Chapter 49: Max, Jax and Dax

Aina

Aina’s boots clicked rapidly against the polished floorboards of the main hallway as Princess Molly yanked her forward by her wrist.

This is insane.

The realization hit Aina’s chest like a physical blow, sending a wave of absolute, icy panic straight down into the tips of her toes. Her mind spitted and spiraled into total overdrive as she struggled to keep her footing alongside her energetic friend.

No way, Aina thought, her jaw clenching so hard her teeth throbbed behind her lips. There is no way on this green earth I am letting her drag me to them! I have no idea how I let this girl talk me into things! As sweet as Molly is, she is completely, wildly unreliable when it comes to protection! I mean, the girl literally cannot rein in her three alpha brothers at all!

Molly had spent the last two minutes half-convincing, half-dragging Aina down the corridor, promising her with wide, desperate eyes that it would be for the absolute best if she simply supplied the princes with a tiny bit of information about their mysterious female mate. According to Molly’s bulletproof logic, if Travis gave them a lead, they would be so thrilled that they wouldn’t do anything to him. They wouldn’t touch a hair on his head.

Oh my gosh, Aina screamed internally, adjusting her sleek new glasses with her free hand as her heart battered against her ribs. How amazingly gullible can this girl actually be?! Of course they’re going to do something to me! They don’t care about a deal! The second I give up whatever information I have, I lose every single drop of my leverage!

"Molly, listen to me," Aina gasped out loud, trying to slow her pace down as she planted her heels against the slick stone. "Maybe we shouldn’t do this! Maybe I shouldn’t tell them a single thing! I could just use this as leverage to keep them off my back!"

Molly turned her head slightly, her bright blue bob bouncing around her chin as she gave Aina an exasperated, optimistic look.

"No, I promise you everything will be fine, Travis!" Molly insisted loudly, her grip tightening on Aina’s wrist. "My brother Theo gave me his absolute word! He explicitly swore they wouldn’t touch you!"

Aina stared at the back of Molly’s head in absolute disbelief.

How could she even say that with a straight face?! Aina’s inner voice yelled in sheer frustration. Theo gave you his word?! Great! Phenomenal! But you have TWO OTHER PSYCHOTIC BROTHERS who didn’t give you their word! Theo feels pretty chill to me, sure, but Malric and Vance are the actual life-threatening problems here!

A cold sweat broke out along the back of Aina’s neck. She had known deep down that the royals would come hunting for their mystery girl (Her) eventually, especially after all three of their inner beasts had lost their minds over her scent at the Iron Fang bash yesterday. She just hadn’t anticipated the hammer falling this fast.

What am I even supposed to say to them?! Aina panicked, her breath growing shallow. I can’t just step up and say, ’Hey boys, surprise! It’s me, Travis, your fated girl mate!’ They will instantly stab me in the back and throw me to the wolves! I can feel it in my soul! Those boys are so wildly childish and aggressive, they will do something extremely terrible the second they find out my weakass is their mate!

If she was going to survive the next five minutes, she needed a plan. A bulletproof, utter nonsense lie. She had to throw them completely off her scent. She needed to tell them the purple-dressed girl wasn’t a student here at all. She had to make up a story so ridiculous that it sent them running miles away from Moonside Academy.

Before Aina could finalize the details of her fake story, three massive male figures stepped out from an intersecting corridor, blocking the hallway entirely.

Max, Jax, and Dax stood in a wall of broad shoulders and dark leather jackets. Max crossed his arms, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across his face as his eyes locked onto Aina. "Well, well, well. Hi Travis. Hi, my princess." He shifted his dark gaze directly to Aina’s face. "Travis, I’m going to need you to come with me right now."

Molly immediately stepped in front of Aina, puffing her chest out with royal authority. "No! It’s fine, Max! I’m already bringing him to my brothers myself!"

Max held up his hands, offering a pleading, teasing grin. "Oh, come on, Molly! Do me a solid here! You don’t need any favors from your brothers. I do! So just let me be the guy to bring him over so I can get the credit."

"No!" Molly snapped, her voice rising an octave. "I do not care about your credit, Max! Move out of my way!"

"Oh, come on, Molly, please?" Jax chimed in from behind, leaning against the stone wall with a chuckle. "Just hand the kid over."

Molly glared daggers at him, taking a sharp step forward. "No, Maximilian!" she barked, using his full name like a crack of a whip. "Move!"

Max winced slightly at the use of his full name, raising his hands in defeat. "Fine, fine! Geez, Princess. Go right ahead."

The trio stepped aside, splitting open a path. Molly grabbed Aina’s hand again, dragging her straight past the three boys and bursting through the tall double doors leading into the academy’s indoor pool pavilion.

The air inside was warm and humid, smelling strongly of chlorine and polished stone. Standing near the edge of the crystal-clear water were Malric, Vance, and Theo. The three royal brothers were pacing back and forth like agitated lions in a cage, speaking in low, heated tones to a handful of their elite inner-circle friends. Off to the side, looking utterly out of place and deeply irritated in her tight red dress, was Savannah, watching the princes with her arms crossed over her chest.

Aina stumbled violently as Molly yanked her into the sunlit room, struggling to keep her feet underneath her as she was paraded straight up to the edge of the pool deck. "Look!" Molly announced loudly, her voice echoing off the high tiled ceiling as she shoved Aina slightly forward. "I brought him! And he said he’ll tell you about your mate!"

Every single head in the room snapped toward them.

I’m so dead.