Claimed by My Stepbrothers

THE VISITOR

LEILA'S POV

"What does he want with me?"

"The same thing he wanted with your father," Marcus said grimly. "Your power. And according to

ancient law, he claims you're his destined mate."

"But the triad bond…" Maddox's voice, desperate.

"Doesn't matter," Marcus cut him off. "If Dane invokes the old laws, if he can prove his claim is

legitimate, the Council will side with him. Especially since your bond with Leila is forbidden

anyway."

"No," Ronan said flatly. "She's ours.

"She's no one's unless we can figure out how to break both bonds and hide her again," Marcus

snapped. "Which we have exactly…." he paused "....fifteen minutes to do before Dane reaches

the pack house."

My wolf snarled. "We belong to no one but our three mates. This Dane wants to claim us? Let

him try. We'll show him what happens to males who think they can own us."

"I can't control her," I gasped into the intercom. "My wolf. She's taking over and I can't…"

The steel door suddenly tore off its hinges.

Not from outside.

From inside.

I stared at my hands, hands that had just ripped through reinforced steel like paper.

"Oh god," I whispered.

"Not god," my wolf purred. "Us. And it's time we showed everyone exactly what the last hybrid

can do."

My body shifted.

Not like before, not painful and uncontrolled.

This time, it was smooth. Natural. Like stepping into a form I'd always known.

I grew. Fur sprouted, silver-white, shimmering with an otherworldly glow. My senses exploded. I

could hear everything. Smell everything. Feel everything.

And I could feel them, three males on the other side of the wall, their bonds pulling at me like

hooks under my skin.

Mine.

I crashed through the wall.

Guards scattered. My mother screamed.

And the three brothers stared at me, at my massive wolf form, easily twice the size of a normal

female, with identical expressions of awe and desire.

"She's magnificent," Alec breathed.

"She's ours," Maddox growled, his wolf surfacing.

"She's going to get herself killed," Ronan said, but he couldn't take his eyes off me.

I padded toward them. My wolf was done hiding. Done being weak. Done being invisible.

She wanted her mates.

And she was going to claim them.

But before I could reach them, before anyone could stop me, a howl split the night.

Not from inside the pack house.

From outside.

A challenge howl. Powerful. Ancient. Claiming.

Dane had arrived.

And he wasn't requesting permission anymore.

He was here for me.

My wolf's lips pulled back in a snarl. "Let him come."

She launched herself through the nearest window, into the night, toward the rival Alpha who

thought he owned her.

Behind me, I heard three answering howls as my mates shifted and followed.

I hit the ground running.

My wolf form moved faster than should have been possible. Trees blurred past. The night air

filled my lungs. For the first time in my life, I felt powerful.

"This is what we were meant to be," my wolf sang. "Not weak. Not hidden. FREE."

Behind me, three wolves followed. I could feel them through the incomplete bonds, Maddox

closest, his dark wolf nearly matching my speed. Ronan further back, trying to maintain control

even while chasing me. Alec running a strategic pattern, trying to cut me off.

They wanted to stop me before I reached Dane.

My wolf had other plans.

The forest opened into a clearing. I skidded to a halt.

He stood in the center, perfectly human, perfectly still.

Alpha Dane Corvus.

Even in the moonlight, he was devastating. Platinum blonde hair. Silver eyes that seemed to

glow. Tall and powerfully built, radiating the kind of authority that made lesser wolves submit on

sight.

He smiled when he saw me.

"There you are." His voice was smooth. Cultured. Dangerous. "I've been searching for you for a

very long time, little hybrid."

My wolf snarled.

Dane's smile widened. "You're even more beautiful than your father described. Before I killed

him, of course."

Rage exploded through me.

I lunged.

Dane didn't move. He simply raised one hand…

And I slammed into an invisible barrier. Magic. Witch magic, woven into a shield that threw me

backward.

I hit the ground hard, yelping.

"Did you really think you could touch me without permission?" Dane asked, amused. "I've spent

eighteen years preparing for this moment. You're powerful, yes. But untrained. Unpracticed. A

child playing with forces you don't understand."

Three wolves burst into the clearing.

Maddox's dark wolf positioned itself between me and Dane, hackles raised. Ronan's larger form

circled right. Alec's lean wolf moved left.

Protecting me.

Dane's eyes flicked over them with contempt. "The Blackwood brothers. How... predictable. Did

you really think your pathetic triad bond would save her?"

Ronan shifted first. He stood naked in the moonlight, utterly unashamed, radiating Alpha

authority. "She's under our protection. Leave our territory."

"Your protection?" Dane laughed. "You can't even claim her legally. Your bond is forbidden. The

moment the Council learns what you've done, they'll execute all four of you."

"Then we'll die protecting her," Maddox growled, still in wolf form.

"How noble." Dane's expression turned cold. "But unnecessary. Leila doesn't need your

protection. She needs proper guidance. Training. A mate who can actually help her control her

power."

"She already has mates," Ronan said flatly.