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Marcus’ laugh was warm and satisfied as he traced a finger along my tail. “You’re magnificent.”

Through our bond, I could feel their collective awe and admiration washing over me in waves. They thought I was beautiful like this—disheveled, glowing, and utterly claimed. It was a heady feeling, being the center of such intense focus and desire, especially for someone who’d spent most of his life trying to blend into the background.

“You’re ours now, Kai,” Marcus said, his voice filled with a possessiveness that should have sent my independent spirit running for the hills but instead made me feel safer than I’d ever felt in my life. “Forever.”

Derek and Caleb moved closer, forming a protective circle aroundme. Their wolves were visible in their eyes—three different colors all fixed on me with the same devotion.

“And you’re mine,” I replied, my voice growing soft but sure. “All of you. Though fair warning—now that I know what I am, you might have your hands full.”

“We’re counting on it,” Derek rumbled.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Caleb added with a grin.

Marcus simply pulled me closer. “Challenge accepted.”

Chapter 31

STONE BROTHERS

Marcus gazed down at Kai, still caught in the afterglow of their claiming. The light emanating from his mate’s skin had dimmed to a soft shimmer, like moonlight captured beneath the surface. The silver-white tail that had emerged during their passion lay curled against the sofa cushions, occasionally twitching as if responding to Kai’s thoughts.

His eyes, normally hazel with subtle gold flecks, now glowed with molten amber light—the dragon blood fully awakened within him. The transformation was breathtaking—skin that seemed to capture and reflect light, hair that shimmered with blue-black iridescence, and delicate scale patterns that appeared and disappeared with each breath, like living tattoos across his shoulders and down his spine.

In all his years—through countless business negotiations, territorial disputes, and pack politics—Marcus had never seen anything so beautiful.

“You’re staring,” Kai murmured, his voice hoarse from their activities. “It’s creepy. Or would be if I hadn’t just spent the last hour as your personal playground.”

Marcus chuckled, trailing his fingers along Kai’s glowing skin. “Can you blame me? Look at you.”

“What, the glow-in-the-dark feature? Great for power outages, I guess.” Kai shifted, his tail flicking against Marcus’ thigh. “Though I didn’t exactly plan on becoming a human night-light.”

The self-deprecating humor did nothing to diminish the wonder Marcus felt. Through their bond, he could sense Kai’s embarrassment mixed with genuine curiosity about his transformation. The dragon blood they’d suspected was now undeniable—no wolf shifter Marcus had ever known manifested with this ethereal luminescence.

“You’re magnificent,” Marcus said simply, tracing the line where skin met fur at the base of Kai’s tail. The touch made Kai shiver, his eyes widening in surprise.

“That’s… sensitive,” Kai gasped, the gold in his eyes flaring brighter at the contact.

Marcus filed that information away, a predatory smile spreading across his face. “Is it now?”

He has no idea how beautiful he is, Marcus’ thought flowed through their newly strengthened bond, unintentionally shared with his brothers.

None at all, Derek agreed, his internal voice rich with appreciation.

We should show him, Caleb suggested, his characteristic playfulness tinged with reverence.

Kai’s eyes widened as he caught their thoughts. “I can hear you,” he whispered, wonder and embarrassment coloring his voice. “In my head.”

“The bond is complete now,” Marcus explained, running his thumb along Kai’s lower lip. “No barriers between us.”

“Great,” Kai managed, though his internal voice—newly accessible to them all—betrayed his pleasure at the connection.So now you can hear exactly how undone I am. Totally fair.

The brothers’ collective amusement rippled through the bond, followed by a wave of affection so intense it made Kai’s eyes fill with unexpected tears.

Derek and Caleb moved closer, drawn by the discovery and the emotions flowing through their shared connection. Marcus could feel their renewed interest pulsing through their bond. None of them had expected to recover so quickly after the intensity of their initial claiming, but something about Kai—his scent, his responsiveness, the magic in his blood—called to their wolves with irresistible power.

“Don’t even think about it,” Kai warned, though the spike of arousal that filtered through their bond betrayed his true feelings. “I’m pretty sure I need to recuperate for at least a year after that marathon.”

“Your body seems to disagree,” Derek observed, his gaze dropping to where Kai was already showing signs of renewed interest.