My Alphas' Dark Desires novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Interrogation: Partial Truth

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Chapter 17

~Valerie’s POV~

The moment their hands pushed my hair back, I stiffened.

Emerald and Astraea gasped in unison, their eyes widening as they leaned in closer.

"Wait, wait, wait," Emerald blurted out, tilting my head to the side. "Isla, you better not be messing with us. Because this—this looks like—"

"A claim," Astraea finished, her voice barely above a whisper.

My entire body went rigid.

Astraea’s fingers ghosted over the faint mark, and I felt a strange warmth spread through me.

"What mark?" I demanded, my voice sharper than intended.

Isla, Astraea, and Emerald exchanged glances before Emerald leaned in, squinting. "It’s faint... but definitely there."

My stomach twisted. No. No way. I jerked back, slipping out of their hold as I spun on my heel, rushing toward the nearest mirror. My pulse hammered as I tilted my head, brushing my hair aside.

And then I saw it.

A faint but undeniable imprint right where my neck and shoulder met. It wasn’t a full-mate mark, but it was something. It had a lingering trace of an alpha’s aura. My mind whirled, trying to piece everything together.

What the hell happened while I was unconscious?

I remembered the poison, the fight, the way Dristan’s power had suffocated me right before I blacked out. Could that have caused this? But no... this wasn’t just any mark. It was territorial, like a claim.

A claim from an alpha?

I inhaled sharply, clenching my fists. "Which one of them did this?"

Isla sighed dramatically. "You tell us."

I turned to them, my frustration boiling. "I don’t know! I woke up in that damn house and then—"

"Wait, that house?" Astraea cut in, brows raising. "Are you saying you were at their personal dorm house?"

I hesitated and Isla’s eyes narrowed. "Val..."

I exhaled through my nose, crossing my arms. "I had no choice. It’s a long story. And it’s not like I had a say in the matter. I woke up there. So they must have carried me there," I muttered, but somehow, their heightened hearing caught it."

Emerald whistled lowly, shaking her head. "You don’t just end up in an alpha’s private dorm house. Especially not theirs. No one, no single girl in this entire school, has ever been there. And yet you..."

"Especially not with a mark like that," Astraea added.

I groaned, rubbing my temples. I didn’t need this. Not now. Not ever.

Isla tapped her fingers against the counter, lips pressing into a thin line. "It’s faint, which means it’s temporary. If it was a full mark, you’d be feeling—"

"More drawn to them? More... affected?" I cut in bitterly.

Isla smirked. "Exactly."

I ignored the way my stomach twisted because, deep down, I was already affected. The thought alone made my skin itch. "It’s not a mate mark," I blurted.

"Yeah, we know," Isla spoke up. "But tell us what really happened?"

Emerald nudged me. "Come on, spill. Which one of them do you think did it?"

I gritted my teeth. "I don’t know! I was unconscious."

Astraea crossed her arms, smirking. "If we had to bet, I’d say Alpha Dristan."

Isla snorted. "Oh, please. Axel seems more likely. He’s reckless enough to pull something like this."

Emerald hummed thoughtfully. "Then again, Alpha Kai is the possessive one."

Astraea suddenly gasped, her eyes widening. "Wait. What if it was—"

"Xade?" Isla finished.

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