My Alphas' Dark Desires - Chapter 326

Chapter 326: A Day to Remember
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CHAPTER 326

~Valerie’s POV~

I arched a brow. “Lose what?”

“Everything.”

“You’re exasperating.”

“Accurate,” he said again, that same smug tone from earlier.

The first game he dragged me to was one of those old-school racing simulators with fake steering wheels and squeaky pedals.

Ash slid into the seat next to mine, leaning back casually like he had all the time in the world.

“You’ve raced before, right?” he asked, starting up his machine.

I frowned, gripping the wheel. “I drive.”

“That’s not racing,” he said with mock pity. “This,” he gestured dramatically to the screen, “is an art form.”

“Uh-huh.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Prepare to lose, Ashton.”

“Big words for someone who just called this place a headache.”

The countdown started, and within seconds, we were off.

To say I was bad would be an understatement.

My car smashed into every wall possible, spun out at least twice, and at one point, I was driving backwards without meaning to.

Meanwhile, Ash barely touched his steering wheel and somehow stayed perfectly ahead the entire time.

“Are you even trying?” he drawled lazily, not even glancing at me as he drifted around another perfect turn.

“Yes,” I snapped, wrestling with the wheel. “This thing hates me.”

“Mmhm. Sure it does.”

When the race ended, his name blazed at the top of the leaderboard, while mine didn’t even make the cut.

“Embarrassing,” he said solemnly, shaking his head like he was genuinely disappointed.

My lips twisted to the side. I hated losing, be it in a game or in real life. And since meeting my mates, it looks like I have lost more times than I could count.

I glared at him. “Rematch.”

He smirked, leaning back. “Careful, Val. Pride gets expensive here.”

—

By the third game, I was still losing. Air hockey, basketball hoops, even a random claw machine, Ash wiped the floor with me at every single one.

“You’re cheating,” I accused jokingly, crossing my arms as he smugly pocketed yet another handful of tickets.

“Natural talent,” he said smoothly, spinning one of the tickets around his finger.

“Nobody’s that good.”

“Maybe you’re just that bad.”

I gasped dramatically, smacking his arm. “Take that back.”

I wasn’t that bad, to be honest; he just excelled so perfectly well that even my best looked weak.

But in real life, he’d be eating those words.

“Nope,” he said, grinning wickedly.

Finally, I spotted a shooting game tucked in the corner and jabbed a finger at it. “That one. I’m beating you at that one.”

Ash raised a brow, looking amused. “You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Alright, princess,” he nodded, picking up the toy gun and cocking it like it was real. “Show me what you’ve got.”

Somehow, miraculously, or maybe he flunked it on purpose, but I ended up destroying him.

By the end of the round, my score doubled his, and the machine spat out a ridiculous amount of tickets in my direction.

I turned to him slowly, savouring the moment. “Who’s bad now?”

Ash stared at the screen, then at me, then at the pile of tickets in my hand. Finally, he leaned in with a deadly serious expression. “…Beginner’s luck.”

I burst out laughing, the sound surprising even me. “Oh, no, no, no. I earned this victory, Ash. You’re just mad because I beat you fair and square.”

He scoffed, grabbing his own smaller handful of tickets. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”

By the time we were done, I had one sad stack of tickets, while Ash’s pile could probably buy half the arcade’s prize counter.

Still, I managed to snag a small plush fox while he traded his in for a stylish black lighter engraved with a tiny flame symbol.

“Of course you’d pick something broody,” I muttered as we stepped outside into the cool night air.

He flicked the lighter open with one hand, a small flame sparking briefly before disappearing again. “Matches the aesthetic,” he said easily.

I rolled my eyes, hugging the plush to my chest. “Thanks for this,” I said softly after a moment. “I didn’t realize how much I needed to… not think for a while.”

Ash glanced at me, something softer settling in his gaze. “…Yeah. I figured.”

Then he stretched his closed hand to me, smiled, and then opened it.

