Sebastian didn't stop shaking.
Even in her arms, even when he wasn't fully resisting anymore.
It was still there.
Deep.
Unsteady.
Wrong.
"…Don't come closer…"
His voice was barely holding together now.
Like it was being pulled out of him instead of spoken.
Lillian stayed still.
Kneeling on the cold floor.
Holding him carefully.
Not forcing him down.
Not letting him fall.
Just there.
"…Sebastian," she said quietly.
"…it's me."
His eyes flickered.
Not focusing.
Not landing.
Just reacting.
Like her voice didn't fully reach him yet.
"…stay away…" he whispered again.
But it was weaker now.
Less command.
More fear.
Lillian exhaled slowly.
Then she moved closer.
Carefully.
No sudden motion.
No force.
She wrapped her arms around him.
Gently.
Sebastian reacted instantly.
Hard flinch.
His shoulders jerked.
"…No—!"
His hands pushed weakly against her.
Not strong.
Not enough to actually move her.
But enough to show panic.
"…don't—don't touch me!"
His breathing spiked again.
Fast.
Uncontrolled.
Like his body didn't know where it was anymore.
Lillian didn't let go.
But she didn't tighten her grip either.
Just stayed steady.
Present.
Her hand moved to the back of his head.
Slow.
Careful.
Fingers threading gently into his hair.
The other hand rested on his back.
Rubbing small, steady circles.
Grounding him.
"…It's okay," she whispered.
"…you're safe."
Sebastian shook his head slightly.
Still resisting.
Still lost in it.
His body was burning.
Lillian could feel it clearly now.
Fever heat.
Too much.
Too fast.
His breathing hitched again.
Another cough forced through his chest.
Hard.
His whole body jerked slightly forward.
Lillian held him immediately.
Kept him upright.
Didn't let him drop.
"…no…" he murmured again.
"…no…"
But it wasn't strong anymore.
It was fading.
Like even fear was running out of energy.
Lillian leaned in slightly.
Her voice stayed low.
Steady.
"…Sebastian, look at me."
Nothing.
Not at first.
Then his head shifted slightly.
Not fully.
Just enough.
Confused.
Lost.
Lillian didn't push.
Just stayed there.
"…I'm here," she said.
A pause.
His breathing slowed slightly.
Not normal.
But less panicked.
His hands stopped pushing her away.
Just hung there now.
Weak.
Trembling.
Like he didn't have the strength to decide anymore.
"…you…" he muttered.
Barely audible.
"…Lillian…"
That was the first real recognition.
Not fear.
Not confusion.
Something in between.
Lillian's grip tightened slightly.
Not pulling him closer.
Just anchoring him.
"…yes," she said softly.
"…it's me."
Silence.
Sebastian's body sagged slightly into her.
Not fully conscious of it.
Just exhausted.
His fingers twitched faintly against her sleeve.
Like he was checking if she was real.
Then—
his breathing changed.
Stopped stuttering so sharply.
Still unwell.
Still weak.
But no longer fighting every second.
Lillian kept her hand on the back of his head.
Slow strokes.
Steady rhythm.
"…I love you," she said quietly.
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't dramatic.
It was just something she said like it was already known.
Sebastian froze slightly.
Not fear this time.
Something else.
His body stopped resisting completely for a moment.
Like the words landed somewhere deeper than panic.
"…Lillian…" he whispered again.
More stable now.
Less broken.
Just lost.
"…I'm here," she repeated.
His fingers shifted slightly.
Not gripping.
Just touching her sleeve lightly.
Like testing reality.
"…you…" he said again.
Then quieter.
"…Lillian…"
And for a moment—
he was there.
Not fully calm.
Not fully safe.
But aware.
Present.
Still in her arms.
Then his weight changed.
Suddenly.
Lillian felt it immediately.
Something shifted.
Heavier.
Not active anymore.
Not resisting.
Just dropping.
"…Sebastian?"
No response.
His head tilted slightly against her shoulder.
Unconscious.
Lillian tightened her arms instantly.
"…Sebastian."
Still nothing.
Her expression changed immediately.
Focus sharpening.
"…Chloe!"
