Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 36

Ashley pov

Everett keeps his distance as he walks me back to school. Inside, in the grand hall, all of the students have gathered, most of them lining up as if expecting something to happen.

I briefly recall the mention of an important guest, but drop the possibility of overthinking it. The less I know the better - that’s how it’s always been.

Before my eyes can find him, Anno approaches me and throws his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. My ears must be tricking me because I’m pretty sure I hear Everett growl before he storms away, but I pay no mind to it.

“Are you okay? God, are you okay, Ash? I saw what happened, saw the panic in your eyes and feared you might run away for good. I’m so glad to see you back,” Anno whispers as his hold around me tightens.

I don’t pay attention to people who surround us as I wrap my arms around Anno’s waist and let him hold me for a little longer. “I’m okay, I panicked, sorry. I didn’t mean a word I said earlier, please forgive me.”

Tears well up in my eyes, which is yet another thing I find hard to fight. All I want is to break down and cry out my misery and fear while my best friend holds me.

Ever the aware man Anno is, he loosens his hold on me and whispers, “not here. Later, you can stay the night at mine, we will talk and cry together. Not here, Ash. Don’t let them see you break. Although strangers, we both know those dudes are like pariahs, they’re waiting for any sign of weakness to use it against you. For now, let’s focus on this stupid surprise visit and deal with everything else later, yes?”

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nod and let go of Anno, dropping my arms to my sides. As soon as he steps aside, I can feel the triplets glare on me, but just like everything else - I manage to ignore that too.

I’m walking on thin ice here. With every day that passes, I fear there’s something new happening in their minds, that they feel something is off with me or the pull starts to develop. That’s the last thing I need now - to be discovered as their mate.

One thing many don’t know about Alphas and their mates is that unless the mate in question gets rejected by the Alpha, she’s pretty much doomed.

The moment an Alpha has his eyes on a mate or potential partner - they lay their claim on the poor soul. Then, comes the mark and you can consider your life pretty much done for good. There’s no way to escape a man like that, no way to build a future as you wish to see it, no way to run around and pretend you’re genuinely happy.

As my mind drifts to places it should avoid, Anno nudges my shoulder. “I think it’s best we take the position. The Professor said something about important guests, but if you don’t mind, it would be cool if we could take a place at the back of the grand hall. I really don’t want to have any attention on you, especially now.”

Once again, I nod and follow Anno’s lead. I have no idea what I did to deserve a friend like him, but the Goddess can be my witness - I do appreciate him more than anyone.

While we walk through the crowds, past the masses of people, some of them at the front of the hall start whispering and shuffling around. Clearly, they’re not discussing my sudden emotional breakdown, so I assume they are discussing the guest.

By the time Anno stops and declares that we have found our spot, I feel like my heart has stopped beating in my chest and my legs are frozen. Anno looks concerned, even whispers something about me being pale while I feel like the blood in my veins has frozen up.

“I could recognize that scent anywhere I go,” I manage to choke out the words.

My eyes don’t leave my best friend as the realization slowly washes over him. “Oh no,” he mutters, eyes widening in panic, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

“Oh, yes,” I respond and wrap my arms around myself, as if that could help me soothe the pain and take away my misery. My eyes start frantically darting over the massive room, seeking out the source of my fear.

And there he is.. Standing at the door, bigger than ever, his presence so powerful, it overwhelms the entire room and silences every voice that was whispering just moments ago.

“Students,” one of the Professors speaks up. “It is my great honor to introduce the future Alpha king, current Alpha prince Kaiden, as our surprise guest. He has arrived to learn more about the Academy and our special program, possibly to scout some of you lucky ones to join his army after you graduate from school. Isn’t this exciting, everyone?”

I feel like I’m about to vomit. Everything within me is screaming for me to run away from here, to hide somewhere he can’t reach me, but my body refuses to move. Sam, ever the traitor, lets out a loud whimper that keeps on echoing in my mind.

How she still wants to be close to him is beyond me. After what he did to us?And moreover, didn’t she say we were blessed with second chance mates and now she’s tossing the statement to the dirt because of someone who hurt and humiliated us like that?

“Thank you for the warm welcome, it is my honor to visit this school. Hopefully the students here are just as excited to meet me as I am to meet all of them,” Kaiden’s voice rings out like a knife to my heart. With every word he utters, the knife is pushed deeper and twisted a little more.

I don’t notice how I start hyperventilating until Anno stands in front of me to hide me away from Kaiden’s eyes and waves someone over. I’m so stupidly overwhelmed and scared that my knees give out from under me and the next moment, the room around me disappears.

I hope this is the end of my story. I give up..