Ch. 456..460: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 456-460
Chapter 0456
"We're here," dad says, pulling a chic pair of reading glasses out of his pocket and slipping them onto his nose, "to talk about Ariel's finances."
Mom and I both smirk and send each other a glance, because dad looks so cute in his reading glasses. Not that we'd ever say that to him - he's far too proud of the fact that he is otherwise a gigantic and terrifying Alpha King. But still, between us, we can admit that he's sometimes also adorable. Dad sends mom a rather withering glance, probably feeling some of her emotions down their mating bond, but otherwise says nothing.
“Are you aware, Ariel?" dad says, turning his attention on me. “Of the recent...influx of cash in your account? That came from the Grant organization?"
"What?" I whisper, glancing at Luca and then reaching for the paper. My eyes go wide when I see the...seriously insane number at the top of the page. "What...what the hell is all of this!?"
"The entire amount is not from the Grant estate," dad says, leaning forward and tugging on the page so that I lay it flat on the table. "Just this amount, here." He taps at a line at the top of the grid below the summarizing information - a ridiculous line that suggests that Luca has given me...
"One...one and a half million dollars?" I whisper, turning to Luca with shock. "Luca, what the hell!?"
"It's from the magazine," Luca says, looking at me evenly. "Your dad...helped me see that it belongs rightly to you. It should never have happened, Ariel, and I'm sorry that it did."
"But I told you that —“
He puts up a hand, begging me to stop. I hesitate but let my voice fade away.
"Ariel, it's your money to do with as you wish," he says quietly, glancing at my dad as if in confirmation. I look between them, realizing that that does... well, it sounds more like my dad than like Luca.
"I still want it to go to the gym," I say, a little frustrated, looking at everyone now, not just my mate. "Those were my wishes!"
"And we'll help you do it," my dad says, nodding to me evenly. "But if you want the money to go there, you should direct and send it yourself - not ask Luca to do it for you. It's your money - you should know how it operates. I realize that...in attempting to make things easy for you, Ariel, I've perhaps raised you to be less experienced with money than you should be, especially as you are a very wealthy young woman.” He raises an eyebrow and nods at the page.
I look again at the...insane number at the top of it. “Is this...” I breathe, looking up at my dad again. "Is this seriously all mine?"
“That's just the money that's in your charitable account, Ariel," dad says, nodding to me. Mom works hard to fight her smile, though she's clearly very pleased to be able to give me the life and resources she never had. "There's more in other accounts for you - an account where your salary from the Academy is accruing. Accounts we've set up to secure your future - investments, cash reserves, etcetera. Money so that you can buy a house, when and if you want one. Purchase...I don't know, whatever it is that you'd like to have. But this money," he says, tapping the page, "we hope that you will direct to help others."
My lips part slightly as I stare at my parents. Because, I mean, I've always known that we as a family were rich but...me myself? On my own? With millions, apparently?
"You're growing up, trouble," mom says, giving me a happy smile. "It's time for you to start making your own decisions."
I exhale slowly, suddenly feeling the weight of it. The absolute...freedom of it, but also the responsibility that comes with it. "Why now?" I ask, still a little stunned.
"Because," dad says, moving his eyes to Luca. "I imagine that Grant gym could use the infusion of the money. And if you'd still like it to go there, you should make some decisions about its allocation quite soon."
"Well, yes,” I say, sitting up straighter, looking between Luca and dad. "Send it over. Send it now."
Luca purses his lips a little, turning his head to the side. "Ariel, if you allocate this money to the gym it makes you a major investor. You would have... significant say in the future of the organization."
Chapter 0457
My eyes go wide. "But I don't want that!"
"You should," dad says, and I whip my head back to see him studying me with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't raise my children to simply hand out millions of dollars without knowing precisely where it went, Ariel."
"It's going to Luca, dad," I say, narrowing my eyes at him and holding out my palm towards my mate. "Whom I trust."
"Actually, it wouldn't be," Luca says, and I spin my head to face him, my eyes even wider. He gives an apologetic shrug. "I have very little to do with the day-to-day running of the gym and the support of all the kids who are enrolled as charity pupils, Ariel. I mean, obviously I'm here, not there. The money would be going directly to my uncle if you simply wrote a check. And, considering..." he hesitates now, letting me fill in the blanks, knowing how I feel about his uncle at the current moment.
I scowl, leaning back against the chair and taking a deep breath, feeling underprepared for all of this.
