Roman’s POV
I helped Jason with breakfast, though from the mont he returned from the room his mood had been foul. I wasn’t sure what had happened between him and Eira. Perhaps she had behaved as she usually did, and unlike , Jason wasn’t accustod to tolerating it. I had learned to remain calm, no matter how much she ignored .
The reason I refused to take care of her today, it was because of last night. Watching Lucian nearly die had shaken to the core, the sa gut-wrenching fear I had felt six years ago when I lost the rest of my friends.
For a few terrible monts, I had hated Eira with every fibre of my being, even to the point of wanting her dead. That raw, unfiltered anger had rattled whatever softness I had begun to feel toward her over the past few days.
I needed distance, ti to quiet the storm inside . Otherwise, I wasn’t sure if my words would wound her deeper than my hands ever could. She had always sought death, and we had always denied it to her—so how could I bla her for not listening when I told her to stay in the safe room? I knew well enough she would continue to seek ways to end her life, no matter what happened.
Breakfast was nearly ready when the others began coming downstairs. Lucian hadn’t cooked today, and I doubted Eira would touch anything prepared by Jason or . This morning, I didn’t have it in to ask Lucian to cook for her.
Once the dishes were set and we sat around the table, Kael turned to Jason."Have you given her anything to eat?"
"She doesn’t eat what I cook, and I’m not her servant," Jason replied sharply, his words laced with resentnt.
Kael’s gaze shifted to , but I busied myself with serving food onto our plates. Lucian and Rafe avoided his eyes as well.
"As no one wants to serve her, she will eat here with us from today onward," Kael declared.
The table went still. Eat with us? Here? At our table? That quiet space we shared as a family? Displeasure flickered across every face.
"Rafe, go get her," Kael ordered.
Rafe scowled. "You know I can’t stand her stench."
"Then learn to bear it," Kael’s tone as if challenging him to argue back. "She’s going to be around for a long ti. And you’re going to fuck her sooner or later, so you’d better get used to it."
Rafe sighed heavily but moved anyway. An order from the Alpha was not sothing he could ignore.
When he reached upstairs, we could hear his voice as he was standing outside the room. "Co downstairs. Right now."
We didn’t know what she said or did, but his next words cut sharper. "Causing us to almost lose our brother wasn’t already enough for you. Now you want us to waste our ti dealing with your tantrums? Get your ass downstairs quickly, or I’ll make sure Vixen and Fluffy disappear and show you I am better at throwing tantrums than you."
He returned a mont later, his expression smug. As we looked at him, he said, "That’s the way I talk. If you want her to hear so sweet nothings, then do it yourself."
Soon, she appeared at the staircase. I had no doubt Rafe’s threat about the pets had worked. But as she descended, my brows drew together—and I noticed the sa reaction in the others.
She was wearing only a dark shirt, and it was obvious there was nothing beneath. We had all seen her bare before, yet sothing about this felt... off. Wrong.
She hesitated when she reached the bottom, unsure of where to go.
Kael’s gaze slid to Jason, reminding him it was his responsibility to handle her.
"Co here and get your food," Jason ordered.
She walked toward the dining table, her steps slow, her injured feet dragging slightly. Jason shoved a dish toward her in a gesture that ant, This is yours.
She took it and turned to leave, but Kael’s cold stare pinned Jason where he sat, the silent warning clear.
Jason exhaled in frustration, stood, and pulled a chair to the far end of the table, far from us. "Sit here."
Surprisingly, she obeyed without a word. I glanced at Rafe, who was focused on his plate, but I knew—damn him—that he had played the right card to get her to listen.
As she moved to sit, her gaze kept flickering around the room like a thief scanning for a way out. No, not for escape—she was searching for the pets.
"Lucian, where’s Fluffy? Doesn’t he need to eat? And Vixen as well?" I asked, cursing myself inwardly. Despite not wanting to, I couldn’t help but worry for her. Such an ass I am.
"He is outside with the commandos, and Vixen is taking a nap in her place," Lucian replied.
I glanced toward the far end of the drawing room, where a small cat house sat neatly in the corner.
Eira followed my gaze, her eyes settling on it. Realizing that it was Vixen’s, she relaxed, her shoulders easing as she sat down and began to eat in silence.
She was finally eating sothing that Lucian hadn’t cooked. Perhaps her appetite was slowly returning to normal.
Kael broke the quiet first. "Did that traitor say anything?" he asked Lucian.
Lucian gave a short hum. "And we also know who was behind it all."
That instantly caught Rafe’s interest. "So, when are we leaving for another bloodbath?"
"Tonight," Lucian answered without hesitation.
I glanced at him. "What about her? If we leave her here, they’ll take advantage of our absence again."
"She’s going with us," Lucian declared flatly. "Let her see what kind of people she’s living with. Next ti, she might think before acting."
It was the only real option, and we all knew it. She would be safer in our company than left behind.
Kael turned his gaze to . "Get her proper clothes. Though a whore, this ho has rules."
I gave a short hum of acknowledgnt. Now that I knew her size, I could order more for her.
Once breakfast ended, Eira was sent back to her room, and we shifted to other pressing matters.
"Get ready to be summoned by the council again after what we do tonight," Lucian said.
Kael leaned back, unconcerned. "We’d be summoned anyway. She’s unmarked."
I understood imdiately. "Then you have to mark her," I told him.
Kael’s expression hardened. "Any one of us will do." His eyes shifted to . "You’re good to her. You can mark her."
It shocked . "But you’re the leader..."
"Doesn’t matter. Just mark her so we can shut the mouths of those bastards," Kael said with finality.
The order caught off guard. Marking her wasn’t just a physical act—it ant making her our mate, changing everything between us. "I need ti... and she needs to be told."
Kael looked to the others. "Any one of you."
"Roman is a good choice," the three said quickly, their reluctance obvious.
But they had forgotten sothing important. I let a slow smile curl my lips. "Even if I’m the one to mark her, she becos the mate of all five of us. She’ll be connected to our bond, so don’t think you’re spared from it."
Their expressions soured instantly. The truth was unavoidable—she would belong to all of us, and the bond would affect us equally.
"And Liam is giving her dicines to trigger her heat cycle," I added, watching their faces twist further. "She’s never had one before. That ans her first heat cycle. Pureblood’s first heat cycle is said to be the most dangerous and irresistible. No Alpha can escape its pull."
This ti, it was my turn to smirk. They thought they could dump everything on and walk away untouched.
"We’ll discuss it later," Kael finally said, his tone tighter now. My words had struck ho.
If Eira went into heat, Kael would be the one most affected and I could clearly see the worry in his eyes.
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