Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 268

Chapter 268: 268-My Seductress Cousin

Helanie:

“I can’t believe you did that. Don’t you know Rayden would rather kill you in the deep mountains than help you?” Lamar hissed, just as I had expected.

“You think it will be that easy for him to kill me? Lamar, I will be fine. Besides, you and Penn will be there, and so will Sage,” I said, but it seemed to upset Lamar even more.

“Since when did you start trusting Penn? Don’t you remember the claims he made about wearing the jacket—” he could go on and on, so I had to interrupt.

“Lamar, if we started accusing everyone, we’d go nuts. As for Rayden, he already got his punishment. And yes, we’ll punish him more, but right now, I want to strengthen my powers and wake up my wolf,” I argued, feeling bad because I was worried somebody might hear us.

“Huh? And Rayden will help you with it?” Lamar almost yelled before calming himself down. Then he added, “Ugh! You know, Jenny didn’t reject Rayden? I’m so confused why she didn’t. Our whole purpose for that humiliation was to hit him with a rejection so his pain would double,” he complained, but I had already made it clear to Jenny that I wasn’t going to question her choices.

“I don’t know. It’s a mate thing. Put yourself in her shoes. She cheated too, so—” I shut up when Lamar narrowed his eyes at me.

“Helanie, you’re speaking like a different person right now. I can’t believe it was so easy for them to soften you,” he sounded so disappointed in me, and that hurt.

I didn’t want our friendship to be ruined, but he needed to understand and trust me. “Lamar, I’m not softening toward them. I just believe it would be much better if Rayden just left me alone. I don’t want so many people coming after me,” I almost whispered, avoiding making eye contact with Lamar since he kept glaring at me like I’d said something outrageous.

“Helanie—” I finally took a deep breath and responded with a serious look.

“They don’t come after you, Lamar. They’re always after me. They try to take me down. And if I don’t get them off my back, they’ll go digging through the packs for my records. Then what? They’ll find the truth, and I’ll be in trouble. So please, don’t push me into this crazy drama every day.” I instantly regretted saying that to him because he looked so hurt.

“Okay, got it. I won’t push you into anything, but don’t expect me to walk away from this mess you’ve started. I’ll still be on your side and make sure you don’t mess up,” he pointed his finger at my face and muttered through clenched teeth, “Now go say goodbye to your friends and come to where I parked my bike. I’ll drop you home.” He was so aggressive in his body language. I wondered if he’d even get back home safely.

He walked away like he said he would, and I stayed in my spot, staring into space. That’s when I pulled out my phone to send him a text.

“Hey,” Salem’s voice startled me as she approached. I turned and gave her a disdainful look.

“I’ve been meaning to have a word with you,” she said, sounding much more polite than usual, but I didn’t have time for her.

“Save whatever lie you’re here to tell. I don’t have the energy for it,” I dismissed her with a wave of my hand and walked off after Lamar.

I didn’t go back to Penn and the others. I’d meet them soon enough when we were on the hunt for the lycan.

Once I sat behind Lamar, I noticed him put his phone in his pocket. He seemed more relaxed now that some time had passed.

He dropped me off at home and rode away. As I walked up to the porch, I raised my head, not really thinking about anything, and caught sight of something in the window by the front door. I had to squint to make sure I wasn’t imagining it.

It was my mother.

She was watching me. The moment she noticed I had caught her, she quickly stepped back. I rushed to the door and got inside, but she was nowhere in sight. Was she checking on me to catch me making mistakes?

“You seem weak now. Please, have some cookies,” a voice called out, raspy and familiar. I knew it was Charlotte. She always spoke that way when she was trying to be extra persuasive.

But who was she trying to convince to eat cookies? Out of curiosity, I crept toward the kitchen and peeked inside.

There she was, standing in a blue gown, talking to none other than Maximus.

“I’m not really in the mood for anything sweet,” Maximus said, leaning back from the cookie plate she was holding so close to his face, it looked like she might smash it into him if he didn’t take one.

“Then I’ll cook you something else. Tell me what you’d like to eat,” she insisted, putting the cookies down and stepping in his way as he tried to leave the kitchen.

“I’ll cook something for myself,” he replied, his voice sounding tired and low. I wished she’d take the hint, but Charlotte was known for making dumb decisions.

“No! I’ll cook for you. I’ve been learning recipes online, but I have no one to try them on. Please, let me cook for you,” she pleaded. She was probably lying. There was no way she only wanted to cook for him because she needed someone to test her dishes. She had her mom, my mom, and even Lord McQuoid. She could feed anyone her food. But no, she chose Maximus.

Which reminded me of what Maximus had told me about her hitting on him and trying to sleep with him.

“Charlotte, I don’t really want to die. If you want a guinea pig—” Maximus joked in a deadpan tone, but she started laughing and lightly slapping his chest, pretending to be playful.

“Oh my, you’re so naughty,” she giggled. Then, to my shock, she leaned forward and tried to reach for his lips.