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Chapter 328
~Valerie’s POV~
Heat pooled deep within my chest, spreading to my stomach, my arms, my fingertips. A strange tingling sensation raced through my veins like liquid fire.
I barely had ti to process it before a hard kick slamd into my stomach, knocking the air out of . I fell backwards, coughing and gasping for breath.
The first man raised his foot, aiming to crush my skull, but I rolled away at the last second. My body scraped against dirt and roots, pain burning across my side.
I tried getting up, but the second man kicked at the ground, sending a spray of dirt and sand straight into my eyes.
"Agh!" I hissed, blinking furiously. My vision went white-hot with pain.
"Valerie!" Astra barked. "Focus! Listen to ! I’ll guide you!"
Relying on her instincts, I leapt back, putting distance between myself and my attackers. My breath ca ragged, my lashes sticky with blood and grit as I tried wiping my eyes wth my arm. It only sared the blood further.
The heat inside intensified, building to sothing unbearable. I clenched my fists, trembling as my body finally stopped resisting it... and started accepting it.
And then...
I shut my eyes, letting go and allowing Astra to lead , but that singular action put in a different zone.
In the darkness behind my lids, I saw a small black rock hovering mid-air in my mind. Drawn to it, I reached out slowly, almost hesitantly.
The mont my fingers touched it, flas erupted around it, moulding it into sothing strange, unrecognisable, yet familiar.
Searing hot power uncontrollably surged through .
My eyes flew open just as the masked n charged again.
Their daggers flashed, aiming straight for , but sothing inside snapped.
"Get the fuck away from !" I scread.
And imdiately, flas exploded from my palms, racing outward in a violent burst. The heat engulfed their faces, making them shriek and stumble back.
And then the earth beneath us cracked.
Chunks of rock and dirt lifted off the ground, slamming into them with brutal force and knocking them off their feet.
Panting heavily, I stared at my trembling hands, then at the n groaning in pain on the forest floor before suddenly falling silent.
"What... did I just do?" I whispered.
"Valerie!" Astra’s voice thundered in my mind. "Don’t think—RUN!"
I didn’t need a second invitation.
I bolted into the night, the forest blurring around as adrenaline surged through every inch of my body.
My legs moved on pure instinct, lungs burning as I tore through the forest.
Branches clawed at my arms, roots snagged my sneakers, and the cold night air stabbed at my throat, but I didn’t dare slow down.
Every inhale ca sharp and ragged, every exhale carrying the weight of what I’d just done.
"Keep running, Valerie. Don’t look back," Astra urged firmly in my mind, the only thing keeping grounded as my thoughts spiraled.
By the ti the academy gates ca into view, my entire body trembled from exhaustion.
My clothes were shredded, dirt clung to my skin, and streaks of blood painted my arms and neck. I barely registered the guards stationed near the walls.
"Dock and hide," Astra’s voice warned. I did just that before they saw .
Thankfully, none stopped as I escaped before anyone could.
I stumbled into the dorm building and straight to my room. Thankfully, our hostel wardeness was asleep when I slipped past.
I headed quickly for my room. Unlocking the door, I slipped inside, locked it and entered my room, slamd my door shut behind and pressed my back against it.
My chest rose and fell in harsh, uneven breaths as I stared at my reflection in the mirror near the bed.
Wild black hair. Blood-sared cheeks. And my eyes... still faintly glowing, like embers smouldering just beneath the surface.
I stripped out of the ruined clothes, letting them fall in a crumpled heap on the floor, and headed straight for the shower in my sports bra and panties.
The mont the warm water hit my skin, a shudder ripped through . Thin red streams swirled down the drain as the blood and dirt washed away.
I braced my palms against the cold tiles, closing my eyes as the water cascaded over , drowning out everything except the pounding of my heart.
Thanks to Astra’s power, the cuts and bruises began knitting together within minutes, vanishing as though they were never there.
But the ache beneath my ribs—the sharp, hollow reminder of what I’d unleashed—refused to fade.
No amount of water could wash away what I’d done.
I looked down at my hands as the mory of the flas unleashed from them ca flooding back.
"How?" I asked no one could bend fire at will except the Northern Alpha Heir, and here I was controlling flas as if it were second nature.
"Wasn’t I the Earth Heiress?"
My thoughts drifted away as I leaned back against the tiled wall, letting the water spray over .
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~Author’s POV~
Outside Valerie’s room, high up on an ancient oak tree, a figure crouched silently in the shadows.
Two crimson eyes glowed faintly beneath the canopy, unblinking as they followed her every move through the faintly open window.
A slow, almost mocking smirk curved his lips.
And then — he leapt.
Silent as the night, his figure lted into the darkness, leaving no trace behind.
Across the academy, in a different wing of the school, the Alpha Heirs’ house, Dristan tossed violently in his sleep. Sweat dampened his brow, his fists clenched, and his breathing ca in harsh, uneven bursts.
His wolf stirred, restlessly and agitated, growling low within him.
Suddenly, Dristan shot upright, eyes wide open, chest rising and falling heavily as his eyes darted around the room. His aura flickered wildly, reacting to sothing he couldn’t quite na.
And when his senses ca to, only one word left his lips, hoarsely.
"Valerie."
At that exact mont, in their various rooms, the rest of her mates stirred almost in unison.
Kai’s wolf howled in his mind, Axel sat up straight, heart pounding, Xade’s eyes flew wide, Ace and Ash muttered curses under their breath as they clenched their jaws in their respective rooms.
They had all felt the sudden flare in the matebond or rather, Valerie in danger.
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