<h4>Chapter 7 - Seeking Out the Thief</h4>


    <strong>*****************</strong>


    <strong>Chapter 7</strong>


    <strong>~Valerie''s POV~</strong>


    It did not take me long to find what I was looking for. I knew that nes were too good for anyone to want to pass on if sold on the ck market.


    Although the fool wouldn''t know its optimal use, it was still a nice gem, and getting witches to forge one for you wasn''t easy.


    They liked keeping to themselves and not mixing with our kind.


    By 9 p.m., I had gotten everything I needed and found he was at one of the elusive nightclubs where all shit went down.


    Without a doubt, I knew going there was my biggest option. I quickly dressed up before stepping out of my room.


    When I did, I found I lounging on one of the couches, her legs ced on the edge.


    "Hey, Val."


    "Hi."


    "Going somewhere?"


    I smiled, not sure how or what to answer. If I said yes, she''d probably have more questions for me.


    "You don''t have to say anything if you do not want to," I added, and I shook my head.


    "It''s not that. Yeah, I have something I need to do. So I am going out. Wannae?"


    I saw a spark in her eyes, and for a moment, I thought she''d want to apany me, but then she shook her head. "Nah, I bet it is personal. Besides, I had my fair share of outings yesterday. I still have a report to submit tomorrow. So go and have fun."


    "Alright. See ya."


    *****************


    Slipping through the academy''s gates under the cover of darkness was too easy.


    Security was tight during curfew hours, but it was nothing I couldn''t handle. I had spent years training under my uncle—learning how to move unseen, how to blend into shadows.


    Furthermore, I had to do everything to escape him every once in a while when I got a lead on the nightshade bandana. But sigh, like every lead, sometimes I meet a dead end.


    They slipped through my fingers like ghosts, whispers that never were there.


    But tonight? I had a different target in mind.


    Find the thief. Find my ne. Find the truth.


    The tracker led me to a hidden club in the city, buried deep within Starlight''s underground scene.


    This wasn''t a regr bar. It was a supernatural den, a ce where the most dangerous beings gathered to drink, deal, and disappear.


    The shing neon sign above the entrance flickered erratically, the bass of the music vibrating through my bones as I slipped inside.


    The air was thick with the scent of alcohol, sweat, and raw power especially now that I had Astra. The crowd was a blur of werewolves, vampires, and other creatures, all indulging in their vices.


    Thankfully, I blended in perfectly—ck outfit, hood up, no scent suppression needed in a ce reeking of sin.


    I kept my movements calm, precise. I wasn''t here to y.


    I was here to hunt.


    Quickly, I picked my target, the one person who could easily hear information from.


    The bartender barely nced up when I slid into a seat at the bar.


    A rough-looking man with scars along his jaw and dark, knowing eyes, he was either a rogue or someone who knew how to survive among them.


    Well, the city was a peaceful ce for everyone.


    "Looking for a drink?" he muttered.


    I leaned forward. "Not exactly."


    His gaze flicked up, assessing. "Then what?"


    "Someone." He arched a brow at me but I went ahead anyway. I described the thief, his looks and everything and I watched him closely for any reaction.


    He tensed, then masked it quickly.


    Interesting.


    I pushed further. "I also need ess to the ck market. Where would I go if I wanted to... sell something valuable?"


    The bartender wiped the counterzily, but his grip on the cloth tightened.


    "Dangerous business, girl. Not a ce for someone like you."


    I smirked. "I can handle myself."


    He exhaled, shaking his head. "You''re either reckless or stupid."


    I lifted a brow. "Both, actually."


    Before he could answer, I felt it.


    A shift in the air.


    The kind that made the fine hairs on my skin rise—the feeling of being watched.


    I wasn''t alone but before I could turn, a strong grip wrapped around my wrist.


    Warm breath ghosted along my ear. "Now, now, little wolf, just what are you doing in a ce like this?"


    My entire body went rigid.


    I didn''t need to look to know who it was.


    Xade.


    I yanked my hand away, spinning on my stool, only toe face-to-face with him.


    Silver hair, stormy crystal-blue eyes, his uniform long gone—reced with a ck shirt, unbuttoned just enough to tease muscle and ink.


    He looked utterly rxed. Lethal but amused.


    His gaze flickered over me in a slow and deliberate manner, like he was memorising everything. Heavens knew I scowled. "Don''t call me that."


    He smirked. "What? Little wolf?"


    My wolf shuddered in pleasure at the nickname.


    I shoved her down, ring. "What do you want?"


    Xade looked over my shoulder. "What I want to know is why a PSA student is wondering or loitering at a high-end club at a time way past curfew?"


    I swallowed, but before I could think, my retort came faster than my mind. "I could say the same for you."


    Xade smirked in a way that made it seem like he knew something I didn''t know. "That''s because I am the Alpha King''s heir of the middle belt. Surveince and keeping things in order in the city is under my jurisdiction."


    He had a point, but I wasn''t just going to allow Xade to win. "Did you follow me?"


    Xade leaned in slightly, invading my space. "You''re not exactly subtle."


    I scoffed. "And yet you let mee in?"


    His grin widened. "Why stop the fun? I was curious to see what you''d do."


    Heat simmered under my skin. His voice—smooth, teasing—sent a sharp thrill down my spine.


    Astra purred in my head, whispering the most traitorous things.


    <i>"Kiss him. Show him who''s dominant,"</i> she voiced like a chant in my head over and over again.


    Shut up.


    I forced myself to focus. "Move, Xade."


    He didn''t. Instead, he took a step closer, backing me into the bar, his scent wrapping around me—dark spice and something dangerously enticing.


    "You''re looking for trouble," Xade murmured.


    I tilted my chin up. "And if I am?"


    His fingers brushed my jaw with a featherlight sensation coursing through me.


    A challenge. A tease.


    "You should be careful, little wolf," he whispered. "Sometimes, the hunter bes the prey."


    A shiver ran through me—annoyance, attraction, frustration—all tangled together—andI hated how the positive side, the one for Astra, could prevail. Though all I could see was the negative from him.


    I hated this. I hated the way my body reacted to him and the way Astra preened under his attention.


    I needed out.


    So I did what I did best. I shoved Xade away, hard but not to the point that caused him injury.


    Xade let me go, but heughed as I slipped past him.


    "See you soon, mate," he called after me.


    Damn him.


    Damn all of them.