Ch. 421..425: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 421-425

Chapter 0421

Jesse nods once, agreeing to it, and I make the squeaking noise again, needing to know what's going on.

Rafe laughs and squares his shoulders, nodding to me and getting started. "Look, it's not a big deal, I just...I wanted to take a minute with the two of you alone. Because...because you two mean a lot to me."

My little wolf howls in my heart, bursting with pride and love for my brother and my cousin. But I do my very, very best to keep quiet, even as tears start to well on my lower lashes, threatening to fall.

"I just..." Rafe sighs, hanging his head for a second and collecting his thoughts. "It's always been the three of us, hasn't it? Growing up...I know I was first, but I can't even remember a time when I didn't have the two of you by my side, when you weren't my best friends. And Ariel, I'm so glad you didn't marry that asshole and came to school with us instead." He flashes me a big smile now, and Jesse follows suit, tightening his arm around me as he does.

And I can't help it - it's all too much. The tears start to spill down my cheeks.

Rafe grins at me, pushing forward, because he knows he only has so much time before I burst into sobs. "It wouldn't have been the same without you, Clark," Rafe says with a smirk. "And I think...I think it was meant to be - you there, with us, like you've always been. We were always meant to be together. But...we're growing up now. Aren't we?"

Rafe's smile falls a bit, and my mouth trembles into a frown. Even Jesse looks serious all of a sudden, which is a feat unto itself.

“And things are...changing," Rafe says, looking between us, heaving a sigh. "We're going to...grow up, and meet our mates - if we have them -" he glances at Jesse here, whose mate-status hasn't been confirmed, "and...follow our own paths. We won't be together every day - not forever."

I sniff, my free hand pressing again to my chest as more tears slip down my face. Because Rafe's right, and it's breaking my heart to think of it. "None of that's bad, though," Jesse says, and my head spins when I hear his voice is tight. Because, god, if Jesse cries I'm going to completely lose it.

"I know," Rafe says quickly, nodding his agreement. "I just..." he raises his glass again, toasting us. "I wanted to take a moment, while we have it, to say...what an honor it's been spending my life with you two at my side. You're my best friends and...I love you. We're really lucky."

Rafe hangs his head and quickly brushes his hands across his cheeks and I give a little cry, pitching forward and wrapping my arms around him. I spill my champagne but who cares -

“Ari," Rafe laughs, wrapping his arms around me in return. "We don't need to get maudlin about it."

"Yes, we do!" I moan, overwhelmed and miserable. And then I turn back to Jesse, desperate to have him close, and open up my arm. He laughs and joins our hug, all of us wrapping our arms around each other, and even Jesse's eyes are wet now.

"Look, why don't we make a pact?" Jesse says, quiet and eager. "No matter what happens in our lives - no matter how they change, and how many mates or children come and try to disrupt -"

I laugh at this, shaking my head, wondering that he can even think that far ahead with war on the horizon. But I don't bring it up - because I don't need to. I know we're all thinking it.

"Let's always meet, on Midwinter night, at midnight," Jesse continues, smiling at us, "always find space to have a secret toast. Just like this, just the three of us, like we're doing right now."

"That's a great idea, Jess," Rafe says, smiling softly at him. And then he drops his arms from around us and raises his glass in the center of our circle. "Midwinter at midnight, just us three. Every year."

"It's a deal," I sniff, raising my glass too. Jesse is last, clinking his glass against ours.

And then we all drink deep and take a moment to laugh together under the light of the midwinter moon, warmed by the idea that every year - no matter what - we'll return to do the same.

 

Chapter 0422

We don't stay long on the roof - we don't need to. After all, tomorrow night we'll be together again, all sleeping in the same room at the Academy. There may be other nights, in the future, where we greet the dawn after our midnight toast – needing to talk for hours, to catch up, to laugh, to cry. But tonight isn't one of them. And I'm smiling, warm and pleased, when I press the door to Jackson's room open and slip inside.

I burst into a smile when I see that he's dozing against his pillows, Tiger seated neatly at his side, his wrapped present from me still sitting on the bed in front of him. Because even if he fell asleep doing it, I can tell he's waiting for me.

Softly, I climb up onto the bed, and he's awake before I can even move Tiger gently to a place of honor on top of the headboard so that I can take his place at Jackson's side. Jackson inhales a deep breath that turns readily into a purring little growl of pleasure when he sees that it's me, and he wraps me up tight in his arms, nuzzling his face warm against my neck.

"All okay?" Jackson murmurs.

"Yeah, everything's perfect," I whisper, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing his cheek, his shoulder.

