The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 173

I turn to Luca then, a little swell of pleasure running through me to see his lips starting to curl into a smile on one side. “Do you like boxing, Jackson?”

“Of course,” Jackson says, his eyebrows going up like it’s obvious.

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” Luca’s curiosity has a hint of suspicion to it, though I wonder if only I can hear it since we’ve gotten so close recently.

“Did you give me much of a chance?” Jackson aska, his voice quiet, a little curl in the corner of his own lip.

I burst into a grin, turning back to Luca, who just laughs. “Well, then you’ll have to come too,” he says, nodding quickly before turning back to Daphne and chatting with her more. I grin at him over her shoulder, grateful that he’s come to what feels like a bit of a truce with Jacks.

When I I turn to my other mate, I to find his eyes already on me.

“You can come, you know,” I say softly to Jackson, though I know his Alpha hearing picks up on it despite the fuss in the rest of the room.

“We’ll see,” he replies, quiet. Jackson nods once, and then turns his attention back to Ben as Jesse hands him a plate of food.

Dinner and the rest of the evening passes beautifully, just as I hoped it would. I’m replete with happiness as the hours pass, as everyone begins to relax into casual conversation and a great deal of laughter. Daphne, I note, blushes every time Rafe talks to her at first. But as the evening goes by, she calms, letting her personality show more and more.

Jesse, to my surprise, brings it out of her the most. He teases her at all the right times, never in a way that makes her feel self-conscious but always in a way that makes her laugh. Then, Jesse very casually opens about a thousand conversational doors for Daphne to tease him right back. He takes each and every one of her ribs with a great deal of genuine pleasure, beaming at her, and I can’t help it as I smile between them.

Jesse – he wants everyone to think him the heartless playboy, doesn’t he? But in the end, all he really wants tonight is for Daphne to feel warm and happy. I sigh, considering that my cousin really is a good guy. I wonder, passively, why he tries to hide it.

As the evening progresses, Daphne finds a moment to lean hard against my side, taking a deep breath as Rafe gets up and crosses to the fireplace, joining in the boxing chat with the rest of the boys.

“I’m having so much fun,” she breathes, glancing at me before looking back at all of them. “Also, well done here, Ari!”

“Hmm?” I ask, pleased by the compliment but having no real idea what she’s talking about.

“Your collection,” she says, gesturing towards all the boys by the fire. “Seriously, some cuties here – a lot of girls would pay a great deal of money to be a fly on this wall –“

“And here you are, on my couch,” I say, laughing and wrapping an arm around her shoulder, giving her a squeeze.

“Very glad to be on this couch,” she says, and then she wrinkles her nose at me, lowering her voice. “How are things going with Luca?”

I bite my lip, grinning at her, which is apparently all she needs. Daphne squeals lightly with pleasure, grabbing my hand. Ben laughs when he hears her, though the other boys don’t respond. He grins, shaking his head at me, but darts his eyes towards Jackson. I nod, letting him know I understand.

“Ben says we’re being too girly,” I whisper, dropping Daphne’s hand and giving her a little push on the shoulder so that she scoots away a bit.

“Oh,” she says, her face falling a little. But then she glances back towards Ben. “So, what’s his deal, anyway?”

“Ben?” I ask, glancing towards him with a grin. “Why, are you interested?”

“No,” she says, coking her head to the side and considering him. “He’s not my type, but…well, Luca, I understand why he hasn’t hit on me. And Jackson seems very shy but…Ben…”

I tilt my own head to the side, considering it and realizing that she’s right.

And I consider, perhaps for the first time, that Ben has never hit on me either. I mean, I get that he’s not going to like every girl that walks into the room but…

What, really, is Ben’s deal?