Ch. 556..560: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 556-560

Chapter 0556

I'm panting as Jesse follows me up the final hill of our run, keeping close on my heels and basically herding me like a sheepdog to ensure that I don't slacken my pace and fall behind.

"Jesse!" I gasp, swatting at him as he gets even closer when we reach the top of the hill, the door to the Castle only a few feet away. "Back off! The run is done!"

"Still twenty more feet, Cadet!" Jesse says, beaming at me, looking far too fresh for how exhausted I'm feeling. He jogs backwards, passing me, urging me along.

"Oh, I hate you," I sigh, still pulling my breaths in deeply as I let my pace slacken to a walk for those final twenty feet. Jesse laughs as he runs ahead to the little fountain where our water bottles are waiting, giving them a quick rinse before filling mine up and handing it to me when I join him there. "You did good," he says, quite cheerful, the energy Jacks passed to him early this morning clearly still running fresh in his veins.

I roll my eyes, knowing that he's just being nice.

Jesse laughs. "You did!" he insists, giving me a little shove on my shoulder that just makes water slosh down my front. "Rafe and Jackson are just too hard on you and your little legs, they make you feel like you're slow. But honestly, you could outrun anyone your size any day."

"Cool," I reply, scowling at the water all down the front of my uniform now. "Good to know I can outrun mom and Cora and Juniper."

"Hey, a win is a win," Jesse says, raising his bottle to me with a wink. I sigh, a little pleased, and rest against the wall at his side as we both catch our breath and look out over the pretty winter countryside.

"Do you think the draft is done?" I ask quietly after a minute, thinking about Jackson and Rafe going off this morning even earlier than I usually get up for sniping practice. Jesse very cheerfully agreed to go along with me before our run, but only after Jacks agreed to make it worth his time by giving him the energy to do it.

"Who knows," Jesse says with a sigh, glancing at me. "I mean, we get the results at breakfast, so probably close now."

I nod, letting my mind drift a little as

I hydrate myself, wondering if they got the picks they wanted,

wondering what team I'm on.

Wondering, again, what this new

dark spot in my soul is about, and if it's going to pounce at some point. My stomach twists with worry.

"You know, you're really good at the shooting," Jesse says quietly, glancing down at me like he knows something is wrong but also realizes that I don't to talk to him about it. “I didn't realize until this morning how insanely good you are.”

I perk up a little at the compliment. "What, did you think I've just been messing around?"

He shrugs, smirking. “I mean, I

figured you could hit the side of a barn from twenty paces. But what I saw today, Ariel?" He shakes his head, looking off into the distance a bit. "I mean, it explains why Jackson is so eager to pick you first, despite his personal obsession with you. You're going to kick ass on whatever team you're on in this Game."

"Yeah," I say with a disgruntled little sigh, "except that it will be a paintball gun and won't have nearly the range and precision that I'm used to." The captain confirmed as much in his last message to me.

"If you have half the accuracy, baby trouble," Jesse murmurs. "You'll be fine."

"Thanks,” I say, grinning up at him and giving him a nudge in the side with my elbow. We're quiet for a moment, and I consider his face, which is more serious than I'm used to. “How are you doing? After...all that happened?"

"You mean my mom announcing she's my professor and then ruining my extra-suave reputation by dumping a bathtub's worth of water on me in front of my friends?" he asks, quirking a brow at me.

I laugh but shake my head, not giving into it, letting him know that I'm not letting him wriggle out of a real answer just by making me laugh.

He sighs a little, smiling at me before dropping his eyes to the ground. "I'm freaked out, Ariel," Jesse says quietly, shaking his head. "This shadow stuff...it is not what I expected my power to be."

"The Dark God did indicate that it

was powerful, though," I say quietly

after a moment, wantingen

him. "And that the Goddess gave you that gift almost...maybe in particular to counter his." I shrug, wondering if that makes him feel better.

 

Chapter 0557

"Yes," he says with a sigh, "and you know me, always searching for the bigger and better responsibility. Always looking for another weight on my shoulders, like the obligation to defy the God of Darkness...just because I can."

