Clementine

CLEMENTINE

Hey, you! I say to the voice in my head as I leave the pack house. ~Answer me. Where did you go?~

Suddenly, I feel stupid. What if there isn’t a voice? What if it’s just my inner consciousness? What if I am hallucinating?

The thing is, I don’t know how to fight, so there must be something inside me. I could never fight all those guards on my own. That, I’m sure of.

But if the voice isn’t a hallucination, why did it come out now? Not that it didn’t speak to me before, but this morning was the first time it said something other than my name. And this afternoon was the first time it did something, as if it couldn’t wait to come out.

I must ask someone about the voice, or I really will go crazy. But the only person who will give me answers is Malcolm, the pack wizard.

Sighing, I quickly head to my house, making sure no one sees me. After he warned me multiple times to stay home, I don’t want my brother to catch me outside at this hour.

Along the way, I pray that the alpha doesn’t tell anyone what happened. The last time I helped a rogue, my mother kicked me out, and she only agreed to let me stay after my brother persistently begged her to. This time, I don’t think she’ll be so kind.

Still, whether or not she kicks me out for good, I don’t regret a thing. I would do it all over again.

***

That night, I sit in my room and gaze out at the beautiful, twinkling stars covering the night sky. A few birds fly home, knowing they can’t stay out much longer.

It’s weird to see birds flying at night here in Big Bear Lake, California. Normally, wolves are roaming around the forest, scaring them, but I guess everyone is at the party right now.

Suddenly, a bird falls, and my eyes widen. I close my curtains, afraid that someone is out there and that I might be seen by them.

Someone or something must have killed it.

As I try to calm my thumping heart, I hear someone call my name. At first, I think it’s the voice within me and I get excited, but then I realize it’s my mother’s voice echoing through the empty house.

“Clementine! Come down here, you mut!”

I quickly run downstairs to find an angry-looking woman. She’s in a fighting stance, ready to attack.

“Alpha Jake just told us about what you did. How could you?” she yells, obviously itching to slap me.

My father stands beside her, but he doesn’t utter a word, like always.

I don’t talk a lot about my father because there’s not much to talk about. He doesn’t talk to me, and I don’t talk to him. In fact, I haven’t uttered a word to him in a long time.

My father had hoped that I would get my wolf when I turned sixteen, but I didn’t. Since then, he has barely acknowledged me, but honestly? That’s fine by me.

I stand my ground. “I had to,” I say.

For the first time, I am not afraid. Something comes over me, the same feeling I felt in the cells.

Courage.

“Get out,” my mother says, clenching her jaw so hard I think her teeth might break.

“What?” I ask, taken aback. Even though I expected her to kick me out, I’m still startled by her anger.

“I said, GET OUT!” she barks, making me flinch.

I look at my robotic father, who doesn’t seem to have any emotion on his face, and silently beg him to say something. He doesn’t.

I nod and walk toward the front door. I open it, walk through, and close it behind me. I then glance around the empty path, wolves’ howls echoing throughout the forest.

My legs carry me to the pack house. I don’t know why I’m going there, but I suspect it’s because that scent is too strong for me to ignore.

Inside, there are a lot of noises coming from every corner of the house. People are screaming, squealing, and singing excitedly. But what I notice most is that the scent has become more intense. I can feel the man somewhere nearby.

I walk ahead until I reach the center of the house, where the event is being held. I want to leave, but I can’t. My body wants to be here, in this room, so I open the door and walk in.

Through the throng of people drinking and talking and dancing, I spot my brother with the alpha and the man whose scent I cannot seem to stray away from. Alex’s eyes land on me and widen, and he excuses himself.

Once the alpha sees me, his face hardens, but what’s weird is that the man’s eyes found me first. I can see them glowing a little, but I turn away from them both.

“What are you doing here?” Alex hisses, then looks back to check whether the alpha saw me.

“I got kicked out of the house,” I reply, nonchalant.

He glares at me. “I heard about what you did. I told you not to do anything, Clementine.”

“I couldn’t just sit there and watch him die. He’s just a boy,” I defend myself, trying to make my brother understand. I know he does, but he can’t do anything about our pack’s ways.

Alex groans. “Look, you can stay with Nikki and me for the night. I will talk with Mother tomorrow.”

Nikki, short for Nikita, is his mate. They both live in the pack house, though Alex sometimes stays at our house when Nikki leaves to visit her family. She’s from another pack that’s not too far from Big Bear Lake.

“Okay. Thank you, Alex,” I reply with a smile.

He covers his face with his palms. “The alpha is so mad at you, by the way.”

I huff. “I can see that.” I look around him at the man with the heavenly scent. “So, who is that standing with the alpha?”

“Why are you asking?” Alex lowers his voice. “Stay away from him. He’s dangerous.”

“I will, but who is he?” I ask again, earning a glare.

“He’s the alpha king.”

