Chapter 64

VALERIA’S POV I wasn’t dumb. Dimitri wasn’t the type of man to suddenly grow a conscience and aspire to do something noble like overthrowing the royals for the greater good of all supernaturals. No, there was more to his obsession with me, something he wasn’t saying. The next morning, I walked into his office, my resolve steeled. I had spent the entire night piecing together the fragments of history I’d read, trying to connect them to Dimitri’s actions. It all pointed to one thing—he was hiding something. Something big. When I entered, he was sitting at his desk, a pile of papers in front of him. He looked up briefly, acknowledging my presence with a curt nod. But I didn’t wait for an invitation to speak. “Why did you give me those books?” I demanded, placing them firmly on his desk. “And don’t give me that ‘knowledge is power’ lecture. I’m not buying it. You’re hiding something, Dimitri.” His eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t react otherwise. Instead, he leaned back in his chair,