Fated to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 60: It is Time

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Chapter 60

~Xavier’s POV~

The drive back felt longer than it actually was.

Sitting quietly in the passenger seat, with my suit wrapped around her, Jade’s fingers gripped the fabric as though that singular action would yank her back to reality or keep her safe.

The adrenaline of the fight was slowly bleeding out of my veins, replaced by a fierce, undeniable need to simply have her enclosed within our walls.

Every few seconds, the mate bond pulsed between us, stronger than before and calmer now that she was safe, but with it came something akin to an electric current passing through us.

On the other hand, Ace remained restless beneath my skin.

"She is here and safe, but you need to claim her soon."

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel but said nothing.

The moment we pulled into the house, I did not wait for my brothers. I stepped out first and walked around to open her door. Jade hesitated before taking my hand, allowing me to help her out.

"You should rest," I told her gently. "Come."

I led her inside and straight upstairs toward my bedroom. The moment we entered inside, Ace rumbled deeply in my chest, satisfied that our mate was finally in our territory. Completely safe.

She stood near the center of the room, looking incredibly small and fragile after everything that had just happened. She wrapped her arms around herself, her gaze dropping to the floor.

I smiled. She was probably still shaken.

I turned toward her. "You need a shower," I said, beating her to whatever she was to say. "Xade will pick new clothes for you on his way."

I waited for a reply, but what I got was, her brows knitting together and this, "I don’t want to be trouble," Jade murmured, though her her voice was laced with exhaustion. "I would like to go home."

I shook my head immediately. "You are home."

The words came out before I thought about them, but I did not take them back.

"Your safety means more to us than anything," I continued. "I can call your mother. Or Xander can go over there and explain—"

"No need," Jade said quickly, looking away. "I’ll call her."

I studied her briefly. Something in her tone felt guarded, and her sudden defensiveness at the mention of her mother was glaring, a clear wall thrown up to keep us out of whatever was happening in her personal life.

I wanted to press her, to demand to know why her heart rate spiked with anxiety at the thought of us contacting her family, but I held my tongue. She had been through enough.

"I... lost my bag during the fight," she added quietly, still avoiding my gaze.

"Xander retrieved it before we left," I assured her softly. Relief flickered across her face.

"He is bringing it over. And while Xade is picking out a new set of clothes for you..." I walked over to my closet and pulled out a two-piece set—a dark lemon green shirt and a pair of white, baggy shorts. They would be massive on her, but they were comfortable. "...You can wear one of my extra-large tops and shorts to go before Xade returns with proper clothes."

I set the folded clothes on the edge of the mattress. Jade nodded and just stood there, waiting while clutching the fabric.

My eyes mapped the dried blood on her temple, the dirt on her skin, and the sheer exhaustion radiating from her. A dark, primal part of my mind wanted to step forward, strip her out of those ruined clothes myself, and inspect every single inch of her body for hidden injuries.

"Well," I said after a second, gesturing toward the bathroom, "go and bathe."

She blinked, her cheeks suddenly flushing a deep crimson. She shyly tilted her head toward the door, a silent gesture pointing out the obvious fact that I was still standing there, staring at her like a starving predator.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized quickly, mentally kicking myself. I stepped back, forcing myself to break the magnetic pull keeping me anchored to her, and excused myself from the room.

Outside, I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair. Her scent already lingered faintly in my room, and it was enough to make Ace stir again.

"Mate. Ours."

"Control," I muttered.

I paced the hallway until Xander finally arrived through the front door carrying her recovered school bag.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"She will be," I answered.

Xade followed shortly after, shopping bags hanging from his hands. "I picked options she might like."

I nodded. "Leave them here. When she’s through, you’ll hand it over to her."

We moved to the living room to wait while the sound of running water echoed faintly upstairs.

"Get rid of the blood," I muttered, my eyes locking onto Xander’s hand.

Though he had wiped it off, the metallic smell still clung to his skin. Xander grimaced, glancing down at his stained knuckles.

While Jade bathed, we quickly moved upstairs. Xander and Xade headed to their en-suites to scrub the remnants of the fight from their skin, while I slipped into the guest bathroom down the hall. We needed to be completely clean for her.

By the time we returned, dressed in simple sweatpants and tees—with me borrowing one of Xander’s—none of us spoke, but we could see the restlessness on our faces.

We didn’t bother masking it this time. Then the water stopped.

A few minutes later, the soft padding of footsteps drew our attention. The moment Jade walked into the living room, all three of us stood at the same time as if pulled by invisible strings.

Instinct.

The fabric swallowed her delicate frame, but the sight of her wearing my clothes did something violent to my control. Her dark hair was damp, hanging loose over her shoulders in dark waves, but it was her scent that completely paralyzed me.

The metallic tang of blood and fear was gone, replaced by her natural, intoxicating sweetness mixed perfectly with the sharp scent of my body wash.

Fuck. I breathed in, the scent hitting me so hard it felt like fire had engulfed my lungs.

The room shifted.

Jade froze, her shyness radiating through the bond. A blush crept up her cheeks in soft pink. She shifted her weight nervously under our intense, unblinking stares.

"Um..."

Xade was the first to break the trance. He cleared his throat and stepped forward, handing her bag and phone to her. "Xander found these. The screen is cracked, but it still works. I will have it repaired tomorrow and get you a new one," he said gently.

"There’s no need. I can manage." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"I insist."

Jade pursed her lips for a second before nodding. "Thank you."

"You can call your mum, now," Xander added gently.

She offered a small, grateful smile, excused herself, and walked toward the hallway to make the call.

With my enhanced hearing, I could easily eavesdrop, but I forced myself to focus on the sound of her heartbeat instead. I heard her telling the person on the other end that she was fine and staying at a friend’s house.

When she ended the call and walked back into the living room, sitting tentatively on the edge of the sofa, the heavy tension returned instantly.

Xander stepped forward, his massive frame was tense with guilt as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Jade," he started, "About earlier... I wanted to apologize to you for what you witnessed back there. You shouldn’t have had to see that."

Jade looked up at him and slowly shook her head. "You only saved me," she said softly, her blue eyes filled with absolute sincerity. "I am okay."

All three of us exhaled at once. The fact that she did not look at us with fear, that she did not see us as the monsters we had been on that road, shattered the last remaining wall I had built to protect her from us.

Then, she took a deep breath, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of the oversized shirt. "About the curse..." she started, her voice faltering for a second before she forced herself to swallow.

I stepped closer without realizing it. "Yeah," I said quietly. "About our curse... what about it?"

She swallowed. "You’re... you’re losing control. And I don’t want to sound desperate, but—"

"Jade," Xade interrupted softly, closing the small space between them. "We know. You care about us. We care about you too. That’s why we tried keeping our distance."

"However, now..." Xander began, moving to stand beside Xade, his gaze darkening. "If today is any indication, I believe our decision is trash now. We almost lost you."

That was the truth. I could not hold back anymore and closed the final distance separating us.

Jade’s breathing hitched as I stopped directly in front of her. "It’s time," I said quietly. "There is no more holding back."

Her eyes searched mine to be sure.

"We need our mate," I continued, lifting my hand to brush my knuckles against her cheek. Her skin was warm beneath my touch. "We want our mate."

The bond surged violently, wrapping around all four of us like gravity itself had shifted.

"And if you’ll have us..." I murmured, my voice dropping an octave, "we want you now."

Jade parted her lips, about to answer. But when she hesitated, her teeth sinking nervously into her lower lip, the last thread of my control snapped.

Ace lost it, and so did I.

I didn’t wait. My hands slid up her cheeks, my fingers tangling deeply into her damp hair as I tilted her head upward.

In the next second, I pulled her head closer, completely abandoning my restraint, and brought my mouth crashing down on hers.