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CHAPTER 343
~Valerie's POV~
I knew what was going to happen, and I needed to stop it before I let my powers go inside the school and, unfortunately, hurt someone.
Dristan's pleading eyes and Xade's worried expression simply undid me. Even Axel's confusing gaze made me want to escape.
Was I overreacting?
I didn't know. But didn't I have the right to react that way after what happened?
Yes, I loved every aspect of my time with Xade, but the truth was… it was still scary.
"Valerie, you need to leave here right now," Astra's warning voice reached my mind.
"I…"
"No, you must leave now, else I won't be able to help you or stop it."
I wanted to argue, but she cut in.
"Just look at their faces… do you think they can handle the truth if they see this side of you?"
Immediately, fear consumed me, and I backed away again. But with every step I took, my mates took two more.
I moved back some more until my back hit the lockers behind me.
I could feel it — the heat coiling in my veins, the wild, unstable energy building beneath my skin, begging to break free.
Every second I stayed here, every inhale of their scents, every glance into their expectant, tense faces… it pushed me closer to losing control.
I had to leave.
Then, from the corner of my eye, I spotted Xander.
He stood a few feet away, tall and composed as always, but when our gazes locked, something in his expression shifted.
He knew. Xander understood exactly what was happening to me without a single word being spoken.
And then, softly, his voice slid into my mind.
"Go, Valerie. I'll catch up to you. I'll hold them off for now."
Relief flooded me instantly. I didn't need to explain. I didn't need to hide, and Xander just… understood.
All I managed was a small nod before I turned sharply and sprinted off, my feet pounding against the polished floors as I pushed past the rising panic around me.
"Valerie!" Kai's voice called after me, but soon enough it died down, and I ignored it, shoving his pull through the bond aside.
I could tell Xander had intervened as promised.
My wolf was leading me now, every instinct screaming for open air, for space, for safety.
"Can you shift?"
There was no answer, just Astra pacing within me. "You can take us faster away from here."
"I can't," Astra hissed back between breaths, as I dodged startled students and bolted down the hallway.
"You can," I urged.
"No," Astra blurted. "You're in your uniform, Valerie. Shifting now would rip it apart and leave you exposed in the middle of the academy."
I snarled in frustration, but I was already panting from the sheer heat radiating beneath my skin.
"That's not the only risk," Astra added, her voice lower now, almost grim. "We don't know how your powers will react if you shift right now. If you lose control mid-shift, Valerie… you might trigger something neither of us can contain."
I bit back a groan, pushing my legs harder, forcing myself to stay grounded. "Fine," I muttered under my breath. "Then we run."
And so I ran.
Past the dormitories. Past the training fields. Past the murmuring crowds that turned to watch me as I blurred by. My lungs burned as I glanced ahead to see the forest looming ahead.
When I finally reached its edge, I slowed, scanning the familiar terrain. My senses flared, catching every creak of bark, every flutter of wings, and every shift of the wind.
Then I spotted it.
I didn't want to go inside. The fear of what transpired that night replayed in my head, stopping me from doing so.
Instead, I searched with my eyes, finding a more suitable place to be alone when I spotted one of the old buildings I used to visit when I needed to think.
Without hesitation, I ran in that direction and entered the building until I reached the rooftop.
I crouched there, muscles tense, chest heaving, the cool wind finally caressing my overheated skin.
Up here, it was quiet. No bonds pulling me, no voices demanding, no accusing stares.
Just me.
And yet, as the wild energy surged and pulsed beneath my skin, I knew this was only temporary. If I didn't figure out how to control whatever was happening inside me soon… someone would get hurt.
I gripped the edge of the rooftop, squeezing my eyes shut. "Get a hold of yourself, Valerie," I whispered hoarsely.
But the whispers of my wolf in my head, my powers thrumming restlessly, and I wasn't sure if I could.
My head kept on thinking of so many things at once. My date with Ace, Xade's unplanned reveal, Dristan…
Everything.
Just then, my phone buzzed. My first thought was to ignore it and focus on my thoughts.
But right now, anything was better than my thoughts.
I reached into my jacket pocket and took out my phone, only to see Ash's name appear on my screen.
I swallowed hard, my fingers trembling a little as though one touch of the screen would unleash the beast within.
After what felt like hours, I answered the call and placed it on speaker.
For the first twenty seconds, it was only my ragged breath that filled the call. No message from Ash.
It was as if he was listening to me, giving me time, and just lending the perfect ear.
And when my breathing had returned to normal, only then did he speak.
"Light."
That single word lit something in me, and my anxiety and worry began to calm down.
"Valerie?"
"Call me Light," I urged him.
Somehow, I could sense him smiling, but I didn't care. I just wanted to hear him say it.
"My Light." I chuckled into the receiver and inhaled deeply.
"Thanks, Ash."
"I did nothing. I just told you the truth, well, more like reminded you. So…?"
"Yeah. Thanks for calling. Though I know you did not call to hear me drag my nostrils."
"You bet I didn't."
I moved towards the edge of the rooftop and leaned my back against it while propping my right leg on the wall behind me.
"Why did you call?" I found myself asking.
"To give you a surprise."
I knew Ash may have heard what happened between Dristan, Xade, Axel, and me. Maybe not the entire story, but the fact that I was upset.
"A surprise?"
"Yes. Come down. I'm waiting for you."
My brows creased at that.
Come down? What did he mean by that?
Astra stirred in my mind as she facepalmed herself. "Seriously, Valerie, he's right there. Your mate has been standing right there, opposite the building."
I arched my brow and turned around to check.
Truth be told, he was there.
"Ash?"
"Come down and I'll show you your surprise."
His voice sent a small shiver down my spine. I nodded before I could even think, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear as if that would somehow ground me.
My heart was still pounding from the sprint, but now for a completely different reason.
Without much hesitation, I hurried down from the rooftop as each step echoed in the empty stairwell, my pulse matching the rhythm.
By the time I reached the bottom and pushed open the creaky door, the cool air hit my face. And there he was.
Ash stood just outside, framed by the fading light. His posture was casual, but his eyes—the steady calm in them—were anything but.
It was as though he had been waiting for me all along, perfectly still, perfectly sure I would come.
But what made me freeze wasn't just him.
It was what he held in his hand.
"My…" My voice broke before I could finish the sentence.
Astra stirred within me, just as stunned.
"Here you go. I found it."
"Your necklace," Astra said, finally finding her voice, while I remained rooted in place, shocked beyond words.
I blinked, unable to breathe for a moment. My fingers twitched at my sides as I stared at the small, familiar chain dangling from his hand.
"I found it," Ash said softly, his voice a mix of triumph and gentleness. "Apparently, someone stole it."
"How… how did you—?" My question trailed off, though it was more in disbelief.
His lips curved into that boyish, disarming smile that always seemed to undo me. "Take it first," he urged, lifting his hand toward me. "Then I'll explain."
Something in his tone, in the confidence behind it, pushed me forward.
My feet moved before my mind caught up, and suddenly I was running. Running like a child chasing after the promise of comfort, of safety—like those days when I used to sprint into my father's arms whenever he came home with gifts.
The bittersweet memory came rushing back hard, and I felt tears sting my eyes.
But Ash was here now.
I reached him breathlessly, my chest heaving, eyes fixed on the necklace. Yet when I stopped before him, instead of pressing it into my palm, Ash lifted it higher, just above my head.
I tilted my face up in surprise—and that's when he leaned in, eyes glinting with mischief and something deeper.
"Beautiful," he whispered.
And before I could react, his lips were on mine.