<h4>Chapter 228: Xade’s Worry</h4>


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


    <strong>Chapter 228</strong>


    <strong>~Valerie’s POV~ </strong>


    I wanted to march right over there and p each of them square across the face. My hands itched for it, my blood boiling from the sting of their words.


    My fists clenched at my sides. But I’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist before I could even take the first step.


    "They are not worth it, Valerie," she said coolly, holding my gaze.


    "They wouldn’t be bold enough to say it to her face," I growled through gritted teeth.


    "True, but she’s gone."


    "I’m here though," I countered, my voice cracking.


    I kept a straight face. "Yes, you are. And unless you want to start a fight and have Principal Whitmore breathing down your neck for the rest of the entire calender year, I suggest you don’t."


    "But..." I started, anger bubbling in my throat. It wasn’t just about me. It was about everything.


    Kieran, the ne, the heat crawling under my skin whenever my mates were near, the pain Solstice must be going through at home... everything.


    I was a live wire, and one wrong move might ignite me.


    "No buts," I said firmly, her expression not budging an inch. "Let it go, Valerie. If you were to react to every annoyingment about her or yourself, you’d be in more trouble than I can save you from. And one of them includes skipping the ss field trip."


    I huffed, arms crossing over my chest. "Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad," I muttered. "Avoiding my mates until I find the ne sounds like a dreame true."


    I rolled her eyes and started walking. "You do realize the trip counts for 30% of our final grade, right? It’s a core course. If you skip it, you fail."


    I blinked. "Wait, what?"


    "Failing it means you get a D or lower," she continued without missing a beat. "And if you skip the trip, that’s an automatic zero. Which means <i>double</i> failure. You can’t even take the final exam."


    I stopped walking, my brain whirling as the implications mmed into me.


    "So... I’m screwed either way?" I asked dryly.


    "Pretty much," I said with a shrug. "Soe on. We’ll bete for ss."


    I hesitated, then sighed and took her outstretched hand. Her grip was reassuring, steady—just what I needed when everything else felt like it was spiraling.


    As we made our way through the hallway, someone bumped into me hard enough to send my books flying across the floor.


    "Oh my—so sor... ry."


    The apology died on my lips the moment my eyes locked on her.


    It was Lucy. My brain brought back ourst confrontation when she dumped Kieran’s flowers on me.


    My stomach turned. Memories of how she saved Kieran that day came rushing back.


    Even though I had not personally witnessed it... I saw the video of how Kieran treated he ter when I left, pped her and belittled her.


    "Sorry, Lucy," I enunciated but my tone was t.


    Her eyes narrowed immediately. Her brows pinched in deep irritation, her mouth twisting as if my words had physically offended her. I snorted under her breath.


    I bent down, offering my hand to help her gather her books.


    Lucy stared at it like it was infected.


    Then she pped my hand away, grabbed her books with exaggerated fury, and stormed off without another word.


    "Weird<i>,</i>" I muttered.


    "Like master, like servant," I said, brushing imaginary dust off her zer. "Come on, I can’t be bothered with their drama."


    **************


    sses rolled in quickly after that, but the day dragged for me.


    Worse, the sensation of being watched was back—and not just passively. It was intense, like a set of eyes trailing over every inch of me with precise, burning awareness.


    I didn’t have to look up to know who it was.


    Dristan and my mates.


    And as if they’d formed a silent pact, all of them were there. Every ss. Even ones they normally skipped.


    It was like a coordinated surveince operation, only with way too much smoldering tension and brooding res.


    Wherever Valerie Nightshade was, her mates were not far behind.


    By lunch break, I couldn’t take it anymore.


    I escaped to the rooftop where Solstice and I used to hang out during calmer times. It had always been my retreat—quiet, high up, distant from the noise and pressure of everything down below.


    But this time, it wasn’t empty.


    Xade stood by the rail, arms folded, watching the clouds roll past the sun.


    Right.


    I turned on my heel, ready to leave before he even noticed me.


    "I’m sorry, Val," he said, his voice stopping me cold.


    I froze.


    "I’m... I’m not angry at you, Xade," I said after a pause. "It’s nothing."


    "Then why did you avoid us this morning?" he asked, turning to face me fully. "I sensed you even before you arrived. You were... masking your energy. Sloppy job, by the way."


    "It was nothing," I repeated, backing toward the stairwell.


    "Is that true," he pressed, "or are you avoiding something we <i>all</i> feel?"


    My eyes widened. I turned to him, heartbeat suddenly thudding in my ears.


    "The bond," he continued. "It’s finally pulsing. Stronger now. Harder to ignore, right?"


    "I don’t want to talk about it," I snapped, panic setting in. "And if you don’t have anything else to say—"


    "I do."


    I sighed. "Then let’s hear it, Xade."


    "It’s about Dristan."


    My hand tightened around my lunch container. "Dristan this, Dristan that, forgive him... I <i>have</i>. You guys don’t have to keep reminding me—"


    "That’s not it," he cut in. "I’m here because I need to ask... has Dristan ever mind-controlled you? Or used hypnosis?"


    "What?" I blinked. "No. Why would you even—"


    "I need to know, Valerie." He took a step forward, serious. "I’ve asked Brielle. Avery. Their stories match Kieran’s. Something’s not right."


    My lips parted, then closed again. I stared into his eyes, unsure what he was fishing for.


    "No," I said finally, voice low. "He hasn’t."


    Xade let out a long breath, the tension easing from his shoulders as he walked over to me.


    "But," I added slowly, "if you want to find out, you should ask Dristan not me."


    "It’s hard."


    "Why?" I challenged. "Aren’t you all best friends?"


    "Yes. But now it seems more than three people have been hypnotized by him—and all of them just happen to be people who’ve had issues with you<i>.</i>"


    My blood ran cold.


    Something twisted in my gut. Not just from what he was implying—but from the horrible suspicion that Dristan might be hiding something dark.


    Something even I hadn’t seening.