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CHAPTER 80
~Valerie's POV~
The words echoed like a drumbeat behind my ribs. I gripped my pen tighter, pretending to jot something down.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Xade leaning closer. "You're distracted, little wolf," he whispered. "Care to share?"
I stiffened and shot him a glare sharp enough to cut glass.
"Back off, Xade," I muttered under my breath.
The smirk didn't leave his face. If anything, it deepened. Unfortunately, my sharp tone caught more than just his attention.
Dristan shifted beside me, his head turning slowly in my direction. His voice, when it came, was quiet but carried an undeniable command. "What's wrong?"
I looked up into those icy blue eyes and felt my stomach twist painfully.
Nothing. Everything.
I shook my head and forced out the most casual voice I could manage. "Nothing. Just tired."
A blatant lie. And judging by the way Dristan's eyes narrowed slightly, he didn't believe it for a second.
But thankfully, he let it go.