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CHAPTER 7
~Valerie's POV~
It did not take me long to find what I was looking for. I knew that necklaces were too good for anyone to want to pass on if sold on the black 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 Isla lounging on one of the couches, her legs placed 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," Isla added, and I shook my head.
"It's not that. Yeah, I have something I need to do. So I am going out. Wanna come?"
I saw a spark in her eyes, and for a moment, I thought she'd want to accompany 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."
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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 necklace. 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 regular bar. It was a supernatural den, a place where the most dangerous beings gathered to drink, deal, and disappear.
The flashing 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—black outfit, hood up, no scent suppression needed in a place reeking of sin.
I kept my movements calm, precise. I wasn't here to play.
I was here to hunt.
Quickly, I picked my target, the one person who could easily hear information from.
The bartender barely glanced 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 place 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 access to the black market. Where would I go if I wanted to… sell something valuable?"
The bartender wiped the counter lazily, but his grip on the cloth tightened.
"Dangerous business, girl. Not a place 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 place 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 to come face-to-face with him.
Silver hair, stormy crystal-blue eyes, his uniform long gone—replaced with a black shirt, unbuttoned just enough to tease muscle and ink.
He looked utterly relaxed. 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, glaring. "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. Surveillance 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 me come 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.
"Kiss him. Show him who's dominant," 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 becomes the prey."
A shiver ran through me—annoyance, attraction, frustration—all tangled together—and I 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 he laughed as I slipped past him.
"See you soon, mate," he called after me.
Damn him.
Damn all of them.