CHAPTER 298: HELPING OUT

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Chapter 298

~Dristan’s POV~

The classroom was too warm.

Or maybe it was just me. My skin itched beneath my uniform, my shirt stuck to my back, and my hand kept twitching on the desk like I needed to punch something or touch someone.

Valerie. I could feel her.

Across the school grounds. Through every damn wall. The bond was pulsing like wildfire in my veins—hot, heady, irresistible.

I clenched my jaw, sucking in a breath, but it only made it worse. Her scent was changing, becoming richer, sweeter and thicker.

"She’s in heat," Kai muttered beside me. He hadn’t lifted his eyes from his book, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. The way his grip on the edge of the desk had gone white-knuckled.

"She’s fighting it," Xade added, licking his bottom lip. "Poor thing. Bet she’s soaked through her panties right now. Trying to act tough."

"Shut the fuck up," Axel snapped, but his voice cracked at the end. "Shit. I can’t think clearly."

I wasn’t doing much better. My vision blurred at the edges, my wolf clawing at the surface. She was close and needed us.

The professor was still droning on about magical sigils, unaware he had four Alpha wolves silently losing their fucking minds behind him.

"We need to do something," I said a little harsher than I intended. "This bond... It’s trying to complete itself."

"But she’s not ready," Kai replied while keeping his voice tight. "She keeps running. She’s scared."

"She’s not scared of us," Axel said. "She’s scared of herself. Of what she feels."

"We either help her ride it out," Xade said, leaning back with a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes, "or we help her release it."

My throat bobbed. And I exhaled slowly. No one needed to say it.

We were thinking the same thing.

If she continued to suppress her heat, it could harm her. Astra, her wolf, was awake now, and her instincts were primal. Raw. She needed to mate. If she didn’t, the bond could get worse...

"She won’t make it through the day," I said flatly.

Silence followed.

And then, Kai looked up.

"I don’t think we’re supposed to let her."

I blinked. "What?"

"She’s calling us," he said, eyes dark. "Not with her voice. With the bond. Her wolf wants us. Maybe it’s time we stop ignoring it."

Axel stood abruptly. "So what? We just pin her down and fuck her in the middle of class?"

Xade smirked. "Sounds like a plan."

"No," I snapped. "But we stop holding back. If she comes to us—if—then we show her she’s not alone in this."

"And if she doesn’t?" Kai asked, but we all already knew the answer. "Because knowing Valerie, her pride wouldn’t let her come even if she is dying."

She would.

She has to.

My chest burned. I could feel her pulse through the bond. "Kai, text her. Let’s try and help."

Kai nodded. Immediately after the teacher addressing us left, which was right after we returned from training, he did.

Minutes later... Soren growled internally, signalling me of her arrival. "She’s coming," I said quietly. And then...

BAM.

The door slammed open.

She stood there, breathless, shocked, wide-eyed. Her scent hit us like a drug.

Valerie knew she was ambushed.

And instead, we got carried away and let things build till the point she got embarrassed and ran away.

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~Valerie’s POV~

After my shower, I towel-dried my hair and sank into the soft hoodie lying on the bed. I picked up my phone, my thumb hovering for a moment before I tapped Emerald’s contact and pressed it to my ear.

"Val?" her voice came through almost immediately, alert. "Are you okay?"

I hesitated, then nodded to myself. "Yeah. I just... I need your help."

"With what?"

"My necklace," I said softly, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "I need to find it. I think it’s hidden or cloaked with some kind of spell. I was hoping your fae senses could help."

There was a beat of silence before she replied, "Of course. Just tell me when. I’ll get it done."

"Thank you," I whispered, voice barely above a breath. "Really."

We ended the call soon after, and I tossed my phone aside, eyes fluttering shut as I sank backwards into the pillows.

All I wanted was sleep. Just a few moments of silence. Rest. To forget—

But I couldn’t.

The memory kept playing on a loop.

The classroom. Their eyes. Their touch. The heat that poured through my veins like wildfire.

The way I’d wanted them.

The way they’d wanted me.

I pulled the blanket tighter around me, hugging my knees to my chest. I wasn’t sure how long I lay there, spiralling, but by the time I glanced at my phone again, it was almost 10 p.m.

