves, but all in all, I understood that they were really, really looking for this watch.


    At this point, Miss Rue stopped tapping her fingers.


    She lifted her gaze and our eyes met. Then she lowered her eyes again.


    That was when I understood. This was not a preparation. This was a countdown.


    I was being sent into the ce where I could choose the right one or die with the castle on top of me.


    "Now, please, if you have to go and freshen up, you can use my bathroom," Ms. Lenora suggested.


    Miss Rue stepped forward before her. "Or mine," she added.


    Instead of going after Ms. Lenora like she expected, I strolled after Miss Rue.


    Once I entered her room, I went to the bathroom and freshened up. When I came out, I saw Miss Rue standing in front of me.


    "What?" I asked her.


    Before she could open her mouth, Ms. Lenora barged in.


    "Let¡¯s go, I guess," Ms. Lenora remarked.


    It seemed like she had been waiting at the door to hear the click of the bathroom door.


    The three of them took me to the train station together.


    The storm was wild, and I wondered if anyone would notice I was gone.


    My Red Squad would, or maybe not. I could not be sure.


    They took me to the station and then stepped away. I was not wearing a uniform this time.


    I was given ck pants and a red top. I was instructed to enter any carriage. It all seemed odd, even illegal.


    When I was about to board the ck carriage, Miss Rue held my hand and pulled me into a hug. I could tell that Ms. Lenora and Mr. Rick scoffed at her being emotional.


    While she hugged me, she whispered something in my ear that made the hair on the back of my neck rise.


    "Use this, and do not waste your time trying toe toward the train. They are not going to board you on the train this time. Remember the door I showed you. This key will take you back to the maind through that door. You will not need to return to the train station. The train will not arrive, and if it does, they will take the watch from you and kill you there. Then they will tell everyone that you died in the North."


    She whispered all these words quickly. I felt her hand press something into mine.


    When she pulled back, I could barely breathe.


    I noticed the lurker standing behind Miss Rue and Mr. Rick.


    I knew that if I tried to run from here, they would kill me. All I could do was step into the ck carriage.


    The door closed. I opened my palm. There was indeed a key, a key to the back door that would help me escape.


    But the fact that they had nned my death after making meplete the task sent a heavy shiver through me.

 Chapter 375-Looking For The Truth

    <h4>Chapter 375: 375-Looking For The Truth</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    After I arrived at my father¡¯s ce, I passed out.


    Since I did not let my wolf out, he put so much pressure on my mind that I could not take it anymore.


    I fell onto the ground and went into a deep slumber.


    When I woke up in the morning to the storm hitting the windows, I realized I had been carried back to my own bedroom in my dark mansion instead of the dorm room.


    I groaned and turned around in the soft bed.


    For the first time in months, I was back in my bedroom.


    For a few seconds, I could notprehend what had happened until I fully realized where I was. I sat up and looked around.


    My room hadrge arched windows, with the bed ced against the biggest one.


    All the light from outside could usuallye in, but during the storm, I could only see dust or thunderbolts.


    I climbed out of the bed and hurried toward the door.


    As soon as I opened it, I saw the warriors standing outside, and beside them was Zian.


    He had one arm ced on the door frame and the other on his waist, smirking.


    "d you are back, brother," he remarked, making me squint at him.


    "What am I doing here?" I ignored him and spoke to the warriors instead.


    "The headmaster wants you to freshen up and join breakfast," one of the warriors replied, and I frowned.


    "Come on, we will have a family breakfast," Zian stated, looking fresh as he strolled away.


    Right beside him was his right-hand man, the man who had pretended to be a lurker.


    They wandered off while I stood there, unsure of what was happening.


    Had I gone back in time? Did I never leave for the academy?


    These thoughts kept circling my mind as I took a quick shower and decided to join my father.


    I needed answers, and I was not going to get them unless I went to breakfast.


    As I stepped downstairs wearing a ck shirt, ck pants, and a ck jacket, I noticed how much food had been ced on the table.


    It looked the same as before everything went wrong, before I was sent to the North.


    "Come on, have a seat with us, son," my father told me, pointing toward the chair.


    I stepped over and sat on his right side, while Zian stayed on his left.


    "How are you feeling being back home?" my father asked, and I frowned.


    "What am I doing here?" I questioned, and even when the maids started to serve me food, I did not feel like eating.


    "Well, there is good news for you," my father stated, and I frowned again.


    "You will be discharged from the academy forever now, and you will continue to live your life like normal. However, you will have to make sure that you are not seen around by many people, or if you are, you will tell them that you are Zian."


    As soon as my father said that, I leaned back in the chair and ced the spoon down.


    "So, you are going to lie to others that I died," I replied. When I said that, I saw my father¡¯s body twitch.


    "There is no other way," he expressed.


    "There is, Father," I retorted. "There is a way." My voice came out harsher this time.


    "Really, what do you suggest I should do?" my father wondered, looking stunned.


    "To tell everyone the truth, to finish all this torture on teens once and for all," I hissed, not understanding what was really going on.


    Why was my father able to pull me out of the academy, but he could not stop this torture?


    It seemed like everything was in his hands.


    If he ended the academy, nobody would have a ce to send their children to, or send them to a deadly mission.


    "I cannot and I will not do it. You will go to the faraway pack and start your life, marry a chosen mate, have children, and be the alpha of that pack. And I will send Zian to another pack to do the same. You two will be sent away and never return," my father yelled as he mmed his hand on the table.


    "You want me to hide, leave my mate behind?" I began, but my father cut me off.


    "Enough about that girl. She is troublesome. She will get you and your brother in trouble. She will expose everything," my father screamed.


    I could see the anger in his eyes.


    "Why are you against the crusaders so much?" I whispered in astonishment.


    "That is because that is what they deserve for doing what they did to the people of the North, to the monsters of the North," he replied.


    It was the way he said it, taking the side of the monsters and showing pain for them, that made me feel like I had lived my life in darkness.


    "I never expected that from you. I thought you wanted to take care of the monsters, and that you genuinely believed the crusaders were the ones who would do it. But the way you spoke right now, it feels like you are more in favor of the North monsters than these people, your own werewolfmunity," I hissed, noticing how Zian did not care.


    He kept eating his food.


    My father stayed silent for a moment before he stood and stepped over to me, cing a hand on my shoulder.


    "Come. I guess today I will tell you the entire truth," he replied.


    The way he said it made me realize there was more to the story than I had thought.


    As expected, Zian did not bother to join us. I guessed it was because he knew Father only meant to show me and not him.


    So I followed my father downstairs, where he kept piles of truth stored away.


    "I know you are impatient, son, but you will find the truth here," my father stated, giving me full ess to the basement atst.


    I was ready to explore it.


    Because the minute I went back, I would share every piece of information with Clementine. She would be happy.


    "She would forgive us," my wolf uttered softly.


    I began my investigation.

 Chapter 376-Sector 13

    <h4>Chapter 376: 376-Sector 13</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The door had shut. I held the key tightly, making sure it was not seen.


    I pressed my palm against my thigh so the cameras would not catch the shape of it.


    The realization settled heavily in my chest. All this time I had believed that the train forced us to follow the rules, but now I understood the truth.


    It was never the train. It had always been the academy, the headmaster, and the ringleaders watching us, deciding who followed the rules and who needed to be punished.


    As I lowered myself onto the corner seats, I realized the carriage felt colder than usual.


    I had never been alone in this carriage or in the entire train. When I looked outside, memories hit me.


    The magical train, all of the crusaders meeting each other for the first time in the hall, Haiden, Yorick, and Troy finally getting along with me, and meeting Ian in the prison.


    My thoughts then shifted to the first mission in the woods and the faun.


    We had been so innocent when we first arrived, but now we knew so much.


    I remembered the way the train had left people behind. It was all decided by the ringleaders. How did I never think about it, I wondered.


    "They are called the ringleaders for a reason," I mumbled, almostughing at my own stupidity.


    "Remember how they left that pregnant girl behind, the whole tape of it," my wolf remarked. "That was one of the titles I read on one of the tapes, the birth of her child."


    As the train continued to move, I kept having these shbacks.


    The fear of never being able to return lingered, especially now that monsters were not the only thing I was going to face.


    What Miss Rue told me about the ringleaders and the headmaster had also stayed with me.


    Then I noticed that the train had been moving for far more than twenty minutes, probably an hour. That had never happened before.


    The outside was foggy to the point I could not see anything, until a sudden jolt told me that the train had begun to stop.


    I stood up carefully, steadying myself, and when I looked through the window as the train finally stopped, my eyes widened.


    This was nothing like the regr side of the north.


    As soon as the door opened and I stepped out, the cold hit my face.


    It was a storm, but not the dusty one that would blind me, even when the area around me seemed like it should have been covered in dust.


    The air was heavy with moisture, and I could see my breath leaving my mouth. Fog hung low across the ground.


    Tall buildings stretched upward like dark pirs, nothing like the other side of the north.


    This ce was covered in ck and grey hues. The tracks ran through the middle of the deserted streets.


    The train had not stopped at a station at all. Half of the train was still inside a narrow street, and the back end disappeared behind me into another street.


    There were no tforms, no lights, no signs.


    I wrapped my arms around myself as I felt the cold reaching my body.


    This was the dark side of the north. The side Haiden, Yorick, and Troy had told me about when they left Oriana here.


    I reached into my pocket and pulled out the map. Then I realized everything.


    The ringleaders had known it. If I had known the path, I would have reached the castle quickly. If I did not, I would be lost.


    I folded the map after noticing the first ce I needed to pass was G-Sector 13.


    I had no clue about this ce. The other north, after visiting it so many times, felt like the other part of home, like a ce I frequently visited.


    But now I waspletely alone without a weapon and in a ce where it seemed like the sun had not shone in years, even when it was supposed to be daytime.


    I took a deep breath and prepared myself to keep moving. The ringleaders had lied to me.


    They said there would be no monster stopping me from reaching the castle.


    I did not believe that anymore. There was not one particr monster I was certain about.


    This part lookedpletely different from the other side of the north.


    I kept walking. The wind was the only thing I could hear, with some small chittering here and there, and every time it happened, I was ready to fight whatever was going toe out.


    I followed the map until the street widened, and then I saw it.


    Arge metal sign hung crooked between two broken poles.


    There were words engraved on it.


    The original words were The Fallen Estate, but they had been scratched with rough marks, and underneath the original name there was a new one: G-Sector 13.


    The name itself did not sit well with me. I stared at it for a moment, noticing how huge the buildings were.


    They towered over in long rows, one after another, with only thin alleys separating them.


    A single road cut through the middle like a spine. Everything was so quiet.


    I looked up at the sky. There was light through the clouds, but no sign of a sun.


    It was a storm, but even so, the ce looked as if someone had turned on light blue lights from the sky.


    It was so eerie, and I began to wonder how dark it would be at night.


    A sudden grunt echoed from somewhere inside the nearest building, followed by a loud thud against something like ss.


    I froze in my steps, stretching my neck back to look at the big, tall apartment.


    A feeling of dread and alertness ran through my body.


    I felt I was not supposed to go there, that I should let it be and keep walking, but it seemed like someone was wailing.


    I swallowed and stepped through the entrance of the estate, moving briskly.


    I entered one of the biggest buildings where the noise wasing from and noticed the lobby smelled old, like dust, as if mud and dirt had been trapped in the carpet for years.


    There were broken mailboxes scattered around.


    I rushed upstairs because the elevator was half open, frozen in ce.


    I could hear my footsteps echo as I climbed. I took each turn fast, holding the railing and listening for the noise again.


    On the fourth floor, I heard it louder,ing from the far end.


    As I hurried down the corridor, I realized most of the apartment doors had been sealed shut from the outside.


    When I reached the far corner, I noticed a balcony line.


    The ss window stretched across part of the wall, and beside it was a smaller ss door that led to the same apartment where the noise wasing from.


    As I approached it slowly, my heart skipped when I saw someone trapped behind the ss door.

 Chapter 377-The Dead People Walking

    <h4>Chapter 377: 377-The Dead People Walking</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    A woman stood behind the ss, knocking on the door with her palm.


    She looked weak, barely able to hold herself up, almost like she needed help.


    She wore a long, elegant evening gown, and jewelry hung around her neck and wrists.


    Her hair was styled in neat curls, but now they looked rough.


    There were patches of hair missing, and I could tell she was very sick.


    Everything about her looked like she had walked straight out of a royal party, apart from her hair and her showing scalp.


    "Hey," I said, carefully approaching the ss, "I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll help you, okay? Just calm down and tell me your name." I tried tomunicate with her because it seemed like she was going to pass out.


    She was having a hard time breathing.


    However, the woman did not respond.


    She just kept knocking. Her fingers dragged slowly against the ss door as she leaned forward.


    "Ma¡¯am," I uttered, "are you hurt? I¡¯m going to get you out, okay?" I stated. "Do you see the other entrance? It is locked from the outside. What I will do is, I¡¯ll go there."


    I was trying to speak when she lifted her head, and my breath caught in my chest.


    Her eyes were fogged entirely, fully white. Her jaw hung at a strange angle, swaying slightly.


    Her skin had a gray tint, marked with faint bruises, almost like she had been dead for a long time.


    When she opened her mouth, no words came out, only a groan.


    I stumbled back, shocked at what she was. This was not a civilian, not a survivor, but a monster. But what kind of monster?


    I forced myself to stand, backing away from the ss until my shoulder touched the wall.


    My legs felt weak from what I was seeing. I could not stay here.


    I needed to know if the woman was alone or if there were more inside the building.


    I needed to leave because I did not know if she was alone or if there were more of these things.


    She was groaning like a dead person moving around.


    I tightened my jaw and quickly got to my feet, walking down the hallway and checking one door after another.


    Each time I pressed my ear against the wood, I heard something. The same sound.


    The dragging sound, faint thudding, someone groaning like a dead body waking up.


    It seemed like when this ce got infected with whatever it was, someone hadtched the doors from outside with wooden nks and other things to stop them froming out.


    But those doors would not be able to hold them forever. I had seen cracks in the windows, even small holes spreading near the centers.


    They were going to get out. I knew that for sure.


    So I moved faster.


    Halfway down the corridor, I found another apartment, and this one had its door left open.


    Not pushed open, not cracked. Simply open. My instincts told me to keep walking, but curiosity got the best of me.


    I needed to see what I was dealing with.


    The entrance led to a living room. Dust covered everything. Couches were ripped.


    Tables were broken. The lights did not work, but daylight from the balcony was enough to light up the apartment.


    I stepped farther in.


    The moment my foot touched the center of the room, something crashed into me from behind.


    I fell forward, sliding across the floor as something climbed on top of me. I turned around and what I saw made my skin crawl.


    "What the fuck!" The words rolled off my tongue.


    It was the same kind of thing the woman had been, but this one was not wearing an evening gown.


    The hairstyle was different. The features were different. Its skin was pale and cracked.


    There was blood around its jaw, and its breath smelled like metal. Its fingers wed at my arms, trying to pull me closer.


    "Ahhhh!" I screamed and hit my elbow into its face, pushing the monster back.


    As it lunged again, I grabbed the nearest object, an oldmp, and struck it across the head.


    The thing only went back a little beforeing at me again. It grabbed my shirt and pulled, almost biting my shoulder.


    "No, get off," I yelled, grabbing at something on its neck and ripping it off during the struggle.


    The monster hissed, reaching for me again, while I bolted toward the kitchen.


    The floor was slippery, and my steps kept sliding. The drawers were open, and utensils were everywhere.


    That was where I spotted a knife under a pile of pans.


    I grabbed it and turned around as the monster attacked me.


    I stabbed it in the chest, but it only growled and came at me again, iling its arms like it wanted to eat me.


    I stabbed it again on the shoulder, on the arm, everywhere, but nothing worked. Its jaw stayed open.


    It pushed at me again, trying to bite me, and I moved my hand fast enough to strike it in the skull.


    The de cracked through the bone. Suddenly, the monster stopped. It fell at my feet.


    I backed against the counter while breathing hard. My hands were shaking.


    I needed some time to steady myself. I looked down at my fist and opened it to see what I was holding all this time.


    The broken ne chain hung around my hand. I must have snatched it off the monster¡¯s neck. It was a heart-shaped pendant.


    I clicked it open. Inside was a photograph of a woman smiling beside her husband.


    I looked at the monster lying on the floor. It was the same woman from the picture, but she looked nothing like the person she used to be.


    I got out of the kitchen, walked through the apartment, and saw normal things a regr person would have had, bills and letters from many years ago.


    "These are the pack members," I whispered, shocked.


    They were not criminals, not beasts. They were the people who lived here before all this started.


    So what was it? How did they turn into these monsters? Was it because they stayed here for too long? It upset me so much.


    I walked back into the kitchen, grabbed the biggest knife I could, and looked for something else I could use.


    While searching through the apartment, I saw an open door in one of the bedrooms.


    Inside, I saw a gun loaded with many bullets lying around it. It seemed like I had found something I could use.


    I grabbed it, looked for an empty bag, and put the bullets inside.


    This apartment had an aid kit and other things. I took whatever I could and hung the bag around my shoulder.


    I closed the pendant, held it tightly, and stepped back into the hallway. I could not stay in Sector 13.


    I ran down the stairs, avoiding every door. The groans inside grew louder with every step I took toward the exit.

 Chapter 378-The Story Of The Academy

    <h4>Chapter 378: 378-The Story Of The Academy</h4>


    <strong>Author¡¯s POV:</strong>


    <strong>Many Years Ago:</strong>


    Marilyn had been staring at her husband, and she gathered her courage to ask him,


    "Your brother. I have never heard of him."


    It was her way of asking what had happened to the brother.


    "My father was not like my grandfather," Gabriel whispered. "He was harsh. His sense of duty came before anything. He killed the bad ones before they could grow and hurt anyone. So he did what he thought was the right thing. He killed my brother before he grew up and turned into a monster."


    As soon as Gabriel told his wife that, she covered her mouth and a soft cry escaped her.


    "Is the same thing going to happen to our children?" she asked, shaking. "If we ask for an antidote, one of them will die?"


    She questioned him again.


    "I do not want that."


    "But we only have two choices. Either we ask for an antidote and save one, or both of our children be monsters along with you."


    He exined to her how the injection worked.


    Marilyn broke down in sobs.


    The alphas returned right after that.


    "Well, what have you decided?" one of them asked.


    "I do not want to harm anyone. I do not want more orphans to die," Gabriel responded, keeping his eyes on Marilyn.


    "Then kill me," she whispered. "End this cycle. Do not create more monsters. Do not let them use our children anymore."


    Her request shook Gabriel¡¯s heart.


    "No," he said sternly. "I cannot lose you. I cannot lose my family," he hissed.


    Her face fell with disappointment. He then looked at the alphas as if he already knew what they were going to offer him.


    "Give her the antidote." Gabriel hissed.


    "That is the right choice," one of the alphas replied with a pleased smile. "Even if you had refused, it would not have mattered. The north is gone, so it was a wise decision to choose to save your wife."


    As soon as the alpha finished, Gabriel¡¯s eyes widened as he shared a startled look with his wife.


    "What do you mean?" Gabriel pressed, turning to look at him.


    The alphas looked at each other andughed.


    "We did what we had to do. We already entered yournds. We have infected as many as possible. With time, every wolf will turn into a monster, and soon the north will be our biggest yground. We have prepared everything. In a few days, they will wake up again. Until then, there will be cameras and everything else settled," one of the alphas exined with so much enthusiasm that it made Gabriel¡¯s heart twist inside him.


    Gabriel started to fight against the restraints aggressively.


    "You destroyed the north. You murderers!" he shouted.


    "Well, it is no longer a safe ce, so we might as well have fun," William retorted. "But that does not matter. Once you people are gone, we will let the world think it was a disease, that someone got infected and there was a monster that spread it. Maybe another wall broke loose and all the monsters stormed in. There are plenty of stories they will tell their kids in the future."


    Williamughed at the thought of it, but Gabriel felt awful.


    "What if I refuse the antidote?" Gabriel asked angrily. He no longer wanted to take anything from them.


    "Then we kill you," Alpha Dusk replied, shrugging. "Your wife turns, we kill her, your children will die with her, your legacy will be gone."


    Gabriel¡¯s heart started to pound hard in his chest. They noticed how his bones started to crack.


    His muscles tightened. His wolf began to show, and it was obvious to them that it was not a normal wolf. Even Marilyn stared at him in shock and fear.


    "He is transitioning," one of the alphas remarked, pointing at him and rushing toward the door.


    "Stop him," William ordered, and several warriors rushed in.


    Before Gabriel could take control, they stabbed him with a needle in the arm.


    Wolfsbane spread across him, burning through every nerve and making him copse back into the chair. He passed out.


    When he woke again, Marilyn was awake, but her eyes looked empty. She bent forward slightly, looking fragile.


    "Are you okay?" Gabriel asked her.


    She faintly nodded.


    "They gave me the antidote," she whispered so quietly he could barely hear her. "They forced it, Gabriel."


    She looked at him with nothing but broken wishes in her eyes.


    "Our home. It is gone. So many innocent people will turn into monsters. Some will shift because of jealousy, others because of anger, some because of fear. No one knows what triggers them," she whispered, taking slow and heavy breaths.


    Gabriel realized something else. They were in shackles, but their hands were tied in front of their bodies.


    He reached toward her and ced his lips on her forehead.


    "We are not helpless," he told her.


    "How so?" she asked softly. "How can we fight all of them?"


    Footsteps approached again, and the alphas re-entered. Every time they came in, it felt like watching monsters walk inside.


    "So, are you going to obey the alphas?" one of them asked with a smirk.


    "What do you want me to obey for?" Gabriel hissed.


    "Well, to shut your mouth. Just enjoy what we are doing," the alpha replied, chuckling.


    At this point, Gabriel understood why they were not killing him. He understood why they wanted him to obey.


    "You are scared of my father, aren¡¯t you?" Gabriel asked.


    The alphas¡¯ fists clenched. They knew he was right.


    "You think this willst? You think you can control this? Send the orphans into the north? Then what? They will die. Monsters will break out. They will hide in yournd. They will attack when you are not watching," Gabriel stated.


    The alphas¡¯ faces changed color.


    "I can tell you did not make a n. You did not think it through."


    The room went silent.


    "You seem to know something. Speak," one of the alphas demanded.


    "My grandfather passed down his unusual powers to my father. My father works with your people. You know that," Gabriel said.


    Their faces went pale.


    "When he learns what you did to me and the north, he will stop helping you. He will cut you off. Then what?" Gabriel pressed.


    He remembered how they had first asked his father toe to the south and stay at a hotel.


    They knew his father could do what the grandfather used to do, but this time it would be on arger scale.


    They needed his father. Now they had ruined everything.


    "When he learns what you did to me, what do you think he will do?" Gabriel repeated.


    "Fine," William muttered, finally shaking. "What do you want?"


    Gabriel knew there was not much they could fix anymore. The alphas had already ruined too much. The least he could do was create something new.


    "I want an academy. I will be the headmaster. My rules. New terms. A fair system. No more orphans dying for your games. Your children will pay for your sins. They will be the crusaders."


    As soon as he finished, everyone in the room gasped.

 Chapter 379-Everyone Will Pay For It

    <h4>Chapter 379: 379-Everyone Will Pay For It</h4>


    <strong>Author¡¯s POV:</strong>


    <strong>Many Years Ago:</strong>


    Gabriel¡¯s demands brought silence over the alphas in the room.


    They all stared at him in disbelief.


    Lord William broke the silence first when he grunted, and Lord Raze nodded at his reaction, almost like he already understood what Lord William was angry about.


    Lord George Dusk stood with them, along with the many other alphas who had nned and plotted against the orphans and the north.


    "This idea is foolish. This academy will never work," Lord William remarked.


    "You want our children to clean up yournd? You want them to fight the monsters?" Lord Raze almost yelled at Gabriel¡¯s proposal.


    "You created these monsters. You turned my innocent pack members, alphas, betas, gammas, omegas, everyone into monsters. And you question my audacity?" Gabriel hissed at them.


    "We are not agreeing to this. This is madness," one of the alphasmented, making it clear they did not support the idea.


    Gabriel stayed calm. His expression did not change even with their denial, which made the others look at each other in confusion.


    They could not understand why Gabriel was so certain they would agree.


    "We are not wasting time anymore. Let¡¯s go and n their demise," one of the alphas stated, patting Lord William¡¯s back, asking him to leave.


    One by one, the alphas stepped out of the room, leaving Gabriel and Marilyn behind, tied against the walls with shackles on their ankles.


    "What do you think is going to happen? They did not agree," Marilyn whispered in her gentle voice.


    The poison seemed to be spreading quickly in her.


    "They will agree. They did not think through this n. They created the monsters without preparing for anything," Gabriel replied.


    His calm made Marilyn take a deep breath. She knew her husband.


    When he did not panic, it meant he was confident, and his confidence always worked.


    "Are you sure?" she asked. Her breathing was getting fainter.


    "Yes, my love. They will return. Please hold on," he told her, and she nodded.


    They did not speak afterward because Gabriel knew Marilyn needed to save her energy.


    Footsteps echoed again, and the door opened.


    Marilyn was surprised that the alphas hade back so quickly. It seemed her husband¡¯s confidence had been right.


    Lord Raze walked in first. Behind him were Lord William, Lord George, and the other alphas.


    Their faces were tense this time, and their confidence seemed shaken.


    "Are you serious about this academy idea? You want to train the orphans and our children, and you expect us to trust you?" Lord Raze stepped forward, asking Gabriel, who gave him a steady nod.


    "Tell us what you are nning. All of it," Lord William added.


    "Your father has stopped cooperating with us. He refused to meet us. We were informed he will not assist us with anything. And that does not help us since he is the man who knows most of the things about how to control these monsters and kill them," one of the alphasined, informing Gabriel of what had been happening outside.


    "Of course he did. Did you really think he was like my great-grandfather who would never side with his people? The only reason he helped you was to prevent you from doing something reckless, like you have already done," Alpha Gabriel replied in a bitter tone.


    The alphas shifted ufortably at his words.


    Before anyone could respond, a warrior rushed in.


    His uniform was torn, and his face was bloodied. It seemed like he hade straight from a fight.


    "It is getting harder to kill the monsters pouring out of the north," he reported. "They are turning in hours. Some are hiding, some are attacking the warriors. If this continues, then in a few hours it will be out of control, and all the monsters will invade the south, east, west. There will be nothing left for us to do," the warriorined.


    The room fell silent. All the alphas turned to Gabriel as they realized he had been right.


    "Do you have a n?" Lord George asked, looking defeated as they bowed to Gabriel¡¯s demands.


    "Separate the affected area. Call it the dark side of the north. Make sure most of the monsters are pushed back into that area. Tie them there. Fill the dark side with all the monsters that have already transitioned. It is their early stage, so they might not be that powerful. With time, it will be harder for us to control them," Gabriel told them, making it clear he already had everything nned.


    "What about the unaffected side? How will we secure it from the dark side and protect the south, east, and west from the north?" George Dusk asked him.


    "I can help you with the towers. They will act as barriers. Magical barriers to prevent the monsters of the dark side from entering the normal side of the north, and also to stop the monsters of the north froming out. However, it will be difficult to separate the north from the dark sidepletely. Once in a while, a monster might slip through. But I will not help you until you agree to my terms," Gabriel replied, making sure they were listening.


    The alphas began to whisper. They looked desperate now.


    The ns they had created against the north and all the helpless people were turning on them.


    "What exactly are your terms?" Lord William asked him, since the others kept whispering in confusion.


    "The academy will be built in the maind. It will be the center. It will have two groups. Orphans will be the lurkers, the ones who will control the crusaders. They will guard the borders and track monsters. And your children will be crusaders. They will fight the monsters you created," Gabriel stated confidently. "You treated other children like nothing. Now your children will carry the responsibility. At least one child from every family, regardless of them being alpha, royal beta, or royal gamma. They will clean the damage caused by you and the alphas before you."


    "You mean our children will be sent there to fight?" Lord Raze asked, looking pale.


    "Yes," Lord Gabriel replied.


    The alphas whispered again. It seemed like they had no other choice. After a moment, Lord William stated, "Fine. We will cooperate with whatever you need to build this academy."


    "But we want you to start helping us with the towers first, because it seems like our warriors will not be able to hold the monsters for too long," Lord Raze added.


    And then it was decided.


    The academy would be named RaveCrest.

 Chapter 380-The Twins

    <h4>Chapter 380: 380-The Twins</h4>


    <strong>Author¡¯s POV:</strong>


    <strong>Many Years Ago:</strong>


    The foundation for the academy began that same week.


    The architects and workers were brought in. Magical towers were already formed under Gabriel¡¯smand.


    He knew this would be thest time he ever visited the north.


    Soon the monsters would wake up again, and this time they would be in their prime.


    The towers rose into the sky, rooted deep into the ground.


    He built some areas as safe zones to make sure the crusaders had ces to rest when they came here to fight the monsters.


    Everything was going well. They had brought in the first crusaders.


    Some were children of alphas, some were betas, some were royal gammas, and some were omegas. They trained on the grounds.


    There was no well-constructed academy building yet, but it would be formed soon.


    At the same time, new rules were set by the alphas of the maind.


    It was agreed that the entertainment would continue.


    All the alphas, regardless of whether their children were going to the north or not, would attend the entertainment hall whenever new tapes were released.


    Whenever a crusader went to the north, they would be recorded.


    When they returned, the tapes would be edited in a dramatic way to create an evening for the alphas and the parents of the crusaders, whether they were omegas or not.


    This was how it worked.


    Lurkers were chosen as well, but there was a problem when choosing them.


    The alphas insisted on making the lurkers numb to everything so they would not be rebellious.


    Everyone was aware of the orphans holding grudges or discovering what had happened to the early orphans and how they had been treated.


    They feared the lurkers would attack the crusaders, taking their anger out on them.


    It was decided that the lurkers would have no thoughts and no feelings.


    The headmaster agreed to it. There was only so much he could change.


    There were rules he also had to follow.


    When everything was decided, the lurkers were given shots of a different medicine that made them silent.


    They had no thoughts of their own and followed the rules of the headmaster.


    It was also used to control them.


    Since they had no families and no loved ones, it would have been harder to keep them quiet. Now they stayed quiet.


    Marilyn¡¯s pregnancy continued. Her body grew weaker, but she carried herself with calm and strength.


    She ced her hand on her belly often. Her eyes softened most of the time, but at night she cried, and her husband stayed beside her.


    "There will be more monsters. So many others will suffer," she cried to Gabriel in his arms.


    He held her hand, keeping her close.


    "I will not allow our children to face this alone. Do not worry. When it is time for one of our children to be sent to the north, he will be prepared. I will be prepared," he promised her.


    She rested softly on his chest.


    Months passed, and Marilyn went intobor.


    Gabriel stood in the hall outside the room, watching the nurses go in and out.


    He could hear her scream and cry.


    "Headmaster, she is asking for you," one of the nurses told him, snapping him out of his thoughts.


    He rushed inside to check on his mate. Marilyny on the bed breathing hard.


    Sweat covered her skin. Her hands gripped the sheets tightly.


    Fear rose inside Gabriel when he remembered his mother.


    She had died giving birth after taking the antidote. The memory stayed with him.


    He convinced himself that this would not happen to Marilyn.


    He believed his mother had been weak and had lost too much blood, and that was why she died.


    He held Marilyn¡¯s hand, reminding her he was there.


    "It is alright if I die. At least I will die knowing you did something right before you changepletely," Marilyn whispered.


    As soon as she said that, his throat tightened.


    "Do not say that," he replied, pressing his forehead against hers.


    The healers gathered around the foot of the bed, trying their best to give herfort.


    The first child arrived. It was a boy. Then the second came.


    His cries were different. The healers exchanged looks. They wrapped both babies and ced them near Marilyn.


    "Look at them," she whispered, smiling.


    For a moment, the hard time had passed. Gabriel started to think she was fine.


    She was notining about pain. She had fed the babies too.


    But good moments never stayed long for them.


    "Promise me something," Marilyn requested. "You will not kill them. None of them. Not even if he bes like the others. He is your son."


    She let out a weak cry.


    "I will not kill him. I will take care of both of them," Gabriel promised.


    He smiled for her and helped her rest her head on his chest.


    He held his wife close.


    "I am proud of you, and I love you," she whispered.


    He smiled, but he could tell something was wrong.


    He was so happy to have her in his arms that he fell asleep for a brief moment.


    When he woke up, he found his warriors, the healers, and the omegas standing around him in tears.


    That was when he realized his wife had stopped breathing a long time ago.


    "No! No!" he shouted, turning her over and cing her on the bed.


    Her body was cold. He cried and tried to wake her up, but she did not move.


    That day was spent inplete despair.


    He cried for hours and chose to stay alone, but he eventually had to return to his children like he had promised his wife.


    At the same time, the alphas arrived to meet him.


    They congratted him and expressed their sorrow for the loss of his wife.


    He wanted to attack them because he knew they were the ones who had stolen her from him.


    Then, as if it meant nothing, Lord William remarked,


    "Do not forget, one day, one of your sons will also enter the North. He will be a crusader. He will face the monsters, just like you made the rules for our children."


    As soon as Lord William said that, Gabriel¡¯s body stiffened as he looked at his two sons, Ian and Zian.

 Chapter 381-A New Life Waits For Me

    <h4>Chapter 381: 381-A New Life Waits For Me</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    I had not slept the entire night. The papers were spread across the wooden table, some open and some stacked, all covered in dust.


    There were diary pagesying in front of me. The handwriting on some of them had faded, but it was still clear enough to read.


    I had gone through everything again and again, trying to make sense of how long this had been happening and how this brutality had continued for so long.


    When footsteps echoed down the stairs, I rubbed my face and kept reading.


    My father appeared with a cup of coffee in his hand.


    "This is your fifth cup, Ian. Why don¡¯t you take a little rest?" he remarked, stepping closer and cing the cup on the wooden table for me.


    "I can¡¯t rest," I replied, feeling a roughness in my throat. "This is horrible. All of this. Everything they did. Everything you are doing. All this time, we were wronged about everything." Iined, rubbing the side of my neck.


    My father did not sit. He stayed still. His posture was firm and straight, like the truth had locked him in ce.


    "I understand they were wrong," I continued as I got up from the chair so quickly that it scraped against the floor. "But what you are doing is not right either." I let him know instantly that he was not being seen as a hero. He watched me quietly, waiting for me to finish.


    "Why, father? Why didn¡¯t you finish it? Why did you drag it on for so long? You had the power. You should have told them that you would help them kill the monsters, but no entertainment. That you would not allow them to make more monsters from the criminals," I argued.


    None of it made sense to me. He had disappointed me more than ever.


    "Someone had to stop it," my father uttered. "Your mother wanted to stop it. I am carrying out her wish," he added.


    "No. Doing this to the new crusaders is not her wish. Punishing the lurkers is not her wish. You wanted revenge for something that happened years ago. They have already suffered enough. They are so used to pain that they send their own children without thinking twice," I snapped, realizing he was only making excuses.


    How was he better than them?


    "And those alphas," I added, "they are cruel enough to have so many mates that even if they send one of their children to the North, they don¡¯t care." He stared at me while I continued.


    "You know, the monsters were not always monsters. They were my family. The people of the North," my father mumbled, tilting his head at me.


    "Well, they are not anymore," I countered, leaning on the table with both my hands. "The ones you are sending from here are also criminals. Even the ones who used to live in the North are too. They don¡¯t know what they are doing. They don¡¯t know right from wrong. You cannot bring them back. They are gone, father. But it is on you. The crimes they aremitting in the North are on you."


    My voice grew louder without meaning to.


    "And soon," I added, pointing at myself, "after me and the others die in the North, all the pressure will go back to the omegas. Their children will be sent out to the North too. The omegas were never part of this entertainment." I grunted.


    "You are not saving anyone, father," I whispered. "Not even an inch. You are continuing the same cycle."


    I paced around the basement, running my hand through my hair, unable to stay still.


    My father¡¯s eyes followed me, but his body did not move at all.


    "So I guess you don¡¯t see a problem with any of this," I muttered bitterly.


    When I stopped and turned to look at him, I noticed he was not going to say anything anymore.


    "Well, I have finally realized today, Father, that it is not always the children who disappoint their parents," Imented, watching him without seeing a single frown appear on his forehead. At this point, I wanted him to react. "So let¡¯s y fair."


    The minute I said it, his face finally formed a scowl.


    "What are you nning on doing?" my father asked, sounding concerned for the first time.


    "I¡¯m heading back to the academy. And since you think you did nothing wrong, then I will stay among the others. I will perform until myst breath," I replied.


    As soon as I said that, my father moved.


    "You are not returning, Ian. It is already decided. We will tell them you were sent to the North for attacking Troy as a punishment, and that now you are dead there," my father grunted as he grabbed my arm to stop me.


    I stared at him in disbelief.


    "This won¡¯t work. They would want to see my body. Clementine will want to see my body," I snapped. My father looked upset.


    "That woman. You need to stop thinking about her," he remarked, finally showing what was bothering him.


    It was not only that he wanted me away from the North. He was clearly upset about Clementine and my rtionship.


    "She is filling your mind with dirt and disobedience," my father stated.


    I watched his face in disbelief.


    "No. I will go back. I am not going to let you make every decision for me," I replied, shrugging my arm free.


    Before I could step away, the lurkers rushed downstairs. They carried needles filled with a thick liquid.


    "What are you doing?" I yelled, stepping back.


    The lurkers moved toward me, and I could tell it was an order from my father.


    "You will be sent to somewhere safe. I told you, I have found a chosen mate for you. She will give you the peace you deserve. She will give you a family you deserve," my father continued, but I had already lost my patience.


    They tried to push the needle toward my skin.


    I mmed my shoulder into one of them and threw another across the basement.


    My father stepped forward slightly, panic crossing his face when he realized I was not going down easily.

 Chapter 382-My Mate Is Nowhere In Sight

    <h4>Chapter 382: 382-My Mate Is Nowhere In Sight</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    "Ian, stop," he ordered, but I could not.


    My wolf was pushing forward. My bones were cracking. My hands had turned into fists.


    My breathing had be shallow, and I began to groan and grunt.


    The lurkers jumped again, trying to reach me. This time I tackled two of them at once.


    They were strong, but not stronger than me like this.


    My ws ripped through one of their sleeves, and the other stumbled back.


    One of them tried to stab my neck, but I ducked and swung my arm, sending him into a shelf full of papers.


    At that moment, I realized I was not only going back to the academy.


    I had to inform the others about what was truly happening too.


    I pushed another lurker aside and sprinted toward the stairs.


    My legs shifted mid-leap, and by the time I reached the top step, I had fully transitioned.


    My father shouted my name and ran after me, worried that I would expose myself to the others.


    I did not stop.


    I burst through the doors and reached the front entrance.


    The cold air hit me. While still in my monstrous form, I grabbed a pair of shorts from the side and held them in my hand.


    My wolf rushed across the yard. The wind struck my face.


    All I could think about was the twisted truth we had been told. All of this had been entertainment for them.


    Everything.


    It angered me that instead of ending it or taking revenge for my mother¡¯s death, my father had chosen to be part of them.


    I remembered thest words he had written from her diary, where she told him she was d she met him before he fully changed.


    Now I understood why she had said it.


    He had changed.


    He had be like the others.


    Going rogue crossed my mind for a moment, but I pushed it away. I had to return.


    There were people at the academy who had no idea the next time they entered the North, they would be stepping into a death trap.


    And then there was Clementine. She was there waiting for me, upset with me, angry with me.


    I needed to fix things. I needed to get her out.


    By the time I reached the academy, I had already begun to transition back.


    I waspletely naked, so I quickly wore the shorts before I strode through the passageway.


    I headed toward the ck Squad room because there were lurkers in the Red Squad passage.


    When I rushed inside, Troy jumped to his feet, already upset because ourst interaction had not gone well.


    "Where were you the whole night?" he snapped, his hands on his waist.


    "Of course he is the headmaster¡¯s son. He must have been resting in some expensive hotel," Haiden remarked, taunting me.


    I leaned against the wall, trying to catch my breath. My legs were shaking.


    It was not from running. It was from everything I had discovered.


    As I lowered myself to the ground near them, exhausted, I saw Yorick rush toward me.


    "Hey, what happened?" he asked, while Haiden crouched beside me and studied my shoulder.


    "We need to get out of here," I managed to pant.


    When I looked up, I saw worry spread across their faces.


    "What the fuck does that mean?" Troy barked. "Is this some kind of n to get us out of here so it looks like we are running away, so your father catches us and gets us punished?"


    Of course he reacted like that. He had been looking for any chance to turn the others against me.


    "No," I muttered weakly. "We need to leave right now."


    I hoped they understood the urgency in my voice. I had never behaved this way with them.


    "Where is Clementine?" I asked, and the room fell silent.


    Footsteps echoed, and someone stepped inside. I lifted my head and saw Mr. Rick enter the room.


    His hands were tied behind his back, almost like he was hiding something.


    His face had a strange look, something I had never seen on him before.


    From the way he stared at me, I could tell my father had informed him that I had broken free from the basement.


    "Well," he remarked, looking straight at me, "since it concerns your mate, Clementine, I would like you toe with me."


    As soon as he said it, my body froze.


    "Do you not want to hear where she is?" he continued to ask.


    "What is that supposed to mean? What do you mean by where she is? She must be in her room," Haiden grunted as he stood up.


    One by one, we all stood, forming a line. Mr. Rick looked at Haiden, then lowered his gaze toward Oriana, who was hiding under the bed as usual.


    "Ian Hunt, do you wish to know?" Mr. Rick continued, ignoring the others.


    I had no choice but to follow him. It seemed like it was the only way to find out about Clementine.


    I nodded and stepped after him. Behind me, the others caused amotion, but the lurkers already began to gather outside the room.


    When I stepped out of the building, the storm struck me hard.


    I had forgotten about it while running from the mansion. My hair blew across my face, and only wearing shorts made the cold sting my skin.


    The sky looked even darker now, even though it was morning.


    I turned toward the Red Passage again. All the Red Squad members were standing there, watching me.


    Their eyes carried something, almost like they were trying to tell me something without speaking.


    Every single one of them was there.


    Except for the person I was looking for.


    Clementine was not standing among them.


    Not even a sign of her.


    I swallowed hard and followed Mr. Rick through the hallway and into the main hall.


    I hoped she might be there. Maybe they had brought her there to force me to listen.


    But once I stepped inside, I realized she was not there either.

 Chapter 383-The Misty Corners

    <h4>Chapter 383: 383-The Misty Corners</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I pushed through the lobby doors and stepped out into the cold air, leaving Sector 13 behind.


    I did not want to deal with those monsters.


    They were not part of my task. Still, I knew this ce was called the dark side of the north for a reason.


    I continued moving until the buildings changed and the street narrowed.


    This area looked different from the one before.


    It was so clear that anyone could tell they had entered another part of the territory.


    Fog gathered along the ground. It was thicker than before. A sign hung from a bent pole.


    The Misty Corners.


    I noticed several streets spreading out like a jigsaw puzzle, almost like a maze.


    I stepped forward, tightening my grip on the pendant. I did not know why I still held on to it.


    I rubbed my arms and looked around. I decided to hang the pendant from my pants and keep going while holding the knife in my hand.


    The street stretched far, aligned with tall buildings. The windows of every building were dark.


    Some were shattered. Some were covered from inside with curtains that had not moved in years.


    Everything was so quiet here, almost like no life existed anymore, even after the monsters came.


    I moved carefully along the sidewalk. The fog rose and fell around my legs, brushing against my thighs.


    The air smelled different too, like something had been rotting, but not humans.


    As I strolled farther, I took out the map and looked at the passage. I was still headed in the right direction.


    Halfway through the street, I felt something shift behind me.


    It was a very quiet movement, maybe a scrape of nails against the building¡¯s concrete.


    I turned quickly to check, but there was nothing. Just fog drifting back down and mixing with the rest.


    My heartbeat quickened, and I began to hurry.


    While I moved forward, I noticed something forming on the ground.


    They were shadows.


    Shadows with fog rising from them. One by one, the shadows started to take some kind of shape.


    They did not seem to have feet.


    They looked like human shadows at first, but they mixed with the fog again, and I could only see them because of the dark outlines on the ground.


    I turned around again and expected the shadows to go t.


    However, they did not.


    They started to rise from the ground, shaping into thin bodies.


    Their faces slowly started to form. They had hollow eyes and a faint outline of a mouth, and there were dozens of them.


    That was when I understood the urgency of getting out of here.


    They lifted themselves off the ground like smoke being pulled upward.


    Then they moved in strange ways that did not seem normal.


    One after another leapt from the top of one building to the next, gliding across the air without a sound.


    My hands shook around the knife. I tried to swing it, but it did not affect them. It did not hurt them.


    They were hollow.


    One of the monsters jumped from the top of a building toward me.


    I expected to feel heaviness, but it was different. It was not physical.


    It felt like smoke trying to choke me. I started to cough while moving my arms around, trying to push the fog off me.


    At the same time, I noticed the others had started toe after me.


    I copsed to my knees, grabbing my chest because I could not breathe.


    It felt like my lungs would give out at any moment, but I needed to get out of here.


    I forced myself to roll to the side, gasping until my breath returned.


    They were not like other monsters. I had no idea how to kill something I could not touch.


    I started to run to get away from them.


    I sprinted through the street, weaving between old parked cars, trash bins, broken walls, and anything in my way.


    My legs kept stumbling. I could see the shadows behind me, so I knew they were still chasing me.


    I heard the faint wind whooshing through them when they moved, and that was the only way I knew they were stilling.


    I focused on getting to the end of the street and finding a way out of these corners.


    As I continued to run as fast as I could, I finally saw a clear road in front of me.


    There was no fog there, only open space. It felt like I had been running for an hour, trying to find the exit to the main road.


    I pushed harder, but my lungs started to burn.


    However, at this point, it felt like something was pulling me down and stopping me from moving faster.


    "Please keep moving," I whispered to myself, begging my body to keep going.


    The fog wrapped around my legs. Dozens of shadows gathered behind me, and I could see their shapes flicker.


    I made one desperate jump. My body flew forward andnded on the road, with both my hands hitting the ground first.


    I slid for a moment before I stopped, pressing my elbows into the ground while I tried to catch my breath.


    I stared at the street. The fog stopped right at the edge of the misty corners.


    Then it started to fade away, almost as if it could not remain outside that area.


    I watched the fog grow faint. I took a long breath and pushed myself up.


    I looked around the road, trying to find a path toward the castle. I had lost track of time.


    I did not know how many hours or days I had been here.


    I had been walking and fighting these strange things without being able to kill even one monster.


    Before I could think further, I heard a loud grunting sound above me.


    My head snapped up.


    Through the clouds, I saw a faint figure run across the sky. It was tall and very thin.


    The way it moved so high above me, along with the deep low hum it produced, made the ground feel unsteady under my feet.

 Chapter 384-The Weeping Clowns

    <h4>Chapter 384: 384-The Weeping Clowns</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    A tall figure stepped out from behind a damaged tower. Its body was long and thin, and it walked slowly across the road.


    The head stretched upward like a pole. There were no features on it, only long empty lines where a face should have been.


    Its arms hung low beside its knees, swinging a little with each step.


    It made a strange humming sound, almost like a slow and deep rm of something dangerous.


    The noise vibrated in my ears, and it shook me. I had seen many monsters before, but this one made me feel uneasy.


    I stepped back once, then again. The monster lifted its head slightly, almost like it sensed my movement.


    I did not wait to confirm it, so I turned around and sprinted.


    My boots hit the ground hard as I rushed down the open road with my head low.


    I looked left and right, trying to find a ce to hide.


    That was when I saw arge building ahead with broken letters across the top.


    It looked like a theater, but since the doors were open, I slipped inside.


    All I wanted in that moment was to escape the tall figure.


    As I rushed inside, I closed the door behind me quietly, trying to steady my breathing.


    When I looked out the window, I saw the tall monster walk past the theater.


    It did not look toward the window or the building.


    It continued moving forward with slow steps, making the same rumbling sound that made my stomach twist.


    I could tell that the dark side of the north was truly the dark side.


    There was one monster after another, and the entire area looked like a ghost town filled with spirits, monsters, and damaged things.


    It made me uneasy to think about what other monsters I would face.


    I waited until the figure faded away.


    Once it was gone, I turned around to check the ce I had entered. I was curious.


    The lobby was long and wide, but there was no light here, just like the other ces.


    There were somemps around, but they flickered as if they were barely working.


    After walking for a long time, I finally reached the main hall.


    The doors were open, and inside were rows of seats facing arge stage.


    However, it was the seven or eight figures beside the walls that caught my attention.


    They looked like people dressed as clowns.


    I stepped toward one of them and noticed the painted face, the colored hair, and the white paint.


    Each of them stood in different positions, and when I checked them more carefully, I realized they were just statues.


    For a moment, I had been shocked and scared, but then I felt like pping myself for reacting to mere statues.


    "Okay, so I need to quickly find the castle so that I am there by midnight," I muttered, realizing the darkness had already covered this side of the north.


    It was probably night by now, but I still could not be sure.


    I pulled out the map and turned around to check the directions.


    Suddenly, I felt a movement behind me.


    I turned quickly and noticed that some of the clowns looked like they had moved forward, but I could not be certain.


    I convinced myself I had not paid enough attention earlier, so maybe I did not remember their positions correctly.


    I turned around again, and when I heard the sound once more, I turned back fast.


    This time, their positions had changed for sure. I was not imagining it anymore, so I had to confirm it.


    I moved and gave them my back, and the moment I spun around again, one of the clowns was close to my face, with the others behind it.


    I gasped and stepped back.


    That was when I understood what was happening.


    "They move when I am not looking at them," I whispered, feeling something shift inside me.


    The map in my hand told me that I was headed in the right direction, that if I came out from the other side of the theater, I would be able to find the castle.


    But that thought was interrupted when I understood the truth about the clowns.


    Their grins had vanished. They looked sad now.


    They had different shapes and different styles.


    Their skin looked soft, almost like it was not a statue but a human turned into one.


    I needed to move, and I could not keep staring at them.


    I turned around to leave quickly. However, the moment I did, I looked back again and noticed two of them had jumped forward.


    One grabbed my wrist and pulled hard, its fingers cold and stiff.


    I yanked free and mmed my knife into its face, but the de only sliced through the paint.


    That was when I remembered I had given my back to the others.


    The second one lunged at me, and I ducked, keeping my eyes on them.


    But there were more. I heard footsteps behind me, and when I turned, the ones at my back rushed toward me again.


    Two grabbed me around my waist in a way that stopped me from turning to see them.


    Their fingers dug into my skin.


    Two more hurled toward my arms, and as I stared at the ones who had moved first, I knew I had to stop turning my back on the rest if I wanted to stop them from advancing.


    "Ah, let me go," I screamed, turning around and punching them in the face.


    I heard bones crack, but nothing changed.


    Once they were close enough, it did not matter if I looked at them. They did not stop.


    I realized I had to fight them.


    One tried to bite my face. I shoved it back and bit its arm instead.


    It let out a strange sound, almost like a cry of pain.


    I pushed it again and realized I had turned my back on almost every clown this time, but I had to run.


    I pushed past all of them, grabbed the back door, pulled it open, and rushed through before they reached me.


    As soon as I stepped outside, I mmed the door shut and backed away fast.


    My breathing was rough. Through the windows, I saw them watching me, frozen again, their same smiles back on their faces.


    It seemed like they were restricted to the theater.


    I needed to get out of here soon.


    When I turned around again, I gasped because through the fog I saw a castle standing ahead.

 Chapter 385-I Wish To Have Listened To Her

    <h4>Chapter 385: 385-I Wish To Have Listened To Her</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    Mr. Rick turned around and gave me a shirt to wear. I put it on but kept looking around.


    "Where is Clementine?" I asked him.


    Ms. Lenora stepped closer. I did not see Miss Rue anywhere, so I guessed she had been let go.


    "You have been very arrogant, Ian," Ms. Lenoramented, folding her arms over her chest. "We stayed silent only because you are the headmaster¡¯s son."


    Every time I had been rude to them, I saw the way they looked at me, as if trying to remind me that the only reason they allowed me to walk away was because of who my father was.


    "Don¡¯t tell me what I already know," I replied in a taunting tone, wanting to irritate them.


    I could tell it worked because whenever I showed them arrogance, they looked miserable and helpless.


    They nced at each other and then rolled their eyes.


    "Where is Clementine?" I asked again, keeping my attention on them.


    I would not have followed them here otherwise.


    They shared another look, almost like they were deciding who would speak first.


    Then Mr. Rick answered.


    "She was sent to the northst night," he told me.


    The moment he said it, my fists clenched. My whole body stopped moving at once.


    A sharp pain formed in my chest. Anger rose inside me, and it felt like betrayal.


    I understood what had happened.


    My father had chosen the perfect day to give me ess to the basement, keeping me upied so I would not return to the academy.


    When I was not there, they sent Clementine away.


    I lunged toward Mr. Rick, but he stepped back and hissed, "One mistake, Ian," he warned. "And she will be executed there."


    My body froze in ce.


    My fists were still clenched beside my body.


    "Tell me what mission she is doing?" I demanded, ring at them.


    "It is a simple one," Ms. Lenora replied casually, as if it was not important. "She just has to retrieve a watch. A watch of time."


    The moment she said it, all I could think about was a single thing in my head.


    The watch.


    The hall began to blur, and a memory hit me fast, like it had been waiting for this moment.


    shback


    My arm hurt, and when I looked down, I saw a fresh stab wound.


    Zian had stabbed me with a fork only moments ago. He was screaming at me like he always did.


    His small face was red and angry. I sat on the floor holding my arm, unable to stop shaking.


    The door burst open, and my father rushed in, grabbing Zian by his wrist.


    "You have always been a nuisance," he yelled at him. "Look what you have done to Ian this time."


    He shouted at Zian, who continued kicking and screaming as my father dragged him out of the room.


    I stared at the doorway, breathing unevenly.


    Zian¡¯s cries echoed down the hall until they finally faded.


    My father returned after the nurses had taken me to treat the wound.


    My arm still hurt, but what hurt more was that my own brother had done this to me.


    "Pack your things," my father ordered, instead of asking if I was alright.


    "Why? Zian was the one who hurt me. I did not do anything," I mumbled in my usual soft voice.


    I never understood why each time Zian did something, I was the one getting punished.


    "Because you will understand," my father hissed. "Your brother will never understand. You will stay with your grandfather for a while."


    It felt unfair and confusing, but I did not argue. I knew my father was dealing with a lot.


    Zian made everything harder.


    If Zian was not leaving, then I had to, because I had grown scared of him every day.


    The next day, I arrived at my grandfather¡¯s ce. His home was underground, the entire house hidden.


    My father exined they had lost their previous home, so he built his father a new one here.


    I did not understand what he meant by here or where their old home had been.


    When I stepped inside, I saw old wooden beds with creaking frames, a nightstand with amp, half walls dividing each area, and a tiny kitchen in the corner.


    The ce looked old, and quiet. My grandfather sat in the hallway with a stack of papers around him.


    When he saw me, he smiled gently.


    There were frames and sculptures around him, enough to show that this was what he spent most of his time doing.


    "Come here," he told me, waving at me softly.


    I walked over and sat beside him.


    He began showing me his drawings, pages filled with strange creatures, notes about ces I did not know.


    They looked like fictional stories, monsters he created.


    "What are these?" I asked him, nervous.


    "Do not worry. These are my creations. They will not hurt you," he replied with a small smile.


    "Why?" I asked again.


    "Because you will know everything about them," he stated.


    My eyes moved to one of the pictures. I pointed at a watch drawn among many others.


    "What is this?" I asked him.


    "Nothing but a little hope that is a lie."


    End of shback


    Ms. Lenora and Mr. Rick stood there waiting for me. I finally understood.


    They had sent Clementine on a mission that would be too dangerous for her to survive.


    My stomach twisted and my hands curled into another fist.


    "You sent her to die," I hissed at them.


    "She will seed if she listens to the instructions. It is not like the watch is being guarded by a monster," Mr. Rick replied, as if that fixed anything.


    "But this is in the dark side of the north. There will be monsters everywhere," I hissed, turning around to leave.


    "Where do you think you are going, Ian?" Mr. Rick voiced from behind me.


    That was when I opened the door to the hall and saw all the lurkers standing in front of me, a list of them blocking the way.


    "Where do you think I am going? I am headed to the north," I hissed.


    "Do not worry. She will be back in a few hours," Ms. Lenora remarked.


    I shook my head.


    "I do not care. I am going there to fetch her," I hissed at them.


    The two shared a nce before Mr. Rick rolled his eyes.


    "Fine, but you cannot leave right now. The train is gone to get her. Since it is in the north, the train will return in a little more than an hour. If ites back empty, you can board it and go," he stated.


    I kept ring at them. At this point, waiting for her arrival felt like losing my breath.


    All I could think about was how she hade to speak with me, how she had asked me to listen.


    I had been stubborn, and now she was gone. I could not listen to her voice anymore.

 Chapter 386-It Was Five Of Us

    <h4>Chapter 386: 386-It Was Five Of Us</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The fog inside the castle made it hard to see more than a few steps ahead.


    I lifted my hand to push the mist aside, but it slipped through my fingers.


    The entrance hall was huge and wide. I wondered how many rooms there could be, so I reached for the first door I noticed.


    However, the moment I turned the knob and opened it, there was only mist.


    I could not even step inside to confirm what I was seeing.


    It seemed like there was nothing behind that door, only an endless misty ground.


    I could not see past the haze. I stepped back and quickly closed the door.


    It was then I realized that exploring the rooms was not really my task and I should not be doing it, because it looked like an illusion of some sort.


    I moved deeper inside. The walls were already so dark that everything was hard to make out.


    I had been given only a lighter, which I had been saving for this moment.


    I flicked it on and could see just a few inches ahead.


    Atst I reached what seemed to be the end, because arge wall stood behind a wave of fog.


    As I approached, the mist drifted aside. And there it was.


    Five watches.


    They hung spaced out in a perfect line. Each one had an old silver chain, the exact style from the pictures.


    I swallowed at the sight. My fingers brushed over the cold metal of the first one, then the second.


    They all looked the same. There was nothing different about them.


    "How are we supposed to choose from one of them?" Mint wondered.


    I almost jumped, because I had thought I waspletely alone here.


    "Oh gosh, Mint, you scared me," Iined, cing a hand on my chest.


    "Ohe on, there is nothing that can frighten the badass Clementine," Mint remarked, trying to make me feel a little better once she realized we had been through a lot in thest few hours.


    "Okay, so I have a n. How about I close my eyes, move my hand around, and whichever my fingernds on, we pick that one," Imented, focusing on choosing the right one.


    "You do know we only have two choices, and our life depends on it," Mint replied, protesting my idea.


    "Do you have a better n?" I asked, and after a silence she let out a slow breath.


    "Okay fine, try it," she stated.


    So I closed my eyes and moved my hand sideways, one finger pointing ahead.


    I could sometimes feel the ss of the watches brush against the tip of my finger.


    Then I stopped. I opened my eyes and saw that my finger was pointing toward the third one.


    "Okay, I¡¯m gonna pick this one," I told her, taking a deep breath and convincing myself I was making the right choice.


    I curled my fingers around the chain and pulled the watch off the hook.


    It came free very easily, not like I had to use much force.


    For a moment, nothing happened. There was no shaking of the ground, no noises, no monstersing out.


    I held the watch in my palm and looked around, a small relief spreading in my chest.


    Maybe this is the right one," The moment Mint spoke, the ground started to shake.


    The entire castle trembled under my feet. I staggered backward, mming my shoulder into the wall.


    A stone appeared from the mist above me and dropped toward the ground.


    One struck my arm and scraped my skin. Another fell across my back, knocking the air out of me.


    I bent forward and used my hands to shield my head.


    The shaking stopped after a few seconds. I stayed crouched, fighting hard to steady my breaths.


    My skin burned where the rock had cut me. When I pushed upright, I noticed how badly my legs wobbled.


    "Oh shit, if we take another wrong one, we might not walk out of here alive. This ce is built on magic," Mint warned.


    I swallowed hard while I stared at the watches. Only four remained.


    I reached to my forehead and wiped the sweat with the back of my hand.


    Then I stepped forward. This time I chose to trust my instincts instead of ying stupid games.


    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them and murmured, "You know, there were five of us in the ck squad." I spoke the words while remembering my mates and myself in the early days of our arrival at the academy.


    That was when I reached for the fifth watch. My fingers hesitated for one second, then I grabbed the chain and lifted it off the hook.


    I closed my eyes and waited for the ceiling to fall again.


    Nothing happened. Instead, a soft click sounded inside the watch. My eyes opened fast.


    I stared down at it and let out a shaky breath.


    "I picked the right one," I told Mint, smiling widely. My knees felt so weak from happiness.


    The mist started to pull away, and I realized it was time for the castle to disappear once again.


    I turned around and rushed toward the exit.


    All the while, I could only think about how happy I would be to return through the woods and surprise Ian.


    I was sure the ringleaders would have no idea. I was going to get out regardless of their help.


    But the moment I was out of the castle, still smiling and celebrating the victory, I heard the same humming sound of a haunted monster I had heard earlier.


    I slowly lifted my head, and there it was in the middle of the road, standing tall, the monster with no face,rge limbs, and a big hole where its features should have been.


    "You know what? Screw you. You¡¯re not stopping me from going back home," I hissed as I started to run toward the monster.

 Chapter 387-Lost The Key

    <h4>Chapter 387: 387-Lost The Key</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    His thin, tall body leaned forward, his head stretched up like a long pole with empty lines where his face should have been.


    His arms hung low, but I could tell, even without his face, that he was looking at me.


    I was sprinting toward him, and he was moving toward me with long strides.


    His steps began to grow quicker, and the vibrations struck me harder.


    He lurched forward suddenly. One long arm swung down toward me.


    I ducked fast, his fingers brushing the back of my head, barely scraping my hair, but I felt it.


    If I had not been quick, even by a second, he would have knocked me down or grabbed me in his fist.


    The force of the swing pushed me farther, almost knocking me off bnce, but I stayed up.


    I kept moving, running hard. He bent low as if he wanted to pick me off the road.


    I slid between his long legs before he could reach me.


    Soon, I was running between his legs anding out behind him.


    Taking a short pause would have meant getting struck by him.


    So I kept running, pushing myself forward until I finally felt like I could turn around.


    After five minutes of sprinting, I stopped and turned back.


    I saw that the tall monster was stilling after me. However, he was far behind because he could not sprint.


    At this point, I realized that if I wanted to leave him behind, I needed to step out of his path.


    Once I disappeared, I did not think he would look for me. So I did just that.


    I began to move ahead at a quick pace and nned to search for the woods.


    I did not have to think long. I spotted the outline of the trees in the distance and relief washed over me.


    I turned left and hurried toward them. When I reached them, I hid behind a tree.


    I noticed that the tall monster stopped briefly before he turned around and wandered away.


    Relief filled me and I stepped out from behind the tree. Now I had to find the exact ce where a gate to the other side would open.


    Before I could pull out my map, I heard a chittering echo around me.


    Somethingrge flew above the trees. I saw one of them through the leaves.


    It looked like a huge bat with long arms. I crouched low under a fallen log.


    The bat swooped over me and vanished into the darkness.


    "What the fuck is that now?" I groaned,ining.


    It felt as if the dark side of the north was filled with these things.


    I began to wonder if this was where they all lived and sometimes slipped through the opening and reached the other side of the north.


    This was why there were not many big monsters there. They woulde out once in a while.


    I finally took the map out and opened it. My fingers moved across the lines.


    There was a small mark near the bottom corner, barely noticeable.


    I stared at it until I recognized the shape. It was almost like a very small circle.


    I grabbed the key from my pocket and saw the same circle drawn on it.


    This had to be done by Miss Rue. She had marked it before the ringleaders handed the map to me.


    I followed the direction she had pointed out. The woods grew darker and stranger.


    They were not quiet.


    Once in a while those big, bad things appeared, and honestly they were very scary because when I tried to look more closely, it seemed like the bats had human shapes.


    The rest of their bodies were covered in bat skin except for their shapes, and they were that big too.


    At this point I had no clue how long I had to move through the trees before a metal structure appeared between two tall trunks.


    Staring at the gate and the dark metal bars made me smile widely. It was the same gate I had seen with Miss Rue.


    The spaces between the bars were only wide enough for a hand to pass through.


    I reached out happily, remembering Miss Rue¡¯s words.


    "Do not go to the train station. They will execute you there."


    I stopped next to the gate and let out a shakyugh of relief.


    I could not believe I had been to the dark side of the north alone,pleted a task, ande back alive.


    "You did it!" I jolted at the familiar voice.


    I looked to the side and saw Miss Rue step out from behind the trees with a bright smile.


    Her hair was messy, but her eyes looked warm.


    She hurried closer until she stood right behind the bars.


    "You did it!" she repeated. "Thank goodness. I thought you would lose too," she remarked, tears forming in her eyes.


    "Yes, I did it. How are you? You don¡¯t look fine," I asked her worriedly.


    "Yeah, they let me go. There is a lot of chaos happening. You need to get out of here and go to your friends, but make sure that the ringleaders don¡¯t see you," she warned, and I nodded more.


    "Is everyone okay?" I asked her.


    "I don¡¯t think so," she replied with a sad pout. "I saw Ian shirtless in the cold wind. He was surrounded by lurkers. You need to hurry up."


    The information she gave me made my heart skip a beat.


    I was so worried that I instantly started to search for the key I had put into my pocket along with the map after confirming that I was headed in the right direction.


    When I pulled the map out, I realized the key was gone. I looked up at her, and she gave me a nk look.


    "What?" she asked me. "Don¡¯t tell me you lost it?" She questioned.


    "I think I dropped it somewhere behind," I mumbled in a terrified tone.

 Chapter 388-Let’s Talk About The Crusader That Died

    <h4>Chapter 388: 388-Let¡¯s Talk About The Crusader That Died</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll go fetch it," I said quickly.


    I knew where I had been when I was reading the map, so it would be quick.


    However, she began to hand me a shlight through the small opening.


    "Thank you so much," I told her, grabbing the shlight.


    "Did you get the watch?" she questioned.


    "Yes," I replied, turning on the shlight and lifting the watch to show it to her.


    "Are you sure it is the real one?" she asked.


    I gave her a small smile. I guessed that because they had let her go, she was very anxious.


    "Yes. I did not die in the castle copse."


    As soon as I said that, she pped her forehead.


    "Show it to me."


    She suddenly reached her hand through the small opening between the bars, her fingers stretching toward me as she asked me to give it to her.


    I raised the watch in my hand and watched her fingers slowly brush against the silver chain.


    At that moment, I just kept staring at her.


    Her fingers stretched a little too far, almost impatient.


    "Clementine,e on, what are you waiting for?" she asked me.


    With a gulp running down my throat, I ced the watch in her palm after I cleaned the dial with the back of my pants.


    She pulled her hand back fast. Her smile suddenly changed.


    It stretched too wide, higher than what looked natural.


    The corners of her lips twitched, almost like she was struggling to keep them still.


    A cold rush went over my arms.


    "I¡¯ll go and get the key," I stated, forcing myself to look away.


    I began to wander back when she did not respond. After only a few minutes of walking, I was already thinking about what I had just seen.


    Wasn¡¯t she a little too happy? I pushed the thoughts aside and decided to search for the key.


    There it was. I found it on the ground. Thankfully, I secured it and ran back at full speed.


    At one point, I wondered if, when I returned, I might not find her.


    The way she had snatched the watch from me made it seem like she was more interested in the watch.


    And I was already beginning to wonder if I had made a mistake, if she had tricked me, if she had wanted the watch from me.


    However, the minute I reached the gate, she was still there.


    I let out a sigh of relief. She was still staring at the watch, though.


    "Found it," I said, and she looked up, her smile fading.


    She gave me a small nod.


    I quickly slid the key into the lock. This kind of lock, I did not think I could even pick.


    There were different patterns, even in the key, that should have clicked with the lock inside.


    However, I turned it and twisted it. Nothing clicked, no shift, only silence.


    I took it out and tried again and again until I finally realized it was not working.


    So I looked up and saw Miss Rue standing still, her arms folded in front of her.


    The same wide, strange smile had returned to her face. She was not blinking.


    Her eyes were fixed on me, and her stare was so stiff that my stomach dropped.


    A chill ran up my spine, but I forced an awkward smile.


    "Miss Rue, the key is not working," I told her.


    She tilted her head far to the side. The movement was slow and puppet-like, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.


    "Oh, is it not?" she asked me in a taunting tone.


    "What is going on? Are you okay?" I asked her since she was acting odd.


    She was actually creeping me out.


    She tapped her finger against her chin while still watching me.


    The tapping was rhythmic, but the rest of her body did not move.


    "Well," she muttered as if speaking to herself while staring at the sky.


    "Let me think. Am I okay?" Her head leaned back as she looked up at the trees, then she snapped her fingers sharply, almost as if she had just figured something out.


    "Oh, I remember," she remarked, widening her smile and finally looking down to stare right at me.


    "Doesn¡¯t it feel bad," she asked softly, "when someone leaves you in danger?"


    "I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about," I asked her in confusion.


    I could feel my throat drying up at this point.


    She stepped forward until her forehead nearly touched the bars.


    Her eyes never blinked, and she never looked away from me.


    "You¡¯re scared, Clementine?" she mumbled, and I swallowed hard in her presence.


    My shoulders were already tense. I did not know what was happening with her, but this was not normal.


    I could already tell she was going to do something reckless.


    Her lips twitched again as she continued to whisper.


    "Riv must have felt the same."


    The moment she said that, my heart dropped.


    "When you left her in the ditch for the ogres to squash her," she murmured until she suddenly yelled, "he squashed her because of you."


    The sound echoed through the woods so loudly that I felt my blood run cold.


    My body started to shudder, and my hands began to tremble.


    Riv.


    The name struck something in my memory.


    She was the first crusader who died during the transition stage, the one everyone said did not survive early because of me.


    "What does Riv have to do with all this?" I asked.


    My eyes and my voice started to shake even though I tried to steady them.


    Miss Rue raised her chin with a very deliberate movement.


    Her smile faded into something cold.


    "Well, you do not know, huh?" she replied, stepping closer again, and this time I could see her face clearly. "Let me tell you, am I not here for revenge?"


    She asked me that, and it was the moment I finally began to see the resemnce she had with Riv.

 Chapter 389-The Betrayal Makes Me Angry

    <h4>Chapter 389: 389-The Betrayal Makes Me Angry</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I kept watching her face, and she kept staring back at me. Then I remembered.


    She had told me her sister had died because of the Academy, and it all hit me at once.


    My expressions must have shown her that I remembered because Miss Rue began to nod her head.


    "Exactly," she whispered, keeping her eyes locked on my face.


    "You killed my sister!" she screamed.


    I gasped, stepping back and away from the metal gate.


    My hands opened and closed beside my body, trying to release the tension, but it did not help.


    "She was innocent. She was dragged into this Academy just like the rest of you. But you," she paused, taking such heavy breaths that I could hear the wheezing in her breathing. Then she pointed at me. "You are the reason she died."


    I stared at her in disbelief. All this time, I had been worried about the monsters.


    I never thought someone in the Academy had been waiting for my fall. I never thought the danger woulde from her.


    "You could have saved her," she uttered.


    "I did. I tried to. I was helping her, but she wanted my gs," I replied, trying to exin myself.


    I thought that incident had been long forgotten by everyone.


    Even when others med me for it, I never felt the need to exin it again because I knew I had not done anything wrong.


    But it did not seem like that was how others perceived it. She was still holding on to it.


    And the fact that I never found out she was rted to her shocked me.


    "Really? So she wanted your gs and you decided to kill her? For fuck¡¯s sake, Clementine, she was scared," she screamed.


    I rubbed my face with my hands.


    "So was I," I whispered. "And I did not kill her. I tried to save her. She was attacking me. I was defending myself."


    I tried again and again, but Miss Rue kept shaking her head. I understood now.


    None of these people wanted to admit that the fault was their own rtives or the Academy for putting us in situations like this.


    They wanted to fight the one everyone was already against just to satisfy their own ego and convince themselves that they had taken revenge.


    "Now die here. This is where you deserve to be." Her tone changed and she stopped crying in front of me.


    "What are you trying to do?" I asked as she clicked her tongue and smiled in a strange way.


    "You wanted so badly to survive the transition stage that you killed my sister. You became the monster that night, Clementine. Now you stay here with the monsters because you are one of them."


    As soon as she said that, I watched her reach behind her coat and pull out a gun.


    That was thest thing I expected.


    I thought she would leave me behind without a key to cross the path, but the barrel glinted between the bars and I realized she was not nning to leave me alive.


    Before I could react, she aimed directly and fired.


    The shot mmed into me and my body flew back as if something had thrown me across the ground.


    A burning pain spread through my chest and my arms hit the dust first.


    My head followed after. My vision began to blur around the edges, and all I could see were trees from different angles.


    I did not know how far I had fallen back, but I knew I had been shot.


    My vision started to fade in and out. When I woke up again, I realized I was still on the ground.


    Thankfully, no monster hade near me, or maybe it was because of the time.


    I did not know how long I had passed out, or if it had only been a few minutes.


    I could not tell. I only knew that there was a throbbing pain in the center of my chest.


    I pushed myself up and looked around. The bullet had hit right above my ribs.


    There was blood, but not enough to make me think any vital organ was damaged.


    "Mint," I whispered, calling for her.


    "I need to take this out," I told her.


    When she did not respond, I realized the silver bullet embedded in my body was stopping her from speaking.


    I clenched my jaw and ripped open my shirt a little until my cleavage showed.


    Then I pushed my hand inside my shirt and hooked two fingers around the edge of the wound.


    The bullet was close to the surface, so I pushed hard until the skin split again.


    "Ah!" I screamed as I pulled the bullet out and dropped it beside me.


    My fingers shook. The sting burned through my chest, and I let out a few more cries of pain.


    My voice echoed through the trees.


    Wings pped above me. I snapped my head up and sawrge bats circle around and then dive down toward me.


    One flew straight at me with its w open.


    "AHHHH!" I swung my arm to push it away, but another scratched my entire back, making me scream even louder.


    The next one passed close, its ws brushing my head before I swung my arm again.


    This time I grabbed it by the throat. I pulled it down by the feet and mmed it into the dirt.


    I did not know what happened to me in that moment, but I acted on instinct.


    I got on top of the bat without caring about the others above me and started to tear at its wings until they came apart.


    The bat screeched. Its face, even under the bat skin, looked human, and it stared at me with fear. The other bats flew away.


    The body under me twitched, but I did not stop. I tore it apart limb by limb until it stopped moving.


    My hands were covered in dark stains by the time I pushed myself away and screamed.


    My spine cracked a little and my skin rippled. I knew Mint was pushing through.

 Chapter 390-Bending Backward For Their Loved Ones

    <h4>Chapter 390: 390-Bending Backward For Their Loved Ones</h4>


    <strong>Rue:</strong>


    The watch was in my hand now. I had the power.


    I never thought it would be this easy to fool that little girl, but after today, I would no longer look at myself in the mirror and feel like I had failed my sister.


    That thought gave me a strange sense of relief.


    "I need to use you," I whispered as I stared at the watch, "very carefully," I added.


    because I knew there would be only two chances.


    One to go back into the past, and the second to return to the present.


    Otherwise, I would be stuck in the past. So I had only one option and only one chance to pick the right time.


    I thought about going back and killing Clementine during the transition stage so that my sister survived, but then I wondered if that would even help.


    If Clementine died early, would my sister survive the rest of the academy without Clementine interfering?


    Clementine had killed many monsters. She had saved many crusaders who would have died if she had not stepped in.


    My thoughts stopped when I reached the road and received a call from Mr. Rick.


    "The headmaster has requested all ringleaders toe to the headquarters," he informed me with urgency in his tone.


    "Is everything okay?" I asked, wondering if they had found out that I had something to do with Clementine not reaching the train station or that I had the watch.


    "Yeah, juste," he replied before hanging up.


    I had no clue what this could be about, but it seemed important for me to go and check it out.


    This was going to be my job, and I was going to ruin the future of the academy as well.


    If my sister did not survive, others should not either.


    I stepped back into the hall, and right at the entrance, I stopped. The headmaster looked extremely anxious.


    He stood next to the podium with his hands stretched out on it, and the rest of his body leaned back slightly with one hand on his waist.


    I rushed in and stood next to Mr. Rick. The three of us being the only ones there felt odd, and I still did not understand why I had been called in.


    I had been let go.


    "Sorry we arete," a voice remarked from behind me.


    I turned and saw the previous ringleaders, the ones who had been dismissed.


    I was confused why they were back, but then again, I was here too.


    Ringleader Anna of the blue squad and Mr. Brian of the green squad stepped beside me and gave me a quick bow in greeting.


    My attention shifted back to the headmaster. I wondered what was going on.


    "As you all know, you are on quick call. Once the new crusaders arrive, you will all be back," the headmaster stated.


    I had heard this was the ritual. Once a certain number of crusaders left, the academy would call a meeting and bring in the old ringleaders to prepare them


    . But I did not know this was a wipeout session.


    Could it be that Clementine not returning had left the crusader count low enough that they would be sent out for a wipeout mission?


    "Oh, we are already preparing for that?" Thankfully Mr. Rick voiced what I had been thinking as well.


    The headmaster, who used to be full of confidence and knowledge, suddenly looked puzzled.


    "There has been some stuff going on. I will be honest with you, I am beginning to wonder how much is enough," he uttered under his breath, and we began to nce at each other.


    At this point, we had no idea what was happening with him.


    He fixed his coat and faced us again, this time with his hands behind his back.


    "What is the status of Crusader Clementine?"


    The minute he said her name, my heart skipped a beat. I did not know they were going to talk about her in front of me.


    I thought they had already dealt with the knowledge that she had been left behind.


    I had to act in a way that did not draw attention to myself.


    "Sir, there is a problem. She could not make it. We waited for her at the station and she did not arrive," Miss Lenora exined, and I could already hear the sadness in her voice.


    She had been enjoying the idea of getting appraisal from Clementine for being on her squad.


    But it was the headmaster¡¯s reaction that caught my attention.


    He narrowed his eyes at Lenora and even stepped toward us before stopping himself.


    "Well, then go and find her!" he screamed while pointing toward the imaginary north.


    "Your Highness, she is left behind. We do not go back to bring in any crusader," Mr. Rick reminded him of his own rules, but the headmaster raised a finger toward him and silenced him.


    "I am not asking for advice. If my son finds out that she did not make it..." The headmaster did not finish.


    He trailed off, making a fist and bringing it close to his mouth as if trying to control his anger.


    "She is my son¡¯s mate. Go send the lurkers. Do whatever you want but bring her back!" he shouted again.


    I was already disappointed. All this time, his rules had been unbreakable, but now he was ready to change everything because she was his son¡¯s mate?


    "Okay," As expected, the others instantly rushed to their feet and ran toward the door. However, I stayed behind.


    "What? Is there something you want to talk about?" he asked, sounding irritated, and I fixed my posture.


    "Headmaster, I do not understand why you are so worried for her. She is just like the others. Besides, I remember you were worried she was causing your son a lot of stress," I reminded him.


    He had not seemed fond of her after finding out she was his son¡¯s mate, yet suddenly he was worried for her. Why was that?


    "It does not matter what I used to think. The point is that she is my son¡¯s mate," he hissed while looking at me.


    "Are we changing rules now?" I remarked.


    He began stepping toward me, and I had to step back.


    "I said, go do whatever you want to do, but bring my son¡¯s mate back," he finished.


    I finally looked away and gave him a nod. When I turned around, I slid my hand into my pocket and touched the watch.


    I already knew what I was going to do. I would go back in time and kill Clementine, and change things in a way that Ian would fall for my sister.


    I saw how they bent rules for the ones they loved.

 Chapter 391-One Final Plan To Get Rid Of Her

    <h4>Chapter 391: 391-One Final n To Get Rid Of Her</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    I had not been able to do anything because of the alphas and their scrutinizing eyes always on me.


    They watched me as if they were afraid I would once again do something to hurt their perfect little princess.


    It was already angering. I knew once she came back, it would be even messier.


    I could already tell from the way the old ringleaders wandered into the academy that they were thinking about getting rid of us.


    I was worried about what would be of me. I was no longer anyone¡¯s favorite. I was no one¡¯s friend.


    Even if there were any chances of survival, the crusaders would stand together, but they would let me die.


    So I had to think quickly.


    For that reason, I stepped into the red squad¡¯s room to ask for Joshua.


    Their squad had been extremely anxious ever since they heard the news that Clementine had been sent to the north.


    Everyone was tense. The news reached us a few minutes ago when Ian finally returned to his room.


    The way he was grunting and throwing fists at the walls while the others joined him made me realize I needed to get out.


    So here I was, watching Joshuae out of the room.


    "What is it?" he asked me roughly.


    It was around three in the morning, and the breeze was cold, but thankfully the storm had passed.


    Or maybe it had not.


    "I want to talk with you about your mission," I told him, and he frowned at me.


    "The Shadow Earth Eater," I whispered.


    The moment I said those words, he grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the door.


    "Oh, what about it?" he asked me as he pushed me onto the ground a little farther from him.


    "Are you not worried about it? What if they have sent Clementine to go and y that monster?" I questioned him, and I noticed he finally began to look a little worried.


    "I am pretty sure that is not the case," he replied, now looking uneasy at my suggestion.


    "Really? Is that how you are going tofort yourself?" I hissed at him.


    He kept staring back at me angrily.


    "Even if it is that, then how do you think we will deal with it? It is not like we can go now," he grunted, appearing anxious.


    This was the reaction I wanted from him. I wanted him to realize he had been dying too much, and it seemed like it worked because he was now panicking.


    "I mean, she did not do it because, well, she is not back. Is she?" I remarked, and he started to frown, probably thinking about it.


    "You think she died?" he asked me, and I shrugged.


    "She did not make it to the train. That is the worst," I stated, watching the way he looked away from me.


    "Do not tell me you are worried about her," I asked him.


    I had seen these men act differently around her, so his sudden reaction confused me.


    "No, of course I do not care about her, but I do not think she would be dead. I mean, she is not a bad person though," he muttered as he turned his face away.


    I kept watching him in disbelief. These men were so dumb and annoying.


    "I am sure that is what you want to say to yourself, but do not forget she is the one who got Suki killed," I remarked.


    The minute I said that, he turned to me and his hand wrapped around my throat.


    "Suki died because she was impatient, jealous, greedy, and selfish," he stated, pulling me closer before muttering against my face, "but rest assured, I will have my Suki back."


    He pushed me back and I stumbled, rubbing my neck.


    One of these days, these alphas would snap my neck. I was afraid for myself.


    "And we need to find out what mission they have sent her to," he added before looking away.


    "I still hear her," I muttered.


    The minute I said it, I watched him frown.


    "The shadow earth eater. She is calling for me. So here I am, making a deal with you," I told him as I leaned closer.


    It was in that moment I realized I needed to stand up for myself because it seemed like they were taking me lightly.


    From the way he behaved with me, I was not sure if I would get any benefit from taking him to the earth eater.


    "What deal?" he asked, looking bewildered.


    "You will get to ask for one deal, and I will get to ask for one. Whatever I ask for, you will not intervene," I demanded.


    He looked slightly agitated as he narrowed his eyes at me.


    "What are you going to ask for?" he demanded.


    "Something in regards to Clementine, and you will not intervene," I repeated.


    "Why do you think I will?" he wondered, looking puzzled and shrugging his shoulders.


    He could fool someone else, but he was not fooling me.


    "Nothing. I wanted to remind you anyway," I replied, shrugging.


    He watched me with his lips clenched before he nodded.


    "As long as it has nothing to do with Suki," he stated.


    I gave him a confident head nod because I did not care about her. She was never apetition to begin with.


    "Done," I replied.


    "Now go and find out from Ian if he knows what mission she was sent to," he demanded, waving his hand at me as he walked off.


    Once he stepped away, I released the breath I had been holding.


    "I wonder if you will stay honest with your deal," I muttered.


    I was not going to sit here and do nothing. If Clementine did not make it to the train, that meant she was either dead, too wounded to reach it, or something else had happened.


    I had many theories, and I nned to make sure she never made it back.


    I saw someone stand in the distance, gesturing for me to follow her.


    "Miss Rue?" I whispered, confused.


    Worry rose inside me. What if she had heard me talk about her favorite Clementine?


    I stepped forward slowly, unsure if she wanted to speak with me or question me.


    Her hand kept waving at me toe closer, and I felt my stomach twist as I walked toward her.

 Chapter 392-The Threat In Her Eyes

    <h4>Chapter 392: 392-The Threat In Her Eyes</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    "She should have been back by now," I muttered, fisting my palm. Ever since I had returned, I had told my squadmates everything.


    I did not know if they even believed me at this point, but I had to say it.


    However, there was not much we could do. We took a stroll to the train station after we refused to listen to the lurkers or anybody else.


    They showed us there was no train, so we returned.


    "Wait, so you¡¯re telling me that she has gone to get a watch that can return someone in time and all that bullshit, but it is on the dark side of the north?" Troy asked me again.


    This was the fifth time he had confirmed this information from me, and I was tired of telling him the same thing over and over.


    I could tell he did not believe me. The others might, but he did not.


    I stopped pacing and faced him, my hands on my waist.


    "How many times does he have to tell you?" Yorick argued with Troy, who started to shake his head while wandering toward Yorick, who was standing next to the window.


    "Do you seriously believe him? He is the headmaster¡¯s son. What if he is doing all this to make us storm into the north and get ourselves killed?" Troy stated.


    At this point, I did not me him for thinking that way. We never had the kind of connection to trust each other.


    I would not trust them either, but when it came to Clementine, I would not think twice.


    They were ready to jump in and help her too, but none of us knew what to do.


    "Well, then exin this. Clementine is not in her room," he replied, getting up from the bed and stepping beside Troy, his hands on his waist as if he was challenging him.


    "Okay, fine, if she is sent to the north, she should have been back by now. This is Clementine we are talking about. She is very powerful, is she not?" Troy argued, and at this point I realized what was going on.


    He had been fine believing me when I arrived and told them what was happening, but the minute time started to pass, he began to question me.


    He was scared. He was scared because she was not back, so he had started to give himself excuses.


    "So you think that she tied somewhere and we are lying?" I told him, tilting my head.


    "I am just saying that it is your father who sent her there," he argued angrily, pointing at me.


    "Ian, he is not wrong though. What else do you know? There is no way you do not know anything," Haiden questioned.


    This time, the three of them faced me.


    "He is asking you something," Yorick stated, pointing toward Haiden.


    "I know a lot, but before you me me, I found out recently. That night when I was out, I was at my father¡¯s mansion. This is where I found out most of the things, I mean all of the truth," I uttered softly.


    Honestly, it was moments like these when I missed Clementine even more.


    I wanted to tell this to her first. She had been there for me since day one.


    She was the one who had been wanting to find out the truth about the academy, so she would have been happy to know everything.


    But now, I had to slip in a little information while she was not back.


    The three were staring at me still.


    Once their stares grew intense, I decided to give them a little gist, or at least tell them why I was not exining anything right now.


    "Let¡¯s wait for Clementine¡¯s return."


    The minute I said that, the three began to shake their heads in sync.


    "Why not now?" Haiden insisted. "Maybe what you tell us will help us get her back," he added.


    "Do you really think that any truth about the academy would bring her back? If anything, what if we tell the world what the academy is, or if the news gets out and the pack members start to object to the north, then what? She will be stuck there," I grunted, reminding them that maybe finding out the truth was not the priority anymore.


    I had to get Clementine back first. She would always remain my priority.


    "Then tell us. We will not tell anyone," Troy insisted.


    My eyes moved toward the door and I sensed something.


    I gestured for them to stay silent, touching my finger to my lips, and instantly reached the door and opened it.


    Oriana stood outside, leaning toward the door, but the minute it opened, she jumped and stepped back.


    "I did not hear anything, I swear," she began to exin almost instantly before we had even used her.


    I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her inside, throwing her onto her bed and mming the door shut.


    Now all four of us stood around her.


    "What are you nning?" Troy hissed at her.


    "Nothing, I swear. I was just wandering around. And then I returned to the room and you guys were talking, so I did not know what to do," she stuttered, stealing nces at us.


    "Listen to me, you insecure little bitch. If you did anything to harm Clementine, you will face me first," Yorick told her, putting his foot on her bed and hunching down, pointing a finger at her, threatening her.


    She nodded quickly, giving him the hint that she understood.


    "Anyway, let¡¯s go and speak with the headmaster and the ringleaders. Let¡¯s ask them why she is not back yet," I changed the topic back to Clementine, gently scratching the back of my neck.


    However, even when we were stepping toward the door, I turned around to look at Oriana once, and I noticed the way she had been staring at Yorick.


    Ever since he warned her, she had not looked away from him. There was a silent threat in her eyes.

 Chapter 393-The Trap Of Character

    <h4>Chapter 393: 393-The Trap Of Character</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    We were headed to the hall to speak to the ringleaders and find out what was going on with Clementine and why she was not back yet.


    In the middle of it, we were stopped when their head squad appeared in front of us. They instantly shook their hands toward us, letting us know that they had no luck finding out about Clementine either.


    "So she¡¯s just gone?" Mira questioned, her voice unsteady.


    I felt a fire inside me that I had to keep under control. There were many reasons for it. One was that I did not know if I would ever have a chance with Clementine, the way Troy and Ian were always one step ahead of the others, iming her.


    It felt like I would never get to be with her. Because of that, I had to make sure she knew that I was waiting for her. But for that to happen, she needed toe back, and if she did not, I was willing to jump over the fence to be with her.


    Even if I had to invade the train and operate it myself, I would do it.


    We reached the hall and found that none of the ringleaders were there.


    For a few minutes, we wandered around the campus trying to find one of them to have a conversation, but it seemed they were all avoiding us, or maybe hiding from us.


    We decided to go to our rooms, but we nned to stay together in one room. Then we would figure out what to do next. However, I was very anxious, so instead of going into the room, I decided to walk to the ground. For some reason, I had a feeling that I should not have.


    After a few seconds of walking in silence, I started to hear some rustling around me. I knew for a fact that someone was either following me, or I was following someone.


    I stopped in my tracks and looked around, my hands on my waist.


    Then, for some reason, when I turned to my left, toward the open side of the ground that was away from the academy, I noticed someone digging a hole in the ground.


    I did not have to think twice about who it was. Her hair and her appearance gave it away. It was Oriana.


    I knew she was up to something when she was sitting there all by herself, digging a hole in the ground and talking to herself.


    "All I need to do is just use this," she uttered, making me frown as I steadily approached her.


    I wanted to make sure I heard what she was talking about. I did not want her to start plotting or nning again.


    "This will surely kill her. But I need to make sure that this time the job is done," she chuckled to herself.


    As I reached behind her, I peeked over her shoulder and saw her holding a dagger. It was not just any dagger. It had arge, round, circr handle.


    However, the way she was sitting made me feel like she was not well. She kept falling back. Her knees were shaking badly. I could not tell what was wrong with her.


    At that point, she had realized that I was there.


    "What the fuck are you doing?" I grunted as I snatched the dagger, or at least tried to.


    She held on to the handle while I grabbed the sharp side. It cut through my skin, but I did not stop until I forcefully took it away from her.


    She stood up, watching me with a pale face and empty eyes. I could already tell she was sick. Her lips were dry, but it did not make sense. She had been fine a few hours ago.


    "Give it back to me. It is mine," she said, raising her hand, which was shaking so badly she could barely stand. She made sure her legs were spread apart to keep herself upright.


    I did not know what was wrong, but my senses kept telling me to step away from her or call for help. Still, the dagger in my hand made me stop and confront her first.


    "After everything that happened, you are still going after Clementine?" I yelled, watching her close her eyes. She did not look very alert or present.


    "Please give it back to me," she requested, making me stare at her in disbelief.


    "Come on, let¡¯s go. I am taking you to the headmaster," I told her. "This is it. You have to inform him where you got this dagger from."


    I finally had enough. I grabbed her arm and tried to pull her away, but that was when she began to resist. She started to scratch my arm, my chest, everywhere she could reach.


    "Stop it, Oriana," I yelled at her, turning around to grab both her arms and shake her. "Clementine had been your friend. If you had not betrayed her like this, you would have been treated with much more respect by now."


    I yelled in her face, trying to make her understand that all the animosity she had toward Clementine was baseless.


    I knew for a fact that it was not love or rivalry that made her act this way. She just wanted protection. If she had been kind enough, we all would have protected her.


    I was sure even Clementine would have done right by her.


    But when Oriana did not even blink or frown and only stared at me nkly, I started to feel goosebumps all over my skin.


    "You know what? When you screamed at me earlier and warned me to stay away from your perfect little princess, I realized that fighting her or her mates is baseless. Trying to attack her is stupid," she remarked softly.


    There was a strange smirk on her face that made me narrow my eyes at her, trying to gather my thoughts and understand where she was going with this.


    "Have you lost your mind?" I finally asked her, hissing, and she started to snicker.


    "As a matter of fact, I just realized who I need to attack," she replied. The moment she said that, a strange smile formed on her lips.

 Chapter 394-Accused Of The Worst Crime Ever

    <h4>Chapter 394: 394-used Of The Worst Crime Ever</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    <strong>shback:</strong>


    "You¡¯re going to the academy," my mother stated, sitting with me and holding my hand.


    I began to frown. I had no clue why this was happening. I thought only kids who were troubled or had issues went there.


    "You want me to go to the academy and fight monsters?" I asked my mother in disbelief. I was really sad that she even suggested something like that.


    "It is not in our hands. We have to send one of our children, and it has to be you since you know your brother," she exined, then paused and looked down.


    Before I could say anything else, my father mmed his hand on the table to get our attention.


    "Why are you so sad? It is not like you will not get out of it," he remarked.


    I frowned at my father. There was no way what he was saying was truly going to happen. He knew it too.


    "There is a history tied to the academy. The only way someone survived is if they got rid of all the monsters, or if they kept going north for the rest of their life, fought the monsters, and came back alive. That is the only way," I told my father, looking straight into his eyes, because he was not fooling me.


    As my mother smiled softly at me, I began to realize they were rather calm.


    "I do not understand," I told them, staring between the two.


    "There are other ways to get a crusader out of the academy," my fathermented. His fingers tapped on the table, following a pattern. He started with his little finger, then the ring finger, and then, like a wave, he tapped through the rest until he noticed I had picked up on the confidence in his voice.


    "I would really love for you to exin it to me," I said to him, and he chuckled, nodding his head.


    "Apart from giving away the pack, there is another way. Do not worry. When it is time, you will be out," my father reassured me.


    I began to wonder if my father had lost his mind. He always spoke like this, trying to reassure me that everything would be fine. But I knew it was a lie. Once I was there, I would be stuck forever.


    <strong>End Of shback</strong>


    "You have lost your mind, but do not forget, you do not have magic to control us this time. You are going to fail miserably," I told Oriana, giving her a hard shake.


    She stared at me as if she already knew she would win this time.


    "I do not need to do any magic this time," she replied, suddenly clinging to my jacket. I lost my grip on her arms when shetched onto me.


    "Youing here. I had you fall right into my trap."


    The moment she said those words, I remembered my gut feeling. I was right. I had known I should stay away from her.


    I tried to step back, but she grabbed my jacket. Before I could even think about what she meant, her eyesnded on the dagger on the ground, and she suddenly knelt to grab it. I knew I needed to get the dagger away from her.


    She held it by the handle, pointing it at me, and I grabbed it by the de. That was when she suddenly let go, but she began to scream at the top of her lungs.


    "Help me! Help me!"


    As she screamed, she lunged at me, scratching my face and everywhere she could reach. I swung the dagger and hit her under the jaw with the handle. My hand was bleeding badly, and the noise was so loud that my ears began to ring.


    Heat rushed to my head as she kepting at me, scratching me and even ripping my shirt. Then she began to undo my belt. I pushed her back and started fixing my belt while shey there screaming.


    "Help me! What the fuck is wrong with you?"


    I fixed my belt in a hurry, but what she said next made me stop.


    "Look what he did! Look what he was doing to me!"


