Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates novel Chapter 43

Chapter 43: 43-The First Round

Helanie:

I shook myself awake, but the nightmare seemed to have scarred me for a lifetime. Very soon, my mother would officially be marked and married to the father of the men I had dreamt of having a gangbang with.

I shook my head again while showering. I didn’t dream of it—it just happened to become part of my nightmare.

Instead of getting a restful night, I ended up waking and falling back asleep multiple times. I wanted to wake up feeling refreshed, but instead, I woke with overwhelming guilt. It felt like, subconsciously, I must have thought the brothers were very attractive.

But then there was Norman.

He was handsome—extremely handsome—but I hated him with every inch of my being. There was no way I would dream of him like that.

After slipping into the brown tracksuit Lucy had given me, I left the bathroom to find everyone ready to go.

"Let me braid your hair," Lucy smiled warmly. She was so kind, with her beautiful hazel eyes that had a hint of violet in them.

Her pixie-cut black hair made her look even more adorable, especially when she tied it up into two small pigtails.

She sat behind me and started braiding my hair while I noticed Sydney and Salem exchanging looks, silently communicating with each other. As always, the two were dressed impeccably. Salem’s black sprots bra and waist up black leggings complemented her sharp features, while Sydney’s pink chrome leggings and deep V top made her look ethereal.

Lamar sat comfortably with a smirk on his face. He knew I was still annoyed with him, and I wondered how I would perform in today’s training.

"Hey, don’t stress. I’m sure you’ll do just fine," Lucy reassured me, adjusting my hair and helping me stand.

I had never had friends who were so gentle with me. Lucy being so polite and kind felt a little unusual. I wanted to trust her kindness and believe she genuinely wanted to be my friend. But then, my eyes kept drifting to Lamar and Sydney, and I couldn’t help but wonder—what if Lucy turns out to be just like them?

We all stood in line outside our shelter, waiting. The awkward silence made me feel uneasy. We were told to stay there until we were called. There were other shelters and many other candidates participating, but I had heard that ours was the last group of the session for today’s tests.

"Listen, no matter what, don’t give up, okay?" I felt a light tug on my shirt and turned to see Gavin, who was holding his girlfriend’s hand to get her attention as well.

"As long as you make it to the final line, you’re fine. You’ll only be disqualified if you don’t return before midnight. Sure, you might lose the test, but at least you won’t be disqualified. You’ll just finish last, and if there are others who also finish last from other sessions, you’ll all be grouped together. That way, you still have a chance to win if you do better in the other tests," Gavin whispered, giving us a helpful insight.