Sacrificed To The Triplet Alpha Kings

Chapter 165: Welcome Back To The Blackwood Estate

The forest seemed to go on forever.

Lilith watched it pass outside the carriage window, endless rows of trees, their trunks thick and dark, their branches creating a canopy so dense that even in the late afternoon, the light struggled to penetrate. Blackwood territory looked different than it had two months ago. Or maybe she was different, and everything else was just reflecting that change back at her.

The carriage rocked gently beneath her, the steady rhythm of the wheels against the packed road almost hypnotic. She’d been staring out the window for the past hour, barely conscious of doing it, her mind caught somewhere between Shadowmere and whatever waited ahead. The brothers sat across from her on the opposite bench, but they’d fallen into a comfortable silence an hour ago, and she’d been grateful for it — grateful to simply exist in the space between goodbye and hello without having to perform or speak or be anything other than what she was.

Exhausted. Terrified. Resigned.

The carriage began to slow.

Lilith straightened slightly, pulling her attention away from the window. The trees were opening up now, the dense forest giving way to landscaped grounds, manicured lawns, a long driveway lined with carefully tended hedges. They were approaching the estate.

Her stomach tightened.

The Blackwood estate rose up before them as they rounded the final bend...massive, imposing, beautiful in a way that took your breath away if you weren’t careful. Four stories of pale stone, dark-tiled roof, towers at each corner like it was a fortress designed to keep people in rather than out. Lilith had spent sixteen days here before, had walked its corridors and slept in its beds and been used by its masters, but returning felt different. Heavier. More permanent.

The carriage rolled to a stop in the circular drive at the main entrance, where stone steps led up to massive wooden doors carved with intricate designs she didn’t have time to study. Marcus brought the carriage to a smooth halt, and for a moment, nothing happened. The world seemed to hold its breath.

Then the carriage door opened from the outside, and Marcus offered his hand to help her down.

Lilith took it, letting him steady her as she stepped out onto the gravel drive. Her legs felt unsteady after four hours of sitting, her dress rumpled, her hair probably a mess despite her attempts at maintaining it during the journey. She smoothed her hands down the fabric automatically, though the gesture felt pointless.

That’s when she saw them.

The entire household staff was lined up at the base of the estate steps, waiting. Not in the casual way servants sometimes gathered. In the formal way that suggested preparation, intention, ceremony.

Agnes stood at the front, her iron-gray hair pulled back in its customary neat braid, her expression composed and professional. Behind her stood a line of omegas, pack members and warriors, who maintained the estate’s daily operations, all of them standing in perfect formation.

And there, near the middle of the line, was Sera.

The young warrior’s face lit up the moment she saw Lilith, a genuine smile breaking across her features. She stood rigid in formation, but Lilith could see her practically vibrating with the effort of staying still, with the need to move forward and greet her.

To the left, standing slightly apart from the main line, was another woman Lilith didn’t immediately recognize...tall, broad-shouldered, with the bearing of a warrior. Dark hair pulled back in a tight braid, sharp features, eyes that assessed Lilith with immediate intensity. A shinier warrior, Lilith realized. Someone high-ranking, someone important.

The carriage door opened on the other side, and the brothers emerged...Nicholas first, his silver eyes scanning the gathered staff with the kind of attention that made everyone stand a little straighter. Sebastian followed, then Lucian, whose gold eyes found Lilith immediately and stayed there, like he’d been looking for her the entire journey and had finally found what he was searching for.

Agnes stepped forward, inclining her head in a gesture of respect. "Alphas. Welcome home." Her gaze shifted to Lilith, and something subtle changed in her expression, not quite warmth, but a softening of professional distance. "Miss Thorne. It is good to see you return."

The use of her name, rather than a title or generic reference, felt significant. Lilith wasn’t sure why.

"Thank you," she said quietly, suddenly aware of every eye on her, suddenly very conscious of how she must look after a four-hour journey from Shadowmere.

Sera took a small step forward, her enthusiasm barely contained. "Lilith! You came back! We weren’t sure if..." She stopped herself, glancing toward Nicholas, like seeking permission or waiting to see if she’d overstepped. When he didn’t object, she continued, her smile brightening. "I’m so glad you’re back. The estate’s been quiet without you."

The words were simple, but they carried real warmth, and something in Lilith’s chest loosened slightly. At least there was one person here who was genuinely happy to see her.

The tall warrior woman stepped forward now, her movements precise and controlled. "Welcome back to Blackwood estate," she said, her voice steady and measured. "I’m Mara, head of the shinier warrior contingent." She inclined her head respectfully. "We were informed of your return. It’s an honor to have you back."

There was something in the way Mara said it, the formality of it, the careful respect...that made Lilith understand that Mara knew. Maybe not the specifics of the bond, but something. Enough to change how she was being treated, enough to explain the formal welcome, enough to account for the particular way her eyes tracked the brothers’ proximity to Lilith.

"Thank you," Lilith said again, because she didn’t know what else to say.

The brothers didn’t speak. They simply stood there, their presence alone seeming to communicate something to the gathered staff. Lilith could feel it, the way everyone held themselves a little differently around the three of them,

Agnes gestured toward the estate doors. "Shall we get you settled? You must be tired from the journey."