Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 281

Chapter 281: 281-My Stepbrother Loves Holding Hands With Me

Helanie

He was silently watching my face. I had to tell him the truth but decided to be careful by adding a little lie of my own. I couldn’t be completely honest with him.

There were still some of them out there that needed to be found and punished. I couldn’t use all my strength on Rayden and not have anyone on my side when it was time to face the others.

“Are you going to get me arrested now?” I asked with genuine curiosity.

Norman looked upset with me, probably even wondering how smart I was to pull off this plan so perfectly.

“First things first, you’re coming with me to the hospital,” he pointed a finger at my face, his jaw clenching as he spoke through gritted teeth. I was right—he was beyond furious.

“Okay,” I nodded and started walking with him. However, the way he suddenly held my hand to lead me to the hospital didn’t go unnoticed. It always felt odd whenever he did that, but it gave me a small sense of security.

We reached the hospital and now stood outside the room. His hand had shifted to my wrist, his fingers wrapped around it while mine hung loosely.

“What is it?” he asked, turning to face me.

“Nothing,” I lied.

It wasn’t nothing. My heart was pounding wildly in my chest. I was terrified of facing Rayden and his wrath.

“Alright then, let’s go,” he said, opening the door. We both stepped inside, and instantly my heart seemed to skip a beat. I swear I felt a cold shiver run down my spine that made me freeze in place.

“You!” As soon as Rayden’s eyes landed on me, he hissed and tried to get up from the bed.

“Easy! No need to go crazy on her,” Norman immediately tightened his grip on my wrist, making me step behind him.

I was trembling uncontrollably, so I grabbed onto his shirt while staying hidden behind him.

“I spoke with her,” Norman took a deep breath, still holding my hand. “She didn’t do it.”

A sudden surge of relief went through me when Norman lied.

“But—” Rayden started to speak, but Norman cut him off.

“Let me finish first. My men searched the area and found her broken gun. As for your water being tampered with, you guys used wolfsbane that was already diluted. Everything you got was cheap, so when it mixed with water, it didn’t work at all. There’s a way to do things, and let’s admit it—the plan sucked. Okay? Helanie was there without a wolf, so of course, she got scared. She admitted to me that she ran from you, but she’s been feeling guilty ever since. Look at her,” Norman pulled my hand and brought me forward, forcing Rayden to look at my face.

“Does she look like someone who did anything on purpose?” Norman asked Rayden, and I noticed some doubt flicker across Rayden’s face.

“She didn’t do it. You all messed up, and like anyone else, she ran to save her life. She probably thought an alpha like you would stand a chance against the lycan, but she wouldn’t.” Norman was sharp, using his words to convince Rayden and subtly manipulate him.

“And she wasn’t wrong. Fighting the lycan and surviving—that’s a huge accomplishment. You’ve earned new respect in my eyes,” Norman’s fingers tightened around my wrist, wriggling slightly. He gave me the impression that he didn’t like praising Rayden but felt he had to since I had entangled myself in this messy situation with him.

“What are you thinking?” Norman asked Rayden, who seemed lost in thought.

“I guess you’re right. I was just so angry that I thought I should blame someone else,” Rayden seemed convincingly manipulated.

“But thank you so much, sir, for acknowledging my strength. I was really good out there,” his smile brightened at the praise he was hearing.

“Of course. Everyone at the academy will praise you when they hear how you fought the lycan,” I noticed Rayden was so thrilled with the compliments that he didn’t notice Norman’s jaw clenching. But I did.

“Anyway, you rest now. I’ll take Helanie home,” Norman said.

“Can I have a word with Helanie alone?” Rayden’s request stopped my heart once more just as I was about to leave with Norman.

I didn’t want to be alone with him right now. I was scared of what he might say to me.

“No!” Norman bluntly and shamelessly denied his request. “Your health is important. I’m not going to let you talk and waste your energy, my best—student,” Norman gritted the words through his teeth and forced a smile onto his lips. Every time he mentioned Rayden being a good student or praised him for fighting the lycan, he sounded so sarcastic and angry.

“Now then, we’ll see you again. Goodbye,” Norman said, spinning around quickly to drag me out of the room. Once we made it all the way outside and to the parking lot, Norman let go of my hand and blocked my path to the backseat of the car.

“He’s lying. He didn’t fight the lycan. He just got beaten up,” I started ranting instantly.

“That’s not why I stopped you,” he interrupted. “Tell me something—why does your heart lose its beat whenever you’re around him?” Norman’s question made me gently touch my wrist, and I realized why he always held my hand like that.

He was checking my heart rate.

“Oh! He’s just too handsome, so my heart—” I grimaced, unable to finish the sentence. I wasn’t even capable of lying convincingly about something like that. Honestly, I wished I could stomp on Rayden’s face with boots full of fresh mud. That’s how much I despised him.

“You find him attractive?” The man who could easily spot lies spoken by others took my words seriously and didn’t notice the expression on my face.

“Oh, I didn’t mean—”

He finally understood the look on my face. “Anyway, next time, don’t go around doing stuff like this. Come to me, and I’ll handle it.”

I didn’t know what it was about him, but sometimes he was arrogantly kind.

“Okay,” I agreed with a small nod.