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Chapter 105
~Valerie’s POV~
I didn’t know what I expected when I stepped up to the balcony after that dramatic spotlight reveal, but Dristan standing there—mask discarded, gaze fierce and unguarded—definitely wasn’t it.
I crossed the floor slowly towards him. He watched every step, and for once, I didn’t try to hide how hard my heart was beating.
When I finally reached him, I lifted my chin, voice calm but sincere. "Thank you... for earlier. For driving Erald to get the dress. I didn’t expect you to."
Dristan’s eyes swept over with a strange softness. "You look beautiful," he said. "More than I imagined you would be in it."
I looked away, heat rising to my cheeks. "You imagined in it?"
His smirk was small. Dangerous. "Of course."
I swallowed, not knowing what to respond. Of course, he had imagined in it, which was why he felt it was the best fit.
Dristan’s fingers traced a slow, lazy line down my bare arm, barely touching, just enough to make the hairs on my skin rise.
"You know," he said, his voice velvet and low, "you’re dangerous in that dress."
I raised a brow, half smiling. "Dangerous how?"
His eyes dropped to my lips, then slowly climbed back to mine. "Because it’s taking everything I have not to press you against this railing and find out how your lipstick tastes."
My breath hitched—just once—but he caught it. Of course he did. That wicked little smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"And here I thought you were the composed one," I murmured, trying to ignore the wild fluttering in my chest.
He leaned in, his nose brushing the shell of my ear. "Only when you’re not looking at like that."
My knees went soft. The ballroom spun a little too quickly.
And just when I thought he might kiss again... he didn’t.
He stepped back, letting his absence linger like static on my skin.
Gods. This boy was going to ruin .
I exhaled, suddenly unsure of what to say. "So... what now?"
He took a step closer. His proximity always did sothing to —shortened my breath, set fire to my nerve endings. His face was so close I thought—no, hoped—he might kiss again.
But instead, he murmured, "I want you."
My heart skipped a full beat.
I blinked. "How? For a dance or...?"
His smirk deepened. "How do you think?"
I had no answer for that. My brain short-circuited.
"I want to get to know you, Valerie Nightshade. The girl behind the mask." His voice lowered, more intimate than it had ever been.
"There’s no mask, Dristan," I whispered.
His hand rose slowly, and he pressed a finger to my lips. "Soft," he noted quietly, his touch lingering. His eyes searched mine like he was morizing every shift in my expression.
I gathered my breath. "Then I want the sa. I want to know everything about you—not the Ice Prince, not the Alpha Heir. Just Dristan Alexander, the boy behind the frost. Open up to , and maybe you get to see all of ."
Sothing flickered in his gaze. Sothing vulnerable and sharp.
"Careful, mate," he whispered, his voice brushing the skin near my ear. "That sounded suggestive... and it makes Soren want you."
"Soren?" I arched a brow, surprisingly comfortable with how close we were now.
He nodded once. "My wolf."
Almost instantly, his eyes bled from ice-blue to glowing crimson. The shift was sudden, nearly electric.
Astra stirred in my head and purred, "That’s his wolf."
"Figured," I thought back.
"Then stop staring like you’re terrified and speak to him."
I licked my lips and lifted a hand to Dristan’s—Soren’s—face. He tensed as I ca closer, but didn’t move away. Not fully.
Then... he leaned into my touch. My fingers brushed his cheek, and a spark burst in my chest so vividly I almost gasped. A full, warm wave rolled through , complete, real.
"Hello, Soren."
His lips barely moved. "Valerie."
That was it—just my na. And sohow, it made smile like a lovestruck idiot.
"Nice to et you, Soren," I managed to say after so ti.
"Likewise, mate."
I could practically hear Astra fuming in my skull. "Stop smiling like a witch in heat and let take over—I want to et him!"
"Bug off, I’m busy," I shot back internally, pushing her down but her naughtyself wouldn’t behave.
Her growl echoed, but before I could push her deeper, Soren said sothing that froze .
"I’d love to kiss you."
Before I could react, he winced hard. A sharp tremor ran through his fra as if sothing inside him cracked. His eyes flickered violently between red and blue before finally settling back to blue.
I knew what had happened. Dristan stepped back, breathing hard.
"What happened?" I asked, stunned.
He rubbed the side of his temple like he was chasing off the pain. "I’m sorry," he muttered.
I tilted my head and tapped his chest softly. "Hey... tell ."
Dristan turned toward , eyes darker than before—but calr now. Stoic. Collected.
"He wanted to kiss you."
I blinked. "Was that... wrong?"
"Yes," he snapped, too quickly.
"Really?"
"Yes, Valerie. Because I am the one allowed to kiss you. Not him."
I laughed softly but kept my voice low. "You’re jealous of your wolf? I bet he’s sulking."
Dristan smirked faintly. "You have no idea."
I almost stepped back, the mont feeling a little too intimate, but he didn’t let . One of his arms wrapped firmly around my waist again, holding in place.
"That doesn’t stop from kissing you, though."
"Dristan..." I whispered his na, unsure whether it was a warning or permission.
He leaned in, his lips brushing just over mine—not quite kissing, but close enough to drive mad.
And just the sll of im, the closeness, the way Soren ntioned my na, made want to give in fully.
And then, a high-pitched squeal broke the spell. Our heads snapped toward the sound instantly to see Isla standing near the doorway, eyes wide and hands clasped over her mouth like she’d just watched a forbidden scene from a steamy romance play out live.
Dristan stepped back, clearing his throat with visible effort. "Isla."
She grinned like a fox. "Don’t mind . Kiss already."
"No," we both said at once.
Dristan leaned in one last ti, his voice low, barely a whisper against my skin. "Until next ti, mate."
And then he walked off into the crowd, disappearing like mist into shadows.
Leaving with Isla and a heart that wouldn’t stop racing.
I stared at the spot where Dristan had vanished, my pulse still racing and the ghost of his touch lingering on my waist.
"Wow," Isla breathed beside , pulling back to the present.
I turned to her slowly, cheeks flushed, heart still thundering in my chest.
She grinned like a devil in disguise. "You two were about three seconds away from creating a scandal on this balcony."
"I was not going to kiss him," I muttered, fanning my face with my hand and failing to cool the burn.
"Sure... And I’m not addicted to cherry tarts."
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