The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 148

“Luca,” I growl, shoving uselessly at his shins, “let me up.”

Luca just glares at Jackson at the door and then over at me. He can come to you, Luca says into my mind, possessive and predatory. I narrow my eyes at him, pissed.

But there’s no time to think any more about it, because suddenly Jackson’s smokey pine scent strengthens and I look up to see him at my side.

“Here,” Jackson says, holding out the note to me and looking between Luca and I curiously. He frowns, a little, when he notices Luca’s legs stretched out over my lap.

“Thanks, Jacks,” I say, smiling up at him.

“Jacks?” Luca asks, and I turn to see him raising an eyebrow, his eyes flicking between the two of us. “What, the two of you are on like…a nickname basis now?”

The room is silent for a long, awkward moment as my two mates glare at each other and my cheeks go red. Honestly, I hadn’t even noticed that I’d given Jackson a nickname – it all happened very naturally.

“Yeah, I guess we are, Grant,” Jackson says, his voice quiet and dangerous.

The room returns to its awkward silence as I lower the note to my lap and awkwardly stare at it, not knowing what to do or how to mediate this. Because obviously, obviously I’m the cause of all of this – and I’m the only one who knows it.

“Well, I for one like it!” Jesse says, grinning at the drama and leaning against the doorframe. “Are you sure you won’t stay for dinner, Jacks?”

I flick my eyes to my cousin, grateful.

“Nah,” Jackson says with a sigh before reaching out a hand and giving me a warm pat on the shoulder. I look up in surprise at the touch, and then grin at him, unable to help it. He smiles back before he turns and heads towards the door. “A little…crowded in here, as it is.”

Ben and Rafe call their goodbyes as Jesse ushers Jackson out the door, telling him to come and spend some time with us soon. Luca is noticeably silent as I unfold my note and read through it.

“What is it?” Rafe asks, leaning towards me, almost as if he is trying to see the writing in my lap.

“It’s from Alvez,” I murmur, ignoring Luca’s jealous energy as best I can. “He wants to see me at office hours tomorrow.”

“Well, have fun with that,” Rafe says, relaxing instantly and turning back to his textbook.

“What do you mean?” I ask, refolding the note and tucking it between the pages of my book.

“It’s boring,” Rafe replies, and I remember now that he got paired with Alvez for his magic homework. “Just a lot of sitting around trying to…do things to a marble. I mean, I’m sure mom hired him for a reason, but I think a lot of this stuff we’re learning is guess work at best. At least at the beginning, until you can figure out what you can do.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Luca asks, frowning and looking between us.

Jesse opens his mouth to answer, probably intending to tell Luca the truth, but I speak first, interrupting.

“Classified,” I say, snapping my eyes up to my cousin, who raises his eyebrows in surprise that I want to keep the secret from my mate.

“We’re not the only ones in that class,” I say cagily, looking between Rafe and Jesse. “It’s not right to share anything unless Jackson and Tony agree first.”

“Whatever,” Luca says, sighing and holding up his hands.

“I, for one, would like it known that I do not care,” Ben murmurs from his place by the fire, and a grin breaks onto my face at his exhausted tone. “And, further, that if any of you have any pain killers…it would be great if you crushed them up and placed them quietly under my tongue. Thank you.”

I smile at my poor friend laying on the floor and turn to Luca, eager for the opportunity to change the subject. “What did you do to him last night?”

“Nothing he didn’t consent to,” Luca says casually, giving me a smirk. But in my mind, he takes a different tact. Don’t think we’re finished talking about this, he murmurs, his words a caress as much as warning that this conversation is not done.