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Chapter Sixty-Five

Lilianna

I woke to hearing whispers, I blinked my eyes open to seeJulian out of my nest and watched Julian and Nicolaus urgently whispering at the open door of my room.

"...just need to keep her distracted," Nicolaus was saying, his voice low but tense. "At least until we can confirm it's nothing."

"Are you sure?" Julian's response was equally hushed, his normally playful tone replaced with something serious. "The timing couldn't be worse."

I shifted slightly in the nest, careful not to make any sound that might alert them to my wakefulness. My body ached pleasantly from our earlier activities, but a cold knot of anxiety began forming in my stomach.

"Miles is already looking into it," Nicolaus continued. "Christopher's making calls. When she wakes up she can shower and while she eats we can go over everything.” I lay perfectly still, heart hammering in my chest. Something was wrong. Something they didn't want me to know about yet.

Julian sighed, running a hand through his tousled hair. "She's been so happy lately. I hate to see anything disrupt that."

"We all do," Nicolaus replied, his voice taking on that protective edge I'd come to recognize. "But keeping her in the dark would be worse. She deserves to know what we're facing."

Facing? My mind raced with possibilities, each worse than the last. Had my mother done something? Was someone hurt? I fought the urge to sit up and demand answers, knowing I'd learn more by listening.

"How reliable is the source?" Julian asked.

"Reliable enough that Miles is calling in favors and Christopher's reaching out to his contacts in the media." Nicolaus leaned against the doorframe.

"How bad?" Julian's voice sharpened with concern. "Don't tell me—"

"Someone's spreading rumors," Nicolaus confirmed grimly. "Claims to have 'inside information' about Lilianna's relationship with us. Details that could only come from someone who knew what was going on.”

My blood ran cold. I pressed my face deeper into the pillow, trying to control my breathing as panic clawed at my chest.

"Who?" Julian's voice had gone dangerously quiet.

"We're not certain yet, but given the timeline and the type of information being shopped..." Nicolaus paused. "It's likely someone who had been around her a lot or even someone herparents paid off. We don’t know for sure yet.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back the wave of nausea that threatened to overwhelm me. Of course. She had played off people before to start rumors and make drama when she was wronged or snubbed. She had gotten a lot of people out of her social circles that way.

I should have expected this. Mother never fought fair—she preferred to destroy people through whispers and carefully planted stories.

She'd done it to former friends who'd crossed her, to business partners who'd dared to challenge her, to anyone who threatened her carefully constructed image.

Now she was turning those same tactics on me.

"The publisher turned it down," Nicolaus continued, and I felt a brief flicker of relief. "But that doesn't mean others won't be interested. Especially if they can spin it as an exposé on 'predatory alphas' or some similar angle."

Julian's growl was low and dangerous. "Over my dead body."

"That's not all," Nicolaus said quietly. "There's also been inquiries about Lilianna's medical records.” There was silence…then a deep sigh.

"We need to wake her," Nicolaus said, his voice heavy with reluctance. "She shouldn't hear this from anyone else."

"I know." Julian's footsteps moved closer to the bed. "Lilianna? Sweetheart, we need to talk."

I took a shaky breath and slowly turned over, blinking as if I'd just woken up. "What's wrong?" The words came out smaller than I intended, betraying my fear.

Julian was beside me in an instant, his warm hand cupping my face. "Hey, it's okay. We're going to handle this together." But it wasn't okay. I could see it in their faces.

I sat up, pulling the sheets around me as I looked between them. The tender soreness from my time with Julian was suddenly overshadowed by the dread pooling in my stomach.

"Handle what?" I asked, though I already knew. I'd heard enough.

Nicolaus came to sit at the edge of the bed, his expression carefully controlled. "Why don't you shower first? We can talk downstairs with everyone."

"No." The word came out sharper than I intended. "Tell me now. Please."

The men exchanged glances, and Julian sighed, sitting beside me and taking my hand. "Someone is trying to sell a story about you—about us. They're claiming to have inside information about our relationship."

Though I'd overheard this much, hearing it stated directly made it real in a way that eavesdropping hadn't. My chest tightened. "Can we stop it?”

