Page 8 of Bound by Alphas 1: Bound (The Blood Moon Chronicle #3)

“Fine,” Finn muttered. “Go play security. I’ll just stay here and cut my cake like a good little birthday boy.”

As they walked away, Cade sent a quick message through the bond. Keir, watch him.

Already on it, came the immediate response.

Outside, the situation was exactly as Cade had suspected. Three wolves from the McLean Pack prowling the perimeter. Logan’s eyes flashed amber as they approached the gate.

“I’ll handle this,” Cade said, straightening his tie. “You get back to Finn.”

“And leave you alone with rival wolves?” Logan growled.

“I’m hardly defenseless,” Cade reminded him. “And Finn needs protection more than I do right now. Every unmated alpha in there caught his scent after the ceremony.”

Logan hesitated, torn between protecting his alpha brother and guarding their mate. Finally, he nodded. “Ten minutes. Then I’m coming back.”

Cade clapped him on the shoulder before turning to face the interlopers. Through their bond, he felt the moment Logan reentered the house, felt his brother’s rage spike as he scanned the room for Finn.

He’s gone. Logan’s internal voice was sharp with alarm. Not in the main room.

Outside , Keir responded immediately. On the deck. I can see him from here. He’s upset—needed air.

Relief washed through their bond, followed by renewed tension.

I’m going to him , Keir decided. He shouldn’t be alone right now.

Be careful , Cade warned, even as he faced down the McLean wolves. He’s fragile tonight. Confused.

I know. Keir’s internal voice softened. I’ll be gentle.

Through their connection, Cade and Logan felt Keir approach Finn on the deck, felt the surge of protectiveness as he saw their mate shivering in the night air. They shared his view of Finn silhouetted against the moonlit ocean, slender and beautiful and so clearly hurting.

“Shouldn’t you be inside enjoying your party?” Keir asked aloud, his internal voice transmitting the conversation to his brothers.

“Needed some air,” Finn replied without turning.

Cade barely maintained his focus on the McLean wolves as he felt, through Keir, the overwhelming need to comfort their mate.

The diplomatic conversation with the rival pack became background noise as he shared Keir’s experience—the moonlight silvering Finn’s hair, the vulnerability in his profile, the way his hands gripped the railing like it was the only thing keeping him upright.

“It’s a lot, I know. All those people,” Keir was saying, moving closer, fighting the urge to wrap Finn in his arms.

“I’m fine,” Finn lied. “Just needed a break from being the center of attention.”

Through their bond, they all felt Keir’s amusement and tenderness. “Never known you to shy away from the spotlight, little fox. Not when there are compliments about your art to be had.”

The nickname hit differently now, loaded with new meaning. Through Keir, they felt Finn’s grip tighten on the railing.

“Yeah, well, maybe I’m growing up,” he said, his voice strained.

“Maybe you are,” Keir agreed softly. “Nineteen. Hard to believe.”

When Finn finally turned to look at Keir, the image transmitted through their bond made both Cade and Logan freeze mid-conversation.

Moonlight transformed Finn into something ethereal—his gold-flecked eyes luminous, his delicate features thrown into perfect relief, his lips slightly parted.

For one wild moment, all three alphas shared the same thought: what it would be like if he actually wanted them, if the mate bond was something he welcomed instead of endured.

The conversation took a turn that made their wolves snarl in unison—Finn telling Keir to return to his “admirer,” the redhead who’d been flirting with him all night.

“Jealous, Finn?” Keir asked, unable to keep the hope from his voice.

Heat flooded Finn’s cheeks. “Don’t be ridiculous. I just don’t want to keep you from your… entertainment.”

The hurt in his voice was unmistakable, slicing through their bond like a physical pain.

Keir’s response was immediate and fierce. “Is that what you think we’re doing? Finding entertainment?”

“I don’t know what you’re doing,” Finn admitted, his vulnerability bleeding through. “I don’t know what any of this means. This morning ? —”

“Not here,” Keir cut him off, glancing toward the house. “We’ll talk about it later, when it’s just family.”

Through their bond, they all felt Finn’s flinch at the word “family,” felt the way it twisted in his gut like a knife.

“Sure,” he said, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Later. You should go back to your friend.”

