The word ’mate’ hung in the air.

None of them had said it directly before. Had avoided acknowledging what the bond meant. What it meant that they’d all recognized her as theirs. What it meant that they’d marked her through the bond in ways that transcended the physical contract.

Sebastian smiled at Nicholas. It was a genuine smile, full of appreciation for the strategic brilliance of the plan. "I like that idea, brother. But we don’t usually attend the Summit. We always send Callum and Fin. Won’t the other packs find it weird that we’re showing up this year?"

"Let them," Lucian said, his voice hard. "Let them wonder. We’re not obligated to explain ourselves to anyone."

Nicholas nodded slowly. "We’ll attend because we choose to. We’ll be present as the representatives of the Blackwood pack, which is our right. And while we’re there, on Shadowmere’s ground, without Garrett suspecting that Lilith is the reason we came...we’ll have the opportunity to be near her. To understand her better. To show her that what we are together is real."

He looked between his brothers.

"Sebastian, Lucian...do you understand what I’m saying? Do you agree to this plan?"

Sebastian and Lucian both nodded without hesitation.

"Good," Nicholas said. He moved to a drawer in his desk and pulled out parchment and a pen. "I’ll write to Elder Thomas this evening. The man owes me a favor, and more importantly...." He paused, his expression showing just a hint of the power he held. "He knows that refusing me would be a political mistake. We’ve worked closely enough over the years that he understands the value of maintaining good relations with the Blackwood pack."

Sebastian laughed, a sharp bark of amusement. "As if he could refuse you anyway, brother. Have you forgotten that you practically control the council of elders?"

"I don’t control them," Nicholas said calmly. "I simply understand how to navigate their interests. Thomas wants to see the pack system remain stable. He wants to maintain alliances with powerful families. Hosting the Summit in Shadowmere this year serves his interests as much as ours."

He dipped the pen in ink and began writing.

"I’ll send this tonight," he continued. "Thomas should respond by tomorrow. Once he agrees, Shadowmere will receive the official letter of honor within three days. Three weeks from that point, we’ll be in Shadowmere. Three weeks to prepare. Three weeks to control our wolves. Three weeks to be ready for what comes next."

Lucian moved to stand behind Nicholas, watching as he wrote in careful, precise handwriting. The younger brother’s eyes were still flickering gold, his wolf struggling for control. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"As if he can refuse you," Lucian said, his voice low. There was satisfaction in it. Approval. The kind of loyalty that came from knowing your brother was strong enough to navigate the political landscape and get what he wanted.

Sebastian settled back into the chair across from Nicholas’s desk. "Three weeks," he said. "Three weeks and we’ll be on Shadowmere territory. Three weeks and we’ll be able to be near her without arousing suspicion."

"Three weeks," Nicholas confirmed. He finished the letter and set the pen down. He didn’t read it over, he knew exactly what he’d written, and it was perfect. Political enough to seem like a routine request. Strategic enough to give no indication of his real motivation.

He folded the parchment and sealed it with wax, pressing his family crest into the cooling seal.

"But before we go anywhere," Nicholas said, his voice becoming harder, "we need to talk about the reality of what we’re about to do. Shadowmere will be filled with both allies and enemies. There will be alphas there who would love nothing more than to find leverage against us. And if they discover that Lilith means something to us, that she’s our mate...she becomes a target."

Sebastian’s expression darkened. "They wouldn’t dare."

"They would," Nicholas said flatly. "And we need to be prepared for that. Which is why we need to maintain absolute control over our wolves during the Summit. We cannot appear feral. We cannot show any sign that we’re unbalanced or desperate. We need to be exactly what the council expects us to be: powerful, controlled, and focused on pack business."

Lucian’s eyes went completely gold.

"I’ll tear apart anyone who tries to touch her," he growled, and the statement came from Zev rather than Lucian. The wolf was surfacing, his protective instinct overriding human rationality. "Anyone who even looks at her wrong...."

"Will be dealt with," Nicholas said calmly. "But not by you losing control and going feral in the middle of the Shadowmere pack compound. We handle any threats to her strategically. We handle them in ways that don’t expose her as important to us. We protect her by being smart, not by being savage."

It was a hard truth, and from the way Lucian’s jaw clenched, he understood it. The wolf wanted to claim her openly, to mark her publicly, to make it clear to every alpha in a hundred-mile radius that she belonged to them.

But that would make her a target instead of keeping her safe.

"We need to start working on control," Nicholas continued. "The bond is pulling at us. The connection to her is growing stronger. By the time we reach Shadowmere, we’re going to be desperate. We’re going to be barely contained. We need to be ready for that."

Sebastian nodded. "We’ll train. We’ll work with the wolves. We’ll find ways to channel the desperation into something we can control."

"Good," Nicholas said. He stood from his desk and looked at both of his brothers. "Because getting her back from Shadowmere won’t be as easy as it seems. And getting her to willingly return to us? That’s going to be the hardest part of all."

Lucian and Sebastian nodded in unison.

The plan was set. In three weeks, they would be in Shadowmere. They would be close enough to reach her. Close enough to show her that what they were together was real. Close enough to convince her that coming back with them was the only choice that made sense.

And if she refused them?

Nicholas didn’t allow himself to consider that possibility. Because the alternative, a lifetime without her, a lifetime with the bond pulling at them, a lifetime of desperation and need...was unthinkable.

No. She would come back. They would make sure of it.

Because she was theirs, whether she knew it or not.

And no force on earth would keep them from their mate.