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.

and shoves himself up from the bed, grabbing his 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

was happening today, I see his side of it - I see what

I don't even remember - that

happened since then - so much has grown and

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

he's right. It shouldn't have

whisper, shaking my head and starting to tremble, grief hitting me again foreverything that has been lost and ruined in these past few days. I tried to escape it, to run from

nasty tone in his voice now. "Why,

to him, my lower

His wolf snarls in my soul, prowling towards

not what it's like - Jackson

then maybe you should

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

just stare at Luca, dread coiling within me, and

the room between us as Luca reads my