Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates novel Chapter 391

Chapter 391: 391-Like A True Leader

Helanie:

Penn looked at me and then at Rudy, who had his hands in his red jacket, looking fresher than the rest of us. It was their day off, so he had been out and about until now.

"Back off, Rudy!" Penn hissed at him.

I felt uncomfortable being the center of attention. Whenever eyes were on me, I was reminded of the day I had to walk home after that torturous night. They had examined me the same way back then, and I could never forget those eyes.

"Helanie, he didn’t really do it for you, get that," Rudy stated, with Sage and Summit behind him while Arlo scanned the crowd.

I watched as his eyes landed on Lucy, then shifted to our group, as if noticing how we had fallen apart.

"Rudy! Penn is my friend, let’s not poke at him," I stepped forward to defend Penn, who tilted his head at Rudy, probably smirking because I was standing up for him. _{fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com}

"You’re so innocent, Helanie. He did it to cause a rift between your team. Every move counts, and he has already started a war within your group," Rudy’s words caught me off guard.

Even Penn tried stepping forward to face him, but Lamar and Gavin rushed to hold him back.

"Whoa! Easy there, Alpha boy. You might be training today, but we’ve been doing this for years," Sage warned Penn.

I hated this war between us. It was unnecessary and uncalled for.

"He didn’t. Okay? I know Penn, and I know he would never sabotage my test or anyone else’s," I argued, refusing to let them attack Penn, who had genuinely stepped in to defend me but was now being painted as a team breaker.

"Yet he played Riri so well. He’s capable of playing games—it’s just that you’re too good of a friend to hold any of yours accountable. They’ve been sabotaging your reputation since day one, Helanie. Every time you won a test or were praised, they would mess up your happiness, and instead of celebrating, your group would be caught up in drama," Rudy continued, making my anger flare.

"Oi! That’s enough," Lamar finally spoke up, stepping in front of me.

"Why? Are we lying, though? One of you has probably realized how toxic the group is. And trust me, she’s doing much better now," Arlo added, turning his gaze to Lucy, who was rocking her body sideways just like Sydney.

"Thanks for your guidance, but I don’t need it. This is what friends do. And you lost your argument the moment you brought up Riri and tried to make Lucy look like a lesser mess," I shot back.

The second I said that, I saw Rudy’s confidence waver, and Lucy’s body language changed.

Her hands dropped from her waist in shock, disbelief written all over her face. Then there was Rudy, swallowing hard.

"And next time, don’t come between me and my friends," I warned him, feeling bad that he had chosen this route.

"I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just worried they’d ruin your progress," Rudy muttered, reaching for my hand, but I stepped back.

"Let her be. Look at how she made me look bad—that’s what she does. She’s not the naive one; in fact, she’s the messiest in the group. She loves playing the victim and is the biggest ’pick-me’ ever."