The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy novel Chapter 737

“I was under the assumption, Ella,” Dominic says, leaning forward towards her, “that you would see Ariel and realize that she needed to be taken to a major medical facility for rehabilitation. Not a spa. It’s – god, Ella, but it should be impossible for her to be sitting on a couch drinking a glass of wine and laughing at her friend’s jokes!”

“But she is, Dominic,” Cora says, shaking her head at him. “The girl is a wreck but she’s nowhere near close to that description. Could it be because the bond was newer? You and Lydia were together for years –“

“No,” Dominic says, shaking his head as he looks at each of them in turn. “I’ve spoken to others who have experienced breaking a mating bond – it’s always the same no matter the length of time. The physical effects are always devastating as well as the emotional.”

“What the hell is going on,” Ella breathes, looking towards the door and running an anxious hand through her rose-gold hair. “Why is my girl different?”

“Have you considered…” Roger hesitates now, glancing down at Dominic.

Dominic looks up at his brother, clearly inviting any insight.

“Look, I did a lot of research on mating bonds back when we were young and Dominic and Lydia’s formed theirs,” Roger says, glancing at each of his listeners in turn. He sighs. “We don’t need to go into the reasons why – I was devastated.”

Each of the listeners nods, remembering that Roger and Lydia had been engaged when Dominic turned sixteen and his bond with Lydia snapped into place.

“But I do remember,” Roger continues, “reading about rare cases in which bonds weren’t fully broken but instead…bruised? Or drawn quite thin? Shredded and damaged but…intact.”

Ella gasps a little, a hand flying to her mouth.

Dominic curses low under his breath, turning back to the camera and glaring hard into it. “If that boy didn’t even have the courage to give her a clean break,” he snarls, “I’m going to kill him, revive him, and kill him again just for the pleasure of it.”

“D-do you think you can tell, Ella?” Cora whispers, looking at her sister. “You’ve checked on her bonds before –“

“I mean, I’m fine,” Ariel says with a sigh and a shrug. “But all right.”

“That’s my good little peanut,” Ella murmurs, shutting her eyes and letting the lavender light of her gift spill out of her, sweeping down into Ariel’s being and looking for anything amiss.

“I’ll never get used to this,” Daphne murmurs, quite awed.

“Yes, you will, she’ll be giving you your own scans every two weeks now that you’re part of the family,” Ariel murmurs. Ella smirks at this truth but doesn’t comment, looking further and deeper beyond Ariel’s physical body, searching her soul.

And…there. Yes, right at the center, where she knew they’d be, are Ariel’s bonds – stretched long and silver in several directions. The faded and sleeping bonds that are standard between a child and her parents are there – so vivid in early life but dormant as the child grows. And then the unique ones with her brother and her cousin. And then, beyond those…

Ella fights the urge to gasp at what she sees.