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Chapter 261
~Valerie’s POV~
"Alright, students," Professor Winnie clapped her hands, the sharp sound cutting through the low morning chatter. "Ti for today’s group assignnt."
Groans echoed from every corner of the clearing. No one liked being split into groups. Especially not when it ant traipsing through the wilderness.
"You’ll be divided into five groups. Each will collect five rare plant specins. You’ll find them growing naturally within this zone."
She tapped the hologram map hovering in front of her. "Your list: Crimson Veil, Fae Lantern Root, Moonshade Petals, Grim Ivy, and Starcap Mushrooms. I suggest you review your notes before stepping into the collection zones. So of these are poisonous if handled incorrectly."
The students began shuffling into their assigned teams as she called nas from a digital tablet.
"Group One: Kai, Dristan, Isla..."
I blinked, waiting.
"Group Two: Valerie Nightshade, Axel Grayborne, Xade Dravien, Erald Thorn, Astraea Lune, Rain Eastwood, Nolan Crest..."
Axel and Xade?
I barely had ti to process before Astraea gasped dramatically beside . "We’re with both your Alpha hounds," she whispered with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Erald leaned over with a teasing smirk. "This trip just got fun."
"I regret all my life choices," I muttered under my breath.
"I’m getting a vision," Erald whispered dramatically. "One of shaless flirting and hot tension."
I rolled my eyes. "Stop."
Axel t my gaze with that usual lazy smirk. "Fate’s playing favourites again."
Xade raised a brow. "Or maybe she’s just tired of watching us tiptoe around each other. Either way, you should be honoured."
"Should I?" I raised an eyebrow at him, and he smirked.
Professor Winnie waved us toward the left path. "Stay within your boundaries. Collect carefully, no shortcuts, no cutting the roots wrong. I’ll know. We all et here in 3 hours."
Axel gave a nod, adjusting his gloves. "Let’s make this efficient. I’d rather not be in the woods longer than needed."
With that, we set off.
The forest was just starting to wake up. Sunlight filtered through the trees in soft beams, and the air slled fresh, with the scent of damp soil and leaves.
We moved deeper into the woods, where the colourful trail markers began to disappear. Before long, the sounds of nature surrounded us: birds calling, leaves rustling above, and the faint bubbling of a stream we couldn’t see.
Professor Winnie had warned us that this zone was untouched, unpredictable.
"What exactly does Crimson Veil look like again?" Erald asked, flipping through her scanpad.
"Blood-red leaves grow low to the ground, usually at the base of Silverwillow trees," I answered, already scanning our surroundings.
"Look who ca prepared," Xade muttered behind .
"Cos with the territory of being a ’smart ass,’ rember?" I shot back.
Axel chuckled. "She’s got you there."
We split into sub-pairs to cover more ground, each person within calling range. I kept walking ahead when a flicker of movent near a fallen log made pause.
My eyes narrowed.
There was sothing wrong with the air.
"Guys?" I called, but it was too late.
Sothing whipped out from the underbrush. It was fast, green, and coiled like a snake. My heart skipped a beat as I noticed what it was... a carnivorous vine. It was moving quickly and aiming straight at .
Move!
But I wasn’t fast enough.
Before I could react, Axel moved like lightning, summoning his elental blade and slicing clean through the vine.
The thing shrieked, a high-pitched screech that made my ears ring, sending the severed plant wriggling like a dying snake into the nearby foliage.
"Valerie!" Axel shouted, lowering his sword.
I stumbled back, heart racing, my breath caught sowhere in my throat. The cut vine still pulsed, oozing sap like blood.
"Everyone okay?" Axel asked, panting slightly.
I nodded, my heart pounding.
Then a sharp, startled shriek ca from the bushes nearby.
We all turned instantly.
The plant had landed in a shrub. But buried behind it... was Lucy, her hair disheveled and her shirt stained with sap.
"What the... Lucy?" Xade stepped forward, bewildered.
Lucy clutched her arm, which bore a shallow gash where the vine had grazed her. Her eyes were wide, wild.
"What were you doing there?" Erald demanded.
Lucy didn’t answer.
The way she looked at , filled with fear, anxiety, and guilt, told everything I needed to know.
Astraea narrowed her eyes. "She was spying."
"No..." I breathed, realising sothing far worse. "She was hiding. Or worse... soone used her."
"Soone sent that plant," Xade growled. "That wasn’t wild. That was controlled."
As soon as Xade ntioned it, I noticed a faint shimr, like magic residue... fae magic.
I slowly turned my head and saw Titania watching us from a few feet away. Her face was expressionless, almost unnaturally calm.
"Interesting," I whispered.
Axel stepped in front of , his eyes glowing faintly. "You okay?"
I nodded, shakily. "Yeah... yeah. I’m fine."
His eyes held mine longer than I expected, before he finally turned back to where Lucy had vanished into the deeper brush.
Erald exhaled. "I guess we’re not the only ones playing survival gas out here."
"I swear, I didn’t think I’d need armour on this trip," Astraea mumbled as we began walking again.
Xade leaned in slightly. "If anything else tries to touch you, I’ll burn the forest down."
"Let’s not do that," I said dryly.
He smirked.
As we walked back, Axel walked beside in silence for a bit, then finally said, "You good?"
"Yeah," I said softly. "Thanks."
He glanced sideways, almost sheepish. "You don’t have to thank ."
"I do. You moved fast."
"I saw sothing coming for you. That’s enough."
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When we returned to the reserve base, Professor Winnie looked us over with a critical eye, but we downplayed the incident. I didn’t want to raise a full-scale alarm... not yet.
Everyone was accounted for. The samples were logged, and for now, the forest gave nothing more.
As we sat around comparing plant samples and rehydrating, Astraea nudged . "So, you and Axel, huh?"
"Don’t start," I mumbled.
"And Xade. Double the growling, double the tension," Erald teased.
I rolled my eyes, trying not to smile.
"Maybe next ti," Xade murmured beside , "I’ll let the vine grab you. Just to see how much you squirm."
I elbowed him but couldn’t help the grin that curved my lips. Despite the tension and threat, I felt a sense of protection.
More than that, I’d felt seen.
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