Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32: 32-The Most Hated She-Wolf

Kaye:

"Now what do we do?" Maximus asked Norman, who had been pacing restlessly, clearly struggling to come up with a plan.

He had been doing this anxious pacing for over ten minutes, and that was never a good sign. When Norman runs out of ideas, it usually means we’re in deep trouble.

"Okay, here’s the plan," Norman finally stopped, his expression a mix of anxiety and forced confidence. "We can just tell our dad that we found her like that," he explained, as if convinced no one would question us if she went missing. _{fгeewebnovёl.com}

"Did she ever mention anyone who might come looking for her or start investigating where she was when she smelled this rose?" Norman asked, turning to Maximus. Maximus went silent for a moment, then slowly raised his head and shook it.

"From what I gathered, she’s pretty much on her own. She doesn’t have anyone," he replied.

"Good—," Norman started to say, but I quickly shook my head.

"I’m the one who brought the rose here. They’re kept locked away for a reason, never meant to be around people. I was supposed to take care of everything, and I’m the one who messed up. How can I just lie about it and then go back to working with herbs like I wasn’t reckless enough to land this girl in a dream prison?" I unfolded my arms and let out a frustrated, almost desperate, complaint.

"But it wasn’t your fault. She shouldn’t have been snooping around," Norman defended me immediately. He would never hesitate to stand up for me or any of his brothers. He was always on our side, no matter what.

"She didn’t know. It was my responsibility to safeguard that rose," I snapped, stepping away from him, needing some space. Maximus looked just as worried. This entire mess was because of me. A nagging thought started to take hold—what if I really am irresponsible?

I can’t seem to handle my responsibilities without dragging everyone else into trouble.

I have a problem or maybe I’m the problem.

"Kaye! Calm down. Don’t blame yourself," Maximus stepped forward and hugged me tightly. I couldn’t even bring myself to return the hug, the guilt weighing too heavily on me. The fact that he was still comforting me, even after I had messed up so royally, made me want to crawl into a hole and disappear.

"I need to get her back," I muttered, nodding to myself as I began to gather my resolve. I was pulling myself together, ready to take action.

"So what are you saying? Speak clearly," Norman demanded, noticing the shift in my expression. Maximus released me from the hug and both of them watched my face, waiting.

"There’s a way to enter the same dream as the dreamer. If I get the same rose, tie our hands together, and—" before I could finish, Norman was already shaking his head, and Maximus was throwing his hands over his head, his body rocking back and forth in protest.

"Stop right there. I’m not letting you go into that dream and get stuck with her," Norman cut in sharply, his voice firm. I knew he’d object. He was completely against this idea and would never let me attempt something so reckless.

"I get it, but it still doesn’t justify risking your life. You have no idea if you’ll make it out alive, so let’s drop that idea for good," Norman sighed, rubbing his face in frustration.

"Okay, listen—," Norman placed a hand on my shoulder, his voice softening, "I’ll go talk to Emmet, our walking encyclopedia, see if he knows anything useful." He paused, meeting my eyes to make sure I was actually paying attention.

"And in the meantime, make sure you two stay here and don’t breathe a word of this to anyone," he pointed at Maximus, then gave my shoulder a reassuring pat. It was clear he wasn’t going to let me go through with my plan, which is why I stopped pushing.

"Okay?" Norman asked again, stepping back to look at both of us, gauging our reactions.

"Okay, I guess," I mumbled, barely audible. Norman continued walking backward, maintaining eye contact with me until he finally broke it, turning to glance at Maximus.

"Maximus, come with me for a moment," he gestured at him, then turned and headed out. Helanie was still sound asleep, looking as if she was caught in a peaceful dream.

As they walked away, I clutched the brown envelope tightly in my hand. Inside, there was one more rose. I knew Norman was giving Maximus instructions to keep an eye on me, to make sure I didn’t do anything reckless. After their conversation, Maximus returned while Norman disappeared out of the garage.

"Okay, let’s wait for Norman. How about I pour you some wine? It’ll help you relax a little," Maximus said, walking over to a chair in the corner after grabbing a bottle of wine and two glasses in his other hand, patting the empty seat next to him. But I had already made up my mind.

"I’m doing it," I declared, without hesitation.