Fated to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 36: You Cheated

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Chapter 36

~Jade’s POV~

A girl from the student council, the treasurer, Dominica—sharp-eyed, composed—stepped out, folding her arms. "She fights dirty. That’s not leadership."

Silvie’s smile widened. "Say that again."

Silence snapped tight as a wire. Only one name remained unchallenged. Silver. No one stepped forward.

He noticed, too, and I did not understand his expression. Was he angry that no one challenged him? Or was he happy?

The lecturers exchanged glances before Professor Aqua decided to speak first. "Challenges are permitted," she said coolly. "But only under controlled conditions."

Xander crossed his arms. "Agreed."

"A single trial decides it," Professor Halden added.

Xade’s eyes gleamed as he stepped forward, tucking his hands in his pockets. "A trial of a race."

My stomach dropped.

"Obstacle course," he clarified. "We shall test using speed, precision, and Adaptability."

Xavier’s gaze met mine briefly. He turned to face Professor Aqua. "Fair."

The student council president, Dean, turned fully to Vera, that smirk deepening. "One condition," he said smoothly. "If you challenge me and lose, you drop out of the Mock Trials. You won’t participate in the final exam challenge."

A hush fell.

Vera froze. I thought I saw fear flicker across her face before she could mask it.

My heart clenched, both for her and for everyone. I had never been put in a good spotlight that did not involve nerdy stuff, but this... this felt like racing for the centre of school. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"That’s extreme," someone whispered.

Vera’s hands trembled slightly at her sides. She glanced around briefly before her eyes locked with mine.

I didn’t say anything. I didn’t need to. I held her gaze, steady and unflinching. Her spine straightened. "Fine," she said. "I accept."

Silvie snorted, folding her arms as she leaned back slightly.

"Dimwit," she muttered, her voice carrying easily across the space. "He baited her, and she walked straight into it. There’s no way in hell he’s losing."

I didn’t respond. There was no point in doing so. In wanting to prove she was not weak, not out of courage or anything but for showing off, she accepted something that looked like a death sentence.

Instead, I turned my head and let my gaze drift toward the stands. My mates were there, watching closely, their attention fixed everywhere but on me—on the floor below, the students and...

Xavier met my eyes almost immediately, as if he had been waiting for it. He didn’t smile or speak. He simply gave a single nod.

Something in my chest eased when he did that. Was he that confident in me? I found myself asking internally.

"I accept too," I said quietly, my voice calm despite the tension coiling inside me.

The course came into full view as we were guided to the starting line, and my breath caught despite myself. The school hadn’t held back.

Steel platforms hovered at varying heights, some already shifting and groaning ominously.

Tall walls slid in and out of place without warning, while bursts of controlled fire flared intermittently along narrow paths. Mist clung to elevated beams, making every step treacherous, and beyond all of it stretched a long strip of uneven terrain designed to drain whatever strength remained at the end.

This wasn’t just a race. It was a trial of survival.

We took our places side by side as each faction was represented by its captain.

The tension in the air was thick enough to taste. No one wanted to speak as though any sound made could already declare a winner.

I could feel my heart pounding loudly and insistently against my ribs as I flexed my fingers and tried to steady my breathing.

"Focus," Javelin murmured within me. Unlike some other times when I unwelcomed her comment, right now her presence was firm and grounding rather than playful, which was what I needed to remind me of what I was doing.

The horn sounded and everyone surged forward as one.

The first stretch demanded pure speed. I pushed my body hard, sneakers striking the ground in rapid rhythm as the wind rushed past my ears.

Ahead of us, the student council president... sigh, Dean, took the lead with long, powerful strides. His every movement were efficient and controlled.

Adrian stayed close, keeping up the pace, while Silvie ran with effortless confidence, as though the course itself bent to her will or maybe because it was too easy.

The first obstacle came without mercy. A steel platform beneath our feet shuddered violently, then began to collapse inward.

