My Alphas' Dark Desires
Chapter 197: Sobbing

Chapter 197: Sobbing

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Chapter 197

~Valerie’s POV~

I wasn’t ready to let anyone know about the mistake I made.

It wasn’t just about guilt—it was deeper than that.

It was fear. Doubt. Shame.

The kind that sinks its claws into your bones and whispers all the worst-case scenarios until your stomach knots in on itself.

If no one from my family had ever told me I had powers—if they’d gone as far as to hide it from me—then that could only mean one thing: revealing it would do more harm than good.

I shook my head slowly, my gaze fixated on the clean, white sheets covering me. "We can’t," I whispered. "We cannot make them worry any more than they should."

"True," Solstice agreed with a nod as she came to sit beside me. Her presence had always been a balm to my chaos.

There was silence for a moment, only the faint ticking of the wall clock breaking it.

"Solstice," I finally spoke softly. "Tell me. What was the result for our team? Did we win or...?"

"It was called a draw," she replied, tucking her hair behind her ear, "since the time was up before they could make a proper judgment."

I nodded slowly. "And who were the four chosen?"

"You were one of them," she said, giving me a weak smile. "Isla, Astraea, and Emerald were the other three."

I blinked in surprise. "The others... they failed?"

She gave a small shrug. "They just didn’t stand out enough aside from being terrible and Titania couldn’t use her powers"

I let the information sink in. I should’ve felt proud—I was chosen. But all I felt was dread. Because what if I was chosen for the wrong reasons? What if they saw something... unnatural?

"What do you think Principal Whitmore and the others thought of what happened?" I asked quietly.

Solstice’s lips pursed in thought. "Honestly..." she paused, then exhaled. "They suspect something. But I’m already thinking of a way to explain it—to make it look like a natural occurrence. Maybe say it was an earthquake caused by... I don’t know the disturbance I’ll use yet, but I’ll think of something."

My brows shot up. "An earthquake?"

"I know it’s a stretch," she admitted. "But it’s better than them thinking you’re some uncontrollable ticking bomb of power."

I opened my mouth to respond but stopped when she leaned closer, lowering her voice slightly.

"Val... why did your powers awaken just now? You’ve had that necklace for months. Why now?"

I frowned and thought back, combing through every detail of the past few days. It didn’t make sense—nothing triggered it. Not really. Until...

"My necklace," I said slowly, eyes widening. "Could it be that?"

Solstice narrowed her gaze. She looked unsure at first, but something in my tone must’ve convinced her. "You think the necklace was affected somehow?"

"I believe it’s being tampered with," I murmured. "The scroll we saw... the magic it carried... something about it felt like it was targeting that necklace. Or maybe me. Or both."

"Then maybe you should remove it?"

"No." I shook my head immediately. "Look at what just happened. I have no control over anything, Sol. I can’t risk taking it off. If I do, and the powers surge again... I could hurt someone. Or worse."

She sighed and dropped her shoulders, the frustration and helplessness plain on her face. "And look how far we’ve gone. So far, yet no leads. Nightshade seems non-existent. It’s like we’re searching for a needle in a haystack."

I smiled softly and reached out, gently cupping her cheek. "Even a needle in a haystack can be found... if you use the right magnet. As long as it exists, nothing is truly hidden under the sun."

Her expression softened, and without warning, she threw her arms around me.

The silence between us turned warmer, filled with unspoken emotion. Then I felt it—the wetness on my shoulder—her soft sobs.

I tried to pull back, but she clung to me tightly.

"Vi," she cried. "I was so scared. When I saw you lose control... when I saw the earth split beneath you—I thought you’d be swallowed whole. I could feel something different inside you. It was like... like watching someone I didn’t know."

"Shhh," I hushed her, rubbing slow, calming circles across her back.

"I can’t lose you," she whispered, her voice breaking. "You’re my only sister. I can’t."

Her tears soaked into my hospital gown, but I didn’t care. All I could do was hold her, let her cry, and remind her, without words, that I was still here.

We stayed like that for a while. Just two broken girls holding each other together in a world that refused to make sense.

Then, a knock came at the door.

Solstice jolted upright and quickly wiped her face. Her eyes were still red, but her posture was steady.

We exchanged glances, uncertain of who might be on the other side.

"Go check," I said, gesturing lightly.

She nodded and stood, walking over. As soon as she opened the door, I saw the familiar figure and a soft smile tugged at my lips.

"Hello, Valerie. I... how are you?" Xander asked.

"Xander," I greeted warmly. "Come in."

Solstice stepped aside, giving him space. She smiled at me briefly and mouthed, "I’ll give you two some privacy. I’ll get you a drink." Then she disappeared through the door.

Xander approached the bed and sat beside me, gently taking my hand in his. His touch was warm and steady.

"You scared us all, you know," he said, voice low. "When the quake happened... I thought... I thought someone had triggered another simulation. That maybe... someone was trying to hurt you."

My heart squeezed at the fear in his eyes.

"I don’t know," I said truthfully.

"It didn’t feel like someone was doing it to me. It felt like... it came from me. Like something inside me cracked open."

Even though I had voiced that internally, it felt good to express it out loud. If only I could.

Xander’s brow furrowed. "Valerie, do you think someone is after you? Really?"

I hesitated, then shook my head. "I don’t know what to think. Everything feels... off."

Xander gripped my hand tightly. "I’ll get to the bottom of it. I promise you, I won’t let anything happen to you again."

A small, grateful smile formed on my lips. "Thank you."

We sat in silence for a moment, just staring at each other. There was something unstated between us—a flicker of something deeper.

I didn’t know why but I felt my body feel safe near him and wanted to lean in for a hug.

Xander licked his lips and shifted slightly, his eyes holding mine. The tension that sparked made me look away quickly as my heart raced.

"I huh... Where’s Silver?"

"Oh, she went to get me something to drink. Would like one too?"

"No. I am okay." Xander cleared his throat and stood, brushing imaginary dust from his pants. "Get well soon, Valerie."

"I will."

I watched him as he walked to the door and paused, giving me one last glance before disappearing into the hallway.

No sooner had he gone than the nurse popped her head into the room. "Oh you’re up."

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