The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 57

“Sorry,” Jackson says, frowning a little at me as he continues to hold the plate out, his own dinner plate in his hand. “You…said to come for dinner. Should I…not have come?”

“N–no,” I stammer, taking the plate from him and shaking my head. “Of course, Jackson. Forgive me…I just….lost track of time.”

He shrugs, the corner of his lip turning up. “Happens to the best of us. So…” he says, straightening up and holding his plate with two hands, glancing over his shoulder at the packed room. “Where should we…”

I look with him, a little surprised to see all four of the usually chatty boys eating quietly, bent over their own textbooks. And then I scowl, realizing that there’s absolutely no room for Jackson and I to comfortably sit.

“Best plan,” Luca offers, glancing up towards us, “is probably just to settle yourself into the Shrimp Nook. Plenty of room in there.”

Rafe snaps his head up, scowling at Luca, and I clench my own teeth.

Because Luca – he doesn’t know just how far he’s pushing his “I don’t care” attitude. He’s trying to embarrass me, but if he knew precisely who he was inviting to sit in my bed with me? He’d flip out.

Luca just smirks, unable to hide it as he focuses on his book.

Jackson turns to me, raising an eyebrow.

But I just sigh and gesture at the other half of my bed, inviting Jackson to take a seat.

As he does, my wolf yips with happiness, pouncing excitedly in my soul. Close the curtain!, she urges, nearly delirious at the smell of Jackson so close in our personal space, see if you can get him to take off his shirt!

I grown inwardly, trying to shove her away, but she just ignores me, continuing to spin.

Rafe clears his throat and my eyes dart immediately to him as he glares at me. But I just

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sigh, and shrug, and look meaningfully at the curtain, which is wide open.

His glare intensifies but I roll my eyes. Because honestly, even if Jackson is my mate and is technically on my bed, what the hell does Rafe think is going to happen with the curtain open and an audience of four spread directly in front of us?

wolf unhelpfully provides. Just, see if you can get Jackson to slip under

me as he unrolls his fork and knife from his napkin and settles his plate on his

onto his fork before stabbing a meatball, lifting both to his mouth. I can’t help it when my eyes drift to

at my elongated silence before I that out of my

so gorgeous even when he’s

concentrate, to remember what he’s here for. “Oh, um,” I say, suddenly turning towards my bedside table and looking for the marble.

“Careful,” he murmurs.

and grabbing the marble, setting it between us when I sit back up

said…an hour,” Jackson murmurs, looking down at the

my bed, and my pillows, and

blankets. I take another bite

my food, I’m shocked to find

I ask,

little bit. I frown, staring at the strong lines of his profile – his straight nose, his square jaw, the shaggy brown hair

so that I can focus on the marble, though I admit that my gaze drifts up to where Rafe is scowling in his chair and Luca looks completely unperturbed, reading his text like it’s the most fascinating thing that’s ever presented itself,

take it, I turn to him, surprised – because…I mean, Alvez said we had to have body

his eyes from my hand to meet my gaze. “I mean,”

address the connection between us. Because even though I know we’re both aware of it,

between us but still keeping it palm up. “I mean, isn’t that what Alvez was saying? That magic calls to magic? Maybe that…thing…is just our magic trying to talk to each other.”

keeps his eyes on mine, though his narrow a bit. Then he glances, just for half a second at everyone else in the room. “But why,” he says, frustration on the edge of his voice, “does your magic call to mine? Or vice versa? Or…whatever…”

floods me then, because I know the

I’m deliberately keeping it from him.

me to just tell him, to let him smell my scent, to let

in on it.

can’t. There’s still way too much at

don’t know, Jackson,” I whisper, and the frustration with which he sighs lets me know that he’s well aware that I’m lying. He doesn’t know what, but he knows I’m keeping something. from him. He turns his eyes away from me, focusing on the marble.

he murmurs, “Let’s

and grabs mine, our palms pressing flat together, his fingers folding around mine in a way that just…hums, filling me with

the magic again. pulses between us, as it always does when my hands touch him. My eyes instantly dart to the room as Rafe and

them whatever force Jackson and I created brushed by them like a ghost,