Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 70

Chapter 70: 70-It Is Combat Time

Helanie:

“I don’t think I can do this. I am not comfortable here,” I murmured, sliding his hand away, feeling awkward about how he was touching me in class. We have kept our relationship a secret. I thought we did but sometimes the way everyone whispered when watching us made me wonder if he had told his friends about us.

“Helanie! Don’t be like that. Nobody’s going to say anything to us,” he insisted, his hand slipping up my skirt again. Every time he touched me, I felt as if everyone’s eyes were darting in my direction. Even when no one was looking, I just felt exposed.

“Altan! Not in the classroom,” I whispered, slapping his hand away, which made him grunt and angrily pull his chair back.

“What happened? Did Miss Goody Two-Shoes upset you again?” A voice from behind made me roll my eyes. She was always trying to come between us, and he let her.

“Please don’t be mad at me. I just don’t want anyone starting rumors. If they reach my father’s ears—” I tilted my head to look at him and saw the anger in his eyes. He was furious.

“You only care about your own reputation, Helanie. If you loved me, you’d take off that pendant and kiss me right here,” he demanded. His demand didn’t catch me off guard. He’d asked me to take it off countless times before. But now, here in the classroom?

The teacher would arrive any moment, and if she caught us like this, I was doomed.

“Altan, there are so many guys here. You know what happens when I take my pendant off,” I said, glancing around at the others who were already watching us. They all knew Altan wanted to be my first, and he was waiting for me to turn eighteen.

“And you think I won’t be able to handle anyone looking at you? I’d poke their eyes out. But only if you trust me. You don’t even think I can protect you—you rely on this pendant more than you rely on me,” he hissed, grabbing my notebook and tossing it across the room.

I didn’t know how else to tell him that he was right. I was afraid he couldn’t protect me, but I wouldn’t say it out loud and hurt his pride.

As I went to retrieve my notebook, others began throwing it around, kicking it, and sliding it across the classroom. All the while, as I tried to catch it, Altan sat back comfortably and watched. And yet he wanted me to believe he could shield me from anyone’s bad intentions.

I woke up suddenly, drenched in sweat, even though I had never slept in such a comfortable bed before. I had only been asleep for a few minutes and was already struck with a nightmare.

“Ugh!” A groan escaped my lips as I sank onto the soft bed. This wasn’t just any hotel room—it was a suite. After that nightmare, I decided to shower again to feel better. After a warm bath, I stepped out wrapped in a plush, blue bathrobe.

The room service was incredibly attentive. They brought me delicious food, and now they were giving me a foot massage. I was a little confused as to why they were treating me so well, but then I remembered who had booked the room. Of course, they wouldn’t dare disappoint the rogue king’s son and his future successor.

“Thank you so much,” I murmured to the staff before lying down on the bed. It was set on an elevated platform with windows on three sides and a TV mounted on the fourth wall.

I lay there in silence, watching the rain patter against the window. It was the perfect weather to just be here. If only I felt completely at peace with my life.

The red card in my hand could mean everything—or absolutely nothing—if I didn’t use it wisely.

“If only I had the will,” I sighed, longing for the part of me that had always existed but never truly surfaced.

With that thought, I drifted off. I woke early the next morning to room service again and began preparing for the day. Kaye had left me a letter with the staff detailing the location and timing of the next test round.

I was a bit nervous, dreading the thought of facing Maximus and Norman again. Those two didn’t like me very much.

I spent nearly the entire day watching TV. Back when I lived with my dad, I’d never had a TV. I wasn’t even allowed the simplest form of entertainment.

This was my first time holding a remote control, and it felt empowering to be the one in charge.

Living a normal life felt so good. For a moment, I wished I could’ve been a daddy’s princess. I could only imagine how much fun it would have been not to be touched or mocked whenever someone felt like it.

In that life, my dad would have protected me, and everyone would have thought twice before harassing me. No alphas would have dared to take my virginity or leave me for dead when they were finished with me.

No rogue king brothers would mock me, and no wealthy pack candidates would beat me up to hide their nasty little secrets.

A hopeless tear threatened to spill as I pretended to be utterly engrossed in the movies on screen.

The truth was, I wasn’t.

Every time a girl appeared on the screen, I wondered about her life. What if she was living the same tragic story behind the scenes?

Or maybe not.

What would it be like to walk in her shoes, though?

I closed my eyes and groaned. “I am not a victim,” I whispered into my palms, throwing the remote aside and turning the TV off. Crawling into bed, I reminded myself that tomorrow was my last chance to get into the academy, and I couldn’t afford to miss it.

Yet with the card in my hand, I was no longer just a rogue who could be mistreated without consequence. Now, with that card, I was the rogue king’s stepsister and stepdaughter—part of their family. But only If I get accepted.

I went to bed carrying the same negative energy, waking up once again feeling like my life was an endless loop. The room service had left a new tracksuit in my room, courtesy of Kaye.

After dressing, I slung my bag over my shoulder, double-checking that I had the card, and headed for the testing grounds.

The same warrior who had escorted me to the hotel was waiting outside for me.

“Ma’am, did you have breakfast?” he asked as he helped me into the back seat.

“I did, thank you!” I replied, sure that Kaye had instructed him to look out for me.

Soon, we arrived at the familiar grounds, a place that now stirred up a feeling of dread. I’ve been through so much here. But I needed to push past it if I wanted to make it into the academy.

Though it was a different section of the grounds this time, the warrior escorted me directly to where everyone was gathered.

As the group came into view, the warrior stepped aside, and I made my way forward.

Norman and Maximus stood among a circle of the final candidates, both of them wearing sleeveless shirts that showed off their muscular arms, their hair damp from the morning mist.

“Come on!” Norman clapped his hands, introducing two students who seemed ready to face off in combat.

It wasn’t until one of them threw a punch and got clawed in the stomach that I realized the final test was all about physical strength—specifically, combat skills.

I instantly wanted to slap my forehead. I scanned the crowd, but Gavin was nowhere to be seen. Had he already taken his test and left? I knew there were two sessions, so maybe he was scheduled for the later one. Should I have come later?

While I was lost in thought, the candidates continued tearing each other apart. Their agonized screams were honestly more terrifying than anything I’d ever heard. The savage intensity of the battle caught me off guard.

I didn’t like it.

All the candidates here seemed intense and brutal. Maybe they had failed the written test and were making up for it with sheer physical strength.

“That’s it. You—you’re out.” In a cold, unfeeling voice, Norman pulled the winner off the other candidate, who lay sprawled on the ground, and yelled at the loser.

This was really happening.

“The test here is complete. We’ve already accepted the candidates—” Maximus stepped into the center, and I realized the ones standing on their left had lost their chance at the academy, while the accepted candidates stood on the right.

But before Maximus could finish, he spotted me in the crowd and frowned. His brother followed his gaze and, upon noticing me, tilted his head back and sighed in clear frustration.

“Oh, it’s you again.” This time, Norman didn’t bother to hide his disdain. Now, all eyes were on me.