    My head snapped toward her. She was on the ground with her legs spread apart. The skirt she was wearing was pushed up to her stomach. Her clothes were disheveled, with one strap of her top torn off.


    It looked wrong. Then I noticed her eyes shift to the side. I turned my head and saw the ringleaders standing there, watching us with horrified looks on their faces.


    "What the heck is going on here?" Ms. Lenora demanded as she was the first to rush forward. She went straight to Oriana, who instantly pulled her skirt down to cover herself before hugging Ms. Lenora and crying.


    All eyes turned to me. I looked to my right and noticed that even the crusaders hade out to watch. The lurkers were beginning to gather as well.


    "What is going on here?" Mr. Rick yelled as he strode toward me.


    "I do not know. She had a dagger, and she was attacking me, so I took it from her," I tried to exin, but the way he came at me and grabbed my wrist to check the dagger gave me a very bad feeling.


    I let go of the dagger, and it fell to the ground. The next thing I knew, Mr. Rick shoved me back, and the lurkers starteding at me.


    "Wait, I did not do anything. She is lying. She was attacking me," I shouted at the top of my lungs.


    "Hey, let him go," Ian called out as he was the first to jump in and defend me.


    After that, others rushed forward too. They pushed the lurkers away and formed a circle around me.


    "Do you not see what he did to her?" Mr. Rick yelled.


    Everyone froze.


    "I did not do anything. She¡ª" Before I could finish, Oriana screamed at the top of her lungs.


    "He used the dagger¡¯s handle."


    That was all she said, but my body shuddered.


    "What?" Ms. Lenora asked her softly.


    "He used it to¨Cprate me." She paused, then began wailing and crying loudly.

 Chapter 395-She Made The Plan, I Acted On It

    <h4>Chapter 395: 395-She Made The n, I Acted On It</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    <strong>A Few Hours Ago:</strong>


    "Yes, Miss Rue?" I asked her while following her.


    She looked like she was not pleased about something and my heart already started to pound in my chest.


    "Come with me," she instructed, continuing to gesture for me to follow her.


    I did not know if it was the right thing to do, but there was nothing else I could do.


    She had probably caught me talking about that girl. With a defeated look on my face, I kept following her.


    However, she did not take me to the hall, which I thought she would, since that was where everyone would be for any confrontation.


    Instead, she led me toward the road and I began to slow down.


    "Miss Rue, I do not know where you are taking me. May I please know?" I requested, no longer willing to follow her aimlessly.


    I guessed she realized at that point that she would have to give me some information or I would not continue after her.


    She stopped and looked around in all directions, and at this point I began to wonder about her intentions. Then she faced me.


    "You do not like Clementine," she uttered.


    It was the way she said it. I instantly started to shake my head.


    "No, that is not the case," I replied quickly. "My head was not in the right ce¡ª," I began to make excuses, but she raised her hand to silence me.


    "You do not need to lie to me," she remarked sternly, and I gulped. "I know you do not like her."


    "I do not understand. Are you going to punish me for not liking her?" I asked her in confusion.


    She gave me a cheeky smile while shaking her head as a no, and the way she did it showed she was serious.


    She did not seem to care anymore.


    "I do not like her either," she stated.


    The minute she said those words, I started to smile and shake my head.


    I was not going to let her fool me. There was no way she was being genuine.


    "I am Riv¡¯s sister," she added softly.


    For a moment I was not sure what she was talking about or whose sister she meant. I stared at her in confusion.


    "That crusader who died in the transition stage," she rified.


    My eyes widened because now I remembered it.


    "Oh, the girl who was killed because of Clementine?" I asked, and she began to nod her head.


    I could not express it fully, but shock hit me hard and a sharp shiver ran through me. All this time Miss Rue had been around us.


    She had supported Clementine, and now she was telling me she was the deceased girl¡¯s sister.


    What did that even mean? Did that mean she never liked Clementine? Then why did she act as if she cared for her?


    "We do not have much time to talk, but I will tell you this. Things are happening fast, and if you do not act quickly, you will be in much bigger trouble than just being jealous of Clementine," she spoke confidently. I could tell she knew a lot. Of course she did. She was from the inside.


    "I do not understand," I said to her, smiling awkwardly. "Oriana, I know you are jealous of Clementine because you want people to protect you and keep you safe."


    "Of course I am scared of dying in the North," I said, still not understanding her purpose behinding here to speak with me.


    "They are going to bring new Crusaders. Do you know what that means?" she asked.


    The moment she said that, my breath hitched, and goosebumps spread across my skin.


    "Are they sending us to ourst mission?" I asked, my eyes burning as I started to tear up.


    "You guessed right, but not all of you," she replied. "There are secrets of the academy that not many know. One of them is that deals were made between the Alphas and the Headmaster. A few Crusaders will survive and be let go before the session ends. This will be the first time it happens, except for one other case."


    She went quiet and tapped her finger against her chin.


    "There was someone who pleaded insanity. That person survived," she stated, a smirk forming on her lips.


    "I do not understand. You want me to plead insanity?" I asked and she shook her head.


    "Of course not. I would be the first to call you out."


    Her response made me narrow my eyes, unsure where she was going with this.


    "There was a meeting where it was decided that some Alphas would be let go, while the rest would be sent back to the North on a mission meant to wipe them out before the new Crusaders arrive," she continued. "And sadly, your name was on the list of Crusaders who will not survive."


    My jaw dropped, and my skin shuddered.


    "I do not want to die," I told her, stepping closer.


    She raised her palm, signaling me to stop.


    "That is why I am here. If you listen to me, you will survive."


    At that point, I was listening to everything she said.


    "I will make a deal with you. You give me something, and I give you something," she stated.


    I nodded eagerly.


    "I know you are going to take Joshua to the shadow earth eater. I do not care about that. Whatever you do in the North is none of my concern," she said. "All I want is for you to tell the shadow earth eater that you want Clementine dead."


    I smiled at her. If she wanted Clementine dead, she was talking to the right person.


    "Even if you had not told me this, I was already nning to do it," I replied.


    "Then in return, I will save you," she said.


    I leaned in as she continued.


    "You will cling to one Alpha I will name. He will be let out of the academy soon on the basis of insanity. Before that, you must make sure you are attached to him as his chosen mate. I will guide you through it, but I will need a video confession from you stating that this was all nned and that none of what happened was real. It is just in case you decide not to hold up your end of the deal."


    She surprised me. I had never imagined something so cruel could hide behind such an innocent face.

 Chapter 396-Marrying An Alpha

    <h4>Chapter 396: 396-Marrying An Alpha</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    "What if you use that video against me even after I help you?" I asked, crossing my arms.


    "Then we will both be in the video," she replied. "I will only use it if I have no other choice, meaning if you back out of killing Clementine."


    I nodded slowly.


    "Fine. I want a copy of it. You will email it to me."


    She nodded, clearly pleased.


    She exined the rest of the n, then handed me a dagger.


    "They will need evidence. Do you think you can do it to yourself?" she asked.


    My hands shook as I stared at the dagger. It wasrge. It would hurt badly, but not as much as dying in the North.


    "I will do it," I said. "Who is the Alpha?"


    She smiled, her eyes lighting up.


    "Alpha Yorick."


    At that moment, it felt like I had found a way to live.


    We made the video together, and she gave me her phone so I could send it to my own email. That way, I knew she was not going to y me. Once it was done, I went to the room where my altercation with the alphas had happened. Not exactly an altercation. Yorick was the one who had threatened me.


    Before he threatened me, I was scared of whether I would be able to do it. But once he did, I realized I needed someone to protect me the way he protected Clementine. Miss Rue was right.


    I went ahead and used the dagger on myself. It was so painful. I had to bite my lips to keep myself quiet. Once the pain was over, it was time to act.


    Now I was sitting on the ground, crying in front of everyone. The pain was so intense that I started to pass out before I could even scream.


    The next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital. I was not sure what they had done to Yorick, but my ims seemed solid. The doctor came in just as I woke up. My eyelids were still heavy, and my mind was racing.


    I was worried. What if my n did not work? Then all that pain would have been for nothing.


    The moment the doctor entered, I noticed the ringleaders gathering in the room.


    "So, did you do the tests and all the checkups?" Mr. Rick asked.


    I had to blink harder to make sure I was seeing him clearly.


    "Yes. She was stabbed with the dagger, and it is pretty bad," the doctor replied.


    As soon as he said that, Mr. Rick gasped while Ms. Lenora sat down, burying her face in her hands.


    "What kind of monsters have been let in this time?" she muttered angrily.


    There was chaos after that. Mr. Rick reached my bed and stood beside it with his head down.


    "We are really sorry for what happened."


    As soon as he said that, I covered my face and started to cry, ying the part well.


    "You should have just let me die in the North," I stated. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Rick turn to look at Ms. Lenora, who shook her head.


    "We will talk about it, okay? He will not get away with it. We promise you," he replied. "But there are certain restraints that stop us from throwing him into the North."


    As soon as Mr. Rick said that, my heart skipped a beat, and I covered my face with my hands.


    "No, I do not want that kind of punishment for him," I stated, watching them look at me in confusion. "I am not an animal like him. I have seen what monsters do. If you send him there, he will be a monster, and I will forever think that the man who did this to me gained more power."


    I chose my words carefully.


    "Then we will let the decision be in your hands," Ms. Lenora said. "There will be limits on the punishment you can choose, and we are truly sorry for that."


    She held my hand and gave it a brief pat. I remembered what Miss Rue had told me, that Yorick was going to be freed soon. He really did have that much power. They were afraid even to talk about punishing him. Maybe she had been right. She was onto something. I had chosen the right Alpha.


    "For now, we will let you heal," Ms. Lenora said with a nod. "Just know that Yorick is in prison. He will not hurt you anymore, as long as we are alive."


    I sniffled, closed my eyes, and turned to the side, crying in silence.


    After they left, I sat up in the bed, thinking about my life outside this ce. Coming to the academy had turned out to be the worst thing that could have happened. I remembered when I first arrived. I had been so confident. I was seen as a princess that everyone admired for my branded clothes and bags. Then they took everything away from me. I was not known by anyone anymore. They forgot about me until I used magic, and then everything was ruined because Clementine was alone and they wanted to win her back.


    But now, I would leave this ce. Not as no one. I had already found myself a home. An Alpha.


    I smiled to myself, thinking about my future.


    "He will hate us," my wolf snapped at me.


    "I do not care. He will have to love me. I will manipte him well," I replied.


    "So what is the next step?" my wolf asked.


    "I have to go to the North for onest mission," I answered. "It will be an easy one. I will barely do anything. The shadow earth eater will not hurt me. I will go there, survive, ande back."


    I paused before continuing.


    "Then I will tell them that because of the injuries Yorick caused me, it was hard for me to go there. They will ask me what punishment I want for him."


    The corner of my lips pulled upward until my smile almost hurt.


    "What would you say?" my wolf asked, already snickering.


    "I would say that his punishment is to marry me," I replied. "To protect me and keep me safe, because I am in pain because of him."


    My wolf and Iughed together. It would happen. There was evidence against Yorick, and there was an eyewitness.

 Chapter 397-The Clever Girl Played Me

    <h4>Chapter 397: 397-The Clever Girl yed Me</h4>


    <strong>Rue:</strong>


    I arrived after the chaos had already started. The other ringleaders were still on the premises. They had been avoiding Ian and the Crusaders, but now that everything had erupted, they had to step forward and keep the Crusaders calm.


    Yorick had been taken away to the prison. However, I knew he would not face a very harsh punishment. If anyone went against the deal made with his parents, the entire concept of the North and the academy would shatter.


    His parents were very influential, something I had only learned aftering to the academy.


    But I had another purpose now. I had to solidify the ims against him.


    When I arrived at the hall, I could already tell that the Crusaders were arguing. They were ready to defend Yorick because Oriana did not have a good reputation. And I knew why. She was a messy one.


    "Everyone, please calm down," I said as I entered, raising my hands to stop them.


    They had been rude to the other ringleaders, but the moment they saw me, they began to calm down.


    "Miss Rue, did you hear what happened?" Mira asked as she stepped forward. I gave her a gentle nod.


    "That is crazy. Yorick would never do something like that," Troy hissed, his arms folded over his chest as he stood there, tense and ready to defend his squadmate.


    "Listen to me, everyone," I told them, taking deep and heavy breaths. "I know everything. I know all the usations," I continued calmly, as if I were shaken myself.


    "No, we are not going to stay calm. This is getting out of hand. First they sent Clementine out there, and now they are using one of us of such a disgusting crime without proper evidence?" Ian snapped. His hands moved in gestures, pointing nowhere in particr, then toward where Yorick had been.


    "There is evidence," I said.


    The moment I spoke, they fell silent and stared at me. Every pair of eyes was fixed on me.


    "And there is an eyewitness," I added.


    They exchanged looks. I could tell they were scared. If Yorick had really done what he was used of, their trust in each other would shatter.


    "What is the evidence?" Haiden asked, stepping forward to take control.


    Joshua sat in the corner near the table, looking uninterested in the chaos, while the others were clearly losing their minds. Even Sebastian and Renee acted as if they had known Yorick their whole lives and would defend him without question.


    "They tested the dagger," I said. "They ran tests on Oriana too, and she was..." I paused, acting as if the words were hard to say.


    They looked horrified.


    "I do not trust her. She is unstable. She could have done this to herself," Ian said, speaking up first.


    "I know," I replied. "But he was holding the dagger from the other side. He even struck her under the chin."


    I paused again, watching their expressions tighten. Then I took a long breath and closed my eyes.


    "I was there. I arrived first," I said, lifting my hand and wiping at the tears I forced out. "But before I could stop him, the others arrived."


    They stayed silent.


    "I was farther away. All I could see was someone on top of someone. A man on top of a woman," I continued. "But when I got closer, I saw him with the dagger and prating her. He had already done a lot of damage to her when I spotted them though. You all must have seen it too. He went for another round when he started to undo his belt."


    I stopped there. I did not need to say more.


    Their confidence shattered. Disgust spread across their faces.


    My reputation here was clean. I had no reason to lie. They all knew I did not like Oriana, especially because of how much she hated Clementine.


    "Anyway, I would have stood with you all if I had not been the one to see it," I said. "After everything that happened, I cannot question Oriana. She is a victim. I do not know why Yorick did it. Only he can answer that. But the truth is, he did it, and it is a horrible crime. I am disgusted that a woman had to suffer because of it."


    I watched as Renee and Mira slowly stepped away from the boys. Even the boys looked unsettled, unable to lift their heads.


    "Why would he do that?" Troy muttered to himself, looking disgusted.


    "He is in prison right now, and Oriana is in the hospital," I replied. "Just pray for her. Pray he did not cause her too much damage inside."


    I lowered my voice sadly. They all knew that Oriana could heal from most injuries. But if the wound was deep like this, healing would be much harder.


    Of course, she was fine. She had been careful.


    After I told them everything, I dismissed them. They started leaving for their rooms. I also told them I would let them know when the other ringleaders returned from the hospital with updates about Clementine.


    As they were leaving, I slipped my hand into my pocket and touched the watch. An urge to look at it washed over me, so I pulled it out. I smiled at it, thinking about when I would finally be able to use it.


    But the longer I stared at it, the more I realized something was wrong. It had not worked. None of the hands had moved in hours. I shook it, closed it, then held it to my ear. I could not hear anything.


    I held it again. As I stared at it for too long, the truth hit me. It was a fake.


    It felt like the entire world copsed on me. In a rush, I grabbed it with both hands and whispered, "I want to go back in time." I did not even specify when. I twisted the dial to a random date and stood there, staring at it.


    Nothing happened.


    I already knew it was not the original, but I still tested it. The result was the same. Nothing changed.


    Clementine had tricked me. She had died in the North with the real watch on her.


    "But she must have the right watch on her," I said, realizing now I needed someone to get her dead body to me.

 Chapter 398-I Go To Find Her

    <h4>Chapter 398: 398-I Go To Find Her</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    Something about the whole situation felt off. Ever since we heard what Yorick had done, none of us could properly gather our thoughts. I did not even know if defending Yorick was the right thing to do.


    "I cannot believe this," Haiden muttered as we walked down the hall toward the room.


    Soon, it was just the three of us inside.


    "As much as I hate Oriana, why would Yorick do that to her?" Troy said. "He could have just killed her and spared us all from her annoying presence."


    He turned to me.


    "What do you think, Ian? Headmaster¡¯s son?"


    As expected, not even an hour had passed without Troy taunting me about that.


    "Dude, let it go. You are already dealing with enough," Haiden told him as they moved farther into the room.


    I could not bring myself to go inside. As time passed, my thoughts spiraled, all of them circling the same question. Why had Clementine not returned?


    "Ian," a voice called out before I could take another step, stopping me in my tracks.


    I turned around and saw Miss Rue standing at the end of the hallway, waving me over. She looked anxious, like she was in a hurry.


    I nced back at the boys and saw they were settling in for the night, still waiting for the train to return so they could wee Clementine.


    I looked back at Miss Rue and started walking toward her. With the others gone, she was the only one who could give me any news about Clementine, if she had any at all.


    As I got closer, I noticed the look on her face had changed. The hurt and disgust I had seen earlier were gone. Now she looked tense. The color had drained from her face.


    "Miss Rue, what¡¯s going on?" I asked as I approached her.


    She stepped aside, as if inviting me into the hall. I watched her in silence, trying to understand what had happened in the few minutes since we left that made her want to speak with me alone. I stepped inside, and she rushed in after me, closing the door behind us.


    "What is it?" I asked anxiously.


    She paced back and forth, rubbing her palms together before dragging her hands over her face.


    "Miss Rue, what is it?" I asked again, this time enunciating every word.


    "There is a problem," she uttered.


    "What kind of problem?" I asked, narrowing my eyes as she avoided my gaze.


    "I just received a call. The train came back empty."


    As soon as she said that, my fists clenched. I turned to leave, ready to inform the others that there was a crisis, but she spoke again.


    "They sent the train back a third time. But Ian, you know this. If they could not find her the first two times¡ª"


    She paused, not because she could not finish, but because I had turned back and red at her.


    "Not one word," I warned.


    She swallowed hard, and a tear slid down her cheek.


    "I am scared for her, Ian. The train will go again and return in two or more hours," she said, licking her lips. Her bodynguage made it clear she was anxious and worried about Clementine too.


    "Then what do you suggest?" I snapped. "That I just wait here for the train toe back again? Do you not see that the lurkers cannot find her? Something must have happened for her not to board that train."


    I nearly shouted, but Miss Rue seemed to have another idea.


    "I know where to find her." Her voice was steady which gave me goosebumps. I stepped closer, raising my eyebrow at her in suspicion.


    "Exin yourself," I demanded.


    She stepped back in fear while still rubbing her palms together.


    "She was sent to the dark side of the North. And I know a way for you to enter the dark side without waiting for the train, without the long journey," she said.


    Hope surged through me.


    "Tell me," I urged.


    She swallowed and reached into her pocket, pulling out a key.


    "There is a back door. I showed that fence to Clementine before, so maybe she took that path. I am not sure," she admitted. "But I can take you there. From there, you can enter the dark path directly. Go look for her. Maybe she took the watch, but something happened on the way back."


    I raised an eyebrow, unsettled by her certainty, but my focus stayed on Clementine.


    "This will help you enter the North more easily," she added, correcting herself quickly.


    I did not stop to question her further. Finding Clementine mattered more than anything else.


    I snatched the key from her hand.


    "Take me there," I demanded.


    She nodded and hurried ahead.


    "You do not need to tell the others," she said. "Once they leave the room, the lurkers will find out you are all missing and are probably up to something. As for you, they know you get summoned by your father here and there so you being missing from the room isn¡¯t going to raise any rm. We need to sneak out now. She might need your help. No matter what condition you find her in, bring her back to the maind. Bring her through the back door."


    Her instructions were oddly specific, but since she was helping me get closer to Clementine, I listened. I could question everythingter.


    For now, I had to find her myself.


    I walked behind her as she led me deep into the woods. She made me cross the academy¡¯s border and then brought me to the fence. And there it was. A door.


    I could almost smell a faint trace of Clementine there.


    I twisted the key in the strange-looking lock, and it opened. The moment I pushed the fence open, a strong stench hit me. It was the smell of the North.


    "Go in quickly and lock it before something smells the clean air andes here," Miss Rue panicked when I took too long.


    I rushed inside and mmed the door shut behind me. As soon as I turned around, a strange sensation washed over me.

 Chapter 399-Swallowed By The Monsters

    <h4>Chapter 399: 399-Swallowed By The Monsters</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    After a while, I transitioned back into my human form and sat on the edge of the road. I did not even know what I had gone through in thest few hours.


    I only knew that I had lost my mind, that I had been so angry and blinded by Miss Rue that all I wanted to do was attack someone. I wanted tomit more crimes.


    Initially, after I transitioned, Mint and I ran around.


    None of the monsters dared toe at us because they knew Mint was far more powerful than any of them, at least in a one-on-one fight, not with theming at us in groups.


    "What are you feeling?" Mint asked.


    I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.


    "I remember when I was a child and I took care of my little brother. Do you remember that?" I wondered.


    When she answered with silence, I chuckled to myself.


    "Of course you don¡¯t. You weren¡¯t there at that time," I remarked, then stared at the sky.


    "I remember I used to have these dreams that someone was trying to snatch my brother from me, and that someone always looked like a monster. You know what? It was my father. The monsters were always clear in hindsight," I stated, closing my eyes.


    I did not know why, but suddenly I missed my mother and my brother so much tonight.


    "We will be fine. That one wench cannot kick us down to the curb," Mint told me once she noticed how badly I was affected by the betrayal.


    "I know. It is just that I am not sure how Ian will be," I stated, closing my eyes and gently pressing my hand to my chest where Miss Rue had shot me earlier.


    "He will be fine. He is way stronger than we imagined him to be," Mint reassured me.


    "Mint, I am feeling very afraid. It is not only Ian. My other mates, even when I do not want to pursue them as mates, I just have a very bad feeling. Something is going on. They are either in pain, or I do not know," I said, rubbing my face with my hands.


    My chest still burned where the bullet had hit me. Even though I had healed, Miss Rue had aimed to kill me. I knew that much.


    Either she missed by mistake, or something stopped the bullet from going deeper. Whatever the reason was, I was still breathing, which meant I had to move.


    I pushed myself up slowly and noticed how badly my legs were still shaking.


    I was tired, exhausted, betrayed, and I had lost so much blood. Even though I had healed, that did not mean I had energy left in my body.


    I needed food, rest, andfort.


    I looked at the road and sighed because it was so long and empty. The train station was my only option now. If I could reach it, I could get out.


    But then there was another issue.


    I remembered that in order to reach the train station, to even leave this ce, I would have to go through all the ces where I had encountered monsters.


    As I walked farther, I heard the same vibrating sound as before. A low hum rolled through the ground. I froze and lifted my head.


    Far down the road, the tall figure was there again. It was moving slowly, but I knew it would reach me, and then it would start chasing me just like before.


    So I backed away, then turned and ran.


    I could hear iting after me. I had to slow down when my legs threatened to give out. I leaned forward, hands on my thighs, breathing heavily.


    "This means we have to go through the theatre, the misty corners, and Sector 13," I told her tiredly. "There is no other way," I added, pushing myself upright again.


    The hum returned, and this time it was closer. I spun and ran toward the nearest structure without thinking. It was the theatre.


    As I reached it, I noticed the clowns were still in the windows, just like thest time I had left them.


    They wore the same expressions, and they had not moved. Of course they had not. They were waiting for me.


    I swallowed hard and held my hand against the doorknob. As the hum grew louder, I had no other option but to enter the theatre.


    The moment I did, I had no time to stare at them or stop. There was no way I could keep looking at them.


    I rushed through, and they began to pour out, lunging at me from the aisles, from behind the seats, attacking from everywhere.


    Fingers grabbed my arms and waist. I shoved one back, punched another, and kicked the next. Then my body reacted before I could think.


    My ws pushed through my fingers, bones cracking as my wolf surged forward.


    There was no other option. I began to tear through them, one by one, limb by limb, throwing their bodies aside, growling and howling while still mid-transition.


    However, the moment my eyesnded on the ones I had already torn apart, I saw them pulling themselves back together.


    Faces reset into the same frozen grins. I snarled and backed away. I could not kill them. I only had to get out.


    I turned and bolted for the exit, bursting through the door without looking back.


    My back was scratched from them trying to grab and bite me. Some of them had even bitten me. But the moment I was out, I did not stop.


    I just kept trying to get away.


    The next thing I knew, I was in the misty corners, swallowed by the fog. The shapes had already appeared, and this time they attacked me without mercy.


    I started to cough hard. I could no longer stay on my feet. I knew that if I did not get out, they would knock the wind out of me.


    They were already there. But no matter how hard I tried, I could not get up.


    I had swallowed enough fog that I dropped to my knees, and then my body slumped down onto the road, while many other fog creatures jumped on top of me, trying to swallow me.

 Chapter 400-Say My Name Again, My Love

    <h4>Chapter 400: 400-Say My Name Again, My Love</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    Going to the North by train was one thing. I was always prepared for that. But stepping into it like this, straight from clean air, felt different. It felt wrong.


    "Look around. She must be here," Miss Rue shouted, as if Clementine would be sitting nearby.


    I moved deeper into the forest.


    "Where are you going? She must be here somewhere," Miss Rue called out.


    I ignored her. Of course Clementine was not there.


    "Clementine," I called out several times. If she had been nearby, she would have answered.


    So I went farther in, toward the deeper parts of the dark North.


    I could no longer hear Miss Rue. As I walked through the woods, I noticed the faint scent was everywhere. But when mates are not marked, that kind of scent only appears if someone has bled a lot. That terrified me.


    I even came across one of the bat people. From the way it had been torn apart, I could tell without a mistake that my Clementine had done it. So maybe she had been spying on them.


    "Clementine!" I yelled, not caring if a monster heard me and came to attack.


    Even if something tried, I was sure it would catch Clementine¡¯s attention. She woulde and save me. Iughed at myself for thinking like that.


    I was desperate to find her. It had been two days, and I had not seen or heard from her.


    As I walked along the road, I saw something appear in the far distance. It was a tall shape, standing with its long limbs moving around. Its head stretched forward with no features. I studied it for a few seconds before I grunted under my breath.


    "That is a hollow man," I muttered, recognizing it from my grandfather¡¯s drawings.


    Now I understood why my grandfather had been so adamant about making sure I remembered each and every monster from his drawings.


    "Do you remember how to kill it?" my wolf asked, and I began to nod, not breaking eye contact with the hollow man.


    "Yeah," I replied under my breath, shifting my weight, "but it is not easy. And remember, I am here to find Clementine, not fight monsters," I added.


    Before I could move closer, I heard a strange disturbance in the distance, almost like screeching and howling. My body went on high alert.


    "That has to be her," I told my wolf, then broke into a run.


    The noises died out far too fast, and that scared me. I slowed near the theatre doors, forcing myself to breathe evenly.


    I remembered this specific theatre from the drawings as well. I stepped back, trying to steady myself. I closed my eyes as those drawings came back to me.


    "The Watchers," my wolf muttered, and I nodded faintly.


    I remembered those drawings had scared me the most because I was afraid of clowns. People who faked smiles and hid their true faces.


    "But we have to pass through this if we want to get close to her," my wolf reminded me, and I bobbed my head while keeping my eyes closed.


    "Do you know how to defeat them?" my wolf questioned.


    I nodded again, more firmly this time, because I did know.


    "As long as I do not look at them," I replied, and my wolf groaned in approval.


    It was true. I remembered every monster clearly. If I did not look straight into their eyes, I would be fine.


    The moment I made eye contact, they would activate ande after me. If I avoided eye contact, they could approach me, but they could not attack.


    From the noises I had heard inside, I could tell Clementine did not know that trick. She must have looked at them and then turned her back on them. That worried me.


    I quickly turned the door handle, pushed it open, and stepped inside. The moment I entered, I lowered my gaze and closed my eyes, only opening them slightly.


    The air shifted so drastically that I felt movement around me. They started to get closer. Their footsteps were loud.


    Something leaned near my shoulder, whispering into my ear, even asking me to open my eyes and look at them.


    Of course, I kept my back to them. They were moving now, but I had not made eye contact. I was fine.


    I kept my eyes on the floor, barely opening them to see the shadows and avoid bumping into anything.


    The Watchers walked around me, leaning in close, whispering into both of my ears. They said so much, but I did not give them any attention.


    Finally, I reached the other side of the theatre. I pushed the door open and burst out, taking a deep breath before staring up at the sky.


    I turned around and noticed they were no longer there. They had returned to their original ces because they had failed to get my attention.


    Then blood curdling screams rose from one of the streets, and it struck me. I sprinted forward but stopped at the sign.


    "The misty corners," I muttered, remembering what I would find inside.


    "The Fades," I added quietly.


    I did not even stop. I rushed toward the misty corners, and right at the entrance, I saw her. There she was, on her knees, gasping before her body gave out.


    The moment she hit the ground, I rushed forward and scooped her up, pulling her close as I turned and ran.


    The fog chased us for a few steps, but the moment I came out the way I had entered, it disappeared. I ended up on the road with her in my arms. She looked so fragile as I held her in myp.


    "Clementine," I said, wrapping one arm around her back while holding her head up with the other.


    I leaned down and gently pressed my lips against hers. That was when she gasped, and without opening her eyes, she recognized me from the touch alone.


    "Ian," she whispered.

 Chapter 401-Reunited With My Mate

    <h4>Chapter 401: 401-Reunited With My Mate</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    A sense of familiarity hit me once someone pressed their lips against mine. I knew someone had scooped me up, and from thefort of his arms alone, I knew who it was.


    However, I had been through so much in thest two days that the idea of my beloveding here and saving me felt like an illusion, probably a dream caused by the North to fool me into believing I was safe.


    But the moment his lips touched mine and I absorbed the feeling, I realized it was not just a dream and that he was real.


    I started to open my eyes, and right in front of me, so close to my face, was him. I instantly jumped up, still in his arms, and wrapped my arms around him. I pressed into him so hard that he stumbled back and faintly fell onto the road, but he made sure to keep a tight hold on me.


    "Ian," I murmured, saying his name again, and I heard him cry a little while holding me close.


    "Of course it is your Ian," he replied.


    I broke the hug just to look at him, at his face, his eyes, and his lips, and then I hugged him again. Before I pulled away and looked at him once more, he watched me with a smile on his lips, realizing that seeing him again had filled me with hope andfort.


    "We need to find a ce to get away from the hollow man," he warned, and I frowned at him. He quickly wrapped his arm around me and pulled me to my feet. Then, without saying another word, he lifted me into his arms and started carrying me toward the theater.


    "Not there," I protested, shaking my head and wriggling my feet.


    "There is a way to fight them. Come on, calm down." He lowered me to the ground first. "But for now, we can rest here," he added, as we stood on the front porch of the theater.


    It did not seem like the hollow man was around, since he could usually be seen from afar. Now that we were here, I turned to look at him.


    "Are you real?" I wondered, poking my finger into his chest.


    He smiled and stepped closer, grabbing my elbow and pulling me against his chest.


    "Of course I am. You have no idea how I have been feeling without you," he replied, speaking softly as he leaned down and kissed my cheek, then my other cheek.


    Being with him, after feeling like I could never be with him in the North itself, brought a strange sense offort.


    "Come on, sit here," he told me, probably realizing I was acting a little slow. He made me sit down, not just anywhere, but on hisp as he leaned back against the wall of the theater. We had shelter above us, and the front porch felt cozy.


    I sat in hisp, staring at his face, my hand resting against his cheek.


    "What was I thinking? Of course I have something to help you," he remarked after staring back at me with nothing but love in his eyes. He then pulled a protein bar from his pocket. "This is all I had when I left. I wish I had known I would find you in this state. I would have brought more food."


    He started to ramble, but I grabbed the protein bar and leaned in, kissing his lips.


    "Are you still mad at me?" I asked, referring to our earlier issues.


    "No, of course not," he replied. "Do you think I would have barged into the North looking for you if I were angry with you?" heined.


    Then he added, "Well, you are kind of right. Even if I were angry with you, I would havee here. But that is not the point. I am not angry with you," he corrected himself.


    "You know, I thought about the whole situation. Our egos got in the way, and before you ask if I was kissing Troy, I was not," I exined quickly. I noticed a slight hesitation in his body so I added, "I did not kiss him, and now I am realizing what really happened."


    I noticed the way he watched my face with intrigue, probably because he wanted to believe that I had not kissed Troy.


    "Troy was acting really weird. I should have known he was up to something bad. Those alphas and their actions," Imented, lightly pping my forehead. Then I looked back at him.


    "He asked me if he could lean in and blow air on my face to get rid of an eysh. I swear, Ian, that is all that happened," I told him. The moment I gave him the exnation, I could tell he was already epting it because he smiled brightly.


    "Of course that happened," he remarked. "He had been trying to sabotage our rtionship, from telling me that you had a crush on him too."


    As soon as he said that, I pulled away from him and gently got off hisp.


    "He told you I had a crush on you, or did you find out yourself?" I asked, since I was under the impression that Ian had been investigating me.


    "How would I have found out?" he replied. "Clementine, he came to me with your diary. You had written about having children with him and all that nonsense. And then I saw you too. It is just that I was insecure, okay?"


    Ian shocked me when he told me what had been happening.


    "And that Oriana thing?" I asked him, mentioning the shower incident.


    "That was Haiden," he replied.


    As soon as he said that, I growled. So they had been ying all these games?


    "Oh my god, Ian, I am so sorry. You must have felt trapped," I told him, leaning in and resting my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He quickly wrapped his arms around me, almost as if he never wanted to let me go.


    "Okay, we will deal with all of them once we go back. Miss Rue will be waiting for us at the fence," he exined.


    As soon as he said that and patted my back, I pulled away from his chest. This time, even he could see the harsh look on my face.


    "Whoa, what happened?" he asked.


    I clenched my jaw, because I remembered that witch and how she had shot me.

 Chapter 402-The Lonely Monsters

    <h4>Chapter 402: 402-The Lonely Monsters</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What did you say? Miss Rue will be waiting for us?" I asked him. He nodded steadily, almost carefully, as if afraid of what I might say.


    "She is the one who asked me to go look for you," he replied, still holding his hands under my elbows.


    "Ian, Miss Rue shot me."


    The moment I said that, he straightened his back against the wall, his eyebrows pulling together and his eyes narrowing at me.


    "Clementine, what are you talking about?" he asked, looking confused.


    That was when I started to exin everything to him, how she had brought me here to show me the fence in advance.


    I told him about the task and how she slipped a fake key into my pocket to mislead me.


    She told me I would be killed if I boarded the train. But once I arrived at the fence, she asked for the watch, and once she got it, she shot me.


    I also told him how I had to pull the bullet out before it caused so much damage that I would not have survived.


    He waspletely shocked.


    "Why would she do that?" he asked me. His hold under my elbows was firm now, showing that even he was surprised she had done something like that.


    "Because of Riv," I replied.


    My answer only seemed to confuse him further, because his frown deepened.


    "Who again?" he questioned.


    "Riv. Remember the first crusader who died in the transition stage, the one I was used of killing?" I responded.


    Ian started to shake his head before he pped his forehead.


    "I mean, it was pretty obvious that Riv was dragging you down. We were only looking for ways to bully you. But wait, what does that have to do with her?" he questioned, looking lost.


    "Ian, Miss Rue is Riv¡¯s sister," I told him.


    That was all I had to say for him to understand why she wanted to kill me.


    "That is so stupid. And, oh my goodness. Why would she think that?" he remarked. As soon as he said it, he paused, and a strange look crossed his eyes.


    "Maybe because she saw the whole fight, and she believed that her sister was innocent," I mumbled, choosing my words carefully because I wanted to see his reaction.


    The way he started to nod made me feel like he knew more than he had ever told me, things even I had not fully discovered.


    "I know what you are talking about," he uttered.


    I tilted my head.


    "What do you know?" I asked him.


    He could tell I was upset that he had not told me before and that I had to be the one to bring it up. Still, it seemed like he knew more.


    "What do you know, Clementine?" he asked me.


    "Miss Rue must have sat in the cinema room, watching the first match. And in her head, she decided to hold on to the idea that her sister would have survived if it were not for me to be there," I mumbled.


    I could tell it was the other part that caught his attention.


    "The cinema hall?" he asked, as if trying to make sure he had heard me correctly.


    "What do you know?" I asked again.


    "I do not know how this will make you feel about me, but trust me, I did not know about this until now," he murmured, pulling his hands away from me and covering his face with them.


    "I know about the cinema hall," he said.


    He lowered his hands, lifted his head, and looked straight at me. "And I know how and why the academy was built."


    As he finished, I gulped, trying to steady myself.


    "How did you find out? And more importantly, "How did the North turn into this?" I questioned him.


    The academy could have been built for many reasons, but why the North was like this was the real question.


    "When we had a fight and I saw you with Troy, I returned to my room, and a lurker came to fetch me. My father took me home. I passed out there. When I woke up, my father was preparing dinner for us. That was when he told me he was going to change some rules for me, but before that, he wanted me to know the entire truth.


    "He took me to the basement, where all the truth is kept. That is where I learned everything. I fought my father to leave the mansion and reach the academy, but that was when I found out you were gone. He chose the right day to tell me all this because he knew that, behind my back, he was sending you to the North."


    I watched him speak softly, but the emotions in his eyes were real, and I believed him. I believed every word he said. It was not the right time for us to question each other. If he hade all the way to the North to save me, then I could trust him.


    "Clementine, the North was not built because of a disease or because some wall broke and monsters came in, but because the alphas had be something else," he exined.


    As soon as he said that, a chill ran up my spine, and then he started to tell me everything. All of it.


    After giving me the biggest shock of my life, he repeated one more thing that made me feel terrible for him.


    "Zian does not even know why he is this way. He was not supposed to be like this. He was forced into bing a monster."


    As soon as Ian said that, I cupped his face and pulled him closer, hugging his head and letting him cry softly against my chest. All this time, we had been so wronged. The people we lived with, the alphas we called our fathers, were cruel and brutal. I felt sorry for the North and for the monsters.


    While he cried against my chest, my eyes drifted to the far distance. The hollow man appeared through the clouds, and I began to wonder who he was.


    What was his story? Why had they turned him into a hollow man?


    He walked alone, making that sound. Did he know he had once been a normal person? Was he aware somewhere inside? Was he humming to call for the people he loved?

 Chapter 403-I Am A Bad Guy

    <h4>Chapter 403: 403-I Am A Bad Guy</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    "I need to speak with my parents," I screamed, kicking and striking the bars.


    I turned around and looked at the cage.


    This was probably where the ones who never wanted to be part of the academy had stayed. Maybe this was where Clementine used to be.


    I sat down on the rough ground, staring out through the bars. I could see the clouds outside.


    The morning had still not arrived, it seemed.


    There were a few criminals in one of the cells, and I had heard they were there for either assault or killing their wives.


    I did not know why I was here. I did not suit this ce, and I had not done anything wrong.


    While sitting in the cage, I kept staring at my hands and the dried blood on my palm. My skin was fully split open from the dagger¡¯s sharp end, but it did not really bother me.


    How could it, when the usation against me was so harsh that I could not stop thinking about how Clementine would see me?


    She must have returned by now. The fact that nobody told me she had asked for me made me believe she probably did not fucking care anymore.


    Thest time, when we were kind of taking Oriana¡¯s side instead of Clementine¡¯s, I remembered how hurt she was.


    She believed everything that was told to her. Of course, why wouldn¡¯t she? There was evidence. But this time, it would be worse. They were saying somebody saw me.


    There was no way. How could someone see something that never happened? I needed to get back to my parents somehow


    In the next few minutes, just as I rested the back of my head against the wall, warriors arrived.


    They opened the cage and barged in, with lurkers behind them.


    The presence of the warriors meant the council had been informed, which meant my parents had been informed as well.


    My body started to shake as they put me in handcuffs. I could transition, kill a few, and run away, but that would make me guiltier. That would not help me in front of Clementine.


    "You need to stop thinking about her and worry about yourself," My wolf finally hissed at me, telling me I needed to focus.


    "Do you not want her?" I reacted angrily, thinking that my wolf had wanted her too.


    "how could you still think about love when there are such serious usations against you?" My wolf grunted at me, making me groan inwardly.


    "It is not about your love life anymore," My wolf grunted, and I understood that it was bad.


    However, I did not know how bad it was until I was taken toward the academy.


    What I saw stunned me.


    Pack members filled the grounds. The big, empty space we used to walk across was now crowded with people from everywhere.


    I gulped as I noticed their eyes on me. They looked angry. They looked disgusted.


    Among them stood my mother and father, staring at me with blunt expressions. I hoped they would believe me.


    On one side of the grounds stood the crusaders and the ringleaders.


    They did not take me all the way inside the academy. It seemed all the preparations were meant for outside.


    The headmaster stood in front of the building. On his right were my parents and Oriana¡¯s stepbrother and stepmother.


    On his left were the crusaders and the ringleaders.


    They led me toward him and made me stand beside him. I looked around, and the anger on everyone¡¯s faces told me that nobody was going to believe me.


    "I¡¯m pretty sure you all already know why you are brought here," the headmaster started speaking.


    That was when my head finally snapped toward the back, and I saw a lurker helping Oriana out of the academy.


    She came outside wearing arge white overcoat. She looked sick.


    I did not understand why. I did not do it. I remembered that even when she was using me, she had already been sick and injured.


    She stood on the other side of the headmaster, and my breath started to hitch. This was ridiculous.


    "My son would never do this," my father finally spoke, and I realized he was standing with me.


    "And why would he fall for someone like this?" my mother added as she stepped forward, pointing toward Oriana.


    A smallmotion started to form among Oriana¡¯s family.


    "Watch your tongue, because your son has attacked my innocent little stepdaughter," Lady Amelia snapped.


    From what I remembered, Oriana did not even like her, yet she was suddenly defending her.


    I wondered what she was going to gain from this. If anything, she should have been calling out Oriana¡¯s bluff immediately. Whatever they had nned seemed intense.


    "Are we calling victims names now?" Sylvia, the council member, finally stepped forward.


    There used to be three council members. Now there were only two.


    One of the sisters had passed away.


    They had not done much for society, or for werewolves. Still, they were not as bad as the others, at least from what I knew.


    "I did not do anything. I am telling the truth," I yelled, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. "I found her with the dagger, nning to kill one of the crusaders, Clementine."


    At the mention of Clementine, I noticed a shift in the pack members¡¯ bodynguage.


    It had been a long time since I had seen so many people gathered together. I had grown used to seeing monsters instead.


    "Wait, why would she want to kill the best crusader?" one of the women in the crowd shouted, clearly upset at the idea of anyone harming Clementine.


    I watched my mother carefully as she checked the reactions around her. What she did next was something I did not expect.


    "Exactly. Especially when my son has a mate like Clementine, why would he go for Oriana?" my mother remarked.


    The moment she said that, jaws dropped around the grounds. Goosebumps spread across my skin.


    How did my mother know?

 Chapter 404-Finally A Luna

    <h4>Chapter 404: 404-Finally A Luna</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    I had been standing in front of everyone like a perfect victim, and honestly, I was beginning to feel anxious.


    Everyone looked at me with sweet, sympathetic eyes until Clementine¡¯s name was mentioned, and that moment shattered me.


    Even if this whole thing were real, even if I truly were a victim, they were saying all that in front of me.


    They were praising another woman who was not a victim, right in front of me. I realized then that I had done the right thing.


    These people did not deserve anything. They did not deserve the truth.


    They did not deserve leniency. They deserved to be robbed. That was inhuman.


    "Speaking of a victim in that tone while praising another woman as if it were apetition is ridiculous," Ronin, my stepbrother, spoke up.


    My own stepbrother, whom I had always bad-mouthed, was now defending me. I knew why.


    It was not because he cared about me. He had always wanted me to form an alliance with someone wealthy, and now that he knew about this, he was on my side.


    What helped was that they had let me speak to my family, my so-called family.


    Amelia and Ronin had visited me in the hospital, where I told them that Yorick had done things to me.


    They asked me what punishment I nned to choose for him, and I told them. They agreed.


    "My apologies. This will not happen again," the headmaster spoke up.


    "So it seems Yorick is not the only ridiculous one. His family is just as ridiculous as he is," Miramented from the other side.


    I began to smile. I had to work hard to keep my face straight.


    The crusaders were on my side as well. Miss Rue must havee forward as the eyewitness. I noticed the way Yorick looked at his friends.


    Even Troy and Haiden turned their faces away from him.


    "I did not do anything, I promise," he screamed, but they all looked away, as if they were disgusted with him, as they should have been.


    "It has never happened in all my years of opening this academy. I am truly apologetic, because we bring here the best of the best to fight monsters, to not be monsters, and to protect our crusaders," the headmaster spoke confidently.


    "With that being said, the punishment will be served. There will be no leniency. However, it will not be us or the council announcing the punishment. It will be Oriana and her family who decide how Alpha Yorick will be punished."


    His words made it clear they were not stepping away from their responsibilities.


    I noticed the stir this caused among Yorick¡¯s mother and father. They began to share agitated nces before looking at each other.


    Then the headmaster gave them a hand gesture. I could tell they had already discussed this.


    I knew they had, but they chose to stay silent and let it pass.


    All the attention shifted to me, and I started to break down. Amelia rushed over and wrapped me in a hug.


    Her scent annoyed me, but I let her be for now. I knew they had done something to my father, and I nned to take revengeter.


    "The only reasonable punishment would be for him to marry Oriana, mark her, take care of her, and help her recover from this," Ronin spoke up.


    He had been advised by his mother, right in front of me, to be the one to speak about what they wanted in return for forgiving Yorick. He delivered it perfectly.


    "Really? I think that is a very old and ancient thing to marry the rapist," someone from the crowd yelled.


    I broke away from Amelia¡¯s hug and stared at her, worried this might happen.


    "There is a reason he is not being punished like the others," the headmaster finally spoke again. Everyone went quiet, listening closely.


    Yorick started to look increasingly impatient.


    "After he attacked Oriana, we admitted him to the hospital. He spent hours with a psychologist, and even a psychiatrist evaluated him. Yorick, after being in the North for so long, has lost his sense of righteousness."


    The moment those words were spoken, Yorick snapped his head up and looked at the headmaster, his eyes filled with tears.


    I nced at the crusaders. They looked stunned and uneasy. If that was true, they were probably afraid they could be monsters too.


    But that was not the truth. That had been the n from the beginning.


    They were going to use this excuse to get Yorick out of the academy. That was why they always talked about the North being toxic.


    They were going to use it against a special child like Yorick.


    "So shouldn¡¯t he be sent to the North if he is that dangerous?" someone from the crowd called out.


    "Of course not," Yorick¡¯s mother yelled, my mother-inw. "My son fought monsters for all of you. With care and treatment, he will be fine. He is not a criminal. The only crime hemitted was against Oriana, and she is ready to forgive him through marriage."


    She shut down everyone while defending her son.


    Suddenly, people started looking at Yorick with sympathy. An alpha who fought monsters and returned broken in mind.


    "So this is decided," the headmaster announced. "Oriana will be marked and mated to Yorick. Yorick will be dismissed and discharged from the academy."


    The announcement echoed across the grounds.


    Yorick dropped to his knees. Instead of looking relieved to finally leave this ce and start a life with someone like me, he lookedpletely defeated.


    "What about Oriana? How will she carry this marriage? She will be sent back to the academy," my stepmother spoke softly.


    Everyone went silent again, listening to my fate. I was shaking badly.


    This was the moment I had been waiting for. I shared eye contact with Miss Rue, who looked anxious for some reason.


    "Oriana has decided to go back to the North for one task," the headmaster stated. "She wants to see if she can fight despite her injuries. This will be her decision, since she was tortured on our grounds."


    The crowd suddenly erupted into apuse. My smile widened as I realized that everything I had ever wanted was falling into ce.


    I was going to leave the academy, not die in the North, like a hero and a perfect victim.


    All eyes were on me. Lady Amelia quickly hugged me, patting the back of my head.


    I rolled my eyes when my face was pressed against her chest. Then she pulled back and faced the crowd.


    "One more time for Oriana," she shouted.


    Everyone cheered. I lifted my hand and waved gently, like a polite princess.


    I would finally be.

 Chapter 405-Second Part Of The Plan

    <h4>Chapter 405: 405-Second Part Of The n</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    "I¡¯m so happy," I told Miss Rue once we were alone in the Blue Squad¡¯s room.


    They decided to ce me alone because that was what I requested. I told them I was so traumatized that I did not want to be around anyone.


    I had seen others look at me with guilty expressions. Maybe they felt bad for me. However, I noticed that Miss Rue still seemed quite anxious.


    "What?" I questioned. "If you think I will not hold up my end of the deal, then you are wrong. I definitely want Clementine dead, because as long as she is still alive, Yorick will daydream about her."


    I reassured Miss Rue that I was not going to back down.


    "Well, there is an issue. She is alive. And she is for sure going toe back and ruin me," Miss Rue remarked.


    As soon as she said that, I frowned at her in confusion.


    "What do you mean? I thought she was alive. That is why you wanted to make a deal with me," I asked, and she sighed.


    "I thought Clementine was probably in aa or something because of the way I shot her." Miss Rue¡¯s words sent chills down my spine. Then she told me everything that had happened.


    "So wait, you thought she would be in critical condition, Ian would bring her, you would take the watch from her, and that would be it?" I asked her, and she started to nod.


    "I was kind of hoping she would die. But deep down, I knew she would not die that easily. That is why I made that deal with you," she replied.


    Now I understood why she had been so anxious. How could Clementine survive a bullet shot straight into her chest?


    She was so stubborn. Why did she not want to die?


    "So now what?" I asked, cing my hands on my waist.


    "So now the issue is Clementine is alive. Ian is there, and since he has not returned, I can tell Clementine is not dead or in aa. She could not have been if she wandered off. Now he will go there, find out the truth from her, return, refuse to give me the watch, and expose me. So I need you to help me," she stated.


    I nodded, taking deep, heavy breaths.


    "What do you want me to do?" I questioned.


    "I am going to speed up the next n of sending everyone to the north. Just make sure that when you demand Clementine¡¯s death, you add one more name to it," she told me.


    I nodded again because I understood who she wanted dead next.


    "Ian?" I asked, and she gave a small nod, pleased that I understood her without her saying his name out loud.


    "Okay, while I¡¯m gone, just make sure that Yorick does not do anything that changes the oue of our deal," I told her, reminding her that I wanted out of the academy after this task.


    I did not think I could keep going back to the North because the task had started to be too difficult.


    Besides, I had a feeling they were going to start sending us to the dark side of the North.


    I had been there before. I remembered what I had seen.


    Those flying things and that tall monster somewhere in the clouds. I remembered it clearly. It was terrifying.


    "Okay, do not worry about it. Just rest for now. Then you will get the announcement toe to the hall," Miss Rue replied before she turned around and stepped out of the room.


    However, I did not want to stop there. I had one more thing to do.


    I barely managed to leave the room because I was still in pain. I did not know how I did it, but maybe it was the fear of dying in the North that pushed me into doing something so horrible to myself.


    I reached the Red Squad room and gently knocked on the door. Mira opened it, and her face softened immediately.


    "Come inside. Do you need anything?" she asked, clearly feeling bad for me.


    I yed the part, slowly shaking my head before ncing inside.


    "Can I have a word with Joshua, please?" I spoke softly and respectfully.


    She gave a quick nod and hurried inside to bring Joshua out.


    However, when he stepped outside, he did not show the same empathy. He looked like he was judging me.


    "I need to speak with you," I told him, turning around and stepping away.


    He followed me toward my room. I knew he was behind me because I could hear him dragging his foot.


    "Stop acting. I know you¡¯re fucking fine," he remarked.


    I turned around and red at him.


    "Joshua, I am hurt," I told him.


    I did not understand why he thought I was lying, especially after the reports had been shared with him.


    "Tell me something honestly. Did he really do that to you?" Joshua asked.


    I gave him a blunt look and slowly nodded.


    "He did," I replied.


    "Fine, whatever. What do you want from me?" he asked, keeping his hands in his jacket pockets.


    "They are going to send us to the North for the Shadow Earth Eater task," I said.


    As soon as I spoke, I watched him pull his hands from his pockets, clearly intrigued.


    "Yes, Clementine did not go there for this task. It was for something else. But we need to use this moment because they are going to kill the Shadow Earth Eater. You need to make sure we get our hands on it," I continued.


    Joshua stared at me, his eyes wide.


    "We cannot let it die," Joshua replied.


    I shrugged. If they were sending us there and we had to return alive, we would have to kill it.


    "At least not until I make it listen to me," Joshua muttered.


    I did not understand what he wanted from it, and I did not care, as long as I could make my deal with the Shadow Earth Eater.

 Chapter 406-So, What’s Next

    <h4>Chapter 406: 406-So, What¡¯s Next</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We kind of ran away from the Hollow Man, mostly just circling around the theater before we returned to sit on the front porch again.


    "So, what is next?" I asked Ian, noticing how hard he had been staring at me.


    "I just want to tell you that I¡¯m d you were in the prison next to me," he told me.


    As soon as he said that, I let out a smallugh and shook my head at him. I did not know why I was so happy. I had been shot, I had been betrayed, and here I was, sitting on the front porch of a possessed clown¡¯s theater with a Hollow Man circling around every few minutes, yet I had the brightest smile on my face.


    "Are you d I betrayed you there as well?" I reminded him of our first interaction.


    He nodded andughed, bobbing his head. Whenever he moved like that, his thick hair bounced up and down.


    "So, Miss Rue basically sent you there to fetch myatose or dead body, correct?" I asked, noticing that every time I mentioned anything that hinted at my death, he clenched his jaw.


    "I¡¯m going to make her life very hard," he muttered, clenching his fists in front of me.


    "I¡¯m sure you will," I replied confidently, and he gave me a blunt, judgmental look that made meugh quietly.


    "But I don¡¯t understand. Why did she want me to fetch your body? Was she trying to confirm you¡¯re really dead?" Ian asked, and I gave him a very sneaky smile.


    "You know she wanted the watch from me," I mumbled. Then I shoved my hand into my pocket and pulled out the real one.


    After that, I told him exactly what had happened at the fence. When she showed interest in the watch, I switched it with the fake one. Thankfully, I had kept both of them when I was choosing the right one, and it worked in my favor.


    "Miss Rue must be so anxious," I remarked,ughing as Ian kept staring at my face.


    "So you¡¯re not only physically strong, you also have the mental capacity of a genius. Wow, our kids are going to be so good," he said.


    As soon as he said that, I bit my bottom lip and looked away.


    "Ian," I started, but suddenly my mood changed. "We need to do something about the North. This cannot keep happening."


    I realized that someone had to put an end to this game.


    "I know what you mean. I don¡¯t want to keep going like this either," he replied. "It was brutal enough that normal people were turned into monsters. But now kids, who had no connection to the brutality, are being sent to pay for their parents¡¯ sins."


    Ian nodded in agreement.


    "So what do you say? What can we do?" I asked him.


    "See, we can stop the Academy, but that wouldn¡¯t help the North. The North is gone," he mumbled, gently touching the ground beneath him. "These monsters, most of them, are innocent people, Clementine. Do you think they would have been okay with their bodies being used to harm others? They deserve to be put to rest, finally."


    I looked down, staring hard at my fingers. It was difficult to imagine that these people were once normal, forced into this state just because their leader decided to put an end to something cruel.


    "Is your father going to be any help?" I asked, looking up at him.


    "I don¡¯t think so. We had a conversation. He thought it would be fine to help me out, because everyone only thinks about themselves," he muttered. He reminded me of the deal his father was trying to make, to keep him alive during the final wipeout session and then send him somewhere else to start over.


    "But I can¡¯t help wondering how your father nned to pull this off," I said. "Wouldn¡¯t anyone have asked for proof of your death? You never went to the North with the other Crusaders. There would be no body. How was he going to manage that?"


    Ian shrugged, looking confused.


    "Besides, nobody even knows you have a twin brother except for those alphas," I added. "So if they saw you and you tried to convince them you were Zian, how would anyone believe it? They¡¯ve never seen Zian. They¡¯d think you just changed your name and thought they were fools."


    All this time, Ian looked genuinely clueless."There¡¯s one thing we can do," Ian uttered very softly.


    "And what is that?" I asked him.


    "We can wipe out the North."


    I could tell it was not easy for him to say, but it seemed like the right thing to do.


    "You¡¯re not shocked," he remarked, sounding confused.


    "Do you think we have any other choice?" I asked him.


    When he shrugged, I gave him a look.


    "Exactly. I agree with you. However, do you think wiping out the entire North will be the answer to this situation?" I asked, and he started shaking his head.


    "Of course not," he replied confidently. "We¡¯ll need to do more than that."


    "The dark side of the North is where most of the monsters are," he exined. "They slip through the cracks to reach the other side. That¡¯s when we¡¯re sent there to fight them. This seems to be the main staging area." he paused as if trying to choose his words carefully.


    "And the other side of the North is what they¡¯re trying to keep clean, just so the entertainment goes on," he added. I had already realized how crazy that sounded.


    In this dark side, every few minutes a monster appears, and any normal person or Crusader with no knowledge of how to kill it would not survive here.


    "How would we kill everyone here?" I asked, and he took a deep breath.


    "Well, remember how my grandfather used to draw pictures? I told you about that," he stated. "I¡¯ve learned a lot about these monsters."

 Chapter 407-He Wants To Mark Me Officially

    <h4>Chapter 407: 407-He Wants To Mark Me Officially</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Can we go and ask your grandfather about it?" I questioned, and he started picking at his lips, confused.


    I remembered he had told me all of this just a few minutes earlier.


    "What, do you think he won¡¯t help us?" I asked, but he stayed silent.


    At that point, I realized he probably did not know either.


    "Why didn¡¯t you ept the deal your father offered you?" I asked. "Why didn¡¯t you take it and leave, saving yourself?" I mentioned the deal his father had made for him to leave the Academy and start over somewhere else.


    The question made Ian snap his head up to look at me.


    He then closed one eye, as if trying to understand me.


    "Do you really think I would leave without you?" he asked. "No, Clementine. There is no starting over without you."


    His words, the gentleness in them, and the affection he showed made me smile.


    My smile slowly faded, though, because I was not sure we would ever get the chance to start over.


    "You know what? Let¡¯s start cleaning this part of the North," I stated.


    Ian gave me a warm smile before he grabbed me by the neck, pulled me close, and pressed his lips against mine.


    His lips felt cold against my warm ones. I got excited and sat in hisp, our crotches meeting.


    I felt the heat emanating from his pants.


    We kissed passionately, our fingers entwined in each other¡¯s hair, savoring the taste of each other¡¯s lips.


    My hand slipped down to his pants as his hand moved to mine, pulling our pants down for easy ess.


    He began to rub his cock against my vagina, causing me to groan into his mouth.


    Gently, he started to push it inside me, eliciting a loud yelp from my lips.


    His hand then grabbed my back, massaging me.


    The wooden porch creaked beneath us.


    We had to keep watch of our surroundings, so we broke the kiss.


    Ian bit his bottom lip, his hands gripping my flesh as they moved from my back to my thighs.


    I had to remove my pants to make it easier to sit on top of him.


    His hands slid along my thighs, pulling me closer.


    "You¡¯re so wet," Ian remarked in his seductive voice.


    His breath tickled my ear as I clung to his shoulders, gripping his jacket tightly.


    His hands slid under my shirt, caressing my bare skin as I moved my hips.


    My toes curled in my shoes, my body responding to his touch.


    His fingers grasped my ass, pulling me closer and increasing the pace.


    His cock thrust deep and strong, the sound of our bodies meeting filling the room.


    I urged him to go harder, biting his earlobe before pulling back.


    He intensified his movements, running his hand through my hair and pulling my head back to expose my throat as he pounded me relentlessly.


    His lips and tongue trailed up my throat, then down to my neck, leaving hickeys.


    His hand moved down, his fingers finding my clit.


    The first touch sent a jolt through my body, causing my back to arch even more.


    "You¡¯re gonna scream my name so hard, you¡¯ll scare away the monsters," he muttered in his husky voice.


    His tongue delved back into my mouth, mirroring the rhythm of his thrusts inside me.


    His movements were intense, his fingers expertly stimting my clit.


    The building orgasm sent shivers through my body, causing me to shake uncontrobly.


    "FUCK IAN!" I was already leaking profusely, and then finally, I groaned loudly as his cum pumped into me in thick, hot spurts.


    I felt every pulse and twitch of his cock as he emptied inside me, leaving me breathless.


    As Iy on top of him, trying to calm myself with deeper breaths, he chuckled.


    "I could go for another round, you know," he whispered in a husky voice, realizing the effect he had on me. I knew he could keep going.


    I had been staring at the watch I ced on the side, and when we finished, I saw that three hours had passed.


    I quickly turned to look at him, realizing the stamina of the monster I had just experienced.


    It seemed like even the monsters did note near us.


    I began pulling on my pants, feeling overheated. I was sure my cheeks were red too.


    He started to smirk while fixing his pants and tilting his head.


    "You know, it¡¯s very rare for you to feel shy, but when you do, it makes all sorts of emotions rise inside me," he teased as he leaned over while I was pulling on my pants and adjusting them, still sitting on my knees.


    He lowered his voice and whispered into my ear.


    I had to push him away so he would not get carried away again.


    "The Hollow Man didn¡¯t arrive," I told him, and he started to chuckle.


    "Well, in thest three hours, only one monster was allowed," he mumbled.


    When I looked at him, I noticed the way he raised his eyebrow before his eyes drifted downward to his cock, who was now hiding in his pants.


    I quickly looked away, feeling shy.


    "You know I pumped inside you, right?" he stated, and I gave him a look.


    "You think I didn¡¯t know?" I mumbled, biting my bottom lip and turning my face to the other side.


    "Why did you allow me?" he asked, his finger gently touching my cheek as he tucked a few strands behind my ear.


    "I don¡¯t know," I replied, barely able to speak, and I noticed that it only excited him more.


    He leaned closer and kissed my cheek very softly. Without pulling away, he whispered, "I fucking love you, Clementine."


    As he said that, he gently brushed the hair away from my neck and touched the mark his brother had left, which had now faded entirely.


    "May I?" he whispered.


    I started tough, until I realized he was serious.


    "Here?" I asked him, looking around.


    "Well, we¡¯re about to go on a suicide mission to try and wipe out the North, but I want to be happy before that," he mumbled.


    I gently held his hand and kissed the back of it.


    I noticed the way he kept staring at me whenever I showed affection.


    "Of course you may," I replied, and his smile reached his eyes.

 Chapter 408-Just Once More

    <h4>Chapter 408: 408-Just Once More</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    "One more thing," I told him, making sure he had a reason not to walk away. "After this task, they are nning on executing the rest of the squad members so they can bring in new ones."


    His eyes widened in shock.


    "How do you know that?" he questioned, his jaw tightening.


    "I just know, okay? I was in the hospital, and I heard the ringleader speak. Whatever you ask for, it needs to be the kind of power that makes them listen to us," I told him.


    I did not really care. I was going to get out, and that was all that mattered to me.


    I was only pushing him so he would want to meet the Shadow Earth Eater urgently.


    "That is all I wanted to tell you. Good night," I said, turning and walking away.


    It was already daytime, but I was going to rest anyway. I had important things to do when I woke up.


    I returned to my room andy down to rest. They even sent the lurkers with food straight to my room. I was being treated like a princess, and I knew why.


    They felt guilty that something like that had happened on their premises. I was taking full advantage of it.


    If I had known something like this was possible, I would have done it long before.


    However, I did not know that I had to pick Yorick.


    Thanks to Miss Rue, or else I would have never figured out that he was going to get out of here, and with him, I would get out as well.


    After sleeping for a good four hours, I was woken by an announcement over the speakers.


    As I sat up in bed, I remembered how my life was going to change, and this was possibly the announcement sending us to the north.


    I knew that Joshua would keep me alive until I reached the tunnels because he wanted to meet the shadow earth eater, and she was only connected to me.


    I was the only one who could summon her unless he got lucky and found her.


    However, I was confused about returning, but that would be fine. I could fight that much.


    Suddenly, I felt energy rush through me.


    Although I was still hurting, I knew they would give me a weapon this time to protect myself because of their guilt.


    I quickly took a shower and got ready for the day. I even curled my hair.


    I knew I was not supposed to do too much makeup so I would not look too happy.


    A perfect victim needed to look a certain way.


    So I did not apply much makeup, and when I stepped out, I noticed the others were headed toward the hall as well.


    Whenever they looked at me, they had a guilty look on their faces.


    However, Haiden and Troy were the first ones I saw. This was the first time I was interacting with them after the usations happened.


    I approached them and gave a small bow of my head to greet them.


    "Oh, fuck off," Troy hissed, causing my eyes to widen.


    Did he not believe me? I guessed they did, but they refused to feel bad for me because of what I had tried to do to them.


    It did not matter. They were none of my problems, and they were not my focus anymore.


    I had secured an alpha. Why would I care about those two now? They were going to die in the north anyway.


    Once we reached the hall, I was a little stunned to see my stepmother, my stepbrother, and Yorick¡¯s parents there.


    I instantly started to back away. What if they had found out?


    What if they were going to take back Yorick¡¯s punishment? And what if they were going to punish me for lying so badly?


    I guess they could tell from the look on my face that I was scared because Lady Amelia instantly rushed over and took my hand to help me walk.


    That made me realize they might not have figured it out. Otherwise, she would not be reacting this way.


    "Are you okay now?" she asked, gently running her hand through my hair.


    I gave her a t look before forcing a very fake smile.


    "Much better," I replied softly, then coughed.


    My eyesnded on Yorick¡¯s parents, and they seemed intrigued. They were watching my every move.


    They unsettled me, but I supposed inws were always like that.


    All the ringleaders stood in front of us, and by all, I meant even the ones who had left. It was already disastrous.


    Their presence meant they were preparing to return, which meant the killing of the previous crusaders. It was rude and harsh, but why did I care?


    Finally, the Headmaster arrived. He never really came out to talk about the tasks himself.


    The changing atmosphere and shifting rules were unsettling. Thankfully, I was going to get out of here.


    I wondered how the others were feeling, the ones who had no idea they were going to die soon.


    "So, as you all may know, we send you to the north to fight the monsters, which is what this academy stands for," the Headmaster began, standing behind his desk. "But this time, I wanted to personallye here and announce the task."


    "As you all may know, there is a monster we were not aware of," he continued. "The monster that once controlled Oriana."


    He spoke now as if he believed me, as if he epted that I had been under the monster¡¯s influence.


    I nced at Troy and Haiden and noticed the way they rolled their eyes and shook their heads. Of course, they still did not believe it.


    "However, you might be wondering why I have personallye here to announce the task," he remarked. "You will be sent to the tunnels to kill the shadow earth eater."


    He announced the main task vaguely before moving on to the real reason he hade himself.


    "Before leaving, Oriana will be marked by the culprit alpha," he stated, "so that she may go with ease of mind, knowing that the man who hurt her will serve her and take care of her."


    As soon as he said that, a smile threatened to form on my lips. I forced my expression to stay neutral.


    I could not get caught now, not when I hade this far.

 Chapter 409-Running From My Wedding

    <h4>Chapter 409: 409-Running From My Wedding</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Ian, what are you doing?" Iughed when he held my hand and dragged me all the way to the mystic corners.


    However, we did not enter. He began to lead me down the road and then pointed toward an antique shop.


    "You see that?" he asked.


    I gave him a confused look.


    "This is the antique shop of the North. I¡¯ve heard so many things about it," he told me as we stopped in front of it. "They had jewelry, beautiful things, but now there¡¯s no owner, and I can pick anything I want."


    "You¡¯re such a thief," I remarked, and he gave me a cheeky grin.


    "Let¡¯s wait here, okay?" he said.


    I frowned in confusion, not understanding what he was trying to do. Why did I have to wait outside?


    Still, I obeyed. I wandered along the road while he went inside. Before entering, I noticed him take a deep breath.


    A few minutester, he rushed out, gasping for air. He dropped to the ground, one knee touching the surface, the other leg bent, his hands braced against the hard stone.


    I looked up and saw the fog monsters reaching for the door before retreating as it mmed shut.


    "Ian, this ce is filled with those fog monsters," I said, confused and almost angry, ready to scold him for going inside when he knew they were there.


    "The Fades," he replied as he stood up, brushing dirt from his knee. "They¡¯re called the Fades," he added, as if that was what I wanted to know.


    "They upy the antique shop too?" I asked.


    He nodded, his hair bouncing slightly. "You are just¡ªcan you please lower yourself?"


    Very shyly and dramatically, I ced my hands behind my back, lifted one leg, bent my knee, and asked him to lower himself, speaking like a shy princess would.


    He smirked, linked his hands behind his neck, and crouched down. The moment he did, my smile faded, and I pped the back of his head.


    "Ow!" heined, straightening as he realized I had tricked him.


    "Don¡¯t ever put yourself in danger like that," I warned him.


    I remembered how the Fades had knocked me out and how I would have died if he had not arrived in time. I knew how dangerous they were.


    "Fine, but here, see what I got you," he said, pulling his hand from his pocket and revealing a beautiful ring.


    It was metal jewelry, but the diamond on top held streaks of pattern.


    "The antique shop has diamonds?" I asked, and he chuckled, ready to correct me in his usual way.


    "The North is different. This isn¡¯t just a diamond. It¡¯s an antique one," he exined, stepping closer. "See the pattern?"


    He pointed at the stone, about the size of my nail. It wasrge, yet light when I held it.


    Pink lines stretched through the diamond toward its edges.


    "Yeah, look. These are unique," he whispered.


    Then he suddenly leaned in and pressed his lips against mine before pulling back,ughing when he saw my reaction.


    "You got it for me?" I asked him, and he stopped smiling.


    "No, for the hollow man," he replied, rolling his eyes.


    Then he slid his hands into his pockets and stood in the middle of the road, tilting his head as he stared at me.


    "What?" I asked nervously. The way his eyes scanned me always gave me goosebumps.


    "I want to marry you," he mumbled, making me snap my head up. "And I want to marry you tonight."


    My heart started beating louder.


    "Here?" I asked, ncing around.


    "Why not?" he answered, then pointed down the road. "There¡¯s a venue. A very famous one. Back when the North was normal, alphas from all over the world, South, East, West, used to request this ce for their weddings."


    He turned and began to stroll down the road he had pointed to, and I followed beside him.


    "They had to wait months before their names came up on the list," he added.


    I noticed him shrug off his jacket. Without making a big deal out of it, he wrapped it around me, and I smiled at how attentive he was.


    The air had started to bother me. I slipped into his jacket and hugged it close. It smelled like him, the scent I always wanted to carry with me.


    "Why in the North?" I asked him.


    He turned and smiled at me. His smirk was confident, and he knew it. Even his eyes seemed to carry it.


    "We¡¯re going to wipe this ce," he said. "Memories will be lost. Souls will be gone. But before that, I want this ce to hold one good memory. And what better way to do that than blessing it with a princess¡¯s wedding?"


    He reached for my hand, and I shyly but happily ced mine in his.


    "But if you want to have a wedding in the maind, you can let me know," he added.


    He pulled me close, then spun me around. I followed his movement and turned with augh, still holding onto his jacket with one hand even though I could have zipped it up.


    "I don¡¯t have any family left there," I said as I stopped and looked at him.


    He stepped closer, cupped my face, and bent down to press his lips gently to my forehead.


    "Then we¡¯ll have a perfect wedding here," he whispered.


    My smile slowly faded when I realized it would not be that simple. Behind him, I could see a monster moving through the clouds, heading toward us.


    "What are we going to do about the monsters?" I asked him. "There have to be some at the wedding venue."


    He shook his finger at me.


    "They¡¯re not monsters. You¡¯ll see," he replied.


    As soon as he said that, I wondered what he knew that made him sofortable with having a wedding in a ce where creatures like that existed.


    He suddenly stopped and looked at me, and I noticed a hint of agitation on his face.


    "What?" I asked him.


    His expression tightened into a scowl.


    "Clementine, run," he told me.


    That was all he said before he grabbed my hand and pulled me along. My head snapped back, and I saw the hollow man appear from behind one of the tallest buildings.


    I did not know why, but we had been so caught up with ourselves that we had not noticed it.


    When it emerged from the other side of the road, it took uspletely by surprise.

 Chapter 410-Karma, Maybe?

    <h4>Chapter 410: 410-Karma, Maybe?</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    <strong>shback:</strong>


    "When is Roing over?" I asked my mother, watching her enter the room while holding a tray full of snacks.


    Earlier that day, she had asked me to stay in my room and y video games because she said she and Daddy had to do something important, and my screaming around the mansion bothered them.


    So I obeyed and stayed in my room. I was kind of a goody two-shoes.


    Everyone said I would grow up to be a perfect alpha, that I would be the best one, that I would know how to treat a woman, and I always tried my best to live up to that.


    I was only a kid for now, but whenever someone needed help in the ssroom, I was there.


    "What do you mean, when is Roing over?" my mother asked, smiling as she ced the tray on the bed. "I didn¡¯t know he was supposed toe over."


    I was still holding the controllers, but I paused the game and looked at her.


    "No, Ro wasing over. He must already be in the mansion," I replied. "Do you think he got lost again?"


    I reminded her how he sometimes got lost in our mansion because it was too big and had too many rooms. Evenst time, he took the wrong turn. Instead of going right, he went left and ended up near my parents¡¯ office rooms, which lined the hallway.


    I did not know why, but my mother¡¯s expression changed as she listened.


    "He wasing over?" she asked, and I noticed her swallow.


    "Yeah. He said he would," I mumbled, gently sliding off the bed. "I¡¯ll go look for him."


    As soon as I said that, my mother grabbed my arm. She held it so tightly that even I was surprised by the pressure.


    "Why don¡¯t you wait here?" she told me. "I¡¯ll go look for him, okay?" She gave me that smile again.


    I had told her before that I did not like it when she smiled like that.


    "Mommy, you¡¯re smiling like that again," Iined, and she forced her face into a neutral expression.


    "Just wait here, okay?" she warned through her look before letting go of my arm.


    Then she straightened her back and hurried out of the room.


    I did not think she was very happy about Roing over. I decided I should look for him myself.


    I grabbed my sweater, pulled it on, and stepped out of the room to search for my best friend, Ro.


    I left my room and started going downstairs. However, while I was still on the stairs, I heard loud noisesing from the right side of the second floor.


    The same ce where nobody was allowed to go. The same ce where Ro always ended up.


    I do not know what happened in that moment, but my senses heightened, and I rushed down the hallway. The moment I reached it, I saw a horrifying sight.


    My mother had grabbed Ro by his arms. He was screaming and crying while she pped him so hard he could barely stand. Still, he tried to break free from her grip.


    "Mommy, let him go!" I screamed, rushing toward them.


    My mother turned to me, and I noticed the ze in her eyes.


    That look scared me. I stopped immediately, shaking as she stared at me and warned me through her gaze not toe any closer.


    Then my father stepped out, holding what looked like an important file and a stack of money.


    "This is your friend, huh?" my father yelled.


    Ro could barely look at me, but the helpless look in his eyes made me rush forward anyway, even though my mother clearly did not want me to.


    "Mommy, let him go!" I yelled again, scratching at my mother¡¯s hand as I tried to free Ro.


    "Why, huh?" my mother shouted. "So this thief can steal from us?"


    As soon as she said those words, fear washed over me.


    I looked at Ro, whose lips curled downward as he shook his head, silently telling me it was a lie.


    "Mommy, Ro would never steal," I said, crying as I tried harder to free him.


    She shook him so violently that whenever he opened his mouth, his tongue slipped between his teeth.


    "I found this hidden in his shirt. He came down this hallway, grabbed these things, and was running away," my father screamed at a child.


    Those usations could ruin his life. Stealing from alphas meant severe punishment, and I knew that.


    But he was my friend, and I knew him. Even though Ro was an omega, I knew he would never steal from my parents or from me.


    "This isn¡¯t true. He would never do that," I told my father.


    Then I did what I had to do. I bit my mother¡¯s hand to free Ro from her grip.


    <strong>End Of shback</strong>


    "I cannot believe they used me of this," I said softly.


    My mother hade to the prison to see me. She sat on the ground beside me, holding my hand, but every few minutes I pulled my hand away from hers.


    Each time, I was reminded of the injustice they had done to other children.


    "Remember Ro?" I asked my mother.


    She sighed, pulled her legs up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them.


    She turned her face away, as she always did. She turned away from the truth.


    "You used him wrongfully, Mother," I told her, gulping as I stared at her. "Do you have any idea how his parents must have felt?"


    "It wasn¡¯t a lie," she replied evenly.


    "Stop fooling me. I know what you and Dad were doing in your so-called offices," I hissed, steadying my breath as I closed my eyes and stretched my neck back.


    "I just want to know the truth. I want to know why you used him," I asked her, hoping that at least now she would be honest with me.


    My mother sighed, then finally looked at me.


    "He had seen your brother and us," she replied. That was all she said.


    I closed my eyes as a tear rolled down my cheek.

 Chapter 411-Not All Clowns Are Scary

    <h4>Chapter 411: 411-Not All Clowns Are Scary</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    We began to run as if our lives depended on it, which they did. It was almost hysterical because a few minutes ago we were talking about getting married and looking at a wedding venue.


    Now we were running toward the only ce we could find, which was the theater. The monster behind us, the hollow man, had picked up his speed.


    "Why is he running so fast?" Iined to Ian, holding his hand tightly.


    My fingers wrapped around his, letting him know I did not want to be left behind.


    I could outrun almost anything, but we had just been through a rough session and I was sore.


    "He has seen us too many times. The more he gets his eyes on his victims, the more power he gets to chase after them. The next time he sees us, you better believe he is getting us," Ianmented.


    I snapped my head back and saw the monster¡¯s hande close to our backs. I yelped and jumped a few steps ahead.


    "Are you sure it will be next time?" I asked, and then I felt his hand pull me toward the theater. It seemed like the only ce we could go for now.


    "Oh no, not there," Iined, but there was no other choice.


    The monster swung its arm hard and reached for my back. If Ian had been one secondte pulling me toward the entrance, I would have been caught.


    We bothnded on the floor of the theater as the doors slid closed.


    The monster vibrated, and I noticed the windows shudder with the noise. It was furious. It stretched back, but I could still see it standing outside.


    "Okay, I do not like when monsters forget what their limitations are," Imented, and then I dreaded turning around. "Oh no, Ian, these things. I hate them so much."


    As I began to turn so I would not give the clowns my back, I felt a hand wrap around my eyes.


    "Ian, what are you doing?" I asked, panic building inside me. His whisper came from behind me, close to my ear.


    "Do not look at them directly. That is how you make them target you," he whispered.


    My body went numb for a few seconds.


    "Tell me more," I insisted.


    He knelt behind me, his fingers keeping my eyes covered.


    "The clowns are watchers. They start chasing when we are not looking. They only begin their actions when you make direct eye contact with them," he stated, then gently removed his hand from my eyes.


    "Make sure you look down," he whispered.


    "But what if they remember me? I have looked at them before," I said, remembering how the hollow man remembered his whisper.


    "No, they do not do that. They do not remember. That is the thing about them," he exined, and I nodded my head.


    "So what we are going to do is walk away, so the monster does not feel our presence anymore. Once the monster goes away, we wille out again. However, Clementine, we need to make sure we do something about this monster. I do not think it is going to let us stay here for too long now," Ian exined, and we both started to get up. He made sure to hold my hand tightly.


    We nned to go to the other side of the theater, get out, and wander around a bit, so that the hollow man woulde to this side and start wandering there until we returned from the other side.


    It was a lot, but the trick with the clowns that Ian told me helped ease my nerves.


    So it was decided. We walked with our heads down. I started to hear whispers and things move around us.


    "Ian, I do not think it is working. They are moving," I began to panic, and I bet he noticed it in my voice because he gave my hand a reassuring shake.


    "They are just trying to get your attention so you look up and meet their eyes. Just avoid it," he exined quickly, and I nodded.


    I squeezed my eyes a little so I would not look directly at their faces and kept my gaze down. I watched them get closer because I could see their shoes now.


    Some even came so close that their breath touched my ears. I tightened my fist around Ian¡¯s hand.


    As we were about to reach the other side of the theater, toward the exit, I noticed something in the foot of one of the clowns.


    It stopped me from moving. I bet Ian noticed the pull on his hand because he grunted.


    "Come on, Clementine, keep moving," he stated. But I kept watching the toe ring showing from the torn shoe of one of the clowns.


    But I felt stunned, unable to move an inch."Clementine, what is wrong?" he asked again. My hands began to shake. He finally turned around and ced his hands on my arms.


    My head was tilted to the side, staring at the foot of one of the clowns on the ground.


    I could not stop myself. I snapped my head up and looked straight at the clown.


    I gasped and trembled at the sight. Tears left my eyes, burning my cheeks.


    My head spun, and the world I had created around myself, where I thought no one could hurt me anymore, began to fall apart.


    "Clementine, what did you do?" Ianined as he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me away.


    "Ian, that is my¡ª" I tried to scream and cry, but he dragged me toward the exit quickly because the clowns had started to attack us.


    "Clementine, snap out of it!" He shook me as he put me behind his back, fighting whatever came at him.


    But my eyes were fixed on that one clown as she approached me. Before I could react, I felt my knees go weak.


    "Wake up¡ª" Ian screamed to snap me out of it but I could not.

 Chapter 412-He Wants Me To Slay My Mother

    <h4>Chapter 412: 412-He Wants Me To y My Mother</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Without realizing what I was doing, I came out from behind Ian¡¯s back and rushed toward the clown. I wrapped my arms around her and cried hysterically.


    "Clementine! No!" Ian yelled, getting surrounded by the clowns. He started to fight them. I knew it. I heard the groans, the growls, and the howling.


    The clown wrapped her arms around me, and I smiled. Even though her nails dug deeper into my back, I did not break the hug.


    I lifted my head from her chest to look at her face and smile at her. However, she began to scratch my back, causing me pain and making my blood pour out.


    Then someone snatched me away from her. The way he pushed her made me scream.


    "No!"


    My hand reached toward her, but Ian put me over his shoulder, and the next thing I knew, he bolted outside the theater.


    Wended on the road. My mind went numb, and my eyes filled with tears of desperation.


    The clowns reached the windows and stood there watching us, and she was one of them.


    "What were you thinking, Clementine?" Ianined, growling. But I could not look at him. My eyes stayed on that clown.


    I got up from the ground to run toward her, and Ian wrapped his arms around me, stopping me.


    "What is wrong with you, Clementine? Tell me," heined as I cried. I raised my finger to point at her, slowly reaching toward the window while he held me tight so I would not go inside. I pointed at her through the ss and turned to look at Ian.


    "That is my mom," I whispered.


    "I had a feeling my mother was here because I found her pendant, but I did not know she had turned into a monster, and that it was on the dark side of the north," I stated that after calming down, I had cried for 20 straight minutes while standing in front of her shaking and shivering bed.


    I remembered thest time I had seen her was when I was a little child. I sniffled as I watched my mother¡¯s smile frozen in a creepy position.


    "Come here," Ian remarked, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward him while gently rubbing my back.


    I hid my face on his chest and cried. The fact that she became a monster that nobody wanted to look at hurt me deeply.


    "Why do you think she turned into this?" I asked him, sniffling hard.


    "I do not think it is up to them to decide. Most of the time," Ian replied.


    I broke the hug so that I could turn around and look at her again. My hand gently grazed over the window.


    "Ian, we said we would clean the dark side of the North. Does that mean we will get her killed too?" I asked him, turning around to look at him with my head tilted.


    The way he looked so concerned just from the way I looked at him gave me goosebumps.


    I did not want to put him through so much stress and so many tests, but I needed to know. I needed to know what would happen to my mother now.


    "I do not think she is alive," he whispered, and I broke down again. As soon as I started to drop to my knees, he rushed to me and held me in ce.


    "But I am sure that wherever she is," he began, but I forced him back and got up, pointing at the mirror and at the ss window, even tapping on it. "This is where she is, Ian. She is in there. She is not dead," I hissed, huping as I ced a hand on my chest.


    I felt like my heart was stopping at that point.


    "Clementine, please calm down." He tried to step toward me again, but I kept pushing him away while I rubbed my chest and turned to look at my mother, my hand on the ss window.


    "This is not fair. If we kill them, then she will be gone." I paused as I rested my forehead against the ss, getting as close to her as I could.


    There was makeup on her face, white powder and red lipstick like a clown would wear, but she was not a clown.


    She was a mother who had faced so much horror in her life just to keep her children safe.


    "Then she will be gone," I repeated, gently running my hand up and down the ss.


    "Do you think this is what she wants to be?" As soon as he said that, I stopped crying and lifted my head from the window.


    Baxter approached me from behind while I looked straight into my mother¡¯s eyes.


    Then he tore open the shirt on my back, causing me to gasp and slowly turn to look at him.


    "Look at yourself," he told me, turning me around and then moving my head to the side so I could see my reflection in the window.


    The scratches were big, and they looked like they were done to harm me. Blood poured from them.


    "Do you think she looks at this and is proud of it?" he raised his voice, pointing at my mother this time.


    "Do you think she wanted to kill you? She did it because she is not herself, and you wanting to keep her alive, do you think that is fair?" he scolded, ring at me for refusing to put her to rest.


    "But she is my mother. How can I kill her?" I asked him, tears leaving my eyes as I faced him. The cold wind started to touch my bare back and the wound there.


    "Clementine, you can set her free. Your mother, from the way you are, I can tell she was kind. Every person she harmed here, deep down I bet she regrets it, because she is your mother, because she must be that gentle of a person," he remarked, gently rubbing his thumb over my cheek.


    My head turned toward my mother again. Little hups still left my lips.


    "I want to be alone with her for a moment," I told Ian. In fact, I demanded it, and he began to shake his head, so I faced him again.

 Chapter 413-Meet Your Son-In-Law

    <h4>Chapter 413: 413-Meet Your Son-In-Law</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Do not worry, I will not go in there," I added. "Please, let me be alone with her for a few minutes." This time my voice came out as a whisper.


    "Some time alone with my mother." I could tell he did not want to leave me. He was probably thinking he would lose me if he left me here.


    "Ian, I am fine. I know I cannot get close to her," I said, and this time I tried not to sound like a maniac who was causing him stress, yet he looked very concerned for me.


    However, he finally began to step back and then pointed to the other side of the road.


    "I will be standing there. Do not ask me to step all the way away from you," he requested, and I finally gave him a nod.


    He walked away, and I turned to my mother again, smiling at her.


    "I never thought I would see you again." I ced my hand on the ss window. "You know, for a brief moment I thought you took my brother and ran away to start fresh. There were days when I wondered why my mother would leave me and pretend she was dead. I was angry for the first few years, thinking why you did not take me with you."


    I paused as I zoned out for a bit.


    "And then when I found your pendant," I paused as I took the pendant from my shirt and showed it to her, smiling, "I thought maybe you were alive."


    My lips quivered, even though it was highly unlikely anyone woulde to the dark side of the North and survive.


    But I found her pendant on the other side. It made me wonder how long she had been alive before she turned into a monster.


    But why would it take her so much time? There were so many unanswered questions.


    Ian told me the monsters were created by cruel people.


    But how and why did they choose such a harsh punishment for my mother?


    "You know, now that I am looking at you like this, I wish you had been alive and walked away from me. That would have been fine. I would have been upset with you. I would have told you, hey, I hate you." I pretended to be angry, then I smiled while breaking down. "But at least you would have been there with me."


    I paused because I noticed there were no expressions on her face.


    She was just smiling with her strange eyes that my mother never had, almost as if she was waiting for me to get inside so she could kill me, something my mother would never do to me.


    "You know, the one who did this to you, probably threw you here, I killed him with my own hands," I said, cing a hand on my chest.


    "But there is this feeling that makes me sad. That I could not have ast word with you," I recalled, remembering how my father turned into a monster who was still in his senses.


    Why could my mother not be like that? Why did they not make her into a monster who could speak and talk?


    They made her someone who was just there.


    "Just so you know, Mother, I love you," I said, sniffling and then cleaning the tears from my eyes.


    "And whatever I do to you, please do not take offense to it," I added. Then I took a deep breath.


    "Anyway, we are deciding to clean the North so you can all rest in peace. Would it be okay if I do that?" I asked her.


    I smiled to myself because she could not respond.


    I let out a deep breath and turned around to look at Ian. He was across the road, kicking some rocks.


    "Look over there, that is my mate," I told my mother, cleaning my tears with the back of my hand.


    "Is he not the most handsome man ever?" I asked, turning to look at her.


    "Remember when Daddy used to say I would never have a mate? I have four. Of course I am not going to pick the other three, but they are my good friends and they are all in love with me. I do not know if it helps or not, but I am the only one who got many mates," I said as I pointed at my chest with both hands, because it was odd that a woman had so many mates.


    "Look, your son-inw. He is strong, and he cares for me. I am in good hands, Mother," I told her, this time smiling genuinely while tears still formed in my eyes.


    "Ian," I called for him.


    He lifted his head and stared at me.


    "Come," I gestured.


    He quickly began to approach me, his hands still in his pockets. As soon as he arrived, he gently pinched my cheek.


    "See, he is the most perfect mate ever," I told my mother, and Ian looked at me before he turned to her.


    "Hi, mother-inw," he greeted, pulling his hand out of his pocket and waving.


    "I will be happy with him. You need to rest."


    The moment I said it, I watched Ian hunch over to look at my face, studying me.


    "Yes, you are right, Ian. I have made my decision. I do not want her to keep living like this. She would never have wanted it." As soon as I said that, Ian smiledfortably before pulling me into a hug.


    I kept staring at my mother, and a single tear rolled down my face again, but I quickly wiped it away with my finger.


    When I broke the hug, I looked at her again, then back at Ian.


    "How are we going to do this?" I asked him in a soft and gentle voice.


    "Would it be too brutal? I do not want it to be," I began to ask, then paused, pinching the space between my fingers.


    It was my anxious reaction.

 Chapter 414-The Unlucky Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 414: 414-The Unlucky Daughter</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I kept pinching my skin, anxiously waiting for Ian to tell me how we would put my mother and the others to rest?


    Ian noticed and quickly held my hand, stopping me from hurting myself.


    "It will be different for her," he whispered, causing me to frown. "The way to kill them is to have any one of them change their expression while they look at you, most likely because of something you are saying or doing. Show an ounce of feeling. The moment one of them reacts, they all start to disappear."


    As soon as Ian told me that, a spark of hope ran through me.


    "It will not be too painful?" I asked him, and he nodded, reassuring me that even though her punishment was severe, her passing to the light would be peaceful.


    "But I have said everything to her, and she did not change her expression," I said.


    Then it hit me.


    "What would have happened to my brother?" I asked Ian, who began to look confused.


    "I am not sure if I have ever read about a tiny monster." As soon as Ian said that, he clicked his tongue, shook his head, and pped his forehead.


    "I am so sorry. I did not mean to say it like that. I mean I do not think my grandfather has ever made a child monster, someone who could be easily found," he tried to exin, but it seemed like even if he had made a monster, we would not get very lucky finding him here.


    "I want to give her a hug." The moment I said that, Ian shook his head even harder.


    "You tried it, she scratched you," he exined, but I shook my head again.


    "That is because she did not recognize me," I mumbled, and I could tell he did not like the idea because he kept shaking his head.


    "Just let me do it this time, please. I feel like I will stir some emotions in her," I requested, but he looked adamant about refusing.


    "Okay, fine, then you stay on guard. And the moment you feel she is not changing any expression, you can pull me away, okay?" I told him, watching him sigh tiredly and roll his eyes.


    I bet he was tired of my shenanigans, but he always let me do what I wanted.


    "Fine, but I will have to take the others away from you," he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck.


    "I do not want you to put your life in danger," I told him, but he waved his hand and fixed his shirt.


    I wished I had not lost his jacket inside. Ian was the one who had taken it off me once.


    The clown had started to grab it to pull me back, and I had not fought hard to get away, so he had to do whatever he could.


    Now both of us looked like we were going to freeze to death.


    "I am not going to let you do all the hard work, Clementine. I will be fine. I will just run through here, get them to follow me, and then I will walk out from the other side while you are left alone with your mother," he exined.


    I began to bite the bottom of my lip.


    "Okay, but please do not try to fight them. There are too many of them," I told him, and he gave me a reassuring nod.


    However, I did not know why, but I felt like he kept getting goosebumps because I was holding his arm, and I could see he looked slightly scared.


    Or was he scared? I could not be sure. Knowing Ian, there was no way he would be scared of anything.


    "Be careful and be on the lookout, Clementine. Please do not force yourself or a reaction out of her. If you feel like it is not working, just step away, okay?" Ian told me as he cupped my face and gave me a kiss on the lips before he stepped away.


    It felt like we were walking into a death trap, but it was needed.


    The theater was dangerous, and all the people trapped here needed to be put to rest.


    If we did not do it, how would we clean the rest of the North? Starting from this ce seemed to be a good idea.


    Ian entered the theater with his head down. I watched him through the window.


    He stepped through the clowns without looking at them, and their heads turned as he passed.


    Their shoulders twitched. I watched their painted mouths stretch wider as they began to follow him.


    He kept moving at a slow pace, trying to gather as many of them as possible.


    Things changed when I noticed my mother drift after him. My heart started to pound in my temples.


    If she followed him, I would lose her, so I had to act quickly.


    The moment I stepped inside, I noticed some of the clowns stop going after Ian and turn toward me.


    I quickly lowered my head. I bit my lower lip and tried not to shake because I knew if I gave in to anxiety, I would start making mistakes.


    My mother kept walking after Ian. I knew this because when I entered, I kept my eyes on her feet.


    I tried not to lose her because if I did, it would be hard to find her again unless I lifted my head and scanned their faces.


    I rushed toward her even when the others started to whisper at me.


    Once I reached her, I raised my hand. This would be thest time I touched my mother.


    I grabbed her wrist. Her skin was cold, like she was a statue with no blood in it.


    As soon as my fingers curled around her, her head snapped toward me. I could not help but snap my head up as well.


    Her re hit me so hard I forgot to breathe.


    Her eyes were wide and empty. There were no emotions like when she used to sing me lubies.


    Her lips were parted like she wanted to scream at me. For a moment, I froze so much that my heart jumped in my throat.

 Chapter 415-Fear Of Clowns Yet He Fought Them For Me

    <h4>Chapter 415: 415-Fear Of Clowns Yet He Fought Them For Me</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I knew I had to hug her. However, she lunged at me. I did not have a chance to do what I nned.


    She pushed me down, and before I could react, my back hit the cold floor.


    The next thing I knew, her knees pressed against my ribs and her hands reached for my neck.


    The moment her fingers touched my skin, my body shuddered. Her nails dug in, and warmth spread inside me.


    I tried to breathe through her tight grasp, but it was hard.


    "Clementine!" Ian yelled, and then I heard him growl.


    I turned my head to the side and watched him look at me. He had made eye contact with the clowns, and I hated it.


    He wanted them toe after him because some of them had started to scratch my legs while my mother sat on top of me, her hands wrapped around my neck.


    Ian roared again and pulled one clown back, then another. He forced them away from me.


    He kicked and wed a few, throwing them against the walls and letting his wolf control the situation.


    I tried to lift my hands, but I was shaking miserably.


    Tears ran down my temples and slid into my hair. The pressure around my throat was so strong that my insides started to burn.


    My chest felt heavy. I let out a cough, but it was so weak that I wondered if that was it. I forced a calm smile on my face.


    "I know you do not want to kill me," I forced out, my voice cracked and barely audible.


    "But I want to tell you something. The confession I wanted to make years ago, I probably had too. But I want to remind you once again. You are the best mother," I uttered, my voice breaking.


    "You protected me and my brother. Remember little Joy?" I coughed again, and spit gathered at the corner of my mouth.


    Her fingers only tightened around my neck, making me feel like the oxygen was getting knocked out of me.


    "Remember you took the beatings from my father for us? I did not forget." My voice shook. "It is okay," I whispered again, and this time I could barely get the words out.


    "If you kill me, it will be a kind way if you do not feel guilty for it, Mother. I would die by the hands of someone I love." My tears ran faster, and my lungs ached.


    I began to heave. My fingers scratched at her hand without meaning to.


