Page 4 of Bound by Alphas 1: Bound (The Blood Moon Chronicle #3)

Four Years Ago

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, fingers gripping the marble countertop so hard my knuckles turned white. The face looking back at me seemed like a stranger’s—too pale, eyes too wide, lips pressed into a thin line.

“This has to be some cosmic joke,” I whispered to my reflection.

The bathroom lights cast an unflattering glow over my features—honey-brown hair that never quite behaved, amber-gold eyes that looked more fox than human in certain lights, delicate bone structure that made me look younger than my nineteen years. I wasn’t ugly, I knew that much, but I wasn’t… them.

I wasn’t tall and powerfully built like Cade, with his commanding presence and deep blue eyes that could freeze you in place with one look.

I wasn’t ruggedly handsome like Logan, all hard edges and barely contained strength.

I wasn’t effortlessly charming like Keir, with his golden good looks and easy smile that made everyone fall at his feet.

I was just… Finn. Five foot six on a good day, slim-built, with artist’s hands and exactly zero ability to shift properly despite apparently being some kind of rare fox shifter. The kind of guy the Sinclair brothers protected and tolerated, not the kind they desired.

And certainly not the kind fate would choose as their mate.

Their mate. Plural. All three of them.

“Fuck,” I breathed, splashing cold water on my face. It did nothing to wash away the memory of this morning’s ceremony.

The Mate Augury was supposed to be a formality—just another supernatural tradition I had to endure as the defective fox shifter in a family of powerful alphas. No one expected anything to actually happen. I certainly hadn’t.

But then the elder’s eyes had widened as she stared into the ceremonial bowl, her weathered hand trembling as she gripped my wrist.

“Impossible,” she’d whispered, looking from me to where my brothers stood at the edge of the sacred circle. “Three alphas. One mate.”

The silence that followed had been deafening. I’d looked up to see Cade, Logan, and Keir exchanging glances, their expressions grim. Not surprised—just grim. Resigned.

“You’ve felt it?” Elder Miriam had asked them, her voice shaking.

Cade had nodded once, jaw tight. “For some time now.”

Some time. How long had they known? How long had they been carrying this burden, pretending everything was normal while fate played this cruel joke on them?

I remembered the flash of pain that had crossed Logan’s face, the way Keir had looked away. They hadn’t wanted this. Hadn’t wanted me.

And why would they? The Sinclair alphas could have anyone.

I’d seen the women they brought home—tall, beautiful wolf shifters with perfect bodies and confident smiles.

Women who fit seamlessly into their world of power and privilege.

Women who could shift at will, who understood pack dynamics, who could stand beside them as equals.

Not a skinny art student who couldn’t even manage to grow claws when he tried to shift.

A knock on the bathroom door startled me from my spiraling thoughts.

“Finn? You alive in there?” Drew’s voice called through the door. “Because if you drowned in the toilet on your birthday, I’m going to be seriously pissed about wrapping all those presents.”

Despite everything, a small smile tugged at my lips. Drew, my fellow adoptee in the Sinclair Pack, was the only one who could make me laugh on even my worst days.

“Just perfecting my drowning technique,” I called back. “Give me five more minutes.”

“No way. I’m coming in.”

Before I could protest, the door swung open and Drew sauntered in, looking annoyingly put-together in dark jeans and a forest-green button-down that made his hazel eyes pop.

At twenty-one, he was the closest to my age and the only one who treated me like an actual person instead of a fragile object to be protected.

He took one look at my face and whistled low. “Wow. You look like shit.”

“Thanks,” I deadpanned. “Just the look I was going for on my nineteenth birthday.”

Drew leaned against the doorframe, studying me. “So. That was quite a morning.”

I turned back to the mirror, avoiding his gaze. “Understatement of the century.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not particularly.”

“Too bad.” He moved to sit on the edge of the massive bathtub. “Because your party starts in twenty minutes, and if you go out there looking like someone just killed your puppy, Cade’s going to have a conniption.”

I snorted. “Pretty sure Cade’s already having a conniption. Did you see his face this morning? He looked like someone told him the stock market crashed and all his designer suits spontaneously combusted.”

Drew was quiet for a moment. “It’s not what you think, Finn.”

“No? Then what is it?” I turned to face him, crossing my arms over my chest. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like my three adoptive brothers just found out they’re magically bound to me for eternity, and they’re absolutely thrilled about it.

