TRIPLED: THE KINGS & THEIR MOON

CHAPTER 2: RUMORS AND OWNERSHIP

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By 7:00AM, the whole school knew.

"Did you hear? He was in the library with both of them."

"He drank the spiked punch."

"Kael carried him to the infirmary. Riven held his bag."

"The powerless scholarship boy?"

I heard it all from Dorm C.

Noel Hart. Trending on Crescent Peak’s secret app.

Tayo threw me a uniform. "You have to go. If you hide, they win."

I walked into the Great Hall and 400 people went silent.

Head table: Kael Drayven.

Middle table: Riven Cole.

And at the "queen" table: Serena Voss.

Queen B.

Platinum hair in a sleek ponytail. Red lipstick. Uniform perfect. Eyes that could cut glass.

"Well, well," Serena said, loud enough for everyone. "The charity case lives."

The hall laughed.

30 seconds later Riven dropped his tray across from me. "Morning, Noel. Sleep well?"

Then Kael sat on my other side. Sandwich. Trapped.

"Are you okay?" Kael asked quietly.

"I’m fine."

"It wasn’t them," I said. "It was the drug. And Serena."

At her name, Kael’s jaw tightened.

Riven leaned in. "Speaking of. Here she comes."

Serena. With Mira and two other girls. All smiles. All knives.

She sat uninvited. "Noel. We need to talk. About last night."

"There’s nothing to talk about."

"Oh but there is." She sipped her juice. "People are saying you seduced the King. That you seduced Riven. That you’re a gold-digger with no wolf."

I set my fork down. "I didn’t seduce anyone. I was drugged."

"Mm." Serena pulled out her phone. "That’s not what the video says."

She turned it around.

10 seconds. Me, in the library. Flushed. Between Kael and Riven.

Caption: scholarship slut gets claimed by both alphas

200 views.

"Delete it," Kael said.

"Or what?" Serena smiled. "You’ll expel me? You can’t. My dad funds the new gym."

She looked at me. "Stay away from my King. Transfer out. Or I post the full 2 minutes."

I stood up. "You want me to leave? Fine. But not because you told me to. Because I don’t eat with bullies."

Behind me: "You’re dead, Serena." - Kael

"Told you he wasn’t easy." - Riven

First period. Combat Training.

"Pair up," Coach growled. "Noel Hart. You’re with me."

Kael and Riven walked in. "We’re auditing."

I fought Coach. Took him down.

"Scholarship kid’s got fight," Coach said.

"Yeah," Riven called. "He does."

After class, showers. Lights out.

"Boo," Serena whispered. Ice water dumped over my head.

"Oops. Slippery in here. Stay away from Kael, Noel. Or next time it won’t be water."

She left laughing.

Riven found me. Towel in hand. Took me to the roof.

"Why didn’t you fight back?" he asked.

"Because she’s Queen B. Because I have no wolf."

"You don’t need a wolf to be dangerous, Noel."

Footsteps. Kael.

"What happened?"

"Serena," Riven said.

Kael’s eyes went gold. "She’s done."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you’re under my protection now. Both of ours."

"I don’t want protection. I want respect."

"Then you’ll get it," Riven said. "On your terms?"

"On my terms," I said.

"Deal." Both of them.

The roof door closed behind us.

Wind hit my wet hair. The towel Riven gave me was the only thing keeping me from freezing.

Kael was still in wolf eyes. Gold. Predator.

Riven was watching me like I might break. Or fight.

"You’re under our protection," Kael repeated. "Both of ours."

I laughed. It came out sharp. "I don’t need protection. I need Serena to get expelled."

"Can’t do that," Riven said. "Daddy funds the gym. Remember?"

"Then what can you do?" I stood up. Dropped the towel. I was in my uniform, soaked, but I didn’t care. "Because I’m tired of running."

Kael stepped closer. "We don’t run. We claim."

The word hit me in the chest.

Claim.

Like I was territory.

"Don’t," I said. "Don’t talk about me like I’m not here."

"Then talk," Kael said. "What do you want, Noel?"

"I want them to be scared of me," I said. "For once."

Riven’s grin was slow. "We can do that."

Lunch. The Cafeteria.

Serena was waiting.

She’d saved the entire head table. Her girls around her. Phones out. Recording.

I walked in alone.

The moment I stepped inside, the lights flickered. Then the speakers crackled.

Riven’s voice. Through the whole school.

"Attention Crescent Peak. This is an announcement from the Beta heir."

Every head turned.

"Effective immediately, Noel Hart is under the protection of both the Alpha heir and myself. Anyone who touches him, bullies him, or films him answers to us."

Silence.

Then Serena stood up. "You can’t—"

"I can," Riven said. He was on the stage now. Casual. Dangerous. "And I did."

Kael stood too. From the other side of the room. "What he said."

Two Alphas. One message.

The hall erupted. Whispers. Phones.

Serena’s face went red. "This is ridiculous. He’s nobody."

Kael walked to her table. Stopped right in front of her.

"He’s somebody to us."

Serena looked at me. "You think this makes you safe? It makes you a target."

"Good," I said. My voice didn’t shake. "Let them come."

After school. The Training Yard.

They came.

Three of Serena’s friends. Upperclassmen. Wolves.

They cornered me by the lockers.

"Queen B says hi," the biggest one said.

They shifted.

I didn’t run.

First one lunged. I ducked, grabbed a metal bat, and swung. Hit his ribs.

Second one came at me. I threw dirt in his eyes.

Third one almost got me. Claws out.

Then a blur.

Kael. He tackled the wolf off me.

Riven. He kicked the second one across the yard.

In 10 seconds it was over.

Kael shifted back to human. Blood on his knuckles. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said. Shaking from adrenaline, not fear.

Riven handed me water. "Damn, Noel. You’ve got fight."

"I told you I’m not easy."

He laughed. "Believe me. We know."

Serena watched from the fence. With her phone. Recording again.

Kael walked straight to her. "Delete it."

"Or what?" she sneered.

"Or I tell the board who really spiked the punch last night," Kael said quietly. "Wasn’t me. Wasn’t Riven. Was you."

Serena paled. "You have no proof."

"I have witnesses," Riven said, appearing behind her. "And I have the cup. Still in my room."

She looked between them. Then at me.

"This isn’t over, Noel."

"No," I said. "It’s just starting."

Night. The Library Again.

I couldn’t sleep.

The door opened. Kael. Then Riven.

"Can’t sleep either?" Riven asked.

We sat. Three of us. Books open. No one reading.

Riven reached across. Brushed his fingers over my knuckles. "You were amazing today."

"Don’t," I said. But I didn’t pull away.

Kael’s jaw ticked. "Riven."

"What? I’m allowed to compliment him."

"He’s not a prize to fight over."

"Then what is he?" Riven challenged. "Because it feels like you want to fight me for him."

Kael looked at me. "Do you want that, Noel? Us fighting over you?"

"I don’t want you to fight," I said. "I want you to choose. Me. Not the other one."

Silence.

Riven exhaled. "Fair."

Kael nodded. "Fair."

Then Riven leaned in. His breath on my ear. "You’re so frustrating. You know that?"

I shivered. "Riven—"

Kael grabbed Riven’s collar. "Hands off."

"Make me," Riven grinned.

"Stop," I said. Loud. "I’m not a toy. If you want me, you figure it out. Together. Or not at all."

I stood up. "Goodnight, Alphas."

I left them there. Staring at each other.

For the first time, I was the one who walked away.