Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 156

Ashley pov

When I wake up early in the morning, no later than 6 AM, the memories of the night come crashing down over me.

If it weren't for the mysterious pain in my joints and throat, I would write the experience off as a bad dream.

However, when I finally manage to stumble out of the bed and into the bathroom, I realize there is no way I could ever write this off as anything but real.

Looking at the reflection in the mirror, I mumble a weak, “what the actual fuck,” under my breath.

First thing I do is wash my face to get rid of the black residue on my skin. I still have no idea what exactly it is, but this is a very strong point in proving just how awful the night has been.

Once I get off everything, I carefully pat my skin dry and look into the mirror again. I look tired, my gaze is empty and emotionless. I suppose this is what people mean when they say someone has dead eyes…

With how weak I am and feel, I'm surprised to feel my wolf, scratching at the mental barrier between us, demanding to be heard out.

It takes far too much energy for me to lower the wall, but eventually, I manage and soon enough, I hear her voice echo in my mind.

“Ash, are you okay? What happened?” She whines, almost like her body is in pain, not mine.

My first reaction is to roll my eyes, but I don't simply because no matter how bad it is, I know it isn't her fault. She didn't commit a crime and didn't attack me, so the last person I have the right to blame about my state is her.

“I'm fine,” I grumble, hating how weak my voice sounds in my mind and equally as much fearing how it might sound coming from my lips. “Had a rough night, that's all.”

She hums, but clearly, she's finding it hard to believe my words. Can't blame her for that either, if the roles were reversed, I'd have difficulty believing such blatant lies as well.

“I understand that,” she mutters and holds her breath until she decides to question me, “but if you were struggling, why didn't you lower the wall and talk to me? I get that you're trying to be careful with me, but I can still talk.”

“Let's say I didn't have enough time to do that,” I try to wave off her question.

Clearly, my attempt is simply pathetic, but at least she doesn't point that much out.

Instead, she tries to proceed with caution, acting like I'm a flight risk or I would ever maliciously lift the wall again so she couldn't get to me.

“Something bad happened, didn't it? I can see it. Your eyes look weird, there are dark circles under your eyes and it looks like you've seen death itself.”

“Sam, I'm sorry but I'm not in the mood for this conversation. Please, talk about whatever you can think of, not the night. Can I have that much?” I groan, all but ready to actually lift the wall back up and forget about her existence.

“I think it was that guy you called Dominic,” she mutters and backs up into one of the corners of my dark mind. “I heard you mention him earlier when you spoke to the bear. I recognize the voice. While you were struggling, I got over the wall for a brief moment, I heard the voice. He did awful things to you, didn't he? He did something against your will and your wolf is too weak to protect you from the attack. I'm sorry I couldn't do what I'm supposed to do. I'm sorry for being so weak.”

As she speaks, I realize just how close to tears Sam is. I wish I could shake her up and tell her just how foolish she is being. I need to have the ability to stand up for myself, to protect myself, not to rely on my wolf.

As the frustration builds up in me again, I come face to face with yet another painful realization. She's right. I knew I had heard the voice before. The man was Dominic.

No wonder Constantine called him a monster, a thing, not a person.

“Yeah,” I finally admit and for a brief moment, enjoy the silence that follows.

Maybe it's wrong, no, most likely it is, but for some reason I can't help but wonder why my life changed for the worse after the bears “saved” me.

Yes, I do owe them a lot, I probably owe them my life and happiness, but with them waltzing in my life like that, one of the most negative things they did is bring in so much trouble for me.

Unknowingly, they put me in more danger than I was while stuck in Kaiden's pack. Goddess, I hate to admit this, but while I hate that guy with passion, at least he didn't try to harm me in a way other than forcefully attempting to wed me.

“Ash, I know you don't want to hear this, but I don't think we're safe with the bears. I don't believe we should stay around them. While attempting to save you, they're only introducing more danger to your life,” Sam says with so much conviction that I don't have an argument to use against her claims.

Without overthinking, I drop the towel I've been clutching in my hands and steal the last glance at myself in the mirror.

I don't want to spend the rest of my life running into more danger while trying to escape it. It's a never ending cycle at this point.

Slowly, I creep out of the bathroom and then bedroom. The cabin is silent, only an occasional snore echoes against it, so I quickly get to work.

First, I snatch one of their backpacks and toss some food into it. Then, I return to the bedroom to get dressed in the clothing the bears got for me and slide my feet into the shoes.

I still hesitate, only for a moment, but soon, I find myself tip-toeing to the front door, holding my breath as I unlock it and eventually, I dart into the woods, in the direction opposite of that I saw the hunters go to yesterday.