Page 49 of Captivated By Alphas 1, Fated (The Blood Moon Chronicle #4)

CARMICHAEL COUSINS

Dawn broke clear and bright, the storm having blown itself out overnight. Birds chirped their cheerful bullshit outside, sunlight glinting off rain-drenched leaves. Nature’s morning show—pretty to look at, irritating as hell when you’d barely slept.

After quick showers to wash away the mud and evidence of their territorial run, Jace, Adrian, and Cole reconvened in the mansion’s private gym.

Three hours of sleep followed by a predawn patrol wasn’t ideal for anyone, but when your inner beast spent the night discovering your mate was a supposedly extinct shifter?

Yeah, more physical exertion was the only solution.

Jace slammed his fist into the punching bag, satisfaction coursing through him as the chains rattled in protest. His panther purred its approval, enjoying the burn of muscles pushed to their limit.

The run had taken the edge off, but his beast was still too close to the surface, still too fixated on the sleeping beauty just down the hall.

Adrian and Cole worked with the same intensity, their panthers just as wired despite the territorial patrol.

The mansion’s private gym—once a ballroom before George Carmichael decided aristocratic dancing wasn’t as useful as a place to work off predatory energy—provided the perfect space to burn off their collective frustration.

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a fucking truck,” Adrian commented, stretching his arms overhead. His designer workout clothes somehow still looked camera-ready despite the sweat soaking through. “My panther wouldn’t shut up all night.”

“None of ours did,” Cole replied, rowing with the precise, controlled movements that mirrored his tech empire’s efficiency. “Not after what we saw.”

Jace grabbed a heavier kettlebell than usual, needing the strain to quiet his beast. The panther continued to pace beneath his skin, claws scraping against his insides with impatience. Three hours of holding Eli without claiming him had left the creature in a state of perpetual frustration.

Want mate, it growled, pushing against his control. Need to mark. Need to claim. OURS.

“We need to be careful today,” Jace said, forcing his beast back. “Eli has no clue what he is.”

Or what we are to him, Adrian added. Three alphas suddenly stalking him like he’s the last steak at a barbecue might be a bit much.

No wonder his scent drives us crazy, Jace said, his panther rumbling in agreement. The memory of that winter-pure fragrance, now understood for what it truly was, made his beast push forward eagerly. Celestial snow leopard. Christ.

No wonder Helen Harper protected him so fiercely, Cole added, his voice precise even when discussing the impossible. A twelve-year-old orphaned during the Blood Moon Massacre would have been a prime target.

Jace’s panther growled at the thought, his protective instincts flaring with such intensity that the kettlebell in his hands warped slightly under his grip. The thought of hunters tracking a traumatized child, seeking to exploit his rare abilities, made his vision wash red with fury.

Kill them all, his beast snarled, bloodlust rising. Anyone who threatens mate dies.

Especially if his sealed powers are starting to emerge, Adrian agreed, his panther’s aggression bleeding through their bond. Those manifestations last night weren’t intentional. He has no fucking clue what’s happening to him.

Helen must have sealed his abilities, Cole theorized, his analytical mind cutting through their emotional responses. She was a powerful seer, but even the strongest seals weaken over time.

Or in the presence of compatible mates, Jace added, his panther preening at the thought. The beast took fierce satisfaction in knowing they had triggered Eli’s dormant nature, seeing it as further proof of their perfect compatibility.

Woke his beast, it purred with smug satisfaction. Proof we belong together. Perfect mates.

The door to the gym swung open, cutting off their conversation. Paul stood in the doorway, basketball under his arm, eyebrows raised at finding all three cousins working out together at an ungodly hour.

“Well, well.” He smirked. “The three musketeers are up early. Planning world domination?”

“Just getting in a workout,” Jace replied smoothly, forcing his panther back beneath his human facade. “You’re up early yourself.”

“Early practice,” Paul shrugged, bouncing the basketball absently.

“Coach is riding us hard for the exhibition game next week.” His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked between them.

“You know, it’s weird seeing all three of you in the same place at the same time.

Usually, you’re scattered across different continents. ”

“Family business,” Cole said, the same explanation they’d been giving everyone.

