My Alphas' Dark Desires-Chapter 64: He Came

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Chapter 64: He Came

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Chapter 64

~Valerie’s POV~

"There," I said, pointing to the shimmer of headlights in the distance. "A bike."

It was moving fast, engine rumbling across the tiled road that bordered the forest’s edge. The rider looked familiar, probably heading straight to the. I could practically hear the club’s pulsing bass from here.

And words could not describe my joy and worry at the thought of getting there again.

We were close. So close.

I didn’t wait. I broke into a jog, the underbrush brushing against my legs as hope swelled in my chest like a balloon ready to burst.

But just as my boots hit the soft earth closer to the clearing, a firm hand gripped my wrist and yanked me back hard.

I stumbled into Xander’s chest, blinking up at him, but his hand didn’t let go.

"What is it?" I asked, trying to keep my voice tight.

He didn’t answer right away. His eyes swept the trees beyond the road, then flicked down to mine. "Valerie, you have to be careful."

"I am careful," I said, trying to pull away, but he held me firmly. "Xander—"

"No," he said sharply. "You’re cautious, not careful. There’s a difference. What if that’s not just a biker? What if it’s a setup? What if they’re here for you again?"

I stopped moving.

He was right. I hated it, but he was right. Every instinct in me said go, get help, get out—but now the same instincts were starting to twist, pulling at me like a warning.

I was about to suggest we stay low and scope out the area first when the air changed. You don’t always notice it immediately, but when you’ve felt it before, you know.

The shift in the wind tingled along your spine.

The drop in temperature when someone powerful was nearby.

I stopped breathing.

"He’s here," I said softly, not even turning my head yet. "Xade Xavier is here."

Xander stiffened beside me and beat me to it.. "And so is Dristan."

I didn’t need to see them to know. Their auras were unmistakable. Xade’s was a storm in motion, restrained but crackling beneath the surface.

Dristan’s was colder. Heavier. The kind of presence that pressed down on your chest, not to suffocate... but to remind you that it could.

And then he came from behind.

I didn’t hear footsteps. I just felt the weight of the silence crack.

The crunch of boots against dry twigs was slow and deliberate.

I turned swiftly when I felt Dristan emerge from the trees, his form cutting through the light like a shadow with teeth.

His eyes locked on mine, glowing faintly beneath the shade of his lashes.

I didn’t flinch. But I didn’t smile either.

"Fancy seeing you two here," he said in a low voice. "Why? What happened?"

Xander took a step in front of me. "You’re late," Xander stated.

Dristan shrugged one shoulder. "Didn’t get the invite."

Xade stepped out from the opposite side, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable but sharp as always.

His eyes scanned me from head to toe, then flicked to Xander with the kind of intensity that made my wolf stir.

"You look like hell," Xade said bluntly.

I exhaled. "Feels like it too."

"How did you find us?" Xander asked in a casual tone, but with an edge.

"We tracked the mana residue from the explosion," Xade replied simply. "And then we followed the forest. She left a trail."

He didn’t say it like a complaint. He said it like a fact.

"You’re lucky we did," Dristan added, eyes flicking to the road. "This place isn’t as empty as it looks."

Just as he said, we heard the low purr of another engine in the distance.

Not the same bike, something heavier.

I felt it too, and Astra stirred inside me, already at alert.

"More company?" I asked, stepping beside Xander again.

"Possibly," Dristan muttered.

And for the first time, I saw it. He did not have the same anger that clouded his eye nor annoyance, but this time it was something else in his expression.

Worry.

It passed fast, too fast, like he caught it and shoved it back behind the mask he always wore.

"Let’s move," Xade said. "We’ll take the long route. Cut through the east side of the trees, loop to the back entrance of the club."

I hesitated.

But I didn’t argue.

Because right now, I wasn’t in the mood to trust anyone completely, but I trusted danger less.

We turned as one, silently and swiftly moving through the trees again like shadows—Xander at my side, Dristan close behind, and Xade covering the flank.

"Let’s go..."

Shit!

An arrow flew past my head so close I could feel the wind it sliced.

I dropped instinctively, rolling across the underbrush just as two more followed, thudding into the tree where I’d stood not a second ago.

"Ambush!" Xade barked, already unsheathing his twin blades, his entire stance shifting into something sharper. More lethal.

"How the fuck did they find us?" Xade questioned.

"They followed you two," Xander responded. "We’ve been safe since, and I was doing an awesome job avoiding any such thing."

"That’s not..." Xade began but another volley rained in—fast, precise, calculated.

"Get down!" Xander grabbed my waist, yanking me behind a fallen log as the next three arrows ripped into the dirt where my feet had been.

I didn’t even get to breathe. The forest lit up now, no longer quiet. Branches snapped as shadows moved.

And then I saw them—figures, not students or guards.

They were dressed like they belonged in PSA, just like the previous attackers, but not one of their auras felt normal. Not the way they moved. Not the way they stood. Controlled. Masked. Too uniform.

Each wore the same gear, but their faces were covered from the nose down in dark tactical fabric. Black, crimson trim—almost ceremonial.

And they were surrounding us.

"Six in total," Dristan muttered behind me. "That we can see."

His voice was low but calm—too calm. The kind of calm that made your stomach twist.

"Val, you need to move," Xander whispered. "Stay low, keep left. Don’t get separated."

"I can fight," I snapped, already drawing the blade from my boot.

"I know," Xander said, eyes locked on the nearest figure. "But they’re not amateurs. Someone sent them for you."

"Or for all of us," Xade added darkly.