Page 54 of Marked by Alphas 2: Claimed (The Blood Moon Chronicle #2)

“Fighting,” the old man answered, his voice barely human. “As we all are.”

“There’s no time,” the old woman interrupted, her voice growing weaker. “The marking must be done now, before they break through.”

“But Grandmother,” the youngest of the three protested, “we’re not ready. The ritual requires?—”

“Do it,” she commanded, her authority undeniable even as her life ebbed away. “Mark him. Before they do. He must be yours before he can be theirs.”

The three looked at each other, some silent communication passing between them. Then the oldest nodded, and they surrounded me.

“I’m sorry,” he said, genuine regret in his eyes. “This will hurt.”

Before I could ask what he meant, pain exploded across my lower back and hip—sharp, precise, like claws dragging across my skin. I tried to scream, but the middle brother covered my mouth, his expression grim.

“It’s necessary,” he whispered. “To protect you.”

The youngest went last, his hands shaking slightly as he completed whatever they were doing to me. Through tears of pain, I saw the old woman watching, her expression a mixture of satisfaction and sorrow.

“By blood and claw, by moon and magic,” she chanted, her voice growing stronger for a moment. “We seal this bond until maturity. ”

Power surged through the chamber, making the crystals pulse with blinding light. The mark on my hip burned like ice and fire together, and somewhere above us, something screamed in rage—a sound that wasn’t quite human, wasn’t quite animal.

“It’s done,” the old man said, his massive form shifting slightly as he stood between us and the entrance. “Get him out. The back way.”

“But you—” the oldest brother began.

“We’ll hold them off,” the old woman interrupted, her voice now barely audible. “Take the boy. Keep him safe. When the time comes… claim him properly.”

The ceiling shook, dust and small stones raining down as something massive impacted the ground above.

“GO!” the old man roared, his form shifting fully to wolf now—the largest wolf I’d ever seen, black as midnight with eyes like burning coals.

The three brothers pulled me toward a hidden passage at the back of the chamber.

The last thing I saw before the darkness swallowed us was the old woman rising from the altar, golden light surrounding her as she faced the entrance, where something crimson and hungry was beginning to seep through the cracks…

I woke with a gasp, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. The dream—no, the memory—was already fading, but the emotions remained: terror, confusion, pain… and the overwhelming sense of loss.

“Mom,” I whispered, my voice cracking.

“Kai? Holy shit, you’re awake!”

I turned to see Luke leaping from a chair beside my bed, his face a mixture of relief and concern. He practically tackled me in a hug, though he was careful of the IV in my arm that I hadn’t even noticed until that moment.

“You scared the crap out of me,” he said against my shoulder. “Two days, Kai. You’ve been out for two freaking days.”

“Two days?” I repeated, my voice sounding like I’d gargled with gravel. “What happened? The last thing I remember is…”

The stone circle. The crimson mist. The transformation.

“I turned into a dragon,” I said, the words sounding ridiculous even as I knew they were true. “An actual scales-and-fire dragon. That’s… new.”

Luke pulled back, studying my face with unusual intensity. “Your eyes,” he said softly. “They’re different.”

“Different how?” I asked, alarm shooting through me. “Please tell me I don’t have slitted pupils or something equally nightmare-inducing. I refuse to wear colored contacts for the rest of my life.”

“No, but…” He reached for his phone on the bedside table and switched to the camera function, turning it so I could see myself.

I looked like absolute hell—pale as a corpse, with dark circles under my eyes that would make a raccoon jealous and my hair sticking up in ways that defied both physics and fashion.

But it was my eyes that caught my attention.

They were still hazel, still shaped the same, but now there were unmistakable gold flecks scattered throughout the iris, catching the light in a way that was definitely not human.

“Great,” I muttered. “Because being a quarter-wolf wasn’t complicated enough. Now I’ve got disco-ball eyes to match my apparent dragon heritage. Any other body modifications I should know about? Scales? Horns? A sudden urge to hoard shiny objects?”

“The eyes are pretty much it,” Luke replied, his lips twitching. “For now, anyway. But they were glowing earlier when you were d reaming. Full-on supernatural night-light glowing. You were also talking in your sleep.”

“Saying what?” I asked, though I had a sinking feeling I knew.

“Mostly your mom’s name. And something about running, not looking back.” Luke hesitated. “And you mentioned fog.”

