Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates

Charlotte:

I hid outside the door while his mother greeted him. My heart pounded louder whenever I heard him speak.

Then she asked me to join them. I noticed Maximus looking very uneasy with my presence.

"What is she doing here?" It was as if he ignored whatever his mother had said and asked for an explanation again.

"She is your mate," Lady Darcy announced, causing Maximus to not even look surprised. Instead, he looked disgusted by the idea.

My smile started to fade. Seeing disgust in the eyes of someone you love dearly is heartbreaking. Maximus’ love was all I had ever wanted. But he avoided me like I was a disease. Even when he used to date around, he never chose me. I wasn’t even worth flirting with.

"Mom, I’m not here to be part of some joke," he hissed, waving his hand at me, silently telling me to leave.

"We are not joking. Charlotte will fill you in on the truth," Lady Darcy glanced at me, signaling for me to step forward and speak for myself. It wasn’t easy to look into Maximus’ angry eyes and talk to him about being mated to him.

I could tell he wouldn’t want to hear it.