Chapter 132: Three Dates With Me

Aina & Vance

"You want me to keep this a secret from my brothers?" Vance said, staring at her in disbelief, completely unable to process the words coming out of her mouth.

To his ears, it sounded completely ridiculous. His mind spun in a dizzying whirlwind of emotion. A fierce, sudden wave of joy rushed hot across his face, so intense that he felt like he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs just to let the whole world know. He wanted to run through the halls and shout that he had finally found his fated mate, the very girl they had been hunting for across the kingdom.

"Yes, you can’t tell anyone," Aina said, shaking her head as she tried to squeeze the water out of her wet hair. She pulled off her dripping glasses, holding them out to wipe the lenses on her soaked sleeve.

In retrospect, Vance thought, his heart still hammering against his ribs, maybe jumping into the pond with Travis, or whatever her name actually was, wasn’t the best idea.

He hadn’t realized she was a female omega until the moment he pulled her close and the sweet scent of jasmine hit him. But then again, he wouldn’t have known the truth at all if he hadn’t given in to that sudden, overwhelming urge to drag her under the water with him.

"Oh... okay," Vance mumbled, standing completely still in the shallow water. He was caught in a daze, entirely captivated by the rich, floral scent radiating from her skin. His whole body felt as though it had been set on fire. Every single movement she made pulled him in deeper, drowning his thoughts. Is this what sailors feel like when they jump straight into the sea just because they heard a siren’s song?

"Wait, no..." Vance frowned, stepping closer. "I do not understand. Why do you want me to keep this a secret from my brothers? This is amazing! My brothers have to know. We have looked for you everywhere in every possible way, we searched every corner of the capital you have been right here the entire time. And you know... my brothers and I share a fated mate. They have to know. Don’t you want them to know?"

"No, I don’t want them to know," Aina said sharply, sliding her clean glasses back onto her face. "I of course don’t want them to know, which is why I kept it from all of you for this long. Which is why I sent you on wild goose chases, because I do not want you to find me."

Vance narrowed his eyes, utterly confused. "Why, though?"

"Because it’s useless, Vance," Aina snapped, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at him. "It is completely useless. Why would me telling you that I’m your fated mate do any good?"

"Well... we’ll be able to, you know, be a normal fated couple," Vance argued, his voice dropping earnestly.

"No, we won’t," Aina shot back without a second of hesitation. "You hate me. I hate you. I made that very clear to Malric, too."

Vance froze, his eyebrows pulling together. "Wait... what do you mean, Malric?"

Aina’s eyes went wide. She slapped a hand over her mouth, a look of pure panic flashing across her face. Damn it, she thought, her stomach dropping. I talk way too much.

"Wait... Malric knew?" Vance asked, staring at her in shock.

The pieces instantly clicked together in his head. He remembered how he had been told that Malric had thrown himself in front of her to save her during the tournament. No wonder Malric didn’t let Jax—or whatever-we’re-calling-him—kill you, Vance realized, his breath catching. He didn’t let him kill you because he already knew you were our fated mate. It makes perfect sense.

"Just let it go," Aina muttered, turning her face away. "We are never going to be anything. I told Malric the exact same thing, and he accepted it."

"I highly doubt that," Vance said, shaking his head.

"I do not care what you doubt!" Aina shouted, her voice rising in frustration. "He accepted it, and everyone else is going to have to accept it, too! We are never going to be an item, a pair, fated, bonded, it is never going to happen! So just forget that any of this ever happened!"

Forget? Vance thought, a sharp ache twisting in his chest. How am I supposed to forget when I’ve been waiting for this my entire life?

He looked right into her blue eyes, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "I do not think I will ever be able to do that."

"You best make yourself able to do that," Aina warned him, pointing a wet finger at his chest, "because seriously, nothing is going to happen between us. Nothing. You hate me, I hate you. We have made that absolute crystal clear since the very beginning of the school year."

"Okay, I was terrible!" Vance admitted, his hands flying up in defense as he tried to reason with her. "I was on very, very terrible behavior in the beginning of the school year! But you have to understand, I am like that with everyone. I’m not trying to make excuses for myself, but... I’m sorry. Please don’t do this."

Aina stood her ground, completely unmoved by his apology. "Vance, this is hard on me, too. Do you think it’s easy for me to just walk away from my fated mate? But it’s the best thing we can do. It’s the safest thing for both of us. We both know if we were to be in some sort of relationship, it wouldn’t be healthy. You’re a terrible person, and I am a decent person. You see how those two things don’t work out?"

She let out a long breath, her tone pleading. "So you understand? Do you understand, Vance, that we can’t be an item? And you can’t tell anyone. Do you promise not to tell anyone?"

Vance stared at her in silence for a long, agonizing second. Then, very quietly, he shook his head. "No."

Aina blinked, her jaw dropping. "What?!"

"I understand all that you’re saying," Vance said, stepping closer to her again despite the freezing water. "But give me a chance. Give me a chance to redeem myself. Give me a second run to show you who I really am, and not just the arrogant prince the world sees."

"No," Aina said firmly, taking a step back. "No, I can’t. You have to understand, I can’t do that. If I give you a chance, I have to give everyone a chance, and I don’t want to do that."

Vance tilted his head, a mischievous, stubborn smirk breaking through his serious expression. "Fine. Then I will walk straight to the administrative office right now. I’ll speak into the main intercom and tell everyone with an ear to listen that you are a female omega pretending to be a guy, and that you are my fated mate."

Aina stared at him in absolute horror. "You wouldn’t."

Vance raised an eyebrow, holding her gaze. "I have had a terrible track record since we met. Do you really think I wouldn’t?"

Aina let out a long, defeated groan, burying her face in her hands. Oh my gosh, he is completely impossible, she thought, her shoulders slumping. What do I even do with him?

"Fine!" Aina snapped, dropping her hands. "Oh my gosh, you are impossible! What is it that you even want?!"

"I want to go on three dates with you," Vance said smoothly. "And if you still don’t like me after that, then I will give up, and I won’t tell a soul about any of this."

Aina stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "Three freaking dates!!!?"

"Yeah," Vance nodded. "Just three dates."

Aina crossed her arms, shaking her head in disbelief. "Are you actually crazy? I dated your sister, and now you want me to date you? No way, Vance."

Vance offered a crooked smile. "Good point. But first of all, I know that your relationship with my sister was complete bullshit. And second, I would like to gently remind you that I am a massive snitch."

Aina clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white. You know, he looks so punchable right now, she thought, glaring daggers at him.

"Punching me will only turn me on cause your skin will be touching mine." Vance teased, reading her mind easily.

Aina let out a loud, miserable sigh, rolling her eyes toward the sky. "Okay... fine. I’ll do it."

Vance’s face lit up instantly. A massive, genuine smile spread across his face, reaching all the way to his eyes, wiping away every trace of the grief and misery that had weighed him down all week. "Let’s go!"

Aina blinked, looking around the pond. "What? You want to go on a date now?!"

"Yes!" Vance said eagerly.

"Whatever," Aina muttered, turning toward the bank and wading out of the water. "The sooner this is over, the better." She wrung out the hem of her wet shirt, shivering in the cold air. "If we’re doing this, you’re going to have to get my scent-blocking lotion and a fresh pair of clothes in my room. I can’t go or the whole academy will smell me."

Vance scrambled out of the pond right behind her, nodding quickly. "I’ll go!" He chuckled and smiled so brightly it was blinding.