Helanie:
"And now what?" Lamar asked. "What are we going to do now?" We were eating breakfast in the garden. It was lunchtime, but we had woken up late. And then I had to go visit Rayden at the hospital, so I had skipped breakfast.
"Lamar! I want to—make Rayden’s life miserable every day," I said. "And I—" My words were cut off when I saw my mother come out of the mansion with Charlotte by her side. The two seemed to be holding baskets, probably to go pick some fruit. They were royals, and they definitely acted like it.
"What happened?" Lamar asked as he turned to follow my gaze.
"Oh, that is the new mate of the rogue king—she kind of looks like you, don’t you think?" He scrunched his face and said, causing my heart to skip a beat. freewēbnoveℓ.com
"And that girl next to her is—" Lamar narrowed his eyes.
"Charlotte, she is her—friend’s daughter," I replied, shoving a whole spoonful of cereal in my mouth.
"Huh," Lamar scratched his chin and kept examining them. However, the two seemed to have slowed down after noticing me and Lamar. I was hoping they wouldn’t come over.
But they did.
Charlotte was the first one to approach us, while my mother lingered around.
"Hello, good morning," Charlotte wore the same fake smile she always used before starting drama.
"Morning," Lamar replied, not knowing the girl he was talking to was nothing but trouble.
"Have we met before?" Charlotte asked, using a sweet tone.
"No! Why would we?" Lamar shrugged nonchalantly.
"Are you—wait! Are you her boyfriend?" I could sense the disbelief in her voice. "Sorry to say this, but did she tell you she doesn’t have an activewolf? Did she tell you about it?" It was so bold of her to think she was controlling something about me.
"Charlotte," my mother strangely arrived when I least expected her. "We should go."
It was the stern way she looked at Charlotte that made her walk away from me.
"It’s okay. I didn’t feel offended. Besides, I’m just Helanie’s friend, a family she never had," Lamar smiled at me, tapping the back of my hand.
"Oh! She said that?" My mother’s eyes shifted to me and then back to Lamar. "You seem like a great kid. Who are you? What is your rank?"
"Actually, it’s okay. Save it," he said, shaking his head at me in disapproval.
"Lamar, please, let me talk. I’ll tell you exactly why—" I got up after him, but he pouted and shook his head.
"I have to go. I’ll contact you about the meeting the trainers held at the academy," Lamar seemed angry or maybe upset with me. I couldn’t tell because he didn’t stay for long. Before I knew it, he was already briskly walking to his bike. I chased after him, but it was too late; he had already left on his bike. I stood in my spot, my lips trembling.
I hated Charlotte, but it wasn’t her fault. It was my fault. I had become so insecure that I couldn’t tell anyone a single thing about myself. Everything felt like a secret.
"Hmm, trouble in paradise?" I jumped at the voice from behind me. It was Emmet, looking like he needed some good food. He looked tired, and despite being tall and muscular, he appeared weak.
"There’s no paradise. He’s like a brother to me," I said. "Actually, he just found out that—you’re my stepbrother, and I guess it upset him to find out from Charlotte." I kept my head down while talking and responding to Emmet.
"Charlotte! Always causing trouble for you, isn’t she?" Emmet asked, and I gently nodded my head. "Don’t worry. Everything will be dealt with soon."
He finished, causing me to frown in confusion.
Emmet didn’t stay behind and left. I wanted to go to my room to relax and contact Lamar, but I had other plans too.
I had to visit Rayden when no one was watching. So, I left the mansion, and since it was daytime, nobody really questioned me.
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