CHAPTER 4

ARIS.

“When do I go?” I asked with a low voice, my head dipped low in a tired bow. I just wanted it to end. I just wanted my grandmother—the only person in the world that cared about me—to be fine.

“Now.”

I whipped my head up so fast that my vision almost blurred from the speed. “What?” I asked, my hands tightened against my jean pants. “I just got here. I just …I just signed the marriage contract too.”

He straightened up, and fixed his tie with a nonchallant calm. “We can not keep your new husband waiting for long, young man.”

My lips moved, but I didn't get to say anything before he walked out of the door. I sat there, stuck to the chair with my brain trying hard to process every single thing that has happened in the last few hours.

Aetios and my mother gave me one last glance of contempt before they walked out, leaving me alone in the library. My gaze darted all around the room, and it felt like the room was getting smaller by the second. I stood up first, but I stayed, and crashed sideways, landing on the table for support.

I tugged on my shirt, fanning myself to dampen the sudden heat I was feeling. I balled my fist, squeezed my eyes shut, and slowly exhaled.

When I opened my eyes again, everything had eventually returned to normal—my breathing, the walls, my temperature. I just got up and walked out of the door, heading back outside where I found Illius standing next to the car.

He was on his phone, his left hand in his pocket. He looked like those loan sharks. The first time we met, they were excited, and after I signed the contract, they changed.

When he ended his call, he turned to look at me. That was enough to make me walk over to his side.

“Get in.” He gestured to the car without asking any questions.

“I didn't come with any clothes, how would I meet him this way?”

He ignored me, walked to the other side, and opened the door.

“Just get in.”

I stared at him, but he looked like he was not going to have it with me if I wasted anymore of his time. It was almost as if I was the one forcing them, and not the other way around.

I didn't ask again, and just walked over. He shoved me right into the car, then slammed the door shut. I pressed myself into the chair, and watched as he circled the car, and came to other side. He entered.

“You don't need to worry about anything. Your husband would take care of you,” he said, then started the engine before I could say anything. His hands landed on the steering wheel. “Just be a good husband, and you would have nothing to worry about.”

Tell that to your favourite son! If there was really nothing to worry about, and this alliance was everything to them, they wouldn't have to come all the way to get their defective son. They wouldn't have to trap me like this, and make me unable to refuse.

I scoffed, then turned out of the window. Fate was really cruel. A few weeks ago, I was confident in repaying every debt I had, and then started saving for college, but every tiny thing had gone sideways.

Nothing ever went my way. Even my own life depended on pills sometimes. Pitiful isn't it?

Perhaps, it's for the best. I would get to die in a luxurious mansion, and not on site working, or in a morgue with my organs gone.

Illius lectured me on the drive, telling me the do's and don't. I was allowed to use my own name when I arrived because Aetios’ name had never been made public.

My husband only knew me as the son of Illius and Lena Doukas. He also gave me a few scent perfumes so I could drown myself in the scent of pure omega if needed.

He said that they were made as a replica of Aetios' own scent.

Now I had to wear my brother's scent too after replacing him?

Despicable.

But I had no choice.

Two hours later, the car stopped inside a villa. I can't say for sure what it was, but it was bigger than the mansion I came from, more luxurious, with nature in abundance, and the sound of rippling water.

Maids were lined up at the entrance, waiting for something, or someone?

I turned to Hart, and he turned to me.

“You can get down now.”

He was not coming with me?

I didn't question him, and just stepped down. I don't know why, but the minute I got off the car, anxiety struck me. I haven't even thought about everything properly. I have already signed a marriage certificate, and I was legally married to a stranger.

I didn't even know how I was going to act so I would survive the first day at least.

Hart didn't even wait to pretend to be a good father. He just drove out without stopping for a second.

“Welcome young master,” they all chorused.

What is this? Royal treatment before I'm murdered?

“This way, Mister Aris,” A middle aged man dressed in a suit said, leading me inside the house.

I followed, and while Hart’s mansion is luxurious, this one screams wealth without trying to be polite, except everything was quiet. Mechanical.

“I didn't come with any of my clothes,” I said first when he led me to a door.

He turned to me, and gave a polite smile. “That's okay, you can use the ones inside.”

He pointed at the door where we stood.

So it wasn't the door to my husband’s room?

My racing heart slowed down a bit. I nodded. He left first, leaving me to handle everything on my own.

I checked the clothes, and they all just looked like they were handpicked for me.

I quickly freshened up, then chose a simple cloth from the rack, and put it on. I brushed my wet hair backwards with my hand, then looked at myself in the mirror.