"You don't fool me, Jess," I say quietly, making him look at me. "Given the choice between something like this and something silly like...a magical gift that made you really good at puns -"

“That would have been amazing,” he interrupts, his eyes narrowed.

I laugh, but just shake my head at him. "Jesse. Deep down? We all know what you would have chosen."

"Yeah, well," he sighs, slumping against the wall, "puns were never really part of my sense of humor anyway."

I lean against him then and Jesse wraps an arm around my shoulders. "You're a good guy, Jess," I say quietly. "You saved me yesterday. Even if you're not comfortable with your powers...I'm grateful for them."

"Well, if they let me save you even once, cousin," he says, pulling me a little closer. "Then I'll deal with these shadows and call it a done deal." I smile, leaning against my favorite cousin a little more.

But Jesse just sighs, looking again out into the distance. "Did you hear what the God said, though?" he asks, his voice curious and hesitant.

"He dropped a lot of sneaky little hints," I say, derisive. "Which one are you thinking of?"

"When he said his girl found me," Jesse says, shaking his head like he's trying to see how the pieces fit together. He blinks, refocusing his eyes on me. "What the hell did he mean by that?"

"I have no idea, Jess," I say quietly, shaking my own head as we look at each other, both of us battled and disconcerted by it.

My cousin just sighs, leaning his weight on me, and I do my best to stand still and prop him up - because honestly, right now, the only thing I can offer my cousin is support. Even if I desperately wish I had some answers.

Luca, Ben, Jesse and I all sit up straight, turning towards the door to the breakfast room as we see Jackson and Rafe walk in. The room bursts into whispers, because of course the rest of the Cadets in our year know that they're two of the six captains working together in this round of Games. But still, they're the first to come into the room - which means the draft must be over.

I almost jump out of my chair, desperate to dash over to them and get the information even faster, but Luca puts a hand on my knee.

"Be cool, Shrimp," he says, one corner of his mouth curling into a grin.

"I don't know if we've met, Luca?" I say, my eyebrows going up. "But 'cool' has never been one of the descriptors that anyone has ever applied to me."

Luca laughs, shaking his head at me a bit - but either way, his plan worked, because Jackson and Rafe settle into the two empty chairs across the table from us. Jackson shoots a little glare at Ben, who is seated on my right between us.

Ben just laughs, shaking his head. He reaches for the coffee pot, passing it to Jackson as a peace offering. "You don't get your preferred seat if you don't show up to breakfast on time," Ben says, grinning.

Jackson just narrows his eyes at Ben before turning them to me, a warm greeting coming down our

bond as well as a little whine fromet

his wolf that he's not seated next to me one I'm not sure he meant me to hear. I smile at Jackson, delighted, which just makes him laugh.

Rafe looks between the two of us but then rolls his eyes.

"How'd it go?" Jesse asks eagerly, passing Rafe the basket of muffins and baked goods, looking between our two Captains.

"The draft went well enough,"

Jackson says with a shrug before looking around at everyone at the table. “We did our best, made what negotiations and offers we could. I don't think that it's likely we'll get everyone we wanted but," he shrugs again. "I don't think it will be bad."

et

"Wait, so," I say, sitting up straight and peering at Jacks, not really missing the fact that Luca's hand tightens on my knee as I give my other mate my undivided attention. "You guys don't like...know what the teams are? It's not already decided?"

“We make our case,” Rafe says, “and then the Captain makes the final decision when Cadets are claimed by multiple teams.” His eyes move around the table then. "Which all of you were, by the way."

"Really?" I squeak, delighted and thrilled. "Even me?"

Chapter 0558

"You're the only sniper, Ariel," Rafe says, dry. "And your specialization was noted on the form, which I wasn't happy about. I had hoped you would be a low-level candidate for picking as your specialization was a secret. We had to make...serious concessions to ensure that we got you."

"So you got me?" I gasp.

