Ch. 191..195: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 191-195

Chapter 0191

I’m panting, gasping really as Jackson presses me flat against the wall of rock, both of his hands under my shirt now, his palms a damn song against my skin as they press up over my ribs, as they move slow over my flesh like they’re trying to ensure that I’m here, that I’m real.

And suddenly, quite suddenly, I realize that I do not at all want to be wearing this shirt anymore. That I don’t want to be wearing anything – that all I want in the entire world –

No, not want – need –

Is to have my skin bare against Jackson’s – flush, with nothing in between, not even air – nothing but sweat -

Jackson groans, though, and turns his face away, ripping his mouth from mine.

“What?” I breathe, my voice trembling as my hands again go to his cheeks, trying to turn his face back to me, wanting his mouth back right where it was. God, his mouth, those lips. “Jackson, please –“

I’m begging, but I don’t fucking care. God, I want him.

I want him…bad.

But Jackson just presses his mouth into a thin line and holds his eyes shut. “I…I think we need to stop, Ari,” he murmurs, his head moving once, sharply, from side to side.

“What?” I gasp, baffled. “Why?”

“Because,” he growls, and I go rigid when he turns his blue eyes to mine, when I see the powerful want behind his gaze. “Because if we don’t stop now, I am going to…throw you down in this dirt, Ari, and I am not going to be able to stop.”

My breath hitches in my chest and then stops completely as I consider that…

Well.

That that’s maybe not such a bad idea.

But then, slowly, as Jackson stares at me, patiently waiting for me to catch up with him, I remember where we are. And what we’re trying to do. And the fact that there are people below us who will probably try to kill or maim us if they find out we’re here. And that tomorrow we have to climb a ravine and then a mountain.

So.

This is probably not the right time to let my mate throw me to the ground and ravish me.

As I stare at him, putting all the pieces together, I can’t help the furious scowl that forms on my lips.

Jackson’s face breaks into a slow grin as he raises a hand, tracing the shape of my lips with his thumb. “Perfect,” he murmurs, shaking his head as he stares at my mouth like he can’t believe it.

He leans forward again, pressing a kiss to my lips, ridiculously soft considering the way that we both just tore into each other.

But my body responds again, beyond me or despite me or just…expressing precisely how I feel. And I lean into the kiss, moving my mouth slowly over his, holding him close to me and never, ever wanting to let him go.

Jackson, again the responsible party here – I am doing absolutely nothing to help, I’m well aware - again breaks our kiss with a groan, shaking his head.

“Fine,” I sigh, tilting my head back and giving him a half-hearted shove on the shoulder. “Let me down, then, you big gigantic brute.”

Jackson just laughs but keeps me in his arms as he pulls me away from the wall, folding his legs beneath him and sinking gracefully to the ground with me still in his arms, tucking us away beneath the little overhang of rock. It’s dark, but in the moonlight I can still make out his features, his expressions. Suddenly, ridiculously, I bless the goddess that it’s a clear night.

And then I grin, looking up at the moon, realizing that…well, that that’s her. And she did this. And so of course my grandmother has given me a clear night so that I can look on my mate’s face. My smile broadens and I send her a quick prayer of thanks because…

Well, because I really like my mate. She picked well.

“Are you okay?” Jackson asks, drawing my attention back to him.

“What?” I ask, confused.

“I, um – I’m sorry, for like, slamming you up against the rocks.” He grimaces at me a little. “I got carried away.”

“Jacks,” I say, laughing and shaking my head, “I’m fine, I…” I hesitate for a second, biting my lip, “I liked it.”

Chapter 0192

My mate, bless him, blushes just a little but then clears his throat, I think wondering where to begin.

I raise my hands to his cheeks, cupping his face between my palms. “Jackson, are you all right? I – I’m so, so sorry.”

“I’m okay,” he says, nodding, his voice choked. “I’m sorry I stormed out of here – I was…really freaked out.”

“Are you still freaked out?” I whisper.

