She did. Locked it without being asked, the way she’d learned these things went.
He watched her do it. Like he was checking sothing off a ntal list. Satisfying himself that she understood the basic rules of his domain.
"Sit," he said, gesturing to the chair across from his desk.
She sat. The leather was cool under her. Her hands found the armrests and gripped them without intention, looking for sothing solid to hold onto.
The morning light caught the edge of his jawline, made him look older sohow. Or maybe it was just the particular weight in his expression that added years. Maybe it was the fact that he looked almost sad about whatever he was about to say.
"Your mother has been unconscious for fourteen days, Since the day they brought your father ho."
The word hit her like a physical blow.
"The pack hospital is providing adequate care," Nicholas continued, and his eyes never left hers. "We have been covering all expenses as agreed. Every dical bill. Every treatnt. Every mont of care your mother receives is funded by this estate."
Lilith’s hands tightened on the armrests. She didn’t trust her voice to work.
"Cassandra’s condition remains critical," he said. "She’s in a coma caused by the rupture of her mate bond. The doctors say she may never wake. The y was severe. The body doesn’t always recover from that kind of break."
The words were clinical. Precise. Devastating.
"However," Nicholas said, "we have been discussing allowing you to visit her."
Lilith’s head snapped up.
"You will be taken to Shadowre in the morning," he continued, and now there was sothing almost like gentleness in his voice, which was sohow worse than cruelty. "You’ll have approximately four hours with her. You can hold her hand. Talk to her. Reassure yourself that the agreent is being honored. And you’ll be returned by sunset."
She stared at him, unable to process the words. A visit. To her er mother. She could see her mother. She could....
"Why?" The word ca out before she could stop it. Before she could think. Desperation made her stupid.
Nicholas leaned back in his chair, his silver eyes glittering in the dawn light.
"Because we’re not monsters," he said simply. And when she looked at him, sothing in his expression made those words feel true. Made them feel like a confession. "Whatever else you believe about us, Lilith, we keep our agreents. Your mother is being cared for. We thought you should know that with certainty. That you should see it with your own eyes."
The use of her na....not "oga," not "paynt," but her na...made sothing crack inside her chest.
"Your father’s debt is being honored," Nicholas continued quietly. "And in return, we honor our obligations to you."
He paused, let that settle between them.
"However," he said, and there was the catch she’d been waiting for, the thing that made this more than kindness, "nothing at this estate is free. You’ve learned that by now."
She had. Every touch, every al, every mont of relative comfort had a cost.
"So you’ll need to earn this privilege," Nicholas said, and now his voice took on a different quality. Sothing heavier. Sothing that promised a transaction. "The visit, the ti with your mother, the reassurance that she’s being cared for....all of it has a price."
The door opened without warning.
Sebastian and Lucian entered like they’d been standing just outside the entire ti, waiting for their cue. Of course they had. This was planned. This was orchestrated. This was them knowing exactly how to break her down before they asked for anything.
Lilith’s stomach dropped.
But when she looked at their faces, they didn’t look cold or cruel. Sebastian looked almost conflicted, his massive fra tense like he was holding sothing back. Lucian’s golden eyes were sharp and focused....on her, burning with sothing she couldn’t quite na. Not just hunger. Sothing more complicated.
"Stand up," Nicholas commanded.
It took her a mont to find her balance. She stood on shaking legs.
"Co here," he said, gesturing to the open space in front of his desk.
She moved toward him slowly, and the air in the room shifted with every step she took. This was no longer a conversation. This was a transaction. This was her making a choice, visit her mother in exchange for her body....and they were all aware of it.
"On your knees," Nicholas said quietly.
The shift was imdiate and complete. From negotiation to paynt. From conversation to the fundantal understanding of what she was in this place.
She dropped to her knees on the carpet in front of his desk. Her heart was hamring so hard she could feel it in her throat, in her ears, in the pulse point at her wrist.
Sebastian crossed the room and stopped directly in front of her. His massive fra blocked out most of the light, casting her in his shadow. Up close, she could see the tension in his jaw, the way his hands were clenched at his sides like he was fighting to maintain control.
"You understand what this is?" he asked quietly. His voice was rough, almost pained.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Say it," Nicholas commanded from behind his desk. "I want to hear you say it."
"It’s the price," she said. "For seeing my mother."
"Exactly," Sebastian said. His hand moved to her face, tilting her chin up so she was forced to look at him. His fingers were warm against her skin, and the touch wasn’t harsh or cruel. It was almost tender. "So you’re going to thank us. Properly. For being kind. For deciding you were worth this consideration."
His thumb brushed her cheekbone, and she could see sothing flicker across his expression. Conflict. Want. Sothing that looked almost like guilt.
"You’re going to show us your gratitude," he continued, his voice rough but not cold. "With your mouth. Deep and sincere. Understood?"
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