Page 8 of Marked by Alphas 2: Claimed (The Blood Moon Chronicle #2)

“ L et’s go to the library,” Marcus suggested once we heard the SUV leave. “Now that you know what we are, there are some books about wolf shifters I’d like to show you. Things we couldn’t explain before.”

“Let me guess—not the kind you find in the bookstore’s supernatural romance section?”

His lips twitched. “Let’s just say they’re part of a very private collection.”

I started to stand, but Marcus simply scooped me up. “I can walk!”

“Of course you can,” he agreed, sounding far too pleased with himself. “But why should you when I enjoy holding you?”

“You’re impossible,” I informed him, though I couldn’t help relaxing into his arms. “All of you. Impossible, overprotective, ridiculous?—”

“Devoted,” he corrected, carrying me through the manor’s halls. “Protective. Possessive of what’s ours.”

The library was still as impressive as the first time they’d shown it to me—two stories of floor-to-ceiling shelves, leather furniture, and windows that overlooked perfectly manicured garden s.

Even after several visits, the whole room still screamed ‘old money’ with just a hint of ‘ancient secrets.’

“You know,” I said as Marcus settled into what had become his favorite sofa, keeping me firmly in his lap, “I still think your family commits too hard to the wealthy wolf aesthetic. This is basically Wolf Manor Porn. Have you ever actually done calendar shoots in here? Because I bet they’d sell.”

His chest rumbled with laughter. “Would you like us to?”

“Don’t tempt me. I’ve seen how you three dress for ‘casual’ dinners.”

Shadow padded over to a spot by the fireplace—because of course there was a fireplace—while Marcus reached for a stack of ancient-looking books on the side table.

“These might help answer some of your questions,” he said, his breath warm against my ear. “About what you are, about pack bonds…”

I ran my fingers over the ancient leather binding, trying to focus on the texts instead of how right it felt to be held like this. But another worry nagged at me, one that had been growing since this morning’s call.

“Marcus?” I traced the illustration of pack bonds. “About Luke…”

“Your friend.” It wasn’t a question. Marcus’ arms tightened slightly around me.

“He’s going to want answers. Especially after this morning’s call.” I bit my lip. “Is it… is it safe to tell him? About what I am? About all of this?”

The memory of all those years Mom spent running, hiding, protecting our secret made my chest tight. She died keeping these secrets. And now Luke and his mom—who’d basically adopted me into their family after Mom’s death—they could be in danger just for knowing.

“Tell me about him,” Marcus said quietly.

“He’s my best friend. More like a brother, really.

And his mom— I call her Imo, that’s aunty in Korean, she insisted—she basically adopted me after Mom died.

” I twisted to look at Marcus. “She’s… different.

Always talking about spirits and protection, burning sage, making these special medicinal teas that she keeps locked away.

” I bit my lip. “I don’t want them hurt because of me. Because they know too much.”

“And you can’t stand hiding it from them,” Marcus observed softly.

“No,” I admitted, something tight unwinding in my chest at his understanding. “Luke… he has this way of knowing when something’s wrong. This morning, he just knew. He always knows. And Imo, she worries so much already. They’re the only real family I have left and I…” My voice cracked slightly.

Marcus’ arms tightened around me, one hand coming up to cup my face. “They’re important to you.”

“They’re everything to me,” I whispered. “They took in this random kid who’d lost his mom and made me family. No questions asked, just… love.”

Marcus studied me for a long moment. “The supernatural world is dangerous,” he acknowledged. “But sometimes keeping secrets from those we love can be more dangerous. If he’s truly family to you…”

“Like keeping the whole ‘quarter-wolf destined mate’ thing from me until I got attacked by rival wolves?” I arched an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, secrets worked out great there.”

His lips twitched, though his eyes held a hint of regret. “Point taken, little mate.”

“He is,” I said more seriously. “Family, I mean. The only real family I have left.”

“Then he deserves to know. And we’ll protect them both.”

The simple certainty in his voice made my throat tight. “You can do that?”

“We’re one of the most powerful packs in the region,” he remind ed me, pressing a kiss to my temple that felt like a promise. “Anyone who threatens what’s ours answers to us.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.” His voice held absolute conviction. “They’re your family. That makes them pack adjacent. We protect our own.”

I let out a shaky breath, overwhelmed by the wave of gratitude and something deeper, warmer. “Thank you,” I managed, turning to press my face into his neck. “I don’t know how to… just, thank you.”

