Ch. 356..360: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 356-360

Chapter 0356

I just grin, a soft breeze swirling up around us, cool and fresh, as I tighten my arms around hirr.

"Booo, lovebirds!" Jesse calls over to us, cupping his hands around his mouth so his voice echoes. I laugh, opening my eyes. "Come on, stop being boring! We're doing shots!" He points to a tray of flaming shots that a very good-looking waitress, who Jesse currently has his arm around, is holding

"Oh my god," I say, my eyes going a little wide at the sight of them.

"Come on!" Luca says, laughing, starting over and pulling me along with him by the hand.

But as we go, I can't stop another yawn from crawling up my throat. Honestly I don't know how Luca's still up - he's had a much more taxing day than me. Must be the adrenaline. When we get to Jesse and his new friend, Luca takes the shots off the tray and hands them round, but when he holds on out to me I wave it away, even though the flames dance prettily and catch my eye. Rafe and Daphne come over too, and I grin to see that she is wearing a littttle less lipstick than she was earlier, but I don't say anything as she and Rafe take shots off the tray.

"Whaaat!" Jesse says, grinning at me a little devilishly. "Princess first to cave!? Honestly, Ari, you're doing the espionage track no credit here."

"Ambassador too," Ben says, likewise refusing the drink and rubbing at his eye. "It might be last warrior standing tonight. Warrior or seamstress." He turns his head to me, raising his eyebrow, cocking his head towards the door, silently asking me if I want to go.

Hope blooms in me because honestly, I'm exhausted, and my bed is calling.

"Ari!" Luca exclaims, and I turn to see him frowning at me, looking devastated. "No, let's stay out! We're having so much fun!"

"I think have to be pathetic," I say, slumping my shoulders and fighting yet another yawn. "I'm sorry."

Luca grimaces, looking at Rafe, Jesse, and Daphne - all still clearly ready to continue the good time. And I can tell immediately that he's torn that he knows he should take me home but he really, really wants to stay out.

"Luca, stay," I say, smiling softly up at him and stepping close, putting my hands on his chest. He sighs and looks down at me, feeling guilty. "It's your big night! You should stay out till dawn! You don't have to turn in just because I'm being a big baby about being tired."

"Ari," he murmurs, running a hand over my hair with a frown-but... can see he's tempted. "If you don't stay out," I whisper, shaking my head up at him with a grin. "Then you lose, and Jesse wins. And we can't have that."

"It's true," Jesse says, nodding seriously, and I grin over at him- glad he gets the game, and that he too wants Luca to stay out and enjoy his big night. "Last man standing is the King. And gets Rafe's crown."

"Hey!" Rafe protests, laughing, but we all ignore him.

Luca fakes a grimace, looking down at me. "Well," he says with a shrug. "I've always wanted a crown."

"Good," I murmur, standing on my toes and begging for a kiss, which he gives me.

When he lets me back down, Luca looks seriously over at Ben. "You're going too? You'll make sure she gets home safe?*

"And face your left hook if I don't?" Ben asks, quirking an eyebrow before dipping into a bow. "You have my word, your highness."

"Hey!" Rafe protests again, as his title has been wantonly claimed now alongside his crown.

I squeeze Luca's hand before moving to Ben's side, linking my arm with his and giving him a nod. There are some brief goodbyes, and a lightning fast half-slurred lecture from Rafe about where to find the car and the million ways Ben will be murdered if I don't get to the palace in one piece, but then we're off.

I doze in the limo, my head resting gently against Ben's shoulder, but he nudges me awake when we arrive in the garages below the palace - a safer entrance, when it's just the two of us. I'm still yawning as we get into the elevator that will take us up to my family's floor.

"You're gonna sleep good tonight," Ben murmurs, leaning hard against the elevator wall.

"Lock who's talking," I say in response, way too tired to say anything truly witty. When we step out of the elevator into the quiet palace, I give Ben a big hug and wave him off towards his room as I turn to my own, thinking fondly of my fluffy duvet and cozy sheets.

But then, as I turn towards my family apartments, a certain scent hits my nose just right...

And my wolf perks up...

And I wonder, suddenly...

If I don't want to make a pitstop on my way to bed.

Chapter 0357

My wolf yips inside of me, suddenly incredibly eager and awake, tuming in circles as we walk closer and closer to Jackson's door. Suddenly, I stop in the hallway, my jaw falling open as I look down at my chest-where she lives, alongside my spirit.

