Ch. 546..550: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 546-550

Chapter 0546

Luca gets to me first, pulling me hard against his chest, tucking his head down against my shoulder. But Jackson's here too, at my side, taking my chin in his hands and turning it towards him.

"Ariel," Jackson whispers, desperate, "are you...all right?"

Slowly I nod, staring at him, unable to do more than that in my shock.

Behind me, Rafe groans and Luca turns toward him, taking me with him. My eyes go wide when I again see the ruin of Rafe's chest - where his uniform has disintegrated, the God of Darkness's two handprints seemingly burned into his flesh. I cry out in dismay to see my brother wounded but Jesse is already there, his shadows beginning to sink back into him as he slips his hand beneath Rafe's shoulders, urging him to lay down flat on the floor, murmuring to him, inspecting the wounds.

I look anxiously around the room then, terrified. "Is he...is he gone? Or just invisible?"

"He's gone," Jesse calls over to me, lifting attention away from Rafe for a brief second. "I can feel him when he's here. Which is probably why he decided to attack today."

Still shaken, but I think encouraged by the idea that he's gone, Luca, Jackson and I move over to stand over Rafe and Jesse, staring horrified down at my brother, baffled by what just happened, none of us able to fully comprehend it just yet -

"Kids?"

All of our heads turn towards the tinny electronic voice.

It takes me a moment to focus on the laptop on its side, half broken, and the images of my mother and my aunt leaning close to the camera, peering at their own screen, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

“Rafe, Jesse?” I hear Cora's voice ask. "Is...everything okay?"

"Mom," Rafe croaks out, a little sigh in his voice alongside a wince of pain. "I think...you need to come here."

I see my mom's eyes go wide with panic.

"Whoa," says a voice across the room.

My head flies up to see Ben standing there on the other side of the splintered wreckage of our door.

"What...what happened here?" Ben's eyes are wide with shock as he stares around the room.

"I'm coming now, Rafe," our mom snaps, and my eyes move to the computer to see her beautiful face framed in the screen. "You just hold on, baby - I'm coming right now."

The screen goes dark and we all stand very, very still.

We all just stand completely still, staring around. Even Ben seems to be unable to catch his breath, words.

"Um," I whisper, feeling a little ridiculous. "If mom's coming...maybe we should clean up."

Everyone's eyes turn slowly towards me to stare at me like that's the understatement of the year.

We all tense simultaneously when

we hear movement from area by the window where Alvez lays slumped t reach for Jackson, wanting him

close as we all turn towards Alvez,

watching as his body slowlyel.ne

UMS

Jesse lets out a dark growl, slowly rising to his feet as Alvez's shoulders twitch and he lifts his head.

None of us move as he blinks around at us, confused. "Who...who are you all?" he asks, seeming frightened and baffled. "Where am I?"

"Professor Alvez?" Ben asks, stepping into the room and starting towards him, the only one of us who has found his voice. "You don't...know who your students are?"

I stare at Alvez, trying to figure it out - if he's just...faking it?

Or if he really was...possessed this whole time. If we're actually meeting John Alvez...kind of for the first time.

Alvez pulls himself to a sitting

position, but as he does I can tell

that it costs him a great deal. He leans back against the wall, panting like he's run a marathon, looking around at us. When his eyes land on Rafe and Jesse, he goes a bit still. "Are you... Rafe Sinclair?" he asks like he kind of can't believe it.

Chapter 0547

Rafe doesn't respond, just looks up at Jesse. "Can you do anything? To...tell if he's still in there?"

"If who's still in...where..." Alvez murmurs, raising a hand to his forehead and pressing it over his eyes like he has one hell of a headache.

I watch, completely still in Jackson's arms, as Jesse's shadows snake across the floor.

Ben gasps in shock, taking a step back, and Luca's whole body goes tense next to me. "Fucking magic..." Luca whispers, awed and I think a little horrified, "of course, I always forget that you're all...fucking magic."

But I ignore him, watching as the shadows slip over Alvez, begin to explore him.

Alvez gasps in surprise, his eyes flying open, going a bit stiff. He stays perfectly still as the shadows finish their exploration, clearly not hurting him even if he does look very, very freaked out by them. Then Jesse's shadows begin to slide away, reeling back into my cousin's body.

"I think he's...gone," Jesse says, crossing his arms as the last of the shadows disappear. "I mean, I don't know, I've been doing this for less than ten hours now. But...I could sense him in there at first - and now I think it's just...this guy."

