Page 40 of Captivated By Alphas 1, Fated (The Blood Moon Chronicle #4)
“Humor me,” Cole replied, hand staying firmly planted at Eli’s back, fingertips detecting the heat of his skin through damp fabric. His panther purred at the contact, at finally touching their mate, at beginning to mark what was theirs.
“If I humored everyone who asked, I’d never get anything done,” Eli retorted, but the smile playing at his lips took any sting from the words, revealing a dimple that Cole found ridiculously captivating.
They made a dash for the BMW, rain hitting them like ice bullets. Cole yanked open the passenger door for Eli before sprinting around to the driver’s side, water soaking through his expensive suit in seconds.
“Nice car,” Eli said as Cole slid behind the wheel, water dripping from his hair onto leather seats. “Very subtle. Do they offer a package where it just shoots money out the tailpipe, or is that a custom mod?”
Cole’s mouth quirked as he fired up the engine, German engineering purring like a satisfied cat. “That’s the winter package. Summer dispenses champagne.”
Eli’s laugh burst through the car—bright and real, hitting Cole like a shot of whiskey. His panther rumbled with satisfaction at the sound, wanting to hear it again. And again.
Make mate laugh more, his beast purred. Perfect sound. OURS.
Inside the confined space, Eli’s scent slammed into him full force. Rain had intensified everything, but worse—much worse—were the traces of his cousins clinging to Eli like invisible brands. Cole’s hands clenched the steering wheel, leather protesting under his grip as his panther went ballistic.
THEIR scent on OUR mate, his beast snarled, claws scraping his insides raw. Erase it. Replace it. NOW.
“You’re cold,” he said, noting Eli’s hands trembling as he settled the pastry box on his lap. Cole shrugged out of his cashmere coat and thrust it at Eli. “Put this on.”
“I’m fine,” Eli protested, even as another shiver racked his frame. “It’s just water.”
“Put it on.” The command came out rougher than intended, his alpha nature bleeding through despite his attempts at control. His panther was practically howling with the need to see their mate wrapped in their scent, marked so thoroughly that his cousins’ traces would be obliterated.
“Bossy much?” Eli muttered, but he took the coat and pulled it around his shoulders. The material swallowed his slender frame, sleeves hanging past his fingertips, making him look younger and more vulnerable. “Happy now?”
The sight hit Cole like a freight train. Eli wrapped in his clothing, surrounded by his scent, marked in the most primitive way possible. His panther went crazy with territorial satisfaction, practically strutting beneath his skin.
Perfect, his beast purred. OURS now. Everyone will know.
“Very,” Cole managed, pulling out of the lot and into the storm. The BMW handled the flooded roads like it was designed for it. He cranked the heater way higher than necessary, knowing it would bake his scent into Eli through the coat.
“So,” Eli said, burrowing deeper into the coat despite his earlier protests, “how long are you staying at the estate? Just for the week?”
“Indefinitely.” The word came out before Cole could stop it. He’d planned on a week visit for the family reunion, but that was before. Before his mate. Before detecting his cousins’ scents all over Eli. Before his entire world got turned upside down. “Family business needs my attention.”
“Ah.” Eli nodded, fingers playing with the coat sleeves. “Jace and Adrian mentioned something about that this morning.”
Cole’s hands went white-knuckled on the wheel. His panther surged forward with territorial rage at the casual mention of his cousins. They’d spent time with Eli this morning. Close enough to leave their scents behind.
Challenge them, his beast snarled. Show dominance. Claim mate.
“You’ve met them already?” he asked, fighting to keep his voice level.
“Yeah.” A blush spread across Eli’s cheeks, and his scent shifted—honey and heat threading through the winter-pure base. “It’s been… eventful.”
Something in Eli’s tone made Cole’s mind snap to attention. There was a story there, and his panther demanded every detail about how his cousins had gotten close enough to mark Eli with their scents.
“Eventful how?” He kept his voice casual while every instinct screamed for answers.
“Oh, you know,” Eli waved a hand, though the blush deepened, spreading down his neck in a way that made Cole wonder how far it went. “Normal stuff. Cleaning accidents. Awkward introductions. Jace being naked. Nothing worth mentioning.”
“Jace was WHAT?”
The words ripped out of him as a growl, his careful control shattering at the thought of his cousin naked anywhere near Eli. His panther went insane, clawing at his insides, demanding blood. The steering wheel creaked ominously under his death grip.
“Did I say naked?” Eli’s eyes went wide with fake innocence that wouldn’t fool a blind man. “I meant… making. Making breakfast. Definitely meant making.”
