Marked by the Alphas

Chapter 84: Chapter 84

Katie POV

My senses are in overdrive. I am aware of every smell and every sound. But the wind starts blowing furiously, kicking up sand and obstructing my vision.

The wolf leading the pack emerges through the sandstorm and stands in front of me. He is brown and huge, but still smaller than the other two. They look fierce and vicious, but by Goddess, they are beautiful! frёeωebɳovel.com

Lily barks out a warning, but it does not faze him. He sprints straight for me without hesitation.

I brace myself for an attack, but instead, the wolf stops short, pawing at the same patch of ground Lily had been obsessed with moments before. The two bigger wolves, one grey and one pure black one, snarl and slowly trot toward me. Will they stop, too? Or will they attack?

Lily is just as confused as I am. She flares her nostrils, taking in all their individual scents and trying to sniff out any threats. But with the wind blowing, she cannot make out anything other than dust.

I bare my teeth in a growl, warning them to back off. I must find a moment and run. I cannot win the fight – it is three against one, and I do not want Stella to grow up without any parents.

I crouch low and keep my sharp canines exposed. The two bigger wolves bare their teeth, as well, and their eyes dart around the lake shore manically.

What the hell is going on here? These wolves look like they are poised to kill, but instead of attacking me, they are mauling the ground. I must use this to my advantage, I decide.

“Get ready,” I instruct Lily. “They’re going to attack.”

The wind creates more dust, giving me the perfect opportunity to escape. I ready myself, placing my weight on my hind legs, but just as I am about to run, the brown wolf spins around to face the two larger wolves, blocking me with his huge, furry body.

Is he protecting me?

Tension hangs thickly in the air, the wind swirling it around us. The brown wolf shifts, and there is Mason. Standing in front of me, fully naked, the wind tugging his long hair in all directions.

It dawns on me that I have never seen him in wolf form before, and I relax just as the wind quiets down. His chest is broad and strong, his muscles rippling in the golden afternoon sun.

I look at the other wolves. If this is Mason, then that must mean ... the other two wolves shift, revealing a very naked Kane and Axel.

It feels wrong to look at them, especially with Mason standing right there in front of me, but I cannot help it. They have huge, muscular arms and torsos. I suddenly wish I were human again so I could reach out and trace all the deep grooves in their bodies.

“I want them,” Lily growls needily.

“You’re horny and confused,” I scold her, even though I feel it too. But I must seriously concentrate on the situation at hand, and not my conflicting hormones.

I am thrilled that they are in human form, and I am still a wolf. Or else they will all smell how turned on I am, and I do not think Mason will take that too well.

“Let me go to them,” Lily says, pawing the ground restlessly.

“Chill the fuck out,” I warn her. “This is so not the time.”

Why is she so zeroed in on Kane and Axel right now?

They all look at me pawing the ground, and I wonder if they can sense my internal battle with Lily.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why we followed you here,” Kane says, interpreting my desire as agitation. “Perhaps Mason would like to explain.”

Kane POV

“We all scented you in the woods,” Axel jumps in. “But Mason here darted away like a madman, claiming you were in some kind of trouble.”

“Looks like she’s okay to me,” I smirk at Mason.

“I smelled something strange,” Mason grunts irritated, narrowing his eyes. “I still smell it now.”

“Are you sure about that?” Axel asks, glancing at me.

Honestly, we smelled it, too. From a mile away. A vampire’s scent. We stumbled across one ourselves not too long ago, but for some strange reason, I cannot remember why.

All that I can recall is that the High Elder, Gustav, told us we needed to keep them out of our territory, or else we would be in deep shit with the Council. As if it is our fault that there are bloodsuckers around here.

“Why the hell would Katie run where a vampire’s been spotted before?” Axel asks. “Seriously, what’s the odds? She has a small country to explore, but she chooses this spot.”

“Fuck if I know,” I reply. “Bad luck, I guess. It’s not like she knows our lands.”

“The last thing we need right now is more problems,” Axel huffs. “Especially vampire problems.”

“I know what you’re doing,” Mason snarls. “You’re trying to make it seem like I’m crazy.”

“But I know I’m not,” he shoves his finger toward the ground at the spot where he had pawed and sniffed. “I know I smelled a vampire.”