Page 58 of Marked by Alphas 2: Claimed (The Blood Moon Chronicle #2)
“God, don’t remind me. The Knox Pack brought another one yesterday.
With actual gold inlay. Who even does that?
” I turned to face him, trying not to get distracted by how good he smelled.
“I’m starting to think my mom had the right idea, hiding me in the human world.
At least there, the biggest drama was whether pineapple belongs on pizza. ”
“It doesn’t,” Caleb said firmly, then his expression grew more serious. “You know you don’t have to deal with any of this if you don’t want to. We meant what we said about choices.”
I snorted. “Right. Because I have so many choices when my body temperature could heat a small house and I accidentally set things on fire when I sneeze.” I poked his chest. “Face it, you’re stuck with your disaster dragon-wolf hybrid mate.”
His eyes darkened at the word ‘mate,’ and suddenly the air felt thick with something that had nothing to do with my newfound fire abilities. “Is that what you want?” he asked softly. “To be stuck with us?”
“Well, lucky for you, everything else in my life is a complete dumpster fire right now. The one thing I’m actually sure about is you three. Which probably means I need serious therapy, but…” I reached up to touch his face. “What if I’m tired of waiting?”
His breath caught, pupils dilating. “Kai…”
“I’m serious,” I said, surprising myself with how much I meant it. “Between the Coven trying to eat me, the Knox Pack wanting to worship me, and the White Tiger Clan turning my bathroom into a shrine, I could use something normal. Well, supernatural-normal. You know what I mean.”
“Are you sure?” Caleb asked, his voice rough. “Because once we claim you fully, there’s no going back. No refunds, no exchanges.”
“Like I could return three slightly used alpha wolves anyway,” I quipped, then nodded. “I’m sure. I want this—want you. All of you.”
The smile that spread across Caleb’s face was breathtaking. “I should get the others.”
“You should,” I agreed, neither of us moving an inch.
We stared at each other for a long moment, and I could practically feel the temperature in the room rising. Then we both moved at once, lips colliding in a kiss that started as a spark and quickly blazed into an inferno.
I’d expected gentleness—they’d been treating me like I might shatter for days—but Caleb kissed me like a man starving, and I was only too happy to be the meal. His tongue swept into my mouth, claiming and possessive in a way that had heat pooling low in my belly.
“God, I’ve wanted to do this for days,” he murmured against my lips, his hands sliding up to cradle my face. “You have no idea how hard it’s been to keep my distance.”
“Then don’t,” I whispered, nipping at his lower lip because I could never resist pushing buttons, even sexy ones.
Bad idea. Or excellent idea. Caleb growled—actually growled—and suddenly I was pinned beneath him, his weight deliciously heavy as he deepened the kiss to something that had me seeing stars.
“You’re playing with fire, baby,” he warned, his eyes flashing that electric blue that meant his wolf was close to the surface.
“Good thing I’m part dragon, then,” I shot back, arching against him and being rewarded with a groan that vibrated through both of us.
His hands slid under my shirt, leaving trails of fire across my skin that had nothing to do with my new dragon abilities. When his thumb brushed across my nipple, I nearly levitated off the bed.
“Sensitive,” he observed, looking way too pleased with himself.
“Don’t look so smug,” I gasped, then promptly lost the ability to form coherent sentences as he pushed my shirt up and replaced his thumb with his mouth.
Holy hell. If this was what being claimed felt like, I should have said yes days ago. The wet heat of his tongue had me making sounds that would definitely come back to haunt me later, but I couldn’t bring myself to care .
“Caleb,” I managed, my hands fisting in his hair. “Oh God?—”
“I love the way you say my name,” he murmured against my skin. “Say it again.”
“Caleb,” I obliged, because apparently I was now taking orders, and I didn’t even mind. The word ended on a moan as he switched to my other nipple, giving it the same thorough attention.
He worked his way back up my chest, leaving a trail of kisses and gentle bites that had me squirming beneath him. When he reached my neck, he paused, his breath hot against the sensitive skin just below my ear.
“You smell so good,” he growled, inhaling deeply. “Like us, but also something uniquely you. It drives our wolves crazy.”
