The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

"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 -"

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.

say, grinning up at him and shaking my head. God, when did baby get so tall? Has it always been like this, or did he grow in the couple of months I've been gone? He's Rafe's height now, or at least almost. "Just

over him. "Not the piranhas! They've got me! I'm being eaten alive! No, NO! They're taking me down!" All of Jesse's siblings grab onto him, shrieking and laughing, pulling him

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 by turn, giving them each what they need

as I am. "It's been murder on me and my chair - they're always wanting

see him. Grandpa laughs and tells me that he feels just the same as Mark comes to stand

Henry's chair and reaching for her, taking two handfuls of her long now-black hair in my

June groans, swatting at me with her hands and trying to back away,

me, and I've spent a whole semester training