"We're here to help you, Ariel," mom says, reaching out and running a hand up and down my arm, comforting. "Why don't you and Luca take a few days to talk? Figure out precisely how you want the money allocated and where you want it to go. Then, once you've made some decisions, Ariel, we'll hire someone who does this professionally - who can oversee the donation and really ensure that it's doing what you want it to."
"That doesn't feel fair," I say with a sigh, looking only at my mom now because she feels like the one who will understand. "I just want to help - I don't want to take over."
"It's your responsibility, darling," she says gently.
"I don't want to change Luca's vision, though," I reply, getting a little upset about it.
"It perhaps needs to change anyway," Luca says, drawing my attention to him. "The gym...it's not precisely profitable at this moment, and the infrastructure we currently have is not really prepared to handle the influx of this kind of money - my uncle is a boxer and a coach, not a businessman. Honestly, the gym could use this kind of help - could use the money, but could also use someone in charge who really knows how to spend it. I think it's right, Ariel."
I sigh, squeezing Luca's hand, feeling just how much he means that down the bond.
But I glance back towards the paper on the table. "And we're sending...all of this money?"
Dad smirks a little. "You can spend it as you wish, Ariel, but I would hope that you would allocate some funds elsewhere. There are many organizations that could use it. Or, perhaps there's a project you'd like to develop yourself for which you would reserve some funds."
I frown a little, taking another deep breath. "I don't really have time for all of this," I murmur, picking up the paper and looking it over, still baffled by the insane amount of money at my fingertips.
"You will make the time, young lady," my dad says, stern.
I look up at him and put the paper down on the table again, my spine straightening the way it always does when he speaks to me with that tone, just on the edge of scolding.
Dad shakes his head at me, slow. "Your mother is right - this is a responsibility and you are ready for it. I'm aware that you have other obligations on your time at this school, but you are a Princess of this realm, Ariel. Your people deserve some of your attention as well - you can and should make time for them. If you do not, the money will simply sit in your account waiting for you when it could be out in the world doing good."
I purse my lips a little, feeling the responsibility settle on my shoulders, feeling myself adjust to accommodate it. God, is this really what I want? More responsibility, when I'm trying to juggle two mates and my work as an espionage Cadet in a nation on the brink of war?
Can...can I handle all of this at once?
Chapter 0458
I sit for a moment, my hand in Luca's, considering my options.
Part of me wants to push back - to just tell my parents to spend the money for me as they've always done. But still another part accepts that what they're saying is right - that I've been insisting for months now that I'm not a little girl and that I should be able to make my own choices.
Plus, part of me wonders...well, whether anything can be done for the people of Jackson's world, those in the Community who are suffering, or perhaps who have escaped like he has? If something can be done, and I can help it with these resources...I'll want to do that.
"Okay," I say softly, and I raise my eyes to meet my parents. Dad works hard to keep his expression stern but mom gives in, beaming at me. "And...I can take a few days? To talk to Luca, and to...make some decisions together about how it should be spent?"
"Yes, love," mom says, leaning forward to give my arm a fond squeeze. "We'll set up a video call for a few days from now and you can tell us what you've decided. We'll go from there."
Things move quickly after that, with my parents assuring me that they'll make some preparations on their end while Luca and I talk. And then my parents give me hugs and kisses goodbye, my mom squeezing me tight for a long moment and whispering to me to take care of myself because I'm very precious to her. I press my face to her shoulder in that moment, taking a long sniff of her scent, memorizing it. By the time she passes me on to my dad and moves to hug Luca I'm very nearly in tears, because I love them both so much - and they're so good to me - and I'm a little overwhelmed about all of this money - and I'm going to miss them -
"Ariel," my dad laughs, wrapping me up into a hug of his own. "Come on, little girl, pull yourself together - you're a Cadet, after all."
"Cadets can cry too," I mutter, burying my face in his suit jacket and getting a few tears on it.
"Apparently so," dad murmurs, dropping a kiss to my hair. "Sweet girl. I love you so much, Ariel. Keep your chin up, darling, and don't let these boys boss you around more than they ought. Don't forget that even though you look just like your mother you've got a great deal of me in your heart. Which means they should all be terrified."
I laugh and smile at my dad, loving him terribly, and then I take a deep breath and move back to Luca's side as he shakes my dad's hand, looking quite serious and I think feeling better about his position with my parents. As we leave, I can tell that things are indeed better, starting to be repaired - even if the three of them have a long way to go.
