CLAIMED BY THE ALPHA KING

CHAPTER 3 : HALF BROTHERS

The temperature in the compound dropped about twenty degrees.

Every wolf who'd been watching from a distance was suddenly very interested in being somewhere else. I watched them scatter like leaves in a storm, leaving just the five of us standing in front of the mansion: Darius radiating lethal fury, me wrapped in his coat trying not to have a breakdown, Luna looking like all her dreams had just come true, and Marcus—

Marcus, who was staring at me like I'd risen from the dead.

"You're brothers," I said, because apparently my brain had decided to focus on that particular detail instead of the fact that I was standing in front of the wolf who'd destroyed me, in the territory of the wolf who claimed to be my true mate.

"Half-brothers," Luna corrected cheerfully. "Different mothers, same father. Hence the complicated family dynamics and—"

"Luna," Darius said softly. "Inside. Now."

"But this is just getting—"

"Now."

She held up her hands. "Fine, fine. I'll just be inside, probably listening at the door because I have no shame and this is the most interesting thing that's happened all year." She shot me a grin. "Try not to let him kill Marcus. I mean, he probably deserves it, but the paperwork would be hell."

She disappeared into the house, leaving us in tense silence.

Marcus took a careful step forward. "Sera, I can explain—"

"Don't." The word came out sharper than I intended. "Just... don't."

"You don't understand what happened—"

"I understand perfectly. You stood in front of the pack and said I wasn't good enough. That you'd rather have no mate than me. I believe your exact words were—" I stopped, breathed. "It doesn't matter. It was five years ago. I'm over it."

"You're not over it," Darius said quietly. His hand found the small of my back—possessive, protective, grounding. "And you don't have to pretend you are. Not here. Not with him."

Marcus's eyes tracked the gesture, and something flickered across his face. "You're his mate. You're—" He let out a harsh laugh. "Of course you are. The Moon Goddess has a twisted sense of humor."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"It means—" Marcus ran a hand through his hair, and I could see the exhaustion in his face now, the lines of stress. "Sera, I need to talk to you. Alone."

Darius growled. Actually growled, the sound reverberating through the compound with enough power to make my knees weak. "That's not happening."

"This doesn't concern you—"

"Everything about her concerns me." Darius stepped forward, and despite the fact that Marcus was also an Alpha—I could smell it on him now, that particular edge of command—he backed up automatically. "She's my mate. My responsibility. Mine to protect. And you—" His eyes flashed gold. "—are the last wolf I'd let anywhere near her."

"Darius—"

"Do you know what it's like?" Darius cut him off, his voice dropping to something dangerous and controlled. "To finally find your mate after years of searching, only to discover that some worthless excuse for a wolf damaged her so badly she can't even accept the bond without panicking? Do you have any idea what I felt when she tried to reject me in that alley, when I could feel her terror through our connection?"

Marcus went pale. "I didn't—"

"You broke her." Each word landed like a physical blow. "You took your mate, your goddess-given gift, and you shattered her. And now she's standing here terrified that I'm going to do the same thing." Darius moved closer, forcing Marcus to retreat another step. "So no. You don't get to talk to her alone. You don't get to talk to her at all. You're lucky I'm letting you breathe right now."

"Stop." I put my hand on Darius's arm, felt the tension thrumming through him like a live wire. "Just... stop. Both of you."

They both looked at me.

"Marcus," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Why are you even here?"

He met my eyes, and goddess help me, I could still see the boy I'd loved in that face. The boy who'd promised me forever under the full moon. The boy who'd ripped my heart out three days later. "I'm Beta of Shadowmere now. Have been for two years."

Of course he was.

Of course.

"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered.

"I know how this looks—"

"You have no idea how this looks." I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly exhausted. "I need to leave."

"No." Darius's hand tightened on my back. "You're safe here."

"I'm not safe anywhere near him!"

"Then he leaves."

Marcus went rigid. "This is my pack—"

"I'm your Alpha," Darius said, and the command in his voice made every wolf in hearing distance feel it. "And I'm telling you to leave. Get out of my sight before I forget we share blood and do something we'll both regret."

For a moment, I thought Marcus might actually argue. Then he looked at me—really looked at me—and something crumbled in his expression.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "For what I did. For all of it. I know it doesn't fix anything, but—I'm sorry."

"Don't." My voice cracked despite my best efforts. "Don't apologize now. Not after five years. Not when it doesn't matter anymore."

"It matters—"

"No, it doesn't!" The words exploded out of me. "You rejected me. You chose your pride and your pack politics over our bond. You let me walk away broken and alone, and you didn't—you didn't even—" I stopped, fighting for control. "You didn't come after me. Not once in five years. So don't stand here now and tell me you're sorry. Don't act like it matters."

"I couldn't come after you," Marcus said, and there was genuine anguish in his voice. "You don't understand, Sera. My father—"

"Your father what?" Darius interrupted, his tone sharp. "What did he do?"

Marcus hesitated.

"Tell me," Darius commanded. "Now."

