Claimed by my Mate’s Brother

Chapter 7:Shadows in the Blood

Grayson

Dawn was bleeding into the forest when I opened my eyes. Not in golden streaks, but in pale, cold light that filtered through the canopy like a whisper of warning. The kind of morning that followed bloodshed.

Amara was curled against me, her face nestled against my chest, fingers loosely tangled in the chain that hung around my neck. Her warmth soaked into my skin like it belonged there. Her scent—jasmine and steel, laced now with a hint of arousal—was tattooed onto every breath I took. Kael lay quiet but alert in the back of my mind, his presence a hum of tension and satisfaction.

He was watching her the way a wolf watches his moon: reverent and territorial.

I ran my hand through her hair slowly, savoring the silken feel. My other arm tightened around her waist. She shifted, unconsciously seeking more of me in her sleep. And f**k if that didn’t unravel something inside me.

“She fits,” Kael whispered. “She was made for us.”

We hadn’t slept long, but it had been the deepest rest I’d felt in years.

I breathed her in again, voice low and rough. “I’m not letting you go, little Luna. Not now. Not ever.”

Her breath hitched.

“Grayson...?”

Gods. Her voice was sleep-rough, raw silk.

“I’m here.” I brushed my knuckles along her cheek. Her lashes fluttered open, and those storm-gray eyes met mine. One look. One heartbeat. That’s all it took to undo me.

Amara

I woke cradled in his heat, my cheek against his bare chest, the steady drum of his heart beneath my ear. It should’ve been disorienting.

It wasn’t.

Grayson felt like the only real thing in a world full of lies.

His scent pulled me deeper into the cocoon of his arms. That mix of woodsmoke, leather, and a sharp masculine spice—bold and wild. And underneath it all, a thread of jasmine. My scent. Blending with his.

Sera stirred, stretching in the back of my mind. “He’s here. He stayed. He’s ours.”

My wolf was content in a way she never had been before. Not with Cassian. Not even close.

I should’ve been heartbroken.

Cassian had been my fated mate—at least that’s what I believed. But when he rejected me, there was no pain in the bond. Just silence. Cold and immediate.

And now? Now I could feel this heat. This tension.

This connection.

I lifted my head slightly, tracing my fingers down Grayson’s chest. His muscles twitched beneath my touch. His eyes tracked every movement, pupils dark and dilated.

“You stayed,” I whispered.

“I’ll always stay.”

The promise in his voice stirred something fierce in my chest.

“I thought Cassian—”

“Don’t,” he growled softly, his arms shifting as he sat up, pulling me into his lap until I straddled him. The early light painted golden edges along his shoulders and jaw. His hands gripped my hips like I was the only thing keeping him grounded.

“Don’t say his name while you’re wrapped around me.”

My breath caught. His intensity was intoxicating.

“He gave you up, Amara. He threw away what the Elders claimed was fate.”

I frowned. “Claimed?”

Grayson’s expression shifted—less fury, more sorrow.

“They forced the match. The Elders bound you two on paper, not through the Goddess. They wanted political security. A Luna that

wouldn’t challenge the Alpha. They didn’t account for the Moon’s will.”

“Then why did I feel drawn to Cassian?”

“Because you were taught to,” Grayson said. “Because he was familiar. But there was no fire.”

I swallowed.

And yet, with Grayson, I burned.

“Tell me what happened between you and your brother.”

His jaw clenched.

“That’s not a bedtime story, little Luna.”

“I’m not asking for fairy tales. Just truth.”

He exhaled slowly, his thumb brushing over my jaw.

“We were raised like wolves in a cage. Our father wanted two sons—one to lead, one to protect. Cassian got the crown. I got the scars.”

Kael stirred behind his eyes.

“I trained in secret, hunted in the darkest parts of the forest, spilled blood to protect the borders. When I started questioning the

Elders, they exiled me. Said I was too dangerous. Cassian didn’t fight it. He wanted me gone.”

My heart squeezed, but he wasn’t finished.

“The first time I saw you was three summers ago,” he said. “During the Blood Trials.”

I blinked. “What?”

He nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You were training with your mother. You parried a blade with such

precision, I forgot to breathe. You weren’t just strong—you were sharp. Controlled. I remember thinking... if I was Alpha, you’d be my Luna.”

I stared at him, stunned.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because by the time I figured out who you were—Cassian had already set his eyes on you. And for once, I tried to do the right

thing. I stayed away.”

His voice dropped, thick with regret. “But I watched. From the shadows. Every spar. Every run. Every time you walked into the clearing and made the others eat dirt. I regretted not stepping forward every damn day.”

He leaned in, forehead resting against mine.

“And when I saw you standing on that stone, dressed in white, waiting for a bond that didn’t exist... I knew I’d failed you.”

My throat tightened. “You didn’t. You’re here now.”

We sat there, hearts bare, until something cold slid down my spine.

“There’s more, isn’t there?”

Grayson’s eyes sharpened.

“Someone tampered with your claiming ceremony. The bond ritual was poisoned. I caught the scent in the fire smoke—rosemary and wolfsbane.”

I flinched.

“That’s outlawed.”

He nodded.

“Someone didn’t want you claimed. Or they wanted you broken.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know yet. But I’ll find out.”

My skin prickled. Every instinct screamed this was bigger than just rejection.

But as I looked at Grayson, jaw clenched, fury simmering under control, I realized something.

I wasn’t alone.

Whatever storm was coming—we’d face it together.

And the world better pray we failed.

Because if we didn’t?

We’d burn it to the ground.