The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Dad stares at me and then up at Jackson again. "What?" he asks. "I was just being polite -"

"Jacks is...not great with polite," I say, pressing myself warmly to his side. "Actually, I think he'd probably rather fight you than do the small talk thing." Jackson scowls, already coming back to himself a little. "Ari, I don't want to fight him -"

"I know," I say, nodding and smiling up into his face. "Just - can we all maybe take a bit of space? Try this again over midwinter, maybe over dinner?" Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ ꜰindNʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Or an activity," Rafe suggests, knowing that even a dinner might be a bit much for Jacks. "Or a great, great deal of whiskey - barrels of it."

"Enough," dad snaps good-heartedly at Rafe, waving a dismissive hand at all of us as he turns away. "Fine, fine! We'll do it all later! I need much more information anyway."

I grin after him as he walks to the bed with mom at his side, and then I grin between Jacks and Rafe.

"You did great, Jacks," I whisper, supportive.

he murmurs, glancing after

patting him on his shoulder with a

his mouth, I think to ask a question, but the door opens again - suddenly, I long for a lock on it - and a professor I don't recognize comes into

around, a clipboard in his hand.

hastily in front of me, asking whether the professor is looking for Jesse or Rafe Sinclair, and in the intervening moment Jackson hands me his cap, which was apparently tucked into his back pocket. Hastily, I loop my hair up onto my head

looking for Rafe Sinclair, Rafe glances back at me and then

the professor says, looking anxiously over at the King, Queen, and Duchess standing quietly together by the bed, perhaps wondering what the hell is going

"the three of you have been marked as

myself into Jackon's arms. He laughs with me, turning me in a circle, giving me a big hug. When we go all the way around before we see the professor at the

issue that Cadet... Clark..." here she glances at me, and inwardly I cringe at how

says, giving her a deferential bow. "The rules are to cross the finish line, full stop. I think,"

knew this all along because he wrote the rule book - that it's not a surprise to him,