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Chapter 44
~Valerie’s POV~
Following Isla’s yell, the cheers erupted a second later, but all I could hear was my heartbeat slamming against my ribs like it wanted out.
I bent over, hands on my knees, taking gulps of air. My throat burned. My lungs felt like soone had taken a match to them.
But damn it even though sothing was amiss, I won.
Xander stopped beside , just behind the line, not even winded. He stood tall, hands on his hips, his dragon mark glowing faintly at the edge of his collarbone. "Impressive," he said smoothly. "For soone running from six mates."
I glanced up at him with a tired grin. "Try running with six of them."
His lips twitched, and he gave a light nod, almost... respectful?
The others reached us monts later.
Kai arrived first, soaked in sweat but still wearing that smug little smirk. Axel followed, breathing heavier but not looking too bad.
They both nodded at , not saying anything yet, but I could feel the storm brewing behind their eyes.
Isla ran into as she hugged tightly.
She had co in 5th which was a good one, though she may have co in 9th had those 4 dollopheads not let their anger get the best of them.
Then ca the whispers from the few crowds of students that had circled around.
"Did you see how she passed the Dragon Prince?"
"She didn’t even use her powers."
"That backflip off the spikes? Insane."
I was trying to process all of it, trying to stay grounded, when the announcent ca again.
"The rest of the runners will finish the course. All disqualified cadets must report to the review station."
Cue the dramatic walk of sha.
Ash walked past us, a nasty cut on his lip and blood sared down his jaw. Dristan followed a step behind, face thunderous. Both of them were bruised. Angry. Dead silent.
I barely held in my groan. Seriously? Punching each other in the middle of a race? What the hell, Dristan?
I expected things from Kai, but Dristan seed like soone who wouldn’t dirty his hands due to his ego. I was wrong.
This made wonder. None of them actually liked or loved , so besides ego, why else did Dristan react?
I tried to think, to see if I had missed sothing, but I couldn’t find anything.
"You’re lucky," Ash muttered as he passed . "I was going to kiss you at the finish line."
I replied without missing a beat. "Then I guess I saved both of us from being sick."
He scoffed and kept walking.
Dristan didn’t say anything. Not a word. He didn’t look at either, but I could feel the tension rolling off him like thunder.
His knuckles were scraped and bloodied. Whatever happened between him and Ash wasn’t a slap-fest—it was personal.
Ace ca up later. He wasn’t even running. Just walking with his hand rubbing the growing knot on his forehead.
"You’re dangerous," he grumbled at as he passed. "You didn’t even need to punch ."
I gave him a small smirk. "You hit a tree branch, genius. It must hurt badly since you did it yourself."
"Still your fault," he muttered.
I know I didn’t owe the Alpha Kings Heirs, but I just couldn’t help but retort since the Lycan Princes did bring it upon themselves.
Whatever.
Principal Whitmore stepped forward again, clapping once and lifting her mic.
"That was one of the most... intense opening runs we’ve ever seen. Congratulations to the top three cadets. Your rewards will be issued during your next briefing."
She gave a pointed look at the disqualified ones. "And to those who failed to keep composure, especially royalty, you are not exempt from the consequences. Report imdiately for disciplinary review."
The crowd went silent again. Nobody dared cheer now.
And that’s when things started to shift.
Students stared at differently.
So impressed. So jealous. So... threatened?
I could feel the weight of being number one, even if it was just a seven-mile run. But it was more than that.
Everyone saw the fight. The tension. The blood on Dristan’s knuckles. The way Ash smirked at like I was already his and how Xander stirred lovingly at like I was a prize—his prize.
The Alpha Kings’ Heirs were dangerous.
But the new royals?
Unpredictable.
And I was caught right in the middle of it all, either as a winner, a target, a mate, or maybe all three.
"Great," I muttered under my breath. "Just what I needed—more eyes on ."
Isla and Erald found seconds later and practically tackled in a group hug.
"You freaking legend!" Isla shouted.
"You beat the Dragon Prince," Erald added, wide-eyed.
"Barely," I said, still catching my breath.
"You still beat him."
And honestly, that did not feel really good since I couldn’t figure him out nor read him. He was all smiles and I dreaded that.
The cheers hadn’t even died down. I was still catching my breath, still feeling the adrenaline clawing through my bloodstream, when soone stepped into my space.
Not in an aggressive way. Just... deliberate.
"Congratulations," a smooth voice said.
I turned, and there she was.
Titania Estrella Sage.
The Fae Princess. The silver-eyed red-haired enchantress. Gorgeous in that almost surreal, otherworldly way that made people forget what they were even doing.
I blinked.
Honestly, I hadn’t even realised she was in the race.
She was stunning, calm, completely composed—even after that seven-mile chaos.
With her beauty being hard to miss, how did I not see her?
Her sleek Fae training outfit hugged her like it had been sewn by moonlight. Not a hair out of place. Her skin practically glowed under the sun.
I glanced down at myself—soaked in sweat, scraped hand still bleeding from the backflip stunt over those damn ground nails.
And yet, she smiled at like I was the one who looked magical.
"Thanks. You joined the race? Cause I didn’t see you out there," I said, trying not to sound snarky as I shook her hand.
She grinned, just a little. "That’s the point, isn’t it?"
Okay. Creepy.
But I gave her credit—she was in the top fifteen, and I hadn’t even noticed her. That took talent.
"How did you—"
Titania tilted her head, stepping a little closer. "Fae tricks," she said lightly, tapping her temple. "Sotis the best way to win... is not to be seen at all."
That made pause.
"Besides, I could watch my opponents carefully."
Then she smiled again. But this ti, sothing behind that smile shifted. Like a shadow flickering behind glass. A glint in her eye that didn’t match her tone.
"Next ti, I’ll be the one winning the ga," she said, voice lower now. "And ’they’ll’ be fighting for ."
I raised an eyebrow. "’They’ being?"
Titania’s eyes glinted. "You know who." And her gaze darted to the... my mates.
Of course I did.
The six raging male monsters currently circling my life like hawks and vultures, making seem like a celestial snack? Sure...!
She leaned in just slightly. "It must feel exhilarating, doesn’t it? All of them—fighting. Craving. Claiming."
Sothing dark coiled at the end of her sentence. Almost like she was daring to flinch. Daring to say she was wrong.
But I didn’t.
I simply held her gaze.
And then, as if bored with it, she dropped my hand, took a graceful step around , and began walking away.
I exhaled.
Not intimidated. Not even a little.
"Hey," I called over my shoulder before she got too far.
Titania paused, looking back.
I let my lips curl into a slow, cold smile. "You’re welco to give it a try."
Her silver eyes narrowed just slightly. A twitch of her lips. Then she turned without a word and walked off, her long braid swinging behind her like a whip.
I watched her go, pulse slowing.
Isla appeared beside again with a low whistle. "Damn, what was that about?"
I shrugged. "Don’t know, but I could use a shower and a change of clothes."
"You sure?" Erald’s voice echoed, but I zoned out.
I didn’t answer because now I had a new thing to add to the list:
Figure out what’s up with the emblem.
2. Survive six insane mates.
3. Watch my back around the Fae Princess and my secret hater.
I sighed.
The universe really hated .
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