Chapter : Locked In

The silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.

Roo couldn't move.

Alexander's grip was firm, his hands still ghosting over Roo's trembling arms, feeling—checking—claiming.

Alec leaned in, his breath warm against Roo's ear. "Piccolo, you're so fragile…"

His fingers traced Roo's wrist, his touch deceptively gentle.

"But that's okay," Ace murmured from behind him. "That's why we're here."

Their golden eyes burned with something unrelenting.

Roo's pulse pounded.

This wasn't just possessiveness anymore.

This was something else.

Something worse.

They had almost lost him tonight.

And they wouldn't let it happen again.

Ace's fingers brushed a strand of hair from Roo's face, his gaze unreadable. "You're coming with us."

Roo stiffened.

"What?" His voice barely worked.

Alec chuckled, his grip tightening ever so slightly. "You think we're letting you stay here?"

Alexander's voice was calm—too calm. "You think we'd let you out of our sight after what just happened?"

The triplets exchanged a glance.

An unspoken agreement passed between them.

And then—

Alec lifted Roo into his arms.

Roo gasped, struggling, but it was useless. Alec barely noticed his resistance as he turned toward the door.

"Alec—!"

Ace followed, golden eyes gleaming. "Don't fight it, piccolo. You'll only tire yourself out."

Roo knew that.

But this—

This wasn't right.

His heart slammed against his ribs as panic coiled in his chest. "I—I don't need to—"

"You do need to," Alexander cut in, his tone final.

Roo shivered.

This was happening.

There was nothing he could do.

The triplets were taking him.

And he had no choice but to go.

The Triplets' New Estate...

The car ride was silent.

Roo sat stiffly between Alexander and Ace, his body painfully aware of their presence.

Alec drove, one hand on the wheel, the other resting lazily on his thigh. His golden eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, watching Roo's every movement.

Roo's fingers curled into his lap.

He needed to think.

He needed to breathe.

But the moment they stepped into the estate—

He felt it.

The shift in the air.

The way the doors locked behind him.

The way the triplets moved, surrounding him.

This wasn't just a home.

This was a prison.

His prison.

Ace leaned against the wall, watching him with dark amusement. "Are you going to run?"

Roo swallowed hard.

Would it even matter if he did?

Alexander stepped forward, his golden eyes piercing. "You should rest."

Alec's smirk softened—just a little. "You've had a long night, piccolo."

Roo took a slow breath.

Fighting would get him nowhere.

For now…

He had no choice but to obey.

But one thing was clear—

The triplets had no intention of letting him go.

And Roo…

He wasn't sure if he'd ever escape them again.

The new estate was too quiet.

Roo sat on the edge of the massive bed, his hands clenched into the silk sheets. The triplets had left him alone—for now.

But their presence still clung to the air.

Their scent.

Their heat.

Their absolute control.

The room was luxurious, grander than anything Roo had ever seen. But to him, it was just another kind of cage.

His mind raced.

He had to think.

He had to find a way out.

But before he could move—

Click.

The door opened.

Roo's heart jumped as Alexander stepped inside, golden eyes sharp and unreadable.

"Still awake?" His voice was too smooth.

Roo forced himself to look up. "I—"

Alexander was already moving closer.

Too close.

His scent filled Roo's lungs, making it hard to breathe.

"You're tense," Alexander murmured, reaching out. His fingers brushed Roo's jaw, tilting his face up. "You should sleep."

Roo shivered.

Alec appeared in the doorway, arms crossed. "Piccolo, you're thinking too much again."

Ace followed, shutting the door behind him. His smirk was slow, dark. "We can't have that, can we?"

Roo's pulse pounded.

He was surrounded.

Again.

Their golden eyes watched him, glowing in the dim light.

Alexander leaned in, his voice a low murmur. "You belong here."

Roo stiffened.

Alec knelt beside the bed, his fingers tracing Roo's wrist. "And we won't let anything happen to you."

Ace's lips curled into a lazy smile. "Not unless we're the ones doing it."

Roo's breath hitched.

Their warmth pressed in on him from all sides.

Their possessiveness.

Their claim.

He was drowning in it.

And for the first time…

He wasn't sure if he wanted to escape.

Elsewhere…

The shadows shifted.

A lone figure stood at the edge of the territory, watching.

Waiting.

"The runt survived," a voice murmured from the darkness.

A second voice chuckled. "The triplets won't let him go."

The first figure's gaze darkened. "Then we'll make them."

The wind carried their words away.

And the night remained silent.

For now.

To Be Continued...