Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 278

Chapter 278: 278-Oh Norman! Why So Aggressive

Helanie:

“You’ll stay in the guestroom,” Norman said to Lamar, who nodded like an obedient student.

“Show him the guestroom,” Norman told one of the maids as we entered the mansion. She had just woken up and was told to take Lamar to the second guestroom, which was actually on the third floor. Lamar gave me a quick nod of understanding before following her.

Now it was just me. I tried hurrying to my room, not realizing that Norman was right behind me. Just as I was about to shut the door, he placed his hand on it and pushed it open.

I had to step back, letting him come inside without much of a struggle. Not going to lie, I couldn’t fight him even if I wanted to.

“What exactly were you thinking?” he hissed, not turning around as he shut the door behind him.

“We wanted to do something for the rogue community,” I mumbled under my breath, noticing how Norman kept glaring at me. That was his way of demanding the full truth.

“I…” I stopped instantly when I noticed blood splatters on his shirt. It felt strange, but I took a deep breath and continued, “I left the cabin with my friends—”

I wanted to lie again, but Norman wasn’t having it. He immediately raised a finger to silence me.

“You’ll only speak the truth now,” he warned, his sharp gaze drilling into me.

“Because, Helanie, if I find out the truth from someone else, I’ll be furious!” He stepped closer, bending slightly with his hands on his knees, locking eyes with me in a way that made me feel cornered.

He was right. If I didn’t tell him the truth, someone else would, and it would just start another fight between us. I had to stay in this mansion for a while, and dealing with an angry, overbearing Norman every day would be a nightmare.

“Actually…” I muttered, lowering my head even more. Having such a big guy looming over me in such a threatening way was overwhelming. “We were trying to catch the lycan.”

As soon as I said it, I knew he’d lose it—and he did. He let out the loudest gasp before straightening up. He started pacing back and forth, clearly trying to figure out how to deal with me.

“You!” he hissed. “You wanted to catch the lycan?” he groaned, his eyes turning red. Even his face was starting to flush with anger.

His muscles tensed, and I could see the veins popping in his neck, temples, and hands.

“You wanted to—” he repeated, cutting himself off as he bit his tongue. “Then why are you standing here? Go catch the lycan now!” He grabbed my arm and shoved me toward the door.

“Go ahead, be the hero everyone needs,” he demanded, trying to yank the door open to kick me out. But I darted to the other side of the room, avoiding his outburst. I had been wrong to think I’d already seen the worst of him.

It seemed like his anger had no limits. The way he clenched his jaw terrified me, and I quickly turned my back to him.

I pressed my hands over my face and buried myself in the corner of the room. I didn’t want him to see me cry, and I definitely didn’t want to see his face when it was burning red with rage.

He probably thought I enjoyed getting into trouble—going out into the woods to face the most dangerous monster imaginable. But the truth was, I didn’t have a choice.

I couldn’t just sit back and watch Rayden bask in his triumph. He needed to be taken down so he wouldn’t get to enjoy the satisfaction of making amends with his mate.

Suddenly, Norman’s grunting and pacing stopped. The room fell silent. I realized he had gone quiet when I started sobbing into my hands.

“Helanie, I’m angry because you put yourself in danger,” he finally said, his voice calmer but still firm. “Don’t you understand? My father trusted your words and gave you permission. He would’ve blamed himself if anything had happened to you.”

His tone had softened, but I spun around quickly to question his reasoning.

He extended one hand, resting it on the wall beside me, while his other hand rested on his waist. He waited for me to respond.

“Your father would’ve been fine,” I snapped. “No one would’ve blamed him. Nobody questions anyone over me. So don’t worry about that,” I hissed, but my lips trembled, and I soon covered my face with my hands again.

“That’s not fair,” he grumbled. “My brothers care about you.”

A heavy silence filled the room for a moment. Slowly, I lowered my hands, revealing his face.

“It’s true,” he said softly. “My brothers would’ve asked our father why he let you go. They would’ve questioned everyone, and they would’ve been angry with you too.”

His voice had lost its sharp edge, turning unexpectedly gentle.

It was the perfect moment to apologize for my recklessness and end the conversation. But instead, my impulsive self asked a stupid question—a question that didn’t even matter to me.

“Why were you so angry at me?” I asked in a quiet murmur.

“I told you. Because my brothers would have been worried about you,” he said, rolling his eyes, which only made me want to keep pressing him.

“And you wouldn’t have been worried?” I didn’t know why those words slipped out, but the moment they did, his body visibly froze.

He lowered his eyes and stared at me with pure bewilderment. It was like I had asked for one of his kidneys. I couldn’t figure out why he was taking so long to say something rude—something that would let me argue with him and feel better.

“Is Rayden going to survive?” I asked, changing the subject. I was over it now. He hadn’t given me the satisfaction of arguing back, probably because he pitied me in that moment.

I walked to the side and picked up the glass of water.

“Huh?” I pressed again as I took a sip.

He stood frozen in place, not moving an inch, before finally closing his eyes and letting out a heavy sigh.

“Um, yeah. The doctors will do their best,” he said, his tone much softer now.

“You should rest. I’ll let you know his condition when I get an update,” he added. Then, like an eagle ready to take flight, he stormed out of the room.