Page 4 of Marked by Alphas 2: Claimed (The Blood Moon Chronicle #2)

“ S o,” I said, absently scratching Scout’s ears, “when do we start the whole ‘learning to be a proper supernatural being’ thing? Because right now, I’m basically running on instinct and sass, and while that’s gotten me this far, I’d prefer not to rely on finding conveniently placed sticks every time I need to defend myself. ”

Marcus’ expression did that thing where he was trying not to look worried but totally failing. “Kai?—”

“Before you go all protective alpha on me,” I cut in, “remember that I managed to draw blood from those wolves with zero training. Imagine what I could do if I actually knew what I was doing.”

“You also got hurt,” Derek growled.

“Yeah, and whose fault was that? Oh right, the people who kept me in the dark about being supernatural catnip.” I gave them my best unimpressed look. “Knowledge is power, guys. And right now, I’m running on empty.”

Caleb’s fingers tightened slightly on my neck. “We want you safe.”

“And I want to be able to protect myself. Because, news flash, you th ree can’t be my bodyguards forever. What happens when I need to go to the grocery store? Or work? Are you going to take shifts following me around like some kind of supernatural security detail?”

The brothers exchanged looks that suggested they’d absolutely considered exactly that.

“Oh my God, you have a schedule already planned, don’t you?”

Marcus cleared his throat. “We merely discussed certain security measures?—”

“Nope. No way. I refuse to be that person who needs an alpha escort to buy toilet paper.” I straightened up, ignoring my protesting muscles. “I need to learn how to handle myself. My powers, my wolf side, all of it.”

“You’re still recovering from last night,” Marcus pointed out.

“Then let’s start with the basics. Training. Exercise. Whatever I need to do to not feel like I got hit by a supernatural truck every time I tap into these supposed powers.”

Another loaded look passed between the brothers.

“What?” I demanded.

“Before we begin any training,” Marcus said carefully, “I want Dr. White to examine you.”

“A doctor?” I squeaked. “No. Absolutely not. I don’t do doctors.”

Mom’s warnings echoed in my head: Never let them examine you too closely. Never let them take blood samples. Never let them see the scar. For years, we’d avoided medical care unless absolutely necessary, and even then Mom would find ways to get us out before things got too thorough.

“Dr. White’s family has been our pack physicians for generations,” Marcus explained. “Her mother helped deliver me and my brothers. They’re one of the few shifter families who specialize in both human and supernatural medicine. ”

“She’s the best,” Caleb added. “Especially with unique cases like yours.”

I touched my scar unconsciously. The last time I’d had a physical, the campus doctor had asked too many questions about my unusually high body temperature and rapid healing from a sprained ankle. I’d barely managed to convince her it was nothing before fleeing the student health center.

“Still a hard pass on the whole medical examination thing. I’m fine. Just a bit sore. Nothing a hot bath and some pain killer won’t fix.”

Derek snorted. “You can barely move.”

“I’m cultivating a new way of walking. Very avant-garde. Paris will love it.”

“Kai.” Marcus’ voice had that alpha tone that made my spine want to straighten automatically. “This isn’t negotiable. If you want to train, you need to be cleared by Dr. White first.”

I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it. They had me there. “Fine. But if she clears me, we start training immediately. No more protective alpha delays.”

Marcus’ lips twitched. “Agreed. Though I think you’ll find our training methods quite… thorough.”

The way he said ‘thorough’ made my mouth go dry. “Right. Good.”

“For now, you need to rest. Perhaps a hot shower would help with the soreness,” he said.

“I can walk to the bathroom myself,” I protested as Derek moved to help me up.

“Of course you can,” Caleb said soothingly, even as his hands supported my waist. “We’re just being helpful.”

“You’re being overprotective,” I corrected, but I let them assist me anyway because, honestly, everything hurt. Scout trailed behind us like a furry nursemaid while Shadow and Storm maintained their guard positions .

From the kitchen, Jorge and Maria’s bickering provided familiar background noise.

“ Dios mío !” Jorge’s voice carried. “Maria, you cannot!”

“Watch me!” Maria shot back.

Anna appeared with fresh towels and what looked like clean clothes. “These might fit,” she said. “They’re from when Miguel was younger.”

In the en suite bathroom, I peeled off the borrowed silk pajamas, wincing as new bruises made themselves known.

“Holy…” I twisted in front of the mirror, cataloging the damage.

