Ch. 376..380: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 376-380

Chapter 0376

"That's it," I say, finishing up. And Luca turns back to me, glaring a little, seeking more than that- wanting an apology, for me to say that I regret it, that I did him wrong.

But I lift my chin, just slightly, and don't say anything else. Because I don't regret it - and I didn't do anything wrong. I am sorry that I hurt his feelings, and that it came out looking like I betrayed him.

But.

I don't regret it, and I'm not lying. My wolf's intentions aside - because those are her own business - I didn't do anything to betray Luca. Not a damn thing.

Luca studies me for a long moment, still clearly angry and feeling betrayed. Then he takes a single step towards me, looking at me hard. "Did you fuck him last night?" Content belong to NôvelDráma. Org.

My mouth drops open as I stare at him, appalled.

The room bursts into noise as Jesse shouts "whoa!" and Rafe storms forward, snapping out Luca's name. Jackson growls, low and resonant, but he tucks himself against his bedroom wall, his arms crossed, his head down, clearly working very hard to not engage and to let me handle it.

Jesse and Rafe stand steady at my sides, glowering at Luca, but Luca doesn't look at either of them. He just keeps his eyes fixed on me.

"No, Luca," I say, crossing my arms and lifting my chin. "I didn't."

My wolf nips at me, hard, reminding me that I very much wanted to - and that I would have - and that I wouldn't have the opportunity to be so high and mighty about this if Jackson had given me what I wanted.

But, well. This just proves that Jackson was right, doesn't it? It's better to have waited, instead of having this be the fallout. If I had lost my virginity this morning and had the follow up be this huge fight? It would have ruined it, for sure.

Luca stares at me, hard, for another long moment - and then something snaps in him, and he drops his arms, and drops his head, and stumbles back a step, sitting down hard on the edge of Jackson's bed, completely defeated.

I let out a little gasp of dismay and feel Jesse and Rafe loosen beside me, no longer angry now that we see how much of Luca's anger was a front - how much of it was a desperate fear that he'd lost me, that Jackson had marked me, claimed me, and that we were finished.

But now that he sees that... that nothing has changed - not really...

*God damn it," Luca whispers, his voice trembling. "...I can't do this..."

"Luca," I groan, stepping quickly to his side. He wraps an arm around my hips, leaning his head against me, even as he turns his face away slightly, I think....well, I think still not really able to handle my temporary change in scent.

"I can't do it, Ariel," he murmurs, and I raise my hands to his head, cupping it in my palms and holding him close." If I have to worry about this constantly? About being by your side at every moment, because if I don't, you're going to run off to his bed?"

Luca looks up at me now, and the heartbreak in his eyes, on his face...

Tears spring to my eyes and I shake my head at him, feeling absolutely terrible. I never, ever want him to feel this way.

But...

I mean, how do I balance this? How do I do it?

"I thought it was bad, Ariel," Luca says, his eyebrows going up as he tells me the truth - every bit of it. "When I came in here, and checked your room, and saw that your bed hadn't even been slept in? Because I knew where you were - knew immediately - but..."

TABLARUS

I gape a little down at my mate, realizing that what he's saying is that...that they've actually been out all night, that they're just getting in now, and that the first thing he did was come to my bed. I glance at the clock, wondering how the hell they're still up, how on earth they look so sober.

But as I glance over at Jesse, and see him leaning his arm on Rafe's shoulder, his eyes dropping a little, I see that it was all adrenaline. That they're exhausted and also a little tipsy.

"Luca," I murmur, stroking his hair, about to tell him to go get some rest, to go to bed.

*No, let me get this out," Luca says, frowning up at me. "Ariel - when I came in here, and thought that he'd marked you?" he shakes his head, his face again going pale. "...I thought I was going to die. Literally...die."

I clench my teeth, my heart breaking again anew.

Chapter 0377

"But he didn't mark me," I whisper.

"But he might," Luca says, his brows going up.

And I don't say anything - not a word. Because honestly, this morning? If Jackson had offered me his mark, I'd have taken it. It was that intense, that real between us. It always has been.

But...how can I tell Luca that without breaking his heart?

How can I tell Luca that I want his mark too? That I want both of them, not one or the other?

I just stare down at my gorgeous, heartbroken mate, and sigh. Because I don't know what to do.

"I don't know if I can do this, Ariel, Luca whispers, his eyes drifting shut. "If you're sleeping with him - or close enough to it that he's scent marking you, which we all know is this incredibly intimate act...I don't know if I can do this."

