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Chapter 331
~Valerie’s POV~
My pen scrambled across the page as I tried to salvage what I could, Astra feeding fragnts of clarity when she could.
By the ti they called for pens down, my hand ached, and my brain felt like it had been wrung dry.
I stared at my answers, knowing they weren’t my best but silently praying they were enough.
When the assessnt ended, the classroom was filled with a restless buzz.
Chairs scraped, papers shuffled, and nervous chatter bounced off the walls as students compared answers and whispered theories.
I stayed silent, my pulse still uneven, my mind refusing to let go of the shadows surrounding .
I hoped that after missing my lunch break appointnt with the queen, I’d finally have so peace.
"Valerie!" Isla slid into step beside as I exited the room. Her face was bright, but her voice was pitched low. "Are you okay? You looked lost during the assessnts, and now you’re spacing out."
I forced a tight smile. "I’m fine. Just... tired."
Erald appeared on my other side, brows drawn together. "Tired?" she scoffed lightly. "You look like you’re two seconds from passing out. Spill it. What happened back there with the Queen?"
I noticed she had left with Solstice when the announcent was called.
Either that or standing before royalty really never fazed her.
I hesitated, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. Students still milled about the hallway, but I could feel burning gazes sowhere behind .
"Well, my dating life with the Princes," I whispered so low that even I barely heard it.
Isla frowned but didn’t push. Erald, though, wasn’t as easily placated.
"Val, whatever it is, you need to be careful," she said softly, a rare note of seriousness in her tone. "No matter what, always think of yourself first. And the Queen... she wasn’t just curious about you. She was testing you."
Her words sent a chill crawling up my spine.
I clenched my jaw, forcing my breathing to steady. Because in a couple of minutes, I’d have to face her again if she was still around.
We all heard the sounds of screaming, more like cheering, from far ahead.
Students were talking to one another in glee. And then we heard a loud male voice.
"Everyone, to the football field. It’s happening."
Imdiately, a crowd of students rushed outside, pushing us along. Erald, Isla and I had no choice but to go with it till we could find an escape route, but all the exit points were crowded.
And when we finally ca out onto the field, I heaved a deep sigh. "I can’t wait for this day to be over and return to my room," I muttered to my friends.
But they weren’t paying any attention to since their eyes were focused on sothing.
I looked around and noticed that everyone fell silent, looking ahead to where the audience sat.
But what greeted my eyes left speechless indeed.
Up there was a shining red banner with my na written boldly on it.
"Valerie." I glanced down, my eyes taking in the sight of my mates, all four of my werewolf mates, dressed in their school uniforms, a rare occurrence.
They all held microphones in their hands and then voiced in unison. "Valerie Nightshade, we are sorry. Forgive us."
The crowd ’aww-ed’ at them, and just then, I felt sothing around my legs as two hefty boys from my class lifted on their shoulders above every student.
I was red with embarrassnt, but when my mates saw a clearer view of . They apologised again.
And this ti, the crowd of students apologized to them.
"We love you, Valerie," Dristan confessed loud and clear.
Kai, Xade, and Axel voiced in unison.
After what felt like ages, I finally nodded and asked to be put down. Dristan agreed, and I was left alone.
But not before all four of them dismissed the crowd and hurried over to .
From the corner of my eyes, I saw Isla, Erald, and Solstice looking at and giving thumbs up.
"Valerie."
I turned to look at them.
Dristan went down on one knee for . The others did the sa. I did not wish for any more spectacle and asked them to stand up.
The joy in their faces when I did was priceless.
One by one, they started apologising.
Dristan was the first to speak, his hand brushing mine as if grounding himself. His deep blue eyes were earnest, and his voice was steady, despite the weight behind his words.
"Valerie... I should’ve told you," he began softly. "About the betrothal. About everything. We all should have. But I didn’t want you to see as... bound by soone else’s choices or belonging to soone else other than you. I wanted you to choose ... because of who I am to you."
The guilt in his voice twisted sothing in my chest, but before I could respond, Kai stepped forward.
