Page 38 of Marked by Alphas 2: Claimed (The Blood Moon Chronicle #2)

As he rinsed the suds away, I couldn’t help the small whimper that escaped. Not from pain, but from the overwhelming emotions of the day—the fear of being stuck, the frustration of not being able to communicate, the vulnerability of being so small and dependent.

Marcus seemed to understand immediately. He lifted me from the water and cradled me against his chest, not caring that his shirt was getting soaked.

“I know, little one,” he murmured, holding me close as I trembled against him. “I know it’s overwhelming.”

I pressed my face into his neck, seeking comfort in his scent and warmth. His hand stroked down my back in long, soothing motions, and he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of my head.

“We’ll figure this out,” he promised, his voice a low rumble I could feel through my whole body. “Whatever it takes. You won’t be stuck forever.”

I wanted to believe him. Needed to believe him. But the fear lingered, a cold knot in my chest that not even his warmth could fully dispel.

The door burst open without warning, Caleb striding in with a fluffy towel. “Time’s up, Marcus. You’re hogging all the puppy time.”

His smile faded when he saw us, recognizing immediately that something more than a bath was happening. Without a word, he draped the towel around both of us, his hand joining Marcus’ in stroking my fur.

“Hey,” he said softly, all teasing gone from his voice. “We’ve got you, Kai. All of us. ”

I let out a shuddering breath, somehow steadied by their combined presence. This was still a nightmare, but at least I wasn’t facing it alone.

“My turn for bonding,” Caleb declared after a moment, his tone gentler than before. He carefully extracted me from Marcus’ arms, wrapping me in the oversized towel. “Let’s get you dried off before you catch a cold.”

“Wolves don’t catch colds,” Marcus said, but he relinquished me with obvious reluctance.

Caleb carried me towel-burrito style to his room, Marcus following close behind. He set me on his bed, using the towel to gently dry my fur.

“You know,” he said conversationally as he worked, “you’re going to need someone to take care of you while you’re stuck like this. And since I’m clearly the most fun brother…”

“You’re the most annoying brother,” Derek corrected, appearing in the doorway like a disapproving shadow. “And it’s my turn with Kai.”

“Says who?” Caleb challenged, pulling me closer.

“Says the brother who’s been patrolling the territory all evening while you two played beauty salon,” Derek growled, advancing into the room.

I watched the brewing argument with increasing dismay. Were they seriously fighting over who got to babysit me? While I was stuck as a wolf? This was not how I’d imagined my evening going.

As they bickered, I slipped off the bed and padded quietly to the door. Neither noticed, too caught up in their territorial dispute. I made my escape down the hallway, heading for my own room where at least I could lick my wounded pride in private.

My room was dark and quiet, the bed looking impossibly large now that I was roughly the size of a throw pillow. I manage d to clamber up using the conveniently placed ottoman, then faced my next challenge: technology.

My phone sat on the nightstand, tantalizingly close yet functionally useless to someone without opposable thumbs. I batted at it experimentally, sending it skittering across the polished wood. Great. Now it was even farther away.

After several undignified attempts involving my nose, teeth, and at one point my entire face, I managed to activate the screen. Video calling Luke would be impossible without hands, but maybe…

I pressed my paw against the voice command button, praying it would work. The phone beeped in recognition.

“Call Luke,” I tried to say, but what came out was a series of yips and whines.

To my utter shock, the phone responded: “Calling Luke Kim.”

Either my phone had gained the ability to understand wolf, or the brothers had programmed it to recognize that particular series of sounds. I wasn’t sure which possibility was more disturbing.

Luke’s face appeared on screen, sleepy and confused. “Kai? It’s like midnight, what’s—” He froze, eyes widening comically. “What the actual fuck?”

I whined pathetically, trying to position myself so he could see me better.

“Holy shit,” Luke breathed, now fully awake. “You’re a… Is that really you? Blink twice if you’re Kai.”

I blinked twice, deliberately.

“EOMMA!” Luke shouted, his voice so loud I had to back away from the phone. “We need to go back to Cedar Grove! NOW!”

I heard Imo’s voice in the background, asking questions in rapid Korean. Then her face appeared beside Luke’s, her eyes widening before narrowing in assessment .

She studied me through the screen. “Cannot shift back?”

