Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 355

Chapter 355: 355-It Was Just Her Pheromones.
Maximus:

“No!” I had been running around the mountains since forever. My nose was bleeding, and my eyes wouldn’t stop shedding tears.

“All she had to do was tell me I was mistaking her pheromones for the mate bond—” I let out a howl, sitting on my knees and feeling the agonizing pain of transition. But I didn’t want to transform. Norman was headed my way, so I had to stop the transition. He rushed over and knelt down before me, with Emmet coming into view.

“She freaking lied to me,” I let out a cry, feeling like a miserable and helpless person—the feeling I never wanted to have.

I was a freaking powerful werewolf. Why the hell was I crying for a woman? But it wasn’t just any random woman. It was Helanie.

“Hey, it’s okay. It happens. Breakups—” Before Norman could start lecturing me, I turned my attention to Emmet.

“Gave her a pendant to ask for help whenever she needs it, huh? What about your own brothers?” I wasn’t asking Emmet not to take care of her.

I was glad he was there to give her a ride because I did want her to get home safely.

But since we were on the subject of betrayal, I couldn’t help but point it out to Emmet that all these years he had been distant from us had left us with broken hearts.

“I came here for you too,” Emmet knelt down, trying to caress my cheek, but I looked away, avoiding his touch.

“You only came here so you could defend her if I ended up saying anything wrong about her,” I yelled, tears rolling down my face like a waterfall.

“Max! Such stress is not good for you,” Norman warned, but I pushed his hands away too.

“You two should go. Leave me alone. I don’t want anyone’s sympathy,” I sniffled, trying to wipe my cheeks, but Emmet kept holding my hands.

“You have no idea what you mean to me, brother,” Emmet managed to cup my face in his hands, showing me the redness of anger he felt from seeing me in pain.

“Well, I guess you’re right. I have no idea,” I clicked my tongue, laughing maniacally before tearing up the next moment.

“I think I’m gonna be alone for a while,” I said in heavy breaths, my hand on my chest.

The pain wouldn’t seem to calm down. That was the weirdest part. If she wasn’t even my mate, why the hell was I in so much pain?

“I’ll drop you home,” Emmet suggested, but I was quick to reject his offer.

“Not you! I’m done wanting your attention,” I said through my clenched jaw, and the pain on his face made me feel so proud of myself. After putting me through pain, he was finally going to suffer too.

“It’s alright, I’ll take him home,” Norman gave Emmet a concerned look, but I wasn’t ready to go with Norman either.

“No! I can find a place to crash myself. I just know I don’t want to be under the same roof as her for the night.” I watched Norman clench his jaw, probably getting angry that Helanie was staying with us, so I had to explain a bit more to him. “I don’t want her out of the house. What I mean is—I don’t want her in the house and lose my control and beg her to accept me.”

I had to clarify, even when it was so hard to make a full sentence. I didn’t want Norman to kick her out.

I was afraid if I stayed in the same house as her, I would end up begging her to stay and accept me—and I didn’t want that.

I wanted to move on from her because of how she broke my heart.

But love is a bit hard to forget. I just needed a moment to do so.

“Let me—” Norman insisted, but I got up with difficulty, my knees going weak.

“I’m headed over to Mom’s place.”

The minute I said that, I watched Norman’s face contort.

“No! She will take advantage of your miserable condition and make Helanie look like a monster,” the moment those words left his lips, both Emmet and I stared at him in shock.

Since when did he start to care about Helanie’s reputation? And I guess he noticed our skeptical glares because he immediately added, “Which she is, but Mom will only exaggerate it.”

There was a subtle lie in his tone, but I was too worried about myself to focus on that.

I started to walk away, but I could tell Norman was still following me. He knew I wouldn’t listen to him, and he wouldn’t listen to me either. As for Emmet, he had rushed off, probably going home to drink.

Our problems must have been too much for him.

“What about Kaye? Why didn’t you go after him?” I asked Norman, taking heavy steps toward the bus station. That was the plan—I would take a bus to my mom’s pack.

I wanted to be away from my family and brothers for a while, but I also didn’t want to be alone.

“Kesha found us on the way and insisted on taking Kaye with her. He seemed fine leaving with her. As for you, I think—you should take a car so that you get home before—”

Norman shut up when I let out a laugh of disbelief.

“I’ll be fine, you think I cannot take care of myself” I watched him look so upset that I taunted him over this.

I didn’t want to hurt anyone, but I was hurting too, and I wanted to be left alone for a while.

Well, Norman was stubborn, so he did end up forcing me onto the private jet and dropping me off at my mother’s place.

But he did stick around for a minute, probably warning Mom not to try to manipulate me while I was hurting.

Once he left, my mother came to my room.

“Honey! Are you hurting because the plan didn’t work?” Of course, she didn’t know the whole truth, so she thought it was because I couldn’t make Helanie ruin the engagement. Well, she did ruin something—not the engagement, but me.

“But don’t worry. We will find another way for the engagement to be ruined. As for you—I have a surprise,” she ran her hand through my hair, sitting beside me while I lay on the bed with my arms spread out and my legs hanging down.

“Look who’s here,” she smiled and pointed at the door, confusing me when it opened and she walked in.