***

Before going to Alex and Nikki’s room, I tour the pack house, since I’ve barely seen anything besides the infirmary and the alpha’s quarters. Though the main pack house contains seventeen bedrooms, not everyone lives here—only the members closest to the alpha. There’s another pack house close to this one, and that’s where all the remaining members reside.

I forgot to mention that my brother lives in the main pack house because he is the delta, the third in command.

As I walk down a very long hallway, I hear voices. I draw closer and smell the heavenly scent, which means that the alpha king is in this room.

When the noises become clearer, I hear a woman’s voice. My heart clenches for absolutely no reason at all, and I feel sick. I hurry to Alex’s bedroom, barge into his bathroom, and vomit.

Nikki comes over and stands in the doorway. “Are you okay?” she asks worriedly.

“Yeah, I just felt sick all of a sudden.” I wipe my mouth with a tissue and begin washing my face.

“Hang on, I’ll bring you a glass of water,” she says.

As Nikki leaves, I walk back into the bedroom to find my brother sitting on the bed.

“Couldn’t you ask the alpha to arrange a room for me?” I grumble.

“No, he’s already mad at you. Why?” he asks naively.

“I don’t want to hear your moans at night,” I snap, making Alex laugh and blush slightly.

A minute later, Nikki comes back into the room with a glass of water. “Here you go,” she says.

I accept the drink. “Thanks, Nikki.” After I take a sip, I ask Alex, “What are you going to do tomorrow? It’s not like I can stay here forever.”

“I’ll talk to Mom and Dad,” he assures me for the second time.

“But they won’t agree—they hate me, Alex.” My voice cracks at the end because it’s the truth.

“Don’t say that… They don’t hate you—it’s just…” Alex stops and looks down at his lap, embarrassed. He avoids making eye contact with me.

“You shouldn’t be ashamed of anything—it’s not your fault,” I say.

It’s mine.

“And it isn’t yours either, Clem.”

A tear escapes Alex’s left eye and lands on his red cheek. Nikki climbs into bed beside him and hugs him tightly.

My brother loves me a lot, and the fact that he has a conscience is enough for me. The fact that he tries is enough for me. But for some reason, he blames himself for the fact that I was born human. I don’t know why.

Unsure what to say, I put the glass of water on the table and lie down on the couch. I’m so tired, and there aren’t many hours left before my shift begins. At least I don’t have to do any chores.

My mind goes back to the man I saw with the alpha. The alpha king.

Who is he? And why do I feel drawn to him? Why do I feel like I need to know him? He seems scary, but he doesn’t scare me. Everybody seems to be scared of him, but I’m not.

Could he be my mate?

Then again, I’m just a human, and even if I’m not, I’m definitely not a werewolf. I don’t think the Moon Goddess would be stupid enough to pair that beautiful, handsome, sexy man with me. Besides, even if he was my mate, if he’s as important as Erika claimed, and as dangerous as Alex claimed, he wouldn’t accept me.

Why am I even thinking of the possibility?

I try to brush these thoughts aside and get to sleep. I have so much work to do tomorrow, since Erika and I will be making our monthly general checkup on everyone in the pack.

Sighing, I close my eyes and drift off.

***

The next day, I wake up without the help of that voice. It’s the first time in a long time I’ve slept comfortably, without feeling paranoid, but I suddenly miss it.

I stand up, making sure not to wake my brother and his mate. They are sleeping peacefully, their legs tangled. I envy them because I’ve always wanted a mate, wanted someone to love and care for me.

Is that too much to ask?

Maybe it is.

I make my way to the bathroom and brush my teeth, then take a quick shower. When I get out, I put on the clothes I wore yesterday, since I don’t have any extra clothes with me.

I’ll have to ask Nikki for some.

I leave the bathroom only to find them awake. “Good morning,” I greet.

“Good morning, Clem,” they both reply.

I give them a smile before leaving the room. I don’t want to be late for my shift, and I want to give them some privacy since they couldn’t do anything last night because of me.

As I make my way to the infirmary, I pray to the Moon Goddess that I don’t meet with the alpha. He doesn’t scare me, but after what I did, I need to be cautious. The last thing I want is for him to kick me out of the pack.

Would he do that?

“Clementine,” a voice says, stopping me dead in my tracks.

I turn around and face my alpha. The alpha king is beside him, and his smell hits my nose, making me feel dizzy.

“What are you doing here?” Alpha Jake asks, suspicious.

I sigh heavily and reply, “It’s a long story, but I was staying with Alex.” This earns a deep growl from the alpha king.

What’s his problem?

“Come to my office,” the alpha says, motioning for me to follow him.

As I walk, I sense the alpha king’s eyes on me. I don’t know what his problem is, but I don’t like him right now.

What is he even doing here? I never even knew that there was an alpha king. Does that mean he could command my alpha with his alpha voice?

It’s too confusing.

“Sit down,” Alpha Jake says, glaring at me.

When did we arrive at his office?

“Now tell me, Clementine, why did you do it?”

“I told you, Alpha, I had to,” I mutter, looking at the floor. I don’t know why he keeps asking me the same question; he already knows why.

