Chapter 113
Ian:
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 slay 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—her 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 become 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 accused 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 uncomfortable?” I asked. She slowly looked back at me. “All those alphas—three of them—are 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 a compliment, a smirk playing across her lips.
“Focus on the main question, Clementine, will you?” I pressed, and her smile faded, replaced by a sharp, irritated glare.
“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.” My comment 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, laughing 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 p>
Her face went completely blank.
“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 glared 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.