Page 56 of Captivated By Alphas 1, Fated (The Blood Moon Chronicle #4)

CARMICHAEL COUSINS

Jace’s panther prowled beneath his skin as he paced the hallway outside his father’s study, leaving invisible territorial marks with each pass.

The beast hadn’t settled since their discovery last night—a celestial snow leopard, right under their noses all this time.

The rarest of the rare, supposedly extinct, and living in their own territory for years.

His beast snarled at the thought, territorial rage mingling with possessive desire. Their mate had been here, unclaimed and vulnerable, while they’d been scattered across the globe pursuing careers. Wasted years they could have spent protecting him, claiming him, keeping him safe.

Claim now, his panther demanded, claws scraping against his insides. Mark mate. Keep safe.

Adrian leaned against the wall, outwardly relaxed but with tension evident in the set of his shoulders.

His usual artistic ease had vanished, replaced by the predatory stillness that revealed his true nature.

Cole stood perfectly still by the window, his gaze tracking something in the distance with the same laser focus he applied to market trends and technology acquisitions.

“They’re heading toward the vineyard,” Cole reported, watching as Paul, David, and Eli disappeared down the garden path with Titan bounding ahead. “Paul will keep him occupied for at least an hour.”

“Good.” Jace nodded, checking his watch. Ten minutes until the meeting. Ten minutes to prepare for a conversation that would determine their future with Eli.

“You’re going to wear a hole in the carpet,” Adrian commented, watching Jace’s restless pacing. “Though I can’t blame you. My panther’s been clawing at my insides since dawn.”

“Can you blame him?” Cole asked, finally turning from the window. “After what we saw last night…”

None of them needed to finish that thought.

Our mate, Jace’s beast purred with fierce satisfaction. Rare. Precious. OURS.

At precisely ten o’clock, the cousins approached the study door. Jace knocked firmly, his panther surging forward at the prospect of finally getting answers.

“Enter,” George called from within.

Jace pushed open the door to find Thomas and Tricia Harper already seated on the sofa, with Elder Matthews in an armchair nearby. The elderly man’s silver hair gleamed in the morning light, his posture belying his advanced years.

“Paul and David have taken Eli for a walk with Titan,” Jace reported, closing the door firmly behind them. “They’ll keep him away from the house for at least an hour.”

“Good.” George nodded. “Please, everyone, sit.”

Thomas and Tricia shifted closer together on the sofa, their nervousness evident in their intertwined fingers and the faint scent of anxiety that permeated the air around them.

Elder Matthews remained serene, his ancient eyes taking in the three cousins with knowing assessment.

The cousins themselves remained standing, too restless to sit.

Their panthers were too close to the surface, too agitated by the night’s revelations to submit to the human formality of chairs.

“I believe we all know why we’re here,” George began, his gaze moving around the room. “Last night confirmed what some of us have suspected for years. Eli Harper is a celestial snow leopard shifter, a descendant of the Whiteclaw line.”

Thomas reached for his wife’s hand, squeezing it gently. “We’ve always known he was special, but we never imagined…”

“How could you not know?” Jace asked, unable to keep a hint of accusation from his voice. His panther pushed forward, demanding answers about their mate’s past. “You’ve adopted him since he was twelve.”

“Jace,” George warned, alpha authority edging his tone.

“It’s a fair question,” Thomas acknowledged, meeting Jace’s gaze steadily despite the alpha power radiating from him like heat from a furnace. “The truth is, we didn’t know exactly what Eli was, only that he needed protection.”

“Helen arranged everything,” Tricia explained, her voice soft but steady. “She came to us after the Blood Moon Massacre. She said a child needed a home, needed to be hidden from those who would harm him.”

“She performed a binding ritual,” Thomas continued. “Not just on Eli, to seal his powers, but on us as well. We couldn’t speak of his origins, couldn’t acknowledge what we might suspect about his nature. The binding only began to weaken last year, on his twenty-first birthday.”

“Which explains why we’re only sensing him now,” Cole said thoughtfully. “The binding is failing.”

“Precisely.” Elder Matthews spoke for the first time, his voice carrying the weight of centuries.

“Helen Harper was a powerful seer. She knew what would happen if the wrong people discovered what Eli was. The binding she placed was designed to protect him until he was of age and could be properly claimed by his mates.”

“By us,” Adrian said, his panther rumbling with satisfaction.

