Sacrificed To The Triplet Alpha Kings

Chapter 118: How Long Do We Have To Wait

"How did you sleep?" Nicholas asked conversationally, as if he wasn’t radiating an intensity that made the air feel charged.

"Fine, Alpha," Lilith lied, her voice wavering slightly.

She moved to set down bacon and toast, her movements stiff and awkward. Her thighs pressed together involuntarily, trying to ease the ache between her legs that wouldn’t go away.

"Is your room comfortable?" Sebastian asked, his dark eyes following her movements with predatory focus.

"Yes, Alpha," she said.

She set a plate down in front of Lucian, and her hand trembled as she did. He was so close. So overwhelmingly close. She could feel the heat radiating from his bare skin. Could smell him, that intoxicating combination of soap and something uniquely male and purely him.

"She’s embarrassed. Look at how flushed she is," Sebastian observed through the mindlink.

"She doesn’t understand what’s happening to her body. She thinks it’s a reaction to fear," Nicholas responded, his mental tone carrying something that sounded like satisfaction.

"Her arousal smells like lavender and honey. It’s maddening," Lucian said, his voice raw through the bond, and Nicholas could hear the effort it was taking him to sit still.

"Patience, Lucian. We show her slowly. We let her come to understanding on her own terms," Nicholas commanded, his alpha authority absolute even through the mental connection.

"Did you find everything you needed yesterday?" Lucian asked, his voice impossibly calm given the gold burning in his eyes.

"Yes, Alpha," Lilith said, setting down his plate with more care than was necessary.

She moved back to pour coffee, trying to focus on the mechanical task, trying not to think about how they were all watching her. Trying not to notice the way their eyes tracked her breasts, the way they noticed her hardened nipples pressing visibly against the thin fabric of her uniform.

Nicholas adjusted his shirt slightly, a small gesture that shouldn’t have meant anything, but it did. It was like he was giving her a moment to breathe. A small mercy.

"The work you’ve been doing since returning to Shadowmere," Nicholas said, his silver eyes meeting hers briefly, "has it been difficult?"

The question caught her off-guard. She’d expected them to ignore her, or use her, or do something that made sense given the intensity of their attention.

Instead, he was asking about her wellbeing.

"It’s been... manageable," she said carefully.

She poured his coffee, acutely aware that her hands were shaking. Acutely aware that he could probably see the tremor. Acutely aware that they were all noticing every response her body was having.

"How long do we have to wait before she understands the bond?" Lucian asked through the mindlink, his voice tinged with desperation.

"As long as it takes. We show her patience. We show her we’re different. Then she’ll understand," Nicholas responded, his mental voice steady and patient despite the obvious struggle it was costing him.

Lilith cleared the empty plates from the counter where they’d been preparing breakfast, trying to move efficiently through the space. Trying not to brush against any of them. Trying to maintain some semblance of professional distance.

As she reached for a plate on the small side table near Sebastian, her hand brushed his.

The contact was accidental. Brief. Barely more than a whisper of skin against skin.

But it sent electricity through her entire body.

She pulled her hand back like she’d touched fire.

"Did you feel that? The way she reacted to my touch?" Sebastian’s mental voice was sharp with satisfaction.

"She’s as affected by us as we are by her. She just doesn’t understand it yet," Nicholas responded, his tone carrying certainty.

"My apologies, Alpha," Lilith said quickly, her face burning.

"No need," Sebastian said, his lips curving into a slight smile. "Accidents happen."

But his eyes...his dark, knowing eyes, suggested it wasn’t an accident at all. Suggested he’d positioned his hand deliberately, waiting for her to reach exactly where he knew she would.

She finished clearing the table with fumbling movements, her composure completely shattered.

"The breakfast was excellent, Lilith," Nicholas said, his voice smooth and professional, giving absolutely nothing away despite the silver flickering constantly at the edges of his eyes.

"Thank you, Alpha," she said, trying to sound normal, trying to hide the fact that she could barely breathe.

She gathered the empty plates and the tray, desperate to escape the overwhelming intensity of being near them while they were in this state of undress. Desperate to get away from the weight of their attention. Desperate to stop her body from responding in ways she didn’t understand and couldn’t control.

"You’re dismissed," Nicholas said.

She left the quarters as quickly as she could without running.

In the corridor, she leaned against the wall for a moment, her entire body shaking.

What was happening to her?

Why did proximity to them affect her so intensely?

Why couldn’t she stop her body from responding, even though her mind was screaming that she should hate them?

And most troubling of all: why was part of her disappointed when they’d dismissed her?

Her legs felt unsteady as she walked back toward the kitchens. Her body was still responding to what had just happened, still burning with an awareness of their presence even though she was now separated from them by distance.

She was mortified by her own arousal. Confused by the gentleness they’d shown her. Less terrified of them than before...but now terrified of herself.

Something had shifted.

She just didn’t understand what.

Behind her, in the Blackwood quarters, the brothers remained still for a long moment after she left.

"How much longer can we maintain this?" Lucian asked through the mindlink, his voice strained and desperate.

"As long as it takes," Nicholas repeated, his own strain showing for the first time. "She’s beginning to understand. Soon, she’ll accept what she is to us."

"And if she doesn’t?" Sebastian asked.

"She will," Nicholas said with absolute certainty. "The bond is real. She’ll feel it eventually. And when she does, we’ll take her home."