The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 176

“I just don’t know a lot of girls,” he murmurs, his voice so low I can barely hear it.

“Really?” I ask, frowning at him. “Did you go to like, an all-boys school or something? Don’t you have any girls in your family?”

Jackson turns to me for a second, studying my face like I’ve said something a little ridiculous. And then he just laughs a little. “No, Ari.”

“No to what?” I ask, confused suddenly. “No cousins? No…boys school?”

“No to all of it,” he says with a sigh. “I never went to school. I don’t have cousins.”

“You never went to school!?” I ask, kind of appalled. I stare at him, my mouth open. I’m shocked first that he was homeschooled, which is so rare these days, and second that I didn’t know any of this after months of getting closer to him. “Are you like…an only child?”

“Ari,” Jackson says, turning his head at me like he’s surprised, too, that I don’t know. “I don’t have parents.”

My mouth just hangs open as I stare at him, frozen, because…

Because what the hell!?

I had no idea! I mean, he never mentioned anyone, but he never mentions anything –

I step closer to my mate, a thousand questions flooding my mind, but before I can ask Daphne stands up and clears her throat, immediately drawing all of the boys’ attention to her. I’m the last to look, distracted as I am by this bombshell that Jackson just dropped.

“Actually,” Daphne says, suddenly awkward as she looks around. “Shall we have that…toast?”

Rafe, ever considerate, immediately moves to her side and begins to open the bottle of wine as Jesse grabs some paper cups from the bathroom, apologizing for the lack of glassware even though he knows none of us care.

I sigh, glancing up at Jackson with a frown to let him know that this is not the end of this conversation. He ignores me, though, watching the action and accepting his little glass of wine as Rafe and Jesse come around.

I accept mine too, Luca moving to my other side and toasting my little paper cup with his.

“Thank you so much for having me tonight,” Daphne says, smiling around at us and raising her own little paper cup in the air after Rafe has filled it with the last of the bottle. “To…new friendships, yes?”

She smiles around at us and I smile back, but I hesitate when I see that…

That Daphne, she’s more nervous than she usually is, especially after a night of laughing with us. Something’s not quite right, is it?

I’m frowning at her as she catches my eye, but then she lifts her cup again, saluting me in particular, and I don’t want to be rude so I raise my own cup in her direction and then drink it down.

I make a little face, though, because the wine – it’s more saccharine than I’m used to. I glance up at Jackson, who is likewise frowning at his empty cup, and then over at Luca, who glances around before his eyes land on me.

“That’s…” he says, studying his glass. “Is something…wrong with it?”

“I’m sorry,” Daphne whispers, and all of our eyes snap to her, my own going to the still-full cup of wine in her hand. “I’m so, so sorry, everyone,” she says.

And as soon as she says it, I feel the exhaustion overtake me. I give a little gasp as Jackson crumples to the ground at my side, and then Luca and Rafe and Jesse and Ben all fall –

I catch Daphne’s eye, guilt and devastation on her face as I, too, collapse to the ground.