    "I am ready, Mother. I only want your peace. I just wish that little Joy is waiting for us. We will reunite with him soon." I coughed and almost gagged.


    My eyes started to roll back. However, I noticed her fingers loosen. I began to take short breaths while I fixed my eyes on hers.


    The wide smile on her lips started to change. Her fingers no longer pushed into my throat. Her hand stopped.


    "Mother." As soon as I said it, the weight on my chest eased, and she pulled back.


    I gasped for air and rolled to my side, coughing. My neck pulsed with pain.


    I pushed myself up on my elbows and looked at her.


    She stood there. Her expression had changed. There was a small shift in her eyes, like emotions were starting to build in her.


    The wild re she gave me was gone. Now she looked tired, as if she had been drugged.


    I rose to my feet and wrapped my arms around her. She no longer scratched me, but she did not hug me back.


    My cheek pressed against her chest, and tears soaked into her shirt. She did not move.


    Her hands stayed at her sides. Her face was still, like she was listening to me.


    "I love you, Mother. I love you so much. I have missed you. Do not worry, I will find what happened to little Joy. I will bring him peace too." I started to say the words almost immediately, as if time was running out.


    I no longer felt like I could rely on her support. My feet kept my bnce.


    Even though I knew what was happening, I kept my arms around her.


    The force was slipping. She was fading. My arms and fingers felt less of her.


    My skin touched something soft that turned light, then air, then nothing.


    Her body began to break apart in slow pieces, and her color faded.


    "No," I whispered.


    My arms closed around nothing. I did not let go, even when she was gone.


    I closed my eyes because I did not want to look around the empty theater.


    Everyone was gone. The smiles and the res were gone. There was nothing left. I did not want to feel it.


    The theater was quiet. No growls. No footsteps. No whispering.


    I kept my hands lifted in front of me, hugging the empty space where she had been while I cried against the silence.


    "And now you are gone," I cried, feeling a cold rush up my nose, still not opening my eyes.


    Then I felt someone touch my hands, open them, and fill the empty space my mother left.


    I hugged Ian tightly and sniffled against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and gently ran his hand through my hair.


    "It is okay. Her daughter saved her," he told me, kissing my head.


    "I just wanted her to say one word to me. I wanted her to hug me back and not hurt me," I started to cry because I realized that would never happen again.


    Even though I put her to rest, I was not at ease. The empty hole she left behind would never be filled, and I knew that.


    "Since we are speaking about truths and feelings. I want to confess something too. I am scared of clowns. There is something, some phobia," Ian whispered while he held me tight as I continued to cry nonstop.


    "Coulrophobia," I whispered while still hugging him. I began tough and cry against his chest, and I heard himugh too as he tried to cheer me up.

 Chapter 416-Marrying My Mate In North

    <h4>Chapter 416: 416-Marrying My Mate In North</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Why did you jump in there if you were so scared of the clowns?" I asked Ian, resting my head against his shoulder.


    After crying for I did not know how long, I realized that I needed to get my shit together.


    Ian had been very active and attentive. Every time the hollow man showed up, Ian would carry me while I cried nonstop.


    He also took me to safer ces. He even found me a water bottle from somewhere.


    Now, after crying for hours, I had finally settled. We both sat at the corner of the road, across the road from the theatre, staring at it.


    Ian had his legs pulled up, but not all the way. They were slightly parted so his wrists could meet in the middle over his knees.


    I was resting my head against his shoulder.


    "You think that a phobia was going to stop me from getting in there to help you?" he asked.


    I got cozy with him and smiled sweetly for him.


    "You know, I am so d I got to introduce you to my mother," I mumbled. "And I told her that I do not n to ept my other mates." I guessed it was this word that gave Ian more happiness because his body twitched.


    "I love you, Ian." The minute I said it, he removed his arms and turned to me. I had to lift my head. The way he stared at me, it was as if I had said something unbelievable.


    "Why are you acting like you do not know that?" I asked, smiling softly.


    His eyes roamed over my face, noticing my eyes, my nose, my cheeks, and then my lips. A smile began to form on his lips.


    "Well, let¡¯s get married," he insisted again.


    I almost forgot this was what we were going to do before we entered that theatre and I found my mother.


    "Do you not think we should go back and take care of other things first?" I asked softly.


    It was not because I did not want to get married.


    I would have been the happiest, but I did not know if I would be happy enough for him in that moment, because I missed my mother here and there.


    "You tell me, do you want to get married?" he asked, tilting his head, his eyes shining.


    The dark north was strange. The sun almost never came out. It was morning now. The clouds showed the outline of the sun and it looked strange.


    "Come on, Clementine, tell me, what is it that is bothering you?" he insisted, holding my hand and gently rubbing the back of it.


    "What if I ruin your mood during the wedding by suddenly starting to cry?" I asked him, and he pped his forehead with the back of my hand.


    "Don¡¯t do that," Iined, pping his chest at the fact that he used my hand to hurt himself.


    "I would not get upset. Are you crazy? You think you will cry and I will think about my mood?" heined, looking very upset.


    That made me smile even brighter.


    "I have a perfect gift for you. Trust me on it. We are getting married," he said. "Nowe on, let¡¯s go and get married, finally."


    He held his hand out for me, and I stared at it before I happily epted it.


    I knew my eyes were still swollen, but I guessed if he wanted his bride with swollen eyes, I had no objection either.


    I got up from the ground and started to step after him.


    He took me all the way to the antique shop, and I growled.


    "I don¡¯t want to go in there and see my brother in those shades," Iined, remembering how entering the theatre made me meet my mother.


    I did not think I was ready to see my brother now.


    "Ohe on, you are not going in there. I am going to go there and I am going to quickly fetch something for you," he said.


    But I started to shake my head.


    "Now if you are going in there, we are going together," I stated. Ian rolled his eyes, his hands on his waist.


    "Listen, I am going to be the husband right now and I am going to tell you that woman, listen to me," he said, pointing a finger at me, trying to use a very authoritative voice.


    "No, Ian, I am not going to let you get yourself in danger for me over and over. Okay," I said, demanding that I would go inside with him.


    "Fine, but we will be quick," he warned.


    "Okay, but what are we getting from here?" I asked him. I noticed the way he smiled.


    "You will enter the theatre first," he mumbled, making me raise my eyebrow.


    "That is because if we realize the other one is noting out, the other would go inside and save them. So, you are going first," he said, pointing at me.


    I nodded my head happily because I was ready for some adventure. I needed to get this energy out, to release this frustration in me somehow.


    "Do you know any tricks about fighting the fades?" I asked him.


    He started to rock his head back and forth, almost as if thinking, before he nodded.


    "If you can hold your breath, you are fine, pretty much. Because they enter your nostrils, they enter your mouth. So just hold your mouth closed, do not breathe in for a few seconds if you can," he remarked, and I started to tap my finger on my chin.


    "Okay, listen, you go in there, but go to the left side. You will find some grooms¡¯ suits. They are from ancient times, when royals used to wear those very heavy embroidery suits and all. You will go there, and you will get one for your groom, which is me," he exined, pointing a finger at himself, giving me a cheeky grin.


    I realized what he was doing. He did not mean for us to go in there and get married without seriousness.


    He was treating it as something serious.

 Chapter 417-Our Perfect Wedding

    <h4>Chapter 417: 417-Our Perfect Wedding</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I took a deep breath and then pushed the door open to the antique shop.


    The minute I stepped inside, I held my breath. The air was still and cold, as if no life had ever existed here.


    A thinyer of dust covered the shelves. I was d I was holding my breath because I did not want to breathe in this dusty air.


    As I moved toward my left, I heard the wood creak beneath my boots.


    Chandeliers hung from different corners, but the one in the middle caught my attention.


    It was beautiful, but all the candles were unlit. I began to notice smoke forming in the distance.


    Some drifted on the ceiling and some slid down the walls.


    They moved toward me, but I kept my lips pressed tightly and forced myself not to breathe in.


    I noticed the difference. Ian was right. They did not immediately rush at me.


    They lingered around, waiting for me to make a mistake.


    I kept moving to the left. I noticed the old clocks, bronze statues, and vases with chipped rims.


    A tall mirror leaned against the wall with a cracked frame. I stopped for a few seconds to touch the skin under my eyes.


    They were swollen and red. My chest started to tighten with the urge to breathe.


    As I stepped past one of the tables, I noticed jewelry on it. I stared at it for a moment before picking one piece.


    It was a ck diamond, and I had to take it. My groom would need it. I put it in my pocket and continued to step forward.


    My back was still bare, so I could feel the Fades touch my skin. A chill ran up and down my spine each time they brushed against me.


    Finally, I reached the area Ian was talking about. A big closet stood at the end of the left side.


    It had ss doors fogged with dust. I reached for the handle and pulled, but it stayed shut.


    The lock rattled, and I rolled my eyes because even if it was tightened with a strong lock, I could open it.


    The minute I turned it, the closet opened.


    My fingers started to tremble because my throat was burning from holding my breath.


    Inside, rows of suits were arranged. The one that caught my attention had a ck coat with patterns that looked carved into the fabric rather than stitched.


    The inner lining was deep red and had a smooth shine. The vest had silver buttons, and thin chains crossed from one side to the other.


    The gloves were dark with metallic details at the wrist. The trousers were tailored and straight. The suit looked grand and expensive.


    I grabbed it off the rail quickly. The Fades moved around me more often now.


    They could probably sense that I was losing my breath. I turned around and rushed toward the door.


    I did not stop, even when the Fades chased after me.


    When I reached the door, Ian was already holding it open for me. I pushed myself out, and once outside, I took deep and heavy breaths.


    I quickly moved the suit behind my back.


    "My turn," Ianmented.


    "Wait a minute, let me catch my breath," I warned him.


    Once I was certain that I was feeling fine and could fight for him, I gave him a gesture to go ahead.


    He entered the shop in front of me, and I pulled the suit out to give it a full nce.


    It was heavy, and I wondered how Ian would look in it. I smiled just thinking about it.


    After a few minutes, Ian returned. He was faster than I had been, probably because he did not get distracted by other things.


    He had been there before, and he had seen everything. He came out, and he did not rush.


    He strolled out with a smirk on his lips and his hands behind his back.


    "Come on! What are you waiting for? For you to get out of breath?" Iined as he continued smirking and taking slow, deliberate steps.


    He finally got out but kept his hand on the doorframe.


    "So, are you going to change in front of me?" As soon as he asked that, I frowned and turned away.


    "No!" Iined.


    "Why? I have seen you naked before," hemented, leaning down in my ear.


    "Come on, Ian, do not y. Take this suit. Go and get ready in the theatre. I will be there too," I said, and I noticed his smile begin to fade.


    "Are you sure you will be okay there?" he questioned, probably becausest time I had been badly affected by my mother being there.


    "I will be fine," I confirmed, giving him a hand gesture.


    "Well then, just so you know, I got your ring too," I stated, and I watched Ian raise his eyebrow as if he was impressed.


    "See, you are learning so much from me," hemented, grinning.


    "Yeah. Not something to flex over, but true, I am learning how to rob ces from you," I joked, and he chuckled.


    "Now go and get ready before I change my mind," I teased him, and he quickly touched his earlobe, warning me with his eyes.


    Having hispany was different. He knew how to cheer me up. He knew how to make me feelforted.


    And for this wedding, I had a strong feeling that he knew how to make it special for me.


    "Well, okay then, see you in a bit," he replied.


    As he walked away, I stared at the dress he had gotten for me.


    A bright smile started to cover my lips as I looked at the beautiful design and then my eyes wandered around.


    I had never imagined getting married. Growing up, I had been traumatized so much by the mates that I had sworn to never want to get married.


    But here I was today, holding a wedding dress, and my groom was getting ready.


    "And we have chosen a perfect mate," Mint spoke up, making me smile and nod my head.


    "You¡¯re right, he is my perfect mate," I agreed, before I began to walk toward the theater.

 Chapter 418-Our Fucking Wedding

    <h4>Chapter 418: 418-Our Fucking Wedding</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    "No, I¡¯m not going to marry her," I said to my mother aggressively.


    They had dragged me here to the hall to marry me to Oriana. The minute I arrived and looked at her face, I lost it.


    I started to scream and throw a tantrum.


    My mother had to drag me to the side, to the basement where the ringleaders were supposed to work, to have a word with me.


    "Just go with it. Right now, there are too many people against you. There is too much evidence against you," my mother said, her fingers tightening around my biceps.


    "No," I said, freeing myself from her. "I told you, I am not doing it." I warned her not to force me.


    "You have lost your mind, Yorick. These people will eat you alive," my motherined.


    I shook my head again.


    "No. You already said it. You know I have a mate," I said to my mother, watching her clench her jaw at me.


    "And you hid her from me. If you had told me you had a mate, I would have gotten you both out in time."


    My mother grunted, as if she expected me to believe her. She would have been the first one to send Clementine to the North to make her disappear.


    "And by the way, that mate of yours, she is noting back. And guess what? Who is there in the North? Who left for the North with her?" my mother asked.


    I frowned at her.


    "That headmaster¡¯s son, he has been missing too. So you better believe that maybe they never went to the North."


    As soon as my mother said that, I crinkled my eyebrows, waiting for her to exin her vaguement.


    "You think you were the only one we were going to get out of the academy? That headmaster¡¯s son was on the list too, and with him was Clementine. So you better believe she was never sent to the North. She disappeared, and then the headmaster hid his son too. So they are probably somewhere far away living a happy life together. They are noting back," my mother hissed.


    I started to feel like my throat was closing.


    "That is not possible. I am mates with her. She cannot just leave without breaking the mate bond with me," I tried to exin.


    My mother pped her forehead with her hand.


    "She does not even know you are going to survive. For all she knows, you will be sent to the North with thest mission and you will die there. Just like how it was intended to be for the rest."


    As my mother said those words, I felt terrible.


    Did Clementine seriously just walk out on me because she has her man now?


    "That is what I am telling you," my mother said, noticing I was zoned out.


    "She is gone, but you are here. You need to do everything to survive, and right now your life is in danger if you do not ept the marriage with that cunning little piece of shit upstairs."


    My mother exined, but I could not stop thinking about Clementine.


    "Stop worrying about her," my mother said, as if she had already noticed what was on my mind. "You will have plenty of time to think about her if you use your brain and we get you out of here."


    I clenched my jaw.


    If Clementine had truly left me, then I needed to make sure I got out of here and found her.


    "Don¡¯t be stupid and die for someone who has left you. And even if you do not believe me, why would you want to die for a sin you did notmit?" my mother asked, reminding me that if I did not agree to marry and mark Oriana, they would kill me.


    I clicked my tongue, then stretched my neck, staring at my mother, who was watching my face with excitement.


    "You wanted to have my mate, my fated mate, in front of you, did you not?" I asked my mother, whose smile started to fade.


    "How about a chosen mate?" I asked her, and she gave it some thought.


    "Might work?" was all she said.


    I nodded my head.


    "Oriana desperately wanted a husband, Mother. She had been the reason I could not be with Clementine. By the time I was busy trying to win Clementine¡¯s heart, she had ruined everything for me. So how about I finally give her what she deserves? An alpha mate," I said to my mother whose smile started to widen.


    "Let¡¯s show her who she picked," I said to my mother, and my smile reached my eyes, mirroring hers.


    "Now that is my son. Never leave anyone unpunished who hurt you," my mother said, reminding me of my childhood, when she used to tell me that again and again.


    I finally realized I should have punished Oriana when I had time.


    Well, it was not toote.


    I would give her everything, just to show her she had picked a hell for herself.


    "So let¡¯s go then. Let¡¯s mark her," my mother said. As she started to walk ahead of me, I followed her silently. This time, I was at ease.


    We walked straight up to the hall, and I noticed how everyone was staring at me with disbelief in their eyes.


    They looked unhappy with me. I did not know what hurt me more.


    The fact that Oriana had yed things so well against me and caused me to be seen as a monster in front of everyone.


    Or the fact that the people I had stayed with actually believed her words.


    Part of me began to wonder if they were so keen to believe it because they realized it would cut me out of thepetition they had going on with winning Clementine. It could be both.


    As I reached the hall, I was asked to stand next to Oriana. She instantly started to shiver and hug herself.


    She continued to act this way. Her so-called family, the same people she imed had killed her father, were here too.


    She did not seem to remember she had used them of something like that.


    Her stepmother stepped forward to hug her when she panicked.


    It all happened in front of me.Some people from the Red Squad mouthed cuss words at me, judging me.


    But it was the way Haiden and Troy kept ncing at me that hurt most.


    "Oriana is going out on a mission today. But before that mission, we have decided that she will be getting marked by her mate," the headmaster said, making me roll my eyes secretly.


    It was clever of him, though. He saved his son, and now he got rid of me from ever intervening in his son and his daughter-inw¡¯s life.

 Chapter 419-Finally A Groom

    <h4>Chapter 419: 419-Finally A Groom</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    I carried the suit into the theater and headed straight to one of the back rooms. I was really excited.


    The dress I had picked for her, I knew she would look like a perfect bride.


    My heart was thumping loudly because I could not wait to see her in the dress and to get married to her, and to mark her mine forever.


    "Look at you, you¡¯re going to be a groom today," my wolf teased me, and I smirked.


    In fact, I smiled, and I bet my wolf noticed it too because he grunted.


    "I wish that smile stays forever, but remember we are in the dark side of the north," he reminded me, and I gave him a hand gesture to silence him.


    I shut the door behind me andid the suit on the wooden table. I looked at it for a moment and felt my lips pull into a smile.


    She really knew me well. The style, the details, the dark color, everything matched what I had chosen for her.


    I ran my finger down the coat and slipped it on. The weight of the fabric settled on my shoulders.


    However, there was one problem. The shirt was a little tight on my biceps, so much that I felt as if it would cut the blood flow in my veins.


    I groaned as I started to pull apart the sleeves. My biceps finally breathed.


    I adjusted the vest and then fastened the silver buttons and the chains. It looked so good.


    When I looked in the tall mirror, I smirked. Then I left the room and walked down the hallway.


    When I reached the corner, I paused because she was already there.


    She stood in the open space of the aisle, dressed in a gown that had an ivory base and ckce detailing.


    I picked it for her because I knew she would look perfect. Thece climbed over the bodice and sleeves in a delicate pattern.


    The skirt spread out around her like an umbre.


    Her hair was curled naturally and gathered high on one side with loose strands over her face and shoulders.


    The tiara rested neatly above her crown. Her eyes were shining. The earrings I had picked for her looked amazing on her.


    My breath caught in my throat, and I almost slipped before holding my bnce.


    "Be careful," she uttered.


    When she noticed that I did not look away from her, she shifted shyly.


    "Stop looking, you¡¯re making me blush," she mumbled, quickly putting her hands on her cheeks.


    I let out a chuckle and stepped closer. My fingers gently pinched her chin as I made her look at me.


    The way she blinked and the way her red lips looked made me want to skip to the intimate part of the wedding.


    "It seems we chose the same kind of style for each other," she uttered. "Both of us have ck in our clothes," she replied shyly.


    "Where is my gift?" she asked, suddenly changing the subject.


    I could tell that the more she noticed I was staring at her, the more anxious she was getting, and she was trying her best to shift my attention away from her.


    "Well, I will give it to you after the wedding," I said to her, watching her pout impatiently. "Now, shall we?"


    As I asked her, I held my hand out. She ced her hand in mine, and we both walked together down the path outside the theater.


    Once we were on the road, I felt a sense of pride walking with her.


    The moment felt like something from my dreams. Then we finally reached the venue.


    Once we stepped in, I noticed how she gasped. The hall wasrge, with tall pirs reaching the ceiling.


    It was set for a dark celebration, which was why I chose a dark dress for her.


    Most of the things seemed like they should have been ruined by now, but the chandeliers still had their lights on.


    The walls were polished stone. Rows of empty seats were arranged on each side, and the aisle was long in front of us.


    There were candles lit, almost as if the venue sensed a wedding was happening.


    I slipped my hands into my pants pockets and tilted my head as I watched her.


    She walked forward, checking everything, touching everything.


    Her hair shifted over her shoulder as she moved. She turned in slow circles.


    Then she stopped and turned her head toward me. She pointed upward.


    "Did you hear that? Ian, we are not alone," she whispered.


    There was a hint of fear in her voice.


    She quickly lifted her skirt and rushed toward me, grabbing my wrist to pull me toward the exit.


    I tightened my grip and drew her closer. She gasped as her handsnded on my chest.


    I ced my hands on her back, making sure she stayed close.


    "They are not monsters," I told her, trying to reassure her that we did not have to panic.


    "But I can hear the noise," sheined again.


    "Remember I told you I have a gift for you?" I asked, and she meekly nodded.


    I raised my hand to her cheek and ran my thumb across her skin. I slid my fingers through her hair and leaned down.


    I pressed my lips against her forehead, then the corner of her lips, and then her cheeks.


    Her body grew warmer with each touch.


    "There are no monsters here. These are spirits. Spirits of the North," I whispered, kissing the corner of her lips again.


    "Spirits," she repeated, her lips brushing mine. Then I finally pulled back.


    "Everyone who has ever died in the North visits this ce when they realize there is a wedding happening. It is a tradition of the North, and it existed long before the North turned into this."


    As soon as I said that, her eyes widened. Her lips trembled, and her cheeks turned red as if she were about to cry again.


    "You are joking with me," she uttered, shaking her head andughing nervously.


    I lifted my hand and gestured behind her.


    She slowly started to turn around, and then the tension in her body disappeared. She stood still like a frozen statue.


    In the center of the aisle stood her mother. This time, her features were clear.


    She did not look like a clown. She looked like a woman who was watching her daughter get married.

 Chapter 420-They Came To See Me Get Married

    <h4>Chapter 420: 420-They Came To See Me Get Married</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I shook my head in disbelief.


    "No. This is some kind of illusion. She cannot be my mother," I was stunned.


    It didn¡¯t make sense but it made me the happiest just to think about my mother seeing me get married.


    And then a faint voice came from behind me that shook my entire existence.


    "Really? Then how would you exin the cupcake you stole from your father¡¯s te? The one you filled with salt so he would learn not to eat yours?"


    my breath got caught. I turned back to face my mother and took one step forward.


    Then I froze. My hands trembled at my sides, and my lips parted.


    I looked at Ian, and he could tell I was stopping myself because I believed I could not touch a spirit.


    That was when Ian started to stroll towards me.


    He took my hand, then the other, while standing behind me and guiding them towards my mother.


    He wrapped my arms around the spirit and I gasped. Ian stepped back while I stayed in that position, holding someone I should not have been able to feel.


    However, I felt her presence, the warmth, the love, everything positive from her.


    Then I realized I even sensed when she wrapped her arms around me.


    I have not cried this much in so many years as I cried on this single day, and it was probably only a few hours.


    This time I was crying because I was happy. I had my mother in my arms, and there was no fear, nothing.


    All I could feel from her was the warmth she felt for her daughter, for her children.


    I kept hugging her, then I pulled back. However, there was still a hesitation in my heart.


    What if this ce was a magical ce that showed us what we wanted to see? And of course, I had a good reason to feel this way.


    "You still don¡¯t seem to believe I¡¯m here," my mother remarked with a smile on her lips.


    "It is just that I watched you die a few hours ago. I¡¯m not sure," I replied, rubbing my face in my hands as I pulled away from her.


    "Did you have all the memories of being stuck there?" I asked her, and she shook her head, shrugging her shoulders.


    "Not really. I only remember a little bit," she replied, making me sigh and continue staring at her face.


    I wanted to take in as much of her as possible because I was afraid that after this wedding, I would never see her again.


    "But I do remember everything. From the time that I was on top of you and my hands were around your neck. I felt horrible," she uttered, and I noticed the pain in her eyes start to return.


    "But it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re here now," I remarked, smiling. "And I¡¯m fine," I replied, showing her that I no longer had bruises on me.


    "Your daughter has a very powerful wolf, Mother," I told her, and she gave me a gentle nod.


    "But I don¡¯t understand. How did I have such a powerful wolf?" I asked her in confusion. She started to smile at me.


    "Ie from a very wealthy family of ancestral wolves in the north. When I felt a mate bond with your father, I was living in this part of the north. And I returned here," she exined, shocking me with the revtion.


    "Wait, you are from the north?" I asked.


    It was sad because my father never let me know anything about my mother, even when I wanted to know so much about her.


    "What did you feel when you embraced me?" my mother asked, and a smile started to cover my lips as I began to feel her warmth in me, even when we were not hugging anymore.


    "I felt your warmth. I smelled your scent, Mother," I replied, and she gave me a hand gesture, then gently touched my cheek with nothing but undying love.


    "I can tell you something that even you did not know," my mother told me, probably thinking that I was sceptical because the memory of me putting salt in the cupcakes came from me.


    "When everybody thought I ran away, I was actually taken by force by your father. He sent me to this house where two masked people got in with syringes. They injected me and your little brother. Your brother could not take that much poison in him. He passed away. I managed to get your brother¡¯s body and run out of here. Behind the big yground, you will find his grave under the pink tree. After that, I was caught and taken to the north," she spoke, exining everything in one breath, and I broke down again.


    "Do not ruin your eyes more. Today is your wedding. It is a happy day," my mother urged, reaching out for me, and every time she touched me, I felt her touch. It was strange.


    "I am d you found a man who is nothing like your father," my mother remarked, and she tilted her head to look at Ian, who started to step toward me and wrapped his arm around me.


    "Young man, you better take care of my daughter. She is precious," she told him, and I smiled at her.


    "Just remember, your brother did not suffer much," my mother said as she gently patted my arm, and I felt her hand almost pass through me, but the touch was still there and alive.


    "Now, let¡¯s stand together and watch you get married," my mother stated.


    I began to look around in confusion because my mother said that everyone who died in the north would appear here.


    There were balconies above the hall, on the second floor. Many people were standing there too.


    Among those faces, I watched one that made my heart stop. It was my father. He was among the guests, watching me get married with a smile on his lips.

 Chapter 421-I Accept You, Alpha Yorick

    <h4>Chapter 421: 421-I ept You, Alpha Yorick</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    It was the most awkward fifteen minutes of my life. When Yorick arrived and started to throw a huge fit, he was taken away from us.


    I looked at the way the others were watching me. I wondered what they were thinking. They were probably feeling bad for me, and I hated it. I did not want to be that pitiful girl anymore. I wanted to be the woman who would be Luna.


    I kept my hands tied in front of my body, looking timid in the presence of everyone, while Yorick¡¯s mother went into the basement to have a word with him.


    When I heard footstepsing upstairs, my heart started to thump harder in my chest. I wondered what he had decided. What if he epted the death penalty? That would be terrible.


    However, the minute they arrived and his mother gave a nod to the headmaster, I let out a deep breath in secrecy. He was ready. I wanted to smile, but that would catch attention.


    Yorick walked up and stood straight in front of me. There seemed to be fire in his eyes, but I did not care.


    He would be angry for a little while, and then he would have to give in. I always believed no one could resist their mate. And after he marked me, even if I was his chosen mate, I would still be bonded to him.


    "So, Yorick, I hope you understand this punishment is necessary. She is the kindest one to give you the least extreme punishment, otherwise your fate was to die in front of everyone in disgrace," my stepmother stated, stepping forward to exin why this punishment was chosen.


    I had heard her tell me that a lot of people wereining about why they decided to get me married to my rapist. They did not like it.


    They thought it was a reward instead of a punishment. However, my stepmother told them the reason was that Yorick had been mentally challenged after visiting the North, in which case he was not entirely to be med.


    But since a crime wasmitted and I was traumatized too, it was better if some punishment was given to Yorick.


    As Yorick stood in front of me, I tried hard not to smile. In fact, I tried hard not to smirk in his face. I wanted to remind him of his words, the way he threatened me the other day, telling me to stay away from Clementine.


    And now here he was, standing so close to me, unable to escape. I wanted tough because, to be honest, he would be out of the list of the men Clementine would ever choose from.


    Yorick proceeded with epting me. He stepped forward. I briefly noticed his friends standing at a distance and watching him. Everybody else was ready to gossip about this moment.


    "I, Alpha Yorick Bane, ept Oriana as my chosen mate," he finished without any shakiness in his voice, and my body shuddered at the confidence he was suddenly disying.


    "Oriana, you may go ahead now," the headmaster stated.


    I gave him a nod and faced Yorick.


    "I, Oriana, ept Alpha Yorick as my mate and my partner for life," I whispered before I hugged myself and turned my face to the other side, because I let a little slip happen, acting like it was a marriage built on love.


    "Now the two of you may mark each other," the headmaster stated.


    I felt the result I wanted so close, almost within reach.


    I lifted my chin and tilted my head to the side to expose my neck to Yorick. I could feel every eye in the hall focused on us. My palms had started to sweat a lot, but I hid them by gripping my shirt.


    We had changed into our uniforms to go back to the North, of course on a mission. I took a deep breath, and then Yorick stepped closer.


    He leaned in, and I felt his breath on my shoulder. Then his mouth pressed against my neck.


    The bite came out of nowhere. He did not wait or give any warning. He bit me with force. My fists clenched beside my body.


    Sharp pain shot through my spine. It felt as if he was trying to make it worse than it needed to be. But I held my breath, and my eyes started to water.


    I refused to let out a sound. I wanted this ceremony to go uninterrupted, and he was taking full advantage of it.


    For a moment, it scared me. If he was this rough in front of others, what would he do when we were alone? It seemed like he was extremely angry with me.


    But I decided to absorb the pain for now, andter I could make amends with him. Once I came back from the North and he was discharged from the academy, he would realize it was not that bad to start over.


    When he pulled back, I also took one step back. I lifted my head to look at him while my hand reached for the mark. It stung.


    Then I noticed the way his eyes stared back at me. There was something dark in them. For a moment, I doubted this agreement. I swallowed hard and pushed the uneasiness down. I could not let it interfere with my marriage, my goal, or my achievement.


    I straightened my posture and approached him. I ced my mouth near his neck and bit him. The moment I did, a twitch ran through my chest. It ached in a strange way. Maybe this was because he had not broken the bond with his fated mate yet, but it was fine.


    The minute I stepped back after marking him, I felt a rush of strength spread through me. It felt like I was given more power now that I was marked by an alpha.


    Everyone around us pped. However, itcked excitement because, to be honest, it was not an event filled with joy. It was still a punishment for one of us.


    I faced the entire hall. At this point, I could not help but allow a small smirk. It felt like a moment of victory for me against the people in this hall who thought Oriana could never rise again or stand after everything that happened.

 Chapter 422-I Accept You, Alpha Ian

    <h4>Chapter 422: 422-I ept You, Alpha Ian</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I was shocked to see my father among other people. However, it seemed like these people could notmunicate with each other.


    "The bad people go there," Ian murmured in my ear. "They are just spirits. They cannot interact. They cannot touch you. They just stand there without any negativity in them," he exined, possibly because they were not even from the north. He added that part, and I gave him a nod.


    "Now may I?" Ian asked as he held his arm up for me.


    Getting a blessing from my mother changed everything for me. I wrapped my arm around Ian¡¯s arm, and we began to step down the aisle, reaching the stage.


    My knees felt weak for a moment. It was really happening. Ian stood beside me, his arm brushing mine.


    I looked around in confusion because there was no officiant at first. However, a spirit formed in front of us. I gasped a little, but then Ian tightened his hold on my hand as he adjusted in front of me, and I let out a small breath and smiled.


    The spirit nodded for me to speak. I swallowed and lifted my chin.


    "My life was boring before you arrived," I said, my voice shaking at first because I was being watched by so many people who were no longer alive, and then there was my mother.


    She had walked to the podium with us. She was standing right on the other side of the officiant, so close to me.


    "I still remember you sitting in that prison with me, watching me. It started with hatred, but then something changed. It became something I needed. You were always there for me, Ian. Even when I was dying in the North, all I missed was you and your touch. I was upset that I never got to talk to you, and if I had died, it would have been without fixing things with you."


    As I spoke, I noticed Ian¡¯s expression softened. His eyebrows pulled together, and he looked worried and a little guilty. His thumb rubbed the back of my hand, as if reassuring me that everything was fine now.


    "You may speak now," the officiant said to Ian, who nodded.


    "My entire life, I felt like I did not belong anywhere," he started, his voice showing a lot of emotion.


    "There were moments when I did not even know what my purpose was. But then you arrived. At first, I wanted your attention, so I behaved like a child who picks fights. I never understood when it changed. You became the only person I wanted close to me. My entire purpose became wanting you and keeping you by my side."


    Ian took a brief pause, and then he added, "Oh, Clementine." That was all he said, and it gave me goosebumps on the back of my neck.


    "Do you ept each other?" the spirit asked. He was an old man with a long white beard and mustache and a bald head. He wore a white suit.


    Ian looked at me, waiting. Alphas usually tried to take charge first. They would be the first to ept or reject their mate.


    So when Ian gestured for me to go ahead, I feltfortable and happy that he respected me.


    "I, Clementine Stark, ept Ian Hunt as my mate and as my husband."


    As soon as I said that, strength spread through my arms and legs, and Ian squeezed my hand, giving me support.


    Ian then straightened his posture, and a smirk formed on his lips.


    "I, Ian Hunt, ept Clementine Stark as my only forever, my wife, my mate, and my everything."


    He said the words confidently, his tone heard by everyone. His voice did not shake at all.


    Cheers filled the hall. Lights shimmered in the air as if the spirits approved. I began to feel so happy looking at the small, glowing butterflies that appeared out of nowhere.


    The whole scene looked bright and full of life. It was very pretty.


    The spirit spoke up again.


    "Please mark each other."


    Once again, we faced each other. The hall fell silent. Ian leaned forward. His hand cupped my cheek, and he brushed his lips against my skin before he bit gently on my neck.


    The pain was light. He kissed the mark a few times, and I let out a giggle. I felt shy even though I knew everyone around me was just a spirit. I still felt their eyes on me.


    He pulled away, and I reached over to the bottom of his lip, rubbing my thumb over it to clean the blood from him. He kept smiling.


    Then he quickly reached out and took the blood from my thumb with his own. While staring at me, he gently licked his thumb. Once again, goosebumps covered my skin.


    Then he knelt down and lowered his head for me. I ced my hand on his chest and leaned in. As soon as my lips touched his neck, my body reacted strongly to him.


    Heat rushed through me, and I closed my eyes, piercing my canines through his skin. As I marked him and pulled away, I watched both of us stand there with a new strength inside us.


    Before the spirit could speak again, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against him, one hand resting behind my head.


    His lips pressed against mine with force. The crowd cheered louder this time, but I closed my eyes, letting the moment settle inside me.


    I had never felt so happy before.


    After kissing me, he broke the kiss, and I watched everyone throw flower petals at us.


    After a few more minutes, everything began to fade, and the spirits slowly disappeared. I instantly turned to my mother, and she gave me a head nod.


    "I¡¯ll be watching over you. Live a very long and happy life. Do not cry again," my mother said before she disappeared.


    Ian quickly hugged me, and I rested my forehead against his chest. I could hear his heartbeat, and then he uttered,


    "May I have a dance with you?"


    I lifted my head from his chest and gave him a smile. He held my hand and walked me out of the venue. Once we were on the road, he ced one hand behind him and knelt slightly, holding his other hand out to me, waiting for me to ept and dance with him.

 Chapter 423-Dancing Among Monsters

    <h4>Chapter 423: 423-Dancing Among Monsters</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I watched him hold his hand out for me, and I ced mine in his without hesitation. A smallugh escaped my lips as he pulled me closer and spun me gently.


    My dress swayed around my legs as my boots brushed the road. I swung around with my arm raised over my head, his hand guiding mine. For the first time, the North did not feel terrifying.


    "You look like you are enjoying this," Ian remarked, smiling as he guided me into a slow turn.


    "That is because I am," I replied, grinning as he caught me again. "I never thought I would have such a perfect wedding in the North."


    My words made him smile. He lifted my hand and made me twirl under his arm. I moved too fast and stumbled a little, but he quickly steadied me by the waist.


    "So," he uttered, lowering his voice slightly as he pulled me closer, one hand behind my back and the other holding mine, our steps matching as we danced together. "How many kids do you think we will have?"


    I nearly tripped again.


    "Ian," Iughed, pressing my hand against his chest. "We just got married. You are already thinking about children."


    "That does not answer the question," he replied, yfully frowning.


    I tilted my head and rolled my eyes upward, pretending to think.


    "Maybe two or three. Not too many. I cannot handle too many of you running around." I stated.


    He gave my back a small squeeze, making me shyly bite my bottom lip.


    "That is fair," he said. "I will need some peace too. I cannot handle too much noise, especially since you will be controlling everything."


    I raised my eyebrow at him, giving him a look that told him he was not wrong.


    He guided me into another slow circle. Our steps stayed perfectly in rhythm, even though we had never practiced before.


    We moved in wide turns, then smaller ones, my dress brushing against his leg each time he spun me.


    As we danced near the darker corners, I noticed shapes shifting nearby. Hands reached out but stopped short. The monsters lingered at a distance, watching us, but they did note closer. We stayed careful without breaking our rhythm.


    "Do you think we will ever get out of the North?" I asked quietly as we danced, guiding us away from the darker corners. "Do you think we will ever leave the academy behind?"


    He leaned down and pressed his lips against mine, stopping my words. When he pulled back, he kept dancing with me.


    "Let¡¯s not talk about that tonight," he said softly. "Tonight is ours."


    I nodded and let the question go. He spun me again, slower this time, as if he wanted to watch my dress move. Iughed and followed his steps easily.


    I pulled away and gave him a small bow. He bowed back, one hand on his chest and the other behind his back. Then we stepped toward each other.


    We raised our hands without touching, leaving a small space between our palms and forearms. Our elbows bent as we circled each other, our eyes locked.


    We repeated the movement with the other hands, then stepped back, moved forward, and bowed again.


    This time, he wrapped his arm around me quickly and pulled me close. The dance grew closer as his hands guided my movements.


    He turned me slowly, and when he pulled me back against his chest, his eyes widened. So did mine.


    We turned our heads at the same time and saw the monster standing in the distance. It was a hollow man. It let out a vibrating sound and started running toward us.


    Ian and I shared a nce, and then weughed.


    "Let¡¯s go," he said, grabbing my hand.


    I lifted my skirt, and we ran together,ughing like children, me trailing behind him like a princess running away with her prince.


    We both ran,ughing and giggling as loudly as we could, and then we jumped into the theater. The hollow man made that same vibrating noise, almost like he was angry, and the more annoyed he sounded, the harder weughed as wey on the floor of the theater.


    Once theughter died down, Ian rolled over and came on top of me, making me ce my hands on his shoulders, my elbows resting against the ground. We stared at each other in silence for a moment.


    "We forgot one thing," he said.


    I frowned in confusion.


    He stretched one arm back and pulled out the same ring he had gotten for me the other day from his back pocket.


    "Oh, shoot," Iined,ughing as I stretched my neck back.


    The moment I did, he leaned down and started to suck lightly on my skin.


    "You just need an excuse to be intimate with me," I groaned yfully, straightening my neck.


    He pulled his head away while still holding me against the floor, staying on top of me. He raised the ring, and I lifted my hand. He slid it onto my ring finger, then began kissing my palm, making me brush my fingertips over his face.


    "Where is my ring?" he asked, pouting. Then he raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you don¡¯t have pockets."


    "Well," I said shyly, "I did what women do when they don¡¯t have pockets."He made his fingers walk slowly over my chest and then over my breast, and up to my neck. Then he tugged gently at my neckline, pulling it down just enough for his fingers to reach inside my bra.


    The touch made me clench my legs together as he pulled out the ring, smirking as he brought it close to his face.


    "I wish I could stay in this valley forever," heined as he leaned down and kissed between my breasts before letting my neckline go.


    I took the ring from his hand and slid it onto his ring finger. He quickly wrapped his arms around me, kissing my neck and leaving marks down my chest as we both giggled.


    As wey thereughing, my thoughts drifted.


    "You know, when we go back to the maind, I will have to ask my other mates for rejection," I said. "I don¡¯t want to keep them tied. I want them to move on and find their own mates."


    The moment I said it, he snapped his head up, staring down at me as if I had said somethingpletely unexpected.

 Chapter 424-My Mate Suffered And I Had No Idea

    <h4>Chapter 424: 424-My Mate Suffered And I Had No Idea</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "What happened? Why are you looking at me like that? It feels like I said something truly shocking," I asked in confusion, pouting as I kept staring at his face.


    He started to pull away from my chest.


    "Already? What is it? You¡¯re scaring me now," I said as I followed him, trying to get up from the ground.


    He held his hand out to support me. My dress was heavy, so any help was appreciated. Once I was on my feet, I watched him scratch the back of his neck.


    "It¡¯s about one of your mates," he started, and I frowned.


    "Is it Troy?" I asked, because Troy was the messiest one. He always managed to upset Ian somehow.


    "No, not really. It¡¯s Yorick."


    As soon as he said that, I ced my hands on my waist, wondering what kind of trouble Yorick could have caused. Yorick was not known for getting into trouble, so that felt strange.


    Then Ian turned around and gave me a brief nce.


    "It¡¯s about Yorick and Oriana."


    The moment he said their names together, I sighed and nodded, almost as if I already understood what he was about to say.


    "I mean, I get it," I started. "I just don¡¯t think he should be with her. She¡¯s too cunning for someone like him. I thought he would be upset that she yed him."


    The words kept spilling out. I wasn¡¯t rambling without reason. I was trying to be understanding.


    I had already chosen my mate. I would never tell Yorick not to choose Oriana. But it would mean Yorick and I could never talk again, never even be friends, because he knew what she had done.


    While all of these thoughts were swirling in my head, Ian shook his head again. This time, I realized it was apletely different situation.


    I just didn¡¯t know how bad it was until he spoke again.


    "She used him of forcing himself on her."


    The words hit me hard.


    I stared at his face for a few seconds, then raised my finger and squeezed one eye shut.


    "No. No. That can¡¯t be," I said. "What?"


    I couldn¡¯t even find the right words.


    Ian began to tell me everything that had happened and what Yorick had been used of. The minute he finished, I started to shake my head aggressively and began to pace around anxiously.


    "That¡¯s not possible. Yorick would never do that," I said. "You know Oriana better than I do. She¡¯s a liar. She has lied before. She tried to¡ª"


    I stopped and took a deep breath to calm my nerves.


    "If anything, I don¡¯t understand why she wasn¡¯t punished for trying to force herself on them by hypnotizing them. You know that was wrong too," Iined, watching Ian look at me with guilt in his eyes.


    He instantly looked down and wrapped his hands behind his back.


    "And you took so long to tell me this," I added. "Ian."


    I did not understand why he hadn¡¯t told me immediately.


    "Actually," he said softly, still not looking at me, "there was a witness."


    "Who?" I asked, crossing my arms and tapping my foot against the ground. "Who was it?"


    "Miss Rue."


    The name barely left his lips before he seemed to realize how bad it sounded. He bit his tongue, closed his eyes, and made a quiet sound of frustration.


    "Oh, fuck," he muttered, stretching his neck back and staring at the ceiling.


    "Exactly," I snapped. "I can¡¯t believe this. That woman and Oriana should never have crossed paths. And look at the result. Oh my God. Poor Yorick."


    I pped my forehead.


    "We can go now," Ian started, but I raised my palm to stop him.


    "No, Ian. You should have told me already. We don¡¯t know what they did to him over there. The amount of hatred, the shame, everything he must have gone through."


    I paused, cing one hand on my back and the other on my forehead.


    "Do you have the key?" I asked, straightening my posture.


    "Yeah. Oh, wait. I had the key," Ian said, patting himself down. When he looked up, he must have noticed how tightly I was clenching my jaw, because he lifted a finger. "Wait. It¡¯s in my old clothes."


    He ran toward the room where he had changed.


    I continued pacing, my thoughts racing. If he had told me earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have wasted a second.


    I would have gone back and exposed Miss Rue. With her credibility destroyed, no one would have believed her or Oriana.


    I didn¡¯t like questioning victims, but some people could not be trusted. Oriana was one of them.


    The fact that no one had even confronted her for forcing herself on others back then almost made my head spin.


    Ian returned, holding the key.


    "She¡ªMiss Rue¡ªgave me this," he started. "Rue gave me the key to open the fence¡ª"


    I began walking past him before he could finish.


    "Okay. It¡¯s fine," he said quickly. "You don¡¯t have to talk to me. I fucked up."


    He kept talking behind me.


    I knew it wasn¡¯t entirely his fault, but he should have told me. What if Yorick had already been punished? I couldn¡¯t stand the thought of celebrating my wedding while someone innocent was being used of something so cruel.


    I walked faster, holding my skirt up. When I turned, I saw Ian grab the fabric from behind. I shrugged it free and kept moving.


    He ran after me.


    "He¡¯ll be fine," he said.I didn¡¯t answer. I went straight into the woods until I reached the fence. It was the same fence where Miss Rue had shot me before.


    I stepped aside while Ian went ahead and opened the fence. Just a few stepster, I was back on the maind.


    He quickly shut the fence behind us, and then we both stood there in silence. The air felt so fresh that I was surprised by the difference between just a few steps from one side to the other.

 Chapter 425-Last Mission Before Freedom

    <h4>Chapter 425: 425-Last Mission Before Freedom</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    We were dered mates, and everyone watched us. They could not do anything.


    In fact, what the Shadow Earth Eater could not do, I did. Miss Rue did it too.


    Most of the credit went to her. Actually, all of it went to her.


    But one must not forget that I also suffered a lot by my own hands for this purpose.


    "With that being said, Yorick, you will be getting discharged from the academy so that you can go and live with your parents and heal. You will be given therapy sessions, and I hope that whatever effects the North left on you, you will recover from them," the headmaster announced.


    I noticed how everyone was watching Yorick with wide eyes, almost as if they were wondering what they would need to do to escape this ce themselves.


    Somewhere along the line, everyone had started to question whether the next mission would be theirst.


    The presence of all of the ringleaders alone was enough to make that thought linger.


    That morning, new furniture had already been ordered.


    Fresh paint was being brought in. They were changing the interior and the decor.


    It was clear that a new session was about to begin, a new set of crusaders. I felt relieved knowing I had gotten out in time.


    I smiled brightly because I knew I was not going to die in the North anymore.


    But the moment I noticed everyone staring at me, I realized the smile on my face did not fit the situation. I sniffled and corrected myself.


    "I¡¯m happy that we¡¯ve survived so far," I said, forcing my expression to soften, making it seem like I was smiling for all of us who were still standing here alive.


    "Well, then I hope you will all return from this mission," the headmaster said. "It¡¯s a simple mission. But first, Yorick may pack your bags and leave. Oriana, if you wish to have a word with him."


    I gave him a nod.


    "All crusaders should wait at the road to be taken to the train station. Remember, this task is for all of you toplete together. Go to the tunnels, find the Shadow Earth Eater, y it, and bring her head back. That is all," the headmaster exined clearly.


    Everyone noddedzily. In their eyes, Yorick should not have been discharged.


    He hadmitted a crime and walked free. They said he had gone through a psychic evaluation, and that doctors and psychologists deemed him unfit.


    I knew the truth.


    I walked with my family toward Yorick¡¯s room while the others went to wait on the road.


    "I¡¯lle back soon," I said to Yorick as he stood in the doorway.


    He turned and met my gaze.


    "I¡¯ll be desperately waiting," he taunted.


    There was something unsettling in his tone, but I ignored it. I was too happy.


    I was going to the North and I was going to survive. I woulde back, leave this ce, and live the life of a Luna.


    For the first time, the fear of dying in the North was gone. The North was no longer my problem. I would not end up like Suki.


    There was nothing more for me to say to Yorick. His mother made me ufortable, so I left the room.


    "We will meet again," my stepbrother said.


    I turned and looked him directly in the eye.


    "Sure, we will. After all, I still have to take revenge for my father¡¯s death."


    The smile on his lips slowly faded.


    If he truly believed I was going to spare him, he waspletely wrong.


    I stepped away and joined my squadmates, who were no longer threatening me with their eyes.


    I could tell they still did not like me, but at least they were not threatening me anymore.


    That was a good start. We were taken to the station in two different cars.


    The car rides were awfully silent. There was our squad, and then there was another.


    Once we got out of the cars, we headed to the train.


    It had been so long since we had been on this train, and I felt somewhat sad for the others who would die in the next mission.


    As for me, I jumped into the carriage without hesitation. I sat down and stared out the window.


    I wanted to absorb as much of the view as I could, because after today, I would nevere back here.


    I wondered what was going on with Ian and Clementine. Miss Rue told me that she was alive.


    All I had to do was go and tell the shadow earth eater to kill them both, the ones who could betray us by revealing our secrets.


    At the same time, I needed to make sure Joshua and I were the first ones to find the shadow earth eater.


    Of course we would be. There was no way the others could find her.


    The shadow earth eater can tell when you want her help. She can tell that you are looking for her because you have needs.


    These other people were going to kill her, so she was not going to meet them.


    Once we arrived in the north, we all got out. Haiden and Troy were the only ones left. Their other friends were all gone.


    The two looked around and then moved forward. They did not even turn around for me.


    They were crusaders. Mira, Renee, and Sebastian strolled together, and I was left behind with Joshua.


    "Ready to do it," I asked Joshua. He looked around and took a deep breath before nodding.


    "Yes, let¡¯s do it," he replied.


    We then headed toward the tunnels to get ourst wishes and finally be free from here.


    Before long, we were already outside the house. The fleshmingos and everyone else were still there.


    They were jumping around and fighting. I let the others deal with it. Joshua and I slipped into the house first.


    Then we reached the basement. It was the same as before, with a closet knocked over and blocking the way.


    I let Joshua handle it. I did not want to do anything because I was too fragile, and also because I was a Luna now.

 Chapter 426-Finding My Brother

    <h4>Chapter 426: 426-Finding My Brother</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "So now what? Are we going back to the academy?" Ian started to ask.


    "We cannot go back there¡ª" he continued, but when I turned around to face him, he went silent.


    "We have to go to the academy, Ian," I said. "That¡¯s where Rue and Oriana are. That¡¯s where Yorick must have been taken." My voice softened. "I want to believe he hasn¡¯t been punished yet. I want to believe they didn¡¯t kill him."


    I didn¡¯t use a harsh tone this time.


    After a moment, we both started heading back toward the academy.


    But the minute we reached near the border, we noticed something far ahead on the road.


    Both of us froze, then quickly moved behind therge trees nearby.


    It was Yorick.


    He wasing out of the academy, carrying his bags, with his parents walking beside him.


    "I don¡¯t know, they¡¯re discharging him?" he questioned, almost as if asking himself.


    Then I saw the headmaster step out. I turned my head to look at Ian, whose eyes were fixed on his father as his jaw clenched.


    "Fucking find my son alive," The headmaster was screaming into the phone.


    This was the first time I had heard him lose his temperament, and it was clearly for his son¡¯s sake.


    Yorick¡¯s parents did not get into the car. Only Yorick did, and he mmed the door shut.


    He seemed fine, to be honest, but there was something else I could not help but notice.


    A fresh mark. I turned to look at Ian, who looked as confused as I was, then looked back at the headmaster.


    He had already ended the call while facing Yorick¡¯s parents.


    "Thank you for upholding the deal," Yorick¡¯s mother began.


    "Well, it¡¯s all about you scratch my back and I scratch yours," Yorick¡¯s father remarked, and the headmaster rolled his eyes.


    Even though they were working together, I could tell that Ian¡¯s father did not get along well with them.


    "I hope you will find your son soon, and if not, let us know. We can do something about it," Yorick¡¯s mother stated.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll find him. I¡¯m pretty sure he is alive. He is very powerful. More powerful than you all know," the headmaster replied, quickly defending his son, and Ian tensed up beside me.


    "Anyway, when your daughter-inw Orianaes back, it will be up to her to decide if she wants to return to the North for any more missions, or if she ns to be discharged, which I¡¯m assuming is what she will choose," the headmaster added.


    Those words felt as if the world had been pulled out from under my feet. I turned to look at Ian, and he frowned as well.


    "Yeah, thank you so much for it," Yorick¡¯s mothermented.


    Then they got into the car and left, while the headmaster strolled back into the academy.


    "Yorick is married to Oriana?" I asked him, and he shrugged again. Of course he was clueless too. He had been in the North with me.


    "Ian, you didn¡¯t know anything?" I asked, and he looked at me. This time, I did not know why, but he looked upset.


    "You think I¡¯m evil enough to not tell you on purpose?" Ian replied. "Clementine, at that moment, I honestly wasn¡¯t thinking about anything but you. You were gone, and I was scared. There were moments when Miss Rue raised rm bells in my head, but I couldn¡¯t focus on them, because I needed that key. I needed to be in the North to find you."


    This time, Ian spoke firmly, emotion stirring in his eyes, and I realized that my constant scolding had left him deeply unsettled.


    "Now, where should we go next?" Ian asked me, but his tone had changed.


    He sounded bitter, and I understood why, but I was still upset at the thought that Yorick might have been forced into marrying Oriana.


    It made sense. That was his punishment.


    "I want to visit somewhere first," I replied as I realized that walking back into the academy would mean we would be stuck there again.


    "Okay, let¡¯s go then," Ian stated dryly.


    "Before that, don¡¯t you think we should change? These clothes will get more attention on us," he suggested, already taking off his coat and the other ornaments hanging from his coat and pants.


    I also took off the skirt of the dress, leaving me in a corset and the tight pants underneath.


    I thought Ian was still upset with me, but I noticed him nce at me briefly before his eyes met mine and he quickly looked away.


    "You can look, you know," Imented, rolling my eyes.


    "No. When your wife is angry, you should wait for consent," he replied, earning a smile from me.


    Still, I knew that the ce I was going to visit would leave me having another meltdown.


    It was hard to walk onto the maind roads without a ringleader or someone constantly on our backs, or without a lurker following us.


    We were halfway through our journey when Ian began to guess where I might be heading.


    "Is it the pink tree?" he questioned, and I nodded.


    "I want to visit my brother¡¯s grave first, and after that, I want to take you to the cave."


    The moment I said that, I saw his eyes shine with hope.


    It took us some time to get there. Along the way, we had to find food and hide from prying eyes.


    Our clothes already made us look like two warriors who had stepped out of a fantasy world, so we stayed in the woods, hiding behind the trees.


    Finally, we reached my pack. It was not hard for us to sneak in. We had snuck into the North before.


    The pack borders were nothing, and I knew the ins and outs of the area.


    Once I reached the yground, I could see the big pink tree.


    He instantly held my hand tofort me. Walking toward the tree, I felt mixed emotions.


    Then I finally reached it. There was a big rock underneath the pink tree, and I knew this was it. I hade to the right ce.

 Chapter 427-Suki In Clementine’s Body

    <h4>Chapter 427: 427-Suki In Clementine¡¯s Body</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    We then stepped into the tunnel. The moment we did, I remembered thest time. I remembered how scared I had been until the shadow earth eater gave me hope.


    "Can you hear her?" Joshua asked me in worry.


    I began to realize that the others wereing in too, so I grabbed Joshua¡¯s hand and started running with him deeper into the tunnels.


    "We need to step away from them so that when I call her, she is not around others," I told him.


    I noticed that Joshua looked concerned.


    "We do not have a weapon. What if the other earth eaters attack us?" heined.


    I chuckled at him, and that alone was enough for him to understand that the shadow earth eater would never let anything hurt me.


    As we started to pass through the tunnel, earth eaters suddenly came out of nowhere.


    Joshua started to pull on my hand, warning me about the danger. The earth eaters were indeed very scary looking.


    They started to sniff us out and move closer to us. I noticed the way Joshua¡¯s body tensed up, almost as if he were ready to fight back.


    But I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and kept walking. Then, suddenly, the earth eaters started to wander away.


    Even I let out a deep breath, because, let¡¯s be honest, you never know when a monster will attack.


    "So you weren¡¯t lying when you said she takes care of you," Joshua remarked.


    Joshua freed his hand from mine and put it into his pants pockets.


    "I told you, I know her very well," I replied as I stopped at the end of the tunnel.


    There were two roads, one to the left and one to the right, but we did not need to go anywhere.


    We were exactly where we needed to be. I let out a deep breath and then smiled.


    "I¡¯m here," I called out.


    Suddenly, shadows started to form from one wall to the other, jumping around.


    "Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s not going to hurt us," I told Joshua.


    Every time she jumped around, Joshua¡¯s body jerked up. I had to constantly remind him not to act aggressively. Finally, her shadow started to appear on the front wall.


    "Did you bring someone to attack me?" she questioned, and the hair on the back of my neck started to stand up.


    No matter how many times I had interacted with her, it remained the same. I would still get shivers down my spine when I heard her upfront.


    "No, he hase here seeking your help," I responded.


    Her shadow started to dance around, and then she chuckled a bit.


    "I can tell. He really, really needs help, doesn¡¯t he?" she remarked, making me turn around to make eye contact with Joshua, almost as if to let him know that I had told him she would understand before he even spoke.


    "So handsome, such a strong man. I wonder what it was that you do not have that you want so badly." a voice came.


    The shadow at the eater finally showed herself, and I quickly looked down. Even when we were friends, I hated the sight of her.


    She had a strange human-like body with crocodile scales. Even her face was like a snake¡¯s face.


    She reached Joshua, and I turned to look at him. He was staring at her as well.


    Then she stuck her tongue out and licked from his biceps up to his shoulders, reaching his cheeks.


    However, he did not even flinch, and I guessed she liked how strong he was because she pulled her tongue back and started to snicker.


    "Tell me, young man, what do you want? I shall fulfill your dream," she asked him.


    Even my ears perked up. I wanted to know exactly what he desired.


    Joshua took a deep breath and turned to look at me.


    "Ah, you do not want to speak in front of her?" she asked, and my frown deepened.


    "Joshua, you said you would speak in front of me," I told him, my hands resting on my waist.


    He looked back at the shadow earth eater and finally decided to speak.


    "I miss Suki," he admitted.


    As soon as he said that, I rolled my eyes. I thought he would ask for something more powerful, like controlling the academy¡¯s headmaster so he could let him go and discharge him before he killed the crusaders.


    "What do you want me to do?" the shadow earth eater asked him.


    She had been circling him too closely, touching him, licking his body, and all that.


    "I want Suki back," Joshua replied.


    The moment he said that, I pped my forehead. He was wasting such a good deal. However, I knew what I wanted, so I decided to be honest about my deal.


    "Can you bring her back?" he asked her, his tone turning into a soft murmur as he requested it.


    All that for a cheater. I did not understand some men, honestly.


    "Well, you are lucky that you are in and where souls stay awake," she replied.


    The minute she said that, Joshua¡¯s eyes widened. Even my heart started to beat loudly.


    "Does that mean I will be able to see her again?" Joshua asked her, sounding a little too excited.


    "Sure, but there is one problem. You have to bring me a woman, a body where I will summon Suki¡¯s spirit," she exined.


    As soon as she said that, Joshua¡¯s smile started to widen, and an idea began to form in my head as well.


    Maybe I would not need to waste my wish. I could convince Joshua to bring Clementine here and let Suki take over her body.


    "I want to have a word with him first," I told her.


    I instantly jumped up and down, smiling widely. Even Joshua looked shocked.


    "Sure, if he wants to," the shadow earth eater replied as she wandered away.


    "What is it?" Joshua asked me, grunting.


    "I know a body you can use," I told him, watching his excitement rise as he let out a deep breath of relief.


    "Really? Who?" he questioned.


    I kept smiling at him.


    "Clementine."


    The minute I said her name, a small smirk appeared on his lips.


    "What do you say?" I asked him.


    "Huh," he murmured, gently touching his chin.


    "Isn¡¯t it a good option?" I remarked, hoping he would agree quickly.


    He did, because he started to nod his head.


    "So, I am hearing a name I have heard before," the Shadow Earth Eatermented, mentioning Clementine.


    "Yeah, she has been a nuisance, but she is in the North, so we should go and bring her. In fact, do you have any connection with any monsters you can ask to go and grab her?" I asked the Shadow Earth Eater, speaking casually.


    I noticed the way Joshua looked at me. He seemed shocked that I had such a connection with her.


    "Seems like a good idea, but isn¡¯t she a little tough?" she remarked.


    As soon as she said that, my smile began to falter.


    "That is because people defend her," I mumbled, annoyed that even she was praising Clementine.


    "No, not really. From what I can tell, it will be difficult for you to bring her here. It is a great deal. She is gorgeous and perfect, but remember, there are men waiting for her. How will you convince so many men that she is the same Clementine as before? They will figure it out," she exined.


    I did not know why the Shadow Earth Eater was defending Clementine, but I guessed she wanted a sessful oue.


    Last time, she could not perform well, so this time she was offering options to Joshua so she would not have two failures in a row.


    However, it did not matter to me. If he did not agree with me and chose her option, that would be fine too.


    I still had my wish, and I knew I would ask for Clementine¡¯s demise. This time, I would make sure it was final.


    "But why can¡¯t you do it? I mean, it is my wish. Can you summon Clementine here?" Joshua asked her, and I turned to look at her.


    It seemed like even Joshua wanted Clementine¡¯s body to be used.


    "You can only ask for one wish. If it is notplete, you can ask for another, but for that, you will have to make sacrifices," she stated.


    Joshua began to nod.


    "Fine then. I will go and grab Clementine," he dered.


    I was happy when he said that. Even when she tried to scare him off, he chose Clementine. Of course, men cared far too much about her body.


    With that determination in his mind, he gestured for me to start leaving.


    However, not before he turned around to have onest word with the Shadow Earth Eater.


    "There are crusadersing to kill you. Make sure you keep yourself safe," he told her, warning her about them.


    I mean, we were not afraid of the others, but Haiden and Troy could be a problem.

 Chapter 428-They Are Watching North

    <h4>Chapter 428: 428-They Are Watching North</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "You see this star, one big star with two small star symbols?" I asked Ian as I pointed at therge stone under which my brother rested. He had sat down on the ground with me.


    "My mother used to carve it for us on every toy," I added.


    Ian wrapped his arm around me, gently pulling me closer to his chest.


    "I¡¯m d I got to meet my mother," I told him.


    He cupped my face and then pulled me closer, getting on his knees in front of me and hugging me. I knelt down too. I cried a lot. I did not know why.


    I guessed it was because growing up, I had not cried at all. Now I was letting everything out because I knew there was no one left to judge me.


    "What do you want to do next?" Ian asked, and I gave him a sad look.


    "If I could, I would just sit here for a while, but we don¡¯t have time," I replied and broke the hug.


    We stared at each other, then slowly stood up from the ground.


    "Ian, you previously said your father was going to get you discharged and send you away," I remarked.


    I finished wiping my cheeks and started to wander away with him, heading toward the pack where my destination was.


    "That was his way of taking me out of whatever they had nned for the Crusaders," he exined, and I nodded.


    "So basically that is what they did with Yorick too. I remember finding out that Yorick and you were special. Could it be that they had nned it? Maybe the Oriana thing as well?" I asked.


    He shrugged, looking genuinely confused.


    "That still would not make them include Oriana. They would never trust someone like her," Ianmented.


    "Or maybe they just yed along with her because it helped them get Yorick out of the academy," I suggested.


    Once again, Ian shrugged, still looking unsure. From that point onward, we had to stay low.


    Ian was the one who found us clothes, something casual. I wore a hat, a loose men¡¯s shirt, and loose pants that I had to tie tightly with a belt so they would not slip.


    Ian took an oversized sweater, roughly tied around his biceps, and he also wore a hat.


    "So where are we headed?" he asked.


    "Straight to the cave," I replied, pointing away from the academy as we began to move.


    It was definitely odd being on the maind without any restrictions. We were able to wander around and even find ces where we could get free food.


    It felt real. Once in a while, I had a smile on my face, just admiring small things. It also helped that Yorick did not die, but I was worried they had married him to her.


    Still, there was one question lingering in the back of both our minds. Why was Oriana not with him in the car?


    Finally, one of us had to say it, and it was Ian who brought it up.


    "That is what I am thinking about. Where could she be?" he questioned.


    "Or do you think they married her too, and she is going to stay in the academy forever?" I questioned.


    Ian shook his head.


    "I do not think she would ever agree to something like that. There must be some other catch," he replied, looking uneasy.


    I guessed it was because Ian was someone who always needed to know everything. When he could not get answers, he became irritated.


    We reached the pack, and honestly, I remembered itpletely differently. That was probably because thest time we were here, there had been a bad storm.


    This time, everything was normal. Everyone was going on with their lives. Ian and I had to sneak in, a new way, as I always did.


    I had been in and out of packs before. I was a troubled teenager, always looking for trouble, mostly because I was always trying to get away from home and find sce somewhere else.


    This time, though, I had already figured out the ins and outs of this particr pack when we were here before.


    Once we reached the river, I noticed Ian started taking off his sweater. I bit my bottom lip while staring at his abs.


    He set the sweater down and turned to me, tilting his head.


    "Come on now, do not make me jump on you here. We have a mission ahead," he taunted, smirking.


    He jumped into the water. I took off my hat, let my hair loose, and jumped in after him.


    We swam to the area I remembered, and he was the first to reach the stone. However, I was the one who got up first. I held out a hand to him, and he epted it with a smile.


    As we both got to our feet, we faced the cave. The cave where I had discovered the deadly secrets of the academy.


    Ian could already tell that at this point I did not want to speak with him because I was too consumed by where I was headed.


    It took me back to the moment I found out the truth. What I saw there had been truly traumatizing.


    He quickly held my hand to let me know he was right beside me and that I could lead him anywhere I wanted. So I took him straight down the dark cave.


    "I hid the tapes here," I pointed out, gesturing at the spot. I could tell it was intact. No one had gotten into it.


    "No need to touch it yet," he suggested for some reason.


    There was an uneasiness in the cave that day, almost as if it were alive.


    However, once we took a few more steps forward, I realized what was happening. There was someone in the hall.


    "Do you hear this voice?" I asked Ian, and he nodded.


    "I think they are watching the tapes," I uttered, my fingers curling tightly around Ian¡¯s hand.


    "That means the Crusaders are in the north," Ian added as we continued toward the door.


    Once we reached it, we heard the most traumatizing words.


    "This is no fun. The cameras in the tunnels have been knocked down. We want to have fun. We were promised fun," someone yelled, boohooing over the fact that they could not see the tapes.

 Chapter 429-Clementine’s Sister

    <h4>Chapter 429: 429-Clementine¡¯s Sister</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    "Your brother will be so happy to see you," my mother stated as we were finally home.


    Our pack had always been the quietest one. Nobody really poked their noses into each other¡¯s matters.


    In fact, my father had made sure everyone did their job without questioning anything, and it worked in our favor.


    Nobody knew the dark side of our home, our life.


    "So, how are you feeling about getting out of the academy?" my mother asked me, a bright smile still on her lips.


    "Not satisfied," I responded, letting her know it felt like I had left so much behind.


    "It¡¯s alright. Everything will be fine. Just focus on getting the power now," my mother uttered.


    I got out of the car and looked around at the people. They were all looking at me with bright smiles on their faces.


    "Do they not know what I was used of?" I asked my mother. She avoided my eyes.


    That was when I focused on the women¡¯s faces. Their smiles were the brightest, but they were fake.


    My father had warned them not to show what they truly thought of me, and it hurt even more.


    All the praise, all the pping was fake. After everything I had done in the North, it was all washed away because someone decided to lie about my character.


    "Now, stop focusing on that. Just think of it as someone having dark thoughts about you. You know people do not always like someone, but they have to pretend they do because they are scared of what will happen if they show their real emotions. So take it as something positive. Nobody would dare to upset you. In the meantime, wee back home," my mother spoke in one breath.


    She opened her arms as my father opened the gate, the two of them watching me with nothing but fulfillment on their faces.


    It was unsettling to think that my parents had once told me they knew they would set me free.


    And now, here I was, set free. I knew exactly why. I just did not realize their words would have such a strong impact.


    Once I stepped into the house, I felt cozy. Still, I had hoped that this time, when I came back home, I would have my mate with me.


    Not just any mate, Clementine.


    Sadly, she had left me when I needed her the most because she decided she would rather be discharged and start over with Ian than stay and face our troubles and issues.


    The same dark mansion stood before me, with therge hallway on the first floor where my parents¡¯ offices and theirboratory were, and my room on the second floor.


    I started to step toward the second floor to freshen up, but my mother held my hand.


    "Do you not want to meet your brother?" she asked. There was a strange grin on her lips.


    "Maybeter," I replied, freeing my hand from hers.


    I noticed she looked disappointed. She wanted us to get along well. How could I? My brother did not understand the difference between right and wrong.


    But I had a lot going on in my mind. I could not deal with another situation like this.


    My father gave my mother a hand gesture, letting her know it was fine, that I needed some time, and that she should respect that.


    Thankfully, that was it. They let me wander away.


    As I climbed to the second floor and stepped toward my room, I began to hear scufflinging from one of the rooms.


    It was not just the sound of someone being there, but someone in panic and hysteria.


    I stopped near one of the doors before my bedroom and leaned in, pressing my ear against it.


    Someone was whimpering inside, but not loudly. The words were muffled.


    "What are you doing?" my mother asked.


    I stepped away from the door and pointed at it.


    "Who is in there?" I questioned, watching her with a stern look.


    "Why do you care?" she replied, looking upset that I was once again asking the same kind of questions I used to ask before leaving for the academy.


    "Mother, you promised you would stop," I told her, looking her in the eye as she rolled hers.


    "I am close, just one more attempt," she uttered, and I pped my forehead.


    "How many people have to suffer for my brother?" I grunted, reminding her that she had told me the same thing before, that it would be just this once and then it would be over.


    Every time, she faced disappointment and failure, and that meant she continued anyway.


    "Open the door. I want to see who is inside," I ordered, pointing toward it.


    My mother looked at me with the same expression she always gave me before I left for the North. Disappointment and annoyance.


    "You are back to your ways. Have you learned nothing?" my mother grunted, cing a hand on the door to make sure I did not open it.


    "Mother, open the door. I just want to see," I insisted, giving her a stern look.


    "Fine, but you have to promise me you will not intervene in matters," my mother warned and I shook my head.


    "I will not do that. If you are doing something wrong, I will not be a part of it," I told her.


    She clenched her jaw, then folded her arms across her chest, as if weighing her words.


    "What if I make a deal with you? What if you let me do this, and I help you get to Clementine?" she offered.


    The moment my mother said those words, the resolve building inside me began to fade.


    "Tell me. Time is ticking. Make a decision," my mother insisted, tapping her foot on the ground.


    The sound of her foot tapping and her jaw tightening started to make me anxious. Then I gave in.


    "Fine, but open the door. I want to see what is in there," I said.


    After hearing my response, my mother smiled. She stepped forward and opened the door.


    There were many locks on it, and it took her a while to undo them all.


    When the door finally opened and I stepped inside, it felt like an instant blow.


    "Leysa?" I gasped at her sight.

 Chapter 430-Finally Got The Tapes

    <h4>Chapter 430: 430-Finally Got The Tapes</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Ian and I stood there, listening to their conversations. It seemed like none of them carried any heart.


    "Come on, where is the footage? Are we getting any sex?" someone elsemented, making me clench tighter around Ian¡¯s hand.


    We both looked at each other as we listened to theints. I wanted to burst in and expose them, but that would have been a stupid move.


    More specifically, it would mean exposing myself without any backup.


    I had Ian, but at this point, both of us had kept our wolves hidden from the others.


    That also would not help our purpose. If they see us here, they would forbid us, restrict us, and even fight us if we tried to go out and tell the world.


    "Let¡¯s take the tapes and go to the council members," I told him.


    As soon as I said that, Ian nodded. That seemed like the only n.


    He grabbed the tapes and started to step away. I watched him stare at the titles, and I could tell he felt the same way I had when I first saw them.


    His body tensed, disgust crossing his face, before he straightened his back and headed toward the way out.


    That was where the main problem began. There was no other option except to swim through. The tapes would get ruined that way.


    "What now?" I asked Ian.


    "You have to go to the other side, and I¡¯ll toss them to you. You have to catch them," he replied, the cold wind brushing against his bare abs.


    "Do you think you can do this?" he questioned.


    I gave him an obvious look before rolling my eyes.


    "Of course I can, Ian," I remarked.


    My confidence made him smirk as he waited for me to swim through. I swam to the other side, which was farther than expected, and not the main area where the pack members could easily see us.


    It was only a rocky edge of the river. I did not even know whaty beyond it, or if another river flowed behind it.


    For now, we had to continue by tossing the tapes to each other and finding safe zones.


    Once I had the tapes, I watched Ian swim toward me. When he reached the ground, we looked around for another safe ce.


    "That ground over there," I remarked, pointing toward the farthest stretch ahead.


    Ian nodded.


    "I¡¯ll go first this time," he stated, swimming across the river and reaching the ground.


    I lifted the tapes and swung them like a frisbee. He caught them one by one. Then I swam through, feeling the ground steady beneath my feet.


    This time, I moved ahead and searched for a secure spot. I raised my arms and caught the tapes when Ian tossed them.


    I held them tightly, securing them on a dry ledge between the rocks. I nced back at him, and he nodded once before moving closer.


    We repeated the process, tossing and catching, stepping and steadying ourselves, always checking the ground before trusting it.


    When we finally reached the wider stretch where the river flowed more evenly, I let out a slow breath, my shoulders easing as I looked toward the road ahead.


    We were right to trust our instincts in finding a safe ce.


    "What now?" I asked Ian as we stepped into the woods.


    "Now you wait here. I¡¯ll go grab my sweater," he replied, earning a nod from me.


    As he hurried away, I stared at the tapes in my hands and remembered the way they had all asked for live footage.


    It hurt to think about it. None of those people in the North knew what was really happening here.


    "Do you think Haiden and Troy are okay?" my wolf questioned.


    Of course she still felt the mate bond with them. She was worried about them.


    "I hope they are. They are powerful, though. I have faith in them," I murmured, suddenly feeling low.


    Memories of the early days surfaced, followed by how we had moved past the bullying phase.


    There had been so much happening at the time that I could barely focus on what they were doing to me.


    Our main goal had been survival, and we achieved that. Many of us did.


    But if what Ian told me was true, that they were preparing the Crusaders for one final session, then we were running out of time.


    When Ian returned, I started handing him a few of the tapes.


    "What is that? Why are you dividing them?" he asked, confused.


    "Ian, we will have to part ways from here."


    The moment I said it, he shook his head almost instantly.


    "No, listen to me," I continued. "We cannot stay together. It is too dangerous. I will go to the council. You go to the nearest major news channel and prepare to release the tapes in a few hours. I will speak to the council members and inform them about the academy¡¯s secrets."


    As I spoke, I watched him frown. It was clear he was notfortable with the idea of us splitting up, but staying together carried more risk.


    If we ran into trouble, both of us would be exposed. One of us needed to be somewhere safe, somewhere the tapes could still be used.


    "Then let me go to the council," he urged.


    "Ian, now is not the time for that," I told him calmly. "We are in this together, and both of us need protection. This is not about me or my production anymore. We need to focus on saving those in the North."


    "Fine," he said after a pause. "But when do you want me to release them? What if the council member reacts badly?"


    "They should not," I replied. "They have no right to be upset. For years, they suspected nothing. For years, they did nothing about these games. They are not meless. They should have focused on helping the young teens sent away against their will instead of enjoying their luxuries."


    "Here, I¡¯ve divided them for you," I exined. "These are the ones that do not expose anyone¡¯s personal life or intimate moments."


    The tapes I gave him focused on us fighting the monsters. One of them stood out in particr. It was titled Oriana betrays the Crusader, leaves her behind in the North while stealing the baby from her.

 Chapter 431-Betrayal Tastes The Worse

    <h4>Chapter 431: 431-Betrayal Tastes The Worse</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    I noticed the way Joshua turned to leave, and I ran after him. What if he needed help? If Clementine were alone, that would have been better. But with Ian with her, it would be far more difficult for Joshua to take her from right under his watch. There was no way Clementine was strong enough to fight anyone alone. She always needed backup. Always.


    "Who are you fooling?" my wolf snapped, making me roll my eyes.


    We reached the entrance of the cave when Joshua suddenly tugged at my arm.


    "What?" I asked as he slowed, letting me move ahead before pulling me back, almost hiding me behind the wall.


    "Do you not hear it?" he questioned, irritated that I was not paying attention.


    "Hear what?" I replied, frowning as I leaned toward where he pointed.


    "I do not know. It is scary. I am not leaving this ce," Mirained to Renee and Sebastian.


    They were standing right at the entrance.


    "Oh," I murmured, nodding to Joshua as I understood why he had stopped us. We could not leave.


    "Where is Haiden and Troy?" I asked in a whisper.


    "I have a bad feeling those two are busy trying to find the Shadow earth eater, and they might seed," Joshua whispered before elbowing me.


    "What?" I asked, straightening my posture.


    "Go ahead. Ask them and try to get information out of those three," Joshua insisted.


    Since he was an alpha, if he rushed toward the entrance, the others would think he was scared and leaving. That meant I had to be the one to step out.


    I rolled my eyes and dramatically ced a hand on my stomach before dragging myself forward. The three of them looked at me and instantly rushed over.


    "Are you okay, Oriana?" Renee asked, helping me lean against the wall.


    "Yeah, I do not know what is going on. Ever since what Yorick did," I paused dramatically, turning my face away and biting my bottom lip.


    Every time I mentioned Yorick, the same look of hatred crossed their faces. That was fine. He did not need to be loved by everyone. I would give him enough love to feel fulfilled.


    "By the way, where is everyone else? Is everybody fine?" I asked, pretending to worry.


    "Troy and Haiden sensed strong energy from one corner, so they are probably close to finding the Shadow Earth Eater. We don¡¯t know where Joshua is. But do not worry, Haiden and Troy got it," Mira exined, patting my shoulder. "Why don¡¯t youe with us? We decided to take a short break at the house and then return."


    "Oh no, no," I replied quickly. "I want to keep working. I need to stay busy to clear my mind," I added, sniffing.


    "Anyway, you can all go rest," I told them, waving them off.


    I could tell they did not think it was a good idea for me to head back into the tunnel, but I kept up the act, dragging myself away. Once I was sure they had turned the corner, I rushed toward Joshua. He had already moved deeper into the tunnel.


    "Joshua," I whispered, slowing down and covering my mouth to keep my voice low.


    "Yeah? What is going on?" he asked, turning around, waiting for my answer.


    "As expected, Haiden and Troy are taking this seriously. It looks like they want to be the ones to kill the monster," I exined.


    He grunted, cing his hands on his waist.


    "We should inform her that she needs to watch those two alphas," Joshua remarked, making me realize we should have done that earlier.


    "Why did we not give her the full details about who entered the tunnel with us to kill her?" I muttered.


    "Let¡¯s go," Joshua urged.


    I followed him again, noticing how confidently he led the way this time. Soon, the tunnel ended, splitting into left and right paths. We did not need to choose either. We were exactly where we needed to be.


    "You have returned quite early," the Shadow Earth Eater formed along the wall once more. "I assume you found out that Clementine has left the North."


    The moment those words were spoken, my body stiffened, and Joshua tensed beside me.


    "What do you mean?" Joshua asked instantly, snapping at the Shadow Earth Eater.


    "I just sensed her leave a few minutes ago. Now tell me, are you going to go after her? But how would you? Is it not your task to kill me and then leave?" she demanded.


    The Shadow Earth Eater must have listened to our thoughts, because she sounded slightly irritated.


    "That is exactly what we came here to warn you about," Joshua exined quickly. "You need to stay away from Haiden and Troy."


    Once again, we were left with more questions than answers.


    "What do we do about Clementine then?" I asked, watching Joshua ce his hands on his waist.


    As I looked around, I turned back to the Shadow Earth Eater and noticed how intently she was trying to read his mind. She seemedpletely focused on him. Was he truly that difficult to read, or was it because he was an alpha? And a clever one at that.


    "All you need is a body," the Shadow Earth Eater told him.


    Joshua threw his head back, staring at the ceiling of the cave.


    "If you can do it quickly, I have a request as well," I stated sharply.


    Ian and Clementine were already gone. How was I supposed to make my wishe true now? At first, I had nned to ask her directly to kill Clementine. Or to send her monsters after them, relentless until they seeded. But now Clementine was out of reach. That meant I needed another way. A way to control something, or someone, close enough to her. Someone who could finish the job.


    I was lost in those thoughts when I realized the Shadow Earth Eater was staring at me. My head snapped toward Joshua, and I noticed the way he was looking back at me.


    "What is it?" I asked. The tension in my voice was impossible to hide.


    "We already have a body here," Joshua said quietly.


    The moment those words left his mouth, my heart dropped in my chest.

 Chapter 432-I Wish I Wasn’t Such A Bad Person

    <h4>Chapter 432: 432-I Wish I Wasn¡¯t Such A Bad Person</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I demanded, trying to ease my breaths. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I muttered.


    "I asked you a question," I added when he did not respond to me.


    I was getting annoyed, but also overly concerned by what he had said. The way he curled one lip upward to form the scariest smile I had ever seen.


    I turned to look at the Shadow Earth Eater, then back at Joshua, before looking at her again.


    "You know what¡ª-we can find another body¡ª,"


    I did not know if it was some kind of self-awareness inside me that made me speak so anxiously and give ideas without being asked. It was just happening on its own. I snapped my fingers as if I had juste up with an idea.


    "If you cannot get Clementine, you can get Mira," I suggested.


    "I mean, she¡¯s right there, and she¡¯s kind of stupid," I continued.


    "It will be so much easier to get her here," I added, chuckling to ovepensate for the anxious feeling I was having.


    I looked at Joshua and then back at the Shadow Earth Eater, waiting for them to tell me it was a brilliant idea. However, they were still watching my face with such weird eyes.


    I could tell Joshua was not interested in Mira.


    "He has two friends who know her very well," Joshua clicked his tongue to dismiss the idea. The shadow earth eater moved around the walls, putting ideas into his head.


    At this point, I was no fool. I recognized their stares. The way Joshua adjusted his body, when I was moving, had already shaken me.


    "Okay, then how about I give you my wish too?" I asked, turning toward him with a wide smile, trying to act confident even though something felt off.


    Joshua tilted his head slightly as he looked at me.


    "I don¡¯t know," he remarked. "It seems like you are someone nobody ever understood properly. Someone nobody even knows well enough to pay any attention. If anything is wrong with you, nobody will figure it out," he added, watching my reaction closely.


    At this point, I had already started working on this idea, even if I had not meant to.


    "Wait. Step back. Let me tell you something," I warned, lifting my hand slightly as he moved closer.


    When he did not stop, panic crept in.


    "Have you lost your mind, Joshua?" I snapped, my voice rising. "Don¡¯t you see what she is doing? She ising between two friends," I added, shaking my head.


    I warned him, but his smile did not fade. He kept staring at me, stepping closer one slow step at a time, closing the distance between us.


    "Listen, I am a marked woman now," I said, stepping back. "My mate will be angry, and he will recognize the difference, my stepfamily¡ª" I continued, trying to stop him from making a mistake.


    Joshua shook his head.


    "Your mate does not want to do shit with you," he replied tly. "He will never recognize you. As for your stepfamily, do you take me for a fool?" he went on. "I know they don¡¯t want you. I know they don¡¯t even know you. I¡¯m sorry, Oriana, but it seems like you are the only option left."


    Those words hit hard. My heart sank in my chest.


    "Joshua, don¡¯t do anything stupid," I pleaded, ncing around. "I am the one helping you. How could you do this to me?" I asked hastily.


    I noticed then that the Shadow Earth Eater was standing back, not really taking part in whatever she had started.


    "Aren¡¯t you the one who believes in stealing opportunities?" Joshua asked, his eyes fixed on mine. "So what if I am doing the same?" He took another step forward. "I cannot go back to get anyone. You know we cannot even leave the north until we have performed our mission. And I am not leaving until I have fulfilled my wishes."


    "I want my Suki back," Joshua whispered, his expression no longer steady.


    "Not only am I going to bring Suki in your body, but I will ask her to use your wish too," Joshua told me.


    The words shocked me so much that I almost tripped as I stepped backward, trying to put distance between us.


    "Joshua, don¡¯t let this Shadow Eater get into your head," I warned, raising my voice. "Before you know it, she will start demanding sacrifices. She never leaves like that. She will eat you up. She will threaten to expose you."


    I finally began telling him the secrets I had never shared with him, the dangers of making wishes. As I spoke, his lips curled into a quiet chuckle.


    "Oh, Oriana," he replied, shaking his head. "So suddenly you want to remind me of all the consequences. Well, it¡¯s a little toote." He pouted slightly, then shrugged his shoulders.


    I noticed then that he started stepping forward faster than before.


    "You cannot do this," I pleaded. "I have a perfect life outside. I nned everything for myself. You can just go and get Mira. I will help you, please."


    I kept stepping backward, moving away from him more quickly now, my feet struggling to keep bnce.


    "No, I¡¯m not risking anything, Oriana," he replied calmly. "I know you¡¯re the perfect one for it."


    As soon as he said that, he lunged at me.


    I dodged him just in time, watching him collide with the wall as I turned and ran forward. I did not know where I was headed. I only knew I had taken a left.


    As I ran, fear settled deep inside me, the fear of dying in the north, something I had been trying so hard to avoid.


    Then my wolf spoke.


    "All you had to do was tell the headmaster you didn¡¯t want to continue. The choice was always in our hands, but we got too greedy. We got too careless. Why did we make Clementine the reason for our entire existence?"


    My wolf let out a strained howl as an alpha began chasing after us. Not just any alpha, but a murderous one.

 Chapter 433-If Wishes Were Horses, Beggars Would Ride

    <h4>Chapter 433: 433-If Wishes Were Horses, Beggars Would Ride</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    Hatred and vengeance can ruin a person¡¯s entire life. Hatred toward someone simply because they are better than another person is the most damaging kind. Sadly, I realized this toote.


    "Oh Moon Goddess, please forgive me for listening to and for begging monsters to fulfill my wishes. If you forgive me this once and help me get out alive, I will fix everything. I will fix all my mistakes. I will tell everyone the crimes I havemitted, and I will beg for forgiveness. Please, just this once."


    I cried as I ran, my movements wild and desperate.


    "Please, Moon Goddess, listen to me," I screamed, crying when an idea suddenly formed in my mind.


    I could ask for the Crusaders¡¯ help. I could ruin Joshua¡¯s n and tell them that he was the one summoning the Shadow Earth Eater this time. I was already a victim. They would try to help me. I was sure they would.


    "Haiden! Troy! Sebastian! Help me!" I screamed.


    "Mira! Renee! Please,e here! Help me!" I shouted again.


    I was not paying attention when my foot caught on a rock. My body lifted a few centimeters off the ground before mming down hard.


    Pain shot through my arms, chest, and face as my skin scraped against the rough surface.


    I cried out, whining as I struggled to get back on my feet.


    Joshua came up behind me before I could move. His fist tangled in my hair, yanking my head back before mming it into the wall. One of the rocky edges scraped against my eyelid, sending sharp pain through my body.


    I screamed as he struck my face again and again.


    "Please, take over," I begged my wolf aloud.


    Joshua did not give me even a moment. Every time my wolf tried to respond, he threw me against the opposite wall, then kicked and punched the back of my neck.


    The pain became unbearable.


    After several minutes of relentless blows, he finally let go. My body copsed onto the ground. All I could see was red. My hands, my arms, my mouth, everything was bleeding.


    I dragged myself away, only to turn and see him standing over my feet. His legs were spread as he cracked his knuckles, a smirk resting on his face.


    "It hurts a lot, Joshua. Please don¡¯t do this," I begged, barely able to keep myself upright.


    Every inch of my body ached, every bone screaming in pain. Still, I forced my hands up, pressing my palms together as I begged him for forgiveness.


    "Please," I uttered, my vision spinning as if the world were swirling around me.


    Joshua looked down at me and smiled faintly.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to ruin this body too much," he replied. "I mean, it¡¯s my Suki¡¯s body from now on."


    He tilted his head, as if considering something.


    "Although it would have been much better if I had Clementine¡¯s body," he continued. "But the Shadow Earth Eater is right. Everybody knows Clementine very well, and her behavior is different from every other woman around. It would be much easier to spot the changes."


    Then he chuckled and pointed at me.


    "But you," he went on, "nobody wants you. Nobody likes you, so nobody fucking cares. Everybody knows you can be as toxic as possible."


    As he said those words, he squatted down in front of me, and I began to understand what I had done to myself.


    At the same time, I saw the Shadow Earth Eater leap from one wall to the other,nding silently behind Joshua.


    "I gave you a wish, and you ruined itst time," she remarked bitterly. "You thought you coulde back and demand again, as if this were a candy shop."


    All this time, I thought I was clever. I had forgotten that a monster is never to be trusted.


    "What she is doing to me, she will do worse to you," I told Joshua, lifting my head to look at him. "Don¡¯t go through with this."


    After so long, I had finally achieved something in my life. I was going back home, never returning to the north, but he had ruined it for me. Freedom felt miles away now, the same freedom I had almost touched when Yorick marked me.


    I had made one mistake when the Headmaster asked if I wanted to go on the mission. My jealousy and hatred for Clementine won, and today, I lost.


    Joshua crawled on top of me, his hands closing around my neck. I tried to fight back, but my body was already in too much pain to respond.


    "Just make sure she passes out, and then her soul will be reced with Suki¡¯s," the Shadow Earth Eater instructed. "Oriana will be gone, with nothing left to rely on. Even her body will be taken from her."


    She chuckled, and tears streamed down my face.


    "Please," I begged Joshua, my voice breaking.


    I made the mistake of thinking too far ahead of myself, of feeling too superior, as he knocked the wind out of me.


    I scratched at the backs of his hands, tears streaming down my face. I had always feared dying in the north, and here I was, dying in the north.


    "Well, I can help you with one thing," the Shadow Earth Eater uttered, "just to intensify the pain, I can show you what your life would have been if you had stayed honest and loyal to Clementine."


    She swung her arms around in a strange, almost dancing motion. Everything went dark before slowly brightening again.


    My throat tightened, but I could no longer see Joshua¡¯s face.


    Instead, I saw something else, something like another reality. It was a life that could have happened if I had not chosen the path I did, if I had decided to stay friends with Clementine.


    Right in front of me, I was running alongside her.


    "We¡¯ll go to the council and let them know, okay?" Clementine told me in this version of events, the one I never chose.


    "I hope they will help us, Clementine," I heard myself say, my voice full of confidence.


    She stayed close to me, making sure I remained on the safer side of the road. It was the kind of friendship that could have saved me.


    "Oh, don¡¯t worry," Clementine added. "Besides, Ian and your alpha mate will be watching out too."


    My heart skipped. In this version of my life, it felt like I had found my true mate, not someone I had forced myself to ept.


    But that was all I was allowed to see. It looked like the happy ending I had lost. I could not even see who my mate was before everything turned dark again.


    All my efforts, all my struggle to survive, vanished.

 Chapter 434-Having My Lover Back

    <h4>Chapter 434: 434-Having My Lover Back</h4>


    <strong>Joshua:</strong>


    I watched Oriana pass out, then stepped away. I had done my job. Now it was the Shadow Earth Eater¡¯s duty to do her bidding, to do her job. I had listened to Oriana¡¯s pleadings. I listened to everything. I even saw the fear in her eyes. It was the same kind of fear I had once seen in Suki¡¯s eyes, but there was a difference. Oriana could never be Suki. Suki was innocent. Suki was my mate.


    "Ready to meet your beloved mate after so many months?" the Shadow Earth eater asked, and I anxiously rubbed my palms together.


    "But before that, I must remind you. You will need to help me escape those two alphas who are running through the tunnels, trying to get to me to kill me," she added.


    I quickly nodded my head.


    "We can always fool them with some Earth eater¡¯s head," I replied, letting her know she did not need to fear, since they had never seen the Shadow Earth eater.


    She considered it for a moment, then nodded, almost as if impressed by the way my mind worked.


    "I knew you were a better choice andpanion than Oriana," she remarked.


    At this point, I was growing tired of her. I knew for a fact she could not read my mind. I had blocked out most of my thoughts at that moment. Even if there were any thoughts left, she could not read them. I was shutting her out.


    "So when can Suki show her presence?" I asked, my tone edged with agitation.


    "Why not now?" she replied, and my eyes narrowed with excitement.


    She then began circling Oriana¡¯s body. My breath quickened in my chest. My eyes searched for my beautiful mate.


    It would be harder for me to ept her in Oriana¡¯s body, but that was the truth. I never loved Suki for her body.


    I loved her for who she was. Even when I knew she had betrayed me, even when I knew she was not as innocent as I once imed to others, it did not matter. To me, she was everything. The most innocent one of all.


    Then I watched the Earth eater begin to step back. As the Shadow Earth eater continued to retreat, my heart pounded louder in my chest.


    I noticed Oriana¡¯s finger twitch. Goosebumps covered my skin again. I straightened my posture, watching her closely. Slowly, she pushed herself up. However, her movements were disoriented, almost as if she did not know how to control her own body. That was how I knew this was not Oriana anymore.


    "My head hurts," Oriana murmured, her voice gentle, carrying the same hint of sweetness as Suki¡¯s.


    She looked around, then down at her hands. I watched as she stared at them for a moment, making fists and releasing them. Then she nced down and touched her clothes.


    "Why am I in a ck outfit?" she questioned.


    I smiled and looked toward the Shadow Earth eater, who moved within the shadows. It was my Suki now.


    Suki lifted her head and looked at me.


    "What is going on?" she gasped, covering her mouth. "Wait, how am I alive? What is happening?"


    She touched her hair, pulling it forward to look at it, then frowned at its color.


    "What is going on?" she repeated, running her hands over herself. "How am I alive again? I was dead. I died. Did you?"


    After the panic eased, she finally met my eyes, waiting for an answer. My smile must have told her enough, but she needed more, so I nodded.


    She did not hesitate before getting to her feet and throwing herself at me. I noticed it was difficult for her to move in a body again after being dead for so many months, but I quickly caught her and held her close. It felt strange, yet it no longer felt like Oriana¡¯s body. It felt like Suki¡¯s. I tightened my arms around her.


    "Ow," she snapped, pping my chest and pulling away.


    "What is it?" I asked, gently touching her cheeks and her forehead.


    "Why am I in so much pain? And why is there blood on me?" she demanded.


    As her questions poured out, I cleared my throat awkwardly.


    "Wait. Tell me everything. How did you bring me back to life?" she pressed, her eyes drifting toward the shadow moving nearby. "What the fuck is that?"


    She screamed and tried to get away, but I grabbed her arms. She struggled, trying to escape from the thing, yet I pulled her closer and held her from behind, forcing her to look at the Shadow Earth eater.


    "This is the helper who brought you back," I told her. "She is on our side."


    The tension in her body slowly eased. I kissed her along her neck and the back of it. Then she turned around and cupped my face in her hands.


    "How did you do it?" she asked softly.


    Her warmth felt the same as Suki¡¯s. This was Suki. My Suki was back.


    After I told everything to Suki, about literally everything, we faced the Shadow Earth Eater.


    "Thank you so much for bringing me back to life," Suki told the Shadow Earth Eater.


    The Shadow Earth Eater stepped closer to her, sniffed her hair, then pulled back and stared right at Suki.


    "I like this soul better," the creaturemented, hinting at the fact that Oriana had been quite a mess.


    "Now, now, remember, you have to get those alphas off my back," the Shadow Earth Eater remarked, making me nod at her.


    "Don¡¯t worry, I remember my promise," I replied.


    "But wait, didn¡¯t you say I have a wish too?" Suki questioned as I kept her standing beside me, wrapping my arm around her.


    She was already healing, because Suki¡¯s wolf wasing out here and there as she allowed it.


    I noticed she wanted to transition, but there was a fight going on inside her, and of course that was because we were in the fucking tunnels.


    "Oh yes, Oriana¡¯s wish. You¡¯ve got it now," the Shadow Earth Eater said.


    That was when Suki and I shared a nce.


    "Well then, I want to make myst wish," she stated.

 Chapter 435-Hello Council

    <h4>Chapter 435: 435-Hello Council</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I had picked certain tapes for one reason only, and it seemed like it would matter now. There was also the one where Oriana ordered the Alphas to leave me in the North. Those, along with the other painful moments, including when they left Sadie behind, the pregnant teen, went to Ian.


    I kept the more damaging tapes, the ones that showed our private moments and everything they should never have shared.


