She set down the cleaning supplies and stood on shaky legs. Her mind imdiately jumped to the worst possibilities. Had she done sothing wrong? Was there a problem with her work? Was she being punished for sothing?
She followed Dora through the compound corridors without speaking.
The walk to Garrett’s office felt longer than it should have. Dora’s expression was carefully neutral, which sohow made it worse. If Dora was keeping her thoughts hidden, whatever was about to happen was significant enough to warrant caution.
When they reached the office door, Dora knocked once and entered without waiting for a response.
"Lilith, Alpha," Dora said simply.
"Thank you, Dora. You can leave us," Garrett said.
Dora left, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
Lilith stood in the center of the office, acutely aware of how small she felt in this space. Garrett sat behind his desk, his expression unreadable. There was sothing in his eyes, sothing that looked almost like resignation, like he’d already made a decision he wasn’t happy about.
"Your duties have changed," Garrett said without preamble.
Lilith’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Changed how?"
"You have been assigned to serve the Blackwood alphas for the duration of their stay," Garrett said flatly.
The words hit Lilith like a physical blow.
Serve them. Serve the three alphas who’d held her captive. The three n whose faces haunted her dreams. The three n who’d marked her in ways she didn’t understand.
"No," Lilith said imdiately. The word ca out sharp and absolute. "No. I won’t go."
Garrett’s expression hardened slightly.
"You don’t have a choice in the matter, Lilith," he said, his voice taking on an edge of authority.
"I do," Lilith said, her voice rising. "I refused the original contract, didn’t I? I was forced into it. I won’t be forced again."
She wasn’t lying, of course. She had refused the original contract. Garrett had given her a choice that wasn’t a choice: go willingly or be dragged there in chains.
Garrett stood from his chair.
"Listen to very carefully," he said, his voice dropping to sothing dangerous. "The Blackwood alphas have made a request. It’s not a request I can refuse. If I refuse, Lucian will lose control. People will die. Ogas will die."
"That’s not my problem," Lilith said, though even as the words ca out, she knew they were a lie. It was her problem. Everything was her problem.
"It becos your problem when you understand that those ogas will die because of your refusal," Garrett said harshly. "Emma. Cole. Sage. All of them. Do you want that blood on your hands?"
Lilith felt her throat tighten. Emma. Kind, supportive Emma. The other ogas she’d worked alongside for weeks.
"You’re blackmailing ," Lilith said, her voice shaking with anger and fear.
"I’m giving you the reality of the situation," Garrett replied. "The Blackwoods don’t make requests lightly. They don’t ask for things they’re not willing to take by force. You have two choices: go willingly to their quarters, or I drag you there myself. Either way, you’re going."
Lilith’s entire body was shaking now. Fear and anger and desperation all mixing together into sothing she could barely contain.
"Why?" she asked, her voice breaking slightly. "Why do they want ? The contract is over. I paid the debt."
Garrett was quiet for a mont. When he spoke again, his voice was softer, almost regretful.
"I don’t know," he said honestly. "But whatever the reason, I can’t protect you from this. No alpha can. The Blackwoods are too powerful. They’ve made their decision, and I’ve made mine."
He moved around the desk and looked at her directly.
"Pack a bag," he said. "Take what you need. You’re being moved to the guest quarters in the east wing. The Blackwood alphas have exclusive access to those rooms."
"And if I refuse?" Lilith asked, even though she already knew the answer.
"Then I will have you carried there," Garrett said flatly. "But I’m hoping you’re smart enough to know that cooperating makes this easier. For you. For the other ogas. For everyone."
Lilith stood there, her mind racing. Every option in front of her led to the sa outco. Every path led to serving the Blackwood alphas.
The extra wages. Her mother’s dical bills. Everything she’d been working toward ant nothing now. She was being handed over again, just like she had been three weeks ago.
"Dora!" Garrett called out.
The door opened almost imdiately, suggesting Dora had been waiting just outside. Of course she had.
"Assign Lilith exclusively to the Blackwood alphas’ quarters," Garrett said. "Ensure she has whatever she needs. And Dora..." He paused, his expression becoming hard again. "If she leaves those quarters without escort, if she tries to run, if she does anything other than what the Blackwoods require of her, I want to know about it."
"Yes, Alpha," Dora said, though there was sothing in her eyes that suggested she understood the full weight of what was being asked.
"You’re dismissed," Garrett said to Lilith. His voice was cold now. Final.
Lilith stood there for another mont, unable to move, unable to process the reality of what was happening.
"Go," Garrett said, not looking at her. "Before I change my mind about letting you walk there yourself."
Lilith turned and left the office, her legs feeling like they were moving through water.
Dora followed her, her presence a constant reminder that this wasn’t a choice. This was an order. This was pack authority being wielded in a way that left no room for resistance.
"We need to get your things," Dora said quietly as they walked through the corridors.
"Dora..." Lilith started, her voice desperate.
"Don’t," Dora cut her off gently. "Don’t ask to help you run. Don’t ask to defy the Alpha. I care about you, but I care about my life more. And my life depends on obeying orders."
Lilith understood. She understood completely. This was the reality of being oga. This was the reality of being powerless.
They walked in silence toward oga housing, toward Lilith’s small apartnt. Toward the end of any illusion that she had control over her own fate.
And with every step, the pull she’d felt earlier intensified.
The maen who’d marked her in her dreams were waiting.
And she was being delivered to them whether she wanted to go or not.
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