“Come on, Ben," Jackson says with a sigh, loosening his arms around me and urging me a little towards Luca. Luca immediately opens his arms, taking me into them as Jackson waves Ben to come along as he strides for Alvez. "Let's get the professor down to the infirmary."

“Where am I?” Alvez asks, exhausted, looking up as Jackson takes him by his hands and pulls him to his feet.

“We'll fill you in on the way down," Jackson says kindly, draping one of Alvez's arms over his shoulders as Ben moves to support his other side. Luca loosens his arms around me, starting to move towards Jackson and Ben, eager to help - but Jackson holds a hand out.

"It's okay, we'll handle it," Jackon says, looking back down at the professor who is slumped against him. "Stay here with Ariel, Luca. Make sure she's...safe."

Luca nods, stepping back and holding me tight again. I sigh, letting him take some of my weight, wanting the support.

"Get bandages?" I call out, my voice a little choked as Jackson and Ben move Alvez towards the door. "On your way back up?"

Jackson gives me a steady nod and then the trio disappears down the hall.

Luca keeps his arms tight around me as Jesse kneels again by Rafe's side, helping my brother peel his shirt back so that they can fully inspect his wounds.

"Rafe, what the hell...happened," Jesse murmurs, looking closely at his chest that I originally thought was burned? But...

"I think he started to...disintegrate

me," Rafe murmurs, looking down in

horror at his raw flesh. "That was always Alvez's power, right? Or, at least what we thought it was. Clearly, he could do more."

"That is...horrible," Jesse whispers, looking up into my brother's face, his expression saying what we're all thinking. That the God of Darkness

didn't get far on Rafe...but give a

few more seconds to concentrate...

God.

I turn my head away from my brother, unable to look and think on it any further.

"What about you?" Luca whispers, and I look unsteadily up into his eyes. "Are you all right?"

"I don't know," I whisper, my wolf and I both turning towards this new thing within me. Or, perhaps not new just...awake.

"Sweetheart," Luca murmurs, frowning at me with worry. "What can I do?"

“Um,” I say, glancing over at my brother and my cousin on the floor.

But as much as I wrack my brain for something he - or any of us - can do to fix this...

I've got no answers.

Because even if we all did

miraculously survive our first

encounter with a great and powerful

e

magie, this all...it just got very serious, and very real, didn't?

UMS

And I honestly have absolutely no idea where to turn next.

Chapter 0548

 

Three hours later, everything has changed.

We're still in the room, having sent word to our professors that we're all...indisposed for the day. But mom is sitting on a cushion on the floor with Rafe's dark head in her lap, softly stroking her favorite's hair as he lays on a series of soft blankets that she had us lay out for him. And even though mom healed him pretty much the moment she came stumbling through the door, she still insists that Rafe not be moved - that he instead be quite intensely pampered exactly where he is.

Luckily, as the traumatized princess, I got a great deal of benefit from the Queen's attentions too. But her administration ended the moment she realized that I was physically fine and I'd rather have something to do to help than be coddled. Since then, my job has been fetching more and more plates of food as they come out of the dumbwaiter and carrying them over to the already-overloaded coffee table.

"My poor babies," mom murmurs, looking between us as I settle a plate of sandwiches down. "What a day you have had."

"We're fine, mom," Rafe sighs, his eyes lightly shut. "You're going to have to stop fussing at some point."

"Never," she sighs, quite sweet, making me smile as she leans forward and presses a kiss to Rafe's head.

"Oh, let him up, Ella," Cora says from her spot by the door, where she, Jesse, and Jacks are already fitting a new door into the gaping hole left by the last one. "Honestly, he's a big boy and you've healed him all up -"

"He's just a little tiny wounded meatball," mom corrects, heaving a squeaky sigh as she wraps her arms around her gigantic son, trying to hold him as tight as she can. "He can't help, he's hurt."

"Oh whatever," Cora says, laughing a little at mom's antics as she hands screws to Jackson as needed.

"Where did we even get a door so fast?" I ask, my hands on my hips as the dumbwaiter bell rings again. "And how much food did you have sent up?" “All of it,” mom says, her voice stern and decided. "I ordered six of everything in the kitchen, even from the back of the deep freezer. Meatball needs to get his strength back up and should have as many options as he wants."

"Mom, I'm fine," Rafe says, opening his eyes and laughing. "And stop calling me meatball."

