Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates

Helanie:

That fear I used to feel whenever I faced one of them after that night—I would start shaking, freeze for a few seconds, and tears would fill my eyes, it was no longer there.

But this time, I stood tall. Confident.

I didn’t know why, but it felt as if I had been waiting for this moment to arrive.

Rhiz clicked his tongue as he locked the door behind him. He was trying his best to look intimidating. And I say this with the utmost respect—but I wasn’t scared of him.

I calmly folded my arms across my chest and raised a brow. This confidence, this calm—it had to be coming from the one who had finally awakened inside me.

"I see you’re not crying for help anymore," he said, turning around and leaning back against the door. His hands slipped into his pockets.

"I used to think of you as a monster. The big bad wolf who got me that night," I said quietly. "I thought when I saw you again, I’d shatter all over again. I used to picture your face and wonder—will I be able to look at it without falling apart?"

I met his eyes, kept my voice low, calm.

"But now that I’m seeing you, standing right in front of me... I realize you were only scary because I made you scary. You were only ’manly’ because you attacked a vulnerable woman without an active wolf."

The way his smirk faltered just because I wasn’t afraid—that told me everything I needed to know.