My Alphas' Dark Desires-Chapter 16: Escape: Bothered Roommates

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Chapter 16

~Valerie’s POV~

This damn house was cursed, I finalised in my mind.

Twenty minutes. Twenty whole minutes of walking, retracing my steps, and even using Astra’s heightened senses, yet I was no closer to finding the damn exit.

Every hallway twisted into another; every turn led me back to where I started, and my frustration grew with every second.

I wasn’t stupid. There was some kind of spell—some enchantment keeping me trapped in here. And there was only one group of assholes responsible for it.

Begrudgingly, I turned back, marching toward the main hall where I knew they’d be waiting after the last two times I saw them there. Sure enough, the moment I stepped in, four smug faces turned toward me.

Axel was the first to speak, leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed. "Lost, sweetheart?"

I gritted my teeth. "Shut up."

Kai smirked, watching me with that sharp amusement. "Didn’t take long."

Xade whistled low. "Told you she’d come back."

Dristan, of course, was the worst. He just tilted his head, cyan-blue eyes gleaming with something unreadable. "Done running in circles?"

I inhaled sharply, forcing myself to keep my temper in check. "Just show me the damn way out."

Axel pushed off the wall. "Happy to help."

I hesitated. "You?"

He grinned, winking. "Don’t look so disappointed. I promise not to let you get lost—again."

I rolled my eyes, but Dristan’s voice cut through the air before I could follow him out. "Aren’t you forgetting something?"

I frowned, turning back to him. "What?"

Dristan smirked, tossing something into the air. Instinctively, I reached out and caught it.

The second my fingers curled around the cool metal, I knew what it was—my necklace.

"We wouldn’t want the world drawn to our mate now because of her heat, would we?" There was a grin and a hint of a smirk in his eyes.

My breath hitched. I turned it over in my palm, tracing its familiar shape. It was mine. Finally, it’s back in my hands.

Something warm curled inside me—relief, gratitude. But I refused to show it. Instead, I lifted my gaze to Dristan as I wore it around my neck with an urgency that betrayed my facade.

His eyes burned into mine as he said smoothly, "Whenever you wear that, remember who got it back for you."

I scoffed. "You mean me? I was the one who tracked it first."

Xade chuckled. "What D means is—think of us."

"Think of me," Dristan corrected sharply, ignoring Xade’s interruption.

Axel sighed. "Here we go again."

I clenched the necklace tightly, my heart hammering against my ribs. I wanted to argue, to throw some sarcastic retort, but something about the way Dristan was looking at me made my throat dry.

Immediately, I was reminded of the handsome young man I saw in his poster in the room. He looked breathtakingly handsome. More so was the feel of his powers when I touched the necklace.

It was charged with him. I was going to be remembering him.

I quickly turned, shoving the thought to the back of my mind. "Whatever. Just get me out of here."

Axel laughed. "Right this way, sweetheart."

I followed him toward the door, pretending I didn’t hear the low chuckles behind me. Pretending I didn’t feel the weight of four pairs of eyes on my back.

Pretending I wasn’t still tangled in something far more dangerous than just a mate bond, one which I knew my uncle would freak out if he ever found out.

There was meant to be no distraction, which is why the no-boys rule has stuck since the beginning.

I trained every day for this reason—to avenge my family.

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I pushed open the door to my dorm, exhaustion pressing down on me like a weight. The moment I stepped inside, I was met with three pairs of curious eyes.

Isla, Astraea, and Emerald were all seated in the common area, their gazes snapping toward me the second I walked in.

With everything that had happened, I arrived at the dorm later than expected, already behind schedule for class. My roommates had already left and returned, still dressed in their training outfits, making me realise what day it was.

Morning training.

The senior years had spent the early hours out in the mountains, pushing themselves to their limits. Afterwards, they had an hour to cool down before resuming classes at noon.

"There you are," Isla said, setting down her cup of tea. "Care to explain why you missed morning training? And why did one of the Alpha Kings send a message about your health?"

I stiffened. They did what now?

Emerald scoffed, eyeing me from head to toe before pushing her hair back. "You look fine to me," she asserted, taking a sip of her juice.

"Yeah," Astraea added, tilting her head. "Just a little... bashful?"

Bashful? I wonder why? My thoughts ran back to Dristan’s picture, and I immediately slapped some sense back mentally.

I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair before stepping closer to the kitchen counter. "I’m fine. I just—" I hesitated, debating how much I should tell them. "—overslept."

Isla hummed, unconvinced.

Without warning, she stepped forward, placing a hand on my forehead before moving to my neck. Her fingers were cool against my skin as she tilted her head in thought, tapping her chin like a doctor evaluating a patient.

"Well, you feel fine. No fever. Though..." Isla trailed off, her eyes narrowing slightly. "That would explain why the heat I sensed earlier seems to have faded a little."

I blinked. "The what?"

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "It’s subtle, but your scent was definitely stronger before. Now? It’s dulled. Which I can say may have something to do with... the mark on your neck."

My stomach dropped.

"What?"

Instantly, Astraea and Emerald perked up, their heads snapping toward me.

"What mark?" they chorused, already moving closer.

"Is it a mate mark?" Astraea demanded, her sharp eyes gleaming with suspicion as she reached for my hair.

Before I could react, they were all over me, fingers pushing my black strands aside to get a better look.