CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: I WILL SUE YOU

Aiden stood still, his pulse hammering in his ears as Miss Flecine handed him a small, sharp needle. He hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and pricked his finger. A single drop of blood welled up, bright and crimson against his pale skin. Carefully, he let it fall onto the glowing surface of the globe, this time making sure it was only one drop, no more. The blood sizzled softly on contact, and Aiden quickly pulled his hand back.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, with a sudden flash, the globe lit up brilliantly. The red section, which represented the witches, glowed first, so brightly that Aiden had to squint. Then the black section that symbolized the wolves blazed to life, followed immediately by the white Fae section. The globe repeated this sequence rapidly, red to black to white, again and again, until the entire room was bathed in its shifting light. The glow only lasted a few seconds, but to Aiden, it felt much longer. Then, just as suddenly, the light faded. The globe dimmed and went completely still.

Aiden’s breath caught in his throat. His chest felt tight as he stared at the now-dark globe, unable to look away. It was exactly what had happened during orientation week, back when this all began. Miss Flecine’s eyes widened, her sharp gaze fixed on him.

"So," she said softly, her voice carrying an edge of finality, "do you still believe that your test result was fake?"

Aiden couldn’t speak. His mind was blank, his thoughts spinning wildly as if someone had struck him. He had been so sure—so sure—that this would disprove everything. Now all it had done was confirm it again.

Behind him, Ryker let out a low whistle. "That doesn’t look fake to me," he said bluntly, his tone annoyingly casual. "If anything, that looks as legitimate as all the tests I’ve ever seen."

Aiden’s jaw clenched at the sound of Ryker’s voice, snapping him out of his daze. He didn’t even bother turning around to face him. Instead, he looked directly at Miss Flecine, his tone urgent.

"Miss Flecine, I believe you now. I accept that I really have the three bloodlines." His fingers curled into fists at his sides. "But can you tell me why I’m still like this? Why I can’t do anything? I should have three high bloodlines, but I can’t summon my wolf, I can’t light a single candle with my mind, and I can’t even conjure a spark of Fae fire. What’s wrong with me, one of my power should have manifested now, or may be the real power I would have at the end should have shown now but i can’t do anything.?"

Miss Flecine’s expression softened, though her brows were slightly furrowed. She looked down at the globe, deep in thought, before answering.

"To be honest," she said slowly, "I don’t know either. Cases like yours are rare. In fact, there’s only one other recorded case, and it happened nearly two centuries ago and you know that too. We don’t have enough information to know why you aren’t manifesting your powers. If I had to guess, it might be because you lived as a human for so long. Your blood might still be adapting to its awakening. Your situation could be entirely unique. There might be a completely different way you’ll have to access your abilities. We just don’t know yet."

She paused, her eyes meeting his. "But that’s exactly why you should stay here. At least if you remain at Skyline Academy, we can observe you. If we discover a solution or a method that works for you, we can help you immediately. Leaving would only make this harder for you."

Her reasoning was calm and logical, but it did nothing to soothe the frustration boiling inside Aiden. He began pacing the office, his boots tapping loudly against the floor. He walked back and forth until he finally stopped and turned to her, his voice tight.

"So you want to leave me to chance and maybes?" he asked bitterly. "You’re the experts. Shouldn’t you have a solution for me already?"

Miss Flecine’s expression grew apologetic. "I’m sorry, Aiden. Truly. But this is beyond what we know how to handle."

Aiden’s shoulders slumped slightly, some of the fire draining out of him. He nodded slowly. "It’s okay, Miss Flecine. I don’t blame you for not having the answers."

Her expression softened, thinking he had finally calmed down and abandoned the idea of withdrawing. But she was proven wrong just moments later when Aiden straightened his spine and said with quiet determination, "That’s why I have to leave this school. I can’t stay here."

Miss Flecine’s expression hardened. "You just said you don’t blame me," she said sharply.

"And I don’t," Aiden replied firmly. "I can’t blame you for something you don’t know how to fix. But if there’s nothing you can do for me, there’s no reason for me to stay here."

Her eyes narrowed, irritation flashing across her face. "Then why are you still trying to leave if you claim you don’t blame me?"

"Because I want to!" Aiden snapped, his frustration bubbling over. "You can’t help me, and I don’t want to be here anymore. So I’m leaving."

Ryker stepped forward before Miss Flecine could respond. His voice was quieter but firm. "You shouldn’t leave."

Aiden whipped around, his glare landing on Ryker. "Stop telling me what to do! I almost died today because of this school. What’s the point of staying if I can’t even protect myself? Everyone here is stronger than me. They wouldn’t even have to try hard to kill me. So why should I stay in a place where I’m a walking target?"

Ryker’s brows knitted together. "Because your powers won’t stay gone forever. I believe they’ll come to you eventually. You just have to be patient."

"Patient?" Aiden spat the word like it was bitter. "So what if I die before my powers ever manifest? What will be the point of waiting then? Having three high bloodlines that I can’t use is no different from not having them at all."

Ryker’s jaw tightened. "Then tell me who hurt you," he said quietly. "I’ve asked you before. Whoever laid a hand on you, I’ll make them regret it. I’ll make them an example so everyone knows you’re not someone they can touch."

Aiden gave a humorless laugh, the sound low and sharp. "Now you suddenly want to act like you care? Stop pretending, Ryker. I don’t need your fake concern."

Ryker let out a slow sigh, some of the fight leaving his shoulders. "Aiden, I’m sorry. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—I was wrong for how I treated you before. I don’t know how many times I’ll have to apologize, but I mean it every single time. Let me try to make up for it. You can’t just shut me out completely. I’m sure you don’t even want to."

Aiden’s breath caught at that. His first instinct was to deny it, to lash out again, but the words wouldn’t come. Ryker was right, and that infuriated him even more. Even though he acted like he didn’t care anymore, deep down he still did. He still liked Ryker, maybe even more than he wanted to admit. And it wasn’t helping that Ryker was standing right there looking unfairly handsome, his eyes sincere, his voice soft.

Aiden quickly tore his gaze away before he did something reckless, like throw himself at Ryker just to make him stop talking. He ignored him completely, fixing his stare on the wall instead.

Miss Flecine, who had been watching them with growing annoyance, snapped her fingers sharply. Aiden flinched and turned toward her, only to find her expression stern.

"Aiden," she said, her tone firm, "you are not leaving Skyline Academy. Go back to your dorm."

Anger flared in Aiden’s chest again. He wanted to shout at her, to argue, but the thought of how powerful she might be stopped him. He didn’t know exactly what Miss Flecine was capable of, but she was a witch—and not just any witch, but the head instructor. If ordinary students could kill him easily, she could probably obliterate him without breaking a sweat.

He forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down. His voice, when he finally spoke, was steady but edged with steel.

"You can’t stop me from withdrawing from this school. If you try, that’s unlawful detention, and I can sue you."

Miss Flecine blinked, then suddenly burst out laughing. The sound was sharp and a little mocking.

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" she asked, amusement still lacing her voice. "Did you forget that this school is in the middle of nowhere? Even if you contacted the police somehow, how would they get here? Let me tell you the truth, Aiden. Skyline Academy cannot be found by anyone we do not want to find it. The police could be standing right outside our gates, and they wouldn’t even know the school was here. They wouldn’t be able to see it. So tell me, how exactly do you plan to sue me, your lawyer won’t be able to get you away from this school so just forget it.?"