Page 36 of Marked by Alphas 2: Claimed (The Blood Moon Chronicle #2)

“Close your eyes,” Marcus instructed softly. “Feel the bond between us. Follow it down. ”

“Down where exactly?” I muttered but did as he asked, letting my eyes fall shut.

“Inside yourself.” Caleb’s voice came from my right, his fingers tracing patterns on my arm that left goosebumps in their wake. “Past all the sarcasm and deflection.”

“I resent that accurate characterization.”

Derek’s chuckle rumbled against my back. “Focus, little mate. Find the part of you that’s been sleeping.”

I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate. The mate bond that had been a constant hum since I’d met them suddenly flared brighter, more insistent. It was like having three warm spotlights trained on me, illuminating parts I’d never seen before.

“That’s it,” Caleb murmured encouragingly. “You’re doing great.”

I followed the sensation deeper, past the anxiety and sarcasm, past the boundaries I’d always known. Something stirred in response, curious and eager. It felt like discovering a room in a house I’d lived in my whole life but somehow never noticed.

“There you are,” Marcus whispered, his voice seeming to reach both me and the presence I could now feel unfolding inside me. “Come out and meet us properly.”

Heat bloomed under my skin, starting at my core and radiating outward. Not painful exactly, but intense—like being underwater too long and then breaking the surface for that first desperate breath. My bones seemed to vibrate with energy, muscles coiling with potential.

“Don’t fight it,” Derek’s voice rumbled through me. “Let it happen.”

And then the pain hit—sharp and sudden, a lightning strike through my skeleton. I gasped as my bones seemed to liquefy and reform, my perspective shifting as the ground rushed up to meet m e. The world spun in an array of colors, scents suddenly so vivid they were almost visible.

My gasp turned into something else—a high-pitched sound that definitely hadn’t come from human vocal cords.

I blinked, disoriented. The world looked… wrong. Sharper, more detailed, but from a much lower vantage point. The brothers towered above me now, their expressions a mix of awe and delight.

“Kai?” Marcus knelt slowly, his hand outstretched. “Can you understand me?”

I tried to answer with a sarcastic “No, I’ve suddenly forgotten English,” but what came out was a series of yips and whines that startled me so badly I stumbled backward.

And promptly fell over my own four feet.

Wait. Four?

I looked down and froze. Where my hands should have been, delicate silver-white paws now touched the forest floor. I twisted, trying to see the rest of myself, and caught a glimpse of sleek fur with darker markings along my spine.

Holy shit. I’d actually done it. I was a wolf.

A really, really small wolf.

“Look at you,” Caleb breathed, dropping to his knees beside Marcus. “You’re perfect.”

I tried to ask “Perfect for what? A keychain?” but again, just wolf noises emerged.

“Try walking,” Derek suggested, his voice gentler than I’d ever heard it. “Slowly.”

Easier said than done. I took an experimental step forward and immediately face-planted into the moss.

Having four legs was apparently more complicated than the wolves in nature documentaries made it look.

I scrambled up, determined to maintain at least some dignity, and promptly fell over again when my back legs and front legs couldn’t agree on a direction.

Caleb was failing spectacularly at hiding his laughter. “You’re doing great,” he wheezed unconvincingly. “Really coordinated. Very majestic.”

I shot him what I hoped was a withering glare but probably looked more like puppy confusion.

“It takes practice,” Marcus said, his voice warm with affection. “Your body knows what to do, but your mind is getting in the way. Try not to overthink it.”

Not overthink things? Had he met me?

Still, I tried again, focusing on the feeling rather than the mechanics.

One paw in front of the other. Left, right, left, right—no, that wasn’t it.

It was more like diagonal pairs? I took a few stumbling steps, gradually finding a rhythm that felt less like a drunk toddler and more like an actual quadruped.

“There you go,” Derek encouraged, his eyes tracking my movement with pride. “You’re a natural.”

I was absolutely not a natural, but I appreciated the lie. After a few more circuits around the clearing, I could walk without falling every three steps. Progress!

My senses were overwhelming—scents telling stories I’d never been able to read before, sounds carrying meanings beyond their pitch. I could smell the brothers’ pride and excitement, the ancient moss beneath my paws, even a rabbit that had passed through the clearing hours ago.

“Want to see yourself?” Marcus asked, gesturing toward a small pool at the edge of the clearing.

Did I? What if I looked ridiculous? What if I was some weird wolf-Chihuahua hybrid? But curiosity won out, and I carefully picked my way toward the water, still getting used to four-legged locomotion.

I peered into the still surface, and the reflection that stared back took my breath away.

A small wolf with sleek silver-white fur looked up at me, dark markings accenting its delicate features. Gold-flecked eyes—my eyes—gazed back with startled recognition. I was… beautifu l. Smaller than I’d expected, more fox-like than wolflike, but undeniably a wolf.

A very, very small wolf. Like, “could probably fit in a large purse” small.

“First Blood,” Marcus murmured, his hand gentle on my back. “Your heritage shows clearly in your wolf form.”

I turned to look at him, questions I couldn’t voice filling my head.

Was I supposed to be this tiny? Was it because I was only quarter-wolf?

Or maybe my Asian heritage? Did wolf size correlate to human size?

Because if so, that was just adding insult to injury for someone who already had to look up at everyone.

“You’re perfect,” Caleb said, seeming to read my concerns. “Some of the most powerful wolves in history were small.”

Sure they were. And I’m sure they told that to all the tiny wolves.

