Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 135

Chapter 135: 135-The Midnight Kiss

Helanie:

“I don’t want to be rude, but his mother is so weird,” Jenny agreed with the rest of us as we made it back to our room and sat down near the window to talk about the dinner.

“Maybe she just wants her son to be more popular like her other sons?” Lucy mumbled, trying hard to understand Kaye’s mother’s side as well.

“Of course, we can expect that from you. You’re quick to defend or find reasons for messed-up actions,” Gavin muttered under his breath, souring everyone’s mood.

“Lucy, that’s not true. Kaye has achieved a lot. It’s just weird how none of his parents seem to acknowledge it. It’s like they turn a blind eye to his achievements and then shame him in public. No parent—” I suddenly stopped as I recalled my own parents, “who loves their child would do that.”

“His mother is a bitch. I’ve heard a lot of stuff about her,” Lamar said, sitting up after lying straight on the cold floor for a few minutes.

“What kind of stuff?” Jenny turned to him, the two girls showing way too much interest in what he had to say.

“About how she was when she was still married to Lord McQuoid,” he continued but gave no useful information.

So the girls scooted closer to him, their ears practically perked up as Lucy whispered, “What kind of stuff did she do?”

I shook my head in disbelief because I noticed a small smirk on Lamar’s face. He was clearly enjoying the attention on himself. I couldn’t even be certain if he knew anything at all or was just making things up to keep them listening.

“All sorts of things,” he replied vaguely.

“What—” Before Jenny could ask again and he gave her the same non-answer, I intervened.

“Haven’t you two figured out by now that he knows nothing?” I rolled my eyes and teased playfully, making Jenny slap Lamar’s thigh. She immediately pulled her hand back when he narrowed his eyes at her.

The way the two looked at each other before she shyly slid away was… odd. I hoped she wasn’t on his to-do list.

“Anyway, aren’t you guys going to bed now? We have to leave early in the morning to collect herbs,” I said, half-honestly. I wanted them to go to bed before midnight so I could figure out what to do about Kaye’s message.

But if they didn’t go to sleep, I could always come up with an excuse to Kaye and get out of the situation. The question was—did I even want to get out of this situation?

“We’re not really sleepy,” Lucy whispered, her eyes glancing toward Gavin. I could tell she wanted to use tonight, with us all staying under one roof, to somehow reconcile with him.

“I am sleepy. I’ll head to bed,” Gavin said, clearly not in the mood. The moment he stood up, Lucy looked down and sighed.

“I can stay with you,” Jenny offered with a smile, but I could tell Lucy wasn’t having it.

“No, I think Helanie is right. We should sleep so we can wake up early,” Lucy uttered defeatedly.

We had already changed and were in our pajamas. I was assuming it would take them an hour to fall into a deep sleep, and then I’d wait another hour just to make sure they were truly out before I left.

I’d leave?

So maybe I’d made up my mind then. The reason wasn’t the Moon Goddess; it wasn’t why I was feeling this pull toward Kaye. Since my wolf had been dormant, I had just figured—or, more so, made excuses—for why I was feeling a little possessiveness toward him and it surely wasn’t because of the mate bond.

Steadily, everyone went to their beds and laid down. None of us spoke, and I was hoping they would fall asleep soon.

In the meantime, I wondered why Kaye and his mother’s relationship was so strained. I’d be a fool not to notice, especially since everyone else had picked up on it, too.

After about two hours, when the clock struck midnight, I got up and looked around at everyone. I was going to lie about needing water if anyone caught me leaving my bed.

They were all sleeping peacefully. Since I shared a room with Lucy and Lamar, I already knew their sleep patterns and how to tell if they were in a deep sleep. Thankfully, Gavin’s little snores and Jenny curled up like a cute teddy bear were signs they were out cold, too.

I carefully opened the bedroom door and slipped out, glancing around. Since our room was the last one near the backyard exit, it wouldn’t be too hard for me to sneak out. I opened the door to the exit and stepped outside, instantly feeling like sneezing as the cold wind brushed against my nose.

My skin started to itch—a sign I should have brought my sweater with me. The inside had been much warmer, thanks to the fireplaces running separately in every room.

But I needed to see Kaye. I thought he wanted to talk about what had happened at dinner last night.

With my legs shaking, I made it to the tall trees far ahead in the backyard and stepped behind one. That’s when I spotted Kaye sitting on the big rocks with a blanket wrapped around his body.

I had never seen him look so miserable.

The Kaye who always looked like he was ready to walk down a runway was now covered in a blanket like a child.

“Hey,” I uttered softly, watching as he snapped out of his thoughts and acknowledged me with a warm, cozy smile.

“I knew you would come,” he whispered, raising his arm to offer me a place under his blanket.

I hesitated, staring at the open space. Sitting under the same blanket as him would mean sitting too close. But the spot beside him looked so welcoming that I couldn’t bring myself to reject the offer.

I sat down, close enough for him to wrap the blanket around me, too.

Suddenly, it was the warmest place in the world. Then, I felt his hand slip into mine under the blanket, his touch soft and warm. Slowly, he leaned closer and, before I knew it, crashed his lips against mine.