"He ordered the rejection." The words came out flat, defeated. "I was eighteen, about to take the Beta position, and he found out my mate was from Silver Creek—a pack with no political influence, no power, no allies. He said it would weaken our position. That I needed to reject her and find someone more suitable."

Ice water flooded my veins. "You're saying you rejected me because your father told you to?"

"I didn't want to—"

"But you did it anyway."

"I was eighteen! I was—" He stopped. "I was a coward. You're right. I chose power over you. And I've regretted it every single day since."

"Not enough to find me," I said coldly. "Not enough to explain. You just let me think—" My throat closed. "I thought there was something wrong with me. That I wasn't good enough. That I was broken."

Darius's arm slid around my waist, pulling me back against his chest. The gesture was possessive, protective, and exactly what I needed. I leaned into him without thinking, felt his heartbeat against my back, steady and strong.

"You're not broken," he murmured into my hair. "You never were."

Marcus's eyes tracked the movement, and I watched something die in his expression. "You really are his mate."

"Apparently the Moon Goddess has standards," Darius said dryly. "She gave Sera to someone worthy this time."

"Darius—" I started.

"No." He turned me to face him, his hands framing my face with impossible gentleness. "Listen to me. I don't care what he told you. I don't care what his father said or what pack politics were involved. None of that changes the fact that he rejected you. That he let you go. That he chose fear over you." His thumb traced my cheekbone. "I would never. Do you understand me? I would burn every alliance, destroy every connection, tear down my entire kingdom before I let anyone tell me to give you up."

"That's insane," I whispered.

"That's love."

The world stopped.

"You don't—" My voice broke. "You can't love me. You just met me."

"I've been looking for you my entire life." His eyes held mine, silver and absolute. "The mate bond isn't just attraction, Sera. It's recognition. My soul knew yours the moment we touched. And everything else—learning your favorite color, how you take your coffee, what makes you laugh—that's just the bonus."

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't do anything except stare into those devastating silver eyes and feel the bond between us blazing like a star.

"Say something," he murmured.

"I—"

A howl cut through the night.

Not close. Far off, at the edge of the territory. But unmistakable in its urgency.

Darius's entire body went taut. "That's the perimeter guard."

Another howl joined the first. Then a third.

"s**t," Marcus breathed. "That's the attack call."

"Get inside," Darius ordered, already moving. "Both of you. Now."

"What's happening?" I demanded.

"The pack that was attacked earlier—they weren't the target." His eyes met mine, and I saw genuine fear there for the first time. "We were. This was a diversion to get me away from the compound."

"Away from the compound why?"

He didn't answer. Didn't need to.

The attack wasn't about territory or politics or pack disputes.

It was about me.

"Inside," Darius repeated. "Marcus, you're with her. Anyone gets within ten feet of her, you end them. I don't care who they are."

"Darius, I can fight—" I started.

"Not against what's coming." He pulled me into a kiss—hard, fast, claiming. "Stay alive. I'll be back."

Then he was gone, shifting mid-stride, his wolf form massive and silver-white as he raced toward the perimeter.

Marcus grabbed my arm. "Come on."

I let him pull me toward the house, my mind reeling. The howls were getting closer. More numerous. Whatever was coming, it wasn't a small force.

We burst through the door to find Luna already armed—silver daggers strapped to her thighs, a crossbow in her hands. "How bad?"

"Bad enough that Darius told me to protect her with my life," Marcus said.

Luna's eyes widened. "Oh. Oh." She looked at me. "Welcome to the family. Sorry it's under these circumstances. The initiation is usually more wine, less mortal peril."

"What's happening?" I demanded. "Why would anyone attack now?"

"Because you're here," a new voice said.

An older woman stepped out from what looked like a library—silver hair, sharp eyes, wrapped in a shawl that smelled like sage and moonlight. "The little rogue who caught the Alpha King's heart. Word spreads fast, child. Every enemy Darius has ever made just learned his greatest weakness."

"I'm not—"

"You are," she interrupted. "An Alpha without a mate is powerful. An Alpha with a mate to protect is vulnerable. They'll use you to get to him. Use him to get to you." She tilted her head. "Unless, of course, you prove you're not the weakness they think you are."

Something in her words sparked something in me. Something that had been dormant since the rejection. Since I'd decided being alone was safer than being destroyed.

My wolf surged forward.

"Give me a weapon," I said.

Marcus and Luna exchanged glances.

"Sera—" Marcus started.

"I said give me a weapon." I met his eyes. "I've been running for five years. I'm done running. If they're coming for me, they're going to have to work for it."

Luna's grin was feral. "Oh, I like her." She tossed me a silver dagger. "Welcome to Shadowmere, sister. Let's show these assholes what happens when they threaten a Stone's mate."

The howls outside turned into battle cries.

Glass shattered somewhere in the compound.

And through the bond, I felt Darius's fury and fear, blazing like a beacon.

I'm okay, I thought desperately at him through the connection. I'm okay, I'm okay—

I felt his relief, sharp and overwhelming.

Then I felt his rage.

And goddess help anyone who'd decided to attack this pack tonight.

The front door exploded inward.