The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 25

Luca and I chat the entire walk home.

us down

And though the walk takes us about five hours the terrains rougher than a flat road, which slows

the time passes in what feels like a blink. The three ahead of us are relatively quiet, trudging along the miles and tripping on stones in the darkness, but Luca and I get lost in latighter.

God – he’s funny, and he laughs at my jokes too, all of which just twists my heart a little because as each mile passes my crush on him grows bigger and bigger, inch by inch.

He tells me all about his childhood, raised in a big family like mine. How he was so angry as a kid after his dad left, but how his mom’s brother took him into the gym and taught him to redirect that anger into solid blows at a punching bag, teaching him the art of boxing and keeping him out of trouble. And honestly, it should be a sad story, but the way he tells it – god, my cheeks ache for laughing so hard and smiling so much.

“Honestly, Shrimp.” Luca says, smirking down at me as our final mile begins, “if any animals were thinking about taking us out, they’d certainly shy away knowing we’ve got a hyena in our group, shrieking into the night.”

“Shut up,” I laugh, swatting him in the stomach with the back of my hand. “It’s your fault –”

“It is not my fault that you keep making that shrill noise –”

I burst into laughter again as he teases me, unable to help it, shaking my head at him. “Stop making me laugh, then,” I say, grinning up at him.

Luca doesn’t say anything for a moment, staring at me, connecting with me in that quiet way we’ve been doing all day. “Stop making me want to make you laugh,” he murmurs, just the corner of his mouth turning up. “Honestly it’s….weirdly rewarding, seeing you crack up like that.”

I blush a little, biting my lip, and I look ahead, wrapping my arms around myself to ward off the goosebumps that are forming on my arms. I don’t bother to wonder if they’re a result of the growing cold or the butterflies he’s sent looping around my stomach.

“You cold?” Luca murmurs, drawing close.

“Um,” I say, not knowing what to say. Because if I say yes, I feel like he’s going to…

“Here,” he sighs, slipping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me close. I sharply draw in my breath but… I don’t move away. Instead, I slowly exhale, leaning into him just a little bit.

Just for body heat, I tell myself, not letting myself consider that we’re both carrying backpacks filled with extra jackets and blankets.

WHATEVER, my wolf says on a gleeful exhale, laying on her back and letting her tongue hang out of her mouth in ecstasy.

Chapter 25

I scowl at her and turn my attention back to the task at hand: getting back to the barracks safely and ignoring the tingling sensation that passes all along the side that’s pressed close to Luca, and across my shoulders where his arm lightly rests.

We’re quiet for the rest of the walk, but when I glance up at Luca I see that there’s a smile on his face, his eyes trained on the road ahead, both of us just ignoring the fact that he’s walking with his arm draped around me. And I grin, and keep walking because…

Honestly, it should be more awkward, but it’s not. Everything in me just screams right.

drops his arm from my shoulders as we come closer to the light of the barracks, letting his fingers trail down my back before he moves away. We’ve dropped back far enough where our other three teammates are unlikely to have seen

notice with surprise that our group is the only one that made it back this early. “Wow,” I murmur. “I mean, I thought we were slow,

other teams didn’t hate each other’s guts as much as ours did,” Luca says with a shrug, walking

don’t think Perry hated us,” I murmur, glancing towards the bathroom where

we’ll be swapping recipes with him anytime soon,” Luca says, his voice dry.

a little consideringly as Luca grabs his bathing things and then waits for me as I grab mine. We head into the bathroom

calls over

my

mumble something awkward about it being late and how I’m tired, and Luca

floor and starts at the buckle of his pants. I brush my teeth as fast as humanly possible then, congratulating myself for accomplishing the monumental act of

mentally scolding myself to respect my mate’s privacy,

urge to strip–down and climb into that shower alongside my mate, I haul myself into my bed and flip back onto my pillow, pulling my cap down over my eyes so I can

minutes later when I hear Luca’s voice disturbingly

little,

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Jesse usually stands when

I try to inject some teasing into my own voice then, but honestly I think it fails. Because I mean with his dimples flaring like that–he

of the wrapped sandwiches I’m getting very sick of and placing

say, smiling and taking the sandwich, pulling it close

do.” he says softly. “Rafe always has to bring you food,

my mouth. “Have you been watching

my heart feels like it completely stops as he reaches out a hand, his fingers drawing dangerously close to my

he clenches it into a fist, drawing his lips into a tight line. “Good work today,” he says, nodding and shifting his eyes away from me. “Um.

though

again back on my pillow, holding my sandwich against my stomach, wondering how the hell I’m supposed to get to sleep

sandwich and rest my head back on the pillow again, totally beat. I curl up in my blankets, at least content in the knowledge that I don’t have

—

stayed, wishing we’d had chance to talk more – even for a few minutes or for a few more hours….

1

around at the hazy birch forest, which is somehow bright even though it’s edged with fog. I turn my head, considering the pretty white trees with their leaves turning golden for autumn, pleased and surprised. And then I run my hands down over my favorite white nightgown from home – relishing the

little cap –

a voice calls, and I go very still.

the who the hell is that?

Chapter 25

little, because of course I can’t stop thinking about

am I?” Luca mutters, his

suddenly my eyes

Because…

back to what my mom