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Chapter 265
~Valerie’s POV~
I swallowed hard, my mind replayed all the lovely monts of wet dreams I had, one for each of them until the day before our departure when it beca way more intense.
Everyone knew I had six mates and that all six boys were devilishly handso. Saying I never dreamt about any of them, wet dream or not, was a bloody lie.
And lying alone proved to the whole class that I do have sex dreams about them.
It shouldn’t be bad or har,d but I was so shy right now. And if it wasn’t a life or death situation, I didn’t think I wanted my personal life narrated.
Besides, I wasn’t ready to let my mates know I had wet dreams about them.
So, I chose the only option I could.
"I’m not saying."
The orb blinked... then dimd. Truthful, but incomplete.
"Pick dare, then!" Isla shouted. "You know the rules! Punishnt if you aren’t going to answer!"
"Fine," I muttered.
"Alright," said soone from the other side. "Then we dare you... to kiss Riven."
I blinked, and my gaze shot across the fire. Riven stood apart from the crowd, arms folded, face as blank as a whiteboard.
The group howled with laughter and chaos again but my heart pounded.
And just like that, the night began for in a way I did not expect.
"No," I said flatly.
But my voice didn’t matter. It was already lost beneath the rising chant around .
"Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!"
They were louder this ti—half of them drunk on sugar or spiked drinks, the other half clearly just drunk on the thrill of chaos. My refusal had only made the dare more entertaining.
I looked toward Riven.
He stood lazily against a log bench, arms crossed, a casual smirk tugging at his lips. No misgivings. No sha. No nerves.
He tilted his head slightly, gaze locked on like I was sothing he’d been waiting for all night.
I took a step back.
"Guys—" I tried again.
But Astraea cut off. "You picked the punishnt, Val. That’s how it works. You can’t refuse now."
Another student chid in. "Yeah, the rules are the rules. Play or face consequences."
I glanced at Ash, then Kai. They didn’t speak, but sothing flickered behind their eyes—sothing that coiled in my gut. Heat blood across my cheeks.
"Wait," Dristan said suddenly, his voice deep and steady. "She doesn’t have to do it. I’ll take her place."
That got the crowd roaring.
A few students shouted "No!" while others, probably the chaos-loving kind, scread "Yes!" louder—amused and far too excited.
"Oh, hell no. I did not sign up to watch two guys kiss," soone groaned.
Riven rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed that Dristan was trying to ruin his mont with his jealousy but I was hoping to be aved.
Still, I did not think I wanted to watch my mate, a guy, kiss another one of my love interests. Dristan looked just as unimpressed.
And judging by the mischievous glint in the eyes of the student who issued the dare, I knew backing out now would only make things worse.
I swallowed hard, steeling myself as I slowly rose to my feet.
Every movent felt heavy. Every step toward Riven was watched—not just by the crowd but by six particular sets of eyes that burned hotter than the bonfire—my mates. I could feel their stares.
Astra wasn’t particularly thrilled either, but I’d ssed up. I lifted my head, stood tall, and pressed my lips lightly to Riven’s.
I ant for it to be brief, respectful—just enough to end it.
But before I could pull away, Riven’s voice whispered... in my mind.
"If this is my only chance to get a kiss from my crush, then you’re joking if you think that’s all I’ll accept, Valerie."
I froze.
Wait—did he just speak into my head?
Before I could react or speak, Riven Alucard leaned in again. My lips parted slightly in surprise, partly to refute him, and that was all the opening he needed.
His mouth crashed into mine, deep and demanding. His tongue swept in as if this was the mont he’d been waiting for forever.
I gasped—more from shock than anything else—and my hands pressed lightly against his chest. But I didn’t push.
The crowd gasped, and many whistled, cheering for us as Riven wrapped his hands around my waist, holding in place while his free hand gently held my face, deepening the kiss.
But all I felt were the burning glares from the other side of the fire.
When Riven finally pulled back, I was breathless, stunned even.
Dristan cursed under his breath and stord off, muttering sothing I couldn’t catch.
I turned quickly, wanting to disappear into the shadows, but Isla grabbed my hand and tugged down to sit beside her.
"Damn," she whispered with a smirk. "Sorry you had to do that, but... that kiss was hot. I bet my cousin is boiling now, though. Poor Dristan."
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. But I wasn’t sure whether Isla lived and thrived in chaos, especially when things put Dristan on the spot.
My chest was tight, my throat felt dry. I didn’t want to think about what Dristan was feeling—or any of the others.
Just then, soone called out, "Alright, last round! One final ga!"
I looked up, blinking as the student council president strolled in with a black velvet box in his hand.
"We’re ending with a twist on tag," he announced. "Inside this box are slips with everyone’s nas. One person will be chosen to be ’the thief.’ The rest of us? Predators. You catch the prey, you win."
Students murmured. A few looked nervous. The concept sounded easy, but this was a supernatural school. Gas could go sideways in seconds.
The box was passed around. Everyone dropped their nas in.
I could feel my heartbeat echoing in my chest.
I kept still as the box was handed to a neutral student—Everett from the bloodline-neutral dorms—who gave it a firm shake, then handed it over to Erald.
She strutted to the center like she owned the night.
Eyes closed, she reached in and pulled out a na. Then she passed the slip to another student, who read it aloud.
"Valerie."
My stomach dropped.
The laughter, the gas, the kisses—all of it faded, and just like that, I beca the prey.
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