"Again, never." she sighs, tapping him lightly on the nose and making me laugh as he scowls. "And I'll decide when you're fine, cutie,"

"I'm not complaining about the food options," Jackson murmurs, eagerly looking over at all of the food as I head again to the dumbwaiter. He still hasnbeaten and, through me, he gave Rafe more of his strength to speed his healing before mom got here. So, while we all missed breakfast, I think Jackson is feeling particularly ravenous. Down the bond, I can basically feel his

stomach rumble.

"Okay, we got him," Luca says from the doorway as Cora screws in the final screw and Jesse gives the door an experimental swing. We all turn to see Tony standing between Ben and Luca, looking completely confused.

"Um, hi?" Tony says, peering around the room. "Wow, nice place beyond the...wreckage of the door. Being royals apparently has its perks."

“Hi, Tony!” I call, carrying a plate of dumplings over to the table. "Do you want lunch?” I gesture to our wide buffet, which is probably more food than this crew of hungry Alphas can eat.

"The prince is laying on the floor in

what looks like..." Tony steps into the room, staring around at all of the splintered wood, "a matchbox factory explosion. And you want me to come in and... eat lunch?

"Yup!" Mom says, grinning over at Tony like she thinks he's funny.

“Hi, I'm Cora,” Cora says, peeking out from behind the door and reaching out a hand towards Tony. "I'm Jesse's mom.”

"Oh..." Tony says, jumping a little in surprise at her sudden appearance. He takes her hand though and gives it a shake, along with an awkward little bow. "A pleasure to meet you...your grace?"

Cora laughs a little, coming around the door and looking curiously at Tony, a big smile growing on her lips. "None of that – just Cora is fine."

Chapter 0549

"All right," Tony says, smiling back, and then turning back towards the room, dropping Cora's hand to follow Ben and Luca as they walk in.

"Actually," Cora says, watching Tony walk into the room as she swings the door shut. "We want you to come to class, not lunch. And since neither of you are enrolled in this class,” she says, pointing a finger between Ben and Luca, "neither of you need to be here!"

"But!" Ben says, looking longingly at the table as Cora, Jesse, and Jacks come to the center of the room. "The dumplings!"

"Oh, take them with you," Cora says with a sigh, scooping the plate up in her hand just as Jesse reaches for one, emitting a devastated groan of protest when she lifts it out of his grasp and pushes it at Ben.

"I'd rather stay," Luca says, a little awkwardly, running a hand through his hair and looking between my mom and Cora. "I was there this morning. I'd...like to know what happened."

"I'm sure Ari can fill you in later, Luca," my mom says, looking up at him with apology. "But we really are convening class right now, and having you here violates some of these Cadet's right to privacy."

Luca tightens his jaw, looking between Tony and Jackson, who he now has confirmation really are in the magic class.

"He can stay," Jackson says, sitting down on the floor close to me and reaching for an entire plate of sandwiches - an act that makes my eyebrows go up as I realize that perhaps mom didn't over-order as much as I thought she did. Jackson doesn't elaborate on his reasons, but my heart swells a little to see how much Jackson has come to trust Luca. I do my best to keep my happiness at this development off my face and away from my bond, but I know I've failed when Jackson looks up at me with a smirk.

"Well, even if Jackson is cool with it," Tony says, "I'm not." He looks at Luca with a little smirk on his lips as he plops onto the couch and reaches for a round sandwich with melted cheese and some sort of spicy meat.

Luca scoffs a little. "Your first time in this room," he says, a little bit of a territorial growl in his voice, “and you feel comfortable laying out a command regarding who can and cannot be here?"

"Look, it's nothing personal Grant,"

Tony says, crossing his ankle over

his knee, apparently perfectly at ease as he looks up at Luca, that confident smirk still on his lips. "It's just that I'm not perfectly

vene

comfortable sharing my deepest darkest secrets with you just

because you're Ariel's boyfriend."

"Ariel's boyfriend, am I?" Luca says slowly, turning to look at me with his hands on his hips. "Seems like there have been some developments in our little circle of trust on which I haven't quite been updated."

I grimace a little because...I did kind of forget to tell him.

"Still, if Tony's not comfortable," Cora says, her mouth twisting a little as she gives a shrug. “I think that's decided."

I blush a little as I turn to Luca,

sending him little pulse of apology

down our bond. I'll fill you in on everything I can, I promise speaking to him mind-to-mind, sending warm affection along with my words. I'll come get you for dinner, okay?

