Page 4 of Bound By Alphas 1: Bound

Maya was watching our exchange like a tennis match. “Should I be calling security or getting popcorn? I can’t tell if this is a reunion or a kidnapping.”

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

In the back room, I frantically texted Drew.Cade’s here. At my work. WTF?

The reply came instantly.I’m sorry. I tried to warn you.

Some warning!I texted back, heart pounding.What do they want?

You. Home. It’s complicated. Don’t fight them, Finn. It’ll only make it worse.

Great. Super helpful. I shoved my phone in my pocket and grabbed my bag, mind racing. The café had a back exit that led to an alley. If I could slip out…

I glanced at the emergency exit, calculating my chances. Three blocks to the bus stop. Another ten minutes to the train station. I could be halfway to Portland before they realized?—

No. That was stupid. Cade would track me down in hours. But maybe…

I bolted for the exit, shoving the door open and sprinting into the alley. The bright summer sun momentarily blinded me as I ran, messenger bag slapping against my hip. I knew the neighborhood well enough to navigate the back ways, cutting through service alleys and side streets.

My lungs burned as I pushed myself harder, adrenaline fueling my escape. Two blocks. Three. I was going to make it. I was actually going to?—

A solid wall of muscle stepped out from between buildings, directly into my path. I crashed into him at full speed, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs. Strong arms wrapped around me, lifting me clear off my feet.

“Going somewhere, little fox?” Logan’s voice was a rumble against my chest, his sea-green eyes glinting with amusement and something darker.

My body went hot and cold at once, a shiver running down my spine. His scent—pine and ocean and pure alpha male—enveloped me, making my head swim.

“Put me down,” I gasped, pushing against his chest. Like trying to move a mountain. “I’m not going back.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” He adjusted his grip, easily containing my struggles. “Cade’s not happy about your little escape attempt.”

“I don’t care what Cade—” My words cut off as Logan tossed me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. “What the hell are you doing? Put me down!”

“No.” The simple word held all the authority of a born alpha. “We’re done playing games, Finn.”

I pounded my fists against his back, mortifyingly aware of the solid muscle beneath my hands. “This is kidnapping! You can’t just?—”

“Family business,” Logan said, striding down the alley with me still draped over his shoulder. “And you’re family.”

“I’m twenty-three! An adult! You can’t just manhandle me because you feel like it!”

Logan’s laugh was dark and rich. “Watch me.”

My position gave me an excellent view of his back and… other parts I was trying very hard not to notice. Blood rushed to my head, making me dizzy—or maybe that was the proximity to an alpha werewolf who smelled like everything I’d been running from.

“People are staring,” I hissed as he carried me onto the main street, the summer crowds turning to watch.

“Let them.” His grip tightened, one large hand splayed across the back of my thighs. The heat of it burned through my jeans.

A sleek black SUV idled at the curb, and as we approached, the back door swung open. Cade sat inside, his expression thunderous.

“That was childish,” he said as Logan deposited me unceremoniously onto the seat beside him.

“Says the man kidnapping his adult brother,” I shot back, trying to scramble away. The door slammed shut behind me, Logan sliding into the driver’s seat with predatory grace.

“This isn’t a kidnapping,” Cade said, his voice deceptively calm. “It’s an intervention.”

“Pretty sure the law doesn’t recognize that distinction.” I reached for the door handle, but Cade’s arm shot out, blocking me.

---