My Alphas' Dark Desires novel Chapter 177

Chapter 177: Heartfelt Emotions

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Chapter 177

~Valerie’s POV~

I blinked. "He didn’t."

"Doesn’t matter," Dristan snarled.

"Yes, it does."

Dristan’s eyes snapped to mine. "Not to me."

For a second, I couldn’t breathe. There it was. Not a confession, but something close enough to burn—pure pain.

"He hurt you," he added. "And if Riven hadn’t gotten there first... Gods... who knew what that mongrel would have..."

"I could’ve handled him," I voiced. "You saw that."

"You shouldn’t have had to."

That shut me up. I couldn’t retort because, no matter how much I wanted to justify things and not look deeply into his pain, or why he was getting angry after ignoring me the other day with no explanation whatsoever, I couldn’t deny that I saw his pain, as plain as day.

Dristan’s breathing was heavy now, controlled like he was holding something hard back. His fingers twitched again at his sides, the last traces of lightning still pulsing under his skin like a heartbeat.

I stepped closer, unsure of myself and what I was going to do as I tried not to remain grounded in the moment, even though what my wolf and the bond wanted was for me to be there, for him, with him.

"Thank you," I started with that.

Dristan shook his head. "Don’t thank me for doing what your mates should’ve done five seconds earlier."

"I meant... for being there, for everything. For fighting for me and pulling me out."

His lips parted slightly, and something flickered in his gaze—almost like guilt. Or pain.

"It is my duty as your mate and..." There it was again, that hesitation. Then out of the blue, he whispered, "I hate the way he looks at you. Like he’s entitled to something that isn’t his."

I swallowed, my own voice softening. "And what if I don’t know who I belong to yet?"

Dristan’s jaw worked, and even though he didn’t say anything, his silence said everything.

So I changed the subject, gently.

"Riven surprised me," I admitted. "He looked ready to kill."

Dristan exhaled sharply and leaned back against the ivy-covered wall. "His past makes him... less forgiving."

"His past? What exactly happ—"

"Ask him yourself," Dristan cut in, eyes narrowing slightly. "He’ll talk to you. Maybe."

The way he said it—maybe—wasn’t out of doubt. It was out of jealousy.

"He doesn’t speak about it, but he might do so for you, given as he was willing to let the school see that side of him in broad daylight."

I felt the burn of his stare even when I looked away.

His lips tasted of storm and restraint, like thunder waiting to be released but forced to behave for me.

The kiss was wild and raw, scorching in a way that had nothing to do with lust and everything to do with the ache between us.

Dristan kissed like someone who’d waited too long. Who had too many words and no safe place to say them. So instead, he poured them into me, through each slow movement of his mouth over mine.

And I let him.

I matched him.

And maybe, for that moment, it didn’t matter that I had ruled off boys only the day before or that my heart wasn’t fully sure of anything.

All that mattered was us.

When we finally pulled apart, our foreheads brushed. I felt his breath ghost against my lips as if he was trying to find something to say but the words refused to come.

His voice cracked first. "I’m confused."

My lashes fluttered. "You’re not alone. I’m confused too."

He pulled back a little more, just enough for our eyes to lock again. Something in his gaze flickered, like doubt giving way to desperation.

"But that doesn’t mean I’ve rejected you, Dristan," I added. "I just... I didn’t know what your feelings really were. You’ve always been... hard to read. Controlled."

Dristan raked a hand through his hair and stepped away, dragging in a deep breath like he’d been holding it since the kiss started.

"You have no idea, do you?" he muttered, almost to himself. "I... I love you, Valerie. I’ve said it before, but I guess words don’t carry much weight now."

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