My Alphas' Dark Desires

Chapter 256: A Little Stroll

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~Valerie’s POV~

A knock echoed through our suite door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and neither were the others. I stood still, the towel snugly wrapped around me, hair damp, cheeks flushed from the heat of the shower.

Then came the voice. Low. Deep. Familiar.

"Valerie?"

I froze as soon as my ear and wolf recognised that voice.

Dristan.

I spun toward the door like I’d just been caught naked by fate herself—technically, I was still mostly naked.

I hesitated a second, then cautiously walked over to the suite door to open it just a crack.

The second I peeked out, I regretted it.

The second I saw him, I regretted every life decision that led to this exact moment.

Dristan stood in the hallway, one hand shoved into his pocket, the other hanging casually at his side, his golden-blond hair tousled by the breeze that snuck in from the hallway’s open window.

But his expression? Anything but casual.

His eyes scanned me from head to toe and slowly back up.

His gaze moved down my body—slow, like a warm tide—and back up, lingering far longer than it should have.

And gods, I felt it. The burn. The way his eyes devoured me without shame. It wasn’t just a glance. It was... intentional and thorough.

I swallowed hard.

"Nice towel," he murmured, voice dropping an octave. It came out low and playful, but I heard the shift in his breathing. Saw the slight tension in his jaw.

Heat rushed to my cheeks, exploding beneath my skin like a silent wildfire. I hadn’t bothered with my towel because my mind wasn’t paying attention to it, but to the visitor and what he wanted.

And that was when my mind betrayed me.

Just a few nights ago, we had been together. He had seen me half naked, suckled my nipples, played with me... and then I... I dreamt of him—of this guy—his mouth between my thighs, his breath scorching as he whispered how good I tasted.

I remembered his tongue working me open, the sound of my name groaned against my skin, the way I woke up right before he—

Stop. Stop it, Valerie!

But I couldn’t. The image was too vivid, too raw and too real.

Suddenly, my skin felt too exposed. My towel felt too thin, and his presence was too close.

I cleared my throat. "Uh... what’s up?"

Dristan’s lips twitched. "Can we take a walk?"

"Now?" I asked, a little breathier than intended.

He cocked his head slightly. "Yeah... I mean, after you put on actual clothes," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Unless you’re trying to distract me."

As if for emphasis, his gaze flicked downward again, and I swore he smirked—just a little.

I nearly slammed the door shut right then and there.

Instead, I muttered something unintelligible and rolled my eyes. "Wait here."

Then I vanished behind the door, pressing my back to it once it closed. I had turned so fast I nearly slipped on the tile.

Smooth, Valerie. Real smooth.

My heart was racing. My legs shook, and my thoughts? Entirely inappropriate for someone who didn’t want to catch feelings again.

My mind raced the whole time I tugged on my jeans and a cropped hoodie over my sports bra. That towel moment? Burn it into memory.

I barely said anything to the girls as my wardrobe problem had been resolved. "See you later, girls."

Ten minutes later, I stepped out, bag over my shoulder, brushing damp strands of hair behind my ear. "Alright. Let’s go."

We left the suite and strolled out of the hotel’s courtyard, where sunlight filtered lazily through tall pine trees and flowerbeds that looked too perfectly arranged to be real.

For a few minutes, we just walked in silence.

"How have you been?" Dristan finally asked.

I inhaled. "Busy. Tired. Confused. The usual."

Drisyan nodded in understanding. "Val, about last week. I shouldn’t have... I am sor..."

I shook my head before he could finish. "Let’s not. We’ve both said and done a lot. I don’t want to replay it." noveldrama

He studied me for a beat. "Okay. No past. Just right now?"

"Exactly."

A relaxing silence settled between us. We strolled past a row of quaint mini-stalls—little shops selling everything from handmade crystal rings to cookies the size of dinner plates.

The smell of cinnamon drifted in the air.

Grrroowll.

My stomach betrayed me, and Dristan turned to me, one brow raised. "Hungry?"

I shrugged. "Maybe a little."

He laughed under his breath and pointed toward a food cart. "C’mon. I’m buying."

We walked over and ordered a couple of skewered meat sticks and honey pastries. Dristan even grabbed a fizzy grape soda for me.

He held out the bag of pastries like a peace offering. "No poison. Promise."

I took it with a snort. "Thanks, suspicious stranger." And even with that joke, I felt less moody than I had been coming here

We wandered a bit more until we spotted it.

A small park was tucked into the side of the square. It was quiet, empty. A couple of swings. One rusted slide.

He looked at me, eyes glinting. "Wanna go?"

"To the playground?"

"You scared?" Dristan teased.

I smirked, shaking my head. "Not in a million. Lead the way."

We walked over and claimed the swings, side by side. The chains creaked as we moved, first slowly, then higher, our legs kicking through the air like we were kids again.

I leaned back slightly, laughing when my swing tilted forward too far.

"You’ve got bad form," he teased, pumping his legs.

"Shut up," I giggled.

For the first time in what felt like ages, I wasn’t overthinking. Not about the mate bond or about my powers, my necklace, or any chaos waiting back at the academy.

Just this, just him.

We swung for a while, shoulders brushing when our swings aligned.

Then he stopped slowly, dragging his feet into the sand.

When I followed suit, our eyes met—and for a moment, time just... paused.

Dristan leaned forward on his swing. "Val?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever think maybe... this is how it was always supposed to be?"

My heart stuttered.

"You mean... us?"

He nodded once, and before I could say anything else, gave him a reasonable answer...

Ping!

My phone lit up in my pocket. Dristan’s did too. We both groaned.

At the same time, we pulled out our devices, and I saw her name atop my notification.

Professor Winnie: Everyone...