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Chapter 269
~Valerie’s POV~
Every student turned as the circle grew quiet. My throat tightened, and my muscles locked in place.
Astraea?
Of course. Why wasn’t I surprised?
Solstice warned about her—said her ambition ran deeper than most—but I doubt even Solstice had predicted this... knew that Astraea knew of my identity.
The question now was... would I let her win?
Across the firelight, the heirs and princes all moved forward, faces shadowed with confusion, disbelief—and sothing else.
Even Xander and Riven had risen to their feet, both looking directly at with unreadable expressions.
"Excuse ?" I asked calmly, forcing a blank look on my face. "What are you talking about?"
"Don’t play coy with ." Astraea’s voice was laced with venom.
"Valerie?" Isla’s voice broke through the tension as she halted in her steps. "Is... is what she’s saying true?"
"Why don’t you ask her since she is so keen on believing that lie. Sure, my na is Valerie, but I am not Valerie Snow."
"You lie!" Astraea snapped, her voice cracking like a whip, making wonder just how long her hatred has run deep.
Students were gathering now, curious faces appearing through the trees. Murmurs passed from one mouth to another.
It shouldn’t have been sothing to cause this much of a crowd, but it did.
"Which explains the assessnt scores, right?" Titania stepped closer, a smug smile curling her lips.
"Stop looking for drama where there’s none," I said, trying to stay calm.
"Oh, there’s plenty," Avery added with a cold laugh, arms folded across her chest. "More than enough."
My lips parted to speak but Astreaea beat to it.
"You can’t lie out for this one, Valerie, not like Silver. You are the late Southern Alpha Kings’ Heiress."
A few audible gasps broke from the crowd.
"And how exactly do you plan to prove that?" I asked flatly.
Astraea stepped forward, then began to slowly circle like a predator. "For one, your hair colour."
"My hair?" I repeated, disbelief curling around the words.
Astra, my wolf, growled deep inside . "Give the go-ahead to rip her throat out."
"No," I warned, pushing Astra back with effort. "She knows nothing. She’s baiting . I won’t give her the satisfaction and let her use my reaction against .
"Yes," Astraea said louder now. "I saw you after the ga ended. You took off your wig and rinsed it in the river. I followed you."
My heart thudded, but I kept my face still.
I had made a mistake and didn’t think anyone had actually followed or seen after they lost the ga.
"I saw you, Valerie, but I couldn’t attack since we lost the ga. But I saw your true hair... Silver, with violet and blue tips."
"You were going to attack her?" Isla blurted from the side.
Erald moved closer, pushing past people till she ca upon the clearing. "What are you doing Astraea?"
"Exposing a liar," she said simply, cold and confident.
"She’s our friend," Isla snapped, her voice rising.
"Friends...? I believe she should be investigated thoroughly." Astraea stopped and glanced at Dristan, a tad too long for it to be called a glance, before looking at the others. "How sure are we that the mate bond wasn’t forged, just like her na and probably identity?"
Gasps rippled through the crowd. So began whispering, others glanced at the alphas behind .
Soone scoffed in the audience. "If she is the Southern King’s Heiress, that also ans that Silver.... Solstice is her cousin?"
"Exactly!" soone else piped in. "They both forged their way in!"
"I knew she reacted too much back then," a student added. Heads nodded, and the ripple of doubt widened.
This was spiraling.
Several heads nodded in agreent as more ideology ca out. So supported it, while a few called it a coincidence.
I felt my stomach tighten at the thought.
On two occassions I had fucked up greatly. First, when Solstice left and the other was dying my hair outside.
Just when I thought it would end, soone in the crowd asked, "And what about the other two signs or proof?"
Astraea’s eyes glead with triumph. Of course—this wasn’t just about . This had always been about Dristan.
Astraea had probably been in love with Dristan, but he never gave her a second glance.
"Two, the assessnt, the powers, earth..."
"Then how do you explain the flas?" Erald asked, crossing her arms.
"Maybe she played a trick to disguise it." Titania shrugged. "Tricked the results."
"I didn’t do anything," I defended, but she ignored .
"And three..." She stopped walking, coming to stand before as she lifted a paper and showed it to . "This."
I froze.
I knew that paper.
The paper wasn’t the issue; it was what was written on it.
"I know who you are, Valerie Violet Sapphire Snow."
My pulse skipped. My lungs squeezed, but I forced my expression into bored indifference, as though none of it was affecting .
"So?"
"So," she smiled, showing it to the crowd, letting it pass through hands. "I found this after you tried burning it. But after I saw what was written on it when you left for class."
"It was burnt?" Kai spoke up, the first of my mates to react. "Then how did you have it?"
"Fae magic." Everyone turned to look at Titania as she walked over to us. "Astraea used Fae magic to recover what was lost... and just before you go saying it wasn’t Valerie who wrote it, Erald and Isla, fae magic can trace a fingerprint pattern. We checked. And we can check again."
Eyes turned to Isla and Erald. Isla looked torn. Erald’s jaw was clenched, but she said nothing.
I saw Dristan in the crowd now—his eyes holding too many emotions to na. Shock. Anger. Worry.
I shut my eyes for so ti. I knew this day would co.
So yes. I burnt the paper," I said simply.
The second I said that, gasps and murmurings ensued.
"But," I added, and the noise cut like a switch, "I only did that because I received threats. First, telling to leave the school. Then they accused of being soone I wasn’t. I’ve received four in total. And guess what? I took pictures of each. I have proof."
Murmurs spread again, this ti more uncertain. The crowd turned between , Astraea, and Titania.
"So tell ," I said, looking directly at Astraea now, "how am I supposed to believe you didn’t send them?"
Astraea looked shocked buts he stuttered, shaking her head. "You cannot believe her. I... I sent the other letters just to rattle her but I never sent this one about her being Valerie Snow. This was..."
Astraea faltered. Her expression wavered. "I... I sent so letters. To rattle you. But I didn’t create that one. That wasn’t —"
"So you admit you frad her?" Dristan asked sharply, stepping forward.
Astraea’s lips trembled. "No. I just—"
"You insult our mate," Xade’s voice thundered, his aura pushing outward. "And now you admit to manipulation?"
"No, Xade—please," she turned, desperate. "Dristan, you have to believe . The facts are all there. I’d never lie to you, I love—"
"The sa way you lied and pretended to be her friend?" Ash cut in, voice like ice.
Astraea began backing away, her breathing ragged.
She hadn’t expected it to unravel so fast.
"Why?" Isla’s voice cracked, shaking her head.
Sothing broke in Astraea’s expression then. Astraea’s gaze darkened, and she stopped shaking her head altogether like she had recalled sothing.
"Fine then, if you wouldn’t believe , I’ll prove it to you all."
In a sudden movent, she lunged forward—too fast, but before or anyone could react, pain seared through my scalp as she grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked.
"She’s wearing a wig!"
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