The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy novel Chapter 727

“Whoa,” Ben says, holding his hands up at the door, his eyes going wide when he sees the vicious expressions on his friends’ faces. “Guys, calm down. Obviously, you know I’m not going to hurt her.”

With a concentrated effort, Rafe reels in his protective instinct and swallows. “I’m sorry,” he says through his teeth. “It is…difficult. She’s hurt, we’re –“

“No, I get it,” Ben says, nodding as he takes a single step into the room. Jesse too settles back, just a little, though his muscles still stay tensely wound, ready to pounce. “I um…I went to the Captain and told him you needed a phone? I didn’t tell him why – he wasn’t happy about it, but he handed it over.”

“What?” Jesse says, blinking, still trying to put all the pieces together.

“Thanks,” Rafe says, solid, holding out a hand. “Bring it here. Shut the door.”

“I thought you might want to…call your mom,” Ben murmurs for Jesse’s sake. “This seems beyond our capacities.” He puts the phone in Rafe’s hand and then slips his hands into his pockets.

“What do you mean?” Jesse asks, looking back down at Ariel, reaching out a hesitant hand and stroking it softly over her hair. Fear rushes through him again as Rafe dials the number and puts the phone to his ear, passing the first-aid kit to Jesse. Jesse frowns as he takes it, running his eyes over her blanketed form, wondering if there are more wounds than he’s seeing besides the one on her neck. “Is she hurt elsewhere?”

“No,” Ben says with a shrug. “I mean, I don’t think so. I just – I mean, do you know what to do? When a girl gets rejected by her mate?”

Jesse just stares at Ben, blank. Ben shrugs, glad he takes his point.

“Would you please clean up her neck?” Rafe snarls, glancing at Jesse as the phone connects and begins to ring.

Jesse jumps a little and then does as he’s told, getting out some gauze and saline solution and turning Ariel’s head to the side so that he can inspect the bite. He gently begins to pat at it, cleaning the blood away, his stomach sinking for his poor sweet cousin who tries so hard and has been through too much these past few days.

“Where’s Jackson?” Jesse murmurs, glancing up at Ben.

“Um,” Ben says, standing straight and grimacing as he runs his hand through his hair.

“What?” Jesse asks, going still with predatory focus. “Tell me.”

“He…kind of went after Luca?” Ben says, awkward. “And says he’s going to kill him?”