← The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Ch. 441..445: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 441-445

Chapter 0441

“What is it?” Sinclair asks, his smile fading.

“I trust Jackson,” Hank murmurs, still lost in his thoughts. "But I...do not think that the Community is done with him." He blinks and looks at his sovereigns, shaking his head with worry. "A boy like that - an incredible physical specimen? They will be angry to have lost him. I'm not a gambler, but if I were it'd be a pretty sure bet to say that they're going to try to get him back."

"Get him back," Ella says with a frown, "how would they do that?"

“I don't know,” Hank says with a shrug. “Come and.....snatch him, or something?"

Ella just laughs, shaking her head and glancing up at her mate, the only person who is a rival for Jackson in terms of sheer physical prowess. "Trust me, Hank," she says, dry, "no one is making Jackson do anything he doesn't want to do. Except maybe Ariel."

"Or you," Sinclair murmurs, stroking a hand down the length of Ella's hair. “He's very devoted to you too, love."

Ella shrugs, not denying it but focusing on Hank.

"Either way," Hank says. "He is not... free of the Community by any means. I have long suspected that the Community has...unique and objectionable practices when it comes to children - it's good to have Jackson confirm that so we have grounds on which to make a move against them. Still.....”

He hesitates and Sinclair raises his chin at his friend, urging him to continue.

"I would suspect," Hank says, feeling a little awkward about it, “that someone like Jackson has been...planned. That his height, his sheer physical prowess, his intelligence, and his abilities - his magic, if he has it is the result of generations of careful...breeding, for lack of a better word."

Ella stands straighter at this, a little horrified. "Breeding? Like...stock? Cows and horses?"

"Yes," Hank murmurs, his eyes going far-off again. "The Community obviously doesn't get new kids by a result of love matches, but instead likely through very careful planned pairings. It's a eugenic practice and completely objectionable but..." he sighs, looking back at Ella and Sinclair, "the Community is not going to be happy about losing its prime specimen. They won't let him go easily, whenever it is that they figure out he's defected." Ella and Sinclair glance anxiously at each other. "It seems," Sinclair murmurs, "that the Community's one major mistake was sending a Cadet clever enough to figure out how much he'd been brainwashed his entire life in the three months before he joined the Academy. If they'd sent someone a bit dimmer.....perhaps it would have worked."

"Dominic," Hank says, his eyes moving swiftly to Sinclair's, "we have no reason to think they didn't."

"What?" Ella gasps.

Hank shrugs. "If Jackson knew that another Cadet at the Academy was from the Community he would have told us, surely. But the Community is spread out on purpose - to prevent precisely the kinds of allegiances and affinities that Jackson was mentioning. Only those in the highest realms of power know how many people are there, and what they look like, and where they are. It's entirely possible that another - or several other - Cadets are here as Academy spies."

"God damn it," Sinclair murmurs, his mind moving quickly through the fairly lax admission standards they use for Candidates so that those from refugee or immigrant communities can enter even if they'd lost their birth certificates and other identification in their move.

"If that's true," Ella says, speaking aloud the thoughts they're all thinking. "Then the Community might very well be getting the information that Jackson was sent to find."

"And if my theories of connections to Atalaxia are likewise true," Hank murmurs, "then that information might be going directly into Atalaxian hands." "Shit..." Dominic says, hanging his head for a second before taking a deep breath and looking between his mate and his friend. "Looks like this is going to need a great deal more of our attention. We'll have to get Cora and Roger involved too - we can trust them and we need more hands."

"Oh," Hank says, a little sarcasm undertoning his words as he crosses his arms and looks between Ella and Sinclair. "What fun for me." "Cora likes you,” Ella says, grinning at Hank.

"It's not Cora I'm worried about," Hank murmurs, heaving another sigh.

Chapter 0442

When Jackson and I arrive at my room we find the door already open and Rafe and Jesse lounging casually in the living are. Rafe's eyes immediately snap to us. "So?" he demands, raising an eyebrow. "What the hell was that all about?"

"Oh, just mom," I say with a happy sigh, stepping into the room. "Telling me that I'm her favorite and assuring Jackson that he's her new Meatball." Rafe narrows his eyes at me as Jesse laughs. "Such an obvious lie," Rafe sighs, shaking his head. "Mom would never even joke about that. I'm her eternal favorite."

“Get in line, lil Prince," Jackson says, pulling me tight against his side. "I'm #1 son now."

Jesse laughs again as Jackson turns his head to look down at me, speaking softly. "I'm going to run to my room, unpack. I'll be back in a little bit?" "Okay,” I say, standing on my toes and giving him a little kiss. "Um," I glance at my brother and my cousin. "Do you mind if I tell them what really happened?"

