Ch. 726..730: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 726-730

Chapter 0726

 

He kicks the door open when he gets there, snapping the lock and gritting his teeth when he realizes that he'll just have to replace it. Regret fills him fully then, both for the door and his harsh thoughts towards his sister, neither of which deserved his treatment.

But he's just so...pissed.

Rafe sighs, working hard to calm himself as he steps into the room. He looks down at his little sister in his arms, unconscious but breathing steadily, and knows he doesn't mean any of it. That he loves her, and is devastated for her, and just wants to fix the entire world so that things can just be easy for her sake, even if it means harder for his.

"But that's not your story, is it, trouble?" he murmurs, hefting her a bit in his arms, quite gentle, and carrying her over to her nook. There he settles her quite gently on the bed, taking a great deal of time to nestle her comfortably into the pillows and the blankets, ensuring that she has her favorite green one close by, pressed soft against her cheek. Then he lays several more warm blankets on top, tucking her in safe, terrified she'll be cold.

When Rafe stands, trembling a bit, and stares at her, he realizes again just how tiny she is, like a little rabbit.

So tiny, but so, so good - and so powerful - and so important.

"That fucking idiot," Rafe growls, running a frustrated hand through his hair as he grits his teeth. "Didn't even realize what he had." He sighs, putting his hands on his hips and staring at his sister who breathes peacefully. "What do you think, Ari, should we chop his head off? Or do you want to burn him to cinders?"

He waits. She doesn't say anything.

And Rafe's heart breaks for his little sister, who deserves so much better than this.

"I'm...I'm going to go across the room," he whispers, leaning close to her, speaking soft around the knot in his throat. "To get the first aid kit, all right?" He points to it, as if that's going to help.

Then he laughs at himself even as tears sting his eyes, because obviously she doesn't hear him. Rafe turns and strides away to the shelf where they keep the little kit of gauze and ointment. He's back halfway across the room when someone slams into the door and gasps when it flies open.

Rafe turns snarling towards it, his hands gripping the first aid kit so tight it cracks, but he loosens his grip when Jesse comes stumbling into the room, gasping, his face as pale as a ghost.

"Wh-what-" he looks around, baffled, terrified.

"You were supposed to watch her," Rafe growls, taking two hard steps towards his cousin, who looks disheveled as hell. He stops in his tracks, Jooking Jesse over,

et

wondering why the fuck his shirt is mis-buttoned, his hair such a mess

But then the scent pasted all over Jesse hits him, and Rafe's eyes go wide.

"What happened!?" Jesse barks out, glaring at Rafe and then striding for Ariel in the bed. He cries out when he sees her lying there, unconscious, and crawls across the bed to her far side, leaning close, inspecting her. When he sees the mark on her neck Jesse gasps and covers his mouth, just...staring.

Rafe stares too - at the pair of them - his poor sister - and his cousin, who...who betrayed him.

Rafe's heart sinks deep, deep in his chest.

But he grits his teeth and pushes it aside because Ariel needs him right now. There are more important things to be done. The betrayal...

It can wait.

"Luca marked her and then rejected

her,” Rafe snaps, pulling the

shattered remains of his heart together and then striding over to the bed with the first aid kit. He sits down hard on the side of the bed. and opens the kit, pulling out some supplies with which to clean the mark. Of course, if Luca had done it properly, it wouldn't be an open wound like this - it would have started healing - but obviously, some sort of interruption occurred.

"Why?" Jesse gasps, looking up at Rafe and shaking his head, completely baffled. "Why the fuck would he do that? Why would that happen? A marking and then -"

"I don't know," Rafe growls, shaking his head. "I don't know anything about it - when I got there Ben was holding her naked on the floor -"

"What the fuck..." Jesse breathes, sitting up straight and running his hands through his hair, his canines flashing as he stares down at his cousin, horrified for her and terribly confused.

Both Jesse and Rafe turn with snarls towards the door when they hear it creak open across the room.

Chapter 0727

"Whoa,” Ben says, holding his hands up at the door, his eyes going wide when he sees the vicious expressions on his friends' faces. "Guys, calm down. Obviously, you know I'm not going to hurt her."