    Ian stared at the tapes before setting them down. Then he lifted his hands and cupped my face.


    "This is not the end," he told me softly. "We will meet again, and this time, we will be victorious."


    He kissed my forehead, his touch was so steady.


    "Let¡¯s go and y these monsters of the South," he whispered before I started to pull away. However, I noticed there was a little resistance from him.


    "Hey, there is no need for us to part ways so quickly. First, let me go and find out if the council members are at the main council building or visiting any nearby packs," Ian requested as he held my hand when I was about to run off.


    I watched him for a moment and then smiled.


    "Okay, let¡¯s go," I replied, agreeing with him.


    Together, we ran off. We had to hide multiple times. We had to hide from others, make sure the cars had passed, and thene out at night. At this point, it had been a whole day, and what Ian did more specifically was go to random shops and stores, somehow managing to call the council buildings to find out where they were.


    "So, any luck?" I asked him as he stepped out of one of the stores, rubbing his hands together. I could see fog in front of his mouth when he breathed out.


    "Yeah, they¡¯reing to a nearby pack in two hours," he whispered.


    "Oh, well then, you should start moving too, Ian. You have to go and find the biggest news channel, remember? After three hours, you are supposed to release the footage," I stated.


    I yed with the buttons of his shirt anxiously. I was really worried because if the n did not work, what would happen to us and the others? It had to work. The people needed to know what they were doing, and that the next time a session was held, it might be their own children sent north to fight the monsters they were creating just for fun.


    "Yeah, I think it¡¯s a goodbye for now then," Ian whispered, cupping my face in his hands and leaning down to kiss me again.


    "Take care," I uttered back, feeling defeated as I watched him go. It was so unfair. We had just gotten married two days ago, but we needed to tackle this issue before starting our life and its new Chapter.


    As we separated, I began to pray that we would meet again.


    The good thing was that the Academy still did not know if Ian and I hade back. Even Miss Rue had no clue.


    She probably thought we would being through the train to expose her for wanting to kill a crusader and for being a snake.


    That kind of helped us. Otherwise, there would have been notifications sent out to find us by now.


    After a two-hour walk, I reached the council office of this pack. It was a small pack, but I had heard there was a meetup with the council members, so I arrived as well.


    I began to pace, waiting around the door, and finally, the cars pulled up. I straightened my posture, hiding behind the wall of a nearby shop as I watched the council members step out.


    It was the same ones, but now only two siblings remained. The eldest council member, Sylvia, and the male council member, Roberto.


    I stepped out from behind the wall and rushed toward them. They were still being greeted by the pack¡¯s alpha when I appeared, and I noticed how everyone went silent for a moment, of course, because they recognized me.


    "I did not know the crusaders wereing here," the alpha remarked, looking stunned.


    His eyes were wide open, and I noticed he had a daughter, probably my age, standing right beside him.


    I could not be sure, but it seemed like next time it could be his own daughter.


    "I need to speak with you," I told Lady Sylvia, ignoring the alpha.


    "You were not¡ª," the alpha instantly shut up but I already knew what he was going to ask me.


    He had not seen me in the recent tapes.


    "Wait, does the academy know you are here?" the alpha asked, trying to ce his hands between me and Sylvia to separate us.


    "Maybe you can ask them when you send your daughter there," I snapped, watching him slowly lower his hand.


    "Let¡¯s go. We should talk inside," Lady Sylvia spoke in a soft, gentle tone, the same way she always did. It carriedmand and authority, and at least she was willing to listen.


    She led me inside, and we entered the hall, therge hall where important matters were discussed. Lady Sylvia and Lord Roberto took their seats, while the alpha took his time sitting down.


    I kept an eye on them to make sure they were not informing anyone on their phones. His daughter showed little reaction. She stood in the corner with her hands folded in front of her abdomen, her eyes lowered.


    "So, you are a runaway. How did you manage it?" Lady Sylvia began.


    "I came straight for the north," I replied, meeting her gaze.


    "Have a seat," she offered from across therge table.


    I sat down and straightened my posture.


    "Do you think it is fair that the academy exists?" I asked. That was my first question, and I noticed the way she tilted her head.


    "I think we have answered that question for many people before. It is not about choice. It is a necessity," she replied, speaking the same way they always did when confronted about the academy.


    I shook my finger at her as I decided to steal the world from under her feet.

 Chapter 436-No Longer Could Hide It

    <h4>Chapter 436: 436-No Longer Could Hide It</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "No. Do you think it is fair? Let¡¯s not even talk about choice. Did you ever ask where it all started, or were you just told stories and believed them?" I argued, watching the siblings share a nce before looking back at me.


    "What do you mean?" Sylvia asked.


    "A third realm broke through in the north, and monsters came in. Some infected normal living beings, werewolves, and turned them into monsters as well. Others were created when we sent criminals there," Roberto exined.


    This time, Roberto was speaking, and I expected him at any moment to stop and listen to himself, to realize how ridiculous he sounded.


    "What is the difference between sending a criminal to the north and sending a teenager there, then expecting one to fight monsters and the other to be one?" I asked, leaning back in my chair and folding my arms across my chest.


    I noticed how everyone in the room, even the alpha¡¯s daughter, stared at me.


    "What are you trying to say, young woman?" Sylvia asked directly.


    "The north was created by the alphas of the south, east, and west for fun," I stated.


    As soon as I finished, I watched the council members turn toward the alpha, who slowly lowered his gaze.


    "Is it true? What is this girl saying?" Sylvia asked the alpha, who began to gulp hard.


    That alone should have been an answer, but they had different standards for their alphas. They gave them enough chances to exin themselves, to prove their innocence, because it was hard for them to believe they had been betrayed all this time.


    "Daddy? Is the north created by you? Then why are you sending me for the next session?" the girl asked.


    Just as I had expected, the girl standing to the side spoke up, giving me insight into what was happening.


    "They have already decided a new session, haven¡¯t they?" I asked, turning to the alpha.


    He looked down and then nced around for a few seconds before mming his hand on the table.


    "That is enough. This girl is trouble. She is trying to cause all these problems so she can manipte us. Do you still not see it? We are innocent people. We have been attacked by these monsters," he argued, starting to make up lies.


    I turned to the girl.


    "Can you help me? Can you grab something that can y these kinds of tapes?" I asked her directly, showing her one of them.


    I noticed the alpha stand up from his seat.


    "Where did you get these from?" he demanded.


    They had been clever, using old methods to deceive everyone, because they believed it would be harder for someone to find and y these tapes without a specific yer.


    "I can ask around. Wait here," the girl replied, ignoring her father¡¯s hesitation.


    "Come back, Vanessa," her father shouted, but she did not listen and wandered out.


    "Sit down," Sylvia yelled, and the alpha froze.


    He turned toward her, gesturing with his hand as if asking why she was believing me.


    "I said, sit down," Lady Sylvia repeated. Her tone remained mild, but the clenching of her jaw showed how angry she had be.


    "I will speak with the other alphas about what this girl is iming, and I will also call the headmaster and ask him to take her back," the alpha announced.


    He seemed far too panicked to sit. I met Sylvia¡¯s eyes, then rose from my seat, circled the table, and reached him. The moment he tried to leave the office, I grabbed the back of his neck, pulled him down, mmed his head onto the table, and twisted his arm behind his back.


    "What the hell? Did you just assault me?" he screamed, struggling to break free. He forgot that we had been trained at the academy for over a year.


    "We will stay here and wait for her return," I stated.


    For the next five minutes, the council members waited in tense silence while the alpha struggled to escape my grip, until his daughter came back. She gasped at first, then clenched her jaw at her father before plugging in the yer.


    I handed her the tapes and released her father, but instead of taking them, she rushed to the door, shut it, and told him she did not want him to leave.


    "No, Daddy, you will stay here," she told her father, her eyes growing watery. Then she looked at me. "Please y the tapes. I want to see what kind of monster my father is."


    As soon as she said those words, I yed the tapes. There was a frown on the council members¡¯ faces, and after I yed a few more, only a few minutes from each tape, I faced them again.


    "What is this supposed to show?" the alpha asked.


    "Sure, I know these are recorded so they can keep an eye on the monsters and see if one has been killed."


    Lady Sylvia seemed unsettled and confused, even when she looked at the alpha with much milder eyes this time.


    "See, there is nothing to worry about. This is only because we do not know if the crusaders aremitting crimes against each other there," he continued.


    I knew he would take that path, so I started tough.


    "What about these ones?" I asked, holding up the other tapes, the ones with intimate details written on them. His daughter covered her mouth.


    "And what about when you all sit together, share popcorn, sit down, and watch the torture, the intimate moments, and the deaths of the crusaders?" I added, and the girl¡¯s eyes widened.


    "That is nonsense," the alphaughed, but it was an uneasyugh, one I was sure even his daughter did not believe.


    "Did you?" she asked him again. The look on her face had turned sharp.


    "You are believing this woman for no reason. Don¡¯t you see she is making up lies?" he argued.


    "I can give you the exact location where you can watch them have these gatherings and meetings. In fact, you might even get lucky and catch them red-handed. But alpha being here tells me today was an off day," I remarked sarcastically, watching the alpha grunt as I added.

 Chapter 437-I Got A Body And Freedom

    <h4>Chapter 437: 437-I Got A Body And Freedom</h4>


    <strong>Suki:</strong>


    Waking up once again, I felt my body was so fucking heavy. It was as if I had been given a second chance.


    I remembered thest time I was awake, I made some mistakes, especially when I let jealousy take over and ended up making them.


    This time, it was going to be different. I would not repeat my mistakes. I would just focus on getting out of this. And it seemed like Joshua already had a n.


    "Go ahead, make a wish," the Shadow Earth Eater told me.


    "Should I ask to go home safe?" I turned to look at Joshua and asked him.


    "Go ahead, it is your wish," He whispered to me, and the Shadow Earth Eater smiled. It seemed like she truly adored Joshua. Of course she did, because he was a fool. People love idiots. But I was not a fool.


    I was not going to make the same mistakes I had made before or the ones others had made.


    More specifically, Oriana. Why did she let Joshua go first? I would never understand that.


    "Well, my wish is," I mumbled, stepping closer to Joshua after he pulled away from me. I held his hand, wrapped my arm around his, and rested my head on his shoulder while staring at the Shadow Earth Eater, who looked at me impatiently. "My wish is for you to cut off your head and leave it at my feet."


    The moment I finished, I watched the Shadow Earth Eater¡¯s eyes turn red. Even Joshua turned toward me.


    "What are you saying?" he demanded.


    "Oh,e on," I replied. "Didn¡¯t you say you were sent here for the task of killing her? Do you not know how it goes?"


    The Shadow Earth Eater began to growl in anger.


    "Come on, fulfill my wish," I mocked her. "You don¡¯t back away from your wishes, do you?"


    I noticed the way she rushed toward me, but she stopped. Joshua was ready to defend me. I noticed it. I saw it.


    But it seemed like my wish wasing true because, without the Shadow Earth Eater¡¯s acknowledgment, she began to throw her body around, trying to tear her head from it.


    Joshua looked at me, then back at the Shadow Earth Eater as she let out cries of pain.


    "I should have never trusted people who betray their own friends," she screamed.


    I watched the Shadow Earth Eater die by cutting off her own head and throwing it away. It was fun to watch the way she crumbled, the way she took herst breaths, the pain in her eyes.


    Iughed a few times. Joshua remained quiet, watching her die, and once it was done, I grabbed her head and carried it.


    "There was no other way for us to leave. Besides, what if somebody else had gotten their hands on her and she had told them about my secret?"


    I looked at Joshua to exin why it was important that we kill her. He looked at me deeply, then smiled and nodded his head.


    "But you know, you¡¯ll be the only one leaving the academy," he remarked.


    As soon as he said that, I frowned at him.


    "Why? You cane with me," I told him.


    He shook his head sadly.


    "There are only a few people getting this privilege. I thought you were going to use that wish to help me out of the academy," he replied.


    The moment he said that, my heart started to crumble. I watched his face and realized he had done so much for me.


    "Well, worry not. I know how to get you out," I said. "You said Oriana used Yorick of a crime, and then she agreed to be his mate. What if I return and say I don¡¯t want to be his mate and that I want you to be my mate?" I asked, looking hopeful.


    He began to shake his head.


    "It¡¯s not that simple, Suki. Things are changing quickly. They¡¯re recing us. Anyway, let¡¯s just get out first, then we can deal with all this. Ian and Clementine have already left the North, so I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re doing something out there to stop this whole thing or something," he exined.


    As Joshua mentioned Clementine, I rolled my eyes. He told me that briefly he had thought about bringing me into her body.


    "I¡¯m so d you did not summon me into her body," I remarked. "She¡¯s a troublemaker. I didn¡¯t want to wake up in her body and then have to fight monsters and everything. She has too many responsibilities. I like this body," I added, touching my stomach.


    "Well then, I¡¯m happy you do, but we need to get out of here," Joshua mumbled, pointing toward the ceiling of the caves as they began to shake.


    "Of course. They¡¯ve lost their master," I replied. "Well then, let¡¯s go," I stated, holding the head close.


    I was going to go back,e out as someone victorious who had killed a monster on herst mission, and then be free of the academy too. It was a perfect n.


    As I ran after Joshua, following him closely, I noticed Mira, Renee, and Sebastian in the distance.


    Then Haiden and Troy showed up. They were all covered in the blood of the Earth Eaters.


    I didn¡¯t know how many monsters they had in after I diedst time, but after hearing the Earth Eaters¡¯ growls and everything else, I was d I had been gone for a little while.


    "You killed her?" Troy asked, looking shocked.


    "Yeah, I did. I wouldn¡¯t let a monster¡ª" I began, but he rolled his eyes and sped past me.


    While running, I turned to Joshua, trying to ask him what that had been about.


    "Oh yeah, I have to tell you what she did to them."


    He leaned closer as he spoke, and then we began to run harder to get out of the tunnel.


    Things were a blur from there on. We rushed out, and Joshua made sure he stayed right with me, making sure I was notnding myself in more trouble.


    Then we finally arrived at the train station. I had blocked out everything.


    There was too much noise for me. I had been in silence for months.


    Of course, the change was big. However, the moment we reached the station, I heard Haiden make ament that perked my ears.


    "Look at her, going from hypnotizing us to save her to ying a monster," he remarked.


    It was not apliment. It sounded bitter, directed at me. I turned to look at Joshua, waiting for him to exin what all the fuss was about with Oriana.


    What the fuck had she done that I was going to get used of now?

 Chapter 438-They Were All In On It

    <h4>Chapter 438: 438-They Were All In On It</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Please go out and wait for me outside." The alpha patted his daughter¡¯s arm.


    He suddenly calmed himself, and I could tell the council members were still struggling to understand the whole situation. They shook their heads, and Sylvia even hid her face in her hands.


    "Is it true? Have you all been watching everything? Is it true that the monsters are created by you?" Sylvia asked, finally voicing the right questions, while the alpha began to panic.


    "I will not answer until Vanessa leaves," he insisted. His daughter shook her head at him, clearly disappointed.


    "I¡¯ll be waiting right outside," she replied, then stepped out.


    Now it was the four of us. I expected the alpha to start lying, but instead he dropped to his knees at Sylvia¡¯s feet.


    "Please forgive us. It was not my idea. This started with our ancestors. Our parents began all of this. We are just trying to clean it up now, but also," he paused.


    I shook my head in disbelief. He avoided looking at me and continued speaking to Sylvia and Roberto.


    "Please stop this girl. You have no idea what this will do. It will ruin everything. It will even ruin your reputation. People will question why you never figured this out."


    As he kept speaking, I began to worry. He was very convincing. And the way Roberto and Sylvia started to get out of their chairs, I began to worry about their verdict.


    The two council members rose from their seats, watching the man beg at their feet, pleading with them to stop me from speaking and exposing everything.


    "Please listen to me," he begged again.


    Lady Sylvia raised her palm.


    "Listen to you and let our youngsters die for your entertainment?" she snapped, making the alpha suddenly break down in tears.


    "Please, this will ruin us. People will demand the dethroning of all the alphas. They will even question your ability," he cried.


    Roberto¡¯s cough cut him off.


    "You think you can scare us?" he asked casually.


    I let out a deep breath. I was about to tell them that Ian was already working on exposing these people, and that their support and refusal to be manipted had confirmed we had taken the right step.


    However, before I could speak, Lady Sylvia crossed the room and stopped in front of me, tears in her eyes.


    "We disappointed you all," she uttered. "But now we are in this together. We are going to stop these people."


    As soon as she said that, I smiled. Then, suddenly, I felt something stab into my back.


    I turned and saw the alpha standing behind me. I had no idea when he got there.


    One moment he had been begging at their feet, and the next he was stabbing me in the neck.


    I pulled away and shoved him back, touching my neck and realizing he had injected me with arge amount of Wolfsbane.


    What worried me was that the council members did not look rmed.


    "What the hell?" I grunted, touching my neck again and again. Dizziness hit me almost instantly from the amount injected.


    "Did you really think we were doing all of that without their assistance?" the alpha asked, chuckling. His earlier tears were fake.


    "What?" I whispered, turning toward the council members.


    "We are not bad people, but a little entertainment is not harmful," Lady Sylvia said.


    That was when I realized how foolish I had been. There was no way something this cruel could have continued for so many years without their knowledge or support.


    "If only you had stayed in the academy, we were already considering letting you go because of your mate bond with the headmaster¡¯s son. You could have lived normally, but no. You had to be the hero," Lady Sylvia continued, circling me as my knees began to buckle.


    I tried to stand, but my legs would not respond.


    "But you forgot, little girl, just because you can fight monsters does not mean you can fight us. We can y with your mind, and we did," she added.


    "I wish the oue had been different. It would have been nice to keep you alive. Imagine the ratings when, after many years, you appeared at the North again just to shock the viewers. All that nning wasted," she went on, pping her hands and grimacing with bitterness.


    "You ruined it all," she muttered.


    I stayed on my knees, my hands pressed against the ground.


    "You¡¯re all animals," I uttered, breathing heavily.


    "Daddy, what is going on?" Vanessa suddenly shouted as she mmed the door open and rushed inside.


    I lifted my head and watched her look at me, then at her father.


    I no longer expected her to be on my side, but she shocked me by running toward me. Her father grabbed her arm.


    "Let me go. What are you doing to her?" she screamed, struggling against him.


    "Calm your little bird down, or she will suffer too," Lady Sylvia yelled at the alpha, clearly angered by his daughter defending me.


    "No. What did you do to her? Does that mean everything she said was true? Dad, how could you do this? They are sending your daughter north next time. How could you support this?" Vanessa cried, fighting as her father held her in ce.


    "Well then, little girl, let¡¯s think of today as your wishing true," Lady Sylvia said, her tone changing as she stepped toward Vanessa.


    "I believe everything happens for a reason. Maybe you came here and heard all this because your life was about to change. Maybe you were not meant for the North," Lady Sylviamented.


    I watched Vanessa¡¯s resistance slow.


    "How about we spare you from the North altogether? You know we have the power and the means to do that," she added, trying to buy her silence.


    Of course, her father was the main reason they were giving her this chance instead of killing her like they would have done to anyone else.


    Sylvia looked at me, then at the girl.


    Vanessa looked at me and then at Lady Sylvia before she straightened her spine. "I will never be sent to the North, ever?" she asked.


    As soon as she said that, Roberto, Sylvia, and her fatherughed at her.


    "Of course not," Sylvia replied.


    That was the confirmation. She was not on my side anymore.

 Chapter 439-I Chose Me

    <h4>Chapter 439: 439-I Chose Me</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    Leysa was tired in chains. It seemed like she had been here for a while.


    I remembered getting the news when my parents told me they were going to get Leysa mated to my brother, and it shook the world from under my feet because it made no sense.


    My brother did not understand the concept of mates, so I knew for a fact my parents had brought her here for some n they had concocted.


    "Yorick, you¡¯re Clementine¡¯s friend. Please help me," Leysa pleaded again in her broken voice.


    Her eyes were swollen, as if she had not spent a single day without crying. I looked at her for a few seconds before turning to my mother.


    "What is this?" I demanded, pointing toward Leysa.


    "Before you judge us, it is for your brother¡¯s safety," my mother replied. "Do you not remember what Ian¡¯s grandfather told us? How to fix that specific kind of monster your brother is?"


    My mother rushed forward and grabbed my hands, holding them together while looking at me with pleading eyes.


    "I don¡¯t understand what is going on."


    "Yorick, please save me. I don¡¯t want to be here. They have been keeping me here for a while," Leysa begged.


    While my mother tried to keep my attention, Leysa cried and asked for help.


    "Don¡¯t listen to that slut," my mother snapped. "Remember, she is Clementine¡¯s sister. Not just any sister, but the one who used to torture her."


    Her words made me turn back to Leysa, who shook her head more aggressively.


    "Please don¡¯t listen to her. Please help me," Leysa cried, sniffling hard.


    "How is she going to help him?" I hissed at my mother, scolding her for using Leysa for my brother¡¯s sake.


    "I¡¯ll tell you everything, okay? Just calm down and don¡¯t judge or hate us for it," my mother insisted.


    Leysa began to crawl toward me, but the shackles only allowed her to move so far.


    "Yorick, please hear me out," she urged, tears running down her face as her hands met in front of her body.


    My mother tightened her grip on my hand and red at Leysa, as if making it clear that no matter how much she cried, I would listen to her instead.


    Now they were both staring at me, waiting for me to choose.


    "Do you not want to know how I can find Clementine for you?" my mother asked.


    She knew the exact words to say to pull my attention away. I turned to her, then looked back at Leysa. At that point, Leysa seemed to realize she had lost, and she broke down again.


    "Let¡¯s go. I need to shower and eat something," I told my mother casually.


    The concern I had shown for Leysa was gone. I had silently tolerated everyone¡¯s nonsense.


    I had waited for Clementine to pay attention to me, but none of it worked.


    She would rather be with someone like Ian, whose brother had marked her and treated her poorly, than pay attention to me. I realized now that people do not like good people.


    I left Leysa there and went to rest in my room. It had been so long since I had lived a normal life, so I was trying to get used to it again.


    For the next two days, I stayed with my parents. I remembered the humiliation. It had dug deeper into me, but I was also searching for any information I could find about Clementine hiding in some pack with Ian.


    I had found the location of the headmaster¡¯s castle, but I did not think it would be of much use. He had castles almost everywhere, and one was right next to the academy.


    "Did you speak with your brother?" my mother asked as she came in and sat in my room, watching me scroll through myptop. "And what are you searching all the time? Do you think you will find her on thatptop?" she added, rolling her eyes, though she clearly knew who I was looking for.


    "She must be somewhere. They must have started off in some kind of pack, maybe one that is not very well known," I muttered, staring at the screen.


    "We can talk about herter. Right now, I want you to go and see your brother," my mother told me. "Remember, you wanted to know why Leysa was here."


    I took a deep breath.


    "Come on,e with me," she urged, cing her hand on top of theptop and shutting it down.


    I stepped out of the room with her. Life had been very different for my brother and me.


    We grew up in a household full of secrets, endless corridors, and too many visitors, most of them connected to my parents.


    The truth was hard for me to swallow. My brother had turned into a monster because of my parents. That guilt had been weighing on them, pushing them to make reckless mistakes.


    As I reached my brother¡¯s room, which was right beside mine, a sense of dread hit me at once. I knew this would happen. It always did.


    The scuffling and growling through the walls often kept me awake at night. I usually avoided his room.


    Even when I was alpha, it was not easy to see my brother as a monster. But now that I had seen many monsters, I was here to finally face him.


    My mother opened the door, and the scent of fresh jasmine filled the air. I could tell she always cleaned his room and took good care of him.


    He sat in the corner, hidden in the dark, shaking with his knees pulled to his chest.


    He hadrge fingers, and although he should have been only two years older than me, he looked much older, like a frail old man.


    "Charles is ready to return to his normal self. All we needed to do was this one sacrifice," my mother whispered, gently cing a hand on my shoulder.


    "If we do not, he will grow older and die, and we do not want that, do we?" she murmured.


    I turned to look at her. Tears filled her eyes.


    "No, we don¡¯t," I replied, not caring about Leysa anyway.

 Chapter 440-After 3 Hours

    <h4>Chapter 440: 440-After 3 Hours</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    I had run to the biggest news channel. Thankfully, it did not take me too long. I wandered around for two hours, though, because Clementine had told me to wait for three hours.


    Throughout that time, I had been extremely anxious. When the third hour struck, I looked up at the sky, then closed my eyes.


    It was finally time for me to expose the Academy and even my own father.


    When I took the first step onto the stairs, it felt like Clementine had made the right decision and that we should have stayed apart.


    Then, when I took the second step, my footing began to falter.


    It felt like this time I should have listened to Clementine, as if I should have been with her at that moment, but now it was toote.


    If I left from here now, it would cause even more trouble, so in a rush, I moved toward the news channel¡¯s door.


    As soon as I mmed the door open, the attention of all the employees and workers sitting inside turned toward me.


    Maybe that was why they were staring, because they had never seen me in their building before.


    Now that I was standing there and saw the confusion on people¡¯s faces, I realized why nothing about the crusaders was ever shown on the news channels, or why no one was told what we were doing in the north.


    Yes, alphas and Betas satfortably and enjoyed our shows, but the rest of the world knew nothing.


    There was only one reason for that. The day the opportunity came, some alphas and my father would quietly expel their sons from the Academy.


    And because no one had ever seen us, even if someone spotted us on the road, they would not recognize who we were.


    At that moment, it felt as if only we crusaders knew each other.


    But in uniform, maybe others could recognize us, because news hade out about some of us, like Clementine, Joshua, and Oriana.


    I noticed that it was mostly those who were never meant to be let out of the Academy.


    They were supposed to die. That was why their names were made public. But the ones who were meant to leave were always kept quiet.


    I stepped through the ss doors of the news channel after everyone had gone back to work. The smell of electronics was overwhelming inside.


    A pair of guards near the entrance nodded to greet me, almost as if they did the same for anyoneing in.


    "Who is in charge here?" I asked, keeping my voice low but respectful, as I turned toward one of the guards.


    One of them stayed in ce for a moment before pointing down the hall toward a room filled with monitors.


    "The head officer," he replied. "Just head towards the right."


    Through the ss walls, I heard the sounds of people moving between desks. They yed footage, typed on keyboards, and adjusted sound levels.


    I stopped at an office door and, after taking a deep breath, knocked.


    "Come in," a voice called from inside.


    I stepped inside. A man sat behind a white cover with files and paperwork. Another person stood nearby, with a screen mounted on the wall beside them.


    The man at the desk leaned back slightly, his eyes fixed on me as he examined me from head to toe.


    "What are you doing here, young man?" he asked.


    I shifted ufortably and turned slightly. Arge cup of hot coffee sat on the desk beside the paperwork.


    "I¡¯m Ian Hunt," I told him. "The headmaster¡¯s son from the academy."


    The moment I introduced myself, I noticed the change in his expression. It was immediate. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.


    "Ravecrest?" he asked.


    The screen beside him turned fully toward me.


    "You¡¯re the headmaster¡¯s son?" the man asked.


    I noticed the name tags. The man behind the desk was Dave, and the one standing next to the monitor was Piper.


    "What are you here for? Did the headmaster send you here?" Dave asked, already looking excited.


    I began to pull out the tapes from the small bag I had found in the woods and tucked the tapes inside, the bag hanging over my shoulder.


    "I have information the world needs to see," I told them. "Footage of what happens in the north, and the truth about the academy."


    My words seemed to give them a strange sense of excitement. They shared a brief nce before looking back at me.


    "Alright," Dave smiled, raising his hand and holding his palm out toward me. "Give it to us. We¡¯ll see."


    I shook my head and pulled the bag behind my back.


    "No. I¡¯ll plug it in myself, and I¡¯ll go live with it."


    There was a short pause before Dave stood up and waved toward the door.


    "Get the cameras ready," he instructed. "Call the control room."


    The response was immediate, proving how everyone had always been curious to know more about the academy.


    In the next few minutes, the room filled quickly. Camera operators rolled in with equipment. Someone adjusted the lights.


    A technician clipped a microphone to my cor while another slotted the tapes into a yer.


    I was given a new ck shirt to wear, and I did. I sat in the seat, taking deep breaths, worried about Clementine. Screens flickered as the files began to load.


    The director took his seat under the light, straightened his jacket, and pointed around before taking a quick sip from his coffee, which was now cold.


    "Oh, somebody please warm it," he remarked, wrinkling his nose and calling for his assistant, who rushed in, grabbed the coffee, and ran out again.


    "We will go live in thirty seconds," he announced.


    I sat across from him, resting my elbows on the table and my hands together, my leg shaking before I leaned back.


    I bent one elbow and rested it on the armrest of the chair, gently rubbing my temple with my other hand while it rested on the table.


    The room had gone quiet. I could tell they were excited, even if they tried not to show it. They knew this was the kind of story that would spread fast. Then the red light turned on.

 Chapter 441-I Finally Speak Up

    <h4>Chapter 441: 441-I Finally Speak Up</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    "And we are live," someone yelled from behind the ss.


    My footage began to y. The footage I had brought with me. Everyone began to watch it.


    They were all seeing it for the first time, and the fact that they trusted me enough to y it without checking proved they had been waiting for this moment for a long time.


    Or maybe they wanted it to look like a mistake, even if something inappropriate about the academy was shown.


    There were extreme moments of plotting and nning done by the academy and the ringleaders.


    It showed how they knew where Sadie was the whole time, how she was left behind by Oriana, and how the camera followed Sadie everywhere, yet nobody came to help her.


    There were multiple clips like that. One showed Oriana telling the alphas to leave Clementine behind and save her instead.


    It all yed.


    Once the tapes were done, hours of footage still looping on the side of the split screen, Dave and I appeared on the main view.


    "I¡¯m Dave from your favorite channel. And today we have Ian Hunt, the headmaster¡¯s son." Dave began, then adjusted himself.


    "So, Ian," he continued, "you¡¯vee here to speak directly with me and to tell everyone about the academy and the north. What exactly did you mean by that?"


    He jumped straight into it, probably afraid that if the news spread too far, the alphas, the headmaster, the ringleaders, or anyone involved woulde to stop the live broadcast.


    "To tell the world that what they know about the north isn¡¯t true," I replied.


    "Can you exin that further?" Dave asked, his eyes drifting toward the ss doors as he checked whether anyone wasing to stop us.


    "It means the north was created by the alphas and their ancestors," I said. "They injected poisons into criminals to turn them into monsters. In the beginning, orphans were forced to fight those monsters as a form of entertainment."


    I paused, closed my eyes, and remembered what had happened to my mother.


    "Then they attacked the north," I continued. "My mother. Everyone who lived there."


    From there, I exined everything from the beginning.


    By the end of it, amotion started outside, and I already knew they hade to collect me or stop the live broadcast.


    "So think before you let go of this matter. Today it is us. Tomorrow it will be you or your children. And remember one more thing. They will not stop until they have ruined everyone¡¯s life. Until some of the monsterse through the cracks. Because how long do you think the monsters will stay on the other side of the north?" I finished, then got up from my seat.


    "Okay, I have some more interesting questions about your mate, and if you have liked anyone else," Dave remarked.


    He was just trying to add spice, but I was done. I needed to get out, find Clementine, and speak with her. I could tell the news had already spread. Warriors wereing in.


    "Mr. Ian,," Dave called after me, but I rushed through the crowd of people assisting around the room. I ran out of the office and down the hallway, which led to the other side of the building.


    As I ran, I heard something that made me stop in my tracks.


    "Is the guy here? The guy who is with Clementine?" a girl asked.


    I slowed down and eventually hid behind one of the walls. It seemed the warriors had note here to stop us yet. Someone else had arrived with her own warriors.


    "He was just here. He ran away," Dave exined.


    "I need to speak with him. It¡¯s about Clementine. Where can I find him?" she asked.


    My body started to heat up inside. I knew there were two possibilities. Either this girl was telling the truth and wanted to speak with me about Clementine, or she was lying. She could have been sent by the alphas or my father to lure me back into his grasp.


    It was a risk. A risk I was willing to take. Clementine¡¯s name was being used.


    I stepped out from behind the wall.


    "I¡¯m here," I voiced, and my words carried through the empty hallway toward her.


    She turned toward me, and Dave pointed in my direction, gesturing for the cameras to stay on.


    The girl looked young, probably our age. She rushed toward me, motioning behind her to her warriors, who stayed alert, making sure anyone trying to stop us would have to get through them first.


    It did not make sense. I had never seen this woman before.


    Her warriors also made sure the camera was turned off before she came into view, almost as if they did not want to show her face or let anyone know what was happening.


    She approached me and gestured with her head, as if asking me to move behind the wall and hide from prying eyes. So I did.


    "Who are you? What do you know about Clementine?" I demanded.


    She looked at me, then cleared her throat.


    "My name is Vanessa," she replied. "I¡¯m an alpha¡¯s daughter. I was going to be sent to the north."


    As she spoke, I frowned.


    "What do you know about Clementine?" I pressed again, because her introduction did not matter to me.


    "Your mate, Clementine is¨C" she paused, "currently held captive, and I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re going to kill her."


    The moment she said those words, it was as if the world began to close in on me. I grabbed her by the arms and mmed her against the wall. She looked terrified when I did that.


    "What are you saying? Who is holding her captive? And who is going to kill her?" I shouted at her, my nails digging into her skin.


    "I didn¡¯t do anything. I promise," she insisted. "It¡¯s my father."


    She paused, then said the words that made my body go numb for a moment.


    "And the council leaders. They were all in on it," she finished.

 Chapter 442-Last Item

    <h4>Chapter 442: 442-Last Item</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Okay then. Daddy, you will keep your promise. I don¡¯t want to end up in the North," Vanessa warned him.


    He nodded and gently ced his hand on top of her head, shaking it yfully.


    "Well, that is what happens when you have a father," Sylviamented, turning slightly to mock me.


    "Now go ahead and enjoy your life. You are spared from the North," Lady Sylvia told Vanessa.


    Vanessa shrieked happily, hugged her father, and ran out of the room.


    Then it was just me and them again. Of course, they were never going to send Vanessa to the North. Every time she got scared, she could expose them to the world.


    "Look at you. So sad and pathetic. You could have been the academy headmaster¡¯s daughter-inw, but no. Some people just cannot handle fame and respect," Lady Sylvia mocked.


    She was the same woman I once thought was kind, just because she had asked me not to transition in front of them once.


    I was angry at myself for giving people so many chances even when the truth had been right in front of me.


    My vision began to blur, and I started coughing.


    "What are we going to do with her?" I heard Roberto ask.


    "Kill her. What else? Then we will throw her in the north and say she died there. No need to tell him what really happened to his daughter-inw," Sylvia replied.


    As she said that, I wondered if the headmaster had ever truly cared about his son enough to spare me.


    It did not matter now. I was already being hurt and prepared for death.


    Still, I started to chuckle, even as my vision faded. I would not let them enjoy this moment.


    "What are youughing at, you freak?" Roberto grunted, stepping beside his sister and staring at me.


    "You thought it would be that easy to silence me?" I uttered, smiling.


    "Is it not? Aren¡¯t you at our feet?" Lady Sylvia asked, shrugging her shoulders.


    "I am. But did you ever wonder where my mate is?" I replied.


    The moment I said that, their smiles vanished.


    "Or maybe turn on the television before you kill me. My mate knows I wasing here," I added.


    My vision blurred further, but in thest moment before my senses slipped away, I saw the panic on their faces.


    I do not know what happened by the time I passed out, but when I started to wake up, I found myself in restraints. It seemed like I was in some kind of dungeon, or maybe a basement.


    "Let me go," I screamed almost immediately.


    It felt as if I opened my eyes one moment and lost control the next. Then there was silence. I was the only one tied here, against a wall, like an animal. Even an animal deserves better than this. I noticed my clothes were intact, and there were no bruises on my body. But my biggest fear was whether they had injected anything into my body after I passed out.


    "What did you do to me?" I yelled, feeling a little nauseous.


    That was when the basement door finally opened, and I heard footstepsing down the stairs. It was Lady Sylvia. However,pared to thest time, she looked different. This time she appeared angrier, as if something had happened after I passed out. I could already tell what it was. I remembered myst words to them, so I assumed the actions had been taken by Ian, which exined her sour mood.


    She stopped in front of me and examined me, one hand gripping her opposite elbow in front of her body. Her re was judgmental.


    "Do you have any idea what you two have done?" she remarked bitterly.


    The clenching of her jaw did not go unnoticed.


    "Seems like you figured it out," I replied with a smirk on my lips.


    "And you think that will save you?" she challenged.


    "You think that would be enough to scare us?" she continued beforeughing to herself.


    "Do you know what will happen now, Clementine?" she added, ncing down at her nails and checking them for dirt.


    "Now you two will be punished for everything that is happening around the world," she told me.


    That was all she said, and I began to wonder what was really happening. Were people truly taking action against it?


    But then my attention shifted to Ian. What did she mean by us two? How could she punish him? He was out and about, and she would have nothing against him to punish him. There was no rule that said he could not expose the academy. Even if there was, I thought it would be nullified by now.


    "Where is Ian?" I demanded.


    "You do not need to worry about him. Trust me. You should be asking me what I have nned for you," she replied very softly, and that was what caused me to worry.


    Everything was clear now. She was definitely looking forward to trouble, and I had expected that. Their entire livelihood, if you could call it that, had been ruined.


    "Whatever you do, you cannot break me," I told her calmly, not panicking, even though deep down I was worried.


    "Really, I like the confidence. No wonder you have such high bidders," she remarked.


    The moment she said that, my ears perked up.


    "What do you mean by that?" I questioned her.


    The moment a hint of fear showed on my face, she began to chuckle andugh.


    "Well, since you ruined our business and we will go bankrupt because of it, how about we sell the items that are no longer going to be sold?" she suggested, speaking with a double meaning.


    That was enough for me to realize the item she meant was none other than me.


    "No, I will never let that happen. If you do that, people will question you. Ian knows I was headed toward youst time," I started, but she raised her hand to silence me.


    "Oh please, that was hours ago. Who knows what could have happened to you on the way to us? I mean, none of us really saw you. There is no witness. Even if there are, they are on our side," she finished, causing my eyes to widen.


    Then she looked up and pointed toward the stairs.


    "It seems your buyers are here. I will go and greet them. I cannot make them wait too long," she added with a snicker before turning around and heading up the stairs.


    That was when I began to fight against the chains around me. They were such cowards that they had to give me wolfsbane to keep me under control.

 Chapter 443-Lost My Wife In The Crowd

    <h4>Chapter 443: 443-Lost My Wife In The Crowd</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    "Listen, I did not do anything," she whispered after giving me such terrifying news.


    "Where is Clementine right now?" I demanded angrily, clenching my fist.


    "I do not know," she replied. The moment my eyes narrowed at her, she added, "I had to act like I was agreeing with them, because if I had not, they would have captured me too. There were too many of them, and they were all in this together."


    She exined everything while looking shaken.


    "Okay, I need to go and get her," I said, but once again she stepped into my path.


    "Are you sure? There are too many of them, and it is just you," she warned quietly as I shot her a harsh look.


    "And what do you expect me to do then? Wait until there are more of me born?" I grunted.


    "The news has spread like wildfire. You have no idea. Everyone, the alphas, the betas, the omegas, every single person, all those parents who lost their children, the ones who were not alphas sitting in a big hall being entertained, the parents who actually cared for their children, they are out on the streets demanding answers. And that small bit of information you slipped in about the cave and its location, people have already gathered there. The pack where the cave is located has been invaded," she exined before pausing.


    "Look," she continued, opening her phone and showing me live footage of some of the teens broadcasting from inside the cave.


    It was the same ce where Clementine and I had gone. They were standing in front ofrge screens, holding the tapes, throwing the ones with intimate content into the water to destroy them, and carrying the others that exposed the brutality of the north and the academy.


    "It is all proven now. There is no stepping back. The academy, the ringleaders, the headmaster, the alphas, they cannot hide it anymore. It is chaos, Ian. You cannot just step out of here and expect to walk off to find Clementine anymore. There will be people everywhere. Cars are parading, and they are looking for you as well," she continued, then started taking deep, heavy breaths.


    "They are preparing arge team to question the headmaster and the academy. In the meantime, I can help you locate Clementine," she added.


    That was the first thing she said that truly caught my attention. Before that, I had only been shaking my head. Even if there were people at every step trying to stop me from reaching Clementine, I would keep going. I would not stop until I reached her.


    "How are you going to help me?" I asked her.


    She began to step forward toward the back exit, and I followed her.


    "I can take you carefully to the location where she is, but first I need to find out," she replied.


    The moment we got outside, I could hear all themotion. There was chanting. People were screaming and crying. Cars were everywhere, ambnces, police vehicles, patrol cars.


    "This way," she said, pointing toward her car.


    Her SUV was parked right behind us. It seemed her warriors were positioned around us to make sure no one saw me getting into the car with her. I rushed inside, and the two of us started our journey. However, at that point, we had no idea where Clementine could be. Hours had already passed, and they must have moved her somewhere else by now.


    "Daddy, I was thinking about having a night out, but there is so muchmotion outside, and I checked the news. What is going on?" Vanessa asked her father on the call, shifting her tone to an innocent one as she tried to pry information out of him.


    "Oh no, really? Oh, that bitch. And that man is her mate? What a rascal," shemented, referring to Clementine and me.


    "What are we going to do now, Daddy? Do you need my help? Can I do something for you? Do you want me to look for Clementine and Ian?" she asked, listing her questions carefully, and I began to grow agitated.


    "Oh, okay, that is good. But you are looking for Ian then?" she added, making eye contact with me. That look alone told me they had Clementine with them.


    "Okay, that is good," she continued. "I will just spend my night the way I want. Actually, I do not want toe back home. I received such good news today, and I do not want to waste it. Okay, so I will be out. Do not worry, I will be fine. I have my warriors with me."


    By the end, she was clearly rushing to finish the call.


    Once she finished the call, she looked at me with concern on her face.


    "My father said they injected wolfsbane in her, and Sylvia and Roberto carried her out of that office. He does not know where they took her, but there is a possibility they are going to sell her to get whatever money they can, since the whole entertainment is over now," she exined.


    Those words froze me for a moment.


    "And I do not know where else they could be. It is a huge world," she whispered, a single tear slipping from her eye.


    "No, I need to track her. There must be cameras in different locations that caught her being taken. Maybe if nobody will tell us, we can hack into those cameras," I suggested, my voice shaking, my wordsing out jumbled.


    "Only if they have anything open at this point. I am getting notifications that they are even going to turn off the power because of how bad things are getting," she exined, but I began to shake my head.


    "Well, then lets give it a chance. Lets try," I insisted.


    Thankfully, she nodded. Even if she had not, I would have gotten out of the car and done it myself. I was not going to sit quietly. I should have never let her go alone.

 Chapter 444-Teaming Up To Find Her

    <h4>Chapter 444: 444-Teaming Up To Find Her</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    She started the car. We tried to drive past a few checkpoints, but it became harder each time.


    Whenever she told them she was an alpha¡¯s daughter, they let her pass. At certain points, though, they insisted on checking the car, and I grew impatient.


    Once we reached the open road, I noticed several cars behind us. They were police and warriors.


    They closed in on us, one driving behind us, another pulling alongside, and then one moved ahead of us. At that point, I knew we were caught.


    Our car slowed as warriors from the other vehicles began to threaten us. They were going to shoot the tires.


    The car stopped, and the back door opened. A warrior pressed a gun to my head.


    "Your father wants to see you," he told me.


    That was all he said, and I realized I had been caught.


    There were lurkers and warriors with guns pointed at me, asking me to join them.


    "Wait, I have my warriors too. Don¡¯t you dare,"


    Vanessa tried to stop them, but I gave her a hand gesture. She had already broken the rules and tried to help me enough times. I did not want to drag her into this anymore.


    "Thank you so much," I told her.


    At least she helped me understand that the council members were involved.


    She looked sad as she watched me get out of the car and step into the vehicle the lurkers had arrived in.


    All the cars started to leave once I settled inside. Silence filled the car.


    They watched me without speaking. When the road to the academy started to appear, I scoffed and shook my head.


    I was back at the ce I had run away from.


    Once the car parked in front of the academy, I sighed and got out, fixing my ck shirt and looking around the area.


    Clementine and I had thought we would return here only to take revenge or shut it down permanently. Now I was here alone.


    I stepped into the passageway, reached the main hall, and mmed the door open as I entered.


    All the ringleaders, the crusaders, and even my father were there, his hands tied behind his back.


    "So all of you must have already heard what happened," I stated, watching the confused looks on the crusaders¡¯ faces.


    "Ian, where were you?" Haiden called, making me turn toward him.


    "Where is Clementine?" Troy added, his voice tense.


    I turned to my father, facing him.


    "Why won¡¯t you ask the headmaster?" I replied. "One minute she¡¯s with the council, and the next they¡¯re injecting her with something to sell her off to high bidders."


    Those words caused a loud gasp.


    "What the fuck is going on?" Mira screamed.


    It seemed the crusaders were still unaware, but my father¡¯s raised hand from the podium silenced everyone.


    "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. What do you mean she was with the council members?" my father asked, stepping down from the stage and walking toward me.


    "Oh,e on, as if you don¡¯t know," I snapped. "She went to the council to expose the academy."


    I had barely finished when my father stopped in front of me and let out a rough grunt.


    "Ian, the council is in on it," he muttered, repeating what I already knew.


    But it did not seem like he knew anything about what was happening to Clementine.


    "Well, I heard they¡¯re selling her off to someone," I said, my tone shifting as I spoke to him. A need for help rose inside me.


    Even if he asks me to go north and continue the game for entertainment, I¡¯ll do it. If only he saves Clementine.


    "You¡¯re such an idiot, Ian," my father grumbled. "Come with me. We are paying a visit to the council members," he insisted, turning to the ringleaders as they started to move with him.


    They stopped briefly when I noticed they were facing Oriana. Her hands were tied behind her back, her posture straight.


    "We saw the video of you abandoning one of the crusaders," one of them remarked, their attention shifting to her.


    It seemed they had already discussed it.


    "Since we already know the truth, there will be no punishmenting your way. The academy is already crumbling, but we will inform your families of your actions so that you answer them yourself," my fathermanded.


    I refused to stay, and it seemed Haiden and Troy did as well, because they started to follow him.


    "We¡¯re not staying here. Clementine is out there, and we want her saved," Haiden dered.


    My father turned to look at me, his expression worn.


    "And you want toe too?" my father asked and I shrugged.


    "Of course I do," I replied.


    "Fine then,e with me," he said.


    Thankfully, he was not as resistant as I expected, and I wondered why.


    Once we began to move faster, Haiden and Troy caught up with me. We sat together in one SUV, my father in the front seat and the three of us in the back, with other cars following.


    "Tell us everything," Haiden insisted. There was a concerned look on his face, and I understood why.


    They were still feeling the mate bond with Clementine. They were feeling her pain too, just like I was.


    When we returned through the back door, I paused after noticing the confused looks on their faces.


    "Oh yeah, there¡¯s another door," I uttered, pping my forehead. "That¡¯s another story rted to Miss Rue."


    "Wait, Miss Rue?" Troy asked. I noticed my father straightening up in his seat, as if he were trying to listen to our conversation.


    "It seems Yorick was innocent too," I told them.


    But at that moment, I wanted to focus on Clementine. Miss Rue could not escape us. She would be punished, but in time. At least Yorick was not dying anytime soon.


    "Wait, where the hell is Clementine?" Haiden demanded. "What do you mean she went to the council office?" he pressed, urging me to be honest.


    I could tell the crusaders had no idea what was happening, probably because they had been in the north for the past few days.


    "So basically, Clementine found a tunnel where the whole entertainment process was held," I exined. "You remember how we used to say it felt like they were watching us? Well, it was true. They really were watching us."


    I started slowly and exined everything throughout the car ride. There were moments when my father cleared his throat, as if reminding me that he was still sitting in the front seat.


    Especially when I told them where the academy originated, I watched their faces fall. Then I exined how the council had tricked Clementine, and almost all of us, into thinking they were good people.


    "Oh no," Haiden muttered. "Maybe I should speak with my uncle. Together, more hands help," he suggested.


    Troy nodded in agreement.


    "That would be a good idea," I replied. "Troy, can you get us any help?" I asked.


    He nodded faintly.


    "I can speak with my mother," Troy answered. "She will talk to my father once they find out Clementine is my mate. My father will be eager to find her. He¡¯s a greedy man."


    There was sadness in his voice when he finished.


    "My uncle is the same," Haiden added. "But if the news is as big as you¡¯re saying, they might help." He stopped and smiled faintly to himself, letting out a quiet chuckle that sounded tired.


    "What is it?" I pressed.


    "I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll help us," Haiden replied.


    The moment he said that, my chest tightened.


    "Why?" I asked, already realizing the answer.


    "They¡¯re the ones watching us," he continued. "Didn¡¯t you say most of the alphas who epted other mates, and the betas who did the same, watch the entertainment? That¡¯s probably why we were chosen. My uncle wouldn¡¯t care. He¡¯d enjoy watching me suffer in the north."


    He said it quietly. It was true. His uncle was not rted by blood, only his father¡¯s friend and a royal beta.


    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll find her," my father finally spoke, turning his head slightly toward us, just enough to show he was listening.


    "Didn¡¯t you realize that a little toote?" Troy remarked.


    My father kept his eyes on the road.


    Finally, we arrived at the council leader¡¯s house. Before my father or anyone else could get out, I was already rushing from the car and heading inside.


    The one thing I had not told anyone yet was that I was married to Clementine. The scent of her blood from when I marked her was still fresh in my memory.


    The dance we shared in the north was all that ran through my mind as I rushed into the house, searching for her.


    The moment I stormed inside, pushing past the warriors who tried to tell me the leaders were busy, I felt she was not there.


    I could almost sense her presence, as if she were just within reach. Then the door opened, and as I stormed in, I stopped dead in my tracks.

 Chapter 445-No Longer Going To The North

    <h4>Chapter 445: 445-No Longer Going To The North</h4>


    <strong>Suki:</strong>


    The train ride was awkward. Josh told me at the train station why everyone hated me and how Oriana had tried to control the alphas before, but failed badly. Of course she did.


    She did not have the mind to carry out such aplex n with so many advantages to the end. She only proved that it was better she was gone.


    Now I had to endure the ugly nces from her squadmates.


    So much had happened after I died, and I was confused and shocked to learn that Oriana wanted all of Clementine¡¯s mates, and that Clementine had so many.


    That alone proved Clementine was special.


    Still, I no longer felt any resentment or jealousy toward her. Thest time I did, I ended up dead.


    The same applied to Oriana. It felt like anyone who even wanted to hate Clementine would end up dead.


    I had no desire to die again, so I decided to focus entirely on myself.


    That changed when I arrived at the train station.


    All the ringleaders were waiting there with several lurkers, ordering us to follow them straight to the hall.


    Before, they would take us aside one by one to ask about what we did in the north, how we killed the monster, what we discovered, and what we saw.


    This time, I expected them to praise me immediately for bringing back the head of the Shadow Earth Eater.


    I was still carrying it in a trash bag as I walked toward the academy hall.


    I nced around, taking in the surroundings. I even breathed in deeply. The maind air felt so good.


    Who would have thought that the woman who feared dying in the north would actually die there? Yet her desire to live and return to the maind was so strong that she came back from the dead just to stand here again.


    A smile formed on my lips as I entered the hall and noticed the headmaster waiting inside.


    "Did you fulfill the task?" he asked.


    Something felt different. Maybe it was because I had not been alive for a while, but I noticed the shift in everyone¡¯s bodynguage. They all seemed tense.


    "Yes. I killed the monster," I replied as I stepped forward, holding up the stic bag with the head inside.


    Not only the headmaster, but the ringleaders looked shocked. Miss Rue was there, along with Ms. Lenora, Mr. Rick, and the others. Miss Rue kept staring at me, as if she wanted me to meet her gaze.


    I looked back at her, and she raised her brow. I had no idea what she meant by those strange gestures.


    "You did it?" Even Miss Rue spoke up, sounding confused.


    Then Mr. Rick stepped forward. He watched my face as if he had seen a ghost. Of course, none of them expected me to do anything remarkable, and I did not me them.


    It was Oriana¡¯s body. I would have been surprised too if she imed she had in a monster.


    "Yes, I did," I replied. "I wanted myst mission to be memorable and to leave while doing something good."


    As soon as I said that, I watched the ringleaders exchange a nce. Joshua had filled me in on everything. I knew Oriana was supposed to make a decision after returning from this task, whether she wanted to keep going to the north or stay.


    This time, however, the decision was mine. I knew that the next time they sent people back there, none of them would return alive.


    "About that," the headmaster spoke up after checking the head inside the trash can.


    He stretched his arm out and handed it to Mr. Rick, who took it and looked inside. His eyes widened at the sight of the monster. The other ringleaders leaned in to look as well.


    "We are in a bit of a crisis," the headmaster announced.


    His words pulled everyone¡¯s attention away from the ringleaders and their reactions. All eyes shifted to the headmaster. It was clear that something was wrong.


    "There was somemotion, with a few things being pointed out." It seemed the headmaster was trying to stay vague.


    He was not fully telling us what the crisis was. I was stunned when he looked at me. One by one, the other ringleaders turned in my direction as well.


    "So it hase to our attention that Oriana left a crusader behind after taking the baby from her," the headmaster stated.


    The moment those words were spoken, I stared at everyone in disbelief. That had probably happened a long time ago. Why were they talking about it now?


    "And she also ordered Alpha Haiden, Alpha Troy, and Alpha Yorick to leave Clementine in the north and save her instead," he added.


    I looked at Haiden and Troy and found them ring at me.


    "Wait, I can exin," I spoke up immediately.


    Thankfully, I had already spoken with Joshua. Otherwise, I would have beenpletely lost.


    "I already told everyone before. I did not leave the crusader behind. Yes, I took the baby because I thought it would be toote for her by the time she returned. I took the baby to help her. How was I supposed to know the doors would close so soon?"


    I spoke with confidence and wondered if that would be enough to convince them. Even while wearing her body, my way of speaking was clearer and more controlled than hers. I carried myself better than she ever did.


    "As for the order given to the alphas, I was under the spell of the Shadow Earth Eater myself. Why do you think I went in to kill her? I was angry that she controlled my body."


    As I exined, I watched the ringleaders exchange nces and nod. Miss Rue, in particr, kept nodding, as if she were persuading the others that I was telling the truth.


    "Well, of course. That exins everything," the headmaster said. "However, the usations have already reached the world."


    He spoke again in a low, guarded tone. I did not understand how the usations had spread, but I was ready to defend myself. People would believe me. Strange things happen in the north.


    That was when Ian barged in.


    Seeing him back on the maind made me snap my head toward Joshua, who looked just as shocked as I was. But there was one more person I noticed slipping quietly into the basement.


    It was Miss Rue.

 Chapter 446-Disappeared Into Thin Air

    <h4>Chapter 446: 446-Disappeared Into Thin Air</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    "Where is she?" I demanded the moment I entered the mansion.


    I found the two council leaders, the siblings, sitting together and enjoying a feast. They wore strange smiles, as if they had achieved something important in the past few hours.


    "Wait, are you Ian Hunt?" Lady Sylvia asked calmly, acting as if she were genuinely surprised to see me.


    "Cut the bullshit and tell me where the fuck Clementine is," I yelled. "Where the fuck is my mate?"


    That was when Haiden and Troy entered as well, while my father was still on his way.


    "What are you talking about?" Roberto questioned. "And young man, how dare you speak to us in that tone?" He mmed his fork on the table and rubbed his index finger and thumb together as he stared at me.


    "Where is Clementine?" Haiden demanded, repeating the question while ignoring their angry looks.


    "How would I know?" Lady Sylvia replied. "She must have gone to the North. Isn¡¯t that how Crusaders live? You go to the North, the ones who survivee back, and the ones who die do not."


    She shrugged and reached for a grape, trying to appear clever. I mmed my hand on the table, knocking the bowl away and sending the fruits scattering across the floor.


    "That is enough," Roberto warned as he ced both hands on the table and stood up, his eyes telling me not to lose control.


    "Enough is enough," Troy stated. "We will find out what you did to Clementine, and you better hope she is fine."


    His threat made the siblings exchange a nce before ring back at us.


    "Are you threatening us?" Lady Sylvia asked calmly. "Are you entering the home of council members and threatening them? If so, young man, you are in danger. You aremitting a crime, and not even your academy or all the monsters you have killed will save you."


    Her calm tone was what disturbed me the most. It was her confident way of telling me she had seeded, that she had done exactly what she wanted by taking Clementine from me.


    "Who do you think you are to barge into our sacred mansion and question us?" Lady Sylvia snapped. "You three are no longer even alphas. It is our kindness that we still refer to you as that. If anything, you are just crusaders. Crusaders meant to go to the north and die there."


    Lady Sylvia, who usually spoke gently and softly, dropped her false affection and spoke harshly. I was breathing heavily and no longer cared about her words. She could bring in all her warriors, and it still would not stop me from tearing the mansion apart to look for Clementine. I was ready to do exactly that.


    Before I could move, my father barged in.


    "Where is Clementine?" he demanded. "One of my best crusaders is missing, and it seems you were thest people to see her."


    My father sounded calm, but the force in his voice made it clear he was here for answers. The disappointment on Lady Sylvia and Roberto¡¯s faces did notst long.


    My fatherter told me he had been considering saving Clementine. I knew that would not have been enough for her. She wanted to do the right thing. She wanted to save everyone, and I respected her for that with everything I had.


    "Headmaster, I did not expect you toe here. However, let me be honest. I am very disappointed that you came here asking us the same questions your son is asking, as if we would know where your daughter-inw is," Sylvia spoke carefully.


    I had already figured her out. She was a cunning woman who knew how to create tension between people. Her words immediately caused strain between Troy and Haiden. They shifted ufortably, turning slightly to look at me.


    "I received information from a very trusted source that thest time she was seen, she was meeting with you two. Where is she?" my father asked.


    He did not fall for any distractions. He continued questioning them. They looked unsettled again, as if they truly believed everything they had done was right.


    As if being part of the entertainment was something that should have been considered eptable for any alpha or beta.


    Because my father had once agreed to it and had built the Academy himself, his questioning now clearly unsettled them.


    "I don¡¯t think you cane here and ask me these questions," Lady Sylvia replied. "Did you not see the news? I¡¯m sure you have. Your son exposed the Academy and the alphas. You should be busy protecting yourself from angry people. As for us, we were never mentioned."


    She smirked and shrugged her shoulders.


    My father stared at them silently before repeating himself.


    "Where is Clementine? Tell us."


    "You had these children with you. Weren¡¯t you supposed to take care of them? And by that, I mean weren¡¯t you supposed to send them to the north to fight monsters?" Sylviamented.


    "Why would we know where she is?" Roberto asked. "Wasn¡¯t it decided they would go there and die? Everyone knows this. It¡¯s not a secret. It¡¯s not forbidden. People have known for ages that they sacrifice themselves for the sake of the maind."


    He spoke boldly, trying to normalize it, as if forcing us into it was eptable.


    "Troy, Haiden, Ian," my father said. "Go ahead. Turn the mansion upside down. Check every document and look for anything that suggests Clementine was here."


    That was when my father finally took a step that changed Lady Sylvia¡¯s expression.


    "Wait, you cannot do that. You don¡¯t have our permission," she protested as she stood up with Roberto.


    "Guards," Roberto called out as he moved toward the door, but my father stepped in his way.


    Roberto immediately stepped back. He knew my father was not someone to challenge, though he continued staring at him in shock.


    We had no other choice. It was clear they were not going to help us willingly.


    So I rushed down the hallway to look for Clementine.


    However, in the next few minutes, we practically turned the entire mansion upside down. By the end, we found nothing.


    With no hope left, I went to thest ce we had not checked. The basement.


    The moment I stepped inside, I knew something was wrong. The basement had been cleaned thoroughly.


    There was no scent left behind, no trace that anyone had ever been there. I already knew this was not a good sign.

 Chapter 447-Saved By My Alpha, Still Missing His Friend

    <h4>Chapter 447: 447-Saved By My Alpha, Still Missing His Friend</h4>


    <strong>Suki:</strong>


    "I don¡¯t understand. Why were they asking me all those questions? Shouldn¡¯t it have been done already?" I asked Joshua once the three crusaders had left with the headmaster to look for Clementine.


    "I mean, you heard what everybody is talking about. Somemotion is happening in the outside world, which is probably why they asked you all those questions," Joshua exined, but it still did not make any sense.


    "Joshua, I heard that Clementine went to the council to expose the Academy, but what does that have to do with me? Did she talk about me? I mean, Oriana?" I asked him, cing my hands on my waist.


    We had wandered out of the hall and into the passageway of the red team squad. Seeing Joshua in a different-colored uniform while I was also in a changed uniform felt strange. It was odd, almost like the world had changed so much in such little time.


    "Why do you worry? You have already exined everything. Besides, I remember the earth eater told us that Clementine left the north, so she and him were probably doing something," Joshua replied as he held my hands and gently rubbed his thumbs over my knuckles.


    "I¡¯m just d you¡¯re back. You have no idea how alive I feel," he added, smiling through his eyes.


    "So how is everybody else? I mean," I paused as I noticed him raise his eyebrow.


    "Clementine¡¯s father killed Jack," Joshua responded before I could finish asking.


    It was strange that he said it himself, and then I noticed he was watching my face for some kind of reaction. I had already figured out that something happened to Jack when I did not see him at the train station, or when he did not board the train with us. Still, hearing it so directly caused more pain.


    I swallowed hard and nodded. What was done was done. It was not as if he could be brought back.


    I wondered what I would have done if I had found out Jack was dead before I asked for myst wish from the Shadow Earth Eater.


    "What are you thinking about?" Joshua asked as I noticed his hands slipping away from mine.


    I quickly held onto them, trying to remind him that I loved him more, more than Jack.


    "Joshua, he was a friend, and although mistakes happened, it does not mean that I was in love with him. I am in love with you. You are my mate," I told him, confessing my love, which made him smile brightly before pulling me into a hug.


    While I was in his embrace, I wondered if I would have given up his body for Jack¡¯s soul if I had known earlier. Joshua did so much for me, but I would have done the same for Jack too. Now that Jack was gone, Joshua did not need to know any of this.


    Before Jack, I loved Joshua, so I was content with who I was with.


    "Oriana, may I have a word?" a voice called from the side.


    It was Joshua who pulled away and turned my attention toward the sound, probably because I was not used to being called Oriana.


    "Oh, yes?" I replied as I also stepped back, realizing it was Miss Rue.


    "I am waiting," Miss Ruemented, stepping away from me.


    "What does she want now?" I turned to look at Joshua, giving him a tired look. Couldn¡¯t he find me a body that was not involved in so many controversies?


    Then again, besides Clementine, the only beautiful girl in the Academy was Oriana. Of course, that was because my body was not an option. Otherwise, it would have been the first.


    "I don¡¯t know. I honestly don¡¯t know what their deal is. All I know is that she was a witness. Maybe she is trying tofort you or something," Joshua replied.


    "Just go with it. Don¡¯t indulge too much. But remember, her favorite had always been Clementine. Anything she says, don¡¯t fall for her tricks," he warned.


    After Joshua briefed me on how to speak with Miss Rue and what to do and not do, I started to step toward her to talk. She stood at the entrance of the hall, waiting for me anxiously.


    "Hello, Miss Rue," I greeted, trying to be as pleasant as possible.


    "We had a deal," she began.


    Although her voice was very soft, almost a whisper, as if she did not want anyone to hear, I could still feel the anger in it.


    "I¡¯m sorry, what?" I asked, unsure of what she was talking about.


    "You heard Ian announce that Clementine is here and that she was heading to speak with the council members. What makes you think she is not going there to talk about us?" she continued, causing me to watch her face in silence.


    I had no clue, absolutely none, what was going on with her.


    "What kind of deal? What kind of talk is this?" I asked, frowning.


    "And then imagine how I felt when I realized I held my side of the deal, but you did not," she added.


    "Did the shadow earth eater not ask you for a wish?" she hissed, clenching her fist.


    I pouted and tilted my head slightly.


    "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about," I replied.


    "You little piece of shit. You think you can y me?" she snapped.


    As soon as she stepped closer and grabbed my arm, I pped her hand away and shoved her back.


    She looked at me with shock and fear in her eyes.


    "Try to touch me again and I will tell everyone you are saying nonsense," I warned.


    "As for the deal, or whatever shit you expected from me, consider it over, okay? I am leaving the Academy, so I do not have to deal with you or your stupid behavior. You hear me?" I raised my voice, while she was ncing around to make sure no one was listening.


    Now that she was the one being insulted, she suddenly did not want me to raise my voice.

 Chapter 448-Finally Out In The World

    <h4>Chapter 448: 448-Finally Out In The World</h4>


    <strong>Suki:</strong>


    "Hm. You think that will be it? That you will break the deal with me and walk away?" she asked, trying to take control of her emotions.


    I started to scoff and shook my head. I had no clue what was wrong with this woman, but there was not much I could do anymore.


    "Well, then go ahead and do whatever the fuck you want to do. What will you do, huh? Do you want me to fulfill some wish for you?" I asked calmly. I did not need to be scared of her. If anything, she would be punished for asking me for a wish, so there was no reason for me to be afraid.


    "When you tell the world, you will be exposing yourself," I added.


    "Oh, you have no idea," shemented, shaking with anger.


    I onlyughed and gestured for her to go away.


    She remained standing, trying to make me talk more, or maybe hoping I would apologize or exin why I did not grant her a wish. I did not stop. I simply turned and started to walk away.


    Then I remembered something.


    Maybe Oriana told Miss Rue that she had a wish and that she was going to help her with it. I started to put everything together. Recently, the only thing Miss Rue did for Oriana was be the witness to the assault Yorickmitted against her.


    Did they lie about it? Maybe she lied, and then asked Oriana to get a wish for her.


    In any case, I had no problem with it. If she went and told the world she had lied, she would get into trouble. I would just say that I never imed she witnessed anything. She inserted herself into it.


    The others, from what Joshua told me, had already seen Yorick standing in front of me, fixing his belt while holding the dagger. So it was fine.


    Miss Rue was just trying to fire a shot in the dark.


    I heard her cry and grow angry. She tried to get my attention again by scoffing and breathing loudly. I continued on through the passageway to meet Joshua.


    "What was going on?" he asked, probably because I had raised my voice at Miss Rue.


    "I guess she needed something from me. Let¡¯s just forget about her. Nobody even cares about her anyway," I replied with augh, and he nodded along.


    "Well, from the looks of it, I don¡¯t think anything is normal. It seems like Clementine and Ian really caused serious damage to the Academy," Joshua remarked, resting his hands on his waist while looking around.


    The lurkers were gathered in one ce. The ringleaders stood in front of them, saying something. I had no idea what was going on, but I could tell Joshua was right.


    "This could be the end of the Academy," Joshuamented with a smile on his lips.


    "That means you¡¯ll be out of here too," I told him gently, cing my hand on his bicep and squeezing it.


    "Yeah. I can return to my pack as an alpha," he replied.


    As soon as he said that, I smiled and hugged him again. I knew we were openly showing affection, but I did not care.


    I was not going to stay with Yorick. That was Oriana¡¯s wish. I wanted to be with my mate.


    "And I will take you home with me," he added.


    When we broke the hug, he gently patted my cheek.


    "I can¡¯t wait for us to be together again. Anyway, I¡¯ll go grab my bags," I said to him, all smiles.


    "Oriana, the car has arrived. You will be dropped off at your mate¡¯s mansion today," Mr. Rick arrived.


    I rolled my eyes tiredly.


    "Oh yeah? How are you going to deal with it? He must hate you, and I don¡¯t want him to attack you again, thinking you¡¯re Oriana," Joshua whispered with concern.


    I hesitated. I was worried because I did not want to tell Joshua that I suspected Oriana had lied about Yorick.


    That would only make him worry more about my safety. We had no other choice but for me to go to Yorick¡¯s ce.


    Even if Oriana lied, that was Yorick¡¯s problem.


    I did not care. I never liked Clementine or her squad mates anyway.


    "I¡¯ll see you soon," I told Joshua, giving his hands a firm squeeze.


    "Oriana, a car has arrived to pick you up. If you¡¯re done talking, grab your bags ande with me," Ms. Lenora instructed.


    Hearing those words filled me with excitement. I was finally out of the Academy.


    "Okay, Joshua. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I love you after what you¡¯ve done for me," I said happily before skipping off toward my room.


    I quickly grabbed whatever Oriana owned. I did not want it, but I also did not want to raise suspicion. I packed everything and got ready to leave.


    "Okay, guys, bye," I told Mira, Renee, and Sebastian. I expected a hug, but they looked upset about returning to the North.


    "Whatever," I muttered, turning and strolling away with confidence.


    I got into the car and started my journey. Throughout the ride, I did not stop smiling once. I was just happy.


    I looked around at everything as if I had never seen it before, almost like I was an alien.


    To be honest, if it were not for Joshua, I would not have been here. I rubbed my palms together with excitement.


    I would just tell Yorick to reject me, and I was sure that after the way Oriana forced herself on him, he would happily reject me and want nothing to do with me.


    The car stopped at several ces so I could eat lunch and have meals, and I enjoyed every moment of it.


    Once I was outside, I realized that at each ce where I stopped for food, people were talking about the recent events.


    It seemed Clementine had released tapes, and that was not the only shocking part.


    The most disturbing part was that the alphas, or the so-called evil ones, had been watching us and bidding on us. It had all been a game to them.


    Still, I did not care. I was finally arriving at the ce that would lead me back into Joshua¡¯s arms.


    I stepped out of the car and smiled, standing in front of the mansion.


    "Well, time to get rejected," I remarked, reaching for the door and knocking.

 Chapter 449-I Am Exposed And Disrespected

    <h4>Chapter 449: 449-I Am Exposed And Disrespected</h4>


    <strong>Miss Rue:</strong>


    Ever since Oriana and the others came back from the North, I had been waiting for a moment to speak with her.


    When I saw that she had also killed the Shadow Earth Eater, I realized she must have spoken her wish.


    There was no way Oriana would be stupid enough not to uphold the deal and kill the Shadow Earth Eater before using herst wish.


    The problem began when Ian barged in.


    I remembered clearly that I had asked her to tell the Shadow Earth Eater to kill both of them, because I had a feeling that if Clementine had met Ian then Clementine must have told him everything about me.


    A few hourster, things changed when Ian went live on the biggest show and exposed everything about the Academy, the North, and the monsters.


    When I watched him go on alone and noticed Clementine was not with him, I thought that maybe Oriana could not get the Shadow Earth Eater to kill both Ian and Clementine.


    Or maybe Ian and Clementine never saw each other and Ian had to leave the North disappointed.


    That might have been why he became aggressive and exposed everything. By then, everything was already over for me.


    Once Ian asked his father where Clementine was, and said thest time he saw her was when she was leaving to meet the council members, I knew Ian and Clementine had been together.


    I slipped into the basement to avoid Ian¡¯s attention. I knew the moment he saw me, he would start screaming.


    I stayed there until I was certain he had left with his father. When I came out, everyone else had gone to their rooms.


    The ringleaders were told to gather the lurkers and inform them that their service would not be needed for now.


    There was no way anyone could be sent back to the North, at least not until we were certain how people were reacting.


    I called Oriana to speak with her because she had avoided me like a gue. When she finally faced me, she showed her true self. I was enraged. I felt betrayed, like a fool.


    "Miss Rue, you have not said a word," Miss Lenora remarked as we sat at the table together.


    I was looking outside the hall¡¯s windows.


    "I¡¯m sorry, what were you all talking about?" I asked.


    A whole day had passed, and I had not been able to get Oriana¡¯s words and tone out of my head. She had fooled me.


    I helped her out of the academy, and here I was with nothing. Soon, Ian woulde back, and it would be chaos. I did not know what I was waiting for at this point.


    I had tried to leave earlier, but Mr. Rick saw me and practically dragged me here to have a cup of tea with him.


    "I was saying that the very first time Iid my eyes on Clementine, I had a feeling she would be trouble," Ms. Lenora uttered, earning nods from everyone.


    "Wait until they start talking about the green squad," Mr. Rick hissed.


    I remembered the green squad. They were the ones who found out the academy had been watching them the entire time.


    "Wasn¡¯t it you, Mr. Rick, who went in there and killed all three of them?" I asked.


    The moment I said those words, Mr. Rick snapped his head up and red at me.


    "Come on, Rue. We talked about this. We will never mention it," he replied. "It was a small mistake. We let information slip, and they caught on. We had to kill them, because if the headmaster had found out that we had slipped information, he would have fired us."


    Ms. Lenora tried to justify the killing of three boys out of fear of the headmaster finding out.


    "Right," I said, noticing the way everyone was looking at me.


    "And it seems Miss Rue is really sad about the academy closing. Maybe she was enjoying it a little too much," Mr. Rickmented.


    Obviously, he would strike back.


    "I¡¯m not the one who was harsh toward the crusaders. I was everyone¡¯s favorite," I mumbled, clicking my tongue.


    The blue and green squad ringleaders watched us in silence.


    That was when the door to the hall opened, and the headmaster walked in. I immediately stood up.


    From the way they were grunting, I knew I had to get out of Ian¡¯s sight. I had a feeling they had left the council¡¯s office disappointed.


    And knowing Ian, he would take his anger out on me, the one who hadst shot Clementine.


    As soon as I rushed toward the basement, I felt a pull on my hand. When I looked up, I saw Mr. Rick grabbing my arm and smirking.


    "Why does it seem like you are running away from something?" he asked, turning me by force to face the headmaster.


    "Don¡¯t worry, Ian. I have asked everyone to gather information on anyone who visited the council leaders in thest twenty-four hours and beyond," the headmaster said to his son, who was red with anger.


    Haiden and Troy stood right behind them, and there was no Clementine.


    I tried to step back again, but Mr. Rick grabbed my arm once more.


    He must have noticed how uneasy I was around the headmaster, so he was making sure I stayed.


    "Let me go," I hissed at Mr. Rick, pulling my arm free.


    I spoke softly, but the moment I opened my mouth, the room fell silent. Even though my voice was barely above a whisper, everyone heard it.


    "And there we have the biggest snake of all," Ianmented, just as I had feared.


    The room went still. Heads snapped in my direction.


    "Is there a problem, Ian?" I asked, swallowing hard.


    There was only one thing I could do.


    Lie.


    They had no physical proof against me, so all I could do was keep lying until they believed it.


    Ian started walking toward me at a brisk pace. When he reached me, he grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the ringleaders.


    They gasped, except for Mr. Rick. He looked pleased to see me fall after I had spoken to him the way I did.


    Ian shoved me forward, and a kick to my back forced me onto my knees in front of the headmaster.


    The moment felt like the worst insult. I did not think I deserved such treatment.


    "Ian, what is wrong with you? Is that how you treat your elders now?" his father snapped.


    The other ringleaders began to whisper among themselves, showing their disapproval of Ian¡¯s behavior toward me.


    I tried to get up, but Ian kicked me in the back again, and I fell once more. I did not cry.


    I did not beg him to stop. I clenched my jaw, closed my eyes, and tightened my fists. I knew he would not show me mercy.


    He was angry because he had lost his mate. And of course, she had told him about me.


    "Wait, what is going on, Ian? Is she somehow rted to Clementine¡¯s disappearance?" Troy asked as he stepped out from behind the headmaster.


    I remained on the ground, my knees pressed down, my fists against the floor, my head lowered. Still, I could see some of the others from the corner of my eye.


    "Ask her, Father. Ask her why she joined the academy, especially after her sister passed away," Ian said.


    As soon as he spoke, whispers and murmurs filled the hall again.


    "That is what many siblings did when their brothers or sisters died in the North, they came here to work as staff members, chefs, cooks, or anything they could. It helped them stay close to thest ce their siblings had died. So what are you trying to prove?" the headmaster asked.


    Of course, he knew I was Riv¡¯s sister.


    "Wait, who was her sister?" Haiden asked.


    "Riv," Ian replied with a scoff.


    I looked up and saw Haiden and Troy staring into the distance before realization struck them.


    "Wait, you¡¯re telling me she was against our team all this time?" Troy asked, pointing at me as he looked at Ian.


    "No," Ian shouted. "More than that. She came here to take revenge on Clementine."


    Gasps filled the hall again.


    "That is ridiculous. She always spoke well of Clementine," the headmaster argued.


    I had not spoken a single word in my defense. I was waiting for the right moment.


    "Really?" Ian snapped. "Then ask her why she gave Clementine a key to the back side of the fence. Ask her why she wanted the time clock. Did it never ur to you that Clementine went into the North to fetch the clock and never returned? Then she came back with me because she had the clock, and Rue tricked her and shot her, thinking she had the real one."


    Ian spoke in one breath, exposing me to everyone.

 Chapter 450-Let’s See What The North Is All About

    <h4>Chapter 450: 450-Let¡¯s See What The North Is All About</h4>


    <strong>Miss Rue:</strong>


    Finally, I got up, folded my legs beneath me, and sat upright on the floor, my hands resting on my knees.


    I finally raised my head and stared the headmaster in the eye.


    "He is lying. I did none of that," I said softly, making sure my voice sounded steady.


    "Wait a minute. We are not sure," Mr. Rick spoke up. "I do remember seeing footage of Miss Rue going into the woods near the fence to the North. It was the same day Clementine was supposed to return."


    He was taking his anger out on me for my earlierment.


    I snapped my head toward him and red for a moment before I spoke.


    "He is doing this because I reminded him that he killed three innocent boys from Green Squad to hide his own failure."


    The moment I said that, the headmaster rushed across the table and grabbed Rick by the cor.


    "What is she saying?" he demanded.


    At the same time, I did not realize when it happened, but Troy rushed toward me, grabbed the back of my hair, and forced me to stand.


    These boys were my students, my crusaders. I had never earned such disrespect from anyone until now, all because of Clementine.


    "I cannot believe I had two snakes up my sleeve," the headmaster grunted, yelling loudly.


    I looked up and noticed the lurkers outside the hall. Running away was no longer an option. I was caught.


    "As if you did not get so many innocent teens killed for your own satisfaction,"


    The moment I said that, it confirmed that I had shot Clementine. I was no longer acting miserable. A cocky grin spread across my lips.


    "As for Clementine, she killed my sister, Riv. I did what I had to do to kill the monster who killed my sister."


    The moment those words left my mouth, a punchnded on my jaw, and I dropped to the ground. I ced a hand on my chin and looked up to see Haiden standing in front of me, his fists clenched.


    "You better kill me, or I will ruin all of your lives," I yelled.


    "Take her away and throw her in prison. She will be sent to the North," the headmaster shouted.


    The moment he said that, my grin faded. I crawled to his feet and begged for mercy.


    "No, please listen. Do not do this. The North is not for me. I made a mistake, but Clementine is alive."


    Fear hit me all at once.


    "No. That is it. Both of you will be sent to the North," the headmaster said as he stepped away from Rick and me.


    Rick and I exchanged a nce, and terror struck me.


    "But I did it so the academy¡¯s secrets would not get out," Rick tried to exin.


    The headmaster shoved his palm into Rick¡¯s face.


    "You killed three students because you let information slip in front of them. You both will go to the North."


    He did not stop there. He ordered the lurkers inside, and they grabbed us by our arms and dragged us out.


    "No, listen, please. I will exin," I cried, struggling for a few moments before my resistance faded.


    Rick kept fighting, trying to break free from the lurkers¡¯ grip, while I started walking toward the transport that would take us to the North.


    As soon as I was pushed into the vehicle, I took out my phone. The lurkers were focused on Mr. Rick, trying to stop him from struggling so they could handcuff him and force him inside.


    I knew they would search me for my phone and any other equipment. They would strip me of my weapons and send me into the North.


    So I had to do one thing. Onest act against the person who ruined everything for me. Oriana.


    Once Rick was pushed into the car with me, he started grunting angrily. His hands were locked in handcuffs.


    A warrior stood nearby, and a lurker made sure a gun was pointed straight at his head.


    "This is ridiculous. As if he is innocent," Rickined, speaking about the headmaster.


    "You are not innocent either," I replied calmly.


    He snapped his head toward me and frowned.


    "Aren¡¯t you worried at all? We are both going to die. There is no way we can survive the North," he said.


    I noticed his hands were shaking.


    "Do you think their hands shook like that as well when they were on the train?" I asked.


    My eyes drifted as I held my phone in my hand.


    "What? Who cares about them?" he muttered, grunting under his breath. "Their families sent them into the academy. It¡¯s not like I forced them. Someone had to go fight. I didn¡¯t personally kill them. I just sent them to the North. The monsters killed them. It¡¯s the same thing as this. If we don¡¯t fight the monsters, they wille here and kill us. Would it be our fault for not killing them first?"


    Rick spoke in one breath, trying to justify his actions.


    I turned my head slightly toward him and smiled.


    "Then how are you ming the headmaster for doing the same thing? He didn¡¯t personally kill any crusader. He was just taking revenge."


    Rick growled at me.


    "You have no idea how it feels to be wronged. To lose someone," I snapped.


    "Rick, people lose control. Look at me. Clementine didn¡¯t kill my sister. I just needed somewhere to direct my anger. It gave me a reason to move away from the pain."


    As I exined, he rolled his eyes.


    "But you killed those three boys with your own hands," I continued. "I told you not to do it. I told you to tell the headmaster, and he would have convinced them his research was wrong. So no, not everyone is the same. At least you are not."


    His fists clenched as he grunted.


    "You better shut up, or I¡¯ll throw you to the monsters in the North," he yelled.


    I started to chuckle.


    "Oh, Rick. We are both going to die. They are sending us to the dark side of the North. There won¡¯t be anyoneing to save us. There won¡¯t be a train waiting to take us back." Iughed at him.


    "You have your phone. Ask someone for help. Call the news. Tell them they¡¯re sending us to the North," Rick said, suddenly excited.


    When he tried to grab my phone, I stretched my arm out the window.


    All I did was press one button.


    Then I let go of the phone.


    "What did you do?" he screamed.


    The lurkers shoved him back, forcing him to sit away from me.


    "You ruined everything. We could have survived," he screamed.


    "No, Rick, neither you nor I deserve to live. I tried to kill someone, and then I used someone of something they did not do," I said, watching him narrow his eyes before shaking his head in disbelief.


    "We both deserve to die, and we deserve to do it in the North," I continued calmly, a smile still on my lips.


    It was a smile of defeat and of finally understanding how anger and jealousy could ruin an entire life. I could have lived a normal life, but I ruined it because I became too consumed by anger and revenge.


    They took us to the station and tried to drag us out. They did not need to do that to me. I was ready to go on my own, but I let them pull me anyway. I deserved the humiliation.


    Maybe if I had focused only on the watch, Clementine would have helped me. I could have gotten the watch and saved my sister instead of killing someone else.


    Then Rick started to chuckle loudly.


    "You¡¯re right. You wasted your time. We saw the footage," he said. "Oh,e on. Clementine was trying to save your sister. She deserved to die because she was just as vindictive as you."


    As soon as he finished speaking, I stormed into my carriage on my own. He was thrown into the other one, and the doors shut between us.


    Rick began to panic, scream, and throw himself around, but the train had already started moving.


    After a slow ride to the dark side of the North, the train finally stopped after half an hour. I took a deep breath and watched the door open.


    "I¡¯m not leaving," Rick cried as I stepped out of the train.


    I turned back to look at him.


    "You trapped me. I would have escaped," I said, a smile still on my lips.


    It was true. If he had not done what he did to me, I would have survived. If he had not caught me at the wrong moment and I had escaped the hall, I would have run away.


    So I walked toward his carriage. Maybe we would face the monsters together.


    When he saw meing closer, he began to panic.


    "Step away from me, you psychopath," he screamed as I entered the carriage and dragged him out with me.

 Chapter 451-I Still Blame Her

    <h4>Chapter 451: 451-I Still me Her</h4>


    <strong>Suki:</strong>


    There stood Yorick¡¯s mother in the doorway, her smile stretched so wide that I felt my body tense.


    "Oriana, my dear daughter-inw," she remarked through a clenched jaw.


    I had no idea why she was looking at me with such happiness. I had thought Oriana had forced herself on Yorick, so his mother should have been angry with her as well.


    Unless she believed Oriana was telling the truth and that her son hadmitted the crime he was used of.


    If that was the case, then I could understand why his mother would not believe him and would be pleased with Oriana.


    After all, Oriana was the one saving his life by not demanding his execution.


    "Come on, why are you standing outside? Come inside," his mother insisted, and I began to look around anxiously.


    Although I was not an alpha myself, I had been to Joshua¡¯s mansion many times. He was an alpha too, so I knew how things usually worked. Standing outside Yorick¡¯s home, I felt confused by what I was seeing. There were not many warriors posted outside. The usual signs of wealth, like the cars lining the driveway, were missing as well.


    "Lady Rimi, it¡¯s okay. I just want to speak with Yorick," I told her, remaining where I was.


    I did not want to waste time going inside and pretending I intended to stay married. Time mattered. The sooner I got away from all these people, the safer I would be.


    "Of course, Yorick is in his room. Come on in," she insisted again, holding the door open as she stepped aside.


    "Um, actually, what I need to talk about will only take a few minutes. And if he agrees, we can both be on our way," I exined.


    I wanted to make it clear that her son had been spared and that I had note here intending to stay for long.


    "Oh, that¡¯s okay. You can talk to him about anything inside the house," she replied.


    There were moments when I noticed the way she lingered on certain words, pressing them a little too hard. I wondered why, but then I pushed the thought aside.


    Her son had been discharged from the academy after being used of such a serious crime. Of course she might feel the need to be overly kind to make up for his actions.


    "No, really, it¡¯s okay. Can I please see him here?" I requested again, growing more agitated.


    I noticed her smile start to fade, just a little, before she forced it back into ce.


    "Come on, Oriana. Get inside. The weather is bad. It¡¯s going to rain soon. You don¡¯t have a vehicle. You don¡¯t have anyone with you," she urged. "Come inside, speak with him, have dinner with us, and then you can go wherever you want."


    She was likely holding on to my earlier words about us going our separate ways.


    I looked toward the road and then up at the sky. Dark clouds had already filled it. She was not wrong.


    Besides, every few seconds, warrior vehicles patrolled the area. Ever since the news broke that the academy had been hiding secrets, people had turned into reporters overnight.


    After Ian¡¯s interview, I had met countless people who imed they thought they knew me.


    Even when I tried my best to cover my face, I heard mixed reactions to everything. Many people were unhappy with the clips that had been shown of Oriana.


    Of course they were. Even when some of the ringleaders released statements iming it had only happened because she was under the spell of a monster, people did not believe it.


    They had never been to the North. They did not know what kinds of monsters existed there, that they did not only challenge us physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.


    In the end, I gave in, stepping into the mansion and looking around.


    The moment I went back home, I nned to discard Oriana¡¯s clothes. People would be confused to see her suddenly dressed so differently.


    However, the truth was that Oriana¡¯s style was not bad. She had been the one who arrived at the academy with the most luxury and branded clothes.


    As I stepped inside, his mother weed me. She still had a strange smile on her lips that made me ufortable.


    The mansion was beautiful, though. At least it was spacious. As for the interior decor, I did not think they had upgraded it in a long time.


    Even the chandeliers looked old-fashioned. Did they not care about luxury brands or modern interiors?


    My gaze returned to his mother. That exined why she was wearing old-style pants and a top, with her pride resting on her shoulders in the form of herb coat.


    "Have a seat," she told me, pointing toward the living room.


    I looked around once again, wondering where Yorick was.


    "Come on, have a seat," she insisted, drawing my attention back to her.


    I sat on the couch and looked up, noticing there was a TV. It was not a veryrge screen or anything impressive.


    Beside it sat a VCR and a cassette yer, almost as if they were untouched by modern technology.


    "I don¡¯t remember thest time I saw one of those," I joked, pointing toward the cassette yer.


    "Of course you don¡¯t," she replied. "You must be very young. By the time you were born, these things were already outdated."


    She sat down on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other and resting her hands around her knee.


    "What do you watch on it?" I asked, smiling.


    "Oh, just some tapes," she muttered, quickly uncrossing her legs and dropping her hands. She looked away, avoiding my eyes.


    "You must have heard about all the news going around," she remarked, bringing it up herself.


    "Yeah, it seems like the academy turned out to be holding a much darker secret. Who would have known that these alphas..." I paused suddenly when I looked at her. "Of course not someone with such high grace like you," I quickly added.


    I noticed the way she tilted her head, smiling through her eyes at me.


    "They would be having so much fun at someone else¡¯s misery. Even when it involves children, their own children," I continued, and she gave a slow nod.


    There was a strange eeriness around her, even in the way she smiled.


    "Anyway, where is Yorick?" I asked again, feeling anxious this time.


    "It seems like you¡¯re really eager to see your mate," she replied calmly. "Wait, let me call him here. In the meantime, you can rest. Lie down if you want."


    As she said that, she fluffed the couch behind me. I shifted toward the edge of the couch to avoid her hand brushing against me.


    Honestly, after arriving here, I realized how badly I wanted to leave. Joshua must have been waiting for me.


    From everything I had heard on the way to this mansion, I had figured out there was no way the academy would be sending anyone back to the north anymore, at least not anytime soon. That meant Joshua was going back home.


    I was happy. We were finally alive. I mean, thanks to him, I was alive. I had heard from my Wolf here and there, but she was still recovering slowly, so it was fine.


    Then I turned to the side and finally saw Yoricking downstairs.


    He looked very rxed, and that was what scared me. He was wearing a ck jacket and ck pants. He must have showered recently because his hair was still wet.


    But there was something else that confused me. As soon as he entered the living room, he smiled in a way that felt almost taunting.


    His mother smiled at him as well, giving his elbow a gentle squeeze before gesturing to me that she was heading toward the kitchen.


    "Yorick, hi," I greeted him, getting up from the couch.


    It was strange seeing him again. He looked handsome as always, but of course he was not mine, and I was not his.


    Still, we did not need to be hostile because of what Oriana had done. I felt sad that I could not openly tell him I was not the one who had wronged him.


    "How are you?" I asked, giving him a small smile.


    "Good. How are you?" he replied. "It¡¯s shocking that you returned from the North."


    The moment he started speaking, I sensed bitterness in his tone.


    I felt like maybe he hated me because of Clementine. Even though I had convinced myself not to involve myself with her, now that I was out, breathing in fresh air, I could not wish for anything more than her death.


    I would be happy if she never lived to see another day. Since she had made such public statements about the academy, I wondered how many hitmen might be waiting for the chance to take her out, and how no one would suspect it if Joshua and I hired someone to get rid of her.


    By the end of the day, I refused to admit again that my death had been my fault. It was Clementine¡¯s fault.

 Chapter 452-Trapped In The Wrong House

    <h4>Chapter 452: 452-Trapped In The Wrong House</h4>


    <strong>Suki:</strong>


    "So, you must have gotten the news," I started talking, watching Yorick raise his eyebrow.


    "About what?" he questioned.


    "Are you not checking the inte or any news?" I asked.


    However, I could tell that they might not even own the inte from the way they were living.


    "We had to cut the inte," he replied, then suddenly went silent.


    "Actually, a lot of people have been talking about him on the inte, so we decided it would be better if we didn¡¯t let him see it for a while," his mother exined as she came in with three sses of juice.


    She ced one down for herself. However, she did not stay and wandered away.


    Staring at the ss of juice, I felt quite thirsty and hungry. Ever since I woke up, I had not really eaten or drunk anything, and I missed the taste of food. I just wanted to swallow whatever was on my te.


    "Now, what is going on?" Yorick questioned, adjusting his jacket.


    There was still a strange tone in his voice, almost as if he did not sound very interested. If I had to guess, I would say he already knew what I was talking about. There was no way they had not seen everything.


    "Anyway, I came to speak with you about our marriage," I remarked softly, trying to find a way into the conversation.


    "Well, I also asked you a question that you did not answer," hemented, sounding very casual.


    I had expected him to be extremely angry. Did he just ept his fate? That would be a problem. He needed to reject me. Then I remembered what he meant by that.


    "Oh, yeah. I killed the shadow earth eater there. It seems like she had control over me all this time. So when I went there, I just lost it," I exined.


    I began making excuses because I knew what would happen next. He would remind me that I had lied about him. When he did, I could just im it was the effect of the shadow earth eater. It was not like he could prove me wrong.


    "Really?" he questioned, smirking. "She still had an effect on you after all this time?"


    I did not like his tone or his calmness.


    "Yeah. I don¡¯t even remember what happened between you and me," I replied quietly. "All I remember is something happening. You hurting me, beating me up. Honestly, I¡¯m still shocked because I know you¡¯re not like that."


    Beforeing here, I had nned apletely different approach. I was going to demand that he reject me.


    Now that I was inside his home, seeing how both he and his mother were acting, I realized I should not havee in. I should have stayed outside and asked for rejection there.


    But I was worried. What if he started shouting at me? What if he hit me?


    "I understand," he said suddenly, and my frown faded.


    "I¡¯ve been to the North too, Oriana. I know how dangerous those ces can be. So I understand," he continued. "Anyway, have a seat. My mother tells me you came to leave. I don¡¯t understand," he added, gesturing for me to sit.


    I sat down quickly once again. More than that, I felt relieved that his tone had softened.


    "Oh, yes. I was thinking we don¡¯t need to stay tied together like this," I said carefully. "Marrying each other was a mistake. I think we should divorce."


    As soon as I said it, I saw him raise an eyebrow and cross one leg over the other.


    "Well, let¡¯s talk about that in a bit," he replied. "How about you have some food first?"


    His mother returned just then, followed by maids carrying trays of food that smelled rich and warm. I thought that maybe I should eat a little first.


    Now the two sat on the couch, watching me.


    "Why don¡¯t you try some of the food? I bet you did not have anything good in the North," his mother joked, rubbing her hands anxiously.


    "You didn¡¯t have to make so much," Imented as I looked at the sushi rolls, the sandwiches, and the tacos. It was as if the tray was filled with all kinds of food.


    "Come on, at least try something," she urged.


    I hesitated for a moment, then reached over for a sushi roll. At the beginning of my academy days, they treated us well here and there, but by the end of my time, there was not much. Then I was dead for months. Now everything felt like a treat.


    I quickly started munching on the food while they picked cupcakes from a tray, choosing the ones with blue icing.


    Once I finished the sushi roll, I reached for the tacos. They were a bit messy, but oh my Goddess, the crunch was amazing. The taste felt so good on my tongue.


    Halfway through, I looked up and smiled awkwardly.


    "I¡¯m really sorry," I told them with my mouth full. "Actually, I came here directly from the North," I added, trying to make an excuse.


    The two did not say anything. They just watched me.


    "So you want me to reject you?" Yorick began, and I started nodding my head.


    "What do you n to do after you leave?" he asked, leaning backfortably on the couch.


    I adjusted my posture as well. Now that I had eaten enough, I feltpletely calm and much better.


    "Actually, I¡¯ll go back home and then decide. I mean, I¡¯ve made good friends, like Joshua," I exined.


    I said his name so there would already be a hint as to why I would be seen with himter. I had to make it seem like we had already built a small connection.


    "Ah, that makes sense," his mothermented, gently cing her hand on her son¡¯s arm to get his attention.


    However, instead of looking at her, he only nodded his head to show that he noticed.


    "I mean, from one alpha to the other."


    The moment his mother said that, my smile began to fade.


    "Well, you should be happy that I did not let your son get the maximum punishment, because then he would not be alive and sitting here, would he?" I snapped, then quickly smiled to make it seem like I could joke too.


    "Oh,e on, I was just kidding. Wow, you have some anger issues," his mother remarked. Her tone was strange, as if she was always judging someone.


    "Not at all. I was joking too. I have a good sense of humour. You should ask your son. He knows all about it," Imented, clicking my tongue before turning and raising my eyebrow at Yorick.


    However, he only watched me in silence, the way a hawk watches its prey.


    "You¡¯re still very cocky, aren¡¯t you, Oriana?" he questioned.


    There was a depth to his voice, but my head was starting to hurt from all their nonsense. I realized I did not need to argue with him. I just needed to get out of here.


    "Well, not at all. Anyway, I should get going. Just reject me and send me on my way," I stated.