Cole’s panther snarled with fierce jealousy. The scents on Eli—faint but unmistakable—were starting to make sense. His cousins had found Eli first. Had recognized him as their mate just like Cole had. The thought sent rage coursing through his veins.
OURS, his beast howled. Not theirs. OURS.
As they drove through the storm, Cole tracked every micro-movement Eli made, every shift in his scent. When the car hydroplaned on a flooded patch, Eli’s hand shot out instinctively, landing on Cole’s thigh to steady himself.
Lightning shot through Cole at the contact. Even through his pants, the touch felt electric, more intimate than anything he’d experienced in years. His panther roared with satisfaction as he covered Eli’s hand with his own, fingers wrapping around those delicate bones possessively.
Touch, his beast purred. Claim. Mark. OURS.
“Sorry,” Eli started to pull back, but Cole’s grip tightened, refusing to let go.
“Don’t.” The word came out rougher than intended. His panther was drunk on the contact, on finally touching their mate, on the opportunity to replace his cousins’ scents with his own.
Their eyes met, and the air between them crackled with electricity. Eli’s pupils dilated, lips parting as his breath caught. The sight sent heat straight to Cole’s core.
“This is definitely not how I imagined meeting you,” Eli said softly, his usual snark disappearing to reveal something vulnerable underneath. “And I’ve imagined it a lot of ways.”
The admission hit Cole like a punch to the gut. Eli had thought about him. Had fantasized about meeting him. His panther preened with possessive satisfaction.
Wanted us before, his beast purred. Perfect mate. OURS.
“Tell me,” Cole demanded, voice dropping to gravel.
“Not a chance,” Eli shot back, sass returning even as his scent betrayed his arousal. “Your ego’s already the size of Texas. I’m not feeding it.”
The car slid again, forcing Cole to focus on the road. He reluctantly let go of Eli’s hand to grip the wheel, though his panther howled in protest. Even through the storm, he remained hyperaware of Eli—his breathing, his scent, the way his gaze kept drifting to Cole’s profile.
When they reached the estate gates, Cole punched in his security code, feeling Eli’s eyes on him.
“I could have told you the code,” Eli said with an arched eyebrow. “Or is entering your own code some kind of alpha ritual?”
“Force of habit,” Cole replied as the gates swung open. “I designed this system.” To protect what’s mine.
“Of course you did.” Eli rolled his eyes, though Cole caught the flash of admiration. “Let me guess—you also control the weather, which explains why you happened to be at the café during the storm of the century.”
“If I controlled the weather, I would have made it worse,” Cole replied, enjoying their verbal sparring more than any negotiation he’d ever conducted. “Keep you in my car longer.”
Eli’s scent spiked with arousal, though his expression stayed unimpressed. “Wow. Do those lines actually work on people with functioning brain cells?”
“You tell me,” Cole countered, lips curving into a genuine smile. “Your heartbeat just jumped.”
“That’s indignation, not attraction,” Eli shot back, though the flush creeping up his neck betrayed him completely.
Cole chuckled, the sound surprising him. His panther purred with satisfaction at their mate’s sharp tongue, recognizing the playful challenge for what it was—flirtation disguised as defiance.
As they followed the winding driveway, rain turned vicious, reducing visibility to nothing. Through the downpour, Cole spotted activity at the main entrance—figures pacing beneath the covered portico like caged animals.
“That’s weird,” Eli murmured, leaning forward and unconsciously moving closer to Cole. “Is that Madi? And my mom?”
Cole’s enhanced vision cut through the rain. “Yeah. And Jace and Adrian.”
His panther went on full alert, hackles rising. Even from this distance, his cousins’ body language screamed territorial aggression. They weren’t waiting—they were guarding. Guarding what they’d also recognized as theirs.
Rivals, his beast snarled. Here for OUR mate.
“Oh God,” Eli groaned, slumping back in his seat. “The overprotective brigade assembled. I was only supposed to be gone twenty minutes.”
“How long has it been?”
“Almost an hour. My phone died, so I couldn’t call.” Eli ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up in spikes that made him look adorable and young. “With the storm, they probably think I’m floating face down in a ditch somewhere.”
“Is that concern I detect?” Cole teased, reaching over to brush water from Eli’s cheek. The brief contact sent sparks through his fingers, his panther purring at another chance to mark their mate. “For people who worry about you?”
“Shut up,” Eli muttered without heat. “It’s just… sometimes I forget how much they care. Sheena calls me her ‘living mannequin,’ Paul treats me like his actual little brother, and Madi’s always trying to stuff food down my throat.”