Ch. 846..850: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 846-850

Chapter 0846

"Why are they searching for the murderer?" I ask, my face twisted in confusion. "It's very obviously Gabriel -“

"Ariel!" Ben breathes, putting his hands on my shoulders and giving me a little shake. "When I say chaos I mean chaos - are you aware that the protective magic all over the castle has just fallen?"

I gasp, my eyes going wide. Because how the hell did I not think of that as a consequence!?

On one hand...this is very bad. Shit - shit! People are going to be looking everywhere for Gabriel.

But on the other hand...I whip my head to the side and stare hard at my comforter, the corner of which bursts into flame.

Ben shrieks and dashes for it, jumping on the bed and quickly smothering the fire as I laugh and clap my hands, jumping up and down a few times. Ben snaps his gaze back to me, a growl on his voice. "Ariel, this is not the time to play pyromaniac princess. We need to come up with a plan! We need to -"

The door flies open, Pippa and Elias stumbling in. "Ariel!" Elias gasps.

But then he goes very, very still as he sees who is kneeling on my bed, a charred bit of fabric in his hands.

Pippa's eyes whip between the two men and I grimace a little, worried for her as she quietly pushes the door shut.

"Um, everyone,” I say quietly. "This is...Benny."

"Benjamin,” Ben snaps, shooting me a glare. "Or, um, Ben. Ben Ternicki. I'm an... ambassador from Moon Valley..."

He finishes rather lamely as Pippa comes to stand next to Elias's side, her hand going immediately to her stomach. Then Ben goes very, very pale as he puts together the pieces. I mean, he would have seen them last night, but today...

Well, today, with the possessive gleam in Pippa's eyes...

It's very clear who the father of her child is.

"Okay,” I say, my voice humming a bit with anxiety. "Um, so, this is weird, but it's about to get...weirder."

"What?" Ben and Elias say together, spinning their heads to me.

I can't help my grin at their synchronicity. "So, I kind of...did something..."

the groans, slipping off

side

d coming to stand by met

Ari, god damn it. What did you do?

swno11

"Don't get mad, okay?" I say, turning towards Pippa and Elias now, my face pleading.

Pippa's eyes go wide as Elias's narrow. "What's going on?" he asks, stern.

"Um, just...come with me," I say, holding out my hands to everyone.

Elias groans but obeys, his eyes locking on Ben's as each of them hold my hand and Pippa takes Elias's.

I take a deep breath and then shift to the other world, where we all land together in the cage, Prince Gabriel collapsed in the nest of blankets at my feet, his breath faint.

Pippa shrieks, looking around at the other world as Elias shouts, falling to his knees at his brother's side.

"Holy shit, holy shit," Benny murmurs, staring between Gabriel and me. "Ariel! Did you...did you poison him!?"

"A little bit, say, pinching my

fingers together as I grimace first at Ben and then at Pippa and Elias

when they turn their heads tostare

at me in shock.

I give all three of the conscious people in the cage my best princess smile.

But I let it drop when all three just continue to stare at me, appalled.

"Oh, come on!" I huff, stomping my foot. "I only poisoned him a little bit!"

Chapter 0847

"I think it's nice," Jackson says, looking around the yurt.

"Thank you!" Midnight says, quite pleased, lounging back on her little bed and squeezing one of her new stuffie toys to her chest.

"It's great for camping, but come on Jacks, this is not nice for a house - please don't encourage her," Jesse sighs, a little frustrated with his friend.

"Nicer than a lot of places I lived when I was growing up," Jackson murmurs, reaching for another cookie on the plate and eating it in one bite. "Do you have anything else to eat?"

"We have cabbage!" Midnight eagerly volunteers, dashing for the kitchen.

"Great," Jackson says, his eyebrows going eagerly up.

Jesse just rolls his eyes, because he did indeed forget that Jackson and Midnight are both members of the foundling club, and that in trying to have this discussion with them he was going to be sincerely outnumbered.

After a great deal of negotiation, Jesse convinced Midnight to vanish them back here to the yurt so that they could more comfortably fill each other in on the events of the past week. Talking her into that was easy, but persuading her not to tell Darkness that Jackson is here was much more difficult. In the end Midnight given in, but only when Jesse explained that Jackson - like her - was family.

Family, it seems, is a keyword that means a great deal to Midnight now.

"So, the cages are for Ariel?" Midnight asks, turning her head to look at Jackson with interest as she begins to slice the cabbage with a sharp new knife Juniper gave her. "I was wondering why they built them."

"Yup," Jackson says, looking at her seriously. "But can we save the cabbage for another time? You'll have to take me back now. Ariel's calling me back."

Midnight looks at him with fascination. "How do you know that?”

