Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 616

Chapter 616: 616-The Mate Eclipse

Helanie:

We both walked over to the wall to sit and watch him. It’s not like we had anything else to do.

“So?” Maximus asked, making me shrug.

“So what?” I replied. We sat together against the wall, watching Emmet eat from the tray, taking big bites from the chicken like a lion. Watching the emptiness in his eyes wasn’t easy for me.

I missed him.

“Aren’t we going to talk about what happened in the dream prison?”

My body shuddered a little, but showing any reaction would mean I’d thought about it. So I kept still on the outside.

But deep down, I was shaking at the thought of being shared by all four of them.

“There’s nothing to talk about. It’s called a dream prison for a reason. Nothing is real there,” I shrugged casually, trying to act strong otherwise, he’d notice how tense I was.

“It’s someone’s dream. And let me tell you something, my dream was to be married to you, so whatever happened next was your—”

He shut up when I cleared my throat loudly.

“Let’s not talk about it,” I said, realizing how close we were sitting. I straightened my back and quietly slid a little farther away from him.

He noticed and laughed.

“Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m going to grab you and kiss you. I won’t. Not until you give me permission,” he said, and his words made me close my eyes and scoot even farther.

“Will you do me a favor if I ask for one?” I opened my eyes again after calming myself.

“Only one favor? Ask for my life,” he said confidently, and in that deep, flirty voice.

“I don’t need your life,” I teased to lighten the mood.

“Can you please try to ask your mother for a witch? There’s no way she doesn’t have one hidden somewhere. The way she knows things… I just feel like she’s not telling us about the help she’s getting,” I said. I hated that his mother could be so blind to her son’s suffering.

Not once did she offer help, but she’d cry louder than anyone else when they were in pain.

We had to drag answers out of her when she should’ve been the first to tell us everything.

“You want me to follow my mother around until I find her witch? Because she won’t tell anyone willingly,” he asked, rubbing his fingers against his chin.

“Would that be too much?” I asked, and he smiled, shaking his head.

“For you? Not at all. I could follow someone for years if it makes you happy,” he replied flirtatiously.

I shook my head at him, silently asking him not to. I didn’t want any trouble between the brothers, or between me and Norman because of this.

“Okay, okay, I won’t flirt. But you be careful tonight,” he warned with a very naughty look on his face.

“What is tonight?” I frowned in confusion.

“Tonight is the Mate’s Eclipse. It’s a new month in the werewolf calendar when mates get super heated, if you know what I mean,” he said in a cheeky tone.

The first day of the Mate’s Eclipse is tough, when bodies go into heat, then there are a few in the middle where pain is extreme but the last day is the hardest when it becomes unbearable to stay away from your mate.

“Oh,” I looked away shyly, feeling too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

“I don’t know about you, Helanie, but I’m very single. You might get pleasure from your husband, but your lonely mates will be suffering,” he said while gently scratching his chest, trying to be playful. I kept turning my face until I was looking completely away from him.

“You’re being despicable,” I muttered and got up, brushing the dirt off my clothes.

“I’m just being honest,” he called out as I walked toward the stairs.

“Then you’ll have to rely on your hand tonight,” I said without thinking. It was the first time I’d made a sexual joke to anyone other than Norman and I instantly regretted it.

Norman was always the one who got shy away. But not Maximus. The way Maximus licked his bottom lip with his hands in his pants’ pockets made me bolt up the stairs, mentally kicking myself.

The rest of the day passed as usual. I cooked dinner for the brothers, but the real challenge was sitting down to eat with them.

There was an awkward silence in the dining room that night. Kaye kept sneaking glances at me, while Maximus shamelessly smirked the entire time.

Norman looked disturbed, his eyes kept darting between his brothers, and I felt bad for him. He didn’t deserve to feel this way in a relationship.

“Try not to come out of your rooms tonight,” Norman finally said, addressing his brothers, who both looked up at him.

“That’s not fair,” Maximus spoke up, while Kaye remained quiet.

“What’s not fair?” Norman slammed his spoon on the plate, startling me. He quickly lowered his head, then turned to check on me before Maximus pulled his attention back again.

“Why do we have to suffer? She’s our mate, and she was never going to reject us. Going into this marriage, you knew she was in love with Emmet. So how could you expect her to just stop loving him and be exclusive to only you?” Maximus said, making my eyes widen.

“Wait,” I raised my voice before Norman could defend himself. “Our marriage might have started as a deal, but we truly fell in love. We became exclusive. It’s not just Norman who wants to keep it that way. I don’t want to be shared either.”

I looked between Maximus and Kaye, who exchanged a glance before smirks crept onto their faces. Their expressions bothered me more than I wanted to admit.

“Really? Then why not come out of your bedroom tonight to see what your wolf and your body truly desire?” Kaye finally spoke up. His serious and gruff voice shocked all of us with that bold suggestion.