Page 98 of Dearest Alpha Brothers 1: Vampire Prince

Alan stumbled closer to get a better angle. “The resonance patterns between their powers are exactly like the ancient texts described! Though significantly more intense with three—” Alan swayed dramatically as Luca’s power pulsed gently.

James caught Alan before he could collapse onto the medical equipment. “Perhaps we should document from a safer distance?”

“But the readings—” Alan protested weakly as Edmund helped James guide him toward the door.

“Can be recorded without you fainting onto the patient,” Sebastian finished dryly.

Luca’s power suddenly flared, pure light reaching instinctively for the brothers. Medical equipment sparked and shorted out as their magics responded instantly, rushing to meet Luca’s. Frost, lightning, and solar light merged with Luca’s radiance, creating patterns in the air that made Lady Helena’s artifacts chime with recognition.

“Extraordinary,” Lady Helena breathed, watching the magic dance. “The resonance patterns are exactly as the ancient texts described for a true fated bond but amplified by—” She caught herself as three pairs of glowing eyes fixed on her. “Perhaps we should focus on immediate treatment plans?”

“Little bat?” Zane was beside Luca instantly, three-foot rule forgotten. Frost spread across the silk sheets as Zane took Luca’s small hand in his. Through their bond, they felt Luca’s consciousness stirring, reaching for them with increasing urgency.

“We’re here, precious.” Archer’s voice cracked as he moved to Luca’s other side, golden light wrapping around the prince protectively. Archer’s usual playful smile was nowhere to be seen as he watched Luca’s face for any sign of distress.

Ryker completed their protective circle, lightning dancing between his fingers as he touched Luca’s cheek with infinite gentleness. “You’re safe now,” Ryker promised softly, storm clouds gathering outside the hospital windows in response to his emotions.

Luca’s power pulsed stronger, making every supernatural being in the room catch their breath. Lady Helena’s artifacts spun faster, recording data with increasing urgency as the magic in the air grew thick enough to taste.

“The readings are off the charts,” Lady Helena whispered, her professional detachment cracking as she watched pure light wrap around the brothers like a lover’s caress. “The resonance patterns suggest?—”

Luca’s eyes flew open, glowing with pure power that turned the hospital suite into midday. The prince’s first whispered word made the brothers’ wolves howl with desperate joy.

“Mine.”

Alan, who had somehow snuck back into the room, whispered reverently to his tablet, “And thus concludes the most extraordinary supernatural event ever recorded in New Vale’s history.” Alan swayed slightly, overwhelmed by the combined power in the room. “Though perhaps we should edit out the part where I fainted. Three times.”

Chapter 22

If anyone had told me a month ago that I’d be lying in a luxury hospital suite, watching viral videos of my three ridiculously hotnot actually brothersfighting dark vampires while a vampire researcher hovered outside my door like an anxious pendulum… well, I’d have assumed they’d been reading too much supernatural romance manga.

Yet here I was, surrounded by enough medical crystals to open a new age shop, while Alan from the Blackthorn research team performed his daily ritual of almost-but-not-quite entering my room. His tablet recorded everything from my breathing to my supposedly fascinating “power resonance patterns,” whatever those were.

“You can come in, Alan,” I called out, not bothering to look up from my phone. “Before you wear a groove in the floor.”

He practically teleported to the visitor’s chair, tablet clutched to his chest like a security blanket. “Prince Luca! Your readings this morning are extraordinary! The way your power interfaces with the medical crystals?—”

“Still suggests I should be discharged,” I finished hopefully. After a week of being trapped in this gilded cage, even Alan’s enthusiastic research babble had become oddly endearing. Hereminded me of my old roommate Mike, who’d get equally excited about his biochemistry experiments.

My head still felt fuzzy when I tried to remember exactly how I’d ended up here. The last clear memory I had was of that night in the brothers’ car, overlooking the city. Holy vampire gods,thatmemory was crystal clear—Zane’s commanding kisses, the taste of Ryker’s storm-flavored blood, Archer’s wandering hands…

Heat flooded my cheeks just thinking about it. I remembered the fever that followed, how my skin had felt too tight, too hot. How I’d collapsed in my room, burning up with need and want and something else… something that made no sense because I wasn’t supposed to have any powers yet. I was barely twenty-one—practically a baby vampire. But even if vampires manifested their abilities, it was usually just basic stuff like enhanced speed or strength. Not whatever this was that made ancient vampires bow and research crystals go haywire.

But here I was, apparently leaking enough power to make Alan’s instruments short-circuit whenever I thought too hard about that night. About the brothers. About the way their scents made my fangs ache and my skin glow…

“Prince?” Alan’s voice snapped me back to the present. “Your power just spiked again. Should I call?—”

“If you call my brothers again because I had a mild power fluctuation, I will personally ensure that all your research crystals play nothing but K-pop for a month.”

He blanched. “That’s… oddly specific.”

“I learned from the best.” I grinned, thinking of Hunter’s creative threats. The tech-savvy teen had been merciless during my recovery—when I tried to sneak out of bed during their visits, he’d threatened to hack every screen in my room to play nothing but those embarrassing K-pop idol videos where they act cute and baby-talk to the camera. And when that didn’t work,he promised to make my phone automatically text the brothers every time I so much as twitched toward the door. Between his digital surveillance, Sylvie’s puppy eyes, and Aunt Senna’s worried hovering, I’d finally surrendered to being the perfect patient. “Now, help me figure out why everyone keeps bowing to me in the hallway. I found these viral videos…”

Alan’s tablet slipped in his suddenly nervous grip. “Videos? What videos? I mean, there might be some footage of the, uh, incident, but?—”

“These videos.” I turned my phone to show him the trending supernatural news feed. “Apparently, Dark Haven tried to invade New Vale? And there was some kind of kidnapping attempt on a vampire prince…”

I paused, trying to piece together my fragmented memories.

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