The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy
Chapter 0408

Luca looks off into the fire now, his arm heavy around my shoulders, as he confesses what might be his deepest truth. "I'm very afraid, Ariel, that I don't have any substance at all. That I'm just flash, and that the moment I run out of interesting twists and turns that...

everyone will see that I'm just a fraud. And that I'm boring, and never will do anything interesting or important. And that...you'll see that too."

My heart sinks to hear Luca say this because I couldn't believe anything less to be true of my sweet, brash mate. I scootch closer, not protesting because...well, he told me a secret, didn't he? And I don't want to immediately throw that in his face by telling him that it's not true.

But I know he can feel it, down our bond, in every pulse of my heart. That that's not at all how I see him.

And he groans a little, and grits his teeth, and lowers his forehead to press against mine. "You're too good for me in every single way, Ariel Sinclair," he murmurs, shaking his head slightly. "It took me way...way too long to realize that. But your dad...really helped me see it. And I'm going to spend the rest of my life endeavoring to deserve you. Whatever it takes."

"Luca," I say, mournful now, because - I mean, whatever my dad said to him, it was clearly too much. Luca was beat up by it and has lowered himself too far.

"Ariel, please -"

"No," I say, definitive, pulling my face away from his and looking clearly into his eyes. "You said your part, now I get to say mine."

Luca sighs but nods, recognizing the fairness in that.

"I know you're not going to believe me if I say that none of that is true," I whisper, looking up into his brown eyes. "Because I am...biased."

He smirks a little, because that would indeed have been his argument.

I smile in turn, unable to help it. "But listen to me, Grant," I say, a little growl in my voice as I lean forward and wrap my hand around his scarf, pulling his face a little closer to mine. He grins at me, I think entertained at my minute ferocity. "You may doubt my opinion on the matter, but the goddess?" I shake my had. "She doesn't make mistakes. And she doesn't give mating bonds between mismatches."

Luca's smile grows, but he doesn't say anything, not wanting to fight me on it.

"You do deserve me," I whisper, nodding to him. "You don't need to endeavor to do it. Even if...well, even if you do need to behave better in the future."

I loosen my grip on his scarf, but he just smiles at me and lifts his hand to stroke over my cap and then down my back. "To treat you like the very literal goddess you are," he murmurs.

I laugh a little, wondering where he got that idea. "Well, I mean," I say, shrugging, a little uncomfortable with the idea. "Demigoddess, at best."

Luca laughs, and leans forward to kiss me, and I wrap my arms eagerly around his neck, glad to have him close again - glad to have my mate back, for everything to be okay between us.

We kiss for what feels like a moment, but what must actually be a rather long time, because when Luca pulls away and I open my eyes I realize that it's quite a bit darker than it was when I closed them.

"I really am going to try, Ariel," he whispers, leaning close to give me a little peck. "I promise."

"Okay," I whisper, nodding to him even as I turn my eyes towards the fire, resting my head on his shoulder. The bonfire is raging now, leaping up towards the sky, and my skin shivers with delight as I hear the flames crackle. I smile as my eyes take in the ragged red edges against the black starry sky, the bright yellows and whites down by the logs at the center.

"Do you like it?" he asks, lifting his chin towards the bonfire.