Page 51 of Marked by Alphas 2: Claimed (The Blood Moon Chronicle #2)
STONE brOTHERS
M arcus hadn’t left Kai’s side since the binding ritual.
For thirty-six hours, he’d maintained his vigil in the private suite of Stone Manor’s medical wing, watching the steady rise and fall of Kai’s chest as Dr. White monitored his condition. The silver-white scales had receded from Kai’s arms hours ago, leaving behind faint iridescent markings.
“His vitals are stable,” Dr. White said, checking the latest readings. “But his energy patterns are… unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s as if two completely different supernatural signatures are trying to find equilibrium.”
“Dragon blood,” Derek said from his position by the window, where he’d been staring out at the forest for the past hour. “All this time, we thought we were protecting a quarter-wolf with First Pack heritage. We had no idea.”
“Grandmother knew,” Caleb said quietly from the other side of Kai’s bed. “She must have. It’s why she was so insistent about the marking.”
Marcus ran a hand through his hair, exhaustion and revelation warring for dominance in his mind. The events at the stone circle had shattered everything they thought they knew about that night nine years ago—about the Blackwoods, about their parents’ deaths, about Kai.
“How could we have missed it?” Marcus asked, his voice barely audible. “All these years, we’ve been watching him, protecting him, and we never once suspected…”
“The dragon blood was dormant,” Dr. White offered, her professional demeanor softening slightly. “According to my readings, it was deliberately sealed—likely by his mother. Without the attack triggering it, it might have remained dormant indefinitely.”
“Small comfort,” Derek replied, his military training the only thing keeping his emotions in check. “We should have known. We should have been prepared.”
“For what?” Caleb challenged, rare frustration coloring his tone. “For ancient evil fog monsters? For secret dragon bloodlines? For serpent cults? None of us could have predicted this, Derek.”
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Johnson entered, his usually stoic expression betraying his own fatigue. The security team had been working in shifts since their return, securing the manor against potential threats.
“Sir, the Council of Elders has arrived,” he announced. “All of them.”
Marcus exchanged glances with his brothers. The full council rarely convened outside their formal chambers, especially not at a private residence. Their presence spoke volumes about the gravity of the situation.
“Show them to the great hall,” Marcus instructed. “We’ll be there shortly.”
“Sir, there’s more,” Johnson continued. “The Blackwood brothers are with them. And about the Knox Pack…” he hesitated, which was unusual for him. “They’re still camped at the edge of our territory. Their new alpha is requesting permission to… check on Kai’s condition.”
Marcus almost smiled at that. The Knox wolves’ transformation from enemies to devoted protectors had been one of the more unexpected outcomes of the confrontation. “Tell them Kai is recovering and we’ll send word when he’s able to receive visitors.”
“And the White Tiger Clan?” Johnson added, his expression making it clear he found the situation less than ideal. “They’ve… established themselves in the east garden.”
“Established themselves?” Derek’s head snapped up. “What exactly does that mean?”
Johnson cleared his throat. “They’ve set up what appears to be a traditional camp.
Fifteen of them, complete with white silk yurts, meditation areas, and some sort of…
altar. They’re burning incense and performing rituals that Miguel says are actually making his prize hydrangeas bloom out of season. ”
“They’re camping in our garden?” Caleb asked, incredulous. “Just… camping? Like it’s a supernatural Coachella?”
“Their leader says they will not leave until they have confirmed their ‘young lord’ is safe and properly instructed in his heritage,” Johnson reported. “Maria has been… accommodating them.”
“Accommodating?” Marcus raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, sir. She’s been serving them meals personally and asking them questions about Kai’s maternal lineage. She seems quite… enthusiastic about having ‘royal blood’ in the family, as she puts it. She’s already rearranged Kai’s suite three times to make it more ‘befitting his station.’”
Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose. Between the Knox Pack at their borders, the White Tiger Clan turning their garden into a mystical encampment, and now Tía Maria embracing Kai’s apparent royal heritage with concerning enthusiasm, the Stone territory was becoming increasingly chaotic .
“Have Jorge prepare refreshments for the council,” he said finally. “And tell Tía Maria to hold off on any more… royal renovations until Kai is actually conscious to object to them.”
Johnson nodded and withdrew, leaving the brothers alone with their unconscious mate.
“We should go,” Derek said, though he made no move toward the door. “The council won’t wait forever.”
