****************
Chapter 167
~Valerie’s POV~
The jubilation that rang out felt like a genuine victory, thanks to the lovely match that was played.
As for ... I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
My gaze flickered across the field to the heirs before settling on Dristan. Unlike the others, he did not celebrate or cheer.
Instead, he turned slowly, lifted his gaze straight to mine... and smirked as though conveying a silent ssage, like he knew exactly what he’d done.
Then his gaze drifted from mine to his side. I followed his line of sight to where Kai stood.
This had been a ga to show off to their mate, who did best, and sadly, Kai lost. Although they were all my mates, I would have preferred a draw to silence whatever future brawl would happen.
***********
By the ti the whole training march was over, the sun had dipped lower. Golden light filtered through the high hedges, casting long shadows that danced across the stone benches where my girls were already gathered.
Erald, Isla, and Astraea had claid their usual corner—half shrouded in ivy but definitely fully shrouded in gossip.
"Hey Val," Isla greeted as I sat beside them.
I had been distant since the scandal and avoiding everyone but today, I just needed to mingle.
"Hey girl, how are you?" Erald asked, shifting to give space.
"Thanks."
"Are you still feeling down after shaking the whole school?" Astraea questioned, and I smiled.
"Nah. She didn’t just shake the school," Erald was saying with a wicked grin. "You steamrolled it."
Isla nodded solemnly, tucking a strand of soft blonde hair behind her ear. "Titania’s still trending. And not in a good way."
"I heard two fae dignitaries from her court reached out for an apology from you but you shooed them away," Astraea added, sipping from her enchanted bubble tea like she hadn’t just dropped a political bomb.
Imdiately, all three turned toward .
"What?" Erald and Isla voiced in unison.
My brows creased as my gaze darted between them. I shrugged lightly. "Hey, I did not et any diplomat. All I got was Titania being Titania this morning."
"I heard she had tried to hit you," Isla said flatly. "You slapped her across a courtyard and then walked away like a goddess."
"She had it coming," I muttered, brushing nonexistent dust off my joggers. "Though I did not slap her across the courtyard."
But Erald wasn’t letting go that easily. "Still. That clip’s already got six edits, two fan accounts, and a remix." Her green eyes sparkled with mischief. "Also... you kissed two of them Alpha heirs."
I humd, keeping my gaze fixed on the hedge’s shadows.
Because that wasn’t what had been playing in my head for the last forty-eight hours.
The slaps, gossip and whatnot were the least of my worries. What had been shoving its way into my mind was their eyes.
Kai. Dristan. Axel. Xade.
All four of them had their eyes shining blue like I had seen on several occasions, but when I saw them march with the Lycan Heirs that day and the colour difference, it struck again.
Why did all the heirs have it, but I didn’t? And these eyes weren’t characterized by your natural colour but by grief, status or pain.
A shimring, soul-deep, sky-split shade. But I saw it.
Each ti their emotions peaked—whether it was lust or fury or sothing darker—that unnatural light bled through.
It wasn’t instinct. It was a mory.
And I couldn’t get it out of my head.
"Hey." Isla bumped her shoulder into mine. "Earth to Vi."
I blinked.
And then I blurted it out.
"What happened to them?" My voice cut across the air like a thread pulled too tight out of the blue. "The Heirs. What gave them those blue eyes?"
The silence that followed was deafening.
Even the wind held its breath.
Erald’s teasing smile faltered. Isla’s hand froze mid-motion. Astraea slowly set her drink down, fingers clenched tighter around it than necessary.
None of them looked at .
I swallowed. "Guys?"
Still nothing.
"I’m serious," I pushed. "That glow—it’s not natural, even for werewolves. It’s too... sharp. Too haunted."
Isla’s lips parted, but no sound ca out. Erald looked suddenly fascinated with her nails.
Then Astraea finally spoke.
"I don’t know about all of them," she said softly. "But I know about Axel."
My spine straightened. Erald leaned in instantly. Isla did the sa, even though I wondered why.
"How?" I asked.
Astraea’s gaze didn’t et mine. She looked out over the garden, like the story lived sowhere in the breeze.
"His sister," she said, barely above a whisper. "She died."
The words hit like a cold gust.
Astraea took a breath, then continued. "He was fifteen. She was sixteen. Her na was Arabelle. They were on a peace tour through the western borders, ant to build alliances between the River Pack and the Moonborn Pack. But sothing went wrong."
Erald’s brows furrowed. "An ambush?"
Astraea nodded. "Enemy pack. Rogues—ferals. No symbols. No banners. Just death. They were supposed to guard the diplomatic envoy. Axel’s father was there, and so were senior warriors. But the ambush hit hard. Fast."
Her throat worked like she was swallowing broken glass.
"I read that Axel was pinned down. Cornered. The attackers had spells—ones ant to seal shifting. He couldn’t change. He was helpless. But Arabelle... she ran into the open."
My heart clenched.
"She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t scream. She just... shoved him out of the way. Took the blow ant for his neck."
"She died on the field?" I asked, my voice barely a breath.
"No," Astraea whispered. "She bled out while Axel held her. Half-shifted. In his arms. He was screaming. Calling her na. He couldn’t stop it."
The silence that followed was thick.
"His wolf unlocked that mont," she said finally. "A rare phase. One triggered by trauma, not rage or moonlight, but guilt and loss."
"Is that what turns their eyes?" I asked. "Grief?"
"It’s deeper than that." Astraea finally looked at , and her brown gaze shimred. "The blue eyes mark a wolf who’s touched death and still walks. Who’s crossed sothing most don’t survive."
Erald swallowed, looking shaken. "So it’s not just strength... it’s scars."
Astraea nodded once. "Axel never talks about it. No one does. But if all four of them share those blue eyes..." she trailed off.
"Then all four of them," Isla whispered, "have lost sothing they can never get back."
Reviews
All reviews (0)