Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates-Chapter 676-I Want Her Back

Altan:

"See, it isn’t that bad. I told you, we shouldn’t be scared of anything. This is our world. The world of werewolves. All the other creatures are just tiny monsters here, the ones we’re supposed to slay," my twin said, grinning like he had just achieved a lifelong goal. He’d always wanted to cross the border on his own, no warriors, no parental figures to intervene. He believed as alphas, we shouldn’t be surrounded by warriors to protect us.

"Yeah, we did it. But we should go back home now," I suggested, and the look on his face told me he was disappointed in me.

"Come on, let’s stay a little," he said, tossing the ball in the air and catching it, carefree. Meanwhile, I was focused on paying attention to our surroundings. I was skeptical of the place. Father had told us that, every now and then, some monsters would appear out of nowhere.

I was scared, what if we’d made a mistake? But I didn’t tell my brother that. He’d just call me a coward again, and I didn’t want that tag.

"Children, please help me," a gentle, soft, old voice made me jump in fear. I looked at my brother immediately. He didn’t seem bothered, just curious.

"Where are you going?" I asked him as he kept staring at the bushes.

"There’s someone behind these bushes who needs our help," he said, making me hold his hand.

"Help me," the old man called again, but I held my brother’s hand tightly.

"It could be anything. Someone trying to lure us behind the bushes," I said, shaking my head, silently begging him not to follow the voice.

"Don’t you hear the distress in his voice?" my brother hissed at me, and I took a deep breath, gently letting go of his hand. The way he glared into my eyes scared me. I knew if I didn’t let him do what he wanted now, he wouldn’t speak to me for the rest of the week.

I watched my brother walk toward the bushes. I stayed behind, unable to bring myself to see what was behind them.

"I’m badly wounded— I need help," the man whimpered again.

My brother quickened his steps. He followed the sound with more determination now. The faster he moved, the more scared I became. My heart started to pound, faster than ever, and something in me screamed that I should’ve been more stubborn and stopped him.

He reached the bushes and leaned in for a closer look. That’s when a hand shot out and suddenly grabbed him.

"Let him go!" I yelled, running toward the bushes when another claw appeared and attacked my brother.

I was not a hero. Never a hero.

I had grown up afraid of every shadow I saw. There was even a time I was scared of my own shadow, so watching my brother get attacked by something so inhumane was not easy for me. My little body was shaking.

I started to rush toward the bushes when the thing yanked my brother behind them. I was too afraid to look. That’s when I stepped back. My brother was still screaming. His body crawled out partway, and he made dead eye contact with me, almost like he was asking why I wasn’t coming to help him.

I turned and ran, speeding in the opposite direction to get help. There was no way I could save him from whatever was behind that bush.

Sadly, it only takes a few minutes for someone to be harmed.

"Those few minutes you wasted should’ve been spent convincing the pack members that we’re going to find the entity stealing their children."

I jolted awake at the sound of the commanding voice.

I looked up to see Emmet standing in front of me, furious. Helanie stood next to him, watching me quietly.

I wished he wasn’t here. I wished she had come alone and hugged me. She was the type who would’ve comforted me through these nightmares. And what’s worse? I was now having nightmares without even falling asleep.

I was sleeping with my eyes open.

"What?" Emmet grunted. "I had to calm them down for now. But be careful what you say to the pack members. That’s exactly why we never talked about the X-Codex until things got bad. These people have lived sheltered lives. They don’t understand when someone tells them something is happening beyond their comprehension."

Emmet was so wise. At that moment, I even felt envious of him.

Sometimes, I understood why Helanie was always around these brothers. They were strong and level-headed, not cowards like me.

"I’m so sorry," I muttered. "They were asking me for new information, and I didn’t have any of my own. I’m just sitting here daydreaming..."

I groaned, trying my best not to sound like the incompetent Alpha my people now believed me to be.

Soon, they’ll see the real me. The coward. And then I’ll no longer be the hero of this pack. I’ll witness my own downfall, and maybe that will finally let my brother rest in peace.

"Anyway, we’ll head home now. We’ll start the investigation tomorrow morning," Helanie said, briefly glancing at Emmet again.

"I was thinking— if you two don’t mind, you could stay at the mansion tonight," I offered. Once again, I noticed Helanie shaking her head. I knew she wouldn’t come with me.

But I needed her. Whenever she was around, I felt at ease.

"Umm, we still have to stay with Vani. She’ll be waiting for us," Emmet responded instead of Helanie. I noticed he always took the lead, and of course, that’s why Helanie looked at him with those soft, loving eyes.

She had chosen a man who would lead her, even when she didn’t need leading.

That’s what I couldn’t do for her.

"Okay," I replied with a weak smile. Still, I walked them to their car. I kept staring at Helanie even as she got inside and they drove away.

’We deserve her, Altan. We deserve someone like her,’ my wolf howled from within, and I couldn’t agree more.

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