Chapter 19

CLEMENTINE

~What?~ ~Ivan could never kill his mate—I don’t believe it.~

“Why?” I ask.

“She…killed his parents. She was a witch.”

All the hopes that I had of Ivan accepting me fly away. I know deep down that he will never accept me.

“But you are part phoenix, not just a witch,” Kalisto says. “I just hope he doesn’t do something stupid because if he does, I will kill him.”

Ignoring my teary eyes, I force a laugh. “He can’t kill me.” My mother’s face is so serious that I frown. “Surely, he wouldn’t try to kill me?”

“I hope not.” Kalisto changes the subject. “Anyway, let’s talk about the mission. I heard that you spoke with Malcolm once—can you do so again? I think he’ll listen to you.”

“Why won’t you talk to him?”

“He won’t listen to me—he hates my guts,” she snarls.

“Why? What did you do?”

“Nothing,” she quickly says, averting her eyes. “We just have a little history together.”

~Damn…~

I smirk. “Before Dad or after?”

She rolls her eyes. “Before.”

“How? How old were you when you met Dad?” I ask, wanting for the first time to know more about my family history.

“Twenty-four. Old, I know.”

I chuckle. “Wow.”

“But you are twenty-five and you just met Ivan, so you could say we are alike.”

“True.” I pause, then ask nervously, “Do you think I should go back to my pack?”

“I do. Your brother and mate are probably extremely worried.”

“What if someone tries to kill me?”

She smiles again. “Clementine, they cannot kill you.”

~Oh. I forgot.~

“You’re right,” I say, standing. “I should go back.”

“Inform me when you arrive.”

I furrow my eyebrows. “How?”

“Send a bird or something—you can talk to them.”

~Really? Hot damn.~

~“I guess I forgot to tell you that part,”~ Helia says, chuckling.

~You sure did.~

I smile and hug my mother. “Okay,” then leave her palace.

As I fly above the trees, I think about Ivan. Ever since I discovered that he’s my mate, I haven’t been able to get him out of my head, even though I’m angry with him. ~Is this happening to him too?~ I wonder.

After a bit, I spot the pack house and start to descend. Birds scatter away from me, probably afraid of my huge wings, and people look up to identify the source of the noise.

One thing I hate about my wings is how loud they are. Whenever I fly, I feel like I’m causing a storm.

I land on my legs and touch the ground with my right hand. My head is bowed—but not to the pack, of course.

When I look up, I see some with fearful stares and some gazing at me like I’m a goddess. My name is called, and I look to my right to see my brother running toward me with open arms. My brother hugs me like there is no tomorrow, and I hug him back.

~I didn’t think I’d get welcomed like this.~

~“Don’t speak too soon, Clementine,”~ Helia warns, rolling her eyes.

“I was so worried…” Alex admits, his voice cracking. A lonely tear escapes his eye.

“I’m sorry, but I needed space,” I reply, wiping away the tear with my thumb.

I hear footsteps coming our way, and suddenly, Ivan cuts between me and Alex. He hugs me, so tightly.

~Did I make them this worried?~

“I thought you died,” he says, his breathing uneven. He sounds mad, yet relieved.

I want to yell at him, to ask him why he didn’t tell me that we are mates, but instead, I hug him back.

~Mmm…~

~Warm.~

“Clementine Moore!” a voice booms, grabbing everyone’s attention.

Alpha Jake.

“Yes, Jake?” I ask.

He stops dead in his tracks and tilts his head, chuckling. “Jake?”

I shrug. He’s not my alpha anymore.

As Jake walks toward us, Ivan takes a defensive position, surprising everyone but Alex. I wonder whether my brother already knew that I am Ivan’s mate.

“With all due respect, Alpha,” Jake begins, “Clementine used to be a member of this pack, so as the alpha, I should punish her in the way I see fit.”

I roll my eyes.

“Punish her? For what?” Ivan asks.

“For hiding her powers and trying to kill her mother!” Jake replies.

I laugh, grabbing his attention.

“Is there something funny, Clementine?”

“Yes, actually—the fact that you are an alpha to this pack,” I say, earning growls from everyone.

“Watch what you’re saying, bird.”

~“I am not a bird! I am the queen of birds—tell him!”~ Helia yells in my head.

I roll my eyes again. Helia tries to take control of my body, but I don’t let her.

“Watch yourself, dog.”

~“You should be making peace, not war!”~ Helia reminds me.

~You just told me to answer him!~

~“I didn’t mean to call him a dog!”~

~Dammit!~

Before anyone can do anything, I say, “But I’m not here to start a war, I am here to encourage peace.”

“Peace? Between whom? Last time I heard, you are the only phoenix alive,” Jake says.

“First, Sofia Moore is not my mother; she is my stepmother. Second, she kidnapped and killed ~me~, not the other way around. That’s how I discovered my powers.” I look at Sofia, who is hiding behind Jake, and say, “Thanks, by the way,” with a smile.

“Finally, the peace I am talking about is between all the creatures in this forest,” I conclude, not wanting to say “witches.”

“What creatures?” Ivan whispers.

“Later,” I whisper back, earning a nod.

“We will not listen to your lies! You are banished from the pack!” Alpha Jake yells, and everyone nods in agreement.

I narrow my eyes at him but refrain from doing anything stupid with my magic. Instead, I grab Ivan’s arm and walk away into the forest.

***

“What creatures did you mean back there?” Ivan asks when we’re alone.

“You know…vampires, fairies, witches…”

He flinches. “Did you meet with one?”

“One what?”

“A witch.”

I look deep into his eyes and see fear. But I can tell it isn’t fear of witches—it’s fear of me being one.

“When I ran away, I crossed paths with one,” I said, my voice so low it’s almost a whisper.

Ivan narrows his eyes. “What did she tell you?”

“That she wants me to help her make peace. She wants witches and werewolves to become allies once again.”

“What’s her name?”

“Why?”

“Why don’t you want to tell me?”

“Are we seriously talking about witches instead of us being mates?”

“Don’t change the subject, Clementine.”

“Fine! Her name is Kalisto.”

He grunts but doesn’t respond.

“So, will you speak with her?”

“I will NOT speak with a witch!” he growls, and his eyes turn bright yellow.

I place a hand on his chest, and he immediately calms down. I get closer to him and lean in until my lips touch his. It’s a quick kiss, but it’s amazing…to me, at least.

Pulling back, I see that his eyes are now the clearest green. ~Beautiful…~

“Calm down, Ivan,” I say, and he groans in delight.

Before I know it, Ivan is taking me by my waist and sitting down with me on his lap. He leans in and places his lips on mine, and this kiss is more aggressive and passionate— as if he’s been waiting for me for a long time.

I’ve been waiting too…

Our lips fight, and I can’t help but moan. I never knew kissing could make my day ten times better.

When we break our kiss, we look into each other’s eyes. Ivan then gives me a genuine smile— one I’ve never seen before— and kisses my forehead gently.

“I’m sorry,” he suddenly says.

“For what?”

“For not telling you that we are mates.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I was scared…” He hesitates before continuing, “I used to have a mate. She was a witch, and I was so blinded by love that I didn’t see how cruel she was. She killed my parents, Clem.”

I notice how his voice cracks, and my heart clenches.

~Once he learns I’m a witch, he’ll never accept me as his mate. He’ll reject me— I’m sure of it.~