The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 35

My breathe freezes in my lungs as the young tailor and I stare at each other, neither of us blinking.

I mean, I am not someone who can claim anything close to the dangerous curves of a temptress, but I am decidedly a girl. Like my mom, I have smaller breasts, but my waist is small and my hips are far from narrow.

The seamstress stares at me for another second before she blinks rapidly, clarity suddenly coming to her face, studying me as she puts the pieces together. “Please,” I say, lifting my hands up and shaking my head vehemently, “please, I am begging you…”

And then a grin bursts onto her mouth.

My stomach absolutely sinks to the floor in relief.

The girl’s smile widens and she nods once, glancing over at the other tailors, who have not looked our way. “I’ll fudge the measurements,” she whispers, nodding to me again, more eagerly this time. “Give you a little extra room for…..mystery. And I’ll send along some stretchy fabric for…”

She quickly gestures towards her own breasts, just subtly, and relief floods through

1. me.

“Thank you,” I whisper as she beams and finishes up measuring my arms, around my neck, and finally my inseam. “Thank you, I owe you everything.”

“You’re welcome,” she says, looking up at me as if she genuinely means it. “I’m…I’m really excited for you, Cadet Clark. I think it’s great.”

And as we grin at each other, I quite suddenly wish we had more time-

Because she seems like the kind of girl that I could really talk to. And, all in a rush, I suddenly miss girl time with a vehemence that surprises me. I mean, I love my brother and my cousin and all my new friends here

But if I could just have ten minutes to sit and talk to a girl who is my friend and confidant, who I can laugh with and spill my heart to…

“Go ahead,” she says, nodding her head to the side and giving me a wink. “You’re all finished. Uniforms will be delivered tomorrow. Good luck!”

I grin my thanks to her again and, while I probably should be worried that she’s lying and is going to tell her superiors the moment I get out of the room, somehow as I watch her finish up her notes, I am not nervous at all.

I notice that Luca is the next one to step on her pedestal as I sling on my pack and pick up my boxed temporary uniform. And as she greets him, he’s already smiling

widen with surprise and pleasure, and I

in the hall, and he laughs as he pulls me away from the doorway. “Time to go to the dorms. She’s not going to steal your man in

because I mean, she

Jesse is right – I have other things to

by the thought of it. And suddenly I laugh at myself, because how can this not be the first thing I checked? I balance my box

close to Rafe and Jesse? What will the bathrooms be like –

and putting a hand on my arm as I search. “We made

looking between them. “I’m rooming with you?”

add a little matchbox bed in the corner

– how did you already pull strings and make changes?” I breathe, shocked and suddenly very excited. “Did you already know your room

candidates,” Rafe says, “just in case we got admitted as cadets.” He shrugs like it’s no

used

anything.” Rafe says, slinging

down the hall, taking

this once-

grew up in a palace, and had world–class educations by the time

gorgeous face, “completely inherited. I

making Rafe laugh even more at his understatement.

nodding, “being a duke has gotten me a serious amount of

spinning to Jesse, fascinated and dying

interrupting and dropping his arm from my shoulder so he can give Jesse a shove. “Fine, you both got me, we’re spoiled rotten, and mommy and daddy got us the nice room. I admit it! But…you’re not going to guilt me into giving

about that anymore,” I breathe, rapt, “tell

striding ahead. “Drop it, Ari!” he calls back.

to Jesse as we hurry

looking up at him,

his voice very wise voice as he slides his arm Rafe’s place around my shoulder, “when Rafe

in