Chapter 15: Surrender to the Heart

Several days passed after the intense memory-washing that had nearly destroyed her identity. Merin slowly recovered, but she was no longer the same Merin. The fear, the hatred, and the desire to escape… all of it had been washed away, leaving only emptiness and confusion.

The most surprising thing was the behavior of the two Alphas. After that night, they seemed to have reached a temporary truce. The tension that had existed between them vanished, replaced by their own ways of caring for Merin.

Lisena continued to offer her gentleness, like honey-laced poison. She fed Merin, read to her, and impeccably took care of her clothes and hair. Every action of hers implied, ‘I am the one who understands and can take care of you best.’

As for Aries… she remained as cold and quiet as ever, but the violence at night had noticeably diminished. Some nights, she would just come in and hold Merin without doing anything. The warmth of her body and the heavy silence made Merin feel surprisingly safe. It was a safety born from accepting the power of the one in control.

Merin’s empty mind began to be filled with new feelings she had never understood before. She started to see the two Alphas in a different light.

She no longer saw Lisena as just a cunning woman who was deceiving her. Instead, she saw the loneliness hidden beneath that perfect smile. She saw the desire to be number one, the need to control everything so that she would not have to return to the low point of her past.

And she no longer saw Aries as just a cruel demon. She saw the silver-haired girl who had once protected her superimposed on the fierce Alpha. She understood now that Aries’s violence wasn't hatred, but the only language she knew… a language of control to protect in her own way.

The pain she had received from both of them… it hadn't disappeared, but it had transformed into something else… it became a part of this twisted relationship. It became a confirmation that she meant something to them.

And when she realized that… she finally understood what the feeling that was forming in her heart was.

It was… love.

A love born from wounds. A love born from submission. A twisted and distorted love… but it was the most real love in her cruel world.

She didn't love one more than the other. She needed them both. She needed Aries’s raging storm to make her feel her own existence, and she needed Lisena’s deceptive calm to soothe her shattered soul… the two of them were each other's complements in her world.

One evening, as Merin was sitting listlessly by the window, Lisena approached her quietly. She gently placed a soft shawl over Merin’s shoulders.

“It’s getting chilly. You might catch a cold,” she said softly.

Merin turned to look at Lisena. Her eyes were no longer empty now, but filled with such varied emotions that even Lisena was surprised.

“What’s wrong, hmm?” Lisena asked, placing the back of her hand on Merin’s forehead. “You don’t have a fever.”

And in that second… the dam of Merin’s tears broke. She threw herself into Lisena’s arms and cried her heart out. It wasn't a cry of pain or fear, but a cry of pent-up feelings that were about to explode.

Lisena was slightly taken aback but hugged Merin back loosely. “Why are you crying, my love… who did something to you… tell me.”

Merin shook her head in her embrace. She tried to speak, but her voice was so shaky it was unintelligible.

Lisena gently led Merin to the bed. She patted her back lightly, waiting patiently until her crying began to subside.

“Better now?” Lisena asked, gently wiping away her tears.

Merin nodded, then took a deep breath and gathered all her courage to say what was in her heart.

“I…” she gulped. “I love you…”

Lisena froze instantly, her eyes showing undisguised surprise.

“I love you… both of you,” Merin repeated, this time clearer and firmer, though tears were still streaming down her cheeks. “I know it’s crazy… I know I shouldn’t feel this way… but I really can’t help myself… I need you both… please… don’t ever leave me.”

The heartfelt confession left Lisena stunned for several long minutes. She had never expected the game she had started to end this way. She wanted to control Merin… but she never thought she would win the Omega’s heart as well.

But then… a beautiful and triumphant smile slowly appeared on her face.

This was… better than expected.

She leaned down to plant a light and lingering kiss on Merin’s forehead… a kiss filled with acceptance and a declaration of victory at the same time.

“Oh… my foolish girl,” she whispered hoarsely. “Who could ever leave you… when your heart already belongs to us?”

Those words… were an acceptance of the threesome relationship that was about to officially begin… a relationship born from a true surrender to the heart.