Page 33 of Bound By Alphas 1: Bound

Finn leaned closer still, his eyes fluttering closed, his lips now mere inches from Cade’s. He was practically vibrating with tension, his entire body unconsciously begging for something he didn’t understand, the mate bond driving him toward completion even as his mind remained confused.

It would be so easy. So right. One small movement and Cade could claim those lips, could begin the process of showing Finn exactly what he meant to them, exactly what they could be together. Instead, with supreme effort that left him physically shaking, Cade tilted his head and pressed his lips to Finn’sforehead in a kiss that was chaste but charged with promise. He inhaled his scent one last time before forcing himself to step back.

Finn’s eyes flew open, confusion and something that might have been disappointment flashing across his face before he could mask it. He stumbled back slightly, as if waking from a trance, his hand coming up to touch the spot where Cade’s lips had been.

“We should probably go,” Logan said suddenly, his voice strained to breaking. “That meeting with the northern pack representatives.”

“Right,” Keir agreed too quickly, still not turning around fully. “Pack business. Very important. Can’t be late.”

Finn blinked, the spell broken completely now. He wrapped his arms around himself, Cade’s shirt engulfing his smaller frame. “Oh. Yeah. Of course. Alpha stuff. Don’t let me keep you.”

Was that disappointment in his voice? Cade couldn’t be sure, not with his own control hanging by such a tenuous thread.

“We’ll talk more later,” he promised, already backing toward the door.

“Sure.” Finn nodded, not quite meeting his eyes. “Later.”

As they left the studio, all three brothers felt the weight of Finn’s confused gaze on their backs. It took everything they had not to turn around, not to go back and finish what that moment had started.

His scent when you were touching him, Keir observed through their bond as they strode down the hallway, putting distance between themselves and temptation.Did you notice?

Yes, Cade admitted, his internal voice strained.He was aroused.

Confused, Logan corrected, though his own mental presence was chaotic with need.He doesn’t understand what’s happening to him. What we’re doing to him.

Car. Now.Cade’s mental command brooked no argument.Before we do something we’ll regret.

They barely made it to the north woods before their control shattered. The SUV doors opened before the vehicle had fully stopped, three alphas exiting with barely contained urgency.

Clothes were removed with methodical efficiency, three powerful bodies already changing before the garments touched the ground. The shift was neither elegant nor controlled—it was raw, primal need forcing their wolves to the surface with brutal efficiency.

Where Cade had stood moments before, a massive wolf now surveyed the forest, his fur a rich sun-streaked golden brown that darkened along his spine. The eldest Sinclair alpha moved with confident, authoritative strides, power contained but never diminished. His silver eyes gleamed against his golden fur, completing the picture of alpha dominance.

Logan’s transformation yielded a massive russet-red wolf with dark forest-green eyes that burned with barely contained intensity. His form was the largest of the three, with a powerful chest and broad shoulders built for raw power rather than speed. His movements were deliberate, territorial, each step placed with tactical precision as befitting his warrior nature.

Keir completed the trio, his wolf form a pale blond, almost platinum in the dappled sunlight. His form was sleeker than his brothers’, built for incredible bursts of speed rather than sustained power. His bright-blue eyes, now electric with intensity, surveyed the forest as he paced in tight circles, his movements quick and unpredictable as he struggled to contain the energy coursing through him.

Three wolves tore through the ancient forest, their paws finding paths worn by generations of Sinclair alphas. Cade’s golden-brown form led the way, sunlight catching in his sun-streaked fur as they raced through dense canopy that hadsheltered Sinclairs since they’d first claimed this territory in 1683.

Back then, they’d been fleeing Scotland after the failed uprising, three brothers and their mates following whispered promises of sanctuary in the New World. Malcolm Sinclair, the eldest, had led his brothers Alasdair and Callum to these shores with little more than determination and the ancient power of their bloodline. Now, centuries later, the forest recognized their descendants as its own.

Logan’s massive mahogany-red form crashed through the undergrowth, every muscle singing with the primal joy of running these ancestral trails. Their family had shaped this land since those first days, when Malcolm and his mate Isla established the original Sinclair stronghold deep in these woods. They’d created alliances with local tribes, establishing their territory through respect and mutual protection. His wolf felt it in his bones—this was their domain, their legacy, passed down through an unbroken alpha bloodline.

Keir’s pale golden-white shape darted between sunbeams, his sleek form allowing him to race ahead and circle back around his brothers with surprising bursts of speed. His wolf was still reeling from their encounter with Finn—from the sight of their mate half-naked and painted blue, from the scent of confusion and arousal, from the way he’d stood so still under Cade’s touch. But here in their ancestral woods, that frustrated desire transformed into something deeper—determination to claim what was rightfully theirs, to complete the bond that had begun the moment Finn had entered their lives.

They moved like living shadows through their territory, passing landmarks only wolf eyes would recognize—the ridge where Robert Sinclair had fought off rival packs during the colonial wars, the valley where Elizabeth Sinclair had established their first treaties with neighboring supernaturalcommunities, the clearing where James Sinclair had built the foundations of their shipping empire in the 1850s.

Miles deeper into the forest, they reached their destination—the original Sinclair stronghold, a massive stone structure that blended Scottish castle with colonial fortress. Unlike the coastal mansion that served as their modern home, this ancient seat of power remained hidden from human eyes, protected by old magic and newer technology.

The brothers slowed as they approached, their wolves calming in the presence of such tangible history. The stronghold had been maintained meticulously through the centuries, its gray stone walls standing proud against the backdrop of ancient trees. Modern additions had been seamlessly integrated—solar panels disguised as slate roof tiles, security systems hidden within carved stonework, comfortable amenities that didn’t detract from the historical significance.

This was where they kept their most precious artifacts—the pack’s historical records, magical texts collected over centuries, weapons that had defended their territory since the first Sinclairs arrived. This was where the most sacred pack ceremonies took place, where alpha succession was determined, where mate bonds were formally blessed.

And this was where they would bring Finn when the time was right. Where they would complete the bond that fate had begun. Where their mate would finally understand the legacy he was part of.

But not yet. Not until he was ready. Not until he came to them willingly, understanding exactly what it meant to be claimed by three alpha wolves who had waited far too long already.

Cade shifted back to human form first, his naked body materializing from wolf shape with the fluid grace of an alpha born to power. Logan and Keir followed, their transformationsequally seamless now that the initial desperate energy had been expended.

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