Darkness swallowed me whole.
I stood frozen just inside the door, my heart hammering so hard I could hear it in my ears. My eyes struggled to adjust, making out shapes in the dim light.....furniture, shadows, movement.
Then I smelled them.
Pine and smoke. Leather and steel. Something wild and untamed that made my hindbrain scream danger even as my body responded with an unwelcome heat.
Alphas.
Three of them.
My eyes finally adjusted enough to see the space I'd been pushed into. Not a ritual room like I'd expected. This was a bedroom....massive, luxurious, clearly personal. A huge bed dominated the center, easily large enough for six people. A fireplace crackled against one wall, casting flickering shadows. Dark furniture, expensive rugs, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
This was their private space.
Their territory.
And I was prey that had just walked into the den.
Movement in the shadows made me spin around.
Three figures detached themselves from the darkness, stepping into the firelight.
My breath stopped.
Pictures hadn't done them justice. Nothing could have prepared me for the reality of them.
Lucian prowled forward first....and that's exactly what it was, a prowl. He moved like violence contained in skin, all coiled energy and dangerous grace. Maybe 6'4", built lean and lethal like a street fighter. Dark hair that looked like he'd just rolled out of bed or a fight, falling into eyes that literally glowed gold in the firelight. He wore only dark jeans, his chest bare and covered in scars that mapped a life of violence. His grin was sharp and feral.
"Well, well," he said, his voice a rough rasp that scraped down my spine. "What do we have here?"
Sebastian stepped forward next, and gods, he was massive. Easily 6'6", shoulders so broad they blocked the firelight, arms thick as tree trunks. Short dark hair, eyes so dark they were almost black, swallowing light rather than reflecting it. He wore just dark pants, his chest a wall of muscle and scars. Everything about him radiated controlled power that could explode at any second. When he looked at me, I felt pinned in place like a butterfly on a board.
"She's perfect," he rumbled, his voice a bass that I felt in my chest.
Nicholas was last, and somehow the most terrifying because of how controlled he was. Tallest at maybe 6'7", leaner than his brothers but no less powerful. Dark hair with those unusual silver streaks at the temples, sharp aristocratic features, and eyes....gods, those eyes. Pure silver like mercury, glowing with an otherworldly light. He wore dark slacks and a partially unbuttoned shirt, revealing glimpses of a scarred chest. Every movement was precise, calculated. He studied me with those unsettling silver eyes like I was a puzzle to solve.
He said nothing. Just watched. Assessed.
Somehow his silence was worse than his brothers' words.
They circled me slowly, predators sizing up their prey. Their eyes glowed.....gold, black, silver....wolves at the surface, barely contained.
I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Could only stand there while three of the most dangerous Alphas in the territories studied me like I was a meal they were about to devour.
"What's your name?" Nichola's voice cut through the silence....cold, commanding, expecting immediate obedience.
My mouth was too dry. I had to swallow twice before I could speak. "L-Lilith."
"Lilith," Lucian repeated, tasting my name, his grin widening. "Pretty name for a pretty girl."
I wasn't pretty. I knew that. But the way he said it, with that predatory gleam in his golden eyes, made my skin flush hot.
"Why are you here, Lilith?" Sebastian asked, his massive frame somehow getting closer without me seeing him move.
"The Rite." My voice came out barely above a whisper. "I need....I need the gold."
"Desperate," Sebastian observed, something like satisfaction in his dark eyes. "Good. Desperate women are more... compliant."
Fear spiked through me, sharp and cold.
Nicholas stepped closer, invading my space completely. He was so tall I had to tilt my head back to meet those silver eyes. They pinned me in place, seeing everything....every fear, every desperate hope, every secret I tried to hide.
"Do you understand what's going to happen tonight, Lilith?" His voice was silk over steel.
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
His hand shot out faster than I could track, gripping my jaw. Not painfully, but firm enough that I couldn't look away, couldn't escape his gaze. His fingers were long and strong, holding me exactly where he wanted me.
"Use. Your. Words." Each word was a command that demanded obedience.
"Yes," I gasped. "I understand."
"Tell us." Lucian's voice came from behind me now, so close I could feel his heat. When had he moved? "Tell us what you agreed to when you walked through that door."
My face burned. "You're going to... use my body. In exchange for gold."
"'Use' is such a clinical word," Lucian murmured, his breath hot against my ear. I could feel him right behind me, close enough to touch but not quite. "We're going to fuck you, Lilith. All three of us. All night long. We're going to take you in every way possible, in every position imaginable, until you can't walk, can't think, can't remember anything but our cocks inside you."
My breath caught. My body betrayed me, responding to his words with a heat that pooled low in my belly despite my fear.
"Still want that gold?" Sebastian asked. He'd moved too, flanking my other side. They had me surrounded now...Nicholas in front, Lucian behind, Sebastian to the side. Boxed in. Trapped.
I forced myself to nod.
Nicholas's grip on my jaw tightened slightly. "Words, little one."
"Yes." I barely recognized my own voice. "I still want it."
Something dark and satisfied flickered across all three of their faces.
"Good," Nicholas said, finally releasing my jaw. His thumb brushed over my lower lip as he pulled away, a gesture that felt both intimate and claiming.
He stepped back, and all three of them stood there, watching me with those glowing eyes.
Waiting.
The silence stretched, heavy with expectation.
"Well?" Lucian's voice was playful but edged with something darker. "What are you waiting for, sweetheart?"
I didn't understand. "What?"
"You're overdressed," Sebastian said, his tone matter-of-fact. "We want to see what we're paying for."
Oh god.
"Strip," Nicholas commanded, and there was no question in his voice. No room for argument. Just absolute authority that expected to be obeyed. "Slowly. We want to watch."