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

1/5

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?

Just, see if you can get

towards me as he unrolls his fork and knife from his napkin and

he twines egg noodles onto his fork before stabbing a meatball, lifting both to his mouth. I can’t help it when my eyes drift to the way his biceps swell, even the muscles of his forearm defined as he moves…

chewing and frowns at my elongated silence before I that

gorgeous even when he’s just

my bedside table and looking for the marble. Jackson’s

“Careful,” he murmurs.

I reply, stretching behind me and grabbing the marble, setting it between

murmurs, looking down

my bed, and

my books, and pulling myself on top of my blankets. I take another bite of my dinner before putting the plate on my bedside table and finally placing the marble on

food, I’m shocked to find a little grin on his

ask,

little bit. I frown, staring at the strong lines of his profile – his straight nose, his square jaw, the shaggy brown hair that he’s tucked behind his car. I blink only when he clears his throat, raising his

in his chair and Luca looks completely unperturbed, reading his text like

to Jackson. When he doesn’t take it, I turn to him, surprised – because…I mean, Alvez said we had to

my hand to meet my gaze. “I mean,” he

the connection between us. Because even though I know we’re

my hand to the blanket between us but still keeping it palm up. “I mean, isn’t that what Alvez was saying?

for half a second at everyone else in the room. “But

I know the answer to that question.

deliberately keeping

me, begging me to just tell him, to

in on it.

There’s still way too much at

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.

murmurs,

before I can say more, Jackson just reaches. out his hand and grabs mine, our palms pressing flat together, his fingers folding around mine in a

between us, as it always does when my hands touch him. My eyes instantly dart to the room as Rafe and Jesse look up –

created brushed by them like a ghost, dragging