The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 97

“Well, kind of” he replies, laughing louder now, freer. “I mean, I just didn’t let my mind go there before. You were just another guy. A little shrimpy one who I liked hanging out with, and who I worried about sometimes. But..I didn’t think of you that way.”

I narrow my eyes at him, leaning a little closer, inspecting his face for lies. “That’s not how attraction works, Jackson. You can’t just decide to turn it on and off.”

He stares at me stoically for a long moment before his mouth twitches in the start of a

smile.

I

gasp, pointing at his face. “You totally were!” I whisper, thrilled. “You were into the Shrimp! You had a crush on me!”

He laughs, snatching my finger out of the air and wrapping his hand around mine even as he leans closer. “Fine, I thought…I thought you had a nice smile, okay?”

I grin, leaning into him, making him say more.

He groans, sighing and rolling his eyes. “And nice skin and…and pretty eyes. But! I thought you were my mate’s twin, okay? That was my best guess. So, I was just imagining what she looked like, which was probably a lot like…you?” His face twists up now, getting all muddled in the truth.

I laugh with him, leaning back against him, pleased. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t find me totally repulsive.”

“Not totally,” he murmurs, lightly tracing his fingers down my arm and then around my back, settling me cozily against him again. “What about you?” he asks, his voice a little wicked.

“Oh,” I sigh, leaning my head against him. “It was terrible.”

“What?!” He’s laughing now.

“Rafe had to drag me back to the room all the time,” I say, looking up at him, a little embarrassed. “Told me I wasn’t allowed to moon after you in the hallways –”

Emergency calls only> 0 □ &

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Jackson repeats himself, I think shocked, but

me to do ridiculous things, like just leap on you in the hallway when we’d see you between classes, or steal your shirt and hide it under my pillow, god

I can’t help it, I join in with him,

who sometimes looks like he’s never had a happy day in his

laughter fades his turns his head back down to me, his eyes shining. “Well, I’m glad I didn’t disappoint. That your wolf,” he presses

returning to the question at hand. “Jacks,” I say quietly, and

sigh and drops his eyes from mine.

and I worry that I’ve

and taking my hand, wrapping it in his. “It’s fine – I want to tell you. It’s just…I have been taught, all my life, to keep it a secret. So, it takes a little bit of unlearning, you know? To muster up the courage and tell you everything.”

worried for different reasons now, and press myself against him, hoping to communicate my support, my genuine interest, my faith. He raises his face to mine

didn’t know you were a girl when we first met, really,” he murmurs, smirking a little, “or else I’d never have been able to

all.”

calls only NOOD

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own smile brings mine forward. “I know,” I

he mutters, taking a deep breath before slowly releasing it. “I thought

I ask, laughing. “Daphne is

something. Even if you know it’s nice you still don’t know what to

to you?” I squeak,

head. “Almost nearly as mythical,” he

something. “That was one hell of a kiss, Jackson,” I say, tilting

he murmurs and I gasp

go wide and a thousand questions are instantly on my lips, but they all fall away when

tell you about her okay? Just…not right now. Not when I’ve

find that I do not like, at all, the idea of this singular other girl. It is somehow, bizarrely,

sure I want to know. At least, as he says, not