Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 354

Chapter 354: 354-Before I Leave.
Helanie:

“Tell me what happened?” Emmet insisted, but I had shut down again. I couldn’t seem to forget how I once trusted Maximus, and now he was against me.

By the end of the day, Emmet was their brother. He would definitely lean toward them somehow.

“I got myself tangled up with them, and now they’re both angry with me because I didn’t want to make it official with either of them,” I muttered, watching outside the window.

He was driving slowly, taking me back to his home. I would never call it my place.

“Hmm, that is messy. I guess I wouldn’t know until I hear the whole story. But I’ll suggest you let it be for a while. The more you try to explain yourself to them, the angrier they’ll get,” he advised, knowing his brothers too well.

“Helanie, I want to suggest something, and I hope you take it just as advice from your stepbrother or your professor,” he said softly, taking the longer route. It was better this way.

I didn’t want to sit directly across from him and look into his eyes while having this conversation.

“Sometimes, you just have to be honest. If you keep hiding things, you’ll look like the bad guy. People will accuse you of lying and betraying others because they don’t know the whole truth. For instance—” he paused, glancing at me to make sure I wasn’t freaking out at his words. “In today’s situation, they both deserve to know why you left them or picked them in the first place. The truth is important. We have to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes too.

Think about it like this for a moment—if Kaye had been with you and then left you for a reason that he no longer saw as valid when dating someone closer to you—let’s say your cousin—then what? Wouldn’t you be upset too?” he asked gently.

With a heavy heart, I answered honestly, “Yes!”

He went silent for a moment and then smiled a little. “This is what I like about you. You don’t throw tantrums and try to understand your mistakes too. For now, just let them be, and don’t worry about what I think of you. I’ve known you for some time now, Helanie, and I know you’re not a bad person at all. Just someone who is too afraid of sharing her secrets with others, and I can totally understand if that’s because of a certain betrayal in the past.

Take your time. The academy is starting—” he stopped when I meekly added,

“They will make it so hard for me to live there.”

“Nobody will let this affect your academy training. My brothers are not bad people. They’ll be jealous—that I know—but things will be fine once you decide to open up and be honest with them. I’m sure they’ll understand,” Emmet said kindly.

He was so sweet.

I couldn’t believe he never remembered that we had felt the mate bond. But now that my wolf was slowly waking up, I was feeling something odd.

His words were so charming, and then his scent—mmm! His scent.

I quickly shook myself awake from whatever daydream I had drifted into and straightened my posture in the seat. That was inappropriate.

But I could blame it on the mate bond.

“The home is here. Go inside, take a shower, and rest. I will send some chocolates to your room. They will help lift your mood.”

I knew that even if I refused, Emmet would still send them to me.

But the minute we stepped out of the car, his phone started ringing.

“Yes?” he answered, a frown forming on his forehead.

“Oh! Okay, I’ll be there.”

It seemed urgent because Emmet suddenly looked so worried.

He hung up the phone and gave me a mild smile. “Go back inside. You will get your chocolates, and don’t worry about anything, okay? Everything will work out.”

I didn’t know why, but it seemed like he was slightly doubting himself, unsure if things could actually get better from here.

He walked away on foot while I went inside, only to find my mother standing in the doorway, blocking my path to my room.

“What is it?” I asked tiredly.

“Take this and keep it with you.” She seemed to be in a rush as she put something in my hand, looking around nervously.

It was a stack of money, which I immediately tried returning to her.

“No! Just keep it. When you leave for the academy tomorrow, I don’t want you looking for cheap labor. I know nothing is cheap for you, but some jobs have serious safety risks—” she looked so pale as she spoke, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.

“Why do you care? Are you playing a game with me?”

The moment I asked her that, her eyes widened in shock.

“No! I would never—” her eyes started to tear up. “It’s just that… umm… don’t ever show up here again.”

Her tone shifted in seconds as Emma showed up.

“We were heading outside. Did you change your mind?” She shot me a judgmental glare before asking my mother that question.

“No! We’re having dinner outside. McQuoid wants us to celebrate the opening of the new restaurant in the abandoned pack, where they’re creating a rogue community,” my mom told her, holding her hand as they walked away.

“Where is Charlotte, though?” my mom continued to ask.

“She went to the salon. She needed some new acrylics,” Emma replied as they disappeared.

I held the money and wondered—why did my mom give it to me?

What if she later accused me of stealing it from her?

I was scared of everyone around me now. They could always turn on me, playing games with me.

I got a notification on my phone that the trainers had an emergency. Since Kaye and Maximus would be skipping, there would be an additional one-day holiday.

That meant I would be leaving the day after tomorrow.

I couldn’t wait for the academy to start again.