Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 262

Constantine pov

The forest gives way to a clearing, and there it is - the hunters’ camp. My chest tightens as I crouch behind a thick patch of bushes, taking in the scene. Tents and makeshift shelters sprawl across the area, surrounded by a high wooden fence. Smoke curls lazily from a few fires, and the sound of voices drifts through the air, some laughing, others barking orders.

There are a few metal buildings in the distance, which gives out just how long the camp has been located here. Surprising, really, given the hunters habit to move from place to place all of the time. They never stay in one spot for too long. 

But what shocks me most is where it’s located. The king’s land. How can this be? The hunters have set up camp right under the nose of the ruler, in his territory. Either the king is blind to it, or, no, I can’t even consider the alternative.

Knox stirs in my mind, restless. ~This is wrong, Constantine. This is all wrong.~

“I know,” I mutter under my breath, scanning the camp for any sign of Dominic.

~No, you don’t know,~ Knox growls. ~They have him. They’re most likely hurting him. Our mate needs us, and we’re sitting here hiding like cowards.~

I clench my jaw. “He’s not our mate anymore. We’ve been over this.”

~Don’t lie to me, Constantine. You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can’t fool me.~

I take a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “Dominic rejected us, Knox. And I accepted it. The bond is gone.”

~You accepted it,~ Knox says, his tone sharp and accusing. ~But I didn’t. I never let go of him. The bond is still there, even if it’s weak. You feel it, don’t you? That pull?~

I hate that most likely he is right. Ever since I picked up Dominic’s scent again, this time with fresh blood, I’ve felt it - the faint, aching tug in my chest. It’s not as strong as it used to be, but it’s there, like a ghost of what we once had.

“It doesn’t matter,” I say, shaking my head as if he’s standing here with me, watching my every movement. “Even if the bond is still there, it’s broken. He made his choice, and it wasn’t us.”

Knox growls low in my mind. ~He’s our mate, Constantine. He’s always been our mate and always will be. Rejection doesn’t change that. It doesn’t erase what we are to each other.~

“Then why did he leave?” I snap, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why did he go back to them? Why not stay with us and let us take care of him then? What did I ever do to drive him so far away from me that he’d actually consider running away like that?”

~Because he’s hurting,~ Knox says, softer now. ~And instead of fighting for him, you let him go. You gave up. You didn’t even notice the look on his face when you tried to help Gio. I get it, I truly do, we owe Gio our brother’s lives, but Dominic, he looked shattered. Completely heartbroken.~

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. “I didn’t give up,” I say, though it sounds weak even to my own ears.

~You did,~ Knox insists. ~And now he’s paying the price for it. But it’s not too late. We can still save him, we can still take him home and never let go. If you don’t agree with me, I don’t give a shit, Constantine, I’m taking the control of your body and sinking my teeth in his flesh if that means I get to keep him.~

I stare at the camp, my fists clenched. “And what do we do now then? Storm in there and fight off an entire camp of hunters by ourselves? You know how reckless that is.”

~I know how reckless it is to sit here and do nothing while our mate probably suffers,~ Knox fires back.

I rub a hand over my face, torn. Part of me wants to listen to Knox, to charge into the camp and tear it apart until I find Dominic. But another part of me knows how dangerous that would be, not just for me, but for him too.

“Let me think,” I mutter, my voice strained.

Knox doesn’t respond, but I can feel his frustration simmering beneath the surface. As I watch the camp, movement catches my eye. My heart leaps for a moment, thinking it might be Dominic, but what I see stops me cold.

A man walks through the camp, his head held high, a confident smirk on his face. He’s surrounded by hunters, and they’re laughing, clapping him on the back like he’s one of their own. It’s the prince. Kaiden.

I blink, my mind is racing million miles per hour. What the hell is he doing here? Why is the prince of the royal pack mingling with hunters like they’re old friends? Kaiden throws his head back, laughing at something one of the hunters says. He’s completely at ease, like he belongs here.

Knox growls in my mind, his fury echoing my own. ~What is this? Why is he with them? Why is the goddamn prince betraying his species by mingling with the very men who hunt them to death?~

“I don’t know,” I whisper, my stomach twisting with an odd sense of unease.

The hunters lead Kaiden toward the largest tent in the camp, still laughing and talking as they go. He doesn’t look like a prisoner. He looks like an ally.

“What the hell is going on?” I mutter to myself.

Knox is silent for a moment, then says, ~This isn’t just about Dominic anymore. Something bigger is happening here, Constantine. And we’re right in the middle of it.~

I nod, my eyes never leaving Kaiden as he disappears into the tent. Whatever this is, it’s more than I bargained for. One thing is crystal clear - I can’t walk away. Not now, not when Dominic needs me. And even more because that man over there, the fucking traitor, is the very mate who rejected Ash. I have a sinking feeling he’s here because of her and unless we figure something out, Ash is going to suffer the consequences.