Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 232

Ashley pov

I read the words again and my stomach twists so much, I nearly double over in the sudden intrusion of pain. Sweat breaks out on my forehead, and while the setting is far too eerie and scary, I can’t seem to tear my eyes from the words on the wall. 

The letters are rough and uneven, like they were carved in the wood by someone who was in a hurry. Someone who might have been here weeks ago just as possibly as just mere minutes before our arrival. 

The message is short, but so on point, it scares me to no end. It’s that specific kind of word choice you leave behind when you want someone to feel beyond unsafe, when you want to let the person they just became your prey. 

And what is worst of all, I have this sinking feeling that the message could be connected to me. I don’t know why, but especially lately, it feels like I’m being pushed and pulled to different directions, everyone needs me for their own benefit or selfish desires. 

But why? I’m nobody. Literally, just an orphan kid who’s trying to live. There isn’t anything special about me, surely not special enough for people around me to act this crazed. 

I might be overreacting here, of course. Might as well be a coincidence, the message being left for someone else, not me. Truly, if I’m lucky, I’m not the main character in this drama-filled story. 

Slowly, I pry my eyes away from the ugly words and turn to face Constantine. “How long has it been since someone last checked this place? I don’t know what system you guys have for this, but I’d assume people come to check the expiry dates on food. Or, at least to see if everything’s still in its places.” 

“A week, I think,” Constantine grumbles, his eyes still glued to the wall. “Maybe less. The bears you met aren’t the only ones of the group we’ve formed. We have a few brothers who prefer freedom and solitude over traveling in groups. Those men check the supplies regularly. If anything were amiss, they’d let me know, so this stuff is pretty new.” 

“So, whoever left that message, they know we’re here?” I whisper the question, refusing the reality to sink in just yet. Again, the words could be aimed at anyone but us.

“Sort of? For now, all this shows is that whoever is behind the message knows that we use this spot,” Constantine grumbles and finally looks at me. “It doesn’t mean they know where we are now. Besides, I don’t see a clear indication the message was left for us specifically. It’s too soon to panic.”

“It also doesn’t mean they don’t know where we are either. This could be a bait or a trap, regardless of who’s supposed to be on the receiving end. Someone might be out there, surrounding us as we speak. I think it’s best we grab everything we need and get out of here.” I suggest. 

Constantine’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t argue back. Instead, he points at one of the boxes. “Be quick,” he mutters and walks to the row of boxes on the opposite side of the small room. “And stay alert. If you’re right and they’re still close, I want to hear them before they make their move. Our main goal is to grab the stuff, be as silent as ghosts and get the hell away from this area.” 

I do as he tells me, accept the backpack he hands me and start loading it with canned foods and military style meals. Once my bag is full, I step outside and let Constantine focus on grabbing the supplies he believes we still need. 

I hold my breath and listen in, finally, the forest sounds alive again. My heart picks up speed as my eyes scan the treeline and I see nothing. And yet, I still have this unsettling feeling that I’m being watched. Almost like there are a hundred pairs of eyes following my every move from a distance. 

And maybe there are eyes, watching me from the woods. A cold shiver runs down my spine at the thought, so I wrap my arms around myself to stay grounded. Panic will do no good in this situation.  

“Do you think they’re still here, somewhere around? I mean, even if they’re not watching us, they still must be close?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. 

Constantine steps right next to me, holding four loaded bags twice the size of the one he gave me. His eyes, the same as mine, zero in on the forest. “Probably. If we’re dealing with the hunters, there’s a massive chance they’re watching us from afar as we speak. Hunters like to play games, Ash, they never do things we could consider fair. There’s a chance they want to see how we react to their cryptic messages first, how hard we might push back against them.”

“Well, if all of this is just a game to catch a reaction, they’re doing a great job. I feel like I’m about to jump out of my skin.”

Constantine flashes me a sad smile, the expression on his face softens just a little bit. “That’s the point, Ash. They want you scared. If their targets are scared, it’s easier to manipulate them into thinking that they’re doing something to get away, while in reality, the victim is heading straight to the trap the hunters left for them.” 

I hate how logical Constantine sounds. There isn’t anything he says I could argue with. 

Suddenly, a twig snaps somewhere in the distance, and my head snaps toward the sound. Constantine moves in front of me in an instant, his massive frame blocking me like a shield.

“Stay close,” he growls, his voice low. Slowly, he starts walking towards the path we used to come here and I follow hot on his heels. 

Ideas flash through my mind - back in the Academy, I was pretty good in training, top of the class and all, but in a real life situation, possibly moving to war with real hunters, I feel like the biggest coward on this planet. I don’t want to be scared, but I can’t help it. There, I admit it, I’m scared. 

After a couple of minutes down the path, Constantine finally relaxes a little and glances at me over his shoulder. “Feels safe for now. Let’s go back before we run into more issues.”

The feeling of being watched stays with me even now. “They’ll come for us, right?” I can’t help but question him. 

He doesn’t answer right away, and when he does, his voice is quiet, barely above a whisper. “Not yet. We have supplies and weapons. Someone might be watching, but there’s a chance it’s only one hunter, that won’t be enough to take me down.”

“And what happens when we’re not prepared for an attack?”

“We fight to death.”