Chapter 206: 206-Worse Than A Monster
Clementine:
"She is what?" Yorick asked, closing one eye as he tried to finish the sentence.
"Great, you guys are already here. You must have heard it. I felt a mate bond with her just now," Troy said in a confident tone, as if that should guarantee he had more claim to me.
"Wait, wait, she has three alpha mates?" Haiden stepped forward, questioning.
I noticed Ian walking behind them, probably checking what was going on. He slowed, tilted his head, and then sighed deeply.
"These two just felt the mate bond. How is that possible? How can she have three mates?" Yorick asked Ian, since Ian usually had answers. Ian looked at me and then back at Yorick. I honestly expected him to announce that I didn’t just feel a mate bond with three, but with four of them. But he only shrugged.
At that moment I realized he didn’t want anyone to know we were mates, and I felt disappointed. It was odd that I had told others not to make a deal out of it, not to worry, and yet I was the one who was upset.
"So what are we gonna do now? I’m not gonna back down." Haiden shrugged.
"Well, I’m not gonna back down either," Yorick said harshly.
"And what makes you guys think I will back down? I’ve had a crush on her for a long time, so when I’m finally given a chance, I’m not gonna let it go," Troy hissed.
I just stood there watching them, disbelief on my face.
"Whatever you decide, do it quickly. The train will come and you won’t have time unless you want to stay over and already inspect the next monster we’re gonna meet," Ian said casually, shrugging, showing he didn’t care about winning my heart. I was glad I stopped him earlier.
Once he walked away, the others kept talking.
"How about the three of us give it a try and then decide who should back down?" Haiden suggested.
I started to clap my hand and shake my head in disbelief. The three turned to me as I stood in front of them, all bloodied up and ready to make my decision clear.
"What exactly makes you think I want to end up with any one of you?" I asked sharply, watching them squint.
"We’re your mates," Yorick announced as if I didn’t know that. He sounded bothered.
"And now that we’re mates, I’m supposed to forgive you for your bullying and everything you’ve put me through," I said, watching their proud shoulders slump. "I know we’re mated and I don’t know why. Maybe I’m just cursed," I added, pausing to watch their reaction. They looked hurt when I called our bond a curse.
"Here’s a thought," I said with a smile. "There is a thing called rejection. And trust me, I won’t hesitate to pick rejection over someone who’s been abusive to me in the past." I hissed as their eyes widened.
"If anyone tries to drag me around without my permission next time, it’ll be bad. So when you want to talk, fucking ask and wait for my permission," I hissed, looking at Troy.
The others looked at him and nodded, trying to put him down but clearly missing my point. I wanted them to stop and leave me alone for now. Was that too much to ask?
"I didn’t drag you around to have a conversation. I dragged you around because I wanted you to transition and be free of the pain," Troy defended himself, folding his muscular arms over his chest.
I didn’t answer. I gave them a judgmental, angry glare before stepping away. I was so hurt I didn’t know what to do. I walked back toward the station and they followed me closely. Thankfully, no one argued anymore. There was nothing left to argue about anyway. My decision was mine alone.
When I stopped at the station, Oriana rushed over to check me. Everyone was so silent it felt uneasy.
"Are you okay? When you left for the woods with your squad, I thought you were going to transition," she asked, trying to see if my wound had healed.
"Why didn’t you transition?" she asked again. I gently freed my arm from hers. She folded her arms and stood in front of me like a stubborn child, waiting for an explanation.
"You told me you were getting bullied by everyone," I said to Oriana, who began lowering her hands.
"Yeah, I was," she admitted.
"None of your squad mates bullied you," I said.
"Did you not see Jessie accuse me in front of everyone?" she almost whispered so Matthias wouldn’t hear. I watched her in silence.
Our conversation was interrupted when the train arrived. Oriana turned quickly and walked away to stand with her squad.
The red squad boarded the train quickly, except for Matthias, he just sat from the bench, staring at the ground. Jack had to drag Joshua on board because he sat there lifelessly, and then it was time for us to board.
My squadmates let me get up first, and then they stood as well. As we waited in our carriage, we all stared at Matthias in silence.
He finally sighed and casually put his hands in his pant’s pocket. He walked closer to the entrance, glanced at his squadmates, then turned and looked at all of us. His eyes landed on me, and at that moment I knew something was wrong.
"You were supposed to take care of her," he complained. I took a deep breath as I knew he would speak about it.
"And I did," As I began to explain, he chuckled.
"And what did you do? You pushed her out of the house, pushed her right into the mouth of the wendigo, because she was becoming too much for you." His words were haunting.
At that, I frowned and shook my head. "That is not true," I said, but he was already done.
"Next time you visit the North, monsters will be the last thing you worry about," he threatened in a monotone. His words gave me chills, and then he started to back away.
"Matthias!" Sebastian called, and he moved toward the door to stop him, but the door shut on us. Matthias had taken too long to board.
"No, Matthias!" Everyone screamed except my squadmates, who looked stunned by his last words.
Matthias didn’t stay to argue, he never intended to board the train. He turned and walked back into the North.