You Could Be Happier Without Me.

You Could Be Happier Without Me.
Chapter Eighty-Six: You Could Be Happier Without Me.

The morning light in 1839 was different. Softer and golden in a way that made everything look like it belonged in a painting. 

Aiden stood by the window of his small room, watching the estate come to life below. 

Servants moved through the courtyard, knights drilled in the distance, and somewhere in the main hall, the King was probably breaking his fast.

Aiden pressed his hand to his chest. The tether was still there…that thin, silver thread connecting him to home. 

To his body…to his Aldrich. It pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat he could feel but not quite hear.

He missed his Aldrich. The one who knew him. The one who loved him. The one who was waiting for him in a future that felt impossibly far away.

But he couldn't dwell on that now. He had to survive this time. 

He had to figure out why the Moon Goddess had sent him here.

A soft knock came at his door.

"Stranger?" It was one of the younger knights…Cedric. "Captain Regnok requests your presence at the training grounds. He says... he says if you wish to join him, you may."

Aiden turned from the window. Something in his chest lightened. "Tell him I'll be there."



The training grounds were a wide, dusty field behind the estate. 

Knights were sparring in pairs, their swords clashing in a rhythm that was almost musical. 

Regnok stood at the center, his sword in hand, his shirt soaked with sweat. He moved like water…fluid, precise, lethal.

Aiden watched from the edge of the field. He didn't approach but simply observed.

Regnok finished his bout and turned, his eyes finding Aiden immediately. "You came," he said, walking over. "I did not think you would."

"I said I would," Aiden replied simply.

Regnok studied him. "I remember your sword skill was a little good”

"Hmm, I don’t think so.”, Aiden said carefully. "Not enough to be useful."

Regnok raised an eyebrow. "Some," he repeated, like he didn't quite believe it. "We shall see." He gestured to a knight nearby. "Bring him a horse. He rides beside me."

A horse was brought…a tall, dark mare with intelligent eyes. 

Aiden approached her slowly, letting her sniff his hand before he attempted to mount. She was calm, patient.

Regnok watched him, a faint smile on his lips. "You have a way with animals."

"They know when someone is safe," Aiden said, swinging into the saddle.

Regnok mounted his own horse and gave a signal. The patrol began to move.

Aiden scanned the estate as they passed. His eyes caught movement at a window…a tall figure, standing with his arms crossed. 

Aldrich. The King was watching them. Aiden couldn't read his expression from this distance, but he felt the weight of those eyes on him.

He looked away quickly.



The forest was quiet…too quiet. 

Aiden felt it before he saw it. The birds had stopped singing. The wind had died. The air was heavy with something wrong.

Regnok felt it too. He raised his hand, signaling the patrol to halt. 

His eyes scanned the tree line, his hand moving to his sword.

"Something is watching us," he murmured.

Aiden nodded slowly. "Many things."

They came from everywhere at once.

Rogues…dozens of them…erupted from the trees like a wave of fury. 

They were bigger than the ones before, faster, more desperate. 

Their eyes were wild, their mouths frothing. They had the look of wolves that had been pushed past fear into something darker.

The knights formed a defensive circle, their swords drawn, their faces grim but there were too many. 

The rogues crashed into them like a tide, and suddenly it was chaos.

Aiden watched it all unfold in slow motion. A rogue lunged at a young knight, taking him down. Another knight fell, then another. 

Regnok fought like a demon, his sword a blur, but there were too many. Even he couldn't hold them all.

Then Aiden saw it.

A massive rogue…larger than any of the others…broke through the line and lunged at Regnok's back. Regnok didn't see it coming. 

His sword was buried in another wolf's chest. He couldn't turn in time.

"REGNOK!"

Aiden moved without thinking.

His hands shot forward, and fire erupted from his palms….not the white-hot fire of the Alpha Prime, but something gentler and silver. 

It hit the rogue square in the chest and sent it flying backward into a tree. The wolf didn't get up.

The other rogues froze. Their eyes found Aiden, and the same terror that had gripped the last pack flooded through them. 

They whimpered. They backed away and then they ran.

The forest fell silent.

Aiden lowered his hands. His heart was pounding. He had revealed himself. 

He had used magic in front of Regnok…magic that no ordinary werewolf possessed. Magic that would raise questions he couldn't answer.

Regnok stared at him. His sword was still in his hand, but it hung limply at his side. His eyes were wide…not with fear, but with shock.

