Help! I unknowingly enrolled myself into a supernatural Academy-Chapter 76: I’m a Tribrid

A wave of uncontrollable anger washed over Aiden. It was a raw, boiling emotion that only intensified when he met Ryker’s gaze.

Ryker’s face was a mask of cold, hard fury, a mirror of the sudden storm in the room. A chill ran down Aiden’s spine. He felt profoundly bothered, overwhelmed, and completely out of his depth. It’s only the first day, he thought frantically, and Ryker already looks ready to kill Zane.

Driven by panic and instinct, Aiden tried a desperate move. He snapped his leg up, aiming for a swift, incapacitating strike right in the middle of Zane’s legs. But Zane was quicker. With a speed that was almost insulting, he caught Aiden’s leg mid-air in a vice-like grip.

"You’ve used that trick before," Zane said, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "It’s not going to work now."

Aiden’s eyes narrowed into slits as he glared down at the hand clamped around his shin. "Let me go," he demanded, his voice dangerously low.

Zane merely tightened his hold, his refusal a silent challenge.

It was the final straw for Ryker. He started moving, a predatory grace in his stride. He looked directly at Aiden but spoke to Zane, his voice a low, gravelly threat. "If he doesn’t let you go, then I have to remove him from you forcefully."

Ryker was impossibly fast. One moment he was yards away; the next, he was there. He clamped onto Zane, his fingers digging into the Fae’s arm, and with a single, jarring motion, he ripped Zane away from Aiden.

Without a pause, Ryker used the momentum to hurl Zane across the small room.

Zane’s back slammed into the concrete wall with a sickening, resounding thud. The impact was so severe that the dilapidated wall visibly shuddered, sending a faint cloud of dust into the air. A harsh groan of pain escaped Zane’s lips, but he didn’t collapse.

He was back on his feet instantly, as if the massive impact had been nothing more than a stumble.

Any normal human being thrown with that kind of power would have been broken. They would be on the floor now, perhaps with several cracked ribs and a ruptured organ, likely heading for the emergency room, or worse, succumbing to internal injuries in the back of an ambulance. But Zane was a Fae, and with his inherent, powerful divine healing, he shrugged it off like a minor inconvenience.

He stood straight, his eyes blazing with an incandescent fury that he directed entirely at Ryker.

"How is any of this your business?" Zane spat out, his voice laced with venom. "It’s not like you two are in a relationship or something. So why aren’t you minding your own damn business?"

Ryker didn’t flinch under the verbal assault.

He met Zane’s glare with a stare so cold it felt like a physical force. "I know you’re stupid," Ryker said slowly, his contempt clear in every syllable. "But I didn’t know you were so dense that you don’t understand something as simple as consent. You’re forcefully holding someone who clearly doesn’t want to be touched by you, and you still want to lecture me about minding my business?"

Ryker took a deliberate step forward, his shadow looming over Zane. "Zane, I’m telling you now: stay away from Aiden. Or else..."

Zane cut him off, a reckless defiance in his eyes. "Or else what?" he challenged, throwing his hands up. "What are you going to do to me? Kill me? Don’t get it twisted; you’re not the only one with power here. If we fought with everything we have, the winner is definitely not guaranteed."

Ryker had no patience for the taunts or the petty squabbling. He was done arguing. "I’ve warned you," he stated flatly, his voice carrying the finality of an ultimatum.

He gently but firmly pulled Aiden closer to his side. With his free hand, he turned and walked to the stairwell, descending quickly.

Moments later, he returned, one hand carrying Aiden’s duffel bag and the makeshift bedspread that had fallen during the earlier near-fall. He ascended the stairs, took Aiden’s hand in his own, and began to lead him away, leaving Zane to watch their backs, simmering in a lonely, defeated rage.

Aiden didn’t know where Ryker was taking him. Honestly, he didn’t even care. At this moment, he felt safe, protected, and incredibly smitten. He would have followed Ryker anywhere, into any darkness or light. That’s how completely Ryker had captivated him.

Ryker led them deeper into the abandoned and dilapidated school building, stopping finally before a standard classroom door. He pushed it open. Aiden looked around, genuinely surprised. The room was dust-free, the grimy windows had been scrubbed clean, and a sense of quiet order had been imposed on the space.

"I thought I asked everyone to meet at the front of the dorm," Aiden remarked, turning to Ryker. "Where did you guys come here on all on your own?"

Ryker smiled softly. "I came here early to clear some rooms," he explained. "I couldn’t allow you to sleep in a dirty room." He paused, his expression softening further.

"On the way, I met Carl, so I took him with me to help. But surprisingly, when I got here, Zane was already here. So, the three of us cleared a few of the classrooms. We all agreed to come back and get you at 11:40, but who knew you would find your way here on your own."

Aiden stared at Ryker, a strange, wonderful warmth flooding his chest. "So you did this... for me?"

Ryker simply nodded.