Really, the joy was overwhelming. I’m surprised Logan didn’t throw a parade. ”

“They’re processing,” Drew said carefully. “It’s… complicated.”

“Complicated,” I echoed. “Right. Because finding out your scrawny little adopted brother is somehow your destined mate is just a minor inconvenience. Especially when you’re used to dating gorgeous wolf shifters who actually know how to function in your world.”

Drew sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m not going to lie—I was shocked too. I always figured their mates would be, you know…”

“Female?” I supplied. “Tall? Beautiful? Actually able to shift properly? Not me?”

“I was going to say ‘not such a pain in the ass,’” Drew shot back with a half smile. “But yeah, the whole triple alpha-one mate thing is pretty unprecedented. Elder Miriam looked like she was going to pass out.”

I turned back to the mirror, attempting to do something with my hopeless hair. “Great. So I’m a freak even by supernatural standards. That’s comforting.”

“You’re not a freak,” Drew said, his voice softening. “You’re rare. Special.”

“Special,” I repeated bitterly. “Like a science experiment gone wrong.”

Drew stood, moving behind me to place his hands on my shoulders. In the mirror, his expression was unusually serious. “Look, I don’t pretend to understand all this mate stuff. But I do know those three would die for you. They’ve been protecting you since the day you came here.”

“Because they had to,” I pointed out. “Because they’re stuck with me.”

“Because they care about you, idiot.” He gave my shoulders a gentle shake. “Whatever this mate bond is, it doesn’t change that.”

But it did change everything. It changed how I would see every interaction we’d ever had.

Every time Cade had ruffled my hair. Every time Logan had taught me to defend myself.

Every time Keir had helped me with my art projects.

Had they been acting out of brotherly affection, or had they been fighting their instincts the whole time?

And what about my feelings? The ones I’d buried so deep I could almost pretend they didn’t exist. The way my heart raced when Cade entered a room. The way I found excuses to watch Logan train. The way I cataloged Keir’s smiles like they were precious artifacts.

I’d been in love with them for years—all three of them, in different ways. But I’d locked those feelings away, convinced myself it was just hero worship, just misplaced affection. Because they were my brothers. Because they would never see me that way.

Except apparently fate had other ideas.

“Come on,” Drew said, tugging me away from the mirror. “You can’t hide in here all night. There’s a houseful of people waiting to celebrate the fact that you’ve survived nineteen years without getting yourself killed, which, given your talent for trouble, is actually impressive.”

“Maybe I don’t feel like celebrating,” I muttered, even as I allowed him to pull me toward the door.

“Too bad. I spent three hours hanging decorations and Keir ordered that fancy cake you like from Seattle. The least you can do is show up and pretend to be happy about it.”

I stopped, a thought suddenly occurring to me. “Do people know? About the ceremony?”

Drew shook his head. “Just the elders and us. Cade made it clear it wasn’t to be discussed. It’s still your birthday party, nothing else.”

Relief washed through me. The last thing I needed was an audience for this cosmic joke.

“Fine,” I sighed, straightening my shoulders. “Let’s get this over with.”

Drew grinned, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “That’s the spirit. And hey, look on the bright side—if anyone gets handsy with you tonight, you’ve got three alpha werewolves ready to rip their arms off.”

“Fantastic,” I deadpanned. “Just what every nineteen-year-old dreams of—overprotective mates who don’t actually want to be mated to you.”

Drew’s smile faltered. “Finn?—”

“It’s fine,” I cut him off. “Really. I’ll go, I’ll smile, I’ll blow out the candles and make a wish that this is all some elaborate prank.”

But as we headed out of my room toward the sound of music and laughter drifting up from downstairs, I knew no amount of wishing would change what had happened this morning. Fate had spoken, and it had a twisted sense of humor.

I was the mate of three alpha werewolves who had never wanted me.

And the worst part? I’d been secretly in love with them for years.

T he Sinclair mansion was a modern masterpiece of glass and cedar perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific.

Tonight, it was transformed with twinkling lights strung across the vaulted ceilings of the great room, the massive floor-to-ceiling windows reflecting the ocean and night sky like a living painting.

Music flowed from hidden speakers, and the scent of expensive catering mingled with the distinct notes of various shifters—mostly wolves from allied packs.