Ryker’s rage was a low, terrifying storm. His voice was a blend of a deep growl and raw anger, barely controlled. "Why didn’t you tell about this earlier?" he demanded, his eyes blazing. "Why are you only saying it now?"
Ryker knew, intellectually, that he was being unfair. He had promised Aiden he wouldn’t be angry, and yet here he was, unable to control the visceral surge of fury.
Logically, he had no right to be angry at Aiden, but he really couldn’t control the anger. If Aiden had kissed soone before they even knew each other, it would be a completely different matter, and Ryker certainly wasn’t in a position to judge, given his own history before eting his mate.
But this wasn’t an innocent, pre-relationship kiss. Aiden had been kissed by Zane just this morning, hours just before their first official kiss, and he was kind of blaming himself too because if he hadn’t left Aiden there with Zane then the kiss wouldn’t have happened.
Now It ant Ryker had lost the chance to be Aiden’s first kiss because of that arrogant Fae. The jealousy that stirred within Ryker was a potent, dangerous thing.
Wolves were inherently possessive, and Zane had dared to steal sothing that should have rightfully belonged to Ryker alone. This was an affront Ryker felt he could not allow to stand.
Aiden, who had naïvely believed Ryker’s promise that he wouldn’t be angry, was now gripped by imdiate, cold panic.
The tenderness and passion of the previous monts were entirely gone. He was no longer lying down; the intensity of Ryker’s reaction had forced him to his feet.
He stood facing the enraged Alpha, his fingers nervously pinching at the fabric of his shirt. He was so overwheld that his eyes began to sting, and tears quickly welled up, threatening to spill over.
Aiden knew, with devastating certainty, that ntioning Zane had been a terrible mistake. He should have kept the unpleasant mory to himself.
Today was supposed to be a day of happiness and commitnt for them both; instead, he had ruined it by bringing up the coerced kiss. What made Aiden most nervous was the chilling fear that Ryker was now disgusted by him.
He lifted his tear-filled eyes to et Ryker’s furious gaze. His chin quivered, but he managed to force the words out, his voice shaking badly.
"Do you hate now?" he whispered, the question born of deep insecurity. "But I didn’t an to kiss Zane. He kissed forcefully, and I tried to wipe the traces of the kiss away." His voice broke. "I scrubbed and scrubbed at my lips until they bled. That’s how I discovered that I could heal myself now. I’m sorry. I didn’t an to. Please, don’thate."
The final, tearful plea was like a bucket of cold water thrown onto Ryker’s burning rage. The sight of Aiden’s distress, the fact that he had injured himself trying to erase the physical trace of Zane’s unwanted touch, instantly extinguished the fire of Ryker’s jealousy.
Ryker’s deanor changed instantly. He moved swiftly, closing the distance between them, pulling Aiden into a fierce, protective hug. He dragged his mate securely against his chest and used one hand to gently stroke Aiden’s hair.
"I’m actually not mad at you, Aiden," Ryker reassured him, his own voice softening, though it still held an edge of controlled violence. "I’m mad at Zane for what he did. That’s why I asked you why you didn’t tell earlier, so I could seek redress for you and punish him."
He held Aiden tighter, his voice growing stern with concern. "And why would you scrub your lips until they bled? You absolutely shouldn’t injure yourself like that in the future, okay? My heart will hurt if you do that."
Aiden clung to Ryker’s clothes, burying his face into the fabric. He spoke again, his tone still naive and trembling. "So you don’t hate ?"
"No," Ryker answered instantly, his voice firm and unwavering. "Of course, I will never hate you. I like you so much, and every single day, I keep liking you more than I liked you yesterday. Why would I hate you? I will never hate you."
Finally satisfied that his mate did not harbor any disgust for him, Aiden allowed himself a mont of relief. He wiped his runny nose directly onto Ryker’s shirt.
Ryker noticed the childish, ssy act but made no comnt. He was simply too happy that Aiden was calming down and beginning to feel safe again.
