The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 42

“What, is your subconscious homophobic?” I ask, continuing to be frustrated and a little annoyed at him for not believing me even though I’m telling him the truth and spilling a serious secret for his own good.

Because honestly! I could make out with him here! And I would be the only one who knew that it was real!

I’m doing this for him, to be fair, and yet he persists in not believing me! It’s very rude.

“It might be,” Luca says with a shrug, still looking down at me. “I wouldn’t think that it was, but here you are, still not kissing me, even though I keep trying. Honestly, Ari, being shut down by the figment of my own imagination is very annoying –”

“I’m real!” I insist again, this time through my teeth.

“Prove it,” he says, shrugging.

“Ask me anything!”

“That won’t work,” he says, turning his head to the side. “Anything you say is something I already know or think I know. No way to verify that it’s true.

“Fine,” I say, crossing my arms and lifting my chin. “Ask me something tomorrow, in real life – something impossible, that you’d never predict. I’ll give you the same answer here as I do then.”

Luca turns his head a little, considering. “That could work,” he murmurs, but then he turns back to me with a sly smile. “But in the meantime, you and I could, you know, fool around a little…”

In the distance, my wolf howls with delight.

“Whoa,” Luca says, turning to look for her. “What was that?”

“It was my wolf,” I sigh.

“Really?” he asks, and then the turns back to me, smirking. “Your wolf does…not sound adverse to the idea.” He leans more fully against the tree now, bringing his body closer to mine and kind of pinning me back against the trunk in a way that…

12:49 Sun, 10 Mar

Chapter 42

That I do not mind at all.

“Luca,” I sigh, and honestly I have to close my eyes as I turn my face away from him, because if I spend even a moment longer looking up at the shadows his long lashes cast against his cheeks…I am definitely going to do something I regret.

“What?” he asks softly, cupping my cheek in his palm and turning my face back to his, his hand and his voice both impossibly gentle. “What do you want, Ari?”

And his question…I know instinctually that there are layers to it. That he’s asking me what I want, but also what I like –

I want to be

precisely I want him to put

him as he presses his mouth hard to mine

sigh, as he rests his weight deliciously against me, pinning me back against the tree in a way that feels….god, it feels fucking amazing, his body pressed flush against mine. “I

my eyes fly open, already glaring. “Not

strokes his thumb along the skin of my cheek. “Real–Ari had my

I answer immediately, “with whipped cream.”

It is not fair to be in this dream state with him and

very clearly

going to know that

on top?” Luca asks, teasing – because, I mean, it is a very girly desert. “Of course sprinkles,” I murmur, sighing as

take a deep breath, savoring his scent and the press of his muscled torso against me for one last second. I hesitate, but then I lift my hands, and let my palms press against his sides, feeling the lines of his obliques as

do, just for a moment, I let myself imagine what his bare

shudder passes through Luca’s

it, Ari,” he growls, leaning

my head, and press my eyes shut, and will the

I clench my teeth with a groan, turning and burying my face into a pillow

too long with my face buried in my pillow, feeling sorry for myself, cursing myself vehemently for having a sense of

it, god damn it I wanted

the chance – because Luca, he just wanted to kiss the figment of his imagination that looks like me so he

to run screaming from the room.

my pillows and wrapping myself up in my soft white duvet, considering it. Because Luca – he still thinks I’m a boy,

he is straight, and that I’m just unfairly confusing him

of this, because Ben revealed today how tenuous my secret already is. And as much as I’m fine with

school, because failing to do so

Chapter 12

gotten hold of the thing I never knew I always wanted: a

ready to give that up with

chance to make

my eyes and force myself to try and go back to sleep – a state which feels

of Alpha alarm clock

a pillow into the open curtain of my

hour of sleep,” I growl,

they don’t,” Rafe says, laughing and yanking my away, making

duvet

it just come up in the dumbwaiter?” I ask, sitting up finally when I realize they’re not going to leave me

the bathroom, brushing as he strides around the room in his underwear, getting ready for the day. “Breakfast all together

my jaw cracks. As I pull my boot on I hope that there’s coffee with breakfast – because while dream states do happen while you’re dreaming, I’m not sure that I’d say they let