Purple and blue bloomed across my ribs, a particularly impressive bruise wrapped around my hip, and there was definitely something going on with my shoulder that explained why lifting my arm hurt.

But it was the scar that caught my attention. The strange triangular mark on my lower right side was practically humming, sending little tingles across my skin like static electricity.

“Stop that,” I muttered at it. “I’ve got enough weird supernatural stuff to deal with without you joining the party.”

The shower was heaven. I stayed under the spray until my muscles started to unknot, steadfastly ignoring both the bruises and the increasingly energetic scar.

Downstairs, I found Marcus in his study, phone pressed to his ear. “Yes, that would be perfect. Thank you, Kate.” He hung up and turned to me. “Dr. White can come by around four this afternoon.”

“Great,” I tried to sound enthusiastic. “Can’t wait to be poked and prodded by supernatural medical professionals.”

“She’s very good at what she does,” Marcus assured me. “Now, unfortunately, I have some meetings in town to handle.”

Derek was already by the door, dressed in tactical gear. “I need to coordinate with the security teams. After last night…” His jaw tightened. “We’re reinforcing territorial patrols. ”

“I’ll be in my office,” Caleb added from his spot by the stairs, laptop tucked under one arm. “Running systems checks and updating security protocols.”

“You don’t have to babysit me,” I said, aiming for annoyed but probably landing closer to fond exasperation. “I’m perfectly capable of entertaining myself without supernatural supervision.”

Caleb’s smile turned predatory. “Trust me, baby. If I was babysitting you, neither of us would be getting any work done.”

My face heated. “Don’t you have some coding to do?”

“The dogs will stay with you,” Marcus cut in smoothly, adjusting his perfectly tailored suit. “And Maria and Jorge are here.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not actually five, you know. I can handle being alone for a few hours.”

“Of course,” Marcus said smoothly, but the look he gave the dogs was pure alpha command. Shadow immediately took up position by my feet while Storm and Scout flanked me.

“Really?” I gestured at my furry security detail. “This is unnecessary.”

“Humor us,” Marcus said, dropping a kiss on my forehead that made my knees weak. Derek and Caleb followed suit, and suddenly I was very grateful for the dogs’ support because apparently, three men’s kisses in quick succession were my absolute weakness.

After Marcus and Derek left, I collapsed onto the living room sofa, immediately surrounded by furry bodies. “They’re ridiculous,” I informed the dogs. “You know that, right?”

Shadow’s tail thumped against the floor in what felt like agreement.

“Here, carino,” Maria said, handing me my battered phone. “One of Derek’s men found it in the woods this morning. It’s a bit… worse for wear, but it still works.”

My poor phone looked like it had gone through supernatural fight club—which, technically, it had.

The screen was spiderwebbed with cracks, the case scratched and dented, and there was definitely some forest floor ground into every crevice.

But when I pressed the power button, it miraculously flickered to life.

I pulled up my messages, the screen protesting with every touch.

Luke had been calling all morning—which was weird considering we’d just talked last night before my date.

But Luke had always had an uncanny sense for trouble, like that time he’d called me seconds after I’d fallen down the stairs in our dorm.

He picked up on the first ring. “Something’s wrong.” Not a question. Just that eerie certainty that always made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, though I should have known better than to try fooling Luke’s weird sixth sense. “Just had an… interesting night.”

“Interesting?” His voice had that sharp edge it got when his ‘feelings’ were acting up. “What happened after dinner? And don’t try lying—you know I’ll know.”

I scratched Scout’s ears, trying to figure out how to explain without explaining. “Let’s just say some people showed up who weren’t very friendly, and the brothers… dealt with it.”

“What people? What do you mean ‘dealt with it’? Kai, you’re scaring me.”

“I’m okay,” I assured him. “Really. Just… processing some stuff.”

“That’s it. I’m coming up there.”

“No!” I said too quickly. “No, please. Just… give me a few days? I promise I’ll explain everything soon. I just need to figure out some things first.”

“Twenty-four hours,” Luke said firmly. “You have twenty-four hours to ‘figure things out.’ Then I’m calling the police. And don’t think Eomma won’t drive up there herself—she’s alread y started a new batch of kimchi and is stress cooking every Korean dish she knows you love.”

Twenty-four hours to figure out how to explain supernatural mates and quarter-wolf genetics to my best friend. Perfect. “Deal.”