Sacrificed To The Triplet Alpha Kings

Nicholas was quiet for a moment.

”That’s the first thing you should have led with,” Nicholas said, and there was something almost like approval in his voice. ”Not protection of the omega. But protection of her family. That shows you understand what matters to her. That shows you understand that she would never abandon someone she loves.”

He moved closer to the desk, his posture becoming more formal.

”We will pay for her mother’s care,” Nicholas said simply. ”All costs. Medical. Housing. Everything. For as long as her mother lives. That’s not negotiation. That’s fact. It’s non-negotiable because it matters to our mate, and therefore it matters to us.”

Garrett felt something loosen in his chest slightly. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

”Then here’s what I need from you,” Garrett said, his voice taking on the tone of a negotiator. ”You stay within pack law while you’re on Shadowmere territory. You don’t claim her formally here. You don’t mark her. You let her come to understanding gradually. You allow her the dignity of transition from one life to another.”

Nicholas nodded slowly.

”Agreed on those terms,” he said without hesitation. ”We understand the politics of it. We don’t need to claim her here. The bond is already established. The claiming is internal. A formal marking can wait until she’s on Blackwood territory. We can show restraint. That’s not difficult when we have the long view.”

”When the Summit ends in three days,” Garrett said, ”she leaves with you.”

It wasn’t a question.

”Yes,” Nicholas confirmed. ”When the Summit ends, she leaves with us. We’ll handle her transition with respect. We’ll explain what the bond means. We’ll help her understand. But she will leave with us.”

The words fell between them like an absolute pronouncement.

Garrett nodded slowly. He understood that he had no real choice in this. The Blackwoods were too powerful. Pack law was on their side. The bond superseded everything else. But he’d extracted what concessions he could. He’d ensured that her mother would be cared for. He’d secured a promise of dignity in transition.

It was the best he could do.

The confrontation had shifted now. It was no longer adversarial. What remained was something almost like respect between two alphas, both acknowledging the constraints of their positions, both doing what they could within those constraints.

Nicholas moved toward the window, looking out at the compound below as darkness began to fall across Shadowmere.

”She doesn’t understand yet what we are to her,” he said quietly, his voice almost reflective. ”But she will. In time, she will understand. And when she does, she’ll understand that this wasn’t taking. This was recognition. This was the only possible outcome from the moment she walked into our home during that contract.”

Garrett watched him, seeing something in the Blackwood alpha that he hadn’t expected to see. Beneath the power and the control and the absolute certainty, there was something almost vulnerable. Something that looked almost like love.

”Take care of her,” Garrett said finally, his voice carrying the weight of the request. ”She’s stronger than she appears. But she’s also more fragile than she knows. The Blackwoods have a reputation. A reputation for ruthlessness. For strategy. For power. I hope you’ll prove that reputation isn’t entirely deserved when it comes to her.”

Nicholas turned from the window to face Garrett directly.

”The reputation is deserved,” he said, and there was no denial in his voice. ”We’re ruthless with enemies. We’re strategic with allies. We’re absolutely unforgiving with those who cross us. But with our mate?” He paused, and his silver eyes flickered with gold. ”We’ll be something else entirely. We’ll be possessive and protective and obsessed. We’ll be everything she needs and everything she’s afraid of all at once. But we won’t be cruel to her. That’s not something the bond allows.”

”I have to trust that,” Garrett said.

”You do,” Nicholas agreed. ”But more importantly....she has to trust it. And she will. In time.”

Garrett moved around the desk and extended his hand.

Nicholas looked at the offered hand for a moment, then clasped it. The handshake was firm. Respectful. The gesture of two alphas acknowledging each other’s position despite their opposing interests.

”Thank you for this conversation,” Nicholas said as they released hands. ”Honesty between alphas is rare. I appreciate it. Most would have tried to posture. Most would have pretended they didn’t understand what was happening. You faced it directly.”

”It’s my pack,” Garrett said simply. ”My responsibility.”

Nicholas nodded, understanding the weight of that statement completely.

He moved toward the door, his movements controlled and graceful. When he reached the threshold, he paused and looked back at Garrett.

”Take care of her until the Summit ends,” Nicholas said. ”Ensure she’s safe. Ensure she’s cared for. And then...” He smiled slightly. ”Then you can let her go knowing she’s going to the only place she’s meant to be.”

Garrett nodded, unable to find words for what he was feeling.

Nicholas opened the door and stepped into the corridor, closing it quietly behind him.

Garrett sank into his chair.

The weight of the conversation settled on him like a physical force. He’d done what he could. He’d protected what he could protect. He’d ensured her mother would be cared for. He’d secured promises of dignity and respect.

But Lilith was leaving Shadowmere in three days.

She was leaving with three alphas who claimed her as their mate. She was leaving to a life she didn’t yet understand. She was leaving to a bond that would define everything about her future.

And Garrett had just helped facilitate that leaving.

He stood and walked to the window, looking out at the compound as darkness fell completely. Somewhere out there, Lilith was still unaware that her fate had been sealed.

Garrett pulled out a piece of parchment and began to write instructions. The paperwork for the transition would need to be completed.

All the practical things that came with an omega leaving her pack.

All the things that made the reality of it undeniable.

As he wrote, Garrett couldn’t help but think that perhaps Nicholas was right. Perhaps Lilith belonged with the Blackwoods. Perhaps the bond was the only possible outcome.

But that didn’t make it easier to accept.

It didn’t make it easier to know that in three days, an omega from his pack would be gone. Her mother would be cared for, yes. But Lilith herself, she would be claimed and marked and bonded to three alphas in ways that would fundamentally change who she was.

Garrett signed the documents and set them aside.

There was nothing more he could do.

The confrontation was over. The negotiation was complete. The decision had been made.

Now all that remained was to watch as three days passed and watch the Blackwood brothers take Lilith away with them.