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As Finn continued to resist, memories flooded through Cade—their last night together before Finn ran, in the studio at the beach house. Finn beneath them, trembling with need, his fox features emerging as pleasure overwhelmed his control. The sounds he made, the way he surrendered completely to their touches, the whispered confessions in the dark that he thought they hadn’t heard.

They had relived that night a thousand times in the years since, tormenting themselves with what they had lost, what they had let slip away because they thought Finn needed time.

When Finn made his desperate lunge for the door handle of the moving vehicle, terror shot through Cade like lightning. His wolf surged forward with a single imperative.PROTECT MATE.

He moved with supernatural speed, grabbing Finn around the waist and hauling him back. This time, there was nothing gentle about his restraint. He pinned Finn against the seat, one hand capturing both his wrists, the other gripping his jaw to force him to look at him.

“Enough,” he growled, feeling his eyes flash silver as his wolf pushed closer to the surface. “You could have been hurt.”

“I don’t care,” Finn spat, struggling against his hold. “I’d rather jump out of a moving car than go back to being your pet project.”

The words struck like physical blows, each one revealing the depth of Finn’s misunderstanding. “Is that what you think you were to us? A project?”

“What else? The charity case you took in? The odd one out who couldn’t shift, couldn’t hunt, couldn’t be part of the pack?” The words poured out of Finn, years of buried resentment finally finding voice. “Poor little Finn, needs to be protected and managed and controlled because he can’t possibly make his own decisions.”

He still doesn’t know,Cade shared with Logan, anguish and determination mingling in the thought.He never understood.

Then show him,Logan urged again.Words won’t reach him now.

“You have no idea,” Cade said, his voice dropping to a dangerous rumble, “what you are to us.”

His wolf was clawing at the surface now, demanding action.TAKE. CLAIM. MATE.

Four years of control shattered in an instant. A growl tore from his throat—pure predator, barely human—as he lunged forward. One hand gripped Finn’s jaw while the other fisted in his hair, yanking his head back as he claimed his mouth with bruising intensity.

The taste of Finn after four years of deprivation was intoxicating—honey and cinnamon and fox, with new notes of coffee and something uniquely his that made Cade’s wolf howl with triumph. He felt Finn’s initial resistance, the push of hands against his chest, the muffled “No—” that died as his tongue invaded his mouth, demanding surrender.

For three desperate seconds, Cade felt Finn’s resistance against him—palms pushing at his chest, body twisting in hisgrip, a muffled protest dying against his lips. Then something shifted, a tangible surrender that Cade felt through their bond like a dam breaking. Finn’s hands, which had been fighting him moments before, suddenly clutched at his shirt, pulling him closer instead of pushing away. A sound vibrated between them—half sob, half surrender—as Finn’s defenses crumbled beneath the weight of their connection.

Yes,Cade’s wolf snarled in satisfaction.OURS.

Through their pack bond, he felt Logan’s responding surge of possessive hunger, the middle brother’s grip tightening on the steering wheel as he fought to maintain control.

Soon,Cade promised.Soon we’ll all have him.

He deepened the kiss, tasting, claiming, his grip tightening possessively as if daring Finn to pull away again. His teeth caught Finn’s lower lip, biting just hard enough to remind him who was in control before his tongue soothed the sting.

Finn moaned into his mouth, a sound of surrender that sent fire racing through Cade’s veins. His wolf responded with a rumbling purr of satisfaction that vibrated through his chest and into Finn’s.

Through the mate bond, suddenly vibrant and alive after years of dormancy, Cade caught flashes of Finn’s memories—that day on the beach four years ago, the overwhelming sensations of being touched by all three of them.

Cade’s hand slid under Finn’s shirt, palm scorching against skin that felt like silk beneath his calloused fingers. He traced the lean muscles that hadn’t been there four years ago, evidence of Finn’s growth and independence. His other hand maintained its grip in Finn’s hair, controlling the angle of the kiss, demanding complete submission.

Finn gave it to him, melting against the hard planes of his body like he belonged there—which he did, had always done, would always do.

When Cade finally broke the kiss, Finn was breathing hard, lips swollen, eyes wide with shock and unmistakable desire. Cade’s own eyes had shifted fully to silver, his wolf perilously close to the surface.

“That,” he said roughly, voice barely human, “is what you are to us. Not a project. Not a charity case. Ours. Now,” Cade continued, thumb brushing over Finn’s lower lip where his teeth had been moments before, “are you going to behave, or do I need to restrain you for the rest of the drive?”

He watched the conflict play out on Finn’s face—outrage warring with desire, independence fighting against instinct. For a moment, he thought Finn might choose defiance again. Then his shoulders slumped slightly, the fight temporarily draining from him.

“I’ll behave,” Finn whispered, the words clearly costing him.

“Good boy,” Cade murmured, the praise settling between them like a caress.

He shifted Finn in his arms, arranging him so he was sitting across his lap, his head tucked under his chin. The position allowed him to envelop Finn completely, to surround him with his scent and presence while keeping him securely restrained.

The weight of him was different than Cade remembered—still light compared to his own substantial mass, but more solid now, the softness of youth replaced by the lean strength of adulthood. He fit perfectly in Cade’s arms, as if he’d been designed specifically to be held by him.