Entangled With My Alpha Triplets

Twenty Five

~Asher~

I couldn't take my eyes off her. Hazel was fast asleep in the passenger seat, her head resting against the window, soft breaths leaving her lips. It was strange how calm I felt just watching her like this, knowing that she was finally mine. The mark on her neck, my mark, was a bold declaration—one I had made without hesitation.

I'd thrown everything away for her.

I turned my attention back to the road, gripping the steering wheel tighter. The memory of last night was fresh in my mind—marking Hazel as my mate, staking my claim on her in a way no one could undo. It was reckless, sure, but it felt right. The relief I felt was undeniable. But that relief was mixed with the weight of what was coming next.

My father would be furious. He had plans, and I had just thrown a wrench into them. Trisha would definitely try to retaliate, using whatever secrets she had on me as leverage. And my brothers—they wouldn't forgive me easily, especially not after what I had just done. I had claimed what they thought was theirs. And for what? For her. All for Hazel.

I glanced at her again, her soft features stirring up more feelings. She had no idea the chaos that was waiting for us once we returned to the academy. The confrontation was inevitable, but I wouldn't let anyone hurt her. She was mine now, and that was all that mattered.

As we approached the academy gates, I could already feel the tension spreading across the campus. Maybe news had spread, or maybe it was just the aftermath of the conference. Either way, eyes would be on us the moment we stepped out of this car.

I pulled up in front of the dormitories, turning off the engine. Hazel stirred in her sleep, blinking awake as she looked around. I leaned over and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face.

"We're here," I said softly.

She smiled sleepily, her hand instinctively moving to her neck, where my mark was still fresh. The sight of it filled me with pride and a sense of possession that I hadn't felt before.

But the moment we stepped out of the car, the mood shifted.

Tyler was the first to approach us, his eyes immediately locking onto the mark on Hazel's neck. His face contorted in anger, and before I could say a word, he stormed over to her.

"What the hell is that?" he demanded as he stared at the mark. "Did Asher force himself on you?"

Hazel stepped back, startled by his sudden aggression. She looked at me, unsure of what to say. She wasn't the type to let anyone speak for her before.

"No," she answered firmly. "It was mutual."

Tyler's face darkened, his fists clenching at his sides. "Mutual? You accepted him?" His voice rose with disbelief, his eyes darting between us.

I stepped forward, ready to defend myself, but before I could get a word in, Tyler lunged at me, his rage reaching its peak.

"You piece of shit!"

But before he could land a punch, Zane quickly grabbed Tyler and pulling him back. "Not here," Zane growled. "Do you really want to embarrass yourself in front of everyone?"

The crowd had gathered now, curious murmurs hitting the walls. Hazel looked uncomfortable, her eyes flicking from Tyler to Zane, then to me. She muttered something under her breath before excusing herself, walking off with Zane trailing behind her.

I watched them go, my gut twisting with an uneasy feeling. Zane had always been too close to Hazel for my liking, but now wasn't the time to deal with that.

Before I could dwell on it, a tug on my arm disrupted it. It just had to be her all the time.

Anger nearly blinded my vision as she pulled me away from the crowd, dragging me to a quiet corner of the academy's courtyard. "Is it true?" she hissed.

I met her hard gaze. "What do you think?"

"You marked her?" She spat, disbelief lacing her words. "Are you out of your mind? Do you realize what you've done?"

I crossed my arms, giving her the insane look. "I know exactly what I've done, Trisha. I'm claiming my mate. You knew this was coming."

She let out a harsh laugh like that of a deranged woman. "You've officially lost it, Asher. You think marking her will solve everything? Do you think your father will accept this? Do you think I will accept this?"

"I should have known that you were up to no good when you took her to that conference."

"The one who has lost it is you because she's my mate and I have every right to claim her. I've already told you that I'd pay you off, what's your problem?"

"You must really think that I'm a fool or some gold digger that you can chase away with money!" She barked.

Then her eyes dimmed with evil, "You're going to marry me too, or I will destroy everything. You know I have the means to do it."

"Then go ahead and do it!"

She smirked, seeing how unfazed I was, "You must really think I'm just ranting, right?"

"Exactly!" I nodded.

"I love it when you try to act tough," she pouted. "I'm going to give you 24 hours to fix this or else..." she didn't finish.

With a sick smile on her face, she turned and left. I had to handle this before her madness would affect me too.

But there was something else I needed to fix.

My father.

I found him in his office, as usual, buried in paperwork. He looked up when I entered, his expression immediately hardening. He knew. Of course, he knew.

"Asher," he said, his voice clipped. "I assume you have an explanation for your... actions."

"I want to perform the mating ceremony with Hazel," I said, cutting straight to the point. "In the new alpha mansion."

His eyes narrowed, and he set down his pen. "You've disobeyed me, son. Do you realize the consequences of what you've done?"

"I do," I replied, standing my ground. "But I can't turn back now because everyone chooses to be emotional than logical."

"What do you mean? Don't tell me you are using that slave girl to avoid getting into marriage with Trisha." He questioned.

"Hazel is no longer a slave girl, father. She's my mate and you'll have to accept us because she's pregnant." I broke the news without directly answering his questions.

His expression was filled with shock before he fired more questions, "What? When did all of this happen?"

"I found out that she was mine on the night of my coronation."

"Just yours or that of your brothers as well?"

"Just mine." I answered.

After a long while of contemplating on his head, he sighed. "In that case, you have my blessing, but what do you plan to do about Trisha and her family?"

I didn't hesitate. "She can marry Zane instead."

His eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

I smirked. "She's the redhead I caught sleeping with Zane on the night of my coronation. She's not my problem anymore."

Color drained from his face, and he immediately called for Zane to come to his office. This wasn't over yet.