Chapter 301: Don’t Let Victoria Take You From Us
"Why?" Lilith asked. "Why does it matter so much? You barely know me. We’ve known each other for weeks....."
"Because you’re ours," Lucian said, and his voice made her shiver. He had moved closer without her noticing and now he was right beside Sebastian, his gold eyes burning into hers. "Because the bonds say you belong with us.
Because every instinct we have is screaming at us to keep you safe and claimed and ours."
"That’s not love," Lilith said. "That’s possession."
"It’s both," Sebastian said simply. "And you feel it too. Stop pretending you don’t."
Lilith wanted to deny it. Wanted to tell them they were wrong. But the bonds were humming between them and she could feel her body responding to their proximity despite her anger, despite her pain, despite everything.
"The night your father died," Nicholas said quietly, still holding her pinned against his chest, "our father made a choice we didn’t agree with. He chose pack safety over doing what was right. And we didn’t question his authority."
"You could have fought...."
"We weren’t Alphas of this pack then," Nicholas interrupted. " Even thou our father allowed us to make all the major decisions when it comes to the pack, he was still the alpha, going against his direct orders would have meant exile or death. But that doesn’t make it right. That doesn’t absolve us of the guilt we carry."
"Our father died shortly after we got back home from the alliance meeting," Sebastian added. "Because of injuries he sustained from the attack.
Sebastian looked at her and added. " He was hit by the magic casted by one of the witches your father was trying to protect, and that made him a traitor, Lilith.
He took a deep breath and then continued. "The inner circle elders decided to to announce that he died during the attack. And because your father did took sides with the witches, We branded him a traitor, and the guilt of what happened to him , of what his choices led to, that’s something we’ve carried every day since we found out that you are our mate."
"And we are still trying to find the hunters responsible." Lucian added.
"That doesn’t bring him back," Lilith whispered.
"No," Nicholas agreed. "Nothing will bring him back."
Lilith felt tears streaming down her face and she was so tired of crying. "Why didn’t you tell me this from the beginning? Why did I have to hear it from my aunt?"
"Because we’re cowards," Sebastian said bluntly. "Because we knew the truth would hurt you and we wanted you to love us before you knew what we’d done."
"That’s manipulative...."
"Yes it is," Sebastian agreed. "And we’re not proud of it. But we’re also not apologizing for wanting you to give us a chance before you judged us for our father’s sins."
Nicholas’s hand slid up from her waist to cup her breast through her dress and Lilith gasped, her body responding immediately despite her mind screaming at her to pull away.
"What are you doing..." She gasped.
"Reminding you what you feel when we touch you," Nicholas said against her ear. "Reminding you that the bonds are more than just guilt and betrayal. They’re also this."
His thumb brushed over her nipple through the fabric and Lilith felt heat pool low in her belly. "Stop...." She gasped.
"Do you really want me to stop?" Nicholas asked, and his other hand slid down between her legs, pressing against her through her dress. "Or do you want me to make you forget why you’re angry for just a little while?"
"I want...." Lilith’s words cut off in a gasp as Nicholas found her clit through the fabric and rubbed in slow deliberate circles.
"What do you want, Lilith?" Sebastian asked, and his hands were sliding down from her face to her throat, his thumbs brushing over the bond marks Nicholas had left weeks ago. "Tell us."
"I want to leave...."
"Liar," Lucian said, and he moved even closer until Lilith was surrounded by all three of them. "You want to stay. You want us. You just don’t want to admit it because you’re scared."
"I’m not scared...."
"Yes you are," Nicholas said, and his hand pressed harder between her legs making her gasp. "You’re terrified that if you forgive us, if you choose to stay, Victoria will be right. That we’ll destroy you the way she says we will."
"Won’t you?" Lilith demanded.
"Probably," Nicholas admitted. "But you’ll destroy us too. That’s what the bonds mean. We’re tied together now. Your pain is our pain. Your anger is our anger. And your pleasure....."
His fingers found her clit again and rubbed harder, and Lilith’s knees went weak.
"....is our pleasure too."
Sebastian’s hands slid down to cup her breasts and he squeezed gently, his thumbs finding her nipples through the fabric and pressing down until she cried out.
"Stay," Sebastian murmured against her throat. "Don’t let Victoria take you from us. Don’t let your anger make you choose something you’ll regret."
"How do you know I’ll regret it?" Lilith gasped.
"Because the bonds won’t let you be happy without us," Lucian said bluntly. "And we won’t be happy without you. So you can run to Victoria and spend the rest of your life aching for something you can’t have, or you can stay here and let us spend the rest of our lives making up for what we did."
Nicholas’s hand slid under her dress, his fingers finding her through her underwear, and Lilith moaned despite herself.
"That’s it," Nicholas said. "Stop fighting what you feel."
"I hate you..."
"I know," Nicholas said, and his fingers slipped under the fabric and found her wet and desperate. "But you want us anyway."
He pushed two fingers inside her without warning and Lilith cried out, her head falling back against his shoulder.
"Look at me," Sebastian commanded.
Lilith forced her eyes open and met Sebastian’s dark gaze.
"Are you going to stay?" Sebastian asked.
"I don’t know..."
Sebastian’s hands tightened on her breasts, his fingers pinching her nipples hard enough to make her gasp. "Wrong answer. Try again."