"We can talk mind-to-mind," Jackson murmurs, dusting off his hands and standing to his full height, his head brushing the roof of the yurt.

Midnight gasps and spins her head to Jesse, her face miserable with jealousy. "I want to talk mind-to-mind! That would be so much fun!"

Jackson frowns between Jesse and Midnight. "You guys can't do that yet?"

"Don't get her started," Jesse mutters, looking down at the ground, guilty.

"He won't accept the bond," Midnight snaps out, pissed off. "He's being rude and withholding."

"Who taught you that word," Jesse asks, lifting his eyes to her with a scowl.

"You did," she bites back.

"Why won't you accept the bond?" Jackson asks, his voice suspicious. "Is there something wrong with her?"

Midnight stares at Jackson, aghast at the suggestion, a hand pressed to her chest. "Rude. I am perfect."

"She's perfect," Jesse agrees, waving a dismissive hand. "But her wolf is..."

"Corrupted?" Jackson asks, his head whipping back to stare at Midnight.

Jesse frowns at him. "How...did you know that?"

"Because she's not the only one," Jackson says, holding out a hand to the girl. "Come on, we're taking you to see Ariel."

"Why?" Midnight asks, leaning away from him. "What can she do?"

"Probably nothing," Jackson says with a shrug, his hand still out. "But she knows someone like you. Could be interesting to compare notes. Especially since he's apparently been made horrible by his

ov

corruption, and you are still lovely."

Midnight beams at this compliment, and Jesse smiles because he knows Jackson probably didn't mean it to flatter her No, he was probably just stating the facts as he sees them. Midnight eagerly drops her knife and moves to Jackson's side as Jesse, too, gets to his feet.

"Can you take us back to the cages now?" Jackson asks, looking down at the girl.

"I can," she says, giving an eager nod. "But first, can you pick me up?"

Jackson bursts out laughing as Jesse frowns at his mate. "Why do you want him to do that?"

"Because I'd always see him doing it with Ariel!" Midnight says, laughing. "And it looked like fun!"

Jackson laughs again and nods towards the door of the tent. "Sure, little girl, I'll pick you up. But come on, let's go do it outside so you don't hit your head."

Grinning, Midnight slips her hand into Jackson's as the pair head out into the darkness, Jesse on their heels.

When they're free of the tent,

Jackson crouches low, wrapping an arm tight around Midnight's thighs, and hoisting her high into the air so that she perches neatly on his elbow her head high above Midnight laughs with delight looking around eagerly from her new height as Jackson likewise laughs, pleased to see her so pleased.

Chapter 0848

"You never ask me to pick you up," Jesse mutters, his wolf walking a jealous path back and forth in his soul as he comes to stand close to his mate and his friend.

"Yes, but you're significantly more delicate," Midnight says with a happy sigh, leaning forward to pat Jesse on the head. He scowls and shoves her hand away. "All right, time's wasting," Jackson says, nodding up to Midnight. "To the cages?"

"To the cages!" she says, delighted, reaching a hand out for Jesse. And when Jesse – still scowling - petulantly reaches out to take her hand, Midnight vanishes

them away.

"Okay, so," I say, clapping my hands together and then turning for Pippa. "I need your help especially right now, Pips."

Pippa looks at me with wide eyes. "What on earth am I going to do!?"

"You're going to get the antidote!"

The three continue to just stare at me as Gabriel wheezes at our feet. I sigh, starting to get frustrated, needing them all to just get over their shock and on board with my plan.

"How...how do you know what the antidote is?" Elias asks, stepping towards me, incredulous. "Also, where on earth did you get poison!?"

"Where I got poison is not...currently relevant," I say, waving a hand to dismiss the question. "And I learned about poisons at school!"

“I learned.....embroidery at school...” Pippa whispers, looking again down at Gabriel, clearly shocked.

"Ariel is a very competent chemist," Ben says in explanation, resting his fingertips against his temples in a probably-vain attempt to keep his sanity. "Especially in contexts such as this. If she poisoned Gabriel, she probably knows precisely what she poisoned him with, and how much, and how to reverse the effects. Yes, Ari?"

I nod eagerly, because all of that is very true. "Yup, I can fix him! But Pippa, I need you to go to the doctor and request a cyanide kit."

She just stares at me, still shocked, so I grab her hand and look meaningfully between Ben and Elias. "I'll be back...in a few minutes!"

And then I use my dark powers to tilt back to Atalaxia, Pippa firmly by my side.

When we get there I move for the door, already starting to tell my friend what to say to the doctor to request the kit. But Pippa pulls hard on my hand, tugging me back and making me fall silent when she looks into my face.

"Is Gabriel going to die?" she asks, her voice tight, My brows raise because...this is not a woman who is scared for her childhood friend asking me. Quickly, Pippa shakes her head, her mouth a thin line. "Elias is next in line to the throne behind him, Ariel," she snaps. "And I do not want to be a Queen."

