Ch. 471..475: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 471-475

Chapter 0471"Really?" I ask, perking up and looking around. "What happened?"

"We got our specializations," Ben says, beaming at me as he settles onto the couch next to Luca and I, sitting in my usual seat.

“That's amazing!" I burst out, delighted. But then I hesitate. “But also, what does that mean?"

Ben laughs at me, shaking his head. "It kind of sounds like the same as you, Ari - you got a personal tutor, but the rest of us just got sorted into smaller groups with new professors who are able to teach us according to what the Academy thinks is going to be out future jobs."

"That's so exciting," I say, my eyes going wide as I look around at them. "What did you get, Benzie?"

"I," Ben says, pressing a proud hand to his chest, "am going to be an Ambassador of the proper sort - the kind that actually goes places and negotiates man-to-man instead of one who just prepares the paperwork. They said..." he blushes here, I think a bit of unused to complimenting himself, "that they think I'm really good with people and have the right personality to get what I want without stepping on many toes."

"I think that's very true, Benny," I say, smiling proudly at my friend and slipping my foot away from Luca's lap to give him a little kick of joy. "You're going to be amazing at that."

"Thank you," he says, settling his shoulders in a very happy, prideful way.

"Mine is way cooler," Jesse says, sighing happily as he gets to his feet and reaches for my empty plate.

I hand it to him with a smile, encouraging him to continue.

"It's true," Ben says with a mock-envious sigh. "Jesse got special forces."

“Ohhh,” I say, admiringly as Jesse stacks my plate on top of the others and starts to carry the whole set to the dumbwaiter. "What does that mean?" "It means they're turning him into a little army of one," Rafe replies for Jesse, smiling proudly after our cousin. "So they can send him on very tiny missions that only one person can go on. He's got to be fast, sharp, and sly - and I think Jesse fits the bill perfectly for that."

"Agreed!" I say, holding my hand up to Jesse as he comes back. He slaps it as he passes, grinning at me. "Very espionage-esq., which is the highest compliment I can give."

"A compliment I heartily accept," Jesse says, bowing before he sinks happily into his chair. "Alongside any others that you have to offer today." "Nope, all out," I say happily, turning my attention to Rafe next, excited. "What about you?"

"I got the same as Jacks," Rafe says, smiling at me with pride. "We're both in command training so that we can help plan battles, direct the war, that sort of thing."

"What he's not telling you," Jesse says in a mock whisper, holding his hand up by the side of his mouth and pretending to tell me a great secret. "Is that they're the only two in that extremely elite category. And that they're being groomed as generals. And that it's an incredibly high honor that hardly anyone gets. And that they've never taken two Cadets in the same year before, and that no one was selected for it in the past two years of entering Cadets."

"Holy shit," I whisper, my eyes going wide as I stare at my brother, who blushes lightly. "Rafe, that's...that's a huge deal."

"No, it's not," he murmurs, looking down at his hands even though I can tell that he's proud as all hell. Pride swells in me too as I watch him - my brother who so rarely accepts a compliment or pats himself on the back, even though he works just as hard as I do. "I probably just got it because I'm the future King - they can't not give it to me."

"That's not true, Rafe," Luca says, and I look up to see him frowning at my brother. "Don't sell yourself short. Also, don't give the Captain that little credit - he's not in the business of bestowing empty graces in the middle of a war."

Rafe sighs and nods but doesn't respond. Still, I can tell that he's proud of himself. Inwardly, I resolve to find a way, soon, to let him know just how proud we all are of him too - and not just because he's a prince.

"What about you?" I ask, incredibly excited as I turn my beaming smile on Luca.

But to my surprise, he just looses a long sigh. "As-yet unsorted," he says, looking at me evenly and shaking his head.

My heart drops. Because even if I don't quite know what that means...I know by his tone, and the feelings coming down out bond, that it's not good.

