Chapter 5

CLEMENTINE

My heart is racing, and I can’t calm myself down. Helia tries to assure me that nothing bad will happen, but I’m afraid.

~Why would he call for me? What have I done other—~

~Oh. He must have heard about the rogues in the woods. But why would I be in trouble when they were the ones who trespassed and when they were already killed by the alpha king?~

~Ivan…~

Helia hums in my head at the sound of his name. She is ridiculous. I mean, why is she crushing on him?

~What if he’s our mate?~ I suddenly think.

~“No, my kind can only be mated to our kind,”~ Helia replies.

Disappointed, I ask, ~Don’t you feel anything like werewolves do?~

~“I don’t know, Clementine; I was born when you were. I can’t know until we are one.”~

That’s confusing. And why isn’t she telling me what she is? I deserve to know. What is it that stops her from telling me?

~“I’m sorry, Clem,”~ she says. ~“I would tell you if I could.”~

As Helia disappears, probably going to take a nap, I follow Alpha Jake to his office. He slams the door, and I flinch at the sound.

I look around the room and see my father sitting on one of the chairs, holding some papers. As the pack’s researcher, he is probably doing some work for the alpha. He knows all the pack’s history and is the best when it comes to finding out things about people.

“Sit,” Alpha Jake says harshly.

I sit down on the chair beside my father and look up. “What did I do?” I ask, playing dumb.

The alpha lets out a short, unamused laugh. “What did you do?” He strides around the table until he is standing directly in front of me, and then he picks me up by my collarbone. “You killed two of my pack. TWO!”

My eyes widen. ~Two? Who the fuck did I kill?~

“What are you talking about?” I ask, honestly this time.

“Stop with your games, Clementine. I know what you did in the woods,” he growls, tightening the hold around my neck.

For a moment, I see stars. Then my vision becomes blurry.

Suddenly, the office door flies open, revealing Ivan. “Leave her,” his voice booms, making the hairs on my back stand up.

~“Fuck, he’s hot,”~ Helia hums.

I mentally roll my eyes. I don’t know why she calls him hot every time she sees him.

The alpha puts me down gently, apparently afraid that Ivan will hurt him. I cough a little, trying to regain my breathing. My father, meanwhile, continues to sit silently—not caring whether I die.

“With all due respect, Ivan, she has to be punished for killing two pack wolves,” Alpha Jake says firmly.

Ivan smirks. “She wasn’t the one who killed them.”

The alpha’s brows lift. “And how you know that?”

“Because I killed them.”

Alpha Jake gasps. Then his nose flares in anger, and his fists clench. “Why?” he asks, glaring at Ivan like he might pierce through the alpha king’s hard exterior.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” Ivan replies, nonchalant.

“Yes, you do!” Alpha Jake yells. “This is my pack!”

“Let me remind you who I am, Jake. I am your king, and you are my puppet.” He sounds proud, almost arrogant, as he uses his strong, deep alpha voice.

I love it.

I never thought Alpha Jake would submit to anyone, but now he bows his head deferentially to his king. I want to laugh evilly at the sight.

“And since your pack members assaulted one of their own, I will stay a little longer to sort everything out. I’ll also be inviting some wolves from my family.”

This announcement makes my heart flutter. ~I will be seeing more of him.~

~“Oh, my God, I am so happy,”~ Helia squeals.

I suddenly wish she wasn’t in my head.

“Of course, Alpha,” Alpha Jake replies.

Ivan turns away from him and points at me. “You,” he says. “Come with me.”

I feel the oxygen leave my lungs. The thought of being alone with the alpha king scares me, but I nod and follow him out of the room.

Every few seconds, Ivan looks back to make sure I am following him, even though he can probably hear my heartbeat. It’s like he wants to look, and that makes me happy despite my nerves.

Soon, we stop outside some double doors. He twists one of the handles and strides into a huge bedroom, and I slowly follow.

In the middle of the room is a large bed flanked by two side tables. Opposite the bed is a dresser and small desk, and on another wall is a door that I assume leads to the bathroom.

“Sit,” Ivan orders.

I look around and decide to sit on the chair next to the desk. Sitting on the bed seems… I don’t know… weird.

“What were you doing in the woods?” he asks.

~“I think he knows,”~ Helia points out.

~How the hell would he know?~

~“I don’t know. Just a feeling,”~ she replies.

Ivan narrows his eyes. “Who the hell are you talking to?”

My eyes widen. ~How the fuck does he know? He can’t read minds, can he?~

~“Only if he’s your mate, which is rare and impossible,”~ Helia answers.

The alpha king places his hands against the wall on either side of me, trapping me in the chair. “Answer me!” he roars.

“No one,” I answer, frowning in an attempt to convince him.

“You were talking to someone. Who is it?”

My heart beats wildly.

~“Just tell him. He won’t hurt you,”~ Helia advises.

~How the hell would you know?~ I ask her.