The dismissal hurt, but what followed hurt more—Keir’s instinctive gesture of draping his jacket over Finn’s shoulders, the way their mate unconsciously responded with a soft purr of satisfaction, and then the moment of connection shattered by Keir’s own uncertainty, falling back on the safe brotherly gesture of ruffling Finn’s hair.

“Happy birthday, little fox,” he said before retreating, leaving Finn alone with the moonlight and the ocean.

She’s with him now , Keir’s voice noted through their bond several minutes later, drawing Logan’s attention back to the deck where Aunt Vivian had joined Finn, offering him what appeared to be a drink.

Logan felt a surge of gratitude for their aunt’s intuition. If anyone could provide Finn comfort without complication, it was Vivian. She’d been their rock after their parents died, stepping in as CFO so Cade could focus on becoming the pack alpha while also caring for Finn.

Through the glass, he watched her lean against the railing beside Finn, her posture relaxed but protective. Even from this distance, Logan could see the tension gradually easing from Finn’s shoulders as she spoke.

Thank the moon for Aunt Viv , Logan thought, the sentiment traveling through their bond. She always knows what he needs.

Better her than any of us right now , Keir agreed, his mental tone tinged with regret. We’d only make things worse.

Logan nodded slightly in acknowledgment, watching as Vivian placed a comforting arm around Finn’s shoulders. The simple gesture made his wolf both grateful and jealous—grateful that Finn was receiving comfort, jealous that he couldn’t be the one providing it.

She’s good for him , Logan observed as they all felt Finn’s emotional turmoil begin to settle under Vivian’s gentle guidance.

Always has been , Keir agreed, grateful beyond words for their aunt’s steady presence in all their lives, but especially in Finn’s.

When Vivian finally pressed a kiss to Finn’s temple and left him alone on the deck, Logan felt the moment Finn’s emotions began to spiral again, his mate’s distress pulsing through their bond like a physical pain.

Back at the gate, Cade had finished warning off the McLean wolves, his diplomat’s smile never reaching his eyes as he made it clear what would happen if they crossed Sinclair territory again.

But his attention had been divided the entire time, following the interaction between Keir and Finn through their bond.

Tomorrow , Cade decided, rejoining them in the great room. We explain everything tomorrow.

But as the night wore on, their carefully laid plans began to unravel.

Drew found Finn on the deck, bringing him back inside for cake.

The brothers watched from different parts of the room as Finn went through the motions—smiling, thanking everyone, playing the part of the grateful birthday boy while his scent betrayed his distress.

As the crowd began to thin, Cade found himself momentarily alone near the study entrance. Aunt Vivian appeared at his side, her expression composed but her eyes sharp with concern.

“A word?” she asked quietly, nodding toward the relative privacy of the hallway.

Cade followed, grateful for the momentary reprieve from maintaining his alpha facade. Once they were out of earshot of the remaining guests, Vivian turned to face him.

“You’re all handling this poorly,” she said without preamble.

Cade’s eyebrows rose. “Straight to the point as always, Aunt Viv.”

“Would you prefer I waste time with pleasantries?” she countered.

Cade stiffened. “What did he say to you?”

“Nothing explicit,” she admitted. “But I’ve known that boy since he was eight years old. I recognize the look of someone searching for an exit.”

She softened slightly, placing a hand on his arm. “He’s frightened, Cade. Not of you three, but of what this means for his future. The independence he’s fought so hard for.”

“We would never cage him,” Cade said, the very thought making his wolf snarl in protest.

“Perhaps not intentionally,” Vivian agreed. “But three alphas can be… overwhelming. Especially to someone who’s spent his life trying to prove he doesn’t need protection.”

The truth of her words stung, but Cade couldn’t deny them. From the day they’d found eight-year-old Finn covered in his parents’ blood, he’d seen only what needed protecting, not the strength that had allowed Finn to survive in the first place.

“What would you have us do?” he asked, genuinely seeking her counsel.

“Give him time,” she said simply. “And space. Show him that being your mate doesn’t mean losing himself.”

A burst of laughter from the great room reminded them of the party still in progress. Vivian straightened, once again the perfect hostess and business partner.

“I should return to our guests,” she said. “Just remember, Cade—Finn has survived more than most. He’s stronger than you think.” Then she was gone, slipping back into the crowd with graceful efficiency.

As the party began to wind down, each brother found themselves cornered by their respective “companions”—women from allied packs who had been part of their arrangement for years.

Rebecca with Keir, Melissa with Logan, Elise with Cade.

