CHAPTER 138: 138-THE BEST MATE IN THE WORLD

Haiden:

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 still coming 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 the last 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, clarifying who he meant. And it hit me. "No, I’m not blaming 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 to come 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 place. 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 years later. 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 had come 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, come 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 explain, 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 blame 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, placing 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—you 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 accusing you, blaming 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 blame you. It is just that I blame 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, and comfort 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, come on guys, the train is coming." I did not understand why Troy had to follow us. I knew the train was coming, 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.