“You know I hate them! They are not welcome here! They should die! Why did you help him escape?” As he yells, the alpha slams his hands on the table with a loud thud, but I don’t flinch at all. He used his alpha voice, and I didn’t even blink.

I turn toward the alpha king and see amusement in his beautiful eyes.

“He was a seventeen-year-old boy! I couldn’t let him die,” I yell back, shocking myself and the alpha.

The alpha king, though, doesn’t look shocked. It’s as if he knew I would yell. As if he expected me to.

Who the fuck is he?

“He should have died!” the alpha screams. “He is a rogue!”

“What if his pack was abusing him, huh? What if he couldn’t take it anymore and had to run away?” My voice cracks, and Alpha Jake’s eyes soften. He knows I’m right, yet he would never admit it; his ego is too large.

The alpha doesn’t say anything for a while. So, breathing heavily, I turn around to walk out of the room.

“Where do you think you are going?” Alpha Jake’s voice booms, stopping me.

“I have patients to see,” I reply quietly. I turn around again to leave, but what he says next freezes me in place.

“You’re fired, Clementine.”

“You can’t fire me!” I shriek, earning a growl from the alpha. I glance at the alpha king once more, and amusement dances in his eyes again. I remember my brother’s words, but he doesn’t seem dangerous to me.

Why am I not afraid of him?

“And why is that?” Alpha Jake asks, smirking.

I breathe heavily, trying to decide what to do to get my job back. The only thing that comes to my mind is the alpha’s secret. But if I blackmail him, he’ll surely kill me. He doesn’t even know that I know.

I don’t have another choice. If he fires me, I’ll end up living with other humans, and I don’t want that.

Trying to ignore the alpha king, I say, “Because you don’t want your whole pack, especially your mate, to know that you are cheating on her.”

I put my hand over my mouth as soon as the words fly out, but it’s too late. The alpha’s eyes widen in shock and fear.

Did he think I wouldn’t know he’s been screwing my sister? She hasn’t met her mate, but how could he cheat on his? His soulmate, his other half? Luna Helen is the queen of this pack; neither of them should disrespect her like that.

Alpha Jake glances at the alpha king with wide eyes, apparently trying to think of something to say but unable to find anything. I turn around and leave the room hurriedly, afraid that he’ll rip me to shreds.

But the alpha king wouldn’t let him, right?

How can I be sure? Just because he prevented the alpha from slapping me yesterday doesn’t mean that he will protect me. Who am I to him?

No one.

***

As I walk quickly to the infirmary, I see a lot of people standing in a queue, waiting for Erika and the doctors to let them in. The smell of sweat reaches my nose, and I cringe at the awful odor. I hate when people come to the infirmary all sweaty and dirty—couldn’t they at least take a shower first?

Before I have the chance to begin my work, the sweet smell of cherries, forest, and mangos hits my nose, and I immediately know that it’s the alpha king. I glance behind me and see him standing with the alpha and that woman he was with yesterday.

Gosh. At least, Alpha Jake seems to have calmed down.

I make my way inside and greet Erika and the other doctors. Dr. Klaus sends me a quick wink and a gorgeous smile, then begins letting groups of pack members in.

We start by giving each person a shot. This shot is like a vaccine, meant to prevent werewolves from picking up diseases in the wild. We also give them all quick checkups to ensure that they’re healthy; if not, we recommend adjusting their diets and making other lifestyle changes.

After a while, the alpha king and the others stroll in. Alpha Jake always insists that his members get their checkups first because he claims that he cares about them more. Though I hate him for cheating on his wife, that much is true; he’s a good alpha.

Alpha Jake sends me a quick glare before walking toward Dr. Klaus. The alpha king, though, walks toward me, leaving that lady of his standing alone, unsure of where to go.

Without saying a word, the alpha king sits in the chair across from me and rolls his sleeve up. He looks amused, like I’m the most entertaining thing he’s ever seen.

Uninterested in playing his game, I don’t say anything either. I grab a syringe slowly—not wanting this moment to end, for some reason—and take his arm.

The sudden contact ignites something within me. My inner flame bursts, and my hormones tell me that I need to let go of his arm now or else.

I quickly inject the shot, let go of the alpha king’s arm as if it burned me, and throw the empty syringe in the trash.

“Oh, ~sweet mercy, Clementine…”~

I jerk back at the sudden sound of that voice, shocked.

The alpha king looks at me, suspicious, before rolling his sleeve down. He stands up, takes a big whiff of my scent, and closes his eyes, apparently in pure delight.

“Чертовски красиво,” he mumbles.

“That was hot,” the voice in my head hums.

I look up at the alpha king with wide eyes, unsure of what to say given that I didn’t understand a word he said. He looks back at me, then walks away.

Now you decide to show up? I ask the mysterious voice.

“Well, I was bored all day, so I slept,” she replies, shocking me.

Bored? Why? And how?

“It’s because you haven’t been the best body host,” she continues.

I can hear her yawning.

Who are you? I ask.

“You’ll know soon, Clementine.”