Page 44 of Marked by Alphas 2: Claimed (The Blood Moon Chronicle #2)
STONE brOTHERS
M arcus Stone stepped from his SUV into the clearing, the familiar weight of history settling on his shoulders like an old coat. Nine years had passed since he’d last stood on these grounds—nine years since the night that had changed everything.
“You feel it too,” Derek stated, coming to stand beside him.
“Hard to miss,” Marcus replied, his eyes scanning the ancient stone circle that dominated the clearing. “Place has a memory.”
The dueling grounds hadn’t changed much in the intervening years, with the same ring of standing stones, weathered by centuries of Pacific Northwest rain.
The same moss-covered altar stood at the center.
Then there was the same sense of watchful presence that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
What had changed was them. The last time they’d been here, they were barely more than boys, watching their parents and grandparents die while trying to protect a thirteen-year-old Kai from the Blackwoods. Now they returned as alphas, preparing to defend their territory and mate once again .
“Appropriate, in a way,” Marcus murmured. “Coming full circle.”
Derek snorted. “Let’s hope this visit ends better than the last one.”
The sound of car doors closing announced the arrival of the council.
Elder Grey led the procession, her silver hair gleaming in the afternoon sun.
Despite her advanced age, she moved with the grace of a wolf half her years, her cane more accessory than necessity.
Behind her came Elders Rivers, Redwood, Standing Bear, and Black Hawk—the remaining members of the Cedar Grove Pack Council.
“Alpha Stone,” Elder Grey greeted them formally. “The preparations proceed as planned?”
Marcus inclined his head respectfully. “The grounds will be ready by sundown tomorrow. My security team has already established the perimeter.”
“Good.” Elder Grey’s pale eyes surveyed the clearing with the sharp assessment of someone who had witnessed more supernatural ceremonies than most wolves had full moons. “The Knox Pack has confirmed their attendance. Twenty wolves, including Alpha Knox and his heir.”
“Small showing,” Derek noted, his tactical mind already calculating angles and positions. “They know they’re beaten.”
“Perhaps,” Elder Rivers interjected, his diplomatic instincts clearly engaged. “Or perhaps they’re being cautious. This is not just about territory anymore, not with your mate’s… unique heritage.”
And there it was—the real reason for this inspection. Not just the duel, but Kai. Always Kai.
“My mate will be protected,” Marcus stated, the edge in his voice making it clear this wasn’t open for discussion.
“No one doubts that, Alpha Stone,” Elder Redwood assured him, his dark eyes sympathetic. “But we must consider all possibilities. Your mate’s condition remains… unusual. ”
Unusual. Such a polite term for “stuck as a tiny wolf with mysterious dual bloodlines that no one fully understands.” Marcus would have laughed if the situation weren’t so serious.
“Dr. White continues to monitor him,” he said instead. “And Min-seo Kim has been conducting traditional rituals that seem to be helping.”
“Ah yes, the Korean shaman.” Elder Standing Bear nodded. “An interesting addition to your household. Her presence has been… noted.”
The way he said “noted” suggested more than casual observation. Marcus exchanged a quick glance with Derek, whose eyes had narrowed slightly.
“There have been other… presences noted as well,” Elder Black Hawk said, moving toward the center of the stone circle. “Strangers in town. Watchers in the forest.”
“Tourists,” Derek suggested, though his tone made it clear he didn’t believe it. “The festival always brings stragglers.”
“Perhaps,” Elder Grey said, using her cane to trace a pattern in the dirt at the base of the central altar. “But these strangers do not watch the town. They watch the borders. They watch the manor. And lately, they watch this place.”
A chill that had nothing to do with the autumn air ran down Marcus’ spine. “You’ve seen them?”
“Not directly,” Elder Grey admitted. “But the land speaks. The trees remember. There are eyes in our territory that do not belong to wolf or human.”
“My team has reported unusual movements,” Derek acknowledged, his military bearing more pronounced now. “We assumed it was Knox supporters or Blackwood scouts. But the patterns don’t fit either pack’s usual tactics.”
“They’re too… precise,” Elder Rivers added. “Too patient. Wolves, even disciplined ones, eventually make their presence known. These watchers…” He shook his head. “They wait. ”
“For what?” Marcus asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.
“For him,” Elder Grey said simply. “For your mate. For the quarter-wolf with First Blood heritage who somehow carries something more.”
The circle fell silent. Above them, clouds drifted across the sun, casting the clearing in momentary shadow. In that brief darkness, Marcus could have sworn he saw something move between the trees—a flash of white, there and gone too quickly to identify.
“We should increase security,” Derek said, already reaching for his phone. “Johnson can have the full team on rotation by nightfall.”
“Do it,” Marcus agreed. “And add patrols around the manor. Kai doesn’t leave without at least two guards.”
“Already standard procedure,” Derek reminded him with a grim smile. “Though he hates it.”
