The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 48

We step inside and I notice with surprise that our group is the only one that made it back this early. “Wow,” I murmur. “I mean, I thought we were slow, but…”

“Maybe the other teams didn’t hate each other’s guts as much as ours did,” Luca says with a shrug, walking slowly for his bunk. I follow.

“I don’t think Perry hated us,” I murmur, glancing towards the bathroom where the other three have disappeared.

“Yeah, well, I don’t think we’ll be swapping recipes with him anytime soon,” Luca says, his voice dry. “Not when he’s tied up with those two.”

I hum a little consideringly as Luca grabs his bathing things and then waits for me as I grab mine. We head into the bathroom together, but I blush horribly when Luca heads for the showers, stripping off his shirt.

“Are you coming?” he calls over his shoulder.

I mumble something awkward about it being late and how I’m tired, and Luca just shrugs. I turn my back, pressing my eyes shut as Luca drops his shirt on the bathroom floor and starts at the buckle of his pants. I brush my teeth as fast as humanly possible then, congratulating myself for accomplishing the monumental act of personal restraint it takes to not glance backwards when I hear the shower turn on.

Instead, I scurry out of the bathroom, mentally scolding myself to respect my mate’s privacy, especially when he thinks I’m a boy.

Then, denying my wolf’s near-constant urge to strip down and climb into that shower alongside my mate, I haul myself into my bed and flip back onto my pillow, pulling my cap down over my eyes so I can get some sleep, or at least contain myself marginally.

My rest is interrupted, though, about fifteen minutes later when I hear Luca’s voice disturbingly close to my ear.

“Hey,” he says, and I shriek and jump a little, spinning towards him, realizing that he’s standing on the edge of Rafe’s bed, his arms looped over the side of my own, the way Jesse usually stands when he wants a quiet word. Luca grins instantly, laughing at me. “Jumpy,” he comments.

“Tired,” I say, glaring at him a little but turning on my side, propping my head on my hand and gazing at him. “Why do you disturb my slumber, pretty boy?” I try to inject some teasing into my own voice then, but honestly I think it fails. Because I mean – with his dimples flaring like that – he really is just so pretty.

“Brought you dinner,” Luca says, lifting one of the wrapped sandwiches I’m getting very sick of and placing it by me on the bed. “I figured you forgot to go get one for yourself.”

“Why did you think I’d forget?” I say, smiling and taking the sandwich, pulling it close but not unwrapping it.

“Because you always do,” he says softly. “Rafe always has to bring you food, remind you to eat.”

A little smile pulls at my mouth. “Have you been watching me, Grant?”

He stares at me for a long moment. “Can’t seem to help it,” he breathes, and my heart feels like it completely stops as he reaches out a hand, his fingers drawing dangerously close to my cheek –

But at the last moment his eyes shift to his hand, and he clenches it into a fist, drawing his lips into a tight line. “Good work today,” he says, nodding and shifting his eyes away from me. “Um. Yeah. Good job.” He hops down from his spot and waves to me over his shoulder. “See you…tomorrow. Today. When…whenever.”

“Night, Luca,” I say softly, though I know he hears me.

And I groan as I flop again back on my pillow, holding my sandwich against my stomach, wondering how the hell I’m supposed to get to sleep while my heart is racing this fast.