Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 313

Chapter 313: 313-The Way He Takes Off His Belt

Helanie:

Ever since Norman told me it wasn’t Emmet, my mind had been racing like crazy. I was scared of Norman in some way now. Last time, when I had hit him with the vase, he was sneaking in all covered in mud and leaves.

Could it be him?

Why did he ask me to come to the woods today?

“Ugh!” I washed my face for the fifth time to calm my nerves down.

After lunch, I was supposed to be in the woods for training. I had such a messy day working with the weapons too. Maximus noticed I was out of it, and I guess that’s why he let me leave early. I wanted to take my job seriously, but there had been so much going on that I couldn’t focus because of the crazy lycan and everything else.

“Helanie! I needed to speak with you.” I sat down at the lunch table, and Lord McQuoid instantly started talking. My mother rolled her eyes and folded her arms over the table.

Charlotte and Emma weren’t around. It was only me, the couple, and Kaye, who I needed to speak with soon.

“Sure, you know you don’t need my permission,” I joked, but I was serious. Even though last time he kind of took Charlotte’s side, I guess it wasn’t really me vs. Charlotte in that moment. He was upset with Maximus for interfering.

“I am sorry if I hurt your feelings last time. I actually wasn’t sure if Maximus using that tone with her was the right thing. I wasn’t taking her side—I would have spoken up for you myself, but it was too late,” he explained, making my mother open her mouth and let out a tired sigh.

“I’m sure it’s fine. You gave her shelter, food, and even asked your son to give her a job. Such little things don’t need explaining after you’ve already been so generous to her,” she said, her words stabbing me like a sharp dagger to the chest.

But I nodded my head and replied to Lord McQuoid, “I am truly grateful for the shelter you’ve provided me. Your kind words and understanding are new to me. It’s something even real parents aren’t always capable of.” With that, I taunted my mother, who looked visibly bothered.

“You think—” she shut up when Kaye placed his spoon on his plate a little too hard.

“Shall we not make her uncomfortable by listing all the things we’ve done for her? Because, Ursula,” Kaye didn’t use any title for my mother as he responded, “we are already doing too much for Charlotte and her mother. Our parents did way too much for you when you arrived at our doorstep. So, I guess it’s pretty hypocritical that now you’re reminding Helanie of what my father is doing for her as if he hadn’t done the same for you and your friends.” He calmly pointed out that she was once in my position too.

“Let’s eat in peace.” This time, Lord McQuoid didn’t call out his son because he realized it would just go in circles.

“Tell me, how are the engagement preparations going, my love? Did you get the gown you dreamed of?” Lord McQuoid was so gentle to my mother, who seemed way too happy whenever he spoke nicely to her.

Everyone deserves someone who praises them, compliments them, and makes them blush. I was happy for my mother because she had endured a lot of abuse from my father back home.

Now that I was older and out of that house, I was remembering things that had seemed normal—until they weren’t.

That kind of language and the pushes my father gave my mother were always categorized as something everyone does.

I thought it was normal too because I was told so. My father would later get her flowers, and I would be like, “Wow, he is so caring.”

I began eating and finished my food quickly because I had to be somewhere. I left the table before Charlotte and her mother joined. I was sure they were aware that Lord McQuoid was talking about yesterday’s situation, so they avoided the confrontation.

Now, I was in the woods, waiting for Norman to arrive. Something just didn’t feel right to me. My heart was pounding hard in my chest, and then he showed up, making me even more uneasy.

He was still in his suit.

“So! Ready for training?” he asked, making me nod my head slowly.

“Warm-ups?” I asked, getting ready, but as he shook his head, he made me gulp in worry.

“Nope! Today, we’ll do something different,” he said, walking around me in circles. “Remember when you said I couldn’t tie you to the tree?” He reminded me, and I instantly regretted ever saying that to him.

“I was just upset,” I tried to make excuses, but he had come with a plan.

“No! No! It was the right thing. I did pin you to the tree, and you couldn’t get out—until you bit me and I let you go,” he pointed a finger at his chest, sounding so cocky, but I didn’t trigger him at the moment.

“Because nobody would tie you to a tree and stand so close to you. They would tie you up and leave.”

As he said those words, I noticed him taking off his belt.

“What are you doing?” I inquired, stepping away from him.

“Stand next to the tree, please.” Although he used a polite tone, he wasn’t very subtle about commanding me.

He snapped the belt, making me shake my head at him.

“Helanie, your task today is to get out of the—belt,” he spoke the last word so weirdly, sending chills down my spine.

“Do you not want to train today?” he cocked his head.

With a gentle nod, I started walking backward while he kept pacing toward me. My back met the tree, and he stopped when he was barely a foot away from me. He walked around to my back and tied my hands with his belt—it was a tight knot.

Then he came forward, leaned in, hunched down slightly, and whispered in my ear, “Nobody will come to untie your hands tonight. You wanted to meet the lycan, didn’t you? Let the two of you have an introduction today.”