The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 82
“Honestly, Ari, you did kill yourself studying for this test,” Rafe says, looking at me
seriously, “and I know you know the material up and down. He must have
included trick questions
“Rafe,” I sigh, leaning back against the arm of the couch, “I don’t need the Prince
going to yell at my professors for me, that's not going to make a man like
Neumann be any nicer or give me better grades.”
“I don’t want him to be nicer, I want him to be fair,” Rafe corrects.
“Well, at least we're all doing shitty in Chemistry,” I sigh, “not just me. So. He is
technically being fair.”
Rafe shifts uncomfortably in his seat, unhappy to not be able to do something to
help me, I know. And my heart warms more to see him like that, to know that I
have a big brother who'd tear the world to pieces to make it a cozier place for
me.
But still, I want to prove myself here I really do. I don’t want to cut corners and
get special treatment, and I know Jesse and Rafe get that.
“Well, we'll burn an effigy of him on midwinter,” Jesse says, his eyes on his own
textbook, studying some kind of military theory. “That will make us all feel better.”
Rafe nods sagely, smirking at Jesse, but he gets up when the dumbwaiter bell
rings, heading to the little door to get our dinner.
Luca gives me a little nudge with his toe and I turn to see him give me a little
smirk and a wink. I smile, biting my lip and leaning my weight against his leg a
little more, pleased to
see him.
Because while these past few weeks and months have been absolutely grueling?
Luca has been....absolutely the best part.
Every day we meet at breakfast and I'm absolutely buzzing to see him. We eat
with our legs. pressed together beneath the table, and I kind of forget that
anyone else is around, so lost
Chapter 82
do we get in our conversations. Luca heads off with Jesse and Rafe to do their
warrior stuff all day, and I either head to Chemistry or Marksmanship or study
with Ben.
But nights? Nights are where Luca and I really shine.
Dinner in our suite is always the best end to these long and grueling days, with
my little. group of friends all cobbling together to study, and eat, and make each
other laugh as much as we can. We're all stressed, I know the program makes us
that way. But with Jesse’s wild sense of humor, and Rafe’s wry quips, and Ben's
clever observations and Luca's bold willingness to say whatever damn thing
comes into his head?
God, I spent most of my evenings stretched out on the couch, holding my
stomach because I'm laughing so hard.
Luca, I know, delights in this, and he's figured out precisely the things to say that
make me laugh the hardest, pushing those buttons expertly like a scientist whose
singular job is to make me laugh so hard my ribs ache. We spend most of our
nights stretched out on the couch together, beaming at each other, just...so
incredibly pleased to be in each other's
company.
Jesse and Ben smile happily at Luca and me, I think pleased to be able to watch
our relationship develop, but Rafe...
Well, perhaps predictably, he’s less pleased.
“You need to be careful with him, Ari,” Rafe says one night after Luca, Ben, and
Jesse head down to the gym to do a little boxing practice. Rafe, to my surprise,
stays back with me, sitting on the couch with me, studying me carefully.
“What?” I ask, sitting up straight and not bothering to pretend that he’s talking
about Ben. “What's wrong?”
Rafe just slowly shakes his head at me. “You have a mate, Ariel,” he says softly,
like he doesn’t want to have to be the one who says it.
I bite my lip, not really knowing how to respond to that. Because, of course, Rafe
thinks that he’s talking about Jackson but really, he’s talking about Luca too.
“Look,” Rafe sighs, glancing at the door where the three boys just left, “dad had
this chat
Chapter 82
[0]
with me a long time ago, and so now I'm going to have it with you. But can you
promise to keep this between us? It's personal.”
I perk up, curious. I didn’t know that Rafe kept anything at all from Jesse — I
mean, the three of us are very close, but I'm well aware that the bond between
Rafe and Jesse is particularly close—knit.
“Of course,” I say instantly, meaning it. If my brother asks me to keep a secret,
I'm going to
do it.
“There was a point a couple of years ago when dad caught me...with a girl.”
1 gasp, delighted. “Who was it!?" I ask, leaning forward towards him.
“Not the point of the story,” Rafe says, giving me a tiny glare before I grin and he
moves on. “Anyway, dad wasn’t mad at me or anything, but we sat down and he
told me some stuff that really...stuck with me. And I'm going to say it now to you
and you can do what you want with it but I hope you'll listen.”
Fascinated, I nod.
“He told me,” Rafe sighs, pressing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and
forefinger. “that when Aunt Cora and Uncle Roger brought me to the Goddess to
have me baptized as a baby that...they saw that I have a mate.”
“Rafe!” I gasp, leaning further forward and smacking him on the knee, “that is
amazing! Oh my god! Do you know who it is!?”
Visit popsnovel.com to read full content.
He shakes his head, dropping his
hand from his face and looking
“ : p 5
evenly at me. “Dad didn't want to give
me any details because he wants me
to live my life as normally as I can.
But he saw how much I liked this girl
» . :
and...” he shrugs, trying to figure out
S “ 5
his words, "he just wanted me to
think about what it might mean to fall
: )
in love when I know that I've got
something big coming my way that
2 u 5
would... interrupt that.” The content is
on popsnovel.com! Read the latest
chapter there!
I sit back against the couch now, seeing where he’s going with this.
“I know you... like Luca,” Rafe says softly, and my heart swells to see how much
my brother is working to care for me. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. But
just...take care of his heart and yours, all right? Jackson is...”
Rafe looks towards the door, hesitating.
I smile a little, seeing him work to try to understand my complicated, taciturn
other mate. Jackson has been around a little bit more, but he hasn't exactly
ingratiated himself with the group over the past weeks — and honestly, I know that
Luca has been a large part of turning
him away.
But Rafe, I can tell, doesn't dislike Jackson. He just doesn’t get our connection,
not yet.
“Jackson's important,” I say quietly, nodding, understanding where Rafe is going
with this. “I get it. But Rafe,” I slowly shake my head, silently asking me to trust
me on this too, “Luca’s important too, all right?”
Visit popsnovel.com to read full content.
Rafe sighs and, to my surprise,
moves closer on the couch, wrapping
me in his arms and hugging me tight.
« » sd
I know,” he murmurs, giving me a
kiss on the head in much the same
“os ,
way that dad does. “I just don't want
either of you to get your hearts
broken, okay? Just....be careful, little
5 " 3
sister.” The content is on
popsnovel.com! Read the latest
chapter there!
“I will,” I sigh, allowing myself to relax against my brother's warm side for a
moment, letting him worry about me in a way that makes me feel comforted and
protected. I fight the desperate urge to just spill everything now, to reveal all the
details.
But...we're just so close to finals and the Examination.. Spilling to him that I've
got two mates, and that Luca is one of them? It's going to blow up Rafe’s world
and completely freak him out precisely when he needs to concentrate.
Visit popsnovel.com to read full content.
Rafe and I stay close like that for the
next hour or so, sitting on the couch
and studying separately even though
I feel closer to him in this moment
than I ever have before. We both
jump a little, the stillness of our
moment interrupted, when Jesse and
Luca come back into the room
covered in sweat, Ben looking relaxed
as he follows behind. The content is
on popsnovel.com! Read the latest
chapter there!