Chapter 46: What Are We Now?

Aina

Aina stood frozen in the archway of the sunlit kitchen, her bare toes curling against the cold stone floor as she tried to force her heart to stop pounding so violently against her ribs.

She swallowed hard, her small hands clutching the oversized white sleeves of his shirt. "I’m... I’m surprised to see you here," she managed to say, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Then, as her surroundings finally registered through her fogged, drowsy brain, her eyes widened behind her thick lenses. She looked frantically around the grand gothic room, at the dark slate walls, the ancient leather books, and the high arched windows. "Wait a damn minute. Where am I again?"

Roiner set the dark hand towel down on the edge of the counter. "You are in my private quarters," he said gently, his dark crimson eyes lingering on her small frame. "The upper sanctuary of the academy."

The sheer sound of his voice sent a literal shiver straight down Aina’s spine, making her chest tighten in a way that had nothing to do with her asthma.

Oh, get it together, Aina, she scolded herself fiercely, her cheeks flushing a deep, furious red as her internal thoughts spiraled out of control.

You cannot be falling in love with a guy’s voice alone! But low key... the Moon Goddess actually knew what she was doing when she tangled me up with him. He is fine as hell. For once in my entire miserable life, she did not disappoint.

Roiner leaned back against the edge of the heavy marble island, crossing his arms over his chest as he studied her flustered expression.

"You passed out in the forest last night," he explained, his tone smooth and reassuring. "Your lungs completely gave out under the strain of the cold air and because you ran. I brought you directly here because I wasn’t quite sure where your dormitory room was located... and frankly, I was in too much of a hurry to go searching for your assignment file."

Aina let out a small, breathless breath, nodding slowly. "Oh. Okay."

She shifted her feet nervously, her eyes darting down to the crisp white fabric draping over her thighs. Her hands smoothed down the front of the oversized shirt, and her stomach did a anxious flip.

"So... what happened to my clothes?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly as a sudden wave of panic hit her. She stared up at him, intending to blurt out Did you change me out my clothes?!, but the sheer awkwardness of the words caught in her throat.

Roiner seemed to read the silent panic instantly. He held up a hand, a faint, polite reassuring curve touching his lips.

"No," he said directly, cutting off her unasked question before it could spiral. "I did not change your attire. Nurse Clara did that while you were unconscious. She explicitly stated it would be easier for your lungs to take in oxygen without that heavy velvet dress constricting your chest."

Aina let out a massive, silent breath of relief, her shoulders slumping.

Thank the Goddess, she thought, closing her eyes for a brief second in pure gratitude. That would have been so ridiculously awkward. I would have had to throw myself out the window.

"Right," Aina cleared her throat, adjusting her battered glasses on the bridge of her nose. "Well... thank you for your help, Headmaster. Truly. But I should probably get going now. I have class soon, and I really can’t afford another tardy slip."

She made a slight movement as if to turn back toward the passageway, but Roiner held up a hand again.

"There is no need to rush off just yet," Roiner said softly, gesturing toward the polished marble island where two steaming plates were neatly set. "I made you breakfast."

Aina blinked, caught entirely off guard. "You... made breakfast?"

"I saw that you were not going to wake up anytime soon, and I knew you would miss the main dining hall breakfast service," Roiner replied, his dark eyes fixed on hers with an intense, quiet warmth. "You need food to regain your strength, especially after such a severe asthma attack."

A faint, self-deprecating laugh escaped Aina’s lips. "Oh, really? I feel like I’m always missing that breakfast anyway."

She hesitated near the threshold, a sudden wave of reluctance washing over her. Part of her felt deeply self-conscious, standing in his magnificent, gothic home wearing nothing but his shirt, looking like a total mess with her messy hair and scuffed glasses.

But as she looked at him standing there, this ridiculously hot vampire hybrid who had literally carried her out of the cold woods. her resolve crumbled entirely.

"Are you sure it’s alright?" she asked softly, taking a cautious step into the kitchen. "I don’t want to intrude."

"You are not intruding," Roiner assured her, pulling out a heavy, dark wood stool. "Sit."

Aina walked over to the island, sliding her legs onto the tall stool. The smell of freshly toasted bread, sweet preserves, and warm spiced tea hit her senses, making her mouth water. She picked up a fork, taking a small, quiet bite as Roiner poured himself a cup of black tea and leaned against the counter opposite her.

For a few minutes, they engaged in light, pleasant conversation. Roiner asked simple questions about how her chest felt, and Aina answered quietly, the tension in the room slowly melting away beneath the warm morning sunlight pouring through the tall windows.

But as she chewed on a piece of toast, the lingering weight in her chest wouldn’t go away. The suspense was absolute torture, eating away at her thoughts until she couldn’t take it for another second. She set her fork down with a small clatter, sitting up straight and staring directly across the marble counter into Roiner’s crimson eyes.

