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Chapter 355
~Valerie’s POV~
"What do we do? We were supposed to monitor him. You stay in the sa house with him, you should have monitored him better."
Xade’s brows shot up. He actually took a step back, like my words had hit harder than I ant them to. "Hey," he said slowly, voice rough with offense, "I am not my brother’s keeper. You don’t expect to stalk him twenty-four hours a day."
I dragged my hands through my hair, nails scraping my scalp as guilt stung my chest. "I apologise," I said quietly. "You’re right. We both got busy with our personal lives."
He exhaled sharply, the sound sowhere between a sigh and a growl, then glanced around the hall as though making sure no one was eavesdropping.
One hand slid into his trouser pocket, the other drumming against his thigh. "Well, at least we’re certain it wasn’t Kieran who reported this. Dristan did it again."
"But how sure are we?" My voice ca out softer, unsure. "I doubt Dristan would do sothing like that... hurt sobody."
Xade’s jaw worked. He tapped two fingers against it, lost in thought, before nodding once. "You’re right. We need proof."
I shifted closer, lowering my voice. "So should we confront him or—"
"No," he cut in quickly, tone clipped. "We just have to monitor him. Catch him in the act before the White Witches find out."
I blinked at him. "How long do we have?"
His gaze t mine at last, sothing grim flickering in his eyes. "Two days. Maybe less."
The corridor seed to shrink around us, the low buzz of students passing by suddenly louder, like the clock had started ticking in my ears.
"Alright, deal."
—
By the ti Xade and I parted ways, my concern wasn’t on what he said to his brother but on Dristan.
Did he find out that Marianne stole my necklace with Astraea and Titania’s help?
Was that why he attacked?
"Good," Astra’s voice growled low inside , almost purring with approval. "She deserved it. Maybe now she’ll think twice before crossing us."
I frowned, clutching my books tighter. "You’re actually supporting this? Astra, he put her in a coma."
"And? He is like a Dark Knight," Astra replied smoothly. "Taking care of the wicked ones for you, protecting what’s his. What’s ours."
I stopped in the middle of the corridor, heart lurching at her words. "No," I whispered under my breath, shaking my head. "That’s not what I want. I don’t need him hurting people in my na. It only puts him in danger—and drags with him."
Astra chuckled darkly. "Funny. You don’t see it."
My brows furrowed. "See what?"
"That you love Dristan so much you can’t stand the thought of him risking himself for you."
My pulse skipped, heat rushing to my cheeks even though no one could hear her. "I am not in love with anyone," I hissed back, words sharper than I intended.
"You can deny it all you want," Astra purred knowingly. "But your heart beats louder when it’s him. Louder than it does for the others."
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to move again as students brushed past in the hall. "Stop it, Astra. I don’t... I can’t think about that right now."
"You don’t have to think about it," she whispered slyly, "you just have to feel it. And whether you admit it or not, you already do."
Her words lingered in my head long after I reached my locker, buzzing through like a truth I wasn’t ready to face.
I tried to ignore her words and instead focused on my next task. My second test with Nightshade.
The tal door creaked as I tugged it open, trying to bury myself in the normalcy of books and schedules for tomorrow.
Assignnts and the classes I needed to take for extra credits to make up for my second assessnt results. My fingers shook slightly as I arranged my things, but I forced a steady breath.
"Valerie."
The sound of my na startled . I turned, clutching my locker door, only to find Kai leaning casually against the row of lockers opposite mine.
His shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing the ink along his forearms, and his eyes—sharp, wolfish green—were fixed on .
"You look like you’ve seen a ghost," he said, brows narrowing.
"I’m fine," I muttered quickly, shoving a book into my locker harder than I ant to.
Kai tilted his head, not buying it. "That’s the worst lie you’ve told today."
I glared at him half-heartedly. "You don’t know how many lies I’ve told today."
"True." His smirk flickered, but it didn’t last. He pushed off the lockers and stepped closer, lowering his voice. "So... what’s wrong? And don’t say nothing."
My throat went dry. I could still hear Astra’s words echoing inside , taunting . "You love Dristan..." louder than the others.
I shook my head. "It’s just... things are getting complicated. With Dristan. With... everything."
Kai’s gaze sharpened, but he didn’t press. Instead, he leaned one hand against the locker above , caging in with his presence.
"Complicated, I can handle. What I can’t handle is you shutting out. You can date Ace, but that doesn’t an you can’t have friends."
My lips parted, the heat of his proximity scattering my thoughts. "Kai..."
He leaned closer, his breath brushing my ear. "Whoever’s getting in your head—tell . I’ll deal with it."
A shiver slid down my spine. He ant it. I could see it in the glint of his eyes, hear it in the gravel of his voice.
I exhaled slowly, pressing a palm against his chest to steady myself. "Not now. Please."
For a mont, he didn’t move. Then, with a frustrated sigh, Kai eased back. But his gaze never left mine.
"Fine. Not now." His tone was final, but his eyes promised he wouldn’t let this go. "See you around?"
I gave the best smile, but even I knew it was weak.
Astra’s smug voice whispered in my head again. "See? They all burn for you. But you only burn that way for him."
"Shut up, Astra, you’re not helping."
"Of course I am."
"No. One of the reasons I dated them was to see how well I could trust them. Soon, I’ll reveal my secret to them."
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