Fated to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 30: Went in for the Kill

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Chapter 30

~Jade’s POV~

When Xade kissed me again, it was not soft or lingering. It was all-consuming, urgent, like he needed to erase every fear and doubt lodged inside me.

His lips crashed against mine with a force that stole my breath, demanding I meet him halfway. His hands gripped my waist, pulling me impossibly close, while my fingers tangled in his hair without even thinking.

My pulse raced, my chest heaving, and every nerve in my body screamed as the heat between us ignited, burning through everything I’d been holding back.

His tongue swept against mine, claiming, testing, coaxing me into matching his intensity. I gasped, lost in the warmth of his body, in the raw, feral need that pulsed through him.

I was trembling, pressed so tightly against him I thought I might shatter under the weight of it all. His hands steadied me, guiding and holding me like he was afraid I might disappear if he let go.

Every drag of his tongue, every press of his lips, tethered me to him in a way I didn’t know I’d needed this badly.

When he finally pulled back, his gaze locked onto mine like he was searching for something he could not afford to find.

I realized I was shaking—not from fear, but from how much I wanted more, from how alive he made me feel in the rawest, most honest way.

"We’re going together. I don’t need you worry about something as flimsy as my reputation.

I bit my lower lips, unable to look away from his mesmerising eyes. "But you..."

"Don’t," Xade voiced deeply. "Don’t look at me like that."

"Like what?" I asked, my voice coming out thinner than I meant it to.

"Like you’re about to fall apart."

I swallowed. "Maybe I already am."

For a second, something feral flashed in his eyes. His wolf pushed too close to the surface, and his green eyes flickered red, then blue before settling back again. The change was brief, but I saw and felt it.

My heart started racing, and I could not tear my gaze away from his face.

"Xade..." I whispered.

He exhaled slowly, like he was forcing himself back under control. Before I could say anything more, footsteps crunched against the garden path.

"Jade."

My heart dropped.

I pulled my hand from Xade’s and turned toward the voice. Xavier stood a few steps away, with that same cold, unreadable expression.

A second later, Xander stepped out from around the corner, his gaze moving from me to Xade and then back again.

Suddenly, I was too aware of where I was. Of who was standing around me. Of what they had probably seen or smelt.

"We know what happened. And Xade told us you didn’t do it," Xavier said calmly.

"And?" I asked, folding my arms. "Do you believe it?"

"No," Xander cut in. "We don’t. But that doesn’t mean this goes unpunished."

My chest tightened. "Okay?"

"It’s not that simple," Xavier said. "I’ve already put calls in place. All the posts are being taken down as we speak. I also asked my link to dig deep and find who started this."

"I told you, little mate," Xade said, squeezing my palm gently, "you’ve got us."

I looked at him, then at the others. "Having you doesn’t stop people from talking."

"No," Xander admitted. "But it stops you from standing alone in it."

Xavier shifted his weight. "As for now, you’re coming home with me."

"And you’re excused from training today," Xander added.

I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it again. Guilt settled heavy in my chest. They were all my mates. And they had just seen me kiss their brother.

They would think I had chosen.

"Let them think so. It’s high time they claimed you," Javelin encouraged me but I shook my head at her advise.

"I didn’t mean—" I started, then stopped, not even sure what I was trying to explain.

Xade’s fingers brushed mine again. "Hey," he said softly. "You need to pack your things and go with Xavier, okay?"

I searched his face, not sure where what hapened between us, left us. "And you?"

"He’ll handle things here," Xavier stated.

Xade’s mouth curved slightly. "Someone has to."

I nodded, not trusting my voice. I let go of his hand and walked toward Xavier.

He did not say anything, just gave a short nod to his brothers. I could almost feel the silent conversation passing between them through the mind-link.

As we turned back toward campus, I glanced over my shoulder.

Xade was still standing there with Xander, watching me leave.

My chest felt tight, my hands were shaking, and I did not know when things had become this complicated.

"If you do not want to go, I can always return you to Xade so you two can continue from where you left off."

Dang! He saw. Apologising, I hurried after Xavier to my locker to get my things.

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~Xade’s POV~

As soon as Jade left, Xander and I watched until she was completely out of sight. Only then did Xander turn to face me.

"So," he said slowly, his tone sharp with accusation, "you went in for the kill?"

I exhaled through my nose. I had known this conversation was coming the second I let my wolf get too close to the surface and let instinct take the reins.

When I saw her run, something in me snapped. I chased her without thinking. And when I learned why she was breaking like that, all I wanted was to find whoever did it and make them pay. Slowly.

But I also knew better than to leave her alone.

I had been in that place before. The place where shame and fear mix until you start believing you deserve the pain. Seeing her like that dragged up memories I kept buried for a reason.

The more she blamed herself, the tighter the ache in my chest became. And then everything in my head narrowed to her—her scent, her shaking hands, her lips—

And I lost control.

I wanted to protect her. To anchor her. To make her stop looking like she was about to fall apart in my arms. I told myself that. But the truth was uglier.

I wanted her.

And that scared me more than I wanted to admit.

I looked back at Xander and met his gaze head-on. "Yes. I kissed her. She tasted divine. But I doubt that’s the bone of contention here. We’ve got bigger bones to break."

I stepped past him, shoving my hands into my pockets like I wasn’t still vibrating with leftover tension.

"You think using her vulnerability is wise, Xade?" he asked coldly.

I didn’t answer. I just clicked my tongue and kept walking.

I had barely taken three steps when his hand shot out, grabbed my arm, and spun me around.

"This is not the time for games, and you know it."

"Isn’t it?" I shot back. Anger flashed in his eyes, and something bitter twisted in my chest. "You get close to her and it’s concern. I do, and suddenly it’s a game?" I scoffed. "Don’t be a hypocrite, bro."

"You can comfort her without kissing her," he snapped. "She’s— you know the plan. Don’t push her into things she’s not ready for."

"And I’m not!" The words came out harsher than I meant. I dragged a hand down my face and forced myself to breathe before this turned into something worse between us.

"Jade is as much mine as she is yours and Xavier’s. And unlike you, I don’t see Xavier complaining acomplaining about who got first dips inside her."

Then I did it. I said the thing I knew would cross the line.

"At least be thankful I didn’t fuck her y..."

The words were barely out of my mouth when Xander’s fist connected with my face.