Sacrificed To The Triplet Alpha Kings

Wren studied her face for a moment and then said quietly, ”You’re in love with them.”

Lilith’s breath caught. ”I didn’t say that.”

”You didn’t have to. I can see it in your face.” Wren’s expression softened. ”It’s okay, you know. To love them. Even if it’s terrifying.”

Lilith looked down at her hands. ”It is terrifying. considering the fact that they accused my father of killing theirs”

”I know.” Wren reached across the table again and squeezed her hand. ”But you’re one of the strongest people I know. You’ll figure it out.”

Lilith wanted to believe her. She really did.

They talked for another hour about nothing important....Wren’s terrible coworker who could not figure out how to use the inventory system, a movie Wren had watched that made her cry, the weather and the city and anything that was not the bond or the brothers or the posts.

It felt normal and easy and for a little while Lilith could almost pretend she was just a girl having coffee with her best friend and not a mate caught between three cursed Alphas and a conspiracy she did not understand.

But eventually the conversation circled back.

”You’ll tell Alpha Nicholas about Mike?” Wren asked as they stood to leave.

”I will,” Lilith promised. ”Tonight. As soon as I get back.”

Wren hugged her tight. ”Call me if you need anything. I mean it. Any time.”

”I will. Thank you, Wren.”

They walked out together and Wren headed toward her car while Lilith pulled out her phone and texted Callum. He replied immediately that he was two blocks away and would be there in thirty seconds.

Lilith stood on the sidewalk and watched Wren drive away, and the whole time her stomach was twisting with dread.

She had to tell Nicholas about Mike.

She had to tell her mate that her ex-boyfriend might be the one destroying her father’s reputation.

She had to admit that the person she had once loved, the person she had given herself to before the bond existed, might be her enemy now.

Callum pulled up and she climbed into the back seat, her hands still shaking.

”Back to the estate?” he asked.

”Yes,” she said quietly. ”Back to the estate.”

And the whole drive home she rehearsed in her head how to tell Nicholas the truth without breaking apart completely.

***

The estate felt too quiet when Lilith walked through the front doors. Callum had dropped her at the main entrance and disappeared without a word, and now she stood in the vast entryway with her heart pounding and her palms sweating and absolutely no idea how to do what she was about to do.

She had to tell Nicholas about Mike.

She had rehearsed it in her head the entire drive back, practiced the words over and over until they felt almost manageable. But now that she was here, now that she was standing in the hall outside his office with her hand raised to knock, every single word disappeared from her mind and all she could think was....

How do you tell your mate that the man you used to fuck might be betraying your family?

She lowered her hand and took a shaky breath, her fingers trembling. Maybe she could wait. Maybe she could tell him tomorrow when she had more time to figure out the right words, when she was not so exhausted and raw and...

”Lilith.”

She jumped and turned to find Nicholas standing in the doorway of his office, one hand braced against the frame, his silver eyes fixed on her with that unreadable intensity that always made her feel like he could see straight through her.

”I felt you standing out here,” he said quietly. ”Come in.”

It was not a request.

Lilith nodded and walked past him into the office, her whole body tense. She heard the door close behind her with a soft click and then Nicholas was moving past her toward his desk, his movements calm and controlled in a way that made her even more nervous.

She stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, her hands clasped in front of her, and watched as he leaned against the edge of his desk and crossed his arms.

”Come here,” he said.

She didn’t move.

His eyes narrowed slightly. ”Lilith. Come here.” he said again.

She walked toward him slowly, her legs unsteady, and stopped a few feet away. He reached out and caught her wrist gently, pulled her the rest of the way until she was standing between his legs, and then his hands went to her waist and he pulled her onto his lap in one smooth motion.

Lilith gasped and grabbed his shoulders for balance, her heart racing. Nicholas settled her against him, one arm around her waist to hold her steady, his other hand coming up to tilt her chin so she had to look at him.

”What’s wrong,” he said. Not a question. A command.

”Nothing...” she replied, trying her best to keep her voice steady.

”Do not lie to me.” His voice was firm but not harsh, his thumb brushing along her jaw. ”I can feel your distress through the bond. Something is bothering you. Tell me.”

Lilith took a shaky breath. ”I went to the hospital. To see my mother.”

”I know. You told me. How is she?”

”The same. No change.” She paused and looked down at her hands. ”Thank you. For handling the medical bills. I know I said it before but...”

”You do not need to thank me for that Lilith,” Nicholas said quietly. ”She is your mother. That makes her ours to care for.”

Lilith nodded and felt her throat tighten. Nicholas’s hand on her waist tightened slightly, pulling her closer against his chest.

”What else,” he said. ”That is not what has you this nervous.”

She closed her eyes. ”I met Wren after. At a café. We talked.”

”About?” he asked.

”About the posts. The anonymous ones.” She opened her eyes and looked at him. ” She asked me what you were doing about the investigation. She... she told me something.”