I shivered, the memory of crimson mist still too fresh. “I was dreaming about that night. Nine years ago, when we left Cedar Grove. Except it wasn’t really a dream—it was a memory. One I couldn’t access before.”

“Your mom did something to your memories,” Luke guessed, settling on the edge of the bed. “Eomma said that might be the case. Some kind of protective seal.”

“That tracks,” I said, pushing myself into a more upright position with a wince.

Every muscle in my body ached, like I’d run a marathon and then been hit by a truck.

“Mom always was big on the whole ‘protection at all costs’ thing. I just didn’t realize that included supernatural memory blocks.

Would’ve been nice if she’d included that little detail in her ‘in case of my death’ letter. ”

“What do you remember?” Luke asked, ignoring my deflection.

“The… crimson mist… it attacked us that night,” I said, the pieces finally coming together. “Not just the Blackwoods—though they were there too. It was after me specifically. Because of what I am.”

“The twice-blessed child,” Luke quoted. “Dragon and wolf.”

“You’ve been doing your homework,” I observed, raising an eyebrow. “Since when did you become the supernatural expert?”

“Since my best friend turned into a dragon-human hybrid and passed out for two days,” Luke replied dryly.

“I’ve had to do some crash-course learning.

Plus, there’s currently a small army of white-robed tiger ninja types camping in the garden who are very e ager to share information about your ‘illustrious maternal lineage.’”

“White-robed what now?” I asked, my head spinning with this new information. “You mean those White Tiger Clan people with the old man? And what do you mean, they’re camping in the garden?”

“They’re supposed to be some kind of ancient protectors of dragon bloodlines. Which apparently includes you,” Luke explained.

“My mom never mentioned anything about tiger protectors,” I said. “Though I guess there was a lot she never told me.”

“They’ve set up some kind of traditional camp in the east garden,” Luke continued. “Maria’s been feeding them like they’re visiting royalty and practically bowing every time they mention your mother’s name.”

“Maria knows?” I asked, alarm shooting through me. “About all of this?”

“Everyone knows, Kai,” Luke said gently. “You kind of transformed into a dragon-human hybrid thing in front of the entire supernatural community. It wasn’t exactly subtle.”

“Perfect,” I groaned, sinking back against the pillows. “So much for keeping a low profile. I was really hoping to maintain at least some semblance of normality.”

“Normality?” Luke snorted. “Dude, you’re mated to three alpha werewolves and you just discovered you’re part dragon royalty. The normality ship has sailed, crashed into an iceberg, sunk to the bottom of the ocean, and is now being eaten by a kraken.”

A soft whine from the foot of the bed caught my attention. I looked down to see Shadow, Storm, and Scout all watching me with uncanny intelligence, their massive forms somehow squeezed onto the end of my hospital-style bed without disturbing any of the medical equipment.

“How long have they been there?” I asked, genuinely surpri sed I hadn’t noticed three wolf-sized dogs literally at my feet.

“Since they carried you in,” Luke replied. “They refuse to leave. The medical staff had to work around them because Derek said anyone who tried to remove them would answer to him personally.”

“Of course he did,” I muttered, though I couldn’t help the warmth spreading through my chest. “God forbid anyone separate the mighty alphas from their property.”

As if sensing they were the topic of conversation, all three dogs perked up, their tails beginning to wag hopefully. Scout actually whined again and inched forward, his golden eyes fixed on my face with what could only be described as canine concern.

“Hey, guys,” I said softly, reaching out a hand.

All three immediately surged forward, competing to be the first to receive attention.

Shadow won by virtue of his size, shoving his massive head under my palm with a satisfied huff.

“At least some things haven’t changed. You’re still pushy attention hogs. ”

“They’ve been worried sick,” Luke informed me. “Scout actually howled for hours the first night until Caleb came and sat with him.”

“I’m okay,” I told the dogs, scratching behind Shadow’s ears exactly how he liked. “Or I will be, once someone explains what the hell is going on. Preferably with visual aids and a glossary for all the supernatural terms I’m apparently supposed to know now.”

“That would be my cue to get your mates,” Luke said, standing up. “They made me promise to alert them the second you were properly awake.”

“Wait,” I called as he headed for the door. “Before you go… how bad is it out there? Really?”