Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 433

Chapter 433: 433-A Friend Or A Foe
Helanie:

“Okay then, it is decided. You guys will stay while the others leave. However, those who are staying will have a quick meeting with us,” Norman informed, and the others started to walk out of the hall.

“Thank you for listening to my suggestion,” I turned to Norman, whispering so only he could hear.

“Say that again? It’s not every day that Helanie decides to be nice to me,” Norman hunched down dramatically, bringing his ear close to me to hear me clearly.

“I said—thank you for not being a douchebag for a minute.”

I knew I was crossing a line, but somehow, it made Norman laugh?

Even I regretted saying it the very next moment, but his laughter made me believe maybe he wasn’t so offended after all.

We went back to our rooms and waited for the hostel to finally empty.

After everyone had left and it was just the few of us, the hostel felt so silent. Soon, the guard came and informed us to pack our bags and move to the dining hall, which had been cleared for our stay for the next few days.

“We will all be sleeping in the hall?” I asked Emmet, who was guiding the guards as they laid down the mattresses.

“Yeah, it’s important that you all keep an eye on each other. We brothers will take turns staying here with you guys so that none of you leave the hostel alone. But at the same time, we also want you all to look out for each other,” he made it clear that it was for our own safety.

“Emmet—what happened to your car?” Norman came from behind, interrupting us.

The big hall now had mattresses for the boys on one side and the girls on the other. There was also a big window that was being boarded shut.

“It was in an accident, but fear not, Maximus has taken care of it,” Emmet spoke without making eye contact with his brother. Even I found it odd because Emmet doesn’t usually act suspicious like that.

“Emmet—please tell me it wasn’t you.”

The pain on Norman’s face made me curious.

“Helanie, can you please give us a minute?” Norman requested, making me nod and step away—until Emmet grabbed my hand and pulled me back beside him.

Outside, the students were saying goodbye to their friends and looking around the area. The snow was slowly covering the land bit by bit now.

“You can speak in front of her,” Emmet clearly pissed off Norman.

“Is it because of her?—Why? Emmet—” Norman bit the inside of his cheek, his hands on his waist as he took a few steps back and forth, looking agitated. “Why would you do that? Did you ask him to run over Romeo? Our baby cousin?”

He narrowed his eyes at me, and the ground shifted beneath my feet.

Emmet ran Romeo over?

“Emmet, what have I told you?” I turned to him, questioning him.

“What? I don’t remember—I just know—I did it,” he waved his hand before his fingers rested on his temples as if he was in pain.

“Okay, it’s okay,” I quickly stepped back, not wanting to put him through more pain. But I was in shock.

“What is going on? Emmet, why would you attack your cousin for her? Are we next?” It hurt me to hear his brother ask him that question.

“No! I know you would never become Romeo,” Emmet finally gave his brother the eye contact he had been waiting for, and Norman was shocked.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Norman questioned.

“Anyway, I need to go home. I need to relax.” As soon as Emmet started searching for something in his pockets, I realized what he meant by relaxing.

“But it’s not over. I would—” Norman shut up and gestured for his brother to go home at once.

Even in this stressful moment, Emmet being so lost didn’t escape my attention. Did he forget our conversation?

“Helanie, tell me what is going on. Why did he hurt Romeo?” he asked me this time, facing me.

“I don’t know,” I lied.

“Helanie—tell me. You saw him, right? He is not okay. You need to tell me what’s going on.” His voice didn’t carry anger this time, only worry for his brother.

“Fine, keep it a secret. It will come out sooner or later,” he scoffed, stepping away before stopping to turn and have one last say. “And don’t think you can hide anything from me for too long. I know why he’s out in the woods on full moons. He doesn’t want to tell Maximus, so I respect his decision—I don’t tell him either.”

I guess Norman felt the need to remind me that no matter how close I was with Emmet today, the brothers would always be closer.

He walked away, and we started packing our bags in the hall. The brothers had left, leaving Kaye behind for the night.

The instructions were simple and clear: stay away from the snow-covered areas, especially at night.

It was a full moon’s night, so I understood why the others had to leave—the night must be even trickier for them. I was worried too.

“I’ll go get my charger from my room,” I said to Lamar, who was getting comfortable on his mattress. The top seniors weren’t around since they had left to buy groceries with Penn and the others. Hans, Lamar, and I were the only ones at the academy.

I rushed upstairs to my room to grab my charger, entering my room when I saw Lucy sitting on her bed.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” I said, wondering why they would leave the biggest troublemaker behind.

“Well, I had to find myself someone since you stole my mate from me,” she said, making me roll my eyes at her delusions.

“Sure,” was all I said as I walked toward the closet—until I heard the bathroom door open.

“See, I got my boyfriend with me now,” she giggled, making me sigh. I turned around, ready to tell her she could date whoever she wanted, that Gavin had moved on. But the moment I saw who it was, my jaw hit the floor.

“I got my very own jacket holder. Meet Romeo.”