“Oh, for sure,” he says, his eyes widening as he lifts them to mine. And I can’t help it, I burst into laughter. He takes a second and then he laughs too, but his arms wind around me, holding me tighter and I think…well, I think everything’s going to be okay. “Ari, this is absolutely insane – I mean…I was…” he scowls, hanging his head for a second, “I was completely convinced you were a boy.”

He lifts his head and narrows his eyes at me for a second, sniffing the air, as if he still kind of suspects that I am.

I burst out laughing, giving him another shove. “I’m a girl, I promise, see?” And then I raise my hands to my head, making quick work of my braid, letting my hair fall down around my shoulders.

Jackson groans again, taking a second to dip his head close to my hair, taking a deep breath of my scent before he slowly raises his eyes to meet mine again, though his are half-lidded now. “Boys can have long hair too,” he murmurs, sounding a little drunk.

“Do you require further proof, sir?” I ask, sitting up straight, half scandalized and half…well. Tempted.

“No,” he murmurs, ducking his head against me again and pulling me back against his chest, making me smile ridiculously with joy. “No, just…stay here, please. Right here. Don’t ever leave.”

“Have to leave at some point,” I murmur, running my fingers through his dark hair, which is silkier than I thought it would be. “Kind of…a big day tomorrow.”

“I know,” he groans. He lifts his head again, blinking at me, lifting a hand to tuck my hair behind my ear. “Stupid sun. Now would be a great time to blow it up or melt it, you know,” he says, making me laugh again. “Make sure tomorrow never comes and we can just…stay right here.”

“Really?” I whisper, still smiling at him. “You want to spend the rest of our lives sitting in the dirt under this rocky overhang?”

“Yes,” he replies, instant, leaning forward to brush his nose against my cheek, dragging it back towards my ear and then down my neck. “Right here, for the rest of time. That would be…perfect.”

And I bite my lip at the sweetness of him, but even as I do I realize that he’s…he’s kind of right. Right here it is just us in our own little world. But tomorrow, if and when we do get back? There is… a whole lot of truth waiting.

And, for me…another mate.

Another mate who is not going to be pleased when I show up on the mountain top smelling all over of Jackson McClintock.

But still, as I wrap my arms tighter around Jackson’s neck, I realize that in this moment? I…just can’t bring myself to care.

My mate, I think sensing my joy and my anxiety at once, lifts his head from its place tucked against my neck to look at me. Slowly, a smile takes over his lips.

“What is it?” I whisper, grinning at him, unable to help it.

Jackson just shakes his head at me, marveling. “I just can’t believe you’re real,” he whispers, and my heart breaks and heals and breaks again, all in an instant. “I’ve been…thinking about you my whole life.”

“Me too, Jacks,” I whisper, pressing my hand warm to his cheek, my stomach filled with butterflies – because, honestly, it’s not a lie. “I’ve been waiting for you too.”

He kisses me then – slow, and rich, and deep.

And if that were my magical gift, to blow up the sun and prevent tomorrow coming, or stopping time right now and live in this moment forever?

Honestly, I’d probably do it.

Because this – and Jacks…

It’s just…perfect.

Chapter 0193

But of course, time does pass, and we do eventually stop kissing when things again get heated. Because what Jackson said before really was the truth – this is not the time or the place for it.

Somehow we separate ourselves from each other, though we’re never really more than an inch apart, and we take a moment to get comfortable, organizing our supplies and taking inventory before Jackson passes an apple to me.

“Here,” he murmurs. “Eat, please. And then you should probably get some sleep.”

I take the apple but laugh at the suggestion that I’m going to get any sleep. I mean, I just confessed my deepest secret to my mate – what, does he think I’m going to just curl up and take a nap?

“I’m serious,” he growls, though I wave a hand at him, dismissing the implied danger in his voice that probably makes other men quail. We’re both well aware that he’d never hurt me. “You should rest, Ari.”

