CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 41: ANOTHER TEST

No matter what Aiden said, Ryker refused to leave him alone. It was as if the wolf had decided that shadowing him was his life’s mission. Aiden tried ignoring him. He tried snapping at him. He even tried walking faster and taking turns randomly in hopes that Ryker would grow bored and wander off. Nothing worked, At that point Aiden even wished that he could just punch Ryker on the face, but he knows that will be courting death, so he just leave Ryker be.

They had been walking the halls for several minutes before Ryker finally broke the silence.

"Where did your rainbow bird go, one moment it’s clinging to you and now it’s gone?" Ryker asked casually, as though they were on a friendly stroll.

Aiden snickered under his breath, not bothering to look at him. "It’s none of your business."

Ryker said nothing after that, but the silence wasn’t comforting. His presence pressed at Aiden’s back, an unshakable reminder that he was still there and what Aiden hate the most Is the fact that what he wants to feel for Ryker is only irritation but no because even now some part of him is still feeling good about the fact that Ryker is here with him, so Aiden is putting those feelings off. Aiden tried to focus on the task at hand—finding Miss Flecine’s office—but the building was huge. Four floors, countless hallways, and identical doors stretched endlessly in every direction. He cursed his pride silently. If he had just told Ryker where he wanted to go when Ryker had asked earlier, he could have been standing in front of the office long ago instead of wandering around like a lost child with an audience and he is too prideful to actually ask now.

When he finally spotted the polished brass nameplate that read Flecine Rosewood on one of the doors, he let out a sigh of relief so loud it almost echoed in the empty hall.

"Finally," he muttered to himself, grateful the search was over.

Behind him, Ryker chuckled softly. Aiden turned just enough to shoot him a glare. Ryker was leaning casually against the wall, clearly entertained by Aiden’s little misadventure. Aiden felt his ears burn but refused to say anything.

Turning back to the door, Aiden knocked firmly.

"Come in," came Miss Flecine’s warm, slightly melodic voice from inside.

Aiden twisted the knob and stepped into the spacious office. The sight of shelves lined with spell tomes and ingredients, along with the faint scent of dried herbs, made him feel a little calmer. But before he could even close the door, Ryker followed him in.

Aiden spun around, his brows furrowing. "What are you coming in here for?, it’s not like you have something to say to miss flecine"

Ryker gave a careless shrug, looking entirely at home despite being uninvited. "I also have something to say to Miss Flecine. What, don’t tell me you think you’re the only one allowed to talk to her."

Aiden rolled his eyes so hard it almost hurt. "Fine. If you have something to say, then go first. I’ll step out and come back when you’re done."

But Ryker shook his head, smirking faintly. "No, you go first. I want to see exactly how you’re planning to withdraw from Skyline Academy."

Aiden clenched his jaw and glared at him. Ryker clearly had no intention of leaving, and it wasn’t like Aiden could physically drag him out because Ryker is stronger than him, he can use all the strength he have in his body and he is sure that Ryker wouldn’t have move an inch. So, he turned back toward the desk, deciding to ignore him altogether.

What Aiden didn’t realize was that in their little standoff, they had ended up standing quite close—close enough that their conversation looked suspiciously private, their heads tilted toward each other as if they were whispering sweet nothings to each other.

From behind her desk, Miss Flecine arched a brow. At least to Miss Flecine the scene looked, to her, like two young men sneaking into her office to whisper sweet nothings to each other.

She leaned back in her chair and said dryly, "What are you two doing here? If you want to whisper sweet nothings to each other, can’t you find somewhere else to do that?"

Aiden blinked in shock, then spun to face her. "Miss Flecine!" he said, sounding scandalized. "How can you say that? I am not whispering sweet nothings to Ryker. He’s the last person I’d ever whisper sweet nothings to!"

Ryker’s lips curved into the smallest smirk, but he said nothing, enjoying Aiden’s outburst.

Miss Flecine’s eyes widened slightly at how ruffled Aiden was by her comment. "Alright," she said mildly, raising her hands as if to calm him. "You don’t have to sound that angry about it."

Aiden immediately remembered where he was and who he was talking to. This wasn’t just any teacher—this was the head instructor of the witch race. He forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down.

Seeing him settle, Miss Flecine nodded approvingly. "Good. Now, why don’t you tell me what brought the two of you to my office?"

"I came to tell you that I want to withdraw from the school," Aiden said bluntly, pointing behind him toward Ryker. "As for him, I have no idea why he’s here. You’ll have to ask him yourself."

But Miss Flecine barely heard the last part. Her attention snagged on Aiden’s words. Withdraw? The student with the highest blood potential in Skyline Academy right now wanted to leave?

She frowned, thinking she must have misheard. "Did you just say you want to withdraw from the school?". After asking that question to Aiden, Miss Flecine sure hope that Aiden’s answer will be negative, but she was dissapointed when Aiden nod his head and even say to her, "Yes," he said simply. "That’s exactly what I said."

Miss Flecine’s expression hardened as she stood from her chair. "And why," she asked slowly, "do you want to take such a drastic step?"

Aiden’s mouth twisted into a bitter line. "Why shouldn’t I? Everyone in this school believes my test results were fake. To them, I’m just a normal human. What’s the point of staying here if that’s all they’ll ever think?"

Before Miss Flecine could respond, Ryker’s voice came from behind Aiden. "I don’t believe that," he said firmly. "I believe you really do have three high blood potentials of the three races."

Aiden turned, glaring at him. "No one asked for your opinion."

Miss Flecine stared at them both, incredulous. The way they bickered was starting to sound less like an argument between two students and more like a lover’s quarrel. She had to resist the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose.

She snapped her fingers sharply. "Eyes here," she said. "We’re still having a discussion."

Aiden blinked, then turned back to her. "Sorry, Miss Flecine," he said quietly.

"That’s better." Miss Flecine exhaled, then fixed him with a stern look. "I can’t believe you’re letting those ridiculous rumors get into your head. How could you have faked the test? Do you know how impossible that would be? You’d have to replace all the blood in your body with three different high-potential bloodlines, take the test, then somehow change it all back to human blood afterward. That’s the most absurd rumor I’ve ever heard. And you’re believing it?"

"How can I not?" Aiden asked quietly. "Even I’ve started wondering if maybe there was a mistake. What if those results weren’t even mine, what if you have made a mistake miss flecine.?"

Miss Flecine rolled her eyes. "That’s not possible. But since you seem so determined to doubt it..."

She crossed the room to a tall cabinet and unlocked it with a wave of her hand. From within, she retrieved a smooth, glowing sphere that pulsed faintly with magic.

"When you broke the original testing globe," she said, carrying it carefully to her desk, "I had to go to the principal to request the for another thing to test the student and the principal provided another testing globe. I didn’t even know another one existed until then. It’s the last testing globe the school has, so we must handle it with care. If you’re still doubting the results, we’ll test you again—but this time, just a drop of blood. We can’t risk breaking this one."

Aiden blinked at the globe, startled. He hadn’t come here expecting to take another test. He had come here to get out of Skyline Academy, not to prove himself all over again.

He hesitated for a moment, considering refusing.

Then Ryker’s low, teasing voice came from behind him. "What’s wrong, Aiden? Are you afraid?"

Aiden stiffened, turning to glare at him. "Afraid? What do I have to be afraid of?"

He straightened, jaw set, and strode toward the globe with new determination, he will just take the test and no matter the result, he is still leaving this godforsaken school.