The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 38

I’m sobbing now too, shaking my head at him, guilt filling every pocket of my being. “I’m sorry,” I cry, shaking my head.

“Fuck, Ariel,” Rafe gasps, and then he pulls me to him, his arms around me tight. “I love you so much – I’ve always loved you, even when you’re so fucking annoying I want to throw you off the palace roof –“

A hysterical little laugh breaks from me and I bury my head against his chest.

“If anyone ever hurt you,” he gasps, and I can feel his rage passing a little, his breaths coming slower in his chest, “I would – I would fucking burn the world down, Ari – “

“I’m sorry,” I say again, hiccupping against him as I press my eyes shut and lean my cheek against his chest. “You’re right – it was stupid – I should have woken one of you up –“

“It was stupid,” he mutters, still shaking a little, but I can’t help the smile that comes back to my face, because I can tell that he’s…he’s merely pissed now, instead of in a full-on dad-style Alpha rage. Rafe raises a shaking hand to stroke my head, almost as if he’d run it over my hair, if I weren’t wearing this stupid ever-present cap. “For a smart girl, Ari, you can be real fucking stupid.”

“Stop calling me a girl,” I mutter, laughing a little. “Someone’s going to hear you and figure it out.”

He laughs a little too and loosens his hold on me, looking down into my face and shaking his head at me like I’m the most agitating thing he’s ever seen. “When mom and dad called you baby trouble,” he murmurs, “they were…sincerely underestimating you.”

Then, almost like he’s exhausted, he falls back on his ass in the middle of the trail, clearly not caring if someone comes by and finds us.

I sit across from him, hunching over, emotionally and physically exhausted even though it’s not even seven in the morning.

“What the hell is going on, Ari,” Rafe whispers, still shaking his head a me like he’s trying to figure it out. “That guy – he’s got it out for you – it’s like he’s trying to kill you every time he’s alone.”

Instinctually, I bite my lip, because…well, because I have an answer to that question, don’t I?

Rafe’s eyes immediately move to my mouth and his eyes flare, flicking back up to mine. “What is it?” he instantly demands, because, damn it, he’s known me my entire life – he knows all my tells.

Instantly I release my lip, my own eyes going wide.

“Ari,” Rafe growls, leaning forward, glaring at me. “You tell me – right fucking now –“

“It’s nothing!” I gasp, leaning away.

“Ariel Cora Sinclair,” Rafe growls, starting to crawl towards me like he’s going to kill me now –

God, all these fucking Alphas around, threatening my life –

“Stop!” I hiss, kicking out a foot at him, starting to get mad myself.

“Tell me!” he insists, almost shouts, grabbing me by the arm. “Or I swear to god, I’m going to kill you, and then bring you back to life, and then tell everyone you’re a girl, and get you kicked out of this school, and get me and Jesse kicked out for lying about you – and then I’ll make you go home and marry that horrible prince jerk –“

“Fine!” I shout, kicking him again when he moves closer. Rafe narrows his eyes, but he moves back just a little, knowing he’s got me cornered.

“Rafe,” I sigh, hanging my head a little. “Jackson – he’s just confused –“

“About what –“

“About,” I growl, snapping my eyes up to him, pissed that he won’t just let me get it out, “the fact that I smell like a girl underneath Jesse’s scent marking, and when he gets close to me…he can sense it.”

Rafe screws his face up in confusion. “Why the fuck would that matter to him? Like, a lot of guys would be pissed if they found out a girl was trying to infiltrate the academy. But this? Enough for him to want to, like, rip you to shreds -”

“Because,” I sigh, knowing that I could lie but…honestly, I’m not going to get away with it, because Rafe is on the scent now, and he knows all of my tells. “Because he’s my fucking mate, Rafe.”

I blurt it out, and lift my chin, because…I mean, I have nothing to be embarrassed about. He’s my mate, and it’s supposed to be a good thing. Right?

But as I watch, every single drop of blood drains from my brother’s face.