Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 137

Chapter 137: 137-Kissing The She-Devil

Norman:

“I think Maximus is staying with his mother so that he can go out and date around easily,” I heard one of the maids say. As soon as I turned my head toward her, she fell silent.

Her meek reaction was because she knew she wasn’t supposed to gossip about my brothers.

But she wasn’t lying. I had heard about Maximus throwing wild parties while he moved out to “test the weapons.”

We had just finished dinner, and these days, I was more concerned about Emmet. He had been drinking a lot. Usually, he did that after a full moon night to numb the pain, but this time, his drinking had become unusually frequent.

Dinner had been quiet as none of my brothers joined us. Earlier, I had found Emmet passed out in the forbidden corridor. I carried him to his room and tucked him in nicely.

Maximus was staying with Mom, probably out on a date for the night. Kaye had his students staying at the guesthouse in Red Crown Pack.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should have been there too—or at least visited for a few minutes.

Then my mom called, and what she said left me stunned.

“Kesha is there?” I asked, skimming through the office file I had brought home to work on.

I was barely getting any sleep these days. With my brothers wandering around unhinged, I needed to stay alert. They might need my help anytime, and I wanted to be available.

“Yes, she arrived for the feast, but that b*tch ruined everything.” My mom’s tone turned so harsh that I set the file down to ask what she meant.

“Kesha?” I asked, confused, since my mom loved her dearly.

“No!” she snapped, sounding offended. “I’m talking about that stepsister of yours.”

My body tensed at the mention of her. I had been avoiding her name for a while, but now it was back, and I couldn’t help but wonder why.

She had been out with her friends on the full moon night. I instantly shut myself down, unwilling to face the fear of knowing what had happened that night.

“What has she done now?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

“She started reminding me how to appreciate my son’s work.” The minute she said that, my muscles tightened—not because of Helanie, but because I feared the implications.

Why would Helanie need to remind my mom of something so obvious? Did Mom demean Kaye in front of his students again?

“Mom, did you hurt his feelings by belittling his work?” I closed my eyes and muttered through clenched teeth. She better not have.

“That’s not the point. He is my son, and I can give him any kind of advice. Why the heck is Helanie interfering?”

The fact that my mom still tried to defend herself after admitting she had bullied my brother in front of his students was shocking.

“You know how sensitive Kaye is about his work. Why would you do that? And now you’re upset because someone stood up for him?”

My annoyance at the mention of Helanie shifted slightly to relief—relief that, for once, she had done something good.

It was shocking that she stood up to my mother, the Alpha Queen, for Kaye. How courageous was that? Did she not fear the consequences of her actions?

“Can you come over? I need my son who understands my concerns,” my mom said. Her tone had softened, no longer angry at Helanie.

Perhaps she realized she was at fault and had been unfairly blaming Helanie for something I couldn’t be upset about.

She took a stand for my baby brother—it completely changed my mood. I wished for everyone to support and stand against the evil that came my brother’s way. He had been through enough torment.

“Fine, I’ll be there in a few hours,” I whispered, already on my feet and heading out to her pack.

“Take your private jet. I want you here before midnight,” Mom demanded. I nodded, as if she could see me through the screen.

I ended the call and headed for the exit. I was looking forward to seeing both my brothers and, hopefully, taking control of the situation to ensure Mom didn’t disrespect Kaye again.

It took me a few hours, but I made it there before midnight. I had already decided that I would defend Helanie’s actions this time.

She earned a pass for standing up for Kaye. My brothers always came first for me.

However, when I arrived at the mansion and saw Kaye heading toward the guesthouse with a blanket wrapped around him, I couldn’t help but feel worried.

He looked weak and upset. Was he okay?

I started following him to make sure he was fine, but I was soon stopped as the guards caught up with me.

“Your Highness, your mother is waiting for you in her study,” one of them declared.

“I’ll meet her in a minute,” I said, brushing them off as I rushed ahead. I had already lost sight of Kaye.

Leaving the guards behind, I made my way to the backyard, feeling confused and restless.

Why was he heading there at this hour?

When I finally reached the area where he was, I was hit with a sight that completely blew me away.

Right before my eyes, my brother stood wrapped in a blanket, and Helanie was ready to sit and share the blanket with him, and then before I knew it, they shared a kiss.

My body shuddered as I took it all in. For the next few moments, I stood frozen, processing what I had just seen.

All this time, I had been so worried about Maximus being her mate that I never thought to check on Kaye.

His behavior toward Helanie had changed so drastically that we couldn’t even mention her without him becoming defensive.

I had been afraid Emmet was giving her too much attention, but here I was, watching my baby brother kiss the she-devil.

Suddenly, it all made sense. Mom wasn’t just worried about Helanie defending Kaye in front of her—she was trying to protect him. Helanie was attempting to position herself as the better person while simultaneously starting a war with my mother.