Stuck In The Middle

Dragana POV

Roman’s anger and power were pulsating through the room, vibrating the very air we were breathing. Art jolted out of bed, he was only in his boxers, which seemed to piss off Roman even more. He charged him with full power. I knew Art was powerful as well, but Roman was an Alpha King after all. And I most definitely did not want any of the testosterone-fueled egos and possessive bullshit happening. I was tired, stressed, worried and beyond confused about everything that was happening. My very soul ached finding that my father killed my mother, finding that my own grandfather wanted to kidnap me, Jasmine being comatose, Cybela injured.. The list went on. The very last thing I needed was two of them to get into it.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING????!!!! STOP IT.. RIGHT NOW!!!!”, I screamed and echoed with power that rivaled and exceeded Roman's. My aura pushed forth and stunned him on the spot. I was even surprised by its sheer power. Maybe there was something about me being the true heir to the Werewolf Kingdom. Roman’s eyes budged out and I could see he was straining to move, but unable to. Art was in a defensive position, and we heard footsteps running towards, my aunt, Lady Asma and Alpha King bolting in as well, both looking around, taking in the situation. I stood firm, the power seeping out of me in waves, uncontrollable almost.

“How are you doing that???” Roman asked, venom laced in his voice. “I am the Alpha King!! YOU CANNOT COMMAND ME!!!”, he screamed. Caleb tried to get out, but I pushed my aura forth, pushing Caleb back in. “I can and I will, if you start acting stupid and irresponsible again!”, I spat back. “Besides, what are YOU doing here Roman??? How is it any of your business what Art and I do together??? I am not your fucking property, not your prisoner! Not any more!”, I screamed at him now, pain evident in my words. Art stood on his spot, ready to fight, stealing eyes from me, giving me a quick smile. “You do not need to defend me love. If Roman wants to go back on his word, I am ready to fight for us.”, he stated simply. Tension in the room went up again, and Lady Asma and Alpha King Jonathan simply exchanged worried glances, neither daring to say or do anything.

“I am going to ask this again, WHY ARE YOU HERE ROMAN???”, I screamed at him, Vasilla itching to get out, wanting to defend Art. For some reason she always felt protective of him, more so than Aisha, who was quiet now. My scream somehow shook him, and he dropped his attack stance. “Why is he in your bed???”, he asked, almost in a whisper, his blue eyes, clear as a sea, sparkled with an emption I could not decipher. The question caught me somewhat off guard. I knew Roman could be a territorial type. He was an Alpha after all. However, we had nothing. We shared but a kiss and a few moments, but he had chosen a mate, even though Aisha had confirmed that really, he was ours. But none of that mattered. He had chosen, and in fact, organised a wedding with Alice. Why was it not possible for him to let me be happy? Where was this jealously and possessiveness coming from? Besides, how dare he???!!!! He had years – years to admit his feelings if indeed there were any. He kept me in a gilded cage, not allowing me to have a life, in fact wanting to use me as a breeder, always looking at me as somebody less then. But the moment I had a chance at happiness, the moment he realized I was a Tribrid, his attitude changed. What did he really want? My powers?

“He senses we are his mate”, Aisha decided to make an appearance. “He may not have the confirmation, but you felt the sparks too, Dragana. He knows something is off. Of course, he is possessive, we are his too”, she chose to elaborate. I knew that part of the equation, but I was not going to forget everything that had happened, and the fact that he let me go after that morning. “Aisha, he chose somebody else, he did not choose us”, I replied, in the process of breaking her heart. She wanted Caleb, she wanted her fated mate, this much I knew, and she whined painfully at my words.

“Whom I share my bed with, is none of your business, Roman. NONE! You have a mate, and your Luna Queen. Why are you bothered about my life??”, I asked sternly, my anger gradually subsiding. I was not letting him off the hook though. While I knew I loved him, I never got an inkling of anything like that from him. And I was done with being a placeholder, or at best breeder. As for Art, I loved him too. I finally realized that standing there in that room, watching the two of them – stuck in the middle between them, in every sense of the word. I do not know how you share your heart with two people, but that was something I was going to worry about tomorrow. Right now, I was hoping for this to be over, for some honesty, if possible, from Roman, and for things to move in the right direction. We needed to save Jasmine. My love life and all the complications surrounding it could wait.

“I could not stop thinking about you. I… I… I am sorry… I still want to talk to you, Dragana, before we leave.. If that is OK? Please…In private… Please”, Roman said, surprising everyone in the room. You could hear the needle drop. His attitude shocked me, and everyone stood still. His eyes were locked on mine, pleading, his chest heaving. I looked at Art, unsure what to do. I did not want to hurt him. He was there for me, loved me and protected me. I did not want to break his heart; he did not deserve that. His beautiful eyes locked on mine, and then he spoke: “I think you should speak to him, hear him out Dragana”, Art encouraged me, a shadow on his face, giving me a small smile, proving yet again, what a wonderful person he was, and just how much he loved me. He knew I needed that conversation, he knew I needed to speak to Roman, and he was willing to support me, no matter what, even at the risk of our relationship. The kindness and selflessness of that man were on another level, making my heart swell, a lump form in my throat. “It is one of the reasons I will always protect him”, Vasilla spoke softly. Somehow, Art had won her over, without even trying.

Looking around the room, I noticed that Lady Asma had misty eyes, and Alpha King Jonathan’s face was unreadable, but he had a tight smile, his eyes looking at me too. I glanced between Art and Roman, both standing on opposite sides waiting for me to say something. I knew I had to, I knew I owed it to myself and to him to have this conversation, but somehow, I was nervous and afraid of it too. “He is risking his life to help us. Do not let him leave without a conversation Dragana. You would regret it if anything happened to him”, Aisha spoke again and I knew she was right. Summoning all my courage, although my stomach was clenching from nervousness, I finally spoke.. “Fine.. We will speak.. I’ll come to your office. Let me change please.”