Page 30 of Bound by Alphas 1: Bound (The Blood Moon Chronicle #3)

I tried to keep my expression neutral as I watched Sophia laugh at something Cade said, placing her hand on his bare shoulder. “They can have them,” I muttered, opening a soda with more force than necessary.

Drew shot me a knowing look but didn’t comment. Instead, he pulled out a waterproof speaker from one of the storage compartments. “Who’s ready for some music?”

The next hour passed pleasantly enough. Drew, Jake, Tyler, and I set up an impromptu card game on the deck, eating Elena’s famous fried chicken and trading stories about our most embarrassing moments in high school. I relaxed, almost forgetting about the brothers and their admirers.

Almost.

It was impossible not to notice how Sophia and Mia had maneuvered Cade and Logan to the far side of the swimming area, or how they took every opportunity to touch them—a hand on an arm here, a playful splash there.

Keir had joined our card game for a while but kept getting distracted, his eyes drifting to where his brothers were surrounded by the Blackwood cousins.

“Your deal,” Drew said, nudging me and breaking my concentration.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, gathering the cards.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jake said, following my gaze. “If I had those two circling my brothers like sharks, I’d be distracted too.”

“I’m not worried,” I lied, shuffling the cards with more focus than necessary. “They’re all adults. They can flirt with whoever they want.”

“Sure.” Tyler nodded, his tone making it clear he didn’t believe me for a second. “That’s why you’ve been death-gripping that soda can for the last ten minutes.”

I looked down to find I had indeed crushed the empty can in my hand without realizing it. “Just thinking about recycling,” I said lamely.

Drew snorted. “Right. And I’m just thinking about world peace when I check out that lifeguard at the public beach.”

The conversation shifted to safer topics, but I couldn’t help noticing when Cade, Logan, and the Blackwood cousins finally swam back toward the boat. Sophia and Mia were laughing at something, looking impossibly gorgeous even with wet hair.

“I’m going to get some sun,” I announced, abandoning our card game to move to the front of the boat. I needed some space before I said something I’d regret.

I carefully made my way to the bow, stepping up onto the raised platform with its curved seating area.

The low safety railing provided minimal protection from the water below but offered an unobstructed view of the lake stretching before us.

I settled on the cushioned sun pad, letting my fingers trail along the polished metal railing as the boat cut through the water.

I’d been enjoying the relative solitude for maybe fifteen minutes when a shadow fell across my face. Looking up, I was surprised to find Sophia and Mia standing over me. Great. Just what I needed to ruin my moment of peace.

“He’s something, isn’t he?” Sophia said.

“What?” I asked, though I knew exactly who she was referring to.

“Your brother,” she clarified, her eyes following Cade as he pulled himself back onto the boat. “The way he commands attention without even trying.”

I shrugged, uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. “I guess.”

Mia settled beside me, while Sophia positioned herself on my other side. Their casual movements somehow managed to box me in against the railing.

“It must be difficult sometimes,” Mia said. “Living in their shadow.”

“I don’t live in anyone’s shadow,” I replied, perhaps too defensively.

“Of course not.” Sophia smiled, the expression not reaching her eyes. “But three alpha brothers… that’s a lot of strong personalities in one house. Don’t you ever feel… suffocated?”

The question hit closer to home than I wanted to admit. “We manage.”

“Still,” Mia continued, “someone with your… creative sensibilities must crave independence. Freedom to explore your own path.”

I tensed, wondering how they knew to target my exact insecurities.

“I’m perfectly free to do what I want,” I lied.

Sophia laughed lightly. “Are you? From what we’ve observed, they seem rather… protective of you.”

“Overprotective, some might say,” Mia added, watching my reaction carefully. “Almost possessive.”

“They’re just being brothers,” I said, trying to slide away from them, only to find myself trapped against the railing.

“Brothers,” Sophia repeated, something knowing in her tone. “Is that really all they are to you?”

My heart skipped a beat. What exactly were they implying?

“What else would they be?” I asked, keeping my voice steady.

“Oh, nothing.” Mia waved dismissively. “It’s just… unusual, the way they watch you. The way they hover.”

“Almost like they’re afraid someone might take you away,” Sophia added.

“Or that you might choose to leave on your own,” Mia finished.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, but I could feel heat rising to my cheeks.

“Don’t we?” Sophia’s smile turned predatory. “We’ve seen how they look at you, Finn. And how you look at them.”

“It’s not healthy,” Mia said, her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. “You know that, right? You should be out living your own life, not trapped here playing little brother forever.”

Their words were hitting every insecurity I’d been wrestling with since the ceremony.

“We should all go for a swim,” Sophia suggested suddenly, standing up. “The water’s perfect.”

“I’m good here,” I said firmly, wanting nothing more than to escape this conversation.

“Don’t be silly,” Mia insisted, tugging at my arm. “The water will clear your head. Help you think about what we said.”

Across the boat, I caught a glimpse of Cade watching us, his expression unreadable. For a moment, our eyes met, and something like concern flickered across his face.

Sophia followed my gaze, her smile tightening when she saw where I was looking. “Your brother seems worried. Perhaps he thinks we’re stealing you away.”

As I turned back to respond, Mia shifted her position, moving slightly closer to the railing. Her hand remained on my arm, fingers tightening.

“I really should get back to—” I began.

“Just one more thing,” Sophia said, stepping forward suddenly. Her movement coincided with Mia’s firm pull on my arm, creating a perfect pincer movement that left me off-balance.

I felt myself tipping backward against the low railing. In that split second before I fell, I caught the exchange of looks between them—a flash of calculated satisfaction quickly masked by expressions of alarm.

Then I was falling, the shock of cold water closing over my head.