“Yes,” Elder Matthews confirmed. “The celestial felines have always been drawn to the most powerful shifters in each territory. Their ability to enhance supernatural strength makes them valuable allies and coveted mates.”

“Which is why they were hunted to near extinction,” George added grimly. “Their power, when bonded with the right mates, was unmatched.”

“We thought they were completely gone,” Jace said, pacing restlessly. “How did one end up here, under our protection?”

Thomas and Tricia exchanged glances before Thomas reached into his pocket and withdrew a folded yellowed piece of paper.

“This was with Eli when Helen brought him to us,” Thomas explained, handing the letter to George. “We were only able to read it after the binding began to weaken last year.”

George unfolded the paper carefully, his eyes scanning the faded handwriting. “It’s from his mother,” he said quietly. “Amara Whiteclaw.”

“Whiteclaw,” Adrian repeated, the name hanging heavy in the air. “The last royal line of the celestial felines.”

“Yes,” Elder Matthews confirmed. “And his father was Viktor Petrov, a rare white snow leopard shifter from the Siberian territories.”

Jace’s panther pushed forward at this revelation, a possessive rumble building in his chest. The connection to Eli wasn’t just supernatural fate—it was encoded in the very essence of what they were: apex predators drawn to a celestial being of immense power and beauty.

“What happened to his parents?” Cole asked, though his tone suggested he already suspected the answer.

“They were killed during the Blood Moon Massacre,” Elder Matthews replied solemnly. “Not in a car accident as the official records state. They were specifically targeted by the Shadow Harvesters.”

“The what?” Tricia asked, her face paling.

“The servants of Lord Cravax,” George explained gently. “A vampire lord who was imprisoned centuries ago by a coalition of supernatural beings. The Shadow Harvesters have been working to free him ever since.”

“And they need Eli for that?” Thomas asked, his protective instincts evident in his voice.

“Not just Eli,” Elder Matthews said gravely. “I’ve been in contact with Elder Miriam MacKenzie in Harborview. Three nights ago, she received a vision.”

The elder closed his eyes, reciting from memory: “Six vessels of ancient power, bound by fate and blood. One who walks between worlds. One who carries fire in mortal veins. One whose spirit bridges realms unseen. One who guards with forgotten magic. One born of darkness untouched by death. One who amplifies what others cannot contain.”

A heavy silence fell over the room as his words sank in.

“The Sinclair mate is the one who walks between worlds,” Elder Matthews continued. “A kitsune-wolf hybrid who doesn’t yet know his heritage. The Chen boy in Cedar Grove carries dragon fire in his veins.”

“Eli is the one who amplifies what others cannot contain,” Adrian concluded, his panther surging with both pride and protective fury. “The power of the celestial felines to enhance other supernatural beings.”

“Yes,” Elder Matthews confirmed. “Lord Cravax needs the combined energy of all six to complete his resurrection. The Blood Moon Massacre nine years ago was an attempt to gather that power, but several of the targets escaped, including young Eli.”

“Thanks to Helen,” Thomas said quietly. “She foresaw it all. She knew they would come for him.”

“And now the binding is weakening,” Jace said. “Which means they’ll sense him soon, if they haven’t already.”

His beast snarled at the thought of anyone threatening their mate, claws scraping against his insides with the need to protect, to claim, to keep Eli safe from all who would harm him.

Find enemies, it growled. Eliminate threats. Protect mate.

“The binding has been weakening since Helen’s passing,” Elder Matthews explained.

“But it won’t break all at once. Several factors accelerate the process—proximity to his destined mates being the most significant.

The seal will continue to fracture gradually as Eli forms bonds with you three.

His powers will emerge in stages—manifestations during times of stress or strong emotion, as you witnessed last night. ”

“So that’s why we’re all suddenly drawn to him,” Cole said, the strategist in him connecting the variables. “Our presence is accelerating the process.”

“Precisely.” Elder Matthews nodded. “Your return to the estate, all three of you within days of each other, has created a catalyst effect. The binding can no longer contain his true nature with such powerful mates nearby.”

“How long until he fully manifests?” Adrian asked.

“That depends on many factors,” Elder Matthews replied. “The strength of the bonds he forms with you, his emotional readiness to accept his nature, the level of danger he faces. A full shift could take months or even longer.”

“So we need to establish a connection first,” Adrian said thoughtfully. “Build trust, form bonds.”