My lip starts to shake with dread, with horror. Because..I mean, is Luca rejecting me?

I look up, frantic, at my brother and my cousin, not knowing what to do. Silently, I beg them for help, beg them to intercede - because ....

I am at the end of my rope here. And I'm terrified that I'm about to lose my mate- and if I do, my heart will shatter into a thousand pieces right here in Jackson's room. Content belong to NôvelDráma. Org.

"Okay!" Rafe says, stepping forward, his face tense, his mind clearly racing.

Jesse slowly lifts his arm from Rafe's shoulder, looking around, worried. Jackson stays quite still at his place against the wall, not moving an inch.

I start almost to pant with worry, not knowing what my next step should be.

"What if," Rafe continues slowly, clearly thinking it through as he goes, watching me with anxiety all over his face, sensing that I'm out of answers and desperate for a solution. "There were...limits."

"Limits?" Jesse asks, a little under his breath as he raises a hand to rub his eye. "What are you talking about?" "Well," Rafe continues, spreading out a hand. "Luca...is having trouble dealing with the idea that Jackson might mark Ariel. So....what if we agreed that...he won't."

My mouth falls open and Jackson snaps his head up, growling a little at the thought.

*And!" Rafe amends as Luca looks up at him, at all of us. "Neither will Luca. No marks. Not...not until Ariel makes her choice. Which," he says, looking hard at me now, "is still the plan. Yes?"

I groan a little, inwardly, at the truth of that statement. Because, I mean, we only made that agreement a few days ago, but in that short time my bonds with both of my mates have only grown exponentially. The idea, now, of letting either of them go?

I mean, honestly, it feels....absolutely impossible.

But still, I agreed. I promised.

"Yes," I whisper.

"No marks," Luca says, murmuring a little as he considers it. He sits up a little straighter next, looking me straight in the eye. "And, no sex."

I huff out a sound of horrified protest, turning to stare at him. Because what! Who the hell is he to...! And why!? What!?

"Actually, that makes a lot of sense," Jesse says, his voice thoughtful.

I spin to stare at him now, making a repeat of the same squeaky, huffy noise.

"Seriously!" Jesse says, looking at me with a great deal of empathy but speaking plainly so that I can understand his point. "Sex with wolves always creates a bond, but with a mated pair? Apparently, it like...cements something. Intensifies the bond, makes it incredibly hard to break. That's why sex and the marking are...you know. So frequently...done together." His words fade off awkwardly at the end there as he realizes that he's not really talking theoretically, but instead about his very real cousin being marked by her very real mates. Both of whom are in the room.

"He's not wrong," Rafe says, and I turn in time to see him shrug. "And...I think it would take a great deal of pressure off the situation. Neither of them," he says, gesturing between Jackson and Luca, "will be worried about the other cementing his bond to you, or giving you his mark, because...it's not on the table."

I slowly close my jaw, which I now realize has been hanging open and stare at my brother, who nods slowly to me, silently begging me to see that this is the solution I'm looking for.

"If you're going to choose anyway, Ariel," he says softly. "Then....why not wait."

Chapter 0378

*Plus, then you can't get knocked up," Jesse murmurs, rubbing his eye sleepily again. "Which...you know, is just convenient. What with...going back to school in a week and a half. Don't want to... bring a... baby....even if it's just on the inside..."

*Shut up, Jess," I sigh.

"Yup, you got it," he murmurs, his exhaustion clearly taking over.

I take a deep breath as the room falls quiet, closing my eyes for a second and pulling myself together. Because...mean...

Honestly, I don't think that this is the solution that I'm looking for. The solution that I want is one which allows Luca and Jackson to be okay with each other, with both of them being in my life. But today Jackson already asked for limits - asked for me to not be affectionate with Luca in his presence.

I scowl, opening my eyes as I realize that here Luca is - barging into Jackson's room. Quickly, I look over at Jacks, but he's still got his head down, studying his feet. I smirk a little to see him standing there bare-chested in his pajamas, just looking so...cute.

But then I turn my eyes over to Luca, who likewise isn't looking at me, and my smile falls away. Because he's my mate, and he's heartbroken, and...if this is what he needs? Content belong to NôvelDráma. Org.

Then why on earth would I deny it?

I step forward to him quickly, softly, and run a hand over his hair. He looks up at me, his pretty brown eyes wide and sad. "Is this really what you want?" I ask softly.