Before she can reply, Ivan says, “You are speaking to it again. Who is it, Clementine?”

Hearing him say my name makes my stomach churn with excitement. ~He is such a hottie.~

“I agree,” Helia hums.

“I-I…” I begin, but I’m too worried to continue. What if he kills me?

“Tell me,” Ivan insists, his voice a little softer now.

“I don’t know,” I finally say, which is the truth. I just know her name.

He frowns. “You don’t know?”

“No. She won’t tell me what she is…or what I am, for that matter.”

“You are not a wolf,” he mutters. “I would know.”

My eyebrows furrow. “Why would you know?” I ask.

Ivan scowls. “You don’t need to know that.”

As he backs away from me, I narrow my eyes, trying to figure him out. ~He wants to get answers from me but doesn’t want to give me answers in return. Well, two can play that game.~

“What’s its name?” Ivan suddenly asks, curiosity dripping from his eyes.

I seal my mouth shut, refusing to utter a word.

He scowls again and demands, “Answer me.”

“Why would I answer you when you are not answering me?” I ask, crossing my arms against my chest.

Ivan leans forward and traps me again, his eyes turning bright yellow. “How many times do I have to tell you who I am? I could rip you apart right now.”

“You don’t scare me, Ivan,” I say proudly. “I know you will not hurt me because Helia said so.”

He smirks, and I realize my mistake.

I said her name.

“Helia, huh?” he says, testing the name on his lips.

~“Fuck, Clem. Thank you for being my partner in this. He is just gorgeous. Did you see how he said my name—”~

I cut her off before my cheeks turn an even brighter red.

“What is she saying?” Ivan asks, the smirk not leaving his lips. It’s as if he can hear our conversation.

“Nothing,” I mumble, looking anywhere but at him.

Ivan doesn’t reply, instead leaning back again, and I suddenly wish he would just stay where he was. ~Is that too much to ask?~

~That brunette woman who’s been glued to Ivan is a lucky daughter of a bitch… What does he see in her?~

~“I know, right?”~ Helia comments. ~“I am so jealous right now.”~

~Me too, Helia. Me too.~

Ivan pulls me out of my thoughts. “Some of my family will be arriving tomorrow. I want you to do a general checkup on their health.”

I arch my brow. “Don’t you have a pack doctor?”

He gives me an amused look. “We do, but I want you.”

My heart clenches. I want to jump on him and kiss the shit out of him.

~Why am I feeling like this?~

~“Me too,”~ Helia says. ~“Dammit, he’s hot.”~

I roll my eyes. ~Can’t she think of a word besides “hot”?~

“Fine,” I say.

I attempt to stand up, but Ivan puts a hand on my chest and pushes me back down. It may sound cliché, but the contact makes butterflies in my stomach fly everywhere.

Helia moans in ecstasy. She is a mess, and so am I.

“Before you leave,” Ivan says, “does anyone know you have Helia?”

I start to shake my head but then say, “Only my friend, Erika.”

“Good. Don’t tell anyone else.”

Surprised at his concern, I ask, “Why?”

“They might kill you.”

“And you won’t?”

“No, I won’t.” His voice is hoarse. “I will not let anything happen to you.”

“Why?”

Ivan hesitates for a second, and then his demeanor changes. “Because I am the alpha king, and I can do whatever the hell I want. You don’t question me.”

Feeling disappointed but grateful, I stand up and walk toward the door.

“And Clem”—I look back at him, and he scowls—”stay away from that doctor.”

I nod and fight back a smile. ~He indeed feels something, Helia.~

~“I hope so,”~ she replies.

***

As I walk back to the infirmary, I receive stares from everyone, but I don’t mind. I immediately find Erika, who wears a worried but curious expression.

“What happened?” she asks, putting her hand on my shoulder.

Erika is the best when it comes to standing by people on their worst days. She’s never judged or hated me for who or what I am, and I will forever be grateful that I have her in my life. God knows where I’d be without her.

“He thought I killed two pack members,” I say.

Her eyes widen in shock. “Did you?” she whispers so that no one hears.

“Of course not. I don’t have powers, Erika.”

“Then who did?” she asks, pressing her pointer finger and thumb on her chin like she’s trying to think.

“The alpha king,” I reply, earning a gasp.

Erika quickly pulls me to the corner so that she can demand answers. That’s one thing I simultaneously love and hate about her: she won’t leave you alone until she gets what she wants.

“Tell me, what happened?” she asks.

“I was walking in the woods—you know, during my break—and suddenly, two large wolves emerged. One of them pounced on me and was about to scratch me with his claws. He probably would’ve eaten me, but then out of nowhere, Ivan came and saved me.”

Erika smirks. “Ivan, huh?”

I scowl. “It’s not like that… I-It’s, you know…”

“Yeah, yeah,” she giggles before walking away to continue working.

I stand there, stunned, unable to comprehend everything that’s happened today. But then my thoughts, and Helia’s, of course, drift to Ivan once again.