Luca drops my hand out of necessity as we step out of the door and it swings shut behind us, but I stay close by his side as we start down the hall. "Thank you," Luca says softly, smiling down at me as we hurry off to breakfast. “For believing in the gym - for wanting to support it. It...I think it helps a lot of kids, Ariel. Does a lot of good in a small part of our world."
"I genuinely believe in it, Luc," I say, smiling at him and bumping my shoulder into him as we go. "I'm not just sending the money because I have a crush on you."
He laughs, his head tilting back a little as he slips an arm around my shoulders. "Yeah, but it doesn't hurt that I'm so pretty, does it?" he asks, grinning.
"Nooo it does not," I say on a happy sigh. We walk quickly towards the hall where breakfast is served, but Luca goes suspiciously silent. "What?" I ask, glancing up at him. "What's wrong?"
He frowns at me, clearly deciding whether or not to ask. But I roll my eyes at him and give him a sharp nudge down the bond that makes him grin and then speak. "How do you...know that Tony guy, Ariel?" he asks. "And what's all of this talk about...magic?"
I grimace a bit, realizing that we're on shaky ground as I've promised people - Jackson, specifically - to keep their secrets.
"Let me talk to the others," I say quietly, my expression pleading. "I'm...not sure how much I can say."
"So...there's some great secret amongst the rest of you that I don't know?"
"I mean, you know I'm magic, right?" I say, raising my eyebrows at him. "That I can like...melt glass?"
His eyes go a bit wide as his steps stumble. “Wait, you did that?" he says, staring at me. “That day in your bed, with the marble? H-how?"
Chapter 0459
With my mind,” I say, raising my hands to my temple and narrowing my eyes, working hard for a joke that doesn't land.
Luca just stares at me and goes a little pale.
"And I can light things on fire," I say, giving a shrug as I sigh.
"With your mind?" he whispers, still staring at me, his pace slowing.
"Kinda," I say, shrugging and looking anxiously down the hall towards breakfast, where everyone is waiting. "I mean, with my magic, it doesn't feel like I do it with my mind. It comes from somewhere else."
"And... Tony does that too?" Luca asks, beginning to walk with me again as he adjusts to the information even though I can see and feel that he's a little freaked out.
"I've made some promises," I say quietly, my eyes begging him for patience. "I'll...ask if I can tell you. But I won't break people's trust if they don't want me to."
Luca nods to me, but I can tell he feels left out and betrayed.
"I'm sorry," I say, shaking my head as we come to the doors of the hall, not pushing them open yet. "You know I would have told you, right? If it was just me? But...it's not just my secret to hold."
His mouth twists a little in disappointment but he nods. "I get it," he says with a sigh. "But...try to convince them, all right? I'd be more comfortable if I knew what was going on."
I smile at my mate and nod as we press into the breakfast room, obviously arriving quite late. A grin breaks out onto my face, though, as I see that our group is already arranged around our usual table, and that Jackson is there too, waiting for us. I quicken my pace, eager to see everyone as well as to eat.
“So, are you like...all magic?" Luca asks, glancing between me and the rest of the table as he keeps pace at my side.
I laugh a little and then pitch my voice mysteriously. "I am not at liberty to disclose that information, Grant."
He just groans, tilting his head back. "Oh god, that's a yes," he mutters, making me laugh more.
"Ari!” Ben says, beaming at me and gesturing towards the empty seat next to him that has Jackson on its other side. "What the hell, man! You barely made it in time for coffee."
"I know, I know," I say with a sigh, giving Luca's arm a brief touch before I scurry to the open seat and sink into it, smiling at my friend. "Tell me you saved me a muffin, or I'll cry."
Ben laughs and moves a blueberry muffin from his plate to mine. I squeak happily, grateful and glad, and am already taking a bite as I turn to Jacks. "Hi," I say, my mouth full.
He works hard to keep from beaming at me, to maintain his Academy reputation for stoicism. "All okay?" he says, raising an eyebrow at me and starting to pour me a cup of coffee.
Beneath the table I slide my foot towards him, looping it behind his ankle and hooking it around the side, as much contact as I can get without being ridiculously obvious. "All very well, no worries," I say, quite breezy as he places my coffee in front of me.
A warm feeling blooms in me as I smile at Jackson and my wolf gives a happily little howl, her feet dancing to be near to him again. And I realize, ridiculously, that I missed him – even though I was only away for less than an hour. I pass everything that I'm feeling down the bond to Jackson in a warm swell. He can't help the smile that breaks out on his face, even as he pretends to ignore it.