"No," he says, hardly more than a whisper. "But...it's what I can handle, until you..." he glances over at Jackson now, and some sort of grace makes him put his final two words in my mind instead of saying them aloud. Pick me, he says, holding my gaze. Until you pick me, Ariel.

I sigh, and purse my lips, and give him a little nod before taking a step away.

*Jacks?" I call, wanting him to consent to it too.

He lifts his head to look at me and I open my end of our bond so that he can feel what I feel, and he can send me whatever it is he wants me to know. "Are you okay with this?"

He just gives a little shrug, reminding me down the bond what we agreed to this morning - that it doesn't make much of a difference to him anyway, since we already took sex off the table on our own. I also get the sense that it's all the better in his book if I'm not sleeping with Luca to boot.

I smirk at him a little, and the corner of his mouth curves. But he just gives me a nod, and it's done.

*Fine," I say, throwing up my hands a little bit. "The sex ban is...in effect. No sex, no marks. What fun for me."

Jesse laughs a little bit, and I turn to give him a little smile, glad that someone is still willing to find a little humor in this situation.

"Come on, Luc," Jesse says, reaching out a hand for Luca as he yawns. "You're beat, I'm beat. Let's go find a place to crash."

Luca hesitates, glancing at me, clearly wanting to go back to my room with me, but Jesse just gives him a pretty smile.

"Come on, Luca!" Jesse insists, tugging on his arm. "I want a snack first and you pick out the best snacks. Let's go." He says the last two words more solidly than the others, letting my mate know it's not an option.

Luca sighs and stands. He hesitates and then brushes a hand over my hair, looking down into my eyes. "We'll talk?"

"We'll talk," I say, nodding at him, tucking my hands behind my back, resting the urge to touch him more.

Because, honestly, Luca got his way this morning - but I am not a fan of the tempter tantrum he threw to achieve that. And we will be having a conversation about it when he's awake and sober.

Luca sighs, feeling my displeasure a bit, and then walks to Jesse's side. The two of them leave the room and Rafe moves to the door, glancing out of it, looking up and down the hall. "Come on, Ariel," he murmurs, "I think we should get you out of here and into the shower before the halls fill up."

Chapter 0379

"I thought you said a shower wasn't going to change the way I smell now?" I say, frowning at Rafe.

"It's going to help," he says, turning back to me and raising his eyebrows. "Seriously, Ariel, you...you smell like you took a bath in eau d'Jackson. It's not a bad thing but it is...a statement cologne."

I laugh a little and he nods to me, stepping out the door, clearly letting me know he'll give me a minute. Rafe pulls the door after him, but doesn't let it completely shut.

Quietly, I cross the room to Jackson, who holds my gaze as I do.

"Hi," I say quietly - the same thing I said last night when I showed up at his door. But this time I say it with...a little less verve.

Jackson just smirks at me, reaching to cup my cheek in his palm.

"I'm really sorry, Jacks," I whisper. "It shouldn't have happened like that."

"Not your fault," he murmurs.

"Still," I say, my voice low. "You're the one who had to deal with it."

"I'd put up with a lot worse for you," he says, his smile growing a little.

I smile back, unable to help it. I step a little closer and look up into his face. "Are we good?"

"We're good," he says, reaching out and tucking my hair back behind my ear in that way he likes. But something in his terseness - I mean, Jackson doesn't usually say a lot anyway, but today...

Well, I can tell he doesn't feel quite right.

I bite my lip, anxious. "Do you...want me to stay?" I ask, kind of hoping that he'll say yes, let me talk him through this, fix it all. I raise myself up on my toes, bringing my face just an inch or two closer to his. "For a little bit?"

But Jackson just sighs and shakes his head. "I think I need a minute, Ariel," he says gently, with absolutely no malice.

Still, my heart sinks, and I lower myself till my feet are flat, suddenly worried. Is he mad at me? Is this...is this way worse than I think it is? Should I -

Jackson just laughs at the emotions he feels through the bond, slipping a hand around my waist and tugging me close against him. "Don't get all mixed up about it," he says, shaking his head at me. "We're fine, Ariel. I just... Ella said...she said that I am allowed to take a minute. To ask for time alone when I need to... think about stuff. And figure out how I feel."

I stare at him for a second, absolutely gaping, before I burst into laughter. "Seriously!? Ella?" He grins at me. "Ella is behind all of this talk about boundaries and taking a minute!?" Content belong to NôvelDráma. Org.

