Page 105 of Marked By Alphas 2: Claimed

“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…

Iwoke 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 dreaming. 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 eager 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.”

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