All Chapters of Marked by fate: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Zahra's POVWe step outside into the sheltered garden. There is a massive pool, lounge chairs scattered around it, and a huge outdoor dining area with strings of lights overhead, creating a ceiling of fairy lights. I bet it looks gorgeous at night. There’s a fire pit near the treeline and several huge Jacuzzis off to the side.The elites are everywhere. For some reason it looks like there are more of them out here than there were inside earlier, but I guess not all of them are on the course this time round, some will have done it before. And now they are enjoying their evening. Aimes leads us through the crowd toward the bar set up near the hedge. It is basically a long table with tubs of ice, filled with beer and bottles of water, but it serves its purpose.I grab a bottle of water as the others take beer, and I catch Aimes rolling his eyes.Right. Fuck this. I am not hanging around to be judged by Captain Sunshine over there.‘He either respects your right to be here or he doesn’t.

Tobias's POVFuck fuck fuck fuck.What am I doing?Why am I over here arguing with Edwardo instead of going straight to her?I feel the exact moment my unit leave my back. Out of the corner of my eye I see them rounding the pool, warriors parting like a wave to let them through. The entire atmosphere tightens, so many eyes trained on us, the music thumping quietly behind the pressure in my skull.“Please tell me this course is not what I think it is, General,” Nicholas growls. His voice is low, sharp, and dangerous, a tone I have never heard from him before. He is trying to keep it down, trying to keep his fury swallowed so the warriors milling around cannot hear. It is useless. The tension is radiating off him like heat from a forge.Nicholas and Edwardo have known each other for decades. They trained together. They bled together. They came through the Task Force side by side before Nicholas stepped into his royal Beta duties. Hearing him snarl at Edwardo like this has my focus sharp

Thor's POVPain hits like a blade to the chest. Sharp, deep, wrong.The moment she turns her back, the moment Zanthe slams the bond shut, it feels like someone tears something out of me. Not cleanly. Not gently. Ripped.My human wavers. I feel him try to hold steady, but I cannot stay in his skin. It is too small for this. Too full of hurt.I push to shift, but he still manages to contain me. I feel the edges of the block thinning, his strength weakening, his resolve loosening. I am not concentrating hard enough on our surroundings, only on prying up the edges of Toby’s control.Then he relinquishes, and I break free and shift, the need to run taking over before I even finish landing on four paws. I let out a mighty roar as I land, the sound echoing through the trees as wildlife flees. Good.The ground shakes under me as I launch forward. Trees rush past in a blur, branches snapping against my shoulders, mountain air cold in my lungs. Running eases nothing, but stopping would be

Zahra's POVAfter breakfast we report back to the large training centre where we met yesterday.I sit with Liam, Jed, and Morgan. Henry – who, mercifully, arrived for breakfast after my phone was safely shoved back in my pocket – is on the row behind us with his friends and Anderson. I didn’t even spare his friends a glance this morning. I’m too tired to play nice today.Zanthe woke up the second my coffee hit my veins and gave me that slight jittery buzz she loves. She also insisted I eat all my bacon. She’s now sitting alert in my mind as we lower the brick wall back to the thin diaphanous membrane. I can tap into her sensations and emotions at will again. It’s more flexible than the glass we used yesterday, and stronger. The constant stream of information from her is insane; the sheer amount of information she is processing at once is staggering. I feel her smug pride when that thought registers.The room is full of chatter, and more than one face swivels to look at me where we

Max's POVAnother howl rips through the air. It’s far away, but somehow it feels loud, like it’s right beside my ear. A few others follow it, but something about the first one claws at my chest. There’s so much pain in that sound it makes Medus pace in circles in my mind.He wants to answer. To find the wolf howling and comfort him. Anyone with ears can hear the agony in it.I turn over in my bed again. The pillow feels lumpy and the mattress hard. I don’t know why. Last night I was perfectly comfortable. I can’t get the feeling of Zahra’s hand in mine out of my head, or the tiny brush of her cheek against my lips when I kissed her goodbye. Goddess, I think I’m in love. I’m sure that’s what this is. I love my mate with every cell in my body, and I can’t wait until I get to claim her.Medus chuffs in agreement as he paces in circles.I sent Zahra my usual goodnight text, but she didn’t reply. It’s eating us both alive. After this afternoon I thought we were on solid ground. I thought sh