Jackson pulls away a bit, sniffing. "You've been crying." A statement, not a question.

I laugh, looking into his face. "You can smell that?"

He just frowns at me, not answering the question, wanting an explanation.

"It's okay," I murmur, cupping his face in my palm. "Happy tears. I just...love them. Jesse and Rafe. So much."

Jackson looks at me for a long moment, his expression softening, and then he nods, accepting the explanation, not needing anymore. And I smile at him, loving that he lets me have my little inconsequential secrets, parts of my life that are just for me.

But right now, I just want to be with him. "Are you ready for this one?" I ask, nodding over to the present on the bed, wrapped in the same gold paper as all the rest of the gifts this morning. I admit – I had mom wrap it when I ran out of time yesterday.

Jackson frowns, glancing between the gift and me. "You should have told me we were doing presents," he murmurs. "I would have gotten you something."

"Oh yeah?" I ask, quirking my eyebrow. "And what would you have gotten me?"

He just stares at me, completely without an answer or even an idea of what gift he would want to give. "You're right, this was kinder," he says, nodding seriously and making me burst into laughter. "But next year I am getting you two. And they'll be good."

“Okay,” I murmur, reaching out and nudging the gift closer, really wanting him to open it.

Jackson sighs, I think still feeling guilty that he's getting a gift when I am not, but he pulls the box closer to him and begins to eagerly pull the paper off. When he sees another cheerfully colored gift box inside, he just frowns at me. "Why did you bother to wrap it? It's already in a box."

"Just open it!" I say, laughing, desperately eager for him to see the gift.

A little smile plays at Jackson's lips as he complies, using both hands to lift the lid off the box and then tilting it towards him as he peers inside. And then he goes very still, his mouth popping open a little bit.

I squeal a little with excitement, taking my arms from around his neck and fisting my hands beneath my chin, grinning eagerly at my mate. "Do you like it?"

"Ariel," he murmurs, reaching into the box and letting his fingers trace over the dozens of boxes of DVD's - dozens of television shows, all full runs. "This is amazing."

I squeak again with excitement, watching eagerly as he reaches in and lifts out the one thing that I thought might be confusing to him - a very clunky device that lots sort of like a laptop but...not.

"What...is this..." he murmurs, opening it and staring at the screen, trying to figure it out.

“Um, it's a TV?” I say quietly, reaching out to tap on the little opening where you can load the DVD's. "Actually, it's a portable DVD player - you can recharge it – I know it's an old technology Jacks – and it wasn't expensive, since no one really uses these anymore, but I figured that since we don't really have TV or streaming services or laptops at the Academy, that you could have this -"

 

Chapter 0423

He turns to stare at me, his mouth open a little bit, completely shocked.

I grimace a little at his reaction, not really knowing what to do. “Do you...do you like it?"

"Ariel," he breathes, turning his face reverently back to the device and to the DVD collection. "I...I love it." Then he gasps a little, his eyes lighting on something, and quick as a flash he reaches into the box and pulls out a set of dvds. "How do you work it?" he murmurs, pulling open the case and glancing at between the device and me.

I laugh, and then show him, and he nods eagerly, listening and loading one of the DVD's, starting to press play.

"Jacks," I say, shaking my head and laughing, putting my hand on his arm. "It's late - I can show you all of this in the morning -"

"No," he murmurs, reaching out to put the DVD player flat on the bed as the first episode starts up. "I want...is it okay?" he whispers, looking over at me. "Are you tired? I know it's late, but I want to watch one. With you."

A slow smile stretches across my face as I look at my big tough mate. "It's not too late. That's perfect."

We take a minute to get settled - to put the rest of the DVD's in a safe spot on the floor - though I see Jackson glance at them as he puts them down, clearly desperate to look through them and see what he's got.

But he brings his attention back to me as I settle warm against him. Jackson again wraps his arms around me, and I tug Tiger down to hold in my lap as we focus on the screen, quietly watching the drama unfold.

"That's Raquel," Jackson murmurs, pointing at the screen and telling me information that I already know that I've known for years, frankly, because we've all seen Besties a thousand times. "She was supposed to get married but...she didn't."

"Sounds familiar," I say, my voice dry.

Jackson smirks at me but then turns his attention back to the screen. "And that's Russ," he whispers, like it's a great secret, pointing again when the dark-haired actor comes on the screen. "He's Raquel's mate, but she doesn't know it yet. No one does."

I hum interestedly and settle against Jackson's chest, inhaling a deep and contented breath, thinking about how lucky I am to be perfectly happy for the second time tonight.