And I was starving.

Like, really starving.

A sharp pang clenched in my stomach. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. The house was quiet, lights low in the hallway. I knew the guys were back. I’d overheard them earlier—whispered voices by the stairs, guilt heavy in the way they talked.

They’d agreed to give me space.

Let me rest and apologize tomorrow.

So why did it feel like I was waiting for them to knock anyway?

I stepped into the hallway, ready to tiptoe past the kitchen, when I froze.

He was standing right by my door.

Dristan.

My heart leapt to my throat. I gasped and instinctively tried to pull the door shut again, but his boot slid between the frame and the wood.

"Valerie," he said quietly. "Please."

I stared at him, shoulders tense. But something in his tone... something softer than usual.

He looked tired. Torn. Like he was holding something back.

I sighed, then let the door swing open.

"Come in," I murmured.

He stepped inside slowly, his gaze sweeping my face before settling on my lips. His voice came low. "I’m sorry."

"For?"

"For earlier. For everything. On behalf of all of us."

I swallowed hard, sitting at the edge of my bed. "I heard you guys talking earlier... You said you’d let me rest."

"We wanted to," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "We also messaged you. All of us. But you didn’t answer, so... I figured I’d try one more time."

I didn’t reply.

He sat down beside me, not too close, but close enough for me to feel the heat of his body. He leaned forward, forearms braced on his thighs.

"The bond’s driving us mad," he said after a beat. "And today... when we stopped trying to fight it—when we gave in—things escalated. We didn’t mean to scare you."

"I wasn’t... scared of you," I whispered. "I was scared of me. Of what I felt. I—" My throat tightened. "I felt like some sex-crazed slut. I couldn’t even think. It just hurt so bad. And still... I haven’t stopped thinking about it."

Dristan turned to me slowly. "Then let me help."

My brows lifted. "With what?"

"With the ache," he said simply. "With the heat. You’re not okay, Val. You’re pushing yourself too far. I think... if you let yourself cum, if you let it out, you’ll feel better. I didn’t say fixed or perfect, but better."

I stared at him, blood roaring in my ears. "You want to have sex with me?"

"No," he said softly, a dark smile playing on his lips. "Yes."

My brows went from creasing to arching.

He lifted his hands in mock surrender.

"No. I want to, but not now. I am no monster. I want you to want me to make love to you and fuck you silly till all you moan is my name."

"Dristan..."

"But... I want to eat you out. I want to taste every inch of you until you fall apart. No pressure, no penetration. Just... let me take care of you."

I blinked. My heart was pounding. "I don’t know if I can."

"You don’t have to do anything," he said gently. "Just let me worship you for a little while."

Gods.

A shiver ran down my spine.

The matebond buzzed between us, golden and thick like honey. I knew he wasn’t lying. He meant every word.

And I... I wanted it. I wanted him.

Even if my mind was hesitant, my body screamed yes.

I gave a slow, tentative nod.

Dristan leaned forward, hand brushing my cheek before his lips pressed against mine, and I melted.

I was right back where I had run from, and my body’s arousal intensified. Only that this time, I wasn’t too overwhelmed.

Dristan’s lips moved over mine, patiently coaxing me to open for him, to let him in.

And I did.

His tongue slipped past my lips, claiming every inch of my mouth like it was a secret he’d been dying to taste. My fingers curled in the front of his shirt, gripping like I might drown if I let go.

The tension that had coiled so tightly inside me unravelled thread by thread, replaced with something just as overwhelming but far more addictive.

His hand came up to cup my jaw, tilting my head as he deepened the kiss, and I whimpered into his mouth.

My thighs clenched. And I felt butterflies in my stomach. My body burned, tingling with insatiable desire.

Dristan pulled back just enough to trail kisses down my jaw, his breath ghosting over my flushed skin. "You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this," he murmured.

His mouth found the side of my neck and then lowered to my nape. He kissed it like it was sacred, then dragged his tongue slowly over the sensitive spot just below my ear.

I shivered.

"I’ve dreamed about this. About you," he whispered against my skin as I shut my eyes.