Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 267

Chapter 267: 267-Rayden’s Apology

Helanie:

“Helanie, no! You don’t even have a wolf,” Penn said, stepping in my way as I tried to walk past him toward Rudy, who was sitting on the bench with the others.

“I don’t need you to tell me the obvious. I can take care of myself—and that lycan,” I hissed at Penn, taking out my anger on him, even though he hadn’t done anything wrong to deserve it.

Still, he wouldn’t let me pass. However, my attention was quickly drawn to Jenny walking away from Lamar. She headed straight toward Rayden, who was now approaching Penn and me.

“Hey,” Rayden greeted us, a strained smile on his face. Lamar joined us quickly. “Helanie, I’m really sorry for all the bullying and how things turned out,” Rayden continued. He then casually wrapped an arm around Jenny’s shoulders, and she meekly leaned into his chest.

So after sleeping with Gavin and ruining his relationship, then sleeping with Lamar and wrecking his reputation for being with an alpha’s mate, she was now back with Rayden? Her abusive boyfriend and mate?

“How about you just stay away from Helanie?” Lamar, clearly furious, stepped up and gestured for Rayden to back off.

“I’m not going to hurt her with my words,” Rayden said, placing a hand on his chest theatrically and then gently running his fingers through Jenny’s hair. It was obvious that, even though he’d lost before, he thought he’d won the ultimate prize by getting his mate back.

“And I’m not here to cause trouble either,” Rayden continued. “I was going through a rough time. Seeing Jenny with you two and then finding out she’d slept with Lamar left a bitter taste in my mouth about Helanie. I just assumed she must have convinced Jenny that I was a bad mate—like girl friends sometimes do, giving unnecessary advice. I’m not saying Helanie was wrong, but I lost control.”

He paused, and Jenny lifted her head from his chest to look up at his face.

“But today, I’m making this promise to my beautiful mate that I’ll change my ways,” Rayden whispered, lowering his head to kiss Jenny on the lips. It was such an uncomfortable sight.

Lamar even had to look away, closing his eyes. It wasn’t fair. Jenny shouldn’t have played Lamar like that.

“Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say,” Rayden added. I kept my eyes on him, then glanced at Lamar, silently signaling him not to respond.

“If that’s what you’re committing to, I’ll appreciate it. I just want to finish this academy in peace,” I said calmly, my tone much more relaxed than I felt inside.

“I will. In fact, I heard you don’t have a wolf, so I’ll give you as many tips as I can to help with that condition,” Rayden offered.

The mention of possibly awakening my wolf caught my attention, making my ears perk up.

“Really?” I asked, quickly toning down my smile when I noticed Lamar narrowing his eyes at me.

“Yeah, I promise,” Rayden said, closing his eyes to flash a charming smile. “I’m trying to be a better man now.”

He finished, and Jenny looked absolutely delighted to be in his presence.

“What were you guys talking about before we got here?” Jenny asked, breaking the awkward silence that had settled after Rayden’s apology. Lamar still looked upset, and nobody else was speaking.

“I wanted to sign up to catch the lycan,” I mumbled in response, not wanting to call Jenny out in front of everyone for going back to Rayden.

“Wait, but—” Jenny started, then stopped, probably realizing she didn’t want to upset me by questioning my decision.

“I was saying the same thing to her—that she shouldn’t,” Penn added, clearly still trying to make his point. Lamar lingered nearby, quiet but visibly uncomfortable.

“But I want to do it. It’ll help me find my strength,” I said, keeping my tone calm but resolute.

“I think Helanie is right,” Rayden suddenly chimed in, surprising everyone. Even I was taken aback—was he serious about his apology?

“Rayden, it’s not safe for her, okay?” Lamar finally spoke, his frustration evident. I turned to him, giving him a look that clearly said I didn’t want him interfering again. I had made up my mind.

“What? I’m saying this for your sake—what’s wrong with you?” Lamar muttered under his breath, though it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

“It’ll be safer for her. I’ll sign up too,” Rayden declared, catching us all off guard. “If anything happens, I’ll make sure she’s safe, okay?”

“You’d do that for me?” I asked, shocked. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jenny’s expression shift.

“Yes, just for Jenny’s sake,” Rayden clarified, glancing at her. “You’re her friend, and I want to do the right thing so that one day she can say, ‘Hey, my mate is a good guy.'” He joked, clearly trying to reassure Jenny that his actions weren’t about me.

“See? He’s not that bad,” Jenny joked, making me snort a small laugh.

“I’ll sign up too, then,” Penn and Lamar both said at the same time.

It was getting late, and people were either leaving or heading over to the top seniors to sign up. Since I’d made it clear I wasn’t going to back down, no one argued with me anymore. Besides, with all the guys vowing to protect me, I figured I’d be fine.

“Hey,” Penn took the lead, addressing the top seniors. “We’d like to sign up.”

As he spoke, I noticed Sage glancing at me briefly before looking back down at the page in her hands to write our names.

“So, it’s you guys, those two sisters, and the top seniors. Everyone else is a bunch of cowards,” Sage said, rolling her eyes as she read off the names.

I wasn’t sure about Arlo, though. He’d been glaring at me the whole time, probably still angry that I got his friend Riri expelled. But that was her fault.

Now I had to deal with Lamar, who seemed like he’d been waiting for a chance to talk to me alone.