Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: 51-In The Backseat Of My Car

Norman:

“Why can’t we admit her? She’s in bad shape,” Maximus’s voice was raised, though not at me. His anger stemmed from sheer frustration as he paced around his car, the door to the backseat left open to reveal the wounded Helanie. The sight of her was truly devastating, one must have felt bad for her. But not me.

I didn’t feel deeply affected. My reaction was a learned behavior. I just knew I had to feel bad for her and that’s what I was trying to do.

“Do you want our academy to be in the news? We’ve worked tirelessly to reach the level of success we have today. I’m not risking it for anyone—especially for her,” I said, gesturing toward her. I tried. But I just couldn’t act like I would give up everything for the sake of someone like her.

Ever since she had stepped into our lives, she had been trying to get our attention. And my naive brothers were drawn to her innocence.

She was wheezing, probably from pain, and my eyes lingered on her longer than I intended before I looked away. No! I wouldn’t let myself feel sorry for her.

My brothers aren’t very wise. They’re emotional fools with soft hearts, prone to weaknesses. But I have none of those flaws.

The only weakness I have is ‘are my brothers’.

“To hell with that! It’s not our academy’s fault. People will understand. Right now, she’s dying—” Maximus groaned, running his hands through his hair.

I rolled my eyes and knelt down by the car door, struggling to fit in the tight space without bending awkwardly. Carefully, I touched her wrist to check her pulse. Her skin was smooth, soft to the touch. Her wrist was so slender that I could hold it between just two fingers, and it still felt fragile. If I applied a little more pressure, her wrist would split into two halves.

I noticed her thick eyelashes fluttering as she fought to keep her eyes open. Despite her injuries, she was trying to stay conscious. It surprised me.

She was so stubborn—refusing even to pass out.

But her eyes were swollen and dark, bruised almost beyond recognition. I noticed her bruised lip. She must have endured so much pain as a wolfless creature.

“What happened?” Maximus’s hand on my shoulder startled me, nearly making me jump.

I swallowed hard and immediately pulled my hand away. It was like I had drowned in a sea of unknown emotions. They didn’t seem learned for a moment and that startled me. I placed my hand on my chest, a little above the scar on my ribs and then shook myself out of the trance.

“Um, she’s sustained many injuries, but none are fatal,” I said, standing up, feeling oddly disoriented.

Why the hell had I taken so long just holding her wrist?

“Well, she can’t heal on her own. And just because she won’t die doesn’t mean she’s in any less pain. Look at her—she’s barely breathing. We need to get her immediate care,” my brother said, his voice edged with worry for a girl who seemed to do nothing but disturb our peace. Worse still, her mother had once ensnared our father in her manipulations too.

I remembered her mother behaving the same way when she first entered our lives. She used to be so helpless, constantly in trouble, and my father loved swooping in as her ‘hero.’

“Let’s take her to our farmhouse. I’ll bring in doctors and nurses, have them sign NDAs, and make sure she’s well cared for. She’ll be fine, alright?” I patted Maximus’s shoulder as he continued to stare at her. I wasn’t going to let this issue be a noose around my brother’s neck. He didn’t understand the severity of this situation yet.

“Maximus, remember what we’ve discussed about her? She’s making us lose sight of ourselves,” I reminded him. I’d been so proud of him tonight for seeing through her, but now he was falling back, just like the others.

We weren’t supposed to think like emotional fools. We run an academy, and it’s our duty to protect its reputation above all else. And then, my brother’s image meant the world to me.

“Fine, but we need to take good care of her. This happened to her under our academy’s shelter,” Maximus said, looking visibly weary. But he knew he could trust me.

I’d make things right. What this fool didn’t realize was that if anyone found out, they’d start questioning him, asking why he was looking for Helanie—a candidate—after midnight. He’d told me he wanted to confront her, but nobody would understand that; they’d see it as an excuse. I’d let a hundred more Helenies go if it meant protecting my brother’s reputation.

“Alright, let’s drive her to the farmhouse, then,” Maximus said, resigned, as he moved to get back in his car. But I caught his hand, pulling him back.

“You should head home. I’ll take care of her,” I said, watching as Maximus drifted into thought before snapping back and shaking his head.

“I can drive her myself,” he insisted. However, I knew he was not thinking straight and would end up making a mistake or two. Above all, I needed to keep her away from him.

“Maximus, don’t you trust me?” I asked, hands on my hips.

With a sigh of defeat, he stepped out and let me take over. I climbed into his car, sending him home in my own vehicle.

After starting the engine, I adjusted the rearview mirror to get a quick look at the biggest drama queen around.

“How can someone manage to get into so much trouble all the time?” I muttered, shaking my head as I spoke to her.

I wasn’t sure she could even hear me; she’d finally passed out.

Tomorrow, I’d have to clean Maximus’s car. She’d dirtied it with her blood. Poor guy—he must have been frantic when he realized she was missing.

Why couldn’t she just mind her own business and stay out of trouble?

But then it hit me—tomorrow is the test, and there’s no way she’ll make it onto the field in this condition.

“Looks like you are going to fail this test and then, you are out of the academy,” I couldn’t believe something good came out of something tragic.