Chapter 0472

"What...what does un-sorted mean?" I ask, looking first at Luca and then a little frantically around at the rest of the boys, all of whom are equally a bit dour.

"It just means that they're deciding where Luca fits," Jesse says, giving a shrug.

“He's sugar coating it," Luca corrects, and I turn my head back to him. “It means that they don't yet see me as...fit for upper service. That I am, essentially, a high-powered grunt for now."

"Luca," I say, again raising my hand to his cheek as I frown at him. "Who -"

"Those are his words," Rafe interrupts, and I turn to look at him. "And he's being way too hard on himself. Every Cadet that graduates from the Academy is elite - some are sorted into specializations, some are not. Luca, as-yet, was not. And he might later, or he might not, but it's not a poor reflection on him."

"And now Rafe's being too nice," Luca murmurs, turning back to me and I think - putting up one hell of a front to hide his disappointment. “It's all my fault. I did...kind of shitty on the finals, Ari. I think they might have failed me if it wasn't such a big deal for me to be a Cadet while I was in that boxing match. I think they kind of...pushed me through."

“Luca,” I murmur, frowning at him, feeling absolutely terrible that he feels that way. “I'm sure that's not true.”

"Well, either way, it's all my fault," Luca says with a sigh. "You were all here working your asses off and I was just...fooling around and napping and cracking jokes. Riding my laurels."

"That's not true!" I protest. "You studied!"

"He could have studied harder," Ben says, and I turn sharply around to glare at him. He holds up his hands. "Look, the truth is somewhere between all of it, Ari - and you're not doing him any favors by fawning over him and telling him how great he was and it was not his fault. Luca didn't study - he could have tried harder. And if he does, he'll see results." Ben peers around me to look Luca in the eye now. "None of us think you're stupid, Luca. And while that's a good thing, it does mean you have to try."

"I know," Luca says, and I turn back to him with a sigh because...well. Because Ben is right.

"I believe in you," I say, snuggling closer to my mate and pressing a quick kiss to his mouth as the other boys turn towards each other and start to talk, giving us a moment of privacy. "You know that, right?"

"I know it," Luca says, giving me a small smile. "So. How about you show me those pens again? Maybe your color coding system can actually help me this time around."

I burst into a grin, incredibly excited.

The night passes faster than it usually does, probably because I came to dinner so late. And it feels, a bit, like I glance at the door every half hour, because that's where my wolf's attention turns, even as I sit close to Luca. She looses a tiny little howl at one point, calling to Jackson's wolf, telling him to come. But, of course, he doesn't, and my wolf and I are both a bit miserable about it.

I hide this as best I can, though, and barely an hour later I'm yawning every few minutes, thinking eagerly of my bed.

“Come on, Luc,” Ben says, standing up from the couch and stretching his arms over his head. "Walk me downstairs so you can pick me up if I fall asleep on the steps."

"You got it, Benny. I'll throw you over my shoulder like the sack of potatoes you are," Luca murmurs, giving me a kiss on the cheek as he stands up. "See you at breakfast?" he asks, squeezing my hand and giving me a small, happy smile.

"Of course," I reply, beaming back at him. "But please return the property you have stolen before you go," I say, holding out an open palm.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Luca replies, far too innocent and pressing a hand to his chest.

"Green and pink," I say, holding my hand higher up, insistent. "Honestly, Luca, those colors don't even make any sense together - what one earth are you trying to make note of -"

But Luca just bursts out laughing and pulls the pens from his pocket, slipping them into my hand. "I wasn't going to keep them," he says, sly. "Just trying to see how much of your espionage training was paying off."

 

Chapter 0473

"Oh, I don't need espionage training to notice when my prized possessions are missing," I say, yawning and letting myself flop down on the couch pillows. “I grew up with Jesse. He stole everything. All of my toys."

"Lies!" Jesse calls from across the room. "...I only took the little ponies. The ones with the fancy hair."

