CHAPTER 1 — The Wrong Number
~Jade's POV~
"Jade, I need you to listen to me carefully."
Ms. Rowan stopped just inside the gym doors, her phone still clutched in her hand. Her usually neat ponytail had loosened, strands of hair slipping free as she exhaled sharply. I'd never seen her like this—tense, distracted, like she was already halfway somewhere else.
"I know this is short notice," she continued, lowering her voice, "but something came up."
I nodded, tightening my grip on my bag as we moved in. I did not want to pry, but judging from how her keys jiggled in her hands every two seconds, I knew something was up.
"Is everything okay?"
She hesitated, then shook her head. "Not really. My boyfriend just got into the city this morning to celebrate the festivals with me, and now he's in the hospital. An accident. I can't stay."
That explained the rush.
"The new trainer and lecturers will arrive soon, probably after the New Year's," she said, already moving toward the weight racks, "and the equipment shipment isn't fully arranged yet. I don't have time to wait for the rest to be logged or set up. He needs surgery, and they need me to sign."
I nodded almost immediately. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes. Ms. Rowan handed me a clipboard as we walked. "I need you to help me."
We moved deeper into the gym, the scent of rubber mats and metal filling the air. The place felt larger than usual. There were rows of machines, stacked plates, and training weapons mounted along the far wall.
"I want clear pictures of everything here and the other equipment when they arrive," she said, gesturing around. "Weights, machines, combat gear. Take inventory too. Serial numbers, if you can find them. The new trainers need to know exactly what they're working with. And if they need anything else, they can inform us."
I flipped through the checklist, heart thudding a little faster. "When should I send it?"
"Ten tonight," she said firmly. I blinked, but before I could ask her why, she continued, "Not earlier or later. The Alphas are peculiar and have a mountain of work. They'll be free then."
She stopped walking and turned to face me fully, her expression hardening. "I'm giving you one of the trainer's numbers because they haven't officially resumed yet. This is strictly professional, Jade."
"I understand Ms. Rowan."
Her gaze sharpened. "I mean it. No jokes or personal messages. Nothing unnecessary. You send the pictures, the inventory, and that's it. He'll be expecting them."
"Yes, ma'am."
She studied me for a second longer, then nodded. "Good. Once you're done here, you're free to go."
I spent the next two hours waiting for the other equipment while working my way through the gym, snapping photos, counting equipment, and double-checking the list. By the time they brought the remaining machines, it was already 6:33 p.m.
Apparently, their vehicle had some problems, and they ran into traffic on their way here. I thanked them and got back to work once they were gone. By the time I finished, my arms ached and my head buzzed, but everything was documented.
Outside, the campus was already alive with New Year's decorations. Lights glowed between buildings. Music drifted from the main hall.
I was too tired even to wonder how the night would be. I wasn't going to the party.
By the time I got home, the house felt unusually quiet. My mum was away on a business trip, but I knew she was only going on a vacation with her new flame.
I finished my chores around the house, showered, ate dinner that Mum had prepared the day before, set an alarm for 10 p.m., and climbed into bed, ready to snuggle my white teddy bear. My phone buzzed just as I pulled the covers up.
Groaning, I picked it up from my bedside table and checked. It was a message from Troy.
Troy: Where are you? I miss you at the party.
Another message followed before I could reply.
Troy: What about my New Year's gift? You promised me something, didn't you?
My chest tightened. I stared at the screen longer than I should have. He'd asked it earlier when we met at school, half-teasing and half-not, for my nude pictures.
I'd laughed it off then, thinking he didn't mean it, but now with the party noise far away and the room wrapped in darkness, the expectation made my stomach knot.
Troy: Don't tell me you forgot. Or worse, don't tell me you're backing out now.
I gulped. Troy had been my boyfriend since the summer holidays before our senior year. As the school's jock, he was impossible not to notice, and when he finally noticed me—and my not-so-secret crush on him—I felt unreal.
It had all started when I volunteered for summer tutoring, and by chance, he was assigned to me.
We studied together regularly. Somewhere along the way, I realized I couldn't stop looking at him, his dirty blond hair, blue eyes, nose and ear piercings... Sometimes he caught me staring. Instead of teasing, he smiled.