But just as I'm sinking into the show, getting lost again into the storyline, Jackson reaches out and presses the pause button.

"Ariel," he says, and I turn my face up to him, confused. I find his steady sapphire eyes looking at me intently as he reaches out and cups my face in his gigantic palm, holding it like a treasure. "This was the most...wonderful day. I could never have imagined it - that it could be so...nice, to just sit around with people. And play, and eat, and talk. Thank you, so much, for letting me have this with you. For sharing your family with me."

"Your family too now, Jackson," I whisper, reaching up and cupping his own face in my much smaller hand. "Forever. We get to do this every year." "Forever," he murmurs, smiling at me softly, turning the word over in his mouth like he's trying it out for the first time, seeing how it tastes. And then he smiles, like he likes it.

I push myself up a then, bringing my face close to his and pressing a soft kiss to his mouth. And he returns it willingly, almost reverently, but I pull away after a moment and smile, settling back against him.

Because we don't need to push it any further tonight. We have time.

So much time. Forever.

Feeling precisely the same, Jackson reaches out and presses play on the DVD player again, turning the show back on. Quite quiet, quite calm, we watch it together in perfect contentment.

Chapter 0424

Ella and Sinclair wake up the next morning before their children do, curled in each other's arms as they always are.

"Stop," Sinclair commands, tightening his arms when Ella starts to move, to roll away towards the edge of the bed. "Don't. Stay."

"We have to get them up, Dominic!" Ella protests, laughing, but her body betrays her, going soft and pliable again in her mate's arms. "They have to go to school. And then off to war. And we have meetings."

"They're adults, they can get themselves ready to go off to war," Sinclair murmurs, his eyes determinedly shut as he pulls Ella closer and rests his head against her chest, sighing deeply at the comfort he feels when she's in his arms, when he can smell her scent.

"You hold your tongue," Ella sighs, running her fingers through his thick dark hair, only starting to grey at the temples in a way she quite likes. "I get to baby them until they're ny. That was the deal."

Sinclair grumbles something noncommittal and presses a kiss to her chest, just above the V of her nightgown, and then sighs and lifts his head, opening one eye to peer at her. "We have a meeting?" he asks, groggy after so much Midwinter whiskey.

"Yes!" Ella says, beaming at him. “With Hank! You know this! You remember!"

"False," Sinclair sighs, returning his head to her chest. "I remember nothing. Who is Hank."

Ella swats him on the head, laughing, because she knows he's lying and being lazy.

"Why did you even make that meeting?" Sinclair mutters. "Poor Hank. He deserves a holiday too."

“Because," Ella sighs, looking off towards the door as if she can see through it. "I have questions about the North, and he's the only one I trust to ask questions about it right now."

"You mean you have questions about Jackson," Sinclair says, sighing and starting to sit up, taking Ella with him.

"Yes," Ella confesses, nodding and looking her mate deep in his green eyes. "There are things we need to know, Dominic. That boy's background..." she bites her lip and shakes her head, worried. "And I want my questions answered while Jackson's still under our roof, so I can talk to him about it. If I need to."

"Fine," Sinclair says, sighing and closing his eyes even as he straightens his shoulders. He lifts a hand, waving it at himself. "Go ahead, little magical mate. Heal me up from this hangover so we can go to this ridiculously early morning Zoom meeting with my brother's mate's human ex and ask secret question about our daughter's mate's mysterious cult."

Ella laughs but obliges, reaching out and placing her hands on Sinclair's temples, closing her eyes and falling into the lavender light of her magical meditative space.

"You know, this feels like a gross misuse of privilege," she murmurs as the healing begins. "Just because you're a King and my mate doesn't mean you should get off scott-free from drinking too much."

"Yes it does," Sinclair murmurs, his voice rumbling a little with a growl that makes Ella laugh. "Now hurry up, demigoddess, we've got meetings to attend."

"Meeting, mortal. Singular. And then I'm saying goodbye to my first and second born, which will take my full attention.”

"And many tears," he murmurs, but the King reaches for his Queen, even though his eyes are closed. He finds her exactly where he knew she'd be, and places his hands warm upon her thighs, letting her know he feels precisely the same.

About forty minutes later, the meeting is all set up and the screen flashes once before Hank's image appears.

"Hank!" Ella cries, pressing her hands together with pleasure as she leans forward towards the computer. "It's so good to see you - we miss you here in the capital!"

Hank smiles, warm and genuine, his eyes crinkling into little half-circles of joy. "Your highnesses," he says, dipping into a mocking little half bow that's even more ridiculous because he's seated. "How are you? How was your midwinter?"

