My Alphas' Dark Desires-Chapter 79: Keep It Quiet

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Chapter 80

~Author’s POV~

The question felt heavy in the air as Principal Whitmore tapped her fingers against the desk thoughtfully.

She could imagine how the council would react. They’d drag Valerie into endless interrogations, chain her up with suppression cuffs, rip apart every inch of her background—all in the name of ’safety.’

And if they decided she was a threat, there would be no second chances. She drummed her nails once more, her mind moving quickly.

"No," she said finally, her voice firm. "I will not act yet."

Ms. Heart tilted her head. "May I ask why?"

Whitmore’s lips twitched into a brief, humourless smile.

"Because if we act without proof, we risk losing something far more valuable than control," she said. "I don’t want to jump to conclusions and assume she’s using magic or violating protocol when we don’t even know the full story."

Ms. Heart nodded slowly, understanding the weight behind the words.

"If Valerie Nightshade is truly what I suspect she is," Whitmore continued, "then she’s not just another student. She’s a player in a game much larger than PSA’s little politics. And players like that..." She paused, eyes glittering. "They must be watched and handled with care, discreetly."

"As you wish, Principal Whitmore," Ms. Heart said quietly.

Whitmore turned the laptop screen back toward herself, replaying the footage once more, slower this time.

"I want eyes on her," Whitmore said. "Subtle. No direct interference unless necessary. And keep your ears open. If anything suspicious reaches the rumour mill, I want to know before it reaches the Council."

Ms. Heart scribbled something quickly onto her clipboard. "Understood."

"And," Whitmore added, her voice soft but carrying an edge sharp enough to cut steel, "make sure no one else sees this footage without my express permission."

Ms. Heart inclined her head respectfully. "It will be done."

As Ms. Heart slipped out of the office, Whitmore remained where she was, staring at the frozen image on the screen.

Valerie stood mid-strike, her eyes focused, her body a blur of motion.

Principal Whitmore’s fingers hovered above the laptop for a moment as her gaze and mind drifted off.

Memories blurred in her mind, her vision getting blurry as she let the thoughts overwhelm her.

"I cannot let this get out. She’s the child of prophecy."

"But the others will feel betrayed when they find out."

"Still, many who do not believe in her would kill her for it. I am her mother. I must protect one of the heirs. I cannot let them know of her powers or her fate."

Principal Whitmore closed her eyes before she finally shutdown the laptop.

"I have no idea if I am wrong or merely seeing things since she was pronounced dead but I can see the resemblance when I watched that footage. It was the same fierceness as Lady Zara." Principal Whitmore thought.

"If I am right then this school," she murmured to herself, "may not be ready for what you truly are. And neither, she thought grimly, "were the kingdoms outside its walls."

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~Valerie’s POV~

I woke to the shrill buzzing of my phone rattling against the nightstand.

Groaning, I reached out blindly, swiping at it until my fingers curled around the device. I blinked blearily at the screen, my heart sinking the moment I saw Storm’s name flashing across it.

One new message.

I swiped it open with a thumb, hoping for some kind of stupid joke or confession that he’d been the one behind the locker stunt.

Instead, Storm’s reply was short. Blunt.

Storm: Not me, Val. I’m in the Eastern Woods training with Dad. What’s going on? You okay?

My stomach twisted, a knot of dread pulling tighter with every word.

It wasn’t him.

Which meant someone else knew.

I sat up, running a shaky hand through my hair, trying to untangle the mess of fear and panic clawing at my chest. The sheets slid off my shoulders as I stood and began pacing the room.

The note hadn’t been a prank.

Someone out there knew exactly who I was—who I really was—and they had no problem throwing it right in my face.

I didn’t know whether to be furious or terrified.

Probably both.

I bit down hard on my lip and stopped pacing long enough to grab my phone again.

There was only one person I could turn to now.

Someone who understood the stakes.

Someone who had never once betrayed my trust.

I pulled up Solstice’s contact and typed as quickly as my trembling fingers would allow.

Valerie: Sol, someone left a note in my locker saying they know who I am. Valerie Violet Sapphire Snow—Southern Alpha King’s Heir. What do I do?

I hit send and stared at the screen like it owed me the world.

Seconds passed. Then my phone buzzed again.

