Her Dangerous Rogue Mates

Now, Norman stood before us, his hands tucked into the pockets of his black pants, his fitted black shirt straining against his build. There was a glint in his eye, almost challenging me, as if to say, *Let’s see how you win this time.* “What is the effect of a lush green herb?” he asked.…

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…

“I couldn’t even manage that much,” I muttered to myself, covering my face with my hands. I had been holding back tears, trying not to cry like a child, but sometimes, it’s okay to let it out. “You did your best.” I looked up at the sound of Emmett’s voice. I thought he’d left with…

“So, she’ll be known as our stepsister now?” The hesitation in Kaye’s voice made me wonder if he was ready to accept her in that role. I couldn’t blame him-he’d suffered the most. “Yeah, why?” I asked, swallowing hard. “No particular reason,” he replied, though his tone was a bit stiff, as if there was…

“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…

“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…

“Hm, but she’s not wrong. If everyone hears she had to fight a trainer, they’ll agree it’s unfair.” Norman scratched his chin thoughtfully, making me wonder if he was mocking me or truly reconsidering. “I know. How about this-” Maximus raised a finger as a new idea sparked in his mind. This time, he stepped…

“Step aside, I’m going to kill her right here, right now!” I heard Maximus growl as he tried to approach me. The other students were murmuring among themselves, but we were the only ones inside the white circle. “Do you want everyone to remember this and blow it out of proportion?” Norman muttered to him.…

“What a b****!” he yelled again, his aggression starting to worry me. “It’s not that big of a deal,” I sighed, feeling a pang in my chest from seeing my brother so shaken. “Maximus! Calm down,” I urged, growing increasingly concerned as he was losing control. I had never seen him this worked up before.…

I tried to slam the door shut, but he wedged his shoe in, making it impossible to close. Groaning, he forced his arm against the door, shoving it open as I took a step back in fear. “What are you doing here?” I growled at Norman, who didn’t even respond as he barged inside, scanning…