Page 77 of Captivated By Alphas 1, Fated (The Blood Moon Chronicle #4)

Eli made a soft sound against Cole’s lips, his hands coming up to grip Cole’s shoulders.

His response wasn’t just acceptance but active participation, meeting Cole’s exploration with his own.

The intensity of it—of Eli yielding while still maintaining that spark of defiance—made Cole’s panther roar with approval.

Cole backed Eli against one of the pergola’s stone columns, the wisteria hanging around them like a living curtain. A few petals drifted down, landing on Eli’s hair and shoulders as Cole deepened the kiss, one hand still tangled in those platinum strands while the other gripped his hip.

When Cole finally broke the kiss, they were both breathing hard. The sight of Eli—lips swollen, cheeks flushed, lavender blooms caught in his hair—against the backdrop of wisteria and roses was something Cole knew he’d never forget.

“I see why they couldn’t resist you,” Cole murmured, his thumb tracing Eli’s lower lip. “Even more beautiful up close.”

“Are you all going to take turns comparing notes?” Eli asked, attempting sarcasm despite his breathlessness. “Rate your experiences on a ten-point scale?”

“We don’t need to compare,” Cole replied, his mouth moving to Eli’s jaw, tracing the elegant line down to his throat. “We each have our own claim.”

His teeth grazed the sensitive spot where neck met shoulder, making Eli gasp. Unlike his cousins’ methods, Cole took his time exploring, identifying every spot that made Eli’s breath catch, every touch that made him tremble. His panther absorbed each reaction, filing them away for future reference.

More responsive outdoors. Scent stronger here. More natural. More honest.

Cole’s hands found the buttons of Eli’s shirt, exposing the canvas of pale skin already decorated with his cousins’ marks. The contrast of their darker claiming against Eli’s alabaster skin was striking, but Cole could see spaces they’d missed, territory yet unclaimed.

“I wondered what they’d done to you,” Cole murmured, tracing the pattern of marks with his fingertips. “Jace was so smug, Adrian insufferably pleased with himself.”

“And now you want to add your artistic contribution to whatever masterpiece your cousins started,” Eli said, his voice steadier than his racing pulse would suggest.

“No,” Cole corrected, pressing a kiss to the center of Eli’s chest, directly over his heart. “I want what’s equally mine.”

His mouth moved with deliberate precision, finding unmarked skin and claiming it. Where Jace had been all brute possession and Adrian artistic creation, Cole approached claiming like a methodical exploration—finding what made Eli respond most intensely and exploiting it mercilessly.

When his teeth grazed a spot just below Eli’s collarbone, the resulting gasp told him everything he needed to know. Cole focused his attention there, sucking hard enough to leave a mark that would linger for days, a visible reminder of his claim alongside his cousins’.

Through the pack bond, he projected what he was seeing—Eli against the backdrop of wisteria and roses, platinum hair catching the late afternoon sun, skin marked by all three of them. The visual was stunning, Eli framed by nature in a way that enhanced his otherworldly beauty.

Claimed in nature, Cole conveyed, feeling his cousins’ immediate reaction. As he should be.

Show-off, Adrian responded, though Cole detected the unmistakable note of artistic appreciation beneath the complaint. Couldn’t resist staging the perfect shot, could you?

Effective, Jace shared his more succinct assessment. Well played.

Cole’s attention returned fully to Eli, who was watching him with those extraordinary eyes. “You’re talking to them again,” he observed. “That same look Adrian got. Like you’re having a conversation no one else can hear.”

“Observant,” Cole murmured, genuinely impressed. His fingers traced the curve of Eli’s jaw. “What else do those eyes see?”

“That you three are playing some sort of game,” Eli replied, his voice steadier than his pulse. “With me as the prize.”

Cole’s panther bristled at the characterization. Not game. Not prize. Mate.

“Not a game,” Cole corrected, his thumb brushing across Eli’s lower lip. “And certainly not a prize to be won and discarded.”

“Then what?” Eli demanded, a flash of that spark Cole found so compelling. “What is this? What am I to you three?”

“Everything,” Cole answered simply, the word heavy with meaning Eli couldn’t yet understand. “And that terrifies you, doesn’t it?”

The direct question caught Eli off guard, his eyes widening slightly. “I—”

“It should,” Cole continued, his hand sliding up to cup the back of Eli’s neck. “Because this isn’t casual, Eli. Not for any of us.”

Before Eli could respond, Cole reclaimed his mouth in another deep kiss, pouring everything he couldn’t yet explain into the contact. His hands wandered freely, mapping every inch of exposed skin, memorizing each gasp and shiver.

A breeze stirred the wisteria overhead, sending more petals drifting down around them. One landed on Eli’s shoulder, and Cole brushed it away, replacing it with his mouth. The taste of Eli’s skin—that winter-pure flavor now mingled with the faint sweetness of wisteria—was intoxicating.

Cole worked his way across Eli’s chest, leaving his own pattern of marks that complemented his cousins’ without mimicking them. Where Jace had been possessive and Adrian artistic, Cole was thorough—leaving no sensitive spot unexplored, no inch of skin unclaimed.