"We're working on it," Nicolaus said carefully, his analytical mind already parsing through options. "Most reputable outlets won't touch unverified gossip, but there are always those willing to publish anything for clicks."

Julian's thumb traced soothing circles over my knuckles. "Miles is tracking down the source, and Christopher's reaching out to his media contacts to get ahead of whatever story might surface."

I pulled my hand free, wrapping my arms around my knees. "What kind of information do they claim to have?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

The silence stretched too long, and I felt my heart sink further.

"Details about our living arrangement," Nicolaus finally said. "How we met and the agreement that was made between our two packs. And..." He hesitated.

"And?" I pressed, though I dreaded the answer.

"Questions about your medical history. Your heat cycles, specifically. And whether you were... prepared for what living with four unmated alphas would entail."

The blood drained from my face. My medical records were private, protected—or so I'd thought. The idea of strangers pawing through the most intimate details of my biology, my omega status, my heat suppressants... it made my skin crawl.

"They can't access those legally," I whispered, but even as I said it, I knew legality had never stopped my mother before.

"No, they can't," Julian confirmed, his voice tight with barely controlled anger. "But they can make implications. Ask leading questions. Plant seeds of doubt about your consent and our intentions. Our age difference also doesn’t help with those doubts if it gets out."

I felt sick. This was exactly the kind of scandal my mother excelled at orchestrating—plausible enough to spread, salacious enough to stick, and devastating enough to destroy everything I'd built here.

"Ten years apart isn’t that bad.” I muttered, though I knew how some people could be. My mother and father didn’t care about the age, but now that they aren’t getting what they want they are using every angle.

"It's not," Nicolaus agreed, his voice firm. "But your mother knows how to twist facts to fit her narrative. She's counting on people not looking too closely at the details."

Julian's jaw clenched. "She's trying to paint us as predators who took advantage of a vulnerable omega. Make it seem like we coerced you into this arrangement."

The accuracy of his assessment made my stomach churn. I could already imagine the headlines, the whispered conversations, the way people would look at me—and at them. Poor little omega, manipulated by older alphas. It was exactly the kind of story that would spread like wildfire.

"This is my fault," I whispered. "I should have known she wouldn't just let this go."

"Hey." Julian's voice was sharp enough to make me look up. "Don't you dare blame yourself for her actions. This is what she does—she twists everything good into something ugly."

"But if I hadn't left, if I'd just—"

"You'd be miserable and trapped," Nicolaus interrupted, his blue eyes looking into mine with hard eyes and tone leaving no room for argument. "And we'd never have found you. Your mother's vindictiveness is not your responsibility."

I wrapped my arms tighter around my knees, trying to hold myself together. "What do we do now?"

Julian's hand found mine again, squeezing gently. "We fight back.” He gave me a sharp grin, one that was filled with cold promises of pain.

"How?" My voice cracked slightly. "She has resources, connections. People who will do anything for the right price."

"So do we," Nicolaus said quietly. “We have not wanted to retaliate unless you asked but she is now messing with our lives. We won’t stand for it and our families will all be behind us, helping.”

I wanted to argue, to find some way this could be my fault so I could fix it, but the conviction in his voice stopped me.

"We need to get downstairs," Julian said gently, pressing a kiss to my temple. "Miles and Christopher are waiting, and we need to coordinate our response."

I nodded, though the thought of facing the others with this hanging over us made my chest tight. "Give me ten minutes to shower?"

"Of course." Nicolaus stood, his expression softening slightly. "Take your time. We'll be right outside."

As the bathroom door closed behind me, I leaned against it, trying to steady my breathing. The hot water helped wash away some of the anxiety I was feeling. I quickly dressed in a pair of shorts and a soft long sleeved shirt before making my way down the stairs barefoot.

The scent of lemon and garlic greeted me as I descended, a gentle reminder of the care these men showed even in crisis. Christopher was setting plates at the table while Miles and Nicolaus huddled over a laptop, speaking in low, urgent tones.

Julian appeared at my side, his hand finding the small of my back. "You okay?"

"No," I admitted quietly. "But I'm here."

Miles looked up first, his expression softening when he saw me. "There she is. Come sit, Lili. Food's ready."