Chapter 4

CLEMENTINE

After a while, I take a break, asking Erika to take care of everything while I’m gone. I don’t tell her where I’m going, though, because she’d stop me.

Outside, I walk quickly between the trees. Despite my hurry, I’m enjoying the sun on my face and the sound of birds chirping. They make me feel calm, at peace.

~“Slow down,”~ the voice in my head says.

I’m tired of calling her “the voice.”

“Can you at least tell me your name?” I ask out loud.

~If anyone saw me, they’d surely think I’m crazy.~

“~Helia~,” she replies.

“Helia—what a beautiful name,” I say. I wonder what it means.

~“Sun. It means sun~,” Helia replies, yawning.

A smile forms on my face. I’ve always needed someone, like Alex or Erika, with me to feel safe, but now…I don’t need them. I have Helia, who will never leave my side.

~My Helia.~

But I also wonder, ~Why did she come to me now? Why not before?~

~“I’m flattered,”~ Helia says softly, making me groan.

~Is she always going to listen to my thoughts?~

~“We are one, Clem,”~ she adds.

~One my ass.~

I take a right toward the Atlas River, which I haven’t seen in a long time. Every time I want to leave the pack house and roam around, Alex prevents me, saying that it’s dangerous because anyone could get to me when I’m alone. So, it’s good that he’s currently busy.

He wouldn’t want me to find Malcolm.

Witches and wizards generally don’t have the best relationship with werewolves and vampires, but Malcolm hates witches. I don’t know the full story, just that the witches betrayed him and that he wants revenge. So, for centuries now, he’s sided with the werewolves and vampires.

Malcolm is so old that I don’t even know how old he is. It’s scary to think that he is so ancient.

I bend down, getting closer to the river, and cup the water. I take a sip.

The Atlas River was named after a legendary alpha who died protecting his pack, and I’ve always wondered how he could do it. Being an alpha is hard, but they’re so resilient and powerful. It’s mind-blowing to think that they could sacrifice their lives for their pack.

I wouldn’t say the same about all alphas, though…

Suddenly, I hear a twig break and turn around to see two huge wolves. At first, I think that they’re pack members, but when they start to run toward me, barking, I realize that they’re not.

I scream at the top of my lungs, hoping someone will hear me.

I try to run away but am tackled by a large, gray wolf. I land with a ~thud~.

The wolf sits on top of me, growling. He looks like he is about to scratch me with his claws, but then he is ripped off me and smashed against a tree. That’s when I hear another wolf’s growl and smell the heavenly scent that’s been occupying my senses.

~He’s here. My savior for the second time—even if the first danger wasn’t as severe as this one.~

As a human, the alpha king takes the gray wolf by his throat, the look on his face so scary that I begin to feel afraid. Then he rips his throat apart, sending blood everywhere.

He looks like an animal.

~Okay, technically he is an animal, but the point is, he looks extremely dangerous—lethal.~

I try to stand up and leave, but my body seems frozen in place.

The alpha king strides toward the other wolf, who looks ready to bolt. He takes him by his hair with one hand and uses his other to rip his heart out too.

As the second wolf’s body falls to the ground, lifeless, I know I won’t be able to unsee this scene. My lips part in shock, but I’m more preoccupied with wondering why the alpha king saved me.

He looks monstrous, but in a good way. I didn’t even know that was possible.

I’m not afraid, though my brain screams at me to run. Helia, on the other hand, moans in delight. I wonder what she’s so happy about.

The alpha king turns, his wolf still in control, and looks at me. As he strides over, I freeze, then quickly back away. This earns a growl, and he picks me up.

I shriek, thinking he’s going to hurt me, but Helia says, “He will never hurt us.” She doesn’t seem to like it whenever I think something negative about the alpha king.

“You all right?” he asks, his strong voice echoing through the empty forest.

I can tell from his accent that he’s Russian, but his English is so good that I didn’t realize it before. The sound makes my heart flutter and my legs turn to jelly.

I take a moment to admire the alpha king’s beautiful eyes, which make my insides burn. ~Why does he affect me so much?~

I pull myself out of these thoughts and nod. “Yes,” I breathe.

“What are you doing here?” he asks.

Trying to compose myself, I answer, “Just taking a break from work.”

“You shouldn’t stay here,” he grumbles. “Go home.”

I arch my brow. ~Who does he think he is to talk to me like that?~

“I am grateful that you saved me, but you don’t get to tell me what to do,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

If there’s one thing I hate about myself, it’s my stubbornness. I tend to get myself into trouble because of it. I wish I could change that about myself, but every time I try, it doesn’t work.

“Watch that little mouth of yours, kid,” he threatens, using his alpha voice.

“Your voice doesn’t affect me,” I state confidently.

This makes him angrier, but he tries to calm himself down for reasons I don’t understand.

I glance at the alpha king’s beautiful, light-brown, curly hair and suddenly wish that I could play with it. Just the thought of having my fingers stroke his hair sends pleasure to my core. I would also like to—

“Do you even know who I am?” he growls, his eyes turning bright yellow as he and his wolf speak at once. I suddenly want to run for my life, worried that his wolf might make him turn. “I am Ivan Vasiliev, the king of all werewolves.”

