The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 0702

We all turn towards the entrance, though me going stock straight with fear - when the flap lifts and a silhouette appears. I shy away from it, remembering again Gibson's dark form against the door - "It's just me," Jesse says, seeing my fear and reaching out a hand for me as he steps into the tent. "It's all right, Ariel."

Shaking a little, sniffing hard, I straighten up. "Is Tony okay?"

Jesse's face falls a little as he steps into the tent and lets the flap fall, slipping his hands into his pockets. "It's not good, cousin."

I moan, my head falling. Jackson snarls again and I hear Jesse sigh at Jackson's implicit command to stop saying things that upset me. But I shake my head, declining to be coddled, because I need to know. "They don't think he's going to survive?" I ask.

Jesse sighs, deep. "They don't know," he murmurs.

"Is mom coming?" I raise my eyes to my cousin, desperate for him to say yes.

But Jesse just pauses and looks at me, I think deciding what to say.

I flash my teeth, a growl building in my chest alongside my demand.

He just sighs and shrugs. "I don't know, Ari. They didn't tell me."

clench my jaw, frustrated,

two nearly identical dark heads appear. I sit up straighter, looking between my father and my brother.

demanding a little space so he can sit and talk to me. Luca immediately gets to

swallows his growl and stands, taking two short steps to the side and leaving a space on the bed for my father to fill. Dad smiles just

pulling me close. "I'm sorry. The doctors say it's very critical, but

that my grief won't help anything and that dad didn't come here

sorry, love," dad murmurs, holding me close. "I never wanted this for you. I knew how deeply it would sink into

mean, everyone else has seemed to hold it together very well

then again, nobody sacrificed themselves to save them today.

the tent with a stern expression, the cheerful and funny man from this morning completely wiped away. My eyes fall

that boy attacked now. If he's been some kind of sleeper spy for Atalaxia from the beginning, why would he have waited until today? And why attempt to take out Ariel, when he'd have had the chance to take out Rafe and Jesse for months when they seemed like the

his dad. "We've all been wary around Wright, but I never gave a thought to

sleeper agent,"

But my mind - it's so soaked in grief,

turns

protective circle around mine,

at me, angry

myself in a time like