I step close to Pippa, looking her seriously in the eye. "I gave Gabriel a very small dose of cyanide," I say, fast and low. "If he gets the antidote quickly, he'll revive fast, though it will take him some time to recover to full health. If he does not get that antidote, he will die. So, if you do not want to be Queen, you need to help me with this."

She nods once, her eyes moving towards the door, and then back to me. She raises her chin, her jaw clenched.

And my heart drops because...I know what's coming next.

"That man," she says, her voice tight. "That...Ben. Is he...my Alpha's mate?"

I put a hand on her shoulder and nod once. "Yes, Pippa. He is."

She swallows hard, her eyes flicking back and forth as she processes the news. "Is he a good man?"

"He's the best of men," I whisper. "And like a brother to me."

Pippa exhales slowly and takes a moment to close her eyes, and bow her head, and tuck...whatever emotions she's having deep in her soul. Then, brisk and assured, Pippa nods once before she heads to the door. "I'll be back in this room in fifteen minutes. Please be here."

"I will," I promise her, watching as the proud woman moves to the door and deftly opens it, stepping out into a noisy hall that is - as Ben indicated - more chaotic than I've ever seen it.

Chapter 0849

"So,” Ben says, his mouth turning down as he heaves an awkward shrug. "In the thousand times that I imagined meeting you... it never went like this."

Elias stays still for a moment before his shoulders twitch and he lifts his head to look Ben in the eyes. "You mean you never imagined introducing yourself to me in the Land of Darkness? Inside a cage that my brother built to keep his mate trapped here? With said brother laying at our feet, gasping for air?"

Ben just stares at Elias for a second before Elias's face breaks into a wry smile and Ben stumbles out a laugh. God - god damn it - but he's hot and he's funny? Shit. Shit, but he lucked out on this one.

"Are you okay?" Ben asks, taking three hesitant steps forward, his hand lifting towards his mate without him really meaning to.

Elias shrugs and, to Ben's surprise, takes his hand - just lightly. "I'm surprisingly okay. Gabriel has been...challenging lately. And he murdered our cousin last night, so I guess I'm not entirely surprised that divine retribution came and bit him in the ass like this. Though I am surprised that Ariel was the one who did it. I... didn't know she had that kind of grit."

"Ariel poisoning someone," Ben murmurs, looking down at the dying Prince, "is... oddly enough the one part of this situation that does not surprise me."

Elias huffs another laugh and glances up at Ben, a little shy. But he doesn't pull his hand away.

They're quiet for a long few moments.

"Hey, so,” Ben says, trying desperately hard to be casual. "...so, Pippa?"

"Yeah," Elias says, lifting his head and looking Ben square in the eye. Ben turns towards him and squeezes his hand, hoping that Elias feels his support, that he can tell him whatever he wants. "Pippa is my Luna. We're married. She's...my best friend in the entire world and...I'm not leaving her behind."

"I...would never ask you to leave her behind,” Ben says, giving a simple shrug, telling the utter truth. Anyone who is family to Elias is family to him now. "And...the baby?"

"Yeah," Elias says, heaving a sigh and letting his shoulders slump. "That's...mine. We're going to have a daughter...kind of any day now."

"Wow,” Ben says, smiling despite himself, kind of...god, is it weird that he kind of likes that? It's going to be insanely complicated, and he has no idea how Pippa will feel about Ben being Elias's mate but... "daughters are amazing, Elias. Congratulations."

"Thanks," Eliaş says, squeezing Ben's hand back, a hesitant smile coming to his mouth. "Yeah, I'm really excited. Though..." his cheeks puff out with air, an exasperated sigh. I'm not crazy about bringing a little girl into the world amidst so much chaos. I kind of... wanted a

simpler life for her."

"Well, whatever you need," Ben says quietly, stepping closer, meaning it with his

entire heart. "I'm here for you. I'll help...however I can."

Elias looks back at his mate in surprise, not used to such an honest offer of aid from a relative stranger But his Wolf howls and eagerly shifts from foot to foot, urging Elias to take it to leap forward and accept this with his whole heart. The help, and Ben, and the bond - all of it.

Elias steps forward too, pulling Ben towards him with a tug on his hand, just one step-

When suddenly, Ariel appears before them.

"Hi!" I say, snapping my hands to my hips and grinning between Ben and Elias, who hastily drop each other's hands. My smile widens as I take in their blushing cheeks, but as I laugh I go to one knee at Gabriel's side and look him over, giving them the space they need to regain their composure.

After all, I've got a poisoned mate on my hands. And I really should be worrying

about that instead of my bestie's love life.

