Fated to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 13: We Want Our Mate

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Chapter 13

~Jade’s POV~

For a long moment after the words left their mouths, no one moved. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The hallway felt frozen, as if time itself had stalled under the weight of the Alpha Triplets’ fury.

Students stood rooted to the spot, some with hands half-raised to their mouths, others staring openly, fear and awe tangled in their expressions. Even the air felt heavier, thick with the pressure of three unleashed Alpha auras.

My heart was still racing, each beat loud in my ears. I could still feel Troy’s grip on my arm long after the issue, and the sting where my back had hit the wall, the leftover tremor in my hands.

All the while, Javelin stayed close in my mind.

Troy, on the other hand, lay on the floor, coughing and groaning, his earlier arrogance completely stripped away. His eyes darted around wildly until they landed on the Triplets, then back to me and then to them. The colour drained from his face

"Mate?" someone whispered nearby, disbelief clear in their voice.

Another gasp followed. "Did they just say mate?"

The murmurs spread quickly, rippling through the gathered crowd like wildfire.

Xavier, standing closest to me, shifted slightly, placing himself between Troy and me without even looking back. It was instinctive and protective.

That simple action sent a strange wave of emotion through my chest... safety, shock and confusion.

"You," Xade voiced coldly, his gaze fixed on Troy. "You were warned."

"I—I didn’t know," Troy stammered, scrambling backwards on his hands. "She never said..."

"That doesn’t matter," Xander cut in at a low and dangerous voice. "You touched her."

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees.

A few lecturers finally pushed through the crowd, their faces pale as they took in the scene. Professor Halden stopped short when he saw who stood at the centre of it all.

"The Alpha Trip..." He heaved a deep sigh, cleared his throat, and took another step forward to announce his presence.

"My Alphas," he greeted carefully, bowing his head. "What happened here?"

Xade spoke without breaking eye contact with Troy. "He assaulted our mate."

The word hit me again, just as hard as the first time.

Our mate.

A stunned silence followed.

Professor Halden’s eyes flicked to me, then back to Troy. His jaw tightened. "Is that true?"

Troy opened his mouth, then closed it again when three sets of glowing eyes snapped toward him. His shoulders slumped. "I... I was just talking to her."

I let out a shaky breath, surprised when my voice didn’t fail me. "He grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. Then he tried to force a kiss on me..."

That was all it took. Xavier’s aura rose when I mentioned the last three words.

Immediately, two warriors appeared almost instantly, summoned by the overwhelming Alpha presence. They hauled Troy to his feet, ignoring his protests.

"Take him to the disciplinary hall," Professor Halden ordered grimly. "Notify the lecturers’ council. This will be handled immediately."

Troy’s eyes met mine as he was dragged away. There was fear there now. Real fear. And something else—regret, maybe, or the realization that the power he once held over me was gone.

I didn’t feel victorious. I just felt tired.

The hallway did not immediately return to normal after Troy was dragged away.

If anything, the tension lingered, clinging to the walls and the people who remained. I could feel eyes on me from every direction, some curious, others fearful, and a few openly speculative. Whispers followed my steps as if they had grown legs of their own.

I did not like it.

"That’s Jade?"

"So she’s the mate of the hot lecturers?"

"No wonder Troy got wrecked."

"Bummer! I had the hots for the blond Professor."

"Hush, they’ll hear you."

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly very aware of every stare, every word. The Triplets turned to me then, their expressions softening just a fraction.

"Are you hurt?" one asked quietly.

I shook my head, though my body still trembled. "I’ll be fine."

They exchanged a glance, as if communicating through the mindlink. I tried to ignore it even though curiosity got the best of me.

Suddenly, one of the Triplets stepped closer, lowering his voice. "We should talk."

I hesitated, looking up at Xavier’s eyes, then nodded. "Okay."

Not so much to my surprise, they didn’t take me to my classroom.

Instead, we turned down a quieter corridor, away from the main flow of students.

Walking through the halls with three Alphas flanking me was surreal. Students pressed themselves against the walls to give us space. Some bowed their heads respectfully. Others stared openly, curiosity blazing in their eyes.

I could feel it then—the shift.

The way people looked at me had changed. I ignored the thoughts and focused ahead.

