Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates novel Chapter 160

Chapter 160: 160-Oh Wolf!

Helanie: _{freёwebnovel.com}

"What are you doing, Helanie, with my stash?" Lamar asked as he sat down in the chair next to mine, his body hunched over so our faces were on the same level.

"Oh, it’s drugs?" I attempted the worst acting ever.

"What else did you think it was?" he replied with a small smile, probably thinking how stupid and naïve I was.

"I thought it was some sort of candy powder," I said, barely finishing my sentence before he snorted out a laugh. I almost punched him for laughing at me.

"You’re so adorable, Helanie. But nope! Don’t do that," he said, snatching the bag out of my lap. His sudden compliment caught me off guard.

"But—" I started to protest, only to stop when he raised a finger, silencing me.

"Do you even know what kind of drug this is? And you’ve never had drugs before. So you decided to try an unknown drug for the first time on a rooftop? Where did all your brains go?" he scolded, his tone sharp but strangely gentle. Unlike my brother back home, his words weren’t filled with judgment—just concern.

"I know what you did for me today," Lamar said, tucking the drugs into his jacket pocket. "You saved me."

"I know it sounds ridiculous when a guy says this. People usually assume, ’Oh well, so what if he was drunk? He probably enjoyed it, and men don’t really care.’ But it’s not true. It’s actually pretty sad because we do care. Everyone cares. Taking away someone’s choice to say no—" He paused, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets and straightening his back in the chair, turning his head away.

"It’s awful when people do that."

His tone, his words, the way he was acting—it all felt too personal, too close to him. I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

"Do you have a trauma like that?"

He slowly turned his head back to me, a faint smile on his lips. "You know, I promised myself I’d never talk about it. But after how you stood up for me today, I just can’t hide it from you. I believe everyone deserves someone who will listen to them without judgment or the fear of being blackmailed later," he said. His voice carried so much weight, and every word was filled with meaning.

"You’re right," I replied softly, lowering my head.

"I knew someone who was taken advantage of," Lamar said, and I quickly looked up to stare into his eyes.

"And trust me, the culprit got away just fine."

Even though he kept a small smile on his lips, his eyes betrayed him. They held anger—the kind of anger I’d seen in my own reflection when I first looked in the mirror after everything I’d been through.

"They’ll get punished," I muttered.

"You believe in karma?" he asked, and I shook my head.

"I am karma, Lamar. I think you should be too."

There was an odd silence after I made that comment. I was sure he understood what I was trying to say but kept his questions to himself, perhaps because I wasn’t ready to explain it outright.