Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 246

Ethan pov

I’m standing on the edge of the cliff, arms spread wide like a goddamn king of the world. Below me, the ocean crashes against rocks, roaring up at me like it knows who’s the boss. Spoiler alert: It’s me.

The breeze whips through my hair, and I glance down at my reflection in the water far below. Damn, I look good - better than usual, which is saying something. Shirtless, muscles flexed just right, jawline sharp enough to cut glass. It’s a crime, really.

Behind me, there’s cheering. I turn and see the crowd going nuts, their fists pumping in the air, chanting my name. “Ethan! Ethan! Ethan!”

I grin. Of course, they’re cheering for me. I just scored the winning goal in… Wait. Was it hockey? Basketball? Hell, maybe I just saved the world from an alien invasion. I don’t remember. All I know is I’m amazing, and they love me for it.

“Thank you, thank you,” I say, bowing. “No need to chant - I mean, keep going, but like, louder.”

I bask in their adoration for a moment longer before something catches my eye. The crowd parts like a sea of nobodies, and there she is. Ash.

She’s wearing this flowy sundress that moves in the breeze, her hair a wild mess that somehow looks perfect. She’s smiling, no, beaming, at me, and holy hell, my chest tightens like I just got punched by the Hulk.

“Ethan,” she calls, her voice softer than the chaos around us but somehow cutting through it all.

It’s weird. She’s never looked at me like this before. Like I’m not just some cocky idiot who makes stupid jokes but someone important. Someone she’s happy to see.

I jog toward her, grinning like I’ve just won the lottery. “Ash, you came to see the hero of the hour. Let me guess, you couldn’t resist?”

She rolls her eyes but laughs, and it’s the sweetest damn sound I’ve ever heard. “Something like that,” she says, her cheeks turning pink.

Pink. She’s blushing. Over me. I mean, who wouldn’t? But still, it’s enough to make my ego inflate to galaxy-sized proportions. Two galaxies, even, perhaps?

“You look like you’ve been waiting for me,” I say, because apparently, I can’t shut up even in my own dreams. I know this bullshit is a dream, there’s no other way to explain the movie trailer worthy setup and the sudden appearance of my too-good-to-be-true crush.

“I have,” she says simply, and suddenly I can’t feel the ground beneath my feet.

I blink at her, my cocky smirk falters for a second. “For me?”

She nods, stepping closer, her eyes never leaving mine. “You, Ethan.”

Okay, this is getting serious. My heart is pounding like crazy, my chest tightening with something I don’t have a name for. She’s so close now, and for the first time in my life, I don’t have some stupid, over-the-top joke lined up. I’m fucked. Royally.

With a heavy sigh, I reach out, my fingers brush against hers, and the second we touch, it’s like fireworks exploding inside me. Not the small backyard kind, either - the massive, Fourth of July, light-up-the-sky kind. The fireworks from songs and movies and I don’t know, freaking music videos or whatever.

Her hand is soft and warm in mine, and I swear, it feels like I’ve been searching for this moment my whole life without even realizing it. But, because the universe hates me, the moment doesn’t last.

The air shifts and I sense someone else nearby. I turn my head, and there they are. Elias and Everett. Standing at the edge of the crowd, looking as confused as I feel. Fuck me.

“What the hell are you two doing here?” I ask, my voice sharper than I mean it to be.

Neither of them answer. They just start walking toward us, their eyes locked on Ash like she’s the last slice of pizza at a party and they’re starving. I glance back at Ash, expecting her to tell them to piss off, but she’s looking at them too, her expression soft and welcoming. No, this is bullshit. This is my dream, my victory, my prize and my girl. Those two big heads are ruining this for me.

“What’s going on?” I ask her. My chest tightens with something that feels suspiciously like jealousy.

“They’re supposed to be here,” Ash says, her voice calm, like this all makes perfect sense.

“Supposed to be here?” I echo, my voice rising. “What does that even mean? Ash, this is my dream. They don’t belong here! My fantasy, not theirs!”

She just smiles at me, that soft, patient smile that makes me want to both melt and scream at the same time. Elias reaches us first, his brows furrowed like he’s trying to solve a math problem without a calculator. “Ethan, what’s going on?” He asks.

“Hell if I know!” I snap, throwing my hands in the air. “I was having a great time being the center of attention, and then you two show up and ruin it!”

Everett steps up next, crossing his arms and glancing between me and Ash. “Why do I feel… weird?”

“Weird? Try unwanted,” I mutter under my breath, but no one laughs.

Ash looks at all three of us now. “It’s because you’re all connected,” she says simply.

“Connected?” I repeat, because apparently, I’ve forgotten how to form original thoughts.

She nods, her eyes softening as they land on me. “You’ll understand, Ethan. You all will.”

Before I can demand an actual explanation, the world around us starts to blur. The crowd fades, the ocean disappears, and suddenly I’m falling, spinning, lost in a swirl of color and light. I wake up with a jolt, my chest heaving like I just attempted to run a marathon. My bed feels too small, my room too quiet, and my brain? Total chaos.

“What the actual fuck was that?” I mutter, dragging a hand through my hair.

My heart is still racing, and I swear I can feel her touch lingering on my skin. Ash. She was there. With me. With us. I groan, flopping back onto my pillow and staring at the ceiling. Why the hell were my brothers in my dream? Why did it feel like she was mine, and theirs?

“This is insane,” I mutter, throwing an arm over my eyes. “No way this means anything. It’s just a dream. A totally messed-up, confusing-as-hell dream.”

But it felt real. Too real. And no matter how much I try to brush it off, I can’t shake the feeling that it actually means something. Something I’m definitely not ready for.