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“That was too close,” Cade said, breaking the silence as they stood in the shadow of their ancestral home.

“Did you see his face when you were touching him?” Logan asked, still vibrating with tension despite the miles they’d run. “He wanted more. He just doesn’t understand what he’s feeling.”

“Of course he doesn’t,” Keir said, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “He thinks we’re his brothers. He’s likely interpreting his reactions as inappropriate, perhaps even shameful.”

“This is becoming dangerous,” Cade acknowledged, his tone grave. “We’re losing our composure around him.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” Logan’s laugh was without humor. “I nearly shifted in the studio when he removed his shirt. If we’d remained another moment…”

“We need a new approach,” Cade decided, his alpha authority settling over them like a physical weight. “This gradual strategy isn’t working. We’re tormenting ourselves and confusing him.”

“What do you suggest?” Keir asked. “Because my control is hanging by the thinnest of threads.”

Cade looked up at the stronghold, at the symbol of everything the Sinclair name represented—power, protection, legacy. “We give him space. Let him pursue his art education when he’s ready to apply.”

“After six years of waiting, you want to let him leave?” Logan’s voice was dangerously quiet.

“With the Shadow Harvesters still hunting?” Keir added, genuine alarm in his tone. “They’ve already come for him twice—first when they killed his parents, then when they returned for him at thirteen. We have no way of knowing when they’ll strike next.”

“That’s precisely why I’m not suggesting we leave him unprotected,” Cade clarified, his expression hardening. “I want him to choose us, not feel trapped by us. But his safety is nonnegotiable.”

“We’ll need to consult with the Council of Elders,” Logan said, already shifting into security planning mode. “Elder Miriam’s visions have been growing stronger. She might sense if the Shadow Harvesters are mobilizing again.”

“Harborview has been our territory for over three centuries,” Cade reminded them, referring to their coastal town with its mixture of supernatural and human residents. “No Harvester will cross our borders without us knowing.”

“And if he applies to schools outside our territory?” Keir challenged. “You know he’ll want independence, distance from us.”

“Then we ensure he chooses somewhere within our sphere of influence,” Cade said firmly. “Seattle or Portland would be acceptable—close enough to monitor, yet far enough to give him the independence he craves.”

“I won’t trust other alphas with our mate’s protection,” Logan stated flatly. “Not even allied packs.”

“Nor would I ask you to,” Cade agreed. “We’ll establish our own security networks, our own protocols.”

“And one of us will visit regularly,” Keir added, not a question but a statement of fact. “Business requires frequent trips to major cities, after all.”

“The council will need to be consulted,” Logan said thoughtfully. “Elder Miriam and Elder Takoda especially. Their combined foresight and protective magic would be valuable.”

“Elder Takoda’s tribe has protected these lands alongside us since our founding patriarch first arrived,” Cade nodded. “His earth-binding rituals could help strengthen the pre-marking.”

“And Elder Washington might know more about the Shadow Harvesters’ movements,” Keir suggested. “His network of contacts extends throughout the supernatural world.”

“We’ll convene the full council tomorrow,” Cade decided. “All five must agree on our approach.”

“And what about the pre-marking?” Logan asked, voicing their shared concern. “It’s been six years. While our mate bond grows stronger, the protective aspects of the pre-marking are beginning to fade. You saw how it’s affecting him—his fox traits emerging, his sensitivity to our presence.”

“Elder Miriam believes the emergency pre-marking we performed will continue to protect him from outside claims,” Cade said, though concern flickered across his face. “It was done during the Blood Moon, with our parents’ dying energy sealing it. But even that power has limits.”

“The marks themselves are fading,” Keir pointed out. “There’s a reason most pre-markings are completed within a year or two. The physical protection weakens even as the mate bond itself intensifies.”

“We’ll have the council perform a renewal ritual on the pre-marking before he leaves,” Cade decided. “And we’ll ensure he wears the protection amulets, even if he doesn’t understand their true purpose.”

Logan’s expression darkened. “You know what Elder Wu will suggest as the only true way to renew a pre-marking.”

“Physical claiming,” Keir said quietly. “The ritual requires… intimacy.”

“Which we cannot pursue until Finn understands what we are to each other,” Cade said firmly. “No matter how much stronger it would make the protection.”

The brothers fell silent, each contemplating the complex situation. Letting Finn go would be excruciating, but forcinghim to stay when he didn’t understand the true nature of their relationship could be disastrous.