The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 182

In an instant, Jackson shifts, his breath heaving in him as he shrinks in on himself and takes his human form again, one leg still spread on either side of my body. “Even!?” he snaps, clearly livid. “You want to call this fucking even!? You were going to kill him!”

“Well, we didn’t,” Wright snarls, getting to his feet. “Come on, Perry, let’s go.”

As I watch, Wright turns, heading fast towards the edge of the ridge, through the brush and away from the clearer path. Jackson moves to follow, to chase – to do what, I don’t know, maybe kill him for wanting to kill me?

But quickly I grab his ankle. “Just let them go, Jacks,” I murmur, lifting a hand to my cheek and rubbing it, wondering if Wright has done some real damage there. God, he tried to crush my skull, and it aches –

“What are you even doing here?” Jackson snaps, and I look up at him, confused. And then I scowl, getting pissed myself.

“Oh, you know, just laying out, enjoying the sun,” I quip, angry, dropping my hand from his ankle and leaning back on my elbows. When Jackson narrows his eyes at me, I do the same. “I’m doing the same thing you are, Jacks! Trying to get to the top of the fucking mountain!”

“Well obviously, Clark,” he snaps, continuing to glare even as he steps away from me and offers a hand to help me up. “What are you doing here!?” he asks, gesturing at the grove around us.

I stare at him as he pulls me to my feet, confused. “I’m not doing anything here,” I murmur, looking around. “I was just hiding because I heard voices – I was on my way to the bridge. Why? Is there…is there something special about…here?”

Jackson sighs, turning away from me and confusing me more when he lifts his nose to the air, moving around, sniffing eagerly like he’s on the hunt. “Of course you’re fucking here,” he mutters, shaking his head, angry.

I just stare at him, wondering if he’s snapped or something, mentally. “What?”

“Of course!” he shouts, whirling on me, glaring harder now. “Of course you’re here, where her scent leads! Like you always fucking are!”

I groan, realizing what happened – that somehow he caught a whiff of my girl scent, his mate’s scent, and came running. That he wasn’t here to help me, Ari Clark, he was here to help his mate.

Who, of course, I realize is also me.

God, this is just going to cause trouble.

“She’s not fucking here, Jackson,” I sigh, rolling my eyes, wondering how fast I can get through the speech this time. “Come on, we have to go –“

I start towards the ridge again, eager to get to the bridge, well aware that I’ve already wasted way too much time, when suddenly a huge hand grabs my shirt, pulling me close.

“She is here, Clark!” Jackson shouts, shaking me and shouting down into my face. “I can smell her – I can smell hear fear!”

“Her – her fear?” I ask, my voice softer now in its confusion.

“Yes!” he snaps, dropping me and turning in a frantic circle, scanning the trees. “I can smell her – I know she’s scared – she’s here, and she’s scared, and I’m not leaving until I find her! I –“

I groan, putting my face in my hands, shaking my head, realizing that this is a horrible trap for Jackson to have fallen into. Because it’s his mate – he’ll spend all thirty-six hours of this Examination in these woods looking for her, looking for me, if he seriously thinks she’s here and in trouble.

Which, of course, I was.

But Jackson doesn’t realize that he already did his job and saved his mate’s life! He’s still all worked up, thinking he has to find her!

Honestly, what the hell am I supposed to do with this!?

“Jackson!” I shout, whipping my hands down from my face and taking three short steps towards him, grabbing his arm and pulling hard so that he half turns towards me. “She’s not here!”

“She is here!” his eyes still frantically scan the treeline, ignoring me.

Making a snap decision I jump, whipping my hand forward and smacking him on the side of the head.