Ch. 341..345: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 341-345

Chapter 0341

Because there's no denying it - no denying who he's pointing to, or what he's smiling about.

And there's absolutely no way to pretend that I'm not laughing, and leaning across this barrier, and grinning at him with joy in every inch of me because I don't feel precisely the same.

The crowd screams their approval of their champion and their Princess, and I let it all run through me, and I pass it to him, and let it bolster him.

My Luca, my mate. Our champion.

Luca laughs a little and stares up at me, almost as if he's unable to take his eyes away, and then he brings his glove to his lips, kisses it once, and holds it back out to me briefly before he turns back to his corner, striding over to speak to his uncle and get his head in the game.

I lean back too, away from the barrier, still smiling like crazy, and when I look around at all of my family and friends I see that they're all looking at me, beaming, and I can't help it. I blush, and laugh, and lift my hands to my cheeks.

Because there's no denying it anymore - the whole nation now knows that Luca Grant is my mate. And I'm so damn proud of it that I don't even care.

I think sensing my happiness, my parents beam at me before they turn back to the ring. And Rafe slips an arm around my shoulders, giving me a little squeeze.

"Baby trouble," Jesse sighs, laughing a little and smiling so hard his eyes crinkle at the edges. "Coming to the boxing match to steal the show."

"I'm not stealing a damn thing," I sigh, crossing my arms and shaking my head as I look down at my Alpha mate, watching him pull his robe off and hand it to his uncle before he slips his mouth guard between his teeth. Then Luca crouches down, nodding seriously to his uncle as he receives his final pep talk, and I can't help but admire his cut muscles, his lovely tanned skin. "This is Luca's night. How can it not be? Just...look at him."

And Jesse nods, and refocuses on the match, just like everyone else in the booth. "Yup, Luca's dreamy all right."

"He sure as hell is," Daphne murmurs, her voice appreciative, and as I laugh and grin at her I don't miss Rafe's tiny jealous scowl. "Damn, did I miss it?" Ben asks, arriving at Daphne's side, and my smile deepens when I see that his skin is back to its normal hue, that his eyes are shiny with excitement again.

"You didn't miss anything, Benny," I assure him, giving him a happy smile that lets him know that I'm glad he's back. Ben gives me a wink and a little nod, letting me know that he's fine.

The mood in the stadium shifts significantly, though, a moment later. I tear my eyes from Ben and quickly move them back to the ring as a huge pulse of bass sound moves through the stadium. My stomach drops as my eyes turn, as everyone else's does, towards where the lights are now lighting the tunnel on the western side of the arena-

The tunnel towards the dressing room of the Atalaxian champion.

I inhale a deep breath as shadows start to appear at the door to the dressing room. I instinctually take a step closer to Rafe, though I don't tear my eyes away from the figures that start to emerge.

"Oh my god," Jesse breathes next to me, but I don't have to ask why.

At the center of the group of people that emerges, walking in time to the pounding music that the stadium plays for them, is an absolutely gigantic man.

My jaw drops when I see the way that he towers over his coaches and trainers, at the way they almost have to scurry to keep up with his long stride.

"What the fuck," Rafe snaps out, and I briefly glance up towards him before fixing my eyes again on the man who can only be the Atalaxian champion, dressed like Luca is in a boxing robe, his fists already laced into his gloves.

"What?" I ask, frantic now, worried at the size of this man but also because Jesse and Rafe - they're not reacting very well either, are they? "What is it? What's wrong?"

Chapter 0342

"He's fucking huge," Jesse whispers, and when I glance at my cousin I see that his brows are knit together as he addresses Rafe over my head.

"Is that bad?" I burst out.

"Of course it's bad, Ari," Rafe growls, though I can tell his anger isn't for me. He flicks his gaze at me before snapping it up to meet Jesse. "This must be some kind of mistake -"

"It's no fucking mistake," Jesse growls out, tossing a hand towards the man as he strides down the corridor towards the ring." Obviously, they've sent a ringer."

Almost as if everyone's realizing it just as Jesse does, the crowd starts to echo with boo's, enough of them to carry out over the pounding music as the Atalaxian champion reaches the ring. The announcer, standing again at the center of the ring, looks around the room anxiously.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of Moon Valley, please welcome your contender - Anton Spiriatos of Atalaxia!" He smiles widely, raising a hand up to try to elicit a cheer, but the boo's just get louder.

"What's a ringer?" I gasp, glancing between my brother, and my cousin, and Luca down in the corner of his ring. Luca leans casually back against the ropes in his corner, perfectly at ease, studying his opponent. I work very, very hard to keep all of my anxiety to myself, not wanting to pass it down our bond.

