Ch. 346..350: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 346-350

Chapter 0346

"Just don't blow my cover," he murmurs, rubbing my back for a moment as the bell sounds again and the fight starts anew.

I watch carefully as Luca and the Atalaxian champion come together again and again, sometimes trading blows, sometimes moving in fast just to dodge away again. Luca, I notice, gets in quite a few combinations that look very impressive and which always make the crowds cheer. But Rafe, still standing close at my side, doesn't cheer along.

I can't help glancing up at him, wondering what he's seeing that others aren't. Because to all means, it looks like Luca is doing much better than our enemy. "Tell me," I urge, somewhere in the third round.

Rafe glances down at me for a second, I think deciding whether or not I actually want to hear it, but when I look up at him with pleading eyes he leans closer to me. Luca's doing great," he says, and I nod, recognizing that. "But, tell me what you're seeing with the Atalaxian."

I turn my eyes back to the ring, studying him. "He's advancing a lot," I say, narrating what I see happening in front of us, and slightly below. The ring - it's really not very far at all - close enough for me to see Luca's muscles shake whenever he delivers one of his shattering blows. "But not...not punching very much?"

"Look harder," Rafe murmurs, instructing me and sounding a lot like dad.

I frown a little, trying to figure it out. And then, as I watch more closely, I realize that the Atalaxian is landing a lot of blows, just not to Luca's face. "He's hitting Luca a lot in the sides," I say quietly, as if it's a secret between us. "Whereas Luca's hitting the Atalaxian a lot in the head."

"Good," Rate murmurs, and Daphne glances up at us, likewise listening and wanting to learn more. "I think that's both of their strategy laid out." "Okay," I huff, rolling my eyes a little, "and in terms I can understand, now?"

Rafe smirks a little. "Luca's strategy is to beat the shit out of him, to hurt him as much as he can as early as he can, to get as many points from the judges as possible." "Sensible," Daphne murmurs, her eyebrows going up.

"Indeed," Rafe says, glancing down at her, pleased, before he continues. "But the Atalaxian - he's playing the long game here. See how he's making Luca dance, always pressing him?"

I watch carefully, and see that Luca is indeed moving his feet probably twice as much as the Atalaxian, always dodging backwards, always getting out of the way as the Atalaxian moves steadily forward.

"What's that mean?" I whisper.

"It means that he's wearing Luca down," Rafe says, his voice a little grave. "And see all those body blows?" Rafe raises his chin now to where the Atalaxian hits Luca again and again in the sides and the ribs.

"Yes?" Daphne says, her voice distracted as she keeps her eyes trained on Luca.

"Those are agonizing," Rafe says, probably from experience. "Especially that often, again and again? They're exhausting, and they make you want more than anything - to drop your hands and block the blows."

"Which leaves your head open..." I murmur, my eyes going wide as I put it all together.

"For the knock-out blow," Rafe finishes, nodding, worry all over his expression.

"Shit," Daphne says as she figures it out alongside me.

"He's wearing Luca down," I whisper, suddenly horribly anxious again. "So that he can finally make that big swing that will take Luca out. What's Luca's recourse here?" "To not get tired," Rafe says, his voice a little sarcastic, because that's basically impossible. "Or to go on major offensives, which he's trying to do - to get this asshole against the ropes and just wail on him. But the Atalaxian - he's not weak enough for that yet."

"Shit," I sigh, folding my arms over each other. "So now it's just a waiting game? To see who runs out of steam first?"

"Yup," Rafe says.

"Tequila?" Jesse offers, holding out another shot to me. I sigh, but feeling the anxiety raising in my best at this new perspective on the fight - I accept it from his hand. The shots go around again, and we all drink, and train our anxious eyes back on the fight.

 

Chapter 0347

 

Round after round passes, and I'm devastated when I start to see Luca flagging. It's not obvious - not to anyone but those of us who know him intimately. But his blows - they're a little bit slower. His footwork just the tiniest bit sloppier.

He also stops showboating a bit between rounds, instead heading straight to his corner to have a tense discussion with his uncle. The crowd still roars for him, and he's still winning round after round on skill alone...

But.

I can see Rafe's point that what the Atalaxian is trying to do here is not demonstrate his skill, or play fair, or put on any display of ability. No, he's just here to bide his time, to wait for his opportunity, to wear down his opponent, and then strike when the iron is hot.

I glance, just once, at my father and my uncle, who stand tensely together, watching the bout. And I wonder if this has been the method of their opponent for twenty years - if this has been the Atalaxian way.