"So..." Aina started, her voice suddenly dropping into a serious, direct tone. "What are we going to do with us?"

Roiner paused, his tea cup hovering inches from his lips. He lowered it slowly, his expression growing unreadable. "What do you mean?"

Aina leaned forward slightly, resting her forearms against the dark marble. "We’re fated," she said, laying it all out flat. "And usually, fated people are always going to become... you know... a couple. Mates. So what about us? What are we going to become?"

She took a deep breath, her pulse racing as she pushed past her nerves. "Since we are fated by the Moon Goddess... and you’ve been vague, and I’ve been vague... I just feel like this is bound to lead to some massive miscommunication. So let’s just be straight with it. What’s the plan for the future?"

Silence fell over the kitchen, thick and heavy.

Roiner set his teacup down into the saucer with a soft, delicate click. He looked down at the dark liquid for a long moment before lifting his gaze to meet hers. "You are a student, Aina," Roiner said quietly, his voice measured and firm. "It is against Academy Rules for us to ever be a thing."

The words hit Aina like a cold bucket of water dumped directly over her head. Her jaw tightened, a sudden spike of stubborn frustration cutting straight through her initial shock.

"But those are just Academy rules," Aina countered quickly, her eyes searching his dark face. "It’s not... you know... your rules. It’s just a rule book!"

Roiner didn’t answer. He simply remained quiet, his dark eyes locked on her in an intense, silent stare that offered no further explanation.

To Aina, that silence spoke absolute volumes.

A heavy, painful knot formed in the pit of her stomach. She took his quietness as the ultimate sign, the final verdict. Yep, she thought bitterly, her chest aching with a dull, hollow throb. We are never, ever going to be together.

The Goddess finally gives me a fine mate, and we can’t even be together?I am so damn annoyed! Why would she give me this guy if we’re just destined to be nothing?!

She felt a hot sting prick at the back of her eyes, but she forced herself to swallow it down. It was so stupidly unfair. Yes, her whole situation was complicated, she was literally pretending to be her brother Travis just to survive in this stupid academy, but that didn’t change the crushing reality sitting right in front of her. Even without the identity secret, he was shutting the door purely because of administrative policy.

Aina pulled her hands back into the long sleeves of his shirt, a distinctly hurt, defeated look settling into her soft purple eyes. "Okay," Aina whispered, her voice tight with a bitter, fragile strength. "This is good. This is what I wanted us to confirm."

She looked down at her lap, letting out a small, humorless breath. "It’s good to know that I must... you know... sort out my feelings. I’m sure I can fight a Fated Mate Bond. I can learn not to crave you."

Dammit, this is what I always get, she thought bitterly to herself, staring at the polished wood of the kitchen stool. I probably won’t end up with any of the royal princes, I’m getting flat-out rejected here over some stupid Academy rulebook... my life is literally destined for suffering. Pure suffering.

She began to slide off the stool, ready to retreat before her eyes could spill over with tears.

"I don’t want us not to be together."

Aina froze, her bare feet halting mid-air before they could touch the stone floor. She snapped her head up, staring at Roiner in absolute shock.

Roiner hadn’t moved, but the cool, distant mask on his face had completely shattered. His crimson eyes were blazing with a raw, fierce intensity as he stared straight at her across the marble island. "I do not want to fight the bond," Roiner said, his deep voice carrying a dark, commanding weight that made the air in the room feel instantly charged. "I feel it. Every second of every day. And I have zero desire to fight it."

Aina blinked rapidly, her head completely spinning from the sudden 180-degree turn. "But... but you literally just said that Academy rules are Academy rules!"

A slow, dangerously handsome smirk spread across Roiner’s pale face, his sharp canine fangs brushing lightly against his lower lip.

"Yes," Roiner replied smoothly, leaning forward until he was only a few inches away from her across the narrow counter. "I did say that. But then again... I have currently allowed a girl to reside in this academy while secretly stealing the identity of her brother."

Roiner’s crimson eyes gleamed with a wicked, playful light. "So, taking that into consideration... I think there is plenty of room for Academy rules to be broken."

He tilted his head slightly, his tone dropping into a low, intimate murmur that resonated directly against her ribs. "And that rule... is one I will gladly break."

Aina sat frozen on her stool, her breath completely catching in her throat. Her heart hammered against her chest like a wildly beating drum, sending a rushing wave of heat straight to her cheeks. She stared at his sharp jawline, his pale skin illuminated by the morning sun, and those mesmerizing, dark red eyes staring down at her with absolute devotions.

Before her brain could process the filter, the words blurted straight out of her mouth.

"Yeah... you are hot. You know that, right?"