Chapter 241: 241-Next Stop, Ian’s Place
Clementine:
"Oh, uh, Lady Rimi," I muttered awkwardly, glancing at her and then back again.
"Where are they?" she questioned, her tone explaining why she looked so shocked.
"They, uh, they went out for a run," I explained, still watching her face, wondering if she had heard anything beyond that.
"Oh no, why would they leave in such weather? What happened? Did you guys fight?" she asked, stepping forward to look into the distance. There was no sign of them.
"No, um, we didn’t. They’re– alphas. They just— wanted to– take a run," I replied, my voice stuttering.
"Oh no, they’re so childish," she groaned before looking back at me with a smile. "It’s okay. You can eat, and they’ll join you once they’re back, alright?" she said, placing the food on the big picnic table. "Have fun. I made it especially for all of you," she added, stepping away.
I sat down, staring at all the sandwiches and cookies. I remembered she used to cook really well, but Yorick never let me eat her food.
I didn’t know why, but I had only visited them a few times when I was dating Yorick, and every time I was in their home, he wouldn’t leave me with his parents for a second.
While I was thinking about that, I heard rustling behind me and noticed Yorick had returned, along with the others.
"What happened to taking a run?" I asked, watching them as they came in soaked. I noticed a little bump on Troy’s forehead.
"The stupid hail!" Troy complained, rubbing his head.
"Oh, did you guys not know it was going to happen?" I muttered, rolling my eyes as they sat down.
I guessed they just wanted to get away for a moment because things were getting heated, and even a short break was enough to bring them back to their senses.
The hail had been huge, so I agreed with their decision to return.
"My mother brought this?Did you eat any of it?" Yorick asked, and I shook my head.
"Good. You guys shouldn’t eat either. We’ll eat something once we’re at Ian’s," Yorick said as he grabbed the food and started throwing it away, confusing us. We exchanged glances.
"Okay, Yorick, what’s going on? Do you not like your mother’s cooking, or are you just so possessive that you don’t want anyone else to try it?" Haiden asked, adding a playful tone.
"It’s not just that. You know my parents. They’re scientists. They experiment with things," Yorick said, making us all uncomfortable.
"I mean, they can’t possibly give us something— we’re not their guinea pigs, are we?" Haiden asked, and Yorick turned to give him a look while emptying the tray.
"Who knows? Maybe you are. That’s why I just want you guys to stay vigilant. I want to get out of here," he replied hesitantly.
The anxiety in Yorick’s body language upset me. I began to realize it wasn’t just the heat. It was that he didn’t trust his own parents. I appreciated him for looking out for us, to be honest.
Thankfully, within five minutes, the hail stopped. It was only raining lightly now, and Yorick decided we wouldn’t stay any longer.
None of us complained, even when his parents were clearly upset about us leaving. The more his mother tried to stop us, insisting she was preparing a grand meal, the more determined we became to go.
After Yorick expressed his fear that his parents might mix something into the food, none of us wanted to stay. We were starving, but it felt safer to leave.
Part of me also wanted to fetch Ian as quickly as possible. I had a few things to discuss with him, not just about what I’d heard from the ringleaders but about our mate bond too.
I wanted to know why he had reacted so aggressively when it was said he should take me home. After hearing Yorick’s concerns, I started to think maybe Ian’s worries were just as intense.
Maybe that was why he panicked at the thought of taking me with him.
"It’s such a shame you guys only came for an hour," Lady Rimi complained, watching us take Yorick’s bag out. It was just Haiden and Troy taking his bags though.
"It’s okay, Mom, we’ll come later," Yorick told her, giving her a lazy hug. But she held on to him and even closed her eyes. I noticed how his parents looked so sad watching him go.
"You guys should’ve stayed over. Look, now you’re taking our son from us," Lord Jill complained, making Yorick break the hug with his mother and turn to give his father one instead.
"It’s okay, we’ll take care of him," Troy added, giving us a shrug because he didn’t know what else to say. None of us did. They were so emotional.
"Yeah, I’ll come back again. Don’t worry," Yorick assured them, even though none of us knew if we’d come back alive next time. Just the thought of it was traumatizing.
"Anyway, take care of yourself, okay? And don’t have crazy thoughts," Yorick murmured to his mother in a near whisper.
As he said goodbye and we were about to leave, a loud thud came from one of the rooms. Troy, Haiden, and I stopped in our tracks, turning to look at the door.
"Is there somebody else here?" Haiden asked.
The look on everyone’s faces—Yorick’s, his mother’s, and his father’s—was strange. They looked both shocked and worried.
"Oh, no. I had stacked some things on top of each other, and I guess one of them fell and caused the noise. Anyway, have fun and please take care of each other, okay? I want you all back from the North," Lady Rimi said quickly as she almost pushed us out the door and slammed it shut.
"Yorick, what was that?" Troy questioned, watching Yorick, who had started walking ahead of us.
"My mom told you it was nothing. Stop being delusional," Yorick replied without even turning around to look at us.
That was odd. He sounded almost defensive.
Silence took over as we reached the car.
"Next stop, Ian’s location," I said with a deep sigh.