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Chapter 303
~Valerie’s POV~
Professor Winnie leaned forward, her silver-ringed fingers gripping the edge of the desk. Her voice dropped, but the subtle power behind it made the air crackle.
"Let make sothing very clear. Prestige is not a playground for petty rivalries and secret power trips. If I ever hear of anything like this again, you will not only be suspended, but you will also be stripped of your rankings and expelled from every elite supernatural registry we are affiliated with. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, ma’am," Avery muttered, looking anywhere but at .
Titania’s head bobbed stiffly, like she was being forced to agree against her will.
Astraea gave a faint, insincere hum of acknowledgent.
"Good. Now get out. I’ll be speaking with your parents next."
The three of them shuffled toward the door; their shoulders were tight, their confidence in shambles. No one dared make a sound as the door clicked softly shut behind them.
Professor Winnie turned her gaze back to , and the sharp edge in her expression softened. "Are you alright?"
I swallowed. My hands trembled faintly in my lap. "Yeah. Thanks for stepping in."
She smiled faintly. "Don’t thank yet. Just... stay out of trouble. It has a way of following you around."
My lips pressed into a tight smile as I dipped my head and left her office.
After the eting, I trudged through the rest of the school day, trying to keep my head low and ignore the buzzing whispers trailing behind .
Word had spread, no doubt, and by the ti the final bell rang, I was practically vibrating with the need to not be here.
Erald was waiting for at the front entrance.
"Co on," I hissed, grabbing her hand and yanking her toward the courtyard path. "We’re doing the thing."
"The thing?" she echoed, raising her brows as I practically dragged her across campus.
"Finding the necklace. Duh."
Erald sighed, but let steer her all the way back to our dorm. As soon as the door shut behind us, Erald flicked her wrist and muttered a Fae charm to seal the room from eavesdropping.
"You’ve been brooding over that necklace for days," she said, toeing off her shoes and reaching for her pouch of spell tools when we got into her room.
"Are you sure you didn’t just misplace it?"
"I didn’t misplace it," I snapped. "It was in the top drawer. I put it there after my emotional outburst with Dristan and then when I ca back for it, it was gone."
Erald gave a wary glance as she pulled out a small crystal blade. "You really think soone took it?"
"Yes. They also made it a point to leave a note. We’ve been over this already, Em. Please, just..." I sighed.
"I know, I know. I am just making sure you rember so that we know we’ve crossed this stage."
"I know."
Erald knelt on the floor and motioned for to sit. "Alright. Give blood. Just a drop. And I’ll need a strand of hair."
I sat down cross-legged and extended my palm. The cold steel of the Fae blade kissed my skin, and I winced as a bead of blood surfaced. Erald collected it in a shallow glass bowl, then plucked a strand of my hair from behind my ear.
"Alright, necklace location spell coming up," she murmured, then began chanting under her breath.
The language was clear and flowing... ancient Faeric words. She moved her hands gracefully over the bowl, mixing the blood and hair with a wooden wand made from willow.
"E’vrenn sivae, tal’mora elthar. Rhaen’syl irn, show what is lost... return what is ours."
The contents of the bowl sparkled and shone brightly before fizzling out like a candle that’s just been snuffed.
Erald’s face twisted. "That’s... not good."
"Try again," I said, already clenching my fists.
"Val..."
"Try again, Em."
She sighed but didn’t argue. She repeated the ritual, this ti adding a drop of her own blood as an anchor. The light flickered weakly, then went out and turned into smoke again.
"This isn’t working," she said quietly. "There’s no resonance. It’s either too far or... it’s cloaked."
"Cloaked?" I snapped. "Who the hell would cloak my necklace?"
She glanced at with her green eyes, a hint of caution in them. "Are you sure you didn’t bring it with you on the trip and lost it in the process?"
I exhaled harshly, rubbing my forehead. "No. I lost it before. I know I did."
Erald set the bowl aside and scooted closer. "Okay. Let’s just breathe. We’ll figure this out."
I closed my eyes, forcing air through my lungs. After a beat, I asked, "Have you seen Isla today?"
Erald blinked, thrown off. "No. I haven’t. Why?"
"She ntioned anything to you?"
"Only that she wanted to ask our Physics teacher a few questions after class."
I raised a brow, a smile tugging at my lips. "Mr. Neil?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Nothing," I said, standing up and smoothing down my skirt. "I just think I know where I might find her."
Erald narrowed her eyes. "You’re wriggling your brows. That’s suspicious."
"I don’t wriggle."
"You absolutely wriggle when you’re being shady."
I grinned, already heading for the door. "Don’t wait up for or her, maybe."
Erald looked confused for a second there as I left.
The Alpha house shone in the late afternoon sun. I entered through the side door, which was nearest to the training quarters.
The mont I stepped in, the house felt... empty.
"Dristan?" I called and no one answered.
I walked down the hallway to the lounge to check if anyone was there, quickly looking into the kitchen, but it was empty.
Then I heard the low thrum of music upstairs, followed by the faint buzz of electricity. I climbed the steps, turned the corner... and stopped dead in my tracks.
Kai stood in the middle of the hallway, back turned, head tilted as he plugged his phone into the wall charger.
He was shirtless.
Sweat dripped from his bare chest, clinging to him like dew on warm glass. His abs were well-defined, looking almost like they were carved from marble.
As he pushed the cord into place, his biceps flexed, and when he turned...
Oh, gods.
He was only wearing dark workout trousers that hung low on his hips, the waistband teasing the edges of the V-lines that dipped under.
"Valerie?"
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