Page 60 of Bound by Alphas 1: Bound (The Blood Moon Chronicle #3)
SINCLAIR brOTHERS
Four Years Later
T he council chambers had not changed in centuries—stone walls steeped in old magic, ancient wooden tables worn smooth by generations of supernatural hands, and windows that filtered the evening light into patterns that seemed to whisper secrets.
Cade stood at the head of the oval table, his hands braced against the polished surface as he surveyed the room.
Elder Miriam MacKenzie sat opposite him, her silver hair gleaming in the fading light, her eyes sharp despite her advanced years.
To her right sat Elder Takoda, his weathered face impassive, and Elder Wu, whose fox heritage was evident in her quick, assessing gaze.
Logan and Keir flanked Cade, their postures mirroring his tension.
“You’re certain?” Cade asked, his voice carefully controlled despite the churning in his gut. “The signs are unmistakable?”
Elder Miriam nodded, her gnarled fingers tracing patterns on the ancient map spread before them. “The celestial alignments have begun shifting. Not a Blood Moon yet, but the preliminary signs are there.” She looked up, her eyes meeting Cade’s. “The Shadow Harvesters are growing active again.”
Logan’s jaw tightened, a muscle jumping beneath his skin. “How many incidents?”
“Three disappearances along the West Coast in the past month,” Elder Wu confirmed, her voice soft but carrying. “My contacts in the fox community report increased activity. Young shifters, mostly. Those with unusual abilities or mixed heritage.”
“Like Finn,” Keir said, the name like a physical ache in Cade’s chest.
Four years. Four years since they’d let him go to Seattle, believing they could protect him from afar. Four years of watching through security feeds, of reports from Drew, of aching for their mate while respecting his need for independence. Four years of incomplete bonds and restless wolves.
“Not just like Finn,” Elder Miriam corrected, her gaze piercing.
“The vision came to me three nights ago.” She closed her eyes, reciting from memory.
“Six vessels of ancient power, bound by fate and blood. One who walks between worlds. One who carries fire in mortal veins. One whose spirit bridges realms unseen. One who guards with forgotten magic. One born of darkness untouched by death. One who amplifies what others cannot contain.”
Silence fell over the chamber as her words hung in the air.
“Cravax,” Elder Takoda finally said, speaking the name like a curse. “He seeks the six to complete his resurrection.”
Cade’s hands curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms. “The one who walks between worlds. Could that be Finn?”
“I believe so,” Elder Miriam confirmed. “My vision showed a fox with multiple tails moving through shadows as if they were doorways. Your mate’s heritage may be more significant than we realized.”
“And the others?” Logan demanded. “Do we know who they are?”
“The one who carries fire in mortal veins,” Elder Wu said thoughtfully. “That would be the Chen boy from Cedar Grove. After what happened at the Knox challenge, there’s no doubt.”
“We received the reports this morning,” Elder Takoda added, sliding a folder across the table. “The Blackwoods witnessed it firsthand. Dragon blood, just as the old legends suggested.”
Keir opened the folder, his expression darkening as he scanned the contents. “The Blood Moon Coven manifested? And the Crimson Serpent Society? I thought they were myths.”
“Very real,” Elder Miriam said grimly. “And now very active. The supernatural community across the mountains is in chaos after the incident.”
“The Stone brothers managed to protect the boy,” Elder Wu continued. “But only after his powers manifested. Dragon scales, elemental manipulation—powers not seen in centuries.”
“And the one born of darkness untouched by death?” Cade asked, continuing down the list.
Elder Miriam’s expression grew troubled. “A born vampire, not made. Extremely rare. The Ravencrofts have kept a secret for nearly two centuries—a youngest brother, born rather than turned.”
“That’s only three of the six,” Logan pointed out. “What about the others?”
Elder Wu spread her hands. “We have theories, but nothing certain. The Cedar Grove incident revealed unexpected players—the White Tiger Clan emerged to protect the Chen boy. They could be connected to ‘the one who guards with forgotten magic.’”
“And the remaining two?” Keir asked.
“Still unknown,” Elder Miriam admitted. “But if the pattern holds, Cravax will force them to reveal themselves soon, just as he did with the Chen boy.”
“So the Cedar Grove incident was a test,” Cade concluded, the pieces falling into place. “A way to confirm one of the vessels and assess his powers.”
“Precisely,” Elder Takoda nodded. “And the next logical target?—”
“Is Finn,” Logan finished, his voice hard.
