My Alphas' Dark Desires - Chapter 334

Chapter 334: A Game
****************

CHAPTER 334

~Valerie’s POV~

The walk to the Alphas’ private house with Ash and Ace was… silent, but not uncomfortable as I had imagined.

Ace brushed his hand against mine occasionally, while Ash kept glancing at me, his stoic face betraying little of what was truly going on in his mind, but his scent giving away his unease.

I knew they were both wondering why Dristan would call me like this, but even I had no idea. All I could guess on was that it had something to do with me, the twins and their mother, Queen Aurora.

When we finally reached the Alphas’ house, the door swung open almost instantly.

“Valerie…” Dristan greeted in a soft voice. He stood there with Axel, Kyle, and Xade behind him, all of them looking strangely nervous.

Ash crossed his arms casually. “This better be good.”

Ace, on the other hand, smiled faintly. “Relax, Ash. They called for all of us.”

I stepped forward, folding my arms. “Alright, you guys. What’s going on?”

Dristan took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his neck. “Let’s go inside, please.” I nodded and walked in when Dristan stepped back for me.

“Hey,” Ace greeted.

The others chorused to his greeting, but Ash just waved his hand. That was the least of my concerns as we all filed in and took our seats in the living room.

“First, we… well… we wanted to be sure you caught our apology,” Dristan began.

Xade sighed, stood up and stepped forward too. “We messed up before, Valerie. We pushed too hard, made decisions for you, assumed too much… and it wasn’t fair.”

Axel nodded quickly. “We weren’t… considerate enough. About your feelings, your pace and your comfort.”

Kai’s deep voice joined softly, “We should’ve been better.”

I blinked, surprised by the sincerity pouring off them in waves. “Guys…”

Dristan met my gaze firmly. “We know we’ve apologised before, but, for real, we’re sorry. All of us.”

Ash muttered under his breath, “About damn time.”

“Ash,” I whispered, nudging him lightly.

Ace smirked a little. “I think they rehearsed this.”

Xade rolled his eyes but didn’t deny it. “We did.”

I shook my head slowly, sighing. “Look… I forgave you all already. I really did. You don’t need to beat yourselves up about it.”

Dristan stepped closer, his expression softer than I’d seen in weeks. “Still… we want to do better, Val. No more games, no more pushing. Just us… choosing you, properly this time.”

Axel added quickly, “We want to be with you. All of us. For real.”

I felt a tightness in my chest as my wolf stirred. Astra longed for them so badly that I had to bite my lower lip to keep myself composed.

I exhaled slowly. “I… I want that too. But you guys do realise this isn’t simple, right? Having six mates isn’t… easy.”

Ace tilted his head. “We’re aware.”

Ash scoffed softly. “Doesn’t mean we’ll stop wanting you.”

I chewed on my lip, hesitating. “I know and…” My gaze darted from one of my mates to the other.

“Tell us,” Xade urged. “I want to know your inner thoughts.”

I agreed with him and finally spoke up. “I know how you all feel because I feel it too. I want you guys, too, as crazy as it seems.”

When I glanced at them again, I did not see any anger, jealousy or anything negative in their eyes.

All I saw were genuine smiles.

“We want you and love you too,” all six chorused.

My cheeks heated up. “Okay, listen. I’ve been thinking about this… if we just all try to dive in at once, it’s going to get messy. And stressful. And honestly, I might lose my mind.”

Xade frowned slightly when he heard my last sentence. “So what are you suggesting?”

“I think… we take it slow. One step at a time. One-on-one.” I looked around at all of them. “Dates. I’ll go on dates with each of you. That way, I can understand each bond better.”

Ace grinned instantly, leaning back like he’d won something. “I like this plan.”

Axel’s brows shot up. “Wait, wait, wait. Who gets to go first?”

Ash immediately said, “Logically, it should be based on the order we synced as mates.”

Dristan folded his arms, glaring at him. “Of course you’d suggest that when you were fifth.”

Ace laughed. “And where does that put you, Dristan?”

Dristan scowled. “First.”

“Third,” Axel corrected. “You saw her third that day we all synced.”

“We three synced with Valerie at the same time,” Kai interjected.”

“First, third… doesn’t matter. It is still better than last.”

Kai, who had been silent till now, spoke calmly, “Or… we could decide based on closeness. Who Valerie feels safest with first.”

Xade raised a brow. “That sounds subjective. And rigged.”

Ace chuckled darkly. “Yeah, because we all know Val’s closer to him,” he said, looking at Dristan.

Dristan shrugged. “And where were you all when I was building my relationship with her?”

I groaned loudly, rubbing my temples. “You guys are impossible.”

Axel crossed his arms, smirking. “You got a better solution, sweetheart?”

My lips curved slowly into a grin. “Actually… yes.” Six pairs of curious eyes locked on me. “What if,” I said carefully, “we make it a game?”

Ace perked up immediately. “A game?”

Ash’s brows furrowed. “What kind of game?”

“A competition,” I clarified, shrugging innocently. “Winner gets first date. Then the rest follow in order.”

Xade’s lips curled into a slow smile. “I like where this is going.”

Dristan tilted his head thoughtfully. “What kind of competition?”

“That’s what we’ll decide together.” I crossed my arms playfully. “Fair rules. No cheating. No using wolf speed or strength unless the game calls for it.”

Axel grinned. “I’m in.”

Ace rubbed his palms together mischievously. “Finally, something fun.”

Ash sighed, already looking resigned. “Fine. But I’m not losing.”

I clapped my hands once, excited. “Okay, ideas for games?”

Xade spoke first. “Archery. There’s a training ground behind the house.”

Ace groaned. “That’s unfair. You’re literally a marksman.”

Xade smirked. “Not my fault you’re bad with a bow.”

Axel jumped in. “How about an obstacle course? Something physical.”

“Too predictable,” Dristan said. “All of us are trained warriors; it wouldn’t be balanced.”

Kai finally spoke in a calm and deep voice. “Then make it mixed. Physical skill, mental skill, and luck. That way, no one has an unfair edge.”

I pointed at him. “I like that.” Then an idea sparked. “Five games. Whoever has the highest points at the end gets the first official date.”