    As soon as I tried to stand up, I dropped back onto the couch, holding my head in my hands.


    "Whoa! Are you okay?" he questioned with concern, though he did not move an inch from his spot.


    "Yeah, I¡¯m fine, I guess. I¡¯m just very sleepy," I uttered.


    "Then why don¡¯t you sleep?" his mothermented.


    I snapped my head up and saw that both of them were smiling. Then my eyesnded on the food.


    There was no way I could suddenly feel sleepy like that. Besides, why the fuck had they not eaten at all?


    "Take a bite," I told Yorick, and he raised both eyebrows.


    "What?" he asked, starting to smirk.


    "I said, take a fucking bite," I demanded this time, my finger shaking as I pointed at the food.


    "No, why would I?" Yorick replied very casually. As I stared back at him, he started to chuckle, and then, in the end, he began tough in a disturbing way.


    "I would never eat this. This food is drugged," he added in a calm, unsettling tone.


    He exposed his n to me, and as my head began to sway, I dropped onto the couch once again.


    "Okay, Yorick, honey, why don¡¯t you collect her and take her to the room," his mother said as she stood up.


    Suddenly, my body could not move at all. I felt like I was dead once again, trapped inside a body I could not control. I could only watch them get closer to me, like hyenas.


    Yorick was the first to hunch over me while his mother remained standing beside me.


    "You really thought you could use me of shit and not face my wrath?" Yorick whispered before I felt his hands slide under my body as he carried me.


    I wanted to scream. I wanted to get away from them, but I could not.


    Soon, he took me upstairs, and then darkness hit as I passed outpletely.

 Chapter 453-Yes, We Are Married

    <h4>Chapter 453: 453-Yes, We Are Married</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    "Okay, so everyone is aware of the academy situation now. What about Clementine? Are we not going to request the news channel to run a missing person ad?" Haiden asked me as we briskly stepped out of the Alpha¡¯s mansion through one of the nearby back entrances.


    I had decided to go to every house by myself and look for Clementine¡¯s presence there, at least her scent.


    Most importantly, I was checking ces right around the council leader¡¯s mansion.


    I was also trying to get someone to hack into the cameras since everybody was iming, mostly the council leaders, that their cameras were not working or that the footage had been deleted.


    I wanted any help I could get to look for Clementine.


    "Okay, we will convince these people to give us their footage. At the same time, we will keep an eye on the council leaders," I stated as Troy and Haiden followed behind me.


    We were going crazy, but it had not been long. It had only been a day that we had met up with the council leaders at their mansion, and something told me that Clementine was still fine. At least I hoped she was.


    "I cannot believe Miss Rue attacked Clementine," Haiden remarked.


    I suddenly slowed down and watched their faces.


    "And why did it take you so long to prove Yorick¡¯s innocence?" Troyined, resting his hands on his waist.


    Ever since they found out, they had been feeling very guilty.


    "Well, because I was in the north, and when I returned, Yorick had already gone home. We decided that we should first tell the council members and expose the academy rather than go back to the academy to clear Yorick¡¯s name," I replied. "They would have captured us. But now that Clementine is missing, I feel like I wish we had gone to the academy first."


    I kept the rest to myself, but that was exactly how I felt. It broke my heart because if they had captured us, Clementine would still be with me.


    "We will find her. Do not worry," Haiden told me, patting my back.


    "And we will also apologize to Yorick," Troy added, and I gave them a small nod.


    "By the way, what were you doing in the north with Clementine? I mean, how did you two meet? You never told us about it. She was supposed to go get a watch, right? Did she get it?" Haiden continued to question me.


    I guess the best way for us to cope was to keep talking about Clementine. That gave us hope.


    "Yeah, she got the watch, and then Miss Rue attacked her," I told them, trying to be as discreet as possible so they would not turn their heads while looking around.


    "So where are we headed now?" he questioned, scratching the back of his neck.


    "There must be restaurants around the council¡¯s mansion. We need to go and check their cameras," I uttered, suggesting it because we were not going to give up.


    However, the sad part was that a lot of people were on the council¡¯s side because ever since the academy was exposed, they could no longer trust their own alphas.


    "Yeah, that is a good idea. Let¡¯s go," Troy replied.


    As we were about to cross the road, we noticed a TV ying inside one of the shops. We slowed down outside the window when we saw Lady Sylvia, the council member, on the screen.


    "It is a very sad day for all of us. Hearing all the usations against the academy and many of the alphas, and finding that cave where they used to watch the poor kids suffer, broke my heart," she spoke calmly and carefully, making us share a nce.


    We knew the truth, but others did not. They would believe her lies, because if not, then who would they turn to?


    "In thest few hours, we have received manyints from all around the world, people requesting the truth, people requesting justice," she continued. "It is too soon to arrest the headmaster, but I assure you that will happen, and it will happen in the most professional way. All those people who have been a part of this nonsensical game will pay a heavy price."


    She was speaking as if she were someone important. There was a very understanding look on her face, almost like her heart had broken for those involved.


    "But I must tell you," she continued, "the headmaster might have had no chance, no choice other than to start an academy, because by the end of the day, all this was happening before the academy was formed. Whoever created the monsters in the north are still unknown people. The only thing the headmaster did was create an academy to save you all from the monsters." she paused.


    "Sure, he got carried away, but I guess it was more for emotional reasons," she added. "He wanted the parents to watch their kids do well in the north, because how else would they ever see their kids again? It was a kind of reassurance, telling them not to cry, that their child was fighting for the right cause, and that they would return either as heroes or die as martyrs." another short breath and then she sighed.


    "But of course, all that has been seen as wrong, which I understand," she went on, "but it does not change the fact that the academy was formed muchter. So I request you all to calm down and not stop the academy yet. There are still monsters in the north that need to be taken care of."


    It felt as if every word she spoke struck us hard.


    "What the heck, Ian? What is she saying? Does that mean the academy will continue to take teenagers to suffer?" Troy asked me, and honestly, I was just as clueless as them.


    "That sucks because now everybody knows, so they will not be afraid of broadcasting everything that is happening in the north to the entire world," Haiden agreed.


    I began to feel like there was still so much to uncover.


    "We need to look for Clementine," I told them, tapping the back of my hand against Haiden¡¯s stomach and patting Troy¡¯s back. "Come on, let¡¯s go."


    "Because it does not seem like finding my wife is their priority at all," Imented as I realized that everybody was focused on the news, and nobody was looking for Clementine except us.


    However, through all the emotions, I let one thing slip, which made both of them stop and ask me in unison.


    "Your wife?"


    "Um, what?" I asked, trying to y a fool.


    "No, what did you just say?" Haiden asked me, one eye squeezing shut as if he were trying to hear me clearly.


    "I said let¡¯s go look for her, because I do not think anybody else is looking for her," Imented, lying through my teeth.


    "No, no, no. You referred to Clementine as your wife," Haiden insisted.


    I started to shake my head and almostughed, trying to make them feel foolish.


    I had no problem, absolutely none, telling the world that I had married her. It would be an honor.


    But I knew it should be Clementine¡¯s decision to tell her mates that she had married and epted one of them.


    I also did not want attention taken away from looking for her, because what if the two of them got upset and decided not to look for her?


    "What? You guys are losing your hearing. We should not be wasting our time. Let¡¯s go," I told them, gesturing toward the road.


    When they did not move, I rolled my eyes and ced my hands on my waist, watching them with a tired look.


    "You guys do realize that if the council leader convinces everyone that they are doing nothing wrong, and that sending teenagers to the academy is the only way to stop the monsters, the academy will continue and we will all be summoned. Then we will not be able to find Clementine," I hissed at them, reminding them that instead of focusing on this, they should be thinking about finding Clementine before it was toote.


    "Wait a minute. Haiden is right. You said she is your wife," Troy remarked.


    Just as I expected Troy to say something sensible, he sided with Haiden instead, pointing his finger at me and moving it up and down.


    At that point, I only stared at their faces in silence.


    "Wait a minute. Is that a mark on your neck?" Haiden asked, suddenly rushing toward me to check.


    I tried to step away, but it was toote. He had already seen the mark. Of course, they both had.


    "You two are married? You marked each other?" Troy asked, looking shocked, as if he had been betrayed, as if he did not already know that we were dating.


    "How and when did that happen, and why did you not tell us about it?" Haiden raised his voice, which was already a sign that I had been right.


    Their entire attention had shifted to me and Clementine instead of looking for her.


    "Tell us. It is true, right? You two are fucking married?" he demanded.


    Troy grunted loudly, waiting for an answer.


    At that point, lying was not going to help. It would only make them angrier.


    "We did," I replied. That was all I said when I noticed the hurt on their faces.

 Chapter 454-I Want My Early Birthday Gift Wrapped In A Wedding Dress

    <h4>Chapter 454: 454-I Want My Early Birthday Gift Wrapped In A Wedding Dress</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    Ever since I found out that Ian had gone live on television and exposed everything, I had been upset with my parents. My mother tried to dodge the issue at first, but then she requested that we cut off the inte. Of course, we did not.


    "You said Clementine had run away with Ian," I confronted my mother.


    As I entered her office, the strong smell of chemicals hit my nostrils, and I waved my hand in front of my nose, making it clear how much I hated being around her workce.


    "Maybe you are forgetting. I did not tell you for sure that she had run away. I said there was a possibility. Besides, the two have been together, making ns and everything. And Clementine definitely did not have you in her mind, or else she would havee to the academy first. Or maybe she heard that you were used of such a heinous crime. If you had gone to see her, she would have fucking insulted you, and then you would have been hurt," my mother spoke in one breath, as if all the exnations would make sense.


    "That is not who Clementine is. The minute she found out Oriana had used me, she would have known instantly it was a lie," I hissed at my mother, reminding her that she could not y games with me.


    "I want to go and look for Clementine. Where the fuck is she? Why was Ian the only one making the news anding live?" I asked my mother, and she shrugged.


    "How am I supposed to know? If anything, I know everything is a disaster right now. The leaders are trying toe up with an excuse to keep the academy alive and running, but I have no idea about Clementine," my mother muttered.


    Then I noticed a smile starting to form on her lips.


    "What is it?" I demanded, hunching forward and cing both my hands on the table.


    "Well, I might be lying just a little bit to you," she said, and my eyebrows lifted instantly.


    "I have a surprise for you, but before that, we need to deal with the two girls we have upstairs," my mother added, dramatically lifting her hand.


    "What kind of a surprise? I want to know," I pressed, hoping she would open her mouth.


    My mother started to shake her head, though it was more of a yful motion. It was a hint that whatever she had for me was going to be amazing, and it made me excited too.


    Since she mentioned a surprise right after speaking about Clementine, I could already draw some conclusions.


    "Anyway, what do you mean by we have to take care of the ones upstairs first?" I continued, watching my mother smile happily at how eager I was. "If that is what is stopping you from telling me the surprise, then how can we get rid of them? And how can we do it quickly?" I added.


    "So I checked the papers again, and it seems I was missing a few clues. Maybe a fated mate is not all that is needed. A fated mate¡¯s blood is what we are looking for, even if ites from early generations or from a distant person. There needs to be blood sharing involved," my mother exined as she pulled out a file filled with pages.


    She had done thatst time too, and it gave me a headache, so I refused to look at them.


    "Can you please just sum it up for me?" I requested.


    She sighed and ced both hands on the papers scattered around.


    "All I¡¯m saying is that maybe a chosen mate is what we need. A chosen mate and a fated mate¡¯s bloodline. I feel like this red circle around the fated mate¡¯s rtive means the closer their connection is to your fated mate, the better it would be," she remarked.


    I raised an eyebrow.


    Ever since I first met Clementine, my mother had pestered me to leave her so I could focus on finding my fated mate.


    Later on, Clementine turned out to be my fated mate. Before that, my mother always said we needed to save my brother, and to do that, we had to perform a ritual that would save him.


    These were the requirements. The affected one¡¯s brother¡¯s mate and a fated mate¡¯s blood rtionship were needed.


    For a long time, my mother thought it was my fated mate and her rtive. Now, we were realizing it might be my chosen mate and a rtive of my fated mate instead.


    "So my chosen mate is Oriana, and my fated mate¡¯s bloodline is Clementine¡¯s stepsister," I uttered, and my mother nodded her head.


    "Hm, so when are we going to start?" I asked my mother, scratching my head.


    "Your father will be arriving in a few hours, and then we can get started. Once your brother feels fine, we will be one big happy family together," my mother replied, a bright smile on her lips.


    I looked at her, my hands in my pants pockets.


    "And don¡¯t worry, you will get what you want. In fact, you will get your gift," she added.


    There it was. The gift was something, or probably someone, I had desired for a very long time.


    "Till then, you can go and have a talk with Oriana. She has really tortured you while you were staying at the academy," my mother told me.


    Even though she spoke softly, I could see her jaw clench. Not only her, but I had been angered by Oriana as well. She had proven that some people do not deserve sympathy.


    "Well, great then. I¡¯ve been waiting for it," I muttered, stepping out of her room and heading straight upstairs.


    I would love to tell Oriana that while she had been trying to steal Clementine away from me all this time, I was going to take everything from her and end up with Clementine.

 Chapter 455-The Wrong Alpha

    <h4>Chapter 455: 455-The Wrong Alpha</h4>


    <strong>Leysa:</strong>


    "You are going to marry my Alpha son." The words sounded right, like something I had been meant for.


    But somewhere along the line, all the thoughts and wishes faded, especially after my mother passed away.


    What should I say? She was killed by Medusa. I was the one who found her stiff and lifeless body. I could not forget that night. Along with it came a trial, one where my mother¡¯s and my father¡¯s dark past was brought up.


    They pointed out all the things she had done. Honestly, I thought my mother was just rude. I believed she hated Clementine because of the mate rivalry with her mother, but I was wrong.


    Ever since then, I felt like I had been humbled. I was living in a council house with other people who were over the age of eighteen and had recently be orphans.


    I did not want to return to my pack, even when they told me I could still be the alpha if I could prove my strength.


    Or I could marry another pack¡¯s alpha and let him take over my pack, and then we could live there together, with him as the alpha and me as the luna. I did notpletely step away from my pack¡¯s business, but I could not go back and stay there.


    I felt as if everyone would look at me and think of me as a disgrace because of my family. And then I would not even be able to argue with them because, to be honest, they would not be wrong.


    Then news arrived that someone was interested in marrying me, an alpha.


    "Have a drink,"dy Rimin offered me politely.


    We met at a hotel for fine dining, and her husband sat right beside her. I wore a pink dress to meet them.


    "I¡¯m a little hesitant," I began, watching her frown at me.


    "Over what?" she questioned.


    "Well, if I¡¯m not wrong, and if my memory serves me right, your son dated my stepsister," I said calmly, gently cing one hand over the other and noticing how closely Lady Rimi watched my bodynguage.


    "That was a long time ago. They probably don¡¯t even remember it," Lady Rimi replied as sheughed, waving her hand as if dismissing my concern.


    "Well, what about the fact that your son is in the academy?" I brought up another issue.


    It was true. Yorick and Clementine had dated briefly, but things ended between them a long time ago. Now we were all grown up, and Clementine had found a fated mate in Alpha Haiden.


    I needed to return home to my pack and promise them a good life, one where their daughters, wives, and sisters would be respected, unlike what my parents had done to them.


    "We have gotten some reports from the academy. It seems Yorick is unable to fight the monsters anymore," his mother uttered softly, almost in tears.


    "Oh, I¡¯m deeply sorry to hear that. I¡¯m sure he will be fine soon," I replied, adjusting my posture in my seat. "But what does this have to do with the academy? I heard that once you enter the academy, you cannot leave. Are they really letting him go just like that?" I asked, since I could tell this was where she was heading.


    If he could not fight, they were going to let him go. That was why she was already looking for a mate for him.


    "There is one rule of the academy, a hidden rule, so none of the crusaders can use it to their advantage," she replied, taking deep, heavy breaths now and then, like a grieving mother.


    That did not make sense to me. Was he truly that sick, or was there another reason she was so upset? Shouldn¡¯t she be relieved that he was leaving the academy instead of dying there?


    "The rule is simple. If a crusader who has gone to the north enough times starts to fall for the monsters¡¯ tricks, meaning he is no longer able to resist the negativity, he will be let go," his mother responded, gently rubbing her palms together as she watched my face with hopeful eyes.


    However, I had trouble with that. I knew there were people who had suffered and lost their minds, yet they were sent back to the north. I had no clue what they were talking about, or maybe I had the wrong information.


    "Do you have any more questions?" Lady Rimi asked with a smile on her lips.


    I noticed that her husband was not very talkative. All he did was nod to whatever his wife said.


    Whenever I questioned something or raised a concern, he would silently look at his wife to answer instead. It made me ufortable at first, but I got used to it during the conversation we were having.


    "Have you spoken with Yorick? I mean, does he even know you are looking for a chosen mate for him? What if he is not ready? Then what?" I asked her, thinking about what she meant by him not being able to resist negativity or fight the monsters.


    Did that mean he had lost his mind? Could that be a problem for me? Of course, I could not ask her directly.


    She smiled and then turned to her mate, who smiled back at her.


    "I spoke with him. I gave him a few princesses¡¯ names, and he picked yours," she replied.


    The moment she said that, I felt hopeful. I did not expect him to ept me so quickly. He used to barely notice me, or maybe his perspective had changed after going to the academy.


    "Oh, great then. You know I don¡¯t have any family left, so at the wedding it will just be me. If my pack members forgive me, they will be there too," I replied, watching her give me a soft,forting smile, like a mother would.


    "You¡¯re going to be part of the family, so don¡¯t worry about anything. Do one thing. How about youe home with us today? We will discuss everything and make it perfect by the time Yorickes home," his mother told me softly.


    She spoke with so much care that I could not say no. I wish I had. I wish I had seen through her lies.

 Chapter 456-Expecting Rescue And Much More

    <h4>Chapter 456: 456-Expecting Rescue And Much More</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I coughed again as I felt my body giving up. I was being dragged after being given a heavy amount of wolfsbane to some unknown ce. During the car ride, I kept passing out and waking up. During that time, I had the feeling that this would be thest time I would ever open my eyes to the pleasant world, or if the world had ever been pleasant at all.


    When I woke up again, I was in another vehicle. It seemed they had changed vehicles, but why? Why was the road never ending? I was still in the car, and I had no clue how many days had passed, or if only a few hours had gone by. I had lost track of time by this point.


    "We will stay here for another few hours," I heard the driver, wearing a full ck ski mask, tell the guard beside him.


    Both of them had ski masks on, and whenever they spoke to each other, they never said each other¡¯s names.


    "Why is that? Why are we avoiding certain roads?" The driver requested an answer.


    "A lot of chaos started, and her mates are looking for her." The moment he said that, I almost felt as if he had breathed life into my body again.


    While I was still very much passed out, they carried me into what I could recall as the basement of a motel. I could tell it was a motel because the owner definitely knew I was being shipped by the council leaders. They tied me in chains, but after some time, I started to wake up and realized they were dodging whatever parade my mates were holding to find me.


    I could not say much about the others, but I knew there was one person who was going crazy looking for me.


    "Ian!" I whispered his name as I woke up, my hands tied in chains against the wall, shackles around my feet.


    I was left alone in the basement, but there was an uneasiness inside me, and it was not from the wolfsbane in my system. I felt nauseous. Maybe it was because I had been in a car for a very long time, but I did not know. I had never felt this way before. My head hurt too. I constantly had the urge to throw up, and I did a few times on the side. I still had to sit right next to it, which made me feel even worse.


    After some time, the guard and the driver came back and stepped downstairs. They realized I was in a very bad state.


    "Oh my God. Look, do you see that?" the driver remarked, his hands on his waist, as the guard pulled out yet another needle to inject me with wolfsbane.


    "Do not do too much. We are not supposed to hurt her, you know," the driverined.


    "It is just wolfsbane," the warrior replied, the tip of the needle almost piercing my skin.


    "I said do not," the driver argued again, snapping the needle away.


    "You know, she is crazy, right? She can beat up monsters. If we did not give her wolfsbane, she would go crazy on us too," the warrior insisted, making me feel disgusted.


    They were afraid of a girl to the point that even with guns on them, they still had to give me wolfsbane just to make sure I could not fight back.


    "Trust me, I do not think she can fight anyone right now. She is in that phase where her wolf has gone to sleep," hemented.


    I started to wonder what he meant by that. Had they injected something into me? Had they killed my wolf? That could not be true. But then I noticed it. I had not been able to hear my wolf, even when I woke up for short moments here and there.


    "I do not know what you are talking about, man," the warrior replied. He made sure I was still in silver chains as he started to untie them from the wall.


    "Trust me, whoever bought her is going to buy a lot of diapers and baby form," the driver added in a gossipy tone.


    As soon as he said that, my heart sank in my chest. What the fuck was he talking about? What did that mean? Even the guard had the same reaction as me.


    "You did not see her. She has been throwing up the entire way. My wife just got pregnantst month, and she went through the same phase," the driver spoke softly to the warrior as he held the chains and tried to drag me along.


    "Wait, let me go," I pleaded, suddenly starting to resist.


    The two turned to me and then looked at each other.


    "Dude, why did you have to speak?" the warrior snapped, hitting the man on the chest with the back of his hand.


    "Come on, let¡¯s go," he urged.


    They started to drag me by the chains, and I resisted as hard as I could, but my body felt very uneasy. I did not have a sense of direction, and I could only tell it was because they had injected so much into me. And of course, something was going on in my body, but was I really pregnant? Could it be Ian and my love child?


    Tears ran down my face as I realized that happiness would mean nothing, because I did not even know who had bought me or what my buyer¡¯s intentions were toward me.


    The next thing I knew, they dragged me outside. The sun hit my eyes hard, but before I could even think about my next step, I was thrown into yet another car. This time, the car looked different, and there was someone else waiting inside for me.


    "Hello, the best of best crusader," the man greeted.


    As he took his shades off, I gasped at the sight of him. There was a crooked smile on the old man¡¯s face, and his eyes carried a sense of craziness.


    "We are going to have so much fun. You will be really, really happy at my ce," the old man told me, his smile widening and finally reaching his eyes.


    I recognized him, and that was the scariest part about him.

 Chapter 457-Tied By Hearts

    <h4>Chapter 457: 457-Tied By Hearts</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    "Why did you not tell us this before? Why hide it for so long?" Troy demanded.


    It was as if they did not understand a single thing. They kept asking me the same questions over and over again.


    "Because I did not want you two to be upset," I snapped at them.


    The two began to frown as if that was the most ridiculous thing they had ever heard.


    "As if we would ever put our happiness over finding Clementine," Haiden snapped at me, watching me with anger in his eyes.


    "That is not... listen, I did not know how you two would react, okay? I was just scared," I tried to exin, but they lookedpletely done with me, and it scared me.


    I wanted Clementine found by any means. Their attention, however, was still on a bunch of things that could have been avoided.


    "Are we looking for her or not?" I asked him.


    The two looked at each other, then back at me.


    "We will look for her ourselves. You go ahead and look for her on your own."


    Just as expected of them. Even when they imed they would not let this information get in the way, they once again proved that I had been right. They started to walk away.


    The problem was that I did not want to be cocky, like my usual self, and think I could do it alone, that I did not need anyone¡¯s help. I needed help to find Clementine.


    I needed all hands on deck. My ego did not matter. I would bow before anyone if it meant finding her. She was my priority.


    But they had already walked away.


    There was only one person left in my mind whom I could ask. Maybe, just maybe, he would understand my pain and look for her with me.


    "What are you going to do?" my wolf questioned me.


    "I am going to call Yorick," I replied, nodding to myself.


    There was a part of me that had to do a lot of work, speak to my father about the academy, and exin why there was still a debate about whether the academy would continue.


    The other part of me wanted to call Yorick, because if another Alpha started helping me spread the news, it would be very helpful.


    I reached my academy, stopping at the phone booth, the same one Clementine had once unlocked for me.


    It brought a small smile to my lips. I did not know what was going on, but ever since I lost her, I had felt even more connected to her, as if another bond had formed between us.


    Maybe I was just missing her desperately.


    "Hello?" someone answered from the other side of the call. It was a woman, so I could tell it was probably Yorick¡¯s mother.


    "Lady Rimi? Hi, how are you? It¡¯s Ian, Alpha Ian from the academy. I have been a crusader with your son," I introduced myself awkwardly.


    I was never good at speaking with older people, especially parents.


    I did not really have friends growing up, but whenever I went to school and parents dropped off their children, they would point at me and tell their kids to stay away from me.


    I was not very nice to parents either. I liked to cuss at them and annoy them. I was not proud of it, but that was how I grew up.


    "Oh, I know you. My son has spoken about you," she replied.


    The moment she said that, I was about to force myself to say something nice, but she added, "You¡¯re the one who has spoken against the academy, right?"


    The moment she said that, I took a deep breath.


    "Um, can I please speak with Yorick, if it is possible?" I requested, fidgeting with the fingers of one hand.


    "No, you may not," she replied quickly.


    The way she responded made me freeze in my spot. I did not move a muscle.


    "Excuse you?" I asked, trying to understand if I had heard her right.


    "My son has left the academy, and after how everyone believed the usations against him, I do not want him speaking with anyone," she replied sharply.


    I took a deep breath to calm myself, because it was true. He had been traumatized at the academy by the usations.


    "Can you please tell him it is about Clementine? I am sure he would want to hear it," I said, trying to stay polite with a stranger for once.


    "Oh, why would he care about her?" she scoffed. "My son is a free man now, and no, he does not care about Clementine or whatever that woman is. Please do not call here again."


    She snapped the call shut.


    Something did not feel right. Or maybe she had always been like this.


    As I stepped out of the phone booth, defeated, I turned my head to the side and watched Troy and Haiden return. With them were the lurkers. It seemed that once again, we had been summoned, and I hoped it was not news that the academy was still going to run.


    I briskly walked beside them, but I did not speak. I thought they needed time to adjust.


    Once we were in the hall, I watched my father arrive in a hurry. He took the stand and looked at all of us, his eyes lingering on me for a moment.


    "Pack your bags. You are all being sent home for a while, until further notice," he announced.


    I felt a small sense of relief when I realized they were not dragging us back. Instead, everyone was allowed to go home for now.


    The way everyone cheered made it seem like they already believed this was a victory. Little did they know that if things did not go well and they had to return, it would be theirst time in the North.


    But that was not all. I was still deeply worried about Clementine, and there did not seem to be any leads.


    "Please send them off to their homes," my father finished.


    As he walked away, he gave me one look before passing by.


    "We are sorry for earlier. Let¡¯s go look for Clementine," Troy whispered from behind me.


    Just when I thought all doors had been shut in my face, his words gave me another push to keep searching.

 Chapter 458-Another One Dead

    <h4>Chapter 458: 458-Another One Dead</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    "We gave it some thought," Haiden exined. "We were just angry, and we realized we were taking our anger out at the wrong time and on the wrong person. I mean, kind of the right person, but at the wrong time," Haiden tried to make it sense, but he ended up pping his forehead when he could note up with a good excuse for why we returned.


    "It was simple that we are doing it for Clementine," Troy replied.


    "I am sure Clementine will appreciate it," I told them.


    Our attention then turned to Renee and Sebastian. They were the ones who had packed their bags before everyone else. They were really, really excited to go back home.


    "I really hope the academy stays closed," Renee began, stopping in front of us while Sebastian carried her bags. "But that does not mean we can stop worrying about Clementine."


    "She is right," Sebastian agreed. "We need to do everything to find her. This is not the time for vacationing."


    His agreement made me smilefortably.


    "I also think we should all just look for Clementine," Sebastian added, but then I noticed the way they were looking around.


    "Everything okay?" I asked, following their gazes.


    "Yeah," Renee replied. "Mira was supposed to join us, but she has note to pick up her stuff or pack her things. I am wondering where she is," she stated, showing concern.


    "She must be talking with the ring leaders or something before leaving," Troy suggested, but Renee only shrugged. The concern never left her face.


    "Anyway, I think we should also speak with Joshua and see if he can help us," Renee suggested.


    At that point, we all shared nces.


    "Right, I mean, he is the alpha of his pack," Sebastian remarked. "When he goes back, his father is still an alpha, and he is still a very beloved son. I think it would be much better if he gets on board with looking for Clementine."


    Sebastian started to focus on the idea, and although I understood what he meant, I did not know how much I could trust Joshua. He had always had trouble with us. I had also seen him get a little toofortable around Clementine, and he was unpredictable.


    "Yeah, let¡¯s see," I suggested, ncing at Troy. "If he is not ready, then we are still enough."


    Troy gave me a small nod, as if agreeing.


    "Okay," Renee replied. "I will go look for Mira and bring her here. Then we can decide where to meet every day and talk about the areas we are going to cover while looking for Clementine."


    She sounded deeply worried, as if she did not want to miss a single chance to help. As she walked away, we began to decide the rest of the details, like where we would start the search and which areas we had already covered. We also filled Sebastian in on the locations we had checked.


    At the same time, we noticed Joshua stepping out from his side of the passage. He had clearly taken a shower. His hair was still wet, and he shook his head to get rid of the water. When he approached us, he gave a brief nod.


    "What are you guys doing?" Joshua asked with a grin. "Do you not want to go back?"


    I did not know what he was acting so confident about, but everyone chose to ignore it.


    "We were talking about how we are going to find Clementine," Sebastian told him.


    I noticed everyone watching Joshua¡¯s reaction. If he offered to help on his own, it would be much better than trying to convince him. Every time we suggested something in the past, he had been against it.


    "So she was with the council members, you said?" Joshua asked me.


    I gave him a short nod.


    "And we were thinking you might be able to help us," Sebastian added, taking the lead since no one else seemed ready to speak to Joshua about it.


    "Yeah, I mean, definitely. Let me know whatever you need my help with," he replied, without putting on much of an act.


    That was confusing, but like I said, any help was useful.


    We had barely processed it when blood-curdling screams filled the air. I started looking around, along with the others. What made it worse was that we recognized the voice.


    "That¡¯s Renee," Sebastian pointed in the direction the sound wasing from, saying only that before he sped off that way. We all chased after him, running toward her.


    "Renee!" Sebastian shouted.


    I could tell everyone was worried. There was no reason for her to be screaming like that.


    "Renee!" he yelled again.


    "I¡¯m here! Come here! Please!" she cried from somewhere on the academy grounds, sobbing loudly.


    With every step we took toward her, we worried about what could have gone so wrong that she had been screaming like that. We ran and ran until I noticed Sebastian was about to trip. Not only did I see it, but Haiden and Troy also reached out to support him, yet he kept running. That was the kind of care we all had for our mates.


    "Guys pleasee here,"


    There was pain in her voice as she called for us to follow the sound. We kept moving toward her until we finally reached the spot.


    Behind therge trees, she was sitting on the ground. We slowed down as soon as we noticed she was sitting in front of someone,pletely overwhelmed.


    I saw legs first. Then I stepped closer, moving around Renee until I stood in front of her, and that was when I saw who it was. Shock hit me all at once.


    Renee lifted her head to look at us standing there, all of us staring at the body with the same stunned expression.


    "Somebody killed Mira," Renee said quietly.


    Right in front of us was the dead body of our friend, lying still, not in the North, but on the maind where she was supposed to be safe.

 Chapter 459-Her Psycho Mate And My Freedom

    <h4>Chapter 459: 459-Her Psycho Mate And My Freedom</h4>


    <strong>Suki:</strong>


    I had passed out and had been moved to another room. Being unconscious and not in my senses felt different now. It reminded me of being dead.


    When I started to wake up, I forced myself to be fully aware. As I opened my eyes, they lingered around the room for a second. I could not remember exactly what had happened.


    I was about to feel relieved, thinking it had only been a nightmare, until I felt something heavy around my wrist.


    I turned my head to the side and realized the single bed I was tied to was not actually a bed. It was a mattress on the ground, with my hands cuffed and attached to the wall.


    "What the fuck is going on?" I shouted.


    "Hey, set me free!" I screamed, trying to get the attention of anyone who mighte to answer me or let me go.


    "They¡¯re not going to listen to you," a voice came from the dark corner of the room, and my heart jumped into my throat.


    I blinked several times, trying to focus, and that was when I saw someone sitting there.


    "Who are you?" I demanded. "Why are you tied here?"


    I was losing my mind. Where the fuck had I been trapped? Were these human traffickers, or something else? I had no clue.


    "I¡¯m Leysa," she replied. "Clementine¡¯s sister."


    Another shock hit me. Hearing that name alone was bad enough, but realizing her sister was tied up here made everything worse. Anxiety settled deep in my chest. If her sister was trapped here, I had no chance of getting free.


    "Wait, why the fuck are we here?" I asked. "And why am I tied up?"


    The one thing that bothered me was how calm she seemed. She was not panicking like I was. I did not know if she failed to understand how dangerous this was or if she had been here so long that she had epted it.


    "They tricked me," Leysa exined. "They told me I was going to marry Alpha Yorick, that he wanted to marry me. It happened weeks ago, maybe even months. I don¡¯t remember. I just know I¡¯ve been tired since then. These people don¡¯t care."


    As she spoke, exining how she ended up here, I shook my head andughed at myself.


    "No," I muttered. "That¡¯s not going to happen to me. I¡¯ll get out of here. I came to ask him for a rejection, but he fucking drugged me."


    My mouth went dry as I spoke. My tongue felt stuck, and I could barely get the words out.


    "So they gave you the same excuse," Leysa remarked. "That Yorick wanted to marry you. It looks like they¡¯ve been luring innocent women with that promise. And judging by you, it seems like many have fallen for it."


    She paused, studying me.


    "But I don¡¯t understand why you would fall for it, Oriana," she continued. "If I remember correctly, you¡¯ve always been troublesome. Why fall for something so simple?"


    Before I could answer, the door opened. I jumped so hard I hit my head and scrambled back, mming into the wall behind me.


    The door swung wider, and in walked Yorick.


    "I¡¯ll answer that," he said. "I never promised her marriage. No one did. She fucking lied. She lied about my character. She used me of things I never did and forced herself on me, trying to marry me. Since she wanted to be here so badly, here she is."


    As he spoke, angry and annoyed, he turned on the light. That was when I finally saw Leysa clearly. She looked like Clementine, just as pretty, but her eyes were sunken, as if she had not been eating.


    "That¡¯s a lie," I screamed. "You forced yourself on me."


    I thought that maybe making him feel guilty would make him help me.


    "Oh, Oriana, you¡¯re still going to lie?" Yorick sneered, stepping toward me. "Who are you fooling, huh? Leysa? Are you afraid she¡¯ll judge you? You should be more afraid of me being angry with you. She can¡¯t do anything, but I can harm you."


    I never thought he would turn out like this. Did the usation affect him that badly? But Leysa had said she had been here for months, so it could not have been the reason he lost control. He had always been like this. I just had not seen it before.


    Even back at the academy, no one would have expected him to be like this. If Clementine could not figure it out, then no one else would have either.


    "Wait, I remember," I said, changing my approach. Of course, he was right. Why was I so worried about what Leysa would think? I was tied up, and the only one who could let me go, save me, or protect me was Yorick. I had to say the right things.


    "Really?" Yorick asked, squatting down and tilting his head. "What do you remember?"


    The way his eyes narrowed sent chills through me.


    "It was the Shadow Earth eater," I said quickly. She still had an effect on me. "And listen, before you say anything¡ª"


    He started chuckling, shaking his head in disappointment.


    "No, no, please listen," I begged. "I promise you, when I was in the tunnels, the Shadow Earth eater told me to kill all of you. That¡¯s when I realized she still had control over me, but it was very weak. I fought it. I killed her instead."


    I tried my best toe up with an excuse, but the more I spoke, the more he chuckled and shook his head, which only made me more tense.


    "Oh, Oriana," he said softly, stopping hisughter. "Why are you still talking? Nobody cares anymore. I don¡¯t."


    He snapped his head toward Leysa, who was sitting in the opposite corner.


    "You must have noticed Leysa already," he continued calmly. "She didn¡¯t do anything to me, so don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not punishing you because of the usation. There¡¯s no excuse left that can save you."


    His voice stayed soft, and that scared me even more.


    "No, listen, please," I cried. "I promise you, I¡¯m innocent."


    He stared at me without reacting.


    "Why is she still talking?" Yorick asked Leysa, with disbelief on his face.


    As he started to stand up, I realized this was myst chance.


    Onest n.


    "Clementine would never forgive you for this," I said.

 Chapter 460-He Hates Both Of Me

    <h4>Chapter 460: 460-He Hates Both Of Me</h4>


    <strong>Suki:</strong>


    He turned around instantly and pped me across the face so hard I thought my teeth were gone. Even Leysa gasped.


    "Don¡¯t ever fucking say her name with that filthy mouth," he screamed. "You hear me?"


    My breath caught in my throat.


    "And who would tell her, huh?" he continued. "Who would fucking tell her anything? You would have lived to tell her, right? But that¡¯s never going to happen."


    At that moment, everything made sense. He had never nned to let me go. He only showed me his worst side because I was never meant to leave.


    I was beginning to feel the heat now. This was not supposed to happen.


    I had returned to life after months. Something impossible had been done by Joshua, and I could not let it be taken away from me.


    "What do you n for me?" I asked Yorick, not understanding the reason behind him putting us in this room. "Why would you want to kill us?"


    He had made it clear that it was not something I did that made him angry. But why? Were they just serial killers?


    "Come on, think out loud." He snapped his fingers in front of my face, chuckling, resting one hand on the wall behind me as he hunched down to my level.


    "I¡¯m not going to tell anyone," I tried again, fumbling over my words.


    "Exactly what are you not going to tell the world?" he questioned, squatting in front of me once more.


    "Whatever you are doing here, just let me go, please," I pleaded, hinting that I would not even speak about letting go of Laysa. She was not my concern.


    "Hm. Oriana, I cannot let you go. That is the bottom line. You have to die. It is important, you know?" he replied calmly.


    I started to lose my head.


    "Wait. You think I¡¯m Oriana, right?" I asked, pointing at him. "What if I tell you a secret of mine that will," I paused, "help you have something over me so you can let me go?"


    Without fear of telling anyone about his secrets, I decided to give him leverage over me. Of course, who would even believe him if he went around telling people? By then, I would have all kinds of knowledge about Oriana with me.


    "Really? What if I tell you I don¡¯t care about any secrets? I just want to be done with it," he remarked.


    As he spoke, he stepped away, and at that point, I was scared.


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    He wandered over to the door and knocked on it, drawing the attention of the warriors as they entered.


    "Untie this one," he told them, pointing at me.


    "No, wait, wait. What are you doing?" I panicked, struggling as the warriors moved closer to untie me and take me away.


    "No, please, please listen."


    As they began dragging me with the chains, I fought harder.


    "I¡¯ll tell you my truth. I¡¯m not even Oriana. I¡¯m Suki," I screamed at the top of my lungs.


    Yorick gestured for the warriors to stop.


    "Say that one more time. I don¡¯t think I heard you correctly," Yorick asked me, an intrigued look on his face.


    "I¡¯m Suki. I¡¯m not Oriana," I repeated with a wide smile on my lips, because his interest made me think it might be working.


    "Really? How could that be possible? You are Oriana. You have Oriana¡¯s face," hemented, stepping closer with his hands tied behind his back.


    "So what happened was, remember the shadow earth eater? She grants wishes. I took Joshua to her, and Joshua asked for Suki to be reincarnated. I reincarnated in Oriana¡¯s body. I had a wish too, so I wished for its head. That is how I ended up ying it. Otherwise, do you think Oriana could have killed the monster?" I exined, though it was getting difficult.


    While trying to downy Oriana¡¯s body and strength, I was also putting myself down.


    Yorick stretched his neck back and nodded until he started tough loudly.


    "And you want me to believe all that nonsense? After the lies you have told?" he scoffed.


    It was as if Oriana¡¯s character had been damaged so deeply that he did not believe it. Even in a ce where anything was possible in the north, he refused to ept what I was saying.


    "I¡¯m not lying. I know why you think I¡¯m lying, but I swear I¡¯m not. I¡¯ll even tell the world that whatever usations Oriana had against you were lies too. I just don¡¯t know how I can do it without separating myself from her," I rambled, starting to panic because he did not seem to believe me. "With a, um¡ª"


    "Okay, Oriana, you have lied about crazy things," Yorick replied tly. "And if you really think you can go around talking about some woman being inside your body, then no. But let¡¯s say for a moment that it is true."


    He finally shifted his stance, and I sighed in relief.


    "Let¡¯s say you are indeed Suki," he added, tapping a fingertip against his chin. "Then I would still want to kill you more than ever. What do you mean you are Suki and I should let you live? You tried to kill Clementine. That is how you ended up dying."


    The moment he said that, I could not even swallow.


    "So no, there is nothing that can be done now. You¡¯re dying," heughed, making it clear that even if he believed my story, it would change nothing.


    "Come on. What are you waiting for? Take her to the monster," he ordered calmly.


    My eyes widened, and Leysa, who had been sitting silently in the corner, began to hyperventte.


    "What monster?" I asked, feeling like my heart would tear out of my chest.


    "Oh, you¡¯ll see him," he replied, and that was all he said before his warriors started dragging me away.


    As I was pulled out, I saw him turn briefly toward Leysa.


    "Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re next," he told her before mming the door shut and throwing me into the hallway.


    Warriors surrounded me on all sides, making sure I had no chance to run.

 Chapter 461-Fighting Like A Hero

    <h4>Chapter 461: 461-Fighting Like A Hero</h4>


    <strong>Suki:</strong>


    "Yorick, listen, please. You need to listen to me. You cannot do this to me. I have been dead for far too long. I am finally alive. You cannot take it all away from me," I pleaded, panicking as the words spilled out.


    I started revealing everything, desperate for him to believe me.


    Even though he had already told me it would not change anything, I still wanted his attention, some proof that I mattered, that I was capable of something.


    "I have onest wish from one of the monsters in the north," I cried.


    Nothing I said seemed to matter to him. He allowed his warriors to drag me aside and push me toward one of the rooms. I did not know what it was, but it filled me with dread.


    Everything seemed to stop the moment I was shoved against a door.


    "Do you know whose bedroom this is?" Yorick asked as he stepped up behind them, pointing toward the room next to where I stood. "This is my bedroom. You really thought you woulde here and stay in this room, didn¡¯t you?" he remarked,ughing and shaking his head.


    "I didn¡¯t. Trust me, I¡¯m telling you it was Oriana. I am Suki," I insisted. "Do you really think I woulde up with a lie this detailed if I were Oriana? I would have taken someone else¡¯s name. Why would I choose Suki¡¯s name?" I argued, trying to make him understand.


    As they pressed my ear hard against the door, I heard growling and grunting from inside, and panic took hold of me.


    "No!!! Yorick, do you have a monster here? No, you cannot do this to me. I¡¯m a crusader. We fought in the north together. How can you do this to me?" I screamed as they pulled me away from the door, just as Yorick stepped forward and opened it.


    "Yorick, stop it. Do you think Clementine will ever forgive you for this?" I shouted at the top of my lungs, grunting and kicking in the air.


    My foot swung toward Yorick¡¯s back, but I missed.


    "Like I said, no one will tell her," he replied coldly. "Do you think I will let my innocent Clementine be exposed to all these disgusting secrets? No. These kinds of traumas are for people like you and the others."


    The way he mentioned everyone else froze me for a moment. It was true. Yorick had lost his mind.


    "It is not my fault what Oriana did to you. Please, please let me go. I cannot die again. Please," I begged, crying out as freedom slipped just out of reach.


    Yorick stepped aside, revealing what kind of monster they had brought me here for, and my breath caught in my throat.


    "What the hell?" I muttered, my eyes widening as I stared at the figure in front of me.


    It was not a man. It was not a monster either. Whatever it was, it was deeply unsettling.


    An old man sat in chains in the corner. His fingernails were long, his ws oversized.


    He looked like something pulled straight from a grave, with exaggerated facial features and expressions.


    "What is that?" I asked, breathing deeply and unevenly.


    "That is my brother. That is the predator," Yorick said, lowering his voice as he stepped closer. "And you," he continued, pointing between my eyes, "are his prey. His food for the night."


    When he finished, he stepped aside, and the warriors began pushing me toward the door.


    I fought with everything I had, but they had injected wolfsbane into me earlier, and I could not resist. I had fought monsters in the north before, but this time was different. I did not understand what had changed.


    Fear had taken over.


    Once I was pushed inside, they slid the silver bars shut, and that terrified me even more. They wanted to watch the whole scene, which was why silver bars now stood where the door had been.


    "So, how is she dealing with the revtion?" Yorick¡¯s mother asked as she arrived, shoving her hands into herb coat pockets and watching through the bars with excitement on her face.


    "Please, Lady Rimi, you¡¯re a woman like me. Don¡¯t do this to me," I begged, but it was toote.


    The monster behind me began to move. I heard his chains rattle.


    I slowly turned around and took deep, heavy breaths, trying to steady myself. As soon as he attacked, I dodged him and kicked him in the back.


    I had done something differentst time. I had focused on pulling Clementine down, and it had gotten me killed.


    This time, I decided to fight hard, to fight for myself, to face the monster alone instead of forcing someone else to do it for me.


    With or without the wolfsbane, I was going to fight until myst breath, so that even if I died this time, I would not die helpless.


    I ducked as the creature lunged at me, its chains scraping loudly across the floor as one w missed my head by inches.


    I drove my elbow into its ribs, but the impact barely slowed it before it mmed its shoulder into my chest, knocking the air out of me.


    It looked old, yet it was still strong, and that was the frightening part. I rolled across the ground just in time, its ws tearing into the stone where my head had been.


    I kicked out hard, catching its knee, and it let out a low, guttural sound as it staggered back. I noticed that every time I hit it, it recovered quickly.


    Then it grabbed my arm and squeezed until pain shot through my shoulder. The worst came when I saw the hunger in its eyes as it bit into my arm.


    It was not a bite out of anger or meant only to hurt. It felt like it was tasting my flesh.


    When I ced my hand on its head and shoved it back, it tore a piece of flesh from my arm with it, biting down and chewing.


    The sight froze me in ce, and then it came at me again for more.

 Chapter 462-Don’t Tell Clementine

    <h4>Chapter 462: 462-Don¡¯t Tell Clementine</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    "Look at her, mother. The one who had been too afraid to fight for herself and needed shoulders is suddenly fighting till herst breath," Imented, shaking my head as I folded my arms across my chest. Watching Oriana being bitten by my brother was the most satisfying sight ever.


    "What was she talking about earlier?" my mother asked, looking excited as she did not break eye contact with the two inside the room, as if she did not want to miss a second of the entertainment.


    "She was making up these stories, that she is not even Oriana, it is Suki in her body and all that bullshit," I remarked, and my mother covered her mouth as sheughed.


    However, it seemed like she was getting good at fighting my brother, and it was getting annoying at this point. Every time he came at her, she would retaliate harder.


    "Okay, I am going to bring in the warriors to shoot silver bullets at her. I do not want her to hurt my son," my mother muttered angrily as she noticed Oriana shing across my brother¡¯s back, making him cry out in agonizing screams.


    It did not make sense. Oriana would usually not be so good at fighting. Even when she was afraid, she would not do this well.


    Maybe for the first time, seeing herself close to death was the reason she was fighting so hard.


    My mother returned quickly with the warriors and pointed at Oriana.


    They held the guns up and then shot her once in the leg, once in the arm, another in the shoulder, and one in the back with a silver bullet.


    With that, she copsed onto the ground, crying in pain.


    That was when my brother attacked her once again. This time, he decided to go for the neck, tearing into her flesh like he had been hungry for years.


    I turned to my mother and noticed the way she had her hands clutched together under her chin, watching the whole scene with focused attention. It was a little hard for me to watch, so I turned my face away.


    Part of me was very angry with myself for doing all this. I guess her usations had pushed me to the point where I thought bing the viin was the only way to get justice for myself.


    "You know what that means?" my mother uttered, snapping me out of my thoughts.


    I turned to look at my brother eating Oriana. At this point, her body was barely moving. I watched her look at me in herst moments, making eye contact, and then her eyes rolled back in her head. Finally, Oriana was done for, but my brother was still eating her.


    "What?" I asked my mother, pressing on her earlier statement.


    "That means he epted her flesh, which means one of our sacrifices was right," my mother finished happily.


    "Now what?" I asked my mother, looking away once again as my brother was now chewing on the bones of Oriana.


    "Leysa, it will be her turn next," my mothermented with a smile on her lips. "And we must do it quickly. Your gift will be arriving soon," she added, smiling widely at me.


    "I hope it is worth it. I hope it is what I think it is," I told my mother.


    With a gentle nod of her head, she gave me the hint that I was thinking about the right kind of gift.


    "Go ahead, bring her out of her room," my mother insisted, giving me a hand gesture.


    "No, I am not doing that." I instantly stepped back, only because Leysa was Clementine¡¯s stepsister, and I did not want to be involved in anything that would lead to Clementine looking at me differently.


    "Oh,e on. Clementine would never find out." It was as if my mother had almost heard my thoughts. "Besides, did the two not hate each other?" my mother asked, folding her arms across her chest and tapping her foot against the ground.


    "It is not just that, mother. You know Clementine. It does not matter if she hates someone or not. She always goes for the right way of doing things. She would never be okay with me hurting anyone," I told my mother calmly, though there was intensity in my voice.


    My mother rolled her eyes and then shook her head.


    "You and your obsession with that girl annoy me so much," my mother hissed before she gestured for the warriors toe forward and take Leysa out of the room.


    Somewhere along the line, watching her being dragged out filled me with a little unease.


    "Please do not do this. Please do not kill me." Leysa started to cry, looking directly at me. It made me look away and hide my eyes from her.


    "Please, you care for my sister, do you not?" she pleaded. "How would you live with yourself once you do it? Even if you do not tell her, somewhere along the line, the guilt will stay in your heart. Please, please do not do this to me."


    She began to cry harder and thrash around while they dragged her by both arms toward my brother¡¯s room. The moment they stopped in front of the door, I watched Leysa¡¯s eyes widen at the mess inside.


    "No, no, no, no, this cannot be," she screamed. "Please, no, do not let it eat me."


    She threw herself around, doing anything to avoid being shoved inside.


    "Just throw her in there," my mother instructed with a hand gesture, and the warriors opened the bars and pushed Leysa inside.


    As soon as shended on the floor, my brother lifted his head from whatever remained of Oriana. Leysa gulped and covered her mouth with her hands, crawling backward and away from him.


    Leysa only turned briefly toward me, and through her tears and wet cheeks, she muttered, "I hope I live long enough to tell Clementine everything about what you are doing. I hope she sees you for who you are and stays away from you, because remember, an innocent person can never settle with a monster."


    Her words struck me so hard that I clenched my fist and then looked at my brother.


    "Fucking eat her alive," I yelled.

 Chapter 463-Finding Secrets

    <h4>Chapter 463: 463-Finding Secrets</h4>


    <strong>Leysa:</strong>


    I heard Oriana scream, cry for help, and beg them, but no one helped her. In that moment, I realized that everything I had ever known about the people around me was not what it seemed.


    People change. People go from good to bad, from bad to worse. While I was trying to be a good person, there were people around me who had drastically changed, one of them being Yorick.


    Then I thought about Clementine¡¯s life. She had surrounded herself with the alphas who turned out to be her mates. That was shocking.


    I had found out just a few hours ago from Yorick¡¯s mother that Clementine was also his mate, and that it had all been a lie that they were never going to keep me alive.


    I mean, I had figured it out the minute they brought me in and told me they had brought me for his other brother and not for Yorick.


    But thinking about why his mother had been constantly talking about Clementine over thest two days made me uneasy.


    I hoped and prayed that somehow I would get the word out and let everyone know that this family was up to something bad.


    They had a monster locked in one of the rooms, that was all I could think about.


    Then, finally, I was dragged out. I looked at Yorick and screamed for help, again and again, but he turned a blind eye to me.


    That was when anger rushed through my veins, and I cursed him with loneliness. I cursed him to never be seen with love or affection by Clementine ever again.


    That angered him. He yelled at his brother, telling him to eat me. And suddenly, everything made sense.


    They had been preparing me as food for their brother, for reasons I did not yet understand.


    Then his brother came at me.


    "Stay away from me," I screamed at him.


    "Do not listen to her. Just go and eat her. And once you are done with the mission, you will be back to who you are, the young, handsome prince, just like your other brother."


    As his mother started speaking again, I began to piece things together.


    This was some kind of ritual to turn him back into a human. I still did not understand why they had chosen me and Oriana.


    "Please listen, do not listen to them. If you eat me today, you will never turn into a human. Only a monster would eat someone innocent, or even their own kind," I said, trying to reach whatever part of him could still understand.


    He began to growl, snarling as he jumped at me. I noticed the marks on him and could tell that Oriana had put up a good fight.


    Of course she had. She was a crusader but I was not. I had never learned to fight before.


    So when he attacked me, I could not push him back. He lunged forward and bit my shoulder. The moment his teeth pierced my skin, he growled, stepped back, and began howling, almost as if he was about to throw up.


    "What is happening?" Lady Rimi panicked from the other side of the bars.


    I gently touched my shoulder, feeling the pain spread through my body as blood ran from the bite mark. But it did not seem like he had chewed on my skin. The impact alone had caused him to recoil in disgust.


    "What is happening?" Yorick asked his mother, who was panicking as she watched the monster throw himself against the wall, as if my blood or my skin had disgusted him.


    He started to howl and throw himself around, even scratching at his own arms. I began to panic and dragged myself into the corner, hugging myself and trying not to get his attention. But the way he kept throwing himself around and crying in pain caused me a lot of anguish.


    "It did not work," I heard his mother say to Yorick.


    "What?" Yorick questioned her. "Why would it not? Charles was supposed to get better if you fed him my chosen mate and my fated mate¡¯s sibling, correct?" Yorick asked in panic as they opened the bars.


    "Come here and drag this filth out of here. Put her back in the room," his mother shouted at the warriors.


    They started to enter the room along with her, and I noticed Yorick¡¯s mother holding a needle in her hand, probably to sedate the one called Charles.


    I had picked up on a few things throughout this time.


    The first thing was Yorick repeatedly asking if it meant the sacrifice had been rejected, and that gave me hope.


    But then again, it was not like they would release me into the open world. My fate would be the same. Either I would be eaten alive by the monster, or I would be killed.


    One of the warriors rushed in and grabbed my arm, dragging me out of the room so the family could take care of Charles.


    As he dragged me back toward the room, I noticed that all the warriors were busy watching what was happening inside Charles¡¯s room.


    That gave me enough time to turn around and kick the warrior between the legs.


    "Ah!" he groaned in pain, dropping to the ground. He could not even scream to warn the others.


    There was so much screaming and shouting from Yorick and his mother, and from Charles that the warrior¡¯s cry of pain went unnoticed.


    With that, I bolted downstairs.


    I went straight downstairs, but instead of heading toward the exit, I turned into the hallway, therge hallway lined with offices, the offices that were supposedly filled with nothing but secrets.


    I could go toward the exit and get caught, or I could find their secrets and expose this family.


    Looking at theyout of the house, I could tell that this area, every office orb, might have a window. If I wanted to, I could escape through one of them.


    I moved quickly. I picked up a bit of blood on my fingertips from my shoulder and ran toward the exit, touching the door with it to leave a hint that I had left the mansion. Then I returned to the hallway.

 Chapter 464-The Diary Of Truth

    <h4>Chapter 464: 464-The Diary Of Truth</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    In thest few minutes, a lot had happened. There was chaos.


    Seeing Mira dead on the academy property had been traumatizing for almost everyone, but Renee was suffering the most.


    She was her best friend. They had created a bond that everybody thought wouldst for a very long time, and it did not make sense.


    Why would it happen now?


    Could it be the work of the lurkers? Maybe they were figuring out everything that had happened to them, and they were getting angry.


    But why would they attack Mira out of all the people? Why not go for the headmaster or the ringleaders?


    We had to separate Renee from the dead body with a lot of effort. She kept throwing herself on Mira, not letting go of her.


    Sebastian had to hold her and drag her away.


    "What now? How would we ever figure out who did it?"


    Troy questioned as we were briskly making our way back toward the Main Academy Hall.


    "And why the heck would anyone kill Mira?" Haiden argued as he stepped ahead of us.


    At this point, I was pretty much losing my mind. We were not getting any solution to anything. We had lost Clementine, and then there was Mira. And there was definitely a killer on the loose.


    As we stepped closer to the hall, Miss Lenora stepped outside, looking grim.


    "Guys, the academy is shutting down for a while," she told us.


    "I know you want the investigation into what happened to Mira, and that will happen, but you have to go back home," she continued.


    "It is getting dangerous, do you not see that?" she added softly.


    This time, her attitude had changed. After Rue and Rick were sent to the north, everyone¡¯s attitude had changed.


    "After we leave, who will do the investigation?" I asked her, demanding answers.


    "The headmaster and the ringleaders," she replied.


    "You are already living with your father. You can still check the news, but please, for now, just leave," she continued.


    "We do not know who did this, and we are not sure if they will attack more people. Please, Ian," she requested in a soft, understanding tone.


    That had never happened before. Usually, she had been cocky and rude. Now everybody was scared of the North, because anyone could be sent there.


    "She is right. We need to focus on looking for Clementine first."


    I turned around and, with a very heavy heart, told the others, because I knew that Mira had been just as important. But at that moment, I did not want anybody to stay and risk getting attacked again.


    After a few minutes, we all said our goodbyes. Troy, Haiden, and I promised to stay in contact. Sebastian took Renee with him, and Joshua left for his pack.


    He had been busy calling his warriors. I did not know what was worrying him, but he still seemed troubled. Maybe he was trying to reach someone and could not.


    Soon, I was back at the mansion. I did not choose a faraway ce to stay. I stayed near the academy.


    Once I got inside, I came face to face with Zian. Looking at him made me feel bad for him.


    He did not know why he was this way, and he did not want to be this way.


    He had been forced into bing a monster by people who were ready to send their children to watch others suffer.


    And the main culprits had already nned to pull their own children out.


    For a moment, I felt angry at the others, thinking maybe the academy had been the right thing to do.


    The monsters had already been created. But then I shook myself into awareness.


    "Out of the academy already," Zian taunted me, but this time, I did not respond harshly.


    As I tried to walk past him, he stepped in my way, smirking.


    "I heard your mate is missing. I can help," he remarked.


    "Maybe you should start looking at some of the most influential people, the ones directly connected to the academy¡¯s affairs," he added.


    His words made me turn toward him and give him my full attention.


    "What do you know about Clementine?" I demanded.


    "Not much," he replied.


    "But recently, an old man visited the council leader¡¯s home. I hacked into a few things and noticed he transferred a huge sum into their ount," he continued.


    "I wonder what he bought with that much money. It could be a very valuable crusader," he finished.


    As soon as he said that, he stepped closer and slipped a small paper into my pocket.


    "Here is the address to the old man," he told me, patting my shoulder before walking away.


    It was confirmed. I would help my brother. He had never been given many chances to be a better version of himself.


    My attention returned to the paper in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw a single name, Lord Nook. I did not know who he was, but an address was written beneath it.


    I needed to call Troy and Haiden.


    As I quickly reached for my phone, my eyesnded on my father¡¯s bedroom door.


    He never left it open. It was still closed, but it made me wonder why. What was he hiding in there that he did not want anyone to see?


    I sent the address to Troy and Haiden. At the same time, I started walking toward the door myself.


    If there was one thing I had learned from my mate, it was how to pick locks.


    I did just that. I looked around, and once I was sure my father or Zian was not nearby, I unlocked the door.


    Not quickly, of course. Clementine had been far better at it. But at least I got inside.


    Once I stormed inside, I looked around. Pictures of my mothers covered the room, and a heavy feeling settled in my chest. I forced myself to focus on a drawer beside my father¡¯s bed.


    Something was sticking out of it, as if it had been shut in a hurry, probably when he received the news about the death at the academy.


    I reached for the drawer and opened it. A few papers were pulled halfway out, but a diary caught my attention.


    I knew reading someone¡¯s diary was wrong, but I did not always avoid doing the wrong thing. I picked it up and sat down on my father¡¯s bed. Still, as I began reading, I did not expect things to turn out the way they did.

 Chapter 465-Saved By A Friend

    <h4>Chapter 465: 465-Saved By A Friend</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "I do not understand," I told the old man, my eyes widening in shock.


    "You will find out soon. For now, sleep well, my princess," he whispered.


    That was all he said before I felt something strike my arm. It did not feel like a wolfsbane, but more like a sedative, because my eyes immediately began to feel heavy. Before I knew it, sleep took over.


    During the car ride, I woke up a few times. Each time, someone gave me water and asked if I wasfortable.


    It was different from before. That earlier journey had been painful, but now I was treated differently. I was even given a nket and a pillow.


    After what felt like hours, I finally began to regain consciousness. I expected to wake up in a basement again, tired, with cold chains and silver pressed into my skin. But that did not happen.


    Instead, I found myself restingfortably in a bed. The mattress was soft, and the nket covering me felt warm and fuzzy. The scent of fresh flowers filled the room, settling quietly in my chest.


    I forced myself fully awake and looked around. The walls were not empty or dirty. The room was filled with beautiful decor and soft lights. I had to blink a few times to understand where I was.


    For a moment, I thought I had been found. Maybe Ian had saved me.


    But as I tried to sit up, panic set in. The room waspletely unfamiliar, filled with decor, a couch, and arge window. And still, something held me back from getting out of the bed.


    My legs were still bound together, almost like handcuffs, but my hands were free. I tried to pull at the restraints, but I did not have enough strength to break them.


    "Mint,e on, you need to use your strength," I urged my wolf.


    That was when I realized something else, something I had already noticed before passing out. My wolf was no longer awake inside me. And then it struck me.


    Could I really be pregnant? That was when a wolf fell asleep.


    "Is anybody outside?" I screamed as I got off the bed and hopped toward the window.


    The window was boarded shut from the outside, which meant there was a small terrace beyond it, a narrow balcony. But my strength was gone. My wolf had fallen asleep, and whatever had been injected into me still left me weak and drowsy.


    "Is anybody outside?" I screamed again.


    I began hopping toward the door but slowed halfway there. That was when I heard footsteps approaching the room. Panic surged through me, and I jumped back just as the door finally opened.


    "Do anything, and I will¡ª" I started to warn them, but the words died in my throat when I saw a familiar face. The fear drained out of me at once.


    "Yorick?" I asked, smiling widely.


    "Oh my Goddess, Clementine!" he yelled, rushing toward me and wrapping his arms around me.


    Everything suddenly felt normal. I lifted my arms and wrapped them around his neck, holding him tightly. I did not know how many days had passed, but seeing a familiar face again, my mate and my friend, felt like the right ce to start.


    I broke the hug because I needed to tell him what had happened over thest few days.


    "Yorick, what is this ce? You need to get me out of here," I told him, my voice trembling as my eyesnded on a wedding gown in the far corner of the room. Panic settled in again.


    That was when I noticed the blood on Yorick. I stepped back from him. He nced down at himself and then looked up at me.


    "Oh no, no," he said quickly.


    "I was looking for you with my family. We found you and came to save you. I fought the man who bought you," he whispered, making me look at his face with hope.


    "Do not worry. You are fine," he added as he stepped toward me again.


    This time, I did not move away.


    "I do not understand. That man was my father¡¯s friend. I remember himing to our home. How could he buy me?" I asked Yorick in one breath, my voice breaking as tears streamed down my cheeks.


    "You never know what those old men are capable of," he replied softly.


    "But first, I need to get you out of here. We do not know if his guards wille back."


    I nodded, and he understood immediately. He had already noticed my feet were tied, so he quickly lifted me into his arms.


    As he carried me out, he paused for a moment, ncing at the gown, before hurrying out of the room. I realized we were in a small but luxurious condo, filled with dead bodies of fallen guards.


    I recognized the man who owned the ce. He was someone who used to visit our home when I was a child, when Leysa and I were young. He had been my father¡¯s friend back then. The thought of it made my stomach turn. After I grew up, he decided to buy me.


    Had he carried those thoughts about me all this time? The idea filled me with disgust.


    "Wait, Yorick, what about the man? What if he does this to someone else?" I asked anxiously.


    "Do not worry, my friend," he replied calmly. "He has been taken care of. I killed him myself. He will never hurt anyone again."


    The moment he said that, I finally began to rx. It was a feeling I had not had in a long time.


    "And do not worry. You can trust me. When you wake up, you will no longer be tied to anyone," he added as he carried me outside.


    The fresh breeze hit my face, and for a while, it felt like freedom.


    The next thing I knew, Yorick set me down in the car. I wanted to ask him for a pregnancy test, but I was so drowsy that I fell asleep the moment I settled into the seat.


    That was what happened when you were with people you trusted.

 Chapter 466-Proved Innocent But Evil

    <h4>Chapter 466: 466-Proved Innocent But Evil</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    Clementine was finally in front of me. When my father arrived home, he told me that everything was prepared, but that I needed to go and fetch my own gift.


    I was really excited. I went straight to the location my father had given me. Just as they had told me, Clementine was sleeping peacefully in one of the bedrooms.


    However, I still had to do whatever was necessary to y the part.


    I attacked the mansion with some of my warriors. The guards had no clue we were arriving. I bet they did not even know they were holding a crusader captive in the mansion.


    When I opened the door and saw Clementine, I was relieved that she was in afortable state and that she did not have any bruises.


    Even though her legs were cuffed together, I did not like the sight of it. But it was all important.


    I carried her into the car, where she finally fell asleep. That made me feel so good. It was probably because she feltfortable around me.


    There were moments when she woke up and sleepily wanted to be reunited with Ian. I ignored those moments, but they stayed in my head.


    I mean, I definitely noticed them. She did not speak of anybody, anybody but Ian. Then she uttered something about Miss Rue. I remembered everything.


    I wondered when she would wake up and ask me about the crime I had been used of.


    I took her home and made her lie down in my own bedroom. When I stepped out, I made sure she was still passed out because I did not want her to get up and wander around. Things needed to go our way because if I let her be in charge of her life, I knew she would wander away.


    "So, how are you feeling?" my mother asked, smiling at me as I walked downstairs and sat at the dining table with them.


    "Well, you kept your promise. I like the gift," I replied with a smile on my lips. "But has there been any luck with Leysa? If she is out there, she will definitely go to people and tell them all about us," I told my mother.


    She rolled her eyes and gave me a blunt look. Ever since Leysa ran out, which was yesterday, we had been extremely worried.


    There were no signs of her. We tried to look for her on our property, but she was not there.


    She might not have gone too far, but we were checking every pack house, and we had strengthened the border security.


    We also informed the warriors not to let anyone in or out of the border.


    I wished we had killed her. It had already been decided that she was useless. My brother did not ept her as a sacrifice, so now we were back to zero.


    We needed someone from Clementine¡¯s family who would be epted as a sacrifice. Since Leysa was not, I wondered who else it could be.


    "Forget about her. I¡¯m going to show you something else," my mother told me. "Come on, have a seat with us."


    She gently patted the chair, and I frowned in confusion. From the look of it, it seemed like something really important.


    "What is it?" I asked, sitting down as she wanted me to.


    "You need to look at this," my mother replied, holding her phone up to show me a video clip.


    The moment it started ying, my eyes widened more and more with every second.


    "Fine, I¡¯m saying it. I am making this n with Miss Rue where I will use Yorick of a disgusting act," Oriana spoke through the screen, causing my heart to beat louder.


    It was a confession video of Miss Rue and Oriana together, where Oriana was clearly stating what she nned to do to herself and what she would use me of. Miss Rue was also added as a witness, a major one.


    "What is that?" I asked my mother, my eyes filling with tears.


    "I found out about it today. It was uploaded, probably even scheduled, from Miss Rue¡¯s phone. I gathered some information and found out that she had been thrown into the North for attempting to kill Clementine. The bottom line is that she scheduled this video so the truth woulde out once she was gone to the North. She did it on thest day, when she was being dragged there," my mother exined.


    Everything did make sense, and it did put me at ease, but I could not forget the pain I had been through. The two women had unnecessarily targeted me, and everyone around me had trusted them.


    "Are you not happy?" my mother asked, watching my face.


    "You know, the least I wanted was for my friends to¡ª to believe me," I replied.


    "Why do you care? They were never good enough for you anyway. You are a special child. You are a special Alpha. We are meant to rule the world," my mother reassured me, cing a hand on the back of my hand forfort.


    I nodded my head. She was right. I did not need to worry about anything at all.


    "But what are we going to do when Clementine wakes up and starts insisting that we help her meet Ian?" I asked my mother, anxiously watching her face for some kind of solution.


    "You do not need to worry about that. The n is already in the works. All we need to do is make sure she rejects the others, and we dy her from leaving for a few days," my mother exined.


    "At the same time, when you brought her inside, I found something on her," my mother added.


    She then ced something in front of me.


    "That is a timewatch," I asked her, and she smiled at me.


    "Remember, we need to have Clementine¡¯s sibling fed to your brother. Leysa was a stepsister, but she had a brother," my mother reminded me.


    The moment my mother said that, my heart started to skip beats. My mother¡¯s mind worked like a devil¡¯s brain, and sometimes it scared me.

 Chapter 467-The Good One Died

    <h4>Chapter 467: 467-The Good One Died</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    There were entries after entries, but among them was something I could not look away from. It was one specific thing repeated nonstop. In my father¡¯s exact words, it was this:


    ¡¯My father made a mistake. He acted too soon and killed, thinking he had killed the bad one. Little did he know, the bad one got to live.


    But I carried this burden. I wanted to do something so their sacrifice would not be wasted.


    All my life, I tried to do good things, but there were moments when my ws came out.


    One of them was when I made the deal about the academy.


    Even when I tried my best to be a better version of myself, or to make everyone proud of me, I could not stop myself from letting a few people die here and there. I told myself it was because anger filled my veins over what they did to my wife, but the truth was that I was a wed individual.


    In the end, I justified it as the right thing to do. If the alphas nned all this entertainment, then their generations should be the ones entertaining everyone.¡¯


    As I read those words, my heart started to thump louder in my chest. Everything began to make sense.


    In all the tests my father put Zian and me through when we were kids, all the hard physicalbor that left scars on us, he watched to see whose scars healed first.


    Zian stood.


    The bad one had more monstrous genes in him.


    "I wanted to tell you thisst time, but I did not know how you would look at me then."


    My father¡¯s voice came from the doorway, and I instantly jumped to my feet, dropping the pillow onto the ground.


    "What is this, Father?" I asked, showing him the diary.


    He looked guilty. For the first time in his life, he started to take off his gloves and his coat, dropping them onto the ground.


    He wandered inside in defeat, almost as if he were dragging his feet behind him.


    "I did not want this oue. I tried. I tried to convince myself that I should end the academy, but the bad part of me kept reminding me that there were still monsters out there. I have seen alphas worry for their sons, but I could not stop myself. I could not stop what I had started."


    My father paused as he gently lowered himself, cing his hand on the mattress before sitting down, like a man defeated by many wars.


    "I had to take revenge for your mother¡¯s demise. There were moments when part of me wanted to unleash the demons, the monsters, onto the south, east, and west. But I stopped myself whenever I thought of your mother. I could not let it happen. She was the one who helped me be a better version of myself, but at times it was difficult," he exined, and a single tear rolled down his eye.


    I sat beside him on the bed, staring at the wall where his picture with my mother hung.


    "For someone who had such monstrous genes in him, you did a great job," I told my father as I ced my hand on his shoulder. The moment I did, I saw hope flicker in his eyes.


    He looked at me, and another tear rolled down his eye.


    "You are just saying this because you want me to feel better about myself," hemented.


    "No, Father, that is not the case. I am being honest with you. I have seen monsters in the north, and..." I paused, taking a deep, heavy breath. "I have even seen Zian. I swear I would have never thought you were the¡ª you were the monstrous one if I had not read the diary."


    I spoke confidently because every word came from deep within me. It was the truth. My father must have fought a great war within himself all these years. No wonder there were nights when he wailed in his room. He fought the monster, but Zian could not.


    "I tried to help Zian do the same thing. I wanted him to ovee the madness, but¨C I do not know why it did not work with him," he uttered, rubbing his face with his hands.


    "Probably because he never found his mate. For me, my fated mate was already helping me," my father began to exin, but then he sighed and looked down.


    "I want you to be honest with me, Father," I asked, slowly removing my hand from his shoulder and turning to face him on the bed. "How were you going to convince everyone that I died in the north?"


    I watched him gulp. That was when I knew my fear had been right.


    My father paused as he ced his hands on the edge of the mattress, clutching them tightly.


    "I was going to present Zian¡¯s body to them."


    The moment he said that, I threw my head back and let out a deep breath.


    "There is a wed one in you speaking," I responded to him.


    The fact that the monster in them was so deadly that, at this age, when his son was already grown, he was ready to make that decision proved that whatever they injected into them had scarred them badly.


    "Father, you need to tell me all about who is preparing these monsters," I asked him, without sadness in my tone. At this moment, we needed to take a stand. We needed to do something instead of feeling pity for ourselves.


    "I have also found out who bought Clementine." The moment I said that, my father looked up at me.


    "Zian helped," I added, just so my father would know that Zian was not entirely bad.


    "Ian, do not trust him too much. He might help you a little, but remember, he has had the injection, the poison, in him for a very long time. When my mother was pregnant, the poison was injected at the veryst stage of her pregnancy. But your mother carried both of you with the poison inside her. Zian might not be like me. He might never be like me. He might never fight the monster inside him," my father exined, trying to make me understand.


    I shook my head.


    "That is because we never truly helped him, but I am ready to do that."


    As I said that, my phone started to ring. It was Troy. Hope flickered in me because I had given them the address to find out about the man, Lord Nook, or whatever he was.

 Chapter 468-Feeling Unusual

    <h4>Chapter 468: 468-Feeling Unusual</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    By the time I was fully awake, I was sitting in Yorick¡¯s bedroom.


    "I¡¯m so sorry. I came as soon as I heard you were awake," Yorick said as he opened the door and rushed in, holding a tray full of food.


    "I don¡¯t know, Yorick. What is happening to me?" I asked.


    "I was trying to walk, but my knees kept folding," I spoke to him, feeling miserable.


    I had never felt this way before. My feet were everything to me. Walking and running were some of my favorite things to do.


    So when I woke up and tried to get off the bed and my knees folded, I screamed until his warriors were alerted. They rmed Yorick and brought him upstairs.


    "Yeah, I¡¯ll speak to my mother about your condition. When you arrived, my mother took a look at you, and she said it seemed like those people injected some kind of substance into you that could be poison. But do not worry, we will do everything to take care of you," Yorick exined as soon as he sat down on the bed across from me, cing the tray between us.


    "Wait, what kind of poison?" I asked, worried as I instantly began to remember my wolf going silent.


    At first, I thought maybe I was pregnant, but what if it was more than that? What if they gave me something that caused my wolf to go silent?


    "No, do not worry. It is not harmful. It only makes a person unable to move properly or do normal activities for some time," Yorick reassured.


    As he exined, I grew more anxious. I ced my hands over my face and sighed.


    "I need to speak with Ian," I told Yorick.


    Even as he tried to press a sandwich into my hand, I kept my hands behind my back, making it clear that I needed answers first, that I needed to see Ian.


    "Things are not going well. Ian and his father are dealing with many issues with the council, and Ian wants to stay beside his father for a while," Yorick exined. "I understand that you want to see him, and because you are here, you do not know how much is happening outside. So let¡¯s help you heal first, and then Ian wille here, or you will go to Ian. For now, I do not know what to say. It isplicated." he paused.


    "Our pack border has shut down. People are afraid there are monsters going around. It is chaos."


    As Yorick exined what had be of the world, I grew panicked. I did not expect things to go this far.


    We were only trying to put dangerous people to rest, but I guess this was bound to happen.


    "What about Miss Rue? Yorick, I heard what she did to you," I said.


    I watched Yorick stare at me, almost in disbelief.


    "What do you mean?" he asked, sounding confused.


    "Come on, Yorick. I am talking about the false usations. Oriana and Miss Rue are the worstbination. I cannot believe anyone even listened to them," I continued.


    As I exined further, I saw his eyes widen in shock.


    "You never doubted me?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.


    There was a stillness in his posture that scared me. The calmness and the shock were deeply unsettling.


    "I do not understand, Yorick. Why do you look so confused?" I asked, watching him smile to himself.


    "That is because nobody else trusted me," he replied.


    The moment he said that, my lips began to quiver. I became overwhelmed. It had never happened to me before. I usually had control over my emotions, which was why I was worried about what was happening to me.


    "But I trusted you. The moment Ian told me about you, I knew it was a lie," I told him confidently, watching his smile return.


    "Anyway, I will tell everyone, the entire world, the truth about Oriana and Miss Rue. Do not worry," I added, giving him a mild smile.


    A confident smile spread across his lips, making me raise an eyebrow at him, as if asking whether there was something he wanted to share.


    "There is no need now. The truth hase out, and the entire world knows I did not lie, that I was innocent," he exined, coughing before straightening his back.


    He then began to exin everything to me, including the fact that Miss Rue had been thrown into the North. She would be fighting the monsters there, just as we had. It left me in shock.


    He also told me that during all of this, Miss Rue had scheduled a post that went up and exposed Oriana and herself.


    "I am so happy for you. Oh my God, I am really happy for you," I told him, smiling widely.


    "Now I will be even happier if you finish your food," he insisted again and I adjusted in my spot.


    "I need your help," I uttered softly.


    "Sure. Tell me, what is it?" he asked.


    "I need a pregnancy test."


    The moment I said that, his entire body froze.


    "Um, wait, why would you need a pregnancy test?" Yorick asked, smiling, though there was a nervous edge to it.


    "Yorick, why do you think women need to take a pregnancy test?" I responded, giving him an obvious look.


    "No, I mean, wait. You are just neen. I do not understand why you would..." He paused, as if he had run out of words.


    "Yorick, Ian and I have been sexually active. You know that, right?" I told him, not hiding anything.


    I wanted to tell him that we were married, but after asking for a pregnancy test and seeing his reaction, I lost the confidence to share that for the moment.


    "I am only saying this because you have been so sick. I do not want you to suffer more. Are you sure you are feeling okay enough for a pregnancy?" he continued, speaking quickly, saying things I was not fully sure how to take.


    Maybe he was worried because of the injections I had been given over time. That made sense.


    "I am fine. The truth is, it does not matter what they gave me. I still need to take the test," I finished.


    He finally nodded.


    "Fine. I will get you a pregnancy test, okay?" he replied.


    With that, he stood up and pointed at the food.


    "Please make sure you finish your food," he added before leaving the room.

 Chapter 469-She Doesn’t Need A Baby

    <h4>Chapter 469: 469-She Doesn¡¯t Need A Baby</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    Clementine looked me straight in the eye and asked for a pregnancy test. At that moment, I could only watch her face.


    I knew she noticed the way I was acting, and it probably made her uneasy around me.


    The truth was that even if I wanted to act like everything was fine, it was not.


    I had to force a smile and tell her that it was fine, that I would take care of her, and that I would get her the test.


    She was very blunt with me, openly talking about wanting a pregnancy test.


    What she refused to understand was that it was not easy for a mate to hear her mate openly talk about her sexual life with her other mate.


    I did not want to judge her, but she was making it very hard for me.


    When I stepped out of the room, I was lost in thought.


    "What is it?" my mother asked, watching my face.


    At that point, my mother was the only one who could look at me and know that I was hurting.


    "She is asking for a pregnancy test," I told my mother, watching her with nothing but desperation.


    "What? I cannot believe this. And this is the woman you love?" my mother questioned, shaking her head.


    "Mother, she chose Ian because of what that woman did to us. That was when she started to fall for Ian instead," I exined, making it clear that it was not entirely Clementine¡¯s fault.


    The way Oriana controlled us, anyone would have wanted to be with the other mate who was kinder to them.


    In this case, Clementine chose Ian because he was the only one supporting her.


    "Come here," my mother said as she held my hand and led me away from the room, stopping me outside my brother¡¯s room.


    "He¡¯s sleeping right now," my mother told me. "I had to silence him. I didn¡¯t want your mate to hear him and start questioning who he is."


    She paused briefly before continuing.


    "But Yorick, you need to be honest with yourself," she pressed. "What are you going to do now? What if she does turn out to be pregnant? Then what?"


    She looked at me closely.


    "Are you going to take responsibility for someone else¡¯s child? And how are you going to stop her from seeing Ian?" she asked.


    "You can¡¯t keep lying to her," she went on. "You keep telling her that her feet feel weak because of the medicine she was given over thest few days."


    Her voice lowered.


    "Sooner orter, she will find out that we are feeding her something to make her weak," she warned. "And if it turns out that she is carrying a child, we can¡¯t give her any more medication."


    As my mother exined everything to me, my head began to feel heavy. She was not wrong.


    "What are you thinking?" my mother asked, forcing me to open up about my thoughts.


    "She is just neen, turning twenty soon. Do you think she is ready to settle down or have a child so soon?" I asked in a soft, exhausted voice.


    My mother raised her eyebrow, as if she understood what I was trying to say.


    "It is just that Ian has been very inconsiderate. Imagine if she had gotten pregnant while the academy was not in shambles. That would mean she would have to go north to fight monsters while pregnant. How could he be so careless?" Iined, and my mother nodded.


    "Can you help her?" That was all I said, because I could not bring myself to say more.


    My mother smiled and nodded.


    "Do not worry. I will help you."


    As soon as she said that, a weight lifted from my chest.


    "Are we going to give her a pregnancy test?" I asked, but she shook her head.


    "No. There will be no need," my mother said firmly. "We won¡¯t tell her anything."


    She continued without hesitation.


    "But remember, Yorick, you have to show her that you are in charge," she warned. "You must convince her to ept you."


    Her tone hardened.


    "Otherwise, if Ian or her other mates find her before you do, you¡¯ll be in trouble," she added. "She will never let you get close to her."


    I ran my hand through my hair and rested it on the back of my neck, scratching my skin in confusion.


    "Do you not have anything that could help me?" I asked.


    "Well, you are in luck. I have made something. But remember, what I make is only for monsters. She will be one after this, but one that will suit you," my mother said.


    I covered my face with my hands.


    "I need more exnation about this medicine you created," I asked.


    She gestured for me to follow her.


    "She¡¯ll be numb to her feelings toward everyone except you," my mother said calmly. "Once I mix your blood with this medicine, you¡¯ll be the only mate she wants."


    She paused, letting the words settle.


    "That means when she sees Ian or the others, she won¡¯t feel anything for them," she continued. "But remember, Clementine has a secret."


    Her voice lowered slightly.


    "One that the leaders and we high alphas know."


    As my mother exined, she passed in front of herboratory.


    "What is it?" I asked anxiously.


    "Her wolf has always been different," my mother exined. "With this medicine, she¡¯ll lose control over when she transitions."


    She didn¡¯t stop there.


    "There will be only one person who can control her," she continued, "and that will be you."


    Her words grew more deliberate.


    "That means you¡¯ll have to stay with her at all times," she warned, "to make sure she doesn¡¯t lose control."


    I took a deep breath and nodded.


    "I am not letting her out of my sight anyway," I replied.


    With that, she led me inside to show me how to poison Clementine with the medicine. I was doing this for us, and I am sure, Clementine would be happier with me.

 Chapter 470-Time To Make Her Mine

    <h4>Chapter 470: 470-Time To Make Her Mine</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    "What are you going to do now?" my wolf asked anxiously.


    "I can either be a hero and lose her, or I can have her as a reward for being a good guy for so long," I replied to my wolf, feeling heat rush from my heart to my head.


    "What do you think I should do?" I asked my wolf in return.


    "I love Clementine. I love our mate a lot. And if it were in my hands, I would have happily epted the deal where she bes ours. But the problem is that it is not that simple," my wolf told me, making me lower my hand from the doorknob.


    "The problem is that even when she bes ours, there are people who will suspect something went wrong. Ian woulde looking for her, and when he sees her falling for you so desperately, he will question it. So will Haiden and Troy," my wolf remarked.


    His voice started to fade, as if he was deep in thought.


    "What if they find a cure for whatever happened to her?" my wolf questioned, his words cutting off as I began to shake my head.


    "What do you mean by cure?" I challenged him instantly. "A cure is for illness or sickness. Loving me would not be her sickness."


    "But the truth is that she will be sick from the injection," my wolf corrected me.


    "So what are you trying to say?" I demanded. "I should forget about her? I should get her a pregnancy test and watch her live happily with Ian?" I grunted at him.


    "I am not saying that," my wolf replied softly. "I am just saying that you should be prepared for whatever consequencese from your actions."


    I turned my back to the wall next to the door and slid down against it.


    The thing is, all my life, I have waited for a moment when I would get a reward for being a good son, a good brother, a good person.


    "I have had moments when I wanted my parents¡¯ attention. When I wanted them to care for me, but they never did. They were too focused on my brother Charles. So much so that I could not even tell them when I found my fated mate." My voice came out barely above a whisper.


    "You have no idea what I have been through," I added, then paused as my wolf groaned inside me.


    "If there is anyone who knows what you have been through, it is me," he replied.


    He was right.


    "I know it is wrong what I am doing, but it is for the right reasons. I think I will be able to take care of Clementine better than anybody else," I uttered steadily, pulling out the injection and holding it in my hand.


    "You are not wrong. Ian also hid the truth from her and lied to her for so long," my wolf remarked. "In the end, she finally forgave him. But in our case, she would not even acknowledge that we did anything wrong. We will just have her, and that will be it."


    My wolf finally agreed with me, and I gently put the injection back into my pocket as I got up from the floor.


    It was time for me to finally do the right thing.


    After much anticipation, I realized that I could not live without my mate.


    "Now let us not think too much and just do it," my wolf urged me.


    I knew he wanted to be with Clementine just as desperately as I did. The fine line between right and wrong was blurred.


    But the entire world was unfair. There were monsters, and things were crazy.


    Why did I have to be the good one who always did the right thing? I had done the right thing my whole life, but the minute I was used of such a nonsensical crime, nobody believed me.


    Even when Clementine did, it only proved that she was the only one for me.


    The moment I opened the door, I noticed that Clementine had finished her food and set the tray on the side table. I could tell she had not been able to move yet.


    "Hey," I greeted her, stepping inside.


    She straightened her back and smiled at me.


    "Did you bring the test?" she asked almost instantly.


    She had to remind me once again that she had been sexually active with Ian.


    "I spoke to my mother, and she said there would be no need. When you arrived, she checked you, and she said she did not see any signs of pregnancy," I exined, sitting down on the bed with her. I noticed a frown immediately form on her forehead.


    "Yorick, your mother is a doctor, I understand, but she cannot just determine this by looking at me while I was asleep," Clementine argued, tucking her hair behind her ear. She looked soft and gentle, even when she was ready for an argument.


    "Come on, Clementine. A doctor can figure it out. She did a checkup on you," I replied, avoiding her eyes as I pretended to fix my sleeves.


    "Well then, just for my ownfort, can you please get me a test?" Clementine asked, her tone changing as she spoke sweetly this time.


    When I lifted my head, I watched her stare back at me with her big eyes. There was hope in them, and it nearly killed me.


    "Please," she repeated. I was reminded of the days whenever I needed help and she was there for me.


    Seeing her so miserable that she needed to urge me to get her a test made me feel a little guilty. This was the best crusader in front of me, and she couldn¡¯t even stand on her feet.


    I started to roll my sleeves anxiously.


    "Sure, but first I need to get medicine," I added as I got up from the bed and stood beside her.


    "Wait, what medicine?" she questioned, pulling herself away from me to look at me.

 Chapter 471-He Won’t Listen To My Wishes

    <h4>Chapter 471: 471-He Won¡¯t Listen To My Wishes</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I had been waiting for Yorick toe back with a test, but when he returned, he started making excuses.


    I knew his mother was a well-known doctor, but there was still a chance that she could be wrong. I knew my body better than she did.


    To be honest, I did not even know if she had checked me, because by the time I arrived, I had not seen her in the room.


    Even when I was passed out, I could not be sure she came in. She might have only seen me being brought inside.


    Once, I firmly told Yorick that I wanted a test, and he confidently told me that I was not pregnant.


    So I had to change my tone and be gentle with him. Yet he got up and told me that I needed some medicine.


    "It is a medicine for the weakness you have been feeling," he uttered, standing so close to the edge of the bed where I was sitting that I had to pull myself away just to stretch my neck back and look at his face.


    "Yorick, I do not need medicine. I have had enough things injected into my body. All I need is rest and a pregnancy test," I demanded again, this time choosing to be firm.


    I did not like it when someone told me I needed to do things differently. If I was asking for a basic necessity, I wanted it done.


    "Come on, Clementine. It is for the weakness in your knees. Do you not want to be on your feet again? You are so stubborn, like a little child," Yorick remarked. His tone was harsh at first, then softened as he finished by calling me a brat.


    "Yorick, I am not putting anything into my body. That is my decision," I warned him, snapping at him atst.


    I did not need to be gentle with him. If he thought I was rude, he could kick me out of his house. I could crawl my way somewhere else.


    He stepped away from me and ced his hands on his waist before running them through his hair.


    "How are you feeling now?" he asked, facing me again, his hands still on his waist.


    There was tension on his face that felt strange to me. I felt weak and numb in most parts of my body, but seeing how focused he was on giving me medicine, I decided to lie.


    "Actually, I am feeling pretty fine now," I replied, watching him tilt his head and squeeze one eye shut.


    "Really? Can you get up?" he asked, stepping back to give me space.


    I kept watching his face in disbelief. Either he truly cared for me, or he was trying to control me.


    I pulled the nket off and put my feet down. Then, holding the edge of the mattress, I pushed myself up.


    However, the moment I did, my feet crumbled, as if there had been no life in them for years. He was quick to hold me and keep me from falling, then carefully lowered me back down.


    "See? Just take this medicine, and then I will bring you the test. I promise you," he told me.


    I was anxious too. Feeling that numb in my body was not a good sign. I had not told him, but a few fingers on my left hand had gone numb as well. It felt as if, if nothing was done, my body would be paralyzed.


    I did not respond and let him pull out an injection. But the moment my eyesnded on the liquid inside, something began to rise in me.


    "What is this medicine?" I asked, noticing its color. It had a strange, dark pink shade.


    "It is an energy capsule. When your body starts going numb, this medicine helps the veins circte blood properly and gives the body a boost. In your case, if you are pregnant, it will help keep the baby secure," he exined, smiling as he squatted in front of me and held out his hand for my arm.


    "What is the medicine¡¯s name?" I asked. I noticed the way he slowly closed his fist before standing again. There was frustration in his posture.


    "Clementine, I do not know. I am not a doctor. I just know this is the right medicine," he replied, showing me the needle.


    "Well, if you are not a doctor, then how can you be so certain this is the right injection?" I challenged him, my fingers curling into the bedsheet.


    "Clementine, do you even know what you are saying?" he asked. "You are making it seem like my mother would give you something harmful."


    This time, his tone was different. He sounded offended.


    "Why are you responding so aggressively to me?" I snapped at him.


    He looked at me and then shrugged, almost as if asking when he had done that.


    "I guess any patient has the right to deny medicine, especially when they do not even know if there is anything wrong with their body. And before you tell me that your mother knows best, let me tell you that I know my body too," I snapped angrily.


    I kept talking until my mouth felt dry.


    He raised his hand, signaling for me to calm down.


    "Yeah, I know you know your body well, and that is why I am asking you to take this medicine, because you know very well that you cannot even move properly anymore," he uttered softly, then grunted, reminding me of my lie.


    He was not lying. It was the truth. I could not move anymore. But something about the medicine was making me panic.


    "Come on, Clementine, you know I only mean well for you. So please, let us take this medicine, so that I can go and get you a test, okay?" he urged, his tone turning gentle as he approached me again.


    I gulped as I watched him raise the needle, ready to inject it into me.

 Chapter 472-Struggling Against My Mate

    <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.

 Chapter 473-After The Medicine

    <h4>Chapter 473: 473-After The Medicine</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    My heart stopped beating the moment she told me that she trusted me. Holding the needle and piercing it into her hurt me more than I knew it hurt her.


    I felt guilty. I felt ridiculous. I felt disgusted.


    But I had made a deal with my mother, and I knew she would not let me out of it that easily. Once she nned something, she wanted it done.


    When I moved, I carried Clementine andid her down on the bed, pulling the nket over her.


    Then, silently, I reached the bathroom and sshed some water on my face before stepping out and heading toward the exit.


    Once I was outside, I noticed my mother standing there, waiting for me.


    "How did it go?" my mother asked, her eyes widening with hope.


    "She was really upset with me," I uttered.


    "Well, that is fine. You don¡¯t have to think about it anymore," my mother added, trying tofort me.


    "But mother, she was crying," I said.


    "And then she told me that she trusted me, the same trust that I broke," I added as I looked up into my mother¡¯s eyes.


    "The look she gave me, mother. It was a look of shock. She could not believe I was doing this to her," I continued, then raised my hand to my cheek to wipe away my tears.


    "Well, you don¡¯t have to worry about her look anymore. The moment she wakes up, she will be looking at you with love and affection," my mother remarked, peeking over my shoulder to look at Clementine.


    "But I am d that you chose to do the right thing," my mother said, gently squeezing my elbow.


    "I have a request to make," I told my mother, and she smiled at me.


    "What is it?" she asked.


    "Do not inject her with any more things," I stated.


    "And when she wakes up, I will give her a pregnancy test, just to fulfill her wish," I added, asking my mother.


    "Of course, I will do all that for you," my mother replied.


    "I¡¯ll go take a little rest now," I uttered, running a hand through my hair.


    My mother watched my face carefully, as if trying to understand what I was going through.


    "I thought you would be happy," my mother remarked.


    "I am," I replied quickly.


    "You know what? I¡¯ll take a short walk around and then I¡¯ll go rest, but please do not wake her up," I requested, and my mother gave me anotherforting nod.


    I had a few things to do.


    I had to find Leysa more than ever now.


    Once I was out of the mansion, I began to take a quick hike. There were a few warriors I could trust.


    The others werepletely working for my parents. I knew that no matter what I said to them, they would always report to my parents beforeing to me.


    The only ones I could trust usually stayed close to the others to get information for me.


    I reached the first one, the blonde one.


    "Any news on Leysa?" I asked him, and he shook his head.


    "It seems like the woman has disappeared into thin air," he exined.


    It did not make any sense. How could Leysa go from being so weak topletely disappearing as if she suddenly had enough strength to vanish?


    "Okay, listen. I want you to keep an eye on anyone who is getting close to finding her. And if they do, make sure she stays unharmed. Inform me first," I instructed, pointing a finger at my chest.


    The warrior seemed shocked because before, we only wanted her found, even if they had to shoot a few bullets at her.


    Now, I was changing that. I was warning him not to hurt her. There had been a change of ns when I hugged Clementine.


    When I returned to the mansion, I went into my room andid down on the bed to get some rest. I needed to clear my head. I had made a mistake.


    The mistake of giving Oriana a kind of punishment that was not my ce to give. However, I was still not regretful.


    She did kill a lurker in the past. She did a lot of messed up things. And she was going to kill Clementine too. So no, I did not feel bad about her. Things like that happen.


    As I fell asleep, I had a sweet dream where all I could see was Clementine walking through the fields, smiling happily.


    When I woke up, I realized hours had passed. I needed to check on Clementine. She had to be awake by now.


    I stepped out of my room and found my mother standing outside, almost as if she had been waiting for me.


    "Oh, I was just about toe in," she remarked, wearing the same smile she always did.


    "Here, the pregnancy test. You can give it to her now," she added, handing it to me.


    I smiled as I stared at it, then went back into Clementine¡¯s room. I found her sitting on the bed, looking at me.


    This time, my mother did not leave. She stayed right behind me. There was a softness on Clementine¡¯s face that confused me.


    Maybe it was because my mother was there.


    "Mother, can I have a moment with her?" I asked, turning toward her.


    Her smile faded for a second, but she quickly forced it back, then stepped out and closed the door behind us.


    I moved to the bed and sat down.


    "Clementine, you want to test? Here it is," I told her, handing her the test.


    "Can you move?" I asked.


    She only watched my face in silence.


    "Clementine," I said, waving my hand in front of her face before snapping my fingers to pull her out of her thoughts.


    "I know you have a lot of questions, and I¡¯m really sorry, but just take the test now," I requested.