His hand slid gently into mine, and his thumb brushed against my knuckles in a gesture that sent shivers up my arm.
Those stormy, soulful eyes locked onto mine, full of emotions I wasn’t ready for.
"I’m sorry for how I treated you," he whispered, his voice breaking just slightly at the edges. "I was lost, Val. Scared. I didn’t want to hurt you by... by making love to you, and then having you find out later, then hate for it."
My lips parted, but no words ca.
"You should have told ," I managed finally, my voice quiet but firm.
He flinched but nodded, his grip tightening on my hand
"Yes... I should have," he admitted. "But my fear was worse than my guilt. If I told you and you chose to walk away... I don’t know if I would’ve survived it. I love you, Val. I just couldn’t risk losing you before I even had the chance to prove myself."
My chest tightened painfully. I exhaled slowly, forcing air into my lungs.
That was when Xade and Axel stepped forward together.
Axel rubbed the back of his neck, his usual confident smirk nowhere to be found.
"I’m sorry too, Val. That night... when we kissed you like everything was fine? We shouldn’t have. We thought we could just pretend, and... gods, that was unfair to you."
"In our defence," Xade cut in, "our mothers stepped in. They told our fathers off, but we hadn’t had the chance to process anything ourselves. We just... left the Summit."
He ran a frustrated hand through his dark hair. "We were finally starting to find our footing with you, Val. I didn’t want to risk ruining it."
"You could have told instead of finding out this way," I said softly, eting each of their gazes in turn. "We could’ve faced it together. Laughed about it. Anything but this."
Axel sighed, shoulders slumping. "I know. We thought keeping you out of it would keep you safe from the politics, from our fathers, from everything. We were wrong."
I hesitated as my mind spiraled.
Safe?
That word stung more than I expected because deep down, I knew sothing they didn’t—that no amount of protection could keep danger from creeping into my life.
Especially not now.
I couldn’t tell them about it, though. Not without exposing everything I’d been hiding.
Swallowing the thought, I refocused on them, forcing my voice not to betray my unease.
"Promise ... no more hiding things like this. If you’re with , I need to know. If not... I might as well walk away and focus on my other mates."
And it was hypocritical. I was telling them to share things with , but I hid the biggest secret of all, and it was gnawing at my insides.
Could I really trust them with this?
I sighed, but if they proved to they were with , I’d tell them before the end of the school sester.
The air between us thickened instantly.
I looked up to four pairs of red glowing wolf eyes locked on , their possessiveness burning hotter than the midday sun.
I realised why soon enough, though.
Muscles tensed, shoulders squared, but they didn’t argue this ti.
Dristan reached for first. His voice was raw. "Please forgive us, Val. I swear, from now on, there’ll be no secrets. I’ll make everything right."
"We will," Kai added firmly, the others nodding in agreent.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Isla, Erald, and Solstice watching us, each of them nodding encouragingly. My chest ached, but I nodded slowly.
"Fine," I whispered. "You’re forgiven."
The relief that crossed their faces was imdiate and palpable, like a storm breaking after days of relentless rain.
Before I could blink, Dristan closed the distance between us, his hands cupping my face as he kissed deeply.
The shock froze for a heartbeat, but my body betrayed , leaning into him, returning the kiss. The bond between us humd, sparking alive beneath my skin.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine, his breath shaky. "I thought I’d lost you," he murmured. "When I saw the Lycan Queen co for you... I’ve never been more terrified in my life."
I almost laughed, a soft, shaky sound. "You’re ridiculous," I whispered. "You must have. Rember when I first got attacked?"
Before Dristan could speak, the pressure hit .
The air around us shifted.
A strange, suffocating energy pressed against my senses, like a shadow stretching across the field. Every instinct I had scread danger.
My smile faded instantly.
A tall figure stepped into view, her silver-and-black robes trailing behind her like liquid moonlight. Her cold gaze locked on with unnerving precision.
"Miss Valerie," the Lycan Queen’s guard’s voice carried over our chatter. "Her Majesty requests your presence."
My stomach plunged.
"Now."
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