Page 26 of Bound By Alphas 1: Bound

As we gathered our things and called to the pets, I couldn’t help glancing back up at the mansion. The three figures were still there, still watching. And despite the distance, despite the impossibility of it, I felt something through the bond that connected us—a pulse of emotion so intense it made my breath catch.

Longing. Hunger. Need.

But that was probably just wishful thinking, my heart creating fantasies to protect itself from the pain of reality.

Chapter 5

SINCLAIR BROTHERS

From the upper deck of the Sinclair mansion, three pairs of enhanced alpha eyes tracked every movement on the beach below. The brothers stood in a perfect line at the railing, their postures identical despite their different builds—tense, focused, predatory.

“This is torture,” Logan muttered, his knuckles white against the railing as he watched Finn emerge from the water, board shorts hanging dangerously low on his hips to accommodate the tail that curved elegantly from the base of his spine. “Absolute fucking torture.”

Cade didn’t respond, his jaw locked so tight a muscle ticked visibly beneath the skin. His eyes never left Finn’s form as their mate shook water from his hair, fox ears twitching adorably with the motion. The thin white tank top Finn wore had become practically transparent when wet, clinging to his slender torso and outlining dusky nipples hardened by the cool water.

“He has no idea what he looks like down there,” Keir said, his usual playfulness replaced by something darker, hungrier. “Prancing around half-naked, water dripping down his skin like some kind of offering.”

He’s not doing it on purpose, Cade reminded them through their pack bond, not trusting his voice to remain steady.He has no idea we can see every detail from here.

Maybe he should. Logan’s internal voice was rough with desire.Maybe then he wouldn’t torture us like this.

On the beach below, Finn laughed at something Drew said, the sound carrying on the breeze. Even from this distance, their enhanced hearing caught the musical quality of it, the pure joy that had been missing since the ceremony. The sound hit all three alphas like a physical blow, their wolves surging forward with the need to be the ones making their mate laugh.

“I’m going down there,” Keir decided suddenly, already pushing away from the railing.

Cade’s hand shot out, gripping his younger brother’s arm with bruising force. “No.”

“Why not?” Keir challenged, blue eyes flashing with defiance. “He’s ours. It’s been six years, Cade. Six years of watching, wanting, waiting. He’s nineteen now. The ceremony confirmed what we already knew.”

“And you saw how well that went,” Cade said, his voice deceptively calm while his mental presence radiated tension. “Barging down there now will only frighten him more.”

“I don’t care,” Logan growled, his eyes shifting to amber as his control slipped. “Look at him, Cade. Really look at him.”

Below, Finn had stripped off his wet tank top, revealing a torso that was slender but toned from years of swimming. Water droplets caught the sunlight as they slid down his skin, tracing paths that all three brothers ached to follow with their tongues. His hair was darker when wet, slicked back to reveal the elegant lines of his face—high cheekbones, full lips, those amber-gold eyes that seemed to shift color with his emotions.

“I see him,” Cade said, his voice dropping to a dangerous register. “I see every inch of him.”

It was still jarring sometimes—this transition from the child they’d protected to the breathtaking young man who now stood before them. They’d watched him grow day by day, yet somehow it felt as though they’d blinked and the transformation had occurred overnight. The soft curves of childhood had given way to elegant lines and subtle strength, his mixed heritage blessing him with a beauty that was neither fully Eastern nor Western but something uniquely, perfectly Finn.

Through their bond, images flashed between them—Finn asleep in his bed that morning, fox ears twitching with dreams; Finn at sixteen, bent over his sketchbook with that look of intense concentration; Finn at fourteen, when they’d first felt the bond intensifying. Each memory a snapshot of his metamorphosis from the child they’d marked to the mate they now craved.

“He has no idea how beautiful he is,” Keir said softly, a rare moment of complete sincerity from the usually playful alpha. “How perfect.”

“When did he become this?” Logan murmured, his voice rough with wonder and desire. “We’ve watched over him every day, and yet…”

“Like watching a masterpiece being painted,” Cade finished for him. “Each brushstroke too subtle to notice until suddenly the full canvas takes your breath away.”

The mate marks they’d placed on him six years ago had formed a promise—a claim on a future they could only imagine. But the reality of Finn now, with his artist’s hands and fox-like grace, with his delicate strength and unconscious sensuality, exceeded even their most forbidden dreams.

Below, Drew had shifted into his wolf form, and Finn was chasing him along the shoreline. The grace of his movements, even with the partial shift, was mesmerizing. His fox tailstreamed behind him, balancing him as he darted after Drew, his laughter carrying up to them on the breeze.

“He’s faster with the fox parts,” Logan noted, professional assessment momentarily overriding desire. “More coordinated too.”

“His fox is waking up,” Cade agreed. “The ceremony triggered something.”

Maybe more than just his fox, Keir added through their bond, a hint of his usual mischief returning.Did you see how he responded to us this morning? The way he melted when you touched his ears? The way he couldn’t stop scenting Logan?

“Don’t,” Logan warned aloud, his hands clenching into fists. “Don’t give me hope if there isn’t any.”

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