Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 160

Chapter 160: 160-Oh Wolf!

Helanie:

“What are you doing, Helanie, with my stash?” Lamar asked as he sat down in the chair next to mine, his body hunched over so our faces were on the same level.

“Oh, it’s drugs?” I attempted the worst acting ever.

“What else did you think it was?” he replied with a small smile, probably thinking how stupid and naïve I was.

“I thought it was some sort of candy powder,” I said, barely finishing my sentence before he snorted out a laugh. I almost punched him for laughing at me.

“You’re so adorable, Helanie. But nope! Don’t do that,” he said, snatching the bag out of my lap. His sudden compliment caught me off guard.

“But—” I started to protest, only to stop when he raised a finger, silencing me.

“Do you even know what kind of drug this is? And you’ve never had drugs before. So you decided to try an unknown drug for the first time on a rooftop? Where did all your brains go?” he scolded, his tone sharp but strangely gentle. Unlike my brother back home, his words weren’t filled with judgment—just concern.

“I know what you did for me today,” Lamar said, tucking the drugs into his jacket pocket. “You saved me.”

“I know it sounds ridiculous when a guy says this. People usually assume, ‘Oh well, so what if he was drunk? He probably enjoyed it, and men don’t really care.’ But it’s not true. It’s actually pretty sad because we do care. Everyone cares. Taking away someone’s choice to say no—” He paused, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets and straightening his back in the chair, turning his head away.

“It’s awful when people do that.”

His tone, his words, the way he was acting—it all felt too personal, too close to him. I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

“Do you have a trauma like that?”

He slowly turned his head back to me, a faint smile on his lips. “You know, I promised myself I’d never talk about it. But after how you stood up for me today, I just can’t hide it from you. I believe everyone deserves someone who will listen to them without judgment or the fear of being blackmailed later,” he said. His voice carried so much weight, and every word was filled with meaning.

“You’re right,” I replied softly, lowering my head.

“I knew someone who was taken advantage of,” Lamar said, and I quickly looked up to stare into his eyes.

“And trust me, the culprit got away just fine.”

Even though he kept a small smile on his lips, his eyes betrayed him. They held anger—the kind of anger I’d seen in my own reflection when I first looked in the mirror after everything I’d been through.

“They’ll get punished,” I muttered.

“You believe in karma?” he asked, and I shook my head.

“I am karma, Lamar. I think you should be too.”

There was an odd silence after I made that comment. I was sure he understood what I was trying to say but kept his questions to himself, perhaps because I wasn’t ready to explain it outright.

“That guy Gavin—he’s been taking too much interest in Salem,” Lamar said suddenly, breaking the quiet. “I’ve noticed them making eye contact or sneaking away to talk. I don’t know why he asked Lucy out again when it seems like he’s not fully there. He’s interested in Salem.”

He tried to use a comforting tone, but his words still managed to pull the ground out from under me. My mouth felt dry.

“What? But he found out how evil she is today. Do you think—” I stopped mid-sentence, remembering how upset he was after Salem’s truth was revealed.

“Why would he ask Lucy out if he wants to be with Salem? And why Salem?” I asked, my voice laced with disgust and anger.

“I guess, in his head, he thinks he’s doing nothing wrong. His mate cheated on him, so now he wants to do the same,” Lamar said with a shrug.

I wanted to be understanding. I’ve always been about giving people what they deserve, but Lucy is my friend. My loyalty made me biased.

“I’m not going to let him play with her,” I declared firmly.

“I know. There’s no way you’d betray your friends,” Lamar said with a small smile. The compliment warmed my heart, reassuring me that I’d chosen my friends wisely—and that giving Lamar a chance was the right decision.

“You know what?” Lamar said suddenly. “Take this and relax for the night.”

He handed me a flower, and I realized he might have picked up on the fact that I had been through something. Or maybe he thought Sydney’s attack had left me traumatized.

“I have plenty of these flowers of comfort,” he added, and I smiled as I accepted it.

“Well, would you look at that? Helanie is accepting a flower from me. Who would’ve thought—” he paused, his cheerful demeanor fading as he looked at me more closely.

“Whoa! Are you okay?” he asked, frowning.

I felt tired, with pain in my body, but I assumed it was just the fever I’d been fighting. My body was warm; I knew that much.

“How do you know I’m not well?” I asked.

“Your nose—it’s bleeding, Helanie,” he pointed out, quickly grabbing a napkin from his pocket. He stood, leaning my head back and placing the napkin under my nose.

I thought that would be it—that the nosebleed would stop, and I’d feel better. But I was wrong.

“You have such a high fever—” Lamar’s voice started to fade as an excruciating pain surged through my body.

This was new. I’d had fevers before, but this pain—this was something else entirely. My elbows and ankles felt like they were being crushed.

“Helanie! Is your—wolf waking up?” Lamar’s voice sharpened with urgency.

The moment he said that, I straightened my back, looking at him with fear and shock.

“No—why would you say that—ahhh!” I cried out as pain shot through my elbow. It felt like it snapped, the bone cracking right before our eyes.

Lamar was right. Something was happening to my body.