My Alphas' Dark Desires

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~Solstice's POV~

The girls didn't even pretend they'd stay in for the evening. It was my birthday, my first day truly back, and we all knew subtlety wasn't going to happen.

"We're going out," Isla declared with a smirk, already tossing her books onto her bed and peeling off her uniform jacket.

"Obviously," Emerald said with a grin, stretching her arms above her head like she'd been waiting for this all day.

One by one, they drifted toward their rooms to freshen up—showers running, doors clicking shut, the air buzzing with excitement.

Valerie lingered by the door of her room, eyes sparkling as she held out her hand to me.

"Come on, birthday girl. You're with me," she said, her fingers curling around mine as we headed into her room together.

Minutes later, we emerged freshly bathed, hair still faintly damp, and dressed to kill. Emerald glanced at us from the living room where she sat, her smile turning mischievous.

With a flick of her fingers, a shimmer of illusion magic rippled across the dorm, layering the faint warmth of our scents into the air and the quiet sound of steady breathing.

"There," she said with a satisfied nod. "Anyone who comes sniffing around will think we're curled up here like good little angels."

"As we will… not," Valerie cut in with a wink.

Twenty-three minutes later, we were sliding into the plush seats of a private booth Isla had booked at one of the most popular bars downtown.

The bass thrummed through the floor, the air smelled faintly of citrus and champagne, and Isla raised her glass. "Birthday drinks are on me!"

We laughed, clinked glasses, and let the night blur into flashes of music, glittering lights, and teasing shouts over the music.

Eventually, the pull of the dance floor was too strong for any of us to resist.

"Who's ready to move some booty?" Isla wriggled her brows as she asked.

"Sign me up, Valerie chimed.

"Count me in," Emerald cracked her knuckles.

"It's my day, come on."

We split into the crowd, moving with the rhythm, losing ourselves in the heat and pulse of it all.

That's when I felt it.

It wasn't the champagne buzz. It was something sharper, hotter, like an invisible hook tugging deep in my chest. Equinox stirred violently, ears pricked, claws scraping to get free.

I leaned toward Valerie. "I need the bathroom."

She nodded without thinking, and I slipped away, though my feet didn't take me to the hallway near the restrooms.

Instead, I followed that strange, thrumming pull until I found myself stepping out the back door into the cool night air.

The second, I arrived there, and I felt my chest tighten even more as the air seemed to squeeze itself from my lungs.

The parking lot stretched out before me, dimly lit, the smell of asphalt and faint exhaust hanging in the breeze.

Equinox was growling deep within me as a masculine scent wafted into my nostrils.

Just when I thought I couldn't find an answer to my current predicament… he dropped down in front of me from the shadow of the building, landing with the ease of a predator.

His back was to me, broad shoulders tense.

My wolf surged immediately within me as recognition snapped through us like a live wire.

He turned slowly, and the moment his eyes locked on mine, a shiver tore down my spine.

Possessive, hungry, unmistakably red eyes held me in their depths. His lips moved, and the word fell in a deep, reverent growl I could feel in my bones.

"Mate."

My wolf roared in sync, the word spilling from my own lips before I could think. "Mate."

And then the world tilted.

The man standing before me was none other than…

"R-Riven."

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~Dristan's POV~

Ever since that night at the Alpha Summit, I had been avoiding Valerie, not completely, but enough that the distance was noticeable.

At first, it was guilt. I wanted to spend time with her after her intimate moment with Kai, to reassure her, to be close to her… but every time I looked into her eyes, I was seconds away from blurting out the truth I'd been holding back.

Then there was the other reason. From the moment I arrived that night, I knew exactly how far she and Kai had gone.

Her scent was laced with his in a way that only came after real intimacy, his presence clinging to her skin, buried in her like a brand.

It wasn't just him tasting her; they had crossed further. And as much as I told myself it didn't matter, it did.

And a strong part of me wished they hadn't done it but if they did, who was I to get mad?

So, I buried myself in my classes, even switching to our separate classroom schedule to give her space.

I told myself I'd talk to her after school, just the two of us. I even pictured how I'd start the conversation.

But when I got home early that day, she wasn't there.

At first, I brushed it off, maybe she was with Isla or Emerald. But as minutes turned into an hour, then two, unease started coiling in my gut.

I called her phone. No answer. I tried Isla. Same result. My cousin was a no-show too.

What the hell was going on?

I glanced at my watch for the umpteenth time, my toe tapping out a restless rhythm against the tiled floor as I exhaled deeply.

The clock had slid past three hours since classes ended. Valerie was nowhere in sight. My thoughts started branching into darker possibilities, each one worse than the last.

I considered going to her dorm, knocking until she opened… but I didn't want to come off desperate. So I waited, pacing the length of my room, while the silence gnawed at me.

It did not take long, though, for the sound of hurried footsteps to reach my ear.

The door burst open and Kai stepped in. His shirt was rumpled at the waist like he'd been pacing with his hands on his hips for hours.

His hair was a mess, the strands sticking out as if he'd raked his fingers through them a hundred times—something I'd done myself today.

"Where's Valerie?" he demanded.

Before I could answer, Axel and Xade appeared behind him.

"She's not home," Axel muttered.

"And she's not in school either," Xade added grimly. "It's been hours."

"She hasn't returned," Axel added again.

The tension in the room thickened. My eyes went back to Kai, reading the flicker of fear behind his usual hard gaze.

"Is she safe?" he asked finally, his voice low. "Have our fathers come for her?"