The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 0722

"So!?" I say, leaning forward in turn and matching his tone, my hand still clamped to the wound on my neck.

"So- so we had sex!" Luca shouts, baffled and freaked out and afraid. "So you picked me! You picked me, Ariel! I gave you my mark because you picked me!"

I go perfectly still as I stare at Luca, my mouth slightly open.

Because that...that is not at all what happened.

I mean, we just had sex - we had a horrible few days, and had a bunch to drink, and we took refuge in each other -

And I love Luca desperately, but I did not choose him.

"Luca," I say, quite slow, "I did not pick you. I am not rejecting Jackson. We just had sex -"

"It's the same thing!" he roars, staring at me like I'm insane, or that he might be going insane, or that the world itself is broken and horrible and he's somehow just lost in it.

underwear and hastily pulling them on before striding away from me, his hands getting lost in his hair as he turns his back to me, attempting to put the shattered pieces of his

and looking down at my shaking hands. Because even if Luca and I greatly misunderstood what was happening today, I see his side of it - I see what he means. He thought that breaking the stupid sex pact was not just us having sex,

- god, I don't even remember - that I wouldn't have sex

- so much has

my eyes up to him. "A man only gets one chance to mark his mate. I never precisely

hard then, because he's right. It shouldn't have been this

grief hitting me again foreverything that has been lost and ruined in these past few days.

in his voice now. "Why,

like this?" I cry out, turning my head back up to him, my lower lip trembling

wolf snarls in my soul, prowling towards mine. "It's always about him - he's always there -

not what it's like - Jackson would

maybe

does everything right and he's so fucking perfect, maybe you should have had your first time with him! And then

stare at Luca, dread coiling within me, and slowly close my

in the room between