I leapt just in time, landing hard on the next surface. My balance wavered as the metal shifted beneath me. Before I could fully recover, Silvie brushed past, her shoulder clipping mine deliberately. Knowing what she did, she didn’t even glance back

I gritted my teeth and pushed on and just when I had gotten close to her, she did it again.

This time, her elbow drove sharply into my side intentionally. My foot slipped on the mist-slick surface, and suddenly the ground vanished beneath me.

The world spun as did my body until it hit hard, rolling across the platform as pain exploded through my shoulder and down my arm. By the time I managed to stop myself, the others were already pulling ahead, their footsteps fading as gasps echoed from the stands.

"Jade!" someone cried out.

For a brief moment, I lay there, my chest heaving as the air refused to fill my lungs properly. Everything hurt, ribs, shoulders, chest. My vision blurred at the edges.

"Get up." Javelin’s voice cut through the haze. "Now."

I planted my hands against the cold metal and forced myself upright. From the side, I heard cheering and some booing, with a few openly detesting my existence and why I was favoured.

Some were daring enough to assume it was because of my mates.

At a point I almost felt bad for Xavier, but I knew he had choosen me not out of the matebond since my mates detested weakness, but because of my brain.

Pain screamed in protest, radiating through my muscles as I moved. Thankfully, my healing kicked in, then something entirely shifted.

Heat surged through me, fast, flooding my veins. My muscles tightened, strength pouring in with startling clarity. The ache dulled, replaced by something sharper, and cleaner. The world seemed to snap into focus, every sound crisp, every movement around me suddenly slow and predictable.

My senses had awakened fully, better than before.

"Again," Javelin urged. "Faster. Do not shame me and your father. Move, Jade, move."

If thatr was not enough boost, I did not know what else was.

I ran.

Walls rose in my path, but I cleared them with power I didn’t know I possessed. Unlike theose other times during training, this time my sense were sharper.

I slid beneath closing barriers with inches to spare, instinct guiding every step. My feet barely touched the ground as speed carried me forward, my body responding effortlessly.

Ahead, Silvie glanced back and our eyes locked briefly. My eyes narrowed. I hated cheaters, but she was going to get it. For the first time, uncertainty flickered across her face.

Ignoring her, I poured my focus and attention on the race. The final stretch loomed ahead. When I peered closer, I noticed how rough the terrain was, but I didn’t slow. I pushed harder, lungs burning as I closed the distance.

By now, Dean had crossed the finish line first, arms lifted as cheers erupted around him.

I glanced at Adrian who was closing in the gap after surpassing the wannabe giy who challenged me, Vera, the guy who contested with Adrian, and Silvie.

Adrian muttered a curse as his gaze met mine. A small smile formed on my lips and I followed, pushing through whatever reserve I had left, ignoring the burning sensation that seemed as though fire was about to be ignioted in my chest.

The second I saw his silhoutte flicker behind, I tore through my last leap, the finish line blurring past my vision and moments later, my trembling legs staggered to a stop.

My chest heaved, sweat dripping down my spine. Silvie crossed thirty seconds after, followed by Adrian with two seconds difference.

They both panted, especially Silvie who looked like she had run the race of a lifetime. She lifted her head after some seconds, and looked at me.

Her jaw was tight, her gaze furious but that was the least of my problems. As if on cue, the students erupted in noise, cheers, shouts, relief washing over the crowd.

No one needed any announcement after this. We had all proven we were Faction Captain. And for those who guessed me, I loved the look of pure shock in tgeir eyes.

Then it all stopped.

Professor Aqua stepped forward when the last student — Vera, much to her dismay and that of her friends, crossed — her heels clicking sharply against the floor as she lifted the microphone.

"Silence." The word cut cleanly through the chaos, and the student froze.

Her gaze locked onto Silvie, unwavering.

"Silvie of Faction Shark," she said calmly, her voice carrying authority without strain, "you are disqualified."

Shock rippled through the room and Silvie spun toward her. "What?"

"Sabotage of a fellow competitor," Professor Aqua continued evenly. "There were multiple witnesses and clear interference."

Whatever was left of any cheer died instantly.

"You cheated," she finished.