****************
Chapter 140
~Dristan’s POV~
I said nothing.
"New girl shows up, heads straight for her. You know what happens if she proves to be a threat, right, Dristan Alexander?"
I stood, slipped the phone into my pocket, adjusted my black sleeves, tucked one of my hands in my pocket, and squared my shoulders.
Then I turned, facing the entrance, keeping back to him. My voice was calm, controlled, and lethal. "Remember who runs the student council."
"That wasn’t an answer to my question."
I finally turned my gaze on him. A smirk pulled at Riven’s lips. I could see it in the reflection of the glass as Riven kept his gaze outside.
My voice dropped. "I heard you just fine, Riven Alucard. "Valerie Nightshade is under my protection. She won’t be a problem."
"And if she is?" Riven prompted, his tone lighter than it should’ve been.
A beat passed as Riven’s fingers tapped his knee.
I finally turned my body, slightly, just enough to let a sliver of power bleed into the air. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, brushing up against my aura like a silent growl beneath velvet.
"You let me worry about her," I said quietly. "Concern yourself with the rest of the school."
Riven shrugged, still reclining. "But she’s brought in the biggest buzz this year. You know what a gem like that becomes in a place like this?"
Then, softer: "She’s too loud to stay hidden, Dristan. And if your precious Valerie is drawing enemies again... she’ll burn for it."
Before he could finish the thought—
That was it.
My aura flared.
A sharp, suffocating wave of power burst outward, cracking through the silent room like a warning shot. The glass windows shuddered. Not a full release. Just a taste.
I let Soren push forward into my eyes, letting that electric red glow shimmer at the edge of my vision. Just enough for him to remember who he was talking to.
"Behave, Vice President Alucard," I growled, in a low voice and final. "You won’t get a second warning."
Riven tilted his head lazily but didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink.
Instead, a soft chuckle peeled from his lips, smooth as velvet and twice as mocking. "Protective much," Riven mused aloud, sliding his gaze lazily toward me. "How sweet."
I turned my back and walked out, the echo of my boots cutting through the silence.
"Let him laugh. Let him watch." Soren echoed in my mind.
Valerie Nightshade isn’t just my mate. She’s mine to protect. And anyone who thinks she’s easy to pick off was about to find out just how ruthless I can be.
Behind me, I could still hear the echo of Riven’s laugh and mutter, "Let’s see how long that shield lasts, Alpha."
——
I hadn’t even made it halfway down the corridor before my phone buzzed in my pocket, making me halt. I didn’t check it immediately.
My mind was still partially tethered to the conversation with Riven—his laughter still echoed faintly in my skull like an itch I couldn’t reach.
I had to look into this year’s transfer students and acceptance and what was happening.
PSA was a school that was strict and based on merit, and for Alphas’ and betas’ children, it trained the best of the best.
I understood the royal transfer students. It was part of the alliance treaty. I understood Valerie Nightshade, but I did not understand Mariane’s.
But when the vibration continued—two short pulses followed by one long—I knew exactly who it was.
I pulled out my phone. No name, just a number saved under a three-digit code.
A23 – Father’s Beta.
I answered on the third ring. "Yes."
The Beta’s voice came through, cool and clipped. "Alpha Alexander requests your presence immediately."
I exhaled sharply, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "Tell him I’m occupied at the moment."
There was a pause—then came the words that made me freeze mid-step.
"He’s already here in PSA. No excuses, Young Master."
My entire body went still.
"What?"
"On campus grounds," the Beta repeated, his tone grim. "He entered ten minutes ago under clearance through the Northern Gate."
My pulse kicked into high gear. "Who authorized that?"
"He did. Himself. He is an Alpha and a council member, of course, no one would dare reject an entry clearance. They founded PSA, remember? Not even your principal can."
Of course he did.
I clenched my jaw, shutting my eyes briefly. The last time my father paid a visit without notice, the school nearly went into lockdown.
The last time I visited him and in respect to Valerie, she almost lost her life.
And this time... this time, Valerie was here. He could not see her—not yet, not like this.
My hand tightened around the phone as I nodded but when I realised he wasn’t seeing me, I added, "I’ll be there," I bit out.
"I shall inform him. He’ll send a direct location shortly."
The line clicked dead before I could respond.
I shoved the phone into my pocket and broke into a brisk walk, pushing down the urgency that slammed through my veins like a second heartbeat.
Soren stirred in the back of my mind. "You know what this means."
I did.
"You must not let him see Valerie. Take hr off his radar. Protect our mate at all costs."
"I will."
Alpha Alexander rarely moved without purpose. If he was here in person, it wasn’t just to check on his son.
He was hunting something. Or someone.
And I’d be damned if I let him find Valerie first.
"Track him," I muttered to Soren, slipping through a side corridor as I moved toward the east end of campus.
"Already ahead of you," Soren growled back. "The old scent trail’s fresh—cinnamon, oakwood, and control. He’s close."
I moved faster.
My thoughts were a storm—Valerie’s face flashing in my mind, the way she smiled sometimes without meaning to, the sharpness in her voice when she was annoyed, the weight of her body pressed against mine when I kissed her during our date.
I didn’t just want to protect her from my father. I needed to.
Because if he saw her and sensed who she was—what she was—he wouldn’t hesitate.
He’d ruin everything.
And Valerie... Valerie would never forgive me if I stood by and let that happen.
I wouldn’t.
Not now, not ever.
I turned the next corner with fire in my veins, my senses already narrowing, sharpening toward one scent—his scent.
The hunter was on campus.
But the wolf in me—he’d be the one doing the hunting today.