Luca laughs too and leans down to press another kiss to my mouth – a nice, lingering one – and then he and Benny are gone, off to bed.

I haul myself up off the couch with a groan and flop over to the bathroom, getting myself ready for bed and giving my teeth a good scrub. I stare at the shower for a long moment, contemplating it, wondering if I have the energy or can just be smelly for a night when a familiar scent wafts in the door. I laugh in delight, quickly rinsing my mouth, and then I'm dashing out the bathroom door and jumping immediately into Jackson's arms. "How did you know!?" I ask, laughing, holding him close and then pulling away to peer into his beautiful face. “How are you here three minutes after Luca left!?"

"Because someone's little wolf was howling for mine all night," Jackson growls happily, lifting his face to nudge my nose with his. "And when she finally stopped, I knew it was time to come up." I start to laugh, but Jackson silences me by planting a firm kiss on my mouth.

A little moan slips from me as I kiss Jackson back, a little more deeply than I usually would in front of my brother and my cousin, not really able to help it.

“Enough of that,” Rafe growls, smacking me on the arm as he passes me for his turn in the bathroom.

I grin and pull my face away from Jackson but otherwise ignore Rafe. "I'm glad you came up so fast," I whisper. "I missed you."

"Did you think I was going to waste a second of my allotted time?" Jackson murmurs, carrying me over to the nook and falling backward onto my poor little bed, which groans mournfully under our combined weight.

I laugh and shake my head at him, laying over his chest and beaming down into his face. “I heard you got the command specialization," I whisper, thrilled. "I'm so proud of you, Jacks."

"Thank you," he murmurs, and I can tell by the swell of pride that comes down our bond that he's happy about it too. He traces the length of my spine and then his fingers make quick work of my uniform where it's tucked into my pants, pulling it free and then slipping his hand beneath so his palm lays flat on my skin.

I groan a little at how good it feels to have Jackson's skin again against mine, dipping my head so that my forehead rests against his chest.

God, how can I have gone all day without this? Jackson near me - it feels so essential, like...breath, or water. He pulls my cap from my head before he wraps his arms around me, pressing a kiss to my hair. "I know," he murmurs. "I missed you too."

"I have so much to tell you," I sigh sleepily, already feeling myself drift off.

"Go to sleep," he says quietly, calmly. "I'll meet you there."

I look up at him, fighting the way that my eyelids want to drift shut. "You just got here. You aren't even ready for bed."

"Neither are you," he reminds me, laughing a little as he tugs on my uniform top for emphasis - a fabric which is certainly not pajama material.

I laugh but then sigh and roll myself away from Jackson's body, giving him a little shove towards the room. "Oh, go be polite and say hello to Jesse - he'll cry if you don't. And brush your teeth and get ready for sleep," I cuddle up in my blankets, telling myself I just need a minute to rest and then I'll put my pajamas on. "I'll stay awake until you get back."

“Okay,” Jackson says, pressing a kiss to my cheek and doing as I bid, slipping off the bed and going into the room to do...whatever the hell he does. Unfortunately, by the time he gets back, he has figured out that I've told a lie.

Because by the time Jackson slips back into bed with me, dressed for sleep in his in his pajama pants, and wraps me up in his arms? I'm fast, fast asleep.

Chapter 0474

When I open my eyes, I am indeed still wrapped up in Jackson's arms.

But we're not in my little private nook at the academy - we're sitting on a cliff's edge, looking out over a moonlit sea. "It's cool here," Jackson murmurs, looking appreciatively out over the scenery. "We've only ever come here as our wolves before.”

"Oh noooo," I groan, pounding my fists once against his chest. "We fell asleep! Jacks! I'm so sorry!"

“Why?” he asks, peering down at me and laughing. "What's the big deal?"

"The big deal,” I say, frowning up at him, “is that we didn't get any time together. It's crap, Jacks - I want to see you, to...be around you. And not just when we're unconscious or running or at breakfast."

