CHAPTER 27: CHAPTER 27: LET HER DOWN WITHOUT THE BUTT GRAB

After the race ended. Cheers rose across the field, but they all sounded a little distant compared to the sight of Rhydric slowing down, chest barely heaving as if he hadn’t just outrun every single person by several lengths.

He flicked the relay baton into the air and caught it lazily, expression flat as always, but the little smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth gave him away.

"Show-off," Eryx muttered, jogging up with his usual swagger. He clapped Rhydric’s back with a little too much force. "Don’t tell me you actually used your powers for a school race. That’s a whole new level of desperation."

Rhydric didn’t even blink. "Didn’t use a damn thing. They’re just slow."

Azrael, also walked up to them, with that usual calm, unreadable expression, let out a low chuckle. "Mm. Sounds like something a cheater would say."

Theodore crossed his arms, his frosty presence making even the summer air feel cooler around them. "If he did use it, none of us would’ve even seen him move. Don’t give him too much credit."

Eryx groaned, rolling his eyes. "Oh, come on, don’t defend him! I swear I felt the wind change when he ran. Admit it, Black Storm, you bent the rules."

Rhydric tilted his head slightly, eyes glinting silver under the sun. "If the air wants to move for me, that’s not my problem. Maybe it just likes me more than it likes you."

The guys groaned in unison, shoving him like wolves do when they’re too proud to admit they’re impressed.

But the truth was... Rhydric wasn’t lying.

The air really did shift for him, whether he willed it or not. It was the nature of an Air Wolf. Wind seemed to lean toward him, answer him, breathe with him. When he ran, it carried him like a storm breaking loose, faster, lighter, untouchable. And when he was angry... the same air could press down on everyone else, choking them, stealing breath from their lungs without him lifting a finger. That was Rhydric Veylor, the Black Storm. The strategist. The wolf who didn’t have to try to remind others he was different.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one cursed with such a bond.

Eryx, for all his reckless joking now, was just as dangerous. The Flame. His temper burned as quickly as his loyalty, and when his emotions spiked, the air around him grew so hot it was hard to stand close. His fire burned red, hotter than normal flames, licking the world apart like it wanted to consume everything.

Then there was Azrael, the Siren. Calm on the surface, but his power was the most terrifying of them all. Water bent to his call, rivers, rain, even the liquid inside a person’s body. Blood. He can form water blades. Being near him sometimes felt like standing waist-deep in the ocean, suffocating, even though there was no water in sight.

And Theodore. The Frost. Cold, merciless, his presence always seemed to bring a bite of winter, frost whispering at his feet. He can summon snowdrop, form ice blades and most deadliest of all, he can trap you in a icy coffin. Even his silence was heavy, like the first winter.

Together, they were chaos contained in human skin.

And right now?

They were just four boys teasing each other after a race.

"Whatever," Eryx said with a smirk as he threw another pair of baton to Rhydric. "Just don’t come crying when people start calling you Usain Bolt with a personal air conditioner."

Rhydric caught it without looking. "Better than being called a walking lighter."

Azrael finally cracked a real smile at that, while Theodore gave a rare huff that might’ve been a laugh.

Across the field, Athena watched them, arms folded, lips twitching despite herself. She actually liked the way there were laughing, shoving and mocking each other like brothers. Their bond was something very rare even from the way they carried themselves, not that she would admit it though but she envy them.

The boys were still teasing each other, laughing about the run, when a sharp voice carried over the field.

"Eryx!"

All four turned their heads at once.

Adrianna.

She came walking, like the entire field was a runway built just for her. Her ponytail swung high, lips painted a striking shade of red, hips swaying with deliberate confidence. Whispers rippled across the students who stopped to stare, but Adrianna only smiled. She thrived on it. She wanted the eyes, the attention.

Azrael exhaled slowly, folding his arms. "Here comes trouble," he muttered under his breath, his tone calm, but his eyes sharp.

Eryx smirked the second he saw her, running his fingers back through his red hair, already entertained. "Yeah, already making her entrance."

Adrianna walked straight into their circle without hesitation, ignoring the weight of the three others standing there. Her hand landed lightly on Eryx’s chest, sliding down as if she was claiming him in front of everyone.

"You ran fast," she purred, tilting her face up. "But you’d still lose if it were a race to my heart."

Theodore groaned aloud, his expression flat. "God, that’s pathetic."

Rhydric pinched the bridge of his nose, his storm-grey eyes narrowing with irritation. He didn’t even waste words on her. His silence cut sharper than any insult.

