Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 410

Chapter 410: 410-The Brother Who Silently Loves Everyone
Helanie:

“What? Who do you need to feed blood to?” I watched him look around and frown in confusion. His behavior was concerning.

“My brother—he is, um, special. He needs blood to stop himself from attacking people… to stop him from going into the—population,” he was speaking incoherently, completely unlike how he had acted back at the motel room.

This time, he seemed completely lost.

“He needs me,” Emmet suddenly tried to get up, but I pushed him back, making him sit down. I had to cup his face in my tiny hands and make him look me in the eye.

“You need to focus on your own health. You’re all messed up right now. I don’t think it’s safe for you to go back into the woods,” I refused to let him go.

He suddenly froze when he felt my hands on his cheeks. The way his eyes lingered on my face sent shivers down my spine.

“Emmet, are you listening to me?” I asked, and he nodded timidly. For a man as big as him, he seemed almost… delicate when he wasn’t in his usual powerful state.

I kept staring at his face before something itchy in my heart, and my focus shifted to his lips.

He wasn’t moving or doing anything, and even though he said he was listening to me, I could tell he wasn’t completely aware of his surroundings.

And that stopped me from being foolish and making a mistake.

I pulled back and closed my eyes for a moment, thinking how stupid I was for almost leaning in for a kiss. But I wouldn’t do it—not when he didn’t even remember where he was.

“Helanie?” His tone sounded more like shock—maybe disbelief. I raised my head and watched him touch the scarf around his neck.

“Oh, you woke up,” I joked.

“What are you doing here? It’s a full moon’s night.” He checked the sky, then quickly unwrapped the scarf to confirm something. The moment he saw he was bleeding, he sighed in relief.

That gave me my answer.

“Umm, something attacked me in the woods,” he said, but I knew he was lying.

“Hmm, something very brotherly,” I nodded, noticing the shocked look on his face.

“I’ve seen him transition in the woods once, so—” I said, getting up and sitting beside him. He turned to me quickly before his body language calmed down.

“Well, it’s you, so I know he’s safe.” The fact that Emmet had so much faith in me—that I wouldn’t tell anyone about Maximus—made me feel warm inside.

It’s always nice to have someone who trusts you this much.

“You must have been so scared,” he asked, and I shook my head.

“I had a feeling it was one of you. I just didn’t know it was Maximus. He was the last one on my suspicion list,” I laughed as I recalled those days. I suspected everyone but him.

“Who was the first one you suspected of being a Lycan?” Emmet asked, his voice softer and more at ease.

“Ummm…” I didn’t say his name, but I side-eyed him, raising my brow.

He pointed a finger at his chest, narrowing his eyes at me. “Me?”

“Yeah. I remember telling Norman that Sage had hidden a camera in the caves to catch the Lycan, so he should go and quickly take it down before she spotted you—” I shut up when I saw Emmet cock his head so sweetly and smile with his eyes.

“You’re a really nice person,” I commented awkwardly, shyly fidgeting with my fingers to avoid staring into his eyes.

“Who was the second one? And who was the final one?” He seemed so intrigued by everything I said. I had always noticed how much attention he paid to the people around him—what they were going through, what they were saying. He always had tons of questions, making people feel like they were celebrities giving interviews.

“Kaye. I suspected him once or twice because I saw him coming out of the woods. But my final guess was Norman—and he admitted to being a Lycan, of course, to save his brothers from suspicion. He was so quiet, which threw me off,” I laughed, thinking about Norman.

I used to hate him. Now, I just think he’s stupid—and I still hate him.

“That’s typical of Norman. He loves his brothers a lot. He’d do anything for us,” Emmet sighed, resting his head back against the tree.

“You’re one too. I know why you’ve been in the woods all this time on full moons,” I watched his body flinch.

“You’ve been feeding Maximus your blood. So while everyone thinks Emmet is drowning himself in wine and alcohol, he’s actually being used as a blood bag for his brother.”

And suddenly, I realized why I had suspected all of them—except Maximus. Because all the brothers were doing their best to protect him. They were exhausted, while he was the only one who always seemed fine—since he had their blood.

Emmet looked so shocked that I had figured it out.

“How did you put two and two together?” he asked, and instead of remembering what he had told me just minutes ago. It took me a little by surprise. He looked genuinely clueless though.

He touched the wound on his neck and nodded, as if he finally understood.

“That’s a good guess. But I wouldn’t say I’m being used—they don’t know. Maximus doesn’t remember anything after he transitions back into his human form. And I give him blood because… I can’t stand to see my brother in pain. He needs it after his transformation. If he doesn’t get it and ends up in the population as a Lycan, hurting someone—” he paused, his voice soft with concern. “I know he’d never forgive himself for it.”

“Do you always get this lost after giving him blood?” I asked, and he closed his eyes, looking down.

I was right. This wasn’t just normal. Something had happened tonight, something to him.