Page 94 of Wisteria and Cloves
"She also said it was completely normal," Julian added, his voice gentle but with an underlying current of heat. "Your body is remembering how to respond naturally. We just need to be aware that what might have felt manageable before could feel overwhelming now."
I swallowed hard, thinking about how Miles's simple touch on my shoulder had sent sparks through my entire system, how Julian's brief kiss had left me trembling with want I'd never experienced before. "What if I don't want you to hold back?" I asked quietly, the question slipping out before I could stop it.
The air in the room seemed to thicken at my words. Christopher's breath caught audibly, while Nicolaus's grip tightened almost imperceptibly on his teacup. Miles's hand stilled on my shoulder, his fingers pressing just slightly deeper into the fabric of my cardigan.
"Lilianna," Julian said carefully, his voice rougher than usual, "we need to be very careful about what that means. Your body is going through significant changes, and the line between natural desire and medication-induced responses can be difficult to distinguish."
"But what if I can tell the difference?" I pressed, surprised by my own boldness. "What if I know what I want?"
Nicolaus set his teacup down with deliberate precision, his blue eyes holding mine with an intensity that made my pulse quicken. "Then we listen to you," he said simply. "But we also protect you from making decisions you might regret when your hormones stabilize."
Miles shifted beside me, his warmth pressing closer. "What are you asking for, Lilianna?" he asked gently, his voice low enough that it seemed to vibrate through me.
I took a shaky breath, gathering courage I didn't know I possessed. "I'm asking you to stop treating me like glass because of everything. Yes, I am new to this, but I don’t want you all second guessing what I say.”
Julian's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening visibly. "Fair enough," he said, his voice dropping to that register that made my skin prickle with awareness. "But promise us one thing."
"What's that?" I asked, my heart racing beneath my ribs.
"That you'll be honest—with us and with yourself," he continued. "If something feels too much, too fast, you'll say so."
I nodded, feeling strangely powerful in that moment. "I promise."
"Well then," Christopher said, breaking the tension with a clap of his hands. "I believe our omega has spoken." His gray eyes danced with a mixture of amusement and heat. "No more kid gloves."
Nicolaus's expression had given way to something warmer but more primal. "But still with respect," Nicolaus added, though his clinical tone had given way to something deeper, more personal. "This isn't about rushing you, Lilianna. It's about honoring what you want."
The weight of their collective gaze made my skin flush with heat that had nothing to do with embarrassment. For the firsttime in my life, I felt powerful—not despite being an omega, but because of it. These four strong, accomplished men were looking at me like I held the key to something precious, something they desperately wanted but wouldn't take without permission.
"Thank you," I said softly. "For listening. For taking me seriously."
Julian reached out, his fingers brushing a strand of hair from my face with deliberate slowness. The simple touch sent electricity dancing across my skin. "Always," he murmured, his hazel eyes dark with promise.
A comfortable silence settled between us and I felt content just sitting there with them, confident about the future with them.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Nicolaus
Lilianna had gone to bed tired from everything that happened today. We waited until we heard the soft click of her bedroom door before any of us spoke. The silence stretched between us, heavy with everything that had been said and left unsaid in the living room. Julian ran a hand through his hair, his composure finally cracking now that Lilianna wasn't there to see it.
"She's getting stronger," Christopher said quietly, settling back into his chair with a thoughtful expression. "More confident in what she wants."
"And more dangerous to our self-control," Miles added, his voice rough with barely restrained desire. "Did you see how she looked at us when she said she didn't want us to hold back?"
I set my tablet aside, abandoning any pretense of work. "Her scent is changing daily. Today at the café, when she asked if she was ours..." I paused, remembering the spike of possessive hunger that had shot through me at her words. "I nearly marked her right there at the table," I finished, the admission rougher than I intended. "In front of the entire café."
Julian's jaw tightened, his hands clenching into fists. "The paparazzi might have been a blessing in disguise. Another few minutes of her looking at us like that, asking to be ours..." He trailed off, shaking his head.
"We need to discuss boundaries," Christopher said, though his voice lacked conviction. "Real ones. For our sake as much as hers."
Miles leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "She's not wrong, though. We have been treating her like glass. The woman who stood up to us today, who chose her own food, her own clothes—she's not the same frightened omega who arrived here uncertain and afraid."
"She's evolving faster than any of us anticipated," Julian admitted, pacing the living room. "The transition was supposed to be gradual, but she's... blooming."
"It's her natural state," I said, analyzing the situation as clinically as I could despite the heat still simmering in my veins. "Without chemical suppression, her true personality is emerging. Strong. Determined."
Christopher let out a low whistle. "And apparently not afraid to challenge four alphas when she wants something."
