CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44: I WAS HERE FIRST

Aiden finally left Miss Flecine’s office, his head spinning from everything that had just been said. Ryker followed silently behind him, his steps calm and unhurried. At first Aiden ignored him, hoping Ryker would eventually give up and go back to wherever he came from, but after several minutes of walking, it became painfully obvious that Ryker had no plans of stopping.

Aiden came to an abrupt halt and turned to face him, frustration written all over his face.

"Ryker," Aiden said, trying to keep his tone level, "I’m going to have lunch now. The students will be done with most of their classes by this time and will probably head to the cafeteria too. You and I both know you don’t want people seeing us together, so do me a favor and stop following me."

Ryker didn’t move at first. He simply stood there, staring at Aiden with that unreadable expression of his. Then, without a word, he closed the distance between them until there were less than eight centimeters separating them.

Aiden flinched at the sudden nearness and instinctively stepped back, only for Ryker to catch him around the waist. The hold was firm, warm, and completely unexpected. Ryker’s hand pressed against the small of Aiden’s back, pulling him slightly closer, Ryker like the feel of Aiden’s waist a little bit too much that he even started kneading Aiden’s waist with his hand.

Ryker’s eyes softened, though there was a glint of amusement in them. He didn’t say anything, but Aiden could tell by the look on his face that he was enjoying Aiden’s flustered state far too much.

Aiden’s heart hammered wildly in his chest. He started lightly slapping Ryker’s chest with the flat of his hand, hoping to make him let go, but Ryker simply smiled and caught Aiden’s hand mid-motion with his free hand. Now he was holding both Aiden’s wrist and waist, effectively trapping him.

"You know," Ryker said with a teasing smile, "that doesn’t hurt at all. In fact, I think I like it."

Aiden felt his face heat up even more. Being this close to Ryker was overwhelming—his scent, mixed with the faint trace of his cologne, filled Aiden’s nose and made him dizzy. The urge to just give in and let Ryker do whatever he wanted was dangerously tempting.

But Aiden forced himself to resist.

"Please," Aiden said quietly, his voice trembling just enough to betray how much this was affecting him. "Please let go of me, okay? I don’t want to do this with you."

Ryker tilted his head and studied Aiden’s flushed face, clearly noting the conflict written all over it. His smirk widened slightly.

"You know, Aiden," Ryker said, his voice low, "saying one thing when your face is telling me something completely different isn’t very convincing. Why don’t you just admit it—you still like me."

Aiden’s breath caught, and for a moment he said nothing. Then, with a long sigh, he nodded.

"Fine," he said, his voice sharper than he meant it to be. "I’ll admit it. I still like you—very much. My heart is practically jumping out of my chest right now just because you’re holding me. That’s how excited I am."

Ryker’s grip tightened ever so slightly.

"But," Aiden continued, "I would give anything to stop feeling this way about you. I don’t want to be this person. I don’t want to be a homewrecker. I don’t want to be the one who ruins someone else’s relationship. I hate people who do that, and I refuse to become one of them."

Aiden’s voice cracked as he spoke, his eyes shimmering with both hurt and frustration.

"I admit it," he said softly, "I came to Skyline Academy for you. I wanted to see you. But when I got here and found out you already had a fiancée, it hurt. And when you acted like you didn’t even know me that day, I was angry, but part of me was relieved too—relieved that I wouldn’t have to worry about becoming a third party. But now... now you’re making it so hard for me with you suddenly acting interested and all, you’re not helping my resolution, Ryker. So please, let me go. I don’t want to have anything to do with you anymore."

Ryker didn’t speak immediately. His jaw tightened as he listened to Aiden’s words. Everything in him wanted to argue, to tell Aiden that he didn’t want Seraphina, that Seraphina was forced on him by his family, that his engagement was meaningless, that the only person he wanted was standing right in front of him. But the truth of his engagement still loomed over him, undeniable.

Even if he didn’t care about Seraphina it did not change the fact that Seraphina is still his fiancee and the rest of the school clearly cares about his relationship with Seraphina, and if he pulled Aiden close now, everyone would see Aiden as the third party, the destroyer of the loving relationship between him and Seraphina even though there was not even a loving relationship originally. Aiden would be judged and ridiculed no matter what Ryker said in his defense.

For the first time in a long time, Ryker felt powerless, he is a selfish person who takes whatever he wants when he wants it, he clearly wants Aiden but he can’t even be selfish with Aiden because he knows that Aiden is already going through a lot already and adding a third party label to Aiden won’t be helping Aiden in anyway.

So Ryker sighed heavily and loosened his grip on Aiden, clearly reluctant before finally letting go.

The moment Aiden was free, he stepped back, putting as much space between them as possible. He didn’t look back, didn’t wait for Ryker to say anything. He simply turned and started walking away, each step quick and determined.

Ryker stood there silently, watching him go. His hands twitched at his sides, aching to pull Aiden back, but he stayed rooted to the spot. He watched until Aiden finally disappeared from view.

Just as Ryker turned to leave, a sharp, familiar scent hit his nose. He froze, his senses going on alert. How had he not noticed it before?

He turned his head toward the tall tree by the walkway, his expression hardening.

"You’re just going to keep hiding up there?" Ryker said, his tone cold. "I didn’t know you were such a snake, Zane. You even hide in trees."

There was a rustling sound, and the thick foliage parted to reveal Zane perched on one of the branches. With an effortless movement, Zane jumped down, landing lightly on the ground.

"I was here first," Zane said with a smirk. "And who are you calling a snake?"

"If you weren’t a snake," Ryker said sharply, "you wouldn’t be sneaking around in trees, listening to other people’s conversations."

Zane’s face darkened.

"Maybe there’s something wrong with your hearing," he said coolly. "I already told you I was here first. You’re the one who decided to have your little secret rendezvous under my tree, you can ask any of the student, they can tell you that I usually sleep on this particular tree everyday. So this isn’t my fault."

Ryker narrowed his eyes. "You could have come down and made your presence known instead of eavesdropping."

Zane let out a sharp laugh.

"And this," Zane said, pointing at Ryker, "is exactly why I can’t stand you. You expect everyone to do what benefits you. You’re so proud and arrogant it’s infuriating. I was here first, Ryker. You’re the one flirting with someone who isn’t your fiancée right under my tree, and now you expect me to just leave because it makes you uncomfortable? Who do you think you are?"

Ryker clenched his jaw, forcing himself to keep calm. Arguing with Zane was pointless, and he knew it. With a dismissive shake of his head, he turned to leave.

But then Zane spoke again, his voice laced with mocking amusement.

"Hey, Ryker," Zane called out. "I think I’m interested in Aiden. Don’t you think we’d look good together? Just imagine me and him—wouldn’t that be glorious?"

That was the last straw.

Ryker’s temper snapped. He whirled around, closed the distance between them in an instant, and punched Zane square in the face. The force of the blow sent Zane flying backward, crashing into the tree he had been sitting on just moments ago.

The impact was brutal. Ryker’s punch was strong enough to break several of Zane’s bones, and for a moment it looked like he wouldn’t get back up.

But Zane was a Fae, and the Fae were known for their powerful healing abilities—far stronger than that of wolves. Even near death, they could repair their bodies in moments.

Zane slowly stood, snapping each broken bone back into place with audible cracks. His face twisted with pain and fury, his eyes burning with a murderous glare as he turned to face Ryker again.