Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 327

Chapter 327: 327-Hello Professor!

Helanie:

“What do you mean—?” I was stuttering because, just a minute ago, I was thinking about trusting his brother—that backfired—and now he knew about my past?

I just realized I should keep my secrets to myself, and yet, here I was, exposed.

“Your boyfriend or someone got you pregnant and then didn’t want to take responsibility because you were probably an omega or without a wolf—or for some other stupid reason—so you came to the academy to become something and show him what he lost, right?” As he explained further what he knew, I began to relax.

“Oh! Yes!” I couldn’t think of anything else in the moment and decided to agree with whatever assumptions he made.

“Fascinating.” He tilted his head as if he were listening to a story or had just solved a puzzle.

“It is, isn’t it?” I taunted, and he quickly straightened his posture.

“I didn’t mean to say that. It’s just that—you were so scared, and then suddenly, you’re not?” He was so observant. This little conversation we were having made me wonder if I even knew him at all.

“I was just shocked that you found out about it. It’s not every day someone talks to me about that,” I lied through my teeth, and I didn’t feel bad about it. I needed to protect my secrets now.

“Hmm, what made you cry tonight? Was it your mother?” He looked away, his voice hinting at a little stress, but it could have been from anything.

“Yeah, I don’t wanna talk about it,” I held my hands, scratching the flesh between my fingers.

“Did you get yourself a gown?” he inquired.

“No, not really. I don’t think I’ll be coming to the ceremony,” I excused, as it would be pointless for me to be there.

Now that I knew the engagement was definitely happening since I wouldn’t be interrupting it, I needed to find a place to crash for the night.

“Why not?” Emmet asked, holding my sweater and studying the details with curiosity.

“My mother hates me, and I don’t want to be at her engagement ceremony either,” I shrugged.

“That will be too bad. I’ll be alone too. Why not come and accompany me?” This was the most Emmet had ever spoken to me.

I never thought of him as talkative. He was usually quiet, focusing only on his own matters or the important stuff. So, this was a good change in him.

“You wouldn’t be lonely. You have so many people who love you and know you. You’ll get busy with them, and then I’ll be the lonely one.” I guess we were both just competing now over who was lonelier.

“Okay, well, I give you my word. You’ll be my girl that night, okay?” My heart twisted, and I hated that feeling. Just a minute ago, I had been betrayed, and now my heart was already skipping a beat.

Talk about moving on quickly.

But with Emmet, it was different. He was the first one I had felt a mate bond with. And then—he had always been so respectful toward me.

“I’ll take care of you,” he explained when I went silent after his comment.

“Promise?” I asked, and he pouted so cutely.

“I’ll take you shopping,” he suggested out of the blue.

I smiled as I shook my head. “No, no! That would be too much.”

“Actually, I was hoping you’d offer me help too, but okay,” he shrugged, making me laugh.

“Sure, we can go shopping together then.”

Wow. I never thought I would be smiling after such heartbreak.

Kudos to Emmet for always coming to my rescue.

“As for now, why don’t you help me with, umm—rearranging my research papers?” he suggested in such a sweet tone that I couldn’t say no to him.

Besides, it would really help me not think about Maximus, at least for a few minutes.

“Sure, I would love to do that.” I got up from the bed, and he did too.

“You already know my room, don’t you?” My eyes followed his back as he walked ahead of me. “I always forget to lock my doors.”

I felt so guilty because it seemed like he knew I had been in his room.

We walked through the hallway, and once we got inside, he pointed at the open door.

“See, that’s what I was talking about.”

There was something so odd about the way he spoke. One would think he knew everything about a person, but then he would explain it in a way that made you unsure if he was certain or just guessing.

We walked into his room, and he tossed the papers onto the ground right before my eyes. “I guess the wind blew them.”

At this point, it was obvious that he just wanted to distract me from whatever had upset me.

“Must’ve been a very powerful wind, professor,” I joked, kneeling down to pick up the papers, but he waved his hand to stop me.

“I’ll do that. You sit on the bed and go through this book. I want you to tell me what you think about it.”

He handed me a new book that I guessed was written by him and gestured for me to sit on his bed.

Someone like him—who didn’t allow maids or anyone to clean his room—I was expecting a messy bed. But his sheets were spotless and neatly tucked, his pillows were perfectly fluffed, and the blanket looked so cozy.

It felt a little weird sitting on his bed, but after being overly cautious with Maximus and still messing up, I decided to loosen up a bit. I needed to stop overanalyzing everything, taking every little thing as a romantic gesture, or considering it forbidden.

Yeah, I was losing my mind.

Still, I sat on his bed and held his book in my hands. He went ahead and rearranged his papers while I kept reading.

After he was done, he pulled up a chair next to his bed and sat down to discuss the book with me. But before doing so, he peeled open a chocolate bar and handed it to me.

He was so caring and thoughtful toward me.