Chapter 226
Clementine:
I sat in the car, and throughout the journey, I wondered how I would explain 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 accused 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 slapped 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 to come and see their alpha turned crusader.
However, they all stopped, their heads snapping toward me. I noticed some of them whispering. One lady 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 black 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 glare at me through her thick black eyebrows.
“Um, Haiden Raze. He’s my squadmate. I’ve been sent by the headmaster to stay here for a while,” I explained, 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 fiancée, 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 fiancée?” I asked in disbelief.
She nodded.
“Yes, I am. Now be gone. Nobody informed us you were coming. So leave. Go find yourself someplace else,” she demanded, waving her hand.
The other pack members started nodding along with her. So they all knew she was his fiancée?
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 p>
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 to come here and stay,” I muttered under my breath, not mentioning the punishment because the girl looked hostile. “But then your fiancée told me I’m not welcome here,” I added in a sassy tone, looking at Haiden and challenging him.
He raised his eyebrows and pointed at Fauna.
“My fiancée?” he repeated, still pointing at her.
“She would wish,” he remarked, placing his hands on his waist and turning to her. “Stop calling yourself my fiancée. You know it pisses me off. You’re not my fiancée, and I’m never going to marry you. Now go and do something better p>
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,” she complained, 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 declared, and my eyes widened.
I thought he would kick me out. What was he doing? He was acting completely differently. And what announcement was he going to make?