When we stopped in front of a door marked Guidance and Counselling Office, I realized whose space it truly was.

Xade’s.

He jiggled the keys in his hand before opening the door. Only to stop and then glance at me... or wait. Behind me.

I, too, half turned to see why he had stopped, only for my eyes to land on Isadora.

"Isa," I said softly, turning to Isadora. "I’ll see you later."

She searched my face, worry clear in her eyes, then nodded all the while sneaking glances at my mates. "Be okay."

"I will."

She walked away reluctantly, and the door closed behind us as we entered.

The room was simple, warm-toned, designed to soothe rather than intimidate. Truly benefitting of a guidance counsellor.

I remained standing near the door while the Triplets positioned themselves a few steps away, not crowding me, not boxing me in.

That alone surprised me.

"We wanted to make sure you’re safe," Xander said first, his tone calm. "What happened earlier should never have happened."

"And it won’t happen again," Xade added quickly. "Not to you."

I folded my arms, my emotions tangled and sharp beneath my skin. As much as I was grateful for them showing up for me, I still did not want crumbs from them or their jealousy because the matebond reacted.

"Is... is that why you did it?"

All three of them paused.

"Did what?" Xander asked rather carefully.

I lifted my chin, meeting their gazes one by one. "Why did you claim me?"

The silence stretched for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality it was barely a minute.

"I’m asking again," I continued, my voice steady even though my chest felt tight. "In the past, you didn’t want me as your mate. You made that very clear. Yet today, in front of the entire school, you claimed me."

Xavier’s jaw tightened, his gaze shifting away for the briefest moment.

Xade opened his mouth first. "We—well, it wasn’t exactly..." He frowned, clearly struggling. "You were in danger, and it just... happened. I mean, we couldn’t just stand there and—"

"That doesn’t answer my question," I cut in.

He closed his mouth and ran his fingers through his black, shoulder-length hair, leaving it in a messy state.

Javelin whistled at the sight, and I had to force my eyes away.

Xander exhaled slowly, equally running a hand through his black hair, which was slightly longer than Xade’s. "Jade," he called softly, "we were wrong."

I said nothing.

He continued, "We thought you were weak. We thought you wouldn’t survive the weight that comes with being our mate. And because of that, we pushed you away."

His eyes held mine, unflinching. "I’m sorry. All of us are."

I didn’t move, nor did his words move me. I just couldn’t trust the change in attitude. "What do you want from me now?"

The question hung between us. Xavier, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. "We want our mate," he said simply.

There was no force in his tone, no demand, just truth.

"It took us longer than it should have," he went on, "but we know better now. The only thing we haven’t figured out yet is how three Alphas are supposed to share one mate."

The words hit harder than I expected.

I let out a slow breath, some of the anger draining from my chest. Even I hadn’t talked about it with my wolf. Neither have I heard of anyone having more than one mate at the same time.

"I thought we’d talk about this when I arrived at the palace," I said quietly. "Before everything else exploded that night after I saw the king."

All three of them stiffened.

"That night," I added, "when I mentioned not intending to send the video to you, but to someone else... I didn’t mean to provoke you."

Shame crossed their faces almost in unison.

Xade cleared his throat, suddenly fascinated by the floor. Xander looked away. Xavier nodded once, sharp and restrained.

And even though they were way taller than me, right now, they looked like three kids getting scolded.

"That was on us," Xavier said. "You don’t need to worry about Troy. He’ll be dealt with."

Before I could respond, the first bell rang out loud.

I glanced at the door. "I need to get to class."

Xander stepped aside immediately. "Of course."

I paused, then looked back at them. "I’m guessing we’ll talk again?"

Xavier inclined his head. "Whenever you’re ready."

I left the office, my emotions unsettled but strangely lighter. And just like that, it became official.

As soon as I stepped out of the office, stares and whispers began.

"There she is. She’s the one the Alpha Triplets claimed," a student pointed in my direction.

"In public?" another asked.

"Yeah. Damn, she’s protected now."

Javelin scoffed internally as I clutched my bag strap tighter, but when I turned the corner, I collided with something solid and staggered back.

I barely had time to brace myself against the wall when an ear-splitting scream ripped through the hallway.

"You!"