Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 264

Chapter 264: 264-The Lycan Killed Two People

Helanie:

I woke up to Norman constantly leaving and coming back into the room. It happened a few times before I finally gave up and sat awake.

It was around 7, so I was basically sleep-deprived. But who can sleep with someone as noisy as Norman staying in the same room?

This time, when he came back inside, I got to see firsthand how he thought he was being careful about not making any noise. He was tiptoeing, but that was actually louder. Every time he took a step, his shoe made a cracking noise. Since I was sitting in the darker corner, I bet he didn’t notice I was awake.

He took another step and groaned when it made a sound. I noticed him looking down and then behind him, inspecting the floor.

“There’s paper stuck to your shoe,” I finally spoke up, making him look shocked that I was awake. “You’re so loud and annoying.”

I watched him groan and then straighten his posture. He was holding food items in his hands. I let a little light in by pulling the curtain aside, making sure the part of the bed where Emmet was sleeping stayed covered. That’s when I noticed all the food wrappers scattered on the ground.

My eyes went back to Norman, and he looked restless. He was holding so many bags of food and drinks.

He followed my gaze to his hands and cleared his throat, probably to explain why he was on an eating spree.

“Are you okay?” I asked before he could explain, and the sudden change in his facial expression was surprising.

He seemed caught off guard that I had asked him that.

“Huh?” he said, probably wanting me to repeat myself.

“You couldn’t sleep all night, and now you seem restless. Is everything okay? Is it because of the cold floor?” I got up, speaking to him in a softer tone this time.

“Yeah, cold floor!” He quickly looked away and sat down on the sheet, putting the food in front of him.

I felt like he couldn’t eat properly now that I was standing in front of him.

“You can come eat some. I didn’t bring this just for myself. I thought maybe you two would be awake,” he said, clearly lying as he avoided eye contact.

“How is he?” Since watching him look so uneasy made me feel bad, I decided to act like I hadn’t noticed his anxiety.

“Oh, he’s fine,” Norman replied. His fingers kept fidgeting, like he wanted to grab the food and dive into it but was holding himself back because of me.

“I’ll go freshen up,” I said quickly, rushing into the bathroom to give him some privacy.

After I showered and came out, I realized he had cleaned up the room and left some food on the table. It was probably for me, since I was the only one awake. But where was Norman?

I walked over to the bed to check on Emmet, and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

However, his slightly pouty lips and calm face made me stop and stare at him for a few minutes without even blinking.

He looked adorable.

There was something very soothing about Emmet. Or maybe I was just drawn to him because of the mate bond I felt with him.

I had to snap myself out of whatever daydream I’d gotten lost in. I wanted to go look for Norman—I didn’t want another brother to disappear and then come back all bloody. And Norman, of all people… it would be hard to patch him up. Last time I tried to help him, he looked so disappointed in me.

Luckily, I found him outside. He was pacing back and forth with something white in his hand. It was cold outside, and I could see his breath turning into mist. I carefully closed the door behind me and leaned against it, crossing my arms over my chest.

“So you smoke, huh?” I commented, successfully getting his attention. He turned toward me and held up what he was holding—it was a lollipop. Then he opened his mouth and let out the fog, showing it was just from the cold.

“So you smoke, huh? Go mind your own business, blondie,” he mimicked my tone for the first half of the sentence, catching me off guard after proving he wasn’t actually smoking.

“Why are you so hostile?” I asked, watching him hold the lollipop in his mouth as he kept pacing from one end of the ground to the other.

“I’m just like that. Don’t talk to me if I’m too much for you,” he replied coldly.

I’d had enough of his attitude. I turned around to go back inside but was suddenly hit by a strong scent of rosewood as my nose bumped into Emmet’s chest.

I quickly stepped back and looked up at his face.

“Emmet!” I blurted out.

“Hey, morning!” His voice was so comforting compared to his brother’s. Emmet had a small smile on his lips as he watched me.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Norman yelled, hurrying over. I had to step away before he squashed me under his big foot.

He placed his hands on Emmet’s shoulder to check on him.

“I’m feeling much better,” Emmet answered, giving his brother a hug and patting his back before he turned his head to me.

“I must have scared her a lot,” he pouted.

“She was fine—” As Norman kept being Norman, I jumped in.

“I was worried about you,” I answered for myself.

“Let’s go inside. I’ll get you some food,” Norman had to interrupt, almost like he was on a mission to stop Emmet and me from talking.

We all went inside, and the first thing I did was check my phone since it kept beeping.

While the two brothers stood near the bed, talking about what they could eat, I read the texts from Lamar.

He had sent quite a few.

Lamar: Where are you? Are you okay?

Lamar: Helanie, turn on the news.

Lamar: Right now!

I frowned. Of course, Lamar didn’t know I hadn’t gone home last night.

So, I checked my phone for the news.

“What do you want for breakfast, Helanie?” Emmet asked me while I kept my eyes on my phone’s screen.

“Brain!” I heard Norman mutter under his breath, but by then, I was too shocked by the news to respond to them.

The headline alone was a shocker.

“Two dead bodies found near the mountains, one injured and taken to the hospital. Before passing out, he claimed to have encountered a monster in the woods who attacked the three hikers.”