Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 241

Ashley pov

The camp has this weird, eerie sense to it as I walk back toward the fire. I stayed aside, sitting by the forest line after I asked Constantine for some privacy to have time with my thoughts. The crackle of the flames barely cuts through the silence, and a chill runs down my spine. Something feels wrong.

When I spot Greg pacing near the edge of the clearing, the feeling in my gut only sinks deeper. His shoulders are stiff, his fists clenched, and his eyes dart to the tree line every few seconds like he’s waiting for something, or someone.

“Greg!” I call out, catching his attention instantly.

He spins around, his eyes wide and frantic. “Ash. We’ve got a problem. Several, actually.”

I hurry closer, my heart pounding in my chest as I notice the state he’s in. The closer I get, the worse he looks. “What happened? Is it Constantine?”

Greg shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair. “Constantine left a while ago. It was a call from our brothers. But that’s not the only thing.”

I frown and hug myself, naively thinking it’ll make me feel any better. “What else?”

“Dominic. He’s gone too. Snuck off not long after Constantine left.” Greg’s voice breaks mid-sentence. I open my mouth and try to speak, but he beats me to it. “How am I supposed to explain his absence to Constantine now? I promised him I’d look after that slimy fucker. I hate the guy, but Constantine still harbors feelings for him, even after all this time after the rejection shit happened.” 

“What do you mean - gone? He’s barely able to walk, Greg! Why didn’t you stop him?”

Greg’s face turns from frantic to angry as he steps closer to me. “Do you think I didn’t try? The idiot vanished before I could stop him. And that’s not all.”

“What now?” I ask and toss my arms up. I don’t know how much of this I can take. 

Greg gestures toward a large tree near the edge of the camp. That’s when I see him - the rogue. He’s tied against the trunk, his arms pinned, and his face is twisted into a scowl.

“I saw him arrive earlier, Constantine agreed to take him in. What is he doing there?” I ask.

Greg lets out a growl of frustration. “Caught him snooping around the camp. He says he wasn’t up to anything, but I’m not buying it. I tied him up until Constantine gets back and decides what to do with him.”

The rogue snorts, looking at me like I’m a piece of garbage, which for the record, isn’t helping his case here. “I wasn’t snooping. I was just looking around. Not my fault you’re all so paranoid.”

“Quiet!” Greg snaps.

I look back at Greg and arch an eyebrow. “This is bad, Greg. If both Constantine and Dominic are gone-”

“I know,” he cuts me off. “That’s why I’m on edge. And it’s about to get worse.”

Before I can ask what he means, the sound of footsteps fills the air. I turn toward the noise, and my breath catches when I see them - the bears. They stumble into the clearing, battered and bloodied, their clothes torn and their faces pale. A wolf is with them, his eyes scan the camp warily as he helps one of the larger bears stay upright.

“Help them!” I say, rushing forward and nudging Greg to start moving.

Greg is right behind me, and together we guide them toward the fire. The bears collapse onto the ground, their breaths ragged, and I grab a blanket to drape over the largest ones shoulders. One of the first things I notice is that this isn’t the full group of bears I know from the mountain cabin.

“What happened?” I ask.

The wolf looks up, his face grim. “We escaped and Kaiden has gone mad.”

“What do you mean?”

He lets out a shaky breath and glances at others before he continues. “It started in the cells. That’s where I met Gio. We agreed to figure out how to escape and take the bears with us. Everything was going fine until we got close to the border.”

He takes a shaky breath and continues and Greg and I listen, holding our breaths. “Kaiden was waiting for us. And he wasn’t himself. There was magic around him. Dark magic. He attacked us, nearly tore us apart. If it weren’t for Gio, we’d all be dead.”

I feel a lump form in my throat. “What did Gio do?”

The wolf’s eyes soften like he’s thinking about a dear friend. “He stayed behind. Told us to run while he held off Kaiden. He gave us the chance to escape.”

Gio sacrificed himself to save them.

“He’s insane,” Greg mutters, shaking his head. “Kaiden’s completely lost it.”

Before I can respond, the sound of heavy footsteps echo through the clearing. I turn toward the noise, and my heart stops when I see Constantine carrying Gio. 

Gio’s body is limp, blood still stains his clothes. Constantine’s face is pale, his eyes dark, emotionless. He stops near the fire, lowering Gio gently to the ground. For a moment, no one speaks. 

“Is he?” I’m first to break the silence.

“He’ll live,” Constantine mutters. “If he wants to. Those were the witch’s words.”

“The witch?” Greg exclaims. “What witch?”

“The same witch who sold her magic to Kaiden,” Constantine replies, his tone sharp. “The one who helped him become whatever he is now.”

Greg snorts in disbelief. “Great. We lose one psycho, and now we’ve got another. Honestly, good riddance. We’re better off without Dominic anyway.”

The words hit me like an unexpected slap. I turn on Greg, my blood boils in anger. “Shut up, Greg! You don’t know what he’s been through. He’s done everything he can to help us, and you stand here throwing insults like a child?”

Greg looks taken aback, but he doesn’t respond. I turn back to Constantine and freeze when I see the tears streaming down his face. He’s trying to hide it, his jaw is clenched, but the pain in his eyes is unmistakable.

“Constantine,” I whisper, stepping closer.

He doesn’t look at me. His gaze is fixed on Gio, his hands tremble as he adjusts the blanket over the injured man. “Dominic’s gone,” he mutters, his voice breaking.

“What do you mean he’s gone?”

“I told him to follow me, but he didn’t. I noticed his absence too late. I wanted to help him, even told him the witch can help him, but he refused and now he’s gone. I lost him for good this time, he won’t come back.”

“We’ll find him,” I say as firmly as I can and place a hand on Constantine’s shoulder. “No matter what, we will find every one of our family members and bring them home. That’s what family is for, right?”