Fated to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 37: Repercussion: Unhinged Silvie

**************

Chapter 37

~Jade’s POV~

"That’s ridiculous!" Silvie’s voice cut through the silence. "You can’t just disqualify me because she fell!"

Professor Aqua did not flinch. She stood with the microphone still in her hand, her ocean-blue eyes as unyielding as her stance. "I did not disqualify you because she fell," she replied rather calmly. "I disqualified you because you interfered. Twice."

Silvie let out a weird laugh. Since knowing her, I had never seen her act that way... uncomposed. "That’s a lie. This is a setup. You’re all just biased because she’s—"

"Careful," Professor Aqua warned quietly. "Your next words will decide whether this stays a disciplinary issue or becomes something more."

Silvie stepped forward anyway, her face twisted with fury. "You think I’m scared of you? Of this stupid school and its stupid rules? She should’ve stayed on the ground where she fell. If she can’t keep up, that’s her problem."

Professor Aqua’s eyes flashed red, but Silvie continued. "Besides, it’s a challenge. Isn’t she the one claiming she would win the Lunar Crown?" Murmurs erupted at my private goal, which Silvie happily shared with the world.

"That aside, there were obstacles too. How can she make it as a leader if she cannot handle one or two interferences, huh?"

A murmur rolled through the hall. I felt my stomach tighten, not with fear this time, but with something colder. I only wished I could reach out and slap some sense into her or possibly knock her out.

Dean, still catching his breath from the race, turned slightly toward her. "You’re making this worse for yourself."

"Shut up," Silvie snapped, spinning toward him. "You don’t get to talk. You got your win, didn’t you? You and your precious rules."

She turned back to Professor Aqua, her hands clenched into fists. "I want a review. I want witnesses. I want this whole thing overturned."

"You will get a review," Professor Aqua said calmly. "But the result stands."

Silvie took another step forward, her aura flaring, her anger practically vibrating off her skin. "You don’t get to decide that alone."

I noticed Professor Aqua’s eyes darken a little, and Silvie’s saving grace at that moment was the fact that her father was the Lycan King’s Gamma.

"Besides, who would you take to fill my role? She who came what, almost last and couldn’t meet the top four?" She pointed to the student who challenged her and scoffed.

And then, before anyone could react, before I could even process the shift in the air, a blur moved behind her.

There was a sharp, precise sound. Not loud or dramatic, just a breeze. Silvie’s words died in her throat as her body went slack.

A collective gasp tore through the hall.

She crumpled forward, but she did not hit the ground. Strong arms caught her mid-fall, holding her upright as if she weighed nothing at all.

Xander’s black hair fluttered in the wind as his towering presence filled the air.

He stood there like a wall, tall and unmovable, one hand braced around Silvie’s shoulder, the other withdrawing from the precise strike he had delivered to the side of her neck.

For a second, no one spoke. No one even seemed to breathe.

"How..." someone whispered.

"When did he even move?" another voice murmured.

Xander did not look at any of them. He adjusted his grip and lowered Silvie carefully to the floor, making sure her head did not hit the ground. Then he straightened.

"She’s unconscious," he said calmly. "Not dead. Before anyone gets dramatic."

Professor Aqua inclined her head slightly. "Thank you, Instructor Zevran."

"She was escalating," Xander replied. "And she was about to do something stupid."

The students still buzzed with shock, but before it could spiral into chaos, another familiar presence stepped forward.

Xavier walked to the centre, his posture relaxed, but his presence was commanding enough that the noise died down without him having to raise his voice.

"That’s enough." The field went quiet. He glanced briefly at Silvie on the ground, then back at the students. "This challenge was meant to decide leadership, not start a riot. The results are clear, and they stand."

Someone in the crowd hesitated, then asked, "So... who are the captains?"

Xavier’s gaze swept over us before he spoke. "Faction Eagle remains under Silver. He was unchallenged, and his position stands."

Silver, standing a little apart from the rest, only gave a short nod, his expression as neutral as ever.

"Faction Tiger," Xavier continued, "will be led by Dean."

A ripple of reaction moved through the students, but Dean only straightened, putting on a calm face, though the look in his eyes said otherwise.

"Faction Phoenix," Xavier said, turning slightly, "will be led by Adrian."

Adrian blinked once, then let out a breath he looked like he had been holding since the race ended. "Understood," he said quietly.

Xavier’s gaze shifted again, and for a brief moment, it met mine. "Jade will lead the Fourth Faction, Dragon."

