My Alphas' Dark Desires - Chapter 352

Chapter 352: May Be in Danger
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CHAPTER 352

~Xade’s POV~

“That’s not all,” Dristan continued. “There’s word the fifth Guild Master may return to school before the semester ends.”

That snapped everyone’s attention. Kai frowned. “The fifth? I thought he was sick.”

“He’s being recalled,” Dristan said grimly. “And there’s something else you should know about the bodies in the forest the other day. They weren’t just mauled. They were burned by flame and crushed with earth.”

I frowned. “Fae magic?”

“No,” he said flatly. “No fae is strong enough to wield both elements that way. Whoever did it… wanted the assassins dead.”

The reveal made everyone pause to think. We had probably all been too wrapped up in our own mess to pay solid attention. Meaning my report wasn’t so much to begin with. Guess I’ll have to send in another one.

“Assassins? How do you know?” I asked quietly.

Dristan’s gaze darkened. “They wore a ring. Hidden beneath their clothes, strung on a chain. A mark of one of the deadliest organisations besides Nightshade.”

Kai stiffened. “Which one?”

“Bloodbank,” he answered.

Silence fell again, heavier this time, until Axel broke it. “You think the Alpha Kings are behind this?”

The three of us exchanged glances. No one spoke until Kai muttered, “I am not sure about that one.”

I shook my head. “First question one might ask is this. Who has brought Assassins to the school before?”

“Alpha Alexander,” Axel answered, but muttered sorry to Dristan.

“But this time, they did not attack Valerie. She never mentioned anything nor did she look hurt,” Kai reasoned.

“True,” Dristan nodded.

“Haven’t you guys known Valerie to keep things to herself?” I questioned their reasoning.

Both Kai and Dristan looked like they had been called out. Dristan sighed. “So you mean…?”

“It’s not a given,” I explained. “Valerie does not have powers.”

“But she has been linked to three incidents so far,” Axel explained.

“The second, it was not proven that she had powers. Besides, she isn’t the fifth heiress, nor is she a fae. She is just a werewolf. It couldn’t be. Her DNA wasn’t found on the scene, was it?

At the mention of her DNA, we all turned to face Dristan. He seemed thoughtful before looking at us.

“The investigators haven’t figured out everything, and forensics ran a little bit late. Rain fell yesterday. So…”

“I believe something can still be found out,” Axel mentioned.

“Or…” Kai pulled our attention towards him as he arched a brow. “Why don’t we ask Valerie ourselves?”

We all thought it, but no one actually said it.

“Speaking of which, I had a strange dream on the night of the attack. I knew once Valerie was in danger,” Dristan revealed.

“Surprisingly, I did too,” Axel voiced.

“Seriously? Me too. It was incomprehensible. But only her name was on my lip when I woke up.”

We all looked at Kai and did not need to ask before we understood that it was a shared dream.

I broke the silence. “So it is certain. Valerie is or may be in danger.” Everyone nodded, and I continued. “So, let’s say they came for Valerie.”

Dristan shook his head. “Or what if, just what if they were being chased after a failed assassination attempt, and the killer killed them.”

“That is another way to view it.”

“Or we are right,” Axel still argued. “Who else has tried to hurt Valerie before? Who else has access to assassins of that caliber? Think, it’s them. Besides, our dream should count for something, right?”

“Or,” Dristan countered, his voice calm but grim, “it’s someone else entirely. Two different people could want her dead. Which makes it worse.”

Axel frowned, his brows furrowing. “But why? Why would anyone want Valerie dead?”

The question stabbed the room into silence again, and this time, no one had an answer.

“There’s more to her than each of us has let ourselves realise. I think the matebiond blinded us.”

“So is she bad?” Kai asked, voicing his thought unknowingly.

“I highly doubt that. We shouldn’t ask. I think she is being attacked because of us. Cause before she arrived in this school and we became mates, Valerie was safe.”

Dristan stood, sighed as his shoulders slouched. “Looks like we need to keep more eyes on her for her safety and start some digging.”

“I vote for asking her,” Kai still added.

