Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 98

Chapter 98: 98-The Terrible Outcome Of That Night

Helanie:

I woke up feeling even more nauseated than ever. I didn’t want to go to breakfast. The breakfast was served on the hostel’s ground floor, and I knew all the academy students would be there, ready to bother the juniors. So, I decided not to go into the hostel’s dining hall for breakfast.

“Where are you going?” Lucy asked, tugging on my sleeve to get my attention.

“I don’t want to eat here,” I whispered, making sure the students walking past me on their way to the hall didn’t hear me.

They would run to tell the bullies, and then the bullying would get worse once they realized how much it was bothering me.

“Then I’ll come with you,” she said.

“Girls! Come!” Gavin yelled from the big door, waving at both of us.

“Are you two going to talk about your differences?” I asked her, feeling bad for Gavin.

“Not now. I’m just pretending to be fine for now. I can’t forgive him for cheating on me and pushing me over the edge,” she said, her words making me strain to keep my reaction neutral. I wanted so badly to yell at her for taking things so far without any evidence, but I didn’t want to meddle in their relationship—or judge Lucy.

“Come on, have breakfast with us,” she urged, trying to pull me toward the door. But I politely declined her offer.

The reason wasn’t because she had slept with Lamar. It was because I needed to get rid of the test hidden in my sweater pocket. My hands were in my pockets, clutching the test tightly. It felt like a constant reminder every few seconds—I was pregnant.

“Lucy, is it okay if I take a walk and grab something to eat along the way?” I asked, hoping she wouldn’t press further. Her frown showed her confusion.

“Eat from trees?” She tried to joke, but it was obvious she didn’t understand where I could possibly go to eat on foot. It wasn’t like I could just stroll to a nearby park.

Actually, I really couldn’t. I’d done so yesterday, and now my legs were aching terribly.

“And it’s so cold and dark outside,” she continued, sounding concerned.

“It’s okay. Please go ahead and join him. I just want to be alone for a while,” I said, rushing to leave before they insisted on coming with me. I was debating on staying when I thought maybe Gavin would question her for the pain he must have felt last night but since he seemed fine, I decided to leave. I don’t think Lucy needed me for now.

Before she could say anything else, I had already turned around and started walking away.

I hugged my body defensively as I left the academy hostel in the dark. It was dangerous out there, but what was happening inside me felt far more threatening than anything lurking outside.

I walked all the way to the track, glancing around for any passing cars. Once I was certain there were none, I began hiking up the incline, sweat forming around the test I’d been holding tightly for over an hour.

When I reached the top of the mountain, far from the academy, I finally pulled the test out and stared at it. The red cross on the test with a broken heart I had drawn over it, made me take a deep breath.

I couldn’t help but wonder: If I had gotten pregnant under different circumstances—with someone I loved—would things have been different?

Would my reaction have been different?

Maybe I would have decided to keep the baby. Maybe I wouldn’t even be at the academy.

Closing my eyes, I threw the test as far as I could, watching it disappear almost instantly into the darkness. The wind had picked up, colder and stronger now.

“I guess there’ll be a storm tonight,” I whispered to myself, my words carried away by the biting wind, which also swept the tears from my eyes. It was weird how I could roam around much more safely in the wild than I could among pack members. Flashes of that night still haunt me. Especially the face of those alphas and then there was Altan.

I clenched my jaw and closed my eyes to let the tears fall freely for a while before I went back to my dorm room. It was frustrating that I had to look for an excuse to cry in the dorm room. Sometimes I just wanted to curl up in the corner of the room and sob for no reason.

I began my slow journey back to the hostel. By the time I reached the road, I felt the sudden and overwhelming urge to throw up.

“Ugh! What do you want?” I yelled at my belly in frustration. I couldn’t bring myself to think of this baby as mine. It didn’t feel like it belonged to me—it belonged to one of those alphas, not me.

So why was this baby growing inside me?

“AHHHHHH!” I screamed into the night, knowing no one would hear me out here. Then I resumed walking, slower this time, consumed by anger and frustration.

I didn’t want food, or anything at all. All I wanted was a single day free from thinking about how my life had been forever tied to that one night.

I was so angry.

So frustrated.

“Hey!”

When I neared the hostel, someone called out to me. Lifting my head, I saw Kaye standing by the main gate, almost as if he had been waiting for me. Seeing him so early in the morning was a shock. I did not expect him to come see me after weeks had passed since our last meetup.

“Trainer Kaye!” I greeted him with a little bow and instantly noticed the disapproving look on his face.

“Just Kaye!” he corrected me, causing a shiver to run up my spine. The way his eyes were fixated at me gave me a feeling of weirdness.

“Where were you?” he asked, striding toward me with quick, long steps. The long black overcoat he wore made him look even taller.

“I went out for a walk,” I replied, trying to sidestep him and keep walking.

“Can I have a minute with you?” he asked, stepping in my way and stopping me in my tracks. That came out of nowhere so I was not sure how to respond to him.