CONSUMED IN THE TRIPLET ALPHAS' HEAT

The breeding matron pointed at me, forcing my back against the kitchen wall. “Oil her up,” she snapped. She jerked her chin at her assistant, an omega girl already naked and slick with scented oil. “Make her wet enough for an Alpha's knot to slide right in.”My stomach dropped. I had spent the whole evening scrubbing pots, fetching water, doing anything to stay away from tonight’s filth. "I'm not a breeder," I choked out. "I clean and serve.”The matron’s laugh was cruel. "Tonight we need more girls. More alphas showed up than expected. Over fifty rutting cocks out there.” She stepped closer. “Strip, little one. Or I’ll have them drag you out naked and bent over the table myself.”The omega girl snorted. “You’re twenty years old, Lira. Still pretending you’re special. Every servant here has opened their legs for an alpha at least once. You think some prince will pick an omega with no wolf and no status?”Laughter bounced off the walls. My chest tightened until each breath hurt.They

My hands were still shaking when I burst into the back hallway.I passed the bathing room. Some of the girls were washing themselves. One sat naked in the corner, knees pulled to her chest, crying into her arms. Another stood over her, irritated.“Was that your first time getting fucked?” she said. “You need thicker skin. This is how it works.”“It’s not fair,” the crying girl whispered. “We’re just toys. They toss us away when they’re done. I’d give anything to leave. Anything.”I did not stop.I ran down the narrow corridor to my room. Calling it a room was generous. It was a storage space with a thin mattress and a door that barely closed.I locked it. Then I dropped to my knees and pried up the loose floorboard.The clay pot was still there.Moonshade paste.My hands shook so badly I struggled with the lid.Tonight was lining up too perfectly with my grandmother’s stories. The way the brothers had looked at me. The way they had closed in. If we had not been in public, they would h

LIRALady Selena’s grip on my arm felt like iron.She dragged me through the crowd and everything blurred. I stumbled to keep up. My feet barely touched the floor before she stopped short.I almost crashed into the table.General Knox was thrusting roughly into a servant's mouth whose face was wet with tears. His hand was tangled in her hair, forcing her head down, lifting it again when she gasped like he enjoyed watching her struggle to breathe.My vision swam. My stomach dropped so hard I thought I might be sick.Selena purred, “General, I have something special for you.”She shoved me forward.My knees slammed into the floor.“This one’s weaker than your usual,” she said lightly. “Wolfless omega.”Knox leaned back. His eyes dragged over me. Then he laughed.“Ah, I was wondering where she was hiding. You spoil me, my lady,” he said to Selena. “Perfect for my den.”He shoved the other girl aside. She collapsed, coughing. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. When our eyes met

LiraI walked toward the stairs. Each step felt like walking toward my execution.My hands were shaking. My breath came too fast.Standing in those private quarters with three Alphas staring at me like I was something precious and terrifying at the same time, I wanted to run back to my tiny room and apply the paste again. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.But I couldn’t move.They were looking at me. All three of them. And the weight of their stares was crushing.The one who bought me, Jax, his gray eyes were bright and hungry. Like he wanted to devour me whole. But there was something else there too. Something almost tender.The war king, his storm-gray eyes were calculating. Like he was solving a puzzle and I was the final piece.And the one with the pale eyes, his gaze was intense and unsettling.I wrapped my arms around myself, aware they had seen me naked. My hands were shaking. A burden had lifted when they found nothing. I was safe.But a new burden had taken its place.Three bo

LiraI made it back to the servants’ quarters, collapsed on my mattress, and pressed my hand over the mark. I felt it burning beneath my shirt.How long could I keep lying? How long before they figured it out?I was mending my worn clothing with shaking hands, thinking about my pathetic life, when one of the younger servants burst through the door.“You,” she said, breathless and wide-eyed. “Alpha Garrick wants to see you. Now. In the dining hall.”My stomach dropped. “What? Why?”“I don’t know. But you better hurry. Everyone’s waiting.”I stood slowly and followed her down the corridors. With each step, my dread grew heavier.The dining hall doors were open. I could see them all inside.Alpha Garrick sat at the head of the table. Selena on his right. Astoria on his left. The three triplet Alphas sat across from them. Two other important-looking people I didn’t recognize were there too.All of them turned to look at me when I walked in. The weight of their stares was crushing.“There s