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.

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

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, but me fulfilling the

wording - god, I don't even remember - that

happened since then - so much has

you know," Luca snaps, turning back towards me suddenly and drawing my eyes up to him. "A man only gets one chance to mark his mate. I never precisely imagined that the moment I did it that you'd say 'no' and shove

because he's right.

starting to tremble, grief hitting me again foreverything that has been lost and

Luca asks, a nasty tone in his voice now. "Why, because that's what

lower lip trembling in my agony. "Why are you even talking about Jackson - this is about us

about us," Luca snarls, glaring at me like he hates me. His wolf snarls in my soul, prowling towards mine. "It's always about him -

- Jackson would never

then maybe

Ariel!" Luca shouts, vicious. "If he always does everything right and he's so fucking perfect, maybe you should have had your

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

the room between us as Luca reads my