Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 257

Chapter 257: 257-Saw A Lion

Helanie:

“Where are you taking us?” Lamar glared at the guy behind me, stopping him from touching me. We were being taken to the alpha’s mansion, but the big question was: why?

“Alpha Vernon wants to see you,” the warrior hissed, making my eyes drift toward the sign near the mansion.

The brown sign was knocked down, with the scratched-out name of the previous pack, *The Blood Curse Pack.* Next to it stood a new sign that read *Dark Eclipse Pack.* They had purposely left the old one there, probably as a reminder of the downfall of the previous alpha.

As we reached the entrance, Alpha Dewitt and Malarkey caught up with us. Smirks spread across their faces as they blocked our path.

“You know what’s funny about little sparrows, Malarkey? They think they can beat an eagle,” Dewitt remarked, laughing at me.

“Lamar, he’s calling himself an eagle,” I said, rolling my eyes. I wasn’t the type to sass anyone before, but things had changed. I’d grown so annoyed with these people that I couldn’t help myself.

“Let’s go inside and see. Who knows, you might meet a hungry lion in there,” Dewitt scoffed, now calling himself a lion.

As we all walked inside, I noticed how many people had gathered in the foyer. Warriors were standing in front of the pack alpha, blocking his view.

“Alpha Vernon, thank you so much. You’ve helped us catch these two nuisances,” Dewitt announced loudly as he marched in with his arms spread wide and a huge grin.

Malarkey wore the same smug expression. Were they best friends or something?

A little later, after they walked across the spacious hall to the warriors, the men stepped aside to reveal Vernon. A tall, slender man sat on a regal chair like a king. His hair was dyed black, and he had a thin black mustache. His striking hazel eyes stood out among his sharp facial features.

He looked like a very stern and serious man. Rayden followed close behind, giving me a quick glance and rubbing his cheek gently—probably a reminder of my actions yesterday.

Lamar and I stood alone, as if we were criminals, while Dewitt approached Vernon first.

“No greeting for me?” a voice came from behind the warriors, right beside Vernon. As the warriors finally moved away, they revealed Emmet leaning back on a similar regal chair, one leg crossed over the other, his foot tapping on the floor.

Silence fell over the room, and the smiles on Dewitt and Malarkey’s faces instantly vanished.

A smile crept onto my lips, but I quickly stifled it when I saw Rayden glance at me and then at Emmet.

So, the bracelet really worked.

“Hello,” Emmet greeted Dewitt with a grin I’d never seen him give anyone before.

“Oh, great. This is exactly what we were talking about. Why is a trainer so interested in his student? Should we be worried, *Rogue Emmet?*” Dewitt made sure to emphasize Emmet’s title.

“And why are two old men running around chasing my student? I’m definitely alarmed, and others should be too when you’re around their daughters,” Emmet remarked. He usually avoided such blunt language, but he was openly using it now—probably because Dewitt and Malarkey were such despicable men with nothing better to do than harass a teenager.

The moment Emmet checked them, Malarkey let out a loud grunt.

“That’s why you and your father could never be part of any pack. You have the manners of rogues,” Malarkey sneered, trying to insult Emmet. But, as usual, Emmet wasn’t interested in their words. He said what he wanted and then seemed to tune out whatever nonsense they threw back at him.

“Anyway, we’re still arresting her to present her before the council so they can investigate why the trainers blackmailed me into letting her go the other day. You had no right to demand her freedom,” Dewitt said, trying to steer the conversation back to the main topic.

Somehow, I felt calmer now. I trusted Emmet to handle this.

“Sure,” Emmet replied casually, “but you might want to call them and check if they’re still interested in questioning her.”

Dewitt’s face twitched as he quickly grabbed his phone. It seemed like Emmet had already taken care of the issue on his way here.

As Dewitt made the call, Emmet looked at me and gave me a generous, understanding nod.

“May I ask you something—never mind,” Lamar murmured, hesitating when he noticed how intently Emmet was looking at me. I guessed Lamar wanted to ask the same question that was lingering in everyone’s mind, but he decided not to press me.

When Dewitt hung up, he stared at my face, then Emmet’s.

“The council said you are going to hold a meeting at the academy to explain why you’re taking such an interest in Helanie’s safety,” Dewitt grumbled, his tone unusually subdued, as if he were trying to make sense of the situation. I felt lost, too.

“Yeah, soon! So—before that, you can’t bother Helanie again. I hope you realize your little adventure doesn’t stand a chance anymore. Find yourself a better hobby,” Emmet replied firmly, finishing with a grunt as he stood from his seat.

“Helanie, I’m driving you home,” he added.

But just as he was about to step toward me, he froze. His eyes narrowed in a frown. I followed his gaze toward the entrance and saw Jenny and Penn walking in.

Jenny’s face was streaked with tears as she rushed to hug her father. I was even more confused now.

“The first round begins now, enjoy the show and his suffering,” Lamar bent down to whisper in my ear, sending chills up my spine.

“What’s going on?” Dewitt asked his daughter, exchanging a bewildered look with Rayden, who looked just as puzzled.

“Daddy, he cheated on me!” Jenny exclaimed, breaking down into sobs.

Rayden stood frozen, his eyes wide and filled with disbelief, as his mate openly declared in front of everyone that he had cheated on her.