I tilted my head, instinctively offering more access. “Then do something about it,” I challenged, because apparently near-death experiences hadn’t cured my habit of poking dangerous things with sticks.
His teeth grazed my neck, not hard enough to break skin but definitely hard enough to leave a mark. The sensation sent liquid heat pooling low in my belly, my body responding to his dominance in ways that should have been embarrassing but just felt right.
I could feel the hard evidence of his desire against my thigh, and I shifted, deliberately creating friction that made him groan against my neck.
“Tease,” he accused, his voice rough with desire.
“You started it,” I shot back, gasping as his hand slid between us to cup me through my jeans.
“And I intend to finish it,” he promised.
I was about to respond with something appropriately snarky, but then the door burst open, and two distinct growls filled the room. We broke apart to find Marcus and Derek standing in the doorway, their eyes glowing with barely contained desire and more than a little possessiveness .
“Started without us, I see,” Marcus said, his voice deceptively calm despite the crimson glow of his eyes.
Caleb grinned, unrepentant. “Just warming him up for you.”
I should have been embarrassed, caught half-undressed and thoroughly debauched. Instead, I felt a thrill of anticipation race through me at the heated looks all three brothers were giving me.
“Well,” I said, my voice huskier than normal, “are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to join us? The Rivera Pack can wait—this can’t.”
The answering growls from all three brothers told me dinner with the Rivera Pack was about to become a much lower priority.
Derek was on me in an instant, practically shoving Caleb aside to claim his spot.
His mouth crashed into mine with none of Caleb’s finesse—all raw hunger and barely contained power.
His kiss was pure dominance, demanding surrender in a way that should have triggered my fight response but instead had me melting faster than ice cream in August.
“Been watching through the pack bond,” he growled against my lips, his hands rough as they pushed my shirt higher. “Driving me crazy.”
“Poor baby,” I gasped, arching as his calloused fingers found my already sensitized nipples. “So difficult for you—ah!”
His teeth sank into the juncture of my neck and shoulder, not breaking skin but definitely marking territory. The sharp pleasure-pain of it had my hips bucking involuntarily, seeking friction that had him growling his approval.
“That’s it,” he murmured, his voice that dangerous rumble that bypassed my brain and went straight to my groin. “Let us hear you.”
“You’re all… impossible,” I managed, my body betraying me with every touch. Derek’s tactical precision apparently extended to findi ng every sensitive spot I possessed, because I was rapidly becoming a whimpering mess under his skilled assault.
“My turn,” Marcus’ voice cut through my Derek-induced haze, smooth and commanding in a way that had both Derek and me responding instantly.
Derek’s weight shifted, but he didn’t go far—just moved to my other side, his mouth finding my neck again as Marcus claimed my lips in a kiss that was somehow even more devastating than his brothers’.
Where Derek conquered, Marcus possessed—methodical, thorough, and so damn intense I could feel it in my toes.
His tongue swept into my mouth with confident precision, tasting and exploring like he had all the time in the world. One large hand cradled my jaw, tilting my head for better access, while the other slid beneath me to cup my ass, pulling me firmly against him.
Holy hell. If I’d thought I was in trouble before, this was a whole new level of danger.
I could feel the hard evidence of his desire pressing against me, hot and insistent even through layers of clothing.
When I shifted experimentally against him, the growl that vibrated through his chest had me seeing stars.
“Careful, little mate,” he warned, his voice a dark promise that had my skin tingling. “Unless you want this to be over before it begins.”
“Maybe I do,” I challenged, because apparently my self-preservation instinct had taken a permanent vacation.
His eyes flashed crimson, and for a moment I thought I’d pushed too far. But then Caleb’s hands were sliding up my thighs, his touch teasing but insistent as he reclaimed his place in our tangled configuration.
“So impatient,” he teased, but his voice was strained, betraying his own desire. “We have all night.”
“We have dinner with the Rivera Pack,” I reminded them, trying to sound annoyed but failing miserably as Derek’s teeth found my earlobe.
“Plenty of time,” Derek murmured, his breath hot against my skin.
“For a preview,” Marcus clarified, his hands sliding under my shirt again, pushing it up and off in one smooth motion.
