CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49: ZANE AND RYKER’S FIGHT

Ashton leaned forward eagerly, his eyes practically glowing with excitement. "You guys are not going to believe what happened today," he said, turning to look between Julian and Aiden. "Zane and Ryker had a fight in school!"

Aiden’s eyes widened in shock. "What?" His voice came out sharper than he intended. "When did that happen?"

His mind immediately went back to the last time he saw Ryker—barely two hours ago. What could have possibly happened between then and now for Ryker to end up fighting Zane?

Ashton nodded, confirming that it was serious. "It happened around one hour and fifty minutes ago. I’ve been running around since then, trying to find you to tell you about it."

Aiden’s eyes widened even more at that. That meant Ryker had gotten into a fight not long after he had left him. His curiosity grew stronger. "Do you know what caused the fight?" he asked quickly.

Ashton nodded again, lowering his voice as if he was sharing some great secret. "I heard from their mouth directly that they were arguing about staying away from a boy and Zane refusing to stay away from the said boy. Who that boy is, I have no idea."

Aiden frowned, his brows furrowing deeply. The first thought that came into his mind was that they had fought over him. He quickly shook his head and tried to dismiss the thought. "Why would they fight over you?" he told himself. "It’s not like you’re important to either of them."

Still, the thought left a strange feeling in his chest.

He turned his attention back to Ashton, who was practically buzzing with excitement, recounting the fight like someone who had personally been involved in it. "You guys should have been there," Ashton said, gesturing dramatically. "I’ve always heard that wolves have super strength, but I never imagined they were that strong. Ryker threw Zane with just one punch. I swear, Zane flew every single time Ryker landed a hit on him. You could literally hear bones cracking each time Ryker connected."

Julian raised an eyebrow, but Ashton was far too animated to notice. "But don’t think the Faes are weak either," Ashton continued. "Zane didn’t stay down for long. His body healed super quickly, and he actually retaliated! He burned Ryker so badly, he looked like a piece of burnt toast, it took everything in me not to laugh out loud at ryker’s burnt appearance, definitely not like his handsome self."

Aiden’s heart lurched painfully in his chest, and he quickly sat up straighter. "What?!" His voice was full of alarm. "Is Ryker okay? How could Zane do that to him?"

Julian rolled his eyes at him, his tone dry. "Did you completely miss the part where Ashton just said that Ryker broke Zane’s bones over and over? Why are you only worried about Ryker? And besides, Ryker’s going to be fine. Wolves might not heal as quickly as Faes, but their healing is still very much faster than us the common folks, well we the witches doesn’t have any healing abilities which is why we don’t fight physical battles. If you don’t believe me, ask Ashton, I’m sure that your dare Ryker will be fine by now."

Aiden immediately turned to Ashton, silently waiting for him to confirm what Julian had said.

Ashton gave Aiden a look that was full of disbelief, almost annoyed. "Yes, Ryker is fine," he said with a small huff. "But didn’t you say you were giving up on him? Why are you still acting like you care so much?"

Aiden rolled his eyes this time, exhaling sharply. "It’s not like I can just tell my feelings to disappear," he replied. "Yes, I’m giving up on him, and I will try my best to stop liking him. But that doesn’t mean my feelings will just vanish overnight."

Ashton tilted his head as if considering his words, then shrugged. "Fair enough."

Before anyone could say more, he jumped right back into his story, looking like he couldn’t wait to share more details. "Anyway," he said quickly, "even though the fight looked intense, I could tell they were holding back. From what I’ve heard about Ryker, he’s insanely strong—like scary strong. Not just because he’s the alpha, but because of his bloodline potential too. They say he can take down other wolves with super strength like him in minutes, and even with their insane healing ability, it usually takes them at least a day before they can even start healing.

"Zane’s healing is on another level since he’s a Fae, but still, if Ryker had used all his power, it wouldn’t have been that easy for Zane to get back up every time. And Zane was definitely holding back too. I’m a Fae myself, so I know—Fae golden fire can evaporate a person completely, leaving nothing but dust. And that’s just low-level Fae fire. Imagine how destructive Zane’s golden fire could be since he has the highest bloodline potential among the Faes in the academy—well, that was before you showed up, Aiden," Ashton added with a teasing smile. "If Zane had really gone all out, Ryker wouldn’t have just stood there healing. He would have been out of commission for a day or two before even starting to recover."

Aiden nodded, relieved that both Ryker and Zane had enough sense not to go all out.

Ashton’s expression brightened even more as he leaned forward eagerly. "Do you guys want to know my favorite part of the fight?"

Aiden and Julian exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison.

"It was when Seraphina showed up," Ashton said with an exaggerated grin. "She tried to separate the fight, talking to Ryker like they were some perfect little couple. But Ryker didn’t even give her the time of day. Now the entire school knows that Ryker doesn’t like Seraphina at all!"

Aiden blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected Ashton to say that.

Julian nodded as if confirming something he had long suspected. "I’ve been saying this for a while now," he said. "Ryker and Seraphina aren’t the perfect couple she wants everyone to think they are. Aiden, do you remember when I told you that every time Ryker comes to pick Seraphina up from the dining hall, he looks like someone forced him to be there? Like the whole world owed him something?"

Aiden nodded. He remembered Julian saying something like that when he was explaining how the academy worked when Aiden first arrived.

Julian continued, his tone filled with a mixture of vindication and surprise. "I used to think Ryker was just arrogant and didn’t like being seen with us normal students. But now it’s obvious. He just doesn’t like his fiancée."

Ashton turned to Aiden with a wide grin. "That’s exactly why I was running around looking for you. Now that we know Ryker doesn’t like Seraphina, maybe you actually have a chance!"

Julian immediately frowned and turned to Ashton. "What are you saying? Aiden just said he’s decided to give up on Ryker. You can’t just encourage him to chase after Ryker now."

Ashton pouted, trying to defend himself. "I’m just saying he might have a shot! You know how much Aiden likes him."

Julian looked like he was about to launch into another lecture, but Aiden quickly interrupted before it could turn into a full-blown argument. "You guys don’t have to argue about it anymore," Aiden said firmly. "I’ve already made my decision. Just because Ryker hates his fiancée doesn’t change the fact that Seraphina is still his fiancée. And I’m not interested in being a homewrecker."

Ashton sighed, clearly disappointed, but he nodded. "Fine," he said softly. "I’ll support you no matter what you decide."

Aiden smiled, genuinely grateful. "Thanks, Ashton."

The conversation eventually shifted into lighter topics, and Ashton stayed with them for a while, chatting about school gossip before finally deciding it was time to leave.

After Ashton left, the dorm grew quieter. Julian stretched and yawned loudly before turning to Aiden. "I’m heading back to my room to sleep," he said.

Aiden raised a brow and teased, "You really do like sleeping, don’t you?"

Julian rolled his eyes and smirked. "What? Can’t a man enjoy his beauty sleep?"

Aiden laughed. "Go on, then. Get your beauty rest. I won’t stop you."

Julian nodded and started walking toward his room. "I’ll knock on your door when it’s time for dinner so we can head to the dining hall together."

Aiden shook his head. "Don’t bother. I don’t feel like having dinner tonight."

Julian shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said before disappearing into his room.

Aiden stood there for a moment, then turned and walked to his own room at the other end of the hallway.

As soon as he entered, Rainbow’s voice, which had been quiet the entire time, suddenly echoed in his mind. "So," Rainbow said slyly, "what exactly are you planning to do with that hammer?"

Aiden glanced down at the hammer he was still holding and smiled mysteriously. "You’ll find out tomorrow," he replied, his tone making it clear he had something planned.