But god, it's hard. All I want to do is reach out to him - to ask how he feels to see if he's as freaked out as I am.

"A ringer," Rafe growls, soft, in my direction, "is a guaranteed win, a cheat."

"What?" I gasp, spinning my head to stare up at him. "But - but Luca's so good! We were all just saying that he can't possibly lose! You had such faith in him a moment ago!"

"Faith that's well placed," Jesse bites out, again gesturing towards the ring, "when Luca's fighting in his weight class! But this guy - god, Ari, you can see it, I know you can. He outweighs Luca by at least thirty pounds!"

I snap my head back to the ring and assess the boxer again. Jesse's right - the man is much taller than Luca - is potentially as tall as Rafe, and my dad, and Jackson. Maybe taller, even - it's hard to tell from up high in this box. And he's insanely well-muscled. Luca - he's built, certainly, for the fight - but his musculature is much leaner than this man's.

"We have to call this off," Rafe grits, turning towards my dad.

"What!?" I gasp, desperately worried now - because Rafe, he knows what a big deal that is. I move swiftly, peering around my brother to see my dad already there, moving towards us. Daphne and Ben scurry back, making room.

"We can't call anything off," dad says, shaking his head as he meets Rafe's eyes and then mine. "Everything, on paper, is legit." "What?" I ask, stepping forward. Mom peers around dad in the same way that I'm peering around Rafe, and I can tell that she - like me - is deeply concerned but not truly understanding what's going on.

"How is that possible!?" Rafe bursts out. I feel a presence at my back and glance over my shoulder to see Jesse standing right there, backing me up. "That guy is -"

"They did weigh-in yesterday," dad growls, holding Rafe's gaze. "I don't' know how they did it - some kind of trick - but that champion and Luca are somehow in the same class."

"And Luca would never back down," Jesse murmurs, angry.

I look frantically around at my family and friends, trying to put the pieces together, my breath coming quick. "Please," I say, throwing out my hands, stepping forward, begging, "please will someone tell me what is happening here!?"

"Some kind of dirty trick, Ariel," my Uncle Roger says, stepping forward and holding my gaze. "They found a way to lie about their boxer's weight and class, and then sent in that monster as a guaranteed way to take Luca - and Moon Valley - down."

"But..." I say, my eyes wide, glancing down towards Luca now - who still, to his credit, looks perfectly confident. "Isn't that... dangerous?"

"It's incredibly dangerous," Roger replies, his voice low.

Chapter 0343

I snap my eyes back to my uncle and a rush of gratitude runs through me that he's not lying or sugar coating this to make me feel better. "Luca could get seriously hurt if he fights," Roger says, holding my gaze.

"Well, don't let him fight!" I gasp, spinning back to the edge of the box, leaning over it and staring horrified at Luca, who pushes himself up from the ropes and moves to the center of the ring, where the Atalaxian boxer is moving as well.

Rafe grabs my arm, holding me back. "It's too late, Ari," Rafe growls. "He's clearly taking the fight. He knows what's at stake. He's seeing what we're seeing and he knows what it means better than we do, surely. But clearly, he's taking it."

I watch in horror as Luca steps close to the Atlaxian champion, staring with grit up into his face, Luca's arms hanging loose at his sides. There's confidence in every line of him - so much of it that it makes me second-guess how freaked out I am.

Luca - he's stubborn, but he's not stupid, right?

If this match gave him no chance to win - surely he'd back down.

Right?

"Maybe we're over-reacting," Jesse murmurs, glancing between me, and Rafe, and the rest of our family and friends. "Luca's beat bigger guys before - he kicks your ass all the time at school, Rafe."

"Jackson too," Ben adds, stepping closer and glancing at me, I think wanting to offer support and encouragement. My eyes go up a little bit at this - Luca beats Jackson?

"Yeah, he beats us in boxing, because Luca's a trained championship boxer," Rafe says, casting a hand out towards the ring. "Just like that guy right there. The size difference means more when they both have the same education and experience."

Ben just shakes his head, crossing his arms. "Luca is...a bulldog," he murmurs, staring down into the ring. "I hear what everyone's saying - but Luca's fast, and he's determined. Small guys win fights all the time. I'm not counting him out just yet."

I find my gaze following Ben's, focusing on my mate down below as he stares up at the Atalaxian champion, both of them listening to the ref's instructions and nodding their agreement to a fair fight.

I jump a little as the Ref claps his hands, hard, once, and then Luca and the Atalaxian champion spring away from each other, tapping their gloves against each other just once before moving to their respective sides of the ring.

