Sacrificed To The Triplet Alpha Kings

”We’ve spent four months chasing a bond none of us fully understood, manipulating circumstances to bring her back to us, lying to secure her compliance when the truth would have destroyed everything we were trying to build. Whatever we become after tomorrow...whatever kind of mates we turn out to be, it starts the moment she steps into that carriage.”

”Then let’s make sure it’s worth what it cost her,” Sebastian said quietly.

Lucian nodded slowly, his gold eyes reflecting the dying firelight. ”Worth it,” he repeated. ”Whatever it takes.”

Nicholas allowed himself a rare, small smile, not triumphant, not calculating, just quietly certain. ”Get some rest, both of you,” he said. ”Tomorrow we bring our mate home.”

The fire burned low as the three of them finally settled into silence, each lost in thoughts of the woman who would change everything about who they were, and the long, uncertain road that stretched out ahead of all of them....toward Blackwood, toward the full moon, toward whatever truth and lies would eventually have to find their balance between them.

Outside, the last night in Shadowmere stretched on, quiet and still, holding its breath for the morning that would carry Lilith Thorne away from everything she’d ever known.

***

*The Next Morning*

The dawn came gray and quiet, filtering through the window of the omega quarters in soft, uncertain light. Lilith woke without an alarm, her body knowing somehow that this was the day, the morning she’d been counting toward and dreading in equal measure for the past seventy-two hours.

She lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling of the small room that had been her home for the past four months. The walls were bare except for a small shelf holding the few possessions she’d accumulated....a comb, a spare dress, the wooden bird from Emma wrapped carefully in cloth so it wouldn’t get damaged.

Everything she owned in the world fit in a single worn leather bag that sat by the door, already packed, already waiting.

She sat up slowly, her body stiff from a night of poor sleep. She’d spent most of it staring at nothing, cycling through every emotion she had...fear, grief, strange fragments of hope that she didn’t quite know what to do with. Somewhere around dawn, exhaustion had finally pulled her under for an hour or two, but it had been the kind of sleep that didn’t rest you, the kind that left you more tired when you woke than you’d been before.

She washed in the small basin, using cold water that made her gasp, and dressed in the same simple dress she’d been wearing for months. There seemed no point in wearing anything fancier. This wasn’t an occasion that called for ceremony.

The compound was already stirring when she stepped out into the early morning. A few omegas moved through the corridors, some heading to kitchen duty, some to cleaning rotations. A couple of them glanced at her curiously, like they already knew, like word had spread that the traitor’s daughter was leaving Shadowmere today.

She made her way toward the medical wing first, moving quickly, knowing she didn’t have much time. The healer’s station was just beginning its day shift, Doctor Reeve herself was there, reviewing notes at the desk, looking tired in the way that only came from a night of serious medical work.

”Lilith,” she said, looking up immediately, her expression shifting to something gentle. ”You’re leaving today.”

”This morning,” Lilith confirmed. ”I wanted to see her one more time before I go.”

Reeve nodded, setting down her papers. ”Room’s been prepared for you. Go on. I’ll give you privacy.”

Cassandra’s room was warmer than it usually was, the morning light catching the edge of the window and painting the far wall gold. Lilith moved to the bed slowly, taking her mother’s hand as she always did, though everything about this visit felt different...heavier, more final.

”Hi, Mama,” she whispered. ”This is goodbye. Real goodbye, this time.”

She didn’t cry. She’d done enough crying over the past three days. Instead, she simply sat there, holding her mother’s hand, breathing in the familiar smell of the medical wing, trying to memorize the feel of this moment, the weight of her mother’s hand, the steady beep of the machines, the particular quality of morning light in this room.