**************
CHAPTER 140
~Xavier's POV~
"I should have been there."
The thought settled heavily in my chest, refusing to shift no matter how much I tried to reason with it as I stood beside Jade's bed, watching her lie far too still.
An hour ago, I could barely look at her without thinking about betrayal. I had kept my distance, convinced myself it was necessary, that keeping things under control would make everything easier to handle and help her understand we were hurt.
And in that same span of time, someone had almost killed her.
Now, standing here, all I felt was something far worse than anger.
Guilt.
The moment we brought her into the infirmary, the head nurses moved without hesitation, their voices sharp as they issued instructions while their hands worked quickly to flush the poison out of her system with an urgency that made my wolf slam against the inside of my ribs repeatedly.
The sharp scent of antiseptic filled the air, laced with something metallic that made my jaw tighten.
Then, suddenly, one of the head nurses' heads snapped up. And the second she locked eyes with us, she ordered firmly, "Everyone out," already reaching for another set of tools.
"No."
Xander's voice came immediately, leaving no room for argument. That was not happening. There was no way in hell they expected us to do that again
The nurse barely spared us a glance. "Professors, we need space to work."
Xade didn't say a word. He simply folded his arms, his stance enough to make it clear he was not moving.
I stepped forward slightly, my gaze fixed on the nurse. "Ignore us and carry on."
"Professors, please. This is a medical space," she insisted. "You'll only be in the way."
"Our mate was poisoned in your academy," I replied evenly, though there was nothing calm about the tension coiling in my chest. "We are not leaving her."
My voice came out with enough finality that the senior nurse looked at me, looked at Xander beside me, looked at Xade on my other side, and made the very sensible decision not to argue further.
There was a brief pause, the nurses exchanging looks before one of them sighed. "Fine. Only you three. No one else. The rest will have to…"
Drake, however, was a different problem. He scoffed from behind us. "That's convenient."
I didn't turn. "You're not staying."
"I have every reason to—"
"No," Xander snapped, his eyes flashing red. "You don't."
"She matters to me."
"She's our mate." Xade's eyes cut to him, coldly. "You're standing outside."
Drake's jaw worked. For a moment, I thought he was going to push it, and part of me almost wanted him to, because I had enough tension sitting in my body right now that an outlet would have been useful.
But he looked past all three of us to Jade on the bed, and then to the head nurse, who had a pleading look in her eyes. Something in his expression shifted, and even he seemed to recognise that now was not the time.
He stepped back with a low exhale, leaving the room with Dean and Silver. "Fine."
The next twenty-five minutes dragged longer than they should have.
I stood at the foot of Jade's bed and watched them draw the poison out in slow, careful stages, watched every movement, every exchange between the nurses, every slight reaction from Jade, as though missing something would cost me.
I kept my face neutral, my breathing even, my hands completely still at my sides, and every single second of it cost me something I was not going to examine right now.
When they finally stepped back, one of them wiped her hands and looked at us. "She'll be fine. The poison is out of her system, but she needs rest."
I exhaled for what felt like the first time since we had come out of those trees.
Xander exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair, while Xade just stared at her, his expression unreadable.
"She'll need sleep more than anything," the senior nurse said, glancing between the three of us with a specific expression of someone who had learned to deliver information to volatile people carefully. "The poison is mostly cleared. Her wolf healing will handle the rest. Just... let her rest, Professors."
"Understood. Thank you."
"Make sure she stays hydrated when she wakes," the second nurse added before gesturing toward the door. "Now, please. You need to give her space."
She nodded and stepped out, pulling the first nurse with her.
I was thankful she did not force us. Perhaps because she knew we would put Jade's safety first and finally listen, but it was hard not being scared.
While Xander took the window, Xade took the wall near the door, I pulled the chair closest to Jade's bed and sat in it, and did not move.
Nobody spoke for a while. We didn't need to. Being with each other all our lives meant that some things communicated themselves without words, and right now all three of us were sitting with the same version of the same feeling, just wearing it differently.
"Let's give her some space to rest."
Xade glanced at me as though I was saying something weird. "I'm right. I doubt the first person she'll want to see when she wakes up is us."
My brothers knew I spoke the truth. Swallowing their protest, they left with me.
The hallway felt colder. I had barely taken two steps after closing the door when the sound of heels clicking against the floor drew my attention.
Principal Vale.
She walked in with her usual composed stride, her gaze sweeping over us before settling briefly on the closed infirmary door.
"I was informed there was an incident," she said in a professional tone, masking her worry. "What happened?"
Something dark flickered in Xade's eyes. The shift in him was immediate, control burning away to leave something raw and unfiltered in its wake.
"An incident?" he repeated as a humourless laugh slipped past his lips. "That's what you're calling it?"
"Xade," I warned quietly.
But he didn't stop. He took a step toward her. "A trained witch assassin walked into this school carrying poisoned blades and dark magic. She knocked out a student, stole her identity, infiltrated a school event, and nearly killed our mate. On the academy grounds. Under your supervision."
Principal Vale's expression did not change. "We are investigating the breach, and I want you to know I have taken immediate action. Security has been tightened, and I've doubled the outer patrols—"
"Investigating?" Xade cut in sharply. "Or waiting for someone else to die before you act?"
"Control yourself," I said, my tone firmer this time.
"I'm relieved she's stable," Principal Vale added, ignoring Xade's outburst. "I want you all to know that this kind of breach will not—"
He growled, trying his best to keep Ares on a leash. Xade turned and looked at me, and there was something in his eyes that I recognised because I had seen it in the mirror enough times.
He let out a low scoff, shaking his head. "You can keep playing calm if you want, Xavier. I'm done pretending this is acceptable. If Jade weren't stubborn, I'd be taken her away from this school."
And just like that, he turned and walked straight down the hall.
Xander clicked his tongue softly, leaning back against the wall, though he didn't follow. "He's not wrong."
Drake, who had been standing quietly a few paces away, pushed himself upright. "He isn't," he agreed. "No student should ever be put in that position. That's not emotion talking, that's just true."
Principal Vale shifted her gaze to him, assessing. "And you are here because?"
Drake didn't miss a beat. "Someone intends to find whoever did this."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "That is not your responsibility."
"Maybe not," he replied smoothly. "But I'm more interested in results than titles. And with respect, doubling the patrols fixes the symptom, not the problem."
He folded his arms, keeping his expression stern. "The assassin was hired. Someone sent her here specifically for Jade. So the thing that would actually help right now is finding whoever is at the top of that chain, because until you do, no amount of patrols changes anything."
Principal Vale was quiet for a moment. Then her gaze moved to Drake with a new, careful attention.
"You're the exchange student," she said slowly. "Mr. Drake, isn't it?" A pause. "Forgive me, but I wasn't aware you and Miss Snow were particularly closely acquainted."
Drake's gaze darted over to Jade, and his right fingers clenched.
Principal Vale paused, her eyes flicking between us before settling entirely on Drake suspiciously. "Or is it something more than that?"
The infirmary doors burst open.
Ms. Primrose rushed into the hall already breathless, one hand pressed flat to her chest.
Her face carried the particular pallor of someone whose day had just taken a turn they were entirely unprepared for.
She found Principal Vale immediately, like she was the only fixed point in a room that had started spinning.
"Principal Vale." She swallowed, pressing a hand to her sternum. "His… He's…"
Principal Vale turned fully to her, her patience already thin. "Speak. Who's here?"
Cold sweat glistened visibly across Ms. Primrose's forehead. She swallowed hard, and when the words finally came, they were barely above a whisper.
"Principal Vale…" Her voice dropped. "H-His Majesty is here."
"What?"