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Chapter 337
~Valerie’s POV~
Everyone stared at Dristan like he’d grown a second head.
"Really? Meaning I get to go first?" Axel asked, grinning like he won the best lottery ticket.
"Why would you do that?" Xade asked, confused. "You came in first. That’s a good spot."
Dristan’s lips curved into a knowing smile. "Because I might end up sweeping Val off her feet completely, and then she’ll stick with me and forget about dating the rest of you again."
"Cocky bastard," Ash muttered, but he was grinning.
Kai snorted. "At least he’s honest about it."
"So the order is Ace, Xade, Ash, Kai, Axel, then Dristan?" I confirmed.
"Huh, I thought he was swapping with me?" Axel asked.
"That would make it unfair to the others," I explained. "I’ll let the ladder just move up."
Axel looked grumpy, but they all nodded in agreement.
Ace stood up, brushing invisible dust off his shirt. "Perfect. I’ll communicate with you about our date, Val."
"Sounds good," I smiled. "This should be interesting."
"It should, but to make it okay, shouldn’t there be a time frame if we are dating Valerie?" Xade asked.
"True. It’s not like it’s just one date she wants to have with us, right?"
They all turned to look at me, and I felt my cheeks heat up. "So, you guys are insinuating that I..."
"Spend time with us for more than a date. That way, you get to experience and bond more," Dristan explained.
"I’ll say one month each," Ash suggested.
My eyes went wide. That’s... six months from now. So for six months, I’ll have no peace?
My chest heaved as I mentally prepared myself for this.
"One month?"
"Don’t choke her, Ash." Xade came to my rescue.
"I’m just saying. I want to spend more time with my light," Ash explained.
"We all do. But she needs her space too."
"Then how about two weeks?" Kai asked the others, but his eyes were on me the entire time.
"Sounds good to me," Ace chimed.
"Me too," Axel joined in.
"No, the one with the final decision is Valerie," Dristan stated. "However, please give us a chance, Val. And we promise to make it worthwhile. Whatever you decide, we value."
I nodded, seeing as the ball rolled back into my court.
"Fine. Two weeks it is then, but I’ll have my personal two-day interval before the next date."
"Definitely," they chorused.
My lips pulled back in an involuntary smile.
"You see, I told you it would work out. Now, sit back and watch them spoil you rotten," Astra purred.
"Oh, and... can no one try sleeping with her during these two weeks? Let Valerie decide."
I was shocked by Dristan’s request, but then I guess they were all worried that whoever went first would get the chance to take my first time.
Rather than answering, I watch their different expressions. And then I knew how hard that condition was for them, especially Kai, who had a chance before but lost it.
"Okay, deal," I answered for them, taking away the decision from their hands.
—
Back at the Hostel
An hour later, I was back in my room, finally able to breathe without six overpowering alpha scents clouding my thoughts.
The competition had been exhausting but fun—more fun than I’d expected, actually.
I kicked off my shoes and padded to my desk to grab my homework. Professor Martins had assigned another essay on supernatural law, and I was already behind.
After spreading my books across the small desk, I went to grab a pen from my drawer.
That’s when I noticed it.
The drawer was slightly open—just a crack, but enough to catch my attention. I always kept it closed tight—an old habit from growing up with nosy cousins.
Frowning, I pulled it open completely and froze.
There, sitting on top of my scattered pens and sticky notes, was a cream-colored envelope. The paper was thick, expensive-looking, and sealed with dark wax.
My heart skipped when I saw the insignia pressed into the wax.
The Nightshade Thorn.
With trembling fingers, I broke the seal and unfolded the letter inside.
Miss Valerie,
Your recent... activities have not gone unnoticed. Welcome to Nightshade Thorn. We’ll have our first meeting on the last day of the academic calendar.
Consider this an invitation you cannot refuse.
Midnight. The location you visited. Password... Your name.
Come alone.
—The Nightshade Thorn.
I read the letter three times, my heart pounding harder with each pass.
An invitation I couldn’t refuse. The phrasing sent chills down my spine. But what shocked me most was the other thing in the envelope.
I turned it upside down and let its contents fall on my hand, and when it did, it sucked the breath out of me.
Staring at me was a symbol of the Nightshade flower, in purple, crested visibly on a gold-plated single key.
My heart thudded wildly in my chest when I saw that.
The very club I had searched high and low for and tried entering had finally noticed me.
Something in me wanted to jubilate. But that critical, curious, investigative, not trusting sixth sense screamed at me.
My recent activities?
Could it be they had been monitoring me or?
I sank onto my bed, staring at the elegant handwriting. How had they gotten into my room? How long had they been watching me?
And what exactly did they want?
My mind ran too many simulations all at once in my head, trying to figure out what was what and which of these was true.
Did they really want me, or was someone testing out a theory?
As if the letter had heard my thoughts, suddenly the letter in my hand lit up, flames burning on the writing.
I picked up my phone and took a picture of it.
But to my surprise, I couldn’t capture the writing.
And when everything burned completely, I stared in shock as new writing appeared on the page in a stylish font.
Do You Accept?