My Alphas' Dark Desires
Chapter 247: The Kiss

Chapter 247: The Kiss

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Chapter 247

~Ash’s POV~

Valerie looked between us once more. I could see the conflict in her eyes slowly melting into something softer, still hesitant, but no longer resistant.

When her gaze returned to Ace, it lingered. Her lips parted slightly as she studied his face.

Maybe she was searching for certainty, maybe reassurance. But all Ace gave her in return was raw truth.

Her arms lifted and wrapped gently around his neck.

She rose to her toes, slowly, like the moment itself needed care, but Ace was a gentleman to wrap his hand around her waist and steady her back down. Then he leaned in, his nose brushing against hers.

"I’ve dreamt about doing this like a million times and now..."

"Now, shut up and kiss me." Valerie shut him up, and that was when it happened.

Her lips met his, neither rushed nor forced. But with the careful weight of something long denied.

Ace let out a soft breath, like he’d been holding it for years, and brought his hands higher to her waist, pulling her in until their bodies aligned completely.

The kiss deepened softly at first, then built in emotion, in yearning. Ace’s fingers threaded through her hair as their mouths moved together, gently at first, then with more pressure as if they both needed the connection to anchor them.

Watching them was a strange kind of beautiful agony.

It didn’t make me jealous—not in the bitter way people might assume.

It made my heart throb because I felt every ounce of what she was pouring into that kiss... and what she was receiving from it.

And because through our bond, I also felt Ace’s overwhelming happiness, his silent desperation was finally soothed.

And I knew Valerie was slowly letting go of that fear.

She wasn’t broken, just cautious. Maybe because she felt she owed it to us, but here she was... choosing us.

When they finally parted, Valerie kept her eyes closed for a moment, like she was savouring the aftertaste of something far sweeter than anything she’d expected.

Her breath trembled out of her lips.

Ace touched his forehead to hers, whispering something I couldn’t hear—but whatever it was made her smile.

Then, slowly, she turned to face me.

Her lips were pink and kiss-bruised, her cheeks warm, and her eyes... goddess, her eyes were soft in a way I hadn’t seen before.

"You okay?" she asked me quietly.

I nodded. "Better than okay."

She stepped closer. I thought my heart would pound right out of my chest.

"Your turn?" she whispered.

I chuckled. "Only if you want to."

"I do."

She rose up again on instinct, this time, and I met her halfway. The moment our lips touched, the air shifted.

Her kiss was different with me—not more, not less, just... different.

With Ace, it was a need; with me, it felt like wonder as though she were discovering something new, something uncharted.

Her fingers brushed the side of my face, slipping into my hair as I cupped her jaw and pulled her in deeper. My entire body tingled with the contact, the fire, the pull.

And gods, did I melt. It was way better than whatever wet dream we were imagining. This was by far the softest, hottest, and best kiss I had ever had.

I let her take her time, let her explore and feel that I wasn’t just here—I was hers for the taking.

Ace stood close, one hand still gently caressing her back, grounding her between us.

It wasn’t just a kiss. It was a choice.

And the moment she pulled away and looked up at me with those beautiful, storm-bright eyes, I knew I would never, ever forget what it felt like to be kissed like that.

Like I mattered and was loved, even blessed by the Moon, even if the words hadn’t yet been said.

And someday... they would be because I’d wait, we both would, because Valerie Nightshade was worth everything.

Valerie smiled at both of us, and I think that was the happiest she had been since the whole Dristan and Silver episode, but I knew she was still closed off.

So instead of letting it be awkward, I spoke up. "Time to get into project making?"

Valerie nodded. "So long as it is not baby-making," she teased, "then I am game."

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~Valerie’s POV~

We were supposed to start working on our group project. That was the whole point of being in this classroom.

And yet, as I sat on the edge of the desk, surrounded by open folders and half-scattered notes, all I could focus on was the hum beneath my skin.

It didn’t hurt.

It didn’t burn.

But it vibrated—soft and constant like the beating of many hearts inside mine.

Ash and Ace were chatting lightly beside me, pretending to organize the material, pretending that everything was back to normal. But I could feel them watching me—each glance like a brush of warmth against my cheek.

I tried to smile. Tried to breathe and act like I was present. But I wasn’t. Not entirely.

Something inside me was... shifting.

I kept glancing at their faces. Ace looked lighter, happier than I’d seen him in weeks. Ash was smiling too, quiet and content, as if kissing me had centered something in him.

So why did I feel so off?

"Valerie, you’re glowing," Jade’s voice rang in my head, practically squealing. "Oh my Goddess, it finally happened. You felt it! You connected with them! With all of them!"

With all of them?

I blinked, trying to process that.

Not just Ace and Ash? Was it possible that this one moment—the kisses, the emotional shift—had triggered something deeper in the bond?

"I..." I whispered under my breath.

Ash looked up. "Hmm?"

I shook my head quickly. "Nothing. Just thinking."

But Jade wasn’t letting up.

"That’s why your heart feels so full it could burst. It’s like you’ve plugged in a missing piece of yourself. You’re whole. You’re complete. You finally let them in."

I pressed my palm lightly to my chest, feeling my pulse thrum wildly beneath it.

"Val?" Ace asked gently this time. "You good?"

I looked at him and forced a little nod, but Ash was already standing and walking over to me. His eyes were too perceptive.

"You’re overwhelmed," he said, not as a question, but as a quiet truth.

I swallowed hard, not trusting my voice. I nodded again.

They exchanged a glance. I didn’t hear their mind link, but I didn’t need to. They knew.

They always knew.

Ace stepped forward and gently took the papers from my hands. "It’s okay," he murmured. "We can work on the project later. You need some time, Val."

"I..." I tried to protest, but even I knew it would be half-hearted. "I don’t want to seem ungrateful. That kiss—those moments—meant something to me."

Ash brushed a thumb across my cheek. "We know. That’s why we’re giving you space."

The lump in my throat nearly doubled in size. Gods, they were making it harder to walk away.

I slid off the desk slowly, my legs feeling a little too wobbly for comfort. As I reached the door, I turned around to thank them—really thank them—but before I could say a word, Ace strode over.

He leaned in swiftly, caught me off guard, and pressed the sweetest, most playful kiss to my lips.