Elias clears his throat. "Is Pippa getting the antidote?"

"Yup!" I say, still not looking up at them and instead taking in the basics of Gabriel's condition and reaching out to take his pulse, which is slow but not erratic. "She said fifteen minutes."

"Ariel, why did you half poison him in the first place?" Ben asks, his voice a little frustrated. “If you wanted him gone, why didn't you just...go whole hog? Did you not have enough cyanide?"

I glance up at him. "No, I have enough," I murmur, taking a deep breath and folding my legs beneath me as I settle in next to Gabriel and take his hand. "I don't want him dead. I just want him - and his wolf - incapacitated. For a bit."

"Ariel," Elias says, stepping forward towards me, putting the pieces together before Ben does. "Don't do it. It's not worth it."

I sigh, giving Gabriel's hand a squeeze and looking up at my friends. "You don't get it, Elias," I say, a little sad. "If I accept the bond, I have access to his magic. And I can experiment with it, try to understand why...why my grandmother gave me this mate to begin with."

Chapter 0850

"But the corruption will spread," Elias says, kneeling down on Gabriel's other side and reaching across him to squeeze my shoulder. "It's not worth it, Ariel - what I watched Gabriel go through? I can't watch you do it too."

"Corruption?" Ben asks, his voice suddenly frantic. "What are you talking about?”

"I've come this far," I say with a sigh, shaking my head at him. "No time like the present. And if it starts to corrupt, I can always just... break the bond."

I sigh, looking down at Gabriel, hoping desperately that it's true.

"Ariel, please," Elias begs.

But it's too late.

I say a little prayer to my grandmother for protection, and close my eyes, and give my wolf a little nod. She stands at the edge of my soul and lifts her nose high, proud and regal, her pretty rose-gold fur blowing in some phantom wind.

And then we accept the bond, which snaps into place between my soul and Gabriel's.

His wolf shifts in his place sunk deep in the oil, eager, hungry. My wolf steps back, afraid and ready to run. I tense, both in my body and in my soul, ready to break the bond to reject him to flee...

But Gabriel's wolf collapses back into the oil, unable to stir.

I open my eyes in the Land of Darkness and find Gabriel's eyes fluttering open, searching for me. His mouth moves, making shapes, perhaps trying to say my name. And guilt rushes through me as I feel, anew, his pain - his physical pain, and his emotional agony.

God, how horrible, how terrible - the corruption just clangs through him. How can he have survived this for years?

"Oh, Gabriel," I murmur, reaching out and stroking a hand over his hair. "You poor thing."

He moans a little, turning his head towards my hand, even though I'm not sure he's fully conscious.

"What's happening?" Ben asks, tense.

"It's okay,” I say, glancing up at Ben and Elias. "As long as he's...out, I don't think he can corrupt me. But when he was healthy...he certainly wanted to. Which means we don't have a lot of time."

"Well, all right then, Princess,” Ben says, his personality and his humor coming back to him now that some

of his fear has subsided. I look up and smirk to see him looking down at me with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. "You got what you wanted, so? What's your magic say?"

าวน

I smile a little and close my eyes, squeezing my mate's hand as I pull on his magic It comes flooding towards me, as Jackson's does when I pull on it - the magic of a man well used to using it. And to my relief no corruption comes with it. Instead, I begin to explore the blue light that seems to fill my body - the same light blue magic - almost white - that manifested itself in shackles around my hand, stopping my power.

And I begin to understand it, then. Elias's power's functions as a shield, as a block to other magics, a nullifier. Unboosted by the commitment that he made to

Darkness five years ago, it net

work as a personal shield,

ano

something he could wrap around himself so that magical influence can't touch him.

But I frown as I realize that...it's so much more than that.

That Gabriel's magic has two sides. It functions as a stop to magic - an emphatic

no, a shield.

But as I experiment with the blue light I realize that it...it also functions as an impetus, as a catalyst.

A huge smile spreads across my face as I open my eyes.

"What?" Ben asks, grinning at me. I laugh as I look up into his face. "What's that smile for?"

"I get it," I whisper, shaking my head in awe. "In the end it's...it's so simple. Three mates for the three elements of fire. One for air, one for fuel, and one for..." I look down at Gabriel and shake my head. "And one for a spark."

Immediately I pull on the magic that Luca gifted me with his mark and let wind curl in the Land of Darkness. And then I use my physical connection to Gabriel to pull on his, adding it to Luca's air.

Elias, Ben, and I all gasp as sparks appear all around us, blue and lovely, soaring through the air, eager and ready to fly.

"Now all we need is Jacks," I whisper, staring around in delight at the magic. "And then we can really see what I can do."

"Great," a voice says, ringing out, making me laugh as I snap my head left towards the sound. "I love it when I have perfect timing."