Chapter 485

noveldrama

I sit back in my chair, staring at her, suddenly seeing the logic of this.

My entire life, I've been the perfect princess. And I never, ever considered that what I was doing could be use as a smoke screen for a second identity underneath - one that's been secretly growing since the moment I entered the Academy and which Faiza is here to help me grow.

"That's right," Faiza says, her smile growing as mine does. "You're the perfect sleeper agent, Ariel Sinclair. And I'm going to have so much fun teaching you everything you need to know."

I grin at Faiza, wrinkling my nose. "I'm so excited. Can we start now?"

Faiza laughs and then groans, tilting her head back and covering her eyes. "Oh my god, that little nose wrinkle. God, I couldn't even teach you that! This is going to be so great."

I laugh, leaning back in my chair, suddenly pleased that my years of being a bubblegum sparkle princess are apparently about to pay off big time.

“Okay,” Faiza says, sitting up more properly in her chair now. "I need to know what we're working with here, though. All those boys - are they even going to let you go to war? Be put in situations where your life is in danger?"

I bite my lip, looking away, considering it.

"That bad, huh?" she asks, and I look up, shrugging.

"They like me," I say, tentative, and she laughs again at this.

"Ariel, they're obsessed with you," she says, raising an eyebrow at me. "I've never seen an Alpha reaction like that. The brother I get - and the cousin, maybe..."

"Jesse and I are close," I say, defensive. "We were raised together - he was basically a brother growing up."

"All right," she says, nodding slowly. "The smaller, dark haired one I get - he didn't react as much -“

I nod, knowing she means Ben.

"And the boxer - your mate?" she asks, raising an eyebrow. "Is that true?"

I hesitate but then nod, admitting it, supposing that it's better not to lie.

"Well, that's inconvenient," she says, dry, sighing and leaning back in your chair. "Not a lot of chance he's going to let you walk into a lion's den." She frowns though, tilting her head to the side. "But what about the other one? The hot one? What's his story?"

"The hot one?" I ask, my face bursting into a grin.

"The super hot one," she says, giving me a wink. "Who was about to tear the chair apart when I touched you. What's his story?"

I laugh a little, shaking my head at her. "Don't get your hopes up," I say with a sigh, shaking my head. "He's spoken for. Very spoken for." I let a little growl enter my voice the second time I say it.

Faiza just goes very still before her face bursts into a grin. "No way. Both of them?"

I shrug. "He's my mate too."

“What!?” she leans towards me like it's the most exciting thing she's heard in a year, and I laugh, a little part of me absurdly thrilled that my new tutor apparently likes to gossip as much as the rest of my family. "Well, you're a much spicier cream puff than I thought you'd be. But I thought that was... not possible?"

"The Goddess gave me two mates," I say, shrugging and raising a hand passively like I can't help it. Then, quickly, I summarize things for her - about how the Goddess is my grandmother, and how my father had two mates before me, about the mating bonds snapping into place on my first day as a candidate.

“Shit," Faiza murmurs, shaking her head at me. "I didn't realize I was getting into some divine crap here. So, playboy Luca Grant and the hot quiet one. That makes you a lucky girl but also one..." she hesitates.

"Who is going to have a hard time convincing people to let me put myself in danger?"

"You might have to trick them to make them let you go," she says, her voice challenging, like she doesn't know if I could do it.

"I won't do that," I say instantly, quietly. "Not...not to Jacks."

"To Luca?" she asks, curious.

I hesitate but then nod. "Luca can handle it, would understand eventually. Jacks -"

"The hot one," she corrects, giving me a wink and pointing her finger at me like a gun.

I laugh and nod, "sure, the hot one," I concede, rolling my yes - I mean, Luca is gorgeous too. But then I move on to the point. "But yeah he...I can't lie to him. It will break his heart."

"Well, shit, Princess," Faiza says, shaking her head at me. "Looks like you got it bad."