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 –”

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repeats himself, I think

do ridiculous things, like just leap on you in the hallway when we’d see you between

can’t help it, I join in with him, delighted as I look up

happy. My serious mate, who sometimes looks like he’s never had a happy day in his life, laughing like that. God,

eyes shining. “Well, I’m glad I didn’t disappoint. That your wolf,” he presses a

returning to the question at hand. “Jacks,” I say quietly, and he turns his face to mine, more serious now but

sigh and drops his

along with his gaze, and I worry

– 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

bite my lip, worried for different reasons now, and press myself against him, hoping to communicate my support, my genuine interest, my faith. He

when we first met, really,” he murmurs, smirking a little, “or else I’d never have been able to talk to

all.”

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work hard to fight my grin, wanting to be serious, but his own smile brings mine forward. “I know,” I whisper, nodding. “I saw you

mutters, taking a deep breath before slowly releasing it. “I thought my heart was going to pound through my

I ask, laughing. “Daphne is

don’t know, a gigantic whale, or a unicorn or something. Even if you know it’s nice you still don’t know what to do what

I squeak, pleased to

laughs, shaking his head. “Almost nearly as

“That was one hell of a kiss, Jackson,” I say, tilting my head and wrapping a hand in the fabric of his shirt, possessive, “if it

a second. “Well, no, he murmurs and I gasp a little at the drama of it all.

my lips, but they all fall away

tell you about her okay? Just…not right now. Not when I’ve just found you, and…there’s so much else

do not like, at all, the idea of this singular other girl. It is somehow, bizarrely, worse than Luca’s fifty

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