Luca smiles a little and then nods, accepting his defeat and pulling me in for a little hog and a kiss on the top of my cap before heading with Ben towards the door. Ben calls his goodbyes, his words a little muffled by the dumplings already shoved in his mouth, and then both disappear through our new door - which looks strange to me in the doorway. Too shiny and polished. I sigh a little, already nostalgic for the old door, sorry it had to get beaten to smithereens by my mates so they could get in.

I plop myself down at Jackson's side, leaning my weight against him as I reach for a cookie from the table. Passively, Jackson wraps an arm around my back, his fingers hitching around my hip and tugging me closer.

"So..." Tony murmurs, a little delighted, looking between Jackson and I. "This is...different..."

Chapter 0550

 

Jackson and I look up at Tony at the same instant, realizing that we've made a mistake. Cora and Jesse grin, picking up on things instantly as they sit down next to each other on the armchairs.

"I thought Ariel Sinclair was mated to Luca Grant," Tony says, grinning at me and nodding to the door where he just left.

"Um,” I say, my voice high and prim.

"Was that just tabloid gossip?" Tony presses, leaning forward a bit and I think enjoying himself. "Or was that kiss at the boxing match subterfuge, meant to distract the public? Or is this..." he says, tarting a finger between us, "somehow illicit?"

Jackson just growls a little, his eyes on Tony as his arm tightens around me, I think a mostly unintentional reaction to the suggestion that our connection is illegitimate.

"Oh, she's mated to Jackson too," my mom breaks in as Rafe sits up and the two of them gather around the table as well. Rafe spins to mom with his mouth open, appalled that she'd drop the secret like that, but mom just flaps a hand like she can dismiss the tension like smoke in the air. “Honestly, that drama is the least of our concerns today."

Tony raises his eyebrows at me and I just shrug as Jackson takes a rather vicious bite of his sandwich, daring Tony to doubt for a second that he's my mate. Tony's face breaks into a grin and I work hard to fight my own.

"Cool," Tony says, shrugging and apparently taking the news in stride, nodding to Jackson to let him know that they're good. Jackson's arm loosens around me, just slightly. "So...not that I mind his absence, because I think he's full of crap, but...if this is magic class, where is Alvez?"

"Jackson punched his lights out," Jesse says happily, leaning back in his chair with a clever grin, watching Tony's face go pale at his words. "Are you serious?" Tony breathes, turning to stare at Jackson.

"Only a little," Jackson says with a shrug before taking another huge final bite of his sandwich and then reaching for another. "Then Jesse grabbed him with his shadow magic and shook the soul of the God of Darkness loose. I think that's what really took him down."

Tony pales further, his mouth falling open.

"Tony, ignore them," Rafe says with a sigh, glaring between Jesse and Jackson as he likewise digs into the food. "They're each just trying to one-up each other."

"So," Tony says, looking over at Rafe now, still clearly a bit shaken. "None of that happened?"

"No, it did," Rafe says with a sigh,

making Tony blanch even further.

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Rafe hurries into a quick explanation then for Tony's sake - because of course we told mom and Cora everything as soon as they got here - of how Jesses' power manifested last night, and then Alvez trapped me in the room, and how they broke down the door and Jesse forced the God of Darkness out of Alvez and now Alvez is down in his room, shaken but sleeping it off after mom healed him up too. Content belongs

"Whaaat the hell," Tony breathes, looking around at all of us. "I mean, I was considering taking you guys up on your invitation to dinner but...I am no longer sure I want to join this group of friends."

Mom's mouth falls open in protest that someone wouldn't want to hang out with her darlings.

"No offense, your highness," Tony says, resting back into the couch's cushions. "That just...sounds like one hell of a morning."

"It was," I sigh, thinking of the one thing that I'm keeping back from everyone, wanting to talk to mom about it in private before anyone else.

Still, Jackson looks down at me with

a frown, sensing my worry and

sending a little question to me, asking iføm all right. I snuggle

closer to him, looking up into his

face, nodding quickly to let him

and

know it's fine. He nodom.

returns his attention to

"Well, as you can imagine, Tony," my mom says, resting a half-eaten cookie in her lap and looking around at all of us evenly. "Professor Alvez is...not precisely up to teaching any longer this semester. And, considering that you have thus-far been working with a dark God who very likely was actively working against any of you learning anything real about your magical skills," she grimaces, apologizing silently for that, “clearly, we need to make some changes here."

"Study hall?” Jesse asks eagerly. "Nap time?"

Cora smacks him on the knee, even as she laughs. He smiles back at her, making me grin too to see them.