"You little brat!" I whisper aloud, appalled at her. She snickers, of all things - god, can wolves even snicker? "You were just pretending to be sleepy!"

My wolf doesn't answer me, just curls up demurely in my soul and crosses her paws, prim.

I laugh and roll my eyes, propelled forward, deciding not to think about it. I've had quite a bit to drink, after all - I probably won't get anywhere anyway.

The hallway is cool and dark as I tiptoe up to the door I know is Jackson's - the big suite in a quiet part of the palace where mom thought he'd be comfortable. Biting my lip a little, excited and anxious at once, I step close to the door and raise my fist, giving a quick little rap before whipping my hands behind my back.

At first, for a long moment, there's silence.

And then I burst into a grin, and my wolf gives an unintentional little howl, when I hear movement inside of the room - the soft rush of sheets, and then the soft sound of Jackson's footsteps - shockingly light for such a big guy.

The knob turns, and the door opens just a crack. I'm still grinning as I tilt my chin up to look into his gorgeous face, just barely visible in the dark

Unfortunately, there are sort of two of him right now, because my vision is...a little hazy from drinking. So, I close one eye and peer at him, grinning stupidly. "Hi," I say, pressing my hands together behind my back.

Jackson works hard to keep from smiling, but I can tell by the way that his eyes crinkle that he's not displeased. Nope, not one bit. Slowly, he pulls open the door, still not saying a word.

And my mouth pops open as my eyes drift down over him, taking in his bare chest, the pajama pants slung low over his hips.

Because...god...god damn it but Jackson is fit.

I just stare at him, shaking my head a little and realizing that I actually have not had many good opportunities to see Jackson shirtless- and certainly not this close. A few times, perhaps, during candidacy, when we were outside and it was hot and a couple of guys were working out without their shirts on? But that was always from a distance.

And I certainly never saw him in the showers - Jackson, he always took his showers privately, like I did.

So, I never-

"Ari," Jackson murmurs, laughing a little, reaching out a hand and curling a finger under my chin, turning my face up to look at him. "What are you staring at?"

"Nothing," I mutter quickly, blushing beet red to have been caught just ogling him. I whip my hands up, smacking them over my face, covering my eyes as well as my cheeks.

He laughs harder now, letting go of my chin and gently grabbing one of my wrists, trying to pull my hand away. But I hold tight, and he just succeeds in pulling me slightly off-balance in my ridiculous six-inch heels. "What are you doing?"

But I just shake my head, laughing with him now. "Nothing," I reply, keeping my eyes covered. "Just..not looking at you."

"Why not?" he murmurs, his voice dipping deep in that way I really, really like.

"Because," I sigh, stumbling again to lean against his doorframe. "You're just...very ugly, Jackson. Very difficult to look at, in the face area. And your body in particular-just-yuck- It's self-preservation, really, covering my eyes -

He bursts out laughing now, laughter that turns into a sharp snarl as he leans forward and grabs me around the waist. I squeal a little, in delight as well as a little visceral fear- Jackson, he is very frightening, after all, on like, a basic, bodily level and wrap my arms around his neck. Jackson pulls me up against him in the same moment that he yanks me into the room and pushes the door shut with a satisfying, definitive smack.

Chapter 0358

"I missed you," he murmurs, holding me close and falling back against the wall next to the door.

I grin at him in the dark of the room, my face very close to his, my feet nowhere near the ground. God, I love how he always picks me up. I don't know why it's not like he carries me anywhere or it does any productive good. I just...love it. "You did?" I whisper, delighted.

"I always miss you," he murmurs, leaning forward a little to nudge my nose with his.

"Oh yeah?" I say, sighing a little. "Even like, when I'm in the same room?"

Jackson just frowns at me like I'm crazy. "No, Ariel, that's ridiculous."

I burst out laughing, tilting my head back on my neck.

I can feel him grinning - feel it down the bond, feel it in the way that his chest rumbles. "Why would I miss you when you're still in the room?"

"Because!" I protest, laughing, pulling my head back up to look into his shining eyes. "It's romantic."

"It's dumb," he says, sighing happily and staring into my face, searching it like he's

memorizing the details. "If you're in the room, I'm glad you're there. I can't miss you in the same moment that I'm glad you're there."

"So, you're glad I'm here?" I whisper.

