Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 109

Chapter 109: 109-So Comfortable

Helanie:

After he made that comment, he continued walking alongside me on the trail until he stopped and placed his hands on his waist to check on me. We were headed to the same mountain I had visited a week ago, so it brought back such bad memories that kept my spirits low.

“What?” I asked, becoming self-conscious and fixing my hair. I didn’t think I had done anything, so why did he stop like that?

“How about we rest here?” he suggested, walking over to a tree and sitting down in its shelter.

“You’re doing this because you know I don’t have a wolf and might get tired. I don’t want you to babysit me, sir,” I recalled our relationship at the academy and spoke accordingly.

“Really? No! Actually, I was tired,” he shrugged, pulling out a protein bar to munch on.

I just watched his face for a moment before joining him. He offered me a bar, and I took it.

Although I had a feeling some students might have seen us sitting here. We were left behind because he was stalling a lot, and now I understand why. He wanted us to take breaks without anyone walking over us.

And it’s not like I was any keen on going to the same mountain.

“I noticed you never ask about your mother,” he said, bringing her up, and my muscles tensed.

When I first left my house, I hoped to find my mother. Somewhere along the line, I genuinely thought she would break into tears and hug me forever. I expected her to immediately understand everything I had been through. I wanted to be in her embrace and feel safe.

But then she just kicked me out.

On top of everything I had been through, my mother showing disdain at the sight of me really broke me. But that’s when my journey began—when I decided to be my own savior, rather than waiting for someone to save me.

“There’s nothing to ask about. She lives in a mansion full of luxuries, has stepsons, and her best friend with her,” I said. Even though I wanted to sound indifferent, somewhere along the way, my voice broke into a little whisper.

“And you think that’s all it takes for someone to be truly happy?” he inquired. I let out a laugh—not at his question, but at the fact that I could never be that someone.

“Trust me, for some people, it matters,” I mumbled, staring into the distance.

“And what about you? What matters to you?” he asked in a tone so understanding it almost felt like I could share anything with him without fear of judgment.

“Growing up, all that mattered to me was finding a mate,” I admitted before pausing, sensing he had more questions for me.

“It must have been hard after your wolf didn’t awaken,” he said softly, almost sadly.

“Do you think one can only be with their fated mate?” I asked, turning the question back on him.

“No! I definitely don’t believe that,” he replied firmly. “I truly and wholly believe you can make anyone your mate if your heart belongs to them. Chosen mates are a real thing, you know. There are books written about them,” he added with a teasing smile, running a hand through his hair to keep the wind from blowing it everywhere.

“Then I guess I believed in chosen mates at one point too,” I said, my voice cracking at the memory of Altan. He had fooled me so perfectly. I couldn’t believe I had trusted him to protect me.

That night, when I left my home, I did it because he promised he’d take me back safely. I was so naive, blindly following him wherever he wanted to go.

He didn’t tell me he planned to take my virginity. He said he wanted to celebrate my birthday by cutting a cake together. But there was no cake that night. There was only me, and my self-worth, which was shredded and left to bleed until nothing was left behind.

I shuddered as the memories flooded back. If it hadn’t been for those Alphas that night—those monsters who raped me—Altan might have done it himself. He had been so forceful. Even when I told him I wasn’t comfortable, he kept pushing. He even took off my pendant. As the thought crossed my mind, my hand instinctively flew to the pendant, and I touched it briefly. It had become a constant reminder of my pain.

I couldn’t stop wondering—if the Alphas hadn’t arrived, would he have raped me too? And why didn’t he come back with his guards to save me? Was he so ashamed of being associated with me that he preferred to let me fall into the hands of devils?

“Were you ever in love before?” he asked, breaking the silence. His eyes were fixed on me, probably catching the tears welling up. But I wasn’t ready to share that part of my life—not with him, not with anyone. It would take me time to trust anyone ever again. He watched me intently, as if trying to uncover my deepest, darkest secrets.

“No,” I said, deflecting. “I just always missed my mother.” Once again, I shifted the topic back to her.

“Anyway, I’m sure she’s fine now that I’m gone,” I wanted to roll my eyes so badly, but he was my professor, and I didn’t want to seem like a brat in front of him.

“She asked about you, though,” he said, causing me to shift and look at his face in confusion.

“When you were attacked, she got the news. She asked me who it was, and even though I’m not very good at judging people by their expressions or body language, I noticed that she looked worried—,” he paused deeply before adding, “for you.”

“I’m done resting, though. We should continue. If we stay behind too long, others will get ideas,” I said, looking at his face again. I got up, and he followed me. We silently reached the top, hoping to have fun looking for herbs when we found Sydney and Salem yelling at everyone.

“What did I tell you all, huh? Stand in one fucking line!” Sydney screamed at the top of her lungs again, growing furious when everyone rolled their eyes at her and instead sat far away.