With a concentrated effort, Rafe reels in his protective instinct and swallows. "I'm sorry," he says through his teeth. "It is...difficult. She's hurt, we're —"

"No, I get it,” Ben says, nodding as he takes a single step into the room. Jesse too settles back, just a little, though his muscles still stay tensely wound, ready to pounce. "I um...I went to the Captain and told him you needed a phone? I didn't tell him why - he wasn't happy about it, but he handed it over."

"What?" Jesse says, blinking, still trying to put all the pieces together.

"Thanks," Rafe says, solid, holding out a hand. "Bring it here. Shut the door."

"I thought you might want to...call your mom," Ben murmurs for Jesse's sake. "This seems beyond our capacities." He puts the phone in Rafe's hand and then slips his hands into his pockets.

"What do you mean?" Jesse asks, looking back down at Ariel, reaching out a hesitant hand and stroking it softly over her hair. Fear rushes through him again as Rafe dials the number and puts the phone to his ear, passing the first-aid kit to Jesse. Jesse frowns as he takes it, running his eyes over her blanketed form, wondering if there are more wounds than he's seeing besides the one on her neck. "Is she hurt elsewhere?"

"No," Ben says with a shrug. “I mean, I don't think so. I just – I mean, do you know what to do? When a girl gets rejected by her mate?"

Jesse just stares at Ben, blank. Ben shrugs, glad he takes his point.

"Would you please clean up her neck?" Rafe snarls, glancing at Jesse as the phone connects and begins to ring.

Jesse jumps a little and then does as he's told, getting out some gauze and saline solution and turning Ariel's head to the side so that he can inspect the bite. He gently begins to pat at it, cleaning the blood away, his stomach sinking for his poor sweet cousin who tries so hard and has been through too much these past few days.

"Where's Jackson?" Jesse murmurs, glancing up at Ben.

"Um,” Ben says, standing straight and grimacing as he runs his hand through his hair.

"What?" Jesse asks, going still with predatory focus. "Tell me."

"He...kind of went after Luca?" Ben says, awkward. "And says he's going to kill him?"

Jesse stays perfectly still for a long moment before he nods and looks back down at Ariel, continuing his work on the wound. "Good." "Good!?"

"Yeah, Ben," Jesse snarls, not looking at him. "If you seriously think Luca is getting away with this with his head, let alone his balls -" "Jesse!"

et

"I'm serious!" Jesse barks out, whipping his head up to glare at Ben. "This is fucking Ariel Sinclair! Not only is she the sweetest goddamn person on the earth, she's our last hope in this whole fucking warf Luca Grant put her out of commission, he's to blame for everything that befalls Moon Valley! And even if he weren't I'd rip him to shreds anyway -"

"Oh my god," Ben groans, dropping his head into his hands, finally understanding the magnitude of this.

"Would you two shut up?" Rafe

snarls, glaring at both of them.

—

"They're getting her - Mom!" He sits up straighter when the sweet voice sounds on the other line, worried. "Mom - um - we're all alive, but we need you to get here. Right now."

—

S

There's a buzz of worry on the other end as Ella bursts out with questions.

"Ariel's unconscious," Rafe murmurs, trying to give her the details she needs. "Um - we'll tell you when you get - okay! Fine!" He sighs, shaking his head. "Luca - he fucking rejected her." He pauses. "What? Mom I don't know -"

Ben and Jesse watch in rapt silence.

"Mom!" Rafe bites out, his voice squeaking. "Look, I think she's going to be okay she's unconscious but she's breathing fine, and her pulse is steady can you just..." He sniffs hard, looking down at his little sister. "Can you just get here? Please? We're out of our depth. She needs you."

Rafe nods once and then hangs up the phone.

"What did she say?" Jesse whispers, breathless.

"She's coming," Rafe says, nodding once, not looking at either of them. "And, um. That we should try to feed her when she wakes up. Keep up her strength."

"I've got peach rings," Jesse says, immediately springing out of bed and heading for the secret stash in his dresser, desperately glad to have something to do.