Or, perhaps, if this kind of brutality is something new. The way dad and Roger talk quietly to each other, their eyes fixed on the bout, lets me know that something, al least, is intriguing them here. That this is not just an opportunity to watch a promixing young fighter in the ring that they're learning something.

And I'm quite desperate, suddenly, to know what.

But my eyes are drawn instantly back to the ring when there's a huge gasp and then a cheer form the crowd. I lean forward, my eyes focusing on Luca as I realize that he's making a big move - that he's somehow got the Atalaxian back on the ropes - as Rafe said that he had to- and that he's swinging like mad now, landing blow after blow around the Atalaxian's face and head.

Hope swells in me suddenly and my fingers tighten on the wall - but then I gasp along with everyone else as the Atalaxian lets out an insane roar and thrust himself up from the ropes, swinging wildly for Luca.

Luca stumbles back, getting out of the way fast as the Atalaxian barrels forward like a bull, clearly out of control and in a complete rage. His blows are uncoordinated and wild, easy for Luca to dodge, but the surprise on Luca's face lets me know that this is unexpected - and unprecedented. And that even though he found a way to get the enemy on the ropes, he's not going to have an easy time keeping them there.

The two fighters find their footing, coming back together, but I shake my head suddenly - because the Atalaxian, something is different now.

There's a rage in his eyes as he stares at Luca - his cool patience totally gone.

My breath comes in fast pants now as I look between them, as I watch the Atalaxian move forward with a new aggression.

As I realize that the bout has...changed.

And not in Luca's favor.

I gasp suddenly as the boxer moves forward, his fists lashing out, moving insanely fast, roaring as he goes. Luca falls back as he's done before - but he's tired now, his feet moving slower, and the Atalaxian's hook lands. Hard.

My hands fly to my mouth in horror as Luca's face snaps to the side, as he stumbles back against the ropes, as the Atalaxian comers him there and starts to pound on him. Luca grits his teeth and puts his hands up, protecting his head. But I see him gasp in pain as the enemy hits him again and again in the ribs - always in the same spot harder and harder each time-

I feel it, viscerally, when Luca's rib snaps -

I cry out in pain, my hand going to my own side, feeling it along with him as Luca loses control of his emotions and they all come flooding to me along the band in his panic.

Luca gives a mighty shout, throwing himself bodily at the boxer, desperate to get away - to stop the next blow from landing and doing worse damage to his side- "His rib!" I gasp, looking desperately up at Rafe, who looks between me and Luca in shock-

Luca gets between the other boxer's arms so neither of them can land any big blows, pushing him back. The ref works hard to step between them, attempting to wrench the boxers apart, but the Atalaxian smirks and starts to pound a series of little rabbit punches right into Luca's broken rib, where he knows it will hurt most.

I gasp again, falling to the side against Rafe with a moan as I feel the agony start to echo through Luca, feel the blinding pain race through me.

 

Chapter 0348

"Ariel!" Rafe shouts, his arms going around me, holding me close. I press my eyes shut, my hand pressed to my side.

The bell rings, stopping the round-thank god - and I can feel Luca's relief. But still, the pain radiates, and I stay pressed to my brother's side. "Ariel!" my mom gasps, suddenly next to me. "What the -*

"She's feeling it, mom!" Rafe says, his voice shaking with his anxiety. "I don't know how - but his ribs - whatever happened, she's feeling it too -*

"Oh my god," my mom says as my dad comes rushing to my other side, as our family and friends simultaneously make space for us even as they stand between us and the low wall of the box, shielding us from prying eyes.

Mom looks frantically at my dad. "Dominic," she murmurs, "is this possible? Can she get hurt because he's getting hurt?"

"Let me see," dad murmurs, coming close and feeling at my ribs where I gesture.

"They're broken," I gasp, shaking my head, desperately afraid and trying to look back towards my mate. "Luca's ribs are broken!" I'm panting now in my fear, my pain, my desperation.

My dad's hand moves firmly over my side. "Cora!" he shouts, and she's there in an instant. He murmurs to her, and her hand is instantly on my side too. She looks up at my dad and shakes her head, her eyes wide.

Dad catches my face between his hands, making me look at him. "His ribs might be broken, Ariel," dad murmurs. "But yours are not. Okay? You are feeling it down the bond - but all of it is his pain, not yours - you can control this -"

"Is that possible!?" mom gasps, looking between me and my dad.

"Yes," dad murmurs, glancing at her. "They're young - they don't know how to control it. Ariel!" He snaps his fingers in front of my face, drawing my attention back to him. "You have to close it down. The bond - close your end of it, just for now, or else you'll feel everything he's feeling - and he'll feel everything you're feeling - and that will not help him right now. Okay!?"

