Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates novel Chapter 823

Chapter 823: 823-Forever A Lycan

Maximus:

Honestly, I really thought we would have enough time to help Helanie with everything. How did the curse trigger again so quickly? I could sense my mother’s filthy claws all over this. But since everyone was staring at Lucy, I turned my focus on her too.

"Lucy, what’s going on?" I asked, confused.

"Those entities, Zo and Za—I know who they were." She pressed a hand to her chest. Maybe because she’d been out of her body for so long, it took her a while to explain things to us. Of course she knew what others were up to, at least the entities.

"Yeah, Lucy, I’ll definitely sit down with you later and make sure we record everything about those monsters for the books. But right now, we just want to find Helanie." I tried to sound gentle.

She had just come back, and I could only imagine how lonely she must have felt. I used to lose control only on full moons, and even then I felt betrayed and desperate for attention, like nobody was really talking about me, even when Emmet was there for me.

She shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "No. Those entities weren’t just souls. They were the children of the Father."

The words made my world shake. Even my brothers exchanged a stunned glance before turning back to her.

"Wait, Lucy, that’s a huge claim," Norman said. "Because if that’s true, it means everything. We know the Father has four children. If the entities are gone, and Rune is gone, then only one remains. That would mean a huge success, but also a war coming."

Lucy nodded, but it looked like she had even more to share.

"I’ve been trying to piece everything together. What I remember is her meeting the Father, the zharns speaking to her in their own language. That’s how she wandered freely without getting caught. That’s how she avoided joining in their killings," she claimed.

Her words made everyone’s eyes widen. She didn’t realize it, but by defeating those entities she had helped the entire world, something she would eventually be called upon or rewarded for.

"Oh shit," Norman muttered, his breaths heavy.

And me, I was in pain. My wolf had gone silent, refusing to speak to me, as if he was losing his mind. I had a sinking feeling that maybe, just maybe, I would be consumed by the curse before I even got the chance to see Helanie again.

"Is there anything you know that can help us find Helanie right now?" Emmet asked her, looking hopeful. But she shook her head. I could tell she wanted to share the information before we headed back to the community.

It was eerie, and so damn exhausting. Emmet eventually stopped visiting her, but the rest of us, foolish as we were, kept entertaining her. We thought she was broken, a victim of betrayal. We knew she was a bad mother, but we didn’t remember her killings and rituals. To us, she was just a bitter woman replaced by our father.

"Don’t worry. After this, she won’t practice anything again. Even if I have to put her in silver chains myself and lock her in a prison where she’ll never return or touch anyone," Emmet hissed.

I agreed. That woman never saw us as her children. She was just a stubborn woman who craved power, willing to use us and promise dark things at our expense. She did everything a mother wouldn’t.

Halfway through, pain tore through me. My body started to shift, one bone cracking at a time. Emmet turned, his eyes wide.

"I can’t control it anymore," I cried, breaking down. We only had a few hours left on this drive. I wanted to make it to Helanie. The thought that we’d wasted a whole day traveling by car when a flight could have been so much quicker broke me. But we were already too close to the Rogue community.

"Okay, calm down. Don’t transition now. We’re near the outskirts. If you shift here, you’ll hurt the pack members. You need to hold it until we reach the community," Emmet urged, trying to help me resist. I nodded, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold on.

But eventually it happened, and all I remember is opening the door of the speeding car to get out, stopping my brother from trying to hold me back and getting hurt.