"You..." Regnok's voice was barely a whisper. "You have magic."

Aiden didn't move…or speak. He just waited.

Regnok glanced at the fallen rogue, then back at Aiden. 

The other knights were tending to their wounded, but their eyes kept flicking toward him too. They had seen it. They had all seen it.

Regnok walked toward Aiden, stepping over the fallen rogue's body. 

His eyes were searching Aiden's face, looking for answers Aiden couldn't give.

"How?" Regnok asked quietly. "How is that possible? Magic was lost to our kind generations ago. Only the ancient ones….the ones touched by the Moon herself…still carry it."

Aiden said nothing.

Regnok studied him for a long, heavy moment. Then, to Aiden's surprise, he sheathed his sword. "You saved my life," he said simply. "You could have let me die. You didn't."

Aiden shook his head. "I couldn't."

"I know." Regnok stepped closer, lowering his voice so only Aiden could hear. "I asked you to come along so I could watch you. So I could figure out what you were." 

He let out a breath, almost a laugh. "I did not expect this. I did not expect you to save me."

Aiden's throat tightened. "You were going to watch me?"

"I was." Regnok met his gaze, unflinching. "But now I see that whatever you are, you are not a threat to me….or us." 

He paused. "I don't know who you are, Aiden. I don't know where you came from but I know one thing. Your secret is safe with me."

Aiden blinked. "You're not going to tell anyone? Not even the King?"

Regnok shook his head slowly. "The King would have questions. Questions that would put you in danger. I will not be the one to endanger you." 

He placed a hand on Aiden's shoulder. "Your secret is safe with me."

Aiden felt something shift in his chest. Trust. Small, fragile, but real. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Regnok nodded. Then he winced, his hand moving to his side. A dark stain was spreading across his shirt.

"You're hurt," Aiden said, his voice sharp with concern.

"It's nothing," Regnok said, but his face was pale. "A scratch."

"It's not a scratch." Aiden moved closer, his hands already glowing with soft, silver light. 

He placed them over Regnok's wound before Regnok could protest. The glow seeped into the wound, knitting flesh, stopping the bleeding.

Regnok stared at him. "You can heal too?"

Aiden pulled back. "I can do many things," he said quietly. "Most of which I don't fully understand."

Regnok was silent for a long moment. Then he laughed…a soft, amazed sound. "You are a mystery, Aiden. A beautiful, impossible mystery." 

He shook his head. "I am glad you are on my side."

Aiden looked away. The guilt was heavy in his chest. If only you knew what I was truly doing here, he thought. 

If only you knew that I came from the future to save a man who was once a king, and that man is the one you call brother.

But he said nothing.



The ride back to the estate was quiet. Regnok had ordered his men not to speak of what they had seen. 

The knights obeyed, but Aiden could feel their eyes on his back. He could hear their whispered questions.

‘Who is he? Where did he come from? What is he?’

Aiden kept his eyes forward and his face calm. He would not give them answers. He couldn't.

When they finally reached the estate, the courtyard was bustling with activity. 

Servants rushed past, carrying linens and flowers. The celebration was still in full swing.

Aiden dismounted, his body aching from the day's events. Regnok dismounted beside him, looking pale but steady.

Then Aiden heard footsteps.

"Aiden!"

He turned. King Aldrich was striding toward him, his face tight with something that looked like worry. His crown was slightly askew, as if he had been running.

"I heard there was an attack," Aldrich said, his voice urgent. His eyes swept over Aiden, checking for injuries. "Are you hurt? Are you…"

The memories of Aldrich’s expression and furrowed-brows  whenever he was worried came flooding back to Aiden. 

"I'm fine," Aiden said quickly. "I'm not hurt."

Aldrich's shoulders relaxed slightly. He turned to Regnok. "You were with him. You protected him."

Regnok opened his mouth, but Aiden spoke first. "He did. Regnok kept me safe."

Regnok's eyes flicked to Aiden, something unreadable in them. Then he nodded. "I did what I could, my King."

Aldrich placed a hand on Regnok's shoulder. "Thank you. For protecting him." 

His voice was warm, genuine. "He is under your care, and you have not failed."

Regnok looked away. "I do not deserve your thanks, my King."

"Nonsense." Aldrich smiled. "You deserve more than thanks. You deserve…"

"Is everything all right?"

The voice was soft, melodic. Aiden turned.

