First wedding night

The chamber was thick with suspense. A heat that had little to do with the roaring hearth or the golden candlelight reflecting off the dark silks of the bed.

Cassian leaned against the heavy oak post at the foot of the bed, a lazy smirk playing at his lips. His silver eyes flickered with amusement, but beneath that charm lay something cruel.

"Tell me, little dove." His voice was a low purr, meant to disarm. "Do you truly think you can handle all three of us?"

Seraphina’s breath hitched. Not from desire—but from estimation.

Three Alphas. At once. The mere thought sent something ice-cold through her veins.

She was already a virgin. That was death.

Lucien let out a low, husky chuckle from where he lounged in one of the deep armchairs. His golden eyes, wild and unreadable, danced with mischief and something darker.

“Now that,” Lucien mused, stretching with the languid ease of a predator, “would be a challenge.”

Seraphina knew this was a trap. If she flinched—if she showed even a flicker of fear—she would lose.

She straightened her back, letting her hands slide down the silken folds of her gown in a slow, deliberate movement.

She met Cassian’s smirk with a soft, almost shy smile. "I never realized my three lords were so...close."

Cassian’s smirk twitched, just slightly. Lucien arched his brow. Even Darius, the silent observer, watching from the shadows near the hearth, turned his golden gaze fully on her.

Seraphina let her lips part just enough to exhale softly. Innocently. As if she were merely speaking a curious thought aloud.

"I had thought Alphas would fight to claim their bride first." A small, elegant shrug. "Not willingly...share."

Silence.

Not the tense, heated kind. The kind that meant they were reassessing her.

Seraphina suppressed the urge to exhale. She had given them something new to consider. A crack in the assumption that she was merely an obedient pawn, a fragile thing meant to be taken.

She had changed the course of the game.

Darius exhaled through his nose, stepping away from the hearth, the firelight casting shadows across his face. His golden eyes were sharp.

Seraphina knew what kind of Alpha he was. The kind that saw too much.

“Those aren’t your words, are they?”

Darius was the kind of man who did not take easy bait. He knows.

Knows that these words had been planted. Knows that father had trained her for this.

But he wasn’t stopping it. Instead, he decided to play along.

She turned to him, allowing the faintest flicker of vulnerability to touch her gaze. “Are they not true?”

Darius didn’t answer. But his gaze dropped to her throat, where her pulse fluttered—just enough for him to catch.

And she knew then. This man does not need to hear lies to know the truth. But that did not mean he would stop the others from trying to break her.

Cassian’s smirk deepened. “It’s a fair question, isn’t it?” he mused, stepping closer. His gloved hand reached out, fingers ghosting along the curve of her jaw. "Wouldn't you rather we fight for you?"

Seraphina didn’t lean into his touch. But she didn’t pull away either. “I thought Alphas only wanted what they could conquer. Not what they could divide.”

Cassian let out a low laugh. Sharp. Amused. Dangerous. "Who said you were being divided, darling?"

Lucien chuckled again, the sound low and rich. Darius remained silent.

Cassian leaned in just enough for his lips to brush the shell of her ear. “But if you want us to fight…” His voice dropped to a sinful whisper. “All you have to do is beg.”

Seraphina exhaled slowly, letting the warmth of his breath curl over her skin. She would not beg.

Lucien stood from his chair. He moved slower than the others, but with a kind of inevitable gravity that sent something deep and instinctive through her spine.

Unlike Cassian, who was all seduction and edge, or Darius, who was steel and command, Lucien was unpredictable.

He stood before her, tilting his head. His fingers curled around a lock of her hair, twirling it lazily between his fingers. “Do you know why Cassian is teasing you?”

Seraphina blinked profusely and shook her head, trying hard to stop her heart from racing from how she was now surrounded by three huge beasts.

Lucien’s lips curved, not in a smirk but in something worse.

“Because he wants to see if you’ll break.”

Cassian chuckled, but didn’t deny it.

Lucien’s fingers slid down, ghosting over her throat before trailing lower—just to the edge of her bodice.

She tried her best not to shiver and let out a small smile. She took a slow step back. Just enough to be out of their reach.

“I will not beg,” She let out and tried her utmost best not to crack her voice. “Not tonight as I'm pretty tired from a long wedding day.”

Lucien’s grin widened. “So you will, eventually?”

Cassian exhaled a laugh watching his pretty little bride closely. “How delightful.”

Darius merely watched.

Seraphina gave them a soft, delicate smile despite the fire of rage burning inside of her.

"Good night, my lords."

And then—she turned her back on them which was considered a dangerous move.

Because turning her back on three Alphas was an invitation to attack. She waited in fear.

But to her surprise none of them moved and the doors closed behind them.

Only then did Seraphina allow herself to breathe. Because doesn't that mean she had won this round. They didn't stop or force her to consummate their first night.

But how long would she be safe from them?

The doors to Seraphina’s chamber closed with a heavy thud, sealing the Omega inside her golden cage.

---

On the other side.

The three Alpha kings did not speak immediately.

The corridor was lined with flickering torches, their flames casting long, fractured shadows against the polished marble walls. Outside, the wind howled through the high towers of the fortress, but it was nothing compared to the storm brewing between them.

Cassian was the first to break the silence.

"Well." He laughed, silver eyes gleaming. "That was unexpected. I thought I would be having a lustful night with my bride. Why did you stop us?"

Lucien exhaled a slow breath, rolling his shoulders as he turned to Darius too. “Exactly my question.”

Darius said nothing to answer them.

Cassian groaned. "Don’t tell me you’re impressed by her little performance, Darius. She's just another well-trained pawn, fed whatever lines her father thought would keep her head attached to her pretty little body."

Darius’s golden gaze flickered, but he remained silent again making them both furious.

Cassian took his silence as offense. Still, he smirked. “Still, I can’t wait to devour her. To show her where she truly belongs."

Lucien let out a quiet chuckle. "Careful, Cassian. You sound almost...eager. I have never seen you this desperate for anyone."

Cassian shrugged, unfazed. "Aren't you?"

Lucien didn't deny it. He tilted his head back, rolling out the tension in his neck. “She’s an Omega. She was born to be taken. It’s only a matter of time before she realizes that, no matter how well she plays this game.”

"She is our bride now, not just a little Omega,” Darius finally spoke.His voice was quiet. But it cut through the air like steel.

Cassian’s smirk twitched and Lucien raised a brow but Darius did not waver.

"We were not raised to love," he continued. "We were raised to take. To devour. To conquer." His golden eyes darkened. "But let’s not forget—she is ours now. Not a plaything. Not a prisoner. A queen."

Cassian scoffed. "Sentimental, are we?"

Darius's gaze snapped to him, sharp and unreadable. "No. Just practical."

Lucien hummed. "Practical? I would have thought you, of all people, would be the first to take her. You’re always so eager to remind us of your strength."

Darius’s lips barely curved. "I don't need to remind anyone of my strength."

Cassian let out a short laugh, but it lacked real amusement. "Then who takes her first?"

The question hung in the air, thick with power. Because it's a test of dominance.

Darius let the silence stretch before answering. "Whoever she permits first."

Lucien stopped pacing and Cassian stilled. Darius met both their gazes, unmoving. Uncompromising.

"She is the wife of the most powerful Alphas in the world. She deserves that much."

Cassian’s jaw ticked. Lucien narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Respect,” Lucien murmured, a touch of mockery in his tone. “How noble.”

Darius didn’t rise to the bait.

Cassian exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "You're a fool if you think she'll give in easily."

Darius gave him a long, unreadable look. "And you're a fool if you think she already has."

Lucien chuckled. "She’s going to make this fun, isn’t she?"

Cassian let out a sharp breath, pushing off the wall. "I don’t care how long she fights. In the end, she will kneel like every Omega before her."

Darius tilted his head slightly. "Will she?"

Cassian’s silver eyes flashed. "She will."

Lucien smirked. "We’ll see."