"Yes," he whispers back, simple and sweet. "Always want you near." And then he moves his head forward, as I hoped he would, and brings his mouth to mine, and kisses the daylights cut of me. I moan a little, loving the feeling of his lips on mine, the way he kisses me languidly, like he has all damn night to do it. I love the way his hands tighten against the silk of my dress, the way his skin feels hot under my hands as I let them slip down his neck, and over his shoulders.

Jackson shudders against me and then breaks away, loosing a long breath. In that, I can feel that he's working very hard to keep his control.

"What?" I mummur, closing the distance between us, wanting him to kiss me again.

"I just, um..." he clears his throat and quietly starts to lower me to the ground. I squeak in protest, bending my knees so that my feet lift far from the floor, so that when Jackson expects my heels to hit there's nothing there.

He bursts out laughing again and straightens up, and I grin with pleasure when I'm pressed again against his chest, right where I want to be. "Your parents were right," he murmurs, taking a deep breath and smiling at me, "trouble."

"Why are you trying to put me down?" I frown at him, not liking that he ended our kiss right when things were getting interesting.

"Because," he murmurs, looking at me seriously, shaking his head slightly. "It is..difficult, to not let myself get carried away with you, Ariel -"

I look at him wide-eyed, like that's kind of the point.

Jackson's face bursts into a grin like he can't help it, but then he forces his face into more serious lines. "And," he continues, like he needs to get this out while he can, even as his arms tighten around me, "you're kind of drunk, and you're exhausted-"

I squeak again, displeased and a little offended. "I am not very drunk, Jackson McClintock!" "You have to close one eye to look at me!"

"Vision aside, I am perfectly able to consent to...stuff." I growl, narrowing my eyes at him.

"All right," Jackson says, smirking a little now as he gets to what I can tell is the truth. "If you really want to know, Ariel, I am having trouble with this at the moment because you smell all over of Luca Grant."

I gasp, my eyes going wide. Then I groan, and slip my arms from around Jackson's neck, covering my face again in my embarrassment.

 

Chapter 359

"And yeah," Jackson says, his voice humming with a little apology that he has to break it to me like this, "I'm having a little trouble getting in the mood to rip your clothes off when I can smell your other mate all over you."

When Jackson lowers me to the ground this time I put my feet down and consent to stand on my own.

"Oh my god," I murmur, shaking my head and taking a step away, mortified, dipping my face into my hands again. Because of course I smell of Luca - he has been all over me tonight. Holding me, hugging me, making out with me, putting his hands all over me. "Jackson, I'm so Sorry -

"It's fine," he says, laughing a little, reaching out and pulling my hands away from my face. I look up at him with my blush still on my cheeks, my eyes apologetic. "Honestly, Ariel, I don't care - I'm just going to have a little trouble losing myself in you until we fix that. I hope that makes...sense. I don't want you to feel bad."

"No, it makes total sense," I say, dropping my hands completely and standing straight, reaching for the zipper sewn into the side of my dress. "I totally get it."

"Ari," Jackson says, a little confused - and then I feel his panic as I swiftly tug my zipper all the way down and shimmy out of my dress, which drops to the floor in a heap of silk and satin and secret hidden underwire. As it falls, I turn away from Jacks, lifting my hands and crossing them over my chest to cup my suddenly cold breasts in my palms, a shiver running through me as I start towards Jackson's bathroom.

"An!" He groans, and I turn in surprise to see him slumped against the wall of his room, staring at me like he's devastated. "What on earth are you doing?"

I pause, confused as hell, and then nod my head towards his bathroom. "I'm going to go take a shower, Jacks."

Jackson groans, and hangs his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.

And then, faster than I can see him move, he's suddenly crossing the room to my side, grabbing me again with a snarl so fierce it makes me gasp. I stare at him for a split second, into his cold, determined eyes, before he gives me a wicked grin and tumbles into his bed, taking me with him.

I gasp as I land on top of Jackson in his bed, my hands still cupping my chest, my eyes wide. Not because it hurt at all-Jackson's far too careful with me for that but because it all happened very fast, and now all of a sudden I'm in Jackson's bed wearing nothing but my underwear and my heels.

"Jacks!" I gasp, staring first at him and then over at the bathroom door. "What are you doing!?"

"I'm taking you to bed, Ariel," he growls, rolling over me so that it's my back pressed into the mattress now and his body is leveraged over mine. I can't help the teeny little moan that slips from me when I feel the weight of his body pressing into me.

