The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 0997

"All right," dad says, coming back in with mom and settling the tray of drinks on the coffee table. Mom hands me my tea before going to perch on the arm of the big lounge chair that dad sits in. "Tell me about this plan to adopt Marigold."

My eyebrows go up. "Sorry?" I ask, looking between him and mom, realizing that mom must have told him about it. Which is not a surprise - mom and dad talk about everything and rarely, if ever, keep secrets. "Is it...a problem?"

Jackson tenses a little, likewise looking between my parents.

Goldie gives a little squeak, reaching for some coloring supplies on the floor, and I lower her on to down. She dashes over to the coloring book and picks up a fistful of crayons as I turn back to my mom and dad, giving them my full attention.

"It's not a problem," dad says, shaking his head slowly, his sharp green eyes on me. "Your family is your own, Ariel, and if you're kind enough to welcome a child into it as your own then I certainly won't stop you. But there are certain complications."

My eyebrows go up and I glance up at Jacks, who sends a pulse of confusion to me down the bond, moving a little closer to my side.

"What complications?" I ask, a bit soft.

between both of us now, "that your adopting Marigold as your daughter places her third in line

realization that my dad is right. I mean, I'd always

if his mate is Maryam, and she's human, then they probably won't be able to have

the floor, happily

murmurs next to me. "I didn't...I didn't even

Marigold on the floor. “Except that...this is a child with ties to the Community, just like your mate.

I whisper, "that some could understand Marigold's reign as the

intones, sitting back in his chair and putting a hand on mom's back, letting me and Jackson put

softly at the idea of the Community having any claim, at all, to Marigold or the throne. But I shake

remember the Community - in fact, she wasn't even ever there, right? They have no true claim on her. And

and she understands herself as Princess of

too," Jackson

head. "Or that Moon Valley will accept it. A child not of the Sinclair line..." he sighs, moving his eyes back to Goldie, who is