His grin deepens. "Yup," he says, nodding down at me. "She's on my side now. I stole your mom."

"Yeah well," I mutter, narrowing my eyes playfully. "You can take her for now. She's going to want someone to do all the heavy lifting of yule logs on midwinter anyway."

He grins, pressing a kiss to my forehead, murmuring that it sounds like a fair deal to him.

I groan a little, leaning against him, pretending to be annoyed. But really, I'm thrilled that he's growing so close to mom and that she's helping him figure out how to deal with all of these complicated emotions. I let him feel all of that down the bond. "You take your minute, Jacks." I say softly. "As much time as you need. I'll see you later?"

"You'll see me later," he says, assured. And then he dips his head, and I stand on my toes again, and my mate kisses me, his arm tightening around my waist.

I pull away after a moment, wanting to give him his space, and Jackson just stands quietly - already in thought-

as I move towards the door. But before I leave, I turn back, my hand already on the handle.

"Hey, Jacks?" I ask quietly.

Instantly, his head turns up towards me, his expression I think a little surprised that I'm still here. "Yeah?"

Chapter 0380

"Can I ask you...maybe an unfair question?"

He smirks at me, and turns his head to the side, inviting it.

I grin, and nod towards the door, where Luca left. "If it were the other way around. And...you had a big night, and I left early and...you found me in his bed in the morning. Would you...do you think you would have reacted the same?"

Jackson's smirk just deepens. "Trick question, Clark. Because it never would have happened."

"What?" I ask, frowning in my confusion.

"If you think," he says slowly, lowering his head a little in a predatory way that makes my stomach tense, "I would have ever stayed at a bar without you? Let you go home alone to a cold bed? Or, worse yet, to a warm one?" He quirks and eyebrow and then slowly, he shakes his head.

The smile that bursts onto my face - it stretches so wide my cheeks hurt.

Jackson just gives me a grin before he drops his head again, returning to his thoughts. And I slip out the door, pushing it shut behind me just...completely filled with warmth at that answer, from my head to my toes.

I'm not surprised, at all, to find Rafe waiting for me, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, one foot propped against the wall behind him. I am a little surprised, though, when I step close and find him...drowsing. Almost completely asleep just...standing against the wall.

I burst out laughing, giving his shoulder a shove. He starts and looks around, gasping in a deep breath.

"Ari!" he scolds on the exhale, giving me a little shove right back. "Don't scare me like that."

"Don't fall asleep in the hall!"

"I'll do what I want. I'm going to be the King one day, after all. It's my palace, I sleep where I want."

I laugh again as my brother slings an arm around my shoulders and we start down the hall towards our family suite, my arm around his waist. "You sound like Jesse, talking like that."

"Yeah well, with as much gin and as little sleep as we've had tonight, we all sound a little more like Jesse."

I grin, and lean into my brother, grateful to have him here. "Thanks, Rafe. I think you...saved me in there."

"You were doing perfectly fine, little sister." Content belong to NôvelDráma. Org.

"Was I?" I ask, kind of surprised at the compliment, looking up at him.

"Oh, perfectly fine causing as much trouble as possible," he replies, blinking innocently down at me.

I scowl and elbow him in the ribs. He hisses, pretending it hurts more than it does, which just makes me laugh even though it's an old, stupid joke.

"Nah, you're all right," Rafe says, tightening his arm around me a little. "Luca is just... he can be dramatic, can't he? I mean, I do get why he's upset," Rafe gives me a significant look here, and I roll my eyes, done defending myself on that point. "But...yeah. He took it really far."

"What are we gonna do with him?" I murmur, shaking my head.

"Ah, see, the good part about this, little sister, is that it is your problem. Not mine." Rafe heaves a smug, contented sigh.

"Fine," I say, equally smug, aloof. "I'm not helping you at all, then, when your mate shows up and causes a big fuss." I grin, pleased at my joking counterpoint.

But Rafe doesn't respond, and I look up at him, my face falling when I see that he's looking right ahead and not down at me at all. And his face is...sad, worried.

"Rafe, I -*

"Don't, Ari," he murmurs, glancing down at me just for a moment. "Just...I'm tired. Let's get me to bed."

"You got it, bro," I murmur, tugging him a little closer and leaning against him again as we walk, wondering... Well. Wondering what I said that upset him so much.

But when I say goodbye to my brother, and step into my room, and turn to see Daphne curled up in my bed with the duvet tucked prettily under my chin?

Well... think I have my answer.