Sacrificed To The Triplet Alpha Kings

Chapter 164: Lilith Leaves Shadowmare For The Blackwood Pack

Dora’s door was open when she arrived, and the omega overseer was already awake, already dressed, already standing like she’d been expecting Lilith. There was something in her posture that suggested she hadn’t slept much either.

"Come in," Dora said, pulling her inside and closing the door. "We don’t have long."

They stood facing each other for a moment, and Lilith was struck again by how much Dora had come to mean to her...this woman who’d had no obligation to care about a demoted beta’s daughter, who’d chosen to anyway.

"I wanted to thank you," Lilith said quietly. "For everything. For looking out for me when you didn’t have to. For treating me like I mattered."

Dora’s expression softened into something almost maternal. "You always mattered, Lilith. Never doubt that." She reached out and took both of Lilith’s hands, holding them firmly. "I’m going to check on your mother every week. I’ll make sure she’s cared for properly, and I’ll talk to her about you, the way you’ve been doing. I’ll keep her connected to you even while you’re gone."

"Thank you," Lilith whispered, her throat tightening slightly. "That means more than you know."

"Listen to me," Dora said, her voice dropping lower, more intense. "Those brothers, they’re not good men. I won’t pretend they are. But they’re your mates now, and mates protect what’s theirs with absolute ferocity. Whatever happens, whatever they ask of you, whatever you have to endure...you survive it, you understand me? You survive it and you come back to us when you can."

Lilith nodded slowly, unable to speak past the lump in her throat.

Dora pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her against her chest for a long moment. When she released her, there were tears in her sharp eyes, though she blinked them away quickly, returning to her usual composed demeanor.

"Go on," she said, turning away slightly. "They’ll be waiting for you. Don’t keep them waiting."

Lilith left Dora’s quarters knowing that she’d just said goodbye to one more piece of her life, one more person who’d mattered more than she’d realized in the moment. The weight of all these goodbyes was starting to accumulate, pressing down on her shoulders, making each step feel heavier than the last.

The Blackwood quarters were quiet when she made her way there, the brothers already up and preparing, she assumed. She found them in the main courtyard at the front of the compound, where a sleek black carriage was being loaded with trunks, her things, she realized, packed and ready before she’d even woken up. They’d thought of everything.

Nicholas stood supervising the loading, his silver eyes tracking every movement with the kind of precision that made even servants move faster. Sebastian leaned against one of the carriage wheels, looking tired in a way she’d never quite seen before, like the past few days had worn on him more than he was willing to admit. Lucian paced nearby, his gold eyes restless, like he couldn’t quite settle into stillness.

When Nicholas spotted her, he immediately stopped what he was doing and walked toward her. Sebastian and Lucian followed, and for a moment, all three of them were focused entirely on her approach.

"You’re ready," Nicholas said. It wasn’t a question.

"Yes," she said, though her voice came out smaller than she’d intended. She was holding the leather bag containing her personal possessions. It felt impossibly light, impossibly inadequate for containing the whole of her life.

Sebastian took the bag from her without asking, passing it to one of the waiting warriors who immediately loaded it into the carriage. Lucian moved closer, studying her face like he was searching for something.

"You said goodbye," he said. It was a statement, not a question. He could probably smell the medical wing on her, the lingering scent of her mother’s room.

"Yes," Lilith confirmed. "To my mother."

Nicholas nodded once, satisfied. "Then we go. Now."

The carriage door was open, waiting. Sebastian gestured for her to enter first, and Lilith took a breath and stepped up into the interior, finding it lined with cushioned benches and equipped with everything one might need for a long journey. It was far more luxurious than the carriage that had brought her to Blackwood the first time, but then, this time she was coming as something other than a servant.

She was coming as a mate.

The brothers entered after her, filling the space with their presence, and the door closed with a soft, final click. Through the small window, Lilith could see the compound she’d known her entire life beginning to recede.

Marcus was in the driver’s seat, she recognized his quiet competence from her previous journey. There was a jolt as the carriage began to move, the wheels rolling over the packed earth, heading toward the main gates.

Lilith watched through the window as Shadowmere began to slip away behind them. The omega quarters where she’d spent four months. The main hall where she’d served. The medical wing where her mother lay waiting for her to come back. The training grounds. The kitchens. All of it, growing smaller and smaller as they moved away.

At the gates, a small group had gathered, Emma standing with Dora, both of them watching the carriage pass. Emma raised her hand in a final wave, and Lilith pressed her hand against the window, unable to wave back but needing the contact anyway, needing some final acknowledgment of the life she was leaving behind.

Then the gates were behind them, and the carriage rolled onto the main road, heading north toward Blackwood territory. The forest began to swallow the road, trees rising up on either side, the sky darkening as they moved deeper under the canopy.

Lilith sat back against the cushioned bench, her hand slowly falling away from the window. The three brothers were watching her with varying degrees of intensity, Nicholas with his usual control, Sebastian with something that looked like concern, Lucian with a hunger that had nothing to do with the physical.

She closed her eyes and let Shadowmere fade completely behind her.