My Alphas' Dark Desires

Chapter 260: Reserve

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Chapter 260

~Author’s POV~

Erik shut his eyes, inhaling deeply as Astraea worked him over with maddening control.

The cool night air hit his flushed skin, contrasting with the heat building inside him. Every breath came out strained, every muscle taut beneath her touch.

His voice was low, wrecked. "You’re... damn it, Astraea... naughty."

She glanced up at him through thick lashes, her smile positively wicked. Then she drew back just enough to speak.

"I can do more naughty things," she whispered, her lips brushing against his skin before she sank onto him again.

Erik gripped the railing harder, his knees just barely holding steady. Magic flared in his veins, unintentional, wild. The light fixtures nearby flickered once, responding to the storm she was stirring in him.

"Astraea..." he groaned, teeth clenched. "This isn’t fair. You know what you’re doing to me."

She hummed in response, and vibration alone nearly unravelled him.

Every instinct within him warred between hauling her up into his arms and begging her to keep going. But she maintained a slow pace, so steady that it made it hard for him to focus, causing his thoughts to blur into a state of confusion.

When she finally pulled away, she wiped the corner of her mouth with her thumb, graceful and composed as if she hadn’t just reduced him to a mess.

Then, she rose smoothly to her feet.

Erik stared at her, completely breathless, his heart hammering in his chest, still reeling and utterly undone.

"I... I-what the hell? How do I even talk to you after that?" he rasped.

She leaned in close, lips grazing the shell of his ear. "Simple," she whispered. "You don’t. You take me to your room."

Erik blinked. "Astraea..."

"Don’t think," she cut him off, her fingers curling around his with purpose. "You’ve done enough of that tonight. Now you’re going to feel."

And with that, she turned and tugged him after her, leaving behind the echo of running water and a stunned trail of magic in their wake.

Below, no one noticed. Above, stars blinked, and the water kept flowing.

He would never look at fountains the same way again.

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~Valerie’s POV~

The next morning arrived in a blur of backpacks slung over shoulders, half-muttered yawns, and last-minute water bottle refills as students crowded near the waiting bus. noveldrama

The morning chill hadn’t quite lifted, and most students hugged their jackets tighter as they stood facing the wrought-iron gates of Graymist Wilderness Reserve, nestled right in the heart of Veradin City.

It was breathtaking.

The forest beyond looked like it belonged in another world: thick, endless woods with trees that rose like giants into the sky, their massive trunks casting wide, dappled shadows across the gravel path.

Soft mist curled around the foliage, and for a second, everything looked like something out of a mythical painting.

We were ushered through the main building first—an open gallery filled with educational displays, holographic fauna projections, and wall-to-wall cases of rare herb specimens.

After a brief orientation, we stepped back outside into the wild.

The real wild.

The kind that smelled like damp moss, ancient bark, and long-forgotten rain.

Professor Winnie stood at the front of the group, armed with her ever-present digital clipboard. Her sharp, as ever, eyes swept across the students.

"This part of the reserve," she began, "is the protected heartland of the Graymist Forest. Everything beyond this marker is under the Ministry’s jurisdiction. You will treat it with respect."

She gestured for us to follow and began walking down a narrow, winding trail, flanked on both sides by softly glowing enchanted barriers.

With every few steps, she paused to point out something.

"This," she said, indicating a curling flower with translucent petals, "is Lunaria Crysta. One of the only night-blooming flowers that reacts to heat instead of light."

We leaned in as she moved forward.

"And here," she continued, gesturing toward a twisted vine snaking up a tree trunk, "is Serpentroot. Poisonous to fae. Harmless to shifters. Memorise it."

We ventured further into the shady clearing, and the air felt more humid and heavy around us. We could hear a mix of wildlife: birds singing, leaves rustling, and occasionally, the faint sound of water splashing nearby, likely from a stream we hadn’t spotted yet.

Professor Winnie stopped again near a patch of vivid blue-tinted leaves. "This," she said, "is Verdelle Moss. Who can tell me why this is important?"

Silence fell like a thick blanket. No one answered.

Except me.

Without looking up from the moss, I said flatly, "Verdelle Moss contains regenerative properties when boiled with Silverthorn bark. But it can also induce sleep paralysis in high doses. You said this was one of the exam terrain species for Alpha Forge finals."

Professor Winnie turned, her expression shifting slightly, just enough to register approval.

"Correct, Miss Nightshade. Very good."

She faced the rest of the group, her tone turning sharper. "Pay attention. These aren’t decorative garden herbs. Every final-year student will face simulated wilderness conditions during Alpha Forge assessments. Survival will depend on your memory and your instincts."

There was a shuffle of feet. Someone coughed, someone else sighed audibly.

Beside me, Emerald leaned in and whispered. "Were we supposed to be paying attention that hard?"

"I blinked once and missed the entire last section," Astraea muttered, rubbing her temples.

"I thought we were still in the part with the purple stems," Isla whispered.

I just smirked and shook my head slightly.

Professor Winnie resumed walking. As the rest of the group followed, someone brushed past my shoulder, too deliberately to be accidental.

"Smart ass," a low voice murmured beside me.

I glanced sideways.

Xade.

He moved ahead with a slight smirk, eyes fixed forward, not even sparing me a second glance. But I could feel his amusement in the air around him.

I rolled my eyes, and a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth despite myself.

Smart ass. Right.

Solstice gave a soft huff in my head. "You were showing off."

"Was not."

"Were too."

I sighed internally.

The truth? I used to zone out during my uncle’s herbalism lectures all the time. But somewhere along the line, something shifted.

I learned—Solstice and I both—how to divide our attention, how to watch everything without losing the thread.

It was survival. And habits formed under pressure? Yeah, they didn’t fade so easily.