Page 96

Chapter Sixty-One

Christopher

I watched Lilianna drift to sleep, her features finally relaxing as she nestled deeper into our makeshift nest. Even in slumber, she maintained a light grip on Julian's sleeve, as if afraid he might disappear if she let go completely. The sight made something fierce and protective stir in my chest.

"She's exhausted," Miles whispered, his fingers still gently stroking her hair. "Poor thing has been holding it together so well."

Julian nodded, his expression somber as he adjusted his position to better support her. "The waiting is always the hardest part."

Feeling the vibrations, I glanced at my pocket where her phone was resting. When curiosity got the better of me, I carefully extracted it, angling the screen away so as not to disturb Lilianna, and checked the responses to her post.

"How bad is it?" Nicolaus asked, his voice low and controlled.

I gave a hum, “Not too bad. A lot of our fans and even teammates, couches and people we know are now following her. They are giving very supportive messages and congratulations.”

I scrolled through more comments, a sense of relief washing over me as I read message after message of support.

"Mostly positive," I confirmed, keeping my voice low.

"Lots of congratulations, some questions about how we met, a few comments about how beautiful she is.

" I paused, smiling at one particular message.

"Coach Thornan says, and I quote, 'About damn time these boys found someone to keep them in line. '"

Miles snorted softly, careful not to disturb Lilianna. "Your couch has always been interesting Chris." I nodded, though very happy he had always been on my side when things with the media happened.

Julian's eyes remained fixed on Lilianna's sleeping face, his expression a mixture of tenderness and concern. "Any signs of trouble? Keywords we should be monitoring?"

Nicolaus shifted closer, his analytical mind already working through contingencies. "We should track mentions of her full name, her mother's name, and any references to arrangements or purchases."

I nodded as I continued scanning, pausing at a few comments that stood out. "A couple of people mentioning they recognize us from business news or sports coverage." I looked up, meeting Julian's steady gaze. "Nothing hostile yet, but the post is spreading faster than her usual content."

"Her follower count?" Nicolaus asked, ever the one to track metrics.

I checked quickly. "Up by several thousand already…and given the notifications that keep pinging, her followers are increasing by the minute.” Julian exhaled slowly, his arms tightening almost imperceptibly around Lilianna's sleeping form.

"That's to be expected. The connection to us was bound to attract attention. "

"It's not necessarily bad attention," I pointed out, still scrolling through the overwhelmingly positive comments. "People seem genuinely happy for her—for us."

I kept scrolling, my eyes catching on a notification that made my stomach drop. "We've got our first media inquiry. Some lifestyle blog requesting an interview."

"It was inevitable," Julian said, his voice steady despite the gravity of the situation.

"The moment that photo hit social media, this became a story. Four eligible Alphas finally courting someone…and this being an all Alpha pack which is already something different. We’ve always stated we would all have one omega too, t's catnip to the gossip columns. "

Nicolaus's expression darkened. "Her mother will see it soon, if she hasn't already."

"We should prepare for that possibility," I agreed, setting the phone aside for a moment. "What's our strategy when she reaches out?"

Julian's jaw tightened, a rare visible sign of his anger. "We don't engage directly. All communication goes through legal channels."

"She'll try to reach Lilianna directly," Miles said softly, his hand still gently stroking her hair. "You know she will."

I nodded, my protective instincts flaring. "She doesn’t have her phone number…that helps. I just have a feeling she may try to find us while in public or show up here.”

Julian's expression hardened at my words. "If she shows up here, we don't let her on the property. Period."

"What about a public confrontation?" Nicolaus asked, his voice tight with concern. "She could easily find out where we work, where we go regularly."

I felt Lilianna shift slightly in her sleep, a small frown creasing her brow as if she could sense the tension in the room even unconsciously. I gently smoothed my thumb across her forehead, watching her features relax again.

"We'll need to be extra careful about our routines," Julian said quietly. "Vary our schedules, use different entrances to buildings when possible. And we don't go anywhere extra for a week or so to be safe.”

"I can work from home more often," I offered, my voice barely above a whisper. "Most of my training can be done remotely anyway, I've got that flexibility with having the home gym, I can practice there with no problem."

Miles nodded thoughtfully. "If I talk to my couch I may be able to take some time off this week for personal time."

"I have a game I can't reschedule," Julian said, his tone apologetic thinking of the tennis match he had this coming week. "But I can arrange for a driver, and avoid walking anywhere the public usually has access too.”

Nicolaus was already pulling out his phone. "I'm messaging my parents to see if I can work from home…. swimming I would still do early… there aren’t many people there yet and I am sure I won’t have any problems with my couch or others.”

The phone in my pocket buzzed again, more insistently this time. I pulled it out, frowning at the screen. "It's not a comment this time. Someone's trying to call her through the app."

I glanced down at the screen and froze. "It's her mother," I said, my voice dropping to a whisper. "She's commented on the post."

Julian's head snapped up, his eyes sharp. "What did she say?"

I angled the phone so they could all see the comment: "Lilianna, this charade has gone on long enough. Call me immediately. We need to discuss your return home and damage control for this unfortunate situation. Your father is distraught, and your brother is upset."

"Distraught my ass," Miles muttered, his gentle demeanor giving way to rare anger. "He's probably barely noticed she's gone…and her brother. She doesn’t mention him."

I continued reading the comment thread, my jaw tightening as I saw what her mother had written. "There's more," I said grimly. "She's trying to tag us individually in follow-up comments. Asking us to 'return her daughter immediately' and claiming we're 'taking advantage of a confused young woman.'"