"It's unlikely that we didn't," Jackson says with a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest, clearly not happy about it. "Like Rafe said, we made one hell of an offer for you."

"Awwww," I sigh, clasping my hands under my chin, looking at my brother and my mate with clear love all over my face.

"If you could...just pretend to be a boy," Ben laughs, reaching up and gently tugging on my wrists, begging me silently to drop my hands.

I laugh again, giving him a grin and slumping back in my chair in what I hope is a more manly position. The way Rafe smirks and rolls his eyes at me lets me know I've completely failed.

"Okay, so,” Ben says, leaning forward, wanting more details.

But on my other side, Luca stands up, looking towards the front of the room. "Results are out," he murmurs, starting towards the desk where a Lieutenant lays a few half-sheets of paper as Cadets all over the room likewise start to stand up. "You guys stay here, I'll bring them back."

None of the rest of us move, everyone just watching tensely as Luca makes his way to the table, grabs a few sheets, and hurries back before most of the other Cadets have even made their way to the table.

"He's fast," I murmur with a frown, watching him.

"Luca's faster than most of us," Jesse murmurs. "Just be glad he doesn't come to morning run," he finishes, smirking at me and making me scowl, all of my smug joy at being on everyone's draft wish-list fading as I remember how damn slow I am.

Before we can get any further with that particular conversation, Luca comes back to the table with three sheets. I bend over the one that Ben and I share, scanning the lists.

"Oh no!" I say after a moment, my head whipping up. "You guys didn't get Ben!"

"Sorry, man," Rafe says, putting the sheet down and looking seriously at our friend. "You were our top ambassador seat, but..."

"It's cool, I was probably everyone's top ambassador seat," Ben says, pretending to be smug to hide his disappointment. "And I get it - you were prioritizing military prowess."

Rafe nods, his face betraying his clear regret at making Ben feel left out.

"I'm off too," Luca says with a sigh, and I gasp, spinning towards him.

"What!?"

He sighs as he lays the sheet out on the table in front of us, tapping his name where it's listed on...

My eyes go wide as I see the name of Luca's captains at the top of the sheet. Redman Blythe, whom I don't know, and...

“Alan Wright?" I breathe, staring first at Luca and then over at my brother and Jacks. "He's a captain!?"

"He unfortunately has a fine military mind," Rafe says with a scowl. "And has been working his ass off since his relative...disgrace. We protested it," Rafe says, gesturing between himself and Jackson while holding my gaze. "But...the Captain told us to back off."

"And Luca has to take his orders!?" I gasp, looking down at the sheet again.

"Your pet Tony, too," Luca says, tapping the list again and showing me that Tony's name is on the list somewhere below his own.

"You didn't get Tony either!?" I gasp, appalled, smacking my hands down on the table as I glare across it. "Rafe!"

"Why are you not blaming Jackson for this too?" Rafe asks, putting his own hands on the table and glaring at me right back.

"Because Jackson likes Tony," I counter, narrowing my eyes even further. "You don't."

"I was my call, Ari,” Jackson says, making me spin towards him. He shakes his head slowly. "We don't even know his specialization, and it was not listed. I'm not picking a guy for the team just because I like him - not when we were trying to hard to Keep Luca and Ben."

"Which clearly backfired!"

"We got three of the highest-ranked Cadets in the warrior track, Clark," Jackson says, holding my gaze sternly, not backing down as he points over at Jesse, clearly

including him in that group. "Abel

the

only sniper on the field. And to do that, we have the smallest number of Cadets on the team."

I glance down at the page, seeing that he's right - that there are at least five less Cadets on our team than anyone else's. And that this was largely a concession that they made to keep me.

I scowl a little, slumping back in my chair. "Okay, I'm sorry," I say a bit through my teeth, knowing I owe them the apology even if I'm not too happy about it. "I just...wanted us all together."

"In a real war situation, we will be,

ne

okay?" Rafe says, leaning forward towards me, willing to make peace I think because he knew that apology cost me a bit of pride. "But in these games, we have to see how we play with others, see if..there's anyone worth including on that eventual real-life team."

