Sacrificed To The Triplet Alpha Kings

”Because of the full moon?” She asked.

”Because of everything. The full moon, the incomplete bond, watching me have what he does not, feeling what happened between us last night through the bond link.” He turned to look at her and his eyes were hard. ”Zev is right at the surface. Lucian is fighting him every second of every day and losing ground. The only thing keeping him together is knowing that if he breaks, he kills you.”

Lilith felt her chest tighten. ”I need to talk to him.” she said.

”Not yet.” Sebastian responded shaking his head.

”Sebastian.....” Lilith looked at him, wanting to argue about this, to make him see reasons why she has to go see Lucian.

”Not yet,” he said again, firmer this time. ”Give him a few days to settle. Right now you smell like me and Rhen and sex and if you walk up to him like this, Zev will take it as a challenge. Let him stabilize first.”

She wanted to argue but she could see the logic in it, could see the worry in Sebastian’s face that he was trying to hide. She nodded slowly. ”A few days.”

”A few days,” he agreed.

A knock at the door interrupted them and Agnes’s voice came through, warm and knowing. ”Breakfast is ready downstairs when you are both decent.”

Sebastian called back, ”We will be down in a few minutes.”

Agnes’s footsteps retreated and Lilith looked at him. ”The entire estate knows, do they not.”

”Every wolf in this estate can smell me all over you,” he said, and that smug smile was back. ”So yes. They know.”

Her face went hot again. ”That is mortifying.”

”That is the bond.” He stood and held out his hand. ”Come on. Let me carry you downstairs before you try to walk again and fall on your face.”

”I can walk.”

”You literally cannot.” He scooped her up before she could protest and she yelped, grabbing onto his shoulders. ”Stop being stubborn and let me take care of you.”

She glared at him but wrapped her arms around his neck anyway. ”You are enjoying this too much.”

”I am enjoying this exactly the right amount.”

He carried her out of his room and into the hallway, and immediately she felt the eyes on them. A maid at the end of the corridor froze mid-step and stared. Another wolf....a young male she did not recognize....stopped and turned to watch them pass, his nostrils flaring as he caught her scent. Sebastian growled low in his chest and the wolf immediately looked away and hurried off in the opposite direction.

”They are all staring,” Lilith whispered.

”Let them stare.” Sebastian’s arms tightened around her as they descended the stairs. ”You are mine. They can look all they want but they will never touch.”

More wolves in the main hall now, all of them stopping to watch as Sebastian carried her through. She could feel their eyes tracking her, could see the way they tilted their heads and breathed in and knew exactly what they were smelling. Heat crawled up her neck and into her face but she kept her chin up and her eyes forward.

Sebastian pushed open the dining hall door with his shoulder and carried her inside, and the tension hit her immediately like a wall. Nicholas was already seated at the table, his posture relaxed but his jaw tight, his eyes sharp as they tracked Sebastian’s movement across the room. Lucian was there too, sitting as far from Nicholas as possible, his hands flat on the table and his eyes....

Gold.

Completely gold.

He didn’t look at her. Did not acknowledge them at all. Just stared at the wall with his entire body vibrating with barely contained tension.

Sebastian set her down in a chair and sat beside her, his hand possessive on the back of her neck. The silence was suffocating. Lilith looked between the three brothers and felt the weight of everything unsaid pressing down on all of them.

This was going to be a very long breakfast.

***

The silence in the dining hall was unbearable. Lilith sat between Sebastian and Nicholas with Lucian across from her, and the tension was so thick she could barely breathe through it. Sebastian’s hand was still on the back of her neck, warm and possessive, his thumb rubbing small circles against her skin. Nicholas was cutting his food with mechanical precision, his movements controlled and deliberate in a way that told her Kael was closer to the surface than he wanted to admit. Lucian had not moved since they walked in, his hands still flat on the table, his knuckles white, his eyes still that burning gold.

He hadn’t looked at her once.

Agnes came in with more food and set it down without a word, her eyes sweeping over the four of them with the kind of knowing look that made Lilith want to sink into the floor. She left just as quickly and the silence returned, heavier than before.

Lilith could not take it anymore. ”Are you okay?” she asked looking from Nicholas to Lucian.

Nicholas looked up first, his expression carefully neutral. ”We are fine.”

”You do not look fine.”

”We are managing,” Nicholas said, and his tone suggested the conversation was over.

Lilith turned to Lucian. ”Lucian?”

He didn’t answer. Did not even acknowledge that she had spoken. Just kept staring at the wall like she was not there at all.

Sebastian’s hand tightened on her neck. ”Lucian.”

Still nothing.

”Brother,” Nicholas said quietly, a warning in his voice.

Lucian pushed his chair back so hard it scraped across the floor and stood abruptly. He still did not look at her, just turned and walked toward the door with his whole body vibrating, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

”Lucian wait....” Lilith started to stand but Sebastian held her in place.

Lucian stopped at the door but did not turn around. ”I need to go.”

”Where?” Nicholas asked.

”Anywhere that is not here.”

He walked out and slammed the door behind him. The sound echoed through the hall and Lilith flinched. Sebastian cursed under his breath and stood, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. ”Stay here. I will handle it.”

”Sebastian....”

”Stay.” He was already moving toward the door, following Lucian out and leaving Lilith alone with Nicholas.