 

Chapter 0728

"I'll get the kitchen to send the strawberry ice cream she likes," Ben murmurs, feeling utterly useless but thinking that it's better than nothing. He strides for the dumbwaiter.

Rafe doesn't follow. Instead, he just collects the gauze that Jesse dropped and continues dabbing at the wound on Ariel's neck, doing his best to clean it for her.

"You just hang in there, baby trouble," he whispers, leaning close. "We'll take care of you. We've got you now."

Ariel just lays perfectly still. Deep down, Rafe is glad that she's not awake. Because when she does come around? God, but the reality of Luca's rejection is just...

...going to destroy her.

Jackson snarls as Luca's scent gets thicker in the air. He's been running for an hour, chasing him. God, fuck but Grant's fast. If he wasn't, Jackson would have caught him long before now.

But Grant's endurance has nothing on Jackson's.

Jackson snarls and picks up speed, almost tasting that bastard's blood on his tongue.

When Jackson breaks out of the woods he sees Grant, finally, across a field. Grant walks on two feet now, his steps dragging, his shoulders slumped, his head down. Jackson growls and sprints, closing the distance, his teeth bared.

Grant hears him coming - of course he does, Jackson is making no attempt at stealth. Luca spins, snarling, his hands already balled into fists, ready to take on the world. When Jackson is close enough to leap Grant screams his fury aloud into the air, a torrent of sound and misery and abjection. But doesn't move, doesn't even raise his hands to defend himself.

Almost like he thinks he deserves the fate flying towards him through the air. Welcomes it. Has been waiting for it.

At the last minute Jackson shifts in the air, his hand already clenched as he returns to his human body, his fist flying through the air and connecting solidly against Luca's jaw the moment before his feet again meet the ground.

"You fucking bastard!" Jackson shouts, his voice rough with agony.

Luca's whole head snaps hard to the side and he stumbles away, moaning and spitting blood.

Jackson's chest heaves as he advances, raising his fist again. But Luca's faster, as usual, and whips his hands up, hitting Jackson with a three-punch combination that has him stumbling back, blood spouting from his nose.

"Get the fuck away from me, you asshole!" Luca shouts, his words a little muffled by the pain in his jaw, but he brings his hands up in his fighter's stance, ready to go again if Jackson approaches. "I fucking left - isn't that enough!? You had to chase me down and rub it in!?"

"Rub it in!?" Jackson shouts, closing

the distance between them and whipping his whole arm around to hit Luca hard in the shoulder. Luca blocks but still goes stumbling to the side under the sheer weight and force of Jackson's body. They're not boxing, after all - and they both know that Jackson has the advantage when there aren't any rules. "You fucking marked her! You claimed her! My fucking mate!"

"Take her!" Luca screams, still stumbling, exhausted and trying to catch his balance. "That bitch is all yours -"

Jackson roars and steps close, smacking Luca hard in the face with the flat of his hand. "Don't you dare -"

But Luca screams, all the grief and

the fury taking hold of him as he hurls himself at Jackson, blood pouring from his nose as he gets i whatever blows and punches he can, giving Jackson everything he

has with no attempt to block or

shield. Just trying to kill, to main, to hurt as much as he's been hurt.

et

Jackson's had too much training for that, though. He takes a few hits, watching for his spot, and then shoves Loca hard when he gets a hand flat on his shoulder, sending him stumbling back a few steps. When there's some space between the two, Jackson whips his foot up and kicks, hard, right in the center of Luca's chest, sending him sprawling.

The wind rushes from Luca's lungs as he hits the ground. He lays in the grass gasping, trying hard to draw breath.

Jackson stalks forward and kneels next to the prone man, a knee on his chest - not hard enough to crush, but heavy enough to be a warning that one move - one single wrong move and Luca's ribcage will be crushed.

"You fucking. Marked. My mate."

With a deepening snarl, Jackson leans in, trying to decide whether he should kill this man now? Or just let him suffer.

