Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 67

Chapter 67: 67-Such A Loser!

Helanie:

I watched as Lamar received a white shirt, Lucy got purple, and then Kaye handed me a green one. It was such a murky green that it would help me blend right into the bushes. He smiled as if he’d picked it out especially to help me.

I wanted to smile back, but my gaze kept shifting to Norman, who was scrutinizing us all, observing every detail.

Then Gavin was given a blue shirt, while Sydney ended up with pink, and Salem was handed a yellow one.

Now, we all stood before the brothers, facing them directly.

“Remember, you have a five-minute head start. Try to separate from each other and stay hidden for one hour. Your time starts now,” Norman announced, and everyone began sprinting like mad.

If none of us were caught, the test would continue.

As I started running, I noticed how quickly the others dashed away. It must be so satisfying to move that fast. That’s when I glanced back and noticed Sydney trailing behind me.

She was running slowly, almost deliberately, as if she wasn’t even trying to hide or escape. That’s when it all clicked—she was coming after me.

My heart pounded harder as she picked up speed. I tried to shake her, but she stayed right on my heels. I didn’t even realize five minutes had passed until I heard the bells ring in the distance, signaling the start. The first thing Sydney did was close in, scooping me up effortlessly.

I elbowed her, trying to weaken her grip around my waist, but she was letting her wolf strength take over.

I flailed, kicking and twisting my arms, but it was useless. She carried me like a rag doll, racing at a breakneck speed, then tossed me at the brothers’ feet.

Only then did I grasp just how fast she was; I’d barely had a moment to resist.

“Ah!” I gasped, trying to stand, but stumbled and landed flat on my but.

“Good job, Sydney; that was fast,” Norman said, stepping forward and adjusting his watch with a pleased smile.

Watching him smirk at my defeat infuriated me.

Maximus showed no reaction, but Emmet and Kaye looked disappointed in me. Their expressions were getting easier to read.

“Go on, Helanie. Start the second round. If you get caught again, I believe you know what will happen,” Norman said, not even glancing in my direction.

“Aren’t we supposed to make an announcement that I’ve been caught once?” I asked, remembering the plan I’d made with Gavin and Lucy.

However, when Norman turned to me with a sly grin, it felt like my heart twisted painfully in my chest.

“Nope! We’ve changed the rules this time. No one’s getting a chance to cheat,” Norman shrugged, and I felt a tremor ripple through me.

“Go!” he barked, and I scrambled to my feet, striding past Sydney, who stood smugly with her hands on her hips. It hurt to see her standing there so confidently after what she’d just done to me.

I took off running again, aiming for the dense, bushy side of the mountain to avoid being spotted. I had no idea how I was going to alert Gavin and Lucy that I’d been caught. Norman must have changed the rules, worried someone might help me.

But just as I left the open area and darted onto a narrow path, someone lunged out from behind a tree, shoving me to the ground with a force far too intense for this round.

“Ugh!” I cried out, pain flaring as I scrambled to my knees. But before I could rise, Salem grabbed me from behind, trapping me in a headlock and dragging me back down.

The world blurred as I felt myself pulled to the ground, watching my dreams of escaping get crushed.

“No!” I hissed, biting down on her arm, which made her release me briefly. I rolled onto my stomach, trying to crawl away, but barely had a second to move before she grabbed my ankles, yanking me back with brutal force.

She was fierce, and I couldn’t break free, no matter how hard I tried to hold onto anything in my path.

“Bend your knees and then kick out with all your strength!” a voice called from nearby. I looked up to see Lamar standing a short distance away. Our eyes met, and he began moving toward us. At first, I thought he was coming to help Salem, but as I bent my knees and kicked, she flew backward, landing hard on her back.

Maybe not! Maybe he wasn’t here to help her—or was he going to turn me to the trainers himself?

“You—!” Salem spat at Lamar, who shot toward her, scooping her up before she could retaliate. She kicked out, hitting his knee with a sharp blow.

“Ugh!” he grunted, dropping to one knee as he tried to grab her leg. “Get out of here! Run!” he yelled, snapping me out of my daze.

I nodded and tried to get away, but Salem grabbed my leg. We became tangled, struggling against each other. As Lamar finally managed to overpower Salem, she grabbed a fistful of sand and flung it into his eyes.

With Lamar momentarily blinded, she broke free. Before I could react, she punched me hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I stumbled, and before I knew it, she had thrown me over her shoulder, sprinting away at top speed.

Barely conscious and with pain stabbing through my stomach, I saw Lamar chase after us. He followed until the open training ground came into view. Of course, he couldn’t interfere in front of the trainers.

Once again, Salem dumped me at their feet. This time, I scrambled up, furious, and shoved her backward.

“Hey!” she snapped, her expression a mix of anger and triumph.

“No need to be bitter about it,” Norman commented, leaning back against the table, his legs stretched out and a nasty smirk on his lips.

Seeing the smug satisfaction on his face made me want to lunge at him next.

“Well, that’s it, then,” he said, feigning sympathy. “You’re no longer a candidate. Why don’t you head back to the shelter, collect your things, and leave? We’ll be talking to the accepted candidates now. Since you lost, everyone else from this shelter has been accepted, and Gavin will have to complete another test with candidates from the other shelters.” Norman sounded all too happy as he explained the rules now that I was out of the list.