CHAPTER 48: YOU LET ME KISS YOU VICTORIA.

Victoria walked steadily toward the heir’s office, her footsteps echoing softly down the polished corridor. When she reached the wooden door, she knocked twice. A voice from within soon invited her in.

The moment she stepped inside, her eyes landed on Darius, who was seated elegantly on a sleek leather sofa. His posture was relaxed, almost regal, exuding the quiet dominance he was known for.

Earlier, before making her way here, Victoria had tucked a pepper spray, an electric shock device, and a slim dagger carefully beneath her clothes.

He’s the only one here? she thought, her gaze narrowing. What does he want from me?

"You’re finally here," Darius said, his tone smooth and slightly amused. "But what’s with the hair change?" He tilted his head, examining her closely. "Anyway, stop staring at me like that. Come and take a seat."

His voice pulled her from the whirlpool of thoughts swirling in her mind.

"Why did you call me here?" Victoria asked, her brow arching suspiciously as she swallowed hard. "Just tell me what it is, Alpha Darius."

"Just take a seat," he replied calmly, crossing one leg over the other with deliberate grace. "The conversation is a long one, and I want you to be relaxed while we talk."

"Just say whatever you have to say now, Alpha Darius. I’m not interested in sitting," she retorted, her voice firm.

Before she could say another word, Darius stood in a flash and closed the distance between them. In one swift motion, he had her pinned against the wall, her hands held above her head.

"What do you think you’re doing?" Victoria growled, her tone edged with fury as she struggled against his grip. But he was strong.....far too strong. For a brief moment, she found herself wondering how she’d even managed to defeat Auren. Then she remembered...the pepper spray and electric shock had done most of the work. If she hadn’t come prepared today, she might’ve been overpowered once again.

"Let go of me now, or I swear you’ll regret it," she snapped, her voice sharp with dangerous warning.

"Oh?" Darius let out a low chuckle, his face still close to hers. "Are you planning to put pepper in my eyes too? Or maybe give me a nice, solid kick between the legs?"

He was right. Victoria had already angled her foot, ready to deliver a punishing blow to his groin but before she could, he finally released her hands and took a step back.

She exhaled sharply, trying to steady her breathing.

"Anyway," Darius began, as if nothing had happened, "don’t think Auren won’t come back to deal with you. Not only did you spray that dried pepper in his eyes, but now every student in this academy knows a strong Alpha like Auren was taken down so easily. They don’t know who did it yet but once Auren returns, you can be sure he’ll make your life a living hell. That’s just how he is."

Victoria’s expression remained guarded, but her fingers flexed slightly, prepared to draw her dagger if she had to.

"You might think you’ve succeeded in getting Zephyr on your side," Darius continued, his voice low and weighted with something between contempt and curiosity. "He rescued you from a brothel, didn’t he? But maybe he only did it to make you fall for him. And once he gets what he wants... he’ll tell everyone how good you were in bed. That would be his way of punishing you. Don’t let his fake kindness fool you."

Victoria’s jaw clenched, but she didn’t speak.

"Now listen carefully," Darius said, running a hand through his dark hair with a tired sigh. "Every new student in this academy gets the chance to be mentored directly by one of the Four Heirs...training in archery, weaponry, chemistry, even psychological warfare. We act as temporary instructors during your first year before you’re assigned permanent teachers."

He paused, letting that sink in.

"But here’s the issue," he went on. "You can’t be under Auren. That’s suicide. You can’t be under Zephyr either.. not if what I suspect is true. And your brother? He may be one of the Four Heirs, but his influence here is weak. Nobody truly respects him not in the way they respect the rest of us."

He stood straighter now, looking her in the eye.

"That leaves one option...you train under me. I can teach you archery, strategy, survival. I won’t coddle you. I’ll train you like a soldier, and you’ll be able to defend yourself no matter who comes after you. Especially Alphas like Auren."

Victoria narrowed her eyes. "And why should I trust you?" she asked coldly. "You just said Alpha Zephyr’s kindness might be a trap. So what about yours? Is it any different? Or is your ’generosity’ just another kind of manipulation meant to hurt me later?"

Darius didn’t respond right away. For a moment, he studied her as if trying to decide whether she was worth the effort.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"I don’t want you to trust me," he said. "Trust gets people killed in this academy. What I want is for you to survive. And if you want the same, then train under me. Or walk out now and hope your pepper spray works every time. And yeah there are several ways to hurt you, Victoria," Darius continued, his tone low and deliberate, "but I’m not someone who hides behind fake smiles. I do things openly. If I want to hurt you, I will...without going through the unnecessary stress of pretending to be kind."

He leaned back slightly, a smirk spreading across his face.

"I’m not a sex freak like Zephyr who would do anything just to get you into bed before punishing you afterward."

Victoria’s eyes narrowed, but she said nothing.

"To be honest..." Darius continued, his gaze flickering with something unreadable, "that kiss from before....it stirred something. Brought back memories. I’ve been having dreams for a while now, and when you kissed me, I got a flash of one of those dreams again."

What the actual heck? Victoria’s mind reeled.

Just then, a familiar voice whispered into her ear...soft, dry, and unmistakably annoyed.

"If I’m right," Leo said, invisible to Darius, "he’s showing you kindness because he wants another kiss. To trigger another flash. He’s trying to see if he can piece the full memory together now that he’s confirmed the dreams are connected to you."

"What dream, though?" Victoria murmured under her breath, eyes still fixed on Darius but speaking quietly to Leo.

"Your first life, of course," Leo replied, his whisper tinged with frustration. "It seems the heirs are dreaming about your past...your death. It’s haunting them. Kissing you brings fragments of those memories back. And if they sleep with you? That’s when everything becomes clear."

’Does that mean my brothers kindness is linked to this dream too? Bastards! Everyone is a bastard.’

Victoria stiffened slightly.

"So this is what your kindness is about?" she asked aloud, folding her arms tightly across her chest. Her voice was sharp, unflinching. "You want to kiss me again? To see if you can get more flashes of your dreams?"

"You’re not dumb afterall." Darius replied with a smirk plastered on his lips.

Victoria’s eyes blazed as she stepped forward, expression unreadable.

"When I kissed you before...an Alpha, an heir....the whole damn world knew. People criticized me for days. You were furious too, if I remember correctly. And now you’re telling me you want to kiss me again? To get visions? What happens if word spreads again? Do you want the gossip to start all over?"

"If I wanted that," Darius said, his voice calm and arrogant, "I wouldn’t have invited you here quietly. And even if I wanted to kiss you without anyone knowing, I could and no one would ever find out. But I’m not like that. That’s why I’m asking for your permission."

He stepped closer, eyes boring into hers.

"You kissed me forcefully back then. But I’m not going down that road. I won’t take what’s not willingly given."

His smirk returned, more confident than before.

"Here’s my offer. I teach you everything you need to survive in this academy. Archery, defense, how to use your instincts. And in return, you let me kiss you Victoria. Just one kiss...but it has to be real. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I want you to cooperate until I’ve either gotten all the information I’m looking for... or nothing at all. Maybe I was hallucinating. I don’t know."

He gave a slight shrug, then added coolly, "No one will ever know about the kiss. I have no romantic interest in you. This is purely to confirm something."

Victoria stared at him, her heart thudding in her chest. The silence between them stretched for a tense moment.

Then, with no hesitation, she said coldly, "I refuse."

Her words sent waves of shock and an unbelievable reaction etched on Darius face.