After finally regaining his composure following the emotional jump scare, Aiden pulled back slightly. "I didn’t an to keep this to myself," he explained, feeling obligated to justify his secrecy. "I just didn’t want you to have another fight with Zane and receive another punishnt from that old bag, Mr. Nikolai."
Ryker shook his head dismissively. "It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I warn Zane off and tell him to stay away from you. I don’t care about Mr. Nikolai’s punishnt. All I care about is you."
Ryker’s words filled Aiden’s heart with a potent, comforting warmth. Yet, he remained absolutely adamant about preventing Ryker from incurring further disciplinary action.
"No, you can’t have another fight with Zane," Aiden insisted, pulling back to look at Ryker seriously. "Ryker, listen to . You’re part of the Student Union. If you fight Zane once again, I’m sure your punishnt will be much higher this ti. The school might interpret it as you purposely breaking school rules and showing total disregard for authority. They might see it as you challenging the school administration after they already warned you about fighting. So, I genuinely don’t want you to fight Zane. Ryker, promise. Promise you won’t fight him."
Ryker gently disengaged from the hug so he could look directly into Aiden’s earnest, pleading golden eyes. He attempted one last ti to negotiate. "But..."
Aiden cut him off imdiately, tears beginning to pool in his eyes once more. "So you’re not going to listen to ? You’re going to fight him no matter what?"
Ryker desperately did not want to agree to the promise, but he looked at Aiden’s face and realized that if he dared say no, Aiden would burst into tears imdiately. Facing the prospect of his mate’s renewed distress, Ryker had no choice but to concede.
"Fine," he said, giving in completely. "I promise you, I won’t fight him."
As if that verbal promise was not enough, Aiden stuck out his little finger and looked up at Ryker, his eyes still shiny with unshed tears. "Pinky promise?"
Ryker was montarily speechless at the sheer childishness of the request, but the look in Aiden’s eyes was serious. He sighed internally, then brought out his own hand and hooked his pinky finger with Aiden’s smaller one. "Promise," he confird again, sealing the vow.
Aiden, having received ryker’s’s promise, imdiately brimd with a happy, brilliant smile. He then spoke to Ryker in a small, slightly demanding voice. "I want to sleep now. Can you accompany ?"
Ryker readily nodded. He took Aiden’s hand, and they both lay back down on the cramped, makeshift bed.
Aiden imdiately burrowed his face against Ryker’s hard chest. Perhaps due to the emotional exhaustion and the feeling of absolute safety, he fell asleep remarkably quickly.
Ryker held him tightly, unable to fall asleep himself. Despite his promise, the rage against Zane still simred fiercely within him. He felt stifled by the oath he had just made to Aiden. Ryker could only let out a deep, internal sigh and made a silent vow to himself: Zane dare not ss with Aiden again.
If he did, Ryker wouldn’t care one bit about the promise he had made. He would hit Zane so hard and so much that he would end up in a hospital bed, permanently removed from any possibility of disturbing his mate.
....
anwhile, in another dilapidated classroom elsewhere in the abandoned building, Zane was pacing back and forth like a caged animal.
Carl was also present, attempting to follow Zane’s earlier request to help him make a temporary bed using the bedding Zane had brought. Zane was too haughty and unskilled to perform such a dostic task himself, so he had simply ordered Carl to do it.
Carl, completely intimidated by the furious Fae, had ekly agreed, which was why he was now quietly organizing the bedspreads, trying to make his presence as small and unnoticeable as possible to avoid angering Zane further.
His attempts at invisibility failed spectacularly. Zane suddenly stopped his agitated pacing right in front of him.
"Carl," Zane snapped, his voice tight with impatience. "Do you know what exactly it is that Ryker and Aiden have been doing in Aiden’s makeshift room since they left?"
Carl froze, the blankets slipping from his grip. He looked up at the furious Zane, his mind racing for a safe answer. How am I supposed to know the answer to that? was the only thought that scread in his head.
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