The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 53

Spirits are high in the dining hall that evening – at least, amongst the 80% of candidates who are relatively sure that they’re going to be admitted as candidates. Ben does his best, keeping his head high and laughing along with Jesse’s jokes as we move along the food line, filing our tray with a selection of food that makes my mouth water –

Seriously, this is the best yet – tonight must be some kind of celebration because there is tender steak, and gravy, and baked potatoes, and flounder so flaky and buttery it falls apart when you lift it onto the plate –

My stomach absolutely rumbles as I sit down at our table, and I don’t even notice who sits down next to me until his arm brushes against mine and that familiar tingle runs through me.

When I whip my head up to look at Luca, his eyes are already on me. “Hungry tonight?” he asks, flicking a humor-filled gaze towards my heaping plate.

I can’t help my smile. “Starving.”

We stare at each other for a long moment – which is just becoming our thing, I guess – before someone across from me clears their throat. I turn my head to see Jesse looking at both of us with a raised eyebrow.

Luca blushes beet red and looks down at his food, digging in, while I purse my lips and give Jesse what I hope is a very subtle, very fervent shake of my head.

Jesse just narrows his eyes at me before rolling them and turning back to the group, seamlessly slipping into the conversation. Luca and I do the same after a moment, and honestly the dinner is a good time. We all have full bellies and high spirits by the time the Captain stands at the front of the room.

“All right,” he says, clapping his hands twice for silence. “Tomorrow is the last day of your candidacy and your final examination. Your semifinal rankings will be posted in just a moment. This is your last opportunity to know your spot before you go through the obstacle course one last time.”

My stomach sinks as he reminds me of what’s coming tomorrow – the obstacle course which I still can’t get through, not completely. That stupid chain climb…

“I suggest you get a good night’s sleep,” the Captain continues, a little bored. “You’ll have a chance to clean up tomorrow before final rankings, which will be announced in person, in order, and those who make the cut will be invited immediately into the Academy. Those who don’t will be sent home.”

He nods once and walks away from the head table as our rankings flash onto the screen above him.

Every set of candidate eyes moves immediately to it, searching for their name and the names of their friends.

I scan down the middle of the list, knowing that I’m there somewhere, and I exhale when I see that I’m ranked at 70 – a respectable spot. My eyes move next to the top of the list, ensuring that my loved ones are still up there – and I smile when I see Rafe and Jesse in the top ten, though Luca – to my surprise – has fallen to 11.

My heart stops, a little, when I see Jackson ranked above him at 8 because –

God, Jackson – I forgot all about him today. I mean, I had Luca to distract me but…

Am I happy that my other mate is going to be in the Academy? Or…

But I’m distracted by the thought when I see my brother and my cousin turning to Ben, patting him warmly on the back. “You’re gonna have to bolt thought that obstacle course tomorrow,” Rafe murmurs.

I turn back to the screen, a little ashamed of myself for not looking for my friend first – but there he is, at 101.

“Maybe I can climb on your back, Rafe,” Ben murmurs, working hard to keep humor in his voice, “You can carry me through like a little monkey on your shoulder. Might be my only chance anymore.”

“You’re not slow, man,” Luca says to Ben, his voice kind. “I think you just get in your head. You just need to go full wolf tomorrow, tear it to pieces – no hesitation.”

Ben puts on a brave smile and nods to us before half-heartedly tucking into his food again.

“You do too,” Luca murmurs to me, giving me a nudge. And my stomach drops a little as I look up at him, because he’s right.

70 – it’s not a bad spot, but it’s not in the clear, and the obstacle course tomorrow is heavily weighted in the final ranking. And considering that I consistently come in last?

I am absolutely in no way safe.

I nod and swallow against the lump that forms in my throat, looking down at my food.

“You’re going to do it, Ari,” my brother says, and I look up to see his steady gaze on me. He holds my eyes with his green ones, nodding to me once. “You didn’t come all this way to fail now. Don’t even let it into your head. Yes?”

I nod to him, forcing myself to smile, and then I square my shoulders and exhale a deep breath.

Because Rafe’s right.

Even if tomorrow is the trail of my life? There’s absolutely no way I’m letting this beat me.