Mag-log inElenaWe'd all climbed into the car nearly half an hour ago. It was close to three in the morning now, the empty roads stretching endlessly beneath the headlights as darkness swallowed everything beyond them. Ashton had taken the wheel, effortlessly steering through the silent night, while Jax occupied the passenger seat—with me comfortably settled on his lap.To this moment, I still couldn't wrap my head around how we'd even managed to fit like this.The car had to be custom-built.There was simply too much room—far more than any normal vehicle should have. The seats were wider, the cabin more spacious, every inch designed with suspiciously generous proportions.And for some reason...That realization sparked an unexpected flicker of jealousy.I lazily threaded my fingers through Jax's dark hair, keeping my expression as casual as I could manage."So..." I began, drawing the word out, "is this car built with all this extra space because the two of you have had... similar adventures w
ElenaThey'd been the ones to put me to sleep.Curled safely in their arms, wrapped in their warmth, I'd drifted off without a single worry in the world.When I woke up...They were gone.I opened my eyes to an empty room.The bed still held the fading warmth their bodies had left behind, and their scent lingered everywhere, woven into the blankets, the pillows... even my own skin. I smelled so overwhelmingly like them that my own scent had disappeared entirely, buried beneath traces of cedarwood, spice, and something uniquely theirs.Slowly, I pushed myself upright, rubbing the lingering sleep from my eyes before running my fingers through my hopelessly messy hair.I already hated this.They weren't here.The silence felt strangely loud."Ashton? Jax?" I called, my voice still rough with sleep as I looked around the room.Nothing.No answer.Not even footsteps.A tiny frown tugged at my lips.I reluctantly swung my legs over the side of the bed, my body still pleasantly heavy with ex
ElenaSilence spread between us upon my words. None of us spoke. Neither Ashton nor Jax looked away from me, and with every passing second, that silence only grew heavier, settling against my chest until I could hear nothing but the frantic pounding of my own heart. I couldn't tell what they were thinking, couldn't read a single emotion from their faces, and just when I thought I'd made the biggest mistake of my life by confessing, Ashton suddenly grabbed my jaw and crashed his lips onto mine, hungry, impatient, and with something strangely raw hidden beneath every second of that kiss.My body didn't need a moment to rethink before I kissed him back instantly. My hands slipped into his hair on their own accord, pulling him impossibly closer as though I'd been waiting for this without even realizing it. His fingers tightened ever so slightly against my jaw, and the kiss only deepened until every coherent thought disappeared from my mind. He only pulled away after leaving me completely
ElenaMy eyes widened, a gasp slipping past my lips as my hand flew to cover my mouth. "W-what?"God.This was too much information to take in all at once.I looked between Jax and Ashton. They both looked tense, but more than that—they looked angry. Not the kind of anger that exploded recklessly, but the kind that sat beneath the surface, cold and restrained, threatening to snap at any second. I could only imagine what had gone through their heads after learning the truth."Yes, Elena," Ashton said quietly, dragging a hand through his hair until it stood in every direction. His jaw was so tight I thought it might crack. "He killed her. He was the one behind it."I didn't know how to breathe."Are you... are you sure?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I could hardly believe what I was hearing.My father...How could he do—Fuck.This was so unbelievably fucked up."We got the information today," Jax said, his voice low and controlled, though the fury beneath it was impossible
ElenaI didn't know when I'd stopped crying.At some point, the tears had simply run dry, leaving behind an aching emptiness that settled deep inside my chest. My hands still trembled uncontrollably, every muscle in my body drained of strength, and my chest remained painfully heavy.They had held me together.They had kept me from falling apart completely.But the pain...The pain was something neither of them could carry for me, no matter how desperately I could see they wished they could.Moments slipped by, and the three of us were still sitting on the floor.My face remained buried against Jax's chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat grounding me while one of his hands rested protectively against the back of my head, absentmindedly stroking my hair.Ashton hadn't let go either.His chin rested lightly on my shoulder, one arm wrapped securely around my waist, making sure I never forgot he was there.Eventually, I gathered what little strength I had left and slowly pulled away fr
ElenaThe words made my chest tighten so violently that it almost hurt to breathe."The... murderer?" I stammered.Ashton's expression didn't change. For the next few agonizing moments, he said nothing, the silence stretching between us until it became almost unbearable. Then Jax finally spoke."I almost don't want to break this to you." His voice was low, strained, edged with something painfully raw. He swallowed before forcing himself to continue. "But... you deserve to know."At that point, my throat tightened."What are you trying to say, guys?" I asked, a strange dread creeping into my chest. My heart hammered violently against my ribs, each beat louder than the last, almost as if it were trying to escape before hearing whatever they were about to tell me.Ashton slowly drew in a breath, his eyes never leaving mine."Your father..." He paused, as though even saying the words hurt. "...was the one who killed David, Princess."And that was it.Everything inside me stopped.My heart
ElenaI didn’t know exactly when it had happened—at what precise moment they had managed to pull the words from my mouth. Somewhere during their slow, relentless seduction, somewhere between the teasing smiles, the lingering glances, the game of push and pull that had stretched my nerves thin, and
ElenaAshton and Jax were barely trying to sleep.Jax kept tossing and turning, burying his face in my neck as if he could find some kind of respite there. Ashton didn't even bother pretending. He simply stared at the ceiling, unmoving, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.I couldn't say I was any bette
ElenaAs Monica stood there at the doorstep, for a single second the world seemed to suspend itself — and then my body caught up, and I moved to get off Jax's lap. His hand slid around my waist before I could, pulling me back, locking me in place without a word.A soft gasp slipped past my lips.As
ElenaThe gasp that left my mouth echoed through the room as Henry hit the floor. The crack of his head against the hardwood made me wince, a groan slipping from his lips as he lay there for a moment, not even attempting to get back up.God. All that bravado, all those threats, only to end up spraw







