Page 118 of Bound By Alphas 1: Bound

“Both,” Finn said, untying his apron with shaking fingers. “I’ll get my bag.”

As Finn disappeared into the back room, Cade caught Maya’s curious gaze. She raised an eyebrow, clearly bursting with questions, but something in his expression must have warned her not to ask. She busied herself with wiping down the counter, though her eyes kept darting toward the back room.

Keir, update?Cade prompted as he positioned himself to watch both exits.

Found his art studio. Cade, you need to see this.

An image flashed through their bond—a canvas prominently displayed on an easel in Finn’s apartment. The painting showed three wolves standing on a moonlit beach, their eyes glowing in the darkness—one silver, one amber, one electric blue. In the foreground, barely visible, the silhouette of a small fox watching from the shadows.

Something tight and painful twisted in Cade’s chest.He hasn’t forgotten.

He’s been painting us,Keir confirmed.There are dozens of sketches. Studies of hands, eyes, profiles. He’s been drawing us from memory.

The revelation sent a surge of possessive triumph through Cade. Their mate had run, had tried to build a life away from them, but he had never truly left. Not in the ways that mattered.

Through the mate bond, Cade could feel Finn’s panic, his desperate search for escape. He moved to position himself with a clear view of both the front entrance and the hallway leading to the back, knowing exactly what his clever little fox would try.

When Finn bolted for the back exit less than a minute later, Cade allowed himself a small smile.

He’s running,Cade shared his thoughts to Logan through their pack bond.Back exit. Your turn.

Copy that,Logan replied.I’ve got him.

Cade nodded to Maya as he headed for the door. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

“He’s going to be pissed,” she called after him, surprising him with her boldness.

“Yes,” Cade agreed, not breaking stride. “But he’ll be safe.”

Outside, he walked unhurriedly toward where the SUV was parked, knowing Logan would intercept Finn before he got far. Their mate was quick and clever, but Logan had been tracking prey far more dangerous than a stubborn fox shifter for most of his life.

Through their bond, he felt the moment Logan caught him—the surge of triumph, the primal satisfaction of capturing their elusive mate.

Got him,Logan confirmed, sending a flash image of Finn struggling in his arms, face flushed with exertion and anger.Corner of 4th and Pine.

Cade smiled, satisfaction coursing through him as he slid into the back seat of the SUV. He could already feel Finn’s presence drawing closer, the mate bond humming with renewed strength as the distance between them narrowed. After four years of patience, of watching from afar, of respecting Finn’s need for independence while every instinct screamed to reclaim him—finally, they would bring their mate home.

When Logan appeared with Finn slung over his shoulder, Cade’s wolf surged with possessive triumph. The physical changes in Finn were even more apparent now—he’d filled out slightly, lean muscle replacing the softness of adolescence. He was still small compared to them, still perfectly sized to be protected and cherished, but there was a new strength to him that only made Cade want him more.

He’s fighting hard,Logan observed through their bond as he approached, Finn’s fists pounding ineffectually against his back.Stronger than he was.

Good,Cade replied.He needed to learn to survive on his own. But now it’s time to come home.

As Logan deposited Finn onto the seat beside him, Cade drank in the details he’d missed from a distance—the faint freckles across his nose that appeared in summer, the gold flecks in his amber eyes that seemed more pronounced than before, the scent of paint and coffee that now mingled with his natural fox-sweet aroma.

The confrontation that followed was both exactly as expected and startlingly new. Finn’s defiance was familiar, but the confidence behind it was not. This was no longer the boy who had run from feelings he didn’t understand—this was a young man fighting for the independence he’d built for himself.

It only made Cade more determined to show him that coming home didn’t mean giving up that hard-won strength.

He thinks we want to control him,Cade shared with Logan as Finn’s accusations flew.He still doesn’t understand.

Then make him understand,Logan replied, his eyes meeting Cade’s in the rearview mirror.Show him.

When Cade’s hand settled on Finn’s knee, the contact sent a jolt of electricity through the bond that had been dormant for too long. Finn’s scent spiked with unwilling arousal, his body responding to the touch even as his mind rebelled against it.

The bond is still strong,Cade observed, satisfaction coursing through him.Stronger than ever.

Of course it is,Logan replied.It was never broken, just stretched thin.

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