He considers for a second. "No, that's fine," Jackson says, straightening up and taking a step towards the hall. "Just...the two of them, though? Is that all right?"

"Of course,” I say, beaming at him. Jackson nods to me, grabs his backpack from its spot by the door, and waves as he starts down the hall.

"You got him trained up good, Ariel," Jesse says as I grab my own backpack and walk over to my beloved little Nook, tossing it onto the bed. "That wave was very nearly a goodbye that our favorite foundling gave us."

"Yes, he's coming along beautifully," I say with a happy sigh as I start quickly to unpack the very few things I was able to bring from the Palace. “So?" Rafe says, unwilling to be deterred by small talk and jokes. "What happened?"

With a glance towards the door to ensure that we're alone, I very quickly fill Rafe and Jesse in.

"Damn," Jesse says as I finish unpacking and move to my regular spot on the couch. "I mean, I knew Jackson's story was dark but I didn't think he was a spy."

"He's not," I snap, glaring at him. "So don't even joke about it."

Jesse raises his hands, silently promising he won't, while Rafe takes a deep and contemplative breath. "Things are getting serious," Rafe says, shaking his head slowly back and forth. “Atalaxia declaring war from our south and east, now the Community in the north working with them...I think big things are coming for us."

My heart sinks even if he's only confirming what I already knew. "What do you think it means for us, though?" I ask quietly, my hands clasped together in my lap.

"I think that if things get serious enough that dad and Uncle Roger won't hesitate to call up the Cadets," Rafe says, looking between Jesse and I. Jesse is unusually serious, simply nodding softly as he considers it.

"Wait, really?" I breathe, leaning forward towards my brother. "Do you - do you seriously think that we could see war? Like soon?"

"He won't send us out green," Rafe says, moving his eyes to me. "But if we can make a difference? Dad won't hesitate - and he shouldn't."

"A lot of the warriors in our class are ready for it," Jesse says softly. "Your Jacks among them. Me and Rafe too - Luca, if he works a little harder at the strategy and actual theory behind it. Physically, he's ready. Mentally," Jesse shrugs, like he's not sure he's willing to count Luca in yet. "I'm not ready," I say softly, looking down at my hands, shaking my head.

"Your program is different, Ari," Rafe says, his voice gentle. "And you haven't been training as long as the rest of us. Neumann will get you where you need to be the Captain too."

I nod, agreeing, trusting my professors who so clearly trust me. "I'll work as hard as I can."

"We know you will, Ari," Jesse says, his voice warm and cheerful again. I raise my eyes to see him smiling kindly at me, indulgent. "If there's a prize for hard work and dedication, you win it. And we all see that."

A little warmth thrums through me at my cousin's clear praise. “Thanks,” I say, smiling at him. Rafe nods at me too, confirming that he too thinks what Jesse has said is right.

Chapter 0443

A little knock comes at the open door and I turn, gasping with delight when I see Ben leaning against the door jamb, smiling fondly at all of us. "Well, you Sinclairs are a sight for sore eyes."

"Benny!" I shout, laughing and launching myself off the couch and towards him. Ben laughs as he catches me in his arms, giving me a warm hug.

"Hey, Clark," he says, smiling fondly down at me as I hug him back and then tug him into the room.

“Did the train get in already?" Rafe asks, sounding surprised.

"First one," Ben says, nodding. "The one that came from the city this morning - I was able to get on that, though I didn't see Daphne anywhere. There will be another later tonight for people coming longer distances."

"Was Luca on your train?" I ask, eager, as we sit down on the couch together.

"I sure was," Luca says from the doorway, and I gasp again, leaping to my feet and running this time over to him. Luca laughs as he catches me, spinning in a circle, holding me tight and murmuring his hellos into my hair.

Things are quite cheerful after that as our little group falls into our old routines, chatting happily and joking around. As Ben falls into a serious conversation with Rafe and Jesse about the roles of ambassadors in the upcoming conflict with Atalaxia, Luca tugs on my sleeve and nods over towards the nook, asking me for a minute.

I send an anxious glance towards the door and Luca immediately knows why.

“Just five minutes, Ariel," he murmurs, leaning close to me on the couch and drawing a hand down the length of my arm. “To make sure we're good before term starts?"

I bite my lip though, looking back at him. “I promised Jacks," I whisper, and I don't miss that Luca fights quite hard against a scowl at the mention of his name. “That I wouldn't do any displays of affection with you when he's around. And the same goes for him too – when we're all in a group like this, I think it's best to keep things pretty... platonic."

"Well, he's not here," Luca says, apparently accepting the terms and giving me a little shrug. "And I just want to talk for a minute - just the two of us."

