Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 769

Chapter 769: 769-In Her Place

Helanie:

“Whose child is it?” Azura suddenly asked while we were celebrating, and everyone turned to look at her. Lord McQuoid looked at me, slightly confused. Since he knew I was mated to all of them, I guess he was starting to realize I might have been with each of them.

“You can’t stay quiet, can you?” Emmet said.

Azura shrugged. “What? I want to know. Why? Is it too shameful for her to admit it’s not her husband’s baby?” she said loudly.

I grabbed the glass of juice in front of me and walked over to her. She clearly didn’t expect that. I took a sip, then splashed the rest on her face. She gasped and started to stand, but I placed my hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down.

“You will not disrespect me again. And no, I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve slept with all my mates, every one of my marked mates. Do you hear me?” I said, one hand on the table, the other still on her shoulder, asserting myself.

She looked deeply offended, staring back at me. The others stayed silent. Charlotte and Jessica looked surprised, but Kesha calmly picked up her glass and took a sip. Her body language was always confident, and now I understood why.

“And yes, you were right to ask,” I added. “Because the baby isn’t only my husband’s. I’m pregnant with all four of their babies.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. I understood. It was shocking. Even Charlotte gasped.

“Wait, what do you mean?” Charlotte asked.

“We suspect she’s pregnant with all four of our babies,” Norman explained. “It could be four babies, or one baby carrying all of our DNA.”

I noticed Lord McQuoid’s face light up, his cheeks turning red. “Oh my God, I can’t believe this,” he said, raising his arms to offer another hug. I was just glad he was happy. I didn’t care about anyone else.

I had a feeling all these women were going to throw a tantrum, but none of them would admit it. I still wasn’t sure what kind of person Jessica was. She seemed different from the rest. I mean, she had killed her brother for me, so I couldn’t really feel the same way about her as I did about the others.

Lord McQuoid was extremely happy. He called the maid and asked her to prepare all kinds of amazing food for the night, then informed the council members. I was actually getting some nice responses, which meant a lot to me. But what I had discovered early that morning was still on my mind.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine alone at home?” Norman asked as he got ready for the academy. I could tell the brothers weren’t so sure, especially since their mother and the other woman were staying home with me.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. It’s not like I can’t take care of myself.” I tried to make him understand that even if they tried something, I’d still be okay.

“No, it’s just that they can be very messy, Helanie, and I don’t want to take a risk. I did see all their faces this morning,” he said, reminding me of something I had noticed too.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll be fine. I’ll make sure I prepare my own food,” I said.

That’s when Emmet knocked on the door and came in.

“Hey, brother, what’s going on?” Norman asked.

“I was thinking—how about I stay behind with her? I want to talk about the ritual and other things. It’ll keep her occupied, and I can make sure she’s safe.”

Emmet’s suggestion made Norman stare at me, then at him, for a few seconds. I think he would’ve liked to stay with me too. But when duty calls, no one can object. Besides, it was important for him to be on the grounds and take care of the students. Many of them were my best friends, and I didn’t want them to be distracted or left without help.

“Yeah, sure. You can stay with her,” Norman said, nodding at Emmet. “But before I leave, I want to discuss something else with you. It’s about the Zhans.”

He motioned for Emmet to walk with him to his office.

At this point, I was just in my room, not thinking much about anything. That’s when I heard another knock on the door and Darcy walked in.

“You should drink this. I just squeezed it myself,” she said, holding out a glass of fresh orange juice. I had no idea why she thought I’d accept anything from her.

“Thank you so much, but I’m fine,” I said, giving her a reluctant nod.

“Oh, come on. I told you we should change for my sons’ sake. Look at them, they’re so happy. I want your baby to come out healthy too. For that, you need to stop acting like a stubborn child, eat your vitamins, take fruits, and take care of yourself,” she said, making me clench my fists.

“What is it, Helanie? Why do you hate me so much?” she finally asked, like she had no idea.

“Don’t you know?” I asked, watching her shrug like she expected me to explain.

“What you did to my mother. Do you seriously think I could still talk to you after that? Just because we don’t mention it doesn’t mean I forgot,” I said, loud and clear. She raised her eyebrows, almost in shock.

“Wow. I didn’t know you held so much resentment toward me,” she said in a strange tone. “Anyway, I didn’t do anything to your mother. She was just a delusional person who was insecure about her own identity. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have hidden it for so long. Then she had the nerve to blame me for everything.”

Her words made my jaw tighten.

“What? I’m not lying. I’m just telling you what I know, what you should know,” she said.

“You know what, Darcy? That’s enough. Don’t bring me any more food. Haven’t I made it clear that I don’t trust you and won’t accept anything from you?” I said firmly.

This time I was so annoyed, I didn’t care who heard me or if any of our plans were disturbed. That’s when she finally showed me who she really was. She laughed, a little too loudly.

“Oh, come on, Helanie. You know you need my help, especially since I’m the only one who can help this baby to survive.”

The way she said it felt like a threat. My stomach dropped.