The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 92

“I’m not leaving you behind, Ari,” Jackson spits out, glaring at me like I’ve said something. horrible and ridiculous, like we should both throw ourselves off the cliff.

“I’m just slowing you down!” I say, throwing out my hands for emphasis. “Seriously, if you hadn’t back–tracked for me, you’d be like, finished now

“I didn’t backtrack for you,” he mutters, still staring at me, “I backtracked for

“Your mate, whatever,” I sigh, rolling my eyes. “Either way, it’s not fair. I’ll find my own way

the mountain, it will be fine.”

up

“It will not be fine,” he says, reaching out to grab my arm. “Do you think I want to do this without you!?”

“What?” I ask, suddenly baffled.

“Not…not this, Ari,” Jackson says, waving the map around at the darkening forest. “Not the Examination. I mean, the Academy. Do you think I’m not aware that you’re the only person who has been nice to me? That you’re you’re the only human connection I have at all?”

–

“But,” I frown at him, “Rafe and Jesse –”

“Are only friends with me because you make them be

“That’s not true, Jackson,” I whisper, turning to face him, desperate for him to believe me. “They like you for who you are sure, I was the start of it, but they really do –”

–

“Ari,” Jackson sighs, his shoulders slumping, “this isn’t the time for a pep talk. Just – I’m not leaving you behind, okay? I found you in the woods, for some reason – because you’re always weirdly around when I smell her scent – but…I’m not leaving you behind now, all right? There’re ways to do this, even if I have to drag you up the mountain myself.” He mutters the final words, looking back at the map, and a slow, terribly pleased smile creeps over my face.

Because my mate- he likes me. He’s my friend.

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supposed to like you as a person…god, it means everything in

stepping close. “So, what should we

over at me, hesitating. Not everyone can shift

the ability. “This will

can shift….I mean, the jig will instantly be up if I do. Jackson will take one whiff of my honey and clove scent

world and throw his attention off again when we both need to concentrate on getting

wolf howls within me to be denied the chance to run as well as the fact that we’re blatantly lying to our mate. “I…I can’t

map. “Well, let’s get to the bridge then,” he says, folding it neatly and sliding it into his back pocket. “See what the situation

him, letting

me, pointing to tricky spots or turning to offer a hand when

of the ravine and the start to the bridge next to it. Clearly, a group of cadets truly has set up something

murmurs, peering through the trees. Then he looks around, interested. “Let’s get to higher ground,” he says, nodding upwards to a cliff above us. “I

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Chapter 92

up against

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shifter, instead of all wolf. I do my best to follow, clinging to the rock and taking his patient hand when I need to. Twenty minutes later we’re about thirty feet in the air on a flat jut

moved in the wilderness with his

much time hanging out in a

what the situation below looks at from his

cadets. gathered around them. “Already done some damage.” He points to the side now and I grimace to see that there are about ten cadets passed out to the side,

or Luca, or

I ask, forcing myself to open my eyes and pay attention. “What do

more. Then, in the morning, they’ll shift and run. Maybe cut the bridge. behind them. We

ask, fear curling in me

murmurs, nodding and pointing left along the trail, beyond the bridge. “It’s….harder, it will take