Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 236

Gio pov

The cell feels smaller today. I don’t know why, but something feels off, so much so that the walls are closing in on me. 

Even the guards have been on the edge all day, hurrying down the long halls in the cells, their voices hushed and frantic. I can tell they’re nervous about something, it’s just that I don’t know why. 

I sit on the cold ground, leaning against the wall, trying to piece it all together. This doesn’t make sense. The panic is nearly as high as during the ceremony, so the only thing I can imagine is another possible hunter attack. 

Kyle clears his throat to catch my attention. “You notice how jumpy they are today?”

“Yeah,” I mutter back. “Something’s happening. It has to be big.”

Kyle scoffs. “Probably just another one of Kaiden’s tantrums.”

I almost laugh at that. But only almost because his words hold a good amount of truth. Then, the heavy sound of boots echoes down the hallway, cutting through the silence. A guard appears at the bars of my cell, one I’ve seen plenty of times before.

Usually, he just smirks at me when he walks by, but tonight, his face is tight and his eyes dart around nervously, almost like he’s trying to find something. 

“Gio,” he whispers, stopping in front of my cell and gripping the bars.

I glance up and arch an eyebrow at him. “What?”

He hesitates and looks over his shoulder to make sure no one else is around. Then he leans in closer and whispers again. “The Council was here today. Emergency meeting. The king called them to deal with his son. I didn’t get the details yet, but everyone’s panicking, the prince has done something very bad.”

My stomach twists with horror and rage. Kaiden. Of course, that little prick always finds a way how to fuck everyone over for his own benefit.

“What happened?” I ask, hoping and praying there’s more to this guard’s words. Maybe he’s holding some information back.

“The meeting ended hours ago,” the guard says, his tone rushed. “But now the king is going crazy, raging at everyone in his way. Kaiden’s missing. No one knows where he is.”

I sit up straighter. “Kaiden’s missing? Again?”

The guard nods, glancing around again. “The whole pack’s in chaos. The king is losing it. He’s got everyone searching for his son, but no one has a clue where to start. Nobody has seen Kaiden for hours on end.”

Kyle snorts from the next cell. “Sounds like the perfect time for a rebellion, if you ask me.”

The guard’s eyes dart to Kyle, then back to me. His voice drops even lower. “It’s the perfect time for an escape.”

I stare at him, unsure if I heard him right. “Escape?” No, he has to be fucking with me here. There’s no way someone who has looked down on me for this long is suddenly offering me an easy way out. Impossible. 

But the guard nods, the look on his face serious. “Look, with everything going on, no one’s paying attention to the cells. If you’re going to get out, this is your best chance. No one will blame the guards with the king’s son missing and the pack in panic.”

My heart skips a beat. This could be it. The moment all of us have been waiting for. But I shake my head, already making the decision for all of us without asking them.  “Not without them.” I nod toward the bears’ cell down the hall, and then to Kyle beside me. “If I go, we all go.”

The guard frowns. “Gio, you know how risky that is. Getting you out already will be challenging, but you, a known traitor and a pack of bears? That’s harder to cover up.”

I stand, walk closer, grip the bars and meet his gaze with a glare as hateful as his. “I don’t care. I’m not leaving them behind. If I get to escape, so do my friends. It’s all or none. And before you start whining, I know why you want me out. You’re selfish like that, you know I could help you all if I’m not in the cells. I’m more good to the pack while residing outside the territory than I am locked in.”

For a moment, he doesn’t respond. I can see the hesitation in his eyes. Then, from somewhere upstairs, we hear a loud shout followed by a heavy thud. The guard glances toward the noise, then back at me, his jaw tight. “I’ll do what I can,” he mutters.

Before I can ask what he means, another voice calls out from the stairwell. “Hey! We need you up here!”

The guard curses under his breath, then fumbles with the ring of keys on his belt. His hands are shaking, and as he turns to leave, he “accidentally” drops the keys to the floor right in front of my cell.

“Oops, how did that happen?” He says flatly, not meeting my eyes. Then he hurries off, disappearing up the stairs.

I don’t waste a second and reach through the bars for the keys. “Kyle, help me!” I hiss.

Kyle pushes his hand through the bars too, his longer reach managing to snag the keyring. “Got it!”

He tosses it to me, and my hands move quickly, unlocking my cell door with a sharp click. I step out, unlock Kyle’s call and we run to the bears’ cell next. 

Ronan, the one who has taken charge of his brothers while imprisoned, nods at me as I fumble with the lock. “Took you long enough,” he grunts.

“Save it for later,” I mutter, finally getting the door open. “We don’t have much time.”

The bears step out, their movements silent despite their impressive size. Ronan claps a heavy hand on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. “What’s the plan?”

“We go through the south corridor,” I say, glancing down the hall. “There’s a servant’s exit near the kitchens. If we’re quiet, we can make it out before anyone notices. Using the chaos in the pack, we can slip away.”

“And if they notice?” One of the other bears growls.

“Then we fight and still get out.”

Kyle stretches his arms up next to me. “Sounds fun. Let’s get moving before they figure out those keys are missing.”

We stay close to the darkest parts of the building as we make our way down the hall. The shouts and footsteps from above grow louder, but no one comes down to the cells. When we reach the servant’s corridor, my heart is nearly leaping up my throat. If we’re caught here, it’s over. But the corridor is empty, and the small door at the end is unlocked.

“Go,” I whisper, motioning for the others to move ahead.

Ronan hesitates, his dark eyes meeting mine. “Are you sure about this?”

I nod. “Go. I’ll catch up.”

He doesn’t argue, leading the others through the door and into the night. I glance back one last time, the faint sound of chaos still echoes through the building. Funny, but this is my goodbye. 

With the last nod, I promise this place I am no longer a part of it and then, I slip out behind the bears and my newfound friend. Finally, we’re out. 

And as we head into the woods, sneaking away like true criminals, I can’t suppress the happiness just the same as I can’t drop the fear that is deeply rooted in my heart. We might have escaped, but the war is nowhere over. This is but the beginning.