The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 121

“Don’t worry too much about it,” Ben murmurs from his spot a seat away from me, his voice so soft that he could be talking to himself.

“Huh?” I say, looking up at him.

He keeps his eyes down, but I see the way his lips turn up. “He’s obsessed with you too, all right?” My jaw drops open a little bit. “Whatever little lover’s quarrel you’re going through here – it’s going to get sorted out. Trust him – he’ll come around when he decides to.”

Ben flicks his eyes to me now, and I turn my head to the side, still shocked but also incredibly interested. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that Luca’s the definition of an Alpha – he’s used to getting his way. He’s a great guy, but he wants the upper hand.” Ben shrugs. “But think about who you are, Ari. If you owe him an apology, give it, but don’t crawl after him begging him to accept it. You,” he says, looking at me significantly, “bow to no one.”

I sit up very straight in my chair for a second, staring at my very perceptive friend with an open mouth, before my face bursts into a smile. “When did you get so wise, Ben?”

He shrugs, smirking down at his textbook as I change seats, moving closer and bringing my book and coffee along. “Like I told you, four sisters. Luca’s no puppy dog that’s going to follow you around begging for treats, but trust me – he likes you. Big time. So…just let him work it out. And get back to work,” he says, nodding to my homework. “You’ve got bigger things to worry about.”

“I love you,” I murmur, bumping my shoulder against his.

“Right back at ya,” he sighs happily. And then we study, my mind successfully turned to the more pressing matter right now: not failing out of school.

Mates can wait, I think to myself, concentrating. My wolf huffs in discontentment, but she doesn’t stop me.

Unfortunately, my own life proves me wrong again, because obviously I see my second mate that afternoon in magic class. He doesn’t greet me as I slip into the seat next to him, settling my chemistry books on the text in front of me. Instead, Jackson just glances my way before turning his attention back to the board, where Alvez is drawing out some complicated diagrams.

I laugh to myself, shaking my head at Jackson’s perpetual lack of greetings, allowing myself to get distracted by Rafe’s conversation with Jesse about how combat went that morning. They’ve moved on from hand-to-hand to working with swords, apparently, which Jesse thinks is incredibly cool but which Rafe argues is impractical.

I’m half lost in their argument when Jackson’s deep voice makes me jump. “How’d that go?” he asks.

I turn to him, surprised, and just stare into his face. “What?”

He smirks and then nods down at my chemistry book, a little burned mark still on the cover where I pried the melted marble away. Dr. Neumann had raised an eyebrow at the condition of my text, but hadn’t asked any questions.

“How did class go, Clark?” Jackson says, his words snapping a little more than necessary. But I just smirk at my mate, wrinkling my nose, because I know him enough now to know that he’s not being nasty – he just doesn’t have a lot of social graces.

“It went great, actually,” I say, sitting up straight, excited that he asked. Rafe had been distracted on our walk here – I haven’t had a chance to brag yet. “We had a pop quiz and I am fairly certain that I did not disgrace myself. I really like the material too – I didn’t realize how much biology I’d have to learn alongside the chemistry. I mean, not only do we have to think about how the poison itself is made, but we have to understand what it does in the body as well. I never thought about…”

Jackson lets me prattle on for awhile while Alvez finishes up his writing on the board, and while his expressionless face doesn’t really give me a lot to go on, I think he’s at least a little bit interested. He doesn’t interrupt, at least. Instead, he props his chin on his palm and just listens, looking at me, until Alvez clasps his hands at the front of the room, drawing our attention to him.

“So,” Alvez says, smiling his dark smile as he looks slowly around at us. “Any…results? From your experimentations?”

Anxiety floods me – because I’m suddenly torn between wanting to explore my magic and keep my promise to Jackson that I won’t tell what I know about his.

But still, I’m dying to know both what his gift is, and why for some reason he’s not telling anyone.

Not even the professor who stares at him so, so eagerly from the front of the room.