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FORTY-ONE

SABLE

T he manor is unusually quiet. Kai should be home any moment, and the rest of the guys have their classes or something else going on tonight. I’m curled up in the oversized armchair in the den, settled in for the night with one of the guys’ hoodies, opting for nothing more than my boy short underwear underneath. The fabric is soft, comforting, and I pull it tighter around me as if it can shield me from the thoughts swirling in my head.

I pull my headphones over my ears, letting the heavy pulse of a rock band drown out my thoughts. The music is loud, intense, just what I need to block out the silence that’s starting to become oppressive. Everyone is ignoring me. Not the Horsemen—no, they would never. If anything, I can’t get them to leave me alone. It’s everyone else.

After Vicky’s death, the five of us have been treated like we’re patient zero, like scum. Even my group mates for the project, who were polite at best, have turned away from me and treat me like I don’t even exist. I won’t be surprised when my professor tells me I’ve been dropped from the group.

The whole thing stings more than I want to admit. Especially when I know in my heart that none of my men are behind all of this. Including Levi.

In front of me, spread out on the coffee table, are my oil pastels. I’ve been working on a reimagining of my ballerina in the garden maze—I needed to brainstorm ideas before I fully finish my canvas.

But this time, the scene is different. Instead of a constricting maze, I’ve placed her in a field. She’s free, dancing without barriers, without limits.

Except all the flowers around her are dried up, shriveled, their once vibrant colors now muted browns and grays. It should be a sad image, a symbol of decay, but the ballerina doesn’t care. She’s blissfully spinning and twirling in the dead field, as if it’s the most beautiful place in the world. There’s a strange sense of peace in her expression, a contentment that I wish I could feel right now.

I press the pastel harder against the paper, deepening the lines around the flowers, letting the tension in my chest flow out through the strikes. The music swells, matching the urgency of my movements, and for a moment, I lose myself completely in the process. The feeling of euphoria washes over me in a familiar comfort, and I am reminded why art is my life force.

She’s alone in her world, but not lonely. She’s found a way to be content, even in a field of withered flowers. The thought lingers in my mind, heavy and unsettling. Am I really free? Or am I just pretending, dancing in my own withered field, trying to convince myself that everything is okay?

The door to the den creaks open, but I don’t look up. I’m too lost in the music, in my drawing, to pay attention. A moment later, I feel a hand gently brush against my hair, followed by a kiss on the top of my head. The familiar scent of sandalwood and leather tells me it’s Dayton. He must have just gotten back from a council meeting.

“Hey, babygirl,” he murmurs, his voice low and warm. I barely hear him over the music, but the sound of his voice is enough to ground me a little. I feel his fingers linger in my hair before he moves away.

Another presence enters the room, and I catch a glimpse of a tall, muscular figure out of the corner of my eye—Silas. He drops onto the couch with a casual grace, sprawling out like he owns the place. And he kind of does, in a way.

“What’s up, little devil?” Silas’ voice, louder and more insistent than Dayton’s. He reaches over and brushes my headphones off my ear. “Ignoring me will get you nowhere fun.”

I pull the other side of my headphones down so they hang around my neck. “I’m getting sick of you ruining my focus.” I huff. His grin is teasing, but I don’t give him an ounce of grace.

“Whatcha focusing on?” Kai says as he enters the den. He crosses the room in a few strikes and sits on the arm of a chair before leaning down and stealing a kiss from my lips. “Dude, that looks sick , mahal.”

I squirm at his praise. “Um… thanks.” I set the sketchbook down and wipe my hands on a towel before placing it beside the sketch.

Levi came down the stairs, and I didn’t even realize that he had been home the entire time. We haven’t really interacted since the attic a week ago, but his overall grumpiness has dissolved slightly when he sees me. He doesn’t say anything upon entering the den, instead he walks over to me and uses a single finger to run the length of my chin until I meet his eyes.

“You should have come up,” he says, low enough where the others would have to strain to hear, but the heat behind his words has me flooded with arousal. I blush, turning away from his touch. “I could have used a muse this afternoon. I didn’t know you were here.”

They’re all here, surrounding me, offering small gestures of affection as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. I feel their presence like a protective cocoon, but at the same time, I can’t help but wonder—are they as calm and collected as they seem? Or are they just better at hiding the storm of thoughts that’s been raging inside than me?

I look around at them, each so different, yet so perfectly synchronized in how they move around me, how they interact with each other. They banter back and forth about their day, with Silas and Dayton tossing playful jabs while Kai leans in, contributing with his dry, sarcastic remarks. Levi, as usual, is quieter, but there’s a steady strength in his presence that anchors the group.

“Did you really blow off the meeting early, Day?” Silas says, kicking his feet up on the coffee table, earning a glare from Dayton.

“I had better things to do,” Dayton retorts, casting a pointed glance my way. “Besides, it was a waste of time. Half of them don’t know what the hell they’re doing.”

“That’s because you keep intimidating everyone,” Kai points out, a smirk tugging at his lips. “You know they’re scared of you, right?”

“Good. Makes it easier to get shit done.”

Levi leans against the back of my chair, his hand coming to rest on my shoulder. “You okay, Sable?” he asks.

