Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 58

Chapter 58: 58-The Two Handsome Hunks

Helanie:

“I don’t even need her apology. I don’t like making anyone feel low or disrespected. But since she’s shown no respect for my job, I suppose it’s fine. I’ll accept her apology,” Prim forced a weak, triumphant smile, trying to look both innocent and full of herself.

“What are you babbling about?” Emmet groaned at her.

“I didn’t ask her to apologize to you. I’m telling you to apologize to Helanie for your mistreatment of her and for causing her stress when she should be resting,” Kaye asserted, his tone clear and leaving everyone in shock.

Prim’s mouth dropped open, her gaze fixed on Kaye.

“But why would I apologize? I didn’t even do anything wrong,” she replied in a softer tone, but I could tell that neither of the brothers believed her.

“So, you checked on her multiple times, right? And all the party leftovers, the movies left on the TV, the mess in the living room and the kitchen—those must all be Helanie’s doing too, right?” Kaye faced her, calling her out.

“Umm, we were just bored, so—” she stammered, flinching as Kaye slipped his hands into his pockets.

“If you were doing your job properly, Helanie wouldn’t have had to break the glass to get your attention. Yet you still had the nerve to belittle her and make her look bad when your job was to look after her. That amazes me,” Kaye stepped closer, towering over her. Emmet leaned against the wall, smirking.

This was the first time I’d seen Emmet take pleasure in someone’s misery.

“You’re fired. All of you are,” Kaye enunciated each word, and chaos erupted among the group.

“But we didn’t do anything! It was the nurses—they were bitter about having to care for a wolf-less girl,” one doctor protested, now trying to shift blame as their jobs hung in the balance.

“Oh, really?” Emmet turned to the nurse, who gasped.

“We didn’t do anything! It was only Prim who spoke badly about the patient,” one of the nurses, who had earlier complained about me bothering them, quickly tried to cover herself.

“She has a name—Helanie,” Emmet corrected her sharply before adding, “You’re all fired. You heard my brother. Now get out of here.”

He raised his hand in a dismissive wave, not even looking at them, as though exhausted by the topic being dragged out. The doctors and nurses looked devastated as they were ushered out of the farmhouse.

“We need to hire better staff for our people,” Kaye remarked, stepping closer to my bed, only to be unintentionally edged aside by Emmet, who leaned in before him.

“Helanie! They really put you through a lot,” he murmured, bending down and gently lifting my chin with his finger to examine my face. His touch was so gentle, and his gaze lingered on my features with such intensity. Did he even know how incredibly attractive he was in our realm?

“What about the exam?” I asked as he straightened, clearly disheartened by my injuries.

“It’s postponed,” Emmet replied.

“I postponed it myself and arrested the culprits,” Kaye quickly interjected, prompting Emmet to turn slightly and give him a sidelong glance.

“Will I be able to take the test again?” I knew I sounded like a broken record, but my mind was focused solely on that test. I just wanted to join the academy, to learn how to fight and defend myself. If only I could do that, something like this would never happen again.

“Of course. But to do that, you need to heal first,” Emmet said, placing his hand gently on my head, petting it like one would a small, beloved puppy.

His gesture was casual, but the warmth of his touch made it feel special. I bet he didn’t even realize it, but I did.

“I’ll stay with her,” Kaye offered, and Emmet groaned.

“What? Don’t you have your usual corridor parade during full moons to keep up with?” Kaye teased, rolling his eyes as he mentioned Emmet’s private corridor.

I’d heard that no one else went there; it was reserved just for Emmet. The corridor led to a guestroom outside the main mansion, where he would often retreat.

“Yeah, but make sure to take care of her, and keep me updated on her health,” Emmet said, patting Kaye’s shoulder before turning to give me one last, warm look. “Helanie, get well soon, okay?” His hands were in his pockets, and he gave a simple nod that somehow suited him perfectly.

I nodded back, watching Emmet leave with Kaye following him outside. Their kindness surprised me a bit, though I’d come to expect it from Emmet, who had been kind since the beginning. But Kaye’s sudden change in attitude was unsettling. Why was he suddenly so concerned about me?

I only hoped he hadn’t remembered the mate bond. I didn’t want the mate bond interfering with my goals. My mind was set on revenge, and I had already made a promise to the Moon Goddess: until I achieved that, I would reject anything she chose for me.

So, I couldn’t even think about having a fated mate—let alone two.

“So,” Kaye returned, rubbing his hands together. “The new team of doctors and nurses will arrive in two days. Until then, they’ll be on call with me. I’ll be taking care of you from now on,” he said, adjusting my blanket with care, which made me narrow my eyes at him.

I was sure he knew I was watching him. He ignored my gaze for a while, but eventually, he couldn’t help glancing back at me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his eyes carrying a hint of apprehension, as though he feared what I might bring up.

“Why are you being so nice to me? Didn’t you kick me out of your home before?” I asked, watching him take a deep, steady breath.

“People make mistakes. And I never claimed to be perfect,” he replied with a shrug.

“No, seriously—why are you being so kind to me?” I pressed, and he sighed, rolling his eyes as though he was tired of the same question over and over.

“I realized you might not be as evil as I thought,” he said, then paused. “And if you ask me another question, I might just say something so shameless it’ll make your cheeks turn red. Is that what you want?” The way he bit his bottom lip playfully to tease me made me gasp, and I quickly turned my head to the side.

He laughed, but what he said next surprised me even more. “Look at you! Why do you get so blushy so fast? Just wait until I give you a bath—how are you going to survive that?”