Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 208

Constantine pov

I never expected him to do it. Just a moment ago, Dominic smiled at me like what he did is no big deal and now, he lies on the cold ground, bleeding, his chest rising and falling in shallow, ragged breaths.

When he collapsed right in front of me, Greg scoffed, thinking my ex-mate is playing a trick on us, but once he sees the blood, he realizes it’s not the case at all.

My thoughts are a jumble of mess. I feel both shock and insane gratitude for what he did, which are two emotions that should never coexist when it comes to someone like him. Dominic saved us. He saved me. It’s the one thing I never thought he’d do, and now I don’t know what to think.

“Why?” I whisper as I drop to my knees next to him. My voice is weak, strained by the tears I’m desperately trying to hold back.  

He doesn’t respond, just stares up at the sky, eyes unfocused. My hands hover over his wound, I hesitate for a second but decide to push down on the wound to stop the bleeding.

Greg’s next to me, pacing like his ass is on fire, his eyes never leaving Dominic. “You’re not actually going to trust him, are you?” He snaps. “We don’t even know why he’s here - what he wants. This could all be a trick.”

“I know what it looks like,” I say, my words sharper than I intend. “But he saved us, Greg. We can’t just leave him here.”

“He’s always got a reason,” Greg retorts, his jaw clenched. “And I’d bet my life it’s not about helping us.”

I bite back a snarky remark. Greg has every right to be suspicious, sure. Hell, I’m suspicious. But the truth is staring us in the face - Dominic put himself between us and danger. He didn’t have to, but he did.

We don’t have time to argue. First, we need to bandage him up and later, we can have this discussion. I nod to Greg and clear my throat to get his attention. We both rip off good chunks of our clothes to use as a bandage and quickly wrap up the damage. “Help me get him up. We can’t stay here.” I mutter, eyes focused on Dominic.

Reluctantly, Greg leans down, and we both haul Dominic to his feet. He groans in pain, but he doesn’t resist our help. His eyes flicker, the edges of his mouth twitching in a faint, pained smile. I’m not sure if it’s a curse or a blessing that he’s still breathing.

We move quickly, half-carrying Dominic through the trees. We’ve barely gone a hundred steps, maybe a few more, when I catch sight of something that makes my heart stop in my chest. A line of armored figures move through the woods, too close to miss us if they look in our direction.

“Guards,” I whisper sharply, duck behind a bush and pull Greg and Dominic down with me. The ground is dirty and smells like forest shit, but it’s better to lay here than possibly be caught.

“King’s men,” Greg murmurs beside me. “We have to move. They’ll find us if we stay here.”

“We can’t outrun them,” I hiss. “Not with Dominic like this.”

Greg’s mouth opens to argue, but Dominic’s voice, although weak, interrupts us. “Let me go,” he suggests, his voice still strained with pain. “I can take care of them. Get rid of them all before they even know what hit them.”

My eyes flick to his, and I’m not sure if I see desperation or stubbornness. Maybe both. But I shake my head. “No. There’s been enough bloodshed. We’re not doing it your way.”

“Constantine,” Greg begins, his tone a barely audible warning, but I cut him off.

“We’re not killing anyone unless we absolutely have to,” I insist, my gaze locked on Dominic. “If we start a fight now, it’ll only bring more of them down on us. We need to stay out of sight and handle this quietly. We can do this without a massacre.”

Dominic’s face is pale, he’s clearly in some serious pain, but he still manages a humorless smile. “You always were the diplomatic one,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper. “But if they catch us-”

“They won’t,” I hiss, leaving no room for argument. “We’re not going to let them.”

Greg is watching us, his eyes darting between us, but he doesn’t argue. Instead, he gives a curt nod, and I can feel the tension slowly leave my body. Greg doesn’t trust Dominic, and I can’t blame him. Part of me doesn’t either.

We sit in silence as the guards pass, looking around like their lives depend on if they can find us or not.

My breath catches in my throat and my body is rigid with tension as I wait for the moment any of them will look back and spot us. But they never do. Seconds drag out into minutes that feel like hours until I finally release the breath I was holding, feeling a little light headed.

Greg is the first to stand, every movement of his body careful. He peers through the branches and then turns to me. “I don’t like this,” he whispers. “I don’t like relying on him. It feels... wrong.”

“Believe me, I get it,” I say, standing and pulling Dominic to his feet again. He sways, barely able to keep upright, but he’s conscious. So much for claiming he’d heal within an hour, right? “But he’s with us now, and we can’t afford to question his motives at every step. We have enough enemies without turning on each other.”

“Just remember who he is,” Greg warns. “And what he’s capable of. Oh, and don’t mind me mentioning this too - don’t forget what he did to you. How he hurt you first.”

I nod, but my gaze lingers on Dominic, his eyes are still heavy with exhaustion and pain. I don’t know what game he’s playing, if he’s playing one at all, but I have to hope that he’s telling the truth. That whatever twisted loyalties he has, they still lay with me.

“Let’s keep moving,” I suggest, scanning the area for more guards. “We’re not safe yet.”

We start walking again, Dominic’s arm slung over my shoulder, Greg staying close. We stay silent, which is both a blessing and a curse. Not discussing everything that’s going wrong is kind of nice, but it also gives a chance for my mind to go completely bonkers with thoughts.

What Dominic did, whatever his reasons were, it might be proof that we’re starting something new. Something so awfully scary that I’m terrified to even think of the possibilities.

I allow myself to hope that things might get better. That maybe, just maybe, we can find a way out of this mess without losing more of ourselves in the process, without losing those we love and care about.