Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 13

Ashley pov

Can I call waking up long before the triplets do a normal everyday thing now, or am I supposed to understand that I’m actually avoiding accountability for my own actions and insecurities?

I’m not sure, and for the record, laying on the bed and staring at the ceiling for an hour or so doesn’t answer the question either.

My eyes are still trained on the ceiling when someone rattles the doorknob and lets out what sounds like a heavy sigh of relief. “Ash, you didn’t leave, you actually didn’t leave yet,” Ethan whisper-shouts, clearly excited.

“No, I just woke up,” I lie through my teeth.

The last thing I want and need is a full morning with my unsuspecting mates. Getting closer to them, just to watch their disappointment when they will figure out everything is like a little piece of my own personal hell.

“Cool, I’ll get working on breakfast and wake up the morons, then we can leave for training. Don’t bail on me again,” Ethan announces in his cheery tone and rushes away.

Once I don’t hear him anymore, dread washes over me. If only I wouldn’t be on my own, completely alone in this damned situation - that would be wonderful.

But of course, it’s also impossible. To actually have someone who could listen and understand, I would have to come clean with a person which in itself is a risk too great to take.

Lazily, I get out of the bed, head to the bathroom and deal with my morning routine. Then, when I walk back in the room, I instantly put on the clothes for training and nearly cry when my eyes scan the calendar on my wall.

Any damn moment now, in a week or so, the day of damnation will come. My period will start and then, everyone will easily figure out that I’m not a guy.

“Damn it,” I hiss under my breath and run a hand through my short hair, grabbing a fistful and tugging on it. I probably should cut it to keep up the facade.

“Dwelling won’t help. We will figure something out, don’t worry too much,” Sam mutters, not helping at all.

I block her out. The last thing I need is a crazed wolf, trying to break free at the mere sight of our mates - especially now that we are on very thin ice.

Grabbing everything I need, I unlock the door and leave the room.

Ethan is in the kitchen, sipping on his coffee and humming along with a pop song blasting through the speakers. Everett stands next to him, an annoyed look on his face, a plate with scrambled eggs in his hand. Elias - he just stands aside, leaning against the wall and scowling at his brothers.

“Morning,” I mutter as I enter the kitchen.

“Heh, be greeted traveler, long time no see,” Everett chuckles and starts stuffing the eggs in his mouth, focusing his eyes on the plate.

“Grab something, we need to leave,” Elias instructs me and points a finger at a bowl full with fresh fruit.

The guy is an asshole, a proper one, but he notices things, even the smallest ones. I don’t like breakfast and for most part, I just grab a fruit and leave, which is something that he clearly noticed and the fact stupidly warms my heart.

“Yeah, sorry,” I mutter, grab an apple and head for the door.

The triplets don’t follow me at first, but after the initial confusion, all of them grab their bags and leave the apartment right behind me.

We walk to the training in silence. Even Ethan is unusually quiet. I’m not sure how to feel about it.

Time seems to fly when I’m with this bunch. Just like Ethan said, we were put together for the session and surprisingly, we worked through the training in perfect harmony.

After it’s done, the coach approaches us and announces that there are no classes today, but the headmaster would arrive shortly to share happy news.

Everyone exchanges glances, but no one bothers to add a comment or question the old man.

I look around until my eyes find Anno. He stands aside, a few people at his side, but once he notices me, a bright smile spreads across his lips. Then, he tilts his head to the right and I nod.

“Anno’s there. I’ll go say hi and come back.” I tell Ethan and quickly hurry away before he can question me.

Just like I assumed, Anno stands far away from the crowd to ensure our conversation won’t be overheard. However, while I’m glad to see him, I can’t help but feel worried when my eyes meet his.

“Hey, what happened? Don’t tell me that asshole Steven got to you. Didn’t he learn from his mistake yesterday? Are you okay?” I keep blabbing as my eyes scan him from any injuries.

Anno chuckles and places a hand on my shoulder. “No, Ash, calm down. It’s not that. But it’s important and I couldn’t wait to talk to you.”

I frown. “What is important?”

Anno looks over my shoulder and around us. He clears his throat and lowers his voice to a whisper. “I know who you really are, Ashley Kingston.”

His words sink in and my eyes nearly burst out of the sockets. I’m pretty sure my heart stops too. No. It can’t be.

Anno’s grip on my shoulder tightens when he adds, “don’t freak out, I won’t tell anyone. Please, I’m not trying to break your trust or use this information as a bargaining chip for something, I promise. I just needed to tell you so you know I’m on your side. For whatever reason you are hiding in an all boys Academy, it doesn’t matter, but know this - you have a real friend here and I will never betray you. My lips are sealed.”

Tears brim my eyes, I barely manage to force one word past my lips, “how?”

“Yesterday, after showers, I thought I caught the scent of a woman in the bathroom you used. At first, I assumed I was losing my mind, but I couldn’t drop the weird feeling so I did some digging on the Kingston family. I’m sorry for what happened to you,” Anno explains and pulls me into a tight hug.

For once, I don’t push away the support that is offered to me. I wrap my arms around him and breathe in Anno’s scent. It’s barely there, weak, but I can catch the whiff of salt water and forests.

Far too soon, Anno releases me and steps away. He hands me a napkin and urges me to wipe the tears off my cheeks, once again, promising to keep my secret safe with him.

“Try your best to appear calmer, the triplets are coming,” Anno whispers, his own eyes brimming with tears. “Tell them we’re crying about my granddad’s death, okay? The old bastard died years ago, but it’s a good excuse. If they ask, you talked to him during our tutoring sessions and you liked him a lot.”

That’s all Anno manages to say before the triplets reach us. As soon as Ethan sees my tear-stained face, he growls. “The fuck you did to Ash, asshole?”

Anno raises his hands and steps back. I quickly step in front of my friend and shield him, “nothing. He did nothing. Anno’s grandpa died and we were sharing a moment here. Fuck.”

The triplets look guilty the moment those words leave me and I almost feel sorry for the lies. Almost.

Everett runs a hand through his hair and grunts. “Well, the headmaster announced that there’s a survival skill test and all of us, including your friend, were grouped together. Elias already grabbed the shit we need for today. No one knows how long the test will take, but we’re against Steven and his brainless friends, so.. Sorry to cut this moment short, but if we want to show him where he stands, we better leave now.”