"Well, this is pretty good, isn't it?" he asks, smiling at me, the cool breeze ruffling his hair.

I sigh, looking around. "Yeah, it's pretty great," I say with a sigh. "But I want you in person too."

"Okay," he says with a little sigh. "But how do we manage that?"

"Jacks," I say, realizing the answer as soon as he asks the question. "I want you to come to study time. And to dinner. I...want you to be a part of the group. It sucked without you there," I say, completely honest, letting him feel it. "I missed you the whole time."

He raises his brows at me, hesitant. "But, Luca..."

"Luca doesn't get the whole evening just because you get 'nights," I say, shaking my head. "You're part of the group. And you don't have to come all the time if you feel like you can't study there. But, Jacks..." I shake my head. "He can't forbid you. I want you to come. This is...this is your family." Jackson grits his teeth against the sheer emotion that floods him when I say that, wanting to pay attention to the conversation at hand even though he's a little swept away by the idea that he has a family now - and that we acknowledge him as such. And I know, instantly, that he gives in. "All right, Ariel. I'll come."

"Good," I say, snuggling warm against him. “And I'll deal with Luca this time. We'll just have to...figure it out."

"Okay," Jackson says on a simple sigh, pressing a kiss to my hair, accepting it and I think - deep down happy and relieved. Because he wanted to be at dinner too - I could feel his wolf wanting to be near mine, even if he wasn't quite so vocal about it. And it means the world to him to have me insist that he belongs as well.

"So," I say, cuddling up at my mate's side, happy and content and peaceful as I look around at the beautiful dark cliffside around me, marveling in its beauty. "What do you want to do? Should we like...shift and go for a run?"

"Nah," Jackson says, dead casual, the wind riffling through his hair as he likewise takes in the scenery. "Let's just make out."

I burst instantly into laughter, tucking myself closer against him, and Jackson grins and looks down at me.

"What?" he asks, and I beam at the sight of his beautiful smile. "What's so funny about that?"

"Nothing!" I say, wrapping my fists into the fabric of his shirt and pulling him a bit closer. “I'm game! I just thought that you were Mr. Let's-Take-it-Slow." "This is taking it slow," he growls, turning slightly so that he bends me backwards towards the ground, angling his body above mine. "Trust me, Ariel, if we were doing the things that run through my mind most of the time, I would not be earning that title."

As he speaks his voice deepens, hitting that low register that makes my eyes drift half shut, makes my blood race through my veins. "Things like what?" I murmur, wrapping one leg around the back of his, pulling him further on top of me.

"Indecent things," he murmurs, dropping his head to trail his nose along the length of my neck, following it up with a line of serious, intent kisses - each slow and rich, like he's tasting my skin, learning it. Shivers run through me and a little hitched noise escapes from my throat.

Jackson bares his teeth when he hears it, pressing them lightly against my skin.

I shudder, hard.

He lifts his head, looking into my face, and I whine pathetically. "Why did you stop?"

"Because," he murmurs. "I want to look at you."

I stare back at him, at my perfect, brutal mate. At the harsh lines of his face, the softness of his mouth, the stunning blue clarity of his eyes. And as I stare I realize that...I'm never going to get enough of the sight of him - of the strange mismatch of features that blend together to create someone so complex, so stunning. So...fucking perfect.

"You're very beautiful," I whisper, my hand drifting up to touch him almost reverently, tracing my fingers across his lips.

A soft smirk takes his mouth. "Yeah, well. Wait till you see me naked."

I burst out laughing, my head tilting backwards even as it rests against the pillow of his arm. "Listen, I've been trying!" I say, my whole body shaking with laughter that's echoed in his own. "You're the one holding out on me!"

Chapter 0475

"Gotta save some things for later," he murmurs as I lift my head to look at him again, but then he smiles and dips his mouth lower, pressing a kiss at the hollow of my throat. "I've only known you're a girl for like, two? Three weeks? It would be cruel of me to show you all the goods so soon - give you nothing to look forward to."