Julian's arms tightened protectively around Lilianna's sleeping form. "Screenshot everything. We'll need documentation of harassment if this escalates."

I was already doing so, my fingers moving quickly across the screen. "She's also trying to direct message her through the app. Multiple attempts."

"Block her," Nicolaus said immediately. "On every platform."

"Already on it," I replied, though my stomach churned as I read the preview of one message: "You're embarrassing our family name. This behavior is unacceptable for someone of your breeding..."

Miles made a sound of disgust. "Breeding? She's talking about her own daughter like she's livestock."

"That's exactly how she sees her," Julian said, his voice low and dangerous. "Property to be managed and displayed appropriately."

I finished blocking the account and set the phone aside, my hands trembling slightly with suppressed anger. "The comments are still coming in from other people though. The support is overwhelming—people are defending her, telling her mother to back off."

"Good," Nicolaus said firmly. "Public opinion matters in situations like this."

Lilianna stirred in Julian's arms, her brow furrowing as she shifted. "Julian?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.

"I'm here," he said softly, his tone immediately gentling. "We're all here. Go back to sleep."

But her eyes fluttered open, immediately alert despite having slept for barely an hour. She sat up slightly, glancing between our faces with growing awareness. "What happened? Why do you all look like that?"

I hesitated, exchanging glances with the others. We'd agreed to protect her as much as possible, but lying would only make things worse in the long run.

"Your mother found your post," I said gently, watching her face pale at my words. "She's left some comments."

"And messages," Miles added, his hand finding hers. "We've blocked her account for now."

Lilianna sat up fully, her shoulders straightening with a resolve that made my chest ache with pride. "Show me," she said, her voice steadier than I'd expected.

I passed her the phone, the screenshots already open. She read in silence, her expression growing more composed with each word. When she finished, she handed the phone back to me.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, her voice steady despite the hurt I could see in her eyes. "I knew this would happen eventually, but I hoped we'd have more time."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Julian said firmly, his hand cupping her face with gentle reverence. "Her behavior reflects badly on her, not you."

Lilianna leaned into his touch, drawing strength from the contact. "What she said about breeding... that's how she's always seen me. Not as her daughter, but as a commodity to be managed." She paused, her jaw tightening with determination. "I won't let her reduce me to that again."

"She can't," Nicolaus said, his voice carrying quiet conviction. "You're not her property, Lilianna. You never were."

Miles shifted closer, his eyes never leaving her. "The comments from your followers are overwhelmingly supportive. People are defending you, telling her to back off."

Lilianna's eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

I nodded, pulling up some of the responses to show her. "See for yourself."

She took the phone, scrolling through comment after comment of people expressing outrage at her mother's behavior and support for her choices. Her expression softened as she read.

"'Leave her alone, she's clearly happy, '" she read aloud, her voice wavering slightly. "'These men seem to adore her, and she deserves that love.' " She looked up, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "I didn't expect strangers to defend me."

"People recognize authenticity," Julian said gently. "And they can spot controlling behavior when they see it."

Lilianna continued scrolling, a small smile forming as she read more supportive messages. "There's even a comment from Elena," she said, her voice brightening. "She says, 'So proud of my talented student for following her heart. You deserve every happiness, dear one.' "

Christopher smiled, watching the tension ease from her shoulders as she read. "See? You've built a community of people who care about you. That's not something your mother can take away."

Lilianna nodded, setting the phone down with more confidence than she'd shown all day. “I’m glad. I was scared …” She hesitated, "I was scared that people would judge me, or think I was being foolish," she continued, her voice growing stronger.

"But seeing all this support... it makes me realize that what we have isn't something to be ashamed of. "

Miles reached over to squeeze her hand. "Never be ashamed of choosing love over obligation."

"What happens now?" she asked, looking between us with a mixture of apprehension and determination. "Do we respond to her comments? Release the statement faster?"

Julian's expression grew thoughtful. "We stick to our plan. The official statement goes out in an hour as scheduled. We don't engage with her directly - that's what she wants. Attention and drama."

Lilianna nodded, her fingers lightly tracing the edge of the blanket. "You're right. Engaging would just give her what she wants." Her voice grew steadier with each word. "I won't let her drag me back into those old patterns."

"That's my girl," I murmured, pride swelling in my chest at her strength.

Her phone buzzed again, and she glanced at it with newfound resolve. "More notifications?"

"More support," I confirmed, checking the screen. "And—oh, Lydia's commented too."

“She found my account?” She muttered as she took the phone, her expression softening as she read aloud: "'So proud of you for choosing your own path. Your happiness shines through in every word. Let me know if you need anything—we're all here for you.'"

"She understands better than most," Miles observed quietly.

“How about we do something to distract you for now. How about another cooking lesson?” I asked her, hoping that would be something to do to get her mind off of everything.

Lilianna's eyes brightened at my suggestion. "Actually, I'd love that. What could we make?"

"Something comforting," I said, gently extracting myself from the nest. "Maybe that pasta carbonara you've been wanting to learn? Comfort food is exactly what we need right now."

She nodded, some of the tension visibly draining from her shoulders. "That sounds perfect."

Julian helped her to her feet, his hands lingering protectively at her waist. "I'll keep monitoring the comments and handle the official statement while you cook. "

"And I'll make sure the security system is fully activated," Nicolaus added, already moving toward his laptop. "Just as a precaution."

Miles began gathering the blankets, carefully folding each one. "I'll keep this nest intact for later. Something tells me we might need it again before this is over."

I watched him for a second before leading Lilianna away. Excited to try to distract her and just spend time with her.