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~Xander's POV~
"Dad, Valerie…"
"No excuses, Xander." My dad turned to face , and this ti, he spoke via the mind link again.
"I must see my goddaughter now that she's grown. Please, I could pass on this opportunity to see her."
"That's why you really ca, isn't it?"
He smiled brightly, and I had my answer right there.
"Of course, I ca for you, too. I wasn't going to let anyone into your head when she isn't your mate or beloved. No. But, yes, Valerie took precedence."
"So, you're not angry?"
"No." I heaved a deep sigh in relief, but his next words stop short. "And yes. No, because you protected her, and yes, because you were stupid enough to use soone else's image and also get caught."
"Dad," I did not bother using the mind link anymore and shoved my hand into my pocket.
"Enough of your squabbles. Find , Valerie."
A girl shoved her phone toward her friend, whispering, "Did you get a pic? He's literally a king. Oh my God."
"No pics," the friend whispered, eyes darting. "Don't be creepy."
I rolled my eyes and sighed. "As you wis…"
"Valerie!" we heard a feminine voice call out and dad and I followed the voice with our gaze till they landed on her.
"Valerie."
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~Valerie's POV~
Even though Principal Whitmore inford us we'd be interrogated, the White Witches still hadn't done a thing.
Deep down I was thankful they hadn't since I wouldn't want them figging my mories and finding Nightshade.
But wait…
Nightshade wasn't all I had to protect and prevent them from finding.
My parents and my identity.
I froze mid step in picking my books to leave for the next class while my brain ranascked my mind for a proper solution.
"Well, you have more thatn just your identity to keep, Valerie," Astra's concerned vocied reached .
"There's more?"
"Yes, your powers. You must find a way to escape this witch hunt."
"I know," I shut my eyes in frustration and lifted my head. Just thinking about it alone was making my head ache.
"Don't just stand there. et with your mates, and figure out who's really behind this."
"Easier said than done, Astra. First, I must ensure I kill Dominic Harvey tomorrow without fail."
"Valerie?"
I opened my eyes and lowered my head to see Isla standing in front fo my table and staring at with narrowed eyes. "Are you okay?"
I gave a firm nodded, picked my books and walked out with her.
We headed for our third class when I heard the whispering and rumours being spoken as we moved and I swallowed.
If the Dragon King was around, that ant Xander was in huge trouble.
But as soon as I took the next turn, Solstice called my na from behind as she ran up to et us, making pause.
But no sooner had we done that when I heard my na being ntioned from behind.
I turned my head in the direction. Rather than them locking on Xander, it locked on the man by his side.
All words and thoughts escaped my head for a mont. The hallway seed to blur, students' whispers fading into background noise, whikle the sharp sound of my own heartbeat drowned everything else.
The man beside Xander was impossible to ignore. His presence filled the space like air turned heavy—power rolling off him in slow, controlled waves.
His silver hair shimred faintly under the corridor lights, streaked with violet at the base just like Xander's, and those rich athyst, sharp eyes t mine with an expression that made my lungs stutter.
King Davion Draco.
The Dragon King himself.
When his lips curved into a faint, knowing smirk, I froze. It wasn't arrogance, it was familiarity. A look that said he saw more than I wanted him to.
My mind scrambled to rationalize it. He couldn't recognize like this… could he?
But the answer ca before I could form another thought.
"Hello, goddaughter. It's nice to finally et you after all these years."
The voice wasn't spoken aloud. It slid into my mind, deep, calm, and undeniably regal. My breath hitched. For a mont, I forgot how to move and he knew.
I swallowed, straightened my spine, and forced a small smile. "Your Majesty. It's an honor to et you too."
The faintest amusent flickered in his eyes, almost paternal. "Your Majesty? Please do away with that. You are my goddaughter."
"I…"
Beside , Isla went stiff as stone. Then she bowed her head quickly, voice trembling but polite. "Your Majesty, greetings. My na's Isla Storm."
King Davion turned his gaze briefly to her, the weight of his attention enough to make anyone forget how to breathe. "Hello, Isla. Nice to et you."
"The pleasure's mine, Your Majesty," she said quickly, keeping her head lowered.
"Rise," he said gently and she pobeyed.
I heard footsteps slow down behind and I knew it was Solstice. She too had co to the realisation of who he was.
"Your Majesty," her soft voice greeted him from behind.
"Hello, Solstice Gold."
I could feel Solstice happy aura radiate even from behind.
But King Draco's attention had already drifted back to . His expression softened for a heartbeat. Pride, perhaps, or nostalgi, then hardened again, as though rembering this wasn't the ti for sentint.
"Sorry, Isla," King Davion said calmly, "but I will have to borrow your friend."
"W–what?" I stamred, eyes widening.
Before I could take a step back or even protest, his hand moved swiftly and his fingers brushed my wrist. At the sa instant, he grasped Xander's arm with his other hand.
A sharp pulse of energy flooded the corridor, purple and silver light rippling outward like a wave. Gasps filled the hallway. Isla's hand reached out toward , but it was too late.
In the blink of an eye, the corridor vanished. The noise, the lights, the students—all gone.
The last thing I saw before the world dissolved into mist was Isla's shocked face and Solstice's wide eyes.
Then everything lted away into pure light, and I felt the unmistakable pull of teleportation magic, and terrifyingly fast—dragging into the unknown.
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