The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

"So,” Ben says, his mouth turning down as he heaves an awkward shrug. "In the thousand times that I imagined meeting you... it never went like this."

Elias stays still for a moment before his shoulders twitch and he lifts his head to look Ben in the eyes. "You mean you never imagined introducing yourself to me in the Land of Darkness? Inside a cage that my brother built to keep his mate trapped here? With said brother laying at our feet, gasping for air?"noveldrama

Ben just stares at Elias for a second before Elias's face breaks into a wry smile and Ben stumbles out a laugh. God - god damn it - but he's hot and he's funny? Shit. Shit, but he lucked out on this one.

"Are you okay?" Ben asks, taking three hesitant steps forward, his hand lifting towards his mate without him really meaning to.

Elias shrugs and, to Ben's surprise, takes his hand - just lightly. "I'm surprisingly okay. Gabriel has been...challenging lately. And he murdered our cousin last night, so I guess I'm not entirely surprised that divine retribution came and bit him in the ass like this. Though I am surprised that Ariel was the one who did it. I... didn't know she had that kind of grit."

"Ariel poisoning someone," Ben murmurs, looking down at the dying Prince, "is... oddly enough the one part of this situation that does not surprise me."

Elias huffs another laugh and glances up at Ben, a little shy. But he doesn't pull his hand away.

They're quiet for a long few moments.

"Hey, so,” Ben says, trying desperately hard to be casual. "...so, Pippa?"

"Yeah," Elias says, lifting his head and looking Ben square in the eye. Ben turns towards him and squeezes his hand, hoping that Elias feels his support, that he can tell him whatever he wants. "Pippa is my Luna. We're married. She's...my best friend in the entire world and...I'm not leaving her behind."

"I...would never ask you to leave her behind,” Ben says, giving a simple shrug, telling the utter truth. Anyone who is family to Elias is family to him now. "And...the baby?"

"Yeah," Elias says, heaving a sigh and letting his shoulders slump. "That's...mine. We're going to have a daughter...kind of any day now."

"Wow,” Ben says, smiling despite himself, kind of...god, is it weird that he kind of likes that? It's going to be insanely complicated, and he has no idea how Pippa will feel about Ben being Elias's mate but... "daughters are amazing, Elias. Congratulations."

"Thanks," Eliaş says, squeezing Ben's hand back, a hesitant smile coming to his mouth. "Yeah, I'm really excited. Though..." his cheeks puff out with air, an exasperated sigh. I'm not crazy about bringing a little girl into the world amidst so much chaos. I kind of... wanted a

simpler life for her."

"Well, whatever you need," Ben says quietly, stepping closer, meaning it with his

entire heart. "I'm here for you. I'll help...however I can."

Elias looks back at his mate in surprise, not used to such an honest offer of aid from a relative stranger But his Wolf howls and eagerly shifts from foot to foot, urging Elias to take it to leap forward and accept this with his whole heart. The help, and Ben, and the bond - all of it.

Elias steps forward too, pulling Ben towards him with a tug on his hand, just one step-

When suddenly, Ariel appears before them.

"Hi!" I say, snapping my hands to my hips and grinning between Ben and Elias, who hastily drop each other's hands. My smile widens as I take in their blushing cheeks, but as I laugh I go to one knee at Gabriel's side and look him over, giving them the space they need to regain their composure.

After all, I've got a poisoned mate on my hands. And I really should be worrying

about that instead of my bestie's love life.

Elias clears his throat. "Is Pippa getting the antidote?"

"Yup!" I say, still not looking up at them and instead taking in the basics of Gabriel's condition and reaching out to take his pulse, which is slow but not erratic. "She said fifteen minutes."

"Ariel, why did you half poison him in the first place?" Ben asks, his voice a little frustrated. “If you wanted him gone, why didn't you just...go whole hog? Did you not have enough cyanide?"

I glance up at him. "No, I have enough," I murmur, taking a deep breath and folding my legs beneath me as I settle in next to Gabriel and take his hand. "I don't want him dead. I just want him - and his wolf - incapacitated. For a bit."

"Ariel," Elias says, stepping forward towards me, putting the pieces together before Ben does. "Don't do it. It's not worth it."

I sigh, giving Gabriel's hand a squeeze and looking up at my friends. "You don't get it, Elias," I say, a little sad. "If I accept the bond, I have access to his magic. And I can experiment with it, try to understand why...why my grandmother gave me this mate to begin with."