Page 20 of Captivated By Alphas 1, Fated (The Blood Moon Chronicle #4)

Jace watched this exchange with growing discomfort, a strange jealousy building in his chest. The easy camaraderie between them spoke of years of shared experiences—experiences Jace had missed entirely while pursuing his career.

His panther didn’t like it, didn’t like that others had formed bonds with their mate while Jace had been absent.

Should have been here, his beast lamented with uncharacteristic regret. Should have found mate sooner. Lost time. Lost memories.

“I didn’t realize you two were so close,” he said, his tone carefully neutral, though his panther was anything but.

“Are you kidding?” Paul laughed. “Eli’s like our collective baby brother. I drove him to school, David tutored him in math, and Sheena’s been trying to make him her personal dress-up doll since day one.”

Brother? his panther recoiled in horror. Not brother. MATE.

The thought of his siblings viewing Eli as a brother made Jace’s stomach turn. His panther rejected the classification violently, insisting on a very different relationship—one that had nothing fraternal about it.

“I thought you were the baby of the family,” Jace pointed out, a muscle ticking in his jaw. His panther didn’t like hearing Eli referred to as a “baby brother”—it wasn’t how it viewed their mate at all.

Paul snorted. “Not anymore. I got promoted when Eli moved in. He’s the baby now, aren’t you, squirt?” He ruffled Eli’s platinum hair, earning a swat in return.

The casual touch made Jace’s fingers tighten around his dessert fork, the metal bending slightly under his supernatural strength.

His panther wanted to growl, to snap, to make it clear that such familiar touches were unwelcome.

Only Jace should be allowed to touch that platinum hair, to feel its silken texture between his fingers.

Our mate to touch, his beast snarled. Not his. OURS.

“I’m twenty-one, not eight,” Eli grumbled, though there was obvious affection beneath the complaint.

“Eli!” David’s voice called from inside. “Are you coming? The game’s set up!”

Eli sighed dramatically. “And here comes another one,” he muttered.

Sure enough, the French doors opened again to reveal not just David but Sheena as well, the latter clutching what appeared to be shopping bags.

“There you are!” Sheena exclaimed. “I’ve been looking everywhere. I brought you souvenirs from Paris—clothes that actually fit, unlike that shapeless hoodie collection you insist on wearing.”

Too many interruptions, his panther growled in frustration. Too many claiming our mate’s time. Need to establish priority.

“Did you bring me anything?” Jace asked, partly to divert attention from Eli, partly out of genuine curiosity.

Sheena gave him a dismissive wave. “You’re a millionaire, Jace. Buy your own souvenirs. Eli’s my fashion project.”

“I never agreed to be a project,” Eli protested weakly.

“You didn’t have to, darling. Your wardrobe screamed for intervention.” Sheena grabbed his hand. “Come on, you have to try these on before game night.”

“But I’m not done eating,” Eli protested as she pulled him to his feet.

“Food can wait. Fashion cannot,” Sheena declared with the conviction of a true believer.

Paul immediately objected. “No way, Sheena. Game night first, then your fashion show.”

“Game night can wait ten minutes while he tries on a sweater, Paul.”

“He promised to play the new racing game with us!”

“I didn’t promise anything,” Eli interjected, looking increasingly exasperated as the siblings argued over him. “I do have some say in this, you know.”

“Of course you do, sweetie.” Sheena patted his cheek. “You can choose which outfit to try on first.”

Jace watched this entire scene with a mixture of amusement and that same strange jealousy.

His siblings had clearly incorporated Eli into their family dynamic years ago, while Jace had been completely unaware of his existence.

His panther didn’t like it—didn’t like that others had claims on their mate’s time and attention, didn’t like that they had shared experiences and inside jokes that Jace wasn’t part of.

Need to establish primacy, his beast insisted. Need to show mate we’re most important. Need to create OUR memories, OUR traditions.

As Sheena successfully dragged Eli back into the house with Paul trailing behind, still arguing his case for gaming priority, Jace remained on the porch, contemplating this new complication.

His panther might have recognized Eli as their mate, but it seemed he’d have to get past his entire family to pursue it.

Pack interference, his beast grumbled. Difficult, but not impossible. Mate worth fighting for.

David lingered in the doorway, watching Jace with knowing eyes. “He’s something else, isn’t he?” he said quietly.

“Eli?” Jace asked, though he knew perfectly well who his brother meant. His panther perked up, curious about David’s perspective on their mate.

David nodded. “He’s got this way about him—like he sees right through all the noise to what matters.” He hesitated, then added, “The whole family’s protective of him, you know. Even Mom and Dad. There’s something… special there.”

Of course he’s special, his panther agreed fiercely. Perfect mate. OURS.

“I’m beginning to see that,” Jace admitted, his panther both pleased and frustrated by the confirmation that others recognized Eli’s unique qualities.

“Just so you know,” David continued, his tone casual but his eyes serious, “if you’re interested in him the way I think you might be… you’ll have to go through all of us first.”

The statement was delivered without threat or challenge—simply a fact being presented. David might be a beta, but when it came to protecting someone he considered family, he wouldn’t back down, even to an alpha.

Jace’s panther assessed the challenge, weighing David’s determination against its own claim.

The beast respected the protection being offered to their mate—it was right that Eli should be valued and guarded—but it rejected any suggestion that such protection should stand between them and their rightful claim.

Challenge accepted, his panther decided, not with anger but with determination. Will prove worthy. Will earn mate properly.

Jace nodded, respecting his brother’s loyalty while his panther silently accepted the challenge.

Mate is OURS, his beast declared with absolute certainty. Will claim. Will protect. Will cherish. Forever.