“Well, so should you!” I protest. But when I look up into his smirking face I scowl, shaking my head. “You seriously just don’t need it?”

“Nah,” he says, shaking his head and reaching for the canteen. “The water I need, we have to share that. But food and sleep – that’s all for you. I’ll keep watch.”

“I’ll rest,” I say, hesitant. “But Jackson…there’s still a lot we need to talk about. And I’m not going to be able to sleep until we…come to terms with some stuff.”

“Okay,” he murmurs, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me tight to his side. I smile up at him, pleased that he’s not fighting me on it, but then I realize that he’s…well, he’s got a ton of questions, doesn’t he?

But before he gets to those…I have to start.

“Jackson,” I murmur, turning more fully to him now and taking his face seriously in my hands, gazing at him. “I am so…so sorry that I’ve had to keep this from you.”

“It’s okay,” he says, instantly willing to forgive, his broad hand coming up and wrapping around my wrist like he wants to be touching me all the time.

A little smile takes my lips as I shake my head back and forth. “You shouldn’t forgive me so easily, Jacks. You were tortured by this – I know you were.”

“Well, yeah,” he says, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smirk. “But now that it all makes sense – why I could catch whiffs of my mate’s sense all over the castle, why her trail always seemed to lead to you. I mean. I get it now.” He frowns a little, lowering his head to my neck and taking another long sniff. “Is that…Jesse? Has he been scent marking you?”

Quickly I nod. “My cousin,” I whisper, seeing the possessive question already in his eyes. Slowly he nods, believing me. “Again, Jacks, I hope you can forgive me for it, over time. It wasn’t easy but…I didn’t have a lot of choice, not if I wanted to stay in the Academy.”

“No, it’s okay,” he says, giving an easy shrug, already over it. “I don’t care. I didn’t mind waiting, Ari – I just wanted to know that you were safe.”

“You should care,” I say, smiling at him but still feeling a little guilty. Luca’s response in some ways made more sense – he punished me, a little, and rightfully so. I lied to him for weeks. But Jacks – he’s so instantly ready to move on.

“Nah,” Jackson replies, wrapping me up closer in his arms, pulling me cozily into his lap again and against his chest as he presses a kiss to my hair. “It’s all worth it. I don’t want to make myself feel mad just because I should. I have you now, don’t I? It’s all that matters.”

But of course, time does pass, and we do eventually stop kissing when things again get heated. Because what Jackson said before really was the truth – this is not the time or the place for it.

Somehow we separate ourselves from each other, though we’re never really more than an inch apart, and we take a moment to get comfortable, organizing our supplies and taking inventory before Jackson passes an apple to me.

“Here,” he murmurs. “Eat, please. And then you should probably get some sleep.”

I take the apple but laugh at the suggestion that I’m going to get any sleep. I mean, I just confessed my deepest secret to my mate – what, does he think I’m going to just curl up and take a nap?

“I’m serious,” he growls, though I wave a hand at him, dismissing the implied danger in his voice that probably makes other men quail. We’re both well aware that he’d never hurt me. “You should rest, Ari.”

“Well, so should you!” I protest. But when I look up into his smirking face I scowl, shaking my head. “You seriously just don’t need it?”

“Nah,” he says, shaking his head and reaching for the canteen. “The water I need, we have to share that. But food and sleep – that’s all for you. I’ll keep watch.”

“I’ll rest,” I say, hesitant. “But Jackson…there’s still a lot we need to talk about. And I’m not going to be able to sleep until we…come to terms with some stuff.”

“Okay,” he murmurs, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me tight to his side. I smile up at him, pleased that he’s not fighting me on it, but then I realize that he’s…well, he’s got a ton of questions, doesn’t he?

But before he gets to those…I have to start.

“Jackson,” I murmur, turning more fully to him now and taking his face seriously in my hands, gazing at him. “I am so…so sorry that I’ve had to keep this from you.”

“It’s okay,” he says, instantly willing to forgive, his broad hand coming up and wrapping around my wrist like he wants to be touching me all the time.

