CHAPTER 293: 293-SHE IS UNHINGED

Zian:

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?" I laughed. "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 explained 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 clapping 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 a laugh, remembering her last 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 play around with that bitch Oriana. And whenever Clementine reacts to Oriana picking on her, they just turn on her instead."

I laughed 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 glaring 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, I laughed 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 eyes landed on Clementine first. She was waiting for me, her gaze fixed on the main door.

The look in her eyes was completely 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.