The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 0917

His frown deepens as he puts the thought out of his mind, knowing that he's never going to get it right if he tries to venture a guess, so he turns his eyes back to his companions. Jesse and Mark stand close to each other, laughing about something, and Ben and Rafe sit quite close, whispering – probably about the great secret that Ben revealed at the beginning of the night, about liking men romantically, and being mated to Elias.

The others had been shocked by this but Jackson had been largely unphased. Honestly, when Ben had told them Jackson had kept waiting for the real secret to be revealed. It was only a few minutes in that he figured out that that's all it was. Ariel - she thought she had some great secret about Ben up her sleeve, but he'd kind of already known.

Ariel has known about Ben liking guys for a long time, after all, which means that on some level Jacks knew too - her thoughts and considerations of Ben trickling down the bond in little pieces. Plus, growing up in a barrack with a couple of dozen young men who were forbidden to talk to, touch, or even really think about girls...

Well, he'd never dabbled in the sexual assignations that some of the other boys had tried to be so discreet about. But it certainly wasn't uncommon. So Ben telling everyone that he likes men - it hadn't been nearly the shock to him as it had been to others.

But tonight, he's relieved to find that nobody is getting as drunk as Rafe and Jesse first implied back in the yurt. That it's not really a night of debauchery and instead a few good drinks to loosen everyone up. They seem to have done their job - Rafe and Jesse certainly do look more cheerful after their fairly dramatic experiences with their mates and girlfriends over the past twenty-four hours. And Jackson is happy about that - it's good to see them, his family, calmer, happier.

But...he has to admit it. He just wants to go home.

Jackson sighs, taking a long sip of his drink, wondering what Ariel is getting up to back at the palace. Whether or not she's alone in the room. If she's maybe wearing that slippy little night shirt he saw in her closet, and if the lace is sliding up her thigh. God damn it, her legs -

big boy," a light voice says next to him. Jackson blinks and looks down at the pretty, dark-haired girl giving him a sultry smile. "Can I

looking

couple more," the girl says, stepping closer - close enough to wrap her hands around his forearm. “And in the time it takes

least she's not playing coy - he hates that. It takes him so long to figure out if they're just being nice or

usually trying

Jackson says, smiling a little and shaking his head

and presses it over his chest where

she asks,

nods,

she says on a sigh, her apparent disappointment giving her the opportunity to lean closer. "I see the company you're with," she says, flicking her eyes over to the pair of princes and the duke. "Those royal girls are always so stuck up and uptight. Not like me," she wrinkles her nose at him. "I'll do whatever you

and is relieved to find Rafe

smirking at the woman and then flicking his eyes pointedly down to where her arms

standing up a bit

royals get started