"But," I murmur, deeply distracted right now. "What about my scent - I can take a shower -

He growls as he shakes his head. "I'm not going to be able to handle that, Ariel," Jackson murmurs, his voice dead serious as he raises a hand and softly brushes my hair back out of my face. "The idea of you, naked, in that room? All wet and soapy? Your scent alone in the stearn, drifting out of the door..." He pauses, and then groans, and then ducks his head down against my shoulder like he can't handle it.

I laugh lightly, delighted that even the idea of me in the shower drives him that crazy. But still, I don't understand. "Jacks," I groan, pouting a little, wiggling down lower so that I can see into his face. Not even thinking of what it reveals, I lift my hands away from my chest and raise them to his cheeks. "I don't get it. ...still smell like him."

Jackson lowers his face slowly until he presses a soft, lingering kiss to my mouth. "There are other ways to fix that," he murmurs, and I shiver at the way his lips feel moving against mine as he speaks.

And then, to my shock, Jackson quickly slips a hand under my back and uses the leverage there to flip me over so that I'm laying on my belly. I gasp a little in my surprise, but he just laughs at me - a low, pleased, controlled noise - and then lays his weight gently down on me again, beginning to slowly move his hands all the way down my sides and then back up, touching every inch of my skin with his hands, with his wrists.

 

Chapter 360

At first, my eyes flutter shut because of how good it feels - Jackson, something about when he touches me, it just...lights something in me, kindles a warmth, makes me feel so cozy and warm and adored. But then, after a few minutes after I realize that he's taking quite a bit of care to ensure that his wrists come in contact with my most important pressure points, and that his hands spread out from there-

I realize what's happening.

That Jackson is scent marking me - every inch of me, and taking a great deal of care in doing it. I smile, pleased at the idea that this is Jackson's very own version of claiming me, of marking me as his own, of wiping out every inch of Luca's scent by gently covering it with his.

The minutes slip by and I fall almost into a daze, my body moving with Jackson's as he covers me. I'm nowhere near falling asleep, but the state of calm into which I slip - it's like nothing I've ever felt before. Jackson's hands are gentle but firm as they move over my back, and down each of my arms, and then up over my neck. He presses gentle kisses to my skin as he goes, and I honestly don't think that they're part of the scent marking - I think it's just him being very sweet, and slightly unable to resist.

A little bit to my chagrin, Jackson leaves my underwear on - flimsy as they are-as he moves downward over my legs. A delicious shiver pulses through me, though, when he brings his face close to my ass, and presses his cheek briefly against it, and then gives my cheek a tiny nip with the edge of his canine. I laugh, pleased, and so does he.

But then he moves on, continuing down. When he gets to my feet, I hear him click his tongue in disapproval

"What?" I ask, tuming my head a little to peak at him as he kneels at my feet and bends my leg at the knee, lifting my shoe high.

Jackson gives me a dubious look. "These shoes are ridiculous, Clark.

I burst out laughing, delighted. "They are very fashionable and very expensive, McClintock." He grins at me and shakes his head, his fingers making fast work of the little buckle around my ankle. "They offer no traction, and I don't see how you can run in them-"

"They're not for running -* protest, grinning a little as I lay my head down on the pillow, peering at him over my shoulder.

"You're a spy, Clark," he growls. "You always need to be able to escape."

I shrug, conceding the point as he pulls the first shoe off and lets my leg drop. "They're supposed to be sexy," I murmur, still wanting to defend my little shoes just a bit.

Jackson moves his eyes to mine, perfectly serious as he grabs my other ankle, making me grin at the satisfying smack his palm makes against my skin before he bends my leg at the knee, lifting my foot higher.

"You have the world's most perfect feet, Ariel," he says, like it makes him kind of mad that I even wear shoes at all. "The idea that you could improve them by shoving them into some

stupid shoe..."

I grin at him, laughing a little, but he just shakes his head at me still dead serious - before he unbuckles the second shoe, slips it off, and then dips his head slightly and presses a kiss to the arch of my foot.

I gasp a little at that - at the feel of his soft lips against my ticklish skin, at the light stubble that grazes my toes, at the idea of being touched somewhere that I've obviously, obviously never been kissed by any other person.

God damn it, but I just start to come undone. Something in me, in my spirit, goes completely to pieces for Jackson - just crumbles down, until I'm completely bare. And it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm very nearly naked as Jackson finishes running his hands over my feet, and then crawls forward over the bed, and then slips a hand under my hip, pulling, asking me to roll onto my back.

Moving slowly, I comply.