Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 221

Kaiden pov

The place still feels like it has shattered to shambles as the last of the guests head out, the panic finally fades and all that’s left is this sense of overwhelming emptiness and defeat.

The screams and chaos are replaced by the heavy silence of a failed ceremony that was supposed to bring me closer to my main goal. Closer to the throne.

Guards swarm around me like bees around the hive, all of them focused on the main task - to find any trace of Ashley and where she might have gone, even though I know it’s pointless to try.

She’s gone, slipped through my fingers, and I have no idea how to get her back. At first, I assumed locating her would be easy, the dress she wore stands out anywhere, but the dress was found in one of the bathrooms and no one has any idea where she went and what she is wearing.

I stand in the middle of the hall, trying to control my anger while my hands are clenched into fists so tightly, my nails dig into the skin of my palm and pierce it, drawing blood that I ignore.

I’m furious with the hunters and their betrayal. I’m angry at the guards and their stupidity, inability to do this one thing right. And Ashley, fuck, I’m so angry at her for daring to say ‘no’ to my face and go as far as try to accept my rejection on top of that.

Before I can do anything, even more from the spot where I stand and think of something to do to fix this mess, a rough hand clamps down on my shoulder and spins me around.

“What the hell was that?” My father’s voice is low, deadly, his eyes blaze with barely contained rage.

He doesn’t wait for an answer as he drags me away from the hall, from the eyes of our pack member who follows every move, and shoves me into his office. I stumble over my feet, but his grip on me is firm, so at least I don’t fall over.

“What are you talking about?” I growl at him as soon as he closes the office door and creates a sense of privacy for both of us.

“Don’t play games with me, Kaiden,” he hisses, his face now inches from mine. “I saw you. I saw you talking to those hunters - saw the way you attacked them. It was personal, son. Tell me the truth. Why were they here?”

“I don’t know,” I lie through my teeth. I don’t need to see the look on his face to know he won’t believe my words. I answer too quickly, and sound too defensive to be telling the truth.  “They just showed up. I don’t know what they wanted. They were probably here for Ashley, like everyone else. For some sick reason, everyone wants my mate for themselves. I think they intend to use her against me.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Father growls, grabbing my shoulders and slamming me against the wall. “You think I’m blind? I saw the way they looked at you, the way they talked to you. You’re hiding something, and I want to know what it is.”

“I’m not hiding anything!” I insist. “They ruined the ceremony! Do you really believe that’s what I wanted? After everything I went through to finally make it happen? I’m as shocked as you are.”

He releases me and looks at me with nothing but pure disgust, and pokes his finger in my chest. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Kaiden. If I find out you’ve been involved with those hunters. If I find out you’ve been lying to me about Ashley-”

“I’m not lying!” I cut him off. “I don’t know why they came, but I’ll handle it. I’ll get Ashley back, and I’ll make sure this mess is cleaned up. You have my word.”

My father’s eyes meet mine and I don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see the doubt in them. For a long moment, he says nothing. I can feel the disappointment radiate off him. Then, finally, he releases me with a disgusted snarl, shoving me away. “You better. Because if you don’t, you won’t just lose your mate, you’ll lose everything.”

I open my mouth to argue against his words, to promise again that I will fix it all, but he turns his back on me, showing that the conversation is over. As he walks to the door, I can see how tense are the muscles in his back, how pissed off he is at me.

I watch him leave, feeling the same anger that is raging within him. This was supposed to be the moment I prove myself to him, to the Council and the pack. But instead, I’m dragged in the middle of a mess I have no control over.

It feels like hours when I finally calm down enough to exit the office. By the time I reach my bedroom, my anger has turned into a cold determination.

I slam the door behind me, the noise echoes against the walls of the room. Feeling too restless to sit still, I pace the room as my thoughts race with endless possibilities.

No matter what, I can’t stop thinking about her rejection. I can’t rid myself of the way her eyes burned with pure disgust when she said ‘no’ in front of everyone and shattered the illusion I worked so hard to build.

She’ll regret that. I’ll make sure of it.

Then, my next problem is Gio. He doesn’t learn from his mistakes, and instead of remembering his place, he keeps pushing back, always standing in my way like he got higher moral ground.

There was time when I trusted him enough to be my ally, but instead, the fucker turned on me and fed my father lies to poision him against me.

And what is worse is that my father is starting to believe him.

“Fuck!” I scream, grab the figurine from the nightstand and throw it against the wall, watching it shatter to pieces, but even the chaos I create isn’t calming me one bit.

I’m surrounded by a bunch of useless fucking traitors.

They don’t see what’s best for this kingdom. They don’t understand the kind of power I’m trying to build. Ashley, Gio, and even my own father, they’re all working against me.

With a heavy sigh, I reach for my phone and dial a number I haven’t used in years.

It rings twice before a familiar voice picks up, sleepy and annoyed. “Kaiden? It’s the middle of the night. What the hell do you want?”

“I need a favor,” I force out the words. “Can you get in touch with someone for me?”

There’s a pause, and I can almost hear the gears turning in his head. “Depends. Who are we talking about?”

“A witch,” I mutter. “A powerful one. Someone who can make deals. Someone who can give me the kind of strength I need to end this.”

“Kaiden, are you out of your mind?” He sounds more awake now, alarmed even. “What are you getting yourself into? You know witches don’t work for free. They always want something in return.”

“I don’t care,” I snap. With every minute I’m wasting on this call, my patience is slipping. For once, I just need someone to do what I ask without questioning me. “Just do it. I’ll pay whatever it takes.”

“Whatever it takes?” He repeats, sounding unsure. “You know you can’t take that back, right? This isn’t some simple favor.”

“Just find her,” I growl, barely holding onto my temper. “I’m done playing by everyone else’s rules. It’s time I take what’s mine, and if I have to go through a witch to do it, then that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

There’s another long pause. “Alright. I’ll make some calls. But you better know what you’re doing, Kaiden. This could get messy-”

“I know exactly what I’m doing,” I cut him off. “And I don’t need your warnings. Just make it happen.”

“Fine, whatever. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

I hang up before he can say anything else to try to sway me. My hands shake with anger as I slam the phone down onto the nightstand.

This is it, my last chance to make things right.

Only when my phone chimes with an incoming message, I realize I’ve been standing over the nightstand like some creep, breathing heavily, focusing on the mess in my head.

“I think I got something good. You sure about this?”

I don’t bother to answer. Never been more sure about anything in my life.

Feeling a little lighter, I sink down onto the edge of my bed and stare at my hands. Ashley’s face keeps flashing in my mind, specifically the look in her eyes as she tried to reject me and the way she pulled free of my grip in front of everyone.

Truth be told, I never expected her to fight back. I had a sinking feeling she might, but never really believed that she would.

I close my eyes and suck in a breath, trying to calm my raging mind. This isn’t over, I still have some cards left in my hands and the game has only begun. I won’t stop until I win. And if it means turning to a witch to get what I need, then so be it.

“Enjoy your little victory while you can, Ashley,” I mutter under my breath. “Because I’m coming for you. And when I find you, there won’t be anyone left to save you.”