Page 33 of Captivated By Alphas 1, Fated (The Blood Moon Chronicle #4)

“Paris was divine until the Desrosiers show crashed and burned,” she declared dramatically. “But never mind that—I need your artistic eye. I brought back the most amazing pieces for Eli, but these barbarians keep insisting he needs to play video games instead of trying them on.”

Adrian maintained his casual expression through sheer force of will, though his panther surged forward at the name, clawing for control.

Eli. The beautiful young man from the lake.

The one whose taste still lingered on his lips, though they’d never quite kissed.

The one whose scent clung to Jace’s clothes.

OUR mate, his beast snarled possessively, jaws snapping. Everyone knows him but us. Everyone close to him but us.

“Eli?” he inquired, feigning ignorance while his heart hammered against his ribs, his panther howling with need to claim, to possess, to mark.

“Tricia’s son,” Sheena explained with an exasperated wave. “You probably haven’t met him; he moved here while you were off becoming famous. He’s twenty-one, studying graphic design, and has absolutely no idea how to dress for his coloring and bone structure.”

“Ah.” Adrian nodded, carefully not looking at Jace, whose posture had shifted to something more predatory, more possessive. “Another of your fashion victims.”

“Fashion beneficiaries,” Sheena corrected primly. “And you’re going to help me convince him that the Parisian knitwear I brought is superior to those awful hoodies he insists on wearing.”

Adrian’s panther perked up at this opportunity. Yes, it purred, suddenly attentive. Help dress mate. Choose clothes for mate. Mark territory through fashion.

The beast’s reasoning was so ridiculous that Adrian nearly laughed aloud, even as he recognized the primal impulse behind it—the desire to provide for a mate, to demonstrate value, to stake a claim through gifts and attention.

“Hands off my gaming partner,” Paul called from the couch, finally acknowledging Adrian’s presence. “Eli promised to help me beat David’s record tonight.”

“He promised no such thing,” David countered, pausing the game. “Hey, Adrian. Good to see you.”

“You too, cousin,” Adrian replied, intrigued by the obvious battle for Eli’s attention.

If the entire family was this attached to Tricia’s son, he must be quite something.

Though Adrian already knew exactly how special Eli was—the memory of his lithe body pressed against Adrian’s in the lake sent heat coursing through him, his panther rumbling with possessive pleasure.

Everyone wants mate’s time, his beast observed with territorial displeasure, teeth bared. Too many claiming what’s OURS.

“Where is Uncle George?” Adrian asked, deliberately changing the subject before his eyes betrayed him again.

“Meeting with the Harrington family,” Madi answered, returning from directing the staff. “They’re our dinner guests tonight—Franklin Harrington and his wife Elise and their daughter Victoria.”

Adrian nodded, filing away the information. The Harringtons were old money, one of the few human families wealthy and influential enough to warrant special attention from the pack.

“In the meantime,” Madi continued, “why don’t you get settled? I’ve had your usual rooms prepared. Dinner’s at seven.”

Adrian nodded, grateful for the opportunity to retreat and regain control. His panther was too close to the surface, too volatile after sensing Eli’s scent on Jace. He needed space to process what was happening, to understand the unprecedented intensity of his reaction.

“I’ll freshen up,” he agreed. “Long drive.”

As he headed for the stairs, he caught Jace watching him, eyes dark with unspoken challenge. The air between them crackled with alpha energy, a storm building that would soon break.

He’ll come to us, his panther predicted with certainty, ears flattening. Challenge coming. Be ready.

His suite was exactly as he’d left it—a space balanced between luxury and artistic expression. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcased the forest beyond, while the interior featured his collection of art from emerging artists he’d discovered in his travels.

He moved to the windows, staring out at the territory that had shaped generations of Carmichaels. Somewhere out there, Eli Harper was going about his day, unaware that he’d upended Adrian’s entire existence with a single encounter.

Mine, his panther insisted, the possessiveness so overwhelming it was almost painful. Find him. Claim him. Mark him.

The intensity of the reaction was unprecedented. Adrian had felt attraction before, had even felt his panther’s interest in potential mates, but never this immediate, primal recognition. It was as though some ancient part of him had been waiting for Eli Harper without knowing it.

True mate, his beast purred. Only mate. Perfect mate. OURS.

A soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

“Come in,” he called, expecting a staff member with his luggage.

