Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 61

Ashley pov

I slap my hand over his to stop Elias from pulling my pants even lower. For a second, the word around me stops. Elias’ words are stuck in my mind, echoing so loud, like a drum, intent on giving me a headache of a lifetime - death or life situation.

At this point, I have to ask myself if I want to survive this adventure, if I’m willing to keep on pushing and fighting against all odds. Do I want that?

While I’m not sure, mainly because of how things are these days, one thing is something I can’t overlook - there still are awful people out there who are waiting for me to give up. No, I want to prove them wrong.

“O-okay,” I mutter, my voice shaky and full of fear.

I know Elias can hear it too since he furrows his brows and looks at me with something like concern flashing in his eyes. He knows it’s not the injury that scares me, so I’m sure he has caught on the drift already.

This is it. There is no turning back. I’m pretty sure he already figured out there’s a massive secret I’ve been hiding from everyone, if that initial gasp is anything I can use as a hint.

“Okay,” he breathes the word and slowly starts pulling down my pants to expose the injury.

In actuality, I feel like it’s not the wound he’s exposing but the whole being of me - he’s not stripping me of the pants, but of the secrets I’ve been carrying and holding hidden for so long.. I fear I might have a mental breakdown after the experience here.

Once the pants are off, I squeeze my eyes shut and hold my breath, waiting for the blow-up to happen. Surely, it is about to happen. There’s no other way to react to stuff like this other than anger, insane anger.

“Well,” he drags the word, sounding like he’s choking on it. “Unexpected, I suppose, is all I can say,” Elias adds.

Since I refuse to open my eyes, I can’t really watch his reaction, but the first words don’t sound anywhere near the ‘I want to murder you’ territory I expected at first.

If I have to guess, I would claim Elias is too stunned by this revelation to speak. So much so that even the look on his face is too puzzled for me to read his emotions.

Me, on the other hand, I’m shocked that I’m allowing him in. And embarrassed, Goddess, I’m so embarrassed, my cheeks flame up so hot, I can feel it at the tips of my ears.

Sucking in a deep breath, I brace myself for an explanation of a lifetime. If I don’t tell him why I’m hiding my identity, the mess might become even worse.

“I know this is a lot,” I start. “But I have a reason. Many reasons. No, a whole lot of reasons. Far too many to explain,” I start blabbering, my heart beating in my chest so viciously, the pondering nearly deafens me.

I try to think of better words to express the reasons behind my choices, but I can’t find any smooth enough to make the situation at least a little better. There’s no out for me unless he asks the right questions.

“Why are you doing this?” Elias finally asks, his gaze meeting mine, so intense, I feel like he’s staring straight into my soul.

My mood instantly sours. I feel like I’m in a rather strange, yet insanely dangerous situation - like a wild animal, trapped inside a house I have no recollection of entering.

“I have a lot of reasons, I promise. And all of them are valid. This isn’t something I’m doing to mess around or have fun. Seriously, Elias, you have to believe me. I know you don’t like me that much, it’s not a secret and you haven’t exactly been low-key about expressing your hatred towards me, but please, just this once, believe me I’m not doing anything for the wrong reasons. I swear I’m not,” I speak so fast, I run out of breath and am forced to stop talking to suck in a breath.

While I do, Elias freezes for a moment and shakes his head once he gets back to his senses. A small, almost weak, sigh leaves him as Elias focuses back on the injury he’s supposed to inspect. “We’ll talk about it later,” he says with such finality, I don’t dare to talk back. “Right now, we need to take care of your wound,” his tone softens, as if he is trying to ease the awkwardness and tension with his words alone.

My eyes follow Elias’ movements as he pulls a long piece of fabric out of his bag. First, he wraps that around my leg and tightens it, muttering something under his breath while I catch on only a few words, “I need to tighten this to ensure the bleeding will stop.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get hurt like this. Especially badly enough to put the whole mission in danger. I don’t want you to fail this because of me,” I whisper, feeling ashamed of the situation.

“You didn’t do this on purpose,” Elias whispers and glances at me long enough to flash me a weak, yet reassuring smile before he focuses back on my wound. “There’s really nothing to apologize for. Focus on breathing and calm down, if your blood pressure rises any more, we might be in trouble. Don’t want you to bleed to death.”

All I do is nod and let the silence wash over us again. Funny, perhaps it’s because of my delirious state, but I seriously feel like we’re silently exchanging our emotions here.

My eyes don’t leave him while Elias carefully deals with my wound. Occasionally, his fingers brush my skin for a second longer and I can’t help but wonder if Elias would be a good mate. Would his touch be gentle and comforting, or would his hands feel rough and demanding?

The thoughts that suck me out of reality are something I shouldn’t have, yet I can’t help myself and indulge in the fantasy just a little.

Only when Elias breaks the silence do I realize we’re still here, stuck in this mess together. He has finished taking care of me and now, he’s just looking up at me, so much hope and desperation in his eyes, I fear what he might say next.

“So,” he starts and clears his throat. “Is there anything else I should know? More secrets you’re hiding?” The tone he uses is still gentle, but there’s a serious edge to his voice.

I sit silent, captivated by the intensity of his gaze, trapped in my own mind, which is at war with itself. Should I tell him or not? What good would it do if Elias found out about who we are supposed to be to each other, if he doesn’t feel it himself?

No, it’s best if I keep this one all to myself. I don’t know if I’ll ever admit the whole truth, but one thing is for sure - another rejection is something my heart won’t survive.

Slowly, I shake my head and keep looking into those hopeful eyes as I hit the last nail in the coffin of my lies. “No. There’s no more secrets.”