I wasn’t a bad swimmer, but the unexpected fall disoriented me. I kicked toward what I thought was the surface, only to realize I was moving sideways instead. My lungs began to burn as I tried to reorient myself.

And then it happened—the thing I’d been fighting all day. My emotions spiked, and I felt the telltale tingle that meant my fox features were emerging. Underwater. Where they immediately threw off my balance and coordination.

A fox tail is not conducive to efficient swimming.

I flailed, trying to compensate for the sudden change in my body’s hydrodynamics. My lungs screamed for air. Darkness began to creep in at the edges of my vision. And with it came flashes—fragments of memory I didn’t know I had.

Water closing over my head. Someone screaming my name. The burn of water in my lungs. A hand reaching for me, then disappearing.

As I struggled, a moment of clarity cut through my panic. The way they’d cornered me. The calculated questions targeting my deepest insecurities. The satisfaction in Sophia’s eyes as I fell.

This wasn’t an accident.

Drew had been completely fooled by their act—their carefully constructed facade of being “different” from the rest of their family.

But in that moment, underwater and fighting for breath, I saw the truth.

They were Blackwoods through and through, eliminating what they saw as competition with cold efficiency.

I was sinking, disoriented and terrified, when strong arms suddenly wrapped around my waist, pulling me upward with powerful strokes. My head broke the surface, and I gasped, coughing and sputtering as air rushed back into my lungs.

Through water-blurred vision, I made out Cade’s face, his expression a mix of concern and fury. Logan and Keir were there too, forming a protective triangle around me in the water.

“I’ve got you,” Cade said, his voice steady despite the rage I could feel vibrating through him. “You’re safe.”

But I wasn’t safe. Not really. Not with the Blackwood cousins watching from the boat with perfectly practiced expressions of concern that didn’t reach their calculating eyes.

“Finn!” Drew’s panicked voice called from the boat. “Is he okay?”

“He will be,” Logan replied, his tone clipped and controlled in a way that I recognized as dangerous. His eyes never left my face, but I could tell from the tightness in his jaw that he knew exactly what had happened.

The three brothers moved as one, supporting me between them as they swam toward the boat. My fox features were fully visible now, ears and tail exposed for everyone to see. I could hear the shocked murmurs from the boat but was too exhausted and shaken to care.

“Let’s get him up,” Keir said, positioning himself beneath me.

With careful coordination, the brothers lifted me back onto the deck, where I immediately collapsed into a coughing fit, expelling lake water from my lungs.

“Oh my God, Finn!” Sophia exclaimed, rushing forward with a towel. “That was terrifying! You just lost your balance and?—”

“Don’t,” Cade cut her off, his voice quiet but carrying an alpha command that made everyone on the boat freeze. He took the towel from her hands and wrapped it around my shoulders. He pulled me against his chest, shielding me from view as my fox ears twitched uncontrollably.

“We need to get him home,” Logan said, his eyes scanning the boat with predatory assessment. Jake and Tyler stood back, clearly uncomfortable with the tension crackling in the air. Drew looked confused, his gaze bouncing between me and the Blackwood cousins with growing suspicion.

“But the day’s just starting,” Mia protested, her voice a perfect blend of disappointment and concern. “And Finn seems okay now?—”

“We’re leaving,” Keir stated, the finality in his tone brooking no argument. “Drew, you can stay with our guests if you’d like.”

Drew hesitated, clearly torn between his loyalty to me and his role as host. “I should come with you guys?—”

“Stay,” I managed to rasp, not wanting to ruin his weekend completely. “I’m fine. Just need to rest.”

Drew didn’t look convinced but nodded slowly. “I’ll check on you later.”

“I’m so sorry about your fall,” Sophia said, reaching toward me with perfectly manicured concern. “If there’s anything we can do?—”

Logan moved between us, his back to her as he faced me. “Can you walk?”

I nodded, though my legs felt like jelly. I tried to stand, but swayed dangerously, my equilibrium still off.

Cade swept me into his arms, cradling me against his chest. Any other time I would have protested being carried like a child, but at that moment, I was too exhausted to care.

“We’ll take the spare boat,” Keir said, already gathering my things. “Drew, bring the yacht back when you’re ready.”

I noticed Logan was already lowering the yacht’s tender—a sleek motorized dinghy kept for shore excursions or emergencies. The smaller craft bobbed alongside the anchored yacht, ready for our escape.

Drew nodded, his expression troubled as he watched Logan help Cade carefully transfer me to the smaller boat.

“I’ll check on you later,” Drew called down to us, clearly torn between his loyalty to me and his role as host.

As our small boat pulled away from the yacht, I caught a glimpse of Sophia and Mia at the railing—frustration quickly masked by sympathy. They’d failed this time, but I had no doubt they’d try again.

The ride back to shore was silent, Cade cradling me against his chest while Keir piloted the small craft and Logan kept a protective watch, his eyes scanning the water as if expecting further threats.

The walk to the car was a blur. My fox ears refused to retract, twitching with every sound, and my tail remained firmly in place, dripping lake water onto the dock. Keir walked ahead, clearing the path and opening doors, while Logan followed behind, his presence a wall of protection at my back.

In the SUV, Cade settled me in the back seat, wrapping another dry towel around my shoulders before sliding in beside me. Keir took the wheel while Logan claimed the passenger seat, his body half-turned to keep me in his sight.

“You’re safe now,” Cade murmured, his arm around my shoulders pulling me closer to his warmth. “We’ve got you.”

And despite everything—the confusion about our relationship, the revelation of the mate bond, my own conflicted feelings—I believed him. In that moment, I felt safer with these three men than anywhere else in the world.