“Right,” Paul drawled, clearly unconvinced. “Nothing to do with a certain platinum-haired art student who had all three of you looking like you wanted to eat him alive at dinner last night?”

Adrian nearly stumbled on the treadmill. “What are you talking about?”

Jace’s panther went completely still, its predatory instincts recognizing a potential challenge. The beast hadn’t expected to be so transparent, hadn’t realized their interest in Eli was so obvious to others.

Careful, it warned. Don’t reveal too much. Protect mate’s secret.

Paul’s laugh was knowing. “Please. I’ve never seen the three of you so focused on one person in my life. Poor kid didn’t know whether to run or blush harder.”

“You’re imagining things,” Jace said flatly, though his panther bristled at being so transparent.

“Sure I am.” Paul rolled his eyes. “Just like I imagined the death glares when I pulled him onto my lap. For a second, I thought you were actually going to shift right there at the dinner table.”

The reminder of that moment sent a fresh wave of territorial rage through Jace. His panther snarled at the memory of Paul’s hands on their mate, of Eli perched on another man’s lap. The beast had wanted to tear Paul away from Eli, to make it clear that no one was allowed to touch what was theirs.

Mine, it growled, still offended by the memory. Not his to touch. OURS.

The three cousins exchanged glances, their panthers stirring at the memory.

“Look,” Paul continued, his expression turning serious. “Eli’s practically family. He’s been living on the estate since he was sixteen. If you guys are just looking for a vacation fling—”

“It’s not like that,” Cole interrupted, his voice carrying an edge that made Paul blink in surprise.

“Then what is it like?” Paul challenged. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like three apex predators circling the same prey.”

Jace’s panther surged forward with such force that he had to set down his weights to keep from crushing them. The beast rejected the characterization of their mate as prey, as something to be hunted rather than protected and cherished.

Not prey, it snarled indignantly. Mate. Equal. OURS to protect.

Jace set down his weights with careful precision. “Eli is not prey.”

The words emerged with more force than he’d intended, his panther’s influence bleeding into his tone. His eyes flashed gold for a split second before he regained control.

“No?” Paul raised an eyebrow. “Then what exactly is he to you?”

The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken truth. None of them were ready to voice the reality of what Eli meant to them, especially not to Paul, who wouldn’t understand the concept of a shared mate.

Mine, Jace’s panther insisted. Ours. Perfect mate. Special. Precious.

“He’s important,” Adrian finally said, his usual playfulness nowhere in evidence. “That’s all you need to know.”

Paul studied them for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Fair enough. But just so we’re clear—if you hurt him, I don’t care if you’re family or not. I’ll make your lives hell.”

“Noted,” Jace said dryly, though his panther approved of Paul’s protective instinct toward their mate. It was right that Eli be valued and defended, even if Paul didn’t understand the true nature of their interest.

Good packmate, his beast acknowledged grudgingly. Protects what’s precious.

With a final warning look, Paul left, the door swinging shut behind him.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Adrian commented, resuming his run. “Baby brother has teeth.”

“He’s protective of Eli,” Cole observed. “They all are. Did you notice how Sheena was watching us last night?”

“And David,” Jace added. “He barely said two words, but he didn’t miss anything.”

“The whole family has adopted him,” Adrian said. “Even if they don’t realize what he is.”

Or maybe they do know, Cole suggested. At least partially. Uncle George must have had a reason for allowing him to live on the estate.

The realization sat heavy between them as they finished their workout in silence, each processing the implications. By seven, they were all drenched in sweat, having pushed themselves harder than usual in an attempt to burn off the excess energy their panthers generated.

Still want mate, Jace’s beast complained as he toweled off. Exercise didn’t help. Need to claim. Need to mark. OURS.

After quick showers, the cousins separated to change in their rooms. Jace had just pulled on a fresh shirt when his panther suddenly went alert, every sense sharpening as it detected a familiar presence in the hallway.

The beast recognized Eli’s winter-pure scent instantly, pushing forward with such eagerness that Jace had to grip the doorframe to maintain control.

MATE, it roared, surging toward the surface. Here. Close. OURS.

Following his instincts, he opened his door just as Eli was passing by, catching his mate by surprise.

Eli startled at the sudden movement, nearly jumping out of his skin. “Oh! Um, good morning?”