I hesitate again but then nod. "Okay," I whisper, taking his hand and pulling him over to the nook. We settle on the bed and I have to admit that I'm pleased when Luca makes no move to close the little velvet curtain. “What's up?" I ask, reaching out to take his hands as we sit across from each other. "I thought we left things...pretty okay."

"We did," Luca says, nodding seriously to me, and I can't help smiling a little as I stare into his pretty brown eyes, again take in his handsome face. “I just...wanted to ask how your holiday went."

I grin and give him the short story version which leaves out a lot of the best parts, which involve my deepening connection to Jacks. “What about you?" I ask, genuinely wanting to know.

"It was good," he says, dropping his eyes and giving a little shrug. "I missed you but...it was good."

“Luca,” I murmur, reaching out and cupping his cheek in my hand, making him look up at me. "What's wrong? You're so...subdued."

"I'm still mortified, Ari," he murmurs, holding my gaze. "At...how I acted the morning after the fight. I'm so fucking ashamed of myself."

I groan, pitching myself forward so that I lean against him, hating that he feels that way. "I thought we were beyond that, Luca," I murmur, my arm slipping around his back.

"You might be," he murmurs, raising a hand to stroke over my head, down my neck, down my back. "I just...the self-loathing is a bit real. I am coming to realize that I have grown to be a very arrogant man with very little reason for arrogance."

My lips twist with regret as I study my mate, hating that he feels this way about himself. Luca just heaves a sigh, tracing his fingers across the soft green blanket that my brother gave me.

Chapter 0444

"Luca," I say, lifting my head to stare at him dubiously. "You're an international boxing champion. You have some platform for arrogance."

He grins at me, his dimples flaring in that way that I love. "An international boxing champion who shouts at the woman he loves and barely passes his finals, trusting that his royal connections will get him through."

I twist my lips to the side, tacitly admitting that there...is room for improvement there.

"I want to be a man who deserves to be mated to you, Ariel," Luca says softly, sitting up straight and nodding. "I think...maybe that's why the Goddess had me meet you when she did. So that I could start working on myself before it's too late."

"You know I like you just as you are, right?" I say softly, looking up at him, meaning it. "I mean...I could do without the shouting - but everything else? You deserve me, Luca - there's nothing else you have to do."

"I want to be a better man," he says softly, leaning forward to nudge me with his nose. "Let me do it for you. Okay?"

I hesitate, not liking something about that. "Do it for you, Luca," I say quietly, pressing a hand warm against his chest, his heart. "You don't have to do anything for me - but if you want to be a better version of yourself then I'll support you all the way."

"Good," he says, giving a quick nod and then stealing a kiss so fast that it makes me laugh.

I kiss him back though, just for a moment, before beaming at him. "Does this mean you're going to really study now!?"

"Yes..." he says, narrowing his eyes, suspicious, "but...why do you look so happy about that?"

"Because!" I say, bouncing away from him and across the bed, reaching for my desk. "I can help! I got all of these new study supplies for Midwinter - mom gave them to me - I'll teach you my color coding system! We can -"

But Luca groans, laughing, and collapses on my bed, already exhausted by it. “I said I was going to study, Ariel, not become a complete nerd –“ "They are one in the same, Luca Grant," I say, high and mighty, grabbing my collection of highlighters and colored pens and clasping them to my chest.

Luca laughs at me and I begin to lay out the pens next to him, explaining my system. He listens dutifully, either actually interested or doing a damn good job pretending to be, when another set of footsteps come into the room. I peek out from my nook and beam when I see that it's Jackson.

"Hi!" I call, waving to him as he comes into the room.

Jackson nods around to everyone and gives Ben a warm hug before coming over to me. My heart flutters a little with anxiety because, of course, Luca Grant is sitting with me on my bed and I don't know how Jackson is going to take that. But Jackson, to my surprise, has little to no reaction - he simply nods a greeting to Luca and moves his eyes back to me.

"Showing him the pens?" he asks, because of course he already got this tutorial on Midwinter morning when I opened my new pen set.

"Yes, he's not as excited as me." My mouth twists with chagrin.

"No one is, Ariel," Jackson says, dead serious. Then he moves his eyes back to Luca, even though he still speaks to me. "Do you mind? If the two of us take a minute to chat?"

My eyes go wide because...I mean, this is entirely unprecedented.

"Are you gonna...beat each other up?" I ask, looking between the two of them.

Luca scoffs and Jackson just shakes his head, looking back at me like he thinks I'm funny. I grin, loving that, because I've never been the funny one - not with Jesse around my whole life.

"Where to?" Luca says with a sigh, sitting up.

"Here is fine," Jackson says, taking a seat on the bed. Then he tilts his head towards the room, clearly implying that I should go.

I gasp, appalled. "Are you kicking me out of my own nook!?"

