Page 122 of Marked By Alphas 2: Claimed

Water sluiced down Kai’s body, accentuating every line, every curve, every newly defined muscle. His jet-black hair, darkened further by the water, created a stark contrast against his luminescent skin. The combination was mesmerizing—like moonlight captured in human form.

He’s glowing, Caleb observed, awe mixing with desire in his internal voice.

The dragon blood, Marcus confirmed, noting how Kai’s skin seemed to shimmer under the water, a subtle iridescence that hadn’t been there before his awakening.

Beautiful, Derek added, his wolf pushing against his control as Kai reached for the soap, working it into a lather between his hands before slowly—very slowly—running them over his chest, down his stomach, across his thighs.

Through their bond, the brothers shared a surge of pride mixedwith frustrated desire. Their little mate was proving himself worthy of them in ways they hadn’t anticipated—clever, defiant, and utterly fearless in the face of three alpha wolves. And his body… his body was a masterpiece of supernatural evolution, the perfect blend of human grace and otherworldly power.

“When we get out of here,” Caleb promised, his voice rough with desire, “you’re going to regret this.”

“No,” Kai corrected, his hands continuing their deliberate journey across his body, “I’m going to enjoy it. The question is, how much are you going to suffer through dinner first?”

He turned, giving them his back again, running soapy hands over his shoulders and down his spine.

Marcus felt his wolf slam against his mental barriers, demanding release. The sight of those slender fingers tracing paths they longed to follow was maddening. Through their bond, he sensed his brothers’ similar torment—each of them imagining those hands on their bodies instead, those elegant fingers wrapped around them, stroking with the same teasing deliberation.

The soap highlighted the pre-marking scars at the base of Kai’s spine—the triangle that had bound them together for nine years, now more prominent as his awakening neared completion. All three wolves howled internally at the sight, recognizing their claim on his flesh even as they were prevented from reinforcing it.

Those marks need refreshing, Derek’s thought was almost feral.Need to make them permanent.

Need to add more, Caleb agreed, his usual playfulness entirely absent.Mark every inch of him.

“This is what happens,” Kai continued, glancing over his shoulder to meet their heated gazes, “when you leave me worked up with no relief.”

“We were being considerate,” Marcus ground out, his knuckles white where he gripped the sauna bench. The wood splintered under his fingers, supernatural strength responding to his fraying control. “Giving you time.”

“Maybe I don’t want time,” Kai replied, turning to face them fully, making no attempt to hide his own arousal. “Maybe I want you to stop treating me like I might break.”

Derek’s wolf surged forward at the challenge in those words. The military man had spent decades mastering his self-control, but now it was crumbling like sand against the tide. His enhanced vision caught every detail—water droplets racing down Kai’s chest, the flush spreading across his skin, the way his pulse hammered visibly at his throat. That throat that begged for teeth, for claiming marks that would tell the world who Kai belonged to.

Want to mark that throat, Derek’s thought was barely coherent.Want everyone to see.

Want everyone to know he’s ours, Marcus agreed, his own wolf pacing restlessly behind his human facade.

Kai’s hand drifted lower, trailing down his stomach with deliberate slowness. “You know,” he said conversationally, though his voice had grown husky, “I’ve been having the most interesting dreams lately.”

“Kai,” Marcus warned, his voice barely human now. “Don’t.”

The warning fell on deaf ears as Kai’s hand drifted lower still. “Dreams about three wolves. Three very… attentive wolves.” His fingers wrapped around himself, drawing a soft gasp that echoed through the gym. “Who do all sorts of delicious things to me.”

Caleb’s imagination ignited at the words, vivid images flooding his mind—Kai beneath him, around him, those small hands clutching at his shoulders, those perfect lips parted on breathless moans. The fantasy was so real he could almost taste Kai’s skin, feel the heat of him. His wolf howled in frustration, clawsscratching at his insides, demanding they break free and turn those dreams into reality.

The brothers’ enhanced vision was both blessing and curse now—allowing them to see every minute detail of Kai’s self-pleasure while emphasizing the barrier between them. Those delicate hands that should be on their bodies, that mouth that should be gasping their names, that lithe form that should be pinned beneath them—all tantalizingly visible but untouchable behind the glass.

“Sometimes,” Kai continued, his breathing growing more ragged, “it’s Marcus who takes control first. He pins me down, makes me beg…” He twisted his wrist, drawing another gasp from his lips. “His mouth is everywhere, claiming every inch of me.”

Marcus’ mind filled with the image—Kai spread beneath him, wrists pinned above his head, writhing as Marcus tasted every inch of his skin. His wolf roared at the vision, seeing it not as fantasy but as rightful claim delayed. The alpha in him recognized the challenge in Kai’s display and hungered to answer it with overwhelming dominance.

Mine to claim, his wolf snarled.Mine to mark.

Ours, his brothers’ wolves corrected through the bond, their shared possessiveness vibrating between them.

“Other times,” Kai went on, increasing his pace slightly, “it’s Derek. He’s rougher, more demanding. His hands leave bruises that I can feel for days…” He let his head fall back, water cascading over his face as his hips began to move in rhythm with his hand. “He marks me so everyone knows I’m his.”

Derek’s control shattered further, his eyes shifting fully to wolf amber as Kai’s words painted pictures in his mind. He could see it—his hands gripping those slender hips hard enough to bruise, Kai’s smaller body arched beneath him, taking everything Derek gave him and begging for more. His fingers itched to recreate those imagined bruises, to leave visible evidence of their claiming on Kai’s perfect skin.

The sauna’s glass was fogging from their rising body heat, their wolves pushing their core temperatures higher as primal instincts overrode human restraint. Derek pressed his palm against the glass, leaving a clear handprint in the condensation—a futile attempt to reach their mate.

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