I whined in confirmation, trying to convey just how monumentally screwed I was. I had just learned to use a coffee maker properly, and now I couldn’t even operate a doorknob. This was several steps backward in my quest for functional adulthood.

Imo began chanting something, her hands moving in patterns I couldn’t follow. Even through the phone, I felt a strange warmth spreading through me, though it didn’t trigger any shift.

“We leave at first light,” she declared, her tone brooking no argument. “This needs proper attention.”

The door to my bedroom burst open, revealing all three brothers looking slightly panicked. They must have realized I’d escaped their bickering session.

“Kai?” Marcus called, spotting me on the bed with the phone. His expression softened with relief before sharpening when he saw who I was talking to. “Min-seo. Luke.”

“You!” Luke accused, pointing dramatically through the screen. “What did you do to him?”

“Nothing he didn’t want,” Marcus replied calmly, sitting beside me on the bed. “First shifts can be difficult. Sometimes the body needs time to remember how to change back.”

“And you didn’t think to mention this BEFORE you let him shift?” Luke demanded.

“It’s rare,” Derek said, joining us. “Most wolves shift back within hours.”

The conversation devolved veiled threats from Luke about what would happen if I wasn’t back to normal soon. I tuned out, suddenly exhausted. The day’s excitement and transformation had drained me completely.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, the call had ended and I was being gently lifted from the bed.

“Come on, little wolf,” Marcus murmured, cradling me against his chest. “Time for sleep. ”

I expected another argument about whose room I’d sleep in, but the brothers seemed to have reached some accord while I napped. They all headed to Marcus’ suite, where the massive bed could easily accommodate three large men and one tiny wolf.

I was placed in the center of the bed, immediately surrounded by warm bodies as the brothers arranged themselves around me. Derek on my left, Caleb on my right, and Marcus above, his hand resting gently on my side.

“Sleep,” he commanded softly.

Despite my frustration at being stuck, despite the embarrassment of the day, I felt safe. Protected. The mate bond hummed contentedly as I drifted off, surrounded by my wolves.

I woke to a nose pressed against mine.

Not a human nose. A cold, wet dog nose, attached to a massive furry face that filled my entire field of vision. Shadow had somehow decided that the best way to wake me was with an up-close inspection of my snout.

“Personal space,” I tried to say, but it came out as a sleepy yip that only encouraged him. Scout and Storm immediately joined the morning greeting committee, their tails wagging with enough force to generate renewable energy.

I was still a wolf. Still tiny. Still trapped in fur with exactly zero opposable thumbs.

Fantastic.

The brothers’ scents lingered on the sheets, but the bed was empty of actual humans. Morning light streamed through the windows, suggesting I’d slept later than usual. I attempted to stretch, discovering that wolf bodies had an impressive flexibility that would make yoga instructors jealous .

The bedroom door swung open, and Marcus walked in, looking like he’d just stepped off the cover of Sweaty Werewolf Monthly .

His hair was damp with perspiration, workout clothes clinging to muscles in ways that would have made me blush if wolves could blush.

As it was, my tail gave an involuntary wag that I immediately tried to suppress.

Traitorous tail.

“Morning, little wolf,” he said, his voice rough from exertion. “Sleep well?”

I gave a noncommittal huff that could have meant anything from “Like a baby” to “As well as one can when trapped in the wrong species.”

Marcus crossed to the bed, scooping me up with one arm while scratching behind my ears with his free hand. The sensation was so unexpectedly good that my back leg started thumping against his chest without my permission.

“That’s what I thought.” He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest against my small body. “The pack bond helps you rest.”

He carried me to the bathroom, setting me on the counter while he stripped off his workout clothes with casual efficiency. Even in my current predicament, I couldn’t help appreciating the view. The man was built like a Greek god who decided to take up weightlifting as a serious hobby.

“I’ll be quick,” he promised, stepping into the shower. “Derek’s already downstairs, and Caleb’s setting up a video call with Dr. White for later.”

I sat on the counter, contemplating my reflection in the mirror.

The small silver-white wolf staring back at me looked decidedly unimpressed with life.

My fur had dried in tufts that stuck out at odd angles, making me look like I’d stuck my paw in an electrical socket.

Great. Not only was I stuck as a wolf, but I was stuck as a wolf with bed head .

Marcus emerged from the shower in a cloud of steam, towel slung low on his hips. He took one look at my disheveled fur and smiled. “Let me fix that for you.”