My Alphas' Dark Desires novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Principal Whitmore Knows?

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Chapter 72

~Valerie’s POV~

The walk to Principal Whitmore’s office felt longer than usual.

My boots echoed across the silent hallway, every step tapping into the tension coiled tight in my spine. The last time I was called into this office, I’d only just arrived at PSA. Back then, I thought that was the beginning of my problems.

Now I wasn’t so sure where the beginning was... or if I’d even seen the worst of it.

I paused just outside the tall blackwood doors, hesitating. Inside, I could already feel her presence.

She wasn’t calm, even though she was trying so hard to be. I knocked once.

"Enter," she said crisply.

I pushed open the door, bracing myself.

The room hadn’t changed. Still pristine and perfect, the scent of aged parchment mixed with floral incense curled faintly in the air.

The tall windows were drawn, the room softly lit by floating glass orbs that cast quiet shadows across the stone floor.

Principal Whitmore sat behind her wide desk, her hands folded neatly on top of a slim stack of files. She looked up the moment I stepped in.

Her expression was unreadable. It always was. "Miss Nightshade," she greeted coolly. "Take a seat."

I stepped forward slowly and lowered myself into the chair across from her, keeping my back straight, my jaw set. I wasn’t here to cower. I didn’t have the energy to fake politeness either.

She didn’t speak immediately. She just... studied me.

Her eyes swept over me like a scan. Noticing the minor bruises on my knuckles and the fatigue that must’ve been plain on my face.

"You look terrible," she said finally.

"Thanks," I muttered. "It’s been a great day."

A single brow lifted, but she didn’t smile.

Instead, she reached for a file and opened it with a flick of her fingers. I couldn’t see the contents, but I didn’t need to.

"I presume you’re aware," she said, "that your disappearance triggered lockdown protocols across campus?"

"Yes."

"Three councilmembers demanded a full investigation. The simulation dome is under forensic review. And the dragon court thankfully did not yet learn of the situation lest they send scouts here to investigate."

"I didn’t plan to get kidnapped in your dome, if that’s what this is."

Her gaze sharpened. "I’m not blaming you. But someone will. You know that."

I stayed quiet. She sighed, closing the file slowly.

"Tell me exactly what happened," she said, her tone low now. "From the moment the simulation began. Every detail. Every face."

I recounted it in full. The odd pairing with Cadet Erik. The masked attackers. The abnormal rune trap. The explosion. The forest. Xander. The ambush. The mark on the mask.

Her fingers twitched ever so slightly when I mentioned the mark. But she didn’t interrupt.

"Are you saying someone within PSA—someone with access—customised the simulation to target you?" she asked when I finished.

"I’m saying that’s the only explanation that makes sense."

A long pause followed.

Then, for the first time, something flickered in Principal Whitmore’s gaze. Not fear. But something close to... caution. Like a chess player realising the opponent just made a bold move.

She stood suddenly and moved to the window, her arms folded behind her back.

"I want you to be very clear on something, Valerie," she said, her voice quieter now. "If someone inside these walls is after you, we are already at war. And this school is the battlefield."

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