My Alphas' Dark Desires-Chapter 44: They’ll Be Fighting For Me

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Chapter 44

~Valerie’s POV~

Following Isla’s yell, the cheers erupted a second later, but all I could hear was my heartbeat slamming against my ribs like it wanted out.

I bent over, hands on my knees, taking gulps of air. My throat burned. My lungs felt like someone had taken a match to them.

But damn it even though something was amiss, I won.

Xander stopped beside me, just behind the line, not even winded. He stood tall, hands on his hips, his dragon mark glowing faintly at the edge of his collarbone. "Impressive," he said smoothly. "For someone running from six mates."

I glanced up at him with a tired grin. "Try running with six of them."

His lips twitched, and he gave me a light nod, almost... respectful?

The others reached us moments later.

Kai arrived first, soaked in sweat but still wearing that smug little smirk. Axel followed, breathing heavier but not looking too bad.

They both nodded at me, not saying anything yet, but I could feel the storm brewing behind their eyes.

Isla ran into me as she hugged me tightly.

She had come in 5th which was a good one, though she may have come in 9th had those 4 dollopheads not let their anger get the best of them.

Then came the whispers from the few crowds of students that had circled around.

"Did you see how she passed the Dragon Prince?"

"She didn’t even use her powers."

"That backflip off the spikes? Insane."

I was trying to process all of it, trying to stay grounded, when the announcement came again.

"The rest of the runners will finish the course. All disqualified cadets must report to the review station."

Cue the dramatic walk of shame.

Ash walked past us, a nasty cut on his lip and blood smeared down his jaw. Dristan followed a step behind, face thunderous. Both of them were bruised. Angry. Dead silent.

I barely held in my groan. Seriously? Punching each other in the middle of a race? What the hell, Dristan?

I expected things from Kai, but Dristan seemed like someone who wouldn’t dirty his hands due to his ego. I was wrong.

This made me wonder. None of them actually liked or loved me, so besides ego, why else did Dristan react?

I tried to think, to see if I had missed something, but I couldn’t find anything.

"You’re lucky," Ash muttered as he passed me. "I was going to kiss you at the finish line."

I replied without missing a beat. "Then I guess I saved both of us from being sick."

He scoffed and kept walking.

Dristan didn’t say anything. Not a word. He didn’t look at me either, but I could feel the tension rolling off him like thunder.

His knuckles were scraped and bloodied. Whatever happened between him and Ash wasn’t a slap-fest—it was personal.

Ace came up later. He wasn’t even running. Just walking with his hand rubbing the growing knot on his forehead.

"You’re dangerous," he grumbled at me as he passed. "You didn’t even need to punch me."

I gave him a small smirk. "You hit a tree branch, genius. It must hurt badly since you did it yourself."

"Still your fault," he muttered.

I know I didn’t owe the Alpha Kings Heirs, but I just couldn’t help but retort since the Lycan Princes did bring it upon themselves.

Whatever.

Principal Whitmore stepped forward again, clapping once and lifting her mic.

"That was one of the most... intense opening runs we’ve ever seen. Congratulations to the top three cadets. Your rewards will be issued during your next briefing."

She gave a pointed look at the disqualified ones. "And to those who failed to keep composure, especially royalty, you are not exempt from the consequences. Report immediately for disciplinary review."

The crowd went silent again. Nobody dared cheer now.

And that’s when things started to shift.

Students stared at me differently.

Some impressed. Some jealous. Some... threatened?

I could feel the weight of being number one, even if it was just a seven-mile run. But it was more than that.

Everyone saw the fight. The tension. The blood on Dristan’s knuckles. The way Ash smirked at me like I was already his and how Xander stirred lovingly at me like I was a prize—his prize.

The Alpha Kings’ Heirs were dangerous.

But the new royals?

Unpredictable.

And I was caught right in the middle of it all, either as a winner, a target, a mate, or maybe all three.

"Great," I muttered under my breath. "Just what I needed—more eyes on me."

Isla and Emerald found me seconds later and practically tackled me in a group hug.

"You freaking legend!" Isla shouted.

"You beat the Dragon Prince," Emerald added, wide-eyed.

"Barely," I said, still catching my breath.

"You still beat him."

And honestly, that did not feel really good since I couldn’t figure him out nor read him. He was all smiles and I dreaded that.

The cheers hadn’t even died down. I was still catching my breath, still feeling the adrenaline clawing through my bloodstream, when someone stepped into my space.

Not in an aggressive way. Just... deliberate.

"Congratulations," a smooth voice said.

I turned, and there she was.

Titania Estrella Sage.

The Fae Princess. The silver-eyed red-haired enchantress. Gorgeous in that almost surreal, otherworldly way that made people forget what they were even doing.

I blinked.

Honestly, I hadn’t even realised she was in the race.

She was stunning, calm, completely composed—even after that seven-mile chaos. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

With her beauty being hard to miss, how did I not see her?

Her sleek Fae training outfit hugged her like it had been sewn by moonlight. Not a hair out of place. Her skin practically glowed under the sun.

I glanced down at myself—soaked in sweat, scraped hand still bleeding from the backflip stunt over those damn ground nails.

And yet, she smiled at me like I was the one who looked magical.

"Thanks. You joined the race? Cause I didn’t see you out there," I said, trying not to sound snarky as I shook her hand.

She grinned, just a little. "That’s the point, isn’t it?"

Okay. Creepy.

But I gave her credit—she was in the top fifteen, and I hadn’t even noticed her. That took talent.

"How did you—"

Titania tilted her head, stepping a little closer. "Fae tricks," she said lightly, tapping her temple. "Sometimes the best way to win... is not to be seen at all."

That made me pause.

"Besides, I could watch my opponents carefully."

Then she smiled again. But this time, something behind that smile shifted. Like a shadow flickering behind glass. A glint in her eye that didn’t match her tone.

"Next time, I’ll be the one winning the game," she said, voice lower now. "And ’they’ll’ be fighting for me."

I raised an eyebrow. "’They’ being?"

Titania’s eyes glinted. "You know who." And her gaze darted to the... my mates.

Of course I did.

The six raging male monsters currently circling my life like hawks and vultures, making me seem like a celestial snack? Sure...!

She leaned in just slightly. "It must feel exhilarating, doesn’t it? All of them—fighting. Craving. Claiming."

Something dark coiled at the end of her sentence. Almost like she was daring me to flinch. Daring me to say she was wrong.

But I didn’t.

I simply held her gaze.

And then, as if bored with it, she dropped my hand, took a graceful step around me, and began walking away.

I exhaled.

Not intimidated. Not even a little.

"Hey," I called over my shoulder before she got too far.

Titania paused, looking back.

I let my lips curl into a slow, cold smile. "You’re welcome to give it a try."

Her silver eyes narrowed just slightly. A twitch of her lips. Then she turned without a word and walked off, her long braid swinging behind her like a whip.

I watched her go, pulse slowing.

Isla appeared beside me again with a low whistle. "Damn, what was that about?"

I shrugged. "Don’t know, but I could use a shower and a change of clothes."

"You sure?" Emerald’s voice echoed, but I zoned out.

I didn’t answer because now I had a new thing to add to the list:

Figure out what’s up with the emblem.

2. Survive six insane mates.

3. Watch my back around the Fae Princess and my secret hater.

I sighed.

The universe really hated me.