The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 137

“Probably,” I say, nodding and meaning it. Jesse – I love him so much, and I know his heart is in the right place, but all of my friends? He would certainly deserve it.

But still, he’s my cousin and I love him. He deserves some loyalty, after all. “Jesse’s not a bad guy, Daphne, I don’t want you to think that. Just a flirt.”

“I don’t think he’s bad,” she says, nodding with a smile. “I just think he’s maybe a little bit…dangerous. A little too easy to fall in love with, that one – you’ve got to watch your step around him before you find yourself swept off your feet.”

“But not Rafe?” I ask, curious.

“Rafe’s impossible,” she says, grinning at me. “Nobody actually expects Rafe Sinclair to look their way. You cousin the duke,” she shakes her head, “a little too possible.”

I huff a sigh through my nose as I look down at my wine, not precisely disliking learning about this side of my brother and my cousin that I hadn’t thought of before, but certainly unnerved by it. Daphne, perceptive, moves on.

“So, enough about me,” she says, leaning forward and smacking me on my knee. “Tell me everything, Ari – how the hell did you get in here!?”

The time passes fast, then, as I fill her in on my journey. Daphne’s a good listener – rapt, asking questions when necessary, but always letting me take the lead. But as the story continues, I see her perk up a little, her intuition tingling, when Luca’s name starts to be repeated more and more as I go on. By the time I get to the part where Luca and Ben are coming over to our room every night for dinner, there’s a full-on smirk on her lips.

“What!” I say suddenly, interrupting my own sentence to lean forward and give her another little kick.

“Nothing!” she says, bursting into a laugh and grabbing the bottle to refill my glass of wine, just a little bit. “Just…you light up a bit, when you talk about Luca Grant.”

“I do not,” I protest, but my cheeks redden.

“You don’t blush like that when you talk about Ben,” she teases, her voice sing-song as she leans back against the pillows.

I sigh, leaning my head back, wondering how much to tell her. Daphne – she’s very easy to talk to and I’m dying to have a girl to talk to about all of this mate stuff. But still – I can’t talk to her about it before I talk to Luca about it. That feels…unfair. So, I compromise.

“Fine,” I sigh. “I like him.”

“Ariel!” she shrieks, giggling, “that is so cute!”

“It’s not cute –“ I protest, sitting up and laughing too. “It’s terrible –“

“Oh no it’s not,” she murmurs, cozying up against her pillows and holding her wine glass with both hands. “It’s adorable – you two are totally going to end up together.”

My blush deepens and I put a hand on my hot cheek. “It’s so dangerous though.”

“Yeah,” she says, agreeing. “You’ve got to be careful. But…you should also totally make out with him.”

I burst into laughter, shaking my head. “You sound like my wolf,” I murmur.

“Wolves are very wise,” she says sagely. “You should listen to her. And then come back here. And tell me everything.”

“You just want gossip,” I grumble, but I can’t keep the grin off my lips.

“Ariel,” she sighs, “beyond an enduring friendship that we can trust and build? Yes. Gossip is precisely the thing I am starved for most.”

I burst out laughing.

“And!” she continues, laughing with me, “Considering that you’re a hidden princess at an all-boys Alpha Academy? And you’ve somehow gathered around you like the hottest collection of celebrity boys I have ever seen? You are precisely in the best position to provide it.”

I grin, shaking my head, because I had not considered it in that light – not at all.