CHAPTER 172: THE LISTENER...

Charis

I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the angry faces of the parents at school, heard Marcus screaming my name, and felt the cameras recording my breakdown. The soft bed that usually felt so comfortable now felt like I was lying on rocks.

It wasn’t supposed to affect me this much, after all, it was all an act, but it did.

Also, I kept expecting one of the boys to walk into my room at any moment and take advantage of the incident to console me, and at least sneak a kiss or two. Perhaps they were afraid of Isolde or something else.

After tossing and turning for what felt like hours, I finally gave up and got out of bed. Perhaps some warm milk would help me relax enough to fall asleep. I put on my robe and quietly opened my bedroom door.

The house was dark and silent. I was about to head downstairs when I heard voices coming from the kitchen—quiet voices, but not quite quiet enough.

I should have gone back to my room. I should have minded my own business and tried to sleep. Instead, I found myself creeping down the hallway toward the sounds.

The closer I got to the kitchen, the clearer the voices became. I recognised them immediately - Slater, Kael, and Rhett. What were they doing awake at this hour?

I stopped just outside the kitchen doorway, pressing my back against the wall. I caught the tail end of what seemed to be a long conversation.

"There’s one more thing," Slater was saying. "We need to be careful around Charis tomorrow. If she figures out we’re planning something, she might tell Isolde."

"You think she’d betray us?" Rhett asked.

The question hung in the air for a few seconds before Slater responded.

"I think she’s confused about who to trust right now. And Isolde has had months to work on her, to make her feel dependent and grateful to her. Knowing the kind of person Charis is, she always likes to pay back kindness. So, we can’t assume her loyalty is entirely with us."

Those words hurt more than anything else. They didn’t trust me. After everything we’d been through, after I’d opened my heart to them, they saw me as someone who might betray them.

"What kind of person is this Isolde?" Rhett muttered more to himself than to the boys. "When I first heard her name, I thought it sounded familiar because she is the mysterious investor who pumped tons of money into the Academy this session. Imagine being able to cover all the running costs for this academic session..."

"That means there’s more to her than." Kael said, "But I have a perception that she’s good at making people feel like she’s their salvation."

"Guys, let’s not get distracted," Slater said. "Let’s stick to the plan. Tomorrow morning, we express concern about Charis. We ask to stay another day. And then we use that time to figure out what’s really happening here."

"And if we discover something terrible?"

"Then we get Charis away from here, whether she wants to leave or not."

Whether I wanted to leave or not. As if I were a child who couldn’t make my own decisions.

I’d heard enough—more than enough. I started to back away from the kitchen, but my foot caught on the edge of the hallway rug. I stumbled slightly, making a soft sound.

The voices in the kitchen stopped immediately.

I froze, my heart pounding so loud I was sure they could hear it. After a moment, I carefully made my way back toward the stairs, trying to move as quietly as possible.

When I reached my room, I closed the door and leaned against it, my mind racing. They were planning something. They thought Isolde was using me. And they didn’t trust me enough to include me in whatever they were doing.

But what if they were right? What if Isolde really was using me for something? I thought about the way she sometimes looked at me when she thought I wasn’t paying attention. Something was calculating in her eyes, like she was measuring me for something.

I spent the rest of the night lying awake, thinking about trust and loyalty and the people I thought I knew.

***

I must have dozed off near dawn because I woke to the sound of my bedroom door opening. Sunlight was streaming through the windows, and I could hear birds singing in the gardens outside.

"Good morning, beautiful," Rhett’s voice floated towards me.

I opened my eyes and saw Rhett walking in, his red hair was tousled, and his eyes were heavy as if he hadn’t slept last night. Slater came in behind him, carrying that calmness I was used to. Kael was the last person to enter. As always, he had an intense gaze, which was fixed on me, as if I might vanish if he blinked.

I pulled the blanket tighter around me; my heart was thudding. What were they doing in my room so early?

"Why are you all here?" I asked.

Slater leaned against the desk in the room, arms folded, and his gaze fixed on mine. "You really want us to leave?"

I didn’t answer.

Rhett came to sit at the edge of the bed, close enough that the mattress dipped under his weight. His shoulder brushed mine, and I shrank farther into the bed, moving away from him.

"I know we agreed to go slow, but it’s impossible, Charis. You cannot put us on probation when we are your mates and should protect you. Do you know how scared I was yesterday, not being able to protect you..."

"Accepting the mate bond doesn’t make us invincible," I cut him short. "I told you I need to be sure I can rely on three of you before I jump into a relationship with either of you. So, don’t push it. Now, why are you three here?"

The boys exchanged a wary glance before Slater took a deep breath and turned to me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, coming to sit on the other edge of my bed.

I stretched and tried to look sleepy. "Tired. I didn’t sleep well at all, and I was hoping I could sleep in today."

"That’s understandable," Kael said, moving to the head of the bed. "Yesterday was overwhelming. Maybe you should stay in bed a little longer. There’s no rush to get up."

"The school will be expecting us back today," I said, watching their faces.

"Actually," Slater said carefully, "we were thinking maybe we should stay another day. Just to make sure you’re okay."

Perfect. Their plan was working exactly as they’d discussed it.

"I don’t want to be a burden," I said softly.

"You’re not a burden," Rhett said, quietly taking my hand. "You’re the most important thing in the world to us."

Rhyme purred as he touched me. Even knowing what I knew and feeling betrayed by their lack of trust, my body was still responding to his touch.

"We just want to take care of you," Kael said, his fingers brushing through my hair and trailing down to massage the tension from my neck.

Slater moved closer, his hand resting on my leg through the blanket, his thumb drawing gentle circles. "Let us worry about the school. You just focus on feeling better."

I looked at their faces – It mirrored sincerity and care. If I hadn’t heard their conversation last night, I would have believed they were here purely out of love and concern.

"Okay," I whispered, letting my voice sound shaky. "Maybe one more day would be good."

Rhett squeezed my hand and leaned down to kiss my forehead, then my cheek, lingering close enough that I could feel his warm breath. "That’s our girl."

The endearment should have made me happy. Instead, it reminded me of how they saw me - as someone to be protected and managed rather than trusted as an equal.

But I could play their game. I would be the fragile, grateful girlfriend they expected me to be.

"Could you... Could you stay with me for a while?" I asked, making my voice small and needy. "I don’t want to be alone."

"Of course," Slater said immediately, shifting to lie beside me on top of the covers, pulling me gently against his chest.

Rhett settled on my other side, his arm wrapping around both Slater and me. Kael sat at the foot of the bed, his hands resting on my legs, providing a warm, grounding presence.

My body hummed with need at their closeness, making my skin tingle where they touched me. Slater’s fingers traced lazy patterns on my arm while Rhett pressed soft kisses to the top of my head. Kael’s hands moved in soothing strokes along my calves.

"Better?" Rhett asked quietly, his voice rumbling through his chest where my head rested.

I nodded, allowing myself to relax into their embrace despite my racing thoughts. "Much better."

Kael shifted closer, his hand moving to rest on my hip, his touch warm through the thin fabric of my nightgown.

Our eyes met and we stared at each other for a moment. I wondered if he’d told the boys about what I’d discussed with Isolde yesterday. It was difficult to tell if he did or not, and did they know it was me eavesdropping on them this morning?

They had to... we were the only ones on this side of the house. Perhaps, there was no need to try to pretend that I didn’t hear them.

I closed my eyes and took a new breath. When I opened them, Kael was staring intently at me.

"Fine!" I sighed again, allowing my gaze to settle on each of the boys, "I was the one at the kitchen door, earlier."