My Alphas' Dark Desires-Chapter 125: Stressful Warm Up

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Chapter 125

~Dristan’s POV~

I didn’t like crowds, but I liked watching her in them.

Valerie had just taken her seat, spine straight, chin lifted, and every inch of her reading was not today. Still, her silence screamed louder than most voices. And I’d heard enough.

The scent reached me first from the hallway—lovely apple scent, warm skin, something sharp and feminine. Valerie.

Then another scent layered over it.

Kieran, of course.

I stepped into the lecture hall, and right on cue, his voice drifted through the space.

"—Maybe I’m here for the lesson."

His tone was laced with that usual lazy charm, the one that oozed arrogance and amusement like it was some damn cologne he couldn’t wash off.

I watched, unseen for a moment, as Valerie didn’t flinch. Didn’t melt. Didn’t play into it.

That was good, but even still, Kieran didn’t know when to back off.

I moved forward. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

One step. Then two.

The sound of conversation dipped and a few heads turned. By the third step, all eyes were on me.

I ignored the other students’ classroom tension and the whisper that swept through the back row like wildfire.

I didn’t look at Kieran, not even once. The entire time, my attention—my gaze was fixed on Valerie.

Her eyes caught mine before I even opened my mouth. Valerie blinked, slowly, and I saw that wall she always wore twitch—just a crack. Barely there.

But I noticed.

I always noticed her.

I stopped beside her desk, slipped one hand casually into my pocket, the other brushing my hair back with a slow, deliberate gesture.

My body cast a shadow across her desk, blocking Kieran’s view, and I let the silence stretch, just long enough for the tension to curl.

Then I leaned down slightly, keeping my voice low.

"Next time you make my heart stutter, warn me first, will you?" I murmured softly enough for only her to hear.

I heard someone gasp from the second row.

Valerie blinked again. And that mouth—those lips—twitched. Barely.

But it was there.

A reaction. I was dying so hard to claim them and kiss them so hard she’d forget the feel of the others’ lips on hers.

I straightened, a smirk tugging at my mouth. "Meet me after school."

I didn’t give her time to respond. I didn’t want to because, knowing Valerie, she’d want to do something or say something to refute.

So instead, I turned, shoulders relaxed, slipping both hands into my pockets now, and walked out.

Still, I didn’t glance at Kieran once. Didn’t need to.

The best way to show dominance isn’t through words. It was through the silence that follows when you’ve already won.

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~Author’s POV~

Forest Clearing – Guild One Training Grounds

The sun filtered through the canopy in golden threads, casting patches of dappled light over the forest floor.

The scent of sweat, earth, and raw determination lingered heavy in the air as Guild One clam members moved through the last stretch of their endurance run.

By the time they finished, Valerie’s breathing was ragged as she finally slowed near the clearing’s edge, where a wide stream ran beside the training trail.

Her black sleeveless shirt clung to her skin, soaked with sweat and damp strands of black hair stuck to the sides of her face.

She was used to pushing herself—this wasn’t new—but the instructors had turned things up today.

Three words—harder, longer and faster.

She bent forward slightly, her hands resting just above her knees as she caught her breath. Then, without a word, she dropped to a squat beside the stream, cupped some cold water, and splashed it onto her face.

Another breath. Then another before calm returned, slowly.

She dipped again, this time running her wet fingers through her hair, tilting her head back and letting the drops trickle down her neck.

As she leaned forward again, her shirt shifted—and something slipped out.

Her necklace.

The delicate silver chain hung low, and at the end dangled a small, tear-shaped gem. The gem was iridescent, blue-grey, like storm clouds caught in crystal.

It glinted in the light just for a second before she quickly tucked it back beneath her shirt.

Valerie exhaled again and straightened, just as footsteps approached.

"Val!" Isla’s voice cut through the distant shouts and grunts of others sparring. "You alive out here or just pretending to drown in the river?"

Valerie turned as Isla jogged up, her own shirt damp and streaked with mud. She looked like a hot mess, but her grin was somehow smug.

"Barely alive," Valerie muttered, brushing her hair back. "I was hoping for a second to breathe."

"Well, tough luck. Next session’s starting. Two-man combat drills. They’re pairing us."

Valerie raised a brow. "Really? Not that I care who I am paired with again at this point, after simulation,."

Isla frowned a bit as she nudged Valerie’s shoulder. "Because I already told them we’re a team, and I am not letting you leave me alone to fight one of these testosterone-junkie heirs."

A soft and genuine laugh slipped out of Valerie’s mouth. "Fine. I’ll carry you through it."

"Rude," Isla said with mock offence. "Let’s go before they make us run another lap."

Together, they walked toward the next station, boots crunching against the forest soil.

But just a few paces behind the nearest tree... someone watched.

Marianne.

She stepped slowly from behind the thick bark, her eyes narrowed—not at Valerie, but at what had just slipped from beneath her shirt.

The necklace.

The one she had on her when Valerie came to snatch it back. Her breathing slowed, and her fingers twitched at her side.

"Soon..." she whispered. "Soon it shall be mine."

Her hand clenched into a tight fist, knuckles whitening until her skin nearly split from the pressure. She was so fixated that she didn’t hear the footsteps behind her until it was too late.

"Remind me," came a sharp, crisp voice, "what a sophomore is doing out here, far from class during senior year’s training hours?"

Marianne stiffened.

Frozen.

Emerald stepped out from behind another tree, her arms folded over her chest, green eyes sharp with suspicion. Her presence was quiet, but her tone carried weight.

"Speak," Emerald said. "What business do you have with the senior training ground?"

"I—I was just..."

"Answer me," Emerald warned. "Before I walk you to the principal’s office myself."

Marianne’s head lowered, lips parting, but no words came. Her brain scrambled for something—anything—to say.

Then another voice entered.

"It’s because I called her here."