“Yeah,” I say, but even I can hear the uncertainty in my voice. “Just... thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” Silas presses, his teasing tone softening a little.

I hesitate, looking down at the drawing in front of me. The ballerina is still spinning, blissfully unaware of the withered flowers around her.

“I guess I’m trying to figure out what all of this means.”

They all go quiet.

I can feel their eyes on me, but I can’t bring myself to look up.

I’m not sure I’m ready to see what’s in their faces—whether it’s understanding, confusion, or something else entirely.

“What do you mean?” Dayton asks, his voice gentle but insistent.

I take a deep breath, finally lifting my gaze to meet theirs. “What does this mean?” I repeat, my heart pounding. “Us. Everything that’s happened. What does it mean? What are we doing here?”

There’s a beat of silence, and then Dayton speaks, his voice steady and sure. “It means you’re ours, Sable.”

I look at each of them, searching for any sign of doubt. But all I see is certainty, a quiet resolve that tells me they’re not going anywhere.

“All of yours? Like all of us in a relationship?”

I swallow hard, trying to process what this means. For them. For me. For us. Is this what I want? Could I really be with all of them? Could I handle being stretched so thin, between four men who are each so different, but who make me feel so intensely? My mind spins, flashes of every stolen moment, every kiss, every brush of skin against skin playing on a loop in my head. Kai’s quiet strength, Levi’s broken intensity, Dayton’s possessive warmth, Silas’ wicked dominance. They each demand something from me—something that no one else ever has.

“Are you okay with that?” Levi asks.

Am I? My breath catches in my throat as I look at him—at all of them. Every nerve in my body screams at me to make a decision. To choose. But the truth is, I already have. Somewhere along the way, without even realizing it, I became theirs. Every one of them has marked me in their own way, claiming pieces of me until there was nothing left to give to anyone else.

“Yeah,” I whisper. “I think I am.”

Silas grins, leaning back against the couch. “Good. Because you don’t really have a choice.”

His words shouldn’t excite me, shouldn’t make me want this more, but they do. Fuck, they do. That dangerous allure, the way he speaks as if my decision was never really mine to begin with, wraps around me like a vice. I should fight back, tell him he’s wrong, that I do have a choice. But I don’t. Because deep down, I know he’s right.

The warmth of their presence soothes the anxiety that’s been building in my chest. We sit there in comfortable silence for a while; the boys sprawled out around me, their presence a reassuring constant. The den right now feels like a haven, a cocoon separate from the chaos of our lives and the uncertainty still swirling in my mind.

Dayton leans back in the chair opposite me, his legs stretched out in front of him as he watches me with those intense blue eyes. There’s a soft smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You’re thinking too hard again, babygirl.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, returning his smile, albeit a little sheepishly. “Maybe I am.”

Silas chuckles beside me, reaching over to ruffle my hair. His fingers linger longer than necessary, the touch both playful and possessive. “You don’t need to stress, little devil. We’ve got this. We’ve got you.”

His words are meant to comfort, and they do—mostly. But they also make me wonder—how can they be so sure? How can they be so certain that this... whatever this is... will work? That it won’t all come crashing down around us?

“You know we’re right. It’s us against the world, mahal.”

Levi, who’s been quietly observing the banter, finally speaks up. “We’re not going anywhere, Sable. Whatever happens, we’re in this together.”

There’s no hesitation in his voice, no trace of uncertainty. I look at him, then at each of them, and I realize that they are serious. Actually fucking serious . They’ve thought about this, probably more than I have, and they’ve made their decision.

And somehow, that makes it easier to accept. If they’re sure, then maybe I can be, too.

“I guess I just... I don’t want to mess this up,” I say softly.

“You won’t, babygirl. We’ve got each other, and that’s what matters.”

There’s a quiet confidence in his words that I cling to, a sense of security that eases the tightness in my chest.

Silas breaks the serious mood with a playful grin, leaning over to poke Levi in the ribs. “You know, for a guy who’s supposed to be the mysterious type, you’re awfully emotional tonight, Levi.”

Levi smirks, shoving Silas back. “Don’t get too comfortable, Silas. I’m only here because Kai promised he’d suck my cock if I was a good boy.”

I laugh softly, the sound surprising even to me. It feels good; the tension easing out of my shoulders as I relax into the familiarity of their banter. Them being themselves, teasing and playing, and it’s comforting to see that. Even in the midst of everything, some things won’t change.

The night continues, and we settle into a comfortable rhythm, the conversation flowing easily between us. Dayton shares a few stories from his student council meeting, each one more absurd than the last. I should have realized how entitled some of these college kids are with all their fucking audacity.

They’re all so different, yet they fit together perfectly, balancing each other out in a way that feels almost too natural.

At this moment, surrounded by them, I realize something important. They’re not just saying that I’m theirs—they mean it.

And as terrifying as that is, it’s as well... right .

It feels right.

I close my eyes, letting the comfort of their presence wash over me. Maybe I don’t have to have all the answers right now. Maybe it’s okay to just be, to let things unfold as they are meant to.

For the first time in what feels like years, I feel a sense of calm settle over me, like I’m finally where I’m supposed to be. With them.