My Alphas' Dark Desires-Chapter 80: The Past

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Chapter 80

~Valerie’s POV~

The words echoed like a drumbeat behind my ribs. I gripped my pen tighter, pretending to jot something down.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Xade leaning closer. "You’re distracted, little wolf," he whispered. "Care to share?"

I stiffened and shot him a glare sharp enough to cut glass.

"Back off, Xade," I muttered under my breath.

The smirk didn’t leave his face. If anything, it deepened. Unfortunately, my sharp tone caught more than just his attention.

Dristan shifted beside me, his head turning slowly in my direction. His voice, when it came, was quiet but carried an undeniable command. "What’s wrong?"

I looked up into those icy blue eyes and felt my stomach twist painfully.

Nothing. Everything.

I shook my head and forced out the most casual voice I could manage. "Nothing. Just tired."

A blatant lie. And judging by the way Dristan’s eyes narrowed slightly, he didn’t believe it for a second.

But thankfully, he let it go.

Still, the walls of the room seemed to close in around me, the weight of two alpha heirs and one devastating secret pressing against my lungs until breathing felt like a task.

The moment class was dismissed, I was up and moving before anyone else had even stood.

I needed space. Air. Distance.

"Valerie—" Xade called after me, but I ignored him.

I pushed out into the hallway, weaving through the crowd with quick steps until the familiar archway of the library came into view.

I slipped inside, my pulse still hammering against my throat.

The library was dimmer and quieter, perfect for disappearing.

I found an isolated corner tucked behind a shelf of ancient political treaties and slid into the nearest chair.

Only then, when I was sure no one was watching, did I pull the note out of my pocket.

I studied it more carefully this time.

Ordinary paper. Ordinary ink. There was no magical residue or distinct scent.

Completely normal, which somehow made it feel even more threatening. Whoever had left this wasn’t careless. They were careful.

I ran my fingers over the handwriting. It was as if every letter had been carved with intent.

My heart thudded harder. How much did they know?

Everything or just enough to ruin me? Whichever it was, just knowing my name was huge.

I swallowed hard and folded the paper back up, tucking it deep into the inner pocket of my jacket.

I couldn’t afford to panic.

I stood, grabbing my things quickly. I needed to get back to the class and later, figure out what my next move would be without drawing more suspicion.

But just as I stepped into the hallway—I felt it—a prickle down the back of my neck.

The kind of sensation you only get when someone is watching you. I froze mid-step, blood roaring in my ears. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Slowly, I turned.

The hallway behind me was empty. No students or professors.

Only the soft flicker of light bulbs lining the walls—and the faintest shadow disappearing around the far corner.

My eyes narrowed and at once my instincts flared—chase and catch.

I tightened my grip on my bag and quickened my pace, my mind already racing through possibilities of who it might be until I reached the turn, there was nobody there.

I halted, leaning against the wall as my grip on my bag tightened. "Focus, Valerie, focus."

This was not the goal nor the agenda. It was pure distraction and nothing more.

Perhaps it was Titania. The girl literally hated me and wanted my life.

But then, if she were the one, wouldn’t she had announced it already to discredit me? Or... no. I shook my head.

Titania was tentatively ruled out, leaving me adrift in a sea of uncertainty. If she was the one she wouldn’t do such a thing, knowing then, the tendency of me being closer to the hiers was huge.

I inhaled again, deeper this time. The air burned like acid down my throat.

Astra whimpered faintly in the back of my mind—confused, concerned—but I shoved her deeper in my mind. She didn’t get to speak. Not now. Not when the ghosts were clawing through my chest again.

She hadn’t seen it. She had no idea the pain I went through as a kid, watching my father take five silver bullets to the chest and still force himself to his feet—bleeding, coughing, teeth clenched—just to fight off the assassins, coming for me.

She hadn’t heard the ragged gurgle of his breath as the last one pierced his lung.

She didn’t watch our mother’s body intercepted the silver blade meant for my neck, before four mighty wolves came for her and she shoved me back while her blood poured over the lawn.

"Find Maia, I love you," was all my mother said before focusing on her fight.

Astra hadn’t seen any of it. But I had witnessed it all. Every single second.

I had seen warriors I idolized fall to their knees in blood and ash. The brutal killing of my pack members—those of importance.

Or was it when they chased after me, right after my mother died and I had ran away, trying hard not to scream even as I hid in the kitchen until Maia—my little maid of the same age as me, my only friend then—had grabbed me.

She had shoved me into the dusty servant’s passage we used to play inbehind the kitchen hearth, whispering, "Don’t make a sound," before stepping out to face them, wearing my clothes and a hastily fashioned wig the color of my hair.

How she had conceived such a plan, such a sacrifice, was still a mystery, but Maia was more than a maid; she was sharp, intelligent, fiercely loyal.

"Maia," I had choked out, and she had offered a small, brave smile.

"I always said my life was yours to command, Lady Valerie. I am happy to serve you. Goodbye, and please, survive for us."

A single tear traced a path down her cheek as she pressed the hidden mechanism, the wall sliding shut, sealing my hiding place as she stepped into my stolen identity.

All I could hear was her scream as they gutted her down.