Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 280

Chapter 280: 280-Scared Like A Little Kitten

Norman:

After speaking with my brothers, I was already on my way to the hospital in the nearest pack to check on Rayden before anyone else did. His family would already be on the way.

I reached the hospital in time and joined him in his private room, where he had been resting ever since he woke up. He looked like a mess, but since he had woken up, once he gained some strength, he would be able to transition and heal perfectly.

“He is doing much better. Being an Alpha really helps,” the doctors said, and I gave them a dramatic nod.

“I’ll have a word with him,” I gestured at the doctor to leave us alone. Once he left, I adjusted my collar and looked around for a chair.

There was a chair on the side, but it reminded me of the one that broke the other night. I remembered falling and Helanie losing her mind, laughing shamelessly. She could be a bit too much at times.

“How are you now?” I asked the question just for formality. It would be rude to immediately ask him what he was planning to tell the council.

“I am… alive,” he muttered, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Of course, he looked traumatized. Coming across a Lycan and then getting his body torn to pieces must have been excruciating.

“Hmm, Rayden, I heard what happened. I’m upset that you students thought going into the woods and risking your lives for others was your responsibility. I’m also disappointed that none of you came to me first to talk about your plans. The only reason we trainers make rules is for your own safety,” I said, waiting for the right moment to ask the right question.

“We might have succeeded if my water gun hadn’t been replaced. Somebody sabotaged the plan,” he spoke with difficulty, closing his eyes tightly and sounding like he was chewing on needles.

“I heard you’ve made that claim. May I know who did it? We’ll need to punish that person,” I said, leaning forward with my hands on the bed.

“It was Helanie!” His voice didn’t falter this time. The look of certainty on his face confirmed he knew exactly what he was talking about.

“Helanie sabotaged the plan? Why?” I was shocked, though I had a feeling I would hear that name. However, I thought he might say it just to get back at her for making him apologize to her. But the way he was talking, his eyes told the truth.

“Helanie wanted revenge for… my bullying,” there was a slight hesitation in his voice, and he even looked away when explaining why Helanie might have done such a thing.

“Are you sure? Because if you’re accusing Helanie, it means you’re saying she tried to get back at you by putting everyone else in danger,” I pressed, wanting to hear his side clearly. Even so, I already doubted they could have defeated the Lycan.

“I’m not lying. She was with me at the time. Her job was to back me up. When I realized I had the wrong gun, she ran into the woods and claimed hers was broken too,” he explained, his eyes turning red with anger.

I listened to him carefully, but I was growing impatient to confront Helanie. Could she really have done that and then acted so innocent back at home?

“Ehm! I will investigate and make sure she is punished if she really did that. You rest now; I’ll come see you again in an hour or two,” I assured him before walking out. I felt torn, unsure who to believe.

Rayden was under heavy sedatives, so it was unlikely he was fabricating an exaggerated story. But it was also possible he had misunderstood and was accusing Helanie because he didn’t want to admit that an Alpha like him had been so badly defeated.

“Bring Helanie to me right now,” I ordered my warrior. I needed to speak with her and see her reaction for myself.

The next hour dragged on painfully. I paced around the garden next to the hospital, waiting for Helanie to arrive.

At last, she showed up. She stepped out of the car looking confused and lost, with the warrior escorting her straight to me.

Her hair was in a messy braid, and she wore that purple sweater she couldn’t seem to let go of, wrapping it snugly around her body.

“Thank you. Go ahead, leave for home. I’ll bring her back with me,” I informed the warrior and waited for him to completely disappear. I knew these men loved to gossip, and once words spread, they turned into rumors.

Now I stood before Helanie, hands on my waist and my eyes scrutinizing her intensely. She looked anxious, nervously fidgeting as I stared.

“I spoke to Rayden, and he claims that it was you who—” Before I could even finish, she took a deep breath and interrupted, saying,

“I did. I replaced the water in his gun and then broke my gun while I ran away from him,” she confessed. It didn’t even take me yelling or scolding her—here she was, telling the truth.

“Helanie, are you saying this under someone’s pressure?” I asked, and she lowered her eyes.

“No!” she paused before adding, “If I hadn’t, it would have been me in his place.”

Her additional statement made me frown. “Rayden has been awful to me. He’s been bullying me to the point that… he scared me into joining this plan. I didn’t want to be a part of it, but he said if I didn’t go with him, he would keep making my life miserable.” She didn’t even raise her eyes as she explained what Rayden had been doing to her.

“Why didn’t you tell me or my brothers about it?” I asked, irritation creeping into my tone.

“I didn’t want you guys to constantly deal with it or have people asking why you were showing so much concern for a mere student. Besides, he already told me that—he’d throw me to the Lycan. So… I panicked and did whatever I could to… save myself,” she admitted, hesitantly glancing around, avoiding looking back at me.

“I had to do it,” she added, a subtle note of trauma slipping through her voice. The agitation she showed puzzled me.

What was it? Why was she so scared of Rayden?