My Alphas' Dark Desires-Chapter 43: You Won!

*****************

Chapter 43

~Valerie’s POV~

Boots pounded dirt, hearts pounded harder. Seven miles. No power. No mercy. No tricks. Just legs, lungs, and willpower. And only three would win.

The second the whistle blew, we launched forward like arrows released from a taut string.

The thud of boots against packed dirt, the rush of wind, the grunts of exertion—everything blurred into one loud, chaotic rush.

I pushed off the ground with every ounce of power my legs could muster without using my wolf’s speed, eyes narrowed and focused.

"Let’s go!" Isla yelled beside me, her voice fired up with energy.

I didn’t reply. I couldn’t.

My focus was razor-sharp, trained on the stretch ahead. My pulse beat in sync with the tempo of my footsteps.

Emerald darted ahead on my left. Her pace was quick, but I could tell she was testing it—still holding some back. I was too.

It wasn’t about sprinting from the start. It was about outlasting everyone else. I’d been trained for endurance since I was ten. Thanks to Storm, I could run ten miles in my sleep.

The field stretched wide and uneven around us. We were racing through an open forest trail marked by hovering lights in the trees. Every so often, a drone zipped past us silently, recording everything.

The first mile passed. Then the second.

But by mile three, everything changed, and the tricks started.

A student ahead of me suddenly burst forward like he’d been shot from a cannon. His speed was unnaturally fast—too fast.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Shift-boosted," Astra whispered inside my head.

I caught up just enough to see a faint shimmer on his boots—enchanted.

Sneaky bastard.

The second he passed one of the monitoring drones, a loud buzz sounded. "Student 044, disqualified. No enchanted gear allowed."

A groan echoed behind us as the guy slowed and stumbled off to the side, his head down.

I smirked. That’s what you get.

Another girl, about fifty feet ahead, tried to use her ability to clear a fallen log without actually jumping. Her body shimmered for half a second—telekinesis.

Buzz.

"Student 031, disqualified. No powers allowed."

This was going to be interesting.

The slope started, winding up a narrow dirt path carved into the side of a steep hill.

I kept my pace, weaving around slower runners, heart pounding, sweat already beading down my temple.

Isla was to my right, breathing steady. Emerald and Astraea had fallen behind but weren’t far off.

Then came the fourth mile—and Marcus.

Then came the fourth mile—and Marcus.

He appeared out of nowhere, just ahead of me. I didn’t like how close he was. I especially didn’t like the gleam in his eyes when he turned and gave me a lazy grin.

"Careful, Nightshade," he said with a wink. "The path’s real slippery here."

Before I could react, he stepped to the side and ’accidentally’ kicked a loose patch of gravel right at my feet.

I stumbled but didn’t fall. He smirked and tried again, this time slipping deliberately and flailing his arms. As I tried to pass him, his hand shot out—grabbing my hair.

"You little—"

My instincts kicked in the second the drone flew past. I twisted my leg back, planted my heels hard into the slope, and ducked forward just as he tried to rebalance.

My hair ripped out of his grip, but not before I turned and sent a hard kick into his groin, then elbowed his ribs.

"AHH—!"

His scream echoed as he tumbled backward—arms flailing, rolling down the hill like a log on fire.

A buzzing noise followed a second later.

"Cadet 58, Marcus Callan. DISQUALIFIED."

I kept running.

By mile six, the race had thinned. Most students had either collapsed or slowed down.

Emerald and Astraea had dropped back, but they still ran. Isla was still holding up, just a few paces behind me.

But ahead of me, the Alpha Kings were tearing up the path like wolves in heat.

"Almost there," Isla panted behind me.

"Aye. Keep up, Isla, we can’t lose," I managed to reply.

Ash zipped past us suddenly, smirking as he ran backward for a few steps just to show off. "Try and keep up, snowflake!"

I resisted the urge to trip him. Barely.

Then came Ace. He passed like wind, no words, just a flick of his eyes and a ghost of a smile.

"I will not lose," Isla hissed and kicked up her pace. I had to admit—girl had fire.

The final stretch hit us hard.

