The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy
Chapter 0405

Dad, of course, just sits with his arms crossed, waiting for me. Everyone continues to sit quietly, idly working on making decorations or wrapping gifts, pretending they're not listening as intently as they are.

I scowl at all of them - even Jackson, who is pretending to be very interested in the perfectly-stacked logs for the fire. Gossip vultures, each and every one. But they all pretend not to notice.

"Ariel," Dad says, drawing my attention to him. He nods towards the door to the apartment. "Your young man is waiting for you."

"Dad," I sigh, my shoulders slumping. "Can you just...be cool?"

"I am always very cool, Ariel," dad murmurs, smirking and raising an eyebrow at me. "Right, Ella?"

"Not involved, Dominic!" mom calls, her voice light and sing-song.

Dad's smirk deepens and returns his eyes to me. "He'll be welcome in this home again when he fulfills his end of the bargain." "What bargain!?" I burst out - hating the fact that my dad has some kind of bargain with my mate that I don't know about.

"Ask him," dad says, giving a lazy shrug as I narrow my eyes at him, thinking that he's enjoying this a little too much.

"I love you, but you're the worst," I sigh, storming for the door. I take a moment on my way to pass close to Jackson, to let my hand brush through his hair, to send a long pulse of joy and happiness and assurance down our bond. He sends it right back, which settles me a great deal.

"Home for dinner!" dad calls after me, laughing a little.

"Yeah, yeah!" I call back, pulling open the door and stepping through it in a huff.

My eyes instantly land on Luca, standing against the wall across the hall from me, leaning against it with his head down.

"I'm so sorry," I murmur, pushing the door shut behind me and rushing over to him, placing both of my hands on his hips and peering up into his face.

Luca lifts his head and gives me a sad smile. "Nothing less than I deserve," he says, shrugging and raising a hand to my face. He takes a moment to look at me seriously, his eyes so sad that my little wolf sits down hard on her haunches and lifts her nose in a mournful, sharp howl. "I am so sorry for how I behaved yesterday, Ariel."

"Luca, it's -"

"No, please, don't forgive me so easily," he replies, shaking his head. "Storming around the palace like that, shouting for you, trapping you into deals by threatening to leave you - it was...fucking horrible, Ariel. I regret it, every instant of it."

I forgive him, instantly - just like that. The sadness and regret in his face is enough to convince me that he really does understand the full picture - what was wrong, and why I'm upset, and why I need him to never act like that ever again. But, well. We still need to talk it through, don't we?

"Come on," I say, tugging on his hip and turning towards the steps that will lead us down to the front of the palace. "Let's get out of here - go somewhere cozy, where we can chat."

Luca surprises me by turning the other way, though. "No, this way," he murmurs, gesturing down the hall. "To the...elevator down to the garages? Which is...very cool, by the way."

I grin at him, nodding and turning towards it. "Why?" I ask, curious. "You could have just... pulled up out front."

"Wanted to avoid the paparazzi," he says with a sigh, looking down evenly into my eyes with his pretty brown ones, even as he slips an arm around my shoulder and pulls me close as we walk. "I learned my lesson on that point too. Today is...just for me and you, yeah? Not the press."

My smile deepens as I nod, loving that idea.

Down in the garage, Luca surprises me by leading me to a very simple brown car. When I raise my eyebrow at it - because I know from the tabloids that Luca actually is the owner of at least one very fancy, very flashy sportscar - he sighs and says he borrowed it from his cousin.