Jackson, besides him, nods his support to Rafe's claims.

 

Chapter 0559

And despite the fact that that's supposed to be comforting, I pale because...

Well, I think because I forgot, a bit, that this is all practice for real life.

And that, one day, we could be doing this for real. And the consequences...

Suddenly, I want nothing more than to pay a great deal of attention to this exercise and learn everything I can from it. And the first thing I can learn is...just a little bit of obedience to my commanders.

I mean...just a little bit.

"Okay,” I say, setting my jaw and nodding as I look down at the paper. "What do we do next?"

"You go to study hall," Rafe says, turning a little towards Jackson now, "while Jackson and I have a conversation about how to strategize our team. Without those two," he smirks a bit, looking between Ben and Luca who are now, apparently, enemies.

"It will be an honor to shoot you in the face with a paintball,” Ben says, giving Rafe and Jacks a mock little bow and making the rest of us grin.

Luca, at my side, I can feel is not quite so happy about it. Conversation at the table continues a bit more normally as Ben and Jesse lean towards Rafe and Jackson, all four of them further reading the list and seeing where their other friends have ended up, which gives me the perfect opportunity to steal a little moment with Luca.

“Hey,” I say, turning to him, pitching my voice low and reaching for my coffee, wanting some before I go to study hall with Ben. "You okay?"

"I just wish I was on the team," Luca says quietly, glancing up at Rafe and Jackson and Jesse. Guilt swells within me and I close down the bond a bit, not wanting him to feel it because...well, because Jackson has been becoming more important in our group - planning with Rafe, helping Jesse figure out his magic.

And Luca...

"No, it's not because of that," Luca says with a little smile, glancing over at me as he pushes his eggs and bacon around on his plate, apparently not as hungry as he was before.

I sigh a bit, because apparently I didn't shut down our bond fast enough.

“Then what is it?" I ask, leaning closer and giving him a little nudge with my elbow.

"I'm just...going to have a really hard time following anyone else's orders," Luca says with a shrug. "Rafe and I have been close since we were all candidates but Jackson... has been really good to me lately, hasn't he with the study stuff? Despite it all, he is my friend and all of my friends except Ben are on another team. If someone orders me to shoot one of them, even in play?" he says, raising an eyebrow at me, asking me to see the impossibility in it. "Asks me to shoot you?"

Luca shakes his head and I reach for his hand under the table, taking it.

"What happens if you don't?" I whisper, curious, feeling his spot stuck in the middle.

"Look, Rafe or Jacks could probably

defy command and get away with it - the Captain and the other higher-ups in the Academy - your dad and uncle included - are obsessed with them. But me, with how poorly I'm already doing? Luca shakes his head, letting me feel how impossible it is. "I have to do what I'm told tomorrow, Ariel, or I seriously risk my status here at the Academy."

"But they said they weren't doing any further cuts," I reply, frowning at him.

"It's not about cuts anymore, it's

et

about....whether they'd let me fight with you all in the war, once we're all sent to battle," he says quietly, squeezing my hand. "If I'm willfully defiant as well as unimpressive?" he shakes his head. "And I couldn't stand that, Ariel. Couldn't...couldn't stand knowing you were on a

battlefield and not being at your

side."

I stare at him, feeling it then - just how serious it is. "Then do whatever it is you have to do tomorrow," I say, squeezing his hand.

"Even if it means taking you out?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at me, working hard for a levity I know isn't in his heart.

"Oh, Luca," I say, tilting my head to the side a bit and giving him a wink. "There's no way you'd see and shoot me first. I'll see you coming a mile away."

My mate bursts into a smile and then a laugh, squeezing my hand again below the table, and as I look at his handsome face as he laughs - his perfect white teeth, those gorgeous dimples – I feel my breath stolen a little, my stomach turning over. Because heavens, he's gorgeous, isn't he? And working so hard.