And then the bell goes off, and my spine stiffens, and my eyes go wide as I place my hands on the wall of our box. Because the debate is over now.

The fight has started.

And for better or worse, Luca's in it.

The announcer's voice comes over the loudspeaker, speaking so swiftly that he almost sounds like an auctioneer. As Luca and the Atalaxian circle each other, the announcer quickly gives a short biography of both. Luca's I know - but the Atalaxian's history as a decorated soldier on the front line of the war?

That does nothing to settle my nerves.

Suddenly, the two boxers engage, and I gasp at the speed with which they move. The Atalaxian's right arm shoots out, quick as an adder, heading right for Luca's head -

But Ben was right, and my face bursts into a smile when I see that Luca is faster than he is. Luca ducks low, letting the arm float over his head, and then uses the power of his crouch to launch himself back up, twisting his body and swinging a mighty left hook directly into the Atalaxian's face.

The Atalaxian goes stumbling and the crowd suddenly roars for Luca, me with them. Luca - my bold mate- laughs, of all things, watching his opponent gain his feet. Hope and faith swells in me then, as well as guilt for doubting him -

Because Luca, abandon a fight just because the other guy is bigger than him?

Well, he's never done it before. Why would he start now?

When the Atalaxian finds his feet again, Luca's face falls into more serious lines and he puts his fist back up, getting back into is serious boxer's stance. The two continue to dance around each other, trading what feel like more cursory, experimental blows, each of them looking for an opening.

I glance up at Jesse, and then at Rafe, always returning my eyes to the ring, not wanting to miss any of it. "What are you seeing?" I murmur, wanting their opinion.

"Luca's a better boxer," Rafe murmurs back, and my eyes flick to the right when I see Daphne move closer, squeezing in front of Rafe so that he looks over her head. He puts a casual hand on her waist as she moves closer to me, pressing her arm briefly against mine to let me know that she's here.

 

Chapter 0344

I give her a little smile, grateful for her support, and then turn my attention back to my brother.

"Luca's better?" I ask, looking back towards the ring. "How do you know?"

"Watch how he moves," Rafe instructs, and I do as I'm bid. "See how Luca's always one step ahead? He knows what the Atalaxian is going to do before he does it."

I watch carefully and blink when I realize that Rafe is right - that Luca's running the show down there. Every time the Atalaxian swings his fist, Luca's already on it- either dodging the punch, or twisting to absorb it on his side, or taking the hit and using the opening to deliver a more powerful blow himself.

I lean forward, eager, watching Luca deliver a seriously powerful set of three jabs to the Atalaxian's face, so fast that his opponent barely has time to register them before they're all delivered. The Atalaxian stumbles back, blood dripping from his nose, and the crowd goes wild as the ref steps in - putting his hands out between them so that the Atalaxian has a moment to wipe at his face.

Luca takes that moment to turn towards the crowds, raising his fist up and shouting out at all of us, raising a huge cheer from the vast majority of the people in the stadium - indeed, only the Atalaxians are silent.

It's only then when I realize that we've all been so quiet - and that Luca noticed. That everyone noticed that the foreign champion outweighs Luca, and that Luca's chances got a lot harder. That we all got worried and lost a bit of faith.

But Luca - he's not letting that happen,

As the Atalaxian puts his fists up again, Luca shouts out to the crowd, raising his hands, asking for their support. Our nation's people give it, instantly, loving our champion for his spirit and his skill. Only when we're cheering again at that fever pitch does Luca turn back to his opponent, and I can almost feel the excitement and bloodlust pulsing through my mate's veins.

I grin down at him, bolstered, excited again.

My mate - he's going to win this.

I can feel it.

Only Jesse's tension at my side throws me off.

"What?" I ask, glancing up at Jesse, who has his arms crossed and who isn't

cheering along with the rest of us as the round continues. "What's wrong? What are you thinking?"

He glances at me and shakes his head. "Luca's the better fighter, Ariel, that's absolutely undeinable."

"So?" I ask, pushing him. He grimaces a little like he doesn't want to tell me, so I smack him on the arm, getting frustrated. *Jesse! Tell me!"

He huffs a frustrated sigh and then glances between me and the ring. "Luca can be the better fighter, and have all the support, and be winning every round all he wants, Ari. But thirty pounds of muscle isn't something to discount. One good hit - that's all the Atalaxian champion needs."

"What do you mean?" I ask, my face falling, my words breathless.

"I mean," Jesse says, under his breath a little now, his voice almost guilty that he has to break the news to me this way, "that Luca can win every round in points, but if he gets knocked out?" Slowly, Jesse shakes his head. "Then, it doesn't matter how good he is. The Atalaxian still wins."

