Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: 54-I Want To Be Her Hero

Kaye:

Despite my wolf yapping about how we shouldn’t be wasting time on Helanie, I kept driving and reached the farmhouse a few hours later.

The moment I got out of the car, I spotted a warrior holding a phone to his ear until he met my gaze.

He slowly lowered the phone, awkwardly clearing his throat as I walked past him.

“Seriously? Calling my brother to tell him I’m here?” I gave him a look of disbelief before heading toward the main gate and gesturing to the warrior there to open it.

The pool was dirty, as though no one was taking care of the farmhouse. Why?

Just because my brothers and I weren’t staying here? And what about Helanie? Why wouldn’t they clean up before her arrival?

“And someone clean the damn pool and the area around it!” I shouted, watching everyone scramble to get to work. They knew better than to give excuses. I had a problem—I couldn’t control my rage.

Sometimes, I’d say things so hurtful that I’d rather cut ties with people than apologize for my outbursts.

Apologizing to someone outside my family didn’t sit well with me. I hadn’t been raised to bow down. I was determined to make the world bow to me.

But right now, all I could think about was Helanie.

“Where is she?” I asked, stepping into the farmhouse as the sliding glass door opened.

The spacious living room was filled with nurses lounging around. At least Norman had ordered an entire team of doctors and nurses to look after Helanie.

“She’s resting,” a nurse quickly jumped to her feet, hiding a coffee mug behind her back. Did she really think I didn’t notice?

“So, there’s a patient here, and you’re all just lounging around?” I put my hands on my hips, then pressed two fingers to the bridge of my nose, trying hard not to yell.

“Actually, we took care of her and decided to take a quick break—” the same nurse started to explain, while the others stepped back from a table crowded with food. The sight of it made my blood boil. Helanie was probably in her worst state, something I’d already gathered from Maximus’s words, and here they were… having a party.

They had taken over the kitchen and living room, using the TV to watch movies as if on some vacation.

“Open the damn door for me!” I shouted. A doctor emerged from one of the rooms, hastily bowing, fumbling to adjust his shirt as he approached.

Was this a medical team or a group of tourists?

An awkward silence settled as I faced him, hands on my hips, my breaths heavy. I wanted to scream, to call them all out for this lack of respect, but then I thought of Helanie, and the rage drained out of me.

“What happened to her?” I asked, my voice steadier now as I made my way toward the room where she was kept.

“She’s suffered severe injuries. Someone brutally beat her,” the doctor explained, relaying the details he’d gathered from Maximus and Norman about last night.

Hearing all this made me want to punch a wall.

“Alright, leave me alone with her,” I gestured for him to step back and entered the dimly lit room. She lay there, hooked to IV drips, surrounded by shadows.

Bandages covered her body; her face was swollen, her head wrapped in gauze. She looked so fragile lying in that bed, like a creature too delicate for the world around her.

“Helanie…” I pulled a chair close to her bedside and sat down, watching her face. Even after everything they’d done to her, she still held on to a kind of haunting beauty. Her face carried an enigmatic look, as though she were hiding an entire world inside her.

“Hey,” I murmured, gently grazing my fingertip over the back of her hand. One of her fingers on her right hand was broken, encased in a plaster cast. Her other hand had an IV drip attached, and I kept my touch as light as possible. Touching her without her permission felt almost like a violation.

“A violation? Aren’t you being dramatic?” my wolf grumbled. “Fine, she’s hurt and all, but come on—she’s just another she-wolf. Okay, maybe our stepsister, too,” he added with a sigh.

“And I’m telling you, the reason we’re even worried is because she’s our stepsister. Nothing more,” he insisted.

But I wasn’t paying attention to him. My gaze remained fixed on Helanie. I sat in silence for about ten minutes before I saw her eyelids flutter open. My heart leaped out of my chest.

I quickly leaned back, pulling my hand away from hers, giving her space.

“Dr Alson, she’s awake!” I called for the doctor, trying to keep my voice steady.

The doctor rushed in, and I stepped aside, though I didn’t leave the room. I couldn’t shake the feeling that, even though my brother had brought her here, the doctors hadn’t been taking her condition seriously. But now they would.

Or else—I’d make sure of it.

“Alright, she’s stable, but her recovery will take time,” the doctor said after an hour of checkups and administering her medication. He left, and the room was quiet again, just the two of us.

She sat propped up against two pillows, breathing slowly, her eyes fixed on the wall ahead of her.

“Helanie!” I stepped closer and sat down again.

“Did you… save me?” she asked, her voice trembling. Tears gathered on her lashes, spilling with every blink. I could only imagine the fear and pain she must have felt last night when they hurt her.

I hesitated, a wave of guilt rising in me. I knew it was Maximus who had saved her. But he wasn’t here, and she seemed to be looking to me as her rescuer.

With a slight nod and a lot of guilt, I replied, “I did.”

I’d always felt a sense of jealousy toward Maximus—not out of spite, but envy. I’d watch as my parents showered him with praise, giving him all the credit, even when I performed just as well on any project.

But today, for the first time, I broke my rule of never taking anything from my brothers. I took credit for something that wasn’t mine, and for someone with whom I wasn’t even sure what my relationship was.