Page 33 of Marked by Alphas 2: Claimed (The Blood Moon Chronicle #2)

LUKE

C edar Grove’s Harvest Festival was like someone had taken a quaint country fair, dipped it in gold, and then sprinkled it with what I was pretty sure was actual magic.

Not that I was going to admit that out loud.

Growing up with a Korean shaman for a mother had taught me the value of strategic denial.

Beside me, Kai was having his own supernatural awakening, his head turning at every nonhuman presence like a kid discovering a new color.

It was almost amusing watching him try to process it all, especially with Caleb hovering protectively nearby.

The Stone brothers had their mate-guarding down to a science, I’d give them that.

I pretended not to notice how my own senses seemed sharper lately, how I could pick out the not-quite-human from the crowd with disturbing accuracy.

The vendor whose fingers left trails of light when she moved.

The teenagers whose shadows danced independently.

The “local honey” seller with actual gold gleaming in her eyes.

But while Kai had three overprotective alphas explaining his new ab ilities, I was left wondering if maybe all those years of Mom’s “spiritual training” hadn’t been as superstitious as I’d thought.

The entire town square had been transformed into something out of a fantasy novel.

Paper lanterns floated overhead without any visible support.

The fortune teller’s cards reshuffled themselves when no one was looking.

And I was pretty sure that elderly couple sharing a caramel apple had actual silver sparkles trailing from their clasped hands.

Watching Caleb materialize beside Kai for the hundredth time, I had to smile.

For supernatural stalkers, the Stone brothers were surprisingly…

sweet? In a terrifyingly overprotective, obviously superhuman way.

The fact that they took turns appearing to shower Kai with attention would have been creepy if it wasn’t so obviously coordinated to keep him safe.

Like now, with Caleb whisking him away behind a flower display that was definitely enchanted (those roses were absolutely not natural colors). I pretended not to notice Scout taking up guard position, the massive dog’s eyes far too intelligent as he watched the crowd.

“Real subtle,” I muttered, but I was smiling. After years of watching Kai drift through life half-invisible, it was nice seeing him so thoroughly… claimed.

When they returned, Kai’s thoroughly kissed state and Caleb’s smugness told their own story. I caught Derek watching from near the security checkpoint, his massive frame radiating impatience for his turn. These wolves really did have a timeshare system going.

The festival flowed around us in waves of humanity and…

other. My “totally normal intuition” (as Mom would say) picked up more supernatural signals with each passing hour.

The woodcarver’s hands moved too fast, his creations almost breathing.

The face painter’s designs shifted and swirled on children’s skin.

Ev en the churros Jorge made seemed to sparkle with more than just edible gold.

By the time Marcus swept Kai away to his office (and really, who needed an office with that view?), I was mentally cataloging at least a dozen different types of nonhuman festival attendees.

Mom would be having a field day with her prayer beads if she wasn’t busy terrorizing the cooking competition judges with suspicious mushrooms.

“I need a break from all this…” I said to myself, finding a quiet bench near the garden area. The late afternoon sun painted everything in gold, and the crowd’s energy had shifted into something more… ethereal.

Something in my chest hummed a warning seconds before I felt them approach—three distinct presences moving with predatory grace. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was—my skin was already prickling with awareness.

“Well,” a familiar aristocratic voice drawled, “what a delightful surprise.”

Ice Eyes—Xander, if I remembered correctly—stood there looking like he’d stepped out of some luxury fashion campaign. His brothers flanked him with equally devastating effect: James with his fighter’s build and dangerous grace, Liam with his tech mogul confidence and sharp grin.

“Are you stalking all festival visitors,” I asked sweetly, “or am I just special?”

James’ laugh was rough velvet. “Oh, you’re definitely special.”

“Fascinating,” I echoed Xander’s earlier tone from our café encounter. “Do those lines actually work on anyone?”

“You tell us,” Xander moved closer, and something in my chest hummed traitorously. “You’re still here, after all.”

“Maybe I just enjoy watching you fail at basic social interaction. ”

Liam dropped onto the bench beside me with casual grace, close enough that his designer-clad thigh pressed against mine. “We could show you much more entertaining things.”

“I’m sure you could,” I said dryly, ignoring how my pulse jumped when Xander claimed the space on my other side. “Like how to lurk menacingly in formal wear? Or is there an advanced course in creepy stalking I should know about?”

