The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 53

Jesse is really nice to me for the rest of the morning, slinging his arm around my shoulders and cracking jokes all the way to breakfast. Even I can’t help laughing, even as a deep pool of dread forms in my stomach, because I have absolutely no control over how Luca is going to react to any of this.

My mind keeps running through scenarios – is he going to storm in demanding answers? Is he going to declare to the entire Hall that I’m a girl? Is he going to just pull me aside and-

“Hey,” Jesse says, using the arm around my shoulder to tug me incrementally closer. “Whatever it is, Ari? It can’t be that bad.”

“What?” I ask, looking up at him as we walk, glancing at Rafe, who chats amiably with Ben as they walk down the hall ahead of us.

“Whatever drama went down last night in your little dream state?” Jesse says, raising an eyebrow at me.

I

gape at him – how did he…!?

He just laughs at me, my face making the admission even if I don’t confirm with words.

“Seriously, Shrimpy, it can’t be that bad. You’re going to get through it! Don’t worry so

much.”

—-

I sigh, hanging my head back and leaning against him, more relieved than I thought I’d be that he guessed and I have someone to talk to about it.

“I’m just…I have no idea how to handle this, Jess,” I murmur as we walk into the Hall. “You’re more experienced than me, how do you handle…” I glance again at Rafe, lowering my voice, “romance drama?”

“Well, in my experience, you just gently dump them and move on the moment things start to get even remotely complicated,” Jesse says, his voice breezy.

I gasp and gape, looking up at him. “Jesse!” I scold, aghast.

“What!?” he says, grinning at me even as I shove him away. “I enjoy other people’s romantic drama, not my own. Plus, I said gently –

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“I didn’t know you were a heartbreaker,” I growl, glaring at him. “And also! This advice does not apply to me!”

“I know, you poor thing,” he murmurs, laughing at me a little. “None of my methods will suit you, you should probably just call your mom –”

“We don’t even have phones, you idiot,” I groan, shoving him away from me further, disappointed that he is so nice to me but also so useless. My eyes scan the room, going first to our usual table and then into the room at large…

yet. I let out a little

for me before going to sit next to Ben, deliberately leaving the seat next to me open. I glare

back at me, devious, as he accepts the coffee

to lose myself in Rafe and Ben’s conversation about fighting techniques for smaller bodies, but I keep losing track of it and instead just

that, Shrimp,” a

face up towards Luca, who smirks down at me before

he says, lifting the now–empty coffee carafe with a frown.

coming short as I

next.

at him, saying their goodmornings as Luca snags a fresh muffin from the

Chapter 53

taking a bite.

eye of a waiter and orders more coffee for the table. The waiter nods, walking

and my eyes whip to him as I hear the mischief in his voice. “Was your

+5

cousin, murder in my eyes. If I were closer and it wouldn’t absolutely blow my cover, I’d wring his neck.

great,” Luca says, smiling warmly at Jesse and thanking the waiter, who comes back with the coffee pot. “Completely dreamless for once,

his eyebrows going up in surprise.

breath as I just stare

hell is he playing at?

he…really not remember

is he just

frown at me, looking me up and down. “Seriously, Shrimp,” he says, completely casual. “You’d better eat, we have like,

completely, completely baffled as to how Luca is this calm and

Rafe walks me to my Marksmanship class, which begins at roughly the same time as the Warrior–track training. He made us leave breakfast a few minutes early so that he has time to walk me, so I don’t even have the opportunity to speak to Luca for

་་་པ་་ 30

to class, Rafe babbles on about some kind of sporty nonsense – fighting techniques, how

surprise about

my mind just spins in shock

+5

when he just suspected something was up, he was moody all day and basically had a meltdown at breakfast.

hell is going on?

is my mate so complicated – why didn’t I get

grabbing my sleeve. “Stop

I walked right past the classroom door.

I say, my shoulders bunching