His hand stroked down my spine, soothing and possessive all at once. “Always, little mate. Always.”

The warmth of his promise wrapped around me like a blanket, making it hard to focus on the ancient text in my lap. Though honestly, being in Marcus’ lap wasn’t exactly helping my concentration either.

“So these are like, Werewolf 101?” I asked, picking up the top book, its leather binding soft with age, mostly to distract myself from how right he felt and trying to lighten the emotional weight of the moment. “The stuff they don’t teach you in supernatural school?”

“More like advanced studies,” he corrected, and the sudden smirk that crossed his face made me narrow my eyes.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re having a pack conversation right now, aren’t you? With Derek and Caleb?”

“Perhaps.”

“What are they saying?”

His chuckle vibrated through his chest and straight into parts of me that really didn’t need the encouragement. “They’re expressing their… displeasure at missing this particular moment.”

“They’re jealous? ”

“Extremely.” His lips brushed my neck, and okay, focusing on ancient texts was definitely not happening. “Especially since I just shared how perfectly you fit in my lap.”

“That’s just mean,” I managed, yet I made no move to leave said lap. “You’re terrible. All of you.”

“Mm,” he agreed, nipping gently at my ear. “But you like it.”

“I like the books,” I protested weakly. “I’m trying to be a good student here.”

“Are you?” His hand slid up my spine, and whatever witty response I had prepared short-circuited. “Because from here, it seems like you’re being very”—his teeth grazed my neck—“very distracting.”

“I’m literally just sitting here!”

“In my lap,” he pointed out, his voice dropping to that dangerous register that made my toes curl. “Smelling like mate and magic and everything I want to claim.”

“That’s—that’s not fair,” I stammered as his lips found that spot behind my ear that turned my bones to jelly. “You can’t just say things like that when I’m trying to read about… about…”

“About?” he prompted, clearly enjoying my struggle to form coherent sentences.

“About whatever’s in these very important books that you’re making impossible to focus on!”

His laugh was pure sin. “Would you like me to stop?”

“No,” I admitted, letting my head fall back against his shoulder. “But you’re still terrible.”

“The worst,” he agreed, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Now, shall we actually look at these books? Before my brothers return and accuse me of corrupting their mate?”

“Pretty sure we’re past the corruption stage,” I said, but I opened the ancient tome anyway. The pages were filled with elegant script and detailed illustrations of wolves and pack dynamics. “Oh, wow, this is…”

“Our family’s private collection,” Marcus explained, his chin restin g on my shoulder as we looked at the pages together. “Passed down through generations of Stone alphas.”

“And now being used as props in your seduction technique?”

“Is it working?”

I elbowed him but couldn’t help smiling. “Shut up and teach me about wolf stuff. I have questions that need answers before you completely derail my brain.”

His answering growl suggested ‘wolf stuff’ might have to wait, but I was determined to at least try to understand what I was getting into. Even if his mouth on my neck was making that increasingly difficult.

“The Stone Pack has protected this territory for generations,” he murmured against my skin between kisses. “Since before the town was founded.”

“Fascinating,” I managed, torn between genuine interest and the distracting things his tongue was doing to my pulse point. “Tell me more about… mmm… historical stuff. If you can focus long enough to actually teach me anything.”

He chuckled, the sound vibrating through me. “Trying to challenge me with pack history?”

“Is it working?”

“Not even close.” His teeth grazed my neck, making me shiver. “But since you asked… our bloodline carries ancient power. The first wolves weren’t just shifters—they were something more.”

I tried to focus on his words instead of his mouth, genuinely wanting to understand but finding it increasingly difficult with every touch. Marcus Stone giving a history lesson while basically wrapped around me was an exercise in futility. “More how?”

“Different kinds of magic,” he said, one hand sliding under my shirt to trace patterns on my skin. “Different bloodlines bringing unique abilities. The Stone brothers have always appeared when powerful mates were needed.”

“That’s… interesting…” I gasped as he found a particularly sensitive spot, my quest for knowledge rapidly losing to pure sensation. “Very educational… oh God, do that again…”

“Later,” he said, voice dark with promise. “I’ll teach you everything about pack history. Every detail. Every tradition.” Each word was punctuated with a kiss that made coherent thought increasingly difficult. “When you can actually focus on more than what my mouth is doing.”

“That’s your fault,” I accused breathlessly. “You’re the one turning study time into seduction hour.”