The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 18

I’m almost too exhausted to notice how fast the next week passes. Jesse wakes me up early every day, and I scowl at Rafe. who snores peacefully while Jesse drags me out the door for our run. He seriously puts me through my paces, too, not even relenting when I try to bribe him.

“Please.” beg. “I’ll give you my crown –”

“Why would I want your crown. I’m a duke –”

“But dukes,” I pant, “don’t get anything pretty to wear on their heads –”

But Jesse just laughs, and makes me run harder.

The candidate lessons are no less brutal. Every other day is spent running through that damn obstacle course, and even though Jesse and Rafe make me work out every night I still can’t climb that damn chain. I mean, I am getting better, which is satisfying, I can pull myself up about three feet of it now. But still, every day, after ten minutes of trying, the Lieutenant at that point on the course blows the whistle and lets me climb the ladder, putting a further demerit on my time.

Even Ben gets up faster than I do now, looking down at me with apology in his eyes as he does. But I just scowl and wave him off.

Rafe and Jesse really put the time in with Ben and I every evening, which has actually become as fun as it is useful. Ben has proven himself to have one hell of a sense of humor, and he makes me laugh so hard it feels like my sides will split. Even Rafe, as he pushes us around and tells us to get back to work, can’t help but smile.

Still, it’s nice to have made a real friend.

Every day the four of us eat our meals together and every morning our eyes go immediately to the ranking list to see what the previous day’s exams – if any have done to our numbers.

And while I’m never, ever going to beat out the big guys like Rafe and Jesse – I have to say, I’m holding my own.

This morning. I grin when the numbers come up to see that I’m ranked at 75 – a personal high spot. for me. Jesse slaps me on the back, laughing and grinning.

“Nicely done. Ari!” he says, smiling at me with true pleasure. “Looks like the marksmanship competition yesterday did its work.”

He’s not wrong. There are still enough hand–to–hand bouts that while my win against Jackson and my second place on the logic exam pulled me out of the cut zone above 96, I’ve been hovering right on the edge for days. But yesterday, when they finally put a crossbow and then a gun in my hands?

Then I really showed them what I could do. Because even if dad didn’t let me train like Rafe did, he always made sure I could handle myself with a gun more than handle myself, really. I came in

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Chapter 18

second, talling only behind Rafe ben beating Jesse, who came in at

little as 1 digitory

Because here I am celebrating,

there. Ben,” Rafe says as my eyes fly back to

Ben,” I say, nodding

a smile as he waves a hand around at us. “I’m fine. Seriously, it’s fine, it’s way better than 119,

ranking, and both of us are still in a great deal of trouble. None of our runs of the obstacle course have counted yet, and the one on the last day? It counts as double any

credit work

at it.

wondering how much better we can even get, or what the other exams

around inside me. We are

a mental hand over her fur,

she babbles, we can get a private room! And invite our mates over to visit

shaking my head and brushing her

words.

have to admit…the lure

It just sounds amazing – you get sorted into

don’t have the brute strength for that the hours spent learning how to spy, or to craft poisons, or become an expert sharpshooter, or a master of any

I’ve always wanted to do and never knew was even an option.

Chapter is

jump a little as an arm slides around my shoulder. giving me a squeeze as Luca sits down next to me. He’s frequently a 5(th) at our meals, or at least stops

hints about things that know. And I swear to

figure out what I can’t believe he hasn’t already

–

even if he doesn’t know

to give Jesse and Ben high–fives. He offers one to Rafe, who just gives him a little glare, but

sigh as I turn to look at him. And seriously, it’s not

it. Every time I do. I get this stupid smile on my face, and can’t

stupid, ridiculous girly crush on

that perfect face, his dimples flaring, his pretty brown eyes shining at me…..

mean, I basically swoon. The guy’s a celebrity heartthrob for a reason, doubled by the fact that he’s my mate and I’m unendingly attracted to him on

back on her

to avoid the insane urge to reach out and run my fingers through his hair. God, I bet it’s so

dry. “I noticed I kicked your ass in marksmanship. What, you can’t hit something if it’s