Arrangements that had been necessary during the long wait for Finn to reach maturity, to help control the overwhelming urge to claim their underage mate.

Through their bond, they felt Finn’s devastation as he watched these interactions from across the room. Felt his heart breaking as he misinterpreted everything—seeing rejection where there was only duty, seeing disinterest where there was desperate restraint.

End it now , Cade commanded through their bond.

But it was too late. By the time they had disengaged from their companions, explaining that the arrangement was over, Finn was already fleeing up the stairs, his pain so acute it cut through their bond like a physical wound.

Stop him , Logan urged, already moving toward the staircase.

No , Cade held him back mentally. Not like this. Not when he’s raw and we’re surrounded by guests. Tomorrow, when it’s just us.

He thinks we’re rejecting him . Keir’s internal voice was anguished. He thinks we don’t want him.

We’ll fix it , Cade promised, though doubt gnawed at him. Tomorrow.

But as the last guests finally departed and the three brothers gathered in Cade’s study, they could feel Finn’s pain radiating from upstairs—feel him crying himself to sleep, Keir’s jacket clutched against his chest like a lifeline.

And through their bond, they caught fragments of his thoughts, each one a knife to their hearts.

They don’t want me.

I’m not enough.

I need to leave.

They’re stuck with me.

The crystal tumbler in Cade’s hand shattered, sending whiskey and glass shards across imported Italian marble. Blood dripped from his palm where the glass had cut him, but he barely noticed.

“He’s planning to run,” Logan growled, pacing the study like a caged predator. “I can feel it.”

Through their bond, they shared the agony of this realization—that their mate, the center of their world for six long years, was planning to flee rather than face what he believed was their rejection.

“We can’t let him go,” Logan snarled, his eyes flashing amber as his control slipped.

“We won’t force him to stay,” Cade said firmly, though the words felt like glass in his throat.

“He’s running because he thinks we don’t want him,” Keir said, his voice uncharacteristically bitter. “Because we’ve spent years pretending to be his brothers instead of what we really are.”

The truth of this hit all three of them through their bond. They had protected Finn physically while neglecting his emotional well-being, keeping him in the dark about his own destiny.

“We had no choice,” Logan growled, pacing the study like a caged predator. “After what happened to his parents… after what we witnessed that night…”

None of them needed to elaborate. The memory of eleven years ago was seared into their minds—the Shadow Harvesters’ attack, the slaughter of Finn’s parents while they could only watch in horror, hidden by their own parents’ protective magic.

Eight-year-old Finn, covered in his parents’ blood, eyes vacant with shock.

How his fox nature had retreated so deeply inside him that for years, they’d thought it gone forever.

“We swore to protect him,” Cade said quietly. “All of us. Our parents died keeping that promise six years ago.”

The second attack—the night they lost their own parents during another Blood Moon when Finn was thirteen—had only strengthened their resolve.

The Shadow Harvesters had returned, seeking to finish what they’d started, to claim the rare fox shifter whose dormant powers they somehow sensed.

The Sinclair Pack had fought to the death, buying time for the brothers to complete the emergency pre-marking on thirteen-year-old Finn.

“Tomorrow,” Cade decided, his resolve hardening. “We tell him the truth about us. About the mate bond. How we feel.”

“Not everything,” Keir cautioned. “The elders warned us—if his memories return too suddenly…”

“We tell him about us,” Cade clarified. “About how long we’ve known. Why we waited. The rest… when he’s ready.”

“And tonight?” Logan asked, looking toward the ceiling where they could feel Finn’s distress.

Above them, they felt Finn’s nightmare begin—felt his fear and confusion even in sleep. The same nightmare he’d had since childhood—shadowy figures with bloodred eyes, the scent of copper and fear, the feeling of being hunted.

The three brothers moved to the center of the room, standing close enough that their shoulders touched.

They closed their eyes, focusing on the fragile thread that connected them to their mate.

Through their pack bond, they combined their energy, sending waves of calm, of safety, of protection toward their distressed mate.

We’re here , they projected together. You’re safe. We have you .

Upstairs, they felt the moment Finn’s nightmare began to fade, his breathing evening out as he unconsciously accepted their comfort. The laptop slipped from his fingers as he drifted into deeper sleep, Keir’s jacket still clutched against his chest.

“Tomorrow,” Cade repeated softly. “We make this right.”