The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

A little worry curls in me at this and I open my mouth to ask more questions, but suddenly the train emits a loud whistle that makes me leap nearly out of my boots.

"Come on!" Jesse calls, sticking his head out from inside the coach. "There's champagne in here! I am not waiting for you! If it's all gone by the time you get in here then you only have yourselves to blame!"

I laugh, moving eagerly forward, Rafe and Luca following close behind. But just as I put my foot up on the prettily-wrought golden stair, I hear someone shyly clear their throat behind me. I gasp, recognizing the sound somehow, and spin, my eyes wide.

"Daphne!" I shout, thrilled to see her standing there, a tiny suitcase anxiously clutched in her hands, her auburn hair curling prettily over her shoulders.

"Um," she says, biting her lip, looking at me with sad and sorry eyes, her whole body tight with unease. "Is it okay? I mean...does my invitation to the Capital for midwinter still stand?"

"Daph!" I shout with a laugh, dashing away from the train car towards my friend and almost knocking her over in my eagerness as I hug her tight to me. She gasps a little at the force of me and then laughs too, wrapping one arm around me, her suitcase pressed between us. "Of course it stands! I'm so happy to see you! I'm so happy you came!"

tightness in her words that she's on the edge of tears. The train emits another sharp whistle and starts to

of the gilt stairs, already boarded, a hand out towards us. "And I hate to interrupt

front of me, and she stumbles towards Luca's hand, grasping it. Luca pulls Daphne upwards with ease as I start to run alongside the train, but my powerful mate handles the situation like he's done it all his life. After Luca safely hands Daphne off to a waiting Jesse, who, beaming, helps her into the car, he reaches out for me. S~ᴇaʀᴄh

upwards, settling me against his chest as the train pulls away from the platform and

too late, Princess," he purrs, putting a hand on my cheek and running his

my head in a way that would send my hair cascading over my shoulders if it weren't tucked up under my cap - a very girlish, very Princess sort of gesture. "I am royalty, after

me. "We almost left you crying on the tracks, and then you'd have had

ineffectually on the chest with my fists, Luca just laughs harder, and so I do, and he lowers his face to mine and presses a kiss to my mouth like he can't help it. And I know I should care, should worry about who might see us kissing out in the open like this - but as the train begins to speed through the countryside, and the air whips around us, and my mate kisses me all alone - just the two of us - on

myself to care. Because it's just so perfect, and just so wonderful, to