Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 497

Chapter 497: 497-Married My Brother’s Mate
Norman:

“I, the future rogue king Norman A. McQuoid, accept the top student of RVs and the best of the best, Helanie Niles, as my mate and my wife,” I said firmly, my hands holding her fragile hands.

It wasn’t easy for me to do this. But we only had a few minutes before Alpha Diaz would barge in and bring in a groom. And they would tie her to that man—or even an animal—because the full moon was already being covered by clouds.

“I, Helanie Niles, accept Norman as my mate and my husband,” she uttered with great difficulty, very unhappy with how things were going. I could tell she wanted to break down so badly that she kept blinking over and over to stop the tears.

I saw the looks on everyone’s faces when the council brought them to the small office where Helanie and I were standing. It was just her family, but they were shocked. Of course, it seemed strange to them—her mother was going to marry my father soon.

Sadly, we were left with no choice and no way out.

I told the council head that I had felt the mate bond with Helanie tonight when I arrived. And that Helanie’s wolf had been slowly waking up. I could tell Lord Vonston wanted her gone just like the others did. But Alpha Diaz wanted her to suffer.

So, for the sake of his alliance with the rogues, Vonston said it was okay for me to marry her, since at least that would settle her pheromones.

It seemed believable to him and explained why her pheromones wouldn’t stop. He blamed it on her body’s desperate need for a mate.

“Thank you for your cooperation. You may mark each other now,” Vonston said, stepping back.

My head was hurting so much. Of course she couldn’t mark me, but I would. Her acceptance of me was more for the court’s paperwork.

It seemed as if we hadn’t fully thought through the whole wedding process. I watched her stare at my throat move as I gulped, then I turned to the small crowd of my family. I scratched my scalp and stepped closer, but she quickly stepped back, so I stopped.

“What is going on? She can be with others—why is she not letting you mark her?” Vonston changed his tone once my sharp gaze landed on him. Now that Vonston was standing right next to me, I bet he could feel what damage I could do to him if he didn’t stop disrespecting her.

“You have to understand, it’s not easy for her to stand here with a man she just felt a mate bond with. The idea of marrying someone after men have hurt and betrayed her must be hard for her,” I snapped, shutting down any rumors before they could start.

“Okay, well, she must let you mark her,” Council Head Vonston said with a sigh.

I stepped toward her again, and this time, she didn’t move back—because she knew it would cause problems. We would be accused of lying. And if Alpha Diaz came before I had marked her, he’d start asking questions about the mate bond. So we had to get it done before he showed up.

It wasn’t easy for me either. I leaned down and swallowed hard as I waited for her to flick her hair off her neck. She did—very unwillingly.

I was watching her eyes shoot daggers at me. I didn’t marry her because I wanted to. I just wanted to save her. And I knew the consequences of my decision too. My brothers were going to be so upset with me.

I closed my eyes and buried my face in her neck, and her scent hit me. It hit me like I had never been hit by anything before. She smelled like fresh cherries. Her skin was soft and clean.

I opened my mouth, and just as my canines touched her skin, I felt a strange sensation in my body.

At that moment, I realized if I didn’t do it quickly and pull away, she’d probably call me a pervert. And honestly, it would be normal. Any man would feel something while marking a woman—right?

I quickly pierced her skin with my canines, but didn’t go all the way because I could tell she was in pain.

And then, once she calmed down a little, I dug in just a bit deeper to leave the mark. My hands were awkwardly moving—trying to hold her but then instantly pulling back. I had never been this nervous around anyone before.

Then I felt her hand land on my chest. For a second, I thought maybe she was letting me rest my hand on her back… until I felt a push and realized—nope! She wanted me to back off.

So I did.

I quickly stepped away and looked away.

“Umm, let’s sign so I can take her home,” I said to Vonston, who nodded and motioned for Helanie to sit down and sign the wedding papers.

I stepped aside and saw that her family had the exact same look on all their faces—wide eyes and mouths hanging open.

I ignored them and quickly walked toward the exit, standing at the door as I called for my warriors. I needed to know how the search for Emmet was going—and to have the car ready so we could get out of there as soon as possible.

That’s when my eyes moved up, and I saw Kaye rushing toward me.

“Why are you here? Where’s Maximus?” I asked him, worried about who was watching over Maximus now.

“I left some animals for him in the cave and watched him go in. He’ll stay there for a while, and once I’m done here, I’ll go back to check on him,” Kaye said, breathing heavily, peeking into the room to catch a glimpse of Helanie.

“She’s in a bridal dress…” he uttered, fixing his hair.

“Let’s do it,” he said, and as soon as he tried to step into the room, I grabbed his arm.

I didn’t expect him to be so excited about it.

What was I supposed to say to him now?