Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 139

Constantine pov

I hate what I have become every time I wake up. Even more so these days, after I found out how much Ash has suffered right under my nose. The more I think about it, the more I hate the man I am.

If it wasn’t for this girl’s father, I wouldn’t have seen a day over the age of twenty, but I’ve lived a wonderful, sheltered life with those closest to me. I owe her as much - I owe it to her parents to ensure their only child lives a happy life and no danger reaches her.

Now, unfortunately, in order to ensure she remains safe, I must put her in danger first.

My eyes are still glued on Ash as she starts jumping up and down like a small kid and claps her hands, clearly more than pleased about her idea. Which, for the record, I am not pleased about at all.

Pointing my finger at her, I try to pin her with a glare, but Ash pays no heat to it and only grins wider. “Listen to me little Miss, I need you to acknowledge that you understand the severity of this situation and accept my ground rules. Unless you do, the idea is off the table and we’re just getting you the fuck out of here!” I growl, a little lower this time, not to attract unwanted attention.

The happiness fades from her features, but only for a moment, until Ash grins at me so widely, she reminds me of her younger self, the same little girl that used to look up at me with those wide eyes, full of admiration.

“I get it, I understand that your main priority is my safety and if anything, absolutely anything goes slightly wrong, you will pull me out of here and get me away. Look,” she grins and offers me her outstretched pinky finger, “I can even offer you a pinky promise and that can’t be broken.”

Tears well up in my eyes and I can’t fight the sudden need to wrap her in my arms and hide her from the ugly, vile word. So, I do. I just wrap her in my arms and let the tears flow freely, too suck in the past, the memories of every time I got to hold her in my arms. The woman I’m holding is by no means close to the age of a kid, but seeing her now after all those years, I know that her parents would be proud of the woman she has become. I sure as hell am.

“Hey,” she pats my back gently. “It’s fine, there’s no need to cry. Don’t cry, I never break my pinky promises and I don’t intend to this time either.”

Goddess, how can this young woman still be this childish and strong at the same time? I can’t even picture the hell she has endured and she’s still here, standing strong, proud and all sorts of amazing.

“It’s not the promise. I just remembered something and got overly emotional,” I mutter and quickly look around. A wave of relief washes over me as I realize we’re left alone and none of my brothers is shameless enough to stay around and watch me fall apart.

Ash pats my back some more and tries to squeeze me tighter, as if she fears I might fall apart unless I find a sense of safety and stability within her embrace. “It’s going to be fine, no matter what, everything will be okay. I know that there’s no safer place in this world for me than next to you.”

This is getting a little ridiculous. A massive man like myself, being calmed and cooed into calmness by a woman as tiny as Ash. I can compare us as a mountain and a pebble, yet this pebble has more common sense than the mountain does.

When I finally release her, I wipe the tears off my cheeks and Ash reaches up to cup my cheek. The action isn’t romantic in any sense, rather it’s protective and gentle. “Everything will be okay, just trust me this once. I have a good feeling about it.”

Gulping, I nod my head even though I don’t want to fully believe. I mean, I want to, solely for my own peace of mind and reassurance that I won’t bring someone I’m protecting into harm’s way, but at the same time, the doubt is very hard to get rid of..

“Okay, I think we need to get ready to meet the hunters before I get too carried away with showing my weakness. So, about that plan,” I start and Ash slaps her hand over my mouth to silence me.

It’s a little funny, so much so that she pulls an amused chuckle out of me before she pins me with a serious glare. “No, mister, we don’t do that shit in my presence. Get it? Emotions aren’t a weakness. It shows the immense strength of the person who is capable of embracing, accepting and showing their emotions in a healthy way. Don’t try to twist the facts in front of me.”

I wish I could have a little more time to drag and play around. In that way, I could get to know Ash’s playful side, learn how she operates with many things and how she reacts to others. I know only the little bits from her childhood and something I’ve caught on since we brought her here.

But that, unfortunately, can’t happen anytime soon, it seems. Maybe, if we get rid of the hunters successfully, I could fulfill the wish. For now, I need to rid myself of the excitement and focus on what is more important than my wants.

Nodding, I carefully pry her hand off my mouth and smile. “As you wish, your highness.” I add the last part only for the sake of laugh.

Ash giggles and waves me off dismissively. “Drop the nonsense.”

She looks around and parts her lips, as if she’s about to tell me something important, but before she can, Jack barges in and looks at us wide-eyed, all sorts of mad expression on his face as he snarls, “they’re nearly here. We need to hide and let the girl lead the show unless we want to enter the fucking cages.”