"How are you so sure I'll like these goods?" I murmur, running my hands through his hair, liking this playful side of my serious mate.

"I have documented evidence of how good looking I am now," he says, raising lazy eyes again to mine. "The magazine suggested that women will be sliding into my DM's the moment they figure out how to find me. It would be an insult to my fan base," his mouth twitches in humor here, "to assume that they are wrong and that I'm not stunning from head to toe."

I squeak in protest at the idea of Jackson's apparently rampant fan base, even if I can't blame them. Because they are right - he is gorgeous, and would look stunning naked - but what they don't know is that he's mine, all mine. And I'm not going to let them place a single hand on him.

Inwardly, my little wolf growls at the thought, her lips pulling back to bare her sharp fangs.

Jackson smiles as he feels all of this come down the bond. "I like you jealous," he murmurs, sliding his hand down my body and wrapping it tight around the back of my thigh, using his grip to wrap my leg up and over his hip so that leg curves around his back. "I'm going to have to get one of these DM's to keep this going."

I laugh a little, even as I tighten my fingers in his hair. "You don't even know what that is."

"Whatever," he murmurs, confident, dropping his head so his lips brush against mine. "I'll figure it out."

I'm about to protest that he damn well won't if I have anything to say about it, but he silences me with his mouth on mine - impatient and hungry. I moan as I pull him tighter against me, my mouth opening to him, his tongue pressing against mine as he kisses me in that way that makes my mind go blank.

Blissfully blank, without thoughts or worries about school or war. Just wrapped up in my Jacks - who at this moment feels like my entire world. The next morning, I'm awoken by a little kiss on my cheek, just next to my ear.

And even though it's perhaps the sweetest way I've ever been woken...

I still groan, and turn my face away, and wrinkle up my nose in distaste. "No," I grumble, pressing my cheek more fully into Jackson's chest, my body aching with all the work I made it do yesterday. "I'm too tired. I quit life. Let's just go back to sleep and make out more on the cliff."

Jackson laughs a little, wrapping his arms tight around me as he takes a deep, full breath. "We have to get up. We have lessons. Responsibilities." "I quit those too," I snap sleepily, letting my head loll dramatically to the side. "I want to go back to being a bubblegum princess. I just want to sit in the palace and eat bonbons."

"Your mother will send you bonbons here - whatever those are," Jackson murmurs, slipping a hand behind my head and cradling it in his palm, lifting it slightly so that he can look into my face. "Besides, I don't buy your whole lazy act. As soon as you shake this sleep off, you're going to be excited about your day. Come on, Clark. School awaits. You like school."

I sigh, fighting a smile, wanting to indulge in a little more petulance. But he grins at me, and I can't help grinning back. I laugh a little, smacking him on the chest. “Stop knowing me so well and throwing it in my face when I want to indulge in a little healthy self-pity. Besides, I am not excited about the running part, where you three torture me. Can we skip that?"

“No,” Jackson murmurs, pulling me forward for a swift morning kiss before rolling me off his chest, onto the bed, and giving me a swift smack on the ass. "You need to get faster! Let's go! Up and at 'em, Princess Sinclair!"

And then, demonstrating more alacrity than is proper in the morning, Jackson swings himself out of bed in a single movement and pulls the curtain open, calling morning greetings to Rafe and Jesse as I shriek and hide myself from the sudden influx of morning light.

"You up, Shrimpy?" Jesse asks, coming over to grin at me as Jackson strides away to the bathroom.

"I changed my mind," I murmur into the pillows, casting out a hand and pointing in the direction where I think Jackson has gone. "He can't sleep here anymore. He's too optimistic in the morning - it's forbidden."

"Too late, cousin!" Jesse says, yanking my blanket away and making me shriek again. "I think he fits in just fine!"