Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 96

Chapter 96: 96-All Wrong

Helanie:

“Fucking put your clothes on,” I hissed at her, but then I just felt like I didn’t even want to be there anymore. Everything was falling apart so badly now.

“You know what—,” I sighed, “I’ll just leave.” I didn’t know what I was thinking. I was so overwhelmed with emotions, wanting to get away one moment and then stay the next.

And that’s exactly what happened the minute I stepped out of the room.

“I’m not going to leave her in there, making out with that animal,” I muttered, rolling my eyes at my own indecisiveness before storming back inside with renewed determination.

Once I was back in, I got to see their reactions.

Lamar had put on pants, while Lucy was crying on the bed—still naked, covered in sheets, her hands over her face.

“You’re really not drunk, are you?” I accused, narrowing my eyes at Lamar. It was obvious he wasn’t as wasted as he was pretending to be. In fact, he might have had only a few drinks.

“Did you know he isn’t drunk?” I asked Lucy, since I’d already confronted Lamar about it.

“She knows. I didn’t trick her or anything,” Lamar muttered, his head bowed. Lately, he’d been doing that a lot—acting all cutesy as if it could fool everyone.

And honestly? It worked. He fooled Lucy.

“What were you thinking, Lamar? Do you not know she’s in a relationship? She has a mate!” My fists clenched at my sides, and he noticed, stepping back cautiously as if I could actually hurt his brick-like face.

“I know. But—hey, maybe that’s why you need to understand it wasn’t just us messing around—” He didn’t finish his sentence because I cut him off.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you two weren’t just messing around but actually building a castle!” I snapped, nodding sarcastically to mock him.

“That’s not what I meant,” he shot back, his tone defensive. “Lucy is your friend, and you know her character better than I do. She wouldn’t sleep with anyone unless she had a good reason.”

That caught me off guard. Coming from him, it was unexpected. I’d fully expected him to laugh in my face, mock me for ruining my friend’s relationship with her mate, or worse, tarnish Lucy’s character entirely.

“Okay, you need to stop looking at me like you’re going to eat me alive. But trust me—she is not at fault. She had a bad day, and—”

I had to raise my palm to stop him mid-sentence.

“I know her, and I’ll talk to her myself. I’d rather hear what happened directly from her than listen to you. Got it?” I snapped, my voice louder than I intended. He pouted, raising his hands in surrender.

“I understand,” he muttered.

“You need to leave,” I said firmly, pointing at the door.

I knew the warden might be on his rounds, but Lamar had managed to sneak out before, so I figured he’d be fine this time, too.

“Fine, let me grab my shirt and sweater. But hey, don’t be too harsh on her—it’s not her fault—” Lamar started again, trying to justify things while Lucy sat silently on the bed, her face buried in her hands.

“If I need your explanation, I’ll ask for it. Right now, I don’t. So leave!” I yelled, my finger still pointing at the door.

“Get out,” I hissed, closing my eyes to steady myself. Lamar finally walked past me, the force of his movement creating a slight breeze that brushed against me.

The fact that he’d seemed so apologetic earlier but then jumped on my friend the moment I left infuriated me. Just imagining everything unraveling—and the possibility of Gavin finding out—was physically painful.

And then there was my own secret, the one I knew wouldn’t stay hidden for much longer. I was losing my mind, more than ever.

When I finally heard the door slam shut, I walked over to the bed and grabbed Lucy’s dress from the floor, tossing it toward her.

“I can’t even—” I muttered under my breath, slapping my forehead with enough force to make it sting.

“How could you—Lamar? Lucy? What about Gavin?” I stammered, unable to form a complete sentence. My hormones must’ve been messing with me. They’d break me completely soon enough, if they weren’t already.

“Put on your clothes, Lucy. We need to talk.” I took a deep breath and turned my face away from her.

“And take a shower,” I added before stepping into the closet.

I sat on the floor inside for some reason, my hands clutching the pregnancy test I had hidden there. It was almost funny how I’d even painted over it with red nail polish I’d found on Lucy’s shelf. After finishing my little craft project, I tucked it away and sat back down, pulling my knees up to my chest and hugging them tightly.

Time passed before I heard the closet door creak open. Lucy walked in. She’d taken a shower, but she hadn’t even bothered to dry her hair. Without a word, she sat down beside me, silent.

For a few moments, neither of us spoke. Then she rested her head on my shoulder, and I leaned mine against hers.

We stayed like that for a while until she sniffled and finally broke the silence.

“I went to see Gavin,” she began, her voice shaky. “He wasn’t in his room. Neither was Jenny. Her brother told me they left the room together.”

I listened to her full sentence and immediately remembered my own encounter with Jenny.

“Just because they left together doesn’t mean they were together,” I said, raising my head from hers and turning to face her. We were still sitting on the cold floor. I recalled what Jenny had told me when I found her. She’d been alone, and since she was with me, she couldn’t have been with Gavin.

“Of course they’re together. They’re both missing, Helanie,” she argued, her voice filled with certainty. The more she spoke, the more I felt like she was being foolish—punishing Gavin without even thinking or asking him any questions.

“They could be anywhere. In fact, I saw Jenny on the ground floor near the library,” I said, trying to reason with her before she did something reckless like confronting Gavin about her assumptions.

“You don’t have to lie for them,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Why would I lie? I’m just telling you what I saw,” I replied firmly. She needed to stop spiraling and confront Gavin calmly. The two of them needed to fix this without yelling or making rash decisions.

But honestly, I wasn’t sure how she could fix it now.

“I don’t care anymore,” she said with a dismissive shrug. “He’s upset me too many times. Let him deal with the pain of heartbreak, just like I did when I felt the stinging pain of our mate bond shaking one night.”

She refused to listen to reason.

But then again, how could I blame her? If she said she knew what she felt, who was I to tell her otherwise?

I didn’t even have a wolf, so I might never fully understand the intensity of what she was feeling.

“But I don’t think this was the right thing to do,” I said, trying again. “What if it was just a random act of sway? What if he momentarily thought about cheating on you? I’m not defending his actions, but it would be less messy than what you did. And Lamar, of all people?”

I turned my face away as the memory of Lamar beating me up and leaving me for dead flashed through my mind.

She lowered her head, covering her face again.

“Are you going to tell Gavin?” I asked after a long pause. I heard her gulp, the sound loud in the tense silence.

“Did he tell me he cheated on me?” she countered, raising her head and looking me straight in the eye. There was so much confidence in her gaze, as if she truly believed she’d caught Gavin in the act.

In that moment, I felt utterly lost.

I was stuck between two of my friends caught in this war—the mate war. And the problem was, I wanted to believe Lucy more than ever now.

Because if she was wrong, then she had screwed up big time. Not only would she have destroyed her own relationship, but she’d also hurt her mate by cheating on him with the one person we all despised.

“And please, I expect you not to tell him,” she said, her tone throwing me off completely.

I had no idea what she was planning, but whatever it was, it felt ominous. The confidence on her face when she spoke about cheating on Gavin was unsettling. The only time she seemed remotely guilty was when she made eye contact with me, likely because Lamar had previously tried to kill me.

“I’ll stay out of both of your business,” I said, raising my hands in surrender. I had my own worries to deal with and didn’t want to be dragged into their mess.

“I’m going to sleep now. I’m tired,” she said as she got up, dusting off her dress before walking out of the closet.

I was scared for her.

The game she’d started wouldn’t end well. I couldn’t see how their relationship would survive this.