“Our turn,” Derek announced, already shrugging out of his shirt. “You shouldn’t run alone your first time.”

I watched in fascination as all three brothers stripped down with casual efficiency. Unlike me, they had zero self-consciousness about their nakedness—and with bodies like that, why would they? It was like watching Greek statues come to life, all perfect muscle and graceful movement.

And then they shifted.

It happened so fast I almost missed it—one moment, three gorgeous naked men stood before me and the next, three massive wolves towered over my tiny form. The contrast was almost comical. I barely came up to their elbows, making me feel like a puppy next to full-grown wolves.

Marcus’ wolf was pitch-black with silver markings, his ice-blue eyes now gleaming crimson. Derek’s dark gray form was the largest, built for raw power, while Caleb’s golden-brown wolf was the smallest of the three but still dwarfed me completely.

Caleb’s wolf danced around me playfully, then gently nudged me wit h his nose as if to say “Come on!” before taking off toward the trees. Derek flanked my right side while Marcus took the left, creating a protective formation around me as I tentatively began to run.

Running was… incredible. Once I stopped overthinking and let instinct take over, my small body found its rhythm on the flat forest paths.

I was faster than I expected on even ground, my tiny size letting me dart between trees with surprising agility.

The brothers kept pace easily, their massive forms creating a protective formation around me as we explored.

We stuck to the easier trails, the brothers carefully steering me away from anything too challenging for my novice wolf legs.

Occasionally, I’d still trip over my own paws, especially when excitement got the better of me, but each time one of the brothers would be there—a gentle nose helping me up, a warm body steadying me.

At one point, I tried to follow Caleb over a fallen log and discovered that while running might be instinctive, jumping definitely wasn’t.

My front paws made it up but my back legs betrayed me, leaving me scrambling awkwardly until Derek’s massive head gently nudged me the rest of the way over.

The whole thing was deeply undignified, and Caleb’s wolf actually made a choking sound that had to be laughter.

“Not all of us are built like horses,” I tried to say, but it came out as an indignant yip that only made them more amused.

Marcus' wolf stayed close, his massive form creating a windbreak that sheltered me from the forest's chill. I was grateful for his protection, even if my pride wanted to prove I could handle the elements on my own. My tiny legs were already getting tired from keeping up with their much longer strides. As the afternoon light began to fade, Marcus led us back toward the clearing. I was exhausted but exhilarated, my small body humming with a satisfaction I’d never felt before.

This was right. This was who I was meant to be—even if I needed some serious practice with the whole four-legs thing.

Back at the clearing, the brothers shifted seamlessly back to human form, the transition so smooth it looked like water flowing.

“Your turn,” Marcus said, crouching beside me. “Ready to be on two legs again?”

Was I ever. As amazing as being a wolf was, I had questions. Many, many questions that required actual words to ask.

“It’s similar to shifting into wolf form,” Caleb explained, pulling his jeans back on. “But instead of reaching for your wolf, you reach for your human self.”

“Remember how it feels to stand upright,” Derek added. “Picture your human body, feel it waiting for you.”

I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. I pictured myself—human me—and tried to reach for that shape the way I’d reached for my wolf. But something felt… stuck. Like trying to open a door with the wrong key.

After several minutes of intense concentration that produced exactly zero results, I opened my eyes and looked up at the brothers questioningly.

“It’s okay,” Marcus reassured me. “First shifts are always the hardest. Try again, but don’t force it.”

I tried again. And again. And again. Each attempt left me more frustrated than the last. The sun was now setting, shadows stretching across the clearing, and I was still very much a wolf.

“This isn’t working,” Caleb said finally, concern creeping into his voice. “He should have shifted back by now.”

A cold tendril of fear wound through me. What if I was stuck like this? What if I never shifted back? Would I have to learn to type with my paws? Would Luke have to translate my yips and barks for the rest of my life?

“Don’t panic,” Marcus said firmly, though whether to me or his br others wasn’t clear. “Sometimes the first shift lasts longer. His body is still adjusting.”

“We should get him back to the manor,” Derek suggested, already gathering my discarded clothes. “It’s getting dark.”

I was definitely panicking now. This was not how this was supposed to go. I was supposed to shift, run around a bit, shift back, and then pepper the brothers with questions about my tiny wolf form. Not get stuck as a permanent pocket-sized canine!

Marcus must have sensed my rising distress because he knelt and scooped me into his arms, cradling me against his chest like a child. “It’s going to be alright, little mate,” he murmured, his hand stroking soothingly along my back. “We’ll figure this out.”

I wanted to believe him, but as we headed back toward the manor—me being carried like some kind of furry football—all I could think was that this was just my luck. My first supernatural ability, and I’d already broken it.

“Jorge is going to have a field day with this,” Caleb said, trying to lighten the mood. “He’s been threatening to make you special protein shakes for weeks. Now he can finally make those gourmet dog treats he’s been researching.”

I growled, the sound much less intimidating coming from my tiny wolf form than I’d hoped.

“Not helping,” Derek said, cuffing Caleb lightly on the back of the head.

As the manor came into view, lights glowing warmly in the gathering dusk, I tried once more to shift back. Nothing happened except a slight twinge in what I assumed were now my wolf muscles.

Great. Just great. Somehow, I’d managed to ace the “turning into a wolf” part of Werewolf 101 but completely flunked the “turning back into a human” portion. Luke was never going to let me hear the end of this.

Assuming, of course, I ever had human ears again.