Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates novel 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.