Page 78 of Marked by Alphas 2: Claimed (The Blood Moon Chronicle #2)

D eep be neath the earth, where no light had penetrated for centuries, something ancient stirred.

The chamber walls glistened with moisture, their surface carved with symbols so old they predated written language. Crimson light pulsed from these markings, casting eerie shadows across the cavernous space.

A figure draped in serpent-scaled robes knelt before a pool of dark liquid that seemed to absorb rather than reflect the crimson glow. Madame Viper, leader of the Crimson Serpent Society, pressed her palm against the smooth stone floor.

“The binding is complete,” she reported, her voice echoing in the chamber. “The twice-blessed one has claimed his mates.”

The liquid in the pool began to ripple, though no wind disturbed its surface. A voice emerged from its depths—ancient, hungry, and filled with terrible longing.

“I can feel him,” the voice whispered, its tone both reverent and predatory. “His power has awakened fully now. Dragon and wolf, bound together in perfect harmony.”

“The Blood Moon Coven failed to bring him to you,” Madame Viper said, her head still bowed. “They were defeated, their essence scattered.”

“They were merely tools,” the voice dismissed. “Blunt instruments for a delicate task. You will not fail me as they did.”

The liquid in the pool began to coalesce, rising into a vaguely humanoid shape. As it solidified, features became visible—inhumanly beautiful, with eyes like pools of blood and skin pale as death itself.

“For centuries I have waited,” the figure said, its form still partially merged with the dark liquid. “Trapped between worlds by ancient bindings. But the twice-blessed one’s blood can free me. He is merely the first of the seven brides I require to complete my ascension.”

“The Stone Pack protects him,” Madame Viper warned. “And now the White Tiger Clan stands with them. Even the Blackwoods seem to be reconsidering their position.”

“Politics,” the figure scoffed, waving a hand that seemed to dissolve and reform with the movement. “Meaningless distractions. The twice-blessed one is mine by ancient right. My bride. My vessel. My freedom.”

The figure reached out, its arm extending impossibly across the space between them to touch Madame Viper’s forehead. She gasped, her eyes rolling back as visions flooded her mind—blood and fire and a power so ancient it predated the supernatural world as she knew it.

“The Crimson Serpent Society has served me faithfully for generations,” the voice continued, withdrawing its touch. “Now is the time for your greatest service. Bring me the twice-blessed one before the next Blood Moon.”

“It will be done, Lord Carvax,” Madame Viper promised, a thin line of blood trickling from her nose after the mental contact. “The Chen bloodline has escaped us for too long. This last descendant will not slip away.”

“Good.” The figure began to sink back into the pool, its form losing cohesion. “Tell him of me in his dreams. Let him feel my hunger. Prepare him for our union.”

“And the wolves?” Madame Viper asked. “They will die to protect him.”

The figure paused, a terrible smile spreading across its liquid features. “Then they will die.”

As the entity disappeared completely beneath the surface, the crimson light pulsing from the walls intensified briefly before dimming to a malevolent glow. Madame Viper rose, her movements stiff as if in pain.

“Prepare the ritual chambers,” she commanded the hooded figures who had remained in the shadows during the exchange. “Gather the Serpents. We begin tonight.”

The acolytes bowed and retreated, leaving Madame Viper alone with the now-still pool. She gazed into its depths, her expression a mixture of fear and devotion.

“Soon, Lord Carvax,” she whispered. “Soon you will walk the earth again, with the twice-blessed one as your eternal bride.”

In the darkness, something laughed—a sound of ancient hunger finally about to be satisfied.