When he finally pulled back to admire his work, Eli looked thoroughly debauched—shirt hanging open, hair disheveled, skin marked by all three of them. Against the backdrop of flowers, he looked like something from a fantasy—too beautiful to be real yet undeniably, tangibly present.

Cole captured the image in his mind, projecting it through the pack bond with unmistakable satisfaction. Completely claimed now. By all of us.

Perfect, came the unified response from his cousins, their shared possession strengthening rather than dividing them.

“You should go back,” Cole said reluctantly, helping Eli rebutton his shirt though he would have preferred to keep him as he was—marked and disheveled. “Before someone comes looking for you.”

Eli blinked, clearly struggling to process everything that had happened. “This is—I don’t understand why all three of you—”

“You will,” Cole promised, pressing a final kiss to Eli’s temple. “Soon. But for now, know that you’re ours, Eli Harper. All of ours.”

The flush that spread across Eli’s cheeks at his words was deeply satisfying. “That’s not how normal people work,” he protested weakly. “Most folks can barely share Netflix passwords, let alone… whatever this is.”

“We do,” Cole corrected, his thumb brushing a lingering wisteria petal from Eli’s hair. “When it matters enough.”

He guided Eli back along the garden path, reluctant to return him to the chaos of the family gathering but knowing it was necessary. As they approached the terrace, Cole’s enhanced senses detected movement at the property’s edge—a shadow where none should be, a scent that didn’t belong.

His panther went instantly alert, protective instincts flaring. Threat. Protect mate.

“Go inside,” Cole instructed, his voice sharpening with authority. “Stay within sight of the family.”

Eli frowned, clearly detecting the shift in Cole’s demeanor. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing to worry about,” Cole assured him, though his eyes scanned the perimeter with predatory focus. “Just a security matter I need to check.”

Eli hesitated, then stood on tiptoe to press a quick kiss to Cole’s cheek—a gesture so unexpected it momentarily stunned him. “Thank you. For the garden. It was beautiful.”

Before Cole could respond, Eli had slipped back through the French doors, leaving Cole alone on the terrace with the lingering scent of winter and wisteria.

His hand came up to touch the spot where Eli’s lips had been, his panther purring with satisfaction despite the potential threat.

Their mate was properly claimed now, carrying the scent of all three of them as protection.

Anyone—or anything—that threatened him would face the combined fury of three alpha panthers.

Cole rejoined his cousins near the windows, their satisfaction at their successful claiming evident in their relaxed postures.

“He’s perfect,” Adrian murmured, his eyes tracking Eli’s progress through the crowd. “Responds to each of us differently, but equally beautifully.”

“And now he’s properly marked,” Jace added with satisfaction. “Everyone will know he’s claimed.”

“Including Michael,” Cole noted, his expression darkening as he spotted the rival alpha watching Eli with narrowed eyes. “He’s noticed our marks.”

“Let him notice,” Jace growled. “Let him know Eli is off-limits.”

“Speaking of limits,” Cole said, his voice dropping lower, “I detected movement at the north fence line earlier. Something doesn’t feel right.”

His cousins’ expressions shifted immediately from satisfaction to alert focus, their alpha natures responding to the potential threat to their territory—and their mate.

“Huntington?” Adrian questioned, all playfulness gone from his tone.

“Possibly,” Cole acknowledged. “Or something else. I need to check the security feeds.”

“I’ll increase patrols,” Jace decided, already pulling out his phone. “Double coverage on all perimeters, especially near Eli’s cottage.”

“I’ll talk to Dad,” Adrian added. “See if he’s heard anything from the other packs about unusual activity.”

Cole’s gaze returned to Eli, now serving dessert wine with hands that weren’t entirely steady, their marks clearly visible above his collar.

A wisteria petal still clung to his platinum hair, a reminder of what they’d shared in the garden.

Something protective and fierce surged through Cole at the sight, his panther vowing to destroy anything that threatened what was theirs.

As the afternoon progressed, Cole’s unease grew. Twice more he detected unusual movement at the property’s edge, and the security team reported finding footprints near the north fence line that didn’t belong to any Carmichael staff.

By the time the party began to wind down, Cole had made his decision. He approached his cousins where they stood near the fireplace, their expressions mirroring his own concern.

“We need to increase security,” he said without preamble. “Something’s not right.”

“Agreed,” Jace nodded. “I’ve already doubled the patrols, but we should do a perimeter sweep ourselves after dark.”

“And Eli?” Adrian questioned, his gaze finding their mate across the room. “If there’s a threat…”

“We protect him,” Cole stated firmly. “By any means necessary.”

As the last guests departed and the staff began cleaning up, Cole moved to the window overlooking the north property line. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the manicured grounds, but his enhanced vision caught a flicker of movement where none should be.

“We may have unwelcome visitors,” he said quietly as his cousins joined him, his eyes flashing gold with protective intent. “And I don’t think they’re here for the family reunion.”

The three alphas stood together, united in purpose, their shared mate’s safety the only priority that mattered. Whatever threat lurked at the edges of their territory would soon discover exactly how dangerous three alpha panthers could be when protecting what was theirs.