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Chapter 103
~Valerie’s POV~
I still hadn’t forgiven Dristan.
On the day of our shopping trip, Dristan hovered around like so glorified guard dog in a leather jacket, watching every move I made, making it painfully obvious I wouldn’t sneak away unnoticed.
I’d been this close to ditching them all. But with his looming presence and Erald’s eyes tracking like a falcon with caffeine, I ended up in the cab with the rest of them—stuffed between Astraea’s hair and Isla’s perfu.
Now, the Blood Moon Masquerade had finally arrived.
Crescent Hall’s entrance glowed crimson under spell-laced chandeliers, enchantnts floating in the air like rose-scented snow.
Soft orchestral music gave way to haunting vocals and low drum beats as the night thickened. Every inch of the ballroom was cloaked in velvet and silver, masked students swirling in graceful chaos.
I stepped in last, behind Isla and Erald.
I’d chosen my own dress, separate from the one Dristan had picked.
A stormy sapphire blue that kissed my collarbone and hugged my waist. The satin was soft but simple, the hem ending mid-thigh at the front and cascading in layers at the back.
It wasn’t scandalous—but it showed just enough leg and back to whisper danger without screaming it.
The sheer sleeves clung to my arms like mist, and a delicate silver chain ran from the low neckline to the base of my throat. My mask, pale silver with etched blue frostwork, revealed more than it hid.
And when I stepped into the ballroom, I felt it.
His gaze.
It latched onto like gravity.
Dristan was already inside, dressed in sleek black, mask sharp like a raven’s wing. His jaw ticked. I could feel the growl pulsing beneath his breath from across the room.
I smiled, slowly but deliberately.
"You think you can just dictate my life, Dristan? Sorry. Such a sha that I don’t follow rules."
I made my way toward the drinks table, and it didn’t take long. I sensed the shift in energy before I saw him. A shadow moved, fast and quiet. Then suddenly, he was there.
"Do you care so little about your reputation, mate?" His voice was low, rough but I didn’t flinch.
"Mate?" I asked slowly, letting the world roll off my tongue. "Reputation?" I tilted my head and scoffed. "Nope, but I should be asking you that. No one knows you’re my mate. Funny how you choked on the word during our little shopping trip the last ti like it was poison."
His eyes flared. "Easier to swallow when I haven’t heard it from your mouth either. Are you ashad of ?"
I laughed, the sound was bitter and short. "Right back at you, Alpha. Are you?"
His mask didn’t hide the flicker of sothing behind his gaze. Sothing wild and extra territorial.
Dristan stepped forward. I moved back—only to find my escape blocked by the edge of the drinks table.
Quickly, his hand wrapped around my waist before I could blink, pulling in. Just enough to feel the heat radiating off his skin.
"You want to test that theory," he whispered, his face so close I could count the gold flecks in his irises, "and get your answer?"
My breath caught. Dristan’s lips were just there, hovering. My heart slamd against my ribs as he drew closer, his nose already touching mine.
I gulped, swallowed but found it hard to break away. My first thought was kneeing him in the groin but that would pout a bigger target on my back.
And then—
"VALERIE!" Astraea’s voice sliced through the air like a whip of relief. "Dance floor. Now."
She grabbed my arm without even sparing Dristan a glance. His glare could’ve lted walls, but I didn’t care.
"Glad your cousin didn’t save ," I muttered, yanking free and fleeing into the swirl of bodies and lights. Because I knew had Isla co, she’d have left there and watched as Dristan took his kiss.
Crazy girl!
From the corner of my eyes, far into the shadows near the grand staircase, Kai watched.
Unmoving. Mask untouched. His eyes locked on with a fire I couldn’t see, but sohow felt.
He saw everything.
Dristan. The almost-kiss. The tension in my fingers.
And he clenched his fists tighter.
My attention drifted again when Isla beckoned to to try out sothing and before I knew it, I lost sight of Kai.
My mind flickered back to that conversation of him wishing that I kissed him, thata nd Drista’s almost kiss, made wonder what his lips would taste and feel like.
I swallowed at my improper thoughts.
I finally caught my breath by the snack table, only to find Axel leaning against the marble pillar beside , dressed in a silver-trimd vest and no sha at all.
"Wow," he drawled, looking over. "I didn’t know vengeance ca wrapped in silk and heartbreak."
"Stop flirting."
"Not flirting. Admiring," he corrected . "There’s a difference."
I didn’t answer, but the corner of my lips betrayed .
He grinned wider. "See? That almost-smile? Dangerous. If you wore that with that black dress from yesterday—"
"I’m going to hit you with a tray," I said before I could stop myself.
"Tempting," he whispered. "But you’re not allowed to bruise perfection at a party."
I rolled my eyes. "So Dristan ca to whine and sulk in front of you?" I asked.
"Nope, little wolf. I saw you from the glass when you walked over to him with the dress but didn’t enter the shop."
"Interesting. Stalker muh.’
Axel scoffed but didn’t say much as I escaped again, drifting into the edges of the ballroom until a cool hand tapped my shoulder.
I turned and saw Xade.
He held out a hand in mock elegance. "Dance with , pretty Nightshade?"
I didn’t trust that smile. But I took it anyway.
I couldn’t evade all six of them, but I could remain with one to push the others away. And right now, Xade’s cunning seed less dangerous now.
The music shifted to a darker, lilting, slow waltz, and Xade pulled in with practiced ease.
"Didn’t think I’d see you here," he murmured as he spun lazily. "You look different. Wilder."
"Don’t get used to it," I replied.
He smirked, twirling again. But then—his hand brushed my chest just slightly.
Just over the spot where my necklace lay, hidden under the silk.
I tensed and he felt it but his fingers lingered.
I narrowed my eyes. "Careful, Xade."
"Relax," he said, eyes gleaming. "Just making sure you’re still wearing that pretty little charm."
The air shifted. But before I could respond, soone bumped into the waiter near us. A tray of sparkling crimson drinks flew into the air.
And landed—all of it—on .
Glass crashed. Red soaked through satin and gasps rang out.
"Seriously?!" I hissed, stepping back, drenched and furious.
The girl who tripped stamred apologies. The waiter fumbled. Xade grinned like he didn’t hate the chaos.
But I just stood there, drenched in shimring wine, dress ruined, mascara starting to bleed.
And across the room—Dristan saw everything.
His jaw clenched. His mask slipped just enough for to see the rage simring beneath.
Perfect.
Or not when I saw the face of the girl who had tripped.
Titania.
"Oops."
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