“We'll give it back,” Jackson says, giving a little shrug, unable to help his grin.

“Don't mess it up,” I say, pointing a finger at each of them in turn before standing and putting the pens back in their spot on the desk and stepping towards the moon.

"No promises," Luca murmurs, smiling at me as Jackson - to my shock - reaches out and unhooks the curtain, letting it slip closed so that they have more privacy.

I step back to the couch and sink down next to Ben, but I don't say anything. Instead I just stare, slack-jawed, at the curtain, kind of desperate to know what the hell they're saying.

"What's going on in there," Ben whispers to me as Rafe and Jesse continue to chat, sending not-too-secret glances towards the nook as they, too, clearly wonder what the hell is going on and if a fight is about to start.

Chapter 0445

have no idea," I whisper back, shaking my head.

"Do you think they're making out?" he whispers to me, leaning closer. "Please tell me they're making out."

I burst into a grin and elbow him in the ribs. "Your fantasy, Ben, is not mine."

"What, you never thought about it?" he asks, grinning at me a little wickedly. "They're both your mates, you never thought about -"

"Benny!" I gasp, giving him a harder shove that makes him roar with laughter. "That's gross! That's -"

But he laughs too hard for me to get anything else out and I lose it soon after, laughing along with him.

"Are you scandalizing my sister, Ben?" Rafe asks, peering at us as we continue to giggle, slumped against each other on the couch. "It's just so easy," Ben says, slipping a casual arm around my shoulders. "She's a lil innocent vanilla baby with absolutely no kinks." "Precisely as she shall stay," Rafe murmurs, giving a satisfied nod and glancing again towards the nook, which remains enclosed.

"Nah, I think baby trouble has some spice to her," Jesse says, winking at me from his spot draped across his chair, one leg over the arm. "She just needs some time to access it."

"Well, it's not like that's going to happen anytime soon with the new sex ban," I say, pouting and leaning against the arm of the couch.

“Wait, what's this?" Ben asks, delighted and scandalized at once, sitting up straight to look at me. “A new development?"

I groan, tucking my face into my hands, wondering how the hell he doesn't know about this already - he was there that day, after all - did no one tell him? Jesse quickly fills Ben in as I blush scarlet, but the boys generously give me my space until I again collect my equanimity. This lasts quite well until the curtain to the nook finally opens and Luca and Jackson come out, each looking a little tired but certainly unscathed.

Ben leans close to me, about to make a crack, but I whip a finger up and point it right into his face. "Be careful about your jokes, Benny," I whisper, "because someone has a new development as well, and if you push me too far I might spill it to Jesse, which will result in life-long torture."

Ben freezes and then it's his turn to blush as he laughs. "Peace, then," he says, lifting his hands into the air. "Peace - stalemate - whatever you want to call it."

“Accepted,” I say, offering my hand, which he shakes as Luca sits down on Ben's other side and Jackson takes a spot on the floor next to me. "But don't think we're done talking about it."

Ben gives me a little nod and a smirk and I can tell that he's desperate to talk about his newfound mated-to-the-Atalaxian situation too - and probably glad to have someone to talk to about it. My heart twists as I realize how much this must have been weighing on him.

"Talking about what?" Jackson asks, looking up at me.

“Nothing, Jackson," I say, giving him a warm smile.

Jackson flicks his eyes to Ben and then narrows them at me, clearly wanting to know. But when I laugh and just shake my head, he shrugs and gives in.

“So, we're all good here?" Rafe says, looking between Luca and Jackson, his voice surprised. "No...shifting into our wolves? No brawls?" "Nah, we're good," Luca says, turning his head to beam at me. I smile back, genuinely pleased.

"Boooo," Jesse says with a groan, tilting his head back dramatically. "You three were the only entertaining thing we had going on. What the hell are we going to do for drama anymore?"

"Hi!" a voice calls from the door, and we all turn and let out a collective shout of greeting when we see that it's Daphne standing there, a basket full of baked goods in her hands.

I get up and dash to my friend, wrapping her in a warm hug that she returns, both of us effusively expressing how much we missed each other in the past two days. We both laugh as I wrap my arm around her waist and escort her into the room, where both Rafe and Jesse stand side-by-side, waiting to greet her.

And as she moves forward, hugging each in turn...

I grin, suddenly having my answer about where we're getting our drama this semester.

"It's going to be so good," Ben whispers when I sit back down next to him, giving me a cheeky grin, clearly coming to the same conclusion as me.

"I know," I whisper back with a little squeak.

"What's going to be good?" Jackson asks, frowning up at us again.

"Nothing!" I say again, giving him a happy grin.

"You two and your secrets," he sighs, throwing his hands up. “I'm done with it."

"He's lying," Ben mouths to me and I burst into laughter - because he's totally right.