The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

"Luca!" Rafe shouts, just as Jesse shouts Jackson's name, both of them baffled.

I shake my head at Jacks, begging him to understand as I keep moving forward, as I place myself between my mates. And the moment I step actually between them, holding out a hand, palm out, towards each, begging them to stop -

I realize that it was a mistake.

I mean, I don't know what else I could have done, but it was a mistake.

Because in that moment, each of my mates sees that I'm not denying the other. Luca's eyes flash to Jackson's just as Jackson's move to his. There's a brief moment of silence before Jacks releases a horrible, desperate snarl. Luca roars in response before, in a flash, they both shift into their wolves.

Ben realizes what is happening half a second before everyone else, and he's the only one to move in time. My friend releases a shout, hurling himself up from the couch and leaping over the coffee table to tackle me to the floor just as the two wolves crash into each other above us.

And god, the sound they make -

they release sound unending, so loud in our tight stone room that it feels my eardrums will shatter. Ben wraps an arm around me, pulling me away, back

longer have any idea which of my emotions are mine, and which are theirs - I want to scream, and scratch, and bite, and intercede, and stop them,

feel Ben wrap me up in a tight ball as more noise adds

confusion adding to the anger, and a sudden

senses slowly coming back to me, and my face goes still when I see that there are four wolves in front of me now - Rafe's huge dark wolf snarling as he holds Jackson's scruff in his mouth, not biting him but a warning growl rumbling deep in his chest. Jesse's familiar brown wolf stands between Rafe, Jackson, and the fourth wolf, who is a lighter brown - almost blonde - panting

Luca. "Shift the fuck back! We are getting to the bottom of

a little, and Rafe loosens his grip on his neck. Luca

Ben tightens his hands on my arms. "You stay...right here..." he murmurs in my ear. "For just a little longer, okay?" Realizing that he's right, I stop, though I can't

getting slowly to his feet. He didn't come out of it

shifts a moment later, turning to me in his rage. "Ariel!?" he says, glaring

at Ben, who sighs and releases his grip on me. The two of us get to our feet and I look awkwardly around the room,

no idea where