“I don’t want to leave him,” Caleb admitted, his fingers gently brushing a strand of hair from Kai’s forehead.
“Tía Maria and Jorge are just outside,” Marcus reminded him. “And Shadow, Storm, and Scout haven’t left the door since we returned. He’ll be protected.”
Still, none of them moved immediately. The events at the stone circle had shaken them to their core—not just Kai’s transformation, but the revelation that the enemy they’d blamed for nine years might not have been the real threat after all.
“It wasn’t just the Blackwoods,” Derek finally said, voicing what they’d all been thinking. “That night. The Blood Moon massacre. It wasn’t just them.”
“No,” Marcus agreed, his voice tight with suppressed emotion. “It was the Coven. Using them. Using us. Feeding on the conflict.”
“And Grandmother knew,” Caleb added softly. “She saw it, in those final moments. That’s why she insisted we mark Kai—not just to claim him, but to protect him.”
Marcus nodded, remembering their grandmother’s final words with painful clarity. Mark him. Before they do. He must be yours before he can be theirs. At the time, they’d thought she meant the Blackwoods. Now they understood she’d seen a far greater threat.
“She died to protect him,” Derek said, the realization hitting him anew. “They all did.”
“And now it’s our responsibility to make sure their sacrifice wasn ’t in vain,” Marcus replied, forcing himself to stand. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Kai’s forehead.
The walk to the great hall felt longer than usual, each brother lost in his own thoughts. The manor was unusually quiet, the staff giving them space to process the events of the past two days.
The great hall, with its soaring ceilings and massive fireplace, had been prepared for the council meeting.
The ancient oak table that had witnessed centuries of pack decisions dominated the center of the room.
Around it sat the five remaining members of the Cedar Grove Pack Council: Elder Grey, her silver hair gleaming in the firelight; Elder Redwood, his dark features solemn; Elder Rivers, his diplomatic posture already signaling his desire to mediate; and Elders Standing Bear and Black Hawk, their weathered faces betraying nothing of their thoughts.
At the far end of the table, deliberately separated from the council, sat the three Blackwood brothers.
Xander, with his aristocratic bearing; James, his fighter’s instincts evident in his alert posture; and Liam, whose scholarly interest couldn’t quite mask his obvious excitement at being present for such a historic meeting.
Elder Grey rose as the Stone brothers entered, her silver cane tapping against the stone floor. Despite her age, her voice carried the unmistakable authority of one who had led a pack through countless crises.
“Alpha Stone,” she greeted Marcus formally. “We have much to discuss.”
“Indeed, we do,” Marcus replied, taking his place at the head of the table, Derek and Caleb flanking him. “Starting with why the council never informed us about the Coven.”
A tense silence fell over the room. The elders exchanged glances, a silent communication passing between them that spoke of old secrets and older regrets.
“We believed it destroyed,” Elder Redwood finally said, his deep v oice resonating in the great hall. “The ritual your grandmother performed with her dying breath was meant to banish it permanently.”
“Clearly, it didn’t work,” Derek observed, his voice deceptively calm. Only his brothers could see the tension in his shoulders, the barely contained rage.
“No ritual, no matter how powerful, can truly destroy the Coven,” Elder Standing Bear explained. “It is not a single entity but a collective consciousness, feeding on supernatural conflict. It can be weakened, banished, bound—but never truly destroyed.”
“And you didn’t think this was information we needed?” Caleb asked, his usual playfulness nowhere in evidence. “For nine years, we’ve believed the Blackwoods were solely responsible for our parents’ deaths.”
“Because that was easier to accept than the truth,” Elder Black Hawk said, his weathered face grave. “Easier to hate another pack than to face an enemy you cannot see, cannot fight in traditional ways.”
“We were wrong to keep this from you,” Elder Rivers admitted, his diplomatic skills evident in his measured tone. “But at the time, with the pack in chaos and three young alphas suddenly thrust into leadership, adding the knowledge of an ancient evil seemed… unwise.”
“Unwise,” Marcus repeated, the word sharp with suppressed anger. “Our mate has been targeted by this ‘ancient evil’ since he was a child, and you thought it unwise to warn us?”
“Your grandmother knew,” Elder Grey interjected, her weathered fingers tracing patterns on the ancient table. “In her final moments, she saw what was coming. The pre-marking was her solution—binding Kai to you three before the Coven could claim him.”