Owned by the Triplets

TheTraitor’s Heart

​I woke up with a heavy feeling in my chest that had become my constant companion for the last week. I didn't want to open my eyes. I didn't want to face the reality of my room or the silence of my phone. I had put it on Do Not Disturb days ago. Every time it buzzed with a notification from Silas or a missed call from Alaric, I felt like I was suffocating.

​I dragged myself out of bed and walked to the mirror. I looked terrible. My face was dull, my skin pale, and my eyes had dark circles under them that no amount of concealer could hide. I looked like I hadn't slept in a month.

​"Get it together, Elena," I whispered to my reflection.

​I pulled back the collar of my shirt to look at the mark on my neck. It was finally starting to heal, turning a faded shade of bruised purple, but it still looked wrong. I touched the rough edges of the skin. A hickey wasn't supposed to look like this. It wasn't supposed to involve tearing the skin or leaving teeth marks that felt like they were branded into my soul. Was Alaric that inexperienced? Or was he just that hungry?

​I sighed and turned away from the mirror. This whole situation was a mess. I hadn't been to a single class in a week. I was failing my scholarship, and for what? To hide from three men I couldn't stop thinking about?

​I felt like a w***e. There was no other word for it. I was sleeping with—or at least letting myself be touched by—three different men. I had strong feelings for all of them. In my head, it was cheating. It didn't matter that they weren't "together" with me. My heart was split in three directions, and it made me feel dirty.

​"I have to end it," I decided, grabbing my bag. "I'll go to school, I'll talk to Alaric, and then I'll find the others. I'll tell them it’s over. All of it."

I sighed, let me just get through with the day, starting from preparing for school.

In 30minutes time, I was done with refreshing and putting on my clothes. I grabbed my keys and left the room.

I arrived at the university earlier than expected. ​But as I walked toward the law building, a new thought started to itch at the back of my brain. What if I didn't have to choose right now? What if I dated them separately? One at a time, like a normal person, until I figured out who was right for me? It sounded insane, but it felt better than losing all of them at once.

​I walked into the lecture hall ten minutes late. Alaric was already at the podium. The air in the room was thick and cold. He didn't even look at me when I sat down, but I could feel the heat radiating off him. He was in a brutal mood. He was tearing through a student's presentation, his voice like a whip.

​"That is the most pathetic excuse for a legal argument I have ever heard, Mr. Davies," Alaric snapped. "Sit down before you embarrass yourself further."

​I gulped. He was angry. Really angry. And I knew exactly why.

​After class, I waited until everyone had cleared out. My heart was pounding against my ribs so hard I thought he could hear it from across the room. I walked toward his office, my hands shaking. I stood outside his door for a full minute, just trying to breathe.

​"Enter, Elena," his voice boomed from inside. "Your breathing is deafening. You’re making the walks shake."

​I froze. How did he know I was there? I hadn't even knocked. I pushed the door open and stepped inside. Alaric was standing by the window, his back to me. He looked larger than life in the small space.

​I swallowed hard, the words I had practiced dying in my throat. Do I really want to end this? I asked myself. I looked at the broad set of his shoulders, the way his hair curled slightly at the nape of his neck. My body was already betraying me, a warm pull starting in my stomach just by being near him.

​Maybe I shouldn't end it. Maybe I should just apologize.

​Before I could say a word, Alaric moved faster than I could blink. Suddenly, his hand was around my throat. He didn't squeeze, and he didn't hurt me, but he used his grip to drag me forward until I was pinned against his chest. It was a silent reminder of who was in charge.

​"You ignored me for days," he whispered, his eyes boring into mine. They were a shade of blue so dark they looked like ink. "You put your phone on silent. You stayed in your room like a coward while I was going mad wondering where you were."

​"I needed space," I choked out.

​"Don't make things hard for yourself, αγάπη μου (my love)," he said, his voice dropping into a dangerous growl. He leaned in closer, his nose brushing against mine. "I don't like being ignored. I don't like not knowing where you are. I want to know your heartbeat is still beating for me every second of the day."

​I could feel the anger rolling off him, but there was something else, too. A desperate kind of need.

​"I won't punish you today," he said, his grip loosening just enough to let me breathe, though he didn't let go. "I know you’ve been thinking. I know you’re trying to process what happened between us. But let me make one thing very clear, Elena. I am not letting this end. I want you badly. I want you more than I want my next breath."

​He stared at me, waiting. "Do you want me?"

​I looked at him, and all my plans of "ending it" vanished. I couldn't say no. I didn't want to say no.

​"Yes," I whispered.

​"Good girl," he murmured, the anger finally starting to fade from his eyes. He let go of my neck and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace. "You need to rest, babygirl. You look like you’re about to fall over."

​"I have another class—"

​"No, you don't," he said, picking me up effortlessly. He sat in his large leather chair and tucked me into his lap, pressing my head against his shoulder. "You’re staying here. With me."

​He started to stroke my hair, his large hand moving in a slow, soothing rhythm. I tried to stay awake, to think about my plan, to think about Silas and Killian, but the warmth of Alaric’s body was too much. The stress of the last week finally caught up to me.

​"Go to sleep," he whispered.

​I didn't argue. I fell into his arms, the scent of sandalwood and rain pulling me into a deep, dreamless sleep, while he held me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.