My Alphas' Dark Desires novel Chapter 386

***************

~Valerie's POV~

"Rain?" Isla repeated, her grin spreading. "Oh, now it all makes sense. That little smirk you've been wearing wasn't from victory; it was from after practice."

"Isla!" Emerald gasped, covering her face again. "Can we not announce it to the entire academy?"

"Oh, come on," I teased, leaning closer. "If you're blushing that hard, it's not exactly a secret. You're glowing like a freshly charged runestone."

"More like a lovesick pixie," Solstice added with a giggle.

Emerald groaned dramatically. "Remind me why I hang out with you three again?"

"Because you love us," I said sweetly, looping my arm through hers.

"Barely," she muttered, but there was a smile tugging at her lips.

Before any of us could tease her further, I caught movement across the training hall, and my laughter died in my throat.

Dristan stood near the edge of the field with his arms crossed, his usual unreadable expression on his face. Next to him were Xade, Axel, Ace, Ash, and Kai, each showing different levels of intensity.

They were talking quietly, but when my gaze met Dristan's, his eyes flicked to me, and the conversation halted.

Then, one by one, they all turned to look my way.

My pulse skipped. The air felt heavier suddenly, my earlier amusement fading under the weight of their attention. It didn't take a genius to guess who they were talking about.

I tore my gaze away and forced myself to focus on training.

The next hour blurred by in a haze of movement, while I forced myself to concentrate. I dodged, sparred, and threw myself into drills just to drown out the gnawing feeling under my skin.

When the instructor finally dismissed us, I didn't wait for anyone to approach. I quickly unstrapped my gauntlets and spun toward Solstice.

"Come with me," I whispered, grabbing her hand.

She blinked, startled. "Val, what… wait! I was going to talk to my mate…"

"Please, Sol," I interrupted, lowering my voice to sound more serious. "I really need to tell you something. It's important."

Her brows drew together, but she caught the look in my eyes and nodded slowly. "Alright… but this better not be another Emerald-and-Rain-level secret."

I managed a faint smile and tugged her along before any of my mates, or anyone else, could reach me.

—

I grabbed Solstice by the sleeve and led her into a narrow hallway behind the guild rooms, the one with faded tapestries on the walls and a crooked bench that looked like it had seen better days.

The air smelled faintly of dust and old oils, and it was much quieter than the training floor, almost like everyone was holding their breath.

"You sure this is about telling me something, or are you just ditching your mates?" Solstice asked the instant we stopped. She raised her eyebrows, looking both curious and a bit amused at the same time.

"I'm doing both," I admitted. She blinked, then folded her arms.

Solstice narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Spill."

I leaned close enough that my words fell against her ear. "Promise you'll giggle no matter what I say."

She huffed, confused, but obedient. "Okay, giggle promise. Now say it."

"I've been in contact with Nightshade again." The words were out before I could choke on them. "I passed two of their tests. The last one… it's bad."

Solstice obliged, letting out a nervous giggle, though it died halfway. "I figured their final thing would be something dark. What is it? What happened?"

"It's not what happened." I exhaled, tasting iron. "It's what they want me to do. They want me to kill a man. Then one of theirs will collect and dispose of the body as proof."

No laugh this time. Solstice's face softened into something tight and steady. "Valerie…"

"I called Storm," I whispered. "He says he can stage it. He'll go in disguise, get a lock of the man's hair, run the illusion, and make it look real, without me actually ending a life. He's handling the dangerous parts."

Solstice's fingers twined with mine, hard. "Storm's… Storm can do illusion work, yeah. He's clever. But he's not invincible. Are you sure you want to drag him into this?"

"I don't want to put him at risk," I said quickly. "But I can't refuse. This might be how my parents were done. If Nightshade used this method on them, I have to get inside. I need answers."

She swallowed. "Who's the target?"

I told her. "Dominic J. Harvey."

Her mouth flattened. "That Dominic Harvey? The one who openly rails against the Alpha Kings?"

"Yeah." My shoulders tightened. "Storm's arranging everything. I asked Uncle; he doesn't seem bothered."

"Dad…?"

"Well, I don't think he understands yet."

Solstice made a small noise between a laugh and a sob. "You're going to make the royals explode when they find out."

"I know." I hugged her arm. "That's why I need you. I don't want anyone else to get hurt. I need someone I trust for... support."

"Save yourself for your mate," I snapped, slapping my palm playfully against his chest. He flinched, then doubled over laughing. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify