Ch. 136..140: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 136-140

Chapter 136

“Jacks!”

Jackson hears his name called behind him, but he doesn’t register it, or doesn’t care. Instead, he just continues to stride forward in the dark, not really knowing where he’s going, just needing to get…out. Get away. Disappear into the night, into the wilds, into… whatever.

Any place but that castle.

Any place but here.

“Jacks! You asshole!” the voice comes again, closer this time, and Jackson’s instincts make him pay attention to it, his wolf turning inside him to growl at whatever’s coming. “Slow down! I know you can hear me!”

Jackson moves on, determined, but inside him his wolf turns again, raising his nose a little, a whine in his throat. Jackson pushes him away, but the wolf persists, pressing his snout into Jackson’s hand. Come on, the wolf says, listen. It’s Jesse. We like Jesse.

Jackson is the one growling now, insisting that he doesn’t like anyone, but his wolf just nuzzles against his hand, sad, not wanting to run anymore. So Jackson sighs, and slows, and turns when Jesse’s footsteps come near.

“What the hell man,” Jesse says, bending over and panting a little, “I’ve been chasing you for like, twenty minutes!”

“Should have been faster,” Jackson mutters, shrugging and looking away, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

“Don’t be a dick,” Jesse growls. “I’m trying to be nice to you, the least you could do is let

me.”

“Nice to me?” Jackson huffs, turning to glare at Jesse a little. “Do you seriously think that’s going to fix anything?”

“Yeah, Jacks,” Jesse says, standing up straight and crossing his arms, “I think that being nice to you is just going to make Ariel magically not have a second mate. Obviously, that’s what I think.”

Jackson narrows his eyes. “You’re being a jerk, Jesse,” he growls, turning to walk away again. “Jacks!” Jesse groans, and Jackson tugs his arm out of Jesse’s grasp when Jesse grabs it.”

Don’t you get it!? I am being nice to you! This is what people do!”

“What?” Jackson asks, still walking but turning towards the slightly smaller Alpha to glare at him. “Do what? You’re not doing anything – you’re just bothering me –”

“Exactly!” Jesse exclaims, keeping pace with Jackson’s long stride. “That’s what people do! People who care about each other! When something shitty happens, you show up, and you’re just there!”

“That doesn’t do anything,” Jackson grumbles, discontent – but honestly, nothing, really, would work for him right now. Nothing can make this better – nothing will make this better.

Ariel – Ari – his mate. But she’s not really his, is she? He’d thought he’d had her, he’d thought for a blissful couple of days that she was his. That everything was going to be okay. That for once he had…like, a shot at this life, at this thing they call happiness.

But he never really had it, did he?

No, it was all an illusion. Because she was lying the whole time.

“Jackson,” Jesse sighs, grabbing his arm again and making him stop.

Or, well, Jackson agrees to stop – because Jesse…he’s not big enough to actually stop him. But they pause anyway, on the top of a hill, darkness all around. And Jackson hangs his head as he waits, because…well, where is there to go, anyway?

“This is me trying to do something, all right?” Jesse says, his voice softer now, his hand. gentle on Jackson’s arm. “Something shitty happens, and even though they can’t do anything about it, the people who care about you show up. And they hang around. So, please. stop walking away from me and let me do that for you!”

“Why?” Jackson growls, not getting it.

To iu

be there!” Jesse exclaims, throwing out his hands. “To show you that I care,

are, that you’re not alone! To…stop you from throwing yourself into a ditch, or whatever!” Jesse pauses, staring at Jackson, waiting for him to respond, but Jackson just stands perfectly still, staring at him. “Or to throw you into a ditch, if you keep being an asshole about it.”

At this, Jackson huffs a laugh.

“So would you stop running away?” Jesse mutters, crossing his arms now, a little cold in the night air now that he’s not running around after the big devastated Alpha. “I’m trying to… be here for you.”

“Fine,” Jackson says with a shrug. There’s a long moment of silence. “So, what do we do

now?”

“Whatever you want,” Jesse murmurs. “Walk. Sit. Just…exist, if you want to. Or you could…

talk to me about it.”

Jackson stares at Jesse like he’s insane if he thinks that’s going to happen, and to his surprise Jesse bursts out laughing, taking a step forward and clapping a hand on Jackson’s shoulder. “Jacks, seriously, I need you to tell me…did you grow up under a bridge or something? Why don’t you know how to let someone comfort you?”

And Jackson sighs, a long, deep breath, and just looks down at the ground.

And Jesse sighs with him, realizing that…well, that the answer is because nobody ever has comforted him. And Jesse’s heart, like Ariel’s, absolutely breaks for this guy.

“Come on, you weirdo,” Jesse murmurs, pushing on Jackson’s shoulder warmly and turning him a bit. “Let’s do a little walk. You don’t have to say a damn word to me. I’ll just…be here.”

 

Chapter 137

Jackson nods, and to Jesse’s surprise, lets him walk by his side.

They walk for a long time. Jackson is surprised, after a while, at how quiet and stoic Jesse is. Jesse doesn’t sigh or moan that he’s bored, like Jackson thought he would. He doesn’t complain, or fuss, or anything. He just walks quietly at Jackson’s side as they circle the castle, losing themselves in the woods and then along the cliffs that border the northern edge, that overlook the candidate barracks below.

When Jackson pauses at the edge of the cliff, looking far, far north, peering into the dark, Jesse clears his throat.

Jackson scowls, looking over at him. “I thought you said we could not talk?”

“Listen, I tried,” Jesse says, bursting into a grin. “You called my bluff on this one, Jacks. That is the longest I’ve ever been quiet in my entire life.”

“And wasn’t it nice?”

“It was horrible,” Jesse groans, tilting his head back. And Jackson can’t help but smile, because Ariel does that too when she’s being dramatic.

It’s a lot less cute when Jesse does it…but he smiles anyway.

“So,” Jesse says, looking north in the same way Jackson does, into the dark. “I’ve been thinking about it, Jacks, and I gotta say…I’m kind of disappointed in you.”

“What?” Jackson seethes, turning on this guy who just professed to want to help him. Jesse doesn’t flinch, just continues looking north. “I mean, is it really all that bad?”

Jackson groans, lifting his hands to his face and pressing the heels of his palms lightly against his closed eyes. “Unbelievable,” he mutters, starting to get pissed for real.

“No, but seriously,” Jesse says, “think about it this way. What is so good about being mated to my stupid shrimp cousin, anyway? I mean, she’s not that great.”

Jackson drops his hands, gaping at Jesse, “She’s not a stupid shrimp, Jesse,” he bites out, furious. “She’s amazing, that’s what was so great about it! She’s smart, and she’s funny, and she’s nice – and she’s beautiful – and she…she gets me! She’s pretty much the only person in the entire world who gets me. And she’s brave, and I like being around her, even though I hate everyone else you included!”

“See?” Jesse says, breaking into a grin and pointing a finger at Jackson’s chest. “That was a test, and

you passed. Ari is all those things, and if you didn’t recognize how amazing she is I wouldn’t let you date her.”

Jackson’s mouth drops open. “You can’t…not let me date her.”

“Yes I can,” Jesse mutters, waving a dismissive hand, “I can do anything, I’m a Duke. But that’s not important. What is important is that you recognize how great it is that you get

Ariel as your mate you’re the luckiest bastard to ever walk to earth, to have had the

–

Goddess tie her to you. Now.” Jesse nods, moving on like they’re figuring out a math problem. “What’s so bad about sharing her with Luca?”

Jackson pauses, looking for the trick in Jesse’s question.

But even as he looks for it, he knows what the answer is. He stays quiet, not wanting to say it.

“May I venture a guess, as I suspect you ran through your daily quota of words with your last answer?”

Jackson just scowls at him.

“No, you’re right, your weekly quota,” Jesse says, nodding and clapping a hand again on Jackson’s shoulder. “Jacks, what sucks about it is that you have to share her. With Luca, of all damn people. But having to share her – does that

does that mean you lose any of the good things?”

Jackson takes a long moment before he sighs, looking down at the ground. “No,” he murmurs, rueful, “I don’t lose any of the good things just because he’s her mate too. But I…I might lose… her…”

God, the thought of it. Tears prick at Jackson’s eyes again, and he grits his teeth against them, getting sick of all this damn crying. What the hell is with that, anyway? He never cried this much in his life, and now he’s mated for three days and spends half the time wiping salt water off his cheeks.

Jesse, to his credit, pretends not to notice Jackson’s manly sniff, the way he brushes beneath his eyes with his wrists. Instead, Jesse pretends to look at a particularly interesting star for precisely as long as it takes for Jackson to pull himself back together.

“I get it, Jacks, I really do,” Jesse says, quiet, still not looking at Jackson. “The idea of losing her… it’s probably killing you. But there’s no faster way to lose her than to storm out of rooms and let Luca have all the time he wants with her. Luca is charming as hell, man. He’s going to wrap Ari around his finger without you there to stop him.”

Jackson’s jaw drops as he stares first at Jesse and then up at the castle, realizing that Jesse is

right.

“I know you’re scared you’re going to lose her,” Jesse says quietly, “but Jackson – you’re acting like you already have. If that’s your girl, Jacks? Then go and get your girl. Don’t let Luca take her. But also, why are you so afraid that Luca’s going to get her, anyway

Chapter 138

“Because!” Jackson bursts out, tossing out his hands. “It’s Luca fucking Grant, Jesse! Even I had heard of him, and I haven’t heard of anyone! And he’s…he’s good with women! And he can talk to her, and make her laugh! And he’s like…good looking, or whatever! How the hell am I supposed to compete with that!?”

Jesse stares at Jackson for a long moment before a slow grin starts on his face.

Jackson scowls, hating him a little bit. “What?” he snaps. “What are you smiling about? Are you laughing at me? Seriously!?”

“I’m not laughing at you, Jacks,” Jesse says, shaking his head but continuing to smile. “It’s just you have no idea what you have going on, do you? This bridge you grew up under, did

–

it not have a mirror?”

Jackson just stares at Jesse for a long moment before he cocks his head. Because…was that a… compliment? Hidden beneath all of those insults?

“Listen,” Jesse says, reaching an arm around Jackson’s shoulders and pulling him close like he’s sharing a deep secret, “I’m going to speak plainly, so pay attention – because this doesn’t happen often. But Jackson – women like you.”

“How can women like me – I don’t know

I don’t know any women –

“Fine,” Jesse says, grinning, clearly enjoying himself. “When you get to the Capital, and you hang out with all of the girls we’re going to introduce you to? They’re going to like you. Like, a lot – in a romance kind of way. They’re going to like you as much as they like Luca, or more. But none of that matters, because Ariel really likes you, man! Despite all the odds, and in a way that I truly do not get – you make her laugh, just as much as Luca does!”

Jackson lifts his eyes just a little, remembering that they did laugh a lot that night during the Examination, remembering how good it felt to make her laugh. Jesse’s grin deepens. “Luca Grant doesn’t have anything you don’t,” Jesse continues. “Okay? So…stop acting like it’s a done deal. I had to stop Ariel from chasing you out of that room tonight and leaving Luca Grant behind. That is… not insignificant, Jacks. And it’s the only thing you need to be concentrating on right now.”

Jackson turns his head slowly to look back into Jesse’s face, shocked at the weird wisdom of

guy who always seems so flippant, so easy.

this

How…how does he know precisely the right thing to say?

“I’m here for you, man,” Jesse says, tightening his arm and giving Jackson’s shoulders a squeeze. “I’ll even give you a pep talk every day, if you want it.”

“Why?” Jackson asks, baffled about why Jesse is being so damn nice to him right now.

“Because I like you, you idiot!” Jesse laughs, punching Jackson on his arm in playful frustration. “Because you’re my friend, even if you don’t yet realize that I’m yours!”

“Wait, but like…why?” Jackson asks, smiling a little more and shaking his head. “Why do you like me?”

“Oh my god,” Jesse groans, laughing more and dropping his arm from Jackson’s shoulders. Jacks…you seriously need some therapy. I like you because you’re a good guy, and you’re interesting, and you’re…well, you’re so weird that you make me laugh even when you don’t mean to. And also because you’re obsessed with my cousin, who I also like. And because we have the same stupid hobbies of running around and punching things. Why wouldn’t I like you?”

“So, you don’t just….like me because I’m Ariel’s mate?” Jackson’s voice is so hesitant that it breaks Jesse’s heart again.

“No, I’d probably like you more if you weren’t,” Jesse murmurs with a smirk, working hard to hide his impulse to wrap Jackson in a bear hug. “Because now I have to worry about walking in on you guys making out and stuff, which is…not ideal for a friendship.”

Jackson laughs, he can’t help it, and then he nods once, decided. Then, to Jesse’s shock, het starts to stride away, a new confidence in the set of his shoulders.

“Wait!” Jesse calls after him, hurrying to catch up. “Where the hell are you going!?”

“I’m going…” Jackson hesitates, looking between Jesse and the castle, “I’m going back, Jess, to get my girl! Like you just told me to!”

“Oh my god, you weird foundling, don’t do that now – you’ll look desperate!”

“What!?”

“You’ve got to let her sweat a bit!”

“Whatttt the hell,” Jackson moans, covering his face with his hands for what feels like the thousandth time that night. “Why am I supposed to make her wait!?”

“Because, Jacks,” Jesse says, slipping an arm around his shoulders again and making him slow his pace to the castle. “Ariel did you dirty over the past few months, you need to let her feel a little guilty about it, even if just for a night! If you just barge in there and tell her it’s

all okay, then she’ll get the impression that she can do that whenever she wants.”

Chapter 139

“How do know this shit,” Jackson mutters, shaking his head, letting himself be led.

you

“You handle kicking the shit out of the bad guys,” Jesse says, giving Jackson a broad grin. ” I’ll handle the girls. Besides, Rafe and I reserve the right to yell at Ariel tonight. We’ve known her longer, we get first dibs. You come to breakfast at our place tomorrow before the train leaves – really give her a piece of your mind then.‘

“If you say so,” Jackson sighs, his eyes moving upwards to the window he knows is hers or, at least, the one closest to the nook in which she sleeps. There’s still a light on, which means she’s still up.

“Trust me, Jacks,” Jesse says, giving him a little squeeze, “I wouldn’t do you dirty. We’re friends now, after all. Best friends.”

“Don’t push it,” Jackson grumbles. But as the pair walk back into the castle Jackson has to admit… the whole friendship thing, it does have its perks. Even if it involves a lot more talking than he’d prefer.

“So, how’d you know?” Ben murmurs, sitting at the other end of the couch while I stretch my legs between us. He digs into his half–eaten third slice of cake with abandon.

“Benny, my love,” I sigh, lifting another forkful of chocolate icing to my mouth

“You’d better be careful with that word –” Ben says, pointing his fork at me with a wink. ” Men have been beaten tonight for expressing lesser sentiments – ”

“Oh, shut up,” I murmur, rolling my eyes and kicking him, which just makes him laugh. Ben – he’s really been an angel over the past hour or so, cajoling and teasing and being sweet to me by turns, all in the effort to get me back to myself, to make me realize that no permanent damage has been done. After all, all I did was tell the truth.

In…absolutely the most disastrous way possible.

–

Because I didn’t even tell the truth I was so much of a coward that I couldn’t even tell my mates the reality of our situation – I had to wait for them to just stumble upon it. God, what the hell is wrong with me –

“Don’t go

there,” Ben murmurs, leaning back against the arm of the couch now, as Luca so often does, and tapping my foot with his fork. “You’re betraying the cake, and the insane piece of gossip I just handed you, if you just…ignore it and delve into your despair. Honestly, Ariel, I gave you my best distraction. Sooo? How’d you know?”

“Because,” I sigh. “You laugh at all of Rafe’s jokes, Ben, and he’s not that funny.”

Ben goes still and then bursts out laughing. “Yes, he is!”

“No,” I say, smiling and shaking my head at him. “You’re just listening to him with your love earmuffs on. My mom does it to my dad, from whom Rafe gets his sense of humor.”

“Man,” Ben says, hanging his head back, shaking it. “Both of our greatest secrets, which we thought we were doing such a good job of keeping to ourselves, revealed by our laughter…

what are the chances of that.”

I grin at him, but then I lean forward and cock my head. “Benny,” I say, and he lifts his head. to smile at me. “Why did you keep it a secret? I mean, you know that I’d never judge you for it, right? And I have no idea if Rafe or Jesse knows, but I know they wouldn’t care –”

“Even if they wouldn’t care, Ari,” Ben murmurs, smirking a little as he pushes his cake around with a fork, “it would…change things, between us.”

“Do

you think so?” I murmur, curious, and pleased to be distracted from my own drama, even if just for a minute.

“Yeah, I think it would be different,” Ben says, definite. “I mean…Rafe. He’s not interested in

“I don’t know,” I say honestly, raising my eyes to Ben’s face even though he doesn’t look up. “We’ve never talked about whether or not he swings both ways. Though, Ben, I…I don’t think so. Of course, I could be wrong, but…”

“Nah,” Ben says, flicking his eyes up to mine with a little smile. “That’s my impression too. Looks like you got all the luck

huh? Two gorgeous men for you, me…nothing.”

“Benny,” I murmur, leaning forward and rubbing a hand across his knee. “If you…try to pretend you’re jealous of me right now…I’m going to kill you.”

Ben’s face just lights up with a smirk.

Chapter 140

“One, Ariel Sinclair,” Ben says, laughing, “if you tried to kill me, I could take you.”

I laugh too, grinning at him.

“And two,” he continues, and my face falls along with his as real sorrow appears in his eyes, “if you’re asking me if I’m jealous of you having two of the most eligible men in the nation so upset that you’re not singularly in love with them that they’re ready to kill each other?” He leans forward, a bit intent, a bit sorrowful. “Yeah, babe. I’m jealous.‘

“Oh, Ben,” I murmur, setting my plate of cake aside on the coffee table and leaning forward to him, reaching out. “It will be all right – it will all –”

“It won’t, though, will it?” Ben murmurs, taking my hand and looking down at his knees as he squeezes it, sweet and sorrowful and hopeless. “Not if I…if I want him…”

I squeeze his hand back, not knowing what to say, but the door opens and we both turn to it, both of us sighing to see an exhausted Rafe walk through.

“Dafo

“What is this,” Rafe murmurs, his eyes flicking over my hand held in Ben’s, the half–eaten chocolate cake on the coffee table. Ben and I…we really didn’t go easy on it, did we? “A third mate?”

“If only I were so lucky,” Ben sighs, standing up and then bending over to give me a fond kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you, Benji,” I murmur, looking up at him with true gratitude, not yet letting go of his hand just yet. “For being so nice to me.

“Anytime, Princess,” he murmurs, patting my cheek and then standing up straight, looking up at Rafe, the man he loves. “I take it my presence is no longer required?”

“Unfortunately for her,” Rafe murmurs, patting Ben on the shoulder with true gratitude, we need some family time for the next couple of hours.”

“Hours!?” I exclaim, appalled.

“Oh, hours,” Jesse, says, coming silently through the door in a way that would impress an Espionage cadet. “Absolute hours, baby trouble.”

And so Ben makes his way towards the door, preparing to leave us alone.

‘Come to breakfast, Ben!” I call after him, knowing that the morning meal will be served in

rooms tomorrow instead of the Hall so that we all have time to pack. Neither Rafe or Jesse counter me, but after the door clicks shut, my cousin and my brother level their glares evenly on my face.

And I know that I’m in for it now.

“Oh, sit down, you big idiots,” I grumble, shoving myself into the corner of the couch and making plenty of room for them. “Eat some cake while you yell at me. It’s really good.”

Jesse, taking me very seriously, cuts himself a slice and sits neatly across the couch from me in Luca’s usual spot that Ben just vacated. “And aren’t you interested, young lady? In the status of your mate, after I spend so much time consoling him just now?”

“Of course I’m interested, Jesse,” I bite out, getting angry at him for teasing me when he knows I’m obviously dying to know how he left Jackson. “Don’t mess around with it.”

“And which mate would you like an update on first?” Rafe asks, all innocence, curling his legs beneath him and sitting on the floor next to the couch as he reaches for the cake that Jesse slices, puts on a plate, and holds out to him. On the surface Rafe’s being glib, but beneath…

Beneath it all? I can tell he’s mad. Really, really mad.

I sigh, not answering my brother, knowing that it was a rhetorical question anyway. And also, that they wouldn’t have come back to the room if Luca and Jackson weren’t relatively fine.

“Why didn’t you tell us, Ariel?” Rafe asks, more serious now as he looks down at his plate and shakes his head. “You know we would have supported you –”

“That’s a lie, Rafe,” I snap, a little angry myself now – because it’s not like I did this out of complete selfishness. It’s not like I didn’t have my reasons. “You would immediately have sent me back to the Palace if I told you on the first day that I had two mates in the barracks.” Rafe looks up at me and turns his head, considering this for a second. “All right,” he says. Touche, Princess, I absolutely would have. But to let it get to this? To get to here? I mean, fuck, Ariel, you introduced Jackson to our parents as your mate two days ago –

“Which was not a lie!” I protest.

“You did?” Jesse gasps, leaning forward and staring at me. “Ohhh, Luca’s going to be pissed

“I introduced Luca too,” I mutter, glaring at him over my cake. “To mom.

“Oh, so mom knows!?” Rafe asks, turning wide eyes up at me.

“Yeah, mom knows,” I sigh, listening to their forks placidly scraping their plates. “She’s going to tell dad before we get home.” I hesitate for a second, not knowing whether I should ask. “So, are you guys like…mad at me?”

“Yup,” Jesse answers immediately.

“Ariel,” Rafe sighs, and I turn my eyes to him. “I just spent an hour consoling your devastated mate. Luca is wrecked over this and I’m not trying to discount Jacksons‘ feelings in this, or yours, but fuck, girl” he shakes his head. “Seriously? You couldn’t have told us, Jesse and me, so that we could be there for you? Help you figure out how to break it to them? So that we could be prepared for this and not have to shift into our wolves and tear ourselves to pieces to defend you? I mean, Luca is really messed up