The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 0354

Something has shifted between us now, after tonight after I've finally realized how deep our bond really goes. Luca and me- we're tied now, both in the nation's mind and in our souls. I don't really know how to describe it, even now as I watch him dancing with Jesse, both of them singing along to the music, looking gorgeous and young and free, like they haven't got a care in the world.

"Where do they get the energy," Benny murmurs, his arm still slung casually around my shoulder, and I glance at him, pleased to see as much love for our boys as I'm sure is beaming from my own eyes.

"I don't know," I say, a little wondering. "Must be something about warrior track that gives them...a crazy amount of stamina."

"Drugs," Ben says, nodding wisely and making me laugh. "They must put some kind of drugs in their water bottles. Or steroids."

"Very plausible," I say, grinning. He's right, though - Ben and I are wiped, but the boys - it looks like they could go all night.

Daphne, however, is defying our predictions - because the way she's dancing with Rafe right now, with a huge smile on her face as he turns her around and then pulls her close to him...

Well. To be honest, I think she'd be perfectly happy spending the rest of her life doing this. Unlike Ben and I, she doesn't have a tired bone in her body, and clearly has no intention of going home anytime soon.

Still, even if I am more tired than the rest of them, I'm more than happy to stay and bask in the happy atmosphere, quietly sipping at my drink and relaxing. Because it was a stressful and taxing night. I definitely need to unwind.

"So, you're okay, after all of that?" Ben asks, easy and conversational.

I turn to him a little. "What do you mean?"

He shrugs. "It just looked very upsetting," he says, looking at me seriously. "The way you ran down there, and were pounding your hand on the mat, shouting his name - it was intense, Ariel. And obviously way more intense for you, since you were living it."

I laugh a little, shaking my head. "It was intense," I murmur, shifting my eyes back to Luca. But worth it. He needed me."

"It was awesome," Ben replies, a little mystified. "Like, everyone could see the two of you connecting, see the way you brought him back. It was very cool."

I hum a little in the back of my throat, remembering that moment, wondering what it looked like from the outside. But, I mean, obviously there's footage of it - I guess if I really want to know, I could watch a recording.

I grimace a little, thinking that that might be a little embarrassing and deciding against it.

"Is it always like that?" Ben murmurs, his words a little slurred and curious.

"Is what?" I ask, needing clarification.

"Your bond - being mated. You're just...always connected like that? Can feel what each other feel? Can...like pass emotions around, trade them?"From NôvelDrama.Org.

"Oh, god, no," I say, my eyes going wide as I glance over at Ben before returning my eyes to my beautiful mate, laughing with my cousin as Rafe and Daphne come back over to them at the end of the song, the four of the easily chatting. "I mean, like, I can feel that he's happy now -"

"You can also see it," Ben points out, gesturing towards Luca, not really getting it.

"I know," I say, grinning and tapping my chest. "But I can feel it too. But what happened tonight - and it happened before, with Jackson, during the examination - where we really connect like...super deep?" I hesitate, knowing I'm not being very eloquent or very clear, probably because of all the drinks. "That's not...every day."

"Hmm." Ben says, nodding as he takes another sip of his drink, his eyes going a little far off.

We sit quietly, companionably for a moment, before he surprises me by continuing to push on the subject. "What did it feel like?" Ben asks softy. "When you...when you first knew? That they were your mates."

"When I first knew?" I ask, kind of surprised that he wants to go this far back. Ben meets my eyes and slowly nods.

And then I tilt my head to the side, wondering why on earth he's asking about this now.