Liora was standing in the doorway of the main hall. 

Her gown was simple but elegant, her dark hair falling in waves over her shoulders. Her face was kind, her eyes gentle.

Aldrich turned to her, his expression softening. "There was an attack in the forest. The patrol was ambushed. But everyone is safe."

Liora's eyes widened. "Oh, thank the gods." She walked toward them, her steps graceful. 

Her gaze fell on Aiden. "You are the stranger, yes? The one Regnok found?"

Aiden nodded slowly. "Yes. I'm Aiden."

Liora smiled…a genuine, warm smile that reached her eyes. "I have heard so much about you. Regnok speaks of you often and Aldrich..." 

She glanced at her future husband. "Aldrich has been curious about you from the moment you arrived."

Aiden didn't know what to say. He just stood there, frozen.

Liora stepped closer. Her eyes searched his face, and there was no suspicion in them. No jealousy. No coldness. Just kindness. "You look tired," she said softly. "And sad. Like you carry a great weight with you."

Aiden's throat tightened. "I... I carry many things," he managed.

Liora reached out and touched his arm gently. "Whatever it is, I hope you find peace." Her voice was warm. "You are safe here. You are among friends."

“Do you see how beautiful his eyes are, Aldrich?”, Liora says walking towards Aldrich and took his arm.

Aiden's heart ached. This woman…this kind, beautiful woman…was about to marry the man Aiden loved. 

She had no idea. She was innocent in all of this. She was just a woman who had fallen in love with a king.

She didn't deserve what was coming.

Aiden nodded, not trusting his voice. He turned and walked away, leaving the three of them in the courtyard.



Later that night, Aiden sat in his room, staring at the flickering candle on the table. His mind was a storm of thoughts.

He thought of Liora….her kind eyes, her gentle touch. 

She was not a villain. She was not a rival. She was just a woman who had found love in a world that was about to break her.

He thought of Aldrich…his Aldrich, the one who had loved him first. 

The one who had lost everything. The one who had been betrayed by the man who called him brother.

He thought of Regnok…the protector, the friend, the one who had sworn to keep Aiden's secret. 

The one who, according to history, would someday turn on Aldrich and destroy everything.

But Aiden had seen Regnok's pain tonight. He had seen the jealousy in his eyes, the bitterness that festered beneath his loyalty. 

He had seen the seed of something dark, something that could grow into betrayal.

Aiden had a choice.

He could let history play out. He could let Regnok destroy Aldrich's kingdom, let the betrayal happen, and return to the future knowing that he had done nothing to stop it. 

That path would preserve his timeline. It would preserve his Aldrich, the one who loved him. It would preserve their child.

Or he could intervene. He could watch Regnok closely. 

He could expose whatever plans he had before they took root. He could save Aldrich's kingdom, save Liora, save everyone.

But if he did that... if he changed the past...

Aiden closed his eyes. He had already considered this. If he changed the past, Aldrich would never lose his kingdom. 

He would never lose Liora. He would never become the broken, wandering Alpha who had stumbled into Aiden's life. 

He would never fall in love with Aiden. Their child would never exist.

Aiden would be erasing himself. Erasing his love. Erasing the future they had built together.

He pressed his hand to his flat stomach. The baby was gone from here….his spirit was not carrying it in this time. But in the future, in his body, the child still grew. Still waited. Still fought to survive.

Aiden thought of Liora again. She had looked at him with such kindness tonight. She had no idea what fate had in store for her. 

In the history Aldrich had told him, Liora died. Killed in the chaos of the betrayal. A casualty of war. A tragedy that had haunted Aldrich for centuries.

Aiden couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let her die.

And he couldn't let Regnok destroy Aldrich. Not when he had the power to stop it. 

Not when he could see the jealousy growing in Regnok's heart like a poison.

Aiden made his decision.

He would watch Regnok. He would expose whatever plans he had. 

He would save Liora and save Aldrich's kingdom. He would change the past.

‘Even if it meant erasing my own future.’

‘Even if it meant I and Aldrich would never meet.’

‘Even if it meant our child would never exist.’, these thoughts sent tears running down Aiden’s face. 

Aiden's hand trembled on his chest. The tether pulsed, warm and familiar, connecting him to home. To Aldrich….their child.

‘Forgive me’, he whispered into the darkness. ‘Forgive me for what I have to do…I love you Aldrich and you can be happy here without me’