CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 46: STAY AWAY FROM HIM

The silence after Ryker’s words was deafening. Seraphina’s mind went blank, her chest tightening as if someone had knocked the air out of her lungs. Her fiancé — the man she had spent years trying to hold onto — had just told her, in the most brutal way possible, that he didn’t want her. But one thing Seraphina is forgetting and not putting into account is the fact that Ryker had never asked Seraphina to hold on to him.

Before she could gather herself, Ryker turned to leave again, clearly done with the conversation. Panic rose in Seraphina’s chest. She couldn’t let him walk away like this, not after publicly humiliating her and shattering the image she had worked so hard to create.

She lunged forward and grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him back toward her. Her nails dug into the fabric as she hissed, her voice sharp as poison.

"Do you think I don’t know who you were talking about? You think I haven’t noticed whatever has been going on between you and Aiden, that lowly human.?"

Ryker froze mid-step, his brows furrowing. Slowly, he turned to face her, his expression hardening as her words sank in.

"How do you know that?" His tone was low, dangerous.

Then, like a storm cloud darkening the sky, realization struck him. His face twisted with fury, and his black eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at her.

"You had someone follow me. You had someone spy on me."

It wasn’t a question. His voice was sharp with certainty.

Seraphina didn’t even flinch. If anything, she seemed almost proud of herself.

"And what if I did?" she shot back, lifting her chin. "If you had been the obedient fiancé you were supposed to be, I wouldn’t have had to do it. If you had just cared about me like I care about you, I wouldn’t have needed to keep tabs on you, if only you just treated me like the woman you’re going to marry, and not like some stranger then I wouldn’t have done that. This is your fault, Ryker. You pushed me to this."

Ryker stared at her for a long moment, his breathing heavy as he struggled to contain the rage bubbling inside him. Finally, he exhaled and forced his voice into a cold, flat tone.

"You’re crazy."

He turned away from her again, this time with clear intent to leave.

Seraphina stood there, stunned that even after all of this, he still walked away. Her nails curled into her palms as tears of frustration pricked her eyes.

"Yeah, I’m crazy!" she shouted after him, her voice ringing through the empty space. "I’m crazily in love with you, I love you so much, I love you so much that I won’t be able to live without you!"

Ryker didn’t even slow his pace. Her confession, raw and emotional as it was, rolled right off him.

But her next words made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Ryker, I’m warning you — stay away from Aiden."

Ryker turned back to face her, his expression instantly darkening.

"You’d better leave him alone," he said, his voice low and lethal, "or else..."

Seraphina’s laugh was sharp and bitter, cutting through the tension like a blade.

"Or else what?" she snapped. "You stopped walking the moment I said his name. You don’t even care what I say about myself, but the moment it’s about him, you come running, look at you glaring at me right now, Ryker you’re glaring at me for a boy you barely know. He’s stealing you from me, and I won’t let him. You’re mine, Ryker. If you keep going near him, I promise you I will make his life hell in this school. I will make him suffer, he will regret the day he came to this school. "

The moment the words left her lips, Ryker’s fury exploded.

He closed the distance between them in three long strides and had his hand around her neck before she could blink. His grip was like iron, cutting off her air as he glared into her eyes.

"You’ve been prancing around me for years," he growled, his voice vibrating with barely contained rage. "I think you’re forgetting who I am. I am dangerous, Seraphina. And I do not care about you. If you keep pushing me, I might just kill you and finally rid myself of you, that’ll be saving me some years of having to deal with you."

Seraphina clawed at his hand with her perfectly manicured nails, her lungs burning as she gasped for air. Tears welled in her eyes — not just from the pain but from the heartbreak that pierced her chest. Ryker had never laid a hand on her before, no matter how much she provoked him, but now his fingers were wrapped around her throat, squeezing the life out of her.

Her strength waned quickly, her arms growing heavy at her sides. Darkness was beginning to creep at the edges of her vision when suddenly, a strong hand gripped Ryker’s wrist.

In one swift movement, the newcomer wrenched Ryker’s hand away from Seraphina’s throat and used his supernatural strength to hurl Ryker across the clearing. Ryker twisted midair, landing on both feet with a predatory grace, his eyes blazing.

His lips curled into a cold, disdainful smirk as he saw the boy holding Seraphina protectively against his chest, as though she were some priceless treasure.

Seraphina collapsed against the boy, coughing violently as air rushed back into her lungs. When her breathing finally steadied, she lifted her head and looked at Ryker. His black eyes were still sharp, filled with contempt, as if he hadn’t just been choking the life out of her moments ago.

The boy — Jace Volkov — glared at Ryker and shouted, his voice full of anger.

"What the hell do you think you’re doing? She’s your fiancée!"

Ryker rolled his eyes, this time not bothering to hide his disdain.

"Jace," he said with mocking sarcasm, "if you’re so heartbroken for her, tell her to stay away from Aiden. Otherwise, this was only the beginning."

Jace stiffened, caught off guard by the jab. His ears turned red, but his anger remained.

"Ryker, what nonsense are you talking about?" Jace said, trying to sound righteous. "I stopped you because you gain nothing by snapping your fiancée’s neck in two."

Ryker let out a humorless laugh, shaking his head as though Jace had just said something incredibly naïve.

"Do you think I’m stupid, Jace?" he said, his voice carrying quiet menace. "I see exactly what’s going on."

Jace’s face went pale, his guilt written plainly across his features. Seraphina’s eyes widened slightly as she realized where Ryker’s words were heading.

"There’s nothing going on between me and Jace," she said quickly, panic lacing her tone. "We’re just friends. Ordinary friends."

But inside, Seraphina was far from calm.

At first, she had been loyal to Ryker despite his coldness. But then she began to notice how Jace looked at her, how gentle he was, how he treated her with care in a way Ryker never had. At first, she ignored Jace’s feelings, but little by little, she began to lean into his affection. She didn’t love him, but she enjoyed the attention. And when Jace asked her to leave Ryker and be with him instead, she refused — yet she hadn’t exactly pushed Jace away either.

Ryker watched the way Jace’s guilt showed on his face, watched the panic in Seraphina’s eyes, and after a moment, he laughed again, this time louder and darker.

"Do you know why I don’t care?" Ryker said after his laughter died down. "If I cared, Jace wouldn’t still be my friend. But here we are. We’re still best friends, aren’t we, Jace? In fact, I’m rooting for the two of you. So why don’t you dissolve this ridiculous engagement with me and go to him properly? I’m sure he’ll welcome you with open arms."

Seraphina’s cheeks burned with humiliation.

"Ryker, you can’t do this to me," she said desperately. "You’re the one I want to marry. You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted."

Ryker’s gaze slid past her to Jace, whose expression had crumpled into one of heartbreak. Even so, Jace’s arms remained protectively around Seraphina, refusing to let go.

For a fleeting moment, Ryker felt a pang of pity for his friend.

"Seraphina," Ryker said at last, his voice cold and unyielding, "I’ve told you time and time again. This engagement exists only because my family can still use it to control me. The moment they lose that power — and that moment is very near — I will end this engagement. You’ve never been part of the future I want. You’re wasting your time holding on to me."

His black eyes flicked briefly to Jace.

"Don’t miss the person who is still willing to stand beside you," he added, his tone laced with quiet finality.

With that, Ryker turned and walked away, leaving Seraphina and Jace standing there in silence, watching his retreating figure.