บททั้งหมดของ Marked by fate: บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

Lincoln's POVLogan got himself banned from summer camp, but the rest of the unit still attends. Mark, my father’s beta, checks in now and then if something serious happens, but otherwise… silence. It should make me anxious, not knowing what my father and brother are plotting. Instead, it feels like breathing for the first time. Distance is its own kind of freedom. Still, at the back of my mind, I know I’ll have to challenge him soon. For Zahra.My unit makes it easier. Sam’s as steady as they come—calculating, relentless. Jackson’s quick, sharp-minded, cocky sometimes, but always solid when it matters. Isaac’s the joker, always ready with a grin, but his fists hit just as hard as mine when things go bad. We’ve bled together, and that matters more than anything else. When we spar, we know each other’s tells. When we fight, we cover each other’s blind spots. They’re the brothers I should have had but never did.It didn’t happen overnight. It took too many hours sparring until we could b

Max's POVI stare into the fire until my eyes burn and grab another beer, the glass cold against my fingers. Foam spills over my tongue, bitter and sharp, and I drain it even though it sits heavy in my gut like a stone. My hand shakes when I reach for the next bottle, the taste already sour and metallic, burning its way down my throat, but I keep going because stopping means thinking. Time stretches, filled with pointless chatter and the clink of bottles, until a car engine growls away down the road. Luna Alison comes out from the kitchen, her face tight, but then she beams at her husband and everyone drifts back into their conversations as if nothing’s wrong. The girls giggle and huddle closer together, their laughter rising above the crackle of the flames.I can’t relax. Where the fuck is Xander? Is he okay, or just breaking apart somewhere I can’t, see? Every part of me wants to get up and go after him, but I stay rooted to the chair, because if he sees me, I’ll see the look in his

Zarha's POVThe heat of the shower feels incredible after my quick but brutal session in the gym. My arms burn in that satisfying way, and my whole body hums with the pleasant ache of exertion. The irritation that had flared in my gut at the sight of Helena pawing at Xander, treating him like some helpless child, has washed away under the pounding stream of hot water. My hair is wrapped in a silk scarf tucked under my shower cap, still decent after the workout. Nothing a bit of dry shampoo cannot fix, and I definitely do not have time to blow dry it before everyone arrives.I dry off in my bathroom and pad barefoot into my bedroom, rifling through the wardrobe for something that feels right. Nothing appeals to me. My fingers tug uselessly at hangers until my eyes catch on a dress set apart from the rest. I swear it wasn’t there earlier.Curious, I pull it free. A floaty blue summer maxi dress, scattered with delicate white florals, the sleeves edged in soft ruffles. Feminine, far more

Zahra's POVI drink them both in, stunned at how much they’ve grown. Abby is taller now, her dark hair cut to her shoulders in spiralling curls, looking every inch the young she-wolf. Sienna, at nineteen, wears a chic bob that frames her face perfectly. Gone are the teenage girls I left behind. They’re women now.“Wow, look at you two!” I laugh through tears.“And Look at you,” Sienna gushes, scanning me from head to toe. “You’re all grown up.”“Tell us everything,” Abby urges, dragging me toward the sofas. We collapse together, laughter and tears tumbling over each other as we fill in three lost years. I tell them about the Academy, about training, about Eli. Sienna beams as she describes her new life as a full-time warrior, thriving in one of the restructured units. Abby glows while talking about her art and design course at the human city’s community college, and about helping at her family’s diner. Hearing their parents send their love makes my heart ache with longing.After a whil

Zahra's POVDesperate for distraction, I press. “What happened with you and Xander? When I left, you were together. Now you can barely look at him.”His face flushes, and I blink. Max, blushing? Goddess, it’s disarming. Endearing.“We were,” he croaks. “Then the attack happened. And I… I—” His voice falters, breaking, and he drops his gaze to his hands, picking at his cuticles. “Tell me,” I urge, leaning closer without thinking, caught in his green eyes when he finally lifts them to mine.“When the rogues attacked us, Xander and I were together…” He hesitates, his face burning. Together? I already know they were together back then, but the way he said that like that? . Zanthe snickers in my head, 'he means they were getting it on?!' Zanthe so helpfully says. I feel my own cheeks heat, Crap!Max clears his throat, his voice rough as he reddens like a tomato. “In my room... We ran outside and jumped straight into the fight.” His eyes go distant, his pulse spiking as memory claws thro