CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 57: THE LETTER

Aiden had just finished his bath, the steam still clinging faintly to his freshly washed hair as he stepped into his room. He took a moment to pick out a clean outfit, something soft and comfortable, before slipping it on and leaving his room. The apartment felt unusually quiet as he stepped into the shared space he occupied with Julian. Just as he crossed the threshold, the apartment door swung open, and Aiden found himself face-to-face with both Julian and Ashton.

The three of them froze for a moment, all registering each other at the same time. Then, without even asking, Ashton and Julian walked in, closing the door behind them. Aiden barely had time to react before the two of them guided him to the couch and flanked him on either side, effectively trapping him in the middle. It was an oddly comforting kind of trap, but a trap nonetheless.

Ashton, as always, was the first to speak. His curiosity and gossip-loving nature made it impossible for him to wait.

"I heard a rumor," Ashton said, leaning in with sparkling eyes. "They’re saying you got into a fight with one of your wolf classmates and that you left him pretty badly injured. Is it true?"

Aiden let out a slow breath and nodded. "It’s true."

Ashton’s eyes widened in pure delight. He practically bounced on the couch and grabbed Aiden’s shoulder.

"Oh my goodness! My dear Aiden, I never thought you had it in you!" he exclaimed dramatically. "When I asked you yesterday what you wanted to do with that hammer, you said you needed it for some repair whatever in your room, I should have known that you were lying, but, you should have told me the truth—that you were going to use it to bash someone’s head in. I would have helped you find a stronger one, something that would make your job easier so you wouldn’t have to put in so much effort. I swear, I should have been there to see it. I would have recorded the whole thing. That was a historical moment, Aiden! It deserves to be remembered forever. It should go down in the school’s history books."

Aiden blinked at him, speechless. He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or scold him. Ashton’s excitement was almost infectious, but Aiden didn’t share his enthusiasm.

"Would you even have let me fight if I had told you what I wanted to do with the hammer yesterday?" Aiden asked finally, arching a brow.

"Of course not!" Ashton said immediately. "I would have thought you were going on a suicide mission. You, without your powers, fighting a supernatural creature known for their ridiculous strength, speed, and heightened senses? No way. I would have stopped you and begged Julian to put a spell on you to keep you stuck in bed until you calmed down and stop thinking of bringing yourself to your death."

Aiden rolled his eyes. "See? That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you."

Julian, who had been quiet through Ashton’s excited rambling, let out a long sigh and rolled his eyes as well. He looked at Aiden with a far more serious expression, his tone softer but filled with worry.

"Aiden," Julian said, "are you okay?"

Aiden hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, I’m okay. I’m still a little shaken by what happened, but I’ll be fine."

Julian’s expression softened even more as he nodded back, seeming relieved, but he wasn’t done.

"Why didn’t you tell us you were being bullied?" Julian asked quietly. "This isn’t just on you. It’s partly our fault too. We should have noticed the strangulation marks on your neck yesterday. Now that I’m looking closely, I can still see them. I’m sorry we missed it."

Ashton’s excitement immediately faded as he noticed the faint marks on Aiden’s neck. His face turned serious as he said, "I’m sorry too. I should have noticed something was wrong with my best friend. But seriously, it’s partly your fault too, Aiden. How could you not tell us you were being bullied by some wolf, we would have avenged you.?"

Aiden smiled faintly, grateful for his friends’ concern. "I’m sorry for not telling you guys. I just didn’t want to bother you. Wolves are known for their strength and speed. I didn’t want to trouble you both over something like that."

Ashton glared at him, clearly not pleased with that answer.

"What do you mean you didn’t want to trouble us?" Ashton said sharply. "Are you implying that wolves are stronger than faes? Let me tell you something, Aiden. That guy you fought and I both have middle-grade bloodlines. I can definitely make him suffer if I wanted to. I heal faster than he does, and even if I can’t match his strength, I still have my golden fire. I could burn him into toast for you, you really shouldn’t look down on faes."

Julian spoke up next, his calm but dangerous tone cutting through the air. "And I could help too. We witches are powerful too you know. And you know I can light fire with my mind,we went to that class together. The fire witches conjure might not be as strong as fae fire, but it’s still fire. And I wouldn’t just light it on his skin where he can heal from it immediately. I could light it directly inside his body and make him suffer. Wolves aren’t immune to fire the way faes are. I promise you, I could deal him some serious damage, one that he won’t recover from easily, and I will still get more powerful in the future and learn new things, so no matter if it’s now or later I can still protect you."

Aiden’s mouth fell open. He stared at Julian in shock. "You’ve already mastered how to light fire directly inside a person’s body? That’s... incredible, Julian, even though teacher mina haven’t thought us that but you’ve learn it all on your own."

Julian tilted his head proudly, a faint smirk appearing on his lips. "Of course I have. I have a high bloodline potential. Of course I’d master things faster than most."

Aiden nodded slowly, still impressed. Then he looked at both of his friends and smiled apologetically.

"I’m sorry for not telling you about the bullying," Aiden said sincerely. "That was my fault."

Ashton waved a hand dismissively. "It’s fine. We’re not angry at you. But from now on, you have to promise to tell us when something like this happens. Don’t hog all the fun for yourself. We should share it together. If we had worked as a team, we would have made that wolf’s life miserable."

Julian rolled his eyes and muttered, "You just want an excuse to beat someone up."

Ashton stuck his tongue out at Julian playfully, and Aiden couldn’t help but laugh. The heaviness in his chest, the guilt and self-blame that had been weighing him down since the incident, began to lift. Surrounded by these two, it was hard to feel alone.

At that moment, the doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation. The three of them turned toward the door at the same time.

"I’ll get it," Aiden said, standing up.

Julian and Ashton nodded, watching as Aiden walked over to the door. He opened it slowly, half-expecting someone to be standing there. But to his surprise, the hallway was empty.

"Who is it?" Julian called from the couch.

"I don’t know," Aiden replied, frowning. "There’s no one here."

He was about to close the door when something caught his eye. Right at the foot of the door lay a folded letter. Its bronze-like sheen gleamed faintly under the hallway light. Aiden bent down and picked it up. When he turned it over, he saw his own name written neatly on the front. The letter was addressed to him.

Curiosity burned through him as he closed the door and returned to the couch. Sitting back down between Ashton and Julian, he held up the letter.

"This was lying in front of the door," Aiden said. "It’s addressed to me. But how did it get there? And how did whoever delivered it leave so quickly?"

Ashton lightly tapped him on the head. "Have you forgotten you’re in a supernatural academy? Things like this are normal here."

Aiden pouted. "Still, whoever delivered it could have at least stayed. Ringing the doorbell and vanishing makes it feel creepy."

Julian tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe no one delivered it personally. A witch could have opened a portal and sent it straight to our doorstep."

"That’s true," Aiden admitted, "but it still doesn’t explain the doorbell ringing."

Ashton crossed his arms and grinned. "I’m sure it was a wolf. Whoever it was must have run off quickly. That probably means they’re scared of you now."

Aiden stared at the letter, wondering what could be inside and why someone would go through such trouble to deliver it in such a mysterious way, Aiden then finally reacted to Ashton saying that the wolf that delivered this letter is scared of him.