Mated to alpha triplets at all-boys school Chapter 71

Ashley pov

I hesitate as I stare up at Everett through the veil. He has a soft smile playing on his lips, one I haven’t seen ever before, especially from him.

Taking a moment to observe the man before me, I wonder if I have ever seen him this relaxed and at ease. Everett is, well, he’s Everett. The stuck-up kid who cares about nothing but every chance he gets to play hockey and goof around.

But now that I see him from a different angle, I see him in a new light. He comes across as a charming young man, who does have manners, to my utter surprise.

Gone is the boy who jokes around and doesn’t hide the fact that he’s a complete dick, and instead stands a man, sure of himself, sporting a smile that might melt even the coldest of hearts.

“Miss? Would you like a dance? I don’t mind a rejection if one is in the cards,” Everett breaks me out of my thoughts.

I glance around him and see Kaiden coming my way, so quickly weighing out my options, I decide that Everett is the best one and nod as I place my hand in his. “Yes,” I mutter as weakly as I can, doing my damndest to sound like a girl, not the Ash they know.

Everett guides me to the dance floor, gently places his free hand on the small of my back and pulls me closer against his body. “You’re supposed to place your hand on my shoulder or around my neck, whichever you prefer,” he says with an amused chuckle.

I feel the heat crawl up my neck and cheeks, and for once, I really applaud myself for the smart decision to grab the thick veil. If nothing else, at least he doesn’t see my embarrassment.

As he spins us around the dance floor and guides every of my steps, I feel the unease slowly slip away and at one point, find myself enjoying dancing with Everett.

Kaiden stands pretty far from us, but I can feel the intensity of his gaze even from afar. Because of that, I make a mental note to slip away as soon as I can, better while he’s distracted by someone else. Fingers crossed that works.

“So, are you enjoying the event?” Everett suddenly asks, a little tense.

I raise an eyebrow but don’t comment on the sudden shift in his demeanor, and instead, simply nod my head as gracefully as I can. I’m a lady after all.

“Seems like you feel just as out of place here as I do. My brothers do too, actually. We all rather get dirty and run around like wild dogs than attend social gatherings with a bunch of pompous pricks,” Everett whispers in my ear to avoid anyone overheating our conversation.

I can’t help but laugh at the remark and instantly agree with him. All this over the top show really isn’t something I enjoy. If one has money, they could put it at good use and help those less fortunate instead of showing off like this.

Once I get away from here completely sure I’m off Kaiden’s radar and safe, I will make sure to put the money my parents hid for me to good use too. I’ll figure out how to rebuild their pack and hopefully, manage to help as many people in the process as I can reach.

“Wow, you have a beautiful laugh,” Everett remarks, shattering the little fantasy I built inside my mind. “This has to be the first time I hear such soft and melodic laughter. Maybe that’s because I’ve been surrounded by Alpha assholes since I joined the Academy, but I believe that’s beyond the point, right?”

I try to avoid looking at him. Making eye contact with Everett might be the worst mistake I could make, especially now. His gentle hold around me, the compliments, easy conversation and those heart-melting smiles are making me weak in my knees. I don’t want to fall for someone who will reject me.

By the time the song comes to an end, I’m buzzing with excitement to leave this mess and get some well deserved rest. Not only do I need to leave Kaiden behind, but I really need to get away from Everett too.

However, just as I try to pull away to sneak off, Everett’s hold around me tightens and he waves Elias and Ethan over. “Wait, don’t go just yet, I want you to meet my brothers too. I’m sure you’ll find their company rather pleasant. Just like I mentioned, the same as me, they don’t appreciate this pompous bullshit and they’re pretty chill dudes.”

Cold sweat covers my entire body, if that’s possible. Escaping isn’t even possible since both Elias and Ethan are walking in our direction, wide smiles plastered on their lips, both holding glasses with some suspicious-looking liquid in them.

As soon as those two join us, Everett grabs my shoulders to spin me around and forces me to face them both. “These are my brothers, the grumpy looking fuck is Elias and the happy one is Ethan. My name’s Everett, sorry I didn’t mention it while we danced. And guys, this is my new lovely friend,” he trails off and leans closer to whisper, “sorry, what is your name?”

My heart beats a little faster and my hands pull into tight fists as I look for a possible exit while my mind tries to come up with a name. What was the name I told Kaiden? Shoot, why can’t I remember?

Panicked, I spit out the first one I can think of. “Samantha. It’s very nice to meet you.”

This name sounds close enough to what I told Kaiden. I think. Doesn’t matter. What scares me the most is that I can accidentally give out my secret and Elias’ presence isn’t helping me much either. He could catch on my act any second now.

“Too bad you missed our best friend Ash. He’s an awesome dude, but the little rat ran away somewhere again. He’s like that, avoiding crowds and all. He ain’t a party person,” Ethan announces, tossing his arm around Elias shoulders.

I notice by his body language that all of them seem to be a little tipsy, so at least that might work to my advantage for now.

While Elias grumbles something to Ethan, Everett finally releases me and clears his throat. “Hey, why don’t we all head to the lounge area and have a chat? We’re not creeps or planning something, promise, you just seem like a chill girl and I wouldn’t mind getting to know you better. I’m sure my brothers would love that too,” he offers.

Now is the real moment for me to start to panic. This isn’t something I or the triplets need. No getting to know each other better, no closeness, no nothing.

My eyes once again scan the room and I notice Kaiden standing with his back turned to me, busy discussing something with the men who surround him. This is my chance - it’s now or never. Also, I really need to get away from here before the spell is broken and my scent overwhelms everyone in attendance.

“I think it’s best I leave, my parents are very strict, I already overstayed my welcome,” I mutter, looking down at my feet to avoid noticing any disappointment on their faces.

All of them start coming up with reasons why I should stay and even manage to start arguing about which one is better, so I take the chance, quickly slip away from them and take off.