~Ivan. Such a beautiful name.~

I wonder what his wolf’s name is.

As if I have a death wish, I reply, “Then it’s good I’m not a werewolf.”

~“Damn, Clementine, not bad,”~ Helia comments giddily.

~What has gotten into me? I’m not normally one to speak up unless it’s extremely important. He could rip me apart with one finger.~

~Yet I don’t think he will—why?~

The alpha king takes me by my throat and walks us to the nearest tree, then slams my back against it but not hard enough to hurt me. I find it somewhat attractive.

~Shit!~

“You are a feisty little thing,” he murmurs, his breath hitting my neck. He takes a whiff of my scent and groans in delight.

~What is he doing?~

“Я не знаю, могу ли я контролировать себя,” he says in Russian.

~“He is so hot,”~ Helia hums.

God only knows what she’s thinking.

“Go back to the house,” the alpha king orders again.

Not wanting to make him angrier, I nod. But as soon as he lets go of my neck, I miss his touch on my skin.

~There’s something wrong with me.~

My body still shaking from what happened, I run quickly to the pack house, not looking back.

***

As I enter the pack house, I think, ~I can’t believe I was almost killed by rogues. I felt so helpless, so powerless. If Ivan hadn’t come, I would be dead.~

~Fuck, I didn’t even get the chance to look for Malcolm! I have to talk to him because apparently, Helia is not talking anytime soon.~

~“Hey!”~ she protests. ~“I want to, but I can’t.”~

“So much for ‘we are one,’” I mock out loud, earning a few glares from pack members.

~Great. Now they think I’m crazy.~

Ignoring them, I walk into the infirmary, where I spot Erika stitching up the beta. Beta Dixon is a very good man. He is probably the only pack member outside the infirmary, besides my brother and Luna Helen, who treats me all right.

I miss Luna Helen. She’s visiting her sister in another city and won’t be back until tomorrow.

“Hello, Beta Dixon,” I greet once I reach them. “Is everything all right?”

He looks up at me and smiles, flashing his pearly teeth. “Hey, Clementine. I’m good—just a minor injury.” With a smirk, he adds, “I heard what you did. I must say, you are the bravest person I have ever met.”

One thing I love about Beta Dixon is that he tries his best to help everyone in the pack. Of course, he has to follow the alpha’s commands, but sometimes, he breaks the rules for us. He also doesn’t hate rogues the way Alpha Jake does; he has sympathy for the weak.

“Well, I had to,” I say for the millionth time.

“I’m glad you did,” he says, and I smile.

When his stitches are done, Beta Dixon rolls down his shirt, stands up, and says “goodbye.” As he walks out of the infirmary, I turn to my friend.

“Erika…,” I start.

“Yes, Clem?” she replies as she puts some medical equipment away.

“I have to tell you something I haven’t told anyone,” I say, feeling extremely scared.

Suddenly, I don’t know if I should tell her or not. It’s not that I don’t trust her, but I’m worried that she won’t believe me. What if she doesn’t accept me for who I am?

~Shit, I don’t even know ~what~ I am. Damn you, Helia.~

~“You can trust Erika,”~ Helia assures me, and I wonder how she knows.

“Come,” I say, grabbing Erika’s arm and walking toward the corner of the room so no one overhears us. I’d rather tell her somewhere more secluded, but I don’t have any other place to go.

“What is it? You’re scaring me, Clem,” she says worriedly.

“For the last few months,” I start, “I have been hearing this voice in my head—”

Erika’s eyes immediately widen. “I knew it! I knew your wolf would surface one day,” she whisper-yells.

I press the palm of my hand against her mouth to shut her up. “It’s not a wolf, Erika,” I say.

She gives a confused look. “Then what is it?”

I smile, proud. “I don’t know, but her name is Helia.”

“Are you sure she’s not your wolf?” Erika asks in disbelief.

I don’t blame her for not being able to wrap her head around this. “Yes, I am sure. She told me herself.”

“You shouldn’t tell anyone, Clem.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m afraid they’ll kill you if you do.”

“Why do you think that?”

Erika looks around nervously and whispers, “If you’re not a human or a werewolf, then you must be some other creature. And you know they hate witches, vampires, anything besides wolves.”

My heart races. ~Would they really kill me?~

~“They might,”~ Helia says, ~“but Ivan wouldn’t let them. I am sure about that.”~

~Why do you think that, Helia?~

“~I can’t say because I am not sure,” she replies, making me clench my jaw.

“Clem! Clem!” Erika calls, trying to get my attention. When I focus on her, she chuckles. “Where did you go?”

I don’t answer that. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine—just don’t tell anyone, okay?”

I nod. I might tell Alex, but not now.

At that moment, a voice booms through the infirmary. “CLEMENTINE!”

I look around only to see Alpha Jake come into the room. Once his eyes land on me, he says, “My office, NOW!”