God, have I forgotten that a bit in the past few weeks?

I squeeze his hand back, taking a deep breath and beaming at my mate, letting him feel my rush of warm affection down our bond. And Luca's face flushes with it, even as he pretends to play it cool because we're at breakfast.

But inwardly, despite my renewed attention to Luca...I wonder when everyone started talking so seriously about the reality of going to battle. And just how much they're not telling me about precisely how close we are to that.

 

Chapter 0560

There's a happy buzz in the magic classroom for perhaps the first time ever, with mom swinging her legs as she sits on the desk and Cora leaning against it next to her.

We all turn when our final student arrives at the door.

"Hello, enemies," Tony says, laughing as he leans against the door frame, his arms crossed casually across his chest.

I laugh even as mom jumps down off the desk, laughing and moving quickly to Tony's side, taking him by the hand and pulling him into the room as she shuts the door behind him.

"Tony, we really are sorry," Rafe says, looking up into his face quickly as Tony comes more completely into the room, walking for his usual desk. "We tried but..."

"It's cool," Tony says, flashing Rafe a grin and giving Jackson a nod. "I'm not taking it personally. It will just stink to have to take you all out, one by one." He flashes us a wink.

"And how would you do that?" Rafe asks, turning towards him with interest as the rest of us do the same. "Ambassadors are only sent into the Games with a six-shot handgun. You think that's going to be enough?" He raises his eyebrow, not letting Tony in on the fact that Ben has already let us in on the secret that Tony is categorically not on the Ambassador track.

"Oh, I'm sure I can make something work," Tony says, giving us an easy smile that crinkles his eyes, which clearly states - to me at least - that he sees the question beneath the surface and has no intention of letting us in on his secret, whatever it is.

But still, the way Rafe continues to bristle a bit at Tony gets under my skin. Why doesn't he just believe me and mom when we tell him that Tony's all right?

"We'll make it worth your while," I say, turning my best Princess smile on Tony, attempting to communicate that I'm on his side and willing to joke around even if Rafe is not. "If you take care of Luca and manage to murder Wright within the first five minutes."

"Oh yeah?" Tony asks, grinning at me.

"I'd owe you a personal favor," I say, laughing and pressing a hand to my heart, giving him a little bow. "Which, from a princess, is always worth having."

"Can I hear about what that favor might be worth if I traded it in for cash?" he asks, one eyebrow raised, making me grin.

"All right, enough of this sporty talk," Cora says with a sigh, making us all turn to her as mom boosts herself On the desk and smiles at

back up

her sister. "Let's leave all this distasteful discussion of murder aside and get to what really matters."

"Yes, let's talk about me," mom says, flicking her hair back over her shoulder, smug.

“Or,” Cora says with half a sigh, sending a little glare mom's way, “developing magical skills.”

"Or that," mom says with a contented sigh, smiling around at all of us.

net

"We'll break into smaller groups in a minute,” Cora-says, looking around at us with interest, "but first, since Tony and Ariel have already presented their magic to the group," she says, "we thought

perhaps... Jesse and Jackson? Might?"

Both Jesse and Jackson go tense in their seats as we all turn our heads to look between them, to gauge their reactions.

Jackson is the first to clear his throat. “Um, well,” he says, holding a hand out in front of him. “There's not much to...prove. My magic is incredibly useful, but much less visually impressive than the other three."

"

I mean, we've felt it, though," I say, turning my head to look up into Jackson's face. "Me and Jesse and Rafe. Do you want to try it with the others?" raise my eyebrows at him and Jackson just looks at me, his eyes narrowing a little, clearly not wanting to. I laugh a bit, reaching out to give him a shove on the arm. “Oh, come on, Jacks," I say, grinning at him. “It will be worth it to know if you can pass your energy to others, won't it?"

He sighs, shaking his head at me. “Why, so I can power the entire military force of Moon Valley if necessary?” he asks.

"Or, you know,” I say, giving him a happy smile and tapping a finger in the air. "Just give us all our morning jolt."