My Alphas' Dark Desires-Chapter 162: The K Knight

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

Chapter 163

~Kieran’s POV~

It was already late evening, and the sun slanted through the glass wall of my dorm, bleeding gold across the white marble floor.

A breeze stirred the sheer curtain beside my bed, catching the edge of my coat draped over the chair. It was quiet—calm in the way that always came before something cracked. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

I was stretched lazily on the edge of the bed, half reclined, arms folded behind my head. Not tense, not relaxed, just... waiting.

Lucy stood beside me still as a statue, hands clasped in front of her, head bowed a little low. She’d been trained well. Not just in silence, but in observation and in obedience and hesitation.

Which is what she was doing right now.

I broke the silence with a drawl. "So it turns out that Ms. Nightshade is none other than my dear cousin’s mate."

Lucy shifted slightly. "Master... not just your cousin. All the Alpha Kings’ heirs and Lycans heirs too."

I chuckled keeping my voice a bit low and bitter. "Yes. Right. The girl’s practically a walking moon-blessed blessing at this point. Or so they believe."

My gaze flicked to the ceiling. "But even gods bleed when they’re held by the wrong hands."

Lucy didn’t speak which was smart.

I leaned up just slightly, turning my eyes on her. They were steel now, no hint of the lazy smile I wore in public. "It doesn’t matter who’s mated to her."

There was a pause.

Then a wicked curl twisted my lips upward.

"My target remains my target," I said, each word deliberate. "And right now, Valerie Nightshade needs a knight in shining armor. One who isn’t her mate."

"Master—"

"She needs someone," I continued, "who’s not tangled in fated bonds. Not clawing for her out of instinct or possessive heat. No... she needs someone who appears calm and is safe, trustworthy."

Lucy’s fingers twitched. She knew what was coming.

I smiled wider. "This is my opportunity to rise in her trust. So... find me the Gossip Witch."

Her brows pinched just slightly. "You mean..."

"Yes, the one who runs the gossip blog on PSA and give her the video."

"The video?"

"Yes. The one you got for me." My tone wasn’t sharp, but it was final.

Lucy’s throat moved as she swallowed. "Forgive me, Master. But... why involve her?"

My gaze slid to her slowly as a cold shimmer cutting through the warmth in the room. "Because, Lucy. To erase one scandal... you must give them a better one to feed on. Tghe mass wants juicy gossip."

I sat upright then, letting my elbows rest on my knees. My voice dropped an octave.

"Let them eat something juicier. Something... scandalous enough to erase Valerie’s name from the top of the page."

Lucy fidgeted. "Who are you planning to ruin then, Master?"

I reached for my glass of chilled wine, took a slow sip, and then reclined again, one leg propped over the other.

"Titania Estrella Sage."

The words dropped like knives into the silence.

Lucy’s breath hitched. "The... Fae Princess?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "My Lord, that could—"

I turned my head sharply, silencing her with nothing but a glare and her next words caught in her throat.

"You remember our first interaction with her, don’t you?" I asked mildly, swirling the wine in the glass. "How she looked down on Valerie like she was the dirt beneath her crystal shoes?"

"I do, Master."

"She mocked Valerie, laughed. But no one’s clipped her wings yet." I raised my brows, feigning thought. "It’s time someone did."

Lucy hesitated, eyes wide. "But... the Fae Courts—"

"I said expose her."

The room dropped to silence. Even the wind outside seemed to stop.

Lucy nodded slowly. "Yes, Master."

"Good girl."

I reached into the drawer beside my bed and pulled out a sleek black drive. "Here’s what you’ll use. Send it anonymously. Use the Witch’s channel. Let it circulate by sunrise."

Lucy stepped forward to collect it, eyes cast downward.

"And Lucy?"

She paused mid-step. "Yes, Master?"

"If you do this well... I’ll reward you. With your desires."

Her breath caught again, but she didn’t speak. Not until I gave her a nod.

Then she bowed, and slipped away like smoke from my room.

I leaned back once more, staring at the ceiling as the day faded to dusk.

Titania would fall. Valerie would look for someone untouched by fire and I would be right there—clean, unmarked, and already holding out my hand.

Because sometimes, to play the knight... You had to light the castle on fire.

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

~Solstice’s POV~

The air was quieter here—cooler too, away from the hawks of PSA’s suffocating eyes and the buzzing gossip.

It was the same side building Valerie had slipped into before to warn me when I had watched the skies.

I found her there after searching for her for a while.

She stood near the back wall, leaning against the frame like she wasn’t still the most talked-about girl on campus and hadn’t just been kissed in public by half the Alpha Heirs and her name wasn’t still trending on the school’s underground gossip app.

But even from behind, I could see the weight in her posture. The stillness that wasn’t calm—it was restraint.

"Val..." I called softly as I stepped closer. "Are you okay?"

She didn’t answer.

"Look, I know it’s a lot," I tried again. "The videos, the whispers, the damn detention stunt—"

"Blue Willow."

I blinked, pausing mid-step. "Huh?"

She finally turned to me, her eyes sharp—clearer than I expected after the emotional wreckage of the past few days.

"Blue Willow," she said again. "That’s the lead I got. From the Nightshade search. Two nights ago."

I froze. It wasn’t the answer I thought I’d get from her. And certainly not the shift in tone.

"You were searching...?"

"I never stopped." Her voice was flat. "Even when they kissed me. Even when the rumors started. I still kept my eyes on the truth."

A jolt of relief punched through my ribs, but it was tangled in something else—guilt.

"You’re not losing focus," I whispered, almost to myself.

"No," Valerie said blandly. "I’m not."

"But... what are you going to do?" I asked, stepping closer.

She looked down at her hand. She was holding something small—folded paper? A note? Then slid it back into her coat pocket without explaining.

"I’m going to research Blue Willow. Dig deeper into it. And then I’ll go back to the club."

My stomach dipped. "The club? The same one you went to last time? Alone?"

Valerie’s eyes flashed. "Yes."

"You’re planning to sneak out of PSA again?"

She didn’t answer with words. Just lifted her brows like it was obvious.

I exhaled hard. "Valerie, if you get caught—especially after the scandal—there’s no coming back from it. You’re already on thin ice."

"I won’t get caught," she said, calm and sharp as steel.

I folded my arms. "How can you be so sure?"

A ghost of a smile touched her lips. Not warmth—strategy.

"Because the final-year students have a sanctioned party coming up. Off-campus, all-night rave in Star City. Everyone will be too busy being drunk or making out in dark corners to notice one girl slipping away."

"You’re using the party as cover? What about the Alpha Kings’ Heirs?"

"I’m borrowing their chaos," she corrected softly.