Chapter 227: 227-Sharing A Room
Clementine:
"Everyone, may I have your attention, please?" Haiden walked me toward the big hut. I guessed this was where he was staying with his uncle, while the rest of the pack members were in separate huts. This hut was much larger. It had an open area built over the river with a dining table on it. It was beautiful.
As soon as he walked me inside, I met the gaze of an old man sitting with a woman who looked royal, though her vibe felt off. I could already tell these were the uncle and aunt he always talked about.
The pack members started to enter the hut, swarming the place because Haiden had an announcement to make. Then came Fauna. She had stormed off earlier, but now she returned, and seeing me inside only made her more upset. She grunted and rolled her eyes repeatedly.
Another girl entered who looked somewhat like Fauna, but not exactly the same.
"This is Clementine Stark, as you all know," Haiden began, making everyone shift uncomfortably in their seats, almost like my presence alone unsettled them.
"And before anyone disrespects her or says anything to her, I must remind you, she is the reason justice was served for my mother and my sister. Not only did she help me punish her father, but she also put my sister at ease when she punished her stepmother."
His introduction made everyone gasp.
"I am sure her accomplishments had been buried because a certain narrative was spread about her. But the truth is that she is a hero, and I am not going to let anyone disrespect her," he spoke loudly, watching everyone one by one.
At that point, almost everyone started nodding. He had just told them outright that I was innocent. Not just innocent, but the one who helped him punish my father, the man they hated so much.
"We apologize. We didn’t know," the same woman who had called me out earlier stepped forward with her husband to apologize.
Fauna, however, didn’t look like she cared. And I already knew why. She had claimed to be Haiden’s fiancée almost twice now, so it was safe to say she had a crush on him.
"Well, I’m glad that’s out of the way. Now she’s also my crusader and my dorm mate. We’re both from the Black Squad. And Clementine is really, really good at her job," Haiden added with a smile.
Then he turned around, pointing at the old man.
"That’s my uncle I’ve told you about, Patrick. And right next to him is my aunt, Hida. This is Fauna, and this is her twin, Mariana."
He pointed at everyone, and suddenly things began to make sense. I remembered he had told me that his uncle wanted to marry someone, so I guessed this was the woman. And Patrick wasn’t really his uncle, just his father’s friend.
"Anyway, Clementine will be staying here, and since we’re dorm mates, she’ll be staying in my room," Haiden said casually, making jaws drop.
And by that, I meant only the jaws of his uncle Patrick, Mrs. Patrick, and Fauna. Mariana seemed more interested in her phone than anything else.
"Now, Clementine, let’s take you to the room so you can get freshened up. Where’s your stuff?" Haiden asked.
I eyed him, and he instantly understood he wasn’t supposed to ask me more questions, at least not in public.
Haiden grabbed my hand and immediately dragged me toward his room. Once we were inside, he slammed the door shut.
There were others getting ready to question us, mostly his uncle and Fauna. They were going to complain about us staying in the same room. But now we were here, and Haiden faced me with his hands on his waist.
"I’m so sorry, Haiden. I didn’t want to ruin your vacation."
As soon as I pouted and said that, he walked over, wrapped his arm around me, and hugged me.
"I’m so glad you’re here. I was losing my mind being with them," he confessed, then broke the hug, making me tilt my head back to look at him.
"Really? I thought you’d be having fun. I mean, Fauna is cute," I teased, walking away. I clasped my hands behind my back, then brought them forward, repeating the same movement as I strolled around and reached the windows.
His room was beautiful. It had three large windows, one on each wall. From there, I could see the mountains, the river, and the trees. It was breathtaking. But there was only one queen-sized bed in the room. That was going to be a problem later.
"Yeah, I’m not interested in her. Anyway, you didn’t come here with any of your belongings?" he asked, almost reminding me I needed to tell him what happened after our call ended in disaster.
I turned to look at him and folded my arms over my chest.
"Tell me, I’m curious. Did they punish you?" he asked and I shrugged.
"This is my punishment—coming here," I replied, and he frowned.
"No, I’m serious. It was the Headmaster who caught me. I told him I was missing my mate, so he threw me in prison for the night. In the morning, he pulled me out and sent me here."
I watched him raise an eyebrow.
"So you were missing your mate?" he teased, even though he knew it was a cover-up I had made.
"Don’t flatter yourself. It was just a lie," I said, every word exaggerated in a dramatic tone.
He rolled his eyes in response to my teasing.
"Anyway, last night when you called, you were anxious. I couldn’t even rest after your call. So tell me, what happened?" he pressed as he walked over and sat on the bed, patting the empty spot beside him.
"Can I go to the restroom first, please? I’ve been holding my pee the entire night, and even now, all these hours," I said.
He burst out laughing and pointed toward the bathroom door.
"I’ll find some pack member who can lend you clothes. Don’t worry, I’ll get only the good ones," he promised as I stepped into the room and he walked out.
I didn’t know what kind of clothes he would choose for me. I liked very baggy, comfortable clothes. But beggars can’t be choosers, and mine were really dusty after a night in prison.