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Chapter 166
~Valerie’s POV~
I ignored Kieran’s words for a minute and focused on the scandal. Although I overheard that Titania did sothing bad, I didn’t bother about it.
What concerned was how he obtained information about her to expose her and take the heat off .
And what’s more was what his angle was. In a selfish world, people did not do things freely because they wanted to.
My head spun. "You did that, exposed her?"
Kieran’s smile was lazy, like he hadn’t just flipped PSA’s social hierarchy on its head for fun. "She crossed you. She deserved it. You’re welco."
I stepped back instinctively, putting just enough distance between us so I could think.
"But... why?" I asked, this ti quieter. "What’s your angle?"
He tilted his head slightly, those glacial eyes scanning my face like he was filing away every twitch, every shift in emotion.
"I like seeing bullies fall," he said with a careless shrug. "Especially when they aim at soone interesting."
There was sothing about the way he said interesting. Like it didn’t just an unique—it ant dangerous, unpredictable, alive.
Like I was a ga he was still learning the rules to.
"I didn’t ask for a knight in shining armour," I stated.
"Good." Kieran took a step forward again, keeping his gaze steady. "Because I’m not wearing armour."
He tapped the side of his head. "I wear strategy. And right now? Helping you helps ."
Before I could push him for what that ant, he brushed past . His shoulder barely grazed mine, but the static in the air between us was undeniable.
"If you’re ever ready to return the favour," he said without looking back, "you know where to find . And Valerie, my favours are always unique."
I swallowed, thinking of what he ant and when I lifted my eyes to look at him and respond, Kieran was nowhere to be seen.
He had disappeared into the hallway like a ghost of trouble.
I exhaled slowly, my heart still galloping in my chest.
Damn him.
***********
The afternoon sun bled gold across the field as I stepped out of the main building, blinking against the glare.
It was already past lunch break as I stepped into the main courtyard, and the atmosphere shifted. Not in a scandalous way. In a way that suggested sothing big is coming.
Whistles rang out in the air.
Cleats thudded, and laughter rolled like waves from the soccer pitch.
I had just wanted to walk off my lunch in peace but of course, peace was no longer sothing the universe allowed .
"There you are," Solstice called, jogging over with a wild glint in her eyes. "You’re late!"
I blinked at her. "Late for what?"
She hooked her arm around mine and started dragging toward the field like a possessed cheerleader on a mission. "Afternoon sports, rember? Kingdom Cup prep. The boys are doing their first inter-house trial."
"I’m not on the boys’ team."
"No, but we are next," she grinned. "The girls’ team is watching their match first. Then it’s our turn. Coach said we’re alternating rounds."
"Wait—our turn?" I stopped dead in my tracks. "Solstice. What are you talking about?"
She grinned brighter.
Oh no.
"You signed up?" I asked, voice sharpening.
"Yup. Two days ago. During your scandal ltdown. You needed sothing positive attached to your na. Sothing headline-worthy that didn’t involve lips or Lycans."
"Are you out of your—"
"Trust ," she said quickly. "It’s a win. PSA’s gossip page lives for this kind of redemption arc. You show up, you dominate, and you bury Titania’s latest sabotage attempt six feet under."
I scowled. "I didn’t agree to this."
I was just about to walk away when Solstice’s voice called out. "What’s the matter? Scared of Titania? Or did you lose your edge?"
That did it.
I slowly turned to face her, smirk curling my lips as I noticed her cocked brow. "Fine. I’ll join."
Solstice bead like I’d just crowned her Empress of PSA. "Knew it."
Just then, the sharp blast of a whistle pierced the air, silencing the sidelines. The match had started.
And gods help , I almost forgot how lethal a field full of Alpha Heirs could look.
I followed Solstice to the shaded bleachers, slipping into a seat as students sward around. The atmosphere buzzed with energy, especially when the lineup of both teams hit the turf.
Team A: Dristan, Xade, and four other seniors.
Team B: Axel, Kai, and another four from the senior years, each having a good athletic build like the heirs.
My gaze locked on the two captains first.
Dristan’s expression was stone—focused, sharp, and predatory.
And Axel was more relaxed, but that loose posture scread trap.
Kai rolled his shoulders like he was walking into a fight instead of a ga, while Xade bounced on the balls of his feet, wolf-grinning already.
The crowd leaned in as the referee tossed the ball into the air.
And then everything exploded.
Axel lunged first—faster than a blink, clearing half the field in two strides.
Dristan intercepted with a kick so clean the ball snapped midair like a whip and flew toward Xade, who executed a perfect flip-twist pass to their left wing.
Soone shrieked behind . No one even cared that it was practice. It looked like war dressed in soccer uniforms.
"What the hell," I muttered, watching as Kai zipped through two defenders with a speed that was not legal in any realm.
"Super-soldiers in cleats," Solstice murmured with awe.
Axel caught Kai’s heel pass and dropped low, spinning under Xade’s block before launching the ball toward the net like it owed him money.
The goalie barely blinked before it slamd into the net.
1–0.
Kai turned toward the stands, grinning cockily, eyes searching for sothing or soone in the crowd till they landed on .
He was searching for .
I smirked and folded my arms. "Show off."
Dristan didn’t take the hit well.
I watched his jaw clench from here. The next round started, and he snapped into action like a switch had been flipped.
This ti he didn’t pass.
He didn’t hesitate.
He stord through the midfield like the ball was an extension of his soul. His aura pressed like gravity, forcing players to scramble just to stay standing.
The only one who could keep up?
Axel.
They collided mid-sprint—shoulder to shoulder, raw strength against raw instinct.
The crowd gasped. But it was Dristan who held his ground, shoving through the block and launching the ball so hard I felt the net rattle from the bleachers.
1 – 1.
Ga. On.
The next twenty minutes were chaos.
None of the other players could hold a candle to them. By the third rotation, the match had devolved into a four-man war.
The rest of the teams had all but stepped back, becoming unwilling spectators in their own ga.
Xade was fire and laughter, darting like a cot, while Kai slithered through openings that didn’t exist, his hair sticking to his face like sweat-kissed silk.
Axel and Dristan went blow for blow—two kings in a clash of wills.
But Dristan...
He was playing like it mattered, like this wasn’t about sport.
It was about proving sothing.
And every ti he scored, his gaze flicked—almost imperceptibly—toward .
Until finally, after another stunning heel pass from Xade and a lethal slide-shot across the field at the last two seconds...
A loud whistle blew, signalling the end of the match.
4 – 3.
And Team A, Dristan’s team, ca out victorious.
The crowd lost it. Even the referee looked breathless.
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