Aiden looked down at the concrete floor, suddenly overcome with shyness. He shuffled his feet, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "You ignored me all morning," he confessed, the words tumbling out in a rush.

"You wouldn’t even look at my face. I thought... I thought you didn’t like me anymore."

Ryker’s smile broadened, radiating sincerity. "How is that even possible?" he asked gently. "It’s just that you told me that you didn’t want to be a third party. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, so I stayed away. Even though it hurt me."

Aiden watched as Ryker knelt, setting the bags down. He started the meticulous process of making a small, makeshift bed using the bedspread Aiden had brought and a few extras that Ryker must have packed himself. The care and attention to detail Ryker put into the task was endearing.

After watching him work for a long, quiet minute, Aiden finally gave voice to the question that had been pressing on his mind, the one that truly bordered him. It came out suddenly, an abrupt break in the silence.

"Am I your mate?"

Ryker froze. The movement stopped. He looked up at Aiden, his brow furrowed in a deep frown.

"How did you know?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Aiden just nodded, a profound sense of confirmation settling over him. So, it’s true. We’re really mates.

Ryker shook his head slowly. "We’re feeling the mate bond little by little right now," he explained, a shadow crossing his eyes. "But if you turn out to be a Fae or a witch, our mate bond might just disappear."

"Well," Aiden began, choosing his words carefully. "I have another piece of news for you." He paused for a beat. "I seem to be a Tribrid."

Ryker’s eyes went wide with shock. "What? But that’s not possible."

"Well, it’s possible," Aiden countered, a touch of wry humor in his tone. "And it’s what’s happening right now."

Ryker studied Aiden’s face, searching for any sign of a joke or a lie. He saw only profound seriousness. "How did you come to that conclusion?" Ryker asked, the words thick with disbelief.

Aiden opened his mouth to explain, but Ryker stopped him with a raised hand. Ryker walked swiftly to the classroom door, easing it open just enough to peer out into the long, dilapidated hallway. He scanned the empty corridor with meticulous care.

He didn’t need to do this, not really; his superior hearing and powerful scent would have instantly alerted him to anyone hiding or listening nearby. The hallway was silent and clear, but Ryker’s need for absolute certainty, a desire not to be careless, compelled him to confirm with his eyes.

Ryker stepped back into the room, gently closing the squeaky door. It was almost off its hinges, but he managed to secure it somehow. He sat down on one corner of the fledgling, makeshift bed, patting the other corner as an invitation for Aiden to join him.

Aiden sat down, and Ryker turned to face him, his voice dropping to a low, soft register. He stared at Aiden with an intensity that seemed to say: you are the only thing that matters in my world. It was a gaze that made Aiden feel wonderfully shy and completely cherished.

"You can continue now," Ryker murmured.

Aiden nodded, but before explaining, he had another request. "Do you perhaps have a knife?"

Ryker looked at him, confused, but nodded nonetheless. He reached into his pocket and produced a simple, folded pocket knife. He passed it to Aiden. Before Ryker could even begin to ask why, Aiden took the blade and savagely cut a deep gash across his own palm.

Ryker’s face contorted in a mix of fury and alarm. He was about to explode, to scold Aiden for his dangerous, thoughtless action, but then he looked down at Aiden’s hand.

There was no blood. The wound was deep, aggressive, and yet, blood didn’t even have time to drip. As quickly as the cut appeared, it was gone. The skin healed over instantly, leaving no scar, no trace of the injury.

Ryker was stunned into silence. "Your power has started manifesting," he finally managed to say, his voice full of awe.

Aiden nodded again, confirming the truth.

Ryker’s face suddenly fell. A profound, terrible frown settled on his features, and a vein seemed to pulse at his temple. He looked utterly devastated, as if he had just lost something irreplaceable.

Aiden noticed the rapid shift in emotion. "What’s wrong?" he asked, concern flooding his tone. "Why do you look so sad all of a sudden?"

Ryker clenched his fist. "You’re turning out to be a Fae."

"What? No," Aiden protested. He quickly corrected himself. "Okay, yes, I’m turning into a Fae. But it’s not what you think."

Ryker threw his hands up in despair. "What do you mean, ’it’s not what it looks like’? My mate is literally not going to be my mate anymore!" He pulled at his hair, a truly heartbreaking picture of loss. "Why did I have to discover you in the first place only to lose you?"

Seeing Ryker so openly devastated was more than Aiden could bear. He moved quickly, reaching out to gently grasp Ryker’s arm.

"Ryker, calm down," Aiden pleaded, his voice soothing. "I’m still going to be your mate. Did you forget the part where I said I’m a Tribrid?"

The word cut through Ryker’s panic. He stopped pulling his hair, slowly looking up at Aiden. His expression transformed into one of almost heartbreaking relief, like a lost puppy who had just been told he wasn’t going to be abandoned after all.

This sudden, vulnerable, and intensely cute expression made Aiden burst into laughter.