It was a ritual.

One meant to find the right she-wolf who would be claimed by the Alpha triplets, Lucien, Claude and Silas.

Yes, the three ruthless men who practically ruled the entire werewolf world. They were powerful, as mesmerizing as the moon that hung in the sky. They were perfect… but they were cursed.

I had heard stories about these men, how the goddess herself had cursed them. Despite being gifted with powerful wolves, they were not the kind of Alphas she had envisioned.

They were heartless, they killed without remorse. But what truly disgusted the goddess were their carnal desires.

It was said that Lucien, Claude and Silas craved one thing above all— sex.

They used it to pass the time, indulging in pleasure without care. Being the fantasy of nearly every she-wolf, countless women threw themselves at them. And they didn’t care who they slept with as long as it satisfied their need.

But to the goddess, this was unholy.

Sex was sacred, meant mostly to be shared between mates, not treated as a fleeting indulgence.

And so, she cursed them. If they did not find and mark their fated mate before their 26th birthday, they would die.

But that wasn’t the cruelest part.

The goddess had given them a single mate to share— a woman neither of them could scent. They wouldn’t even know who she was unless they claimed and marked her.

And that explained why I was currently walking through the halls of the packhouse belonging to those very men, their attendants trailing behind me. Their voices faded into the background, drowned out by the pounding of my heart.

Today, I had been chosen to spend the night with the Alpha triplets.

They called it lucky—said that even if I wasn’t their mate, just one night with Lucien, Claude and Silas was every woman’s dream.

Everyone but me.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t mesmerized by their beauty like the others, how could I not be, when they looked like walking gods?

But the reason I was doing this… wasn’t because I wanted to.

It was because I had no choice, because if I wanted to keep her alive, I had to.

“Remember what we taught you, child,” Thalia, the head attendant, said with a sad smile as we stopped in front of a large golden door. Her smile was wide and well-practiced, like someone who had done this many times before (which she had).

“Don’t question what the Alphas ask of you. Don’t stare at them too long without permission. Refer to them separately as Alpha Lucien, Claude and Silas. And by all means, do not try to strike up a conversation with them unless given permission.”

I repeated her instructions word for word, just as she had taught me.

The corners of her lips curved into a smile, and she nodded, her hand reaching for the doors. As she pushed them open, she murmured under her breath,

“I wish you the best of luck, Lilith,”

“Thank you for helping me, Thalia.” I whispered, and gave her a small smile.

The moment the doors opened, I swallowed nervously and watched as the attendants turned and walked away without sparing me another glance.

For a brief moment, I stood still, staring into the space before me, cloaked in darkness. Taking a deep breath, I braced myself for the inevitable.

I was, in every sense, selling my body. So I told myself I’d close my eyes and let it be over quickly.

That was the plan.

But the moment I stepped into the room, the door slammed shut behind me but that wasn’t what made me freeze in place.

He was watching me, studying me, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.

“Don’t stare at them too long without permission,”

The attendants warning echoed in my head, making my eyes widen before I quickly dropped my gaze.

“Look up, little she-wolf,” Claude demanded, and I instantly obeyed.

This time, standing beside Claude was Silas, his eyes narrowed intently at me.

“What is your name, she-wolf?” Silas asked, circling behind me, and I inhaled sharply as he pressed up from behind, trapping me between him and Claude.

“Refer to them separately as Alpha Claude, Silas and Lucien.

“M-My name is Lilith, Alpha Silas,” I forced the words from my lips, my fists clenching as Silas leaned in, brushed my hair aside, and took a slow inhale at my neck.

But before I could even process that, Claude reached out and grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. The amused grin that stretched across his lips and the eerie white of his eyes made my stomach drop.

“Lilth,” he murmured, then chuckled, his gaze falling to my lips. And just as Silas leaned away from me, Claude echoed,

“Well, Lilith. Kneel for me. Let’s put that pretty mouth to use.”

Just like that, those simple words made my heart feel like it was about to explode. But…

“Don’t question what the Alphas ask of you.”

So I did just that.