Fated to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 18: A Match Against Me

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Chapter 18

~Jade’s POV~

My pulse skipped. Even though I partly expected him here, I wasn’t prepared for this.

Xander stood at the front of the hall, tall and broad-shouldered, his fitted black armless shirt clinging to a chest that was all solid muscle.

Faint ridges of abs showed when he moved. He was sinfully handsome. I caught several girls ogling him, and irritation curled in my chest.

"Mine," Javelin whistled low in my head, much to my surprise. "Well, would you look at that?"

Heat crawled up my neck.

"Careful," she added, amused. "You’re staring like you plan to bite anyone who looks too long."

"I am not jealous," I muttered.

Javelin laughed softly. "You are. And it suits you."

I silenced her voice and focused on something else.

"Listen up," Xander addressed. "For today’s advanced combat class, you are all going to pair up. We’ll be running controlled sparring drills."

Almost immediately, Adrian and Silver drifted toward me.

"I’ll train with you," Adrian offered, smiling.

Silver nodded. "Same."

"I..." Both guys offered me their hands, waiting patiently for me to accept. I looked to the side for Isadora’s help, only to find he ralready paired with a weak-looking nerd guy, Jason.

She winked at me, then smiled as she faced her partner. I knew she wasn’t sorry. She was putting me in the spotlight.

I tried to pick someone else, but everyone already had pairs, save for three of us.

"Juicy," Javelin commented. "I wonder how your mate is going to take this."

Adrian and Silver’s proximity tightened something sharp in the air. "Decide," Xander said, eyes flicking toward us.

Before either could respond, he exhaled slowly. "Actually, Jade. You’re with me." Both boys stiffened. Xander’s gaze didn’t waver. "The rest of you, pair up."

I swallowed and stepped forward, not sure if Xander was making the best decision.

His gaze drifted over me, taking in my appearance—leggings, sneakers, and a black sports bra with a loose shirt on top—with a little more interest than necessary.

We took our positions on the mat.

"Relax," he murmured as we faced each other. "I won’t break you."

"I’m not worried," I replied, lifting my guard.

His mouth twitched. "Good. Because you should be." He turned his attention to everyone and called out, "On the count of three, start. The first person to touch the ground loses. One, two... three! Begin!"

Saying that, we moved. Xander was fast and precise. Every strike was measured. I blocked, countered, and tried to adapt.

Each near miss sent awareness buzzing through my limbs. Every time his hand brushed my wrist or his body passed too close, my breath caught.

"You hesitate," he said quietly, circling me.

"You talk too much," I shot back.

He laughed under his breath and lunged. I barely dodged, spinning and sweeping his leg. He recovered smoothly, jumping just in time to evade my attack.

"Better. Again."

Xander advanced before I could fully reset my stance. I pivoted left, blocked his strike, and countered with a sharp jab toward his ribs.

One thing none of them knew, I wasn’t a total lost cause when it came to training. One of my mum’s ex-boyfriends was a Gamma to one of the werewolf packs. He taught me everything I knew about defending myself.

I was fifteen at the time and thought I’d finally get a dad. Sadly, a year later, he was betrothed to another lady for a political alliance of their packs.

Xander caught my wrist firmly mid-motion, and before I could wrench free, he twisted and pulled me backwards.

My body slammed lightly against his chest.

A startled breath left me as his other arm came around my waist, steadying me far too intimately for a sparring match. For a split second, neither of us moved. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

I whipped my head up, my eyes locking with his. His gaze darkened.

"You still haven’t answered my question," he murmured, his voice low enough that only I could hear.

"I didn’t know you asked one," I countered, my chest heaving deeply.

"Cunny," he smirked before turning serious. "What did you do to Xavier yesterday?"

My pulse thundered in my ears. "We’re supposed to be training," I whispered, trying to ignore how close he was. How warm he felt, and how my body was beginning to crave that closeness.

Xander leaned in, inhaling slowly as his nose brushed my temple. The contact sent an unwelcome and traitorous shiver down my spine.

"You smell like the palace," he said quietly. "Like that night."

Heat rushed to my face as I recalled the bathroom scene back at the palace and how I had challenged him when our faces and bodies were very close. My breath was hitching just like it is now.

"You’re distracting me on purpose," I accused, attempting to shove him back.

His grip loosened deliberately. "Good. You’re easier to read when you’re flustered."

I lunged at him in irritation, catching him off guard long enough to force him back two steps. He recovered instantly, and before my brain could figure out his next move, he swept my legs.

I hit the mat hard, my back jerking in response. My legs moved on instinct, and my heels struck out, hitting the back of his knee.

Not expecting my counterattack, Xander’s knees gave way, and he went down with me.

The impact knocked the air from my lungs as his weight pressed me into the mat. Xander’s hands braced beside my shoulders as his face hovered barely an inch from mine.

The training room went silent, and all eyes darted in our direction.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat when Xander’s breath fanned my lips. My heart hammered violently against my ribs.

For one suspended moment, it felt exactly like the palace bathroom all over again. And neither of us moved.

A few long seconds passed before someone from the crowd finally spoke. "Who won?"

"Professor won, obviously," a student scoffed.

"I wouldn’t say that," another countered quickly and nicely. "If it were in Professor Xavier’s class, he’d have scored her the winner. Her strategy was good."

I glanced up but could barely make out who spoke. My gaze flickered back to Xander’s, and a rather smug smile spread across my lips.

"True, but Professor Xander clearly said the first one’s back on the floor. Judging by that, he won," another student argued.

Xander smirked in return but still did not move.

"Huh, need I remind you that this is not the king’s palace and we are in school with about fifty students surrounding us?"

"Is that what’s bugging you, or can you not stand having me on top of you?"

"Yes. And not for the reason you think, but because you weigh too much, you’re squashing me."

Fear flashed in his eyes, and immediately he got up on his feet and helped me up. By the time I stood facing him, his expression had returned to normal.

By the time we separated, my pulse was racing for reasons that had nothing to do with exertion.

I was paired next with Ziva. For a Star Elf, she was strong, aggressive, and confident, but somehow, I was faster. Either that, or my heightened senses read her well.

When she lunged, I redirected her momentum, twisted, and sent her to the mat with a sharp, controlled move.

The whistle blew just as soon as we began.

"Match over," Xander announced. I stepped back, breathing hard, grateful that it had ended.

Just as I reached my hand to Ziva to help her up, the door to the training hall opened, and suddenly a sweet apple scent filled the room.

A girl walked in, tall, calm, with an aura that felt different and familiar.

As soon as she stepped into the light, my chest tightened, and Javelin growled in response as Xander announced, "This is Silvie. A Lycan exchange student. She’ll be joining us starting today."

Silvie’s gaze found me instantly. Slowly, she smiled. "I heard you just won," she said smoothly. "How about a match against me?"