Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 50

Chapter 50: 50-Maybe I Am Heartless?

Norman:

The sadness had consumed me entirely. I had worked so hard all week to spend this time with my brothers like I always did. But now it was all ruined. Emmet and Kaye were barely present. I knew they were grown up now, but we were still committed to our time together–until Helanie arrived.

Once they brought her up, their moods changed.

Throwing my phone on the bed, I stood before the large mirror and began taking off my shirt. My eyes lingered on my abs and the prominent scar on the left side of my ribs. It had healed, but the scar remained. Some scars are left on our bodies to ensure we don’t forget the tragic past. So every time I stripped naked and saw the scar, I was transported back in time.

But the ringing of my phone pulled me back to reality. I turned my head and stared at the screen.

“Oh! Jessica,” I groaned as I realized I had forgotten to text her back. I reached my bed and dropped onto the hard mattress with my arms spread wide and my shirt wide open. I held my phone up and sighed as I opened her text.

Jessica: I got the work done myself. But I’m sure you’ve been busy, and that’s why you couldn’t reach me back.

I felt terrible for forgetting about her. I couldn’t recall a single thing when it came to my brothers. Jessica had asked me to do a simple task of getting information on someone, and I couldn’t even manage that for her.

She was the daughter of Lord Louise, the wealthy rogue from North. He was as big a name as my father but couldn’t secure the title of Rogue King because of us brothers. We seemed more suited for taking over the duties of the future Rogue King in the North, South, East, and West.

That’s whenLord Louise returned to his pack and decided to be a part of it again. He became the Alpha King of the North. Then an alliance was formed between my father and him. They decided I should choose Jessica as my mate. We had been dating for some time before we got engaged last year. She was confident, powerful, and a royal beta in line with her pack. I had a great understanding with her since we had known each other for years.

Instead of texting her back, I decided to call her instead.

“Hello?” I could barely sound normal. That was my problem; I couldn’t fake my emotions. When I was upset, it showed in my body language, my tone, and even my words.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked after only hearing a word.

I felt like smiling.

“I’m fine. Just tired. We had an exam today. The new candidates took their first test,” I uttered, staring at the ceiling.

“Oh, you guys have already started new admissions?” I could tell she must be pouting or rolling the strands of her brown hair around her finger.

“Yeah, the new semester is starting,” I mumbled.

I knew why she didn’t like hearing about our academy. Her brother wanted to be a part of it, but he failed the tests, especially the educational ones. Not only that, he was slated to be the alpha of his pack before he could become the Alpha King.

“Hmmm, my brother is doing very well. He stays late on the training ground and goes back to his hostel early in the morning. His teachers are praising him a lot,” she began with her usual chatter. I didn’t mind her talking about her brother, but it had become quite repetitive at this point. She wanted her brother to be a part of our academy so he could become the next Alpha King of the North.

The academies usually trained Alphas for the final battle between Alphas for the selection of the Alpha King title. It took place every five years. But that’s not all. They have to fight the existing Alpha King in the final battle, and if they don’t win, the reigning Alpha King remains the crowned king.

“Yeah, you know what? I’m kind of tired,” I said, cutting her off. I didn’t have time to hear about her brother’s accomplishments. He was very arrogant, and whenever we met, he acted like he was a big deal.

“Oh, I’m sorry I bored you with all the talk about my brother,” she replied in a much bitter tone before adding, “Okay, tell me how I can change your mood.”

I waited in silence, contemplating how to avoid offending her. But there was no other way. Her remark hinted at the fact that I cared a lot about my brothers, too.

“By letting me rest?” I groaned. “We’ll talk in the morning. Good night!” I hung up, but before I could even put my phone down, she called me again.

I didn’t even open my eyes and answered the call. “Jessica, can we please talk tomorrow?” I grunted through clenched teeth.

“Brother, we’ve got a problem.” My eyes shot open when I heard Maximus instead. I pulled my phone away just to check the caller ID–it was Maximus calling me.

“What happened? Are you okay?” I asked, hearing some noises in the background, and goosebumps spread across my skin. Why wasn’t he at home?

“I’m in my car right now, taking Helanie to the hospital,” I said, unsure whether to be shocked or concerned.

“Helanie? Why is she in the car with you? What the fuck!” I stood up, holding my phone between my cheek and shoulder while buttoning up my shirt.

“It’s umm–she was attacked by someone and thrown into the deep mountains to die.” My phone almost slipped from my grasp as I tightened my hold to focus on my brother’s words.

A defenseless creature was attacked by someone in the shelter? Wasn’t she supposed to be safe there? Why would she be targeted?

“Listen, I’m coming over. Just send me the address,” I told him, knowing he had to drive her to the nearest pack to get her proper treatment.

“Okay, I’ll admit her until then–” I cut Maximus off because I had to.

I hated to be that person who was heartless, but I really didn’t feel good about this girl. Ever since she had shown up at our door, she had only gotten herself into trouble and wasted my brothers’ time.

“Don’t admit her. Let me come over first,” I uttered with difficulty, not happy that what I was about to do would make my brother see me as a heartless creature.