But Eryx? He loved it. His lips curved slow and dangerous. He leaned down, his voice dropping into that low, hot, undeniable sexy tone, that could make a woman fall on her knees for him.

"Cute line," he said. "Say another one. Maybe I’ll clap for you."

Adrianna’s smile only grew, her confidence feeding on his teasing. "Or maybe you’ll do something better than clapping."

The crowd seemed to hold its breath.

Eryx’s grin widened, wolfish, reckless. "Oh, I can do better."

In one swift motion, he grabbed her by the waist and yanked her flush against him. His mouth crashed onto hers, hard, reckless.

The field erupted in gasps.

It wasn’t a soft kiss. It was fierce, hungry—the kind of kiss that stole the air out of her lungs. His lips moved rough against hers, demanding, making her toes curl in her shoes. Her fingers gripped his shoulders for balance as if her body betrayed her pride. And just when she thought it couldn’t get bolder—his hand slid down, shameless, and cupped her ass.

The sound that rippled across the field was almost deafening, gasps, shrieks, half-laughter, disbelief.

Adrianna’s knees nearly buckled. Her face burned red, her chest heaving, her breath gone.

Eryx finally pulled back, lips brushing hers as he murmured in a low, heated voice only the four of them would hear. "This is what you wanted, right? Fine. You got it. But don’t ever confuse this" his smirk sharpened, words biting, "you’re not my girlfriend."

The words cut harder than the kiss itself.

Adrianna froze, her lips trembling, her face hot enough to scorch. Pride warred with the rush of heat his touch had left behind. She hated that her body was still weak from it.

The Phantom Fours’ reactions came instantly.

Azrael let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. "Reckless as ever," he murmured, his voice carrying that low note of warning he never said out loud.

Theodore’s smile tilted sideways, mocking. "Well... at least you kept it entertaining." His eyes flicked to Adrianna with clear disdain.

Rhydric didn’t even blink. His gaze stayed cold, unmoved, his storm-grey eyes looking at her like she was nothing more than dust carried in the wind. Not anger, not humor, just dismissal.

Eryx licked his bottom lip, fire still flickering in his gaze, like he enjoyed the scandal he’d just lit.

Across the field, Athena’s eyes stayed locked longer than she intended. She didn’t feel jealousy no, that wasn’t it, but the boldness of the act, the heat of it, pinned her still. By the time she realized she was staring, her jaw tightened and she forced herself to look away, silently annoyed at herself.

Felicia, however, was the exact opposite. She gasped so loudly heads turned toward her, then practically jumped in place, elbowing Athena with wide eyes.

"Oh my God! Did you see that?! He just, he just kissed her! No, he devoured her! And—and he grabbed her ass! In front of the whole school! Athena, that’s insane!"

Athena gave her a long look. "Felicia."

"What? Don’t tell me you’re not watching! That was literally the hottest kiss in history. People are going to talk about this for weeks, months, even!"

Athena sighed, rolling her eyes as she finally tore her gaze away. "You’re unbelievable."

But her eyes... her eyes had already betrayed her.

And Adrianna stood there, face red, chest rising too fast, lips swollen, humiliated and thrilled, all at once.

Adrianna’s stormed out their faces, her ponytail whipping behind her like a banner of fury. Her face was crimson, her breathing uneven from both the kiss and his rejection, but she didn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing her falter again. She stormed away with her head high, every step echoing her wounded pride.

The boys watched her go, their expressions ranging from amused to indifferent.

Azrael was the first to break the silence. His lips curved, that calm, taunting smile playing at the edges. "You’re cruel, Eryx. Could’ve at least let her down without the butt grab."

Theodore chuckled under his breath, eyes gleaming with mockery. "No, no—don’t listen to him. That was the best part. You should’ve seen her face. Priceless."

Eryx only smirked, brushing a thumb lazily over his lower lip like he still tasted her there. "What? She came to me. I just gave her what she wanted." His tone dripped with that arrogant confidence that only made his friends roll their eyes.

Then Rhydric’s voice cut in—low, cold, final. "Better that she’s gone."

The laughter quieted, the weight of his words dropping between them. His storm-grey eyes narrowed slightly, his expression unreadable but sharp. "Every time she’s near, my wolf stirs. He hates her. Hates everything about her." The way he said it wasn’t dramatic, it was serious. His presence seemed to press heavier into the air for a moment, enough that even Eryx smirked less.

"Damn," Theodore muttered, shaking his head. "Remind me never to get on your bad side, Veylor."