My Alphas' Dark Desires-Chapter 29: Like A Curse

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Chapter 29

~Valerie’s POV~

Gasps echoed through the store. Brielle had confessed—everything, ultimately, leaving no stone unturned.

"Please, please," she begged, her voice shaking. "Do not punish me again. Do not take me back to that place. Don’t make me live my worst nightmare," she rushed out her plea as though any of it would actually make Dristan not punish her.

She was already doing a good job of punishing herself and embarrassing herself further.

Dristan arched a brow, his expression filled with pure disgust. He stared down at her, unblinking, his voice void of mercy. "You disgust me, and you shall suffer for it."

Brielle collapsed, her body going limp. Her friend rushed forward, shaking her, but she was unresponsive.

Dristan barely spared her another glance before turning to the store attendant.

"It was you who dared to accuse my..." I caught the hesitation. He was about to say ’mate’—but he stopped himself. Instead, Dristan’s eyes darkened. "How dare you accuse her?"

"Alpha, I was only doing my job," the lady stammered.

"Your job?" He scoffed. "Then it is my job to punish anyone who hurts her or smears her name. You’re fired."

"Alpha?!" The attendant’s face twisted in shock.

"Did I stutter?" His voice was a cold slap, his towering frame exuding dominance. He took a slow step forward, making the room feel unbearably small.

The lady shook her head, her face crumpling.

"Good," he said. "Then get out of my sight. Now."

She turned and fled without looking back, tears streaking down her face. I guess that was the power of an Alpha King’s Heir.

A flicker of pity stirred inside me, but I quickly pushed it away. If we hadn’t clarified the truth, I would have been arrested—or worse. And if that had happened, everything I had worked for would have been ruined and who knows, my secret too would have been exposed.

Dristan wasn’t done.

"And you."

Claudia stiffened as he stalked toward her.

"It’s people like you who give PSA a bad name." His voice was final, cutting like a blade. "You’re expelled."

My mouth fell open. Could he just... expel someone like that?

"Cousin," Isla interrupted, clearly displeased. Dristan’s glare snapped to her. "Glare all you want," Isla huffed. "But you can’t just expel her."

"Oh, little cousin, I can—and I just did." His smirk was predatory. "One word from me to the principal about how she disgraced our school by framing another student, and... well." He trailed off, letting the implication hang.

Claudia’s lips trembled. "B-but what about Brielle? She could be faking fainting for all we know!" she protested. "She made me do it!"

"Did she force your hand?" Dristan challenged.

Claudia’s mouth opened, then closed. She had no answer.

"My thoughts exactly," he said coolly. "She will get her punishment. But like that attendant, you disgust me. Get lost before I do something you’ll regret."

I stood frozen. I had never seen this side of him.

Dristan turned to the security guard, who looked seconds away from collapsing in fear and peeing his pants.

"Did he hurt you?" Dristan asked, sparing me a glance.

I immediately shook my head. "He didn’t."

Dristan didn’t look convinced. His gaze flicked to the trembling guard.

"Did you touch my..." He hesitated again. "...her?"

I clenched my fists. It was getting irritating. If he didn’t want to claim me, why keep hesitating like that? Why stand up for me at all?

The security guard frantically shook his head. "I only searched her and—"

"I should have your hand for that," Dristan asserted. "But I’ll let it slide. The next time you touch my—"

He hesitated once more. I had enough. I exhaled sharply and turned to Isla.

Without another word, I walked away.

If Dristan were so irritated by my presence, I would save him the trouble and get out before he made those comments while making those hiccups pause.

I could feel his gaze burned into my back, a heavy weight that refused to lift as I walked away.

Still, even though I tried not to be bothered by it, I was.

I wasn’t going to stand there and listen to him dance around the word "mate" like it was some kind of curse.

If he couldn’t even say it, then why was he acting like he had any right to step in for me? To punish people on my behalf?

I didn’t need Dristan, I told myself.

I heard Isla calling my name softly, but I ignored her, pushing through the store’s entrance and stepping outside.

The cool air hit my skin, but it did nothing to settle the heat bubbling inside me. My fists clenched at my sides, and Astra stirred restlessly in my mind.

"Coward." She spat the word like venom.

"Let it go," I told her.

"He’s making a fool of us."

"And you think running back in there to fight him will change that?"

Astra growled lowly but didn’t argue.

I let out a breath, trying to ease the tension in my chest. My heart still pounded, a mix of residual anger and something else—something I didn’t want to name. The way he had looked at me... the raw fury in his voice...

Why did it feel like something inside him had cracked?

The door behind me swung open, and before I could react, a firm hand wrapped around my wrist.

"Leaving just like that?"

I knew that voice.

I turned, my eyes locking onto Dristan’s.

His expression was unreadable, but his grip was firm, keeping me in place. His presence was suffocating, all-consuming, and I hated how my pulse reacted to it.

"I don’t see why I should stay." I kept my voice steady. "You handled everything, didn’t you? Justice served and all that."

Dristan’s jaw ticked. His eyes darkened and became stormy. "You don’t walk away from me, Valerie."

I laughed dryly. "Oh? And why’s that?"

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he let go of my wrist, but rather than relief, something inside me twisted. He stepped closer, his towering frame shadowing me.

"You should be thanking me." Dristan’s voice was quieter now, but no less intense.

"For what? For humiliating them, good maybe but expulsion? For firing that woman?"

"For protecting you." He gritted his teeth.

I sucked in a sharp breath. "I didn’t need your protection," I said, meeting his gaze head-on. "I handled it."

His eyes flickered with something I couldn’t quite place. His hands twitched at his sides, like he was restraining himself from reaching for me again.

And then, after a moment, he exhaled sharply, as if coming to some kind of decision. "Is that what you really believe?"

"Yes."

A muscle in his jaw jumped. "Fine."

Before I could react, he turned and walked away, back into the store.

I stood there, frozen, watching his retreating figure.

A part of me wanted to call him back.

Another part of me knew better.

I swallowed hard, shaking my head at myself.

I didn’t need him.

And if he didn’t want to call me his mate, then I wasn’t going to wait around for him to figure it out.

And this only further put one thought in my head. "Am I ready to accept them or should I reject my mates?"