CHAPTER 341: 341-NORTH IS NOT A PLACE TO GO

Clementine:

"No, that is not true. I was also under the monster’s control," she replied quickly.

"Wait, what is even going on?" Miss Rue questioned in confusion.

"What monster? And what do you mean by she was working for the monster? What kind of monster? We want to know everything," Miss Rue continued.

We all nodded because it was time to tell them about this monster that should have been dealt with already, since it seemed able to control a lot and cause serious damage.

"I will tell you all about it," Oriana spoke up, and Yorick shook his head.

"No, you will not. Your version will be faulty. We will talk about it," he replied, pointing at himself.

"But the monster was in contact with her," Ms. Lenora pointed out.

"And we were the victims of their alliance." Haiden snapped, and once again the ringleaders shared a glance.

"Fine then. All of you come together. I want to know everything about this monster," Ms. Lenora decided, and I guessed it was a long-awaited discussion.

So we sat down and had a full conversation with the ringleaders where we gave a brief interview and answered their questions for the next three hours.

They first began asking us when it started, how it ended, who noticed what first, every detail, because it seemed like this was something they had never witnessed before.

Then it came down to Oriana finally adding that she had also been under the influence.

However, when they asked me what I had to say about it, I stated clearly that I did not believe her.

If I remembered everything correctly, she had been in her senses.

Even after the chain broke, and as the others confirmed, the alphas said Oriana had shown them the broken chain, asking why it was not working too many times, and everyone had witnessed it.

Oriana kept repeating that it had been a part of what the Shadow Earth Eater had made of her.

After the entire conversation ended, the ringleaders asked us to gather in the hall so they could come and make an announcement.

My heart was thumping in my chest. We had too many ideas running in our heads, and I still had not spoken one-on-one with my mates after their return.

That was still pending because I needed to talk to them about something related to my relationship with Ian.

For now, we gathered in the hall, waiting for the ringleaders to arrive.

Renee, Sebastian and Mira, as expected, were taking a stroll together. Renee and Mira always held hands, looking like cute little sisters.

Ian stood next to the large window door, staring outside. Oriana sat alone in one corner of the hall.

Joshua sat on his white squat table by himself, his hands clutched together on the surface.

Yorick and Haiden were discussing something, pointing at Oriana most of the time.

Troy had been wandering until he met me in the middle of the hallway.

"I have something to talk about. It has been weighing on my mind," he told me.

Right away, I could sense it was something important because of the way he kept sneaking glances at me.

"Sure, what is it?" I asked, giving him my full attention.

"When we found you, after we returned from the other side of the North," he began, and I started to recall what he was talking about.

It hit me quickly. I remembered exactly what he meant.

"I found you in the arms of Ian. Was it because of the mate thing? I mean, you two are mates and his brother had forcibly tried to mark you and all that. Is that what compelled a reaction out of you?" he questioned, his voice steady.

The urgency to know the truth was tense, and I could already tell the reaction would be tense as well.

"Actually, I wanted to speak about that too–," I replied but then the interruption happened.

The ringleaders marched inside the hall, holding papers in their hands.

They all looked extremely worried, almost anxious in the way they held the papers and looked around, keeping the same pace as each other.

Everyone gathered on one side of the hallway while the ringleaders stood on the platform, staring at each other before one of them stepped forward.

"Everyone, we have a problem," Ms. Lenora announced. Her eyes drifted down to the paper once before she lifted her head again.

"This monster seems to be something we have never thought of or heard of. We are not sure how dangerous it could be, but we know that if we do not stop it now, it will cause a lot of damage."

As she spoke, I noticed Oriana lift her head and look at her, then move her eyes toward Joshua.

I instantly snapped my head toward him to check his reaction, but he appeared unfazed. He had not moved from the chair.

His eyes were still on his clutched hands.

"We will be sending you on an urgent trip to the North to kill this monster so it cannot control any of the upcoming squads or crusaders," Mr. Rick announced.

The moment he said it, everyone went silent for a few seconds.

I guessed it was the kind of realization they had never imagined, that a time would come when new crusaders would be welcomed.

But the way they already spoke as if they were preparing to say goodbye to us made everyone’s stomach churn.

"So with that being said, we request you not to get involved in any personal altercations so your health and energies are secured for the next few days. You will return to the North urgently and slay this monster for us," Mr. Rick continued.

"As for the ongoing issues among the crusaders, we will talk to you during dinner. Until then, please refrain from putting hands on each other," he finished, then gestured for us to leave.

However, I was the one who stepped forward first.

"We are not going back to the North," I stated. For a moment, everyone seemed surprised before Ian began to chuckle.