Chapter 579-One Last Time As Crusaders
Clementine:
"Mira did not deserve it," Renée said once we were seated together on a bench in the park.
Ian paced nearby, throwing small stones into the air and toward the trees while the three of us sat together, missing Mira.
"Joshua proved that you can have everything in the world and still not be satisfied," Sebastian muttered, hinting at the fact that he was finally going to be out of the academy.
"Why did he think bringing back the dead was a good option?" I said quietly. "I cannot believe he did that."
"It was Suki in Oriana’s body," Renée uttered in disbelief, shaking her head.
"Suki did not know that the body she was occupying was already going to be dragged into so many scandals," I replied, drawing in a deep breath.
"Anyway, what are we going to do now?" Renée asked, holding my hands.
"We are finally going to correct everything. First, we will shut down the academy. There is no point in keeping it open anymore. Then we will go after all the parents who actively participated in hurting innocent people and in the creation of the North," I explained.
I had already told them about how the North was created.
At first, they used to turn poor orphans into monsters in an arena and forced young teens or criminals to fight them.
When they were stopped, they decided to turn the entire North into monster land instead.
"That is the right idea. We will be with you at every step," Renée said, giving me a reassuring nod.
After talking for a while longer, Renée and Sebastian left for their home.
Ian and I held hands. I was not going back to my pack.
That mansion carried too many terrible memories. It was not a place I could return to.
I knew it would be difficult for Ian to go back to his mansion as well.
We quietly walked to the road and stood there until one of Ian’s warriors arrived with the car.
Night was approaching, and I assumed the others had gone to rest at hotels or returned to their packs.
Many packs were still scattered.
There was my pack, Yorick’s pack, and the one Fauna’s father had been leading. Messi’s situation also needed to be handled.
A lot was happening, and we would have to resolve everything slowly. But one step at a time. First, Ian and I needed to spend time together so we could cope with our losses and remind ourselves that we were still together.
Ian helped me into the back seat of the car. As soon as we sat down, he took my hand. I rested my head on his shoulder.
"Where should we spend the night?" I asked, lifting my eyes from his chest to look at his face.
"Wherever you want. Wherever you say," he whispered gently, brushing his fingers against my cheek.
"I think we should stay at the academy, if you feel it will not bring back memories of your father," I whispered, hugging his arm tightly.
"No, I think that is the right thing. I wanted to suggest it too, but I was afraid you would not like the idea," he admitted.
Once he agreed, it was decided that we would spend the night at the academy.
We wanted to see it one last time because soon we would say goodbye to it forever.
It would either be demolished or converted into something meaningful.
But when we reached the main gate of the academy, we saw several cars already parked there.
Haiden, Troy, Leysa, and Fauna were waiting for us. It seemed they already knew we would come there.
That night felt different. We were staying in the academy while rain poured outside.
We had decided to sleep in different rooms, but before that we cooked our meals together in the main hall.
This time there were no restrictions, no rules, nothing.
"It feels so odd, doesn’t it?" Ian remarked, sitting beside me and kissing my cheek while we ate.
I knew it sounded like we were having a picnic, but we only wanted one last meal before deciding the future of the academy.
Once we gathered our plates, we sat at the tables in the hall, watching the windows shake in the wind.
"What are we going to do next?" Haiden asked, gesturing toward the hall.
"I think it would be better if we turn this place into a home for the lurkers. We should start an orphanage here," Ian suggested.
His words silenced everyone. Hands that had been moving toward mouths with food stopped midway. Everyone stared at him, and then they slowly began to smile and nod.
Even I was surprised because it truly was a good decision.
"I think it will work," I told him, smiling at him for being so understanding.
"Yeah, because everything has been taken from them. For years they have been treated like they did not deserve a home," Ian continued.
"So this will be their home. And the lurkers, we will help them get their emotions back through treatment and everything. They will be the ones running this place, living their lives on their own terms, and also having a job," Ian explained, smiling as he took a bite of his sandwich because he noticed how everyone was admiring the change in him.
When I first met Ian, and when all of us met him, we knew how cold-hearted he was.
He never cared about his surroundings, and he did not worry about anyone.
Now, after learning everything about him, I realized why he had been that way.
Since childhood, he had watched his closest relationships either hate him or train him harshly.
On one side, there was his brother who was determined to kill him. On the other side, there was his father, who was always trying to make him stronger under the excuse of toughening him up.
Now Ian had finally gone through all of that and was standing here with us.
He knew he was loved and taken care of, so he was slowly stepping out of his comfort zone and learning to communicate.
He definitely noticed that I was watching him, so he started smiling back at me.
That night was amazing. We all went to our respective rooms.
Ian and I had decided that we would stay in the Black Room. It was our room, the very first one.
The moment I stepped inside, a wave of memories rushed over me. My eyes filled with tears, but Ian’s hug comforted me immediately.
We were only wearing our pajamas. The entire night we just lay together, cuddling.
We talked and planned the future of the academy. Ian had already made his decision, and all of us agreed with him.
But that did not mean everything had changed. We still had to return home and deal with everything waiting for us.
Ian’s pack had lost their headmaster alpha, and everything there had fallen apart. We had to take care of them.
On the other side, there was Yorick’s pack. We had to look after them too.
"Do you think he will come back?" Ian asked, hugging me in bed.
"I know he will," I replied. "Because when North comes back, they will finish their business. They will stay long enough to take the stones out and make the North appear again."
I tightened my hold over his hands.
"That is why we will take care of his pack. And once he comes back, he will still have his pack to rule," I said.
Ian kissed my head.
"Once North is back, I want you to lead it," he murmured.
His words shocked me. I shifted slightly in the bed and looked at him in confusion.
"Clementine, your mother was from the North. So was my family. It would only be fair if we start taking care of the North too," he explained.
I smiled weakly, then turned around and hugged him, lying against him with my face buried in his chest.
As morning arrived, we started gathering in the hall again for breakfast. Looking around, I realized that the other couples looked happy with their partners.
But there was still hesitation on everyone’s faces because we were all about to return and face our enemies again.
With Lady Sylvia gone, we also had to decide who the appropriate council leaders would be now.
"I have a few names in mind," Haiden said, filling his mouth with a big bite from his burger.
The whole academy belonged to us now. We had gone to the basement and collected everything as evidence against Lady Sylvia and the others.
The other ring leaders had also been arrested, but they would not face very serious charges. The ones who had actually committed bigger crimes had done them in the North.
As for these ring leaders, they would only receive a small punishment for following the rules and playing along with the scheme against us.
"Please suggest some," I said to Haiden, eating from Ian’s hand because he wanted to feed me.
Everyone was watching us. Even Leysa and Fauna frowned at their mates, gesturing for them to feed them the same way Ian was feeding me.
"Maybe Troy’s mother," Haiden suggested.
As soon as he said that, Troy’s face lit up. I remembered how his mother had been treated after her first child died.
She was accused of not taking care of him, even though it was a complete lie. She was not a bad woman. She had just turned bitter after everything that happened to her.
"I agree with it," I said, finishing my food and watching them smile.
But I knew Haiden and Fauna had a long journey ahead. Leysa and Troy did too.