Dad's barking his words out by the end and I focus on his face, trying so hard.

"Come on, baby," mom says, slipping her hands over my shoulders and stepping between me and my dad. "Deep breaths, do it with me." And I focus on my mom's face, and close my eyes when she closes hers, and then I feel the calming lavender of her gift sweep over me. She's not healing me now - I know - though I desperately wonder for a second if her gift can heal Luca through me -

But no, there's no time for that -

Instead, I just trust in mom's light, trust in her as she guides me down into my soul to where my bonds are. There, I find it - my sweet, shining, silver bond with Luca - and I can feel all of his pain radiating down it.

I breathe deeply with my mom and then take hold of the bond gently in my mental hands, and then as she said - just...gently pinch it off, holding it between my fingertips.

"Just for now," I whisper to myself, perhaps aloud - perhaps in my own head - I don't know. I don't really care. "Just...for now."

"That's right, sweetheart," mom says. I open my eyes to see her smiling at me, and I blink a few times before I realize that... that all of the pain is gone. I look down at my ribs and realize - of course - that they're not broken. That I'm fine.

"What... what's happening..." I ask, my voice shaking a bit as I look between my parents.

"It's okay, trouble," dad murmurs, stepping close to me and wrapping me in a big hug. "It's normal - you just...you're feeling everything Luca's feeling, because you two haven't really practiced yet. It will take time-

But there's no time for this either, as the bell rings again, and I gasp, realizing that the fight is beginning.

I push hard against my dad's arms, desperate to get back to the barrier of our box, and he hesitates for a moment - worried - before he lets me go. Then I'm dashing to the side, holding tight to my bond in my mind, desperate to see what happens next.

 

 

Chapter 0349

Luca, I'm horrified to see, is not the same as he was at the beginning of the fight. Gone is the brash young man, all confidence and vigor. Now, as Ben said, all that's left is the bulldag: grim determination, his jaw set as he moves into the ring.

The Atalaxian, I can see, is likewise changed. He knows he has the advantage now-knows that Luce has quite a literal soft spot in his side. And as they come back together, the Atalaxian goes right for it.

My eyebrows raise, my breath hitching as Luca dodges the fist that the Atalaxian aims directly for his wounded rib, as Luca moves nimbly away and dodges around to his opponent's side, landing a blow on the Atalaxian's cheek that makes him stumble back.

As I watch I feel my fingers slip on my bond with Luca, desperate to know how he's feeling kind of shocked, really, at how much the emptiness echoes between us now that I've closed it off. I hadn't realized, I guess, how much information I was getting down the bond from him- even when I wasn't trying to, even when he's far away.

But the moment that his emotions start to seep through again it's immediately blinding pain, and I gaso - my knees going a bit weak and I squeeze my fingers shut.

Luca - how is he doing this? How is he still fighting when his body is in that much agony?

The Atalaxian turns towards him now, working hard to back Luca into the ropes again. I clench my hands under my chin as I watch Luce fight hard to change the flow of the fight, to be on the offense instead of the defense. But the Atalaxian - he's got his teeth in it now.

Suddenly, the tice shifts again and my mouth falls open in a gasp as I see the Luca shoot out one hell of a punch, connecting directly with the Atalaxian's already-bloody nose-

But in doing so, Luce left his wounded rib right open.

Which is precisely what the Atalaxian wanted

The Atalaxian almost smiles as he winds his arm up and punches, hard-bone-shatteringly hard into Luca's right side.

I scream as I watch Luca crumple against the pain, dodging his body desperately away from the Atalaxian's fist, and in doing so dropping his hands-

Dropping his hands away from his face, precisely the opening that the Atalaxian was waiting for all night long

The blow comes hard, and fast, the Atalaxian's fist ripping across Luca's ear and cheek with a sickening smack that sends my mate immediately to the ground.

Everyone in the stadium shouts, and moans, and screams - but I think that mine caries out over them all as I stare at my mate laying senseless on the canvas.

I scream my mate's name, desperately scared for him, and I'm hanging halfway over the wall of our box in my desperation to get closer. I feel a hand grabbing for my arm, but I smack it away, my nails extending razor-sharp, refusing to be pulled back

The Atalaxian dodges away from Luca, moving to the center of the ring with his fists still up, like he's ready to punch Luca down again the moment he stands.

But Luca - he doesn't stand.

My breath is shallow in my lungs, like I can't pull it in any deeper, and I can't see anything - anything else in the world right now except the back of Luca's head as he lays limp on the mat.

The ref clodges over, looking down at him, demanding that he stand.

