My Alphas' Dark Desires novel Chapter 143

Chapter 143: Nightshade Searching Nightshade

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Chapter 143

~Valerie’s POV~

Sneaking out of PSA wasn’t hard. Not with Solstice preoccupied, charming her new roommates.

Thankfully, I didn’t spill more than what I mentioned earlier. She was my cousin, but sometimes, only a secret kept with one remains a secret.

I didn’t tell her I was leaving. She’d want to tag along, and this... this wasn’t something I could risk with her flair for the dramatics.

This wasn’t just curiosity anymore.

It was personal.

The streets were quieter tonight, cloaked in soft fog and the hum of late-hour city noise. My hoodie was drawn low, and I kept to the side alleys as I made my way toward the old club where I had gone to in search of my necklace.

That place—it wasn’t ordinary. There was something off about it, and I was going to find out what.

I slipped through the side door like I belonged there.

The scent of smoke and alcohol clung thick to the air. Music vibrated faintly through the walls, but the bar was slightly emptier than before. Perfect.

I spotted the same bartender from the last time—slick hair, sharp hands that was an expert in his service, and eyes that darted too much for someone paid to look cool.

I stepped up to the bar, casually.

"Hey,’ I said coolly.

He blinked and took half a step back. "You... you came back?"

"We meet again," I said coolly.

I slid a folded bill onto the counter. "Relax. I just want to talk."

He hesitated, and I dropped another bill.

Then his fingers twitched as he wiped them clean on a white napkin. "What do you want?"

I leaned in, keeping my voice low. "I’m not gonna beat around the bush." He nodded, pressing his lips together and pushing it to the side. "Tell me about the Nightshade Thorn Emblem."

That name changed him.

He stiffened immediately, shoulders going rigid as his mouth pressed into a thin line. "Where did you hear that?"

"That’s not your concern. Just answer."

He opened his mouth, words trembling on the edge of his tongue. "The Nightshade Thorn you seek—"

"I don’t know which of these I should be more concerned with," came a familiar voice behind me and I froze.

My spine stiffened.

Shit! No. No, no, no.

I turned, already knowing that scent—dark pine and controlled power, wrapped in a storm.

Dristan.

His eyes met mine, but they were as cold as ever and they burned, not with heat, but with some emotion I couldn’t place.

His arms were folded across his chest as he stepped forward, his presence swallowing the entire corner of the club.

"And that is?" I asked, trying to act unaffected.

"The fact that you snuck out of school..." he paused, tilting his head slightly, "or the fact that you’re asking about the Nightshade Thorn Group."

My breath hitched briefly and the memory of the courtyard replayed in my mind. My eyes narrowed on his appearance, all black trousers, an inner shirt and a leather jacket.

He’d have fitted in a spy movie if his golden blond hair had not singled him out.

Way to blend in, Drist.

"So you do know them?"

"That depends," he answered casually, his gaze flickering around before landing on my head.

"On?"

"On why you’re looking for them," he said, stepping closer.

I shrugged. "Nothing serious. Just curious."

He gave me a look so sharp I almost flinched. "Your surname is Nightshade," he said pointedly. "And yet you’re looking into a group with that name as if it’s nothing? That’s suspicious, even for you."

"Think what you want," I retorted and looked away, taking my attention back to the bartender, turning fully, but Dristan extended an arm, stopping me.

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