Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 833

Chapter 833: 833-Leaving Behind My Babies Once Again

Helanie:

My mom and the others took the babies to Norman’s room. They decided to care for them there, while Norman and I stayed in the living room with Lord McQuoid.

“Helanie, I don’t think it would be wise for you to go there. Don’t you know how the curse ends?” Norman said, reminding me that the end of the curse meant Maximus would have to kill me.

“Norman, what if there’s a way to delay it just a little, until we find another way to stop it?” I asked, watching him shake his head with his hands on his waist.

“There’s only one way to stop it, Helanie, and you know that. He has to kill his mate or his baby. And the baby’s arrival in such a short time, don’t you think it’s strange? The risk is too high,” Norman grunted, standing in the doorway, almost daring me to try and rush past him. I had no intention of doing that. I wanted to take them into confidence and get their agreement before I left.

“Norman, I understand that. And that’s why I need to go there. I need to reach his heart first, before that grey woman or your mother plants something in his head to make him believe it’s me he needs to kill,” I explained carefully, not directly saying that he needed to kill Charlotte. At this point, I didn’t even know where she was.

Norman gave me a very sad look, tilting his head before shaking it.

“Helanie, what guarantee is there that he will even listen to you?” he asked, looking exhausted.

“So what do you suggest I do? Just sit here? Let him trace his mates to this mansion? You know all three people he could sacrifice to save himself are here. What if it’s me or the baby he gets to first? Then what?” I challenged him, pressing my concerns, and he had no answer.

“Listen, all I’m saying is I will go there. I will find him. I will try to reach his heart. I will try to build a connection so he remembers that it’s me, his Helanie. And I’m pretty sure I can do that,” I said, recalling the night I was tied to a tree and Maximus had come to save me from the monsters.

At that time, I noticed he recognized me. If I could do that again, make him recognize me, he would know who to go after and who to spare.

“Fine,” Norman finally grunted. I watched Lord McQuoid shake his head, but when Norman gave him a subtle hand gesture, he fell silent.

“Lord McQuoid, please let me do this. I cannot live without my mate. And to think he’s in pain—I am restless,” I requested. He nodded silently.

“But I’ll come with you,” Norman suddenly said, making me stare at him in disbelief.

“Somebody needs to stay here,” I reminded him.

“Yeah, and that somebody will be Kaye. He’s fine, the most trustworthy right now. The one who isn’t suffering,” Norman argued. I could understand what he was trying to say.

Once it was decided that only Norman and I would go because Maximus would get very anxious if more people were around him.

Suddenly, Lamar rushed in, panicking and heaving heavily.

“What is it?” I asked, concerned.

“The zharns,” Lamar said. “It seems the ex-Codex has finally launched their attack.”

My eyes widened, and I shared a look of sheer panic with Norman.

“Wait, how do you know that?” I asked Lamar.

He swallowed hard, moistening his throat.

“Penn and I were out there, keeping an eye on Professor Maximus, when we saw groups and groups of Zharns rushing toward the Pack’s borders. They’re opening a war. And it’s not just Zharns. We saw strange creatures, ogres, anacondas, all rushing toward the Packs.”

The sheer panic in his voice gave me goosebumps. Everything was happening so quickly that it felt like something was bound to defeat us.

“You two go ahead and find Maximus. Try to save him before it’s too late. We’ll prepare our warriors and inform the council and the alphas of every Pack to secure the borders. We can hold up for a little while before you return,” Lord McQuoid said, rushing in to make sure we knew we had to hurry.

“What if they come to the mansion?” I asked, reaching for his hand. He gave my hand a gentle pat on the back.

“Don’t worry. We’re preparing the warriors here as well,” he said.

There wasn’t much left for us to do. Kaye had walked out of the kitchen, and I gave him a broken smile. He was holding diapers, so I guessed someone had left the diaper bag nearby. He was gathering all the things necessary for the babies when he heard what was happening.

“You guys go ahead. We’ll take care of the mansion,” Kaye said, giving me a reassuring look. It was also his way of telling me to take care of myself.

Both Norman and I rushed out, holding hands. We began sprinting toward the mountain, where we were supposed to find Maximus.

As we neared the area, we started to hear his howls. I suddenly stopped, forcing Norman to stop with me.

“You’re going to stay back,” I said, placing my hand on his chest, though I could already tell he didn’t like the idea.

“No, I’m not staying back, Helanie. I know his curse is messing with him. I don’t want him to hurt you,” Norman said, quickly cupping my face in his hands, refusing to let me go alone.

“Well then, all you have to do is hide. Don’t come in front of him. This is his lycan form, and you know how possessive he gets about me,” I stated, gently placing my hands on his chest, trying to make him understand that he needed to trust me.

With a very sad look on his face, he finally let me go.

“Fine, but I’ll be standing too close,” he said, and I nodded, letting him know that would be fine. Thankfully, he understood. As he hid behind a large tree, I finally stepped ahead.