My Alphas' Dark Desires novel Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Hypnosis: The Witness

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Chapter 34

~Dristan’s POV~

I smirked as Whitmore turned to Avery, waiting for her response. The little mouse was trembling already, but she’d speak—because she had no other choice.

The ball was in my court.

And I’d made damn sure of that.

**Flashback**

By the time I’d decided to report Valerie, I knew words wouldn’t be enough. I needed a witness.

A convincing one.

So, I’d found Avery, the girl whom she had swapped with before lunch break, walking with her friends away from the courtyard like she belonged. I didn’t call her name.

I just walked up, locked eyes, and said one word. "Come."

The others gasped as she followed.

Good girl.

We stopped behind the old south wing, which was quiet, secluded, and shaded from the rest of the school.

I didn’t even face her at first. I just shoved my hands in my pockets and stared at the stone wall ahead of me.

"I need your confession," I said flatly.

A soft gasp escaped her lips. "Confession, Alpha?"

"Yes. I know."

Silence ensued as she probably thought of how to present her case without me getting angry.

"Great, she’s smart." Soren, my cold-ass wolf, commented in my mind.

Then, her voice cracked. "I... I didn’t think this day would come. My feelings—I always buried them." My ears perked.

What the...

Avery continued, "...thinking you’d never consider them. Never even looked at me but now..."

"As you should," I cut in, turning slowly.

"Huh?" She blinked, clearly confused.

"As you should," I repeated, letting her see the cold in my eyes. "I will never consider them."

She flinched and looked away. "Then why did you call me? If it weren’t... if it weren’t for that?"

I chuckled, just once. "You think too highly of yourself."

Then I stepped closer, letting my presence drape over her like ice, and lifted her chin with a finger.

"I need you to confess to Principal Whitmore what you did with Valerie Nightshade."

Her brows furrowed. "I didn’t..." She did not finish her lie when she met my eyes. "Why?"

"You two need to swap back."

"But I—"

My aura flared, low and cold. The temperature dipped sharply. Her voice died in her throat, and she shivered.

"I wasn’t asking for your opinion. It is what you shall do."

She hesitated. Her eyes lifted, and for a split second, I saw defiance.

"What do I get?" she asked.

I raised an eyebrow.

Bold but foolish.

I let out a dry chuckle and shook my head. Soren snarled in the back of my mind.

"Scorch her. Right where she stands."

"Not yet," I told him silently.

I tilted my head and eyed her. "What do you want?"

Avery fidgeted with her fingers, her lips trembling. Then she whispered, "A chance to warm your bed... to make love to—"

"Excuse me?" I snapped flatly.

"I said," she lifted her gaze to meet mine, "a chance to sleep with you."

Just a fraction of my aura exploded. "I heard it the first time, dimwit."

Enough.

My eyes shifted, glowing a deeper shade of blue, reflecting in her eyes as I stepped in. She stumbled backward, visibly shaking.

"You think you’re in a position to bargain with me?"

"Alpha, I—"

"Silence."

Her knees gave way. She dropped. Good.

"You forget, just one word to Brielle... And she’ll let the dogs chew your bones for this insane request."

Her eyes widened in terror. She knew Brielle. Everyone knew Brielle. The ruthless queen. And how violently territorial and possessive she was about me.

I let her have her shine, as it was a way to keep the others in check, but even she knew she couldn’t cross boundaries with me.

"Get up."

Avery dropped her gaze, eyes glistening. "I’m sorry," she whispered.

"Tch." I snorted.

**Flashback Ends**

"Good going. Now, let’s get our mate," Soren cheered on.

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~Valerie’s POV~

Whispers filled the room, and students craned their necks and shot each other wide-eyed looks. I leaned back in my seat, arms folded.

Honestly? I wasn’t worried. I was in Guild Four now—under Kai Draven, one of the Alpha Kings. No one in their right mind would try to move me out of his territory. He’d fight to keep me there.

Or... so I thought and hoped. I silently prayed that like Dristan, my other mates wanted me.

The door to the classroom opened suddenly, and Isla and Emerald slipped in. Both of them were out of breath, eyes darting straight to me. The look on Isla’s face said everything.

I knew that look.

Trouble.

Isla reached my desk first. "Val..." she started gently, hesitating.

"What is it?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Emerald chewed on her lip. "You’ve been reassigned. To Guild One."

My heart dropped. "You’re joking."

They both shook their heads.

"No," Isla said softly. "You’re under Dristan now."

I shot up from my seat. "What?!"

My little outburst earned me glares and stares from the other students in the class, but I couldn’t care anymore.

"Valerie, please..." Isla pleaded, as though she knew I was tempted to march straight to her cousin and demand an explanation as well as a reassignment.

Before they could explain, the comms crackled again, this time with a far more familiar voice—the Principal’s secretary.

"Ms. Valerie Nightshade, please report to the Principal’s office. Immediately."

Of course.

I groaned out loud, flinging my pen across the desk as everyone in the class turned to stare. Emerald gave me an apologetic wave. I gave her a tight smile before grabbing my bag.

This had Dristan’s name written all over it.

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The walk to the principal’s office was long enough for me to rehearse about five different ways to deny the swap.

Not that I regretted it—but I sure as hell wasn’t about to give Dristan the satisfaction.

When I arrived, the secretary gave me a polite nod and motioned for me to enter. The moment I stepped into Principal Whitmore’s office, she glanced up and pointed to the chair in front of her.

"Sit."

I did, trying to keep my expression calm. Neutral. Maybe even a little bored.

Whitmore didn’t look like she was in the mood for games. "Ms. Nightshade," she began, "did you or did you not swap clans at the last minute during orientation?"

I opened my mouth to deny it. But she raised a hand to cut me off.

"I’d think carefully before answering, if I were you," she said calmly. "Because I have a witness."

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