A little smile takes my lips as I shake my head back and forth. “You shouldn’t forgive me so easily, Jacks. You were tortured by this – I know you were.”

“Well, yeah,” he says, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smirk. “But now that it all makes sense – why I could catch whiffs of my mate’s sense all over the castle, why her trail always seemed to lead to you. I mean. I get it now.” He frowns a little, lowering his head to my neck and taking another long sniff. “Is that…Jesse? Has he been scent marking you?”

Quickly I nod. “My cousin,” I whisper, seeing the possessive question already in his eyes. Slowly he nods, believing me. “Again, Jacks, I hope you can forgive me for it, over time. It wasn’t easy but…I didn’t have a lot of choice, not if I wanted to stay in the Academy.”

“No, it’s okay,” he says, giving an easy shrug, already over it. “I don’t care. I didn’t mind waiting, Ari – I just wanted to know that you were safe.”

“You should care,” I say, smiling at him but still feeling a little guilty. Luca’s response in some ways made more sense – he punished me, a little, and rightfully so. I lied to him for weeks. But Jacks – he’s so instantly ready to move on.

“Nah,” Jackson replies, wrapping me up closer in his arms, pulling me cozily into his lap again and against his chest as he presses a kiss to my hair. “It’s all worth it. I don’t want to make myself feel mad just because I should. I have you now, don’t I? It’s all that matters.”

Chapter 0194

I find myself feeling quite touched, and a little overwhelmed, as I lean against his chest, tucking my head for a second beneath his chin, cozy and warm despite the chill in the night air. Because… maybe he should be mad. There is…there is more coming, after all, that he’s not going to be pleased about – it’s actually not so simple as him having me now.

And if he just forgives me at every turn, even though none of it is my choice either, even if the Goddess herself gave us this path…

Well, who is going to watch out for Jackson’s heart, in the trials to come?

We are, my wolf growls, fierce.

And I set myself to the task, immediately agreeing. Jackson – he’s big, and he’s powerful, but he’s quite tender, beneath it all, isn’t he? And…

As sad as it sounds, Jackson is a bit more desperate for love and affection than I’d like him to be. He’s willing to wipe away all the offenses against him, just to have me in his arms.

God, he’s too good, to pure and sweet. I press my eyes shut, begging the Goddess for strength so that I can be as good to him as he deserves.

“What?” Jackson murmurs, nudging me with his nose, and I realize that I’ve gone quite still and rigid in his arms.

“Nothing,” I murmur, lifting my face to look into his. “Just…thinking about a thousand things.”

“Well, don’t worry about them,” he says with a little frown, like it’s so easy to just not. I grin at him, laughing a little. “We’ll figure it all out. It will all turn right.”

I smile at him, unable to stop myself as I reach up to stroke his hair, tucking it back behind his ear over and over again. “Jacks,” I murmur, as he looks down at me with such tenderness in his face, his expression. A tenderness that is…not totally unfamiliar, if I’m being honest – because he has looked at me that way before, even if he thought I was a boy. “Did you really not know?”

His face bursts into a grin and I can feel him laughing all around me – in his chest, in the way his arms shake. My smile widens and I find that I quite like being all wrapped up in him. “Ari, I definitely did not know. It was the shock of my life when you pulled your shirt up and I saw you had a girl body under your uniform.”

“Really, though?” I ask, laughing outright now, shaking my head a little in disbelief. “Like, no hints before? No inklings – nothing about my face, or my mannerisms? I was just…all boy to you?”

“Ari,” Jackson sighs, shaking his head, growing a little more serious even as he smiles. “I have… absolutely no context for any of that. I don’t know any girls – everyone I’ve met is a guy. So, if there are social cues that I’m supposed to pick up on to be able to tell that you’re a girl? I just don’t know them.”

I tilt my head, considering him, remembering what Ben said about me reminding him of his sisters. “Ben says I laugh like a girl,” I blurt out, saying the words as I think them.