    She reached out her hand, as if asking for support. I helped her stand and guided her into the bathroom. Her body was no longer as numb, but I could tell one of her legs still had not healed properly.

 Chapter 474-They Want Us To Get Married

    <h4>Chapter 474: 474-They Want Us To Get Married</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    After a few minutes, she came out and left the test on the table. I helped her sit down again, then ced the test in herp.


    "So?" I asked, keeping my eyes away from it. I wanted her to be the one to look at the result.


    She looked bored as she checked the test, not as enthusiastic as she had been before. The door swung open, and my body almost jolted.


    I did not want my mother toe in because the moment she saw the result, she would have strange reactions.


    When my mother arrived and stood beside me, Clementine lifted her eyes, looked at her, then looked back at me.


    "It is negative," she announced.


    The moment she said it, I snatched the test and checked it myself. There was only one line. It was negative. My mother ced her hand on my shoulder, and I looked up at her. She gave me a reassuring nod.


    "Why don¡¯t you go get her some food?" my mother requested.


    "Yeah, I will need some food," Clementine replied softly.


    I got up from the bed and took my mother¡¯s hand. I was not going to leave her alone with Clementine. It was not safe. My mother could be very difficult to deal with.


    Once we walked out of the room, my mother immediately started talking about the medicine.


    "It worked," she replied happily.


    "How do you know it did?" I asked her.


    I turned and watched her frown at me. It was clear she wanted me to exin myself.


    "How do you know she was pregnant in the first ce? What if she was never pregnant at all?" I asked, watching her ce food onto a tray for Clementine.


    "Put my food there too. I¡¯ll eat with her," I insisted.


    She paused for a moment before preparing food for both of us.


    "Well, I guess we will never know then. But the good news is that she is not pregnant," my mother replied in a harsher tone.


    "You don¡¯t have to put that in her food anymore," I said as I saw my mother reach for the same bottle she had been using to make her feel numb.


    She slowed and looked up at me.


    "I understand that you are being protective of her, and now that she is focused on you, you want to stay close. But do not forget that she still needs to be monitored so she does not walk out of the room," my mother stated.


    I looked away from her.


    "You don¡¯t seem very confident in my decisions anymore, Yorick," she pressed, noticing my change in attitude.


    "Yes, because she is in love with me, like you said. Then why do we need to keep giving her this poison? I don¡¯t want anything else injected into her body. You promised me," I reminded her.


    She let out a low sound, then finally agreed.


    I grabbed the tray from my mother¡¯s hand, but she did not let it go.


    "What is it?" I asked anxiously.


    "You know what I was thinking? I think it is time for her toe out and eat with the rest of us," my mother said, suggesting it in a formal, sweet tone.


    That did not sound usible to me. I cleared my throat and gave her a weak smile, as if I did not know what she was talking about.


    "She cannot walk properly," I told my mother.


    "She only needed your support to go into the bathroom for the test, so I believe she is much better now," my mother replied.


    She quickly put on the same smile she always wore. At that point, I realized she was not going to let this go easily.


    I wandered back into Clementine¡¯s room to tell her to prepare for dinner. For some strange reason, she seemed eerily calm.


    "My mom wants us to have dinner together," I told her.


    She was holding a book I had given her earlier because she had been bored. She looked up from the pages and smiled at me.


    "Okay," she replied softly.


    I began to feel a little anxious because of her quietness. Part of me worried that she might be too angry with me. That was why she was not discussing it or even talking to me. Another part of me felt hopeful because everything had gone smoothly.


    "Listen, I hope you¡¯re not upset about the medicine," I added, watching her look at me with a small smile. It was the kind of smile that made it clear she thought I was being silly.


    "Yorick, I needed that medicine. I understand," she answered calmly.


    As she spoke, I turned toward the door and noticed my mother standing there again, blocking the way.


    "Right. Let¡¯s go then. They¡¯re waiting at the dinner table," I remarked, pointing toward my mother.


    I held Clementine¡¯s hand as I guided her out of the room. She still seemed distant, but I could tell it was not too severe.


    Once we were downstairs, my father came out to join us for dinner. He had been very busytely because of everything happening with the council members and the academy being exposed. As soon as he saw Clementine, he smiled at her.


    We sat together like one happy family, but we were not a happy family. We were a family that kept secrets and yed dirty games.


    "So, Clementine, how are you feeling here?" my father asked her as my mother served her food.


    "I¡¯m feeling much better here," she responded in her usual soft tone.


    "How do you feel about knowing that you¡¯ll no longer go to the academy?" my father continued.


    "Wait, is it confirmed? I thought they were nning to find a way to keep the academy from being shut down," she asked him.


    They were having a very normal conversation, but the way Clementine spoke and the way they interacted felt unnatural to me.


    "Well, even if they do, we are not going to send you there," my father told her with a cheeky grin, while my mother nodded at him.


    Clementine smiled and looked at me, almost too pleased, as if telling me how d she was that they were taking such a stand for her.


    "But I would like to ask you, when are you and Yorick getting married?" my father continued.


    I almost choked on my food. My mother began rubbing my back while offering me water. I had not even calmed down yet when Clementine¡¯s response shocked me even more.


    "Um, since you are our elders, you have to select a date," she replied.


    That made me spit my water out.

 Chapter 475-Something Broke Between Us

    <h4>Chapter 475: 475-Something Broke Between Us</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    I was with my father when Troy started blowing up my phone. I had to put everything on hold because I was anxious to know if they found out anything about Clementine.


    "Hello?" I asked Troy, getting up from the bed and moving toward the window.


    "Dude, we reached the address, but it seems like someone else did before us," he replied.


    My frown deepened.


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    "There were only dead bodies. Clementine was not there. In fact there is no trace of her ever being here."


    The moment he said that, I grunted and punched the wall beside me.


    "Then we keep looking," I hissed.


    As soon as I ended the call, I turned around and saw my father staring at me.


    "Let¡¯s find Clementine," my father said firmly, wiping the tears from his cheeks as he stood up. "I will do anything to have her back in your life."


    The moment he said that, it hit me hard.


    As I stepped out of the room, I called Troy and Haiden again.


    "Hello, Troy. Both of you need toe and see me outside the academy," I told them.


    I knew they would usuallye immediately when Clementine was involved, so it surprised me when I noticed some hesitation.


    "Could it wait for a minute? I mean, I¡¯m kind of near my pack, and I have to go inside, speak to everyone, and exin things to them about why I left so suddenly," Troy excused.


    Haiden added something simr.


    "Yeah, sure, we can wait, but I want you toe quickly. We cannot waste any more time," I warned them.


    They were on a conference call with me.


    "Yeah, sure. Don¡¯t worry. We will be there," Haiden replied, confirming.


    I knew that stepping out of the mansion to meet Troy and Haiden, along with my father, was going to make them anxious, but we did not have another choice. So I decided to take my father with me.


    Once we arrived outside the academy, on the road where we used to wait for the cars to pick us up for the train station, Troy and Haiden arrived. It took them a few hours since they had to deal with their own issues back home or wherever they were.


    When they arrived, they looked at my father and then at me, as if hinting that they were unsure whether I truly trusted him.


    "It¡¯s okay, guys. He¡¯s helping us find Clementine," I reassured them, though they still gave my father a quizzical look.


    I understood that they had unresolved emotions toward my father. They did not know the whole truth. I did.


    "So did you go and look for Clementine?" I asked, mentioning Nook¡¯s ce.


    "Yeah, it was chaos," Haiden exined. "There were dead bodies everywhere, almost as if someone had attacked them. And there were signs that maybe Clementine had been there."


    He then shared something they had not told me during the call.


    "But you said there were no signs of her," I replied in annoyance.


    "Yeah, but we wanted to tell you when we met up," Troy snapped.


    Haiden gave him a look, and I could tell it had been Troy¡¯s idea not to tell me earlier, though Haiden ended up doing it.


    "Okay, from now on, we will not hide anything from each other," I warned them. "If we want to find her, none of us can lie. We all need to stay focused."


    "Whatever," Troy muttered, rolling his eyes. It was clear he did not want to work with us on this n, but he did not have much of a choice. Staying with us gave him more benefit than going alone.


    "Anyway, how do you know there were traces of her?" I asked Haiden, letting Troy cool off for now.


    "Well, there were silver chains in one of the rooms," Haiden replied, "and there was a wedding gown."


    The moment he said that, my heart jumped and lodged in my throat.


    "That asshole. Isn¡¯t Nook like an old man?" I grunted, clenching my fist.


    "Wait, did you say Nook?" my father intervened, noticing something in our conversation.


    "Yeah. That is where we heard she might have been, because that man paid arge amount to council leaders for some reason," Troy exined to my father.


    I noticed my father¡¯s face tighten.


    At the same time, Troy kept receiving calls from someone, and he kept shutting them down.


    "And did you see Nook¡¯s dead body?" My father questioned Troy and Haiden.


    The two looked at each other, then shook their heads.


    "No, but we assumed he might be dead," Haiden replied and my father grunted.


    "You know who else Nook has been rted to?" He paused, watching our faces before he finished, "Clementine¡¯s father."


    "So basically, he¡¯s a fucking creepy old man that I will kill the minute I get my hands on him," Imented as anger rushed through my veins.


    It felt as if I had matured so much after meeting Clementine. I felt a responsibility to take care of my mate, the one who had been carrying the weight of the world until now.


    "That asshole," Haiden grunted, mentioning Nook, while Troy wore the same disgusted expression.


    "Father, do you know more about him?" I asked and my father nodded confidently.


    "There is another friend of his," my father remarked as he looked straight into Haiden¡¯s eyes.


    Haiden¡¯s posture stiffened.


    "I swear I¡¯m not friends with him," Haiden replied quickly.


    My father pped his forehead.


    "No, not you," my father snapped.


    Before Haiden could rx, my father continued.


    "Your uncle. If anyone knows something about him, it has to be your uncle," he finished, leaving the room silent.


    "Well, then it is time that we go and press that sucker for some information," Haiden announced, watching all our faces.


    Finally, it seemed like we were all on board and working together to look for Clementine.


    I wished we would find her soon, because something told me that the connection I had been feeling with Clementine had suddenly broken.

 Chapter 476-She Was Always Watching

    <h4>Chapter 476: 476-She Was Always Watching</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    I had no idea what was going on or why Clementine was being so affectionate with my parents until I remembered the injection. It was going to take some time for me to adjust to the change.


    My mother gave my father a reassuring smile before looking back at Clementine.


    "We would like it done as quickly as possible so that we can see our grandchildren," my mother expressed, making me clench my fist tightly around my fork.


    Honestly, seeing Clementine this way filled me with guilt. This was not her. This was not how she was supposed to be.


    "Whatever you guys like," Clementine replied with a smile.


    She finished her food, then got up to help my mother.


    "Oh, you cannot even walk properly and you want to help me?" my mother remarked, tilting her head and speaking kindly to Clementine.


    Clementine being affectionate with my parents and looking at me dreamily was the expected reaction to the injection.


    However, her wanting to help my mother was all her. That was who she was.


    The injection was not meant to change much about her. It was only supposed to change how she felt about me.


    "Clementine, you need to rest. Mom is right. You cannot even hold yourself up," I told her, gently tapping my fingers against her elbow to get her attention before taking the tes from her hands.


    She watched me step into the kitchen and leave the dishes in the sink before I returned to her.


    "Come on, let¡¯s go," I said as I wrapped my arm around her, holding her close while guiding her upstairs.


    "Why do you not carry her?" my mother giggled as she suggested it.


    I looked at Clementine, and she nodded her head, reassuring me that it would be fine. I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her, carrying her upstairs.


    "Look at them. Aren¡¯t they cute?" my mothermented briefly.


    As I walked away with Clementine, once inside the room, I ced her on the bed and pulled the nket over her. I turned my head to make sure the door was locked before looking back at her.


    "Again, I am sorry about my parents talking about marriage and all that," Imented, fixing my jacket so I could sitfortably with her.


    "It is all right. They are just parents who want their son to give them good news soon," she replied, smiling, with little to no animosity in her eyes.


    "Thank you for getting along well with them," I uttered. "I mean, after what we did to you, you did not have to."


    I quickly looked down, gently pinching my fingers together as the guilt grew heavier inside me.


    "What are you talking about, Yorick?" she asked. Her voice was soft as she reached for my hand, taking me by surprise.


    I snapped my head up and looked at her face in confusion.


    "Listen, whatever I had with Ian is in the past. Once I was back with you, I realized you are the one I want," she continued in a quiet, careful tone, causing goosebumps to rise along my skin.


    I pulled my hand away from hers and noticed the way she suddenly paused. We exchanged a silent stare before I nodded, realizing what was happening.


    "Right. I get it," Imented, watching her narrow her eyes slightly to gauge my reaction. "You are taunting me."


    She straightened her back and shook her head, dismissing my words.


    "That is not true. Why would I taunt you, Yorick?" she argued, an unpleasant look crossing her face.


    "Because of the injection," I uttered, scratching the back of my neck while avoiding her eyes.


    "Come on, Yorick. You knew I needed it," she replied again, her voice soft and steady.


    I grunted as I just couldn¡¯t get her.


    "Clementine, you do not need to act like this," I uttered, feeling awkward. It was as if she were purposely trying to drown me in guilt.


    "Yorick, I am really confused. What do you want me to say? I cannot even express my thoughts or my feelings to you?" she questioned, looking genuinely hurt.


    I got up from the bed and began pacing, taking small steps back and forth while running a hand through my hair.


    "You are just saying this because¡ª," I paused.


    As I looked around the room, something caught my attention. I noticed a small camera hanging in the curtains, facing the bed. It struck me then why she had been so careful.


    I looked back at her and saw that she was staring at the camera too.


    "Oh my God, why is there a camera?" she asked, staring at it while hunching forward, her hands pressing into the mattress.


    "Thankfully, we did not do anything intimate. That would have been awkward," shemented, pulling herself back. "But you might want to ask your parents why there is a camera in our bedroom."


    As she spoke in a casual tone, I nodded, realizing she had been more careful than I was.


    Then it hit me again.


    "Wait a minute," I uttered, cing my hand on my forehead before rubbing my temples with both hands.


    "What is it? You look scared," Clementine said, her voice changing when she noticed I did not lookfortable about the camera either.


    "I think they put the camera in because they wanted to know if I was doing fine. You know, I have been very sick before," she continued, trying to make excuses.


    I shook my head as the reality began to sink in.


    There was still a camera, which meant my mother knew everything. I turned and rushed toward the door. The moment I opened it, I saw my mother standing outside, her back against the wall, her hands sped behind her. She looked casual, a smile resting on her lips.


    "I knew you woulde," my mothermented.


    I mmed the door shut behind me, keeping Clementine inside, and faced my mother.


    "So you knew," I said, clenching my jaw.


    "I did, and I must say I am very disappointed. I did not think you would be stupid enough to fall for her sweet talk," my mother hissed.

 Chapter 477-Hurting Her Means Killing Me

    <h4>Chapter 477: 477-Hurting Her Means Killing Me</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    <strong>shback.</strong>


    I was hugging Clementine, a needle pressed against her back, but I did not inject her with the poison. I pulled the needle out and dropped to my knees, watching her sink down as well.


    "What the hell are you doing, Yorick?" she asked, barely able to speak.


    I looked up at her and tilted my head back.


    "What I am about to tell you will make you hate me," I uttered. "This is not medicine. It is a poison made to make you fall for me."


    As I confessed, I watched her eyes widen, disgust forming clearly on her face.


    "I lost control. I thought maybe this was the only way I could have you," I continued, unable to look at her.


    "How could you do this, Yorick? I thought we were friends," she replied.


    Her words echoed in my head as I clenched the small rug beneath me, tightening it in my fist.


    "I told you I got carried away, but Clementine, I promise I will not harm you," I said, straightening my back and looking at her again.


    Pain was still written all over her face as she stared at me in disbelief.


    "You used to tell me never to eat your mother¡¯s food. You have been feeding me yourself," she said, as if she were finally putting everything together.


    "I did not have a choice," I uttered, closing my eyes.


    "Everyone has a choice. It is just that they believe they choose what they want over what is right," shemented, making goosebumps rise on my skin.


    She was not wrong. She was never wrong.


    "But trust me, I did not have one," I uttered.


    "Well, now you have a choice. Let me go," she insisted.


    I wished I could let her go. I wished this had never happened. I hated the way she was looking at me. I hated seeing her in pain.


    "Clementine, when you were abducted, my parents never told me directly that you were the gift they were bringing me," I said. Even calling her a gift in front of her made me feel low. I did not look at her while saying it. "But there was one thing, a hidden warning. If I told anyone they were bringing you here, you would never even arrive. I or anyone else would never see you again."


    I paused as I remembered how the inte was cut off, how my phone was tapped, how I could not even breathe without my mother watching me from behind. Keeping an eye on me.


    Thankfully, I still had a few warriors that gathered some information for me here and there, but even my phone was linked to my mother¡¯s. I could question her. I had done it before, but I knew the oue. I would not be able to leave. They controlled me well.


    "Clementine, if I did not feed you the food, they would have fed you poison to turn you into the worst monster so they could y you ande across as heroes."


    As I finished, Clementine grunted.


    "Well then, so be it. You know I am not afraid of anyone. I just hate people controlling me," she replied.


    She let out a small whimper that made me feel even more guilty.


    "You are right. I had no right to keep you here. But Clementine, it was not easy for me to watch you die. So please forgive me if I gave in to their control for a while," I whispered.


    Then I decided tofort her. I decided to make things right.


    "I am really sorry. I told you I made a mistake, but I will fix everything. I promise," I said, stepping toward her and holding her arm so she would not copse onto the floor.


    "Then fix it. After that, I will decide if I forgive you or not," she replied.


    I carried her to the bed andid her down. Then I went into the bathroom and emptied the injection into the sink. I sshed water on my face before stepping back out.


    <strong>End of shback.</strong>


    "You disappointed me, son," my mothermented.


    "Well, I thought a mother would be proud of her son after knowing that he refused to do the wrong thing, that he chose to let go of his desires and be a better person, to let the love of his life choose her own path," I spoke, hoping my mother would understand what I was trying to say.


    If she had looked more closely at my face, she would have noticed that her son was broken beyond repair, that I was slowly dying inside. This was not a life I wanted to live.


    Instead, my mother scoffed and shook her head. Her arms tightened around her chest, making it clear that she hated how I was still defending my actions.


    "I had so many hopes for you. I was ready to watch you marry the girl who is a threat to us and our future. But it turns out my own son is willing to be a threat," my mothermented, making my heart skip a beat.


    As my muscles tensed, my mother noticed. Her eyes moved from my temples to my biceps before she rolled her eyes.


    "Of course, I am not going to harm you. You are my son," she hissed, clearly offended that I would even think that.


    "Then do not harm her either," I replied. "Because trust me, your son will never be in more pain than watching the woman he loves in pain. If anything is done to her, it will destroy me."


    I reached out, cing both my hands on her shoulders.


    She looked like a mother upset because her child asked the father for permission when she had already said no. But this was not something small. This wasplicated.


    "Fine," she grunted, slowly lowering her arms from her chest.


    "Really?" I asked, shocked and confused.


    That response was unlike her, but if it was true, it would mean everything to me.


    "You know I love you, and I will do anything for your happiness," shemented, clearly upset that I even questioned her.


    I smiled and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly. She hugged me back and patted my shoulder.

 Chapter 478-I Failed Terribly

    <h4>Chapter 478: 478-I Failed Terribly</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    "Promise me. Promise me you will not hurt her," I said, breaking the hug for a moment while my hands remained on her arms, looking at her with hope in my eyes.


    She rolled her eyes again, clearly disappointed in me. Still, there was a hint of relief on her face that I was responding to her with care this time rather than judgment.


    "I promise I will not inject anything into her. Spare me for what I have already done to her, the food and the exhaustion," she replied, rolling her eyes and grunting, as if I were asking too much when all I wanted was security for my mate.


    It did not matter. I was happy. At least she agreed.


    "Mother, you have no idea how proud you have made me today. I want to fix everything. I want to help Clementine with her purpose and help her get back on her feet so she can go see her mate," I stated, smiling as I gently shook her.


    Sheughed at my behavior.


    "Come on, you are being ridiculous. Let me go," sheined, and I shook my head teasingly.


    "But your mate is not pregnant, so I guess her mate will be disappointed he did not get it right," she joked.


    I gave her a puzzled look, upset by the way she spoke about their personal life.


    "I mean, it is their personal life," I said. "I will be happy as long as she is happy. That is all."


    My mother gave me another sharp look, as if she were confused by how deeply I cared for Clementine, enough to let her return to her mate and start a family.


    "Thank you, Mother. Thank you so much," I added, hugging her again and making herugh.


    "Now go talk to her. She must be waiting, wondering why you left so suddenly," she said, breaking the hug and pushing me back lightly.


    I nodded and turned around, entering the room with a wide smile on my lips as I looked at Clementine.


    I knew it was possible my mother was lying, but this small hope was something I wanted to hold onto, just so I could ease Clementine¡¯s mind. I knew what my family and I had put her through since the day she arrived, all the games we had yed with her life.


    "What is it?" she asked, wearing the same false smile, as if she were still in love with me.


    "You do not have to pretend anymore," I told her, smiling back.


    "What do you mean?" she questioned, watching me carefully.


    "My mother is no longer going to force us to be together. You are free to go, Clementine. You are free to be with the one you love," I exined.


    I stepped aside, revealing my mother as she entered the room, looking tired. She nodded her head.


    "Yes. That is the truth. You can go wherever you want," my mothermented, still looking upset, as if she had been forced into it.


    "Why would I want to leave, Yorick? I love him. He is my mate. I want to be with him," Clementine replied, continuing to act as if she were still affected by the poison.


    "You do not have to act. It is fine," I said. "I told her, and she knows I never gave you the medicine."


    I revealed the truth, which my mother already knew.


    Clementine looked at me in confusion.


    "What medicine? I do not understand. What are you talking about, Yorick? What was the medicine supposed to do?" she asked.


    That was when I began to feel anxious.


    Was she punishing me? But why? Why would she not simply be relieved and ready to leave? Why drag this out?


    Then I looked at my mother and noticed the proud smile on her face.


    "What is going on?" I asked my mother, because her smile unsettled me.


    "Nothing. Aren¡¯t you happy that she is choosing you?" my mothermented, turning to look at me with disbelief in her eyes. "You wanted her, and now that she is epting you, you look confused and want her gone. Come on, son. Do better. Go ept your mate."


    There was something off about her as she began pushing me toward the bed. I turned to Clementine and saw her smiling at me, but the smile made me uneasy.


    I finally snapped, pushing my mother¡¯s hand away. I did not want to be forced toward the bed anymore. I faced my mother, turning my back to Clementine.


    "What did you do?" I asked.


    That was all it took for her smile to fade.


    "What are you asking me?" she replied, her expression turning stern.


    "Tell me the truth. What did you do?" I asked, breathing heavily.


    She gave me a strange look, one filled with disbelief and hurt, until the false calm finally disappeared.


    "What you could not do."


    The moment she said that, I snapped my head toward Clementine, then back to my mother.


    "You promised!" I shouted, feeling pressure build at my temples. My hands shook as I clenched them into fists.


    "I promised I would not inject anything into her from now on, and I apologized for whatever I had already given her," she stated calmly.


    I ced one hand on my forehead and the other on my waist.


    "Did you give her the poison?" I asked, lowering my hand and facing her fully.


    She remained calm as she folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot against the floor.


    "You¡¯re wee."


    The moment she said that, it felt as if the ground dropped beneath me. I slowly turned to Clementine. She smiled at me, unaware of what had been done to her.


    "Was she¡ª" I stopped, then looked back at my mother. "Was she pregnant?" I asked quietly.


    My mother¡¯s smile faded.


    "It was just the beginning."


    As soon as she said that, I dropped to my knees with a loud thud. The satisfied look on my mother¡¯s face vanished, reced by worry.

 Chapter 479-The Two Sisters

    <h4>Chapter 479: 479-The Two Sisters</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    We started our journey to Haiden¡¯s pack. Along the way, he told us a few things about how his uncle was not happy about the academy situation.


    Haiden exined that when he arrived home thest day, his uncle asked him all sorts of questions, like how long they were going to stay and whether the academy was really shutting down.


    His uncle also said he thought it was stupid, since there were still monsters out there. Somebody had to fight them.


    "Where would the lurkers go?"


    Troy asked my father that question. They had many questions for him. Sitting next to the headmaster, who had once been just a mysterious figure they could barely speak to, pushed the two of them to ask even more.


    "To the organization," my father replied, looking out the window.


    That was his way of telling them he needed a break from their questions.


    "Is there an organization?" Troy questioned, adjusting in his seat and turning his body to look directly at my father.


    "What kind of organization?" Haiden questioned when my father did not respond right away.


    "The council is the one that knows about it. I only get the lurkers at my doorstep. That is all," my father exined dryly.


    That was his way of telling them he did not know more than that.


    Even I was getting tired for my father.


    "How is that possible? You must know," Haiden pressed.


    As Haiden continued questioning him, I adjusted in my seat as well, and they immediately noticed me.


    "Can we just wait for a while?" I asked, defending my father. "All the questions will be answered soon. And if my father says he does not know, then he does not know."


    The two rolled their eyes at me. Of course, they did not have to respect my father. In their minds, they had been wronged, and they had every reason to feel that way.


    What they did not know was that my father did everything he could to be better. That was all he could do. If he had not been fighting himself, he would have ruined the entire world.


    What he was today was not even his fault, just like it was not my brother¡¯s fault to be this way.


    Silence fell over us. Finally, we reached the pack¡¯s border.


    Haiden spoke to the warriors, telling them to let us in, and we were allowed to drive past the border.


    As we entered the pack, I noticed that the once-flourished ce I had heard about was not doing very well. I had heard things about his uncle, not blood-rted, but still his uncle.


    I had heard that he was not a good alpha. He wanted power, which was why he held the position, but the truth was that some people want power without knowing what to do with it once they have it.


    When we arrived at the mansion, I noticed Haiden growing ufortable.


    I knew it could not have been easy for him to return to the mansion that had once been his family¡¯s home and was now taken over by the royal beta, who somehow imed it when it was supposed to go to Haiden.


    The first thing we noticed was Haiden¡¯s uncle standing at the gate, weing us with a smile on his lips.


    His royal beta and royal gamma stood beside him, holding bouquets, almost as if they were bribing us not to poke our noses around too much. That was how I took it.


    "Patrick seems to be very happy to see us," Troymented, taking a jab to lighten the mood, since Haiden kept grunting.


    "Ah, wee to my small home. It is not every day that the headmaster himself visits," Patrick remarked, opening his arms to wee my father.


    I remembered my father¡¯s diary. I remembered the things he had told me about his previous interactions with Haiden¡¯s father and the royal beta, who in this case was Mr. Patrick. Those scars might reopen when he saw this man.


    My father squared his shoulders but did not ept the bouquet, which was instead handed to me. I grabbed it and mmed it against Haiden¡¯s chest, as if telling him to hold it. He did the same, tossing it to Troy. Now Troy held all the bouquets, looking at us anxiously.


    "Come on inside. We cannot have a conversation here. It is about to rain," Patrick said, ncing at the sky before gesturing for us to enter.


    My eyes lingered on the distant clouds, and I noticed their deep red color, as if someone had been killed in the north, someone who was not a monster.


    "Come on," Patrick called, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I realized I was the only one left outside.


    Once I stepped in, I saw Patrick¡¯s familye forward. His wife, Hilda, was holding her phone with the screen lit, as if she could not step away from it for even a second. On both sides of her were her two daughters, Mariana and Fauna, briskly moving toward us.


    Mariana carried herself with grace and more arrogance than Fauna. Fauna was more timid, holding her hands together in front of her body and tucking her shoulders down, wearing a bright smile on her lips, almost skipping as she approached us.


    "Haiden, you are back, and you brought your friends," Fauna cheered, purring like a cat.


    I did not want to admit it, but her presence did not feel negative. I could sense it in the energy around her. For some reason, even though I had not heard good things about her from Haiden, she did not seem too bad to me.


    "Wee," Hilda stated dryly, wearing a smile that looked fake.


    "Come on, do not just stand there. Wee them inside. Help them in. Feed them some snacks. They are royal guests, almost half of the Academy, and the best ones are here," Patrickmented, gesturing for us to keep moving.

 Chapter 480-Running Late

    <h4>Chapter 480: 480-Running Late</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    Once we entered the mansion, we saw all the preparations. They must have done everything in thest few hours after we informed them. I gave Haiden a dry look as he stood there, staring at everything. I felt his pain.


    His energy had shifted into something heavy, likely because all these preparations and all the power Patrick held were supposed to belong to Haiden.


    "Come on, have a seat," Patrick continued, pointing toward the living room.


    They had decorated it with unnecessary things. All the shy decorations were too much. I preferred a minimal setting, something darker, but this man clearly had no understanding of that. Some might call it aesthetic, but to me, it looked pathetic.


    I sat on a separate sofa, spreading my arms with my elbows resting on the armrests. One leg crossed over the other as I shook it, forming a visible gap between my thighs and knee. One finger rested on my temple while the other sat under my chin as I observed everything.


    "I am so d you came back. I thought you had left," Fauna whispered to Haiden.


    That caught my attention, but it was Haiden¡¯s response of lifting his nose in disgust that kept my eyes on them.


    "Fucking stay away from me," Haiden grunted at Fauna in a whisper, stepping away to sit on the same couch as Troy.


    There was genuine sadness on Fauna¡¯s face whenever Haiden treated her badly. However, I could not feel bad for her because she was forcing herself on him. If he told her he did not like her, I thought she needed to let go.


    "So what brings you here?" Patrick questioned. "I know I¡¯m not that special for the headmaster to bring in his best crusaders. One is missing to visit me."


    He paused just to add thatst phrase, likely mentioning Clementine since she was not with us.


    "I came here to ask you about Nook," my father replied.


    As soon as my father said that, I watched Patrick straighten his back in his seat.


    "The man who goes from one pack to another selling goods," Patrick remarked. "always busy with his big business. What are you trying to sell? Is it academy equipment? Is the academy really shutting down and going bankrupt?"


    Patrick kept asking questions, sliding in information he knew about Nook, though not too intimately, only through business. I caught all of it.


    As for his wife, she was glued to her phone, as if her real life existed behind the screen.


    Then there was Mariana. She sat on the couch with her father, paying close attention to every detail.


    Fauna, on the other hand, drifted like a butterfly. I noticed her slip into her thoughts before looking back at everyone. Her eyes lingered on Haiden, filled with desires she did not need to speak, as they showed clearly on their own.


    "No, I just want to know if you know where we might find him now and where he typically resides when he is not moving from pack to pack," my father continued to question while my fingers clutched the couch¡¯s armrest.


    I was deeply disturbed. My mind kept going back to Clementine and how disappointed she must be in me. She must have thought her mate would find her, and here I was. I could not even find a single fucking man.


    "Oh, I¡¯m not really sure," Patrick replied, "but I can get you the information if you want."


    As Patrick gave us a positive response, I watched Troy and Haiden share a happy, excited nce before they looked at me. I gave them a nod, letting them know I was listening to everything.


    "Great," my father remarked. "When can we get it?"


    "Right now, the man who keeps the digital data is away on a family vacation," Patrick exined, "but he will return in two days. I hope that is okay."


    The moment he said that, I began to shake my head. I unwrapped my leg from the other and straightened my posture before cing my arms over my thighs, hunching forward.


    "Can¡¯t you contact him and ask him to do it now?" I asked anxiously, noticing my father give me a hand gesture to stop looking so panicked.


    But two days was a lot of time. We needed to find Clementine. Every second counted. It had already been days since she went missing. I was losing my fucking mind.


    "I understand that you havee here for something urgent," Patrick exined, "otherwise you all would not be here. But the thing is, these are sacred matters, and we keep that data in a secured ce. He has to physicallye here to retrieve it. It will only be two days."


    He continued, "He was supposed toe today, but the weather is so bad that he probably has to wait. Do not worry. I will get you a good result. Until then, you can stay here."


    Patrick added, "I will prepare a big dinner for you. It will be like celebrating the academy as it once stood, as a prestigious building and organization that killed monsters and protected the maind from invasion."


    Patrick weed us, and at this point, we could not force the information out of him. He was not refusing to give it to us, he just wanted us to wait, while I began to lose my mind.


    "Um, by the way, should I show them their rooms?" Fauna asked, pping her hands happily, clearly too excited to have visitors.


    Haiden rolled his eyes the moment he heard her voice, and I watched Fauna¡¯s excitement fade a little.


    "Yeah, sure," Patrick replied. "Mariana, Fauna, go ahead. Children, show them their rooms."


    Patrick announced this while watching the three of us get up. I knew my father would stay behind to speak with Patrick about casual matters, just to make it seem like we had note here in an emergency looking for Clementine.


    At this point, we had to hide our intentions. If Patrick knew too much about Nook, he would most definitely know that his mansion had been attacked and that he was connected in some way to the leaders, or possibly involved in buying someone and might as well tell the leaders we are here for it.

 Chapter 481-The Annoying Fauna

    <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.

 Chapter 482-Patrick’s Daughters

    <h4>Chapter 482: 482-Patrick¡¯s Daughters</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    Haiden was the first to almost snatch the key out of Mariana¡¯s hand. Troy also took his key, but I noticed him walk after Haiden into his room, probably to check on him.


    Fauna, who had been snapped at, lowered her head and walked away from us, and now it was just Mariana and me. I had some questions for her.


    Ever since I heard her say that Messi had tried to kidnap Clementine before, new thoughts had been forming in my head.


    "It is heroic of you to take a stand against what is wrong and at least try to figure out the truth," I told her, using the same words of praise that she had used for me earlier.


    The only reason I was doing it was because I had to get information out of her.


    "I¡¯m just trying," she replied.


    "But you have questions for me." The moment I said that, I watched her eyes widen before she lowered her head and started to smile.


    "It is almost as if what they say about you is true. You really are amazing. You know how to read minds, don¡¯t you?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.


    "No, it is more like I know how to read energy. And your energy told me that you were not done yet," I answered, trying to keep my voice at a certain tone so I would note across as rude, which I often am. I am not even apologetic about it.


    "I just want to know how much you know about Clementine," she asked, her eyes full of hope for answers.


    I ced a hand on my heart and smiled at Mariana.


    "More than I know my own heartbeat," I replied, answering her in a way that made her nod, as if realizing that if anyone had to vouch for Clementine, it should be me.


    "Do you think she is capable of lying?" she asked, her eyes fluttering as if they were ready to shed tears.


    "Mariana, I will be honest with you. If Clementine were a liar, I would have known. I am not saying this because I am married to her, but because even if I were married to her, I would still call her out if she lied," I exined.


    As soon as I said that, she started tough. "So that means you would have never left her even if she were a liar."


    She picked up on details very quickly, and I nodded confidently.


    "Well, I hope that kind of love finds me, but I can tell that it is not the love I am going to find with Messi," she said. "I will look into it. Even though it happened many years ago, I want to find out the truth. And I want to punish Messi so bad for it," she added, hissing under her breath. Her fists clenched before she stretched her neck a little and rubbed it.


    "You used to have another friend with you. What is his name?" she questioned, rolling her eyes as if trying to remember, but I could tell it was an act. She knew about him and wanted to know where he was.


    "Yorick is with his parents," I replied.


    "Right. I actually saw a kind of confession video from that girl Oriana and one of your ringleaders. It broke me to know what they had done to him," she said.


    She mentioned the confession video. We had all seen it, and to be honest, we were too stunned to talk about it. We felt guilty.


    Troy and Haiden felt it the most because they had been close to him.


    But a part of me also felt very bad, because when I think back to all the times I had negative interactions with everyone, Yorick was the one who always stood beside me.


    "Miss Rue has already been punished for her crimes, whereas Oriana will face it too. Of course, now that the confession is out, I am sure Yorick and his family will hand Oriana over to the council for lying about something so serious and possibly reject her as well," I exined, watching a faint smile appear on Mariana¡¯s lips.


    Once she noticed that I had caught it, she quickly straightened her posture.


    "I mean, of course, I think it is the right thing to do. Yorick is a very good person. He deserves someone better," she replied softly.


    "Um, I want to ask something else," she uttered. "Since you have been very vocal that Clementine has gone missing and that she wasst supposed to meet with the council leaders, I want to ask if you think it is rted to what Messi was trying to do many years ago. Do you think it is the same people who wanted to buy her then who have her now?"


    Mariana surprised me when she spoke in one breath, exining what had been on her mind.


    "That is a very good point. I will look into it," I replied.


    She gave me a small smile and nodded before leaving.


    "Come for snacks and dinner. You do not want to miss anything my father says," she added.


    That was her way of telling me that even she thought her father knew more than he was showing. After saying that, she briskly walked away.


    As she disappeared from sight, I saw Fauna return.


    "I brought you fresh juice," she said, handing me a ss of orange juice.


    I knew it was not really meant for me. She only brought one for me because she nned to use the other sses to talk to Haiden and possibly make it seem like she was simply being nice by giving one to Troy as well.


    "Thank you," I replied, stepping toward my room as I jiggled the keys.


    I watched her knock on Haiden¡¯s door. I felt bad for her because I knew she was about to get a sharp response from Haiden, who was not in the mood to entertain Patrick¡¯s daughter.

 Chapter 483-Clingy Souls

    <h4>Chapter 483: 483-Clingy Souls</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    I had only just sat down in my room when Troy followed me. We sat together in silence. I guess he wanted me to express what I was feeling, but I was not ready for it.


    What was I supposed to tell him? That it hurt to watch others live my life? That I was jealous that all the power and luxuries that belonged to me were now being used by this leech of a family?


    "Let¡¯s talk about the confession video," Troy suggested.


    Finally, he found a topic we could talk about, something that would distract me from the pain of not having what was supposed to be mine.


    "Yeah, Oriana really messed up," I muttered.


    Troy¡¯s n worked because all my attention shifted to Oriana and how angry I felt that she did not stop even after she had been caught using magic to control us by shaking hands with the Shadow Earth Eater. She continued to be toxic and y games.


    "I do not understand why it is so hard for her to ept that none of us were into her," Troyined, scoffing and clenching his fist.


    For a moment, I got lost in my thoughts.


    "I mean, look at Fauna. It seems like these women do not take no for an answer," I remarked, grunting until I heard a soft knock on the door.


    "Oh," I groaned.


    "Do you think it is her?" Troy questioned, already understanding why I was tired.


    "I do not have the energy to deal with her," I muttered, clenching my fists and cracking my knuckles.


    "Then let her stand outside for a while," Troy suggested, and I liked the idea.


    I nodded and hunched forward, cing my elbows on my thighs, while Troy leaned back on his hands.


    "We will meet with Yorick. Do you think he will ept our apology?" I asked, tapping the tip of my shoe on the floor.


    "It will be difficult. He has always been very understanding with us, so of course it will take him some time too," Troy replied, then suddenly paused.


    He buried his face in his hands and lowered his body to match mine.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "Oh, goodness, I have been really bad before too," he admitted.


    Just then, the knock on the door became frantic.


    "We should answer the door before she barges in," Troy remarked, getting up and waiting for my approval.


    I stood up with him. I did not know why we both walked to the door, but I figured it might intimidate her, so we did.


    The moment we opened the door, just as I expected, she was holding a tray with tworge sses of orange juice.


    "I squeezed it myself." Just as I expected from Fauna, she started speaking almost instantly, even though nobody had asked her anything.


    "Oh, look, Troy, she brought me oranges from my own farm," I joked, taunting her.


    Of course, she did not understand. She followed us when we turned to sit down. I sat on the bed while Troy took the seat next to the window. She handed Troy one ss and then walked toward me. I took the ss in a way that made her feel the pressure.


    "So, you two must be very relieved to be back from the North, right?" she tried, starting a conversation, which made Troy and me exchange a nce. We knew what we were about to do. We were experts at making people ufortable.


    "Not really. We are powerful people. We are not timid, clingy souls whose only purpose is to chase after someone. We loved fighting the monsters," Troy remarked, ncing at me as a smirk appeared on both of our faces.


    "Oh, true. Yeah, that is also a thing," Fauna replied. She still did not understand the taunt. That was what made it frustrating. Hurting her feelings was difficult.


    "Well,st time you were pretty pushy, remember when our friend was here? When my mate was here," I corrected myself, just to see the hurt on her face.


    Just as I expected, she looked hurt at the mention of Clementine.


    "Yeah, I guess I was wrong," she said softly, holding her hands in front of her and looking down before ncing up with a smile. "But when shees back, I will apologize to her. I am sure she will ept my apology."


    She raised her shoulder toward her ear, which made Troy and me exchange another nce before we burst outughing.


    "You think Clementine will talk to you? Look at yourself, Fauna. You cannot even hold a conversation with her. You do not act like a sane person," I snapped.


    The moment I started giving her a harsh reality about herself, she began to look hurt, as if she had never realized how she behaved.


    "I do not understand. Why are you so harsh to me? I have never personally done you wrong," Fauna protested.


    Finally, she began to feel the pain and looked a little humiliated, just like I wanted.


    "Did you forget the way you spoke to Clementine? My mate?" I hissed.


    She lowered her head for a few seconds, then smiled to herself.


    "You just said that people who go after someone are desperate souls. Does Clementine not have a husband now?" she asked.


    The moment she said that, I felt like I wanted to get up and rip her head off.


    "Get out of here," I snapped.


    She stepped back timidly without lifting her head, then gave me a small nod.


    "I am sorry if I upset you. But I think you should know that you are doing the same thing I do," she replied.


    That was all she said before she stepped out of the room, leaving me in disbelief at her audacity topare herself to me.


    "Can you believe that? That girl tried to tell us we are just like her," I snapped, pointing at the door.


    Troy had the same annoyed look on his face.


    "She thinks that her chasing after me is the same as me wanting to be with Clementine. Forget her. Clementine is our mate. Of course we are going to chase after her," I went on, defending myself.


    For a moment, I felt like I was right, until I started to feel like I sounded guilty for giving too many exnations. Didn¡¯t I?

 Chapter 484-When Your Family Betrays You

    <h4>Chapter 484: 484-When Your Family Betrays You</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    <strong>shback:</strong>


    My mother led me inside with her. I knew this was where the magic happened, and the magic was something worse, something very dangerous. But my parents were very good at it. They had been doing it for so long that I could not even remember, probably since before I was born.


    And they took a lot of pride in what they did.


    "Come on in," my mother smiled when she noticed that I was still standing in the doorway, lost in thought.


    There was an injection filled with pink liquid.


    "Give me your hand," my mother asked.


    I followed her lead and gave her my hand. She pricked my finger and began mixing my blood with the pink liquid. Once she was done, she handed me the injection.


    "Now remember, no matter what she says to you, no matter how much she tries to convince you that she is fine, you will tell her she is not, and that this is the only thing that will help her. Do not let her fool you with emotions," my mother reminded me before handing over the medicine.


    "Do not worry. I know what I am doing," I replied.


    "I know you told me briefly what this medicine is about, but now I want to know the secret details," I whispered to my mother.


    She gestured for me to sit down. I sat across the table, and she took her usual spot in the main chair.


    "This is not a medicine only to create monsters," she began. "This is different. It is a special one, something I have created with much thought and care."


    "Once you inject this into her, everything rted to someone else in her body, like her feelings, emotions, and thoughts for Ian, will disappear. Anything that connects her to him will slowly fade, and so will the mark on her neck," my mother exined.


    "Then she will start feeling for you. She will confess her love to you. She will want to be with you. For that, she will even ept me and your father, anything a desperate mate would do to get the attention of their mate. She will do all of it. In short, she will give you the love you deserve."


    My mother was not finished, but she paused to reach for a ss of wine.


    "Do you want some?" she asked.


    I kept staring at the medicine. I guessed I really needed a ss of wine.


    "Yeah, just a little," I replied, lowering my head and resting my forehead on the back of my hand.


    When I lifted my head, I noticed my mother had already poured the drink, but she was adding something else to it.


    "What is it?" I asked curiously.


    "Oh, it is just to help soothe your muscles," she replied, handing me the ss.


    She had done that before, so I did not think much of it. I was agreeing to what she wanted me to do, so she had no reason to be sneaky with me, or so I thought.


    "How long will the effect of this medicinest?" I asked as I slowly took a sip of the drink.


    She watched me closely.


    "It will stay forever, but it will grow slowly over time," she exined, and I nodded in understanding.


    "While it is growing, is there a way it could break? I mean, is there something I need to make sure I do not do to ruin its effect?" I asked my mother, holding the injection in my hand.


    She stared at me for a while, then nodded.


    "What is it?" I snapped, which seemed to give her a little hope, probably because she thought I might die before doing anything wrong. She knew how much I loved Clementine. Of course, I would not make a mistake that would ruin everything for us.


    "Make sure there are no arguments, and do not mention rejection. That is all for now. Just go ahead and inject her with it, and I will tell you moreter," she exined, making me stand up nervously.


    "Do not worry, Yorick. It will work," she added, giving me a small hand gesture to show that her preparations never failed.


    "Okay, I will try to do my best," I replied.


    With that, I took the medicine from my mother and walked back toward her room.


    I took a deep breath and stepped back toward my bedroom, where Clementine was. My hand rested on the doorknob as I gave it some thought.


    There would be no returning from this point. I knew that much. On one side, there was morality, my loyalty to Clementine, and my responsibility to be truthful to her. On the other hand, there was a beautiful life with Clementine. But I had to kill my subconscious for it.


    <strong>End Of shback:</strong>


    The moment I fell to my knees, my mother grew impatient. She tried to reach for me, but I pped her hand away.


    "Yorick, what is happening to you?" Clementine called from behind me, but I rubbed my face in my hands.


    "You betrayed me," I said to my mother, snapping my head up to look at her.


    She looked offended that I would say that.


    "Yorick, get yourself together. You know I would never do that," she argued.


    I shook my head and pointed at her with trembling hands.


    "You ruined everything. Why would you do that? I told you not to do that. You knew," I shouted, then paused to rub the back of my neck.


    "No, I did not. For all I knew, you wanted to inject her with it," my mother replied, still trying to lie to me.


    I barely managed to stand, because every time I tried, I felt like copsing to my knees again.


    "No, you knew I did not want it. That is why I did not do it," I screamed, and she lowered her head, probably realizing she could not fool me anymore.


    "I wish you had not done it because, Mother, this was not what I wanted. I hate myself. I hate myself," I cried.


    As I said that, my mother¡¯s eyes filled with tears.


    "I did it for you. Look, she loves you now," my mother insisted, kneeling beside me as I dropped to my knees again.


    "But I hate myself," I said again. "And I hate you."

 Chapter 485-One-Sided Love Is Painful

    <h4>Chapter 485: 485-One-Sided Love Is Painful</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    For some reason, Fauna¡¯s words struck me. As she stepped away, Haiden continued to grunt about her audacity, while I stared in indifference, wondering if what shaped our existence was different from hers.


    "Come on, don¡¯t think too much about her. She¡¯s crazy," Haiden remarked, rolling his eyes at her.


    "Are you sure she is?" I asked, watching him raise his eyebrow at me. "I mean, I just want to say that I¡¯m kind of debating whether I am that clingy person too."


    The minute I said that, Haiden gestured with his hand and rose from the bed again. He moved to a chair, pulled another seat closer to the floormp in front of me, and sat facing me.


    "Don¡¯t think about it. She¡¯s our mate. That is the difference," he exined.


    As he tried to exin, it sounded like a bunch of excuses, to be honest.


    "Well, someone who has already made a decision. Haiden, I¡¯ll tell you something. I have done the same thing. I have tried to cause a rift between the two of them many times. Even thest time they were together on the maind, they were fighting because of me, because I was ying games with them. So how am I better than Fauna?"


    " Oh wait," I snapped my fingers, almost like I had just gotten an idea.


    " I¡¯m not better than her. In fact, I¡¯m worse than her because at least she did not cause trouble or lie about things to break you and Clementine apart."


    As soon as I finished, a look of guilt started to show on Haiden¡¯s face.


    "The thing is, I don¡¯t know why I feel like that. If we do not stop and respect her decision now, we might even lose her as a friend. And I don¡¯t want to do that, Haiden." I paused as a sense of sadness took over me.


    "It will be so hard for me to move on from her," Haiden admitted, sharing his feelings for her.


    I mean, I already knew that, and he knew that I loved her too.


    Haiden looked around before clenching his fist angrily. "This is all because of Oriana. She ruined my chance," he muttered, looking up to get a reaction from me. I guessed he was expecting me to believe that too.


    "No, Haiden. The truth is that she would have always picked Ian. We were too caught up in trying to have her instead of trying to win her. Because of that, we pushed her away. We pushed her beyond what we could even see. We all had our chances. We all had our moments. And Ian used his very wisely."


    I paused as I buried my face in my hands, then moved one hand to rub my neck.


    "Well, so next time when we see her, we are not going to expect her to choose us?" Haiden asked, his eyes showing a hint of sadness and tears.


    "I think she will respect us for respecting her decision," I replied.


    That was all I said before Haiden threw his head back and covered his eyes with his hands.


    It was not easy for us to do all that. Clementine was special. Too special for us. So losing her felt like losing a part of myself. But I was willing to do it. I was willing to let her fix her rtionship with Ian and not intervene to ruin the good moments for her anymore.


    "I think you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t want to push her further either, and I don¡¯t want her to be sad because of the games I am ying or the games we are ying. So the decision will be in her hands. If Ian is who she has chosen, I will respect that. But damn, it is going to be so hard," Haiden remarked, rising from his seat and wandering around the room, pacing anxiously.


    While he moved, my cell phone rang again. I stared at the unknown caller and frowned. I had been receiving calls, and every time I picked up, I only heard grunting and scuffling from the other side.


    In the beginning, I thought maybe it was Clementine. But then I heard a quiet hello, and it did not sound like someone I knew. It was more like a whisper, and I thought maybe someone was just bothering me.


    I mean, ever since Orianas truth hade out, I had expected people to call us and tease us for not trusting our friend, or even just to apologize to us for what that woman had done to us. Or maybe it was Oriana trying to stir things up again.


    "You need to answer that call. Maybe it is urgent," Haiden urged.


    Finally, the constant ringing of my phone caught Haiden¡¯s attention, and he told me to pick up the call.


    "All right, give me a minute," I said, picking up my phone and stepping toward the balcony. I noticed Haiden hurrying into the bathroom to freshen up.


    "Hello?" I answered, expecting the same kind of nonsense.


    And just as I had expected, the call cut off. I groaned and shoved my phone into my pocket when my eyes drifted into the distance.


    I watched Mariana and Fauna standing under a tree, as if they were having a very personal conversation. It seemed intense, and for some reason, it caught my attention.


    I knew for a fact that Fauna liked Haiden a lot, but I was curious to know why two princesses were having a conversation away from the main mansion.


    The two were speaking when I noticed Mariana¡¯s eyes lift. She went silent, and Fauna followed her gaze. They both looked at me in silence before Mariana gave me a ssic and formal nod in greeting. Then Fauna did the same, bending her knees slightly.


    I wondered why Haiden did not want to give Fauna a chance. I mean, I would love for someone to care about me that much.


    One-sided love was sometimes very painful because when I watched couples, I wondered if Clementine would ever love me the same way.

 Chapter 486-She Loves Him A Lot

    <h4>Chapter 486: 486-She Loves Him A Lot</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    I could not sit around and do nothing. Since I knew something was going on, I had to go out and wander around.


    Maybe I will find some clues. As I did, I noticed Mariana and Fauna returning to the mansion, probably from their evening walk or something.


    "Are you headed out?" Fauna asked me the moment she saw me moving toward the exit.


    "Yeah, I was feeling kind of bored inside," I replied, continuing to walk. She hurried along with me, almost running because of her small feet, since she was a little slow.


    "Is there something you want to talk about?" I asked once I noticed how hard she was trying to keep up with me.


    "Oh no, I just wanted to, um," she paused, then scratched her back. "You are right. I want to have a conversation with you, if that is okay. I do not want to bore you," she added with a smile.


    "Yeah, sure. Tag along," I told her, making a small hand gesture.


    The moment we stepped outside, we started walking on the track around the garden with my hands sped behind my back.


    "You probably know that I am desperately in love with your friend," she began.


    He was so brutal with her that sometimes even I wanted to shake her awake and tell her that it was not possible and that she needed to just move on from him.


    "Yeah, and I can tell that you are not regretting wasting your time," I remarked when I turned my head slightly toward her.


    I noticed a bit of sadness on her face.


    "I want you to find a mate who will love you a lot, Fauna. Everybody deserves to be loved," I exined to her, keeping my steps very slow so she could catch up with me.


    "It is easy for you to say. You have your mate. I do not," she replied, looking down and ying with the bracelet she was wearing on her wrist.


    "What is that? It looks cute," I said, noticing the small bracelet made of various things, like someone had put different pieces together to make it.


    "Um, he did not feel that way about me when we were kids."


    The moment she said that, I pped my head and raised my brow, and she noticed my reaction.


    "Yeah, he was not always that harsh to me. We were good friends for arge part of our lives, and when my father mentioned that he wanted us to be together, Haiden stepped back. He broke our friendship and everything," she replied in a pained tone.


    She lowered her hand and gently held her elbow, squeezing it as a means offort.


    "So, tell me, Ian, what is it like to be loved?" she asked, and a smile formed on my lips.


    I looked straight ahead, almost as if I could see the wind, thinking about Clementine. That was how clear everything became for me whenever she was mentioned.


    "It is special. Knowing you have someone who makes you their priority is a different kind of feeling, Fauna," I continued.


    "You know, we got married in the north," I said, watching Fauna p her hands and step forward until she was in front of me.


    She turned around and started to move backward.


    "Did you really? How was it? I want to know everything," she asked eagerly.


    One thing I noticed about Fauna was that she really paid attention to what others shared with her. It was not just about her wanting to express her emotions. She wanted to be a good listener for others as well.


    "Well, it was set up on the darker side of the north, at one of the most well known venues. I got her the most perfect dress from an antique shop. She did the same. It was a perfect moment," I reminisced.


    A big smile was probably on my lips as I remembered Clementine wearing that gown and walking toward me. That night marked the beginning for me. How I wished I had not let her out of my sight.


    As I finished telling Fauna everything, I realized we had both stopped halfway. She was watching my face dreamily, as if thinking about her own wedding day. I could tell my eyes were a little moist as I remembered my Clementine.


    "That sounds so dreamy," shemented, and I nodded in agreement, my hands still tied behind my back.


    "You two are married. Congrattions. But what about Haiden?" she asked.


    I had expected that question from her. Her worry was that Haiden was not thinking about moving on from Clementine until he got rejected. Honestly, seeing the way Haiden and the others acted, I believed that too. As much as I knew Clementine and what we had talked about, she did want to reject other mates.


    "I do not think that will change anything, Fauna. If Haiden pushes you away that much, then there might never be a chance," I told her, feeling bad for her.


    To be honest, I had spoken to many women before, not in a sexual way, but in general. Fauna was the only one who gave me little sister feelings, even though she was not that young to me.


    We were probably the same age. There was something about her that made me feel like I was talking to my sister.


    "You do not know what tomorrow holds. And I do not believe that he pushes me away," Fauna replied as she started to smile to herself. "You know what? We used to have a spark."


    The moment she said that, I was a little shocked.


    "Really?" I asked, and she nodded confidently.


    "And then, by the time we were thirteen or fourteen, we were shy around each other. There were moments when he would tease me about taking me out on dates. So no, he did not hate me, and he still does not. I just have a feeling that he is scared that if he keeps me close, he will make mistakes, and he does not want to make mistakes because his eyes are on the bigger prize, the better one," she remarked, with a mild smile on her lips.


    "Well, if that is the case, then I hope the rejection works," I replied.

 Chapter 487-He Secretly Likes Her

    <h4>Chapter 487: 487-He Secretly Likes Her</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    "Anyway, I need to tell you thatst time I was rude to your wife, but I promise I am going to fix it. When I meet her, I will apologize to her, and I will keep apologizing until she forgives me," Fauna rambled innocently.


    It may not have seemed like it, but she made it clear that she did not take anything to heart. I guess it was just Haiden how much she loved and how she lost her mind over it and decided to act differently sometimes.


    "She will forgive you. That is how she is," I replied with a smile as we continued our walk.


    We had taken a full round and returned to the entrance of the mansion, but we were about to go for another. I noticed a little hesitation in her.


    "You know, my father, he told you about," she began, but before she could finish, my father and Patrick came out.


    "What are you doing here?" her father asked her.


    While my father looked slightly confused, I could tell he just wanted to be alone. He was not a talkative person, but he had to act like he was there tomunicate, otherwise Patrick would not share any information about Clementine and Nook.


    "We were just taking a little walk," she replied, showing a strange hesitation, maybe even fear, while facing her father.


    "What were you two talking about?" her father questioned, looking more intense as he tilted his head.


    "We were just talking about the North. She was excited to learn how we fought the monsters," I exined,ing to her defense and noticing the way she quietly sighed in relief.


    "Oh well, what do you want to know, you silly little daughter of mine? It is not like you can ever do that. And do not talk too much about monsters, or you will have nightmares and scare yourself," her father remarked in a yful tone, though the way he pointed his finger at her seemed harsh and rude.


    "Now go help your mother with the preparations for dinner," he ordered, his tone suddenly changing.


    She looked at me, then at her father, and walked away.


    I was sure my father noticed it too because he made direct eye contact with me.


    "Father, have you rested?" I asked, stepping to his side while Patrick stood on his other side.


    "Oh no, he is the headmaster. Trust me, your father never gets tired," Patrickmented as he continued walking, which felt like his way of saying he still nned to walk with my father.


    "Yeah, it is fine. You go ahead and rest, Ian. We will have dinner here," my father told me. His hands were tied behind his back, just like mine.


    I gave him a nod and walked past him. As I did, we shared brief eye contact, silently looking at each other.


    I returned to my room, and after a few hours of rest, I heard a knock on the door. I got up from the bed and went to the door to find Haiden and Troy waiting for me. The two had gone to their separate rooms after work, from what I understood, but they had spent quite some time together.


    "Let¡¯s go, dinner is being served," Haiden told me, walking ahead of me while Troy stayed behind.


    "What is up with him? Is he okay?" I asked Troy as I closed and locked my door.


    "Uh, not really," Troy replied, his hands in his pockets. "He is dealing with quite a few things."


    We started walking together while Haiden stayed a few steps ahead of us. I guessed he just wanted to be alone for the moment.


    "Yeah, one of them is realizing that the crown and the mansion belong to him," I remarked, and Troy nodded.


    "What is the other thing?" I asked.


    "Ah, he just gets annoyed by Fauna, and we also decided that we should move on from Clementine," Troy answered.


    The moment Troy said that, I did not show it, but hope filled me. I always felt annoyed when they were stuck on her, when they showed too much love for Clementine. Thest time I remembered, Troy had caused a rift between me and her.


    As I watched his face, Troy nced at me.


    "Yeah, yeah, I remember," he muttered, almost as if he had heard my thoughts.


    "Well, are you ashamed?" I teased, and he grunted, scratching the back of his neck.


    "Yeah, I will tell her everything," he said.


    "Well, you do not have to. She believes me, and I believe her. We talked and fixed things in the North," I replied.


    When I said that, I saw him roll his eyes.


    "Yeah, yeah, you and your perfect love," he scoffed.


    I could tell that even though he said they were going to stop thinking about her, he was still bitter about many things.


    "Anyway, about Fauna, I do not think he hates her," I added.


    When I said that, I noticed Haiden did slow down. He must have heard me mention her. Troy looked confused. He slipped his hands into his pockets, stiffened his posture, then shook his head.


    "Nope, I know he hates her. We were teasing her just a few minutes ago," he said, and I sighed.


    "Well, you two need to grow up. Bullying someone for their feelings is not right. Otherwise, I should be bullying you two until you cannot show your faces," I told him.


    That was my way of reminding them how much they had tried toe between me and Clementine.


    "Yeah, I told you I will apologize to her. You do not need to remind me every time," he grumbled.


    "Anyway, that is not the point. I was talking about Fauna. I think she and him used to be best friends before," I continued.


    The moment I said that, Haiden stopped in his tracks. Troy did too, and I did not notice at first because Troy gently held my arm to stop me. I paused a few steps ahead of Troy, then looked at Haiden as he turned around to face me.

 Chapter 488-Something Gentle

    <h4>Chapter 488: 488-Something Gentle</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    I could hear their conversation, and it did not seem like Ian was even trying to be sneaky. He did not care. I had barely ever seen Ian afraid of anything. It was as if he was always ready to fight. So when I turned around to face him, I saw him looking at me with clear interest.


    "I feel like someone has been talking to someone," I remarked, annoyed that he had probably spoken with Fauna and that she must have said something unnecessary.


    "Well, yes, we had a conversation. She was just telling me some casual things about how you two used to be very good friends," Ian replied, not hiding the truth.


    Troy looked shocked.


    "Dude, you said you never liked her," Troy pointed out quickly, calling me out on my lie.


    "Well, it does not matter anymore. The friendship was so long ago, when we were just kids, that I do not even remember it. See, that is how little the friendshipsted," I exined, making things up.


    That was not true at all. Our friendship hadsted a long time, and we had made good memories. She used to bring me food and save me from punishments sometimes, until things started to turn bitter between us.


    The truth was that I could tell from Ian¡¯s eyes that she had told him more about us, maybe even that there was a short time when I liked her. That was before Clementine came into my life. When she arrived, everything changed. I used to bully Clementine. At first, I hated her, but then I grew attached to her.


    That was when Ipletely cut Fauna out of my life, partly because her father had started to push the idea that we should be together. I had a feeling that maybe she had something to do with it. Maybe she told her father that she liked me, and that was why he kept pressuring me about a rtionship.


    "Anyway, why are we even talking about it? I just need to find Clementine," I muttered, then paused.


    Once I thought about it, I did not even have a n. There was nothing I could do outside the Academy. My back had been stolen, and so had my mate.


    "You can take your pack back," Ian suggested, almost as if he had heard my thoughts.


    "What?" Troy and I asked at the same time.


    Ian gestured with his hand for us to move away from the hallway, to make sure no one could hear our conversation, and we followed. I needed to hear what he was nning. Knowing Ian, he would not say something like that without a reason. He had a clear n in mind.


    Once we were in therge hall, with no one near us and music filling the space, Ian began to speak.


    "The reason they are marrying Mariana to Messi is because they want an Alpha for the pack, so that his daughter¡¯s husband will control it," Ian exined.


    The moment he started exining, I already understood where he was going with this.


    "No," I replied firmly.


    Both of them went silent. Troy tilted his head, and Ian leaned forward, squeezing his eyes shut and giving me a small shake of his head, as if asking me to exin.


    "If you are suggesting that I should marry Fauna for the pack, then you are wrong. I am not going to do that," I stated harshly, stopping their thoughts before they went any further.


    "Um, hello, Haiden?" Ian waved his hand in front of my face.


    "I was not going to say that. I do not know why you make up things in your head, but that is not what I was about to say," Ian added.


    His words made me clench my fists. Even Troy lifted his hand to his mouth to hide hisughter.


    "I do not have her in my mind. I was just letting you know because I thought maybe... Okay, whatever. So what were you saying?" I asked, feeling embarrassed and trying to move on.


    "Listen, since the marriage is not happening yet, that means Patrick is the Alpha, right?" Ian continued, and I nodded.


    "Well then, it is easy. Go ahead and challenge him for the crown," Ian finished, and my eyes widened.


    "Before, you were just a young guy who did not know if you could fight a seasoned Beta, Gamma, or whatever that man is. You were afraid that if he brought in Messi, you might not be able to win because Messi would have a team preparing him while you would have nothing. And then the fact that he had already signed you up for the academy. But now, you are a better fighter than anyone in the pack. You improved your skills in the North, Haiden. I am sure fighting one Alpha will be no big deal for you."


    Ian¡¯s words made my shoulders straighten with pride. He was not wrong. I had learned a lot in the North. I gained strength and abilities I did not have before. It made sense.


    "You are right," I replied.


    "Yeah, let¡¯s go for it," Troy said, patting my back.


    "What about you, Troy?" Ian asked.


    "What about me?" Troy replied quietly, looking down. I could tell he wanted to hear us praise him too.


    Ian and I looked at each other, then both shrugged.


    "Yeah, no, I do not think you can do it," we teased, and he scowled at us.


    "You are so mean. Just say something good about me," he insisted, making usugh.


    "Fine. I think you should fight too. You might get beaten a little, but in the end, I think you will earn yourself a royal Beta spot," I teased, and he rolled his eyes at me.


    "You know what? I will fight too. And I bet I will take back my crown as well," Troy dered.


    It was a happy moment for us. We were finally thinking about doing something with our lives outside the Academy.


    Then a thought hit me, and I said it out loud.


    "Um, this all sounds good, but do you not think we do not even know if the Academy will shut down properly?" I pointed out.

 Chapter 489-I Feel Something With Her

    <h4>Chapter 489: 489-I Feel Something With Her</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    This time, Ian nodded to himself after thinking it over.


    "I will make sure the Academy does not start again, and this time, I will make my father help me," he stated.


    His words made us look at him more seriously.


    "And if anyone pressures my father about the Academy, he will threaten to break the towers and their power. I am sure nobody will be foolish enough to risk that."


    When he finished, new hope rose in all of us. At that point, we were truly waiting for a miracle, and this threat might be the one thing that could give it to us.


    While we were cheering and talking happily, I saw Mariana appear in a ck dress. She looked through the crowd until she saw me, then walked toward us.


    I signaled Ian and Troy to be careful as she headed our way, and Troy quickly changed the subject.


    "Yeah, it is raining so much. I hate rainy weather," Troy remarked, then went quiet when she arrived.


    "I hope I am not bothering you three," she said, and we shook our heads.


    "What is it?" I asked, watching her calmly fix her earring before straightening her posture.


    "Haiden, I have been looking for Fauna. I do not know where she is. Can you please go and look for her? Sometimes she really does too much," Mariana exined.


    From the way she spoke, all of us knew she was just trying to get me to talk to her.


    "I do not know. She must be around," I replied with a shrug, not falling for her attempt.


    "Can you please go and look for her?" she asked again, more firmly this time.


    I was about to snap at her and ask why she thought she could order me around when Ian gently touched my elbow and stepped closer, almost turning his back to her.


    "Go ahead, talk to her. If she is having a hard time epting no, then you need to have a conversation with her. Just give her some closure," he urged, hinting that he understood the situation.


    They had talked before, and she must have told him that there were times when we had grown a little too close.


    "It will make her cry," I muttered, looking at Ian with my hands on my waist, still stubborn.


    "Well, crying is better than false hope," he insisted.


    I had thought he would tell me not to go, and I would exin that my words would hurt her. Even I was confused about why I did not want to talk to her. I was just tired of repeating that I did not want her anymore.


    "Fine, whatever," I said.


    When I noticed all of them watching me, I gave in and decided to finally go and talk to her.


    I stepped away from the hall, noticing that my uncle hade out just for this dinner. Music was ying. Some of the royal Betas and royal Gammas were there with their families.


    I walked down the hallway and went up to the second floor, where I knew her room was. I was ready to defend myself if she tried to y any games with me because I kept wondering why her sister had asked me to go and find her. She could have juste to speak with me. Why send me somewhere else, especially to her room?


    Maybe they were nning something that would make me look like a bad person. That was what I honestly thought.


    When I reached the door and knocked, I was ready to tell her that I had figured out what she was nning. However, she did not evene to open the door herself.


    "Come in," she called out, making me ce my hands on my waist in annoyance.


    "You cane outside," I replied. "Your sister was looking for you. She said you had disappeared," I added, pointing out the fact that she was right there.


    I knew this was their way of getting me to talk to Fauna alone, but I still wanted to call her out just to make her feel ufortable.


    "Well then, you cane inside and we can talk," she insisted again.


    "Are you afraid of something, Haiden?" she asked.


    Just like she intended, she got on my nerves, and I mmed the door open and walked in. I did not go all the way inside. I stopped in the doorway.


    She stood near the mirror, trying to put on a ne. After a few silent attempts, she gave up, lowered her hand, and turned to face me.


    "Can you please help me with it?" she asked, holding the ne out to me.


    I saw that she was wearing a red dress, and for a moment, I felt slightly stunned. She looked beautiful and gentle.


    I wanted to refuse, but instead I walked inside and took the pendant from her hand.


    "Easy, you will break it," she warned. "It is special."


    When she said that, I looked closely at the pendant and understood why. It was something I had given her. Then I noticed the bracelet on her wrist. She was still wearing it.


    "What are you trying to do?" I asked, not helping her with the ne yet.


    "I am just getting ready. Why? Can I not even do that?" she replied. There was no teasing in her voice, only hurt.


    Instead of arguing with her again, I motioned for her to stand still so I could help her with the pendant. I moved closer to her, a little too close for both of us.


    As she lifted her hair, my chest tightened with a strange agitation I could not exin. She exposed the line of her neck, and I brought the ne around to the front before guiding the chain into ce.


    My fingers brushed against her skin, and the contact sent a sharp wave through me. Goosebumps rose along my arms before I could stop them. I froze for a moment, irritated with myself.


    It was just skin. Just a simple touch.

 Chapter 490-I Can Break Her Heart

    <h4>Chapter 490: 490-I Can Break Her Heart</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    But up close, her scent felt different from before. It was familiar, yet not something I could clearly ce. It pulled at me in a way that made my chest feel tight, like something inside me was reaching for a connection that kept slipping away.


    I told myself it was nothing and forced myself to keep going.


    In the mirror, I caught her expression. Her eyes were half closed, her breathing slower and deeper. It was obvious she felt the contact too.


    I leaned closer to reach the sp, my face near her shoulder, my focus on the tiny hook that suddenly seemed impossible to fasten.


    As I breathed near her skin, I heard her breath leave her lips and caught the scent of her hair. It made my head feel light, like my instincts were trying to move before my thoughts could stop them.


    "Do you feel that too?" she asked quietly.


    I snapped my head up.


    "Do you feel that agitation whenever you are near me?"


    Her voice was unsteady, and it sent another unwanted reaction through me.


    The sp finally clicked into ce.


    I stepped back at once, putting space between us as if distance could fix whatever had just passed through my body.


    She turned to face me, cing a hand over her chest as though trying to steady her breathing.


    "I feel it too, Haiden," she said softly. "I do not know what this is, but it makes me very anxious around you."


    She searched my face for an answer, but I had none. I stood there with my fists tight at my sides, trying to convince myself that whatever this was, it did not mean anything at all.


    "And did you not feel it?" she asked again as she stepped toward me with hopeful eyes.


    "No," I replied. I lied loudly enough for her to step back and cover her mouth.


    "Oh," she murmured, looking hurt and shocked. "I don¡¯t..."


    I then pushed my confidence further as I looked her in the eye and wrinkled my nose.


    "Not even a little bit?" she wondered.


    As she asked that question, I noticed tears forming in her eyes.


    "No, Fauna, I feel nothing," I snapped in annoyance.


    She buried her face in her hands before looking up again, and this time it did not seem like she was going to ept my lie.


    "You¡¯re lying," she shouted.


    "Well, whatever helps you sleep better at night," I remarked with a shrug.


    Seeing pain in her eyes made me happy. It meant I was doing everything right, hurting her, the woman whose father had stolen everything from me.


    The man whom I strongly suspected might have been involved in my father¡¯s death.


    "I just want to know why. Why are you lying? I just want to know why you hate me," she pleaded.


    She could not understand that me not giving her more exnation was for her own good.


    Otherwise, I would insult her so badly that she would not even be able to look at herself again. But if she wanted to be humiliated, then I would dly do it.


    "You want to know?" I said, smiling as I stepped toward her.


    She did not step away. It was her way of showing me that she was ready for whatever I was going to throw at her.


    "And that is because you are the daughter of a horrible man," I began. "You are the daughter of the man who is worse than my worst enemy."


    As I continued, I watched her lower her head and begin to nod to herself, as if she were telling herself that she already knew this would be my answer.


    "Do you want to hear more?" I asked with a smile. "You are nothing like my mate. You are just the daughter of a disgusting man. If you think you could ever be with me, then you are wrong. You are just desperate. It is time you wake up because no, Fauna, I do not feel anything for you. I will never feel anything for you. Now leave. Go and live your pathetic life somewhere else and be obsessed with someone else."


    As I finished, I watched a tear roll down her eye. I wanted to smile because seeing her in pain made me happy. But somewhere along the way, I could not.


    I kept watching her as she hugged herself and closed her eyes. Another tear rolled down her face, and I quickly turned my head away.


    What was wrong with me? Why was I feeling this way? It was true what she said. I was feeling something for her.


    "Thank you for being honest with me," she began. I forced a cocky grin onto my face.


    "At least now I know there will never be an us," she continued, then looked up at me. A broken smile rested on her lips. "And I cannot say anything to you because I know you are not wrong. You have every right to be upset. After all, my family took everything from you."


    In a soft tone, she made me feel guilty for my words.


    "But just so you know, if you are expecting me to hate you for it," she paused, then added, "you are wrong. I will not bother you, but I am not going to hate you." She sniffled and gestured toward the door. "We should go. Dinner will be starting."


    With that, she did not wait for me. She walked past me and left the room.


    I stayed behind in her room.


    "Way to go, Alpha Haiden, the best man in the world, breaking an innocent woman¡¯s heart."


    My wolf waking up at that point and taunting me was not something I had expected.


    "What is wrong with you? Don¡¯t you hate her too?" I growled, stepping toward the exit.


    "If you are satisfied with yourself, of course you should be, but do not speak for me. I will say this much. It is true that I felt something for her. I do not know what that was, but it seemed like¡ª"


    As my wolf began to speak, I growled loudly to silence him. He understood and went quiet.


    "There was only one person that I loved, and if she is not in my life, I will just wait for her," I muttered, walking out of the room and heading down the hallway to attend dinner.


    "I loved her too. But let¡¯s be honest, Haiden. The minute she rejects us, it will be hard for us to live without a mate. Everybody needs someone. What we felt with Fauna seems like it could be our future. You can hate her for what her father did to our father and to us, but you cannot expect me to hate her. That is my truth. Now let¡¯s go eat," he replied quickly, leaving me baffled.


    I did not know that returning home would put me through so much stress.

 Chapter 491-I Am Never Enough

    <h4>Chapter 491: 491-I Am Never Enough</h4>


    <strong>Fauna:</strong>


    I had spoken with my sister, and she suggested that I should confront Haiden about the feelings I had for him. Then I spoke with Ian too, and he seemed like a nice man.


    But I did not understand why Haiden was so harsh with me. Everyone else was not that bad. They did not treat me like I was a curse.


    I mean, Troy did, but that was because Haiden encouraged him. I could tell.


    But when I finally spoke with Haiden, it was as if he broke every part of me, every dream I had ever had. It took so much strength not to cry in front of him.


    I walked out of the room and went down the hallway to where dinner was being served. Everybody was already there.


    There was a huge table that could fit all the families together.


    "What happened?" Mariana asked, gently holding my arm.


    I looked up at her, and she noticed the tears in my eyes.


    Excusing us with a hand gesture, she led me aside so she could help me feel better before I joined the dinner table.


    There were many eyes on us today. We did not want a scandal.


    "He rejected my advances," I whispered softly, looking down at the floor.


    "I am so sorry. Maybe that is just how he feels," Mariana replied, slowly letting go of my arm.


    "We are so unlucky," I said, not looking up from the ground because I knew that if I did, a tear would roll down my face and someone would notice.


    "Everything will be better. Do not worry. We will be fine," my sister assured me, gently patting my shoulder.


    The truth was that my sister and I had been put against each other by our parents since we were children.


    There were times when we fought a lot, but in the end, we both grew tired of fighting. We had once been close to each other.


    Neither of us wanted to think about marrying an alpha anymore. We just wanted someone we loved. Sadly, we were known as the two sisters from the troubled family.


    My father was not well liked, and I understood why. He was a difficult man.


    His behavior, his cunning nature, his hatred toward others, and all the toxic games he yed had left his daughters without mates.


    "Come on, let¡¯s go to dinner," my sister urged, reminding me that our father was still waiting for us to join and act happy and cheerful like he told us to.


    Our personalities were shaped by our parents. When we were children, my parents would bully me if I did not smile enough, and they would beat my sister if she smiled too much.


    My father said that we needed to have distinct personalities.


    I walked with my sister and sat at the dining table, keeping my head as low as I could. The moment I lifted it, I saw Ian and Troy looking at me. They quickly looked away when they realized I had noticed.


    I kept staring at them until they looked back again, and I gave them the same silly smile I always had. It was an impulse. I always did that.


    It was how I had been taught. The two returned small, awkward smiles, probably realizing that their friend had rejected me.


    Then Haiden arrived. This time, I did not look in his direction. I kept my eyes on my food.


    "So boys, let¡¯s say hypothetically, if the academy does shut down, what are you three nning on doing? I mean, Ian has a pack to run, but what about you two?" my father began, addressing them.


    He wanted me to marry Haiden. If Haiden did not agree, my father¡¯s decision would remain the same, which was to hope he died. That was all my father wanted.


    Either he chose me or he died. This behavior from my father was what had pushed Haiden to the point where he looked at me with disgust.


    I noticed the alphas look at each other before responding.


    "Haven¡¯t thought about it yet," Troy replied, while Haiden smirked to himself. I had a feeling that was not the whole truth.


    "Really? Well, I believe it is highly unlikely that the academy will shut down. What do you say, Headmaster?" my father continued.


    "We will see about that," the headmaster responded sternly.


    I could barely eat. I just wanted to go to my room and cry for hours, but doing that would anger my father, so I stayed calm and finished my meal.


    The three alphas were busy talking quietly among themselves.


    There were moments when I noticed the Royal Beta and Royal Gamma trying to get their attention, reminding them that they had daughters too.


    But Ian was loyal to his wife. Then there was Troy. I did not know what he wanted in his life.


    As for Haiden, he would purposely talk about getting married and then look at me, trying to cause me more pain, and he seeded.


    Every so often, I looked at my father and saw him staring at me as if he were watching me get rejected over and over again.


    Finally, once dinner ended, I was the first to stand.


    "Um, excuse me, I will go take a walk now," I said, avoiding all the eyes on me.


    As I quickly moved toward the exit, my sister joined me.


    "I will go with her," I heard Mariana say as she followed after me.


    I had just reached the exit when Mariana whispered, "Why are theying after us?"


    I turned my head and saw Ian, Troy, and Haiden walking out, heading down the same path we were taking.


    "Do you guys want to take a walk with us?" Mariana asked.


    I noticed how everyone treated my sister with respect. I was not jealous, and I was happy for her.


    I just did not understand what I could do to be treated that way. Even when she was rude and they responded to her, they kept a certain distance, as if she still deserved respect.


    But with me, even when I tried to be nice, I was treated like I did not deserve any respect.


    "Yeah, sure. We also want to talk about some things," Troy murmured, gesturing for us to keep walking.


    I understood that they needed our help.

 Chapter 492-Bully Your Mate?

    <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?

 Chapter 493-He Never Stops Plotting

    <h4>Chapter 493: 493-He Never Stops Plotting</h4>


    <strong>Fauna:</strong>


    I kept listening, my heart pounding in my chest, worried that someone might catch me. I felt like I was already in trouble.


    "Our main problems are Troy and Haiden," my father said, and once again goosebumps spread across my skin.


    "How so? You can just get Haiden married to someone and then send him to another pack. It could be any pack, small orrge, whatever you prefer," my mother suggested. It hurt to think about Haiden marrying someone, especially someone chosen by my parents.


    "Well, before this, I thought our useless daughter could make him fall for her. Then, once he married her, we would not have to worry about him wanting the crown. But it seems she is so useless that relying on her was a mistake," my father stated openly, revealing his n.


    I had always known my father was not a good person, but I never thought he had bad intentions toward me and my sister until now. I realized he was just using us.


    "You do not need to drag my innocent daughter into this. She tried, okay? I have seen her get insulted by that man so many times. At least give her some credit. Besides, our daughters are not just meant to y games for us. They are more than that," my mother said sharply.


    The tears forming in my eyes turned into tears of relief and happiness. At least one of my parents truly cared about me and my sister.


    "Whatever," my father muttered. "The thing is, Haiden seems like he holds grudges. He is going to ask for the crown. Do you think at this age I will be fighting a crusader? He will tear me apart in front of everyone."


    My father raised his voice when he felt my mother did not understand how important it was to get rid of Haiden.


    "If he had married Fauna, I would have happily given him the crown. Then the crown would have stayed in our bloodline. But no. Your daughter¡ª" my father snapped.


    It was always like this. Whenever my sister or I embarrassed him, he would call us only our mother¡¯s daughters, saying he could not have raised such failures. It hurt, but it did not affect me as much anymore.


    "What about Messi? When he marries Mariana and Haiden asks for the crown, he can fight him," my mother suggested. That was when I realized that even Mariana¡¯s wedding was part of their n.


    "Yeah, that is what I thought before, but now I am not so sure. Messi cannot stand a chance against Haiden anymore. Have you not looked at Troy? It seems like Troy is going to ask for the crown soon. When he fights Messi in his own pack, Messi will lose to Troy, which is inevitable. Then what?" my father argued,ying out the reasons for his concern.


    Honestly, it surprised me.


    "So what are you nning to do? I do not believe you are talking about this without having a n," my mother pressed.


    I heard my father chuckle from inside the room. The sound made my heart skip. That was how frightening he could be.


    I stood there anxiously, waiting to hear what my father was nning.


    "I have been observing Troy. Have you noticed him too?" my father asked my mother.


    "What about him? He is a handsome young man," my mother replied.


    "Exactly. He is more charming than Messi, do you not think? He carries himself with grace. He is a crusader, and have you seen those muscles on him? I think we made a mistake. Troy is a better choice than Messi for Mariana," my father said.


    His words made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. My fingers curled in fear, and I pulled my hands close to my chest. Just hearing how far my father was willing to go to keep the crown frightened me.


    He thought of his daughters as tools he could offer to anyone who would secure the crown for him.


    "Before, we could not do that because Troy had been sent to the academy. But now that he is back, I think I suggestMariana¡¯s hand for Troy. What do you suggest?" he asked, waiting for my mother¡¯s response.


    "That sounds like a good idea," my mother replied. She always did this. She agreed with whatever my father nned.


    My mother had found her escape in her phone. She would y games or scroll through social media, anything to keep her mind off her husband¡¯s cruelty. The moment she disagreed with him, he would ruin the structure of her face. That was how he described it.


    "You say it as if it will be that easy. Do you not know that he is also mates with Clementine? Whoever is mates with her does not want to lose the hope of being with her," my mother reminded my father.


    Everyone knew that Clementine was special and that all her mates were trying to win her heart.


    "And have you not seen the mark on that handsome jerk¡¯s neck?" my father remarked, speaking about Ian in a bitter tone.


    "All I am trying to say is that I do not think Troy will ept Mariana, and I do not want you to keep getting my daughters rejected. That is all. It is ruining their confidence and their lives," my mother said.


    A quiet, hopeless sound left her mouth before she swallowed hard, probably realizing she was speaking against a man who would not hesitate to throw something at her face if she disobeyed him.


    "Just leave it to me. If he refuses, then we will have to get rid of Troy so that Messi can secure the crown for himself," my father dered confidently.


    My hand pressed against the wall to steady myself. I was afraid that if I did not keep my bnce, I would fall and they would realize I was outside.

 Chapter 494-Back To My Crush’s Room

    <h4>Chapter 494: 494-Back To My Crush¡¯s Room</h4>


    <strong>Fauna:</strong>


    "Do you not think that is too much? I think we should stop," my mother whispered.


    A loud smacking sound followed, and my hands flew to my ears as I covered them. I closed my eyes, tears spilling down my cheeks.


    "Do not ever question my methods again," my father warned in a harsh tone.


    "I am just saying," she tried to speak again, but I heard her grunt, and I could only think he was choking her. I wanted to go inside, but I knew that would make things worse. Then I heard my mother gasp for air, as if he had finally let her go.


    "Anyway, what should we do about this headmaster and his son? They are probably here asking about Nook because they want information about Clementine. Good thing Nook is not dead and Clementine is not with him. She is probably even¡ª"


    My father stopped talking suddenly. I moved closer and ced my ear against the door. When I heard footsteps rushing toward it, fear ran through me and I stepped back.


    My bracelet got caught on one of the wall decorations, and I pulled my hand back sharply.


    Before the door could open, I hurried away and hid behind one of therge walls. I saw my father step out and look around.


    "Somebody was here," my father muttered to my mother.


    I did not wait to see if my father woulde out. I rushed down the hall to my bedroom. Once inside, I began pacing anxiously.


    I wanted to go out and tell someone, but I was afraid. I thought that the moment I opened my door, my father would be outside, so I waited for two hours.


    During those two hours, I walked around my room, still in the same gown. I had not even changed.


    Finally, I felt like it was safe to leave. I could have told my sister, but I did not want to drag her into this. Sending her messages or talking to her at night would draw attention. I did not want to involve her anymore. This was rted to the alphas, and they needed to know.


    "Or is this just an excuse to go see Haiden?" my wolf muttered, still upset about the earlier insult.


    "It is okay. He is just angry. You see, Father ys many games," I replied, making excuses for him again.


    "Fauna, I care for him just as you do, but let us not lose our dignity," my wolf urged. I nodded.


    "Do not worry, I know what I am doing," I said. Then I walked out of the room and made my way down therge hallway to Haiden¡¯s bedroom.


    Once I reached his door, I took a deep breath and knocked softly. My knock was so light that I worried he might not hear it. When I knocked a second time, the door opened. The moment he saw me, a desperate look crossed his face.


    "Actually, I wanted to¡ª" I began, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me inside.


    He did it so roughly that I could not react right away. Once I was in the room, he pushed me back against the wall and ced his hand beside my head. I flinched and closed my eyes, wrapping my arms around myself in fear.


    "What is wrong with you?" he muttered, ring at me as if he hated me.


    "I just came here to tell you¡ª" I tried to say, but he hit the wall again, and I fell silent.


    "No, shut up. I know why you are here. You are going to tell me how much you love me and all that. Then you will expect me to believe there is something special going on between us," he continued, not letting me speak. Every time I tried, he struck the wall hard enough to make me stop.


    "I¡¯m not here to beg you to ept me," I muttered quickly, my eyes staying closed as I expected another fist against the wall.


    "Then what the fuck are you here for?" he grunted, cing both his hands on either side of me, caging me in.


    I cleared my throat, then forced my eyes open to look at him.


    "I was here to tell you¨C to tell you the truth about my parents and what they are nning," I whispered.


    "What my father is nning," I corrected myself, as I did not see my mother as more than a victim of my father.


    But at this point, I had started to cry so hysterically that even I could only hear hups from myself.


    I watched his frown deepen before he slowly pulled away from me.


    "Stop crying," he muttered under his breath, turning his face to the side while his hands remained on his waist.


    I sniffled, trying to stop myself from crying.


    "Say what you said and do not repeat yourself," he demanded.


    I nodded faintly, preparing myself to speak.


    "My father is nning something for you and your friend Troy," I whispered, keeping my eyes on the ground while ying with my fingers nonstop.


    At this point, I was rubbing my hands together so hard that it started to hurt.


    Suddenly, Haiden ced his finger on my hand, and my movement stopped.


    "Stop this," he ordered.


    My head snapped up, and I looked at him helplessly.


    "What do you mean your father is nning something for us? Why would he be nning something for Troy?" Haiden asked.


    It was said that he already knew my father would be nning something for him.


    The shock only came when his friend¡¯s name was added.


    "My father doesn¡¯t want Clementine to be found," I said quietly.


    "He will also im that Nook is dead. I know that for sure."


    As I began to exin, Haiden¡¯s eyes started to grow wider.


    "And how do you know that? Why would youe here to tell me that?" he demanded, taking another step toward me, one threatening enough to make me step back until my back met the wall.


    It was sad that what my father had done to everyone had made them not trust me and my sister, to the point that they thought we were always lying.


    "Because I heard it," I replied.


    The moment I said it, I watched his face change with the realization that it was not a joke.

 Chapter 495-I Found A Mate Who Hates Me

    <h4>Chapter 495: 495-I Found A Mate Who Hates Me</h4>


    <strong>Fauna:</strong>


    Haiden was staring right at me, probably half believing me and half not.


    "I¡¯m not lying. I just heard it," I told him as I stepped toward him, though it was unintentional.


    I was not trying to reduce the distance between us, and I was not trying to be intimate with him, at least not in the moment when he had already insulted me so many times.


    But it hurt me when he unintentionally stepped back from me.


    That was his way, his body¡¯s way, of telling me that he was repulsed by me.


    "Oh," I muttered under my breath, taking a deep breath and looking away.


    "What else?" he asked.


    "I have a feeling my father will tell you that Lord Nook is dead. But don¡¯t believe him," I said.


    "He will also try to convince Troy to look at Mariana differently."


    As I continued to speak, I watched him look even more confused.


    "What the fuck are you talking about? Why are you jumping from one topic to another? Troy is his own person. He gets to decide if he wants to get close to her or not," he snapped angrily.


    "Right, uh, you want to know about Nook. Got it," I said anxiously.


    It did not help that he had been ring at me so hard that I was beginning to panic.


    I also knew he was looking at me like he was trying to catch me in a lie.


    As I paused tofort myself, he let out a harsh grunt.


    "So you did try to make up an excuse just toe here and speak with me," he remarked, looking confident.


    I began to shake my head and, with my shaky hand, ced it on my heart, trying to get him to believe me.


    "I¡¯m not lying, I swear. I only came here to tell you that I can help you."


    I watched him finally give me a look that showed he was now interested in listening to what I had to say.


    "Hmm, and how will you help me?" he asked.


    As I started to speak, he moved closer to me.


    This time, I was the one who stepped back, but as I did, my ankle twisted, and I almost fell before he caught me.


    "What are you doing? You¡¯re so clumsy," he muttered, though there was a softness in his voice that made me look up at him as he slowly helped me stand while forcing an angry look onto his face.


    I noticed his eyes linger on mine before dropping to my lips for a brief moment.


    I ced my hands on his chest.


    It all happened in a matter of seconds, and when I did, I began to hear his heartbeat.


    My eyes drifted to his chest and to my hand that felt his heartbeat, then I looked up at him.


    Suddenly, everything went silent, too silent for my liking.


    All I could hear was my own heartbeat and, strangely, his too.


    Then it felt as if the entire world disappeared and only he remained, and I heard a very soft cry from my wolf..


    Mate!


    "What?" I blurted, my eyes widening.


    I guess he did not notice the strange look on my face because he gently shook me while still holding my arms.


    "What are you saying?" I asked again out loud.


    "Who are you fucking speaking with?" he demanded.


    He did not grunt, but I guess it seemed to him that I was ying him, because he instantly grabbed me again to check my ears, making sure I did not have earbuds on.


    "I¡¯m talking to my wolf," I replied.


    The moment I said it, he paused.


    Then, when I looked into his eyes, he shook his head.


    "Why? What are you talking to your wolf at this time?" he asked, his voice hesitant, like he had a frog in his throat.


    "Because she felt something with you," I answered.


    The moment I said it, he raised his finger to silence me.


    But I was not going to stay silent anymore.


    Last time, he had scolded me for saying that I thought there was something else going on between us.


    Since I had no proof, he called me a liar and insulted me.


    But this time, I was not going to step back.


    I was going to tell him exactly what I had felt with him.


    The rest, he could decide for himself.


    "I felt the mate bond with you," I said.


    The moment I said it, he lifted his hands, almost like he was giving up on me, and stepped away.


    "So I was right," he muttered after he managed to return to his senses.


    "You fucking came here just so you could spend time with me and then lie about feeling a mate bond with me? What a fucking liar."


    It was supposed to happen.


    I knew he would be angry about the mate bond, but I did not think he wouldpletely dismiss my feelings and my truth.


    "I¡¯m not lying to you, Haiden," I snapped, even stomping my foot on the ground.


    "I don¡¯t fucking care if you felt it or not. You¡¯re still mated to Clementine, so you didn¡¯t hear it but I felt it, and you have no right to tell me what I feel or what I don¡¯t," I continued.


    I spoke without hesitation, even if it hurt him.


    "And enough is enough. You have been acting like I¡¯m a clingy bitch, while in reality, you were the one who started everything." I paused as a tear ran down my eye.


    "You were the one who first became friends with me. You used to make me feel special. You used to tell me that we were best friends, and then you started the intimacy before you stopped because you realized there was a much prettier woman you could bully and then fall in love with."


    Since he had been bullying me too, I decided to return the favor by telling him exactly what he had been doing with his life.


    He clenched his fist and pointed at me, and I knew he was about to say something else.


    "No, not one more word. I felt the mate bond with you, and that is the truth. I¡¯m not asking you to ept me."


    As I began to break down again, he steadied himself.


    "And I will never," he snapped, then grabbed my arm.


    "I have heard your yapping enough. Get the fuck out of here."


    With that, he opened the door and shoved me out, not even letting me tell him everything I had heard from my parents about Troy.


    At this point, I was afraid too much noise had been made and I noticed my bracelet was torn. I wondered where it had dropped.


    Feeling the mate bond with him had left me shaken as well.

 Chapter 496-Greed For My Mate Ruined The Plan

    <h4>Chapter 496: 496-Greed For My Mate Ruined The n</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    I heard some noise earlier outside my room, and when I opened the door, I saw Fauna enter Haiden¡¯s bedroom.


    So I returned to my bed.


    "I think he likes her," my wolfmented, and I smiled, thinking about him being out of the equation.


    "Well, then that leaves just Yorick and Ian as mypetition," I added.


    "Aren¡¯t you the one who was convincing Haiden to move on because we were sounding too desperate?" my wolf reminded me, a hint of yfulness in his voice.


    "Well, yeah, that was because there was too much crowd, and honestly, I was feeling guilty at that point until I returned to my room and my loneliness reminded me of Clementine and her beautiful face," I replied.


    While I was waiting, I heard banging against the walls.


    "Wow, it seems like Haiden is already hitting it," my wolfmented and Iughed, getting up from the bed.


    "Well, she is pretty, so it¡¯s not bad for him," I told my wolf, pacing around the room and thinking about catching Fauna leave so I could tell Haiden that I knew everything, so he would not try to lie about it.


    Once he had moved on, he had better stay moved on.


    However, my phone started ringing again.


    I turned to it and growled, grabbing it and staring at the same unknown number as before.


    At this point, I thought about returning the call.


    If nobody spoke this time, I would call back.


    I picked up the phone and put it next to my ear, moving toward the balcony again.


    The night looked beautiful from here.


    "Hello," I answered, thinking the same thing would happen, that the person would cut the call and leave me confused.


    However, this time it was different.


    "Hello? You need to help me." A very soft whisper came from the other side. This time, the voice seemed familiar, almost like someone I knew.


    "I¡¯m sorry, who is this?" I asked, watching the wind blow through the trees.


    "I¡¯m Leysa."


    The minute she said her name, my heart jumped into my throat.


    "What? Leysa, why are you calling me?" I demanded, checking the phone. It looked like a different number.


    "Listen, you need to help me, but don¡¯t call this number. It belongs to the people where I am stuck," she continued.


    I shook my head in disbelief. Did she really think I would trust her? I had known her since we were kids, and yes, I had found her extremely attractive, to the point that I had made mistakes with her in the past.


    But now it was getting too much. Did she really think I would fall for her lie?


    Before I could say anything else, she knew how to get my attention when she added, "Clementine is stuck with me."


    And that changed everything for me.


    "Wait, what are you saying? Are you being truthful?" I demanded, my posture shaking a little.


    "I¡¯m telling you the truth. Just make sure youe here with your warriors. I¡¯m going to give you the information right now. You need toe soon, please," she urged on the other side.


    I had known Leysa for a while, and I knew that she was capable of lying, but recently she had gone quiet.


    After her mother¡¯s passing, I had not heard much from her.


    I had not heard her cause more trouble, so I thought this might be her moment to change.


    Now that she was calling me and saying she knew where Clementine was, and that Clementine was in danger, I did not want to risk ignoring it.


    "Okay, I will be¡ª" I started to reply, but the call cut off.


    "Oh," I muttered, but that was enough.


    I did not need to know more.