But there's no response from Luca, who lays stil.

The ref, to my horror, begins to count.

I look desperately around now, knowing that Luca only has ten seconds

I look at his uncle, who runs around the ring to shout Into Luca's face, begging him to get up-

I look at his mother, Linda's arms around Gran's shoulders, Gran's face pressed devastated Into Linda's side-

My eyes dart back to Luca now when I see his shoulders twich - can see the desire in him to get up- "Two!" the ref shouts, his counting too slow as time seems to drift.

And then suddenly I'm moving - without a thought I can't help it. My legs are over the wall to the box, and I'm falling the short distance to the seats below us. My heeled shoes hit the ground with a clatter and miraculously can't break - there are shouts around me as people turn to see what the hell is going on

"Three!"

But as soon as my people see me rise and start to move towards my mate, they make way, pushing each other aside so that there's room for me-

Room for me to run - to get to the aisle - to start down towards the ring itself -

Chapter 0350

 

"Four!"

I hear my name being shouted behind me my family-but there's no time and it doesn't matter if it's not safe

I'm moving fast, thanks to my wolf instincts and my training at the academy, and I can feel my canines elongating to points in my feracity as a snarl rips from my lips, because if anyone tries to stop me right now - I'll rip them to shreds.

"Luca!" I scream, just as the ref shouts "Five!" counting down the moments until Luce is timed out.

Luca's uncle spins when he hears my voice behind him, his eyes going wide. I think he says my name in protest, putting out a hand to stop me, but I shove him aside, throwing myself against the side of the ring, desperately trying to scramble into it. I shout Luca's name again.

"You can't go in!" I hear Bruce shouting behind me, his hands on my hips, pulling me back. "If you go in, Ariel, he'll be disqualified!"

Something about that rings sense to me, and I shoot a glance back at Bruce alongside a snarl to make him see that I understand, but then I'm moving again, positioning myself, trying to get as close to Luca as I can.

"Sk!" the ref shouts, and I see Luce struggling now - see his eyes fluttering as he tries to pull himself together.

"Luca!" I cry again, my hand pounding on the canvas mat, trying to get his attention as I lean as far in as I can. But it's not working - he's not listening to me-

So I do the only thing I can.

I let go of the hold on our bond, and let it all flood me in a moment-

All of Luca's agony - his pain - his fear - his desperation to get up, to continue fighting, to win-

His weakness, his confusion, and again - again, always-that physical agony that threatens to overwhelm me.

My own eyes flutter back in my head as I'm almost taken down by it.

"Seven!" I can hear the ref's voice hesitating now as he sees me there the nation's Princess - trying to support her mate

Luca - everything he's feeling - it's like a tidal wave, and it threatens to sweep me away.

But it's not stronger than me-not stronger than everything I have all my faith, and my strength, and my love - my love for him, my love for our nation, for our people. And I push it all towards Luca, pushing back against that flood of pain, and I give it to him. I let his pain sweep through me, taking all of it, as I push all of my faith and strength towards him.

Oddly, insanely, at this moment, I think of Jackson.

I think of him passing his strength to me during the Examination - that persistent, unyielding strength. "Fight!"

Because I never, ever thought of what it felt like to him if he had to take an my agony to give me his strength, if our bond opened both ways.

God, and he never said a thing-when here I am, almost collapsing under the strain.

"Too good." I murmur, working hard to dig my nails into the mat, to stay conscious.

And as I do, I see Luca's shoulders raise, see him push himself up, see his eyes lock with mine.

And it's enough.

I can see it, immediately, as the ref shouts out the ninth count, that this faith this gift it's enough. I watch as Luca gathers himself, as he pushes himself up, getting his feat beneath him. He holds a hand out towards the ref, asking for a moment to catch his breath-

The ref nads, and steps back, and Luca pants as he gets his weight up over his knees, and then pushes himself up, his eyes still locked on mine.

But the count stops.

And I nod, staring at him, my jaw clenched, my nails still dug into the canvas of the mat. Go, I say, directly into his mind. Finish this.

Luca stares at me, hard, and gives me a single nad before turning back to his opponent.

And the stadium - it erupts in noise.

The citizens of moon valley- they scream for him- scream for us - scream for the persistence of Luca's heart, scream for freedom, and hope, and everything we represent. And inside, my heart sings, and my wolf howls, screaming along with them.

As the crowd roers for him, Luca raises his fists again to eye level, and as he does I feel something shift in our bond. He takes the pain back - some of it, just enough to keep him sharp. And in exchange, he gives me back some of my faith and passion, along with a great deal of his love.

And then, Luca really begins to fight.