Chapter 197: 197-Another Mate?
Clementine:
Of course, Ian had no idea why I was staring at Suki like that. I was trying to understand her state of mind. I hoped she would tell Joshua the truth and let him go.
And Joshua had been staring at Suki’s face for a while. Even we were confused about what she was going to say. Then, in a harsh tone, she snapped at him.
"Of course I love you. Why would you ask me that? See, this is the problem. I don’t think you completely forgive me," she complained.
It was honestly quite malicious of her to make such a mistake and then question him when he doubted her loyalty and love.
"I was just a little scared, that’s all. Is it a crime to be scared? Not everyone is like Clementine, whose reflexes don’t work," she claimed, making it sound like the only reason I went to help Ian was because my reflexes failed and I didn’t know I was supposed to save myself instead of fight those things.
"Okay, fine. Let’s just calm down." Finally, when she began to scream, Joshua had to give in. I’ve noticed that about him. She knew how to control him.
"No, seriously, I’m so annoyed. You always do that," Suki continued. "You need to understand, you’re an alpha. I’m not. Of course I’m not going to be as powerful as you. Of course I’m going to act differently than you."
She kept rambling, then suddenly moved quickly toward the deeper parts of the station. Probably because she didn’t want us to hear more of their conversation, he swiftly followed her, and now it was just Ian and me.
It was getting darker outside, which meant more trouble since we had no idea where the others were. I had lost them hours ago. What if they were still out there and hadn’t found a safe place? What then?
"So, did you guys do it?" Once I noticed Ian had been staring at me oddly for a while, I decided to shift the topic to something serious.
"Yes, we did it," he replied.
"Then that means we can go home," I asked.
He slipped his hands into his pockets, looking around.
"Sure, but I’m afraid if the train comes tonight, we won’t be able to make it to the train." As soon as he said that, my smile started to fade.
"Oh no, does that mean one more week in this fucking crazy place," I asked, and he shrugged.
"There’s nothing else we can do though," he mumbled so casually that I began to wonder if he was even scared about those things outside.
"No, Ian, we cannot stay here. You don’t know what happened back in the mansion," I muttered, watching him frown.
"And what happened," he asked. "Is our squad okay?"
He never really showed others that he cared, but the way he quickly asked about them made me believe he truly did, deep down.
"We lost quite a few other crusaders," I muttered, noticing Ian frowning. Then I began to look around.
"Where is Matthias?" I asked, confused.
"The crazy one? The minute he was done with his job, wiping it clean, he didn’t even wait for the rest and left to go find Jessie. We didn’t call for him either. We understood the guy was freshly in love." As soon as he said that, I felt a strange guilt gnaw at me.
"What is it, Clementine? You don’t look very happy," he pointed out, frowning at me. "Is there something I should know?"
I took a deep breath to correct my posture before I responded to him.
"I tried." That was all I said before I broke down, and Ian instantly held me by my arm, trying to steady me. I guess it was unusual for me to cry like that.
"Clementine, what happened?" His voice told me he was extremely worried. I sniffled and shook my head. I had no idea how to tell him what had happened.
"Jessie." I could only mention her name and noticed his eyes narrowing in my face.
"What happened to Jessie?" he asked. I covered my mouth with my hands.
"Did she?" he asked, and I nodded. He took a deep breath and placed a hand on his forehead.
"I tried everything, I swear. She just lost it when she found her sister’s dead body."
As soon as I admitted that, I noticed he closed his eyes, showing even more concern.
"It’s not your fault. She was not your responsibility. You were being nice enough to take care of her when there were missions and your own life on the line."
Ian still held my arms, trying to comfort me, but how could I not feel guilty? I was the only one Matthias trusted. That’s why he left her with us. And now I was telling Ian that I didn’t do my job.
"Hey, look at me." He cupped my face in his hands gently, unlike anything he had ever done.
"It was not your fault," he repeated. "You had your own life to worry about. It was unfair of them to place all the responsibility on you. And you will not feel guilty in front of anyone either. Promise me," he said. I shook my head, refusing.
"I took the responsibility myself, Ian," I reminded him that I was the one who agreed to stay with Jessie.
"Exactly. That was the first mistake you made. But it’s okay. This is a risky place. Nobody is going to question you," he said as his thumb brushed my cheek.
I looked into his eyes, noticing how my breath started to slow down. I couldn’t understand why it was happening. There was this subtle comfort. Suddenly, I forgot about my worries, and all I could do was stare into his eyes, deeper and deeper.
Then, in a heavy moment, I felt our eyes lock, our heartbeats sinking together.
And then I heard it, the voice of my wolf I did not expect to hear tonight.
’Mate!’
We both gasped, and I could tell he had heard it too. It didn’t make sense at the moment. I thought I was just losing my mind, confused. How could that have happened? I had already found two fucking mates, not one—two. And it seemed like Ian was just as shocked.
But while I stepped back, he swiftly grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, almost like he was trying to confirm something. He kept staring into my eyes, and then his look softened. He gently lowered his face, and I didn’t expect him to go for a kiss.