Chapter 300
Clementine:
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 glance 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, completely 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 it completely.
“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 collar, 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 half completely 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 he come 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 he come 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 had come from.
“And this ugly beast was sleeping here the whole time p>
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 finally landed 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 p>
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 flag, 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.
He lay 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 claws or canines to bite into. B) The moment I transition, all the monsters will sense it and come after you from every corner p>
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.