    However, now the question was whether I should tell the others or save Clementine myself and be a hero.


    I had just returned from the balcony in a hurry when I got another call.


    During that call, she gave me the address and as much information as she could in those few minutes.


    I was in shock, but I did not have time to think.


    I needed to hurry.


    Somewhere along the way, jealousy got the best of me.


    Then I heard the door to Haiden¡¯s room open.


    I cracked my door open a little and saw Haiden push Fauna out of the room.


    I began to wonder why he was doing that.


    Was he getting rid of her after using her?


    If that was the case, wow, what a scumbag.


    But that worried me.


    That would mean he was going to go back to Clementine.


    I left my room and rushed to his.


    When I knocked, he opened the door angrily.


    "What the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you back now?" he snapped.


    He was already mumbling and did not stop when he saw me.


    "Oh, it¡¯s you," he muttered, stepping away from the door.


    The tension in his body told me it was not what I had been thinking.


    The room felt too quiet and dull for any kind of intimacy to have happened there.


    "I heard some noises from your room. Is everything okay?" I asked, keeping my voice low and pretending I was not suspicious, though deep down I was anxious.


    There were no warriors I could trust, only a few men from my pack who did not work for my stepbrother or my father.


    They were the only people I could rely on.


    "Yeah, she came in trying to make up lies and get close to me," Haiden grunted, shaking his head.


    "Oh, that is sad. I mean, I don¡¯t know why she won¡¯t give up," I muttered, scratching the back of my neck.


    "Yeah, you know what she was saying?" Haiden started, but I suddenly remembered Clementine¡¯s face again.


    "I need to talk to you. It¡¯s urgent," I said, lowering my head to avoid his eyes while rubbing my elbow and then my eyebrow.


    "What is it? You look worried," he asked in worry.

 Chapter 497-She Did Not Lie

    <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.

 Chapter 498-They Caged Her

    <h4>Chapter 498: 498-They Caged Her</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    For the first time since we arrived in the living room, Fauna lifted her head to look at me.


    It was her silent way of reminding me that she had told me exactly that the night before, and I had kicked her out of the room and insulted her badly.


    "Are you sure? I mean, his dead body was not found," the headmaster questioned.


    I noticed Ian shift anxiously on the couch.


    "Excuse me," he muttered, getting up and hurrying toward the exit.


    His father paused briefly to look at his son, then turned back to my uncle for more information.


    "Yeah, I know his dead body was not found, but his blood was everywhere in the mansion. It seems like his body was dragged out and taken away for humiliation," my uncle finished.


    "Excuse me," I said as I stood and followed Ian.


    I had heard everything my uncle said, and honestly, I did not believe him either.


    Once I was outside the mansion, I saw Ian pacing anxiously, muttering under his breath.


    "Isn¡¯t that what Fauna told you?" he asked, turning to me sharply.


    "Yeah, she did," I confirmed, and he began to shake his head in disbelief.


    "This man is lying. They are all lying, and¡ª" he started to raise his voice while pointing at the mansion, but I grabbed his hand, lowered it, and looked at him, signaling for him to stay quiet.


    "I know. I know what you¡¯re saying is true. There is no way this man is telling the truth, because his daughter already warned us, but we need to keep our voices lower," I told Ian, pulling him farther into the garden.


    Ian pulled free and turned to face me.


    He grabbed my jacket.


    "We need to speak with Fauna and ask her what else she knows," he insisted.


    I felt guilty because she had tried to tell me things the night before.


    "Right, she told me she would somehow get Nook¡¯s address," I said, remembering her words, which brought a relieved look to Ian¡¯s face.


    He slowly let go of my jacket, then pointed at the mansion again.


    "Then let¡¯s go back and speak with her, and ask how quickly she can get it for us," Ian urged.


    I felt like I was the reason most things had fallen apart at this point.


    If I had put my anger aside andmunicated properly with Fauna, I would not be standing in front of Ian with no answers.


    "Let¡¯s go," Ian repeated, patting my back and pulling me from my thoughts.


    We started walking toward the mansion again.


    When we reached it, breakfast was being served.


    I scanned the crowd, but I did not see Fauna anywhere.


    Even Ian looked at me in confusion.


    We assumed she had gone to her room.


    "Maybe she¡¯s in her room," I whispered to Ian.


    "Should we wait for her toe out, or do you want to go to her room?" I asked, leaning closer so only he could hear.


    "Food is served," Patrick called, and we turned toward him.


    He wasing down the hallway from the second floor, where his daughter¡¯s room was.


    Hilda walked behind him.


    This time, she was not holding her phone, which was unusual.


    "Come on, have breakfast with us before you decide to leave. I have already made a decision about our guests," Patrick announced.


    Since he had lied about Nook being dead, he likely knew they would not have a reason to stay.


    "Oh, and before I forget, I also want to announce something," Patrick continued.


    Ian and I had nned to go upstairs to speak with Fauna instead of eating, but now we had to stay where we were.


    "It is about my dear daughter, Fauna."


    When Patrick said that, he looked straight at me.


    Ian nced at me, then looked back at Patrick.


    "She will not be seen by anyone for a few weeks. It is a mate¡¯s month of prayer, and she will be praying to the moon goddess until she finds her fated mate," he dered.


    As his announcement ended, a rush of emotions hit me.


    Was she going to be given to someone else?


    She had told me I was her fated mate.


    Had she not told her father?


    It seemed she had not.


    "This is a trap," Ian whispered to me.


    I shook my head, trying to think clearly.


    "He definitely knows something is going on, and he¡¯s stopping us from talking to her. Do you think he knows she overheard their conversationst night?" I asked quietly, worried for Fauna, because if her father knew, he would make her life miserable.


    "How did she suddenly start her month of prayers today?" the headmaster asked after noticing how Ian and I had been whispering anxiously.


    I guessed he realized something was wrong with her not being allowed to sit with us.


    "We decided it is time for her to find herself a mate," her father replied dryly.


    "Can we have onest conversation with her? I mean, just to tell her a fewst words? She will be gone for weeks, right?" I asked, trying not to draw attention to how urgent it was for me to speak with her.


    Her father gave me a sadistic look, as if he were calling me out.


    "Haiden, I hope you¡¯re not regretting giving her a chance. We offered you marriage, and you said no. So I think it is better if we don¡¯t let you around her. You know the history between you two, right? She wanted to marry you, but you chose not to. It will be better if you avoid being near her. Let her find her mate. Let her think about someone else and not you," he said calmly.


    He was clever.


    He made sure I understood that, out of everyone, I was not wee to speak with her.


    "Maybe we are reading too much into it. How would he know she overheard their conversation?" Ian whispered from behind me, nudging my elbow to get my attention.


    I turned to look straight at him.


    "There is no way she is looking for a mate," I said.


    Ian raised his eyebrow at my confidence.


    "Because she found her matest night," I finished.


    Ian tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as he waited for more information.

 Chapter 499-Only Going To Reject Her

    <h4>Chapter 499: 499-Only Going To Reject Her</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    "She found her matest night?" It was the headmaster who quickly approached me and asked the question. We walked out again to keep talking.


    I had not realized that he had walked out of the mansion after us at the same time to listen to us. I anxiously cleared my throat.


    "Yes, she had," I replied, stealing nces at the headmaster.


    Even though I was angry with him for putting us all through that, the fact that a simple question from him sounded like an order, and I responded right away, made me realize how much we had depended on his authority over thest year and a few months.


    "And how would you know that? Did she tell you?" Ian asked, his hands on his waist as he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.


    Without blinking, he waited for me to respond. The longer his eyes stayed on me, the more anxious I felt.


    "My son asked you a question," the headmaster snapped, pulling me out of my thoughts.


    "Yes,st night she was in my room, and she told me that she had found her mate," I muttered, still unable to look into their eyes.


    "And why would shee into your room to tell you that?" the headmaster continued, his questions turning harsher. Being an experienced man gave him the confidence to explore topics we youngsters avoided.


    "Haiden," Ian warned.


    This time his eyes told me that he was starting to suspect the answer.


    "That is because I am the one she felt a bond with," I said under my breath. Then I turned my back to them, avoiding their gaze as if not looking at them would make things easier.


    There was a brief silence before Ian let out a low grunt.


    "And you did not think about telling us that?" he hissed.


    "What am I supposed to tell you? I do not acknowledge it, and I do not trust her," I replied quickly while they watched me with disbelief in their eyes.


    "Look, Haiden, I am not going to tell you what to do with your mate, but I will tell you this. When a woman ims she is your mate, at least ask her a few questions," the headmaster told me sharply. "Besides, if it is true, then why did she not tell her father?" he asked.


    Once again, their eyes rested on me. Ian looked at me in a way that made it clear he suspected I was the reason she had not told anyone about the mate bond.


    "Well, I can make a guess, Father," Ian said, stepping in when they noticed it was not easy for me to speak.


    "I would say it is most likely because Haiden rejected her advances."


    As he finished, the headmaster turned to me again, giving me a clear look of annoyance.


    "Why were you two watching her with so much hope? Why did you two need to speak with her?" the headmaster asked, looking at his son before turning back to me.


    "So, she came to my roomst night and told me that her father would tell us that Nook is dead, and that it would be a lie. Then it happened just like that. She also said that she could find Nook¡¯s address for me," I exined, watching them as the headmaster looked at me with a little hope on his face.


    "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go tell them you are her mate, and then you will get time with her," the headmaster replied, already assuming I would agree.


    "Actually, I am not going to ept her," I answered.


    After I made my decision clear, the silence grew so heavy that I felt like it would swallow us all.


    "Why not? People die to find a mate. Why are you refusing to ept her?" the headmaster asked directly.


    The fact that I was not able to feel the mate bond while she did made me think that she was probably my second chance mate and I was her fated mate.


    The only issue was that an alpha, beta, or gamma male would usually be able to feel a mate bond with more than one person.


    That was what confused me. Why did I not feel the mate bond with her?


    Or was it that none of Clementine¡¯s mates were able to feel the bond with anyone else but her?


    Looking back, I realized that none of her other mates, like Ian or Yorick, had found other mates.


    "Well then, that is your deal. Then let her find someone else, but at least go and tell them so that you can reject her. That way she can find her mate, because looking at her father, he is going to keep her in there forever until she dies," the headmaster snapped, pointing toward the mansion.


    "Go, because she does not deserve to be stuck there," he added, causing me to turn to Ian for help.


    A strange silence lingered for a few minutes before Ian made a small hand gesture to his father.


    "You go ahead and attend breakfast. I will speak with him, and then we wille back, okay?" Ian told him.


    His words made his father let out a tired sigh.


    "Fine, but do it quickly, because he is expecting us to leave so that he can enjoy his daughter¡¯s routine of sitting and praying for a mate," he muttered.


    His harsh words made me feel bad. Once he walked away, I turned to Ian and gave him a vulnerable look.


    "You have to go and reject her, even if you do not want her. You cannot just avoid it. She has not told anyone because she knows you will call her a liar. But the truth is that you need to reject her so she can move on," Ian said.


    Ian was right. Hiding was not the right thing to do. She was probably not able to tell anyone because she was afraid of me.


    I began to feel that, in my anger, I had hurt people who were not trying to harm me.


    When I remembered how Fauna hade to help mest night and I pushed her away, I felt guilty and bad for her.

 Chapter 500-Sadly, Beaten And Unwanted

    <h4>Chapter 500: 500-Sadly, Beaten And Unwanted</h4>


    <strong>Fauna:</strong>


    After speaking with Haiden and feeling heartbroken, I decided to return to my room.


    I was lost in my thoughts and did not check my surroundings as I moved quickly. There was only one thing on my mind: what was I going to do?


    I could not tell anyone about my mate bond with Haiden because he would refuse, and I would be called a liar.


    "You really want him to reject you?" my wolf asked when she noticed I was making excuses to stay silent.


    "I wonder if we should ask for a rejection so we can move on?" I shot back at her, pressing her with the question.


    "I don¡¯t want rejection," She admitted in a low whisper.


    "Neither do I." I responded in the same sad tone.


    I thought about waiting for him forever, but there was my dad and his threats. He had made it clear that if we did not find a mate, he would be very angry with us.


    I reminded my wolf of that as I kept moving.


    When I reached the stairs, I felt as if someone was behind me.


    As soon as I started to turn around, I realized it was toote. A handnded on my back.


    They shoved me down with such force that no scream left my lips.


    My body tumbled down the stairs, striking step after step.


    Pain shot through me when I finally hit the ground, and I coughed up blood. I had hit the back of my neck and my head.


    Blood spread across the floor.


    I ced my hands down and tried to push myself up, but I slipped in my own blood and fell again.


    I knew I was not dying. If someone took me to the hospital and helped me transition, I would be fine.


    But who pushed me?


    The question lingered as I slowly turned my head and saw the person walking down the stairs toward me.


    My own father.


    His earlier words made my skin crawl. He was the one who had pushed me and then watched from the top of the stairs as I hit the ground.


    "Father," I whispered, lifting my hand toward him.


    He took it, and for a second I thought he was going to help me up. Instead, he bent my fingers back until they cracked.


    "Ah!" I screamed.


    He pressed his other hand over my mouth to silence me.


    "What kind of daughter betrays her father?" he muttered in my ear.


    As if he had no soul to remind him that the one in pain was his own child, he started dragging me out.


    I whimpered as he pulled me across the floor. He did not care how much I was hurting. He dragged me down the hall and shoved me into my bedroom. Once I was inside, he mmed the door shut.


    "So you heard me talking, and then you decided it was the right thing to tell that man who keeps rejecting you about your father¡¯s secrets?" he grunted.


    He grabbed the hair at the back of my head. He must have seen how badly I was bleeding, but it did not stop him from shaking my head hard.


    "I was not," I replied, trying to lie to save myself.


    That only made him angrier. He pped me across the face without letting go of my hair.


    "You have disappointed me so much that I wish you were the one I sent north with him," he muttered. "You would have been dead by now."


    Tears rolled down my face.


    "You¡¯re my father," I whispered, hoping it would remind him he was not supposed to treat me this way.


    "And you¡¯re my daughter," he snapped.


    He began pping me again, quick blows across my face.


    "You were supposed to listen to me," he shouted. "To follow my orders. To do as I say, not run after a man who keeps rejecting you."


    He struck me harder, and my head turned with the force.


    The bedroom door flew open, and I heard someone gasp.


    "Let her go! What are you doing?" my mother cried.


    She rushed in and shoved him away from me. Her hands trembled as she looked at me.


    "What has he done to you?" she asked, tears filling her eyes.


    "Oh, step back," my father snapped. "This is because of you. Do you know what she did? She probably told that Haiden everything."


    He grabbed my mother by the arms so hard that she cried out in pain.


    "Please, have mercy," she begged. "She¡¯s our daughter. She¡¯s innocent. She doesn¡¯t understand. We are supposed to guide her."


    The more she spoke, the angrier he became.


    "Then I am tired of guiding her," he said coldly. "It is time she gets punished."


    My eyes began to close, but each time they did, he kicked my knee or elbow, sending sharp pain through me and forcing me awake.


    "Stop it!" my mother screamed.


    She moved in front of me and took the hits meant for me.


    "She will stay in the basement until they leave," my father said. "Then I will deal with her properly. I will teach her a lesson she will never forget."


    He grabbed my mother by the wrist and dragged her out of the room.


    I lifted my hand weakly, but that was all I could manage before he left.


    A few of his warriors came in afterward. They held me down and injected me with something strong enough to blur my thoughts and numb my body.


    The worst part was knowing that the only people who would miss me were my mother and my sister.


    Haiden would leave tomorrow without ever knowing I was being punished for trying to help him.


    Hours passed before I woke up in the basement.


    I did not have the strength to call for anyone. I knew the basement was far from the main mansion and the upper floors where everyone stayed. Even if I tried to call for help, no one would hear me. And if they did, it would only make my father angrier.


    So Iy on the cold floor, waiting for him to decide I had suffered enough.


    After a while, I heard footstepsing down the basement stairs.


    Maybe Haiden and the others had already left, and now my father hade to punish me.


    I stood wide-eyed in surprise when I saw my sister.


    She walked in looking worried about me.


    At that moment, I had no idea what time it was.


    When the door opened and she stepped in, I noticed she was still in her nightwear, which meant it was probably early morning. Maybe Haiden and the others had not left, but why would that matter?


    I saw tears in Mariana¡¯s eyes as she knelt beside me and gently touched my face.


    "Hurry up, there is no time. Say what you have to say and then leave," my mother called from the doorway, rubbing her hands anxiously.


    It seemed like they had snuck in to see me, and I knew that even if they wanted to save me, they could not. My father would kill me if someone tried to help me. That was the end of it.


    "I really want to help you," Mariana whispered, tearing up.


    "No, help them," I muttered, barely able to speak as I mentioned Haiden, and Ian.


    "That will be too risky. You saw what they did to you," my sister replied, and I lowered my face again. I could barely hold my head up.


    "But of course, I am going to do the right thing," she added, running her hand through my hair.


    "Father said if you did not find your mate, he would push you into the mate prayer thing, but I do not think that is the truth. He is looking for a mate for you, and if you do not find one, he is going to use that excuse to send you to," she paused.


    "North," I finished for her, and she closed her eyes as tears slipped out.


    "I cannot believe my own father is like this," I heard her say desperately.


    "Please, make sure Troy does not return to his pack. They will kill him. They said they will push you toward Troy, and if you two do not ept each other, then Father will get rid of him so that Messy can stay a crowned alpha."


    I could not form full sentences, but that was all I managed to say, and I watched my sister¡¯s eyes widen in shock.


    "Okay,e on, let¡¯s go. Someone ising," my mother urged my sister, who was staring at me like she had seen a ghost after hearing what I told her.


    After that, my sister had to leave.


    That was just the life we were forced to live because of our father.


    But I knew from the look she gave me that she would try her best to inform the others, to be careful, and to warn Troy not to return to his pack.

 Chapter 501-Not Welcomed In His Pack

    <h4>Chapter 501: 501-Not Weed In His Pack</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    I felt a little guilty after deciding to start the journey alone instead of taking the others who had been trying so hard to find Clementine.


    Then I remembered my own words. I remembered convincing Haiden that when we saw Clementine again, we would not expect her to ept us. She had already made her decision.


    But the moment I got the call, I had a different feeling. If I could spend more time with Clementine, if I could have her with me for a few days, maybe I could win her over.


    So no, I was not going to follow my own rules or the advice I had given Haiden.


    I did not have many warriors of my own. There were only a few who were still loyal to my mother. I called her and asked her to send them to me. I needed them.


    She asked many questions, but I told her I would exinter.


    I had to reach Clementine before the others did.


    One thing that surprised me was where the call came from. It was traced back to Yorick¡¯s home.


    I also listened carefully to the instructions Leysa gave me during the call. She said she was in Yorick¡¯s pack and that something was not right there.


    She warned me not to listen to Yorick, not to trust him, not to talk to him, and not to tell him I hade looking for Leysa or Clementine.


    It stressed me out to realize that Yorick might be doing the same thing I had done. Maybe he found Clementine and decided to keep her.


    But why was Leysa acting as if Yorick was so dangerous that I could not even speak to him about Clementine?


    When I reached the border, I stopped when I saw the warriors guarding it.


    "Is there another way in?" I asked my warriors.


    They exchanged looks, and one of them stepped forward.


    "Your Highness, give us a few moments and we will check the area," he replied. "But it looks like their alpha has increased security. He has also been cutting the inte connection at times. That makes me think something serious is happening here."


    I pressed my lips together, unsure what to think.


    Since I could not enter the territory directly and could not sneak in, I decided to try another method.


    I approached the border guards and forced a polite smile.


    "May I speak with Alpha Yorick?" I asked. "I am an academy friend, Alpha Troy. Tell him I am here to apologize for what happened at the academy. He will understand."


    I kept my posture rxed, trying to look like I had no bad intentions.


    The guards looked at each other and whispered. One of them went inside while I waited outside the gates.


    The fact that they would not even let me step inside made me uneasy. I had not been able to contact Leysa again. She said she was using other people¡¯s phones to call me and that she would delete the numbers afterward. She was also hiding around the mansion.


    Half the time I could barely understand her. She would whisper, then suddenly go quiet. She said she kept sneaking through windows and then leaving again to hide.


    I did not know how she managed it, but if she was really doing all that, I had to give her credit. I never thought Leysa could be this brave.


    The guard returned a few minutester.


    "You can go inside, but Alpha Yorick is not here," he said. "His father is present. You may speak with him, and he will pass your message along."


    "That will be fine," I answered, forcing another smile.


    Still, unease settled in my chest.


    Where could Yorick be?


    If Clementine was really here, he could be staying close to her.


    "Sure," I replied.


    As I stepped forward, the border warriors stretched their arms out to block my men. I nced back at my warriors and understood it would not be that easy.


    Leysa had been right. Something was going on.


    I had not received another call from her since thest one. It had been a full day. I checked my phone and saw there was no signal.


    That level of security meant something serious was happening inside.


    I gave my warriors a small hand gesture to show them I would be fine, then followed the guards.


    A car was waiting to take me to the main mansion. After I got in, it drove off immediately. When we arrived, they dropped me at the entrance and the car sped away without a word.


    Yorick¡¯s father stood at the door with his hands behind his back.


    He did not look weing. He did not look warm or even giggly and weird like he used to be. He looked like a man who was annoyed that I hade.


    "Your Highness, I am¡ª" I began, lifting a hand to my chest.


    He raised his palm, stopping me before I could step closer.


    "I know who you are," he said. "And I know you came here to apologize to my son. But he is not ready to ept anything right now. That woman brought him great shame, and his friends believed it."


    His voice remained calm, but there was no kindness in it.


    "So forgive him if he does not think any apology matters at the moment. If you have something to say, say it now. Otherwise, you should be on your way."


    He spoke quickly, as if he wanted the conversation over as soon as possible.


    I listened, then nodded, forcing a polite smile even though I wanted to tell him to stop pretending.


    "Just tell him that whenever he is ready, I would like to sit down and talk with him," I said.


    I was still speaking when his father gave a short nod and turned away.


    "Goodbye," he added before walking back inside the mansion.


    I stood there with my hands on my waist, letting out a frustrated breath. I had not even been given a chance to say everything I wanted.


    As I turned to walk away, unsure what to do next, I noticed movement near one of the trees in the garden.


    Someone was peeking from behind the trunk.


    I recognized her.


    It was Leysa.


    When she realized I had seen her, she ran toward the backyard.


    I followed her.

 Chapter 502-Evil Af

    <h4>Chapter 502: 502-Evil Af</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    "Yorick,e on, do not do that. You are an alpha. Do not cry like that," my mother hissed at me.


    I shook my head, refusing to listen to anything she was saying.


    "Look, I understand you are upset with me, and Ipletely get that you are angry, but I did it all for you."


    When my mother said that, I lifted my head and looked straight at her.


    "No, you did it for Charles. In fact, you did not even do it for him. You did it because you want to prove yourself to be the best of the best. That is your truth, and I have nothing else to say to you. I fucking hate you. And if I see you around her room again, it will be bad," I warned her.


    I noticed her smile start to fade, and an angry look covered her face.


    "I do not understand what is going on," Clementine asked softly from behind me.


    I stood up and turned toward her, but I could not even look at her.


    "Please rest for now. Once you get better, I am taking you out of here," I whispered to Clementine.


    Then I walked to my mother, grabbed her arm, and dragged her out of the room so she would be far away from Clementine.


    "Yorick,pose yourself," my mother snapped at me once I had practically pushed her out of Clementine¡¯s room.


    She turned to face me and ced a hand on her chest to calm herself.


    "Look, I have good news for you. If anything, your brother is going to be fine in just a few hours."


    As she continued talking, I started walking toward the room where I was staying for now, ignoring her.


    "Listen to me, you cannot just walk away from me," she insisted, rushing in front of me.


    "Look," my mother said as she showed me again what she had been trying to exin. I noticed a watch in her hands.


    I did not have to think too hard. I already knew what kind of watch it was. My mother had spoken about it before and how she got it.


    It was the Watch of Time. It could take you back in time and then bring you back to the present. That was how it worked.


    A person had to be very meticulous about where they were going. Otherwise, once they lost the first chance, the watch would never work again.


    "And I am guessing you stole it from Clementine¡¯s clothes," I said with a scoff.


    She rolled her eyes.


    "Well, if you want praise for her, then yes, she is amazing. Is that enough? Now listen, with that, I am going to send your brother back in time. And guess what? He will get to eat Clementine¡¯s little brother. I realized that maybe Leysa was just a stepsister. It was a distant rtionship. Clementine had a brother he was supposed to eat, a closer blood rtion. So I am going to send your brother back in time, make him eat that little child, and that will be it."


    My mother¡¯s voice carried so much excitement that I began to think about the words I had said about her earlier. Maybe I had been right. She was doing it all for herself, just to prove how capable she was of twisting realities. That thought upset me even more. All of this was because her ego could not be satisfied.


    "No," I said as I tried to snatch the watch from her hands.


    My mother pulled her hand back.


    "That will be enough, Yorick. You have angered me enough times. If you disagree with me one more time¡ª"


    As she continued, I straightened my posture and looked at her.


    "Then what?" I demanded.


    The look on her face when I straightened my back was worth seeing. She did not expect it.


    "Then nothing," she finished, and I frowned at once. That was unlike her.


    "What are you nning?" I asked.


    She shrugged.


    "Nothing. Just the fact that it must spread in you," my mother replied with a smile, and I narrowed my eyes at her.


    By now, my father had started walking upstairs.


    "What has to spread in me?" I asked in a low, demanding tone, keeping my posture firm in case they tried something.


    "Remember that wine I gave you when I was giving you the medicine? I had a feeling you were not going to listen. So I gave you that wine to make you a little more obedient," she said, a bright smile covering her lips as my heart began to pound in my chest.


    "I always do that, so do not look at me with judgment. Remember when you pushed Oriana to your brother¡¯s room? The decision was easy to make, was it not? That is because you had some of the medicine in you. You always do."


    My mother looked almost hurt that I still did not understand her words.


    "And right now, we do not have time for you, son. So go and sleep in your room while we deal with the watch and help your brother break the curse," my father said as he approached me.


    He patted my back so hard that my body jolted.


    I turned to look at him, a warning in my eyes for him to stay away from me.


    "Oh honey, I am so d you are here. Your son was being difficult," my mother said, turning to my father, who had a strange look on his face as if he were hiding several secrets.


    "Do not worry, he is fine now," my father replied.


    "No, I am taking Clementine and leaving right¡ª"


    Before I could finish, my mother raised her hand to stop me.


    "Imand you to go and sleep."


    The way she said it made my body freeze. I could no longer move.


    I watched my mother with teary eyes as my body started to shut down.


    I dropped to my knees because I was fighting hard this time.


    "Come on. The more you fight, the more you will be in pain. So help yourself and stop trying to fight back," my father said, his hands tied behind his back as he watched his son¡¯s pain with a cruel expression.


    As I remained on my knees, I began to pass out. It was a rxer.


    I wanted to stay there. I wanted to make sure I stopped them from killing yet another innocent person and dragging me along with them.


    "Do not try so hard, Yorick. It is not like her brother is alive. He is already dead. And yours is getting better because one of the sacrifices worked," my mother said.


    "It is not like he got to live and we wasted our medicine on himst time. So what if his death is put to some use this time?"


    I heard my mother¡¯s voice as my father called for the warriors toe and take me to my bedroom.


    Before I knew it, I was being dragged away.

 Chapter 503-Little Red Riding Hood And The Wolf

    <h4>Chapter 503: 503-Little Red Riding Hood And The Wolf</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Mom asked me to take my little brother out for a walk, so I did.


    I held him in my arms and rocked him back and forth with difficulty while he giggled at me.


    He was adorable. He always giggled,ughed, and tried to say jumbled words when he looked at me. He even touched my face, grabbed my nose, and pulled my hair.


    He was really cute.


    "Okay, what story do you want me to tell you today?" I asked my little brother as I reached the main road.


    There were warriors everywhere, and I knew they were keeping an eye on me, my mother, and my little brother because they were afraid we would run away or escape my father¡¯s control.


    "How about I tell you about Little Red Riding Hood again?"


    As soon as I said that, my brother let out a small coo, and Iughed at how cute he was.


    He was still a baby, but I treated him like he was only a month old.


    "Pstt! Listen to me."


    I heard a barely formed voice from the woods, and my head snapped toward the trees.


    "Who is there?" I asked, looking around to make sure I was not imagining things.


    "Come here," someone called, making me look around in confusion.


    "Come here. I will tell you the Little Red Riding Hood story."


    The voice sounded strange, as if the person had just learned how to speak.


    "Who are you? What are you doing here?" I mumbled.


    As I walked toward the woods, I noticed the warriors were busy talking, which was probably why this person chose to speak to me when they were distracted.


    "Who are you?" I called out again when the person did not respond.


    "Keeping. I want to speak with you," the person continued.


    I reached a tree and looked behind it. Instantly, my heart seemed to stop at the sight of a very old-looking, strange man I had never seen before.


    I stepped back at once and let out a quiet groan in horror.


    "What are you?" I asked softly.


    "I¡¯m a friend," he replied.


    His mannerisms and bodynguage were odd. He looked human from what I could tell, but he was not like anyone I had seen before.


    There was something about him that confused me. He looked old, but he was not. His voice sounded young, yet it also sounded like someone who had not spoken much before.


    Overall, he was terrifying.


    "What do you want?" I asked, still holding my baby brother close to my chest.


    "I want you toe with me."


    The moment he said that and reached toward me, I stepped back.


    "No," I refused, watching an unsettling look cross his face before he forced a creepy smile.


    "Hush. Nobody will find out. Juste with me," he muttered, holding his hand out to me.


    At that moment, I remembered something my mother had told me. She had always warned me never to follow anyone who did not look human.


    I used to think she was just trying to scare me with stories of monsters.


    She often said she came from a ce where she had seen many monsters, but my father imed she was lying.


    I never knew what the truth was. But now, looking at this man, I remembered all of my mother¡¯s warnings.


    "Come on. But if you do not want toe, that is fine. Give him to me. He needs care, and I can take care of him," the man said, pointing at my brother.


    "No, you will kill him," I cried.


    My vision blurred with tears and panic.


    "I will not. Trust me, I will keep him safe."


    His face twisted into something uglier, and that was when I noticed his hands. His fingers were long and scaly, almost bony, with strange pointed tips. I realized then that he was a monster.


    "No. I will not give him to you. Not this time."


    As I shouted, he tried to rush at me, but he suddenly stopped when someone came from behind and struck him hard on the back of the head with a log. His eye patch fell off too.


    My mother kept hitting him, but he would not pass out.


    When he fell to the ground, something rolled out of his pocket, and my mother lunged for it.


    I was screaming, but when I looked at my mother, I covered my mouth because I did not want the warriors toe and get us in trouble.


    My mother rushed toward the watch while the monster reached for it at the same time.


    Right before my eyes, my mother stepped on the watch before the monster could grab it, and suddenly he was gone.


    It was like I blinked and he disappeared.


    Even the small scream he let out when he saw my mother step on the watch was cut off.


    "What just happened?" I cried.


    My mother hurried to me, took my baby brother from my arms, and hugged me as she dropped to her knees beside me.


    "Oh goodness. It has already started," my mother whispered while rubbing my back.


    "What has started? What was it? Who was it?" I asked, crying hard.


    I did not know what it was about that monster, but it left me feeling like something had been stolen from me, maybe even my heartbeat.


    "It could be anything. It is all right," my mother said, biting her bottom lip.


    "But what was it? Who was it, Mom?" I asked again, letting out a small, shaky yelp.


    "These are the monsters of the north," my mother whispered into my ear. "But do not worry. You are too young to think about it for now. Just remember, when the timees, you are going to fight, and you are going to fight harder and harder."


    Her words made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.


    That was when I jolted awake.


    I was still in Yorick¡¯s bedroom. He was sleeping in a different room now because he wanted to respect my privacy.


    But something bothered me. Why had I dreamed of such a distant memory again?


    That had happened when I was a child. I hadpletely forgotten that moment until now, when a monster had tried to take my brother from me.


    Then I remembered my mother¡¯s words.


    I rubbed my arms and then the back of my neck before looking around.


    Where was Yorick now?


    Last time I saw him, he was acting strange, screaming at his mother and telling her that she had poisoned me.


    Then I heard the door creak open, and his mother stormed inside, pointing at me.


    "What the hell did you do? What did you do?" she shouted.


    I leaned back against the headboard and stared at her in confusion.


    I had no clue what she was talking about.

 Chapter 504-The Monster Came From The Future

    <h4>Chapter 504: 504-The Monster Came From The Future</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "I don¡¯t understand what you are saying," I told his mother, shiftingfortably on the bed because I did not see her as a threat. She was Yorick¡¯s mother. She would never harm me.


    "You ruined the only chance my son had," she screamed, stepping closer until her fingertip brushed my chest.


    I reacted without thinking and pped her hand away.


    "Hands off. What are you doing?" I snapped, even though I still felt very tired. That did not mean she coulde at me like that.


    I could tell she did not like my resistance because she gasped at my audacity.


    "Do you not know who I am?" she muttered, pointing at herself.


    "I know. You¡¯re Yorick¡¯s mother, and I respect that, but do not expect me to let you mistreat me," I replied quietly.


    She smiled, but it was unhinged, and she stepped back from me.


    "I am the mother of the man who will drop you if he hears you are misbehaving with me," she threatened.


    I slowly leaned back against the headboard and sat still.


    I did not know why, but it mattered to me that Yorick did not reject me.


    "But I¡¯m not misbehaving with you. I¡¯m just confused about why you¡¯re upset with me. That is all," I said softly, noticing the change in my own tone.


    "You know what your mother did?"


    She shocked me even more when she brought up my mother, who had died a long time ago. I had seen her in the north once, and ever since then, I had missed her even more.


    "My mother is dead. Why do you have her name in your mouth?" I asked, still trying to stay respectful.


    I kept my hands behind me on the mattress to hold myself up while she ignored every sense of personal space.


    I was a crusader, and I did not say it out loud, but if I felt truly threatened, I would be forced to fight. I could even hurt her without meaning to.


    "Your mother ruined my son¡¯s chance to ever be normal," she screamed again.


    I stared at her, more confused than ever.


    "I don¡¯t get it. Why do you keep saying these things? My mother is dead," I said as tears formed in my eyes from suddenly remembering her so clearly.


    "Are you stupid? Your mother broke the watch, didn¡¯t she?" she shouted.


    As she yelled, I felt something twist inside me, like a distant memory trying toe back. It was not just frightening, it was haunting, especially because I had just dreamed about it.


    "What watch?" I asked carefully.


    Then it struck me.


    The watch.


    The one my mother broke was something I had taken from the north after fighting so many monsters.


    Why was that watch in the past with the monster who hade after me?


    "So you¡¯re realizing it now, aren¡¯t you? That was your brother-inw. What would have happened if he had taken a bite of your brother?" she screamed.


    I lowered my head as my world seemed to spin around me.


    "I don¡¯t get it. My brother-inw? How was he? Wait," I whispered, covering my face with my hands.


    "You know what? Your mother ruined everything, so I have no choice but to do what I ampelled to do," she muttered as she grabbed my arm.


    I shoved her away, and she fell back against the window.


    When I tried to get up from the bed, I noticed my legs were numb again.


    I looked at her and saw her smirking.


    "You really think I would not poison you again? I knew the moment my son started to act up that I could not trust anything, because you foolish children keep proving me wrong for trusting my medicine so much."


    A tear rolled down her cheek when she mentioned her medicine failing, and I did not know what was scarier, the fact that I was still hoping to win her approval, or the fact that she did not care at all.


    "Here¡¯s what we will do," she muttered, walking toward me as my body began to go numb again.


    I wished I had not eaten the cookies she had brought me earlier, before I fell asleep.


    "I will throw you into Charles¡¯ room so he can feed on you. Maybe that will be the best sacrifice, because you are the closest to being useful," she screamed as she grabbed the back of my head in her fist.


    I wanted to fight her off, but my arms were too heavy to move.


    I managed to ce my hand over hers, but that was all I could do. I could not push hard enough to make her let go.


    "Let her go!"


    Finally, Yorick arrived, fists clenched and a dark look on his face.


    His mother turned to him, and I heard her jaw pop.


    "Yorick, it¡¯s okay, but trust me,dy Rimi, I did not do anything. Just tell me once, what do you think I did so I can exin myself to you," I whispered, keeping my tone respectful, and somehow that seemed to upset Yorick even more.


    "Look at her. She doesn¡¯t even know how to defend herself anymore," he muttered.


    Instead of speaking with me, Yorick screamed at his mother.


    "How the fuck did you wake up so early?" His mother screamed back at that point. The chaos began between the mother and son.


    "Please stop fighting. Just stop," I tried to say, but my body was so numb that I could barely scream.


    That stopped Yorick. He turned to me, then looked back at his mother.


    "You fucking drugged her again?" he shouted.


    The minute he yelled those words, goosebumps covered my body. Why would he use his parents, his mother, of drugging me?


    "Well, it seems like you need to be drugged too," his mother replied.


    Instead of denying the usation, his mother stepped away from me and moved toward the window.


    "Baby,e here, he is awake. Take him away," she yelled, causing Yorick to turn toward the door and then look back at me.


    He rushed toward me, ready to carry me. He slid his hands under me, and I slowly wrapped my arms around his neck with difficulty, just as his father arrived at the door with the warriors.

 Chapter 505-The Chaos In My Head

    <h4>Chapter 505: 505-The Chaos In My Head</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    Yorick, who had carried me only a short distance from the bed, quicklyid me down when his father stormed in with his warriors.


    His hands left my sides too fast, and I swayed where I sat, my legs useless beneath me.


    His shoulders jerked and his back arched as he forced himself to take control and fight back.


    "If you are not going to obey, then we might as well give you the same medicine we gave her," his father yelled, making my eyebrows twitch in confusion as I looked between the family members.


    What medicine? What the fuck were they talking about?


    I felt like I was losing my mind, wondering what kind of evil shit was happening and how I ended up here. And why the fuck was I not freaking out enough?


    "Well then do it, because I am not letting you hurt her," Yorick hissed at his father.


    His fingers curled like he was trying to grab onto something that was not there. A strained sound came from his throat. His jaw clenched so hard that I could see the muscle ticking along his cheek.


    Then I realized what he was doing. He was trying to shift.


    His movements were uneven, like he knew that if he shifted, the others would too. Dark ws pushed through his fingertips.


    I noticed he was having difficulty shifting, and it probably came from what his mother said earlier about him waking up too early.


    It reminded me of the drugs. He must have been drugged, which was why it was so difficult for him to shift now.


    The room filled with shouting and pounding footsteps as the warriors rushed in. They were fighting.


    My pulse raced, and my arms felt heavy, like they were filled with sand. I tried to push myself back, but my elbows barely held me up.


    One of the warriors lunged at Yorick first, but Yorick moved fast and grabbed him. He mmed his forearm into the warrior¡¯s throat and drove him backward. The man hit the wall with a dull crack that shook the room.


    Another came from the side, but Yorick caught him by the cor and hurled him across the room. The warrior crashed into a table, wood splintering under his weight.


    A third tried to tackle him low. Yorick grabbed the man by the cor and dragged him across the floor like dead weight.


    His mother stood near the window, her arms close to her chest and her eyes filled with fear. She probably did not expect her son to be so powerful.


    More warriors rushed in, and Yorick fought them all.


    I pressed my palm to the mattress, trying to move, but my fingers barely responded. A tingling sensation spread through my legs and made them feel even more numb.


    The noise grew louder, then suddenly a high-pitched sound hit my ears. It was like a siren going off inside my head. Voices blurred together. I could see mouths moving, but the words faded under the piercing sound.


    Whatever they gave me was working.


    Through the haze, I saw Lady Rimi step forward. She moved carefully, and with so muchmotion around her, no one noticed.


    One of her hands was behind her back. When she brought it forward, there was a syringe between her fingers.


    My throat tightened at the sight.


    "Yorick, watch out!" I tried to yell, but my voice came out weak and thin.


    She rushed at him from behind and drove the needle toward his neck.


    Yorick twisted at thest second. His hand shot back and caught her wrist, his ws now fully out. He squeezed, and her hand shook, the syringe hovering inches from his skin.


    He turned and red at his mother. I saw fear in her eyes as he pinned her against the wall. The impact made a heavy thud, dust drifting down from the ceiling as a few frames fell to the floor.


    "Why, Mother," he barely managed to say, his voice strained as he continued shifting.


    That was when three warriors jumped on him.


    They grabbed his arms, shoulders, and torso. He threw one off and elbowed another in the face, but more piled on. His father stepped in.


    I could barely hear anything. The words were lost, and only broken sounds reached me. Grunts and groans blended into the ringing in my ears.


    Then I saw his father drive an injection into Yorick¡¯s leg.


    Yorick jerked hard. A broken sound tore from his throat, and he let go of his mother.


    Yorick¡¯s legs buckled, and he dropped to one knee, then to the floor.


    The ws began to recede, his jaw shifting back and his canines shortening. His body shook as the change reversed, skin pulling tight over reforming bones.


    Wolfsbane.


    That was what they had injected into him.


    Even from across the room, I could see the way he curled in on himself, his muscles locking, but that did not keep him down for long.


    He pushed himself up again and shoved the warrioring at him away.


    Maybe they forgot that he was not just a werewolf, but a crusader as well.


    But there was only one question in my mind. Why the fuck were they doing all that?


    And what kind of drugs had they injected into me?


    Why were my memories so hazy that all I could focus on was wanting to marry Yorick?


    There was something wrong with me, and I knew it was because of the medicine, or whatever was in it.


    But beyond the medicine, what did I miss? What did I know that they made me forget?


    I could not tell.


    Suddenly, more screams erupted from outside the mansion, and I caught that because themotion was too loud to ignore.


    My head began to clear, but I was still very dizzy.


    Then I heard his motherugh and point at him.


    "You¡¯re my son. I know how to control you," she said.


    As she spoke, the warriors began to shift, and his father did too, making it clear to Yorick that he had to obey or they would drug him again.


    But the moment his mother raised her hand while Yorick was busy fighting off the others, someone else arrived.


    Suddenly, it felt like I was not just trapped in one room and had not only known Yorick. There were other people I used to know.


    "Troy?" I whispered as I watched him appear in the doorway.

 Chapter 506-Saw Her After So Long

    <h4>Chapter 506: 506-Saw Her After So Long</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    "I cannot believe that," I said, scratching my scalp. "You¡¯re telling me that Yorick knew what his parents were doing?" I asked her again, trying to confirm that her information was right.


    "Yes. When he arrived, I requested that he stop his parents to save us, but he would not listen. Then he callously threw Oriana aside to die," she replied.


    She continued talking while I watched her face, silently letting her know that I could not keep up with her ims because it was getting too much.


    "And you¡¯re telling me that he has a monster for a brother?" I asked, raising my finger as I tried to remember that detail she had mentioned.


    "Yes," she answered, nodding confidently.


    "I¡¯m sorry, Leysa, but I don¡¯t understand any of it," I admitted, feeling embarrassed for not knowing anything about Yorick.


    "Listen, he has a brother named Charles. He¡¯s a monster, and they are performing some sort of ritual where they need to¡ª" she started to exin.


    As she began repeating herself, I reminded her that I already knew that part and remembered it.


    "I remember that part," I told her. "Yes, yes, they need to feed Charles Yorick¡¯s fated mate¡¯s close family rtions, and his mate, either chosen or whatever."


    When I finished, she gave me a blunt look.


    This was not how I remembered Leysa being.


    She looked much more confident for someone who had been in captivity.


    She also seemed more mature. She was not rolling her eyes, and she was not acting strangely.


    It was just so shocking to see.


    "By the end, Oriana was using all sorts of excuses. She was even saying that she is not Oriana anymore, that she¡¯s Suki. I don¡¯t know, it was just crazy," Leysa exined, sitting on the grass and picking at it, looking very weak.


    "Yeah, that is Oriana for you. When she gets caught, she starts lying," Imented, remembering her ways. She had always been like that.


    "What about you? You were ready to marry Yorick?" I asked her instantly, looking down and hiding my eyes.


    "I don¡¯t know why I did that. I mean, I had nothing else to do. I was pretty much staying in the orphanage, waiting to return to my pack so I could redeem myself. Sadly, I cannot do that on my own. I¡¯m just too weak. I need an alpha beside me," she replied, looking gentle.


    "You should eat something," I told her.


    I do not know what came over me, but I pulled a chocte bar from my pocket and handed it to her.


    "Oh, great. I¡¯ve been starving," she said, snatching it from my hand and opening it.


    Watching her eat without much elegance while trying to sit straight was quite a sight.


    I evenughed at her, and she rolled her eyes at me.


    "Anyway, what are we going to do now?" she asked with her mouth full, looking like a chipmunk.


    "Now we are going to go inside and save Clementine," I answered.


    As soon as I said that, she almost bit her tongue. She let out a silent wail and covered her mouth with her hand.


    "What?" sheined.


    "Yeah, why? Why is it so shocking?" I asked in confusion.


    "You know why that is," she replied, shaking her head in disapproval. "We cannot do that. I just told you they have a monster for a brother, and they have Alpha Yorick. And do not forget, they also have their parents and their warriors. How are we going to go alone?"


    She did not believe in my strength. She was right, but I was not going to tell her that I hade alone because I was selfish and did not want to share Clementine with anyone.


    "You need to understand, we have to be sneaky with them," I said, forcing confidence into my voice as I tried to convince her that my decision was not selfish.


    "And you thought thating alone would give us more chances to save Clementine?" she asked, slowly taking another bite while keeping her eyes on me with a look that made me feel judged. She was not wrong.


    "Well, let¡¯s just say we have to be sneaky instead of being bold and attacking them right away," I replied, quickly looking away as she kept staring at me with those judging eyes.


    "Come on, Leysa, do not be like that. We have to do something. It is not like they are going to let us leave here alive. If they saw me at the border, they will realize that I snuck out and that I had been hiding somewhere. And at this point, if the border has not told them I left already, they will start looking for me. So we do not really have time," I exined in a hurry.


    After a long moment, she began to look like she understood me.


    However, as we hid behind the mansion, chaos erupted inside.


    We heard noises, then screams, full of agony.


    Leysa and I shared a nce before we jumped to our feet because we realized Clementine was in danger.


    "I think it has started," Leysa said to me.


    Both of us rushed toward the mansion.


    "Wait, are you sure you want to go in there? There will be warriors and..." I paused when I looked up and heard Yorick scream at his parents.


    Even Leysa looked back at me in confusion.


    "Have they started fighting each other?" she asked, and I honestly had no clue what to say because I did not know either.


    "Well, there is only one way to find out. Let¡¯s go," I replied.


    But when she followed me, I stopped again.


    "Wait, no. You are noting with me," I said, annoyed that I kept forgetting.


    "You¡¯re forgetting I¡¯m an Alpha¡¯s daughter too. Let¡¯s just go," she hissed.


    This time, she did not stop for me.


    We both rushed upstairs toward themotion.


    The warriors were so busy inside that they did not even see us run up the stairs. I also noticed that there were not many warriors around anyway.


    When I stepped through the doorway, I was struck by the most bizarre sight.


    My beautiful mate sat on the bed, unable to fight like she used to, just staring at the chaos around her.

 Chapter 507-Not Leaving Without My Mate

    <h4>Chapter 507: 507-Not Leaving Without My Mate</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    With my heavy mind, I saw Troye in with none other than my stepsister, Leysa.


    Seeing her again brought back memories. Even though I did not remember much, the moment I looked at her, I recalled our issues.


    This time, she did not seem to carry any hostility toward me. When she looked at me, there was deep sadness in her eyes, and I could not look away.


    Then she began pushing through the crowd toward me.


    At the same time, Troy jumped in, saying something. His voice sounded heavy because he was farther away from me. I noticed that when someone stood very close, I could hear them clearly. Otherwise, their voices sounded distant and dull.


    Troy reached Yorick, and the two of them started fighting off the warriors and Yorick¡¯s father while his mother stayed close to my bed.


    When Leysa reached me, she leaned in and gently touched my cheek.


    "Let¡¯s go," she said.


    Her voice did not sound as high as usual. Everything I heard sounded heavy, almost slow and mechanical.


    As soon as she tried to pull me up, Yorick¡¯s mother stepped in.


    "Step away from her," she shouted as she grabbed Leysa¡¯s arm to pull her away from me.


    Leysa turned and hit her with the back of her hand, sending Yorick¡¯s mother to the floor.


    "Let¡¯s go, Clementine. We don¡¯t have time," Leysa said as she wrapped her arm around me and pulled me off the bed.


    I leaned heavily against her as she helped me move forward. My feet dragged, and I could barely lift them.


    The moment we stepped into the hallway, I felt a force push against us again, and I knew what had happened.


    Lady Rimi had arrived and was blocking us from leaving.


    Warriors filled the stairs, making it hard for us to pass, while Lady Rimi stood with her arms spread and a smirk on her face.


    "You seriously think you can take her away from us?" Lady Rimi yelled at Leysa.


    I saw Leysa nce around until her eyesnded on the locked door next to Yorick¡¯s bedroom, where the fight was still going on.


    Those were thest two bedrooms.


    I saw concern spread across Lady Rimi¡¯s face when she noticed Leysa looking at that door.


    Before Lady Rimi could reach us, Leysa turned and grabbed the doorknob. The keys were still in the lock.


    It looked like this was the room of the brother Lady Rimi had mentioned when she used me. She must havee in such a hurry that she forgot to take the keys.


    The door flew open. Leysa and I slowly turned toward the figure inside.


    It was someone I had seen many years ago.


    As soon as he lifted his head from the floor, my heart felt like it stopped.


    It was him. The man who came to me when I was just a child, asking about my brother.


    How could it be?


    He looked exactly the same, like he had just stepped back into my life. The same clothes. The same face.


    How was that possible?


    "Let¡¯s go," Leysa said, giving me a firm shake while I kept staring into the man¡¯s eyes.


    "No. Step away from that door!" Lady Rimi screamed as she shoved us aside and tried to shut it.


    Shackles hung from the wall inside, but they were unchained. It looked like she had meant toe back to this room.


    Whatever was in there, the one she called Yorick¡¯s brother, had been passed out but was waking up now.


    He was covered in blood, like someone had beaten him with something heavy, the same way my mother had once used a log.


    My head started to spin. Nothing made sense. I already felt like I was not even myself, like I did not belong in my own body.


    As Lady Rimi rushed to close the door, the man rose from the floor and snarled.


    The next second, he lunged at the door.


    Lady Rimi had barely pushed it halfway closed when the force of his body mmed into it. The impact threw her back against the wall as he burst out.


    The warriors who had been blocking us began to panic.


    "Come on! Stop him! Push him back inside!" Lady Rimi screamed at them.


    They shoved Leysa and me aside so they could grab him and force him back into the room. That told me it was more important to them to contain him than to stop us.


    Leysa pulled me down the hall toward the stairs.


    "Troy! Come outside!" Leysa shouted.


    I saw Troy and Yoricke out of the room, but when they saw the brother fighting the warriors, they both froze.


    Troy stared in shock, but Yorick snapped him out of it by grabbing his arm and pushing him aside.


    The warriors clung to the man as he fought back, wing and striking anyone who got close. Even so, they managed to force him back into the room, the same room where Yorick¡¯s father was.


    His mother rushed in after them, another needle already in her hand. Several more were strapped to the belt around her waist.


    They tried to subdue him, but the sounds that came from him were wild and full of rage. I could not forget the way he moved, desperate and violent, attacking anyone who stepped in front of him.


    "Come on, let¡¯s go," Leysa said to Troy as he ran toward us.


    I noticed Yorick stayed where he was, watching us for a few seconds before he slowly began stepping backward.


    Even Troy stopped and turned to look at him.


    "What are you doing? Let¡¯s go!" Troy yelled, reaching for him.


    Yorick pulled his arm free and kept stepping back, moving toward the room where his brother and the rest of his family were.


    "You guys go ahead. I have to stay and help them. They will not be able to control him," Yorick yelled, and there was so much sadness in his voice.


    I felt strange. As he started to walk away, I felt a pull toward him that told me I did not want to leave without him.


    "No, no!" I screamed.


    Yorick stopped in his tracks and looked at me.


    "I¡¯m not leaving with them," I yelled as loudly as I could.

 Chapter 508-Rejection Is My Redemption

    <h4>Chapter 508: 508-Rejection Is My Redemption</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    Clementine had big tears in her eyes when she called out to me and yelled in front of everyone that she did not want to leave.


    For a moment, I felt like a hero, someone whose mate was choosing to stay by his side.


    I guess that is how Ian must feel, because for him, Clementine would stay for real, but this was not real.


    I knew it was not.


    She was saying it only because she believed she was in love with me and that I was the only one for her.


    I gave her a weak, broken smile and shook my head at her.


    But she refused to go.


    Every time Leysa tried to pull her away, Clementine started whimpering and forcing her body to stay.


    At that point, I was afraid for her.


    If she did not leave, we would soon be in the same situation again, where my parents woulde out after they had taken control of Charles, and then everything would repeat.


    So I began walking quickly toward her.


    I needed to help her. I needed her to leave so she could save herself.


    This ce had already caused her a lot of damage.


    I gave Leysa a hand gesture to tell her not to keep dragging Clementine.


    "No, wait. You are not getting closer to her," Leysa said as she jumped in front of Clementine, cing herself between us.


    The fact that Leysa had to protect Clementine from me made me feel low.


    "Leysa, please," Troy said as he stepped forward and gently held her hand, trying to show her that I was safe to approach.


    "What? You do not know what he has done. He was going to throw me into the devil¡¯s den. You have no idea," Leysa argued.


    She was not wrong for not trusting me. I had made bad decisions, so I understood where she wasing from.


    I kept walking toward them and only stopped when I was a few inches away.


    "I know what I have done, and there is no excuse for it," I began, but my eyes stayed on Clementine.


    "Wait, let them speak. All we know is that these people are toxic," Troy said again, trying to reason with Leysa.


    She shot him a harsh re and refused to move.


    "Leysa, I doubted Yorick once. I do not think it is right to do it again," Troy said.


    When he said that, I realized what he meant. I had been upset with them for not trusting me, but the way he was now giving me onest chance to speak with Clementine changed something for me.


    Leysa finally listened to him and stepped out of the way, but she remained right beside Clementine. Clementine was watching me with so much love in her eyes that I felt guilty. I wished I had never been born into this fucked up family.


    "I¡¯m sorry," Troy whispered as he gently patted my shoulder.


    I guess he did not know the damage that had been done to Clementine or that I had been unable to protect her. Otherwise, he would not be saying sorry to me. I knew that much.


    I took a few more steps toward Clementine and held her by the arms to support her. Leysa¡¯s body jolted in instant defense.


    "I¡¯m gonna stay here with you," Clementine broke the silence and spoke first.


    I noticed Troy step back to give us some time to talk, but when he snapped his head toward Clementine, I could tell he was confused about why she was speaking to me this way.


    "No, you do not want to. I know that much."


    As soon as I said that, she began to shake her head.


    "Why would you say that?" she asked softly.


    "Yorick, I wanna be with you. I wanna marry you. I wanna have a family."


    Once she said all that, Troy gasped and looked at me, then at her. Wow, this must be what it is like to be wanted by so many men because Clementine chooses you. I wanted to savor being that lucky person, but I truly did not deserve it. This was not my ce to feel happy.


    "Clementine, you do not want all that," I spoke again.


    Before she could say anything else, I decided to break her heart.


    "I am the reason you lost your baby," I imed, hearing whispers from Troy and Leysa.


    They gasped, shocked and probably confused about what I was talking about. Clementine went still and just watched me in silence.


    "What are you talking about?" she asked in a gentle whisper.


    I remembered my mother¡¯s words and knew how to slowly bring her out of herpulsion. I took a deep breath and then held her.


    "I, Alpha Yorick, reject the most beautiful woman and the mate I could have had if I had not fucked up."


    The moment I said those words, I watched Clementine¡¯s mouth open and a small yelp leave her lips.


    "What are you doing, Yorick? She¡¯s already weak," Troy called as he approached and grabbed my arm.


    Leysa stopped him and pushed him away so the rejection could continue.


    "You killed our baby?" Clementine asked, misunderstanding everything. "Why would you do that?" she asked as she slowly crumbled to her knees, but I held her arms and kept her on her feet. "Why?" she cried again.


    Then she started to sink to the floor. This time, Leysa snapped and pped my hands away so she could hold Clementine upright.


    "Come on, reject him. Reject him so you can be free of whatever poison they gave you," Leysa spoke hastily.


    I realized then that she had figured out a lot.


    "What the fuck is going on? Why the heck was she pregnant with your baby in the first ce?" Troyined in the background.


    "Come on, Clementine, ept the rejection. ept the rejection and fucking be out of it," Leysa insisted while holding her from behind and shaking her.


    "He killed your child."


    That was all she said before I finally noticed the news hitting Clementine.


    It was a hard thing to do. I had chosen topletely ruin my own reputation just to help her, because at the end of the day, it was all my fault since I could not protect her from my mother.


    "I ept the rejection," Clementine said before she copsed to her knees and her eyes rolled back.


    There was only one thing I wanted to do, hug her for thest time as I felt broken inside, but I did not have that choice. I was not allowed.


    Troy carried Clementine away, and I watched her disappear with them while I had to return to the chaos of my family.

 Chapter 509-Stolen Mate

    <h4>Chapter 509: 509-Stolen Mate</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    I had carried Clementine out in a hurry, but the whole time, a strange feeling lingered in my chest. I had questions, and I did not know what to do with them.


    Once we rushed out of the mansion, I noticed some of the warriors running inside, but when they saw me, they stopped suddenly.


    Their eyes shifted to Leysa as sheposed her posture and stepped forward to face them, making my heart miss a beat.


    "There has been a problem," she started to shout confidently, confusing the warriors and making them look at each other. "Lady Rimi has ordered everyone to go to the backyard and make sure the monster does not leave."


    She took control so loudly that for a second she even confused me.


    "Wait, but they asked us to look for you," one of the warriors replied, referring to her.


    His eyes lingered on Clementine before he looked at his partners.


    "And she found me. Did you not see mee out of the fucking mansion?" she shouted back at him, making him lower his head. "Charles has turned into the worst monster and he escaped the room. Do you not see the dead bodies being thrown out of the window?"


    She continued with the same confidence, making me worried and impressed at the same time.


    "Now go and do as I say," she demanded loudly, making them panic and rush into action.


    They began to run inside while she held herself steady.


    "Troy, Lady Rimi says to take Clementine to the hospital urgently."


    Leysa then looked at me, watching for my reaction, and I nodded.


    One of the warriors suddenly stopped after hearing her orders.


    "This way, ma¡¯am," the warrior told Leysa.


    She lifted her dress casually and started walking toward the road. I followed closely behind her.


    I noticed that members from the pack houses hade outside, and they looked anxious, probably after hearing all themotion.


    The warrior took us to the car. Leysa and Clementine sat in the back seat. Clementine waspletely out of it. She was barely conscious.


    I tried to sit in the driver¡¯s seat, but the warrior told me the driver knew the roads well. He instructed the driver to take us to the hospital, only the pack¡¯s Hospital. Of course, that was not our real destination.


    Halfway through the drive, Leysa started to cough to get my attention.


    "Listen, stop the car here. I¡¯ll take it to the hospital. I know the road from here. You go back to the mansion and make sure Lady Rimi is fine. They are under attack from the monster."


    I started to panic and forced fear into my voice while pretending to check my phone as if the signal had returned.


    It was just my way of fooling the man. He was in such a hurry that he did not check his phone. He parked the car on the side of the road and rushed out.


    I did not know what the situation was back at the mansion, but I was only praying that Yorick was fine.


    Still, everything that had just happened, the rejection and all of it, left me stunned. Had something happened between Yorick and Clementine?


    How could she get pregnant so quickly from him when she had been married to Ian before him? There was so much going on.


    Once the driver left, I got out from the passenger side, rushed around the car, and slid into the driver¡¯s seat. I started driving toward the border.


    "Do you think we will be able to get out of here? They must have informed everyone," Leysa said, gently tapping my shoulder to get my attention.


    "My warriors are right outside there. Don¡¯t worry," I told her as I adjusted the mirror to check on Clementine. Then I angled it slightly to look at Leysa as well.


    She had changedpletely. It was the kind of change I had not seen in many people. She looked confident and like someone who could be trusted.


    Once we reached the gate, I saw the warriors approach the car, looking concerned.


    "Open the gate. We need to leave right now," Leysa demanded from the back seat, but the warrior shook his head firmly.


    "No, we cannot let you leave. You cannot go until Lady Rimi tells us you are allowed to," the warrior replied. His eyes were restless.


    I could tell they had already received news about themotion at the mansion.


    "Well, if we even stay alive. Everybody is dying back there, and you are standing here stopping us," I shouted at them, using my alpha voice.


    "Your Highness, I understand what you are saying, but we still cannot let you go," the warrior answered, his eyes lingering mostly on Leysa and Clementine.


    I noticed there were not many warriors at the main gate, and we could take them out. However, Leysa must have seen my fingers tightening around the steering wheel because she leaned forward from the back seat to speak to me without being heard.


    "Don¡¯t think about it. If the monster kills everyone in the mansion andes out, someone needs to stop him at the gates. We cannot risk the entire world. We need to find another way," Leysa whispered before leaning back again.


    I looked around, and my eyesnded on my warriors in the distance down the road. They saw me and started rushing toward the main gate.


    "Well then, you can keep them here. How about you let me go? These two can stay until it is confirmed that everyone at the mansion is safe and they are allowed to leave. How about that?" I asked the warrior.


    He shrugged. They had never been told to keep me there. Even they knew that.


    "Okay," he replied as he walked toward the car and reached for the back door.


    "But she needs help. She cannot walk properly," Leysa told the warrior, pointing to Clementine.


    The other warriors started to gather around the car. The warrior stepped back and lowered his gun while the others stood a short distance away, trying to check the vehicle before letting me go.


    The moment they moved away from the door, my warriors lunged forward and pushed the main gate open. It had only been loosely closed, probably unlocked while they spoke with my warriors.


    Leysa suddenly kicked the warrior in the stomach and shoved him away from the car. I mmed my foot on the pedal and sped forward.

 Chapter 510-They Call Her A Monster Now

    <h4>Chapter 510: 510-They Call Her A Monster Now</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    My warriors understood immediately, but so did the pack¡¯s warriors.


    "Stop him from leaving!" one of them yelled, but it was toote.


    I sped away while my warriors shed with theirs. There were not many of my warriors, so I knew they would have to retreat quickly, and they did. The moment I cleared the main gate, my warriors began running out as well.


    "Wait, they need us at the mansion!" one of the warriors shouted.


    Another warrior drove out in a separate car behind us, but he was speaking to the others instead of chasing us. At that point, Yorick¡¯s warriors had no choice but to turn back and fight to save their alpha and his family.


    "Where are we heading?" Leysa asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.


    I had taken an abandoned road because I was not certain if they were still following us. At least my wolf understood that I was heading back home to take Clementine to my pack.


    "We are going home, my home," I replied quietly.


    "Why aren¡¯t we taking her to Ian?" she asked, making me shift ufortably in my seat. "I saw the mark on her neck, Troy. Have they marked each other? If so, he should be the one she goes to. Besides, I don¡¯t think she will be okay once she wakes up. All I know is that they had been injecting her with some kind of medicine. I read about it."


    Leysa continued in a soft, gentle voice.


    "They are somewhere I cannot contact right now. If Haiden¡¯s uncle finds out, it will be bad," I started making excuses because I did not want to take Clementine back to Ian¡¯s house yet.


    I had heard what happened between Yorick and Clementine. Maybe she had given him a chance at some point, and that meant I might get lucky too.


    But that would mean Clementine cheated on Ian to get pregnant with Yorick. Then again, it did not matter. If she chose me and rejected Ian, that would be all that mattered.


    "What? You were saying something."


    Leysa¡¯s voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I adjusted my posture in my seat.


    "All I¡¯m saying is that I cannot take her there right now. I have to take her to my pack, and I will ask them toe there. They are currently in Haiden¡¯s pack, and you know Haiden¡¯s uncle. I guess you know the history," I exined.


    When I adjusted the rearview mirror, I noticed how she lowered her face in guilt. I felt like pping myself. Of course she knew the history. Why did I feel the need to remind her? What her father did was not her fault.


    "That is not your fault," I added, realizing I had spoken my thoughts out loud.


    She did not respond, but at least she understood that I was taking Clementine somewhere safer. The only problem was that I did not know how long she would stay quiet before she started asking where Ian and the others were.


    As we drove on, I turned left onto a busier road, though it was not too crowded. That was when my heart nearly stopped. Announcements were sting through speakers across the small pack we were passing.


    "Attention. You all must have heard about the crusader Clementine Stark, who is wanted. The council has issued a reward for whoever finds her, dead or alive. Do notmunicate with her. She is a maniptive monster. It is better to sedate her or trick her into taking sedatives. Otherwise, keep yourself safe from her. She is not to be trusted."


    The announcement made me adjust the mirror quickly so I could look at Leysa. She moved fast,ying Clementine down and sitting in a way that hid her face, but we both knew that would not be enough. The reward money would make everyone desperate.


    "What the heck is going on?" Leysa asked in confusion. "Why are they calling Clementine a monster?"


    She kept questioning me while I quickly turned the car onto apletely abandoned road.


    "Can you call Ian and Haiden and ask them?" she asked again, bringing up the people I did not want to involve yet.


    "I will, but Leysa, you need to understand how much power they are using."


    I paused when I noticed my warrior calling me, and panic rose in my chest for Clementine.


    "Hello?" I answered, keeping my eyes locked on the road to make sure no one wasing our way.


    "Your Highness, I just got information about your mate," my warrior said, and I trusted him, so I felt a bit of hope.


    "Tell me," I urged.


    "So the council has announced that not only are you and the others looking for your mate, Clementine, but they are also searching for her. They im there is something wrong with her wolf, that she is a monster. Because of that, they have asked anyone toe forward with any information about her. Not only that, Your Highness, but they have also ordered the tracing of everyone¡¯s phone calls. So I hope you find her before they do."


    That was my warrior¡¯s way of giving me the information while making it clear he was on my side. He knew the calls were being recorded, so he was careful not to say anything about her being in the car with me, even though he knew she was.


    "Okay, got it. I hope we find her first. Thank you," I replied before ending the call and turning to pass the information on to Leysa.


    At this point, Leysa was not expecting me to call anyone after I told her what was happening. I did want to spend time with Clementine, but I did not expect my wish to be granted in a way that would cause so much chaos.


    Hearing others call Clementine a monster hurt me deeply. I had no idea what those monsters in the council were preparing.


    With that, I drove along the secure roads with my warrior¡¯s car ahead of me. Every few hours, he gave me a hand signal to show that the road was safe. Then I quietly brought Clementine into my pack¡¯s territory.

 Chapter 511-My Shattered Mate Needs Me

    <h4>Chapter 511: 511-My Shattered Mate Needs Me</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    We walked back into the mansion to speak with Fauna¡¯s father. I tried tofort myself, keeping my eyes on the surroundings and my mind in the right ce.


    Ever since I spoke with Ian and his father and we decided that I should reject Fauna, there had been an unease inside me that I could not shake.


    Although I tried to act like nothing bothered me, that was not entirely the truth. Something was bothering me. Even the word rejection made me feel strange.


    "All set for breakfast? It seems like you guys did not take the news of his death very well. What is it? A business thing or what?" my uncle asked, pointing out that we had been leaving the mansion to go into the garden to talk quite often.


    At this rate, we also figured that the next time we went out, they would probably send someone to listen to our conversations because it was clearly rming to them.


    "It was not really a deal. We just needed to know something about business," the headmaster replied, his hands tied behind his back, his eyes fixed on me as he waited to see what I had decided.


    I cleared my throat and began to speak.


    "I want to talk about Fauna," I said.


    As soon as I said her name out loud, my heart missed a beat. I shoved my hands into my pants pockets and stared at everyone, especially her father, her sister, and her mother.


    Her sister¡¯s eyes were swollen and red. It did not look good. Something had happened. Her father was trying his best to hide it.


    "We have already talked about it, have we not? Come on, have breakfast with us," my uncle said as he pulled out a seat for me.


    He tapped the backrest and stared at me with a raised brow. I already knew he was challenging me.


    "No, thank you. I would like to speak with Fauna first," I replied firmly.


    My uncle¡¯s shoulders slouched as if he could not believe how insistent I was.


    "And before you tell me again that she is in the prayer to look for a mate, let me put your mind at ease," I spoke confidently, watching them nce at each other.


    "She¡¯s my mate."


    The moment I said those words, her mother and Mariana looked at each other, then back at me with wide eyes, unsure whether they were shocked that I had said it or that I was her mate.


    "Haiden, I know that is not the truth. If you were her mate, you would have paid attention to all of this. It sounds like you just want to meet her so you can hurt my daughter more, and I will not allow that," my uncle said, his fear showing.


    He openly resisted and used me of something he did not even know I would do. I was not a child who would ask to see someone in prayer just to mock her.


    "Uncle Patrick, if you do not let me see my mate, I will have to call the council. If they do not step in, I will call on all the alphas and let them know things have reached a point where alphas are not even allowed to meet their mates."


    As soon as I said those words, I watched the color drain from their faces. Mariana looked happy. I noticed her hands twitching as if she wanted to p.


    "You are not an alpha," Uncle Patrick replied with a smile.


    "Not yet, because I have not challenged you. But technically, I am the alpha of this pack," I hissed, holding my ground and keeping my stance firm.


    The headmaster and Ian stepped up beside me, making it clear that if he tried to call his warriors on us, we would unleash the monsters inside us, the same ones that fought the monsters of the North.


    "What do you want to speak with Fauna about?" Patrick grunted, avoiding my other ims and steering the focus away from the crown.


    At that moment, I saw the hopeful looks in Fauna¡¯s mother and sister¡¯s eyes as they stared at me. But I had to break their hearts because the decision had already been made.


    "I have to reject her so she could find a second chance mate."


    My words brought a slight smile to Patrick¡¯s face, while Mariana and her mother lost theirs. Disappointment showed clearly in their eyes.


    The happiness Uncle Patrick showed proved that whatever they were hiding about Clementine and Nook was far worse for them than the idea of me marrying his daughter and keeping the crown in the family.


    He seemed happier that I was going to reject her.


    "Fine then, let¡¯s do it quickly," he said. "But I have to tell you something before you see her."


    As we moved toward the second floor where her bedroom was, her father stopped me.


    "She had a bad fallst night. She injured herself quite badly."


    I froze at his words. Ian narrowed his eyes and stepped forward.


    "She was finest night. What do you mean she had a bad fall? Didn¡¯t you say she is in the prayer?" he grunted, questioning my uncle, who clearly did not like it. He never did.


    "Well, she¡¯s not today. That is why I decided to sit her down for a prayer, because I thought maybe if she has a mate, he will take better care of her."


    Uncle Patrick always had answers, and he was quick toe up with them. But something was not right.


    "Bring her out," I demanded.


    "Yeah, sure. I will bring her out so you can reject her, and then you will be on your way. I opened my home to you all, and now you are bing a nuisance. So after the rejection, you can see yourselves out and have a good¨Chave a good day," he finished arrogantly, making it clear that we were not wee to stay and eat breakfast.


    Her mother hurried toward the basement for some reason. My frown deepened, but I stayed calm because I remembered Patrick once saying that if he had to put his daughters in prayer, they would be in the basement so there would be no distractions.


    I kept looking around, watching everyone and everything, until my eyesnded on Fauna when she was brought out, and my entire body froze at the sight of her.

 Chapter 512-That Is A Pity

    <h4>Chapter 512: 512-That Is A Pity</h4>


    <strong>Fauna:</strong>


    After morning came and my mother and sister left, my father asked the warriors to make me transition, but I did not.


    I did not know what he was nning to do. I had a strange pressure building inside my system. How did my father expect me to transition after giving me wolfsbane?


    When I did not, I heard my father yelling at me, calling me useless and other things.


    After many hours, when I thought everyone had finally left, the door opened again. This time, my mother and sister walked in with my father¡¯s trusted men.


    "Come on, we have to get her cleaned up quickly," one of the warriors said, gesturing for my mother to help with my wounds and patch me up as much as they could.


    I did not understand what was happening. The warrior would not let my mother speak to me. They silently washed my face and cleaned my hands and wounds.


    "What is going on?" I asked my mother.


    She nodded at me, telling me to wait.


    My sister brought in a gown. They were getting me ready, and it scared me.


    "Wait, they are not sending me off to marry someone, are they?" I asked my mother, tears already falling as fear gripped me.


    "You are not allowed to speak. Just move your hands quickly," the warrior reminded us, and silence fell between us again.


    Once I waspletely ready, it was time for them to tell me where I was being taken. My mother took the lead because she was allowed to speak.


    "Haiden has told us that he is your fated mate."


    When my mother mentioned Haiden and our mate bond, my head snapped toward my sister, then toward the warrior, and back to my mother.


    "He confessed in front of everyone?" I asked in confusion.


    "He did. You have toe with us because your father has asked us to summon you," my mother insisted, gesturing with her hand for me to follow her.


    I could barely walk, but they supported me. After my initial fall, I had been injected with Wolfsbane. At the same time, my father had force-fed me medicine.


    Now they were taking me in front of Haiden. I was confused. Maybe Haiden had agreed to marry me, and that was why my father had to send me to him.


    My father wanted an alpha to marry his daughters so the crown would remain in the family and bloodline. Maybe that was the reason.


    As I was led into the hall, I saw Haiden¡¯s eyes widen at the sight of me. To be honest, it surprised me because I thought he would not care. It changed my view of him. It made me feel better about myself, less useless.


    "What the fuck happened to her?" Haiden grunted, stepping forward and facing my father. "This does not look like a fall. Did somebody beat her up?"


    Even Ian defended me. For the first time in my life, there were men speaking against my father¡¯s actions, and I felt good knowing someone was standing up for me.


    "She had a fall. That is all I will tell you," my father hissed near the door.


    The headmaster gave a nod, signaling them not to escte the situation.


    I understood that the wise thing to do was not to question my father because it would ruin his mood, and he would probably treat me even worse.


    Haiden was right there. Since he had confirmed that he was my mate, that meant my father would no longer have the power to control me.


    "Come on and reject my daughter," my father said.


    When he said those words, it felt as if the ground beneath me shifted, and I looked at Haiden in worry.


    My father was forcing him to reject me. As much as I wanted to beg Haiden not to do it, I left the decision in his hands.


    I did not want to seem desperate anymore. He had every right to decide what he wanted. But that would mean I would never feel for him again. I will never even want to see his face ever again.


    As I stood there, tears forming in my eyes, I watched Haiden step closer to me. For a few seconds, his eyes lingered on me. Then he let out a deep breath.


    "Come on," my father raised his voice again.


    Haiden looked at me, and I looked back at him. The eye contact held meaning. Then I saw Haiden nod to himself.


    "I, Alpha Haiden, ept Fauna as my mate."


    The words felt unreal, and my heart stopped for a moment. Everyone gasped. I turned to my sister, who had tears of happiness in her eyes.


    My father looked shocked too. I could tell he was about to do something because he had asked Haiden to reject me.


    I did not understand what had changed. My father wanted an alpha for me.


    Before he could interfere, I smiled and spoke.


    "I ept you as my mate. I, Fauna, ept Haiden as my mate."


    I repeated the words with a wide smile. Even Ian was smiling, though he looked confused.


    "You ept her?" my father grunted.


    Haiden reached me and ced both his hands on my arms to support me because my knees were beginning to give in again. I had a bad fall, and after that, my father had beaten me, so I was still weak.


    I let my body lean forward and rested my head against Haiden¡¯s chest. Being close to him felt good. I listened to his heartbeat.


    "I mean, he is her mate. It was his decision," the headmaster said in a loud,manding voice, silencing my father.


    I was confused by my father¡¯s reaction. I thought he wanted me to marry Haiden, but I was happy. I had found my mate.


    "But you were going to reject her. That is why we brought her out. Did you feel sympathy or pity for her because of her fall? Is that what happened?" my father demanded.


    A sharp tone reached my ears. My head snapped up, and I looked at Haiden. He avoided my gaze and focused on my father instead.


    That was when I realized he did pity me. He had asked for me so he could reject me.

 Chapter 513-The Agreement

    <h4>Chapter 513: 513-The Agreement</h4>


    <strong>Joshua:</strong>


    I had made a mistake when, aftering back from the North, I watched Suki leave for Yorick¡¯s home.


    I wish I had done something to stop her, but there was no other way. She was Oriana in everyone¡¯s eyes, and she had to leave.


    The next thing I did was call my trusted men to let them know we had to find a way to return home.


    I called my father and told him that the academy was shutting down and everything rted to it. I was certain it would happen.


    My father was hopeful. He was happy that I was returning. Little did he know that I wasing back with Suki.


    "Oh,e on, Joshua. I have a beautiful girl in mind for you. You will like her as your mate. Trust me," my father said on the call, insisting nonstop.


    "How many times do I have to tell you that I do not want to marry the woman you have in your mind?" I grunted at my father.


    "Then what? You are going to die thinking about that Suki. She was just a beta," he continued.


    I took a deep breath as he spoke and then decided that I needed to tell my father the truth.


    "Would it be okay if the woman I choose is the rightful heir of an alpha¡¯s pack, but she has a stepbrother who is sitting on the throne even when he does not deserve it?" I asked, and my father¡¯s tone changed on the other side.


    "Well, if he does not deserve it, then you can challenge him. You are a crusader. You will win," my father replied hopefully, and I nodded to myself.


    "Well then, let me tell you the truth. Suki is alive. We sacrificed Oriana in the north, and we let Suki live in her body," I continued before my father could say anything.


    I heard someone gasp from behind me.


    I turned around and was shocked to see Mira standing there, watching me with her eyes wide open.


    "I need to call youter, Dad," I stated, slowly lowering my phone while looking deep into Mira¡¯s eyes and making sure she was not moving.


    "I was here to ask¡ª if you have packed your bags so that we¡ª can leave," she stammered.


    The hesitation in her voice and the anxiety in her expression proved that she had heard it all.


    In that moment, something wild took over me.


    The minute she turned around to rush away, I lunged after her.


    "Help," she tried to cry out, but before she could even finish the word, I attacked her from behind with the silver knife in my pocket.


    The chaos at the academy had shifted everyone¡¯s attention so much that nobody cared anymore who had a weapon and who did not.


    The next thing I knew, I was stabbing her from the back repeatedly.


    And then I pulled away from her.


    That day, I had to quickly take a shower ande out to the others as if I had not done anything.


    I watched them cry and mourn her.


    For some reason, I did not feel guilty.


    If the headmaster and so many others could kill innocent youngsters, lurkers, and crusaders, then I was not at fault for killing one person either.


    She died there, and I returned home.


    I had to exin to my father what I did.


    It was not easy for him in the beginning, but then he came around to it.


    I mean, what could he do? Nothing.


    Suki now had a pack.


    I could marry her and challenge Oriana¡¯s stepbrother for it.


    My father liked the idea.


    So thankfully, it was all settled until it was time to contact her.


    For some reason, I could not get in contact with her.


    Renee had somehow managed tofort herself.


    She was living with Sebastian now.


    They had epted each other or something.


    I could not care less.


    They had been blowing up my phone, asking me toe and look for Clementine together.


    But my head was stuck on Suki.


    "She is not responding until now?" my father asked me, and I shook my head.


    I was getting desperate at this point.


    "I do not know what to say except that we should go and check for ourselves. We know that she is in the body of someone who have a very good reputation. From your experience, they have always been very sneaky. I do not like those people. I say we go and bring her home," my father suggested, because he knew that with Suki now came a pack.


    "Well then, we should go now," I insisted, and my father shook his head.


    "No, do not go crazy. There is no need to lose your mind. We will find her, do not worry. But it will take some time. We have to speak with the council and do it the right way," my father insisted.


    But I could not get along with the n.


    The more we dyed, the more the chances grew that she was in desperate need of me.


    "You believe me, right?" my father asked, sitting on his chair. "I will take care of everything. Do not worry. Did I not take care of her stepbrother? Look, I have filed aint against him and opened an investigation against him and his mother over the death of Oriana¡¯s father. They have already found witnesses. People have cracked and started speaking. Her stepmother and stepbrother are under interrogation, and chances are that they are going to jail. Then we will bring Oriana out. You will marry her, and the pack is yours. You do not even have to challenge her stepbrother anymore."


    My father spoke casually and shook his head at me for being so desperate.


    "No, Father, I just do not feel like everything is right," I replied, letting him know that for some reason, I could not ept that she was safe.


    I knew Suki, and I knew she would have contacted me the minute she was there and asked for a rejection.


    Something bad had happened.


    It had been days.


    Why was she still living with that man?

 Chapter 514-Fed On My Mate

    <h4>Chapter 514: 514-Fed On My Mate</h4>


    <strong>Joshua:</strong>


    "I am taking my warriors and leaving to meet Yorick," I told my father, getting up anxiously.


    "You cannot approach them like that. They will see it as a threat," my father warned.


    "I am not going to attack him and his family. I will just act like I am visiting him to apologize for what Oriana did to him," I replied, and my father rolled his eyes.


    There was another factor.


    Oriana¡¯s video had gone viral of her plotting against Yorick.


    I knew it ruined her reputation.


    I could not care less about her reputation.


    I was worried about Suki¡¯s reputation.


    But I convinced my father that it would be fine.


    We couldter say that she was under the influence of a monster or whatever we needed to say.


    I just needed to go and look for her.


    "Fine, I will send my men with you. You do not need to do anything on your own. Make sure you stay away from your friend¡¯s father and mother. They are creepy people," my father muttered, not looking very happy that I kept talking about going there.


    Then my father prepared his best warriors to make it seem like I was going there to visit Yorick.


    The minute I reached his pack, I was immediately asked to stop.


    That was one of the many things I noticed that made me raise my eyebrow.


    They told me that I could go alone.


    However, I noticed that the warriors looked extremely anxious.


    I was not going to start a war right away.


    I only nned to look around and take a nce. And for all Yorick knew, I hated Oriana too.


    He would not think I was there to look for her.


    So I walked forward alone.


    The warrior told me there would be a car to pick me up, but there was no car.


    There was a strangemotion happening in the pack.


    I noticed many pack members screaming and shutting their doors, while some were running toward the main mansion.


    So I followed them.


    I was worried about Suki because she was there too.


    I ran toward the mansion, and just as I reached it, I saw many warriors running out, screaming and pointing back at it.


    "Do not go in there. There is a monster inside," one of the warriors screamed, and my eyes widened.


    I remembered that my father had not wanted me toe here.


    He told me not toe here and start any fights.


    He only allowed me toe if I promised to speak with Yorick without entering his mansion, and I did promise him.


    But things had changed.


    The mansion seemed to be under attack by some kind of monster, and I was worried about Suki.


    That is probably why she had not been able to return any of my calls.


    I began to push forward against the warriors rushing out.


    At the entrance, I saw a bloodbath.


    As if that was not enough, strange wails and the sound of something thrashing came from upstairs, so I hurried toward the noise.


    I sprinted forward even as the warriors told me not to go in that direction.


    I kept going.


    When I stepped onto the second floor, I realized that this was where all the chaos had started.


    Blood stters covered the walls and stretched up toward the ceiling.


    There were stains across the ceiling as well.


    It would be a lie to say that I did not believe there was a monster here.


    A loud growl came from one of the rooms, and I rushed in that direction.


    I had only made it halfway when I saw Yorick being thrown out of the room, and my steps came to a halt.


    He got to his feet, covered in blood.


    When his eyes moved to me, I watched horror consume his face.


    "Joshua, what are you doing here?" he yelled, raising his hand toward me to stop me from going any farther.


    "Where is she? Where is Suki?" I shouted, my heart beating faster as I looked around.


    "Suki? What? Have you lost your¡ª" Yorick started toin, but then he stopped, and his eyes widened.


    I saw the color drain from his face.


    That reaction came from somewhere deep.


    He might have thought I had lost my mind.


    Why did he look so shocked, as if he knew something?


    "You mean Oriana was telling the truth?" he whispered to himself, lowering his gaze.


    "But how is that possible?" he muttered, lookingpletely lost.


    "What do you mean she was telling the truth? Where is she now?" I demanded, stepping toward him and grabbing his cor, shaking him to force him to tell me where Suki was.


    "You need to go," Yorick uttered, gulping hard.


    "No, I am not leaving until I find my... my Suki. Where is she?" I asked again, shaking him.


    A strange guttural sound came from the bedroom he had been thrown out of.


    I turned my head and saw a human figure standing there, old and monstrous, something out of a nightmare.


    I had seen many monsters in the North, but seeing one among humans on the maind felt different.


    It carried danger.


    "What the hell is that?" I whispered under my breath, swallowing hard.


    My hand began to shake as I kept my eyes on it.


    "That is the thing that ate Oriana."


    Yorick¡¯s words made me snap my head toward him and then back to the creature.


    "Now you know the truth, so you need to go," Yorick insisted, shaking me as if, after telling me that my mate had been killed by a monster, I would quietly leave to save myself.


    "What do you mean she was eaten?" I asked, my jaw clenching.


    My head started to go numb after everything I did to bring Suki back to life, some monster hiding on the maind had taken her from me.


    "I am sorry, but¡ª" Yorick had not finished speaking when I shoved him back and rushed into the room.


    There were only two oues today. Either I would kill that monster, or it would kill me.

 Chapter 515-The Generation Of Creators

    <h4>Chapter 515: 515-The Generation Of Creators</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    Things have escted to new extremes, to the point where I never thought the oue would be this bad. Now Joshua was running into my mansion, demanding to know about his lost love.


    When he called and asked for Oriana and mentioned her as Suki, I realized she had never lied. She had been telling the truth. It was actually Suki in her body.


    It made sense. How could I have been so close to the monsters my parents were creating and not realize she had been summoned? Suki had been summoned into Oriana¡¯s body by the shadow earth eater.


    But more important than any of that was Joshua¡¯s rage.


    shback.


    "What did you do to Ro?" I demanded, staring at my mother.


    I curled into my bed and pulled the covers over myself.


    "You have seen those pictures we get from the headmaster¡¯s grandfather, right?" my mother asked, reminding me of something I never wanted to be part of.


    They had dragged me into this life, forcing me to learn things I did not want to know.


    "Well, we picked a monster from one of those pictures and created it. Do not worry. He will be happy in the North," my mother continued, watching me as I squeezed my eyes shut and began to cry.


    "Why do you and Daddy create monsters? Stop it. Please just stop it," I screamed, hating myself and hating my parents at that moment.


    End of shback.


    What they did to Ro continued. This was exactly what happened to my brother.


    They had first injected him to make him powerful, but it turned him into a monster. Now they were suffering.


    That was the truth they refused to admit. It was all their fault.


    They were the ones. Generation after generation, my mother¡¯s family, even her grandparents, had done this.


    They created twisted monsters. My mother inherited that cruelty and pulled my father into it.


    It was not as if he resisted. He was deeply involved.


    I rushed inside, chasing Joshua as he lunged at my brother. My brother had drunk so much blood and eaten so much flesh in thest half hour that he had grown enormous.


    That was the problem. His appetite kept increasing, which meant my mother would never know whether he was eating because he epted the sacrifice or because he was simply hungry and trying to grow.


    He was touching the ceiling now.


    As Joshua charged at him, my brother swung his arm and hurled him against the window, nearly sending him to his death. Not because the fall was fatal, but because Joshua refused to let go.


    He clung to the wooden frame andunched himself at Charles again. The wood could not harm my brother anymore.


    My brother seized Joshua by the hair and flung him onto the ground again.


    This time, I sprang at my brother and shed his stomach. He red at me, grunted, then back-mmed me onto the bed.


    Joshua snatched thergest shard of ss from the floor and drove it into my brother. The ss pierced him, but it did not draw much blood.


    My brother had turned into a skeletal monster. He was thin, his ribs sharply formed, his skin burned.


    He looked ancient, a thin white beard hanging down his neck, but he was terrifying when he growled and howled.


    My mother had run out of the room. My fathery unconscious beside the bathroom door.


    Joshua was still trying to kill the one who had killed his lover.


    "She was my everything. I did so much to get her back. I fucking killed Mira for her," he shouted, his voice breaking as he kept striking.


    He stabbed my brother again and again, wherever he could reach. My brother only wailed, twisted his arms around, and hurled Joshua aside.


    That was when I understood what Joshua had just confessed. He had made his own bed.


    Mira was dead, the most innocent soul of all. How could he have done that?


    Was it some kind of sacrifice? Did he do it the way Oriana had killed a Lurker as an offering?


    I learned the truthter because my parents told me. Of course they knew.


    They were the ones who numbed the Lurkers. They were the ones who turned the werewolves into monsters.


    Those creatures existed because of my parents.


    I tried to rise, but my body felt heavy and I dropped back onto my ass, watching my brother in chaos.


    My family was twisted. We were evil.


    How were we still alive while so many had suffered because of us?


    Then it hit me. What would happen once the council convinced everyone they needed crusaders to protect the maind?


    The Academy would rise again. My parents would begin creating more monsters.


    The cycle would continue.


    Someone had to stop it. That someone was going to be me.


    I opened my eyes and stared at my brother. Then I looked toward the door.


    My mother slipped back inside with a needle in her hand. She had probably found the right one to calm him and knock him out for a few minutes.


    Her old belty somewhere in the room. It held different tranquilizers.


    It had torn off when my brother attacked her. We were all drenched in blood.


    My father¡¯s fingers twitched. He was waking up.


    I nced at Joshua and tried to get up, but I was too slow. My brother had reached his limit.


    He grabbed Joshua by the head and mmed him down, pressing his foot onto his chest and crushing his ribs.


    "No!" I screamed, rushing toward my brother.


    My mother was too slow. I tried to pry my brother off him, but he would not budge.


    I spun toward my mother and ripped the needle from her hand, then leapt onto my brother¡¯s back.


    As I drove the needle into him, he had already torn Joshua¡¯s head from his body, and blood sttered everywhere.


    As I injected my brother with the tranquilizer, I slid off his back while he screamed in pain.


    My mother hurried to him and knelt beside him, trying to soothe him. I found her belt on the floor, pulled out the tranquilizers, and moved toward her.


    "What are you doing?" she cried as she saw me raise the syringe.


    Thest thing I remember before I cked out for a few minutes was striking her neck with it and watching her copse into sleep. Then I crossed the room and injected my father as well.


    Now my whole family slept like babies, and I had to make the decision for them.

 Chapter 516-Giving Him Attitude

    <h4>Chapter 516: 516-Giving Him Attitude</h4>


    <strong>Fauna:</strong>


    "What is this disrespect? You epted my daughter without my permission?" my father shouted.


    By then, it was already toote. Not just because Haiden had epted me, but because I had heard everything.


    He had note to save me. He hade to reject me.


    That realization numbed my mind.


    "You do not get to decide what I do," Haiden replied sharply.


    Ian stepped closer and stood beside me.


    "Are you okay?" he asked gently.


    I nodded, even though I was not okay at all. My body was bruised, and my heart was shattered.


    "It is all right now. No one will hurt you," the Headmaster said as he stood beside his son.


    "Oh really? Then leave. I do not want to see your faces right now," my father shouted loudly enough to make my body tremble.


    But I noticed something. My father¡¯s shouting rarely affected other men. He could only unleash his anger on me, my sister, and my mother. It never worked the same way on men.


    "We are not here to stay," Haiden said calmly. "But remember this. I wille back. This is only the beginning. I will take my pack back from you."


    As soon as he said that, he stepped toward me and took my hand.


    "Let¡¯s go," he told Ian and the Headmaster.


    My eyes remained fixed on my mother and my sister. I knew I had to leave.


    They could not leave with me. Taking the Alpha¡¯s wife or daughter without his permission would have been considered a grave offense.


    But Haiden had just dered he would return for the crown. That meant my father would not be able to hold them hostage for long.


    My body suddenly weakened. Haiden caught me quickly and pulled me into his arms to support me.


    After everything I had endured that night, the moment I realized I could finally let go, my body gave in. I cked out.


    When I woke up again, I was in a car. It felt like they had been driving for a long time and had stopped for a break.


    "Fauna, are you okay?" Ian asked. He was the first to notice I was awake. He was standing outside the car.


    It looked like they had been eating. Maybe it was their break time.


    As soon as he spoke, everyone looked into the car.


    I slowly stepped out.


    The moment I saw Haiden, he looked away.


    I understood then. He had not epted me willingly. He had simply had no other choice.


    "Are you feeling better?" the Headmaster asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.


    "Yes. I am feeling much better," I replied politely.


    Then Haiden turned toward me as if he wanted to say something. He looked like he was preparing himself to ask a question.


    But I cut him off and turned to Ian instead.


    "Has Clementine been found yet?" I asked,pletely ignoring Haiden.


    "No, not yet. We are still looking for her. Hopefully we will find her soon," Ian replied in a broken voice.


    "You tell me. You said you could somehow find out Nook¡¯s address," Haiden stepped in front of me suddenly, trying to speak to me directly.


    I turned toward him for a second, then turned away again. I looked back at Ian instead.


    "So tell me what you want. I will help youpletely," I said to Ian, ignoring Haiden.


    I saw the way Haiden started staring at me. He ced his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes, as if waiting for me to give him attention.


    "I know the man who has the records ising back today. I also know which road he will be using," I said calmly.


    As soon as I shared that information, I saw relief and excitement sh across their faces.


    "That is good. Then we head there," Haiden said, pping his hands once in excitement.


    I turned my face away from him again.


    The Headmaster and Ian seemed to notice. I saw them exchange a look, silentlymunicating about Haiden.


    I did not know why Haiden suddenly wanted to talk to me. Maybe he wanted to y the hero by finding Clementine.


    At that point, I did not care anymore.


    It was not that I hadpletely erased him from my heart, but my heart had shattered the moment I learned he hade to reject me.


    Before that, I had convinced myself that he rejected me out of anger, that he was only denying whatever feelings he had for me.


    But when I found out he had trulye to reject me, I realized how foolish I had been.


    He had never felt anything for me. Even now, I was nothing more than a burden forced onto him.


    "Fine, but before that, Fauna will have to transition. Her wounds are serious," Ian said, pointing toward me.


    "Then I will take her into the woods. We will transition and meet you back on the road shortly," Haiden replied quickly, stepping forward as if expecting me to follow him.


    "I will go with the Headmaster," I said firmly. "I have never worked with him before. I think he will guide me better through the pain. My wounds are deep, and I will need patience during the transition."


    I did not look at Haiden once as I declined his offer and chose the Headmaster instead.


    "Wait a minute. I think since she is my wife, I should be the one going with her," Haiden said, his voice edged with anger.


    I turned toward him slowly and met his eyes with a challenging look.


    "I do not think this is the right time to discuss what I am to you or what I am not," I replied evenly.


    "And whatever mark we carry does not need to be taken seriously right now." I paused.


    "With that being said, I do not want to waste time. We do not know what condition Clementine is in. If we dy any longer, that man will pass that road, and after that, I will not be able to help."


    I answered him harshly.


    Haiden nced at Ian, almost as if asking for support, then looked at the Headmaster.


    "She is right," the Headmaster said calmly. "It is her choice who she wants beside her during the transition."


    There was a faint frown on Haiden¡¯s face when he heard that.


    I knew he was being challenged, perhaps even mocked by the situation.


    But it did not matter to me.


    If he felt irritated, it was justified.

 Chapter 517-The Father Who Cannot Be Trusted

    <h4>Chapter 517: 517-The Father Who Cannot Be Trusted</h4>


    <strong>Mariana:</strong>


    I watched the chaos unfold before my eyes. My sister¡¯s life had shifted from the worst to what should have been the best.


    But the moment my father revealed her mate¡¯s earlier intentions, I saw sadness creep across her face. It broke my heart.


    We grew up in a mansion where everything depended on perception. If we did well, we were praised.


    If we made a mistake, our father would remind us of it every few seconds in front of the people we cared about. Those people would change their opinions based on how he treated us.


    I knew that once he exposed those intentions, she would not be as epting of him or as happy about their marking. She would not be the same as before.


    But that was my father. He had done it on purpose.