Dristan. Kai. Axel. Xade. And then... the Lycans joined.

Ash and Ace exploded into the lead like a pair of missiles running beside the alphas, but in the lead was Xander.

"Dragons," Dristan muttered under his breath, already annoyed that Xander had left everyone behind.

"Are you complaining because you’re weak?" Ash taunted, flashing him a wolfish grin.

"This race is proof. The Moon Goddess chose us because we’re superior mates," Ace snickered.

"Yeah, not weaklings like them," Ash chimed. "Don’t worry. I’ll let you watch as I win and kiss our mate right in front of you."

I groaned. This again?

Before anyone could say more, Dristan lunged at Ash, tackling him into the dirt.

A moment later, another buzz sound. "Cadet 01, Dristan Alexander. DISQUALIFIED.

Cadet 95, Ashton Kaid. DISQUALIFIED."

Ace laughed. "Temper isn’t for kings. That’s why I’m the better mate."

"Taunts won’t work on us like they got to Dristan," Kai growled, pacing forward.

"Guess that makes him a big dummy," Ash called out smugly from the dirt.

"Too bad your brother got disqualified by a big dummy," Xade said coolly, side-eyeing Ace. "That makes you next."

Ace’s eyes narrowed. "Try me."

"Already am," Xade smirked. "And I’m winning."

Right then, Ace turned—and WHAM!—slammed his head straight into a low-hanging tree branch.

Xade whistled. "That’s gotta hurt."

"CHEAT!" Ace screamed.

"How so? Did I touch you?" Xade asked with mock innocence. "The tree did the work. I just watched."

"You won’t be winning too," Ace taunted, immediately letting his eyes flash red and releasing his aura.

Well, I already knew what that would lead to. It did not take long when we all heard it.

"Cadet 96 Ace Kaid. DISQUALIFIED."

I couldn’t help it—I snorted and ran past them, shaking my head.

Then came the drone announcement a minute later. "Cadet 03, Xade Xavier. DISQUALIFIED."

"What the—" he started.

But I didn’t wait.

I ran.

Harder. Faster. Feet pounding the earth, breath ragged in my throat. It was down to the last mile.

With only one major target up ahead—Xander. The Dragon Prince.

He was gliding across the terrain like it was made for him. But he hadn’t seen me yet.

I ducked under a swinging branch, leapt over a pit of spikes, and did a backflip off a fallen log. My hand scraped across a stone as I landed—blood instantly welled up—but I kept going.

Then I saw it. The finish line.

Xander paused for just one breath—one look over his shoulder, and he whistled at me. That was all I needed.

I surged forward, every muscle burning, every breath screaming.

One last hill, then a straight slope toward the open training field again. I saw the teachers waiting at the finish line—three of them standing tall with clipboards and crystal recorders floating around them.

The hill was brutal. My legs screamed, my lungs burned, sweat coated my neck, and my clothes clung to me, but I pushed.

My ponytail whipped behind me. The wind screamed in my ears as my thoughts drifted to all the obstacles I had to overcome during my training as I ran against my cousin Storm and his younger sister.

Compared to that, this was nothing. Xander ran. I did also.

Neck and neck.

I clenched my fists, bit down on my tongue, and surged forward with every last ounce of energy I had left.

And in that last second, I threw my upper body forward with everything I had.

The buzzer rang.

"Cadet 88, Valerie Nightshade—FIRST PLACE.

Cadet 97, Xander Draco—SECOND PLACE.

Cadet 04, Kai Draven—THIRD PLACE.

Cadet 02, Axel Zeno—THIRD PLACE (TIE)."

I dropped to my knees, gasping, heart pounding like a drumline in my ears. That last race took everything in me to match and win the dragon prince.

I did it. Holy hell.

I actually won.

And as I looked up, all I could think was—peace at last, until my gaze fell on Xander. Unlike me, who was tired and beat. He looked pretty okay and less stressed.

I narrowed my eyes. That wasn’t right. He wasn’t tired. He could have won. Which meant he had let me win.

"Valerie!" Isla called as she continued running towards me, breaking me from my thoughts. "You won!"