Page 70 of Marked By Alphas 2: Claimed

I stood watching long after they were gone, the pouch warm in my hand. I wasn’t alone—three warm bodies surrounded me, their scents wrapping around me like a physical embrace.

“Ready?” Marcus asked, his hand finding the small of my back, that simple touch sending heat spiraling through me.

“For what?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

“Time to meet your wolf,” Caleb said, his smile promising both danger and delight.

Derek’s hand closed around mine, strong and steady. “We’ll be with you every step.”

As they led me toward the training area, I couldn’t help wondering what exactly I was about to unleash. Whatever it was, I had a feeling nothing would be the same after today.

And strangely enough, I was okay with that.

The training area was nothing like I’d expected. I’d imagined some high-tech facility with monitors and equipment, maybe medical staff standing by in case I grew an extra ear or something. Instead, we headed deep into the forest behind the manor, following a path that gradually disappeared until we were walking through pristine wilderness.

“Where exactly are we going?” I asked, stepping over a fallen log. “If this is where you secretly dispose of quarter-wolves who fail Shifting 101, I should warn you I’ve left detailed notes with Luke.”

Marcus’ lips twitched. “No disposal plans. Just privacy.”

“Shifting is… intimate,” Derek added, his voice dropping on that last word in a way that made my insides do gymnastics. “Not something for an audience.”

“Oh good, just the four of us for my potentially catastrophic transformation. Much better.”

We emerged into a small clearing ringed by ancient trees. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, creating dappled patterns on the moss-covered ground. At the center stood a large flat stone, its surface worn smooth by what looked like centuries of use.

“This is the heart of Stone territory,” Marcus explained, his voice taking on a formal quality. “Our family has shifted here for generations.”

“Our mother brought us here for our first shifts,” Caleb added, his usual playfulness subdued. “It’s… sacred ground.”

“No pressure or anything,” I said, but even my sarcasm couldn’t completely mask my awe. The clearing felt different—like walking into a cathedral after hours of wandering in a crowded mall. My skin prickled with awareness, that strange part of me that had been waking up since I arrived in Cedar Grove suddenly alert and reaching.

“What do I do?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Is there a special dance? Magic words? Do I need to howl at the nonexistent moon?”

“First,” Derek said, his eyes gleaming with something that definitely wasn’t just amusement, “you need to be comfortable. Clothes don’t shift with you.”

I blinked. “You want me to get naked? Here? Now?”

“You’ve seen us shift before,” Caleb reminded me, his lips twitching. “You know how it works.”

“Yeah, but watching you guys strip down is a completely different experience than doing it myself,” I countered. “You three look like you walked off fitness magazine covers.”

“You’re filling out nicely,” Derek observed, his eyes tracking over my frame with obvious appreciation.

“Unless you want to destroy those jeans,” Derek continued, “clothes off is the only option. First shifts are hard enough without worrying about shredding your wardrobe.”

“They’re from a clearance rack,” I corrected automatically, then realized that was so not the point. “Wait, you’re serious? Full birthday suit in the middle of the woods?”

“We can turn around if you prefer,” Marcus offered, though the heat in his eyes suggested he’d rather do anything but.

“Right, because that’s not awkward at all. ‘Don’t mind me, just stripping down for my supernatural debut while you all pretend to be fascinated by tree bark.’”

Despite my protests, my fingers were already fumbling with my shirt buttons. This was ridiculous. We’d had plenty of heated make-out sessions that had left me frustrated and aching when they’d pulled away, but we’d never actually crossed that final line. Something about “waiting until I could fully shift” and “mate bond completion” and other werewolf technicalities that seemed designed specifically to drive me insane.

And now, here I was, getting naked for completely non-sexy reasons. The universe had a twisted sense of humor.

“Just… don’t laugh if this goes horribly wrong,” I said, pulling my shirt over my head and trying not to notice how all three pairs of eyes tracked the movement. “And if I end up with extra limbs or something, I expect hazard pay.”

“Never,” Derek promised, his eyes darkening as I reluctantly shed my jeans.

---