Jackson grins. “I like your laugh,” he murmurs. “So, if that’s how girls laugh, then…I guess I like that.”

“Were you attracted to me?” I hear myself ask, curiosity getting the better of my mouth.

Jackson’s smile grows. “No,” he murmurs, shaking his head.

I squeak a little, sitting up straight, indignant.

“I mean, I am now!” he says, laughing as he works to correct himself.

“What, just because I show you my stomach and you realize I’m a girl suddenly you think I’m pretty!?”

Chapter 0195

“Well, kind of!” he replies, laughing louder now, freer. “I mean, I just didn’t let my mind go there before. You were just…another guy. A little shrimpy one who I liked hanging out with, and who I worried about sometimes. But…I didn’t think of you that way.”

I narrow my eyes at him, leaning a little closer, inspecting his face for lies. “That’s not how attraction works, Jackson. You can’t just decide to turn it on and off.”

He stares at me stoically for a long moment before his mouth twitches in the start of a smile.

I gasp, pointing at his face. “You totally were!” I whisper, thrilled. “You were into the Shrimp! You had a crush on me!”

He laughs, snatching my finger out of the air and wrapping his hand around mine even as he leans closer. “Fine, I thought…I thought you had a nice smile, okay?”

I grin, leaning into him, making him say more.

He groans, sighing and rolling his eyes. “And nice skin and…and pretty eyes. But! I thought you were my mate’s twin, okay? That was my best guess. So, I was just imagining what she looked like, which was probably a lot like…you?” His face twists up now, getting all muddled in the truth.

I laugh with him, leaning back against him, pleased. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t find me totally repulsive.”

“Not totally,” he murmurs, lightly tracing his fingers down my arm and then around my back, settling me cozily against him again. “What about you?” he asks, his voice a little wicked.

“Oh,” I sigh, leaning my head against him. “It was terrible.”

“What?!” He’s laughing now.

“Rafe had to drag me back to the room all the time,” I say, looking up at him, a little embarrassed. “Told me I wasn’t allowed to moon after you in the hallways –“

“What!?” Jackson repeats himself, I think shocked, but laughs harder.

“It was very embarrassing, Jacks! My stupid wolf always telling me to do ridiculous things, like just leap on you in the hallway when we’d see you between classes, or steal your shirt and hide it under my pillow, god –“

He’s shaking with his laughter now and I can’t help it, I join in with him, delighted as I look up into his face to see him looking so…

Well, so happy. My serious mate, who sometimes looks like he’s never had a happy day in his life, laughing like that. God, but it does wonders for my heart.

When his laughter fades his turns his head back down to me, his eyes shining. “Well, I’m glad I didn’t disappoint. That your wolf,” he presses a finger against my chest, where I suppose he imagines she lives, “likes me, at least.”

She preens inside of me, happy to be addressed and acknowledged directly. “Oh, she’s a big fan,” I sigh, looking down at his finger and smiling. But then I turn my face back up to his, returning to the question at hand. “Jacks,” I say quietly, and he turns his face to mine, more serious now but nodding to invite the question he can hear in my voice. “Why…why were you so shocked to find out I was a girl? Why don’t you know any of the cues?”

Jackson releases a long sigh and drops his eyes from mine.

My heart drops along with his gaze, and I worry that I’ve said too much, or the wrong thing –

“No,” he murmurs, reaching out and taking my hand, wrapping it in his. “It’s fine – I want to tell you. It’s just…I have been taught, all my life, to keep it a secret. So, it takes a little bit of…unlearning, you

know? To muster up the courage and tell you everything.”

I bite my lip, worried for different reasons now, and press myself against him, hoping to communicate my support, my genuine interest, my faith. He raises his face to mine with a small smile, and I give him mine in return.

“Honestly, Ari, it’s probably better that I didn’t know you were a girl when we first met, really,” he murmurs, smirking a little, “or else I’d never have been able to talk to you. Not at all.”