“Such a sharp tongue,” James rumbled, remaining standing but somehow looming closer. “Makes us wonder what else it can do.”

Heat flooded my face, but I refused to back down. “Probably better things than whatever rehearsed lines you’re about to try next.”

“Rehearsed?” Xander’s voice dropped lower, and the sound did illegal things to my insides. “Trust me, little fox, nothing about our interest in you is scripted.”

Little fox? The nickname sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. “Your creativity with pet names is truly stunning. Do you practice those in the mirror?”

“Only when thinking of you,” Liam murmured, his breath warm against my ear.

I absolutely did not lean into the heat of him. Just like I definitely wasn’t hyperaware of Xander’s thigh pressed against my other side or the way James had shifted to effectively cage me in with his presence.

“Well, this has been sufficiently creepy,” I announced, proud that my voice stayed steady. “But I should?—”

“Stay.” Xander’s hand found my wrist, his touch electric. “Watch the lantern lighting with us.”

“Because that’s not serial killer behavior at all.”

James’ grin was pure predator. “We promise to be perfect gentlemen.”

“Somehow I doubt that. ”

“Smart boy,” Xander purred, and why did that praise make my stomach flip? “But you’re still not leaving.”

He was right, damn him. Something about their presence was magnetic, drawing me in despite every warning bell in my head. Mom’s voice echoed in my memory: “Trust your intuition, but remember—sometimes danger calls because it sees its own reflection.”

The lanterns above us began to glow as dusk settled in, and I found myself caught in a web of dangerous attraction and even more dangerous curiosity. The Blackwood brothers watched me like I was a puzzle they were dying to solve, and the scariest part?

Part of me wanted to let them.

“Come,” Xander said, offering his hand with aristocratic grace. “Walk with us.”

“I don’t take walks with strange men,” I shot back, even as I reached for his hand. “Especially not ones who look like they’re auditioning for Britain’s Next Top Predator .”

James’ laugh was a rough, delicious sound. “He’s got you there, brother.”

“And yet,” Liam murmured from behind me, close enough that I could feel his breath on my neck, “you’re still coming with us.”

I was. God help me, I was letting Xander pull me to my feet, trying to ignore how perfectly my hand fit in his. How his thumb brushed over my pulse point in a way that sent electricity racing up my arm.

“The festival is lovely at twilight,” Xander said, holding my hand as we moved through the crowd. James and Liam flanked us like extremely attractive bodyguards, creating a bubble of space that had nothing to do with the crowd’s natural movement and everything to do with pure predatory presence.

“Do you always narrate your stalking?” I asked sweetly. “Or am I getting the premium experience? ”

“Oh, you’re definitely premium.” Liam grinned, sliding closer to brush against my side. The contact sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with the cooling evening air.

“Special treatment,” James added from my other side, his fighter’s grace making even walking look dangerous. “Though you seem to inspire that in us.”

“Lucky me,” I drawled, pretending my heart wasn’t racing at being surrounded by them. “Is this where you tell me I’m not like other boys?”

“No.” Xander’s voice dropped lower, more intimate. “This is where we tell you that you smell like moonlight and secrets.”

That… was not what I expected. “Has anyone ever told you your pickup lines need work?”

“Frequently.” Liam laughed, but there was an edge to it. His hand found the small of my back as we navigated through a cluster of tourists. “Usually right before they fall for them.”

“Confident, aren’t you?”

“Very.” James’ smile was all predator. “Especially when we’re right.”

We passed the enchanted honey stand, and I swore the seller’s golden eyes widened at our little group. The crowd parted around us like water around stones, though I noticed some people—specific people—watching us with too-sharp gazes.

“The council is taking notice,” Liam murmured, his lips brushing my ear in a way that was definitely not necessary for communication.

“Poor Elizabeth looks like she’s about to have a conniption,” James added with dark amusement.

I followed their gaze to where an elegant silver-haired woman stood with several equally distinguished-looking individuals. They were trying very hard to look like they weren’t watching us—and failing spectacularly.

“Friends of yours?” I asked.

“Hardly.” Xander’s smile was pure politics. “The Cedar Grove Pack Council. They’re not used to… outside interests in their territory.”

“And what exactly are your interests?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.