Page 105 of Bound By Alphas 1: Bound

Chapter 20

SINCLAIR BROTHERS

The council chamber felt too small for three agitated alpha werewolves, though the circular room with its high domed ceiling had hosted pack gatherings ten times this size for generations. Cade paced near the ancient oak table, his body still humming with energy despite the hours spent running in wolf form. Logan leaned against the stone wall, arms crossed, his posture deceptively casual though his eyes tracked every movement in the room. Keir stood at the window, staring out at the ocean, his fingers tapping a restless rhythm against the glass.

The past month had been the closest thing to perfection any of them had experienced. Since that first night after the lake incident, Finn had blossomed in their attention, his initial hesitation melting into a sweet surrender that left all three alphas constantly fighting their wolves’ urge to claim him completely. Mornings brought sleepy kisses over shared breakfast, afternoons filled with stolen moments—Finn pressed against the library shelves by Cade, curled in Logan’s lap on the terrace, laughing as Keir chased him through the garden. Nights were a revelation, Finn rotating between their beds, his small form fitting perfectly against each of them in turn.

The strange scar on Finn’s hip—the one he’d had since childhood but never understood—seemed more sensitive than ever, often glowing silver when they touched him. They hadn’t told him it was a pre-marking, hadn’t explained how their parents had bound him to them years ago for his protection. That conversation required more context than they’d been willing to disrupt their newfound harmony to provide.

But reality had intruded yesterday in the form of a thick envelope bearing the Seattle Art Institute logo. Finn’s excitement had been palpable as he’d torn it open, revealing the acceptance letter and scholarship offer inside. The brothers had exchanged knowing glances over his head, a silent acknowledgment of their role in ensuring this particular school accepted him while the others—particularly those on the East Coast—had mysteriously rejected his applications despite his obvious talent.

Seattle was close enough to monitor, safe enough to allow. They’d prepared for this, had apartments secured, security measures in place. Finn would have his freedom, his chance to grow as an artist, while they protected him from afar. It wasn’t ideal, but they understood his need for independence, his dream of becoming a recognized artist on his own merits.

Still, the timing couldn’t be worse. Just as Finn was truly becoming theirs, just as the bond between them was strengthening, he would be leaving. And now, with Elder Miriam’s urgent summons, they feared complications they hadn’t anticipated.

“You summoned us,” Cade said, his voice carefully controlled as he addressed Elder Miriam MacKenzie. “You said it was urgent.”

Elder Miriam nodded. At seventy-eight, the white-haired seer remained the most formidable member of the council, her petite frame belying the power she commanded.

“I had a vision last night,” she explained, her blue eyes—still sharp despite her age—focusing on something beyond the room. “Brief but troubling. Something ancient is stirring.”

“What did you see?” Logan asked, pushing away from the wall.

“Blood moon… darkness stirs… ancient one awakens… six vessels sought…” Elder Miriam recited, her voice taking on a distant quality as she recalled the vision. “Fox and wolf… powers bound and broken…”

“And this concerns Finn?” Cade asked, taking a seat at the table, his brothers following suit.

“I believe so,” Elder Miriam confirmed. “The vision showed six beings of mixed supernatural heritage. Finn appears to be one of them—the fox and wolf. There was danger… a sense of being hunted… but the details remain shrouded.”

“The Shadow Harvesters again?” Keir asked, his usual easy manner replaced by deadly focus.

“Perhaps,” Elder Takoda said gravely. The ninety-two-year-old Coast Salish elder was the oldest among them, his connection to the land spanning nearly a century. “But the vision suggests something more. Something directing them.”

“We’ve also noticed the pre-marking bond has strengthened considerably,” Elder Wu interjected, her delicate features arranged in an expression of concern. At seventy-three, the Chinese American fox spirit was the youngest of the elders, but her expertise in binding rituals made her insight invaluable.

The three alphas exchanged glances, acutely aware that they carried their mate’s scent despite their run and subsequent shower. The morning’s activities had clearly not gone unnoticed by the keen senses of the council.

“Intimate contact strengthens pre-marking bonds,” Elder Robert Washington confirmed, his deep voice resonant in the chamber. The African American wolf elder adjusted his glasses,a modern touch against his traditional ceremonial attire. “But yours has grown stronger than expected, faster than normal. The connection between you and Finn has intensified beyond what traditional pre-marking would allow.”

“Is that dangerous?” Cade asked.

“Not dangerous,” Elder Rory Campbell clarified, stroking his gray beard thoughtfully. The blood magic practitioner was Miriam’s brother-in-law and the keeper of the oldest Sinclair rituals. “But significant. It suggests the seal on Finn’s powers is weakening.”

“The seal was meant to hide him from the Shadow Harvesters,” Logan said. “We knew they were after him when they killed his parents, and later, our own.”

Elder Miriam nodded solemnly. “You witnessed their first attack when Finn was eight, and again when he was thirteen. Your parents died protecting him, just as his had.”

“That’s why they performed the emergency pre-marking,” Keir said grimly, the memory of that night still vivid. “To shield him when the Shadow Harvesters returned during the Blood Moon.”

“What we didn’t fully understand,” Elder Takoda added, “was the extent of what the Harvesters were seeking. You knew Finn’s mother was a fox shifter, but what you may not have known was that Sakura Tanaka wasn’t just any kitsune. She was royalty—seven tails, from an imperial line. Her power was extraordinary.”

“Finn’s father, William Tanaka, mentioned she was powerful,” Cade said thoughtfully. “But never the details.”

“William was protecting her, and later, Finn,” Elder Robert explained. “The imperial kitsune line has been hunted for generations. Their abilities—particularly in illusion magic—make them valuable targets.”

“So they sealed Finn’s powers,” Logan concluded. “To hide what he truly was capable of, to make him less detectable to the Harvesters.”

“Exactly,” Elder Wu confirmed. “They performed the ritual just before their deaths, as if they sensed the danger coming. The seal was meant to suppress his kitsune abilities completely, but it affected his wolf side as well, preventing him from shifting at all.”

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