Instead, Jace entered, closing the door quietly behind him. His eyes had shifted completely to amber, betraying his panther’s agitation. The air in the room instantly charged with alpha energy, two predators circling in too small a space.

Challenge, Adrian’s panther growled, immediately alert, fur bristling along its spine. Rival comes to our territory. Show strength. Show dominance.

“We need to talk,” Jace said, his voice dangerously soft.

Adrian’s panther surged forward, bristling at the potential challenge. He forced it back with effort, maintaining a facade of casual indifference. “About the Harrington dinner? Or about how you’ve been holding out on the family?”

“About the fact that you reek of Eli Harper,” Jace replied, moving farther into the room with deliberate, stalking steps. “And the fact that you’re a terrible liar. You didn’t just ‘happen’ to meet someone on the road today.”

Adrian considered playing dumb but decided against it. His panther was too close to the surface for such games, and Jace would smell the deception. “And you’ve got his scent all over you too. What happened, cousin? Did you have an interesting encounter with our little estate worker?”

Jace’s eyes flashed gold, a growl rumbling in his chest. “You’re one to talk. I can smell him all over you. Pure coincidence that you met him before even reaching the house?”

“Pure coincidence,” Adrian replied with a deliberate smirk that he knew would infuriate his cousin. His panther preened at the memory of Eli in the lake, at the feel of that lithe body pressed against his in the shallow water. “Though I can’t say I’m disappointed by how it turned out.”

Beautiful mate, his beast purred, replaying the memory of water droplets on alabaster skin, of platinum hair slicked back from that perfect face. Perfect mate. OURS.

“And how exactly did it turn out?” Jace demanded, taking another step closer. Adrian could feel Jace’s panther through their pack bond, its rage building like a gathering storm, claws raking at their shared connection.

The direct confrontation hung between them, charged with primal energy. Adrian weighed his options carefully, his own panther rising to meet the challenge in Jace’s eyes. Every instinct screamed at him to fight, to establish dominance, to eliminate competition for his mate.

Challenge him, his panther urged, muscles bunching to spring. Show strength. Win mate.

“I may have encountered Eli swimming,” he conceded, his voice dropping to a dangerous register. “And I may have offered him my shirt when his clothes got… wet.”

Jace’s jaw tightened, a muscle ticking beneath the skin. His claws extended slightly, scraping against his palm. The tension through their pack bond thickened, Jace’s panther prowling the connection with territorial fury. “And?”

“And nothing,” Adrian replied, though his panther howled in protest at the lie.

The beast wanted to boast, to proclaim how close they’d come to claiming their mate’s lips, to describe in detail how Eli had felt pressed against them in the shallow water.

“We had a pleasant conversation. He helped me with my car. That’s all. ”

Liar, his panther accused, baring its teeth. Tell him we almost claimed mate’s lips. Tell him mate wanted us.

“Bullshit,” Jace said flatly. “I can smell the tension on you. Something happened.” Through their pack bond, Adrian felt Jace’s panther demanding the truth, its growls vibrating along their mental connection.

“Why don’t you tell me what happened when you met him first?” Adrian countered, holding his ground despite his panther’s demand to advance, to dominate. “You’re the one who came to my room demanding answers about someone I supposedly just learned exists from Sheena downstairs.”

“I asked first,” Jace growled, the sound pure predator. Without warning, an image slammed through their pack bond—Eli in Jace’s bathroom, shirtless and dripping wet, those lavender eyes wide with shock, his pale skin flushed pink with embarrassment.

Adrian’s panther roared at the image, claws extending painfully. “What are we, five?” He laughed, though there was no humor in it. “This is exactly like when we were kids and you wouldn’t let me play with your toys. Remember that antique train set? You guarded it like it was made of gold.”

“This isn’t about toys,” Jace snapped. “This is about—”

“Our mate?” Adrian finished for him, the word hanging in the air between them like a live wire.

His panther went completely still at the spoken acknowledgment, alert and waiting. The beast recognized the significance of this moment—the first time either of them had vocalized what their panthers already knew to be true.

Yes, it growled with fierce satisfaction. OUR mate. Say it again. Claim with words what we will claim with teeth and touch.

They were at an impasse, two alphas circling a subject neither wanted to be the first to name. The tension crackled between them, their panthers sensing a potential challenge, preparing for the inevitable fight for dominance.