The cool air hit my overheated skin, but I barely had time to register it before I was surrounded by them again—Marcus’ mouth reclaiming mine, Derek’s teeth and tongue working magic along my collarbone, and Caleb…
“Oh God,” I gasped as Caleb’s mouth closed around my nipple, his tongue flicking the sensitive peak in a way that had my back arching off the bed. My hands clutched at whatever I could reach—Marcus’ shoulders, Derek’s hair, Caleb’s back—trying to anchor myself against the onslaught of sensation.
“Sensitive everywhere,” Caleb observed, his voice muffled against my skin. “Wonder how sensitive you are… here.”
His hand slid lower, cupping me through my jeans, and I nearly came undone on the spot. The pressure was perfect—firm but not rough, teasing but not enough—and when he squeezed gently, I couldn’t hold back the embarrassingly needy sound that escaped me.
“That’s it,” Derek encouraged, his hand joining Caleb’s, both of them working me through the denim in a coordinated assault that had my hips bucking helplessly. “Let go for us.”
“Can’t—ah!—all three of you—not fair,” I managed, my brain rapidly losing the ability to form coherent sentences.
Marcus chuckled against my lips, the sound dark and promising. “Life rarely is, little mate.”
His hand slid down to join his brothers’, and I was lost. Three sets of hands, three mouths, all focused on my pleasure with single-minded determination. It was too much and not enough all at once, and I was rapidly approaching the point of no return .
“Please,” I begged. “I need?—”
“We know what you need,” Marcus assured me, his voice a rough caress. “And we’re going to give it to you. Tonight.”
Wait, what?
Marcus pulled back slightly, his eyes still glowing crimson but his expression regaining some of its usual control. “After dinner,” he clarified, though his hand didn’t stop its maddening rhythm against me. “We’ll finish this properly.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I groaned, my body screaming in protest as their touches gentled, becoming less frantic though no less possessive. “You’re seriously going to stop? Now?”
“Not stop,” Derek corrected, his teeth grazing my shoulder one more time. “Pause.”
“Sadists,” I accused, but it came out embarrassingly breathy as Caleb’s tongue traced one last circle around my nipple. “All three of you.”
“Just building anticipation.” Caleb grinned.
“I’ll show you anticipation,” I threatened, summoning what little coordination I had left to slide my hand down Marcus’ chest, tracing the impressive bulge straining against his pants. The growl that rumbled through him was deeply satisfying, as was the way his eyes flashed brighter.
“Dangerous game, little mate,” he warned, capturing my wrist in a grip that was firm but gentle.
“I like dangerous,” I shot back, emboldened by the hunger in his eyes. “And I’m not the one who’s going to be sitting through a formal dinner with the Rivera Pack while thinking about what comes after.”
All three brothers froze, identical expressions of realization crossing their faces. I couldn’t help the smug smile that spread across mine.
“That’s right,” I continued, taking full advantage of their momentary distraction. “You’ll be sitting there, all proper and alpha-like, while I’m right across from you, remembering exactl y how you looked just now. How you sounded. How you felt.”
“Kai,” Marcus’ voice held a warning, but I was beyond caring.
“I’ll be thinking about this,” I continued, freeing my hand from his grip to trace my own chest, following the path their mouths had taken. “And about what happens after dinner. How you’ll finally claim me properly. All three of you.”
The temperature in the room seemed to spike about twenty degrees, and for once, it wasn’t my dragon abilities causing it.
“You’re playing with fire,” Derek growled, his eyes pure silver now.
“Good thing I’m fireproof,” I retorted, feeling more powerful than I had in days. “Now, are you going to get ready for dinner, or are you going to sit there looking like you want to eat me instead of whatever Jorge’s preparing?”
The answering growls told me exactly what they’d prefer to be eating, and I couldn’t help but laugh—a real laugh, free of the stress and fear that had been my constant companions since the transformation.
“Tonight,” Marcus promised, the single word holding more heat than should be legally allowed. “After dinner. No more interruptions, no more waiting.”
They withdrew reluctantly, each stealing one more kiss—Marcus’ controlled but promising, Derek’s rough and claiming, Caleb’s playful but no less intense.
As the door closed behind them, I collapsed back against the pillows, my body still humming with unfulfilled desire.