“Me too,” Axel chimed.

I shrugged before adding. “Fine, let’s do it tomorrow. Dristan, you in?”

“Whatever keeps her safe.”

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~Valerie’s POV~

Waking up that morning felt… good. I hadn’t seen Ace in school for about two days since our last date.

Not just him, Ash too wasn’t around, and Xade, well, they were no-shows.

I was worried about him and texted him, but I got no response until this morning at 6 a.m., when he told me he had to leave school quickly for a family meeting with his father and ended up leaving his phone behind.

I was glad he was alright, but I just couldn’t say the same for Xade and Dristan ever since that day.

I pushed their thoughts to the back of my mind.

Astra seemed at rest since she wasn’t bugging me first thing in the morning.

I did my morning routine and got dressed for school. However, just before I got ready to leave, my phone rang, signalling an incoming call, as it vibrated from across my desk.

The sharp sound startled me, as I moved closer and glanced at the screen.

Uncle Zade.

It wasn’t a normal call either—it was a video call. My stomach knotted as I accepted it, lifting the phone closer.

“Valerie.” His voice carried its usual weight, calm but edged with the steel of command. His face appeared sharp on my screen, with shadows under his eyes.

He’d been busy with so much Pack work.

“Uncle,” I breathed, forcing a smile.

“I couldn’t get through to Solstice,” he said immediately, no greetings wasted. “And you—you haven’t sent in any report lately. I trust you understand why that concerns me.”

I swallowed. His gaze pinned me in place even through the screen. “I… I know. I just didn’t want to rush in with something uncertain. But… there is something.”

His brows furrowed. “Go on.”

I exhaled, my fingers tightening around the phone. “I received… an invitation. To join Nightshade.”

For the first time, I saw his composure falter. His eyes widened, shoulders stiffening. “What?” His voice thundered through the speakers. “How?”

I licked my lips, trying to steady my tone. “It started when I overheard two girls whispering about it. I followed them, but I couldn’t get inside. I don’t know if someone sensed me nearby, but… a few weeks later, I was invited.”

His silence was louder than his words, and I almost wished he would scold me instead. Finally, he asked, “Have you gone to their meeting?”

I shook my head quickly. “No. Their first official meeting will be at the end of the semester.”

His frown deepened. “Unlikely. Nightshade doesn’t wait around. If they are interested in you, they will test you before then. Expect another meeting to happen sooner. Just that you weren’t invited.”

My chest tightened as I felt the weight of his words press down on me. “So you think this is a test?”

“Yes.” His eyes narrowed. “And you must treat it that way. Keep a low profile. Do not give them a reason to doubt you—or to expose you.”

I nodded, forcing my voice steady. “I understand.”

But deep down, guilt burned. I hadn’t told him about the assassins, or about using my powers twice, or that I even had powers, and knew he had blocked them.

I hadn’t told him about my mates either. That secret stayed buried for now.

“Do you have anything else to report?” he asked, gaze still sharp.

My throat went dry. “No,” I said quickly, shaking my head.

He studied me for a long moment, then reached off-screen. When his hand returned, he held up a small box. The lid clicked open, revealing a necklace—a silver chain with a dull blue diamond at its heart.

“I had this made,” Uncle Zade said, his tone softening just slightly. “It arrived after Solstice left, so I couldn’t send it with her. But it’s meant for yo to replace the one you lost.”

My breath caught. The gem shimmered faintly even through the poor camera quality.

“Is that true?” I almost asked aloud, but bit the words back. Instead, I murmured, “Uncle, I still have the necklace you gave me before. I managed to recover it.”

A rare smile curved his lips. “Good. Then you’ll have both. I’ll have Storm deliver this one to you. It’s stronger. Keep the other for… situations like last time.”

Warmth spread through me, even though my chest ached with the truths I was hiding, especially the fact that I knew what was going on, that the necklace was to hide my powers.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

He gave a firm nod. “And tell Solstice I would like to speak to her soon. Apologise to her on my behalf for the betrothal.”

“I will.” I dragged the last word, as the realization that he had set things up finally clicked.