Chapter 57: How Is She? Is She Back To Normal?
The morning light was still soft when Lilith’s eyes opened.
For a moment, she didn’t move. Didn’t think. Just existed in that strange space between sleep and consciousness where nothing made sense yet. The world was quiet. The estate was quiet. Even the birds hadn’t started their morning chorus.
She blinked slowly, and her vision cleared.
Agnes was sitting in the chair beside her bed.
The old housekeeper was leaning back in the chair, her head tilted against the high back, her hands folded in her lap. She was asleep, had been asleep for hours, judging by the way her body had settled into the cushions. But even in sleep, there was an alertness to her. A readiness that suggested she would wake the moment Lilith needed her.
Lilith stared at her for a long moment.
The sun was rising slowly, painting everything in shades of amber and gold. Agnes’s weathered face was peaceful in the morning light. Her grey hair was slightly disheveled, her clothes wrinkled from a night spent sitting vigil.
She had stayed. Through the entire night.
Lilith tried to sit up.
The moment she moved, pain exploded through her entire body. Not the sharp, manageable pain of bruising. Not the ache of sore muscles. This was something deeper. Something that suggested every single cell in her body had been brutalized and was still recovering from the assault.
She gasped, and the sound was sharp in the quiet room.
Agnes’s eyes snapped open immediately.
The old housekeeper was on her feet in seconds, moving to the bed with the kind of purposeful grace that came from decades of service. She placed her weathered hand on Lilith’s forehead, her fingers cool against the skin.
Her expression shifted. Relief flooded across her features.
"No fever," Agnes said quietly. "Thank the gods, no fever."
She withdrew her hand and looked at Lilith with eyes that held genuine care.
"Do you remember what happened yesterday?" She asked her, her voice filled with concern.
Lilith looked at her and shook her head, indicating that she doesn’t remember.
Agnes looked at her face and then said " It is okay if you do not remember, what matters now is that you are awake"
Lilith nodded in agreement.
"Do you need to use the bathroom, child?" Agnes asked.
Lilith nodded. Her throat was dry. Speaking seemed like too much effort.
Agnes helped her up slowly. Every movement was careful, deliberate, designed not to aggravate whatever injuries Lilith had sustained. The older woman wrapped her arm around Lilith’s waist and supported most of her weight as she guided her toward the bathroom.
Lilith’s legs were unsteady. Her entire body ached. But worst was the burning pain between her legs.....a deep, throbbing ache that suggested she’d been used thoroughly and brutally.
Agnes helped her to the bathroom door and then withdrew, giving her privacy.
The moment Lilith was alone, Agnes eyes glazed off immediately, the mindlink opened instantly....she could feel Sebastian on the other end, alert and waiting.
"Alpha Sebastian, she’s awake"
The response came back immediately, sharp with tension.
"How is she? Is she back to normal?"
"Yes, she’s back to normal" Agnes replied. "She’s using the bathroom as we speak. Her body’s responding well, no fever, no signs of serious injury beyond the bruising"
Thanks Agnes. Keep watching her.
The mindlink closed.
Inside the bathroom, Lilith moved slowly. Everything hurt. Sitting down was an ordeal. Standing up was worse. By the time she finished, she was shaking, not from cold, but from the effort it had taken her body to function.
When she emerged, Agnes was waiting.
The housekeeper helped her back to the bed slowly, supporting her weight, making sure she didn’t fall. Once Lilith was settled back under the blankets, Agnes adjusted them carefully, making sure she was comfortable.
"Do you need anything?" Agnes asked. "Some food? Some fruit?"
Lilith shook her head. Her voice was hoarse when she spoke.
"No," she whispered. "Just rest. I just want to rest."
Agnes nodded.
"That’s fine, child," she said gently. "I’ll leave you to rest. But I’ll come back and check on you later. I’ll bring your breakfast with me."
"Thank you," Lilith whispered.
Agnes squeezed her hand gently and then left the room, closing the door softly behind her.
The moment the door clicked shut, panic set in.
Lilith’s heart started racing. Her breathing became shallow. Because now, in the quiet of her room with nothing but her own thoughts, she tried to remember what had happened yesterday.
She remembered Lucian’s room. Remembered his mouth on her, the intensity of his touch. Remembered the pleasure and the overwhelming sensation of his fingers inside her.
And then....nothing.
A void. A blank space where her memory should be.
She couldn’t remember what came after. Couldn’t remember if she’d said something wrong. Couldn’t remember if she’d done something to anger them. All she had was this terrible gap in her consciousness and the knowledge that something had happened that was significant enough to make her entire body hurt.
What if they were angry with her?
What if she’d broken some rule she didn’t know existed?
What if they were going to punish her for whatever she’d done?
The thoughts spiraled, each one darker than the last. Her hands clenched in the blankets. Her breathing became more rapid. She wanted to pull her hair out, wanted to scream, wanted to do something to release the building panic in her chest.
But she couldn’t. Because she didn’t know what would happen if she did.
She lay in the quiet room and tried to remember, and the more she tried, the more terrified she became.
***
In the shower downstairs, Sebastian stood under the spray of hot water and tried not to think about how much his dick was aching.
The moment the mindlink from Agnes had come through, relief had flooded through him. She’s awake. She’s back to normal. Everything was okay.
But okay meant he couldn’t touch her. Okay meant the brothers had made the decision that she was off-limits. Okay meant years of training were supposed to override the screaming need in his body to go to her room right now and bury himself inside her until she couldn’t think straight.
