Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 510

Chapter 510: 510-Making A New Friend.
Helanie:

“I just want to know the truth so I can decide whether to feel upset or insecure,” she said with a laugh, but it was such an uncomfortable whimper that I had to look away.

I couldn’t watch her be this hurt anymore.

“Please tell me, because I know that mate bond thing is a lie. That, I know for a fact. His mother told me he can never feel the mate bond with anyone. So please, just tell me,” she started pleading, and her words about Norman never being able to feel a mate bond caught me off guard.

“Why? I mean, did she tell you the reason?” I asked, watching her shake her head. But she quickly came back to her main question.

“Please tell me he married you just to stop you from marrying someone else,” the moment she said that, my eyes widened in surprise.

I guess, deep down, others had sensed it too.

“You’re right. I was never going to marry him, but we were left with no other choice,” I said. The moment those words left my mouth, she sighed in relief, pressing a hand to her chest and smiling softly.

“Thank you so much. Thank you for freeing me from this burden of rejection. Does that mean—you two will be rejecting each other at the next full moon?” Her lips were trembling, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at me.

“Yes, we will. Jessica, he’s still yours. I never meant to take him away from you. I’m so sorry. I was pushed against the wall and he was the only one who could save me at that moment,” I started explaining, and thankfully, she looked a lot calmer now.

“Oh my—I’ve been so worried,” she said, and then started crying. “You know what—I’ll be your friend, and I’ll help you with everything. In fact, that one missing Alpha—I know about him. He goes by Rhiz or Riz among his friends, but he’s actually the Alpha of a broken pack from the East West. The minute you accused the others, he ran off. But from what I’ve gathered, he might still have his phone on him. I’ll try to get more info and keep you updated. Especially about those videos you said they made of you.”

It felt like a huge relief to see her being so supportive.

“Thank you, that would mean so much,” I said. It was surprisingly easy to talk with her.

“I know you’re a lot younger than me, but I’d love to hang out sometime. Helanie, just be careful around Darcy. She’s not someone to mess with. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about them, it’s that Darcy always gets her way,” she said softly, wiping her cheeks as she spoke.

“You’ll have your groom back by the next full moon,” I told her one last time.

“I trust you. And now that we’re friends, and I’m getting to know you, I feel much more at peace,” she said, clearly more relaxed.

“I’m so grateful you came here to talk to me. I was sick with worry about facing you. I thought you’d come at me full force,” I smiled through my tears as she held my hands.

“I couldn’t. The moment I raised my hand, I realized I was becoming my brother. Helanie, it’s not easy for me to say this because the brother I’m talking about isn’t just my brother—he’s someone I’ve always seen as my child. He grew up calling me his mother. So when I say this, I truly mean it: if you can prove his guilt, I’ll make sure he gets punished,” Jessica continued to surprise me. “I loved my brother, but believe me, I hate him now even more deeply. The idea of him coming home after what he did to you—” she clenched her jaw and wiped her tears before taking a deep breath to calm herself again.

After we finished talking, we called Norman in. I stepped outside for a walk to give them some privacy. That’s when I came across Kaye and Maximus sitting in the garden, while Emmet was about to leave.

He had just stood up when he saw me, and his steps froze.

“Helanie,” he whispered, his eyes lingering on my face a little too long—longer than they used to.

“Umm, may I have a word with you brothers?” I asked softly, rubbing my hands together nervously.

“What is it about?” Emmet asked, sounding so worried—as if I was about to ask him for rejection, which I still didn’t fully understand why I hadn’t done yet.

“Sure,” Maximus replied, giving a quick glance at Emmet, who sat down again. The way Emmet looked at me reminded me of when he used to stare at me with love in his eyes. We used to get lost in each other’s gaze.

I sat down, keeping my eyes on my hands because all three of them were staring at me like I was about to announce something huge.

Now that I knew all of them wanted to marry me, I couldn’t help but feel shy around them.

“Umm… I’ve decided to fight Darius,” I said while taking deep breaths, “for his crown.”

I looked up and saw the confusion all over their faces.

“Helanie—I don’t doubt you—but it’ll be hard,” Kaye spoke first, shifting nervously in his seat.

“You’re worried I won’t surrender? That I’ll fight to the death? I want to do this. If none of you doubt me, then help me train. I want to take his throne. I want to strip him of every bit of happiness. I want the council to remember that I never wanted to marry an Alpha—I am an Alpha now,” I said, feeling something rise inside me.

Maybe it was what Zellu’s confession had sparked in me, but I suddenly realized how powerful the title of Alpha—or Alpha King—really was. When they speak, others listen and obey.

“I’m with you,” Emmet was the first to speak.

Then Maximus and Kaye nodded.

So it was decided: I would fight Darius.

But there was a twist—a twist I would only reveal on the day of our match.