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Chapter 226
~Marianne’s POV~
I never expected the luck that ca for when I first saw Valerie Nightshade walking around campus, without the necklace on her neck.
My breath caught when I noticed the bare skin where the necklace usually rested around her throat. I blinked twice to be sure.
But no—there was no mistake.
She didn’t have it.
The very thing I had been obsessed with reclaiming. Opportunity, it seed, had finally decided to smile at .
I didn’t waste ti. While she was busy taking her stroll, I snuck into her room to do the deed.
It had been relatively easy, picking her lock, and sneaking inside.
I went to her drawer and checked each one of them carefully. Upon opening the third drawer, I found what I was looking for folded under a journal. I found it.
And now?
I stood beneath the moonlight outside one of the balconies of the dorm buildings, facing Titania herself. Her eyes shimred slightly as they zeroed in on the necklace now gleaming proudly on my chest.
Titania’s mouth parted. "Oh my... goodness. You got it. You really took the necklace. But how?"
I gave her a satisfied little smirk. "Snuck in when she wasn’t around. Her roommates were gone. Luckily, there weren’t any spells or enchantnts guarding the drawer. A rookie mistake if you ask ."
Titania nodded slowly, eyes narrowed in thought. Her smile flickered into sothing calculating but before I could bask in her approval, her entire posture changed.
"That," she said, "is just the tip of the iceberg, Mariane." The air around her shimred faintly with magic. "Or did you forget what you promised ?"
I froze.
"I—yes, that’s um... I didn’t forget," I stamred, the smile draining quickly from my face.
Titania stepped forward. "Then don’t get lazy just because you got lucky once. Use your connections. Find everything about Valerie Nihtshade. All her dirty little secrets. I need her sha to be big."
"Yes, Princess."
"Then," Titania said, leaning in with a smile that could cut bone, "we just might celebrate seeing her downfall."
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~Valerie’s POV~
The next morning ca far too quickly or in my case, unbearably slow.
I was not tempted to sleep again after that strange wet dream. That maddeningly vivid encounter with Dristan—how real he’d felt, how the heat of his hands still lingered like ghost-fire on my skin.
And then waking up on the floor? Absolutely humiliating.
Instead, I tried looking for my necklace, but I found nothing.
Now, I was sleep deprived and tired beyond words. As tempted as I was to call in sick today, I couldn’t. The last thing I wanted was Principal Whitmore’s eyes on any more.
The start of the new school week was usually annoying, but today, it felt unbearable because, guess what, the worst part of having such dreams was?
Facing Dristan now. Facing all of them.
Astra was ntally assuring that it would be okay, but how could I believe that?
Just the thought of Dristan made relive the mories and it was hard not to moan at the feel of his tongue down there on my clit.
Sleep had barely touched after that... dream. Thankfully, the girls hadn’t returned from ho.
From the ssage I got on our group chat, they were all returning today, like most students.
I shoved my books into my backpack and stepped out into the main corridor of the Academy.
My heart jumped as soon as I lifted my gaze.
Kai and Xade were standing near the western entrance, deep in conversation. I didn’t hear what they were saying—I was too busy trying not to be seen.
I turned sharply on my heel before they looked up, taking the long route through the east wing. Only that ant crossing the centre quad, where I spotted Ash and Ace laughing over sothing near the greenhouse.
I panicked like a rabbit running for its dear life while being chased by a leopard.
Before they could turn and catch , I slipped behind the marble column near the library, cutting through a hallway I rarely used.
I exhaled sharply, placing a hand on my chest, hoping to calm my breathing. Because right now, rather thna just Dristan’s face I was seeing in my mory, eating out, I was seeing all of their faces.
The matebond had clicked into place and while I may not have the faintest clue as to what spiralled this... I knew I had to avoid them like a plague if I must.
"Okay... just a few more," I ntally chanted.
And then I saw him, the last of my mates... Axel.
Tall, broad, and unmistakably in the middle of a deep stretch as he leaned on the railing near the training hall. His back was to , but one glance would blow everything. And my heart wasn’t ready—not after everything, especially not after Dristan.
Speaking of which, was the last mate I hadn’t seen today, and I hoped my luck wouldn’t run out.
I ducked, slid past a statue of my great-grandfather, and slipped into the corridor leading to the archives. I was just about to exhale—
When I turned, and slamd straight into soone else.
Strong arms caught before I could stumble.
I froze.
Because even without looking, I knew who it was.
The quiet power in his touch, the storm that followed him like a second shadow, and that damn scent—like the calm before lightning split the sky.
It was Dristan, and that ant my luck had run out.
My stomach dropped, and I pulled back instinctively, lowering my head so my hair could shield . My hand twisted in his grip.
"Valerie..." His voice was barely above a whisper, and that softness curled around like a chain. The way he whispered my na when he made...
I shook the thoughts away.
"Please," I muttered, trying to slide out of his hold. "Not now."
But he held on gently in a way that made it worse. He leaned down slightly and spoke softly so only I could hear. "I know what I did... and I know what it costs. But you can’t avoid forever."
My throat dried. I didn’t look up. I couldn’t. If I saw his eyes, I’d break.
"Let go," I whispered.
But just before he could answer, before his grip could tighten or soften, a flash of movent caught the corner of my eye, and suddenly a hoodie dropped over my head, plunging into shadow.
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