Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 226

Kaiden pov

I don’t hesitate. “Take it,” I almost snort out. If weakness is what she wants, she can get all of it. I have no use for it anyway, never wanted it all in the first place. “Take whatever, however much you want.” 

She nods, a satisfied grin spreading across her lips, and the next moment, she starts to chant, her hands still outstretched up towards the moon. I can’t understand a word, but each sends a chill through the air as unnatural darkness creeps over the clearing. 

The witch moves her hands in a strange way, almost mimicking a centuries old dance, and when her sharp nails are suddenly pointed at me, I feel sharp, stabbing pain in my chest, like she just thrust her claws inside me and is pulling a part of me out. 

I gasp and double over in pain, but the pain only intensifies, circling through my veins like fire. I can’t breathe, can’t think, the world around me is spinning and the only thing I can hear is her voice as she keeps chanting those same words. 

“Let it go,” she bellows, her voice strained and demanding. “Let go of your weakness.” 

I grit my teeth to force myself to stay still, even as the plain reaches a blinding level. At this point, as she keeps stepping closer, still chanting, I can feel the part of me she’s ripping out of me. Those are the pieces of myself that I lever thought I could ever lose, let alone feel the process as it happens. 

When she stands just a few feet away, memories flash through my mind. The rare moments of kindness I’ve shown, laughter and some of regret, and just as soon as they appear, they’re gone, ripped from me for good.

The pain suddenly stops, I gasp for breath and look up to see the witch already standing over me, her eyes turned completely black, not a spark of humanity. 

“It’s done. It’s over, my prince,” she purrs, clearly satisfied. “Our bargain is sealed. You will have your strength, but keep this in mind - what you gave and what I took, you will never see it again. It’s mine forever, never to be claimed by you ever again.” 

Slowly, I rise to my feet, my whole body trembles and for some reason, I feel like a different person. Lighter, in a way, but also colder, if it makes sense?

The skin of my forearm itches like it’s on fire, so I pull up the sleeve of my shirt and gasp. I can see it in my veins, the faint glow of something that isn’t quite mine. There’s a power under my skin, energy so raw and powerful, the only way I can describe it is by calling it untamed, animalistic even.

I know I’ve changed, I can feel it with every beat of my heart, every breath that I inhale, and so can my wolf. He’s raging, trashing against the mental walls, demanding to be let go, howling for blood and destruction to be handed to him on a silver platter. 

While I do feel stronger in a sense, my wolf feels more distant, almost like the humane part that was taken from me is the only part that kept him in check and ensured he’d never lose his way. 

Ripping my eyes from my arm and looking at the witch, I have to blink to realize I’m not dreaming. Instead of the old, ugly woman stands a beautiful young girl. Her coal black hair has turned snow white, the blacks of her eyes are replaced by sparkling blue eyes that seem full of life, and the rotten teeth are now a row of beautiful pearly whites. 

“What now?” I ask and my voice sounds foreign to me. It’s harsher, way colder than I remember it being.

The witch smiles at me wider. Despite the new appearance that seems to be warm and welcoming, that smile sends a cold chill down my spine. “Now, you become what you came here to become. A creature of power, freed of the limits of your morality and humanity. Go, little prince, claim your throne, enjoy your newfound power. Just remember, I’ll be watching.”

She steps back, her smile remains glued on her face as she fades back into the darkness, leaving the forest behind her colder and emptier. 

I can’t waste any time standing around and doing nothing, so I spin on my heel and head back in the direction I came from. My mind is racing with early plans to find my runaway mate, to drag her back and make my father see what I’m truly capable of. 

As I near the home and pass by the guards, who freeze on the spot once they see me, I realize there’s really something different about me. There’s coldness in my chest where once, all I could feel was anger that kept burning and pushing me forward. I’m calm, too calm even, to the point of feeling detached. 

Walking up the stairs of the main entry, I smile to myself, but even that feels forced, not genuine. Truth be told, I don’t care. What is done is done and there’s no turning back anymore. Now, in my position, I can’t even afford to care anymore. 

Entering the house, I notice that most of the people living here have gone to their rooms and barely any are still running around, finishing their tasks of the day. 

Some maids stop to ask if I’m hungry or need something from them. Of course, I don’t, so I dismiss them all with a grunt and a shake of my head. 

The only thing I want now is to return to my room, have a good night of sleep and as the morning comes, feel it for myself if anything about me really changes as different as it does now. For all I care, this whole thing might be a placebo effect, an aftertaste of the show the witch put up for me.