“Has Drew reported any unusual incidents?” Cade asked. “Any signs that Finn’s kitsune heritage is becoming more pronounced?”
“Nothing significant,” Logan replied. “But Drew mentioned that Finn’s been having vivid dreams lately. Dreams of running through forests with multiple tails.”
“His powers are stirring,” Elder Wu said, concern evident in her voice. “The Shadow Harvesters will sense it soon, if they haven’t already.”
“The Blackwoods report Shadow Harvester activity near Seattle,” Elder Miriam added. “They’re already hunting.”
“How much time do we have?” Keir asked, already pulling out his phone, no doubt mentally calculating extraction plans.
“Days at most,” Elder Miriam replied. “The Cedar Grove incident has accelerated everything. Cravax won’t wait for the Blood Moon to secure his vessels.”
“Finn doesn’t know what he is,” Cade said, the words tasting like ash. “We never told him about his parents, about his true heritage.”
It had been a decision made with the best intentions—to protect Finn from knowledge that might attract the very danger they feared. But now that decision might cost them everything.
“Then it’s time he learned,” Elder Takoda said firmly. “The boy must be brought home. All six must be gathered and protected.”
Cade exchanged glances with his brothers, seeing his own determination mirrored in their eyes. “We leave for Seattle tonight,” he decided, straightening to his full height. “Drew is already there. He’ll help us locate Finn.”
“And if he resists?” Elder Wu asked, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer.
“He’s our mate,” Cade said simply. “We’re bringing him home.”
As the meeting concluded and the elders departed, the three brothers remained in the council chamber, the weight of what was to come settling over them.
“He’s going to be furious,” Keir said, breaking the silence. “Four years of independence, and now we’re dragging him back into a supernatural war.”
“He’ll understand once we explain,” Logan argued, though he didn’t sound entirely convinced.
“Will he?” Cade asked quietly. “We’ve kept the truth from him his entire life. About his parents. About what he is. About the danger that’s always been stalking him.”
The guilt he’d carried for years felt heavier now.
They’d adopted Finn when he was eight, after his parents were killed in what they’d told him was a car accident.
In reality, they’d been targeted by the Shadow Harvesters for their rare kitsune-wolf hybrid energy.
The Sinclairs had taken in their orphaned son, raising him as their own while hiding his true heritage from him.
And then, when the mate bond had revealed itself, they’d kept even more secrets—about the pre-marking that had been performed when Finn was just a child, about the prophecy that had always linked him to darker forces.
“We did what we thought was right,” Logan said, his hand falling on Cade’s shoulder. “To protect him.”
“And now we have to do what’s right again,” Keir added. “Even if he hates us for it.”
Cade nodded, decision crystallizing into resolve. “We leave in an hour.”
As his brothers moved to comply, Cade walked to the window, staring out at the darkening sky. Somewhere in Seattle, Finn was living the life he’d chosen—the life they’d allowed him to have, watching from a distance, aching for him while respecting his boundaries.
That ended tonight.
“We’re coming, little fox,” he murmured to the gathering darkness. “Whether you’re ready or not.”
T he sleek black SUV pulled to a stop across the street from Moonlight Brew, a modestly charming café tucked between a bookstore and a vintage clothing shop.
The Seattle afternoon buzzed with typical energy—people hurrying along rain-slicked sidewalks, the constant hum of traffic, the lingering scent of coffee and wet pavement.
But the three men in the vehicle noticed none of it. Their attention was fixed solely on the slender figure visible through the café’s large front window.
“He’s grown,” Keir murmured, his eyes never leaving Finn as he moved behind the counter. “Filled out a bit.”
Logan’s jaw tightened, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. “Still too thin.”
Cade said nothing, drinking in the sight of their mate after four years of surveillance photos and Drew’s reports.
Finn had indeed changed—his features had matured from pretty to striking.
The soft curves of his face had given way to more defined angles—high cheekbones, a jawline that had firmed with age, lips that remained full and expressive as they curved into a smile for a customer.
His frame was still delicate but with a new confidence in how he carried himself. No longer a boy playing at independence, but a young man who had carved out his own place in the world.
The pre-marking scar on Finn’s hip—invisible beneath his clothes but eternally present in their bond—pulsed with renewed energy as the distance between them narrowed. Four years of stretched connection suddenly contracting, pulling taut like a fishing line with a catch on the end.
“Do you feel that?” Logan asked, his voice rough with emotion. “The bond. It’s…”