But, quite secretly, he passes to me his own warm rush of happiness and affection and relief to again have me near. These emotions flood down the bond, filling me with a gust of lovely warmth so suddenly that I'm almost dizzy with it, my cheeks flushed with joy as I turn it over in my heart, relishing it, exploring it, basking in it as I sip my coffee and stare at my mate.
“Earth to Ari,” Jesse says, snapping his fingers in front of my face.
I blink back to myself and refocus on my cousin, laughing a little when I realize that the nearness of Jacks actually did make me completely forget that everyone else existed. I grin and look around the table at all of my friends, everyone I love so much, who all grin at me and shake their heads at my distraction, entertained and pleased.
Well, all except for Luca, who I realize saw as much as everyone else. Quietly, he pours himself his own cup of coffee, his face pale and his jaw set, clearly working hard to contain his jealousy at my reaction to Jacks and failing...just a little bit.
Chapter 0460
"Well," Rafe says, glancing between Luca and I and clearly intuiting that a little distraction might be necessary, "leave it to the Academy to get Ari out of bed, through a run, and then through a royal meeting before seven in the morning." I turn my attention gratefully to my brother, and he gives me a surreptitious wink.
"Are you implying that I'm lazy, Rafe Sinclair?" I counter, raising my coffee to my lips and lifting a challenging eyebrow in his direction. “Oh, I wasn't implying that, Ari," he says, training his innocent gaze on me. "I was blatantly stating it."
We all laugh at the easy joke, but it does its job, allowing conversation to restart at the table, letting us all relax a bit. Even Luca unwinds, though I think he forces himself to do it - to smile broadly and turn to Jesse next to him and start to chat about some lesson the Warrior track has going on today. I note, though, that his bond to me is closed down - perhaps for my sake.
I take a moment to register this - to note that Luca is trying. He's not having a temper tantrum, after all. It's progress, isn't it?
Next to me, Jackson gives me a nudge with his elbow. "You okay?" he asks, quiet enough that maybe only Ben hears.
“I'm great,” I say, smiling up at him. Because this is it now, isn't it? My life with two mates who are both in my life and agreeing, however tacitly, to share space. There are going to be moments of tension like that and we're all just going to have to...deal with it.
Jackson just nods once and accepts my words, allowing himself to get swept up in the conversation around the table. I chat with Ben about his plans for the week and his schedule as I try to shove as much food and coffee down my throat as I can, knowing that I need it. To my joy and surprise, I discover that Ben and I have a free study period tomorrow.
"Want to go to the library?" he asks, I think as pleased as I am. "I know we won't have much to study yet, but we can scope out the best reading spots."
"Speak for yourself," I sigh, knowing that I have Chemistry this afternoon and will certainly have a pile of homework from Neumann. "But yes, library sounds amazing. Do you think..."
But I stop mid-word, my focus completely shifting as a familiar figure stands at a table across the room, a man dressed in military browns and greens standing behind him.
Jackson and Luca, feeling my shock and surprise, instantly straighten in alert, turning in the direction I'm looking.
"What?" Jesse says, noticing the change in atmosphere at the table. "What's going on?" Ben and Rafe likewise put down their forks, looking around. Luca sees the Cadet in question first and lets out a long string of curses. Jackson is next, simply emitting a long, dangerous growl that I can feel vibrating through me. Jacks puts his hands flat on the table, clearly intending to stand up, but I whip out a hand and grab his wrist, begging him to stop.
He glances down at me, his body tensing as he wills himself to stay in his seat, as I have asked.
"Holy shit," Jesse says as his eyes focus on Alan Wright across the room. "What the...how the fuck is he still here!?"
Rafe growls as Jackson does, standing abruptly as he doesn't have me at his side to grab his wrist as I've done Jackson.
"Rafe!" I bark, and he glances over at me before returning his eyes to Alan, clearly on the verge of striding over there and using his fists to let Alan know precisely how welcome he is at this school.
"Did you guys seriously not hear?" Ben asks, looking between us. "It was...all over the halls last night."
"What was?" Luca asks, turning to Ben, his own shoulders shaking with rage to see the man who almost killed me clearly still enrolled.
"Would you all sit down?" Ben snaps, clearly focused on Rafe.
Rafe's growl intensifies but he does as Ben suggests, lowering himself to his seat and focusing on our friend.
"Honestly, you all need to take a little time to speak to people besides each other," Ben says, frowning around at us. "How can you honestly be the last people to know about this?"
"This is why you're our ambassador, Benny," Jesse says, going for levity even though I can see that his face is totally serious and very upset for my sake. "You speak to everyone else while we remain insular and aloof. Now, spill."