Page 14 of Bound By Alphas 1: Bound

He was talking to a stunning brunette, his head bent close to hers as she whispered something in his ear. Her hand rested on his chest, perfectly manicured nails stark against his dark shirt. As I watched, she laughed at something he said, pressing herself closer to him.

My stomach twisted painfully. This shouldn’t hurt. It had never hurt before—I’d seen them with women countless times over the years. But now, knowing what I knew, it felt like a rejection. A statement. A clear message that nothing had changed for them, mate bond or not.

I looked away, only to catch sight of Cade near the front entrance, escorting an elegant blonde toward the door. His hand rested at the small of her back, proprietary and familiar. Sheglanced up at him with unmistakable desire in her eyes, and he smiled—that rare, genuine smile he so seldom showed.

The final blow came when I spotted Keir slipping out onto the deck with the redhead from earlier, his arm around her waist, his lips close to her ear as he whispered something that made her giggle.

One by one, they were leaving with their chosen companions for the night. Women who were everything I wasn’t—confident, beautiful, suitable.

Drew found me as I was attempting to escape up the stairs, my chest so tight I could barely breathe.

“Finn, wait,” he called, catching my arm. “Where are you going? There are still guests?—”

“I don’t care,” I said, my voice cracking. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t stand here and pretend everything’s fine while they—while they?—”

I couldn’t even finish the sentence, the image of my three mates—my brothers—leaving with others too painful to articulate.

Understanding dawned in Drew’s eyes. “Oh, Finn.”

“Don’t,” I warned, pulling away. “Don’t you dare pity me.”

“It’s not pity,” he insisted. “But you don’t understand?—”

“I understand perfectly,” I cut him off. “Nothing’s changed for them. I’m still just their little brother, their responsibility. And now I’m their unwanted mate too.” I laughed, the sound hollow even to my own ears. “Fate really fucked up this time.”

Drew reached for me again, but I was already moving up the stairs, taking them two at a time in my haste to escape. I slammed my bedroom door behind me, sliding down to sit with my back against it as the tears I’d been holding back all day finally broke free.

I’d been a fool to think anything would change. To think that the revelation of our mate bond would somehow transform theirbrotherly affection into something more. They didn’t want me—had never wanted me. The pain on their faces this morning had been clear; they were bound to someone they’d never chosen.

And now I was trapped, fated to love three men who would never love me back.

I pulled Keir’s jacket tighter around me, burying my face in the fabric that smelled like him, and let myself cry for everything I’d never have.

As exhaustion finally claimed me, I climbed into bed with my laptop, the screen’s blue glow illuminating my face in the darkness. My fingers moved automatically through art school websites, comparing programs and scholarship opportunities in cities as far from Harborview as possible.

I clicked through application pages with grim determination, each new tab another potential escape route. Because staying and watching them with others would destroy me piece by piece. Fate might have decided we were mates, but that didn’t mean I had to stick around and torture myself with what could never be.

Chapter 3

SINCLAIR BROTHERS

Cade Sinclair stood at the edge of the great room, crystal tumbler untouched in his hand as he tracked his mate’s movements through the crowd. From the moment Finn had descended the staircase—honey-brown hair slightly tousled, amber-gold eyes downcast, Cade’s wolf had been clawing to break free.

Mine, it snarled with each breath.Take. Claim. Keep.

Cade felt the connection to the mark they’d placed on Finn’s hip five years ago, the bond pulsing with each beat of their mate’s heart. That desperate night when they’d marked fourteen-year-old Finn had saved his life, but the price had been years of restraint as they waited for him to mature.

His gaze narrowed as an elderly pack member reached out to touch Finn’s arm, asking some inane question about his shifting abilities. The crystal cracked in Cade’s grip.

Easy, brother, Logan’s voice slid through their pack bond.You’re about to shift in front of fifty guests.

Cade didn’t look toward where his middle brother stood by the French doors, his military posture perfect as he surveyed the room with predatory focus. Through their bond, he felt Logan’sown struggle—the rage simmering just beneath his controlled exterior.

I should have canceled this farce, Cade responded, his internal voice a growl as he watched Finn force a smile at yet another intrusive question.After this morning’s mate augury, bringing him here was cruel.

He has no idea how beautiful he is,Keir joined their internal conversation, his voice colored with longing. The youngest alpha stood near the bar, surrounded by admiring women, but his attention was entirely fixed on Finn.Look at him—trying so hard to be strong while his world falls apart.

Finn moved through the crowd with Drew at his side, his slender form making him appear almost fragile among the larger shifters. The perfect blend of his Scottish American father and Japanese mother had given him an ethereal beauty rare in their supernatural community. His skin held that coveted milky alabaster tone that seemed to glow from within, neither burning nor tanning under the sun. At barely five foot six, he was dwarfed by most wolves in the room, his delicate bone structure and narrow frame a stark contrast to the broad-shouldered European bloodlines surrounding him.

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