Sacrificed To The Triplet Alpha Kings

Chapter 145: The Elders Are Coming Tonight

The corridor leading to the medical wing was quiet, lit by the soft amber of evening lanterns just beginning to flicker on. Lilith walked slowly, her mind still tangled in everything that had happened in Nicholas’s room. Her hands were still trembling slightly. She hadn’t stopped shaking since she left that door.

She was halfway there, close enough to see the far turn that led toward the medical wing’s entrance, when she heard footsteps pounding against the stone floor behind her, fast and urgent.

"Lilith! Lilith, wait!"

She turned. Emma was running toward her, her omega uniform slightly askew, her braid coming loose from its pin. Her face was flushed, breathless, panicked in a way that made Lilith’s stomach twist.

"What’s wrong?" Lilith asked, already moving to meet her halfway.

Emma skidded to a stop in front of her, gasping for air. "Dora....Dora needs everyone. All of us. Right now. At the omega assembly hall." She pressed a hand to her chest, still catching her breath. "The Elders are coming tonight. Like, tonight tonight. Dora’s losing her mind trying to get everything ready."

Lilith’s heart sank. She looked past Emma, toward the direction of the medical wing, toward her mother lying still and silent in that room. She’d promised herself she’d go tonight. Nicholas had told her to say her goodbyes. She didn’t have time to waste.

"I need to see my mother," she said quietly.

Emma’s expression softened, but there was no give in it. "I know. I’m sorry. But Dora said everyone, and she meant everyone. If you’re not there, she’s going to send someone looking for you, and that’s going to make things worse." She reached out and touched Lilith’s arm gently. "You can go after. I promise. It won’t take long, it’s probably just assignments."

Lilith closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on her. Her mother. The Elders. The Blackwood brothers waiting for her answer by morning. It all felt like too much at once, like the walls of her life were closing in from every direction and there was no room left to breathe.

"Okay," she said finally, opening her eyes. "Okay. Let’s go."

They walked quickly through the compound, the evening light turning gold and then dimming into blue as the sun dropped lower behind the tree line. Other omegas were moving in the same direction, some hurrying, some walking in tight clusters, whispering to each other. The air itself seemed to hum with nervous energy. Everyone could feel it, the shift in the compound, the sense that something enormous was about to happen.

The assembly hall was already half full by the time they arrived. Dora stood at the front, her clipboard in hand, her sharp eyes scanning the room as omegas filed in and found their places. She looked exhausted already, and the night hadn’t even started.

"Good, good, everyone’s here," Dora said, raising her voice as the last stragglers slipped through the door. "Settle down. We don’t have much time."

The room quieted. Lilith found a spot near the back beside Emma, her arms crossed over her chest, trying to steady the storm still raging inside her.

"As most of you already know," Dora began, "the Supreme Council of Elders arrives tonight. This is the single most important event Shadowmere has hosted in over a decade. Every pack in the region will be watching how we handle this. Every mistake will be noticed. Every omega in this room represents this pack tonight, and I need every single one of you performing at your absolute best."

She began reading off assignments from her clipboard, her voice brisk and businesslike. Kitchen staff would need to prepare the formal dining hall for a banquet unlike anything they’d done yet this Summit, the Elders expected a certain standard, and Shadowmere’s reputation depended on meeting it. Cleaning crews were assigned to the guest wing, scrubbing every surface, polishing every fixture, ensuring the rooms reserved for the Elders were beyond reproach. Others were assigned to the main hall, arranging seating according to a strict hierarchy that Dora rattled off from memory, Elders first, then visiting alphas by rank, then pack leadership, then everyone else.

"Lilith." Dora’s eyes found her across the room. "You’ll be assisting with the guest wing preparations. Fresh linens, room arrangements, water and refreshments set for when they arrive. I need it done within the hour."

Lilith nodded, grateful for the assignment. It was work she could do with her hands while her mind stayed elsewhere, better than kitchen chaos, better than the crush of the main hall.

Dora continued rattling off names and duties, but Lilith found herself only half listening. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Nicholas’s room, to Sebastian’s hands cupping her face, to Lucian’s gold eyes blazing with possession. To the promise about her father. To the promise about her mother. To the ultimatum hanging over her head like a blade.

She was pulled back to the present when the assembly began breaking apart, omegas scattering toward their assigned duties. Emma fell into step beside her as they made their way toward the guest wing.

"You’ve been somewhere else this whole time," Emma said quietly, once they were far enough from the others that no one would overhear. "What happened?"

Lilith hesitated. They walked in silence for a few more steps, passing beneath an archway that led into the quieter corridor of the guest wing. The evening light here was dimmer, filtered through high windows, casting long shadows across the polished floor.

"They told me," Lilith said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "The brothers. They told me I’m their mate."

Emma stopped walking entirely. She turned to face Lilith, her eyes wide, her face draining of color. "What?"

"All three of them," Lilith continued, the words spilling out now that she’d started. "They said they found out during the contract. That’s why they released me early. Sixteen days instead of thirty." She wrapped her arms tighter around herself. "They want me to go back with them. To Blackwood. They’re leaving in three days."

For a moment, Emma said nothing at all. Her mouth opened and closed. When she finally spoke, her voice was tight with fear. "Lilith. Oh, goddess. Lilith, no."