My Alphas' Dark Desires-Chapter 15: Caught, Claimed and Trapped

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Chapter 15

~Valerie’s POV~

The moment I opened my eyes, I knew something was wrong. The bed beneath me was too soft, the air too crisp, the scent too... masculine.

I blinked rapidly, my vision adjusting to the dimly lit room. My body still felt sluggish, weighed down by the lingering effects of the poison, but my mind sharpened instantly.

This wasn’t my dorm.

I turned my head slightly, taking in my surroundings. The room was massive—far larger than any student dorm at PSA.

The furniture was sleek, dark, and expensive-looking; the décor was a blend of rich blacks and cool silvers. Abstract art adorned the walls, along with framed posters of Two Steps from Hell—BATTLECRY and Eminem.

Of course. Whoever owned this room had taste.

I tried sitting up but felt a wince at my neck. Instead, I slowly tested my limbs. My body ached, but the worst of the poison had worn off. I exhaled, running a hand through my hair.

Then I heard them—hushed sounds and pacing footsteps outside the door. Voices now.

"Funny how you speak of rejecting her, yet the next thing we know, you’re claiming she’s yours."

I knew that voice. It was Kai. His voice was sharp, laced with irritation.

"Your point is?" Dristan’s cold tone followed.

I stilled. They were arguing about me.

"You say one thing, and then you change instantly like a chameleon. Why are you keeping her in your room, Dristan?" Kai voiced, and he sounded a bit more angry than amused.

"Doesn’t matter, Kai," Axel chimed. "What I want to know is—what do you intend to do with her... our mate?"

Dristan’s growl was low, like a warning. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

My heart pounded at the words they used—their mate. Our mate. The words hung in the air like a curse, a bond none of us wanted but couldn’t deny.

I barely had time to process it before movement caught my eye. Instinctively, I turned slowly, my gaze locking on a figure lounging lazily on the bed beside me, watching me with unmistakable amusement.

Silver hair, crystal-blue eyes, and tattoos creeping along his arms.

My first thought was that it was a trick of the light—maybe my mind was playing tricks on me—but then I blinked several times, and he was still there.

My breath hitched. Had he been sitting there this entire time? His lips curled into a lazy smirk. "Wakey, wakey, little wolf." And then his eyes turned a deeper shade of blue as his smirk grew.

I screamed.

Panic kicked in, and I scrambled back, trying to escape—but in my haste, my feet tangled in the duvet, and I went crashing to the floor with a loud thud.

"Ahh—!"

The door burst open in an instant.

"Valerie!"

All three of them—Dristan, Kai, and Axel—rushed in, their eyes sweeping the room before locking on Xade, who was still comfortably sprawled on the bed.

Dristan’s jaw clenched. "Xade!"

Kai narrowed his eyes. "You cunning little flirt."

Axel? He didn’t say a word. But the lethal aura rolling off him spoke volumes. Ignoring the chaos, Axel moved first, reaching down to help me up. "You okay, sweetheart?"

I scowled, swatting his hand away as I pushed myself up. "Don’t call me that."

Axel smirked. "You wound me."

I shot him a glare, then turned to Xade, still trying to process the fact that he had been sitting there, watching me sleep like some kind of deranged stalker.

Then, before I could speak, Axel’s tone changed. "You better have a damn good explanation for this."

Xade stretched, entirely unfazed. "What? Your mate was awake long before you. I just decided to sit in for the show."

I froze.

"What?" they chorused.

The air shifted, and immediately all eyes turned to me as if waiting for an explanation, but then it wasn’t my fault that they chose to converse about me so close to where I was sleeping.

"I... I huh..."

Dristan took a slow step forward. "Doesn’t matter." His fingers curled around my wrist, tugging me toward him. "She’s coming with me."

Axel quickly held my other wrist, his grip tightening. "No can do. You don’t own her."

"She doesn’t belong to either of you."

I turned sharply toward Kai, who was standing with his arms crossed, his emerald-green eyes burning into me.

Then Xade’s voice cut through in. "And does she belong to you?" His smirk widened. "Didn’t you three want to reject her so badly?"

My stomach twisted. Astra whimpered in my head. The very idea of rejection made her ache.

"No one said that," Dristan countered smoothly.

Xade arched a brow. "Oh? I recall Dristan saying something about it."

Dristan’s gaze darkened, but Axel scoffed. "We all know that rejecting her would weaken her wolf. Even if we wanted to—which I don’t, by the way—it would put her at risk."

"Not four. Three," Xade corrected, his smirk turning sharp. "Unlike you lot, I actually want my mate."

I clenched my fists, scrunching my face in disgust and immediately yanked my hands from them.

They had never once discussed what to do with me since we became mates. I know I couldn’t blame them entirely, given that I had avoided them like plagues, but still.

"Val..." she held up her palm, interrupting Dristan.

"Save it. I don’t want any of you."

Everyone fell into silence. All four of them turned to look at me, their expressions unreadable.

I lifted my chin. "I’ll save you all the trouble and make the decision for you. You don’t want me? Great. I don’t want to be tied to you assholes, either. I’ll reject you."

For the first time since I met them, they looked... shocked. Xade lifted a hand as if to stop me. "If you reject us, who’s going to protect you?"

I scoffed. "I don’t need protecting. Especially not from you four."

"Worked out great for you last night," Kai said dryly.

I gritted my teeth. "I was handling it."

"Oh yeah, with your knees to the ground and poison in your veins?" Dristan added, his voice like ice.

My fingers instinctively reached up to touch my neck where the darts had pierced. I bit my lip, refusing to acknowledge their point.

Axel let out a low chuckle. "Sure you did. I thought as much."

"And so what?" I snapped. "I had it under control." I hated to be in anyone’s graces, and yet here I was. "If you hand’t come..."

"You would have been dead, little wolf. Face it."

I wanted to ignore it when I recalled something and turned on them, anger bubbling in my chest. "And how did you even know where I was? Are you following me now?"

Dristan’s expression didn’t change. "If we want to find you, it’s not hard."

I narrowed my eyes. "So you admit you’re stalkers?"

None of them responded. Instead, they all turned their gaze toward Xade. I followed their line of sight and immediately pointed at him. "You."

Xade grinned. "Me."

I clenched my jaw. "So it was you tracking me."

Xade shrugged. "Unlike them, I care about my mate. Especially if she has a habit of running straight into dangerous places."

His words sent a shiver down my spine but just as he did, Xade stepped closer.

"Back off."

"Make me."

The air felt charged around us. Dristan suddenly stepped between us, his expression thunderous. "Enough."

"Why? Because you said so?"

"Yes, and you are in no condition to start fighting with either of us."

I exhaled sharply, rubbing my temples. "Whatever. I’m leaving."

Dristan stepped aside to my surprise and gestured towards the door. "Go ahead."

I blinked. "Wait... what?"

Axel frowned. "Drist—"

Dristan shot him a sharp glare. "She wants to leave? Then let her."

I hesitated, not trusting him for a second. But I turned and stormed toward the hallway.

I walked. And walked. And five minutes later, I still couldn’t find the damn exit.

"Astra, please, can you help me track my way out of here?"

"No. You are more than capable, aren’t you?"

I growled under my breath, storming back into the main hall, where Dristan was leaning against the wall, watching me with a smirk.

"Lost?"

I scowled. "No," and walked past him, taking a different direction.

"Need help?" Kai added, calling from afar.

I glared at him. "Screw you. I’ll figure it out myself."

Axel laughed. "Good luck, sweetheart. You’ll be coming back to us."