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CHAPTER 12
~Jade's POV~
The next morning came too fast.
I barely had time to process it before I was escorted onto King Ash's private plane. The city stretched out below us as we descended, steel and glass replacing palace stone.
Upon landing, the driver informed me politely, "I'll take you to school first, Miss Jade. Your luggage will be delivered to your mother's residence later."
"Thank you," I appreciated him as I highlighted the plane.
With that, we drove to school.
The moment my feet touched the school grounds, and I stepped out of the Rolls-Royce used to pick me up, I felt it.
Silence in the courtyard before heads started whipping in my direction.
Conversations died mid-sentence. Eyes followed me as I walked through the gates.
I caught my reflection in a nearby window and almost didn't recognize myself. My posture was straighter. My steps were steady. My uniform fit perfectly, looking all crisp and commanding.
Unlike before, when I had my hair tied in a bunch, hiding the lovely blue highlights in my hair and its tips, this time, my father's maids had let them down, showing their uniqueness.
No one said my name, well, they didn't recognise me.
At least, not at first.
Just as I walked into the hallway, I was met with the same awe and confusion.
"Who's she?"
"Since when does this beauty go to our school?"
"Damn it, she's hot even without exposing any body parts."
"I do hope she's in my class."
Javelin roared in jubilation in my head as I continued walking, heading towards my locker, when suddenly a sound made me halt.
"Jade?" a familiar voice whispered.
I turned to see a young black-haired girl dressed in oversized clothes like how I used to dress, staring at me.
Isadora's eyes widened with disbelief. "Oh my goddess… Jade?"
I smiled softly. "Hey, Isa."
Her hand flew to her mouth. "I almost didn't recognise you."
"I know," I said lightly.
She shook her head, then laughed breathlessly. "You look… different." Then she let her eyes rake over me. "Good different."
"Thank you." Without saying much, I began walking towards my locker, and she followed.
Isadora started bombarding me with questions, but the last thing I wanted was answering them in the hallway filled with werewolves whose hearing was as sharp as anything.
"Isa, trust me, I will answer all of your questions later, but for now…"
I had not finished talking when a voice I had hoped never to hear again cut through the air.
"Jade!"
I stiffened for a second, while Javelin growled loudly in my head. Inhaling deeply, I ignored and kept walking.
"Jade, wait!"
I ignored him again.
Footsteps rushed up behind me, and suddenly my arm was grabbed, and my body tanked with a force I couldn't protest against as my back slammed against the wall with a sharp thud.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Troy snapped, his face twisted with anger. "Why are you ignoring me?"
"Let go," I demanded, trying to pull free.
He didn't budge. "Or what?"
Anger coursed through my veins at the effrontery of this bastard.
"You've forgotten how you disgraced me? How everyone laughed because you couldn't keep your legs closed?"
My chest burned, and memories flashed back. Troy's smirk, the whispers, the way he told me it was all just a bet. The shame, the humiliation, every time he had laughed at me, every word he had spat like venom—it all came rushing back.
"You used to moan just fine for my fingers," he sneered, leaning in close, and when he exhaled, his hot breath fanned my cheek, sending a shudder down my spine.
I used to love it when he did that, but ever since that night, everything about Troy irked me. "Now you're acting all high and mighty?"
Something inside me snapped.
I wrenched my hand free and slapped him hard. The sound echoed in the hallway.
His head jerked sharply to the side, as pure shock was written all over his face, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something like fear or maybe disbelief. "What did you just do?"
"Don't touch me," I growled, my voice trembling but steady, the anger and fear tangling into a fierce sort of courage.
He laughed darkly and leaned in. "You think you're better now?"
Before I could react, Troy pushed his face closer and tried to kiss me. Instinct took over as I twisted my head, my teeth catching his lip in a sharp, punishing bite.
He cursed, stumbling back, crimson staining the corner of his mouth. "You bitch—"
His hand rose, ready to strike me. For a heartbeat, the world seemed to stop. My heart thudded violently against my ribs.
Javelin's aura pulsed out as she let out a deep growl. I braced for the impact, my entire body tense with the fear and adrenaline that surged through me.
And then he froze when another aura, one more wild, slammed into us.
Troy turned his head to the side, and his eyes widened in disbelief as a fist slammed into his jaw with bone-crushing force, sending him staggering a few feet backwards.
Before he could hit the ground, another hand caught him, yanked him upright and landed another brutal punch against his temple—pain, and confusion, warred across his face.
From nowhere, a figure breezed past us, stopping right in front of Troy. Before anyone could react, a third strike drove into his gut, and he crumpled to the floor with a loud thud, the wind knocked from him. He gasped, coughing, gripping his stomach, utterly disoriented.
I stood there, frozen in shock, my chest heaving, as the world seemed to tilt around me. My legs trembled, adrenaline still pumping through me.
Then I felt the presence and power rolling off them.
The Alpha Triplets moved in a coordinated storm of fury. Their eyes glowed red, their movements sharp and impossibly fast. Troy, still reeling, barely had time to register them before they circled him, their aura suffocating.
Their Alphas' voices rang out deep, deadly, and full of an intensity that made my stomach lurch, freezing everyone else in place.
"Don't you dare lay your hands on our mate!"