h4Chapter 287: Nytherin Voss/h4

    strong****************/strong

    strongChapter 287/strong

    strong~Valerie’s POV~/strong

    Everything should have worked out well, but I just realised I wasn’t in my dorm room anymore.

    Now, as I sat perched on the window frame, that conversation still echoed in my head.

    Axel had meant well, but this wasn’t about him. Or the bond. Or heat.

    It was about me, and what I needed to doi. /iI was confident in my ability to slip in and adopt a different persona if I had to impersonate someone and take their ce.

    I exhaled slowly, testing the footing on the windowsill. The outer wall of the fifth room wasyered with stone and vines—rough enough to scale if you knew where to ce your feet.

    Heart pounding, I swung one leg out, then the other, and gripped the edge of the window.

    And then I leapt.

    The drop wasn’t far, but the moment my feet hit the ground, I was moving—fast, silently, cutting through the undergrowth and past the shadows of the building.

    The night forest weed me like an old secret, thankfully.

    Leaves crunched beneath my steps, soft wind kissing my cheeks. My hoodie fluttered behind me as I sprinted through the path behind the house, heart thundering with adrenaline and instinct.

    Each breath came sharper,ced with something more.

    The matebond was still pulsing low in my core, reminding me of Kai’s kiss earlier... of Ash’s lips... and the way Dristan’s eyes had followed me all day like he could smell my thoughts.

    But I didn’t let it stop me.

    No distractions.

    I knew my heat was a problem, which was why I made sure Astra’s energy was suppressing any overflow, and I also kept a significant distance.

    I reached the hidden break in the North wall just as the clock ticked to strongeleven fifty-five/strong. I pressed my back against the ivy-covered stone, catching my breath.

    Just fifteen more minutes till midnight.

    I had to move now—ihad/i to.

    I pushed off the wall and vanished into the trees once more, chasing the scent trails I’d memorized... the ones I hoped would lead me to them, to the girls.

    It did not take long; I spotted two hooded figures at my 8 o’clock.

    My body was immediately tensed as I hid, barely breathing.

    I watched them walk towards another part of the wall by the North, and then they stopped.

    i’Go on, what are you waiting for? Show me the passcode.’/i

    The seconds ticked by slowly, but the figures remained still and did nothing.

    i’Are they waiting for midnight?’/i

    No sooner had that thought crossed my mind than another hooded figure walked up to them. As soon as she saw them, she took off her hood a little.

    I could barely see her face, but judging from how she gasped, it looked like she had run here.

    She nced around, checking properly before she focused on the other two girls, and I saw her clearly.

    They whispered amongst themselves for a moment, and then the sound of the big bell echoed loudly, signalling the arrival of midnight.

    At once, the girls turned towards the wall.

    The moonlight shone on the wall, illuminating something that looked like a rune carving of the Nightshade flower.

    One of the girls stepped forward, lifted her palm toward the engraving, and whispered, strong"Nytherin Voss."/strong

    The flower pulsed once, then glowed a brilliant violet.

    Ribbons of light spiralled out from the rune, weaving into the air like threads of magic. The wall shimmered, and a circr section detached with a soft hiss, revealing a smooth, rune-marked panel.

    A beam of moonlight caught the centre as the carving scanned their eyes and faces with eerie precision.

    Then... strongclick./strong

    The stone parted down the middle.

    The entrance opened, breathing out cold, ancient air as though something long asleep had just stirred awake.

    I waited in the shadows, breath stilling as the stone folded seamlessly back into ce, sealing the path shut like nothing had ever happened.

    Five minutes ticked by.

    Silence.

    I crept toward the wall on tiptoes, careful not to step on twigs. My fingers brushed over the rune that still faintly glowed in the shape of the Nightshade flower. The edges were warm.

    I took a breath. I had to hurry before the moonlight faded and the rune disappeared. "Nytherin Voss," I whispered.

    The rune pulsed once, like before.

    Light spiralled, and the hidden panel revealed itself.

    A pale line of magic scanned my face from chin to brow. I held still, willing it to let me through.

    But then... A dull buzz and red sparks shed.

    strong"ess denied,"/strong a t voice whispered in the wind, almost like the wall was speaking through the vines.

    I blinked even as my heart skipped.

    "Okay," I muttered. "Let’s try that again."

    I stepped back, adjusted my hoodie, and tried to mimic exactly how the girl had done it.

    "Nytherin Voss," I said again, a little louder.

    The rune pulsed again. The light circled. My face was scanned.

    This time, the magic lines sparked faster.

    strongBuzz./strong

    strongess denied./strong

    The rune flickered erratically, like a dying candle me, then dimmed.

    "No, no, no." I clenched my jaw, backing away, pacing a little before turning back to the wall. I could feel Astra growling faintly within me, her irritation mirroring mine.

    "Third time’s the charm," I hissed under my breath and stepped up again.

    My fingers trembled as I reached toward the carving.

    strong"Nytherin Voss."/strong

    And this time, I imbued a bit of my power. The rune reacted violently, not like before.

    This time, the carving red a deep, strongangry crimson/strong, pulsing with a low hum that rose into a shrill screech. Magic crackled and snaked outward, forming a jagged arc of energy above the wall.

    Then a sharp symbol—an unfamiliar glyph—burned itself into the stone beside the flower.

    My chest tightened.

    strong"ALERT: Unauthorised attempt detected."/strong

    The voice was no longer a whisper—it echoed.

    Something deep inside the wall nked, as if a mechanism were resetting or locking down.

    I froze.

    Then the rune abruptly dimmed... and everything fell deathly quiet.

    The birds had stopped singing. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

    "Shit," I breathed, stepping away. "Shit, shit, shit..."

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