Her voice cut through the room.
Sharp.
Urgent.
Footsteps responded instantly from the hallway.
Chloe appeared first.
Then the butler behind her.
Chloe stopped immediately when she saw them.
"…What happened?" she asked quickly.
Lillian didn't look away from Sebastian.
"…He collapsed."
Chloe stepped forward fast.
Eyes scanning him.
"…He's burning up," she said quietly.
The butler looked unsettled.
Uncomfortable.
Like this was not something that was supposed to be witnessed.
Chloe turned slightly.
"…We need to go. Now."
Lillian nodded once.
Still holding Sebastian carefully.
Not letting him slip.
But before anything else could happen—
footsteps.
More voices.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Chloe's head lifted slightly.
"…Oh no."
Lillian didn't look up yet.
Still focused on Sebastian.
But the voices got closer.
Controlled.
Sharp.
Familiar.
Charlotte.
She stepped into view first.
Followed by several relatives behind her.
They all stopped immediately.
The room went still.
Whispers started instantly.
Soft.
Uneasy.
"…Is that him…?"
"…He's unconscious…"
"…This is unacceptable…"
Charlotte's eyes locked onto Sebastian first.
Then Lillian holding him.
Then Chloe.
Her expression hardened instantly.
"…What have you done to him?"
Silence.
Lillian didn't move.
Didn't loosen her hold.
Didn't shift away.
Just held him tighter.
Chloe stepped forward slightly.
Protective.
"…He collapsed," Chloe said firmly.
Charlotte's gaze snapped to her.
Cold.
"…You brought outsiders into this house in the middle of the night and now he's unconscious?"
A relative muttered behind her.
"…This is going to become a scandal…"
Another voice:
"…He already was a problem…"
Lillian's grip tightened slightly on Sebastian.
Not enough to hurt him.
Just enough to anchor him closer.
Charlotte took a step forward.
"…Move away from him."
Lillian didn't.
The room tightened instantly.
Chloe shifted forward again.
"…No," Chloe said.
Sharp.
Clear.
Charlotte's eyes narrowed.
"…Excuse me?"
Chloe didn't flinch.
"…He is not safe here."
That sentence landed differently.
A silence followed.
Then Charlotte's voice dropped.
Colder.
"…He is a Wolfe. He is exactly where he belongs."
Lillian finally spoke.
Quiet.
But sharp enough to cut through the room.
"…Look at him."
Charlotte didn't respond immediately.
Lillian adjusted her hold slightly so Sebastian's face was visible.
Pale.
Sweating.
Unconscious.
"…This is not 'where he belongs'," Lillian said.
A pause.
Then—
"…He needs help. Not this."
A relative scoffed.
"…And who are you to decide that?"
Lillian's eyes lifted.
Cold now.
Controlled.
"…Someone who actually cares whether he lives."
The room went still again.
Charlotte's expression tightened.
Then she stepped closer.
"…You don't get to speak like that in my house."
Lillian didn't move back.
Instead, she shifted her body slightly.
Not aggressive.
Protective.
Blocking Sebastian more fully behind her arms.
Chloe noticed immediately and mirrored it slightly.
The butler looked between them, frozen.
Charlotte's gaze dropped to Sebastian again.
Something flickered in her expression.
Not softness.
Not concern.
Something more complicated.
But it vanished quickly.
"…He needs to be taken back to his room," she said finally.
Lillian shook her head immediately.
"…No."
Charlotte's eyes snapped up.
"…Excuse me?"
Lillian's voice stayed steady.
"…He's not staying here."
A beat.
Then Charlotte's voice sharpened.
"…You don't make decisions about him."
Lillian tightened her hold on Sebastian again.
Her voice lowered.
Protective now.
Final.
"…He is not a possession."
The room shifted instantly.
Tension rising.
Relatives whispering again.
Chloe stepped fully forward now.
"…We're taking him with us."
Charlotte's expression hardened completely.
"…You are not taking him anywhere."
Silence.
Only Sebastian's faint breathing between them.
Still there.
Still alive.
Barely.
And for the first time—
Lillian didn't look at Charlotte at all.
She only looked down at him.
And held him closer.