Page 2 of Bound by Alphas 1: Bound (The Blood Moon Chronicle #3)

“You’ll always be pack,” Drew said quietly. “Family isn’t just blood.”

“Tell that to Cade when he’s making pack decisions,” I muttered. “Or Logan when he’s talking about ‘pure bloodlines.’ Or Keir when he’s explaining pack traditions I’ll never be part of.”

We fell into easier topics after that—Drew’s latest rock climbing adventure, my newest commission, a movie we both wanted to see. For a while, it was like old times, before I’d fled to Seattle with nothing but a scholarship letter and determination to escape.

When we finally said goodbye, the apartment felt emptier than before. I curled up on my futon, surrounded by paintings of shadows with silver eyes, and tried not to think about how much I missed home.

Not home , I reminded myself fiercely. Just a place I used to live.

Sleep came fitfully, dreams filled with running and forests and eyes watching from the shadows.

Somewhere in the darkness, I felt a gentle touch against my cheek, the whisper of fingers brushing my hair back from my face.

The scent of cedar and rain and something uniquely familiar wrapped around me, making me burrow deeper into my blankets with a contented sigh.

Soon, little fox, a voice murmured, so real I could almost feel the breath against my ear. We’ve waited long enough.

I jerked awake at dawn, heart pounding, the dream already fading. But something felt… different. The air in my apartment carried traces of a scent that didn’t belong—woodsy and masculine and achingly familiar.

“Impossible,” I whispered, sitting up and scanning the room. Everything looked normal. The door was still locked, chain in place. The windows were secured. But something had changed.

I rose on unsteady legs, checking every corner, every possible hiding place. Nothing. No one. Just the lingering sensation that I hadn’t been alone in my dreams—or perhaps not even in my apartment.

By the time I showered and dressed for my morning shift, I’d almost convinced myself it was just another nightmare. Almost.

The morning dawned bright and clear. I dragged myself to Moonlight Brew for the opening shift, yawning as I set up the espresso machine and prepped pastries for the display case.

“You look like hell,” Maya observed as she arrived for her midmorning shift.

“Thanks. It’s my new summer collection—‘Exhaustion Chic.’ Very exclusive,” I quipped, handing a customer their change. “The bags under my eyes are actually designer.”

“More nightmares?” she asked, tying her apron.

I shrugged. “Just the usual. Being chased through the woods by my commitment issues and student loan debt.”

The morning rush kept us busy until eleven, when the café emptied except for a few laptop warriors camped at the tables. I was wiping down the espresso machine when the door chimed, and a familiar prickle ran down my spine.

“I’ll get this one,” Maya said, but I was already turning, some instinct pulling my attention to the entrance.

He filled the doorway like he’d been designed specifically to make normal men feel inadequate. Six foot four of perfectly tailored suit and controlled power, golden-brown hair styled just so, deep blue eyes scanning the café with the focus of a predator.

Cade Sinclair.

My eldest brother—not brother, not brother —looked exactly as I remembered, only somehow more. More powerful. More beautiful. More dangerous.

Our eyes met across the café, and everything inside me went still.

My body reacted instantly, a wave of heat washing through me that had nothing to do with the steam wand I’d been cleaning.

My heart raced, my mouth went dry, and something deep inside me—something I’d been denying for years—stirred in recognition.

Alpha. Mine.

“No,” I whispered, the word barely audible even to myself. I backed away, bumping into the counter. “Not happening.”

Maya looked between us, confusion clear on her face. “Finn? You know this guy?”

“My brother,” I managed, the word feeling inadequate for the complicated tangle of emotions Cade inspired. “My very busy, important brother who should be running his company three hours away, not stalking me in Seattle.”

“Family emergency,” Cade said smoothly, never taking his eyes off me. “I need to borrow him.”

Something in his tone made my knees weak, a primal part of me wanting to bare my throat and say yes, anything . I hated that reaction, hated how my body betrayed me every time.

“I’m working,” I said, gripping the counter for support. “My shift ends at four.”

“I’ve already spoken with your manager,” Cade replied, and of course he had. “He was very understanding about the family emergency.”

“Of course he was,” I muttered. “Let me guess—you offered to buy the place?”

Cade’s smile turned sharp. “Only if necessary.”

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.

“Don’t.”

One word, filled with alpha command. My body froze instinctively, a whimper building in my throat that I barely managed to suppress.

“I hate when you do that,” I whispered, hands curling into fists.

“I know.” His expression softened fractionally. “But you leave us no choice.”

“Us? There is no us! There’s me, living my life, and you, refusing to accept that!”

Logan pulled the SUV into traffic, his eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror. “A life you’re barely surviving in. Your apartment is a shoebox. Your bank account is a joke. Your ‘career’ is making coffee.”

“My art?—”

“Is beautiful,” Cade interrupted, surprising me. “And going nowhere in that tiny apartment with no connections and no support.”

I stared at him. “You’ve seen my latest work?”

“Of course we have,” he said, as if it were obvious. “We’ve been watching over you this whole time, Finn. Did you really think we’d just let you go?”

The casual admission sent a chill down my spine. “That’s… that’s stalking. And creepy. And?—”

“Protective,” Logan supplied from the front seat. “The word you’re looking for is protective.”

“The word I’m looking for isn’t appropriate for polite company,” I muttered, turning to stare out the window as Seattle passed by. “How long have you been watching me?”

“Since the day you left,” Cade said simply.