Solstice’s reply was fast, almost frantic.

Solstice: Val, DO NOT tell my dad. If he finds out, he’ll yank you out of PSA faster than you can blink. You’ll lose your chance with your mates and your shot at answers. Stay quiet, figure out who’s behind it, but be careful.

I reread her words three times, each one hammering deeper into my chest.

I understood what she meant without needing further explanation.

If Uncle Zade found out that his niece, the Southern Alpha King’s heir was being targeted—he wouldn’t just pull me out.

He’d send an army after whoever dared threaten me. And worse... He’d sever my fragile connection to this life I was trying so hard to build.

I clenched my jaw and typed back quickly.

Valerie: I’m heading to class soon, talk later.

Before I could second-guess myself, I quickly ran into the bathroom, shwoered, brushe dmy teeth and flew back out. In no time I had finished dressing up, thanks to all my rigorous training with Uncle Zade.

I shoved my phone into my pocket, grabbed my bag, and bolted out of the dorm room. I was late and the others had long gone. How could I have slept like that?

The campus buzzed with life as usual—students flooding the walkways, professors tapping on their tablets, magical shields shimmering faintly along the courtyard borders.

Normal.

On the outside.

But inside, my heart was racing.

I moved fast, weaving through the crowds until I reached the south building where Pack Law & Governance was held.

I barely made it up the steps before spotting them.

Dristan and Xade, the two guys who had stolen my first and second kiss.

Both stood near the entrance, looking like dark storms in human form.

Xade leaned casually against the railing, arms folded across his chest, expression unreadable but somehow still sharp enough to cut.

Dristan, on the other hand, radiated a heavier sort of pressure—his gaze flicking across the courtyard with a predator’s focus, jaw tight, shoulders coiled like he was waiting for something—someone—to make the wrong move.

I swallowed, forcing my nerves down as I approached.

Dristan’s head snapped toward me the moment I got close.

His eyes, a deeper shade of frost today, raked over me—checking, assessing, calculating. Whether or not he was making sure I was still breathing I did not know.

I hated how a part of me warmed under that scrutiny.

"You’re late," Xade said casually, pushing off the railing to fall into step beside me.

"I’m here, aren’t I?" I shot back, forcing a slight smirk.

Dristan said nothing. He just fell into step on my other side, close enough that I could feel the brush of his aura against mine.

We entered the lecture hall together. Inside, students were already gathering—some taking their seats, some milling around chatting.

Professor Dalca entered the class before moving to the front of the class and scribbling something on the board that looked way too complicated for eight in the morning.

I slid into a seat near the back, dropping my bag at my feet.

Xade took the seat to my left. Dristan claimed the seat to my right.

Great. Trapped between a wolf and a harder wolf.

As I pulled out my notebook, I felt Xade’s gaze flick to me briefly. "You look tense," he murmured low enough that only I could hear.

I stiffened slightly, fingers pausing over my screen.

"I’m fine," I lied.

Dristan said nothing, but I knew he didn’t buy it either. I could feel the way his energy shifted—subtle, but protective.

Astra stirred in the back of my mind, restless and impatient.

"Tell him. Tell someone. They would help you."

I pushed her voice down sharply.

I couldn’t afford to expose myself more than I already had. Not until I knew who the real threats were. I needed to know whom I could trust.

They wanted my family dead for a reason. Any news of me being alive would simply be signing my death warrant.

Professor Dalca’s voice droned in the background, the low rumble of lecture notes and political case studies filling the room, but I barely heard a word of it.

Not with Dristan’s icy stare pinning me to my seat and Xade’s ever-present smirk twitching at the corner of my eye.

The worst part wasn’t even them watching me—it was me, feeling every flicker of their attention like it was stitched into my skin.

Dristan’s gaze was like a weight on my shoulders. Xade’s? It was lighter, more teasing, but no less cutting. Like he knew exactly how off-balance I was and was just waiting for the moment I stumbled.

I tried to focus. I tried to anchor myself in the class’s rhythm.

Alpha succession, responsibilities of heirs, political alignments after formal bonding ceremonies—things I should care about if I wanted to survive here.

But my mind kept slipping, fraying at the edges, dragging me back to the crumpled note burning a hole in my pocket.

They know.