“Better annoyed than endangered,” Marcus replied, though he could already imagine Kai’s reaction to even tighter security. Even as a tiny wolf, his mate had perfected the art of expressing exasperation through ear movements alone.
Elder Grey approached the brothers, her expression grave. “There is something else you should know. Something about this place.”
Marcus tensed. “What about it?”
“The Blood Moon ritual nine years ago—it was not chosen randomly.” She gestured to the stone circle. “This ground has always been a place of power. A crossing point between worlds.”
“We know the history,” Derek said impatiently. “Our family has protected this territory for generations.”
“You know wolf history,” Elder Standing Bear corrected gently. “But this land had guardians before wolves came. The stones remember older powers. ”
“What are you saying?” Marcus asked, his patience wearing thin with the elders’ cryptic warnings.
“That perhaps the Blackwood attack nine years ago was not entirely of their making,” Elder Grey said. “That perhaps something else used their ambition, their bloodlust, to create the conditions it needed.”
“Something else like what?” Derek demanded.
Elder Grey exchanged glances with the other council members before answering. “There are old stories. Very old. About creatures that feed on supernatural conflict. That grow stronger with each drop of power-rich blood spilled.”
“Vampire legends,” Marcus dismissed. “Children’s stories.”
“All legends have roots in truth, Alpha Stone,” Elder Black Hawk said solemnly. “And the signs we’re seeing now—watchers in the woods, energy gathering around your mate, the pull that draws so many powerful beings to one place—they echo those old stories.”
“So you’re saying we shouldn’t hold the duel here,” Derek concluded. “That it’s too dangerous.”
“On the contrary,” Elder Grey said, surprising both brothers.
“The duel must proceed as planned. The challenge has been issued, the response given. Pack law must be upheld.” She tapped her cane against the central altar stone.
“But be vigilant. Watch not just for your enemies, but for what might be watching them.”
“And Kai?” Marcus asked, unable to keep the concern from his voice. “Should he still attend?”
“Your mate must be present,” Elder Redwood confirmed. “The bond requires it. But keep him close. Very close.”
The inspection continued with discussions of ceremonial positioning and security arrangements, but Marcus’ attention was repeatedly drawn to the tree line. Twice more he caught that flash of white among the shadows, and once what might have been a flicker of crimson .
As the elders prepared to depart, Elder Grey pulled Marcus aside. “Your mate’s condition—his inability to shift back. Have you considered that it might be protective rather than problematic?”
Marcus frowned. “Protective how?”
“Sometimes the body knows what the mind does not,” she said cryptically. “Sometimes it chooses the form best suited to survive what comes next.”
“And being stuck as a tiny wolf is somehow advantageous?” Marcus couldn’t keep the skepticism from his voice.
Elder Grey’s lips curved in a slight smile. “Size can be deceiving, Alpha Stone. As can appearance. The smallest wolf may carry the most surprising bite.” She patted his arm. “Watch over him. But also, watch him. You may find your mate has more surprises in store.”
After the elders departed, Marcus and Derek remained in the clearing, conducting their own assessment of the grounds. Derek’s phone buzzed constantly with updates from his security team, each report adding to the brothers’ growing unease.
“Three more sightings,” Derek reported, scanning a text message. “Eastern perimeter. Johnson says they’re moving like nothing he’s ever seen before. ‘Like shadows with purpose’ was his exact phrase.”
“Poetic for a former Marine,” Marcus observed dryly.
“Johnson doesn’t do poetry,” Derek replied. “If he’s using metaphors, he’s spooked.”
Marcus nodded, taking a final look around the clearing. “Have the team set up thermal imaging. Whatever these watchers are, they have to give off some kind of heat signature.”
“Already done,” Derek confirmed. “And I’ve doubled the guard at the manor. Caleb’s with Kai, and Min-seo is doing another one of her rituals.”
“Let’s hope it works this time.” Marcus sighed. “I miss his voice. ”
“You miss him calling you an ‘overbearing alpha with control issues’?” Derek raised an eyebrow.
“I miss all of it,” Marcus admitted. “The sass, the sarcasm, the way he stands up to us despite being half our size.” He ran a hand through his hair. “And I’m worried about bringing him here. If the elders are right and something is targeting him…”
“Then he’s safest with us,” Derek finished firmly. “Three alphas, a full security team, the council, and whatever the hell Min-seo is. If anything tries to touch him, they’ll have to go through all of us.”
Marcus nodded, taking one last look at the ancient stone circle before turning back toward their vehicle.
As they drove away, neither brother noticed the figure watching from the highest branches of an old pine—a slender form dressed in white, its movements too fluid to be entirely human.
Nor did they see the crimson scales that briefly flashed on the wrist of a hiker passing on a nearby trail, a forked tongue tasting the air where the wolves had stood.
The watchers had been patient for years. They could be patient a little longer. After all, the moon would be full tomorrow night, and the heir to two bloodlines would be exactly where they needed him to be.