    It was his way of handing her a taste of happiness and then taking it away.


    After they left, he began pacing the living room. He clenched his fist every few seconds and grunted at me and my mother as he cornered us.


    My mother did not have her phone, but her fingers crawled across her palm as if she were scrolling. She was probably not even present.


    That was her coping mechanism. Since she could not escape into her phone, she tried to imitate the feeling of being somewhere else.


    I did not have that option. I had to stay present and watch what my father would do next.


    "I left that little shit on your shoulders for you to tame her, and this is how she turns out?" my father roared, stopping in front of my mother.


    "So tell me, who should I be angry at now? Her or you?" he demanded, ring down at her.


    My mother¡¯s fingers froze against her palm. She lifted her head and looked at him with teary eyes.


    "My daughter was epted by her alpha mate, and right after that, she was kicked out of her father¡¯s mansion. How do you think I feel right now?" she asked in a broken voice, searching his face for mercy.


    "Ah, I don¡¯t fucking care about you and your little shithead daughter!" my father spat, pointing at her.


    "She chose someone despite me telling her not to. Someone who storms in, aiming guns at her father. He meant trouble, and you knew that. I¡¯m sure your daughter knew it too."


    He stepped closer, his nails scraping his own skin as he jabbed a finger at his chest.


    "Now tell me this. How will you feel when the crown is snatched from us? We will be on the streets. The moment Haiden gets the crown, he will open an investigation into his father¡¯s death. And guess whose name will be at the top of the suspect list?" he hissed, his eyes zing.


    "I don¡¯t understand. You wanted her to marry an alpha?" I asked.


    My father turned so fast I had no time to react. His hand struck my face, silencing me.


    I bit my tongue by ident. The metallic taste of blood spread across it as I lifted my head.


    He hunched over me and pointed a finger at my face.


    "Do not speak to me again unless I tell you to," he hissed.


    "You cannot just hit my daughter!" my mother shouted from behind me.


    My father spun toward her and punched her in the cheek. She fell onto the couch.


    That was it. That was as far as I would let him go.


    I sprang to my feet and lunged at him. I grabbed the hair at the back of his head and yanked hard until his neck snapped back and he crashed onto the table beside him.


    The table shattered. My father grunted as he hit the floor.


    My mother¡¯s eyes widened in shock as she stared at me.


    "No. I will not let you abuse us anymore. That is it," I screamed, stepping in front of her.


    "You cannot keep hitting us when we are the ones saving your crown."


    She gripped my arms from behind, trying to pull me out of his sight before he could rise again.


    He touched the back of his head and looked at the blood on his fingers. Then he surged to his feet, angrier than ever.


    He charged at me, but I shoved him back and pointed a finger at his chest.


    "That will be enough," I warned him.


    "We are the ones helping you remain a crowned alpha you do not even deserve to be. It is over. I will tell everyone the truth," my voice came out strained but I was determined to do what I imed.


    "I will tell the council. I will tell anyone who listens what you did to Haiden¡¯s father. You killed him when he was drunk. You used his weakness to attack him and forced him to sign the papers naming you as sessor."


    My voice shook as the memories rushed through me. I thought of how he had abused my sister and how she had left in misery.


    I did not realize I had pushed him too far.


    He lunged at me and wrapped his fingers around my neck. His grip tightened.


    My throat closed. I wed at his arms, trying to break free.


    My mother rushed at him from the side and struck his head with her fists.


    "Let her go! Let my daughter go!" she screamed.


    My father released one hand from my throat and grabbed her by the neck as well.


    "Come over here. What the fuck are you all doing? Do you not hear themotion?" my father shouted.


    Just as I expected, he could not fight us alone. He called for help.


    His warriors rushed in, grabbed my mother, and dragged her away while my father kept choking me.


    Within seconds, my vision blurred. He could not kill me, but he could make me pass out and leave me vulnerable.


    My knees buckled as the air drained from my lungs. My father bent down and forced me onto the floor, his hands still mped around my neck as he tightened his grip.

 Chapter 518-I Am In The North

    <h4>Chapter 518: 518-I Am In The North</h4>


    <strong>Mariana:</strong>


    "I thought you were wiser than your sister, but I was wrong," he hissed, staring into my face.


    "You would not even marry Messi. You could not secure Troy. You have done nothing." he continued.


    "So how about I let your sister¡¯s husband take the crown and keep the luxuries? You are useless now. You are a threat."


    Tears spilled from my eyes as he forced me to look at him.


    "Your Highness, what should we do with your wife?" one of the warriors asked, refusing to use her title.


    "Throw her in the dungeon for now and call the council leaders. We need a n," my father ordered without hesitation.


    "And find out where Clementine is. Make sure she is in no condition to be seen or heard by anyone."


    His words settled over me like ice. He looked down at me and smirked.


    "You must be wondering why I am saying this in front of you," he murmured.


    "That is because you will never open your mouth again."


    Heughed harshly. My vision darkened at the edges.


    He leaned closer and whispered against my ear.


    "You are of no use to me. So go ahead, little princess, and see if you can survive in the North."


    Everything went ck.


    I do not remember what happened afterward. I was not even awake to see my life change.


    All I remember is my father¡¯s face and the anger carved into it as he choked me until I passed out.


    Hisst words did not register before everything went dark. I could not react.


    I could not even beg him to forgive me.


    But deep down, I did not believe my father would be so cruel that he would actually throw me into the North.


    When I regained consciousness, it felt like I was inside a vehicle. At first, I thought maybe they were sending me to another house, or perhaps locking me in some hotel. My father used to give punishments like that.


    It also felt like I had been given another dose of something after I passed out. Maybe a tranquilizer or some kind of sedative.


    Waking up was difficult. My body felt heavy and distant.


    But as I slowly became more aware, I realized at least one thing. Wherever I was, I had never been there before.


    A faint groan slipped from my lips as I forced myself to wake up. My eyes still felt unbearably heavy.


    It felt like I was lying somewhere freezing cold. There was no soft mattress beneath me and no fluffy nket wrapped around me.


    I was on the ground. It was soft, but wet, and it smelled of soil and damp earth.


    The moment I realized that, I shot upright.


    Horror settled in as I looked around and understood where I was. I was in the woods.


    My heart began to pound. This had never happened before.


    My father had never left me in the woods as punishment.


    "Can you hear me?" I called out to my wolf inside my mind.


    She was silent.


    "It looks like he left us in the pack woods," I told her quietly. "But this is the deep side."


    I spoke to her again. Not because I thought she was awake, but because I needed someone to talk to. Otherwise, I would lose my mind.


    I was already terrified. This had never happened before.


    I pushed myself to my feet and scanned my surroundings.


    It was almost evening.


    I was certain now. My father had left me in the woods on purpose.


    He wanted the princess to find her own way home for the first time.


    So I decided that if my father wanted to test me, if he wanted to see how I would survive in the wild, then I would show him that I could.


    With that thought in mind, I began following the faint light I could see ahead. I knew that if these were my pack¡¯s woods, sooner orter something would look familiar.


    But if this belonged to another pack, things could be difficult.


    All I needed to do was find someone. Any person. I just had to ask for help.


    The air in the woods that evening felt toxic. I coughed several times, trying to clear my throat, but each time the irritation returned.


    I did not understand what kind of test this was, but I kept moving. I kept trying to find something, some path, some way out.


    After walking for a while, I finally saw a brighter light ahead. I was certain then that I had reached the right ce.


    I stepped out quickly and stopped near the road.


    I looked both ways.


    "Is anyone there? Can someone help me?" I shouted as loudly as I could.


    Suddenly, it felt as if the trees themselves responded. Strange sounds echoed back at me, as though my voice had awakened something.


    A fit of coughing seized me again. My throat had gonepletely dry.


    "Please help me! I am the Alpha¡¯s daughter!" I yelled again.


    In the distance, I noticed a shadow.


    I began waving my hands wildly.


    "Hey! I¡¯m here! Can you help me?" I called out, wrapping one arm around my stomach as pain began to spread through it.


    I started running toward the shadow.


    But as it grewrger and I drew closer, something felt wrong.


    No human neck could be that long. No animal either, unless it was an ostrich. But what would an ostrich be doing on a road?


    I slowed down.


    Then I saw it lift its neck.


    I froze.


    It was shaped like an ostrich, but something about it was wrong.


    The moment it heard me shouting, it charged at me and attacked.


    The moment that thing reached me, I moved to the side. Its long neck shot upward and then mmed down as it tried to grab me with its beak.


    I had nothing to defend myself with. The only thing I had were the high heels I was wearing.


    I grabbed its neck with both hands and wrapped my arm tightly around it. It thrashed violently, and fear surged through me.


    With one hand, I kicked off my shoe and started stabbing its neck with the heel. Once. Twice. A third time.


    My anger grew with every strike.


    When it lowered its head for a second, I adjusted my grip. This time, when I drove the heel down, it pierced into its forehead.


    I did not stop. I kept screaming and striking it again and again until its massive body copsed to the ground.


    When it finally stopped moving, I pulled my heel free and stood in front of it, breathing hard.


    Then I lifted my head.


    More of them wereing.


    That was when I understood.


    I was in the North.


    My father had truly left me in the North.

 Chapter 519-A Family Vacation

    <h4>Chapter 519: 519-A Family Vacation</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    It was not easy for me to put my entire family to sleep in silence.


    After that, Iy down in the same room with them and closed my eyes for five minutes, trying to steady myself.


    But I knew I had to move quickly. Time was short.


    With that thought, I forced myself up again. Dragging my feet, I went to my room and packed a bag for myself, one for my brother, one for my mother, and one for my father.


    Then I went into my parents¡¯ office. I gathered every injection I could find, every file, every piece of information avable, and stuffed it all into another bag.


    After that, I had an SUV brought around. Pack members kept arriving outside the pce, asking if everything inside was fine, if their Alpha¡¯s family was safe.


    They were told that everything was under control. That the situation had been handled.


    A few warriors approached me as well. They informed me that Troy had run off with Leysa and Clementine.


    They said they wanted to send warriors after them, but I stopped them. I told them we had allowed them to leave.


    I loaded my entire family into the SUV. Then I slipped into the driver¡¯s seat quietly.


    Humming under my breath, I started the engine and pulled away. Everything was about to change.


    This was the biggest step toward ending the academy.


    No one questioned me at the border because my parents were in the back seat. They were not even visible from the outside.


    As soon as I crossed the border, an announcement echoed through the air, calling Clementine a monster. I knew my pack would never admit that she had been with us.


    Now they would need support themselves. Their Alpha and their leaders were about to leave. Sooner orter the council leaders wille to our pack to check on Clementine because they were the ones that sold her to my parents.


    Silently, I drove the car to the station. Standing near the train again felt strange.


    All the memories came rushing back. My first arrival here. Meeting Clementine again.


    Sitting in these same carriages, wondering if we would return. Thening back and exchanging smiles, reassuring each other that we could survive, that we had made it out alive once more.


    Every memory resurfaced. Along with them, I was carrying a new version of myself as I prepared to leave this ce.


    After looking around for a while, I decided to load my parents onto the train. One by one, I dragged them into those same carriages andid them down.


    I took a seat as well. But the train did not start on its own. There was another way to activate it, a method my father had once shown me over the past few days.


    I had taken his ess card. With that card, he used to send anyone here. That was how criminals were injected, turned into monsters, and transported.


    I pulled the card from my pocket and held it in front of the scanner. The doors slid shut, and the train roared to life.


    I lowered myself into my seat quietly. A storm churned inside my chest.


    My eyes burned with tears, and my mind clung to a single determination. I would stop this academy, no matter what it took.


    Once the journey began, it did not take long before we reached the station again. I stepped out and dragged my family¡¯s bodies off the train one by one, leaving them on the tform.


    After that, I walked to a bench and sat down. The train pulled away, and I slipped my father¡¯s card into hiding.


    I waited.


    My mother was the first to stir. Even before opening her eyes fully, she seemed to recognize through scent alone that she was no longer on the maind.


    She jolted upright almost instantly and scrambled to her feet, looking around wildly until her gazended on me. Then her head snapped toward the train tracks and across the station.


    "Where am I? How did I get here?" she screamed.


    Her voice pierced the air and woke my father.


    In the next few minutes, they cycled through every possible emotion. They shouted at me, demanding to know how I had brought them here.


    One by one, they opened my bags and searched through everything I had packed.


    "How did we get here? Are you out of your mind?" my father barked.


    "Don¡¯t you know your brother cannot survive in this environment? He will turn into a monster," my mother cried, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face.


    I watched them in silence, sitting back on the bench with one ankle resting over my knee and my hands sped behind me.


    "And you think he is not a monster already?" I asked calmly, tilting my head as I looked at him with open judgment.


    "What have you done?" my mother demanded. "We should wait. The train wille back. It has to." She began rubbing her hands together, panic rising in her eyes.


    "I do not think it ising back," I replied casually, rising from the bench. "You should not rely on it too much."


    I picked up one bag, then grabbed the other containing my parents¡¯ needles and the files.


    "Where are you taking those? You are not leaving me here," my mother shouted, her fists clenched at her sides.


    "Why?" I shot back. "So you can start your experiments here too?"


    Her eyes burned into my back.


    A low growl rumbled from behind us. I did not turn around. I already knew what it meant.


    My brother was waking up.


    "I did nothing wrong," I said evenly. "I only brought a monster back to his own home."


    Before I could say anything more, my mother¡¯s hand struck my face. The p echoed across the tform.


    I simply smiled at her in return.


    "Mother, you did everything you could. Now I will do what I must."


    I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder.


    "We need to leave. Once my brother regains his senses, he will attack us first."


    With that, I picked up my bags and walked away.


    Within minutes, I heard my parents¡¯ footsteps rushing after me. Their pace was frantic.


    "Give us the bags. We can tranquilize him. We can help him," my mother pleaded, her voice trembling as she tried to reason with me.


    I did not stop. I was not going to waste those needles on him.


    He was a newly turned monster. He could still be controlled. But I knew more monsters woulde here, and that bag would be essential for handling them.


    We kept moving for a while. Then my parents slowed and turned back.


    I think they considered going back to Charles. But his growls had grown so loud that they started running toward me again.


    We wandered through the night without direction. Then something struck me.


    There was a ce Haiden had built for Sadie when she was pregnant. I remembered the fence he had put up and the small tent he had secured there.


    My parents were already on the edge of hysteria. I did not want to push them any further.


    I needed them steady. I wanted us to work together and help the people trapped here. For that, I had to support them first.


    So I led them toward that safe spot.


    But the moment we reached it, what I saw there left me stunned.

 Chapter 520-I Found Him In The North

    <h4>Chapter 520: 520-I Found Him In The North</h4>


    <strong>Mariana:</strong>


    By now I had no idea how many hours I had been running. My feet throbbed with every step.


    The dress I was wearing was so inappropriate that even if I tried to defend myself, it was nearly impossible. I was still in the same gown I had worn for breakfast.


    My makeup was still on, though it had smeared all over my face. My hairstyle waspletely ruined.


    The princess who had barely ever lifted a ss at home was now wandering through the woods with the heels of her shoes clutched in one hand and a log gripped tightly in the other.


    I needed a safe ce for the night, and the night was approaching fast. Exhausted, I sank down in one spot to rest when strange sounds began echoing around me.


    Today I realized how dangerous the North truly was. I had not even been able to close my eyes for long.


    I kept thinking that if I shut them for too long, a monster would snatch me away. I was still deep in the woods.


    Worn out, I kept moving forward. Several times, strange creatures and twisted animals appeared before me, and I knew they were monsters.


    Some I managed to scare off with the log. Some I had to strike. It was not easy.


    Most of the time, I crept along quietly, forcing myself not to make a sound. But as night fell, I understood that something worse was beginning.


    Low growls echoed from every direction. The monsters were closing in.


    I could not understand how a father could do this to his daughter. Then I began to think about all those teenagers who were brought here.


    How did they survive? From the outside, we used to assume they were handed guns and trained to fight.


    This time, I learned the truth. They were given no guns and no training.


    They were taken from their homes, sent to the academy, then to the train station, and finally to the North. That was the journey. That was all they were given.


    "Hey, look over there," my wolf whispered in a weak voice.


    Thankfully, she had started to wake in fragments, though the transition was still taking time. She was still in pain.


    When I followed her voice and looked ahead, I noticed something that looked like a fence. It seemed as if someone had tried to build a safe area there.


    Without thinking, I rushed toward it. As I reached the fence, I saw that someone had created a small secured space.


    Inside stood a badly damaged makeshift tent. I quickly shut the fence behind me, secured it, and went inside the tent.


    I sat down, curling into myself. Within moments, tears began spilling from my eyes.


    "Don¡¯t cry. You already know your father has always been cruel," my wolf murmured softly, trying tofort me.


    But she also knew that no matter how many words she used, no matter how many lubies she sang in my mind, this pain would not lessen.


    I survived today. I do not know if there will even be a tomorrow morning.


    It is not enough for me to survive. I will need food. I will have other needs.


    Will I spend my entire life here now? If the Crusaders, the Alpha¡¯s children, could not survive here and so many of them died every time, then what am I?


    I have never even raised my hands to defend myself. How will I live here?


    A sob tore out of me, and I broke down, hupping through my tears.


    "Mariana, I do not know much. But I know this, you have to rely on me. The moment troublees, I will shift. Whatever happens, we are not the children of low ranked parents. Our rank is strong. Yes, you did not train, but I do not need training. I can defend myself, and I can defend you," Ana dered confidently.


    Her seriousness steadied me a little. I felt a small wave of reassurance settle inside me.


    The only problem was that I did not know how long we could go on like this. The North was not a ce meant for living. That was why it had been locked behind so many gates and towers.


    Eventually, I fell asleep sitting there. I have been under stress sincest night.


    First, I was worried about Fauna. Then came the full trauma of the morning. After that, what my father did to me.


    I was still sitting there when sleep took over. Loud screams jolted me awake, and my heart lurched violently in my chest.


    It felt as if someone was moving around the fence. I could hear sounds outside, and among them was a growl.


    Fear crawled up my spine. As I rubbed my eyes and looked ahead, I realized it was almost morning.


    I could not believe I had slept through the entire night.


    "How shameless am I to fall asleep at a time like this?" I muttered to myself inint.


    "Stop being hard on yourself, Mariana. None of this is your fault," Ana snapped finally, her voice rising when frustration overtook her.


    "Right now, you only need to know that someone is around our fence."


    That confirmation was all I needed from her. My skin broke out in goosebumps instantly.


    I rose carefully and grabbed the log I had kept beside me through the night. I wrapped both hands around it and stepped out with caution.


    The sun struck my eyes so sharply that I flinched. Either the night had been too deep, or even the faint light now felt like needles piercing my vision.


    The moment I moved outside, I saw someone bent over on the ground beyond the fence. I sprinted toward them at full speed and swung the log with all my strength.


    As the man straightened, he caught the log mid air. In the next second, he yanked me toward him.


    I stumbled against the fence while he stood firm on the other side. When he pulled me closer and my scattered senses began to settle, I realized I knew the face in front of me.


    "Yorick," I breathed.


    His brows eased instantly.


    "Mariana, what are you doing here?" he demanded, shock ringing in his voice.

 Chapter 521-Summoned To The Basement

    <h4>Chapter 521: 521-Summoned To The Basement</h4>


    <strong>Leysa:</strong>


    "I will speak with my mom and thene back to you, okay?" Troy murmured, his tone low and guarded as he gave me a subtle hand gesture, assuring me everything would be fine.


    The reason for his awkwardness was obvious.


    The moment we arrived and slipped into the mansion, then crossed toward the guest house that stood at some distance from the main building but within the same fence where his mother lived alone, everything spiraled into chaos.


    The second we rushed inside and he locked the door of the two story guest house,plete with a basement and several furnished rooms, his mother saw Clementine.


    Troy lunged toward her and mped his hand over her mouth to stop her scream. He used all his strength to calm her before she finally allowed us to stay in one of the rooms.


    I stayed beside Clementine at first, then rose and followed Troy. If they were going to discuss anything, I needed to be there.


    After what Yorick had done, I trusted no one. Not even Troy¡¯s mother.


    Her eyes already carried a strange intensity. The way she looked at Clementine made her feelings clear.


    She had never liked her. Not after the entire fallout of their broken friendship.


    I stepped outside and stood near the doorway, watching Troy speak to his mother.


    "Why is she here?" she demanded. "Did you not hear the announcement? She is a monster. Why would you bring a monster into your home when your mother lives here alone?"


    I had expected this.


    "Mother, she is not a monster. Do you not understand? This is their way of trapping her. If anyone spots her, they will report her so they can silence her before she reaches the news and exposes them," Troy insisted, gently reaching for her elbow.


    She slipped her arm free and pushed his hand down, making it clear she was not convinced.


    "Then tell me," she pressed, folding her arms. "What exactly will she tell the news? Why would they lie? Everything that needed to be revealed was already said by Ian."


    It was a fair question. I had wondered the same. The council was clearly targeting the strongest threat.


    "Mother, you know Clementine speaks up against injustice. That is what they fear," Troy replied, trying again to reason with her.


    I watched him quietly and allowed myself a faint smile. It was strange to be standing beside him like this.


    We had never worked together before, yet we had crossed paths often. I used to feel jealous of Clementine for having secured his friendship.


    I had always found him attractive.


    "That makes no sense," his mother snapped, dragging me back to the moment as she argued with him again.


    "Mother, all I am asking is that you trust me. Do you trust me?" Troy stepped closer, gripping her arms just below the elbows and giving her a firm shake, stopping her from pulling away this time.


    She stared at him, bitterness clouding her expression. Then she exhaled heavily and lowered her hands.


    "Fine," she muttered. "But the moment I find out she is dangerous, I will not tolerate it." She pointed a finger at him in warning.


    "I will not let that happen. Nowe on," Troy urged.


    As they turned around, their eyes met mine.


    The way she looked at me was strange. We had interacted before, and honestly, there had never been bad blood between us.


    She had once been close to my mother, almost friends. She disliked Clementine because my mother disliked her.


    My mother often reminded her that Clementine had ruined Troy¡¯s reputation, while she praised me instead. But the expression she gave me now was different.


    "Leysa, I heard you were getting married to Yorick. I am shocked he only summoned you to feed you to his sick brother," she said quietly.


    Her tone carried genuine regret. She was apologizing for something she had no part in.


    "It is fine," I replied with a smallugh. "I suppose I was desperate." I straightened my posture and nced away from Troy.


    "Please be careful," she continued, rubbing her hands together. "Do not think I do not want to help Clementine. I am just scared."


    She hesitated, then added, "Ever since Troy told me the truth about those fake messages, about the leaks and who was behind ruining his reputation, I have felt guilty for how I treated Clementine." She took a steady breath and faced us fully.


    "And my fear has nothing to do with hatred," she insisted softly. "I am just afraid."


    It made sense. Anyone would be.


    I looked at Troy, then stepped forward and reached for his mother¡¯s hands.


    "I understand what you are saying," I began gently, holding Lady Lydia¡¯s fingers. "I feel the same. We have all wronged Clementine in some way." I sighed.


    "I also understand why you are frightened," I continued. "But there is nothing to fear from her. I know what they are doing and why. I have been inside Yorick¡¯s mansion. I have seen how his parents were preparing to create monsters." I gulped at the memory.


    "You would be shocked at the lengths they are willing to go to silence Clementine and keep the academy running," I exined.


    Lady Lydia nodded slowly, her expression softening as she absorbed my words.


    "I will prepare food for you guys," she said atst. "But you must keep a low profile. After the announcement, everyone is looking for Clementine." She lifted her hand and gave me a gentle pat on the head.


    There was a certain shine in her eyes whenever she looked at me, and then at Troy.


    When she stepped away, Troy and I faced each other. We both exhaled at the same time, as if we had finally found a moment to breathe.


    "Anyway, I will sit beside Clementine and wait for her to wake up. I need to talk to her," I said, rubbing my hands together as I turned to leave.


    "Actually, can youe to the basement with me? I need to get something," Troy called out suddenly, stopping me in my tracks.


    For a moment, rm bells rang in my head. I could not exin why, but something felt off.


    I forced myself to dismiss the thought. He was Troy. We were working together.


    It was not as if I had not known him since childhood.


    "Sure," I replied, even though I did not know what he intended.


    I followed him toward the basement.

 Chapter 522-The Kiss Of Love

    <h4>Chapter 522: 522-The Kiss Of Love</h4>


    <strong>Leysa:</strong>


    With every step toward the basement door, something began to feel strange. The questions Troy started asking did not sit right with me.


    "So, do you have feelings for anyone?" he asked.


    I slowed down, turned to face him, and gave him a puzzled look before straightening my posture.


    "Why would you ask that? Do not tell me you have a crush on me," I teased.


    Of course, that was impossible. It could never be.


    I knew he liked my sister. He was her mate.


    As for me, I was just someone he had known in passing. Maybe a little more than that, but never someone he would look at that way.


    "Why is it so unbelievable?" he shot back.


    The question felt strange. My steps slowed, but I adjusted my posture, pretending I was not paying much attention to what barely qualified as flirting.


    "Anyway, what are we looking for?" I asked, nodding toward the basement.


    He pointed at the door and unlocked it. As it creaked open and he gestured for me to go ahead, I froze.


    A hard gulp slid down my throat. I had to force it, and I was sure he noticed because he stepped closer, studying my face.


    "What happened? Go on," he urged.


    "What are we looking for?" I repeated, turning fully toward him this time. I wanted him to understand that I would not blindly follow him downstairs without knowing why.


    I had once been trapped in a house full of unstable people. I was not about to put myself in danger again.


    He did not seem pleased. He moved even closer.


    "I did not think you would hesitate to follow me into the basement," he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Do you not trust me?"


    I kept my eyes on the stairs before finally facing him.


    "I was trapped thest time I trusted someone," I told him quietly. "It is not about you, Troy. Sometimes things are about me."


    The emotions hit me without warning. I used to cry only in front of my parents because I knew they wouldfort me. In truth, I rarely felt like crying.


    But after they were gone, I had to force myself to stay strong. Then I was captured by those people and left scarred.


    "Then let¡¯s say it is about you," he murmured, gesturing toward the basement again.


    I stared at the open doorway, then stepped back.


    "You know what? I do not even want to know anymore. You should consider my mental health too. I know you probably do not care, but I thought you might care a little. It is fine. No one has to care about me. I can take care of myself."


    The words spilled out of me. They had been sitting inside since the day I was locked in that room, waiting for Charles to devour me.


    "You need to let your emotions out more often," Troy remarked.


    I rolled my eyes. If he thought this sudden trip to the basement had anything to do with my well being, I did not believe it.


    "Alright," he said atst. "I will tell you what I wanted. I needed to speak to you privately. I wanted to ask you something."


    His tone shifted. There was a sharp edge to it that made the hair at the back of my neck rise.


    "And you needed me to go into the basement for that?" I asked.


    If he wanted me to trust him, he was not helping his case. The more he spoke, the more suspicious I became.


    "Yeah. It is something that has to be done alone, away from everyone," he replied.


    His tone unsettled me.


    "What is it? What do you want to know?" I asked, drawing in a slow, heavy breath to steady myself.


    I had already endured enough. I was not going to let anyone belittle me or push me over the edge again.


    He stepped closer and looked straight into my eyes.


    "Did you tell Clementine about our one night stand?" he asked.


    The question struck me hard. I had been waiting for him to bring it up.


    I swallowed and looked away.


    "No, I have not," I answered honestly.


    "I want the truth," he whispered.


    I stared at him in disbelief. He was truly afraid I would tell Clementine and ruin whatever chance he believed he still had with her.


    For a moment, I wondered why I had assumed he would back off once Clementine chose Ian. Maybe I had been thinking too far ahead.


    "Troy, I have not told her anything," I said firmly. "But if you keep pushing me, I might."


    He held my gaze for a second. Then everything changed.


    His hand shot forward and closed around my neck. He shoved me back against the wall, pressing in close.


    My eyes widened in shock. Tears burned at the corners.


    So this was what it hade to. No one ever chose me first.


    But watching Troy do this to me, whether for Clementine or for himself, shattered something inside me.


    He leaned closer, his breath brushing my skin.


    And then he kissed me.


    For the first few seconds, I could not move or respond to his kiss. It felt unreal, like something I had once imagined but never believed would actually happen.


    Then his hands slid down from my neck to my chest, and he squeezed me roughly.


    A shiver ran through me, not from desire but from the sudden shift in control.


    I reached up and ced my hand behind his head. Instead of pushing him away, I pulled him closer and deepened the kiss.


    Our lips moved in rhythm, our breaths tangling as the kiss deepened. His hands wandered over me, while my fingers threaded through his hair and held him close.


    Then a sharp cough cut through the moment.


    We both froze. Another pointed cough followed from the side.


    Slowly, we pulled away from each other. Our heads turned in the same direction.


    His mother stood there, watching us with a bright smile on her face. Her hands were pressed against her chest in delight.


    "You two are together!" she eximed, sounding genuinely pleased.


    Both of us immediately lowered our heads and stepped apart.


    It would be safe to say we were embarrassed to be caught by his mother.

 Chapter 523-Took Your Hatred To Heart

    <h4>Chapter 523: 523-Took Your Hatred To Heart</h4>


    <strong>Fauna:</strong>


    "You don¡¯t have that weak wolf, as I thought you would have," he remarked.


    After I transitioned back, the headmaster and I walked toward the main road, leaving the woods behind us. We moved slowly because it felt like we both had things to say.


    "Well, you¡¯re just like I heard about you. Very brutally honest," I replied, smiling to myself.


    "That is because the bottom line is that I am praising your wolf," he answered.


    I smiled again and gently fidgeted with my fingers.


    "What is bothering you, my daughter?" he asked, his tone loving.


    Why had our own parents not given us love and protection like other men did. It felt as if the wrong people had been given the gift of children.


    "What makes you say I have something on my mind?" I asked him, slowing my steps so we would not reach our destination or the others too quickly because I really wanted to speak with him.


    "I notice you¡¯re not very happy about your marriage, about your eptance to Haiden," the headmaster observed, his hands tied behind his back, his posture straight as always.


    "He came to reject me. He only pitied me," I muttered, swallowing hard.


    "I understand what you¡¯re feeling, but let¡¯s be honest," he began, keeping his hands behind him. "Yes, he said he was going to reject you. Yes, it may have seemed like he pitied you."


    He paused and drew a slow breath before continuing.


    "But the look he showed when he watched you in pain, when you came out of the basement..." His eyes softened. "I have only seen that look in a few people."


    As he inhaled deeply, I tilted my head to show he had my full attention.


    "One of them is me," he confessed. "That is how I looked at my mate when they injected her with the vial."


    It was truly odd for me to hear someone convince me that he did not look at me with hatred, because previously I had only heard people remind me that he did not like me, that he looked at me as if he were disgusted with me, and that I should move on.


    So I was not sure which of them was telling the truth. I just wished the headmaster was, because he was more experienced and honest.


    When he finished, I lowered my gaze.


    "I¡¯m so sorry that our families did that to you, your family, and your people," I said.


    That was what I had learned after being taken out of the mansion. I had only uncovered a few details, but I intended to speak with Ian and ask him everything.


    Everything our families had done, and how the creation of the North had been for entertainment, had stemmed from an evil person¡¯s idea.


    "I think we should hurry up," I whispered, taking a deep breath.


    The headmaster slowly ced his hand on my head, almost like giving me a blessing. Then he pulled away and led us out.


    When I stepped onto the road again, my eyesnded on Haiden. He had been pacing anxiously and stopped the moment he saw me.


    His shoulders straightened and he moved toward me.


    "You¡¯re looking much better. It seems like the transition¡ª" he began.


    I cut him off and walked past him without slowing down.


    "We should hurry up, Ian," I said, addressing Ian instead.


    Haiden grunted behind me.


    "Yeah, let¡¯s go," Haiden replied.


    We got into the car together. The headmaster was driving and Ian sat in the passenger seat, while Haiden and I climbed into the back.


    Ian was telling me about the origin of the Academy. I shifted toward the middle of the seat, still trying to keep distance between Haiden and me.


    Ian turned around in his seat, letting his father drive while he looked back at me.


    "Oh yeah, so basically," he began, thenunched into the full story.


    I was shocked by what I heard. For the next half hour, we talked back and forth without stopping.


    "Ian, can you please just look ahead?" Haiden grumbled. "At this point, we need to sit in silence."


    Heined about us talking nonstop.


    I noticed the headmaster adjusting the rearview mirror to look at Haiden.


    "It¡¯s not my fault that your mate wants to know things from me," Ian remarked with a chuckle.


    I leaned back in my seat, smiling at Ian¡¯sment, then turned to look out the window.


    After a few minutes of silence, Haiden gently tapped the back of my hand. I pulled my hand away quickly and frowned at him.


    "I¡¯m also a crusader, and I know all the details," Haiden muttered under his breath. "If you¡¯re so curious and want to know about the Academy and everything, you can ask me."


    "Why would I want to hear anything from you?" I shot back, shrugging before looking away again.


    "Well, for starters, we are husband and wife," he replied angrily.


    There was so much anger in his voice.


    "Do you not know? I did so well in the North," he added.


    I let out a deep groan to make it clear that I did not care.


    "Ian, Headmaster, would you please tell my wife that I was one of the best crusaders at the academy?" he asked, then took one step forward, dragging the two innocent people into the silent war we were having.


    Ian turned around and passed without a nce, still cracking his knuckles, then he smirked.


    "I do not remember such a thing, but sure," Ian replied.


    As soon as Ian said that, his father chuckled softly. I had never seen the headmasterugh, so I could tell the two were having a great time.


    "Headmaster, would you please remind her that I was really great out in the north?" he requested, turning to the headmaster to take his side.


    "Son, all I know is that you were always angry," the headmastermented, and I could hear the teasing undertone in his voice.


    Haiden grunted and pulled back.


    "Damn it," he cursed under his breath.


    He still could not get my attention.


    "Ain¡¯t it fun when your mate¡¯s attention is being forcefully pulled away to someone else?" Ian remarked, and I realized what he was trying to do.


    He was paying Haiden back for all the times Haiden and the others had tried to get Clementine¡¯s attention by chasing after her.


    "Take a turn here," I instructed the headmaster, leaning forward slightly. "There is a road with a few shops. Not many people use it unless they want to buy something. This is where Grant enters our pack."


    I was informing him where they could catch the man who had all the details about Nook.


    The headmaster turned the car. His warriors and lurkers behind us followed, heading straight onto the road.


    That was when they stopped the cars in a way that blocked any escape.


    We stepped out and waited for the man to appear.


    I tried my best to stay away from Haiden and avoided standing near him, but he kept moving closer as if trying to stand beside me.


    "Can you just stop moving away from me?" he finally snapped.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes turned toward us.


    Haiden grabbed my arm and pulled me aside, away from the cars and the others.


    "What is it?" I snapped, freeing my arm and challenging him with a bitter look on my face.


    "Why are you ignoring me?" he finally asked, looking at me directly.


    I was shocked to see so much emotion in his eyes. It caught me off guard.


    "Do you not know?" I asked.


    Before I could even pause, he was already pressing me for an answer.


    "No, I don¡¯t," he argued. "You wanted to marry me, and now that we are married, you¡¯re ignoring me."


    He pointed at his chest. His muscles and biceps tightened with anger.


    "That is because you married me out of pity. You were going to reject me, Haiden," I replied.


    I paused as emotions rushed to my eyes and formed into tears.


    "I thought you were avoiding me because you did not want to fall for me," I continued, holding his gaze. "Until you spoke of rejection, and I realized you never loved me."


    A tear rolled down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away.


    "That is not true," he murmured.


    His voice was low and strained.


    "That is the truth. You cannot twist it any longer," I hissed at him.


    "You always made it seem like you were just angry because of my father, but if that were the case, you would have been angry with Mariana too. All your anger was toward me, which made me realize that you truly despised me, that I was annoying to you, that I was," I paused when I noticed he had started to clench his fist, as if warning me not to say another word.


    "You never loved me. I was just too blind to see that."


    I grunted under my breath while he kept ring at me.


    Then he took a deep breath and ced his hands on his waist.


    "No, that is not the truth," he replied confidently.

 Chapter 524-Clementine Is Dead

    <h4>Chapter 524: 524-Clementine Is Dead</h4>


    <strong>Haiden:</strong>


    I felt pain when Fauna started to reject me.


    It was something I deserved. I had been dismissive toward her, and when she did the same to me, I felt like I was losing my mind.


    I pulled her aside to question her. She carelessly imed that I did not love her.


    "It is a lie," I insisted.


    She ced her hands on her waist and stared at me with her chipmunk cheeks and wide eyes.


    "I do not hate you," I muttered under my breath, guilt pressing against my chest.


    "You were going to reject me," she repeated.


    "No, Fauna. I said I was going to reject you, but I am not even sure if I could," I confessed, turning away from her.


    She studied my face in silence.


    Before either of us could say more, a car pulled up and honked at ours to move. It had to stop because our vehicle blocked the way.


    "What is going on? Is someone important here?" a man called from the passenger seat, leaning out the window.


    He froze when he saw Fauna standing with me. A frown formed on his forehead.


    Then his gaze shifted to Ian, and something clicked.


    That was Grant. He was the one who kept the data on everyone.


    The moment the driver tried to move again, our lurkers, the headmaster, and Ian rushed toward the car.


    Ian moved fast. He yanked the backseat door open and dragged Grant out, hauling him across the road toward our cars.


    The warriors with Grant were outnumbered. They fled with the driver.


    Grant watched them go and grunted in anger when they did not stay to save him.


    "I do not understand why you are holding me here. What did I do wrong?" Grant panicked, dropping to his knees in front of us and looking around.


    "Oh, you will find out soon," Ian growled as he drove another punch into him.


    I understood that Ian was angry. Still, the violence felt unnecessary before the truth came out.


    But I stayed silent and let him handle it.


    It was his mate they had taken from him.


    And now, when Fauna spoke to Ian and ignored me, jealousy twisted inside me. It made me realize how real it was.


    Jealousy among mates was not a joke.


    "All we want to know is where Nook is," the headmaster stated, stepping forward and cing a hand on his son¡¯s shoulder to pull him back before questioning Grant.


    "Nook? Who is that and what do I have to do with him?" Grant muttered, acting confused.


    I noticed Ian¡¯s jaw clench again. It was a clear sign he would not let any lies slide.


    "You know we were looking for you, don¡¯t you?" Ian snapped.


    Grant acted as if this was the biggest news he had ever heard. He looked at me in confusion, then turned his head toward Fauna, since he already knew us.


    It felt like a cry for help and also a hint that he wanted to know what was really going on.


    "Answer what he¡¯s asking you," I muttered, making it clear that he could not just keep looking at us for help.


    We were not going to help him. We only wanted him to tell the truth, but he was making it difficult.


    "But I¡¯m being honest with you. I have no clue who Nook is. And I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re asking me this question."


    At that point, he was really pushing the limits.


    I stepped back and gestured toward Ian, giving him a look that said I was done. He was all his.


    That seemed to scare Grant because the moment he saw Ian walk toward him, he covered his head with his hands.


    "I¡¯m innocent. What am I being punished for?" he screamed, beginning to cry.


    "Do you know it is illegal to attack someone like this? We pack members need to stick together," he went on, speaking nonsense.


    As he kept rambling, Ian approached him, grabbed him by the back of his head, and struck him several times before the man realized that no one was buying his act.


    "Okay, wait. I remember Nook. Oh yeah, I remember. He does business, right?" the man spoke in haste, trying to get us to stop Ian. The Headmaster told Ian to take a break.


    "The man who had Clementine, that is who Nook is, and you know that," the Headmaster muttered to Grant.


    Ian stepped back because it was time for Grant to be honest with us.


    He straightened his posture, but his eyes lingered on the ground.


    "Yeah. Nook," he uttered to himself.


    "Tell us, where was Clementine taken after Nook was killed?" Ian demanded.


    As soon as Ian said that, the man lifted his head, then shrugged.


    "I don¡¯t know."


    That was all he said before Ian lunged at him again.


    As Ian began punching him, the man started to break.


    "Okay, fine. I know. I know. And no, Nook is not dead. He lied to you."


    The man began confessing almost immediately. It felt abrupt, but he kept talking.


    "He is alive. He is away from home and everything," he continued. "It is true his ce was under attack."


    He hesitated as he spoke, offering little more than we already knew.


    "Where is Clementine?" I demanded, grunting under my breath and clenching my fist.


    Grant scanned all of us before his eyes settled on Fauna. I caught the bitterness on her face.


    That was enough. He was pushing his luck.


    I nced at Fauna, then back at him. Rage surged, and I lunged at him, driving my fist into his face again and again until the headmaster grabbed me from behind and dragged me off him.


    "You fucking do not look at my mate," I roared, struggling against the grip, wanting to gouge his eyes out.


    Grant rolled his eyes and spat out blood. He drew in a breath and shook his head, as if the news he carried would leave us frozen.


    "Fine. I will tell you where Clementine is, but I do not think you can handle the truth," he whispered.


    Ian reacted first. He seized Grant by the cor, shook him hard, and forced him to meet his eyes.


    "Say it again," Ian demanded.


    "When Nook was under attack, the thugs found Clementine in his captivity," Grant said, his voice unsteady. "But she was already dead."


    The words did not just make my heart skip. Fauna covered her mouth with both hands, and Ian stared at Grant in disbelief.


    He stood there for a moment without moving. Then he staggered back.


    His father caught him before he fell, but Ian slipped from his hold and dropped to the ground, his eyes empty.


    I lunged at Grant again and wrapped my fingers around his neck.


    "Tell us the truth. Where is Clementine?" I demanded.


    He choked and wed at my hands, coughing as he fought for air.


    "I told you. I told you the truth. She is dead," he rasped. "They buried her somewhere. I do not know where, but I can find out in a few days."


    The words settled like poison. Ian kept retreating until his back hit nothing, and he copsed onto the ground, staring ahead without focus.


    Watching Ian like that, I felt a deep unease.


    He did not move while the lurkers restrained Grant and tied his hands behind his back.


    I pulled out my phone and stepped aside, gesturing for Fauna to stay with Ian.


    Even with his father beside him, I feared for Ian and his mental state.


    The moment the call connected, Troy answered.


    "Hello?" he said, anxiety sharp in his voice, as if I had caught him off guard.


    "Dude, you need to get here. I am sending you the address. Juste. Now," I urged, dragging a hand through my hair.


    Tears burned in my eyes.


    "What is it? What happened?" he pressed.


    I sniffled and turned to look at Ian again.


    He still had not moved.


    "We found out where Clementine is," I said.


    On the other end, Troy gasped.


    "What is going on? What are they saying?" a familiar voice called from behind him.


    I could not ce it. I only knew it was a woman¡¯s voice.


    I frowned but chose not to dwell on it.


    Gossip meant nothing to me right now.


    "Troy, juste over. Ian is not taking the news well. Juste. We need you here," I insisted.


    As I spoke, I heard Troy clear his throat several times.


    "I aming," he replied.


    That was all he said before ending the call.


    I stared at my phone, confused.


    He had not asked a single question. He just sounded afraid.


    "What is it?" Fauna asked as she approached me, noticing how anxiously I had stepped away earlier.


    "I just called Troy to ask him toe here," I uttered, zoning out as I reyed my interaction with him again and again.


    "And?" Fauna asked softly.


    I stared at her and tilted my head.


    "He was acting very odd."


    The moment I said that, Fauna pouted.


    Of course, she did not know Troy the way I did, so his response had truly confused me.


    But at that moment, I was more focused on helping Ian than thinking about Troy¡¯s behavior.

 Chapter 525-Found Myself A Cute Mate

    <h4>Chapter 525: 525-Found Myself A Cute Mate</h4>


    <strong>Troy:</strong>


    The turn of events was strange. It started when I saw Leysa again.


    Meeting her made me feel a pull toward her. I wanted to understand what was happening to me.


    When I kissed her, I felt a pull that was unbreakable and impossible to exin.


    When my mother appeared and we pulled apart, Leysa did not say anything to me. That confused me.


    I expected her to tell me she felt the agitation in her body too.


    When she stayed silent, I took a deep breath. While my mother stood there, I grabbed Leysa again.


    "Oh!" my mother eximed, turning her back to us andughing as I kissed Leysa once more.


    Even Leysa looked shocked. Then she began moving her lips with mine, but she suddenly stopped.


    With both hands, she shoved me away and gasped.


    "What happened?" my mother demanded, turning around at the force Leysa used to push me.


    "Nothing. I need to go check on Clementine," Leysa muttered, avoiding my mother¡¯s eyes and refusing to look at me. Her eyes told me something was wrong.


    She slipped between us and hurried off. My mother stepped toward me.


    "What is it? What happened?" she pressed, grabbing my arm and shaking me.


    "I need to go have a word with her," I replied, pulling free and striding after Leysa, who was trying to get away from me as fast as she could.


    "What was that?" I asked Leysa, stepping into her path.


    My mother followed, slowing when she saw we had stopped.


    "What? It was nothing," Leysa muttered, avoiding my eyes.


    "No, Leysa. Tell me. What was it?" I pressed, my fingers curling around her arms.


    She looked anxious before lifting her head to meet my gaze.


    "Why are you asking me? Did you not feel it?" she asked quietly.


    A small sigh slipped from her lips. It told me why she had tried to storm past me.


    "I felt the pull," I admitted.


    Her jaw clenched, and she turned to leave again.


    "Leysa, for fuck¡¯s sake, let¡¯s just talk," I snapped, stepping after her.


    She stopped and faced me, hands on her waist.


    "You did not feel it, so why do you fucking want me to say I felt something with you?" she demanded, desperation in her eyes.


    "I did not feel it because I have a mate," I replied. "And I am not angry that you felt something. Can you not hear the desperation in my voice? I want to know what you felt."


    Frustration edged into my tone as I finally chose honesty.


    She swallowed and looked away.


    "I felt a mate bond with you," she said, and I drew in a sharp breath.


    "Why did you not feel it? Alphas or male wolves can have more than one mate," she added, confusion written across her face.


    "Maybe it is different with Clementine," my mother interjected, approaching slowly.


    There was happiness in her eyes, though she held it back when she saw Leysa¡¯s distress.


    "I am only saying what I believe," she continued, ncing at Leysa. "It is obvious Clementine has more than one mate, which makes her different from other she-wolves. Maybe her mates cannot take another until they reject her."


    Her exnation made sense. But when she mentioned rejection, Leysa turned to me, her eyes full of questions.


    I felt torn. I had loved Clementine for a long time.


    And yet I felt this connection with Leysa. I liked her.


    "You know what? I will be with Clementine," Leysa hissed when I failed to answer.


    When she disappeared from sight, my mother gave me a look.


    "Clementine has already been epted by Ian, has she not? I saw the mark on her neck," she stated.


    "Then why chase after her? Why lose the chance for a sweet mate? How long will you keep chasing her? You like Leysa, do you not?" she asked, and I nodded.


    "Then stop this chase," she urged, cing a hand on my shoulder and tapping it before walking away.


    I drew in a breath and entered the room. Clementine sat on the bed, looking lost.


    Leysapletely avoided me and focused on Clementine.


    "She has not spoken a word," Leysa muttered.


    I nodded awkwardly and sat beside Clementine on the bed.


    "Clementine, are you feeling okay now?" I asked, keeping my distance because I knew Leysa was watching every move I made.


    But it was Clementine. I had wanted her for so fucking long.


    When she lifted her head, I saw the mark on her neck. At that moment, I realized I could not be with her.


    She had chosen her mate. I could not lose Leysa by running back to Clementine, someone I knew would never ept me.


    "I do not understand. What is going on? Where am I?" Clementine whispered, her voice defeated and lost.


    Worry crept in immediately.


    Leysa and I exchanged a nce before looking back at her.


    "You were in Yorick¡¯s pack. Remember? There was a monster," I exined carefully. "Then he rejected you."


    The more I spoke, the more lost she appeared.


    "Who is Yorick?" she asked.


    The moment those words left her mouth, the hair on the back of my neck stood up.


    "Wait. Do you remember me?" Leysa asked, pointing at her chest.


    Clementine studied her face, narrowing her eyes as if forcing recognition.


    "Who are you?" Clementine snapped, her voice rising.


    Then she turned to me.


    "And who the fuck are you? Why am I feeling something with you?" she demanded.


    Leysa shot me a frightened look before gesturing for me to step away from the bed.


    I followed her, and we stood together in the corner of the room.


    "We need to take her to Ian. It is getting bad," Leysa said.


    The tone of her voice sent goosebumps down my spine.


    "Why, Ian? I am not asking because I am going to take her to him. I am just curious. Is there something you know that I do not?" I questioned.

 Chapter 526-They Found A Lead And A Deadend

    <h4>Chapter 526: 526-They Found A Lead And A Deadend</h4>


    <strong>Troy</strong>


    I was not nning to stop Clementine from meeting Ian anymore. I had realized I would rather see her happy than wait for her and lose Leysa.


    "I read a file about Clementine," Leysa began.


    "And?" I pressed.


    "And!" She drew in a breath before continuing.


    "They gave her medicine that made her see only Yorick as her mate and love him," she exined. "That is why she did not even realize the child she lost was not Yorick¡¯s. It was her husband¡¯s, Ian¡¯s."


    As she finished, the ground seemed to vanish beneath me. My knees weakened, and I felt as if I had fallen straight into hell.


    Hearing all of that was the saddest thing for me.


    I never imagined Yorick¡¯s parents were something so vile.


    Within five minutes, Leysa exined everything and why we had to take Clementine back to Ian.


    "Okay. Listen to me," I told her once she finished.


    "We have to get her out. We cannot call them here. They cannote, and the calls are being tapped. They are still looking for Clementine, so we need to be careful," I said, watching Leysa nod.


    "What do you want me to do?" she asked, anxiety clear in her eyes.


    "Go to my mother and pack whatever aid you can. Grab food and supplies," I instructed. "I will prepare the car and check the area. If the coast is clear, I wille back inside. Then we take Clementine and leave to find them. Okay?"


    She did not hesitate. She hurried out of the room.


    I looked at Clementine and felt a twist in my chest as she pulled the covers up to her nose andy down.


    I had never seen her like that.


    I rushed outside, slid into my car, and drove around the property for a while.


    The estate wasrge, and I needed to make sure everyone stayed far from us before we moved Clementine.


    By everyone, I meant my stepmother and Messi.


    After preparing everything, when I ran back toward the guest house, I saw my mother and Leysaing out of the basement. The front door was wide open.


    "What happened? What were you doing in the basement?" I asked my mother.


    As I looked, I noticed they were taking out an aid kit and other stuff.


    "I didn¡¯t want you to go to this training without any preparation, so we brought supplies," my mother replied.


    Leysa was holdingrge packs of flour and different kinds of canned food in her hands.


    "Do you think we¡¯re going on some long journey? Or a pic?" I asked my mother.


    She gave me a harsh look. I bit my tongue and mouthed an apology.


    "Your mother is right. We don¡¯t know how long we might have to stay somewhere or where we might end up. The way the news is spreading about Clementine being a monster, we won¡¯t be staying in any motel," Leysa exined.


    SHe had already taken my mother¡¯s side. A smile appeared on my mother¡¯s face, and I felt strangely happy seeing the connection forming between them.


    "Alright, hurry up. And you left the door open upstairs," I added.


    The moment I said that, my mother snapped her head toward me and stared.


    "What happened?" I asked her.


    I took the bags and baskets from her hands and began setting them aside.


    "I locked the door. What do you mean the door was open?" she demanded.


    The moment my mother asked that, Leysa ran toward Clementine¡¯s room.


    The door was slightly open. As soon as she pushed it fully open, Clementine was not inside.


    "Shit," Leysa muttered.


    I was standing right behind her because I had rushed up as well.


    "What happened?" my mother called out.


    I pointed toward the doorway.


    "Clementine isn¡¯t inside. Where did she go?" I asked, panic rising in my chest.


    My mother and I began searching around the house while Leysa remained in the room.


    When we stepped outside and gathered again in the living room, I saw a strange fear on Leysa¡¯s face.


    "It looks like Clementine went outside," I said, already moving toward the door.


    Leysa grabbed my hand and stopped me.


    "No. There are signs of a struggle in the bedroom. Someone took her," The moment she said that, only one name came to my mind.


    "Messi."


    As soon as I said it, I ran toward the main mansion.


    When I reached there, I had not even stepped inside yet when I saw a warrior standing outside.


    "Is Messi inside?" I asked him casually, pretending I had juste to meet him.


    "No, he left in a hurry a while ago," he answered.


    That confirmed it. Messi had kidnapped Clementine.


    While all this was happening, my phone started ringing.


    "Leysa," I called out as I ran back toward the guest house.


    She came and stood beside me.


    I received a call from Haiden. He told me they had found out everything. He sent me directions, and as soon as the call ended, I looked at Leysa.


    Of course, something was wrong because Haiden did not seem to care anymore that the calls were being recorded.


    "What happened?" Leysa asked.


    "I think they know that Clementine are with Messi. We need to move fast," I told her.


    Saying that, I grabbed Leysa¡¯s hand and led her toward my car.


    My mother was still watching us anxiously from the guest house.


    "Keep the door locked. We¡¯ll be back soon," I told her, even though I was not sure we would make it back at all.


    Throughout the car ride, I was extremely anxious. I knew a thousand usations wereing my way.


    The first would be this. If I knew where Clementine was, why didn¡¯t I tell them?


    I knew I was going to get badly scolded for this, and to be honest, it would be justified. It was my fault.


    It took us only a short time to reach that road. When we arrived, I realized they had no idea about Messi.


    They had a man pinned by the neck, his hands restrained tightly. Ian was sitting on the road,pletely still.


    As soon as Leysa and I stepped out of the car and started walking toward them, Haiden came forward and stopped me.


    "That man says Clementine is dead," Haiden words made my heart stop beating.

 Chapter 527-Snakes All Around Me

    <h4>Chapter 527: 527-Snakes All Around Me</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    Life has shown me many forms of grief. From childhood to adulthood, I was taught only one thing, and that was to be tough.


    To learn that, I had to pass through different kinds of pain. A mother who was not there. A father whose attention was lost most of the time or was always working. I had a stepbrother who was always thinking of ways to hurt me.


    Then I went to live with my great grandfather.


    My grandfather used to draw monsters. I would sit beside him for hours, staring at those monsters.


    For a long time, my life became nothing but monsters. Even my nightmares were filled with monsters. Every time he drew a picture, he showed it to me, then exined what the monster did and what kind of powers and weaknesses it had.


    Since I had nothing better to do, I just sat and listened to him. Then I would close my eyes and imagine the monsters walking around me.


    That is how I became deeply connected to them, which is why when I went to the north and started seeing them in front of me, I felt bored.


    In the beginning, I was really upset about being sent there. I was angry with my father too because I thought I had never done anything wrong, so why the heck did he punish me?


    I did not know about my brother¡¯s condition, but I knew he hadmitted many frauds and many painful acts, even against me and others. So I thought if someone should be going to the north, it should have been him for his wrong deeds.


    Then she entered my life.


    My fated mate. My Clementine.


    The moment I saw her, I understood she was special. I also knew she would destroy me.


    I tried many times to stay away from her. I could not.


    She was like a ma and I kept getting pulled toward her.


    Eventually, I surrendered to her. I thought maybe this was the Moon Goddess¡¯ way of redeeming herself.


    After giving me so much pain, maybe she was finally giving me a little happiness.


    But to take that happiness away, many enemies were created.


    "Ian, drink some water."


    Haiden spoke softly, holding a bottle out to me. I gave him a hand gesture to let him know I did not want it.


    The news hit me like a wrecking ball, but more importantly, I could not feel it. I just did not feel it.


    Even though the words were spoken with confidence, something else stopped me from believing them. My own heart. My wolf.


    I had been sitting on the road for a long time, silently feeling nothing.


    "I¡¯m not feeling the loneliness," I said quietly.


    The moment I said that, everyone turned to look at me.


    I lifted my head and looked at each of them.


    I was even more surprised when I saw Leysa standing behind Troy. When had she arrived?


    Also, when did Troye?


    "What are you saying?" Haiden asked, giving me an apologetic look.


    His new mate was standing beside him. They looked connected.


    On the other side, Troy was holding Leysa¡¯s hand.


    A lot was happening here. A lot was changing. It was a lot for me to register but my brain seemed to be cooked.


    "I¡¯m not feeling the connection break," I rified, getting up from the road. Haiden had tears in his eyes. Fauna looked like she was about to cry too, but Troy and Leysa did not seem like they were going to cry over the news.


    They looked more puzzled and worried than sad.


    Everyone was still staring at me.


    "If she is dead, wouldn¡¯t I feel the bond snap?" I asked.


    My voice began to crack.


    I looked at my father. He was staring at me.


    "Tell me, Father. Didn¡¯t you feel the connection break?" I asked, walking toward him.


    He looked lost. As if he wanted to say something but could not say it in front of everyone.


    Finally, he spoke.


    "I mean, we have that poison inside us. We react differently than other werewolves," he exined.


    That was all he said and my eyes closed.


    I clenched my fists to the side of my body and then took a deep breath.


    It felt as if the more I tried to convince myself, the more they were trying to convince me that Clementine was truly dead.


    "No. I¡¯m not ready to believe that she¡¯s dead."


    I shook my head reluctantly. Then I looked around at everyone with anger, daring anyone to repeat those words to my face.


    "You think after all these weeks she would still be alive?" Grant pressed in a stern tone.


    He kept trying to convince me that I was wrong.


    My heart began to sink.


    I slipped into another trance.


    I knew the pattern. First, I would go into shock. Then my mind would convince me that my Clementine was perfectly fine.


    "You should tell him."


    Leysa whispered something to Troy and I snapped my head toward her.


    "What do you mean? What should you tell me?" I demanded, turning my attention to those two.


    Troy looked at everyone once before turning to me. Then he walked toward me in small steps, as if dragging his own body forward.


    "You probably don¡¯t know the truth," Troy said in a soft voice.


    "What truth?" I asked.


    Troy turned to look at Leysa, and she gave him a nod.


    Once again, I noticed that the two did not look like they were going to grieve. They seemed like they were hiding something.


    I watched them in frustration, and I grew angry when I noticed they were still speaking with their eyes instead of being clear with me.


    "Speak. What truth?" My voice rose this time as anxiety filled my veins.


    "Where do you think Clementine was all this time?" he replied, his breath slow and his tone very soft but full of guilt.


    As soon as he said that, I moved closer to him.


    "Troy, what are you saying? Wasn¡¯t she with Nook?" Haiden asked Troy this time, trying to get more answers from him.


    "No! She was not," Troy shocked us with his response.


    Grant gulped and I caught it.


    "Okay, Troy, without any break, fucking tell us what you mean," Haiden snapped, finally annoyed with him.


    While he spoke, I checked Grant¡¯s expression. He looked like he had been caught in a lie.


    And somehow, that lie made me feel relieved rather than angry at him.


    I mean, of course I would beat the fuck out of him for saying something so scary to me, but I was d it had turned out to be a lie.


    "I recently found out that she..." Troy paused before finishing. "She was with Yorick."


    My head began to shake.


    I grabbed Troy¡¯s arm and turned him toward me so his attention stayed only on me.


    "Look at me," I demanded.


    No one else mattered. I wanted the answer from him.


    "What do you mean she was with Yorick? What was she doing with Yorick?" I shouted.


    Troy¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. His hesitation was obvious.


    Then he began to exin.


    He told me Clementine had been sold at Nook. After that, Yorick and his family pretended they were rescuing her.


    During that time, they killed the warriors but let Nook go because it was part of the deal.


    Then Yorick took her to his house, pretending to protect her.


    Everything else Troy said shook my mind.


    Yorick had kept Clementine as a hostage.


    "And you¡¯re telling me this now?" I screamed so loudly that my own ears rang.


    "We found out only a day or two ago. I spent hours traveling. As soon as I reached there, we fought. After that, I took her somewhere safe," Troy tried to exin.


    I grabbed him by the cor.


    "So when you said you were going because of your mother, you were actually leaving because Leysa called you? You were going to get Clementine?" I shouted in disbelief.


    Others seemed to be shocked too. All this time, someone knew and didn¡¯t fucking tell us.


    "Why didn¡¯t you tell us?" I yelled at the top of my voice, shaking him by the cor.


    People started stepping between us, trying to pull me back and protect him.


    But I refused to let him go.


    "Wait a minute. That means Clementine is with you."


    The realization hit me all over again.


    "You said you rescued her and took her somewhere safe. She should be with you. So where is she?" I shouted.


    As I grabbed his cor again, my father stepped between us and forced us apart.


    "Troy, tell us quickly. Where is she? Where did you keep her safe?" my father asked, choosing his words carefully.


    Maybe he believed she was safe.


    I wanted to believe that too.


    But the way Troy avoided my eyes told me something else. The trouble was not over.


    "Unfortunately, I was about to bring her to Ian," Troy replied after a long pause. "But Messi abducted her."


    He answered with clear hesitation.

 Chapter 528-They Got Her

    <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.

 Chapter 529-Like A Monster In A Cage

    <h4>Chapter 529: 529-Like A Monster In A Cage</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    I did not understand what was happening to me, and it felt as if my identity was something else entirely, yet I did not know what it was.


    I had bepletely nk, and inside my mind there was only silence most of the time, though sometimes a sudden storm would rise without a warning.


    Whenever I came back to my senses, I looked around at the people near me, but every face appeared blurred.


    It felt like I had been rejected recently, yet when that thought surfaced, I remembered my mates, and I was still mated to them, I think. But who were they? I could not understand that either.


    As I waited in the room for those strangers to return, an unknown face suddenly appeared in front of me.


    "Oh, Clementine. I should have known you would be with one of them," he said.


    "Who are you?" I asked him, noticing howfortably he roamed around the room, checking one thing after another. It seemed as if he was not only aware of theyout, but also had all the time in the world.


    He stared at me when he heard my question, then tilted his head as if a thought had just urred to him.


    "You don¡¯t know me?" he asked, pointing at his chest and raising his eyebrows to make sure he had heard me correctly.


    "No, I don¡¯t. Have we met before?" I questioned, pressing my head as I tried to understand who this person was. To be honest, he looked a little hostile to me.


    "Oh, you don¡¯t know me?" he repeated, more to himself than to me.


    "Have we met before?" I asked again, trying to understand why he was roaming around the ce I was in if he was aplete stranger. And if he was not, then why the hell could I not remember him?


    "Actually, I¡¯m your friend," he uttered, and I tilted my head in even more confusion.


    "Yes, basically, we have been friends for a very long time. You alwayse to confide in me whenever you are in trouble," he continued as he circled the room, reaching to one side and then moving to the other, like a predator.


    "We were friends?" I asked, trying to confirm whether the person in front of me was a danger or not.


    He nodded confidently, but something told me that was not the case.


    I had met other strangers just moments ago, but him, he was exuding major bad vibes.


    "Yes, and you¡¯re supposed to go somewhere with me."


    As soon as he said that, he stopped at the edge of the bed and raised his hand toward me, as if asking me to hold it.


    That was when something switched inside me, and I shook my head.


    "No, I will wait for my friends toe," I replied, shaking my head once again.


    He clicked his tongue and lowered his hand, looking disappointed, almost as if it were my fault that I had said no and now I would face the consequences.


    "You may please leave the room and return only when theye back," I requested, pulling the nket up to my legs and then to my chest as I watched him stare at me with a nk look on his face, as if he were anticipating what to do next.


    There was an agitation in his body that made me anxious.


    "Well then, you leave me no choice," he stated.


    The way he spoke carried only hostility, and before I could react, he lunged at me.


    I tried to push him away with my hands, but I was not myself. I was weak, so weak that I could not even fight back properly or protect myself, and I did not understand what was happening to me. All I knew was that I had to save myself, yet I could not do it.


    He overpowered me, and for a moment his fingers wrapped tightly around my throat before everything went dark.


    When I regained consciousness, I realized I was being transported inside a cage, and many people were gathered around me. It seemed like some kind of basement, though I had no idea where I was, and I feltpletely lost.


    "So finally you are in our hands. You see, evil always meets a bad end," a woman said as she stepped forward.


    Everything about her was white, from her hair to her clothes. She looked like an angel at first nce, but when she began speaking, her tone was extremely harsh.


    "I don¡¯t understand who you are. Why are you speaking to me like this? And why am I locked inside a cage?" I whispered.


    As soon as I said that, everyone looked at each other.


    "What is she talking about?" a man said from the side.


    I kept staring at him because it felt as if I had seen him somewhere before, and yet at the same time it felt like I had not.


    "Alpha, please. She does this kind of drama. I told you she lies to protect herself," the woman said again, silencing him.


    By then I understood that he was the Alpha, and I felt like I had seen him in passing before, though I still could not understand who he really was.


    Then she turned back to me.


    "I am Lady Sylvia. I am the Council Leader. How could you forget me? I am the one who does not allow evil and monsters on this maind," she continued.


    As she kept speaking, I only became more confused.


    "Anyway, she will keep acting like this. Take her out right now. Everyone has already gathered. They have seen the show. That academy she was calling entertainment and using us of, today it will be exposed in front of everyone. Today she will stand before them all and transition into a monster," Lady Sylvia began.


    She kept calling me a monster.


    I knew my identity had blurred, even in my own eyes, but I knew one thing with certainty. I could not be a monster.


    "One second, please. What is happening here? Will someone tell me?" I said, gripping the bars of the cage.


    The moment I touched them, my hands began to burn, and I understood they were made of silver.


    "Take her away. She will transition in front of everyone and prove that she is a monster," Lady Sylvia ordered, dismissing everyone with a hand gesture.


    The Alphas began lifting the cage and loading it onto arge truck.


    Throughout it all, I did not understand what was happening.


    I felt lost, and my heart was heavy with grief. It felt as if I wanted to mourn something, but I did not even know what that loss was, and on top of that, they were taking me away to force me to transition in front of everyone.


    After that, they took me to arge ground.


    Just as Lady Sylvia had said, a crowd had gathered there. There were so many people that I could not even count them.


    The moment they saw the cage, they began shouting.


    "Is she really a monster? Is that why she could fight monsters, because she is one herself?" a woman screamed.


    I sat down inside the cage because the noise was pounding inside my head.


    At the same time, something else was happening.


    I had been unconscious for a long time, and the pain in my body had begun to fade.


    My wolf was waking up.


    "You are awake?" I asked her inside my mind. "What has happened to us?"


    I did not know where she had been or why she had been silent for so long, but it felt like whatever loss we had suffered, her awakening was tied to it.


    "I don¡¯t want to transition," my wolf¡¯s voice echoed.


    I was shocked.


    Her voice was powerful, yet she sounded as if she was in pain.


    "Clementine, we have to stop our transition," she said, struggling.


    "I can¡¯t stop it," I replied.


    "We have lost too much blood. We have suffered a great loss. I was rejected. Transition is a must."


    She spoke in a trembling voice, and then the pain began spreading through my body.


    "You have all been called here so you can see with your own eyes that there was a monster among us. We have not wronged her. She is a monster, and she belongs in the North," Lady Sylvia announced as she arrived at the ground with the others.


    The crowd began shouting again.


    Their voices started fading from my ears because my transition had begun.


    As my bones started cracking, I saw heads snapping away from me, as if their attention had shifted to someone else arriving.


    "Who is that?" someone shouted.


    I followed the direction of their pointing hands.


    Through the crowd, I saw a familiar face approaching with many others.


    He stood out.


    The moment I saw him, my heartbeat slowed.


    And before I could stop myself, a name escaped my lips.


    "Ian."

 Chapter 530-A Monster In The Woods

    <h4>Chapter 530: 530-A Monster In The Woods</h4>


    <strong>Mariana:</strong>


    When I saw Yorick I was in shock.


    The same disbelief I felt seeing him echoed in his tone. But perhaps for him, being here was not such a surprise. He was a Crusader after all.


    Seeing me here seemed to have unsettled him. His voice had lost its steadiness.


    "Yorick." I do not know what came over me at that moment, but the second I said his name, excitement rushed through me.


    It felt as if I had just seen someone from my own family. Even though I had never truly spoken to Yorick, I knew him in passing.


    I had always known, and admitted to myself, that he was strikingly handsome. Perhaps more than anyone I had ever seen. But we had never shared a real conversation.


    So seeing him here, standing so close, did not feel like facing a stranger. I was looking at the one face in this ce that felt more trustworthy than any other.


    "I can¡¯t believe a father would do that to his own daughters," Yorickmented, agreeing with what I had told him.


    We were sitting together under the fence, next to the little clearing, on the log Haiden had previously set out for a pregnant woman. Actually, Yorick told me about this ce.


    He said it was in their first or second mission that Haiden had prepared this ce for one of the pregnant Crusaders. The stories he told me were heartbreaking.


    "Well, some parents are just evil," Imented.


    As soon as I spoke, I noticed his head snap up and turn toward his parents in the distance. They were inside the fence as well, sitting together and talking in whispers on the opposite side from us.


    I lifted my head and stared at them before looking back at him.


    "I understand that you ended up making mistakes, but you need to understand," I paused, shifting on the log to turn toward him. "That your parents yed a huge part in causing you tomit crimes that you did not want to."


    I noticed his hands clutch together and twitch. Yorick was disying a lot of anxiety.


    "It does not change the fact that I should have helped Clementine out sooner," Yorick spoke between heavy breaths. "She lost her baby, Mariana. She lost her child because of me," Yorick added.


    His eyes moved toward his parents, and his jaw clenched.


    "How could you have taken her out when your parents were actively taking control of matters? I know you¡¯re guilty because of what happened to Oriana and what you were about to do to Leysa, but do not forget your parents were feeding you sedatives to numb your mind to make decisions," I said.


    I paused and let out a deep breath.


    "That is the scary thing about living with people like them. They know how to control and twist your reality," Imented, remembering my own father.


    He did not even have sedatives or medicines, yet he was able to control me and Fauna to the point that he turned us into bitter viins.


    "I just hope Clementine got the help that she needed, and I hope she¡¯ll be able to forgive me," he continued before rubbing his face in his hands.


    "Well, in short, I¡¯m a very bad person," hemented, his shoulders broadening as he turned toward me.


    He was trying to sound yful, but I knew he was hurting deep down.


    "Well, if that makes you a bad person, I¡¯m a bad person too," I replied, giving him a shrug.


    "I have been a very bitter person. I used to be so full of myself," I continued.


    I paused, lowering my head and fixing my eyes on the lonely flower on the ground.


    "When Clementine spoke out about Messi trying to abduct her, I retaliated. I took his side," I admitted.


    I grunted and stretched my neck up to look at the sky, exhausted.


    "I was so naive and stupid," I finished with a sigh.


    "Oh, by the way, Haiden epted my sister."


    I straightened my neck and then turned to look at Yorick¡¯s reaction.


    He had a visible frown on his forehead. Confusion was written all over his face.


    "That¡¯s weird. I mean, I kind of knew he liked her because of the way he would always bring her up in one way or another just to belittle her," Yorick paused, then let out a small snort.


    "Actually, I noticed that. Haiden bullies the person he likes. I guess it is his attempt to control his emotions," Yorick added.


    He paused while looking at me.


    "Wrong, but that is how he works," he finished.


    I started to nod andugh, but my smile faded entirely.


    "What is it?" Yorick asked.


    His voice was soothing. I could listen to him all day.


    "I really wish Ian finds Clementine soon. I mean, of course Troy will take her straight to Ian. They will be so happy," Imented, feeling a little sadness wash over me.


    "You will find your mate soon too, don¡¯t worry," Yorick said, giving me a very yful look.


    "Really? In the north, where only monsters exist?" Imented with an eye roll, getting up from the log and dusting off my clothes.


    "Well, there are normal people here too. You just need to look around for them," Yorick replied.


    Hisment made me turn my head toward him.


    "Did you love Messi?" he asked.


    His question came out of the blue, but I was d he asked.


    "Not really," I replied with a shrug, watching him pull his eyebrows together.


    "I just wanted to get away from my home, to marry some alpha quickly so that my father would be pleased."


    I was not lying. I honestly did not even like the way Messi did things.


    He truly was messy.


    There were moments when I wanted to tell him to his face that I was not interested in his yapping.


    Thankfully, I was here today and not married to him.


    "Well, I thought a beautiful she-wolf like you just wanted to get married, find someone powerful and fun, and settle down," hemented, hiding his meaning behind big words.


    I smiled to myself, biting my bottom lip.


    "Well, thanks for thepliment. As for the rest, that was my father¡¯s wish." a sigh heaved across my lips at the mention of my father.


    It hurt me to think that I could not even trust my own father.


    And then there was my mother, who was probably still under his abusive roof, being tortured by him.


    Now that I was no longer at the mansion and Fauna was gone too, my father would direct all his anger toward my mother, who had been abused for as long as I could remember.


    "I never liked Messi or his mother," I added honestly, not pretending to be something I was not.


    I watched him look at me before he looked away, his eyesnding on the bags.


    "We need to secure these," hemented, pointing at the bags.


    "Secure them from the monsters?" I asked, reaching for one of the bags.


    He had already given me some biscuits and a bottle of juice when we first met. He had actually brought quite a lot with him.


    "No, from them," he mumbled, pointing with his finger while his eyes shifted toward his parents.


    I followed his gaze to his parents, then looked back at him.


    He had brought a lot of things, important ones too. There were fresh fruits as well.


    I wondered why he had thought to bring vegetables and fruits here and how long they would survive.


    "What about the vegetables and the fruits?" I asked,ughing a little as I grabbed an apple.


    "Well, I¡¯m d you asked. We¡¯re going to start farming here," he replied.


    The moment he said that, I turned to look at him, my frown deepening.


    "I want to make this ce feel like home again. I want to correct the wrongdoings of my parents and the others," Yorick said.


    His words shocked me, but honestly, I could not have been more proud of him.


    "At least I have someone who knows what to do. Otherwise, I would have been wandering around aimlessly, waiting for a monster to kill me," Imented, crossing the fence to start bringing in some bricks I had found lying around.


    "Try not to go too far. Just stay within my sight," he whispered softly.


    I smiled and gave him a very satisfying nod.


    "If I wander away,e look for me," I replied teasingly.


    There was a smile on his lips whenever he spoke to me, and it made my cheeks turn red.


    We were nning to popte the area, not in that sense, but by looking for any survivors here.


    He had told me he had some ns. However, I was only a few steps away when I felt something behind me.


    I shifted my weight and turned around to see a monster so strange and twisted standing behind me that my heart stopped for a second.


    It felt too real, too sudden, as the monster jumped at me, throwing me beneath him, his w rising to finish the job.

 Chapter 531-Fought His Brother For Me

    <h4>Chapter 531: 531-Fought His Brother For Me</h4>


    <strong>Mariana:</strong>


    It was a strange being. It did not look old, yet it was not young either.


    "What the fuck are you?" I whispered to myself, watching that beastly thing stare me down as if it would eat me alive.


    It lifted its w and lunged at me. I threw my hands in front of my body and shut my eyes tight.


    I did not feel any impact. Instead, I heard scuffling nearby.


    When I opened my eyes, Yorick had tackled the monster and rolled with it across the ground.


    "Mariana, get away from here! Run for your safety!" Yorick yelled while still fighting off the monster.


    I was frozen in ce. And honestly, I did not want to run. I wanted to stay and make sure Yorick was okay.


    But at the same time, I heard scuffling from the side and noticed someone moving toward me. I took a few steps back, and then I fell down on my ass again.


    Panic shot through me, and I scrambled to my feet. I looked around again and saw that Yorick¡¯s parents had arrived as well.


    "Look, that¡¯s Charles," Yorick¡¯s mother remarked, pointing at the monster.


    For someone whose son was under attack by a monster, shecked the anxiety or worry she was supposed to disy. She was unusually calm.


    Even his father did not seem to be panicking, despite the fact that their son was actively under attack. That made my worry rise.


    "Who is Charles?" I asked, hurrying toward her.


    She shot me a sharp, judgmental re. Then she answered in a low voice, "He is my second son. Why are my two sons fighting?"


    She cried out thest part, and tears streamed down her face.


    I was confused about what was happening. Charles did not look like he wanted to attack Yorick.


    He kept trying toe toward me.


    Their fight continued for a while. Yorick repeatedly grabbed him and flung him away.


    Charles would rise again and move toward me.


    During all this, Lady Rimi and Yorick¡¯s father, Jill, kept staring at me. They looked as if they had just uncovered something massive.


    They exchanged a strange look.


    "Do you understand what is happening?" Lady Rimi questioned Jill.


    He nodded painfully. Then they both turned their gaze back to me.


    I felt chills run up and down my spine under the weight of their stare.


    Suddenly, Yorick hoisted Charles up and hurled him far away. His body mmed against the trunk of a tree.


    Charles let out a bloodcurdling scream.


    "Meriana. Go check the bags. There should be a syringe inside with the name Charles on it," Yorick shouted, still actively trying to stop the monster froming in my direction.


    I nodded and took off running. I knew exactly where Yorick had hidden the bags.


    When I noticed Lady Rimi following me, I stopped abruptly.


    "I will not bring anything if you keep following me. Do you understand?" I snapped at her.


    My tone clearly displeased her, and her expression shifted.


    I usually spoke bluntly to everyone. But this time, I was deliberate.


    When Yorick had hidden the bags, I had realized his parents were involved in something.


    I also knew they worked closely with the Academy. I had heard my father mention them many times.


    I did not trust them.


    Seeing one of their sons turn into a monster made every rumor seem true.


    "You cannot order me around," Lady Rimi warned, advancing toward me.


    I raised my fingers and motioned for her to stop. Thankfully, she did stop because deep down, she had finally started to worry. If Yorick kept blocking the monster, it would eventually attack him to get him out of the way and reach me, which seemed to be its goal.


    And honestly, it did not make sense to me why it wanted me dead so badly.


    "You are watching your two sons fight. If you do not want anything to happen to them, step back," I hissed.


    Color drained from her face.


    If she thought she was speaking to Clementine or Leysa, as Yorick had once told me, she was mistaken.


    I was Mariana.


    I was worse than a bully.


    Worse than Lady Rimi and Jillbined.


    Rimi had to run back to step between Charles and Yorick to stop their fight. Jill could not manage it on his own.


    It felt like Charles was in attack mode, while Yorick was only defending himself. That was not a goodbination.


    I rushed to grab the medicine and pulled out the syringe. Then I ran toward them.


    Before I could reach them, I saw Lady Rimi seize Charles and start dragging him away. Charles turned and shed her with his w.


    She fell to the ground. Blood began seeping from her waist.


    It was not a massive wound, but it was enough for her to realize how dangerous he was.


    Jill, who had been trying to stand between them to prevent either from killing the other, suddenly rushed to help his wife.


    As soon as Yorick moved slightly away from Charles, I called out to him.


    "Yorick, here!" I shouted and threw the syringe toward him.


    Yorick caught it. The moment Charles leapt at him, Yorick did not dodge.


    He allowed Charles toe at him.


    Charlesnded on top of him, and Yorick fell to the ground. But Yorick knew he had the advantage.


    He had let Charlese close on purpose.


    Using that moment, Yorick stabbed him with the needle.


    Charles let out several growls and panicked sounds. Then he staggered away and copsed onto the ground.


    The entire scene unfolded in front of our eyes. It felt strange.


    It was the first time I had seen monsters like this. Thankfully, Yorick was with me.


    "Come on," Lady Rimi urged as she struggled to her feet and ran toward her sons.


    She knew Yorick was fine, and Charles was the one on the ground. She hurried to Charles and knelt beside him.


    By the time she reached him, Yorick hade over to me.


    "Are you okay?" I asked, cing my hand on his chest.


    He was still watching Charles. Then he suddenly turned toward me.

 Chapter 532-Finally With My Mate

    <h4>Chapter 532: 532-Finally With My Mate</h4>


    <strong>Mariana;</strong>


    I do not know what came over me. I slid my hand into his hair and checked his neck.


    I cupped his face in my hands and examined him closely, making sure he was not injured anywhere.


    When our eyes met, I realized what I was doing.


    I awkwardly withdrew my hands and started stepping back.


    Yorick suddenly caught my elbows and pulled me closer.


    "It has been a long time since someone cared about me like that," he murmured.


    His eyes dropped to my lips.


    I was frozen in shock. My life was changing too quickly.


    But when I looked at him, my heart melted.


    This was not sympathy. It was desire.


    We leaned forward and our lips collided.


    The moment they touched, I felt myself melting into him.


    Clouds rolled in and swallowed the sky.


    It was the preying month of the mates. During this time, a full moon was not required to find one¡¯s mate.


    The moment our kiss deepened, a fire ignited inside my body.


    For a few seconds, I could not understand what was happening. I thought maybe it wasfort, because too much had happened today.


    Then a voice rose from inside me.


    Mate.


    I gasped against Yorick¡¯s mouth. Suddenly, I broke the kiss and stepped back.


    We were not fully apart. He still had a tight grip on my elbows.


    My hands were still pressed against his chest.


    "What was that?" I asked, staring straight into his eyes.


    The shocking part was that he wore the same expression I did. Pure shock.


    "You felt it too?" he questioned.


    The moment he asked, I knew it had not been just in my head.


    It had actually happened.


    "Wait. Did you feel the mate bond too?" I pressed.


    Even saying the words made my heart tremble.


    "Wait. What just happened? What did you two say?" Lady Rimi demanded.


    I thought she was still trying tofort Charles, but she was suddenly standing right beside us.


    At first, I flinched when I saw her so close. Then she smiled.


    It was the smile of a mother desperate to see her child happy, as if she had finally witnessed that happiness and wanted to be part of it.


    She was looking at us with open joy.


    I nced at Yorick. I expected him to speak to his mother himself.


    When he began avoiding her gaze, I felt a sharp realization settle inside me. Maybe I had rushed ahead of myself.


    He did not look as happy as I was.


    "What did you just say?" Rimi pressed again.


    "Nothing," Yorick replied sternly.


    I instantly removed his hands from my elbows.


    The way I stared at him made it clear that I did not like his response.


    "Coward," I muttered, stamping my foot before turning toward the tent.


    "Wait. Listen to me," Yorick called out.


    I did not turn back.


    He had the nerve to kiss me, yet he did not have the courage to tell his parents. Was he still a child?


    I walked away stiffly.


    "You should move Charles from here," Yorick began exining to his parents in an irritated tone. "If other monsters sense him, and they can, they wille to collect him or at least investigate. Sometimes monsters start fighting each other."


    Of course he spoke like that. He had been here before, so he saw himself as the leader.


    His knowledge was greater. I did not know why that thought suddenly made me so angry.


    "What do you mean?" his mother asked calmly.


    There was something calcting in her voice, as if she had noticed more than she was saying.


    "I am saying move Charles from here. Why do you think we do not transition here? Monsters can sense different energies, and right now Charles¡¯ energy is extremely high because this is his first time in his habitat," Yorick shouted.


    I had reached the tent by then. I began pacing, trying to think.


    "If you are thinking of leaving, do not even consider it. We are safe with them. We are safe with Yorick."


    My wolf¡¯s voice echoed inside me.


    I growled inwardly and silenced her. She did not understand.


    If I stayed here, it would be a matter of pride.


    "Mariana, you are not the girl who makes decisions on impulse anymore. You have to think about survival." my wolf continued.


    I heard footsteps behind me and fell silent. Taking a sharp breath, I turned and faced Yorick.


    "You are a loser. A big loser," I snapped at him.


    Yorick watched me quietly. Then he stepped closer and grabbed me with both hands.


    "I, Yorick, Alpha Yorick, ept you as my mate. Tell me, do you ept my eptance?" he dered.


    His sudden eptance stunned me.


    For a moment, I could not speak.


    I tried to pull away faintly, but his grip was firm.


    "Could you not say that in front of your mother?" I whispered.


    I had stopped resisting. My fingers were absently ying with the buttons of his shirt.


    "Yes, because my mother is obsessed with healing Charles. She would try to keep you close to feed him. Do you understand?" Yorick exined.


    His words made my body tense.


    I understood then that he was trying to protect me.


    "Do you understand me?" Yorick asked softly.


    When I lifted my head, I saw deep affection and longing in his eyes.


    It looked as if he had finally found someone who cared for him, someone who could love him.


    He was waiting for my answer.


    "I, Mariana, ept Alpha Yorick as my mate," I said steadily.


    The moment I spoke, he pulled me into his arms.


    He wrapped them tightly around me, and for the first time, I felt that this ce might be better than Maind.


    Then he broke the hug and cupped my face in his hands.


    "We need to get away from them," he mumbled.


    I frowned at him.


    "My parents. My brother," he rified. "We need to get away from them." His words scared me truly.


    "From now on, it is just going to be you and me," he added, brushing a gentle peck against my lips before pulling back.


    He took my hand and led me toward the ce where we had hidden the bags.


    The way he held my hand made something settle inside me.


    For the first time, I felt like I truly belonged somewhere. I belonged to someone.


    And there was someone who belonged to me.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 533-Night Of Passion And Sex

    <h4>Chapter 533: 533-Night Of Passion And Sex</h4>


    <strong>Yorick:</strong>


    Ever since I felt the mate bond with Mariana, I had been in shock.


    I knew Mariana. We moved in the same social circles.


    She was spoiled and pampered. Everyone called her beautiful, and she truly was.


    Many people wanted her.


    I had never imagined something like this.


    Of course, I found her attractive. But I knew we could never be together.


    We belonged topletely differentmunities.


    Her father was controlling. Then her engagement to Messi had been arranged.


    Before that, I had already fallen in love with Clementine.


    When I kissed Mariana and felt the mate bond, it felt like everything had been nned.


    My rejection by Clementine earlier suddenly made sense. It was as if the Moon Goddess had arranged it all.


    Honestly, Mariana¡¯s closeness gave mefort. At that moment, I was ready to do anything for her.


    The way she cupped my face and searched my body for injuries with such concern made something shift inside me.


    It feels different when someone loves you fiercely and openly.


    I wanted that love.


    I was tired of one sided affection.


    Clementine was no longer mine. And after everything my family had done to her, it would have been inappropriate for me to even approach her again.


    Anyway, we grabbed the bags and ran.


    The danger was not over yet.


    I knew my parents woulde after her. They woulde after Mariana without hesitation.


    So I kept them busy by telling them to move Charles. Then I ran with Mariana and the bags.


    I had already told her about my parents and academy before. But now I told her everything.


    My parents were not trustworthy.


    I did not trust them either.


    "It must be strange," Mariana said as we headed toward the safe mansion, "living there while they create monsters."


    It was strange.


    Even strangering back here and fighting my parents¡¯ creations.


    "You know, there are fleshmingos here," I told her, pointing toward the road. "But if we move quietly and do not make noise, we will be fine."


    We moved behind the houses.


    When we reached the main mansion, Mariana¡¯s eyes widened.


    She turned to look at me.


    I gestured toward the building. This was the ce.


    I picked the lock.


    I had learned how to do it after watching Clementine many times.


    As soon as we entered, we shut the door behind us.


    "This ce is safe," I assured her.


    "Are you sure?" she asked.


    "These safe zones were built by the Academy. They were meant to give crusaders a ce to protect themselves."


    I immediately moved through the house to make sure no monsters were inside.


    The memory of the Wendigo incident shed in my mind. The time we had rescued the crusaders from inside a house when the wendigo was hiding in the mansion.


    After a thorough inspection, I returned to the ground floor.


    Mariana was looking around.


    "What are we going to do now?" she asked softly.


    The truth was, I did not know.


    Instead of answering, I stepped toward her and cupped her face in my hands.


    Then I kissed her. She did not hesitate and kissed me back instantly.


    She began to kiss me passionately while my hands ran up and down her back.


    I groped her, walking her backward until we were near a bedroom.


    My eyes quickly moved upward, and I saw that the windows were secured. The academy had done a great job locking everything in ce.


    As we moved closer to the bed, I pushed her down and climbed on top of her.


    I kissed her neck, licking her chest and groping her breasts.


    Her body started to move in a rhythm, allowing my dry humps to grow more intense.


    She moaned when I pulled her dress over her head and removed her bra, taking her nipples into my mouth and sucking them aggressively.


    Her hands ran over my bare skin before slipping down to unbuckle my pants.


    That night of passion with your mate felt different.


    As she reached for me, I unbuckled my pants. My dick stood out. I pulled back and stood between her legs, watching herpletely naked in front of me. My dick grew hard at the sight.


    There was shyness on her cheeks, turning them red. I smirked as I rubbed my finger between her legs, making her tremble and instinctively close them, her eyes rolling back.


    After touching her there, I rubbed the head of my cock against her. Then I leaned over her in a push-up position, adjusting myself at her entrance.


    When the tip slid in, she let out a yelp. I covered her mouth with mine and gave a deep thrust, pushing fully inside her.


    Now my thrusts were hungry. As I moved in and out of her with force, the bed shook beneath us. Her breasts moved with every motion.


    I leaned down to kiss her while pinning her hands above her head. Every time my balls struck her skin, a soft sound escaped between us. She was yelping into my mouth, her fingers pressing tightly against mine, her nails digging into my skin.


    I could tell she wanted to scream as I sped up, feeling the pressure building inside me. I knew we were not in the safest ce, but I managed to hold back for now.


    The moment I began to pull out, she suddenly freed one hand and wrapped it around my shaft, making me pulse hard at her touch.


    "We will be fine," she whispered.


    With a smile, I kissed her again and pushed back inside her, giving a few final thrusts before releasing inside her. Her body arched as she cried out softly while I finished.


    As she began to breathe heavily, I was already hard again, so I pushed inside her once more.


    This time she hugged me tightly and helped me roll onto my back so she could move on top of me. She began to ride me, her hands resting on my chest, her eyes rolling back. The sight was mesmerizing.


    One session after another, we could not stop. Every time I finished, I would grow hard again, and her body would respond at the sight of it.


    That night was the best night ever.

 Chapter 534-Found Love Among Monsters

    <h4>Chapter 534: 534-Found Love Among Monsters</h4>


    <strong>Mariana:</strong>


    Saying it felt strange, but I had just lived the best night of my life.


    I did not even know where to begin. I hade to North as punishment, and now I was here with my mate.


    "You smell so good," Yorick murmured while kissing me properly.


    Blushing, I slipped out of the bed and walked toward the door.


    "What are we going to do now?" I asked again as I started putting my clothes back on.


    He kept staring at me.


    The way he looked at me made my cheeks burn.


    "Stop looking at me, or you will want me all over again," I teased and heughed.


    After getting dressed, I went and stood in front of the mirror. A bright smile was on my face. My fingers traced the mark Yorick had given mest night.


    I had marked him too.


    I could not believe that aftering to the North, I had found such happiness. I kept smiling at myself when my eyes caught a reflection behind me. I turned and saw Yorick watching me with a grin.


    "Why are youughing at me?" Iined, pouting cutely.


    "I am notughing at you. I am just happy to see you happy," he mumbled.


    Then his eyes dropped to my neck, and he noticed the mark.


    "I wish to bite you in other ces as well, just likest night."


    My cheeks turned red at his words. I looked away and growled at him.


    "Do not do that," Iined yfully.


    "Well, you will have to tolerate it every night now, you know. I am a little too romantic," he whispered, biting his bottom lip, which made me bite mine too before I looked away, feeling embarrassed.


    "You know, I really, really enjoyedst night," he whispered again.


    I turned around and smiled at him before looking away once more.


    "I never thought I would get so lucky," I said to myself.


    "Well, you made me lucky," he replied as I watched him put the nket away.


    When he got out of bed, my eyes dropped to his abs.


    My eyes were fixed on his broad chest. I realized how muscr and tall he was.


    Suddenly, I let out a small gasp, loud enough that even Yorick noticed.


    I felt even more embarrassed. I did not want to shamelessly check him out like that.


    Then a thought crossed my mind. Why not? He was mine. I could check him out whenever I wanted.


    "Who is the one wanting more now?" he shot back with a smile, stepping closer.


    He leaned down and kissed my cheek again.


    I knew that if he kissed me a few more times, I would lose myself in his arms again.


    "Tell me now. What are we going to do?" I asked, with a pout.


    "You will stay here and keep the door locked," he instructed. "Do not open it for anyone. Remember, these doors are strong."


    He rubbed his hands together.


    "I will go out and gather information."


    I gave him a sad pout.


    "Come on. I will be back quickly," he assured me. "I just want to check whether the Dark North station gate is closed."


    He adjusted his hair casually.


    I stepped behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist.


    "Dark North? That sounds dangerous," I said, pressing my cheek against his back.


    "Yes, it is dangerous," Yorick replied. "That is exactly what worries me. I am afraid the monsters from there might cross over. I have heard they are deadly."


    He gently removed my hands so he could turn around and face me.


    Then he pulled me into a tight hug.


    One of his hands kept brushing against my cheek.


    It was intimate.


    He seemed unable to stop touching my face, and I liked that very much.


    "Alright, alright. I am going. The sooner I leave, the sooner I will be back," Yorick said, kissing my lips and then pulling me into a gentle embrace.


    I could not say it out loud, but I wanted to go with him.


    Still, he was right. I did not know this ce well, and I did not want to be a responsibility for him.


    Besides, we could not carry the bags everywhere with us. We also could not leave them unattended.


    The mansion needed to stay locked from the inside.


    For that, I had to remain here.


    "Fine. I will wait for you," I replied, giving him a soft goodbye kiss.


    We stepped out of the room together and walked to the living room.


    I did not want to leave his side for even a second.


    "Mariana, do not open the door for anyone. Alright?" He reminded me and I nodded.


    He opened the door and stepped outside. I shut it quickly behind him.


    When he left, I noticed several fleshmingos roaming along the road.


    My heartbeat nearly stopped.


    They had been making noise all night.


    I had no idea people in North had to live with this constantly.


    I rushed to the window and peered through a narrow crack in the boarded panels.


    I wanted to make sure Yorick crossed them safely.


    The way he dodged them, he looked like a professional.


    It was clear he hade to North many times and had faced these monsters before.


    After a while, he disappeared from my sight.


    Now there was nothing for me to do.


    I returned to the living room and sat down.


    I began thinking about what Yorick had told me. Once, a monster had ambushed them here.


    The moment that thought crossed my mind, my eyes drifted toward the second floor.


    It was so dark up there that fear crept in.


    "Pleasee back soon," I prayed silently, missing Yorick.


    I had barely finished that thought when a loud knock echoed against the door.


    My whole body jolted.


    "Please open the door. These things will eat me out here," a woman¡¯s voice cried from outside.


    Not just any woman.


    It was Yorick¡¯s mother.


    I hurried to the door and stopped in front of it.


    "Lady Rimi, what are you doing here? Please leave. I am not opening the door," I called out.


    I remembered Yorick¡¯s instructions.


    And I remembered how she always seemed to be involved in something suspicious.


    "What do you mean you cannot open the door? You are inside. You can open it. I cannot go back. The monsters have surrounded me. They will kill me in a few minutes," Lady Rimi yelled.


    And soon she began sobbing as loud as she could.


    I was trapped in a terrible position.


    I started rubbing my palms together anxiously.


    When I looked through the window, I saw that the fleshmingos were actually moving toward her.


    "Please, I am alone. Just open the door. They will kill me. How can you do this? I am Yorick¡¯s mother. Call him. Where is Yorick?" she wailed.


    "Please stop shouting. They will hear you," I tried to reason with her.


    It was strange.


    They had created these monsters, yet she did not know how to handle them.


    Maybe she was just terrified and I was trapped too.


    If Yorick had been here, the decision would have been easier.


    I could not leave her outside.


    She was Yorick¡¯s mother.


    Whatever the situation was, I knew he would never let her die.


    Then I saw one of the fleshmingos break into a run toward her.


    I had no time. So I made the decision.


    The same decision Yorick might have made for his mother.


    I unlocked the door and pulled Lady Rimi inside by her hand.


    The moment I shut the door, I turned to face her.


    There was a brick in her hand.


    She swung it at my head.


    My body fell to the side as if it weighed nothing.


    "Lady Rimi, what are you doing?" I whispered faintly.


    I raised my hand and looked at her through blurred vision.


    She stood beside me, still holding the brick.


    "I am preparing you for sacrifice. My son will eat well today," she said coldly.


    The moment she said that, I understood.


    She had seen the mark on my neck fromst night.


    She knew her son had epted me.


    Before I could react, she struck me again with the brick and darkness swallowed my vision.


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