 

Chapter 0729

 

"Yeah," Luca snarls, coughing and glaring up at Jacks, his words wheezing out under the pressure of Jackson's weight pressed tight against his chest. "I marked her - but she's your fucking mate, you asshole. Yours! She fucking picked you, Jacks! So go and get your fucking girl and leave me the hell out of it!"

Jackson stills, staring at him, uncomprehending.

Luca laughs, letting his head loll to the side, giving up the fight as blood trickles out of his mouth and his nose. "She fucking picked you, Jacks," he says, going limp beneath Jackson's knee - finally, finally giving into it. "I marked her, and she still fucking picked you."

"What are you talking about?" Jackson whispers, still baffled.

He lifts his knee, slightly, easing up. But it's not mercy that makes him do it - just sheer confusion.

“When I gave her my mark,” Luca snaps, still not looking up. "She shoved me away. Told me she didn't want it." He turns his head to glare at Jackson, hate and desperate, jealous rage in every inch of his expression. "She wants you. Though I couldn't tell you why. She's always had shit taste -"

Jackson punches him, hard, across the other cheek.

Luca groans, coughing, his head snapping to the side, his eyes pressing shut with agony.

Jackson instantly feels guilty, further letting up the pressure on Luca's chest and shifting to kneel at his side, still staring down at him.

"Will you just...go?" Luca murmurs, his cheek pressed to the grass and the dirt, his eyes closed. "You fucking won, all right? She wants you."

To Jackson's horror, Luca begins to cry, tears slipping from his eyes.

"She...she only wants you."

Jacks stares down at Grant, his enemy, the man he came here to kill. The man who marked the woman he loves. But he just looks so pathetic now... “I rejected her, so you should have smooth fucking sailing –“

"You WHAT!?" Jackson shouts, horrified. Luca gasps, still crying but turning his head back up to Jackson in surprise. When he doesn't say anything Jackson grabs Luca by the shirt, hauling him up so that their faces are inches apart. "You did what to Ariel?"

"I rejected her!" Luca shouts, agonized and angry and horrified and viciously pleased to have hurt her in return. "You can have her! I don't even want that bitch if she can't -"

Jackson roars again and shoves Luca back to the ground, rising to his feet and giving Luca a sharp kick in the ribs. And then another for good measure.

"You fucking fool," Jackson seethes, staring down at Grant, who just sobs in the dirt. "The Goddess laid the best thing in the world at your feet, and you're fucking stupid enough to reject it, calling her a bitch and lying toyourself, telling yourself you were ever good enough for her

But Luca doesn't respond. He just curls in on himself and sobs.

"You're a fucking fool." Jackson sneers at this pathetic excuse for a man and turns away, stalking back toward the woods. A moment later his walk turns into a run. And then he shifts, sprinting in his wolf form as fast as he can back towards the Castle.

Because he didn't know. He honestly didn't know.

If he'd have known, he'd never have left her.

Ariel, rejected. And him not there to hold her.

Fool, fool. He, too, was a fool.

The breath burns his lungs, but Jackson pushes himself faster, desperate to be at her side.

The helicopter lands not on the roof, where it usually does, but on the grass immediately outside the Castle's front door. There's no time to wait.

The blades continue to whirl as Cora steps out of the small body of the chopper, but she immediately scowls and throws up a little forcefield of air around her so that she can hear and doesn't get blown away.

"Ella!" she snarls, turning back to the dark interior of the helicopter. "This is crazy! I –“

"Just do it, Cora!"

"But it's just so stupid! We can just go upstairs!"

"Hello!?" A shocked voice calls as a woman comes stumbling out of the door of the castle. Cora spins, her eyes sweeping over the person and realizing that they're not a Cadet but a member of staff. "Can - can'l help you? You can't have this helicopter here it's dangerous!"

—

-

าวเ

Cora glances back at Ella, scowling, but when Ella shoots out a foot and gives her a little kick Cora steps forward, grumbling, towards the shocked staff member and snaps her hands to her hips. "I am Duchess Cora Šinclair!" she intones, far more formally than seems necessary. "And I...demand that my nephew, Cadet Andrew Clark -"