“Here’s a gift to remember this day by.”

Several thoughts crossed my mind.

He did not say it was a gift to remember him by. But to remember the day.

Why a lighter, though? There were several other lovely, girlish gifts he could have picked if he was going to hand it to me anyway.

As if reading my thoughts, he spoke up. “I picked this lighter to remind you of today, and just like how today might have started sour for you or dark, on dark broody days, remember there’s always a light in the dark. Your lighter.”

“You mean you?”

He shook his head calmly. “Valerie, I may be your mate and one of the guys madly in love with you, but I may end up not always being there.”

I nodded slowly, and he may have taken it the wrong way.

“Don’t get me wrong, princess; it’s not that I do not want to. I want to be there for you, but I’m being practical. And if I am not, remember you are so much more than any guy, Valerie. And you are my light. And I knew you wouldn’t be so into girlish things.”

Ash winked, and I felt not just my cheeks but also my heart warm up hearing him say that. In fact, it did a little flip in my stomach.

It was reassuring that I wasn’t falling apart and I still had my whole life ahead of me.

“Thanks.”

Without thinking it through, I closed the gap between me and Ash, reached for his face with my left hand, closed my eyes after taking in the flicker of surprise in his eyes, and kissed him on the lips.

My lips brushed softly against his at first—tentatively, almost questioning. But the moment I felt Ash inhale sharply, his warm breath mingling with mine, something inside me snapped.

Ash stilled for only a fraction of a second before his hand slid to the small of my back and pulled me closer.

The plush fox slipped from my grip and hit the pavement with a muted thud.

The kiss deepened, heat spreading through me like wildfire as Astra awakened in my mind.

Ash’s lips were warm and unhurried, teasing me with just enough pressure to make me crave more.

One of his hands rose to cup my jaw, his thumb brushing gently along my cheekbone, grounding me even as my knees threatened to give out beneath me.

The night air was cool, but I barely noticed. My entire world narrowed to the feel of Ash against me.

The faint taste of chocolate milkshake lingering on his lips, the warmth of his breath, and the way his chest rose and fell just as fast as mine.

I parted my lips slightly, and Ash responded instantly, deepening the kiss with a low, restrained groan that sent shivers down my spine.

It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t desperate. It was like he was memorising the moment and the feel of my body against him.

Every brush of his fingers and press of his lips made something in me stir. That wildness that craved my mates so much was awakening, but luckily, we stopped.

When we finally broke apart, breathless and flushed, Ash rested his forehead against mine, his lips still grazing mine lightly, as if he didn’t want to let go.

“…That,” he murmured huskily, “was dangerous.”

My chest rose and fell rapidly, my fingers still tangled in the fabric of his shirt. “You started it,” I whispered inaudibly.

His lips curved into a faint, lazy smirk, but his gaze was soft. “Pretty sure you did,” he countered quietly, his thumb brushing my jaw again.

I rolled my eyes, but the warmth blooming in my chest refused to fade.

Neither of us spoke for a moment.

Then Ash finally exhaled, stepping back just enough to meet my gaze fully. He bent down and picked up my fox.

Dusted it before handing it to me. “Come on, princess,” he said gently, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it. “We should get you back before your fan club sends a search party.”

I nodded wordlessly, still dazed, still reeling from what had just happened, and from the way my heart wouldn’t stop racing.

We walked in silence for a bit, the city lights buzzing faintly above us. Finally, he nudged my shoulder with his. “Next time,” he said casually, “I’m taking you somewhere cooler.”

I snorted. “Like where? A secret underground fight club?”

He smirked. “Maybe. You’ll have to say yes to find out.”

“What made you so sure there’d be a next time?” I asked, trying to hide the smile tugging at my lips and playing hard to get.

“I just know.”

I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway. “We’ll see.”

“Translation: yes,” he said smugly, and interlocked his fingers with mine. “Come on, my light.”