The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 171

“Ariel!” Mark shouts, bounding across the room like the big puppy that he is and grabbing me in a hug.

“Baby!” I shout, dropping Luca’s arm and laughing as I hug my brother back, my eyes pressing shut with the pleasure of it. Mark- he’s not even the baby of the family, he’s nearly two years older than Juniper, but he’ll always be my baby, and he lets me fuss and cluck over him like a mother hen.

“I’ve missed you,” my Markie murmurs, hugging me close and tucking his head down against my hair. “June’s been so mean to me and there’s no one to stop her

(C

I laugh, pushing back a little so I can look up into my little brother’s sweet face. Mark favors Rafe and my dad, of course, but he’s more of a mix than

Rafe and I are. While Rafe and I are our parents‘ twins, Mark has some of

mom’s softness in the curve of his cheeks, in the lighter highlights in his

hair.

been like this, or did he grow in the couple of months I’ve been gone? He’s Rafe’s height now, or at

))

before I can finish giving Mark my very best sisterly advice, a

the room and all of our heads whip to the left, where five kids charge for Jesse the second he steps through the door.

me down!” All of Jesse’s siblings grab onto him, shrieking and laughing, pulling him to the ground despite his mock protests, piling on top of him, shouting his name and how

grin, watching Jesse fake fight his siblings for a second, pleased to

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for fun and games, shrieking and getting in on the fun. After a second of pretending to fight them off Jesse starts to grab each of his siblings

wide as he

Grandpa Henry says, wheeling up next to me and smiling over at Jesse’s continuing scene, as I am. “It’s

grandpa, whose eyes sparkle as he shifts his gaze up to me, and I bend down quickly to give him a kiss on the cheek, murmuring how good it is to see him. Grandpa laughs and tells me that he feels just the same as Mark comes to stand close to us, not wanting to miss a thing. Juniper steps close

kindles something in me, and I can’t help · I grin, and leap for her. “Junie Junie!” I sing, dancing around Grandpa Henry’s chair and reaching for her, taking two handfuls of her long now–black hair in my hands and holding it up like pigtails as I bounce around her, singing the song she hates so much.

though