My Alphas' Dark Desires-Chapter 139: Walking Disaster

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Chapter 139

~Valerie’s POV~

I spotted her from across the courtyard.

Solstice. Sitting on the ledge of the old five-story East building, legs dangling like she had no fear of heights—or gravity.

I swear, my cousin had a talent for chaos.

I clicked my tongue and immediately turned, pushing through the side entrance of the crumbling structure. No one really came here anymore. It was one of the oldest buildings on campus, mostly shut off for renovations that never seemed to happen.

Of course, she’d choose it.

The stairs groaned beneath my feet as I made my way up, the scent of dust and wood polish lingering in the stale air. I reached the rooftop in less than ten minutes.

And there she was.

Still seated at the edge. Like a princess in a twisted fairy tale. Wind tugging at her hoodie, her blond hair streaked with blue, dancing across her shoulders.

"Solstice," I snapped, striding toward her. "Are you out of your mind?"

She looked back over her shoulder and beamed. "Hey, cousin."

"Don’t ’hey cousin’ me." I stopped just a few feet from her. "What the hell was that back there? In class. In the cafeteria. You pulled some stunt."

She slid off the ledge, landing easily, her footstep barely heard, a mischievous grin playing on her lips.

"I played my cards right. No one suspects we know each other. And you did too, cousin."

"And what about when people start to notice our ’sudden’ closeness?" I folded my arms. "That’ll raise more suspicion than silence."

Solstice tilted her head like she was confused. "What closeness?"

I clenched my jaw. "You know what I mean."

"Do I?" she teased, her lashes fluttering innocently. Too innocently.

I stepped closer. "Solstice Aqua Gold. Behave. This mission is too important to risk."

She rolled her eyes but didn’t move back. "Exactly why I’m here. To have your back. I don’t trust half the beasts walking around this school. Someone’s out for your head, Valerie. And we both know who they’re tied to—The Nightsh—"

I slapped my palm over her mouth before she could finish. "Not aloud," I hissed. "Solst... Silver. We agreed. Do you want to get us both exposed?"

She pulled back slightly, scowling under my hand until I let go.

"Fine," she muttered. "But you do need me."

I exhaled through my nose, trying not to snap. "What I need is for you to not draw attention to yourself."

She shrugged. "So far, you’ve done an excellent job blending in. I’m just here to keep things on track. Help you stay focused."

"Huh." I folded my arms tighter. "You mean ’take over,’ right? Because I seem pretty focused to me."

"You call dancing in an alpha’s arms while he smothers you with kisses, being focused?" She gave me the eye. "Duh, cousi, sorry to say but that spells distracted. Imagine if dad found out."

My gaze darkened. "Solstice, behave. Except you want our stay at PSA to come to an abrupt end."

She gave me a side glance, smirking. "No. No more pretending, Val. Just you and me. Like always. You’ll get your revenge, and we’ll go back to the pack together. Clean and quiet. No distractions."

My stomach twisted. "And my identity?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

Solstice shrugged again. "Up to you."

"And my mates?"

Her eyes narrowed, the corners of her mouth tightening. "Distractions. You don’t need them. Not now."

I didn’t answer. Not because I agreed, but because I didn’t have the words yet to explain to her how wrong she was.

She stepped closer. "You’ve been distracted lately. Let me help you stay on task."

"No." I stepped back. "I’ve blended in. I’ve played this game long enough to know how the board works now. You haven’t. You just got here, and you’re already acting like you own the mission."

She lifted a brow. "And your big plan to uncover Nightshade Thorn?"

"I have a lead."

Her eyes lit up. "Tell me."

"No," I said simply. "Not yet. Not until I know you’re not going to barge into this with too much heat. You need to lie low, Solstice. Keep your head down. Or we both burn."

She looked like she wanted to argue. But then she nodded—slowly, clearly reluctant, but she did.

"You’ll be watched," I added. "People here are observant. You can’t afford a slip. Not until I get more information. And especially not until Uncle Zade and Aunt Aira find out you’ve snuck into PSA."

Solstice snorted. "They won’t. Not if you don’t tattle."

I turned without answering.

This conversation was over.

But in my head, one thought echoed louder than the rest.

She thinks she’s my best asset. She wasn’t. She was a walking time bomb.

And if I wasn’t careful, she’d take more than just the mission down with her.

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~Dristan’s POV~

I sat alone in the council chamber, the seat beneath me creaking faintly as I leaned forward. The room was silent—too silent.

It was built for power plays and precision, but right now, it felt like a fuse waiting to burn or a pressure cooker.

My phone screen glowed in my hand as I stared at it.

A photo.

Silver Aura, so she was called.

A new student.

An unfamiliar face, already circling familiar territory. There was a single line beneath the image: "We don’t know who she is or what she wants. But the first people she went for were Navin... and Valerie."

My jaw clenched as I narrowed my eyes at the message. I expected this, but the timing was... off... too perfect. ƒreewebɳovel.com

I didn’t reply.

"Interesting, isn’t it? Silver Aura."

Instead, I lifted my head toward the tall, arched window.

There he was—Riven Alucard.

Perched like a crow on the ledge, one leg bent up, boots pressed against the polished windowsill, arm draped lazily across it, while his waist-length black hair danced, rattled by the wind. The picture of apathy—or calculation.

Probably both.

"I see you got the update," he drawled, not turning. But I could hear the smirk in his voice. "Valerie Nightshade... looks to me like your little mate’s stirring the waters again—like a problem magnet of some kind."