A strange hush fell over the hall, followed by whispers that rose and fell like waves. I felt my chest tighten, not with fear, but with the weight of it. I did not look away either and simply nodded.

"And Faction Shark," Xavier finished, "will be led by Dominica."

There was a stir near the front, and I saw Dominica straighten, her sharp eyes widening just a fraction before she composed herself. "I won’t disappoint," she said firmly.

Professor Aqua stepped forward again. "These are your captains. Any further objections can be taken to the administration office, in writing, and without theatrics."

She paused, then added, "As for Silvie, her case will be reviewed by the Student Council’s disciplinary board."

A few students exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

Xavier did not move from his place. Instead, his voice shifted, becoming colder, more deliberate. "There is something else we need to address."

The air stilled again.

"There have been rumours," he said, "and there has been misconduct. Some of you thought it was amusing. Some of you thought it was harmless. It was neither."

My stomach tightened.

"Earlier this week," he continued, "illegal and manipulated content was circulated. Content meant to harm a fellow student. Meant to shame and to isolate her."

The silence was heavy now, pressing in from all sides.

He did not say my name, but he did not need to. Everyone knew I was the one he was talking about.

"An investigation has already begun," Xavier said. "And some of you were not as clever as you thought."

He turned slightly toward Dean. "President."

Dean stepped forward, his expression serious now, all trace of smugness gone. "Five names have been flagged from the murmurings during the race," he said. "Three girls. Two boys."

Another wave of murmur rippled through the crowd.

"I will not read the details aloud," Xavier continued. "But I will read the names."

My heart beat a little faster as he did. One by one, he called them.

Each name landed like a stone dropped into still water.

I saw the color drain from a few faces. I saw others look away too quickly.

"You are to report to the disciplinary committee immediately after this assembly," Xavier finished. "You will be questioned regarding the illegal, framed, and manipulated post that was circulated. Your punishment will be decided after review."

He paused, then added, "President Dean and Vice President Kai will be overseeing this personally."

The field was completely silent now, no whispers, laughter or smug looks.

Xavier nodded once. "Let this be clear. This academy does not tolerate this kind of behaviour from anyone for any reason at all."

His gaze swept the room, and for a moment, it felt like he was looking at every single person individually. "You are here to become leaders, Alphas, betas and gammas alike, not cowards hiding behind screens and lies."

He straightened. "You are dismissed for today."

For a second, no one moved.

Then slowly, the tension broke, and the hall began to fill with silent movement, hushed voices, and uncertain glances.

As the crowd started to thin, I stayed where I was, my heart still pounding, my thoughts a tangled mess of relief, exhaustion, and something dangerously close to resolve.

Javelin’s voice stirred softly in my mind. "This is who you are, Jade. A Lycan, and not just any Lycan, the proud daughter of the Lycan King. Remember that."

****

That day, after classes and the formal introductions to Principal Vale as well as the distribution of our revised schedules, we were finally dismissed.

Most of the hours that followed were filled with glances directed my way. A lot of students still could not believe I had come in second only to Dean Dark, the perfect, excellent student of our school.

Twice, perhaps even three times, I felt his gaze before I saw it. When I finally looked up, Dean was already watching me from across the corridor. His expression revealed nothing crude or inappropriate, just something predatory in the way he observed me, as though he were studying prey.

It sent a faint shiver down my spine.

The rush of the race had faded, leaving behind a heaviness in my muscles and a dull echo in my shoulder where Silvie had struck me, thankfully my healing was quick and most of the pains, gone.

I wanted nothing more than a quiet moment at my locker before heading back.

I turned the corner and stopped.

Someone stepped into my path with such measured timing that it could not have been accidental.

I lifted my head only to see Kai blocking my way.

Ignoring him, I shifted to the right, intending to walk past him. Kai adjusted smoothly, blocking that path without touching me.

I stepped left.

He mirrored the movement again.

A flicker of irritation stirred within me, though I kept my expression composed. "Huh... can I help you?"

His gaze did not waver. "No, but I can help you, Jade Snow."

I suddenly became aware of the space around us.

Adrian stood several feet away. Dominica lingered near a column, her sharp eyes narrowed on me. Silver leaned against the lockers, watching without expression, and Dean stood further back, not attempting to interrupt.

I gulped and forced myself to focus on Kai. His height was impossible to ignore, making me strain my neck and tilt my chin slightly to meet his eyes.

"How?"

For a moment Kai studied me, making Javelin stir cautiously within me.

"Because," he started, his ey

es holding mine without hesitation, "your abilities are being hindered because of your wolf."