Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 91

Chapter 91: 91-A Pregnancy Test

Helanie:

“You will feel better if you rest,” Lucy said as she helped me change and even washed my uniform for me.

“I hope the bath is helping. I just don’t understand—why didn’t you just sit in your undies? Are you really that shy?” she asked, worried about why I had worn a dress to sit in the bathtub in front of her.

“It’s alright. You don’t have to answer me,” she smiled gently when she noticed I was struggling to come up with a reply.

“Have you spoken to Gavin? Wasn’t it him calling you earlier?” I asked, having noticed her phone ringing multiple times, though she kept avoiding it.

“I don’t know what to say to him right now,” she admitted softly, holding a sponge in her hand as she cleaned my arms with it. She had insisted on giving me a bath, and there was no way she was taking no for an answer.

“Lucy! How will you two resolve the issue if you don’t even talk about it with him?” I said, genuinely unable to understand the argument between them.

She seemed reluctant to believe the pain in her chest could stem from anything else.

“Did you not see him take care of her hair this morning? Helanie, if your mate knows you’re insecure about someone or something, and they keep doing it, what would you think of it?” she asked.

She wasn’t wrong. I would flip out too, but at least I’d have a talk with my mate—or even an argument.

But silence? Silence could be deadly for relationships.

“I know you don’t believe me, and I don’t expect you to. I know what I felt—I just don’t understand why he can’t stay away from her! Like, why does he have to do her hair in the middle of the hallway, knowing I’d be coming downstairs at any moment? He’s not even trying to help me with my doubts,” she groaned, tears filling her eyes.

After we were done, she left the bathroom so I could change. Later, she tucked me nicely into bed, but her body twitched slightly when Gavin stormed in with soup and fries.

“She needs to eat; she’s too weak,” Gavin said softly.

“Come on, Helanie. It’s not like you’re pregnant and can’t hold down food,” Lucy insisted, holding up a spoon for me.

That’s when my heart dropped in my chest. I tried not to show any reaction, but her words struck a chord. They pulled me back in time—to that night—and then to my current condition.

I had missed my periods ever since that night, but I was so consumed by revenge and determination to get into the academy that I hadn’t even thought about it. Or maybe I just didn’t care… until now.

“There you go,” Lucy smiled as I took the bite, just to calm her down. But inside me, a storm was brewing.

What if it was true?

I shook my head, and when I noticed them narrowing their eyes at me in confusion, I realized I must have looked like I was having a conversation with myself.

“By the way, thank you for standing up for me,” Gavin said, referencing the earlier incident. His words temporarily gave me something else to focus on—a brief distraction from the horrifying thought swirling in my mind.

“I messed up anyway,” I muttered steadily, glancing at Lucy, who kept her head down, her eyes fixed on the ground.

“They knew you were affected by the comments, Lucy,” Gavin said as he turned toward her. She quickly averted her gaze, turning her face to the side to avoid looking at him.

“Lucy! Penn told me that the top seniors have a list of all the students, and next to your name, they wrote insecure! They’ve even picked on your argument with me over Jenny the other day—”

It all made sense now, why they were constantly trying to hurt Lucy by comparing her to Jenny and calling Jenny prettier than her.

“Oh, Penn told you that? Or was it Jenny herself? She must have fed you this nonsense!” Lucy’s voice rose, her tone defensive.

“Come on, Lucy. What’s your problem? You’re sharing a room with Lamar. Did you see me questioning you?” Gavin countered, his voice rising for the first time.

“That’s because I’m not sticking by his hip! I don’t even speak to him!” she snapped back, her voice matching his volume.

The two stood up, fists clenched, glaring at each other.

“You know what—let her rest, shall we?” Gavin finally said, grabbing Lucy’s arm to lead her out. It seemed they wanted to continue their argument elsewhere, away from me.

I thought about telling them they weren’t bothering me, but then it occurred to me that maybe they just didn’t feel comfortable fighting in front of me. So, I let them go. Lucy grabbed her coat before walking out with Gavin, leaving me alone—with nothing but the terrifying thoughts haunting my mind.

“What if I really am pregnant?” I whispered, my voice barely audible as I placed a trembling hand on my belly. No! I refused to believe it. How could I possibly carry the bastard’s child?

But then again, I hadn’t had my periods, and all the symptoms seemed to point to the horrifying possibility.

Flashback:

“Aghhhhh!” the one with brown hair groaned as he finished inside me, while the others held my hands and legs tightly, pinning me down. My eyes were dry now, the tears long gone.

But they weren’t done.

It had been hours. Every time I thought it was over, another one of them would come up with a new way to torture me.

“Oh my! Her pussy is so powerful, she’s sucking me dry,” the main guy said as he stood up, stroking his cock.

“I told you, she’s very excited but pretending to hate every second of it,” another one laughed cruelly while I shut my eyes tightly, trying to escape this reality.

I wanted to be anywhere else, to go to my happy place. But there wasn’t one.

In the first few minutes, I’d clung to the hope that Altan would come back and save me. But that hope died quickly. Now, I didn’t even wish for rescue anymore. I just wanted them to leave—or to kill me before they left.

End of flashback

“I need to… get a pregnancy test,” I said to myself, jumping off the bed, my heart racing painfully in my chest. I wouldn’t be able to rest until I confirmed that I wasn’t pregnant.

But where could I even get a test?

The rogue community didn’t have malls or stores. And even if they did, I doubted they were accessible to anyone except the royal family.

I knew the brothers had plans to take over abandoned packs and turn them into a safe community for rogues—different from the usual rogue chaos. Only those connected to the brothers or the academy would be part of that land.

Then I remembered the small packs surrounding the rogue community. Some of them weren’t very judgmental and had trade deals with the brothers.

Grabbing a purple sweater—my old sweater—and my boots, I headed to the door.

I was going to confirm what my restless mind refused to let go of. I had to know.

I cannot be pregnant with those bastards’ child.

I left the hostel without anyone noticing and made my way to the nearest pack on foot. It took me three hours, but I didn’t care. I was so determined that I ignored the toll it was taking on my body.

I had only a small amount of money left from when I worked for Maximus, but it was enough to pay for the test. I did get a few strange stares—probably because of how young I looked and the noticeable lack of wolf in me—but I didn’t stop to explain or care.

Once I was heading back, I carefully hid the test and returned to my dorm room, where Lucy was waiting for me. Her eyes were swollen and red, so I assumed she’d had another fight with Gavin.

“When I read your text saying you were going out for a walk, I thought you meant a thirty-minute stroll. How are you coming back after six hours?” she scolded, placing her hands on her hips as her sharp eyes scanned me.

“And look at you! Your hands are red—you’re freezing to death,” she said, rushing over to grab my hands. She started rubbing them quickly to warm them up.

“What happened between you and Gavin? Did you two sort things out?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from myself. She sighed heavily.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Helanie. I’m just so insecure,” she admitted, her voice tinged with guilt. It seemed she was finally acknowledging that she might have been overreacting.

“But—” she said, cutting herself off as she dragged me to my bed and made me sit down. She kept holding my hands, her grip firm, as she continued.

“I just have this very bad feeling. Like—my mate bond is sensing something. A tug, almost,” she said, her eyes locking onto mine, her emotions raw and visible.

“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.

Because I didn’t have a wolf, I wasn’t able to feel anything with Emmet. And wow… That thought hit me harder than I expected.

He was my mate.

My professor is my mate.

My stepbrother is my mate.