I bite my lip, turning back to the ring, anxious again.

I turn my eyes to the enemy now, watching him absorb blow after blow from Luca's fists as if they're nothing. His eyes are fixed, patient, on my mate's face and body. Waiting.

Waiting for that one opening - the only one he'll need.

To deliver the blow that ends the whole thing.

"God damn it," I whisper, suddenly terrified.

"We have to wait, Ari," Jesse murmurs, stepping closer to me, wanting to keep the faith just as much as I do. "Twelve rounds. He just has to make it through twelve rounds, and he'll walk away from this just fine."

"What happens if he doesn't make it twelve rounds?" I whisper, turning frightened eyes up to my cousin.

But Jesse just grimaces and turns his face back to the match before us.

His silence is answer enough.

Chapter 0345

 

The bell rings again suddenly, making me jump, but Luca and the Atalaxian drop their fists mid-fight and turn away from each other, each heading immediately to their respective corners. I know enough about the basics of boxing to know that this is the end of the round, but well, I don't know precisely what that means.

"What's happening?" I murmur, turning my face up towards my brother, my hands tense on the wall of the box.

"Tiny break," Rafe says with a sigh, looking down at me. He frowns for a second, looking around, and then spots my glass of white wine on the edge of the box. He picks it up and pushes it towards me. "Here, Ariel - have some of this. You're freaking out."

"Of course I'm freaking out," I growl, ignoring the glass of wine at first. But when he raises his eyebrow at me I scowl and snatch it out of his hand, taking a long swig of it.

"He's doing good, Ari," Daphne says, biting her lip and looking down at the ring. "At least... I think he is?"

"No, your instincts are right, Daph," Jesse says, stepping closer to me. Ben comes close on Rafe's other side, clearly wanting to hear what Jesse says.

Jesse points down towards the ring at table, where three men and one woman sit, consulting seriously. "Those are the judges," he murmurs. "They decide who wins each round."

"So it's that simple?" Daphne asks, looking between all the boys. "Just...whoever wins the most rounds wins the whole thing?"

"Theoretically, yes," Ben murmurs with a shrug, peering down at Luca. I follow his gaze, staring down at my mate, a little bolstered to see that Luca looks absolutely fine. He's sitting on a little stool in his corner, and his uncle is leaning in to whisper in his ear, rubbing his shoulders as he does.

"Well, what about in actuality?" Daphne asks, anxious.

"Knockout," Rafe says softly in her ear, and I suspect that he's whispering so I won't hear it, "trumps all scores."

"Oh," Daphne says, giving me an anxious little glance that makes me groan and drain my glass of wine.

"Ooookay," Jesse says, giving me a hearty pat on the back that makes me stumble forward a few step. "We have about thirty seconds for tequila - let's do this!"

"What!?" I gasp, spinning and watching him basically sprint from the bar.

"He's not wrong, Ari," Rafe says with a sigh. I spin to stare at him, slack-jawed. He just gives me a sad little smile with a shrug. "You need to calm down. We all need to calm down, and get a little looser, and cheer for our friend. Us sitting up here tense and frowning isn't going to do anything to help him."

"Yeah, well, neither is us just being bombed," I murmur as Jesse comes back almost too quickly with a tray of shots, each with a little lime perched on the edge.

"Ohhh, clever boy," Cora says, budging in between us to take two shots off the edge of the tray. "I knew you were my favorite." She gives him a little wink and me a sad, anxious smile as she moves back to her place on Ben's other side, handing her second shot to my mom.

Roger scoffs in protest as mom and Cora clink their glasses together and throw back the tequila. "Darling wife! Where is mine!?"

"Probably back at the bar," Cora says, flinching at the harsh bite of the liquor and grinning up at him. "Go get it!" Roger moans but does as he's told, slumping off towards the bar as Jesse hands out the rest of the shots.

Despite myself, I find myself laughing at my family and friends all raise their glasses, toasting to my mate. And as I throw back my own shot, and close my eyes a moment as it slips down my throat, I realize that Jesse and Rafe are right - that I need to relax, for Luca's sake.

When I turn back to the edge of the box, I'm a little surprised to see Luca's face turned up towards me, a little question in his eyes. But I just wink, and raise my empty shot glass in his direction, and Luca bursts into a grin.

Because if I were really worried about him, I wouldn't be partying, would I?

Or, at least, Jesse knew that's how it would look. Luca nods once to me and sets his shoulders, getting to his feet as the ref walks again to the center of the ring.

"Thank you," I murmur to Jesse as he comes back to my side, and I lean my body weight against him. "You're clever and you're thoughtful, and I see that, even if you try to hide it."