The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 11

“Cut the crap, Rafe,” dad snaps, and my eyes go immediately wide because dad only uses that tone when he’s really mad. “What the hell are you doing at the Academy when you told us two nights ago that you were taking your sister somewhere safe?!”

Jesse visibly gulps while Rafe struggles to keep his composure under what is probably dad’s most menacing glare. While the three of us obviously know that he loves us, he’s still probably the scariest man on the planet. Only mom is completely immune to him.

“Rafe, you look so cute!” My face bursts into a smile when I hear mom’s voice coming through the video call. “Show me Jesse! Oh my god, your little uniforms!”

“Ella -” Dad says on a sigh, reminding her that they called for a reason.

“Oh right. Yes! Boys, where is your sister!?”

“It’s fine, mom,” Rafe says, and I know that he feels more secure now, talking to her. Rafe

we’ve got and mom have always had a special bond, just like me and dad. “I promise you everything under control, Ariel’s doing great

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–

“How is that possible,” dad grumbles, cutting him off, “when you are at a military Academy and she is – Rafe! Where the hell is she?!”

I wrap my arms around my legs and stare up at my brother, wondering if he’s going to break under the pressure of dad’s glare. Deep down I desperately hope he doesn’t – I’m not done here, not nearly.

“We’ve got

it all under control, Uncle Dom,” Jesse says, reaching out and turning the tablet so that my parents can see him. “We promise – we’d never let her be in any danger, and it’s actually safer if we’re the only ones who know!”

“You have to trust us, dad,” Rafe snaps, turning the tablet back to him, starting to glare back at our parents now. “You know that we would both rather die than let anything bad happen to Ariel. So, either you call us all back right now, or you trust the three of us together.”

The other line is silent for a moment and I go tense with hope.

“We trust you, Rafe,” mom says, her voice thick with emotion. “If you promise that she’s safe and that you’re taking care of her? I believe you.”

Rafe and Jesse shift their eyes, clearly looking at dad now. His answer takes longer.

–

“She’s my little girl, Rafe,” dad says, his voice cracking on the words in a way that makes my entire stomach tie in knots. “I know she’s growing up – you all are but god damn it, if you let anything happen to her “

single nod and looking steadily into the camera. Jesse

growls, clearly unhappy with how this went but determined

let them beat you

–

too, saying their final goodbyes before Rafe turns the tablet off, tossing it on the bed before looking around to see if any of the other candidates have been listening in

of me, Ari,” he growls, shaking his

straight and glaring right back. “I’m just going along with the

–

my eyes because he’s been doing that to me since we were six – “that you’d better not do anything stupid that makes dad tear me to pieces because you got hurt, or killed, or pregnant.” He delivers the last word in a vicious whisper–hiss.

to my feet from Jesse’s bunk and glaring back at him. “I’m not doing anything but trying to get into the academy just

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the one staring at the other candidates like they were

I shout, slapping my hands onto his chest and shoving him,

me, his face unusually grave. Because now…well, he’s probably figured out what, precisely, I

have

like the hundredth time tonight, and before either of them can say anything else I grab my toothbrush kit from the edge of my bed and

think you’re going!?” Rafe

few steps back. His mouth pops open in surprise and I see the apology on his tongue for almost knocking me over, but I wave a hand in his face, dismissing it. “What, I can’t even do this alone!?” I snap, shaking my head at him as I step closer enough, close enough for him to hear

a little over the line between protective big brother and complete asshole tonight. So I nod

showers, where a few cadets are catching the final now–icy showers, and instead stalk right to the row of sinks where I furiously squeeze toothpaste onto my brush and stare blankly at

myself, anger still pulsing

says, brushing her warm fur up against my soul and making me sigh in defeat,

over to spit my toothpaste into the sink with a

straight and swishing her tail.

up

–

we’ve got

words, a hand grabs the fabric at the back of my uniform and begins to haul me along, away from the sinks. I drop my

pulls me towards the

I gasp, and then as the surprise fades I snarl, putting my weight back into and trying to get out of his grasp. “Let

my heels

inside of me, maybe he’ll kiss you – maybe he’ll take his shirt off! But I hastily shove her away, glaring up into my mate’s face. He

1. me.

go

eyebrows, “or we go have this little conversation about what you were really doing out last night in front of your over- protective cousins, who I’m

– if he’s figured out that