I looked different. I was still slender, with soft features that had gotten me bullied my entire life, but I wasn't putting on worn out jeans, or shirts. I reached for the pure omega scent and drowned myself in it because I didn't want anything to go wrong today.

And I smelt different after.

I reached to touch my face, but a knock on the door snapped me out of the daze. I immediately walked over, and pulled it open.

It was the man from earlier.

“Yiung master,” he said to me with a deep bow. “The masters are waiting for you downstairs.”

My brows gathered immediately.

Masters?

Wasn’t I meeting with my husband alone? Or was I meeting him with his other male relatives too?

Like his dad, or uncle?

I guess I'll find out soon.

“Let's go,” I told him.

“Yes young master.” But I suddenly couldn't bring myself to move an inch when he took a step out of the way and gestured for me to walk ahead of him.

My tongue tasted numb.

My legs were heavy.

And my heart? It just sped up as if it was being remote controlled.

“Young master?”

“Ah, yes.”

I forced myself to move forward. Each step towards the sitting room took a lot of effort.

A lot of thoughts were running through my head now.

What if they figure out I was not the one they want? Aetios?

Aetios said he was a monster.

What if he became disappointed at the sight of me and opted to have me killed immediately?

A cold shiver passed through my body as I shuddered in fear.

When I got to the bridge, I would cross it—I didn't even have a canoe.

I got down the last step, then slowly lifted my gaze. It crashed onto the man sitting on the sofa several steps away from me.

His index and middle finger held his tilted head in place, while his eyes looked lazy. He was sitting with his legs sprawled as if he was the owner of the entire universe.

Staring at him for too long, too hard, made my skin begin to crawl with something I could not name at all. And my heart? Now it had fallen shamelessly to my feet.

“Hi,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He straightened up, then leaned forward just a bit.

“I suppose you are my new husband?” I asked.

“Well, am I?” He asked in a deep baritone, the hum vibrating right through every one of my bones.

I took one step back.

His voice. It… it carried a trace of strong dominant pheromone.

Not even a top tier Alpha could casually release such an amount of pheromone through speech.

“I- I don't know,” I said.

My mind rambled with what he could possibly be thinking and his eyes suddenly held surprise.

The intensity of his pheromones in the air increased, saturating the atmosphere and diluting the remaining oxygen left in it.

“It doesn't work…” he breathed. “Interesting.”

What doesn't work?

But then, my legs began to shake as my vision became hazy. Something was triggering my Dysautonomia.

He stood up, and immediately, a halo of pheromone built around him and crashed into me, engulfing me totally as if to claim me.

I gasped softly.

“What are you doing?” I asked, clutching my chest. I reached into my pocket immediately, realising I had left my stabilising pills in my jean pants, back in the room.

“Hmm,” he hummed.

He tilted his head at me, something like interest vivid in his eyes.

His pheromone could directly affect my mind and this was the first time it has ever happened.

How was he doing that?

What type of Alpha was he?

He took a step closer.

“Are you okay?” He asked, but I began to fall right to the floor, my vision blurring fast. I expected to hit the floor, but something came between me and the cold floor.

Hard muscles.

I blinked, and saw him holding me steady. “Are you okay?” He asked again with his forehead scrunched.

His suit ….why did it change in colour?

He was wearing black earlier, why grey now?

It must be my eyes. I blinked again, steadying my breathing which was slowly becoming normal.

“Is the little pea alright?” Another voice asked. I looked behind him and let out a soft gasp of shock because standing before me were three identical faces, looking down at me with different expressions.

Worry. Curiosity. Intrigue.

I stared back in utter confusion, my eyes gliding between the faces.

My chest tightened.

Was that three men?

No, something must be wrong. I must be seeing in three’s?

I blinked again, and again, but nothing changed.

How many were they? I was sure I was talking to one man earlier? Was I going insane? Or was this some hallucination? Nice one, Aris, you have eventually gone mad!

“You …” my throat snagged.

I took a shaky step back, counting silently to five as I pointed at them.

“There’s really three of you, isn’t there? I haven’t gone mad?”

And then, they all answered at the same time. “Yes, there is.”

Dear Lord, please kill me. I'm done. I don't want this life anymore.

“My head is pounding,” I said in a tired whisper, glancing between them with disbelief in my eyes.

“Ah, forgive me,” the one on black said with a smirk on his face. “I am Vlas Aetrakis. And these are your other husbands, Kias and Aion.”

The room became dead silent as I stood frozen. Husbands?!

There were three of them?

I had married three men?

My mouth fell open.

“Huh?”