“Gorgeous, amazing!" Ella replies as Sinclair and Hank give each other warm, stoic nods, fully understanding that their deep friendship doesn't need the kind of exuberance that Ella gives to every aspect of her life. "How are the kids?"

"The kids are fine, at each other's throats as usual," Hank murmurs, glancing over his shoulder towards the rest of the house. "We're snowed in, though it's been...a trial, all being boxed up together for more than a week."

Sinclair frowns at the idea, leaning closer to the computer, while Ella gasps like it's the most fabulous thing that could ever happen to a family, to be forced into uninterrupted company for so long.

"A week?" Sinclair asks, worried. "That's quite some time - are you low on supplies?"

Chapter 0425

 

Hank grimaces. "A little," he says, shrugging. “It's a miracle, honestly, that we even have wifi."

Ella and Sinclair immediately look at each other, unspoken ideas passing to each other down their bond.

"Nope!" Hank says, pointing at the camera on his computer. "Whatever it is you're thinking - stop. We're going to be fine - we do not need help."

Ella sighs and just glares at the screen, thinking Hank knows her a bit too well, but Sinclair just moves on. "We apologize, Hank, for getting you up so early the day after the holiday."

"Yeah, what's up?" Hank asks, his voice deepening with worry as he runs a hand through his fully grey hair. "You two - it's not like you to insist on a meeting like this."

"It's war," Sinclair says seriously. Hank's face pales. "The Atalaxians are pushing their attack - they've promised to destroy us within a month." "God," Hank breathes, shocked and dismayed. "But, what does that have to do with me? I'm...about as far from the front as I can get up here." “It doesn't,” Ella says with a sigh, glancing at Sinclair, who nods to her, giving her permission to take over. "Hank, we want to talk to you about our daughter's mate."

"Luca Grant?" Hank asks, smirking a little.

Ella laughs, a little delighted. "You follow the gossip columns way up there, boxed in with the snow?"

"I have to admit," Hank says, laughing with a shrug, "my youngest was devastated at the news. I think she had always imagined herself with the Champ - has his poster on her wall and everything."

"Oh, Annabell," Ella says, pressing her hands to her heart and pouting. Sinclair clears his throat, though, urging Ella to get back on task. “But actually, Hank,” Ella says, dropping her voice a little. "It's about Ariel's...other mate."

Hank's eyebrows go steadily up as Ella quickly spills out the story of Ariel and Jackson, of Jackson's upbringing in a place called the Community, of his strange lack of knowledge about some basics regarding the world that everyone else they know takes for granted. By the time Ella finishes, Hank is looking at the pair of them with real shock.

"Seriously?" Hank breathes, staring between them. "From the Community? Are you serious?"

"What?" Sinclair snaps, leaning forward with a frown. "Is that bad?"

"Um, I'm not sure it's bad," Hank replies, looking away and running a hand again through his hair. "It's just...that's amazing. I've been trying to get an inside look at the Community for years, Dominic - but they won't let me in. Not at all. I've offered them everything I have - free aid, medical knowledge, funds. But they don't trust humans, and they certainly don't trust someone as close to the crown as I am."

"Really," Sinclair says with a frown, looking at Ella with concern.

"Hank, he's a lovey boy," Ella says, drawing Hank's attention back to her. "Do you...I mean, is it something to be worried about? I don't like that they stonewall you out - they're our people, they're entitled to your care."

"Entitled to the crown's care if they want it," Hanks says with a shrug. "But...Ella, it's a cult. A straight cult - with a charismatic leader, and people falling in line beneath him. And not even the kind of cult that falls apart after a few years from too much drugs and weird sex - like, they're very strong, and very dedicated. From what I do know life inside is absolutely brutal – and the children raised within it are...militant, with little to no knowledge of the outside world. And absolutely allegiant to the Community - there's no doubt about that."

"What aren't you saying, Hank," Sinclair bites out, harsher than he means to. But Hank ignores it - he's known Sinclair for years and is used to him snapping by now.

"I'm saying that if this is a lovely boy, Ella?" Hank replies, quite serious. "That...he's either a miracle, to have come out that way, or he's...a very good actor."

Ella goes white, staring at the computer screen and then up at Sinclair. "No..." she breathes, shaking her head. "Not...not Jackson."

"Look, Ella, I'm...I'm really not happy with the idea of a Community member in the palace," Hank says, putting out a hand and leaning forward towards his screen. "But they would be thrilled to have someone that close to the royal family. If they could accomplish it, they would. And any information they had...they'd be feeding to the Atalaxians."

"What?" Dominic breathes, staring at the computer in shock.