"No," all four men said in unison, making me blink in surprise.
"We agreed," Christopher reminded me gently. "We handle the media monitoring. Your job is to process what just happened and take care of yourself."
Nicolaus was already typing rapidly on his phone. "I'll coordinate with our legal team about handling the media requests. We'll need to be strategic about which outlets we engage with, if any."
I nodded, feeling overwhelmed by the practical implications of what I'd done. "What about Karen? She still has those recordings."
"Karen's credibility is shot," Miles said with satisfaction. "After what just happened, any outlet that tries to use her as a source will look like they're attacking a victim of abuse. Plus, she was complicit in violating your privacy."
Julian stood from his kneeling position, his eyes narrowing in thought. "And legally, she's in serious trouble. Recording private conversations without consent, breaching confidentiality agreements..."
"She'll be too busy covering her own ass to cause us more problems," Nicolaus added, his fingers still typing against the screen of his phone. "I'm already seeing her social media accounts being deactivated."
I felt a strange mix of relief and guilt.
"I don't want to ruin her life," I said quietly, surprising myself with the admission. "Even after what she did."
Christopher's hand tightened on my shoulder. "That's because you have a good heart, Lilianna. But she made her choices when she decided to betray your trust for money."
"She recorded you without consent," Julian added, his voice hard. "She violated your privacy when you were at your most vulnerable. Those consequences are hers to bear."
I nodded, understanding the truth in their words even as part of me felt sorry for the woman who had once brought me waterwhen my mother left me locked away. But that small kindness didn't excuse the larger betrayal.
“You did say something to your mother…I just want to be on the same page as you.” Julian spoke up, his eyes on me as if afraid of what I would say, “You said if she hadn’t interrupted you would be marked by us.”
My cheeks flushed hot as I realized what I'd said in the heat of the moment. All four men were watching me with varying expressions—Julian's hopeful, Christopher's patient, Miles's curious, and Nicolaus carefully neutral.
"I..." I swallowed hard, finding courage in their steady gazes. "I was bluffing to throw her off balance, but... that doesn't mean I haven't thought about it."
The energy in the room shifted instantly, a palpable tension charging the air between us. Julian's eyes darkened, his body leaning imperceptibly closer to mine.
"You've thought about it?" Christopher asked softly, his thumb tracing gentle circles on my shoulder.
I nodded, my heart hammering against my ribs. "More than thought about it. I've... I've wanted it. For a while now."
The admission hung in the air between us, charged with meaning. I watched as Julian's pupils dilated, Miles set his laptop aside with deliberate care, and Nicolaus's composed expression gave way to something hungry and intense.
"For how long?" Christopher asked, his voice dropping to that deep register that made my omega instincts stir.
I twisted my hands in my lap, suddenly shy despite everything we'd shared. “I had the first fleeting thought after my date with Julian.”
Julian made a sound low in his throat, almost a growl. "That was a week ago."
"I know," I whispered. "I just... I wanted to be sure. I needed to know…” I took a deep breath trying to find the words to say.
"I was afraid," I confessed, looking down at my hands. "Not of the marking itself, but of what it means. It's so permanent, and I've spent my whole life being told I wasn't enough. That I was defective." I glanced up, meeting their intense gazes one by one. "I didn’t want to rush into it out of fear or insecurity. I needed to know I was choosing it because it was right, not because I was desperate to belong somewhere."
Miles reached for my hand, his touch gentle but firm. "And now? After everything that's happened today?" I took another deep breath, feeling a strange sense of clarity wash over me. Standing up to my mother had shifted something fundamental inside me—as if the last chains of her control had finally broken.
"Now I know I'm not choosing you because I need to be saved," I said, my voice stronger than I expected. "I'm choosing you because I want to build a life with you. All of you."
The tension in the room thickened, the scent of alpha arousal filling the air as my words registered. I watched as the four men exchanged glances, some silent communication passing between them.
"Is that a yes?" Julian asked, his voice rough with barely restrained emotion. "Are you saying you want us to mark you?"
I nodded, the simple gesture feeling monumental. "Yes," I whispered, then cleared my throat and said more firmly, "Yes, I want to be marked. I want to be yours—officially, permanently, completely."
The response was immediate and overwhelming. Julian surged forward, capturing my lips in a kiss that stole my breath. Christopher's hand tightened on my shoulder, his touch a grounding force as Julian's kiss threatened to sweep me away entirely. When Julian finally pulled back, his eyes were dark with desire, his breathing ragged.