Two weeks in, we discovered we had a few things in common, and he began lingering after our sessions, staying longer than necessary. One evening, after we finished studying, he kissed me.
He admitted he liked me, and from then on, we became a couple. We'd started dating the summer after I turned eighteen, when everything felt new and reckless and real.
Still, we kept a low profile when school resumed. He didn't like public displays of affection, and honestly, neither did I. His popularity would have put me under a spotlight I never wanted.
I glanced at my phone screen to see another message.
Troy: You know I've been patient with you, right? I just want something that's mine.
Although we've not had sex, he's been really patient with me. We spent a lot of time making out, giving him blowjobs, while he fingered me, stopping before things went too far.
Because of that closeness, when he made requests like this, it was hard for me to say no.
I told myself it wasn't a big deal, that couples did things like this, and it meant he wanted me.
So, reluctantly, I agreed.
I changed into the open crotch lingerie he'd bought me a week ago and avoided looking at my reflection for too long.
My hands shook as I recorded a short clip, took a few pictures I hoped were sexy without opening my legs, painfully aware of how awkward and unsure I felt. I stopped almost as soon as I started.
I knew it wasn't enough. Troy had told me how much he wanted to see me please myself. Swallowing, I proceeded to my bed and set my phone just right to capture the moment.
"Deep breaths, Jade. You've got this, you're sexy."
Even saying that did not ease my nerves. So, shutting my eyes, I let my mind wander to all the times he touched me, dripping for him and slowly mirrored his movements.
My fingers circled around my clit slowly, as my breathing gradually slipped out of rhythm. After a few minutes, I let my hand wander lower, following the need and warmth that had been building up and easing myself into my now-wet hole and slowly inserted it.
My eyes fluttered shut, my body responded, shuddering a little as I began thrusting in and out. It wasn't as breathtaking as Troy's, but it was still making me wet.
Without thinking, my free hand lifted to my chest, cupping my breast through the lace as my heartbeat thundered in my ears while my sloppy movements continued.
I opened my eyes a little, watching my fingers dip in and out of my body. My face burned with embarrassment. Without thinking, I reached for my phone and ended the recording.
That was when my alarm rang.
The sharp sound startled me, snapping me back to reality. I glanced at the screen.
09:59 p.m.
The gym equipment pictures.
My pulse jumped. I moved fast, sitting up quickly, wiping my palms on the sheets before grabbing my phone again and selecting the pictures and videos I just made.
I was going to send it to Troy and delete them afterwards, before my mind talked me out of this.
After that, I'll send the trainer's files.
With that thought, I typed "Tr…", expecting Troy's name to appear as usual, and tapped the first contact without checking properly. I sent everything, locked my phone, and leaned back against the pillows, trying to calm my breathing.
I still had a minute before sending it to the new trainer.
My thoughts wouldn't settle, though. I told myself I was overthinking. That I'd done this for Troy because I cared.
Five minutes later, I unlocked my phone again, curious—and nervous—to see his reaction and probably ask if it wasn't to his liking.
But to my surprise, when I stared at my phone screen, it was already 10:05 p.m.
My stomach dropped.
"Oh no," I whispered.
I immediately attached the gym pictures, forwarded them to the trainer's chat, added a polite apology, then exited.
This time, I wasn't concerned about Troy much. I just hoped the new trainer wouldn't hate my tardiness. I lay there staring at the ceiling while my heartbeat raced.
Ten minutes passed, no reply from Troy.
Annoyed, I opened his chat to ask if something was wrong, but to my horror, my… my videos and pictures weren't there.
Instead, there was a single impatient emoji.
Confused, I searched through the chat and the app, scrolling again and again. Nothing. The files I sent were gone.
My breathing hitched as dread crawled up my spine. With shaking hands, I opened the other chat again. At first, I felt relieved to see that my pictures weren't…
Then I scrolled and froze.
Every indecent picture. Every freaking video was registered there in the chat, stacked one after the other… Unopened.
My phone slipped from my hand as fear slammed into me. Tears blurred my vision as realisation hit.
I hadn't sent it to my boyfriend. I'd… I'd sent it to one of the cruellest Alpha Triplets.
My eyes darted to my phone screen as I picked it up and noticed three dots appearing beneath his name. My breath stilled immediately.
Then the dots vanished.
Only to appear again, and this time, longer.